Unlikely Bond
By Bdegrees

Chapter 3
Subject

There was pain.

The room was spinning.

Nausea welled, acrid and hot into his throat. Blood was pumping loud and hard in his ears. Where was he? What was going on?

He tried to open his eyes, but they were as unnaturally heavy as the rest of his body. So he lay there on the cold, rough surface, waiting.

Time stretched out before him, and after what felt like an eternity, he could open his eyes. The room that held him was small. It felt small since what he could see wasn't much, and it was dark and confining. Unable yet to move his head, he rolled his eyes to get a view of his prison. There was a large metal door directly in front of him, and the walls were constructed out of what looked like stone. Torches burned in sconces on either side of the door. From what he could tell, the adjacent walls were bare, save maybe another torch somewhere to the rear of the room. He could see the light reflecting on the walls and could hear the soft crackle of fire.

So he had been captured. He wasn't sure how he had been overpowered, but he knew it wasn't by any honorable means. And they called themselves Saiyan....

The door slid open, grating on the floor, alerting him. A young man stepped inside, eyeing the prisoner warily. He balanced a tray on one hand, pushing the door closed with the other. A loud clicking of the lock signaled that there was someone guarding the other side of the door.

The young Saiyan stepped forward and kneeled on the floor, setting his tray aside.

"I apologize for their treatment of you, my lord." He spoke in the Saiyan language, his tone hushed.

Vegeta could barely part his lips, let alone shout out the string of obscenities and insults that rushed to the forefront of his mind. He could only lie there, killing the boy with his eyes.

"They don't understand the complexities of the serum that they used on you and your friend. I don't think they want to know actually, as they care little for the sciences. They used far too much. Had you both not been in ascended form, you would have probably died."

Vegeta felt his nostrils flare with rage. What friend was he talking about? Had Trunks disobeyed him and stayed to fight? Was not only his daughter a captive but his son as well?

The young Saiyan appeared to read the look in his eyes.

"The children are safe, I promise you. They are actually going to receive full medical examinations to ascertain their complete health." He stared at Vegeta for a moment, his eyes actually softening. "You are the legendary...." He almost whispered the words.

Vegeta would have groaned if he could have made any sound. His throat was constricted to barely letting past oxygen, but his eyes rolled with disgust.

The young man took a syringe off his tray, and after prepping a small patch of skin on Vegeta's arm with an antiseptic swab, he injected a cold stream of fluid into a vein. Vegeta felt his muscles begin to tremble and spasm.

"Don't be alarmed," the boy told him, standing and moving behind him. "You and your friend will regain your motor control within the hour. I will check on you then and see to any needs you may have." He came back into Vegeta's field of vision as he walked to the door. "Please, I again offer my apologies, your highness."

Vegeta watched as the boy pressed a button on a small device he held. There was a moment of silence before the door mechanism clicked, and Vegeta was again alone.

Or was he? Was this "friend" the Saiyan spoke of in this room as well?

Vegeta returned to the waiting game. After a while, his skin began to tingle as if his limbs were coming out of a sleep.

Behind him someone groaned. It didn't sound like Trunks, but when he tried to reach out with his ki, he felt nothing. His body was powerless.

The boy had said he would regain movement within the hour, but time was moving impossibly slowly. Finally, when he attempted to raise his hand, the appendage responded although it felt made of lead.

Pushing with all the strength he could muster, he rolled onto his back. His head snapped to the side from the momentum, and he could complete his survey of the cell.

"Kakkarot," he hissed, his voice strained.

Goku was lying on his back, eyes open and transfixed on the ceiling. His lips were parted slightly, and his breathing was shallow.

"Kakkarot!" Vegeta forced the word louder from his lungs even though it burned in his throat. What the hell did those bastards do to him!?

When he still received no answer, the prince pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and took a stumbling crawl toward his cellmate. His hands gave out from under him, and he landed on the stone floor with a loud thud. He lay there for a moment, cursing under his breath.

