[6] Production Building/Dome

[Bra]

A hellish roar boomed throughout the dome-shaped arena, echoing off the walls several times before fading from existence. Zombies had swarmed the terrifying ogre, desperate to reach the effeminate turquoise man who fought and dodged about on the monster?s back, managing to prevent him from swatting the man away. The twisted, malformed constitution of the demon whirled about; the force of his twisting body hurling the well-groomed warrior into one of the living dead, casting them both onto the ground with a dull thud. The hellion?s limbs thrashed about mightily, sending zombies hurtling through the air in all directions, freeing him from his own legions of the damned.

?This isn?t over!!? he declared, a clawed finger thrust into the direction of the family Vegeta. With a dissatisfied grunt, the foul creature turned, sprinting away. Trunks launched after him, still consumed by the incredible power he now wielded. Before he could reach the horrible creature, however, searing blasts of fire engulfed the ogre and his undead army. The flames, along with each of the zombies, vanished without a trace.

The horrifying summoned shade crashed into the ground in confusion. It had been leaping at one of the fallen soldiers only a second ago, and now there were no targets for it to attack. The young heiress caught sight of her abomination, still extremely unnerved by it?s incredibly terrifying appearance. Only now did she properly appreciate the avatar?s size; despite standing on four legs, it still remained at about chest height with the girl. It?s overdeveloped muscles were prominently visible, lending more support to the apparent strength of the creature. A forked tongue snaked through it?s razor teeth, testing the air around it. The hybrid took a shocked step backward as the shade approached her, regarding it with an intense apprehension. Grimshaw?s memento, however, merely came to the youth?s side, standing nearly motionless as it awaited it?s next command.

Bra cautiously raised her eyes from the monster and regarded her brother, who fell from his ascended state, his wild hair succumbing to gravity as the brilliant gold shifted in hue to it?s usual purple. Labored breaths heaved from the boy, whose eyes were wide. Trails of perspiration were abundant on Trunks? visage, who appeared to have difficulty adjusting from the wild difference in power levels.

The girl?s own aureate locks returned to their usual cyan, returning to their normal soft, flowing consistency. The jade in her eyes shifted subtly back to the deep azure, and the immense rush of adrenaline that came with ascension failed her. It was always such an exhausting crash for the girl after being so immediately deprived of the naturally occurring chemical, but she knew in the long run that it would be far less taxing on her body than remaining a super saiyan for unnecessary periods of time. Vegeta was the last to descend, though his now dark hair retained it?s rigidity.

Android 20, whom the halfling princess quickly recalled as an ally during the battle for the Earth?s future, helped the handsome teal-skinned man to his feet. The two exchanged words out of earshot before coming nearer to the royal family. Bra took in the others, recognizing a handful of them, Cell in particular, but decided they would come to her should if they wished for any company.

?Hey, Doc!? the petite hybrid greeted, offering a smile of recognition. She waved as the machine, aged in appearance, drew near to the three saiyans. Gero returned the wave with one of his own before making a reply.

?Oh. Bra. This is Zarbon.? the scientist informed, motioning to the alien next to him, ?He?s an associate of mine.?

?Hey.? Bra addressed the turquoise warrior, ?This is my dad,? she continued, hooking her thumb behind her, pointing to her father, ?And that over there,? the girl said, pointing to her sibling, ?Is my brother, Trunks.? A few nods were exchanged as the introductions reached their completion, ?Uh... don?t worry about this monster thing...? the princess fumbled over her words, hesitantly placing a hand on the translucent monstrosity?s head, ?He?s cool.?

A dull series of clanks and bangs sounded in the distance, and moments later, the building?s lighting system came to life, illuminating the sickening battlegrounds they stood in. The bars which had corralled the prisoners flashed into existence once again, though nobody was in the cell anymore. Vegeta growled, breaking the ensuing silence.

?We were searching for a tower when I was teleported.? he explained, folding his arms across his chest, ?Got as far as some mountains before it happened. We found the entrance to a cave...?

?You?re saying we should head there, hm?? it was Zarbon, ?Maybe. But somehow I think that maybe this ?Brim? character ran into some trouble. I don?t think we were supposed to have been released from that cell... at least not yet.?

?Well. We?re here now, and we know that these... zombies... were stored somewhere beyond the passages that lead into this arena. This building could very well be connected to some sort of facility or a control station.? the android hypothesized, his cold eyes obviously not focused on what he was looking at. Bra surmised that Gero must have been deep in though while he spoke.

?So let?s look around, then.? she interjected, ?Maybe we?ll get a chance to fuck Brim up while we?re here.? the girl turned her head to the side and spat, a sense of disgust for the executive swelling up within her.

?Somehow I doubt it. But if he had to leave in a hurry, there?s simply no way they could have covered their tracks as well as they?ve been doing so far.? the mechanized scientist answered, doing his best to shed as much light as he could.

?Fine. Since we?re here anyway.? the prince finally voiced his opinion, ?This had better not be a waste of my time.?

?Uh... so where to?? the cyan haired girl quickly inquired, trying to steer the conversation away from an argument with her father, which she knew could swiftly escalate out of control. Zarbon seemed to shrug the threat off, stepping forward as his eyes scanned over the available corridors.

?Obviously, it?s that one.? he calmly explained, raising his index finger at one of the smaller halls which had ?Authorized Personnel Only? stenciled above the mouth of the corridor, ?But, of course, those energy bars are blocking our way.?

The thin, green, snaking pillars of energy separated the arena from the halls. But these were flickering wildly, as if a source of electricity was straining to maintain them. The group of five quickly took notice, and broke into a sprint, forming a semicircle around the mouth of the hall. In random bursts, the bars would flash in and out of existence, like a flickering neon sign. This was just about as annoying, too.

?Damn this infernal game!!? the scientist cursed, ?The access panel is just beyond these bars! But we?ll never be able to get through them before they light up and electrocute you. Even worse, actually... they?d impale you.? he shook his head angrily.

?You?ll never get through in time, machine.? Vegeta retorted, crouching slightly as he spoke, ?Before you make assumptions, let me show you what it means to be a saiyan.?

His eyes narrowed and grew devoid of any emotion. Like coals, they burned with focus, his pupils reflecting the phasing glow of green. Bra remarked on his cold, calculating face. Truly, he was a warrior. A feeling of doubt surfaced. He was more of a warrior than she ever could be.

A peal of energy thundered outward, obliterating the cyan haired girl?s train of though. Her father catapulted himself through the entrance, narrowly avoiding the wrath of the bars which flashed into being, narrowly missing the prince?s foot. Vegeta landed and rolled to his feet with a smirk, though it wasn?t visible to the others with his back turned. The saiyan pureblood stepped nearer the control panel, his palm carelessly slapping against the ?Door Release? button. In an instant, the threatening beryl energy vanished completely.

?Shall we?? Vegeta smirked once again as the others - complete with the summoned shadow - passed into the corridor. Footsteps rebounded up and down the hall as they walked. Bra?s thoughts returned to her brother. He?d remained silent since he had surpassed the level of super saiyan. What was he thinking about? She was almost disappointed he wasn?t his usual, reckless self.

That pang of doubt again. Why couldn?t it just leave her be? But this time it didn?t simply fade away. No, of course not. It nagged. Like a terribly annoying noise you tried to ignore, it only got worse. Here she was, with her father and brother, obviously outclassed by either of them. What was the secret behind this new form of ascension, and why only now did it bother her so much that she didn?t have access to it?

Weak!!

A familiar voice. Angry. Bra brought a hand to her temple, feeling the approach of a headache.