Dragon Ball - Forgotten Foes: Part Three.

Four days had now passed since Bulma was abducted and brought to the secret military base of The Red Ribbon Army somewhere in the depths of Yunzabit Highlands. Being cooped up in her room with nothing to do provided plenty of time putting her mind to work on an escape plan. First thing would be learning the handcuffs so she could get in and out of them easily should someone come and check on her. So far the guards followed a routine schedule, entering her room for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and coming in a half hour after each meal to retrieve the dishes. Eating was probably the worst thing she had to suffer since she arrived. Even with three meals a day she was still left feeling hungry every night. Maybe taking some of the cooking staff hostage with her would have helped.

Since then she had started keeping the chopsticks that came with her rice, something the jailer never seemed to notice or care about. In the hours she had to herself, she would sit up on her stone bed and file the ends of the chopsticks into a narrow point against the rocky wall, trying to make an improvised lockpick so that she could try maneuvering them inside the keyhole of her cuffs. When sleeping, she would wrap the chopsticks in the cloth that was used to gag her, already using it as an improvised pillow since nobody ever bothered to give her one. It had already been an hour since she started in the morning after waking up. Whether or not the guards came in for a random inspection while she slept was impossible to tell so it was best to side with paranoia and keep them hidden. Who knew what they'd do if they figured out she was attempting an escape?

Bulma had gotten so used to hearing wood click against metal that she'd swear she could hear it even when not trying to undo the cuffs. It was all she had to do, though she did entertain the ideas of other escape methods such as seducing the jailer or some other guard and knock him out somehow. Take his keys before sneaking into a communications room like the one she saw when being escorted down to the prison sector and try radioing for help. "Mnnhh...one more day. If I can't get out of these damn things by tomorrow I'll try something else...unless they have plans of their own by then...man this sucks...!" She thought with a sigh slumping into her chair. It was indeed strange that they hadn't used her for some sort of ransom video yet. Maybe they thought their word would be convincing enough. Surely there were people out looking for her. They had to be. The staff would have immediately notified the police the moment they were freed, IF they got freed. 

Her thoughts then drifted to Trunks. What if Tao lied and her staff was still tied up and stuffed in that kitchen closet? How would anyone be able to take care of her baby boy? Was he even alright? It was then she finally broke down, tears welling up in her eyes as she began imagining all sorts of horrible things that could have happened. "I need to get out of here...I can't stay here any longer!" She muttered between breaths, trying to regain her composure and resume her focus on the handcuffs. It was quite the good fortune that the cuffs had a rather large chain. They looked like they were designed for a much wider person, though it was just what she needed as she could easily twist and turn her wrists enough to get the sharpened end of the chopstick into the cuff's keyhole. 

Like a determined cat-burglar she toiled away, her focus shrinking solely on her efforts. The two filed ends slowly moved about, poking and prodding here and there trying to listen for the heavenly click of a raised tumbler. One click...two...three...when suddenly a much louder click snapped her out of focus. Someone was unlocking her cell door. "Crap crap crap! They shouldn't be here for another hour, what do they want?!" Her gag was still on her bed and there wouldn't be enough time to conceal the chopsticks in them so reluctantly, she tossed them in the toilet and slammed the seat down. It was a small loss, she still had more wrapped up in the cloth and filing the ends down took mere minutes but it was still annoying to have to grind her progress to a screeching halt. In came Tao a moment later surrounded by a squad of six soldiers. "Greetings Miss Brief. How are we today?" 

"The food is terrible and I have absolutely nothing to do. Come on, I haven't caused any trouble, have I? Can I at least get some decent food, maybe some magazines and a shower?" She asked flatly. Tao pretended to think it over. "I shall grant your requests should you once more show your compliance by coming with us. We have a video to send which requires your presence." "Ah...here we go with the long awaited ransom video.." She thought to herself. Tao snapped his finger and like clockwork two men and her jailer approached. To her surprise, the jailer unlocked her cuffs and one of the men walked over to grab her gag. "No no no! If they find out..." Bulma panicked and put her arms up. "Hang on a moment! If you're going to gag me again at least use a different cloth! That one hasn't been washed in days. I won't resist but if I have to have to be gagged again then don't you think it's fair for it to at least be clean?" She asked in a pleading tone. Between sleeping on it at night and haven't having a shower in days herself, the cloth had indeed become quite filthy. 