"Ve....geta...."

Vegeta lifted his head. Goku's position hadn't changed.

"Shut up, Kakkarot," he grumbled. "We have no fucking choice but to wait."



~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as he was able to stand without crashing back to the floor, which had happened on several attempts, Vegeta moved to the nearest wall to support himself and survey his surroundings. He had been lying close to the door when he first regained consciousness, and there was about twenty more feet of room than he first thought. In the center against one wall was a large wooden framed bed draped in some type of animal hide for covering. A large chest of the same wood was at its foot, which he discovered was empty. In one corner was a sink and what seemed to be an elimination receptacle, shielded from the rest of the room by a wooden screen. There were two more sconced torches on the far wall and a small table surrounded by stools. That was the lay of the room. No windows. No other doors. No escape.

Vegeta leaned heavily on the wall. When the effects of whatever that 'serum' was wore off, someone was in serious trouble. As it stood, he felt the life returning to his limbs but his power was still repressed. He couldn't sense any power levels at all, even from Goku.

"Man, I feel so weird!" Goku exclaimed, settling on the side of the bed. "I thought he said this would wear off in an hour." Vegeta's scowl deepened as he regarded the other.

"And of course they wouldn't lie, Kakkarot." Goku grimaced. He wanted to reply but felt he'd better let the subject drop. He instead tried a different approach.

"Do you really think they are Saiyans? I mean, can they be?"

Vegeta folded his arms across his chest, his shoulders shrugging ever so slightly, his face appearing disinterested.

"They smell like Saiyans," he replied. "But they don't act like Saiyans. Their attack was honorless. Their actions shameful to a true Saiyan." His lip curled, and he spat in disgust. "Honorless scum."

Goku didn't reply to those remarks, either. Pushing himself back to his feet, he strolled around the room, rolling his shoulders in their sockets, testing their range, pulling his arms across his chest to stretch the muscles. He felt his strength, but he couldn't feel his power. He couldn't sense Vegeta was even in the room with him, let alone if the children were near.

Goku crossed the room to the door and pressed his palms against the cool steel. There was no knob or opening mechanism of any kind, nothing to indicate it could be opened from the inside. He wanted to power up and punch his way through. He had to find Goten.

"I have to ask you to please step away from the door."

When the voice broke the silence of the room, both Vegeta and Goku crouched into defensive stances. Vegeta was looking wildly around the room as Goku turned to him.

"What did he say?" he asked.

Goku didn't know if Vegeta's scowl was for the bodiless voice or for him not knowing his own native speech.

"Get away from the door," he grumbled in reply. Goku looked back to the metal door before taking several cautious steps away. The voice continued.

"Thank you. Your continued cooperation will be appreciated. Physical attacks of any kind will be futile." Goku turned back to Vegeta as he made a snort of disagreement to whatever it was the voice said this time. Shortly after the second message, the door slid open. It was the younger Saiyan from before, again carrying a tray, but this one was filled with several covered pots and bowls.

"Please do not attempt an escape." He spoke before passing the threshold. "Your energy is being suppressed, and the repercussions will be unpleasant."

"From a weakling like you!?" Vegeta snapped in anger. The young man shook his head.

"I would not retaliate against you, my lord. But I am afraid that the guards outside would show no mercy. And in your present state, I think not even your superior Saiyan healing abilities would help you recover." Vegeta growled.

"Let them try!"

Goku looked between the two like a tennis match. Whatever was being said, Vegeta wasn't pleased.

"Where is my son?" he broke in, gaining the Saiyan's attention. The young man looked at him a moment, before answering slowly in the language Goku understood.

"The male child is safe," he told him and turned quickly to Vegeta. "As is the princess. Neither will come to...harm...."

