The slight motion of the liquid in the bubble was lulling, whenever consciousness rolled through his throbbing head the sweet motion pulled him back into sleep. The door whizzed open and shut without notice, long strides brought the newcomer to the center of the room. A few well chosen words sent medics running for the door, the words muted to Freeza in his tank. Noticing a slight change in atmosphere, Freeza cracked his swollen eyes open to see the face of Zharbon inches above the glass curve looking down into the tank. Freeza growled at him, but it was unnoticed as he sat in a chair across the room. Zharbon now sat eye level with Freeza, looking nonchalantly about the room and leaning on a control panel. With a sudden interest, Zharbon planted his feet on the floor and rolled the chair across the room so that he was within reaching distance of the regtank.
Leaning with his elbows on his knees, Zharbon breathed onto the glass and watched slowly as it fogged. Taking his index finger he began painstakingly writing a short message in the fog, 'ydaer uoy era'. Freeza squinted, the words making no sense to his sloshed brain when Zharbon slapped his palm onto the bubble, the noise reverberating through the fluid and assulting his ears, as he wiped the note away. Freeza made to lash out at Zharbon for his stupidity but only got a hit as a light thump on the inside of the glass, Zharbon smiled and shook a finger at him with an inaudible 'tsk tsk'.
Moments after Zharbon had seated himself comfortably again, the door opened and three men entered. Freeza recognized them instantly as Nappa, Radditz and Vegeta; a quick lick of fear ran through his battered body as Vegeta stepped forward. _He wouldn't dare..._ Pushing the drain button on the reguvination tank, Vegeta watched with a satisfied smirk at the look of shock on Freeza's face. As the fluid drained, Freeza began to pick up pieces of conversation around the whirl of the pumps. "...the guards?" "no...care of." "I...first." "...all means." Freeza looked back and forth between Zharbon and Vegeta as the two conversed.
The air locks hissed as the pressure was released, the glass slowly pulled up and Freeza sat semi-hunched on the small stool inside the tank. Vegeta reached into the tank, grasped Freeza by a broken collar bone and heaved him out and onto the ground as though he were a rag doll. Landing roughly on his knees, Freeza groaned and struggled to stand but was kicked to the floor with one blow. "Well now, isn't this quite the predicament..." Freeza looked up at Vegeta from the floor a look of pain and disgust crossing his face. "I told you one day...I just didn't know it would be today." A smirk pulled the corner of Vegeta's lips up in an evil grin, his eye teeth looking terribly long and sharp from Freeza's spot on the floor.
"You can touch me, monkey. If I'm killed my father will know who did it. You'll all be dead before you can break a bone on my body." A sneer and drip of saliva dripped from Freeza's lips.
Vegeta bent on knee, grasping Freeza roughly by the back of the head and jerking it up to look into Freeza's eyes, "Who says he doesn't think you're already dead?"
"What are you blathering about?"
"Think about it, you were almost killed on that planet, who's to say you weren't...who's to say he won't just kill the rest of that race...eh?" Vegeta laughed as the look of realization dawned of Freeza's face.
"B-but you can't! I'm your leader!" Freeza struggled to get out of Vegeta's grasp but was backhanded and spun quarter turn on the floor. Zharbon stepped on his neck and snarled down at him, a million retorts and venomous thoughts running through his head but none of them coming out. Freeza saw Nappa leave the room from the corner of his eye, and stand broadly in the doorway as the door whizzed shut. Radditz locked the door and crossed his thick arms over his chest looking at the three in the middle of the room.
"Zharbon, I've given you everything...rank, power, money..." Zharbon stepped more firmly on his neck, choking off his words.
"You've also beaten, berated and betrayed me." Zharbon's mouth was coated with spit. "You've used me as your toy for years, fucked me, broken me and left me to die on more than one occasion." He spat onto Freeza's face and watched it slide slowly down his cheek. Vegeta had stood back and let Zharbon vent, surprised at the information he'd overheard he looked at Raddtiz who blinked at him in reply.
Vegeta stepped forward and drug Freeza to his feet, his effeminate face dripping with spit and sweat. "Are you ready?" Freeza narrowed his eyes then looked over Vegeta's shoulder to Zharbon who nodded slowly before turning his back and joining Radditz at the door.
"BUT YOU CAN'T!"
***
Zharbon and Vegeta stood before King Cold, the large man had his arms crossed over his chest and a shocked expression on his face. "So you're telling me, Freeza was killed by these...Nordians? Impossible!"
"I'm afraid not, King Cold...Lord Freeza destroyed thousands of them before they got the better of them. I'd already been drug to the med bay when it happened, there was nothing I, nor the men, could do." Zharbon bowed his head and stared at his feet, biting the side of his mouth to keep from smiling.
"I see..." He turned his massive back to the two and faced his eldest son, "Cooler, your brother is dead. You must erase the rest of the Nordians...you're now in control of Freeza's empire." With that said he left the room with several elites surrounding him.
Cooler walked from the spot he were he was leaning into the wall and came to stand before the two men. He watched as the doors shut before he began to speak. "You are horrible liars." Vegeta glared at him from under his thick brows, Cooler laughed. "But don't worry, your secret is safe enough with me. Had I known you'd such a passion to finish my brother I would have hired you myself." Cooler walked stepped to the door before turning back. "I guess I'll be watching you two from now on then, shall I?" With a small smirk he left the room.
"Vegeta...what are we going to do now?" Zharbon's eyes darted around the room, his hands beginning to shake in his nervousness.
