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Saving the Saiyans: Finale; Rein of Terror
Topic Started: Mar 25 2014, 08:10 PM (105 Views)
Reina
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(Aiden and Reina Joint Quest - Destroying WPD and taking names!)


There was no telling how much time had passed while Aiden was unconscious. It could have been mere minutes, hours, or even days. As he slowly came out of that sleep he was greeting most unceremoniously with a dull pain in the back of his head. He could smell the faint odor of blood, no doubt dried and matted to his white hair where he was struck. His vision was at first blurry when those eyes attempted to garner his surroundings. Coming into focus he would discover that he was in some form of lab.

The second thing that Aiden noticed was how cold he was. Someone had stripped him of most of his clothes leaving him in just a pair of black boxers. He also found that he was bound in place, his ankles strapped to the floor while both arms were spread out above his head with cold metal seized at his wrists holding him in place. While his strength still felt weak he tried to pull at the bounds only managing to bruise said wrists in the process. They didn’t seem willing to budge.

Across the room from him Aiden saw a single individual with their back turned. She looked human for the most part except her skin was flaxen in tone. From what Aiden could tell from his vantage point the woman seemed to be working on something at a table in front of her. There were various computer simulations running and the entire area was lined with different forms of technology, beakers, and running experiments. Out of the corner of his eye Aiden could even see a read out of Rein. It was from this screen that he realized he was in fact underneath the city.

Getting nowhere with the binds, Aiden decided to try to get his would-be kidnapper’s attention. “So, if you think binding me in place and stripping me of my clothes is supposed to unnerve me,” he began, “then you clearly haven’t met my girlfriend.”

The woman turned then, seeing for the first time that Aiden was awake. Her eyes lit up as she looked at him with a strange hunger in her eyes. “Oh, good. You’re conscious. I needed you to be awake for this next part.” Moving to an adjacent table the woman sought out some tools which set Aiden’s teeth on edge. What was she going to do? Torture him? While the idea was not something he was looking forward to he was fairly confident he could resist whatever she had in store. After all, Aiden had been through so much already - what could this doctor possibly cook up to cause him to break?

“So you killed the good doc for his technology, huh? Went to an awful lot of trouble to cover it up, too. Now you’ve even captured me for looking into it and asking too many questions I wager? Well, you’re really in for it. When Reina finds out I’m missing she’s going to tear your whole lab apart to find me.” The idea of a Super Saiyan hunting you down would put anyone off but this woman seemed undeterred.

No, instead she had quite a malicious grin on her face. “Oh, I don’t think that barbarian you call a woman is going to be of any use to you…”

Aiden felt a lump in his throat. Fear gripped at his chest. His voice was icy calm. “What did you do to her?”

“Not so tough now, are we Mr. Hero. Savior or Rein. Hah! If you only knew the half of it. You think you’re responsible for repelling the Majin attack? Dream on. It was us, the race history has decidedly forgotten about. Hidden beneath the scenes. Barely surviving. And now here we are, finally ready to enact our revenge on the Saiyans who slaughtered my ancestors all those years ago. The Tuffle race - the true rulers of this planet - will be reborn!” She approached Aiden now with a strange device. It had a needle protruding from a large syringe attached to a clear tube which fed into a large beaker that was further hooked up to some machines. “And you - hero - are going to help us make it happen.”

“What are you going to do? Get away from me. Don’t you dare--” he fought at his bounds to no avail. Before he was able to build up any sort of resistance she jammed the thing painful into his arm. In an instant he felt a burning sensation from the point of impact spread through his veins like fire. He did his best not to cry out, to show her his pain while his body convulsed in place. He grit his teeth so hard his jaw hurt and his eyes stung with tears. He watched in horror as a red fluid pumped down that tube and started to fill the beaker at the end. With horror Aiden realized she was draining his blood.

The head injury from earlier already left him disoriented. This new development was making matters worse, his head spinning as she drained him. He fought to stay awake as his head dipped. A harsh hand caught him across the face when she slapped him to jar him back away. “Oh no, I need your heart pumping at full. Stay awake now or this is just going to take longer.”

Aiden continued to struggle. The metal of those bonds were cutting into his skin from how hard he pulled against them. Try as he might he could not summon up the strength or ki energy to bust free. Things were beginning to look grim. As he threatened to fall into unconsciousness again his head lolled to the side and he tried to press out with his mind. Sensing. Sensing for any sign. Reina, where are you…?

As if summoned up by the mere thought of her, a howl more animal than human roared through the lower tunnels of their confinement, strong enough to rattle the foundation. It gave the female Tuffle a moment of pause as she looked up from her work on the table, perhaps the barest hint of hesitation showing in her ashen eyes. There were voices shouting far off in the compound - wherever they were, followed by the very real flare of Reina’s ki signature, suddenly volatile and oppressive despite the dampening technology all around them. While it may have inspired a moment of hope, it just as quickly flickered out, making the woman sneer and shake her head.

“You can’t run,” she said suddenly as she filled several vials with Aiden’s blood, mixing it with a clear fluid turned black when it mixed. She swirled it around, her expression deadly serious when she looked at Aiden. “Our facility extends beyond the borders of Rein. You are several hundred feet below ground - no one will hear you scream.” She almost seemed to enjoy that last part, her amusement curling at the edges of her cold exterior. If the technology Reina had discovered stretched all through the false Tuffle city, there was more truth in that statement than first thought.

By now, Aiden was barely conscious. He felt drained both physically and mentally, a combination of those ki dampeners and the quite literal draining from his body. He watched as the doctor set to work at using his blood to some means while he remain strapped in place unable to do much more than witness her results. Finally, after a few long moments she raised a vial to the air and cried out her success.

“It worked. I can’t believe it. All this time, all these years of tests. So many deaths. To think, it was a random human passing by that would give us what we needed.” She turned on the spot and faced Aiden then, waving the vial of dark ikor through the air. “You remember when you were last here and you almost got yourself killed fighting that Majin creature? We were the ones who injected you with that miraculous healing agent that fixed you up. Of course, I just as much assumed it would have killed you faster just like all the rest but look at you. Still breathing.”