Goku sighed and Vegeta only remained in his crouched stance, his hands clenching and unclenching in frustration. The Saiyan stepped into the room, and the door slid closed. He seemed to regard Vegeta warily, but he crossed the room between the two captives to lay the tray on the table.

"I hope this meal is acceptable." He moved the items from the tray to the table. "It is not much, but it is the best that we have. Stewed meat and vegetables, bread and wine." He turned to Vegeta, looking at his hands which were still covered with dried smears of blood. "I will have a bathing tub brought in for you, my lord. I apologize for the intimacies of this chamber being so grossly inadequate. This ship is old and smaller than any of our liking."

"I don't give a shit what you like!" Vegeta barked back. "I don't give a shit about this ship. I want my daughter returned to me, or I will have your head on that tray, do you understand!?"

Goku took a small step toward the younger Saiyan. He could understand Vegeta's anger, but the young man was not to blame for their situation.

"Can we at least see them?" Goku asked. "See that they are well, as you say? I mean, if you captured us alive, obviously we have something you want. So you should at least give us that consideration."

The young man seemed to pale at Goku's words, but he nodded.

"I cannot bring them to you, or you to them," he replied. "But I can arrange a video transmission." Goku nodded.

"Thank you."

The Saiyan turned back to Vegeta.

"If you require anything further that is within my power to supply, just call for me. My name is Daikkon." He inclined his head in a small bow before turning to leave. He stopped at the door and turned back to the prince. "I will have a bathing basin brought up as soon as possible...." Vegeta only snarled in reply. "And I will do everything I can to protect your daughter, my king."

Vegeta and Goku watched him as he pressed the hand held device and the door opened and closed behind him. When the door closed with a resounding thud, Vegeta let out a lung-wrenching howl and swiped up one of the dining stools, hurling it at the far wall. It struck hard and clattered to the floor.

"Easy, Vegeta," Goku advised. "We need to think about this rationally."

Vegeta advanced on him so quickly that Goku had to take several stumbling steps backward so as not to be stepped upon. Vegeta poked him painfully in the chest with a finger.

"Rationally!" he shouted. "I am fucking rational, you fool!" Goku took another step back, his knees striking against the bed and forcing him down.

"I'm just saying that we should calm down and try to analyze our situation to come up with the best plan," Goku defended himself. Vegeta shook his head.

"Kakkarot, you really are nothing but an overgrown imbecile," he snarled. "This is our situation." His voice dropped to a menacing whisper as he leaned into Goku's personal space. "We are no longer on Earth, but a ship. Our captors, whilst very devious and cowardly, are poorly organized. Whatever their plan, it includes us and our children, but since we don't know what that plan is, we cannot yet know all the bargaining tools we might posses. Whatever it is, it would appear they want us alive...and well." Goku blinked twice. He answered back in the same hushed tone.

"How do you know these things, Vegeta?" Vegeta pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off the pain that was creeping between his brows.

"First, the boy himself told us we were no longer on planet when he said 'this ship'. Second, these morons went through quite some trouble to abduct us and our children. They are watching us at this very moment and somehow controlling our ki. However, this ship is old and ill equipped. The meal is the best they have but of substandard quality, showing a lack of proper funds for such an undertaking." Goku's mouth formed an 'O', but he didn't speak. "They have supplied us with rooms, medicine and food. All of which could possibly, and more than likely, be in short supply to them. And the most telling is the boy Daikkon." Goku leaned in for this explanation. "While the others have regarded me with contempt and malice, he offers his loyalty to my position openly. That would indicate there is not complete unity within in the group." Without warning, Vegeta thumped Goku in the forehead with the heel of his palm. "Think, Kakkarot!!"

Goku rubbed his forehead as Vegeta turned and stalked to the other side of the room. Even after all these years, it really never occurred to him what a cool analyst and competent strategist Vegeta was. But, Goku told himself, if Vegeta could rationally analyze this situation with his daughter held captive, maybe things wouldn't stay so bad after all....


TBC

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