Surprisingly Tao seemed to agree. Perhaps being a stickler about having his own clothes clean and tidy was the reason. Tao looked expectedly at the soldier on his left, who promptly began to panic while quickly patting himself down for something that could serve to silence their prisoner. "H-here! It's my sweat rag but I just had it washed this morning, it's clean I promise!" The shaking young man gestured to Tao. He looked at the soldier, clearly annoyed and the soldier quickly realized his mistake, tossing it to the jailer at Bulma's side. "Forgive me for my insolence, Commander Tao, I beg you!" He said before getting back in line and lowering his head to the floor, praying Tao wouldn't end him right there. As that went on, the jailer brought the cuffs into position so he could place them on Bulma's wrists.

"If it's all the same to you, I think I've been manhandled by your goons quite enough. I'd rather do this myself." She said taking the cuffs and cloth from her jailer. Tao merely wrinkled his nose with that emotionless expression on his face, not caring one way or another so long as she looked the part for his plan. Sneering at the cloth in her hands, she brought it to her mouth, tying the ends behind her head tightly. She had to otherwise they would have done it for her anyway. She didn't like it but she'd have to look convincing in front of them all. How she'd put on the cuffs would be the game changer. With nobody behind her to see, Bulma slowly slipped her hands behind her back and began closing the cuffs but unknown to everyone there was that she slid the cuffs up her arm before tightening them. Since they were closed around her forearm, she could slide her wrists out simply by folding her fingers in and giving a slight tug. 

"Thrrmmn....haafy nmm?" She said through the gag. Tao snapped his fingers once more and the two men on her sides placed their hands on her shoulders, walking her out the cell as the others fell into formation with Tao in the front and herself in the center with soldiers on all sides. It would be a tense walk as she was worried someone behind her may notice the cuffs being somewhat wide around her wrists. Bulma walked as upright as possible so they didn't stick out, looking like she was trying to act dignified like the princess she was. It seemed to work as none of them made mention of the cuffs. A twinge of nervousness ran through Bulma as instead of turning left down the hall that led to the hanger where she first arrived, the instead went straight ahead up the spiral staircase. 

When they all marched up the steps the first thing they were greeted by was a large cavernous chamber. Not remotely as large as the hanger below, but it was of similar structure. "Must be their command center...impressive for what they got here.." She admitted. There were dozens of soldiers littered about the room doing tasks ranging from running papers, observing radar screens, and what seemed to be listening in on radio signals. Most ignored the sight of her but she did notice a few glances that ranged from smugness, fear, and even a look of arousal from one or two of them. "Yeah yeah...get a good look you damn perverts, it'll be the last time you see this after I get rescued.." 

They were headed straight for a series of steel doors where two men were stationed. Seeing Tao fast approaching each withdrew what looked like a card from their belts and did an about face, sliding the cards down a slot that was directly behind each of them. Two beeps were heard and the glowing red lights of the consoles flashed green, opening both doors. The two did another about face and saluted as Tao proceeded to enter, though he suddenly stopped short. The soldier to his left didn't have a button secured on his uniform. "You know the punishment for failure to adhere to the dress code," Tao said before delivering a quick knife hand to the soldier's neck. Bulma almost felt sorry for him, the guy didn't even get to say a word before falling back against the wall, sliding down it slowly. 

The two soldiers behind Bulma moved up, one removing the dead man's card for the door and taking his place while the other lifted up the corpse and hauled him off to who knew where. "None of these guys even flinched! What the hell kind of training do they go through to become so cold hearted...?" She thought as they all proceeded into the room together. The interior was smaller than she imagined, and dark as well save for a single light hovering in the center. Under it was a chair, where Bulma would most likely be seated for the video. A mounted camera was stationed a few feet in front of the chair with a wire hooked into the back that trailed off into the darkness. "Take a seat, Miss Brief," Tao said plainly, vanishing into the dark reaches of the room, followed by his men as they split into two rows to form a ring around the center. 