She turned to some readouts on a computer terminal behind her. “Your biosignature is unique. Almost as if you don’t belong in this world. The energy was what was needed to finally cultivate… this.” She peered at that concoction and sneered a haughty grin. “This little creation of mine is going to be the tipping point. This virus, cultivated from your very blood and left to grow strong in your body this past year is going to help us wipe out those filthy inbred beasts and retake the surface world.”

Aiden tried his best to stay away. “No… you… you can’t…”

She laughed before moving toward the far wall where a few command inputs activated a small comm system. “Bring her in. I need a test subject to see the effects of my work. I need to make sure this has the desired results. Plus, I want her lover to watch as his own body results in the virus that kills her.”

At first there was silence in response, then shouting somewhere down the hall. A litany of voices followed, and the obvious sounds of struggling rose up with it. Two men appeared in the doorway shortly there after, backing in with their hands beneath the smaller woman’s shoulders, and from the looks of them, they were having a hard time holding on. Reina growled and thrashed, the shackles that had been used to hold her torn to pieces and still dangling from her wrists. Her hair was brazen gold, her eyes wild and blue as three more men tried to contain her lower extremities with little luck. She caught one of them square in the chest with a bare foot and sent him tumbling backwards.

“Kami! I told you to put the dampeners on her!”

“We did! We’re up to seven! She just won’t stop!”

Reina threw an elbow as her golden aura rose up and swallowed the group of them, knocking two more back so that she hit the floor, rolling backwards and onto her hands and feet as she backed up into the room in that crouched position. She snarled at them when the group of male Tuffles who’d brought her in stood squarely between her and what she clearly was after - Aiden, even as the dampeners blinked in their various positions around her wrists, ankles, neck, and waist. Like Aiden, Reina had been stripped of all of her belongings, left with a pair of red shorts and the bands of her red bra.

Get out of the way,” she hissed.

“You’re just making it harder on yourself.” The doctor was standing beside Aiden then, taking hold of a handful of his hair and wrenching his head back, the pointed tip of a dagger against his throat.

Trust me, lady. You don’t want to do that.” It was clear, Reina was already picturing all the ways she’d break her pretty face - and how much she’d enjoy doing it.

In her defiance the doctor pressed the blade against his skin drawing a small cut where blood trickled from the spot down his neck. Aiden’s face grimaced from the contact and it was clear he seemed to be unable to defend himself. With the dampeners going to work and his body dangerously low on energy from trying to struggle as well as drawing that blood he would be at her mercy completely. “Stop resisting or I slash his throat while you watch!”

All they were looking for was a second of hesitation, and that threat gave it to them. One of the goons lurched forward with a long black prod that sparked noisily at the end, jabbing it hard into her side and making her cry out and jerk suddenly in response. He hit her twice more, until Reina’s back hit the wall and his fellows descended on her while she was stunned. They gathered her up and took her to a set of restraints just in front of Aiden, stringing her hands up over her head and leaving her to dangle on her toes when the chains were pulled up to their full height.

Tell you what,” Reina said through grit teeth, her brightly colored eyes turning to that Tuffle doctor when she stepped away from Aiden. “Let us go now, and I’ll leave you the use of your legs.” Despite her haggard breathing, Reina pulled on her binding, finding her well of strength was quickly running dry.

“You aren’t in a position to be making threats,” the Tuffle woman replied, filling a syringe with the newly acquired virus. “After this, you won’t be good to anyone. Another filthy monkey to put down. Just like all the rest.” Even armed with her biological weapon, she hesitated a second when she came within arm’s reach of Reina, her eyes flicking to the hallowed appearance of her muscle.

Aiden weakly tried to stop her. His wrists bled as he pulled at those metal shackles. “S-Stop. Leave her alone!” His muscles tensed as he felt a surge of anger bringing him back a bit of strength. Just as quickly as it came, however, it was drained out of him by those binds. He could only watch as that needle point punctured Reina’s forearm and the injection began.

That injection was like liquid fire in her veins, drawing Reina’s spine to stretch as the pain was suddenly more than she could bare. The chains rattled loudly as she jerked and twitched, doing everything she could to try and drown out the agony. Strung up like she was meant she could do little but endure it, knowing the wave would come to an end - it had to, right? The group watched as the drug ran its course, Reina’s gold hair flickering out to its dark black hue as red sweat dotted her forehead and neck. Whatever reserves of strength she had left ran out of her and she finally lost consciousness after the long horrifying seconds stretched into minutes. The silence that followed was only broken by her wet gasping.

“She lasted longer than I thought she would,” the doctor said coldly, setting the empty syringe down. “I’m just trying to decide if I want to speed up the process...or let the monkeys suffer. I’ve got some work to do, so I’ll leave you two lovebirds to say your goodbyes. See? I’m not completely heartless.” She jerked her head at the five other Tuffles in the room as she gathered up her findings and left - locking the two of them inside, as if it was necessary.
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Aiden
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Time Traveling, Dimension Hopping, Planet Saving Extraordinaire
It was hard to tell how much time had past. Aiden had hung there helplessly as he watched Reina’s body convulse as she went in and out of consciousness. He could tell by the flush of her cheeks and the beaded sweat on her brow that she was burning up. This virus, engineered to kill Saiyans, was cultivated from Aiden’s own blood. He could never live with himself knowing that he was the cause of the Saiyan’s demise and, worse, Reina’s death.

He spoke to her through the experience. Soft words of encouragement. Each time she came back to consciousness he was trying to ease her through it, keep her awake, keep her strength up. She fought admirably but she was fading. Aiden had to do something. He felt so helpless. With the position he was in there was no way for him to reach the bonds holding him in place. If only he had some method of getting free.

As he hung there he noticed something. That lower extremity of Reina’s curled loosely around her thigh. The stupid Tuffles never thought to bind her tail! “Reina. Reina, listen to me. I know you’re tired and I know you’re hurting but I need you to focus for me. Come on, love. I need you to use your tail and… and get my wrist free. I know you can do it!”