"Nothing." Vegeta turned on his heel and pushed open the heavy doors. Nappa and Radditz stood as Vegeta exited into the hall and took their place behind him as they stalked to the transport ship. Zharbon watched him for a moment before following, _Nothing...?_
***
Cooler stood at a large window and watched as the transport ship took off. _There they go...Freeza's mess needs to be picked up again. Damn that brat, Burn in hell wherever you are. I've got other things to worry about..._
Leaning with his elbows on his knees, Zharbon breathed onto the glass and watched slowly as it fogged. Taking his index finger he began painstakingly writing a short message in the fog, 'ydaer uoy era'. Freeza squinted, the words making no sense to his sloshed brain when Zharbon slapped his palm onto the bubble, the noise reverberating through the fluid and assulting his ears, as he wiped the note away. Freeza made to lash out at Zharbon for his stupidity but only got a hit as a light thump on the inside of the glass, Zharbon smiled and shook a finger at him with an inaudible 'tsk tsk'.
Moments after Zharbon had seated himself comfortably again, the door opened and three men entered. Freeza recognized them instantly as Nappa, Radditz and Vegeta; a quick lick of fear ran through his battered body as Vegeta stepped forward. _He wouldn't dare..._ Pushing the drain button on the reguvination tank, Vegeta watched with a satisfied smirk at the look of shock on Freeza's face. As the fluid drained, Freeza began to pick up pieces of conversation around the whirl of the pumps. "...the guards?" "no...care of." "I...first." "...all means." Freeza looked back and forth between Zharbon and Vegeta as the two conversed.
The air locks hissed as the pressure was released, the glass slowly pulled up and Freeza sat semi-hunched on the small stool inside the tank. Vegeta reached into the tank, grasped Freeza by a broken collar bone and heaved him out and onto the ground as though he were a rag doll. Landing roughly on his knees, Freeza groaned and struggled to stand but was kicked to the floor with one blow. "Well now, isn't this quite the predicament..." Freeza looked up at Vegeta from the floor a look of pain and disgust crossing his face. "I told you one day...I just didn't know it would be today." A smirk pulled the corner of Vegeta's lips up in an evil grin, his eye teeth looking terribly long and sharp from Freeza's spot on the floor.
"You can touch me, monkey. If I'm killed my father will know who did it. You'll all be dead before you can break a bone on my body." A sneer and drip of saliva dripped from Freeza's lips.
Vegeta bent on knee, grasping Freeza roughly by the back of the head and jerking it up to look into Freeza's eyes, "Who says he doesn't think you're already dead?"
"What are you blathering about?"
"Think about it, you were almost killed on that planet, who's to say you weren't...who's to say he won't just kill the rest of that race...eh?" Vegeta laughed as the look of realization dawned of Freeza's face.
"B-but you can't! I'm your leader!" Freeza struggled to get out of Vegeta's grasp but was backhanded and spun quarter turn on the floor. Zharbon stepped on his neck and snarled down at him, a million retorts and venomous thoughts running through his head but none of them coming out. Freeza saw Nappa leave the room from the corner of his eye, and stand broadly in the doorway as the door whizzed shut. Radditz locked the door and crossed his thick arms over his chest looking at the three in the middle of the room.
"Zharbon, I've given you everything...rank, power, money..." Zharbon stepped more firmly on his neck, choking off his words.
"You've also beaten, berated and betrayed me." Zharbon's mouth was coated with spit. "You've used me as your toy for years, fucked me, broken me and left me to die on more than one occasion." He spat onto Freeza's face and watched it slide slowly down his cheek. Vegeta had stood back and let Zharbon vent, surprised at the information he'd overheard he looked at Raddtiz who blinked at him in reply.
Vegeta stepped forward and drug Freeza to his feet, his effeminate face dripping with spit and sweat. "Are you ready?" Freeza narrowed his eyes then looked over Vegeta's shoulder to Zharbon who nodded slowly before turning his back and joining Radditz at the door.
"BUT YOU CAN'T!"
***
Zharbon and Vegeta stood before King Cold, the large man had his arms crossed over his chest and a shocked expression on his face. "So you're telling me, Freeza was killed by these...Nordians? Impossible!"
"I'm afraid not, King Cold...Lord Freeza destroyed thousands of them before they got the better of them. I'd already been drug to the med bay when it happened, there was nothing I, nor the men, could do." Zharbon bowed his head and stared at his feet, biting the side of his mouth to keep from smiling.
"I see..." He turned his massive back to the two and faced his eldest son, "Cooler, your brother is dead. You must erase the rest of the Nordians...you're now in control of Freeza's empire." With that said he left the room with several elites surrounding him.
Cooler walked from the spot he were he was leaning into the wall and came to stand before the two men. He watched as the doors shut before he began to speak. "You are horrible liars." Vegeta glared at him from under his thick brows, Cooler laughed. "But don't worry, your secret is safe enough with me. Had I known you'd such a passion to finish my brother I would have hired you myself." Cooler walked stepped to the door before turning back. "I guess I'll be watching you two from now on then, shall I?" With a small smirk he left the room.
"Vegeta...what are we going to do now?" Zharbon's eyes darted around the room, his hands beginning to shake in his nervousness.
"Nothing." Vegeta turned on his heel and pushed open the heavy doors. Nappa and Radditz stood as Vegeta exited into the hall and took their place behind him as they stalked to the transport ship. Zharbon watched him for a moment before following, _Nothing...?_
***
Cooler stood at a large window and watched as the transport ship took off. _There they go...Freeza's mess needs to be picked up again. Damn that brat, Burn in hell wherever you are. I've got other things to worry about..._