Cautiously Bulma stepped forward, trying to look through the darkness around the edges of the room. Tao and his men were nowhere to be seen within and she did not like that at all. She sat herself down, trying to keep her nerves about. Sounds of buttons being pressed soon filled the chamber and Bulma could see blinking lights starting to pop up all around her. The darkness was still thick around but with the assistance of the machinery in the room, she could make out faint outlines of Tao, standing behind the camera and shifting blurry outlines of figures around the machinery. "Bear with what's to come, Miss Brief, we must make it convincing after all..." Tao said as he pressed the record button.

Bulma shrunk in the chair. What did he mean by that? "Greetings to those who are watching this video. My name is Taopaipai, commander of The Red Ribbon Army. The woman before you is Bulma Brief, heiress to The Capsule Corporation. She is our prisoner and if you wish her returned to you alive, a ransom of one hundred trillion zeni will be delivered to a specified location that shall be revealed to you in the next two days. If you fail to arrive with the specified ransom, you will still have Bulma returned to you. Piece by piece in increasingly smaller packages..." He said, menacingly before stepping into view of the camera and walking behind Bulma, who was now trembling. "And to show you all we are not making empty threats..." He spoke before removing his left hand, the hidden blade shooting out. Bulma was grabbed by the hair and her head yanked back before the blade was pressed to her throat, giving it a shallow cut but just enough to draw blood. "M-mrrmmff! Mmmmnnh!" She cried out as Tao chuckled. "Remember, two days, or the ears will be the first pieces we send."

The recording was then ended and Bulma's hair was released. Every inch of her trembled in the chair as her gaze shakily turned on Tao, looking at him with terrified eyes. Even though she had watched him kill two of his own men already, it was now that she finally began to realize just how sadistic and cruel he really was. He really would cut her apart and do it with a smile on his face. Her hands were balled into white-knuckled fists. "Very good Miss Brief, you did just as I wanted. Two of you escort her to the showers, the rest of you prepare her our finest meal, provide her with proper bedding, and fetch reading material for her room immediately." He ordered before standing Bulma up with a tug under her arm. "I hold true to my word, remember that."  

She shook all the way to the showers which resided in the hall that lead from the hanger. Her cuffs were undone thankfully without notice of how relatively open they were locked followed by her gag. However, she said nothing when it was removed, too jostled to speak. There was a towel and a bar of soap waiting for her when she entered. She was still shaking but it had begun to die down as she finally had a moment to collect herself for a while before she'd have to go back to her room. Making sure the shower door was closed, she slipped out of her clothes and grimaced as she noticed a little blood from the small cut on her neck had stained her shirt. The cut itself didn't hurt, however, having been so finely made. A subtle reminder of Tao's expertise. "What a jackass...ruining my shirt..." She muttered before turning the faucet to let the water warm up. While that was happening she took a walk around the showers, her arms folded under her breasts, hoping she could perhaps find something to take back with her that could aid in her escape.

Nothing seemed usable thought she didn't even really know what she was looking for. Dumb optimism would be the ideal phrase for her aimless wandering. Noticing the steam seeping from above the shower stall, she headed on back and ran her hand under the water, it's warmth sending tingles all over her body. "Ahhh...now this has been a long time coming" She mewed as she stepped into the flowing water, letting it wash over her. Her fingers ran through her hair, going back and forth to rinse out the accumulated oil and sweat that had been built up. There wasn't any shampoo but at least her hair wouldn't feel so slick for a while. After massaging her scalp for a few minutes she reached for the soap and began to scrub, just enjoying the time alone and not thinking about having to return to her cell afterward. The soap was pretty basic, having no clear smell to it but it got the job done as she scrubbed herself down with it. 

Bulma wrapped up her shower with another good rinse before shutting the faucet off and draping the towel around her body. Off to the mirror and sink to mess with her hair and dry herself off. Her clothes came next, sliding on her panties and bra before slipping her pants up her legs. Hopefully, there was a change of clothes back at her cell because even after showering, putting on dirty clothes became all the more unpleasant. She struggled with her socks, hopping in place as she tried to pull them over her still partially wet feet, causing her to lose balance and fall on her rear with a sizable thumping noise. "Owwww..." She groaned before she felt something brush along her fingertips while pulling herself up. "N-no way...no way this is happening..." She muttered in shock. Lying right beside her hand was a capsule marked with a serial number of 192, the number of one of Capsule Corp's airships. 