She couldn’t be sure she’d heard him right, his voice washed out amidst the chaos that was bubbling up inside of her. When she lifted her eyes they were steel colored, grey and washed out. It was all she could do to keep her feet under herself, the strength needed to hold herself up completely robbed right out of her veins. Her lips were dry when she wet them, but the chains rattled as she shifted, letting her tail unravel from around her waist where it hung sickly behind her, pooling on the floor. The idea that she could lift it even an inch seemed so far from the realm of possibility that reaching his wrists was laughable. It’s not like she had key, and those metal restraints were daunting. She tilted her head enough to see him, every breath she took bartered on stolen time. He was right - if there was any hope of them getting out of there, it had to be now while she was still conscious enough to do anything.

There was a release for his shackles on the side of contraption that held him up and that became the center of Reina’s world as she breathed through another fit, a seizure she realized that made her teeth clatter. Although her hands were bound, her tail was free enough to slither upwards, the effort dotting her brow with more bloody sweat. The woman capable of lifting several tons could hardly handle a couple ounces. It struck her with real fear that she found herself shoving down under what was left of her iron will.

Reina missed on the first attempt, her tail falling just shy of the lever that would be their salvation and she took several calming breaths to try again, her vision blinking out as unconsciousness threatened to take her again. Despite the situation seeming hopeless, Reina had no intentions of letting him die down there - and she sure as hell wasn’t going to give over Vegeta to her enemy. When Reina’s tail landed on the lever with a second attempt, she breathed a sigh of relief and began the process of leashing it like a lasso and pulling with everything she had left. The chains rattled as her hands wrapped around them, pulling and groaning with the effort it took. The acid they’d injected into her veins made everything seem excruciating, but they hadn’t counted on Reina being half as tenacious as she was.

With a victorious click - the lever slid down and the shackles holding him came loose. The pressure on his wrists alleviated but brought with them a stinging pain while the blood rushed back to those weakened limbs. Finally free Aiden would slump forward to a crouched position bracing himself against the floor with those palms. He knew he didn’t have time to worry or waste as he tore at those ankle clamps. With arms free his hands went for the release to get his legs free as well. Once those bounds were no longer in place the ki dampening effect subsided. He was still incredibly weak from the earlier procedure and it would take time before he got his full strength back but he was starting to feel better if only slightly.

Reina, on the other hand, did not look as well. Whatever virus these psychopaths had created was eating away at her from within. Dread filled his face as he fought with the guilt that it was he who made it possible. Swallowing that thought to the back of his mind he set to work at freeing her as well. He undid the chains that held her arms aloft and caught her as she spilled into his arms. Her skin was hot against his bare chest and her features had begun to go pale. Panic fought to overtake him as he contemplated what to do. What options did he have?

A senzu bean could possibly help. There was no telling where his clothing and equipment was, however. Perhaps something in the lab itself? If they made a virus clearly they had to have a vaccine of some sort, right? No one would be foolish enough not to have one. Sadly, Aiden had no idea what to look for. No, the only way he was going to find one was to beat it out of someone who did. That doctor woman. Aiden carried Reina across the room and to one of the tables therein. His arm lashed out to throw any equipment upon it crashing to the floor before laying her down as gently as he could. He placed a hand to her face and gave her his best smile no matter how fake it may seem. “Hey, I need you to stay awake, okay? You’re going to be fine. I promise. I’ll be right back, alright? Just please. Stay away.”

The human leaned forward to place a single kiss upon her brow before turning from the spot and headed toward the door. He tossed one final glance over his shoulder at the weakened Reina while saying a silent prayer to any of the Kais that might be willing to listen before heading out into the hall in search of his intended target.

Along the way Aiden came across a handful of guards. He was quick at dispatching them before stealing one of their uniforms and dressing himself appropriately. Being human was advantageous as he was able to pass off for Tuffle fairly well so long as he didn’t draw too much attention to himself. His darker skin tone would be a clear give away if anyone thought too hard on it so he couldn’t rely on the disguise working for too long.

To his dismay Aiden realized the place they were being held was far, far grander than he had originally imagined. The facility spanned for at least a mile in each direction and it was only one small part of the metropolis that lay beneath the sands of Rein. There was no telling where that doctor had gone. If he went the wrong way he may never find her nor make it back to Reina in time. He had to have a plan. No time to just bumble through things like his usual method. Think. What would Reina do?

“Well, she’d probably find some way to hack into the computer system and take control of the entire compound,” he said aloud to himself as he moved down another corridor. “Sadly, I don’t have the skill for that. If only there was some way I could get someone to help.” It took him a moment before realization hit him. It had been so long since he’d had someone to rely on - especially someone like him - that it almost didn’t come to him. Gil. The trusty future android companion. He would know how to do it!

Aiden moved to what appeared to be a comm system. It looked similar to the one the doctor had used back in the lab. If he just punched in the right frequency he could contact the Immortal and--

“I thought I told you to have my little girl back by midnight?” Despite his jest, Gil’s expression was worried when he appeared on the other side of the screen - if a program could really truly be worried. “Wait a minute, where are you? I’m having a hard time tracking your geographical location. I’ve been trying to reach your Communicators for hours. Where the hell have you guys been?”

Aiden looked a bit worse for wear when Gil saw him. There was dried blood in his hair and his skin was much paler than usual. He also looked exhausted. The expression he gave the android was clear enough that he was pretty serious. “Hard to explain. Underground. Under Rein. Can you track this signal and do some sort of crazy hacker thing from there? Reina’s in trouble and doesn’t have a lot of time.”

“I’m already infiltrating the Tuffle Operative’s system - if that’s what you mean by crazy hacker thing,” Gil said, the smallest hint of a smirk touching his mouth as a second window opened up, reflecting lines and lines of code writing at rapid speed in the corner. Gil waited patiently, despite the gravity of the situation before a small map appeared of New Vegeta, and the coordinates scrolled, narrowing in on Aiden’s position.

