[3] Team XTREME - Watchtower

[Burter]

10. Android 18
13. Raditzu
14. Goten

You can hang out with the Watchman, or go off where ever else you want.

There are seperate rooms, so yes, if you want to be alone then that can be arranged. The Watchman doesn't mind company.

[Raz]

Drifting in silence of waving shadows, a chilling breeze hovered through the air as there was something resting in the distance... in the midst of the darkness, there was a space which wasn't blanketed and alone like the rest, a small screen that played on through an unseen projector. It began to grow in size, bursts of crimson flowing from it to only disappear into the black surroundings while the source became more and more apparent. Gore of lush sights came into view quickly as slain warriors crippled over to their knees before falling flat in their own liquids, the victors claiming themselves superior against the kill before they themselves fell along side those whom they had taken life from. Blasts of energy flying every which direction, cutting through the air with a cold whisper till striking against a respective target unto which it forced the considerable amount of vibrant power it had been carrying.

Within the chaotic midst of a battle well fought hovered a small child supporting the bulky body of an older man... suddenly awoken, the larger being took grasp of reality and picked up his own slack. Floating now next to the youth.

Gohan and Goten. Their presences in the last episode of the television series had altered many paths, but finally the road less traveled had separated them away from their father by the same man that had brought the trio to the horrid program in the first place. But now there was something coming to mind that the hybrid hadn't been there to see.

With little more then a second between a stance and the position now at hand, Brim darted forward, throwing an opened palm up to clasp Gohan tightly about the neck. The speed at which all this had happened equaled only by the instance it took for the producer's light blue aura to erupt in a fury enough to collapse the cabin they resided in, shattering first the hybrid's neck... bones snapping under the pressure of the over worked executive hand. Then the body... literally exploding from the amount of power being exerted from Brim's transformed state into it. Nearby stood the father of the fallen youth, Goku, teeth clenched tightly at the sight of his son's demise.

"You... will... pay..." The full blooded Saiya-jin warrior managed.

"Ready when you are." Came the response of a killer, little more then a smile playing across his grim looking face.

"BASTARD!" Goten shot up strait from the small cot he had been given to sleep upon, his bare chest heaving in and out rapidly as all this came as a massive shock to his system. The strange moon that orbited the asteroid dipped low near the horizon, yet still in position enough to cast a low bit of light on the room he stayed in. Wide and empty... less the few exceptions of randomly thrown about boxes, containing whatever it was that the watchmen possessed. The top of the tower had been situated into two rooms for this occasion, one for Raditzu and 18, the other for the old man himself.

Sweat had formed upon his forehead spanning all along his chest and arms, eyes dilated from the darkness to a point where vision was perfect even without the moonlight. The covers he had been given were overly warm and without them the room itself had been overly cold, so the hybrid resorted to sleeping without a shirt thinking it would even things out. Nearby he took up the dark blue sleeveless portion of his 'uniform' before pulling on the beaten orange over shirt, standing upon for but a moment as his eyes seemed fixated down upon a spot upon the ground for a long while.

"The hell was all that?" There was something about the incident that made it feel so real, more so to the point that it hadn't been a dream but an actual occurrence.

"My tower does a lot more then offer a nice view of the desert," Step by step through the door the old man walked with his staff making up for the dip in the falls of his feet. "Shows one what has happened as well."

"That went on after I died?"

"Precisely. You see... it isn't enough for me to view this entire plain of existence, I must be able to catch what I miss too." He explained. "Through this tower I have been granted both the privilege and curse of sacrificing my dreams to see the past and present."

"So... all that." Goten attempted to comprehend the matters at hand through the course of 'discovery by failure'. "Could that happen again?"

"No." A sign of relief, at least on the Saiya-jin's part, till the next breath passed the lips of the elder. "Your father and brother are already dead, one by accident, the other by the one whom brought you here."

