DISCLAIMER: I don't own Vegeta but I wish I did.  And Dr. Desty Nova and the idea of Nano-technology were created by  Yukito Kishiro (Battle Angel Alita, Aqua Knight).

Chapter 2 -  Sickness Within
 
 

    He drifted through the air searching for the yellow-dome-building he was supposed to find.  Everything seemed vaguely familiar - yet not.  He knew he was Vegeta Saiyan no Ouji, nothing could ever make him forget that.  But he couldn't remember anything else.  How he'd come to be on this planet, he wasn't sure.  The more he thought about it the more confused he became.  Had he been purging this planet?  It looked like it.  Buildings were destroyed everywhere he looked.  From far ahead he caught a faint yellow shimmer and sped up, curious as to see the woman that the old man had spoken of.
    His assumption was correct at least.  There was the building in the hologram.  A little beaten up but still the same.  He frowned as he stared down at it.  It seemed so familiar, but again, he just couldn't recall.

    "So old man.  How did you do it?"  17 asked as they watched Vegeta go.
    "Nano-technology was created by Dr. Desty Nova.  A brilliant man.  Nano-technology is basically tiny little robots the size of a single living cell.  The Nano-bots rebuild an organic structure.  I have basically given him immortality."  He chuckled softly.  17 and 18's eyes bulged in shock.
    "What?!" 18 cried.
    "What if he remembers our fight?  What if he comes seeking revenge?  We won't be able to stop him!" 17 bellowed.  Dr. Gero laughed.
    "Foolish children.  Do you think I am stupid?  I have been programming him since we first put him in the tank.  He will do nothing to us.  He will do everything we ask though."  he said with a predatory glam in his eyes.  17 and 18 slowly grinned.

    He landed outside the front door.  Raising his hand, he knocked, instantly shattering the thick wooden door.  He stared at it for a moment in faint surprise before hearing a shriek.  He looked up to see a pretty, blue-haired girl staring at him in shock.
    "Vegeta?" she whispered.  He stared at her for a moment as she hesitantly came forward.  She was so familiar.
    "I know you… don't I?" he asked when she was but a foot away.  She reached out a trembling hand and poked him.
    "How?" she moaned and threw herself into his arms, weeping.  To his complete shock his arms wrapped around her as well.  Her body began to shake with sobs and she squeezed as hard as she could.  "How can this be?  I felt you die!"
    Vegeta blinked in shock.  She'd felt him die?  But that meant..  He brushed her hair away from her neck and saw a glaring red bite, recently re-opened.
    He let her go and jumped back as if she was a poisonous snake.
    "Vegeta?" she whimpered, stepping closer.
    "Who the hell are you?  I know you but I can't remember you!  Who the hell are you?  Why did he tell me to come here?" Vegeta cried, he was even more confused now than before and his head was starting to throb.
    Vegeta..  He felt her voice in his mind and he flinched.  Suddenly his head hurt a lot more.  She was his mate, and not only that, they had BONDED.  She stared at him with beautiful blue eyes.  He watched tears fill them again and spill down her soft cheeks.
    "Your eyes.." she murmured.  "What happened to you?"
    "I don't know." He said.  And she began to cry harder, reaching out for him again.  Against his better judgment he stayed where he was and allowed her to embrace him and again, inexplicably, he returned the gesture.  He wanted to be angry.  But nothing came.  He stared down at the woman in his arms and silently felt the bond between them.  Through her memories everything came rushing back.  He gasped, his whole body jolting at the realization.
    He was alive, but he should be dead.  And no dragon balls existed on Earth that could have wished him back.
     "Dr. Gero." He murmured at last.  The onna, still sniffling, lifted her head.
    "What?"
    "The androids took me to his lab.  That's what happened."  He heard the onna gasp and her hands snaked up the clutch the sides of his face.
    "What did they do to you?" she growled.  Her ferocity startled him, but it only made him surer that he was looking at HIS mate.  No one else would care.
    "I don't know." He insisted.  "I can't remember.  He just showed me this building and told me you were here."  He blinked in confusion.
    "Really?"  she frowned and then took his hand urging him to follow her.  He complied without reservation.  He couldn't help but trust her.  The thought scared him, but he figured that she couldn't really hurt him unless she was to kill herself.  But judging on her reaction to seeing him, he doubted she would do anything of the sort.
He followed her through an irritatingly-familiar maze of hallways until she reached two double-doors with a sticker that read "HELLO, my name is"  and underneath was written some strange squiggly characters.
    They entered a laboratory much unlike Gero's.  Large, rectangular windows made a wide, bright slash in the center of the wall and several lights snapped on overhead.  The room was filled with computers and  half-built machinery and other equipment.
    "Sit." She said, pointing to a swivel chair.  He did so as she rummaged through a cabinet on the far wall.  She came back with a small needle wrapped in plastic.  "Give me your finger." She said as she unwrapped the needle.  Again he obeyed her, amazed by his willingness to do as she asked.  She stabbed his finger with the needle, not ungently and took a small piece of glass and put a drop of his blood on it.  She placed a tiny square of plastic on top of the blood and then stood and began to search for something else.
    She returned with a tiny telescope.  At least, tiny compared to what he'd seen before.  And slid the blood sample underneath.  She stared at it for a moment before gasping.
    "Holy shit." She whistled.
    "What?" Vegeta asked, feeling slightly nervous of her exclamation.
    "I've never seen anything like this, it's amazing!" she breathed in awe.
    "What?!" he demanded, growing irritated.
    "There are tiny little machines in your blood-stream."
    "WHAT?!?" he cried.  "Why?" she looked up at him at last but stayed silent for long moments.
    "You died, Vegeta.  I know you did.  I felt it.  I think this is the reason you are alive."  Vegeta grimaced and stared down at his hand.  How was it possible?
    "Let me see." He demanded and she stepped aside to let him look.  He peered into the telescope and saw exactly what she described.  Little machines swimming in between blood cells.  He looked away, shuddering in disgust.  He stared at his hands again.
    "Vegeta." The onna said.  "It doesn't matter.  All that matters it that you're alive.  And the only reason could be because of this.  Look." She said taking his hand.  The tiny pinprick had completely vanished.  "They're healing you.   Watch."  She jabbed him again with the needle and as soon as she wiped the blood away there was no mark to be found.
    "Damn." He murmured.
    "It doesn't matter to me what he did to you.  Unless he hurt you-" Vegeta snorted.     "Don't laugh!" she cried suddenly, her eyes flashing.  "Dr. Gero's androids killed you!  I thought I was going to die!" she began to cry again.  And once again she was in his arms, squeezing as hard as she could.  If he was ningen he'd probably have a cracked rib.  He gently rubbed her back and her sobs died down to sniffles.  He was amazed she cared for him so much and he couldn't even remember her name.
 