“I’m bringing the Immortal to you,” Gil said after a minute, his brow smoothing as his ordinarily charismatic persona was muted under his hallowed expression of worry. It was one thing to tease the human as he so did from time to time - it was completely a different thing to learn that his creator was in danger.

Gil’s picture suddenly disappeared behind several windows, each depicting another angle of the compound where Aiden and Reina were held. It was obvious he was scrolling through them, making a digital image of the inside, building a virtual map to be filed away when it was needed. So far, he had managed all of this without being detected - who knew how long that would last. When the window of the lab filled the screen, Gil appeared again, seeing Reina motionless on the table.

“You’ve really got yourself in a load of shit this time,” he said with accusation, not holding back how very upset seeing Reina as she was made him. Her image sank back in with the rest in the background. “They have one hell of a firewall in place. I can’t be sure how long this will go undetected. I have remote access to their database and files, along with their security systems - but I’m not much use to you beyond that. What do you need from me?”

A miracle. “There’s some doctor woman here somewhere. She made something and injected it into Reina. I think its killing her. I don’t know how to reverse it but she might! Can you bring up a visual of all the personal on site? I can point her out and hopefully you can pinpoint her for me.”

Gil wasted no time summoning up the files of all everyone in the compound, narrowing down the search from men to the women specifically. Finding her wasn’t difficult, and he quickly displayed her file for review while he started scanning all of the cameras for a visual match.

“Found her,” he said quietly, his voice holding onto its neutrality as he displayed the camera, the good doctor showing up. “Atrium B. I’ve given you a map - now go unleash hell. I’ll watch your back.”

He needed no further incentive. With a quick nod of his head toward the screen (which felt rather weird considering Gil was little more than a computer program at this point) he dashed off down the corridor. With the map that Gil had provided it took little time for Aiden to get where he needed to be. Rounding a corner he saw four armed men with wrist-mounted lasers all blocking a door. Had to be the right one.

That disguise did him little good, however. With the speed he was racing at it was clear he was out of place. The men turned on Aiden as he approached taking aim with their guns. Before they could fill the hapless human with holes the pipes directly above them burst and sprayed smoke into the corridor. Their shots went wide, firing rapidly through the poor visibility. It gave Aiden the opportunity to close the distance and with a few quick, calculated strikes take out the men. He said a silent thank you to Gil once more before entering that room.

“What’s up, Doc?” he said as he eyed the woman. She was holding a single pistol in her grasp aimed at Aiden. As if something so simple could be used to deter him now. “You’re coming with me.” She opened fire but Aiden was too quick. Ducking low and pushing off the floor he closed the distance in an instant before smacking the gun from her hand. She yelped in pain but was soon taken up in one of Aiden’s arms to be thrown over his shoulder. “The least you struggle, the better!” He added before moving back toward where Reina was awaiting.

When they arrived in the room once again Aiden locked the door behind them before tossing the good doc to the floor. Crossing the room swiftly he checked on Reina’s condition. She was burning up before but now she’d gone incredibly cold. Not a good sign. “You’ve got ten seconds to cook up whatever antidote you’ve got or so help me…”

She sneered before getting to her feet. “I won’t help you save her. She’s a filthy beast and deserves to suffer!”

Aiden’s calm was breaking. Reina was dying. He didn’t have time for this foolish back and forth hero/villain bickery. Reaching for a scalpel on the far table Aiden rounded on the doctor and raised it threateningly. “I suggest you change your mind..”

There was fear in her eyes for the first time. With Aiden no longer in his restraints she had to know he was capable of causing her a lot of harm. Still, she was stubborn. Ironically not unlike the very Saiyans she claimed to hate. She stood her ground on the subject. “Go to hell!”

Aiden’s arm shot out and he seized the woman by the wrist. Slamming her hand down upon the table he brought that tool down through the back of her hand, pinning it in place. She cried out in pain while Aiden held it steady - his voice incredibly calm. “I’m not…” He twisted the blade. “Going to ask you again.”

“A-Alright, alright!” She wailed through the pain. “Bring.. bring me that computer… there… aah..!” She motioned with her free hand toward a computer on an adjacent table. Aiden quickly snatched it up and brought it to her as requested. She strained a bit as she rapidly began to type away. In a few moments the various machines in the room went to life and began mixing some chemicals. “There! That’s the antidote! Now please, let me go!”

Aiden seemed impervious to her cries. He wanted to make sure it worked before he would even consider the option. The time it took for the necessary chemicals to cook and mix seemed to drag on endlessly. He stayed by Reina’s side, stroking her hair and trying not to consider being too late. He had to stay focused. “Come on, come on…” Meanwhile, the doctor remain slumped where she had been standing, her hand still painfully pinned to the table before her.

Finally, after what seemed forever there was a chime sound. The machines stopped. A small vial of light blue ikor was the end result. The antidote or so the Tuffle doctor claimed. Aiden wasted no time in snatching it up and placing it into a syringe. Before he injected Reina, however, he paused and looked over his shoulder at the woman. “If this is a trick… if you’re lying to me in any way…” He didn’t need to finish that statement.

Shifting Reina into his arms he steadied her against his chest before injecting her with that antidote. Now he had to only hope it would take and that he wasn’t already too late. Come on, Reina. Come on…

The seconds were agony...her condition neither improving nor getting worse as she continued to lay against him, her eyes closed looking like she’d seen better days. And just when it seemed like it had all been for nothing, the air left her lungs in a sigh before she dragged them back in a gasp that raked through her like needles. She coughed, like it was the first breath after nearly drowning she’d managed to take. For Reina, it was like waking up from a coma, her limbs all aching and heavy as she realized just how damn cold she was and shivered, throwing her arms around herself. Her mouth was dry, the kind that no amount of water would solve. She became aware of the cold table beneath her, and more importantly to Aiden’s arms around her - pushing back some of the sickly death that had almost taken her for good.