"..." By now the hybrid had been used to the loss of others, people he knew, but not family members. Only now had the realization of the matter truly hit; he was alone. The boy had grown and become self made to the point of his current being and now was the time for a little bit of emotional growth, the sort no amount of time alone could possibly convert into a person he wished to be. A true warrior. Goku had fought on his own till the very end against Brim the last time the course of this tournament had been set into play, only to end up one of those whom had fallen within the first few starting legs of the show. It hadn't been fair... why couldn't he have done something? At this point, the hybrid didn't question that both the small pet-of-a-son Brim had constantly at his side coupled with the mechanical producer himself could take down the Saiyan whom could ascend sleeping above.

It was now his choice to participate any further with the android and kitty-jin, maybe there would be some good out of it, then again if there wasn't any... couldn't hurt to ask.

"Just wondering but," Goten's eyes shifted over to the side, light coming from the window illuminating one side of his face enough for the old man to see that the hybrid was speaking to him. "You're not all that you appear to be, are you?" He didn't speak. "Hell of a lot quicker then you let off that you are, strength spikes every now and then too and it's amazing how high it gets."

"What are you getting at, boy?"

The teenager shrugged. Turning back to look out the window just barely catching scent of a ki trail seeming to leave the very base of the tower not too long ago, recognizing it almost instantly... there wasn't any need to pursue though, Bojack wasn't a threat to his ego as he once was.

"I want to know how to do it, I mean, push myself farther." For a long while there was silence that followed his words, only breaking when the elder withdrew a breath.

"There's definitely something in you, just like I sensed in that devil cat you call Raditzu. Not to mention that android girl, 18." Strolling over nearby the window, he took place next to where Goten was. "It's been a long time since there have been any like you all coming around this place... as with every other inch of this place, those who had once held seats of strength had perished. Wasn't the killing between them, oh no, it was those damn experiments they were so keen on performing. Better ways of killing each other, they'd say, lose fewer men with these."

"Can you teach me? How... 'Those' fought?" For another long moment time rested, at ease with the perpetual motion the night fading into morning provided.

"Proving yourself might be what needs to be done for you to find that strength." The old man turned to cast a glance at the Saiya-jin, his facial features glowing with the dimming light from the moon while from behind a window began to cast the light from the source of heated sphere which circled the planet. "They found their power the same way, you need to be cautious though... depending on how you perceive things in your path will prove whither or not the strength comes or leaves you."

Goten stared down at the man contemplating this, turning back to watch the retreating moon. His father and brother were gone now, the boy was on his own again only this time he had a reason to fight. "Don't worry guys, I won't let your deaths be in vain." He said to himself. "... I promise."

[Android-18]

A loud yawn formed on her mouth and the android slumped against the wall sleepily. She began to rub her balled up hands against her face, and then lowered her hands to stare across the room absently. It was morning; they had all slept within the tower and gotten a good night sleep. It was too bad that Raditzu was a cat though, she preferred to have a man in her bed, not an animal?well, sometimes he was an animal regardless of his shape. The android chuckled just before a stretch took over her body. She raised her arms and stretched so much that she had to stand on the tips of her toes as it took over. She made a sound and finally felt awake, the others were rousing too. She rested her hands behind her head as she leaned lazily against the wall. She was in the main room where they had met the old man, he had resumed his strange sleep-standing, but she knew he was likely aware of their movement. Raditzu now came walking out of the room they had slept in, as a cat of course.

?You should try to fix that.? She said and stared down at the feline. ?You can?t be of much use as an animal.? His only comment was a tch that echoed throughout her mind. Surely the gravity of the situation would rest upon his shoulders soon. She closed her eyes and continued to wait. The younger Saiya-Jin came out, but he seemed distracted. Her half closed eyes took him in, she realized just how much he did remind her of Goku and the other teen, Gohan. He was an eager youth, full of ambition. Those eyes, they held something only few could muster, was it revenge? Or a yearning for something more? She did not know him enough to analyze him, but there was no doubt in his uneasiness.