    "Old man." 18 called as she strode close to the hunched figure bent over his desk.
    "What?" he demanded irritably.
    "We wish to know what you programmed him to do."  Dr. Gero laughed.
    "Well I wish you'd mind you own business.  It's none of your concern." 18 sneered.
    "Oh, but it is.  Incase you have forgotten that Saiyan is our enemy regardless of what you've given him.  Do you really think he won't use it against us?" she sniffed in disdain.
    "I know he won't.  I programmed him to forget all the damage you two have recklessly caused.  He will never remember.  He will not come seeking revenge."
    "Then what is he to do?" 17 said from the shadows.  Dr. Gero growled.
    "I said it is none of your business!  Now go away before I deactivate you both!"  18's hand snaked out and caught Gero's wrist and crushed the bones effortlessly.  Gero shrieked in pain and anger.  She leaned close and hissed in his face.
    "If you think to send that monkey after us I will kill you."  She released him and she and her twin left the room.  Gero grinned through his agony.
    "But you are too late already, my dear." He said as their footsteps faded.

    Vegeta sat with the woman on his lap in her lab for what seemed like hours.  Not that he minded her, but he was so confused.  He was trying to sort through her memories as he steadily searched through their link.  She allowed it with complete trust.
    Some of the memories made him smile.  He found out what her name was when he heard her screaming "Bulma! B-U-L-M-A!" at him when he'd first come to move in and only referred to her as 'woman'.  But some of the memories made him feel guilt when he saw how he'd treated her in the beginning.  It really was deplorable behavior at times.  But he could hear her conscious thoughts drifting to him, assuring him that the past was in the past and it didn't matter anymore.
    He felt her terror caused by the androids and her fear of him not returning.  And the pain when her fears were realized made his heart ache.  He put his hand to his chest as the feeling almost made him choke.  It made him realize, for perhaps the first time, what he meant to her.  The revelation was shocking.
    He quickly exited from her mind but before he could close off the link, she went right into his.  He shuddered and tried to block her out, afraid of what she might see.
    'No,' she thought to him.  'Let me in.'  reluctantly he removed the barrier and her presence filled him.  She tapped into every memory he'd forgotten and even those that hurt him to remember.  But he understood.  If he was to have any type of sense of self he had to let her do it.  She unlocked all doors without fear and looked inside.  She would not back down.  She could distinctly feel Vegeta's discomfort, but assured him that she'd seen it all before.
    Then she stumbled on something unexpected.  It was brand new and completely unfamiliar.  She felt a twinge of apprehension but broke through the barrier anyway.  She saw android 17 and 18 and she suddenly realized with a gasp, what she was seeing.  She instantly returned to her own mind and after a minute of dizziness she opened her eyes and looked at Vegeta who was blinking rapidly.
    "Dr. Gero has programmed you to destroy 17 and 18." She said, bewildered.  "Why would he want that?  They are his creation."  The instant she had opened that door in his mind he had felt the urge.  It was almost strong enough to send him off at that very moment.  But it didn't make sense.
    "Maybe he has no more use of them."  Bulma nodded.
    "It's true.   Their purpose was to kill Goku.  Regardless of the fact that he died from the heart virus, their mission is complete.  He probably can't stop them from destroying everything else."
    "So he thinks to use me as his pawn."
    "I would do it." Bulma stated.  "If I could.  If only because he brought you back.  I owe him for that."  She was right.  He owed that stinking old coot.  He owed him his life, and it appeared that he had given him immortality in exchange for disposing of the tin cans.  It was a small price to pay.  And he would definitely enjoy it.
    "I'll do it now." He stated simply, as if he had just decided to go shopping.  Bulma smiled and stood.
    "I'm glad I don't have to worry about you coming home safe." She said and leaned forward.  Her lips pressed against his and he was about to change his mind about going right then, seeing as there was something else he could do which would be more enjoyable.  Sensing his thoughts she broke the kiss and stepped back.  "Please Vegeta, kill them now.  I hate them and all they have done and I'm sick of being afraid of them."  Vegeta nodded and stood.
    "I'll be back soon." He said, kissed her cheek and left.  Bulma placed her hand on her cheek.  A bright smile graced her lips.  She couldn't believe it!  Her own personal hell had ended.  Six weeks of torture were over just like that.  She had never felt this happy in her life.

TBC…