If I wake up half naked in your arms all the time, I may have to nearly die more often…” she choked out, her voice not quite sounding like her own, but it was getting there. She chuckled, but it came out ragged as she succumbed to another coughing fit, her dark eyes opening bare slants to take in the room. Reina saw the doctor immediately - more importantly the knife that held her in place at the table.

Kami, Aiden,” she whispered, realization sinking in slowly. She’d almost died… She felt like it too…

“Sorry, didn’t have time to appeal to her kinder nature,” he added at Reina’s tone before helping her to her feet. He stayed close by so that if Reina stumbled at all he could catch her if necessary. He knew that Saiyans healed quickly but he was still unsure just how good Reina would be in the immediate future. They still had to get out of this place and then find a way back to the surface to warn everyone. They weren’t out of it yet.
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Reina
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“Alright, the next order of business is to get out of this hell hole,” Aiden began. He turned to the doctor, unsure what to do with her. He knew Reina would no doubt want to rip her head off. Of course, that would feed directly into the Tuffle woman’s mindset of what Saiyans were really like. Instead, Aiden approached her and removed the scalpel in her hand. She yelped in response.

“See, Doc? I’m a man of my word.”

“You’re not going to kill me?”

“Nope. Good thing Reina isn’t in better conditions because she might be so generous. Anyway, enjoy your date with the floor!”

“My wha--” A swift chop was made with Aiden’s right hand to the back of her neck. The blow was powerful enough to knock the woman unconscious immediately. She slumped to the cold, tile floor. Aiden paused a moment, raising a brow as he looked the woman over. The size might be a little small but…

To Reina’s surprise Aiden began to remove the woman’s clothes. Her lab coat, pants, and blouse were quickly removed before he tossed them to Reina. “Here, put these on until we can find our own things. You can’t go around half naked. Don’t want you getting sick again.”

“It’s going to take more than being cold to put me down again,” she said, her voice rough as she examined the blouse before thrusting her arms into the sleeves, frowning when it hardly buttoned up the front. She settled for throwing the coat over it. The quicker she got out of the doctor’s clothes, the better. With the ensemble completed...as well as could be expected, Reina leaned against the table and wiped a hand across her forehead, the effort making her break out into a sweat.

We have to tell someone, Aiden,” she said quietly, testing her weight on her legs as she walked over next to him, each step getting easier than the last. She snaked her tail away under her waist, hidden beneath her clothes.

The King - the royal army...they have to know about this place, and the horrible thing they’re planning to do to my people. Without the antidote, it would kill us all.” She shivered involuntarily, the lingering effects of the drug in her system. Reina didn’t wish that agony on anyone.

“I’ve already sent out transmissions to the Royal guard.” Gil’s voice came out through a set of speakers beside the comm system that the Tuffle doctor had used before, the holographic image of him following as he appeared not more than a few feet away from Reina, looking from her to Aiden in flicks of his dark eyes. “Good to see you’re still alive, Dr. Reina,” he continued.

Aren’t you cute,” she replied with a growl, though the sincerity of it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Get us out of here and turn the Destroyer Cannon on this place.

“I’m sure the ten thousand residents of Rein might have a little something to say about that. A city wide evacuation has already been rolled out. What would you do without me?” At those words an alarm suddenly came to life all around them, a whirling siren across the comms nearly drowning Gil out. The holographic image of him looks a bit sheepish. “Oh, uh, I guess they finally caught on to me in their systems.”

Aiden swore under his breath. Never an easy time, is it? “It was good while it lasted,” he remarked before turning to Reina. “You okay to run? If not, I can carry you.” Given her condition he wasn’t sure though her pride would probably prefer the former.

I’ll be alright. Lets just get the hell out of here.” Aiden nodded at those words before moving toward the door. He could hear footsteps in all directions. The advantage the duo had was that no one knew where to look for them or who it was infiltrating their systems in general. Plus, while not the best disguise, both of them were dressed the part of Tuffles. In their rush most might overlook the two of them entirely. One could only hope.

“Gil, any chance you can pinpoint our equipment?”

“Already on it.” A holo display came up before them with a single room not far from their location lit up. Aiden nodded to Reina while throwing that door open before the two of them raced down the hall.

Their things had been surreptitiously dropped in what could only be described as a forgotten broom closet. Gil directed them to a single door at the end of a hall, thankfully far enough away from the chaos the pair of them had a chance to breathe. Aiden tried the handle, locked. A quick check showed it was reinforced, and Reina cursed under her breath. What all did they have hidden away in there?

Watch out,” she said as she moved in to take Aiden’s place, testing the narrow creases with her fingertips before the woman dropped her shoulder and plunged her metallic shoulder into it, crumpling it like tin foil. The lock pulled away from the edges and Reina peeled it back like the lid on a can, letting her breath out with concentrated effort.

It was an arsenal. Wall to wall ammunition and weaponry - maybe a backup of some kind for the Tuffle soldiers. Reina’s Saiyan armor never looked more beautiful, all out of place where it hung on the wall...

By the time Aiden and Reina had gathered up their things, the commotion caused inside the compound was immense. The sounds of that alarm were deafening which only served to make matters worse for the Tuffles ironically. They had trouble shouting orders to one another as they moved about looking for the intruders. It gave Reina and Aiden a bit of an edge while they raced through the halls trying to find an exit. Once or twice they had to double back to avoid running head first into a battalion of armed guards slowing their progress. At one point they came to a set of double doors, their exit just beyond the next room. When Aiden peered through the viewing glass of one of those doors he could see the room was full of Tuffles in full battle gear. No way Aiden and Reina in their current state could take them all.

“Gil, got a bit of a hiccup. Anything you can do to help?”

The android was silent for a moment before responding with an idea. “There’s a few holding cells nearby. Seems you two weren’t the first people these guys grabbed. I could work some magic and open their cells for them. Might be the distraction you need.”

Aiden grinned, imagining the chaos it would cause. “Do it!”