?That guy that came in here during the night, he was in our pervious group.? She said slowly. Her arms slid down from behind her head and crossed against her chest. ?I could sense there was something wrong with him, and I could hear an impediment in his speech.? She glanced down at the would-be Saiya-Jin.

What are you getting at? She remained silent, the warriors question floated in her mind.

?Let?s follow him, he might know something, I?d also like to know why he came here.? Goten looked toward her, his face was ridged. ?This game can?t go on forever, I know a fair share of those competing have one ill thought or another toward Brim, but?? She trailed off, her cold eyes shifted down half closed again. ?We can only keep playing along until he shows himself, until we are ready to extract whatever action we must against him. I for one to not like to be exploited, or used as some way to make money.? She glared forward, her eyes flaring with hatred. Deep within the recesses of her mind, she recalled Dante?s Abyss. What a horrid thing, it had been nothing but a distraction. Once more she was caught up in some scheme on some planet, and she was unable to do anything about it. ?Tch, bastards.? An idle hand touched the cold collar around her neck. If only?

She leaned down and picked up Radcat, she held him face forward in her arms. She gave a nod to Goten, as if to say she understood that look in his eyes. Did she? There was something even deeper there. Nonetheless, they had to continue this sick game. ?Old man, where did that blue guy head off too.? The watcher stood still, his breathing was slow and calm.

?Hospital.? He didn?t move, didn?t open his eyes, and just gave that one word.

?Thank you for your hospitality, we?ll be going now.? She half bowed before turning to leave. It was doubtful she would see this mysterious figure again, but who knew? This place was full of surprises. ?He can?t be that far ahead of us.? She pulled out the map while holding Raditzu close to her chest with her other arm. ?Ah, I see, well if we don?t catch up to him we?ll likely find him at the hospital, I wonder what happened to him?? It was not that she was worried; it was more that she was curious. Had something, or someone, poisoned him on this asteroid? Or was it something he had come here with? Hopefully it wasn?t contagious, that?s all she needed.

[Raditzu]

Ah the wonders of sleep. It could turn even the fiercest and most powerful warriors into little more than slumbering babes. Rad would know? being a fierce and powerful warrior. The fact that he was currently a cat was irrelevant. He was sure, if the need aroused, he would be able to return to his original form and lay the proverbial smack down. Probably. Though he hadn?t actually tried returning to his original form, it couldn?t really be that hard. This was simply more on ability he needed to work on mastering. He had done this countless times? this time would be no different. All he needed was to give it some concentration and willpower. But that would come later. At the present, everyone had decided to shack up in the watchtower for the night.

Though the saiyan was fairly tired, he was also extremely hungry. His small, feline stomach gurgled lightly as he tried to curl up against 18?s bosom. This was one instance where everyone within a five mile radius should be grateful for his small stature. Had he been his normal, saiyan self, the unending growling of his stomach would be enough to wake the dead. Once they woke up, he would have to try and find something to eat, which would probably be pretty bleak. He hadn?t exactly seen any Waffle Houses on their travels across this stupid asteroid. Trying to find enough to eat to slate the hunger of a full-blooded saiyan was going to be nothing short of a tall order. Those thoughts haunted the poor Radcat as he slipped into a dreamland full of waffles and catnip.

When morning came, the long-haired wonder was roused as 18 slipped out of bed. His ears followed her light footsteps out of the room. After a moment or two of not being able to fall back to sleep, Rad hopped out of bed and went through a light stretch or two of his own. He padded across the floor and into the main room of the watchtower. Upon his arrival, 18 expressed her approval of his feline form? or lack thereof. How could he not be of use?! Even as an animal, he was Raditzu. Raditzu! The thought that anyone could even entertain the idea of him not being useful was absolutely mind-boggling. He didn?t think of himself as an animal so much as travel-size awesomeness. What could possibly be better?