Joy and jubilation flowed through her, grabbing the capsule in her hands and bringing it inches from her eyes to make sure she wasn't dreaming. It really was there in her hands, a chance to bust out of her boring prison. "Oh, this changes everything..." The temptation to burst out the door, sprint down the hall and activate the capsule in the hanger to take off was almost too much to bear, but she knew better. The hanger was still crawling with men and if she tried making a break for it, she'd be in the same situation that she'd be if she tried pulling the same move in the command center above. For now, the capsule would have to be hidden.

 She was sure they wouldn't pat her down but just to be safe, she tucked the capsule into her panties, walking very carefully so as not to set off an airplane in her pants. She took the soap as well, setting it in her front pocket. If it was discovered she'd simply say she wanted to bring it to her cell so she could wash her hands with it. The towel was tossed onto the shelf where one would put their clothes and gave one last peek for another capsule hoping she caught lightning in a bottle twice, but there was nothing else save for dust, cobwebs, and piping underneath the sink counter top. "Guess I can't be THAT lucky huh..? Oh well, least this is a start~" She perked up and knocked on the door twice. "I'm done guys."

The two soldiers came in and applied the gag and cuffs in front of her to which she put up no fight. Unfortunately, she had no control over how tight the cuffs were reapplied this time but she could still attempt to pick them. She'd be done with this soon enough, and now that she had the capsule she could stomach being bound and gagged a while longer. "Mmmnhhhhhmf..." She stretched putting her hands above her head. When led down to the jail and put back in her cell, she was happy to see an actual pillow accompanied with a blanket on her bed along with some magazines piled on the table. "Your lunch will be here within the hour." The jailer said as the door shut and locked. "Hmnph...ahha...he's lucky I can take this thing off now..." She muttered as the gag was pulled down around her neck. 

Walking over to her bed she lifted the pillow and sighed in relief as the old gag hiding the chopsticks was still there. Even the pair she threw in the toilet were still floating around though she'd never take them out of there now. She placed the soap from her pocket up on the sink and sat herself down on at the table. If she was keeping track of time correctly, her lunch would be arriving within about twenty minutes, not nearly enough time to start working on her cuffs. Instead, she opted for some reading to pass the time, removing the gag from her neck and adjusting it over the cut so it wouldn't bleed anymore. "Hmm...guess I shouldn't have expected much from a bunch of soldiers to begin with..." She groaned as she held a lewd magazine in her hands. "I wonder if they got these from Roshi..."

For once time seemed to fly and as expected her lunch came at noon right on the dot. The door opened and she was greeted with what felt like an otherworldly, almost heavenly scent. Gone was the bland meal of soup, bread, and rice that her jailer usually brought in. In its place was a tray containing a plate of steak accompanied with steamed vegetables and even a glass of wine. She didn't even wait for the meal to be set down on the table before grabbing the glass and downing it in one sitting. "Oh man did I need that...don't think I've ever had this brand before either." She mumbled while swirling the glass between her fingers. "Oh! Umm...thanks for the food...ehe..." She said as the jailer walked out. Her meal was thoroughly enjoyed, having taken her time savoring each bite. She had almost forgotten what food tasted like. Now with a full stomach and cool state of mind, the cogs in her head began to whirl.

Bulma began by listing off everything she had at her disposal. Her inventory consisted of the capsule which she had since moved to her pocket, a pillow, blanket, the chair she was sitting on, her table, a bar of soap, her improvised lockpicks, the old gag she used to conceal them, and if the situation called for it, her womanly features. The first step would be to loosen the cuffs around her wrists enough that she could slip her hands out at a moment's notice, then she'd need some way to take care of her jailer and sneak her way to the nearest communications room to get coordinates to her location and possibly radio for help. If that didn't work she still had the capsule so if she could get herself into the hanger when nobody was around, she'd be able to fly herself out and race back to civilization. "Alright...let's get to work...!" She said walking over to the sink and splashing her face with cold water. The time of her escape was now at hand.