Somewhere off in the compound, the locks on the inmates doors were clicking loose, their cells swinging open to free them from captivity. What had started as a simple breach of their security systems was quickly becoming complete hell for the Tuffles. Aiden and Reina watched as the legion scattered, trying to gather their forces against the fights that were breaking out from within, and trying to narrow down the attack from the outside on their technological systems. The numbers dwindled between the two of them and their means of escape, and for the first time, Reina breathed a sigh of relief. They were going to get out of there…

When the coast was clear, Reina and Aiden came charging out of their hiding place, the door to the outside unlocking the minute they made it up the staircase and laid their hands on it. Aiden threw it open, unfiltered light spilling in from Rein as they took their first steps towards freedom under New Vegeta’s early morning sky.

High in the sky over their heads, the Immortal lingered, waiting for them as Gil had promised he would be. Reina’s red aura kicked up around her, not wasting time as she took off towards it, so full of adrenaline she didn’t have time to feel tired. “Let’s go!

Elsewhere inside that underground city something else was occurring. A Tuffle officer rushed into a command room and quickly took a knee. “Lord Ferdinand, we have trouble.” Looking before the officer was a large man who could easily be mistaken for a Saiyan given his huge girth. His body was rippled with muscles and he looked like he could snap a tree trunk in half with just one hand. He was tall for a Tuffle and had a thick, blonde beard. His hair was long and wild about his face and his eyes were a dark, almond color. He looked fierce and determined. It was clear by the way he dressed and the way he carried himself that he was someone of importance. He was the Tuffle’s leader. Their ruler. Their king.

King Mentik Ferdinand rounded on the soldier and gave him a steely gaze. “What is it, private?

He kept his head bowed. “Sir, Dr. Fuschia’s lab. It’s.. it’s been attacked sir. From the inside.”

What?!” He bellowed in anger.

“We believe some test subjects inside have escaped. We’re trying our best to round them up but… well, sir, I think some have begun to make it to the surface.”

Mentik scowled suddenly lost in thought. “We’re so close to invading. How much more time do we need to prep?

“Uh, sir, we can send the preliminary troops to take the city above. We’re still preparing the airborne virus, however. It won’t be ready to enter the atmosphere for another twenty minutes.”

Ferdinand considered this. He had waited so long and his day of vengeance was finally here. He could not let some minor screw up foil his plans. Not now when he was so close to fulfilling his lifelong dream of his father and his father’s father. “Continue with the preparations. I’m heading into the field. I’ll deal with these meddlesome intruders, personally.”

~*~

Meanwhile, back on the surface Aiden and Reina were finally given a moment to breath. They saw the city of Rein was already on high alert, beginning to evacuate the civilians therein since Gil’s message reached some form of authority. Aiden had to feel bad. It was not long enough that he stood within these streets and repelled a menace by barely surviving with his life. Now here it was these poor people were once more at the mercy of a threat - this time from beneath them, their own home.

Taking to the skies Aiden and Reina headed toward the massive ship looming above the city. They would not get far, however, before Reina’s hand grasped Aiden’s shoulder and drew his attention. “Aiden, look!” Turning those gray eyes in the direction indicated Aiden saw a swarm of Tuffles suddenly pouring out from beneath hidden compartments in the streets. They were fitted with advance battle armor and weaponry Aiden had never seen before - a testament to their technological genius. Just when Aiden thought their numbers would stop more and more began to pour out. They were unloading their whole military force. With how long it would take for the King of Vegeta to send a response adequate enough they’d have taken the entire city of Rein and possibly even Vaanz! They had to do something..

Hovering in the air Aiden turned his attention back to the Saiyan woman at his side. “Who knows how many are down there just waiting to invade the surface. So, uh, got any ideas?”

Reina’s thoughts were reeling, trying not to let the gravity of the situation seem overwhelming. While most of the citizens of Rein had already begun to file out, their only form of defense was right there - herself, Aiden, and the Immortal. It was a suicide mission to go in alone, even with the King’s army on their way. It was easy to feel small, put up against impossible odds, but she and Aiden had seen more wars than she wished to admit.

We buy them some time,” she said with finality as she slid her hand into her glove and tightened it around her wrist, her hand curling into a fist. What other choice did they have but to stand and fight?

Gil can give us support from the Immortal. Just...don’t blow up the planet.

“There’s been enough of that going around as it is…” Reina gave him a look where he appeared on the viewing screen, and he quickly threw his hands up. “One shit storm at a time. I’ll keep an eye on you from up here and do what I can not to get you both killed.”

Reina looked at Aiden, regretful to be running into what could very easily be the death of them both for a world that wasn’t really either of theirs. It may have been to protect the Saiyan people, but they were strangers there. She permitted herself a minute, one selfish damn minute to take his hand. He’d saved her life after all - like he had so many times before - and likely would many more times before their lives were over.

At least she hoped…

We don’t have to do this,” she told him, her voice quiet and serious. “We’re just a thought away from anywhere else in the galaxy - anywhere but here.” It was selfish...but didn’t they deserve it?

Aiden took that hand and placed it against his cheek, closing his eyes and relishing for the moment in the soft and sweet touch. Those eyes opened and gave her a cocky grin. “Yeah, true, but then throwing ourselves into senseless danger for the sake of others has always been our charm. Why stop now?” For a moment Aiden looked like his old self again. In Reina’s mind she could see his young, hapless self standing there staring back at her as if all the troubles they’d been through over the years hadn’t changed him at all. And in that instant, it was gone, and Aiden dropped from the sky down toward those troops ready to do battle that could very well lead to their demise...
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Aiden
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Time Traveling, Dimension Hopping, Planet Saving Extraordinaire
It was a firefight!

The city of Rein had been reduced to utter chaos, smoke billowing out from nearby buildings as Aiden and Reina charged through the tattered streets, trying to control the violence that had spilled out and threatened to swallow everything in its path. They’d been corralled into an open square, the air so heavy with smoke that Reina lifted her gloved hand to her face, coughing into it as she stood back to back with Aiden as Tuffle soldiers lined up around them - weapons drawn. This didn’t look good for either of them.