The kitty-jin?s mental ramblings were interrupted as 18 went on to inform everyone that Bojack had visited the watchtower while they had been asleep. Rad recalled the green-skinned being without a shocking amount of clarity? he owed Rad a cigar. The news, however, turned out to be fairly troubling. Something about a hospital. The old man, who was still sleep-standing, probably could have told them more, but they didn?t want to stand around and waste time. If Bojack had contracted something that required medical attention, there was morbidly good chance that 18, Rad, and Goten might have contracted it as well. That thought alone was reason enough to pursue The Ader. With the fairly unanimous decision, the trio started down the ridiculously long stairway.

As they descended, Rad had more than enough time to notice Goten?s distress. One would not have to be a telepath to have noticed, but that certainly did make it that much more clear for Radcat. Not that it was really any of his business. The kid seemed? determined? Rad wasn?t sure. He was still a little new to this whole telepathic shtick. Maybe he wanted some food too. He was part saiyan, after all. He was probably pretty hungry. Though it was an unlikely conclusion, Rad stuck to it. If Goten wanted them to know what was bugging him, he would have told everyone. In the meantime, he had his own reasons for keeping quite.

What had perturbed Raditzu was 18?s mention of taking action against Stumpy. Sure, Rad wasn?t particularly fond of people manipulating him, but if he killed the host of this little game show, he probably wasn?t going to be able to win his well-deserved fame. Not that he?d ever choose that over 18. If she moved against Brim and his, Rad would be right there to back her up. Cat or not, it didn?t matter. Worst case scenario, he would have to be known as the saiyan who killed Brim. Not too shabby, really. Well? that?s all assuming that this little game was a wildly popular as Stumpy had alluded to it being. Rad was finding himself ever more dubious. He hadn?t even seen a TV camera yet. As they left the tower, Rad looked around suspiciously, hoping to catch sight of a camera he might have missed before. Nothing. Oh well.

?He can?t be that far ahead of us.? 18 checked the map as he picked up the saiyan. She was probably right. Even if he was, over taking a sickly pirate wouldn?t be too hard.

Put me down, babe. Rad struggled lightly against the android?s grip as she set him back on the ground.

?What?s up, Rad?? She looked down at the cat as she folded and stowed away the map.

Heh? you?ll see. He tried to grin, but it didn?t really come across the way he had intended it to.

Ok? this couldn?t be all that hard. He had turned himself into a cat, he would certainly be able to turn himself back into a saiyan. He was an almighty warrior that had mastered an ascension beyond Super Saiyan. Had traveled across worlds, battled against the forces of oppression, embraced evil, conquered worlds, and had even returned to life twice. What was a little shapeshifting compared to that? All it would take was a little willpower and concen-- Rad never finished that thought. He vanished under a puff of smoke, which was quickly whisked away by a light breeze. The smoke slowly revealed Raditzu, once again returned to his sexy, saiya-jin glory. 18 seemed quite pleased with the saiyan?s transformation. Goten was simply watching.

?You figured it out, eh?? The demi-saiyan asked.

?Tch? you expected anything less?? Rad flashed a cocky grin. Though, in truth, he had no idea how he turned back.

?Well,? 18 landed a small kiss on his cheek as she walked past him, ?then lets get going.?

Goten followed 18 as she leapt into the air, but Rad remained on the ground. They ascended several yards before noticing Rad hadn?t followed.

?Which way?s the hospital?? Rad yelled up to his group-mates. 18 responded by pointing. Following her arm, Rad aligned himself, then waved back up to them. ?You two fly, I?m gonna go for a little job. Need to stretch out. I only have two legs now.?

?You gonna be able to keep up?? Goten was honestly curious.

?Hahahaha? kid, you?re a hundred years too early to be asking that.? The saiyan lowered himself into a runner?s stance. An aura flared up around him as the muscles in his legs tightened. ?Group XTREME? move out!?

Without warning, and before Goten or 18 could say anything else, the saiyan was gone. It was easier to follow the trail of dust that he left in his wake. He became little more than a blur of black hair. Shaking her head, 18 shot through the air after Rad.

[Burter]

END OF ROUND