DB Multiverse

Wigner had neutralized the last barbarian and the shot fired from the Thetor had just annihilated the luminous ball. The invasion was stopped, Helior was saved, but Waals didn't have the heart to feel triumph. Yes, he had taken a sweet pleasure in executing the assassins of his friends, but now that all was said and done, a sense of uneasiness was taking root in his gut and throat. Standing near the now unconscious Nim, he glanced at the Heloïte landscape. An unbelievable surface was sullied with larger and smaller pools of thick blood... Liters and liters of blood sprayed in cataracts from gaping wounds of the beast, the monster. Waals thought of the last look exchanged with him, a gaze that couldn't have been more human, the same he no doubt had. Weren't they similar, in the end? On the scarlet grass, four body parts lay. At his death, the invader had regained his human stature, yet despite that, Waals perfectly recognized the angles of his cuts on the mutilated pieces. Two slashes had sufficed, each at the perfect angle to form an X, the cross of infamy, the one of the condemned to death, the cross to take something off a list, to erase it from the surface of his screen. Further away, covered in red, another body, curled up as Nim in fetal position, emerged from the sullied grass, like a divine reprimand. Giving death was easy, it's nothing, especially in the heat of the action... It was after that it became difficult. All battlefields seemed sordid once the exultation of the fight dispelled, even more when they spat to your face your mistakes that led one of your friends to death's door. No, Waals wasn't in the mood for celebrations.

Wigner clenched his teeth and the strength of his grip. Pity, Radom wouldn't have his prisoner in the end. If the idea had seemed stupid when he had received the order, the Ultra leader presently recognized that learned more on such creatures presented a certain interest, perhaps even primordial... He hesitated.

His arm twisted at the limit of what was bearable, his neck tensed under the pressure, Vegeta felt the fist of the captain weigh heavily on his temple. He closed his eyes as the parcel of his skin exposed to the shot swarmed with anguish... but nothing was coming. The Heloïte wasn't putting his threat to execution. Did he never have the real intention, or was he only hesitating? No matter, any respite was worth taking! But he needed this imbecile to release him if he wanted the opportunity to profit from the situation!

— Let go! We are going to get killed, you are all going to die! We are the only ones who can... Shit!

Alarm signals suddenly went off in Wigner's implants. In their precipitation, Radom and the Commander General Thib gave him contradictory orders while the Thetor's propulsors illuminated the sky. No time to procrastinate, he had to take a decision.

— What's going on? he simply asked Vegeta, after having released him.

The Ultra nevertheless kept his fist ready to fire in the direction of the stranger standing in contact in front of him. He also sent a textual message to Waals to recall him all the while the barbarian started calling out:

— What use is all your technology? You weren't even smart enough to increase your spatial surveillance after our arrival? A warrior is heading your way and you haven't been any more capable of noticing him than you were for us! He's come to kill me and do what we didn't: kill you all to the last and annex your planet. We wiped the floor with you, but this one, even I wouldn't be a match for him, we need to unite! It's our only...

A series of flashes of strobe light colours suddenly blinded the atmosphere. By the time both men turned looked above them, a gargantuan explosion occulted the immense silhouette of the Thetor, higher in the stratosphere.

— Your shield! NOW!

By reflex, Wigner extended his arm to produce a complete protective bubble that also included the barbarian at the same time as he warned Waals. Vegeta, on his side, projected a wave of ki to double the Heloïte's shield which, according to the Saiyan, had proved to be of a very relative efficiency. Wigner didn't complain. The shield's weakness against certain types of radiation were known, but if the stranger's energy wasn't sensitive to them, it could be a lead to dig up to improve upon. The next instant, the warriors and their protection disappeared under a hell so hot even the devil would have prayed to survive.

The incandescent wind passed, a rain of cascading sparks showered the protective bubble. Under the shelter, Vegeta stopped his energy while wincing, his Saiyan hide hadn't completely resisted the burns. But if he was in pain, it was nothing compared to the Haloïte. The skin of the Ultra, much more fragile, was swollen from so many blisters that a toad may have taken him for one of his own species. Yet, despite the unbearable pain, he kept his position, maintaining the shield at the tip of his arms. Their eyes locked.

— I can't let it go, it's not over, Wigner breathed.

As Vegeta raised his gaze to see grow the formidable rain of debris, he heard the other call a certain Waals. He understood it was the last men of the captain, also trapped in the cataclysm.

Waal's voice in the receiver of Wigner hit him like a cooling breeze. He was alive!

— Here, chief of my own heart... it tickles, but I'm still around, he had answered in a diminished voice.

— Hold your position, we're on our way, stipulated the Ultra leader by voice to him.

Coming from Waals, Wigner knew that "it tickles" meant it was worth worrying about. Checking his vital signals confirmed his fears, and to top it off, his energy reserves were falling unusually fast. Preoccupied, Wigner barely registered the secondary blast shake the protective bubble. Much less incandescent than the first, it barely heated the air inside the shield.

— Partnership eh? the Heloïte captain tried while bringing his attention back to his curious companion.

— You think I'm going to help you save the flabir that killed my men?

— We all die in our corner or we live together, that's your deal, not mine. I've taken great risks by trusting you, loyalty is the price to pay for that honour. If the menace is as serious as you say, we will never defeat it if one of us doubts the other. You said there was only one warrior, is he that powerful?

— Stronger than someone like you is capable of imagining.

The Heloïte cut his shield and dropped his arms to regain his breath. The burning from his regeneration process added to those of the radiation, it was a heavy toll. Clearly, it was written that he was destined to die that day! By dropping his guard in such a total manner, he knew he was at the mercy of the barbarian, if he had bluffed, this risk would cost dearly, but it was also the only way to find out what to expect.