"We need new hobbies to do together. This nearly getting ourselves killed bullshit is getting old," Reina commented, risking a glance over her shoulder to see the same line of fire filling up in front of him. There were fifteen by her count, each one heavily armored and armed to the teeth.

"It's a bonding experience," Aiden commented with a nervous chuckle.

The series of weapons came up at the ready, and Reina's fists tightened, readying herself. When the tension of those seconds escalated, that was the moment they struck. Reina drew up her bionic fist, the gears and workings of that manufactured limb whirring loudly as red energy gathered at her fist. She slammed the appendage down into the ground, causing a shockwave that ripped out from the pair of them and into the wave of Tuffles, blowing them completely off of their feet in the resulting explosion. Aiden followed suit, pouring a collection of red energy into his palms and hurling the orbs one after the other towards the line of Tuffle warriors in front of him. The explosions were blinding, causing chaos amongst the men.

"Get down!" Aiden shouted, reaching back to grab Reina by the shoulder, dropping them both down into a crouch as gunfire exploded up over their heads and in all directions, smoke shrouding both Reina and Aiden in darkness.

The Tuffle’s superior numbers threatened to overwhelm the two hapless heroes. No matter how strong Aiden and Reina were there was little chance the two of them would be able to hold out forever against such insurmountable odds. However, fate was on their side that day. As they hit the ground to avoid the gunfire breaking overhead they would hear a second string of explosions exploding all around. Coming down into that clearing and forming a circle around the two of them were a small handful of Saiyans. Six of them. As Aiden had remarked before they were quite possibly the biggest he'd ever seen. The same guard that had once aided him in repelling the Majin threat nearly a year ago.

“Damn am I glad to see you!” he called out over the sounds of gunfire as the men laid down suppressing fire around them to give Reina and him some breathing room. With their assistance they were able to move out of the death trap that was that square and into a still standing building to catch their breath. Aiden slumped with his back against the doorframe trying to steady himself. He was clearly still reeling from the earlier effects caused as a result of his time down in that lab.

“Well, well, boys. If it isn’t the ‘Savior of Rein’, eh? And who is this lovely?” remarked the biggest Saiyan while hoisting a large gun over his shoulder and looking at Reina with a coy grin. “Surely you’re not with this pipsqueak, eh?”

“Her name’s Reina and yes, Brock, she’s with me.” Aiden added before getting to his feet again. The two men clasped hands in a friendly embrace. “Still causing trouble, huh? I thought after the last time I saved your hairy backside you’d be relaxing somewhere else.”

“What? And miss all the fireworks? Seems every time you’re on my planet, Aiden, something bad is going to happen.”

Sorry, he does that,” Reina chimed in. “What’s the situation like out there? We were pinned down and weren’t able to get a good view of the battleground.

Brock stroked at his chin stubble while considering things. “I don’t know where they came from but there’s a fuck ton of them. They don’t seem to be an end to ‘em either no matter how many me and my men put down.”

That’s because they’ve got an entire army underground. A whole city’s worth.

“No shit? We’ll just have to keep them occupied until reinforcements arrive then. Soon as the King and his royal guards get here ain’t nothing going to stop him.”

The look on Aiden and Reina’s faces told differently. “There’s more. They’ve created some crazy strong virus and weaponized it. If they get it into the atmosphere no Saiyan will last more than ten minutes against them. The planet will be lost.”

The gravity of the situation dawned on Brock and he nodded earnestly to his men. “Well, then we’ve got to come up with a plan to stop these bastards here and now. I’m open to suggestions.”

Aiden turned his eyes on Reina then. While he was clever from time to time Reina was the real brains of their crew. If there was some way to put a stop to the Tuffles, some way to prevent them from flooding the streets and releasing that virus here and now before those reinforcements come too late she would have a plan. He hoped.

Reina seemed consider their options with the time their new friends had bought them, nibbling on her lower lip as she looked out amongst the chaos deep in thought. Whatever they came up with had to be effective, but it had to be specific to their enemies - otherwise they risked hurting the good guys too. She touched her fingers to her lips, looking at their surroundings, at anything she thought could help them…And that’s when it hit her.

Give me your tech. Anything you have. Scouters - all of it.” Reina reached into a pouch on her waist and pulled out the Dragon Radar and Scouter she was carrying, already working on peeling back the exterior skin with the tips of her fingernails. Aiden inwardly cringed when she took necessary parts from his radar. “If we stand a chance at stopping them, we have to disable them. The Tuffles are brilliant minded, but they aren’t the warriors we are.

“And you think you can throw something together with what we have?” The big Saiyan said with a chuckle, producing his own scouter for her, looking skeptical. The look she gave him said more than words would. Reina was used to people underestimating her. Not only was she a Saiyan, but a woman. She liked being surprising.

Do I have a choice?” She looked at the small pile of gear produced and frowned, turning a wrist watch over in her palm before pulling everything in against her. “Ten minutes. Keep them away from this building here.” She gestured to the little run down shop that had been abandoned with the evacuation before her red aura kicked up and she took off, flying for the roof.

What was so special about that little building in particular? The shiny satellite bolted to the corner of the roof. Reina dropped to a kneel beside it, dropping her hodge podge of items and looking up towards the sky. Her hands fell to the dish first, and she turned it hard, the metal bending and twisting so that it was pointed down toward the ground rather than up. She tore through the metal shielding the wires that ran down into the building below her like tin foil, looking at the small bundle to identify what she had to work with. It wasn’t much…

Maybe we should have wished for a miracle instead…

While Reina went to work at her little scheme Aiden quickly fell in line with the Saiyan warriors. He looked rather ridiculous next to them given their huge size and all but hey, that also meant he was the smallest target on the battlefield (though he did stand out with that stark white hair and red attire). Doing as Reina instructed the fighters moved with Aiden into various positions to begin laying down fire on any approaching Tuffle soldiers.

Aiden ducked behind an overturned vehicle as a few more rounded a corner. There was a lot of them. Too many. Any minute they’d be on his position and he’d be struggling to get the upper hand. He had to think of something clever. Maybe something to distract them or throw them off guard? Think, think…

An idea came to him. It wasn’t a very good one (at least, he didn’t think so) but given what he had to work with he didn’t have too many options. Just as those soldiers came marching up to his position Aiden’s hand quickly went to work on that watch he held on his wrist. Pressing a release button he dove out from behind that vehicle right into the Tuffle’s line of fire.

In a flash Aiden’s attire had changed. Where once was that red overcoat was replaced by a neon green tunic hugging his frame. His head was further adorned with a gaudy, orange helmet with obnoxious antennae on each side and a dark visor concealing most of his face. Billowing out behind him was a blood red cape that had seen better days, cuts and holes along its end. “Halt right there, evil-doer!” he began really hamming it up. “Your reign of terror here is through!”

The men froze on the spot, confusion painted their expressions. The motions Aiden performed were ridiculous. He struck a series of poses that did little to deter their courage and instead caused them to break out in laughter at his actions. Shaming himself in such a way did the trick, however, as Aiden seized their hesitation to dive at them with a series of quick blows. Before they knew what had happened The Great Saiyaman!! had them flat on their ass.

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Hand quickly went to that watch again before Aiden pressed the button once more and he returned to his former attire. “Kami, its been ages since I did that…” He placed a hand across his brow to shield his eyes while peering now toward the roof of that building. “Wonder how Reina’s making out?”

“FALL BACK!” The shouts from the Saiyan brigade rang out from the battlefield as Brock and several others came rushing past Aiden into the shelter of the building they were currently positioned around. At first it was impossible to see through the plumes of rising smoke what could have possibly caused the brute Saiyans to duck for cover…

Until it was far too late.

Apparently, the vigilante group had caused quite the stir, and the Tuffle forces had gathered together to storm the castle as it were. This group was different...their armor depicting more decorated seals, the weaponry more advanced - deadlier by the looks of it. By look alone it was easy to see they were the elite of the army, the equivalent of the King’s royal guard. And they were out for blood. Aiden had precious seconds to get out of the way before a screaming rocket hit the car he’d only moments before been hidden behind that reduced it to a roaring fireball of wreckage. They shot with precision, bullets and lasers tearing through the side of the building and several making it completely through, only to keep going on the other side. There was no place to hide, and they were very quickly running out of places to run. If ever there was time for a miracle - this was it.

Something rose above the sound of war, high pitched and distant at first until it escalated to the point of turning deafening. A mechanical screeching sound far worse than nails on a chalkboard that not only had our heroes looking around, but the Tuffle army as well, many lifting their hands to cover their ears against it. A light suddenly tore down engulfing the building on all sides, Reina’s figure a silhouette as her aura burned gold, hands mounted on either side of the satellite. The light suddenly pulsed and exploded outwards, rolling across the ground in a wave that went on out of sight. While it appeared completely harmless, the evidence of its damage came with weapons that wouldn’t respond, and advanced scouters that faded and blinked out - unresponsive after being subjected to Reina’s makeshift EMP. She powered the technological weapon with her own ki, hitting the group of incoming soldiers and rendering their greatest assets useless.

Seconds later, Reina dropped down amongst the group of them in that ascended form, sliding her glove back onto her right arm with a tug as she clenched her fist, glancing back at them all over her shoulder with a smirk. “Shall we get to work taking out the rest of the trash, boys?

Brock whistled. “I like her.”

“Me too,” Aiden added before their group broke out into the now defenseless Tuffle ranks.

~*~

It didn’t take long for them to mop up the majority of the Tuffles present. The rest of their forces, it would seem, had regrouped to another area of the city. Time was their ally, however, as Aiden and Reina were working against a clock. They couldn’t afford to wait them out else they run the risk of that virus being ready to go airborne. So it was that Aiden and Reina along with Brock and his men pushed forward into the Tuffles’ holdings.

Things were looking up. Brock and his men were something else. Where before it seemed like Reina and Aiden were hopelessly outmatched given the sheer numbers the addition of these fine warriors was giving them the little bit of slack they needed to stay ahead. If they could keep the pace up they may be able to drive all of the Tuffles back into the ground from whence they came.

It was a moment of calm between ambushes that Brock paused to congratulate his men. “Nice work everyone! Lets keep it up! I want to be home in time tonight before my dinner gets cold!” The others gathered laughed. He laughed with them. The laughter, however, was cut short.

Red spurted into the air and settled on the ground before him. Brock looked on through pupiless eyes at the fist that now protruded from his chest.

“BROCK!” Aiden cried. The large Saiyan was tossed aside like so much trash as an even bigger man came from the shadows behind him. He was tall, massive, and menacing. Blonde hair, a thick beard, and eyes that could kill. The crest he wore on his shoulder was unmistakable. He was the Tuffle leader. The king.

“You bastard!”

Your theatrics has gone on long enough. Its time I put an end to the lot of you and continue with my conquest of these filthy animals!” His power level spiked. For the first time that day Aiden was truly caught off guard. It was immense. Furthermore, it kept rising still. Who the hell was this guy?!

His hand moved now to a control mechanism on his wrist. “But I won’t be having all the fun.” Activating the device a series of drones suddenly erupted from the ground all around them. These metallic androids were bare and seemed frail, hardly menacing at all. However, the King had another trick up his sleeve. “You spent a great deal of time in my labs, the two of you. I had ample time to study you inside and out. You’ll find this next trick very satisfying…

Another press of that device. The drones sparked to life. Their bodies morphed and changed shape. Reina and Aiden watched on in horror as they took forms familiar to them. One appeared to look like Rosencrantz. Another like the Changeling Kuhn. Another, Emperor Foon. Kaji. Vega. Falstaff. Ender. Even Kalkavek - the Bio-Android Aiden only recently defeated on Cosmos 3. The drones took on the form of Aiden and Reina’s greatest enemies. “Time to put this show to a close!
Edited by Aiden, Mar 28 2014, 08:47 PM.
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