Quiet, Vegeta suddenly clenched his teeth while raising his right hand charged with energy. With a scream, he catapulted his arm upwards to pulverise a fat bloc of concrete that had been heading in their direction.

— We're not going to stay stuck here talking of the weather are we? he taunted with his signature sarcastic grin.

Even if the Heloïte thought he had the upper hand, it was truly him who was leading the dance! Feigning the good Samaritan hurt Vegeta's pride. He didn't need them, but risking cross fire during the fight wasn't worth it. Playing along for the time needed to take care of the problem was his best chance, he'd always have time to teach these poor naive ones to respect their new master later.

The Heloïte space technology was hailing towards the landscape that had been so precious to its designers. From the size of a nail to several tons in weight, the fuming remains of the Thetor were digging in the ground in craters of varying size. The protective dome generated by Waal's armour sizzled continuously under the avalanche and it was a great relief when the Ultra noticed his captain. To his great surprise, he wasn't alone lashing out to carve a passage through the mortal downpour. Waals wondered if he had started to hallucinate. Not only, the barbarian followed him, but in addition he was pulverising debris from within the shield Wigner maintained around both of them! They were teaming up?!

A few instants later, Wigner was helping Waals get up underneath the protective dome generated by his armour, of a size much more comfortable than that of the wounded. Even laying down against Nim's body to reduce his armour as much as possible, the small reserve amount of energy Waals had wouldn't have allowed him to continue much longer.

— Shit, it really didn't miss me that one! complained Waals, holding his side.

Vegeta offered his widest smile to the Heloïte who answered with a grimace and a pretty finger.

— Such a cut must hurt no? observed the Ultra in a pained tone while designating the wounded arm of the barbarian.

— Waals, don't even start, Wigner warned calmly.

The interested refrained from pointing out that it wasn't him who had started, Wigner wasn't the kind to get taken into this game. He therefore stayed quiet, much to his regret.

Wigner examined the partially melted dorsal equipment of his Ultra. Then passed over the state of the damaged epidermis while his own swellings were almost healed. Evidently, the mysterious energy of the stranger had indeed reinforced their protection. He put a knee to the ground to lean over Nim, whose skin was almost intact. Waals had protected her from the radiation by making a barrage with his own body. The breath of the young unconscious girl was now perceptible. Her armour had reconstructed itself and her healing process had no doubt stopped the hemorrhages. Even if the nanoparticles they had been inoculated with were outstandingly effective for the regeneration of the blood system and muscular masses, their effects on other organs were far more limited. Wigner rose with a sigh, without medical aid, Nim wouldn't survive. The noise caused by the bombardment became deafening and communicating via text messages on their visors would have appeared suspicious to the barbarian. His feet were on the ground, his shield was solid, the stranger had stopped shooting. No doubt he was economising energy for the fight to come. Wigner contended himself to do like his unfortunate companions and observe the spectacle of ruins equivalent to a town came down around them.

Steel, titanium and carbon finally left place to the calming snow of cinder.

— What now? asked plainly Wigner in the partially buried bubble.

— I've reduced my energy signature to your ridiculously low level, that should give you more time to recover your strength because, if I understand correctly, the small timer used all his batteries and that therefore, we can't count on him, spat Vegeta with an angrier tone than he had meant.

Waals immediately got up.

— I don't need any battery to beat the crap out of an asshole, he sundered.

— Waals.

Wigner waited for his subordinate to turn his gaze away from the barbarian before continuing by raising his arm to designate the surroundings.

— The one responsible for this shit wasn't part of his team. From what he says, it's another invader, who would be even stronger.

Waals was boiling inside, but managed to contain himself, fists clenched. If the commander or Wigner had chosen to listen to this monster, he couldn't argue, but it didn't mean he wouldn't keep an eye on the scum.

His captain knew him well, and therefore gave him some time to digest the information before continuing.

— We can't take risks before evaluating the menace. We have just lost a first class cruiser on our own territory, we do not have room for error!

He didn't say more, Waals wasn't an imbecile, the rest, he had figured out.

The barbarian was suddenly agitated.

— We need to get out of this hole and separate, he's coming on us, and for your information, he is at least as fast as me!

— "He"? Only one man? Waals said with surprise.

— This one is more than enough, trust me, especially for weaklings of your kind. You should thank me for being here to take care of this for you! scoffed the Saiyan.

— Oh, coming from the big baddie who has come to cry for help... pointed out Waals, chest pumped despite what it cost him.

— Not now! concluded the Ultra leader dryly by raising his free hand in front of him to impose a return to calm.

A look into his eyes was enough for Wigner to make him man understand, and Waals acquiesced in silence.

In a gesture, the Heloïte captain increased instantly the diameter of his shield to push back the pile of rubble, so as that Nim wouldn't be threatened by a landslide, and cut the protective gear. He and Vegeta had barely taken off in flight that a voice came from higher in the sky before wailing off in laughter.

— Nice try, my sweet Vegeta. Such a fall in combat strength without reason is impossible. I'm guessing you found a way his hide part of it. But like all cowards, you are not very smart, you should have avoided staying in the same perimeter as your pathetic attempt at hiding! Saiyan pride, what a load of crap!

In the fading light of the end of afternoon, a tall warrior with tender blue skin adorning an armour similar to the barbarian commando was floating, cape to the wind and arms crossed, in the air. The elegance of his face decorated in gold and pearls that more than one pretty woman would have envied as well as long eyelashes above his almond eyes where in contrast to the virility of his allure.

— Damn, he's a beauty! whistled Waals.