Focused toward my goal, a false life possesses my ship as it eerily hovers off the ground, before rocketing off toward space.
As the ship breached the atmosphere, the shake was momentary, soon replaced with stifling serenity, and the sun shining brilliantly through the front window.
Sitting down at the console, I felt more comfortable than before with operating ships, especially after Syn taught me the basics.
Searching through the ship's destination history, I quickly took note of a frequented planet, Planet Cold 1.
"That's got to be it," I commented aloud.
Setting the ship's destination, I retired to a pod onboard the ship, locking myself into it, before soon drifting off into a long sleep.
***
After 2 months of travel, my destination was a mere hour away. Waking from my sleep, intense nausea washed over me but quickly dissipated after a few minutes, instead replaced with crippling hunger.
Quickly moving to the fridge I devoured half of the rations, washing it down with a tall glass of water, before sitting down in the captain's seat.
Shortly I arrive, stopping just above the planet, bearing witness to the array of lights scattered across the planet's surface.
"Pretty," I commented shortly.
Getting dressed, I slip into some fresh clothes, a tight black body suit, a gift from the past soldiers who came to kill us.
Slipping into battle armor, I'm shocked by how perfect of a fit it is.
Setting the ship's course to land, I set it to autopilot for the landing process, waiting at the back of the ship for the hatch to open.
Within a few minutes, the ship thumps against the landing bay's metallic surface, and the hatch opens, unfolding forward to produce a ramp for me.
My presence hardly draws any attention and with my power so heavily suppressed scouters read me as any other soldier.
Walking towards a large building connected to the landing pad, I walk past many mechanics, eventually happening upon a small gathering of New Cold Force soldiers.
Unaware of where King Cold could be, I figured it'd be prudent to gather some information.
Approaching the group, I casually ask, "So, how're the missions going for you guys?"
Turning to me, a large purple-skinned man remarks in frustration, "You do realize we're elites, low-class soldiers like yourself shouldn't talk to us!"
"My bad, I'm pretty new around here, I was meaning to talk to my commander, he asked for me an hour ago but I was a little busy then," I retorted cautiously.
Looking me up and down, the man asked, "Who's your commander?"
My eyes widened a bit at his question, caught up in my own lie, scrambling for an answer I thought to myself for a moment before responding, "You know... Tall guy, blue skin, bad attitude..."
Seemingly concerned, the man immediately changed his tone, "You made Commander Nobes wait for you!"
Before I could respond the man grabbed at my shoulder armor, dragging me toward the large building, "You must be the new recruit to his squad, I'm not getting burned for your incompetence!"
As I was pulled toward the building, the other soldiers laughed and waved, one of them commented loudly "Hope you can handle a beating or two!"
Talk about lucky, I somehow fumbled my way towards my goal, I thought to myself.
As we walked through the winding halls the man frustratingly marched through the hall looking for Nobes.
While we walked I asked, "Have you ever seen King Cold?"
"First you make Nobes wait, then you start asking stupid questions, gonna be fun having you around!" The man said with a puff.
"Well have you?" I reiterated.
Sighing, the man retorted, "Obviously, all elites answer to King Cold directly, did you learn nothing in training camp?"
"I space out easy..." I retorted.
Grumbling, the man remarks, "I'll fucking say..."
As we round a corner, a slender man with a long tail faces away from us, speaking with three other men.
Pointing to the man with a tail, the man chided, "That's Commander Nobes, now go fucking talk to him before I get punished!"
Slapping me on the back, Nobes' attention is drawn from his conversation to now me.
Spotting me, Nobes casually walks over, asking, "Who are you?"
"I'm the new recruit sir," I explained.
Suddenly, Nobes draws his arm back, punching me in the face and sending me flying into a thick metal wall.
As I smash into the wall I'm sent clean through it, stopping on the other side, laid out on my back in front of the man from earlier.
Smirking, the man crouches next to me as I stare at the ceiling with a bloody nose, commenting, "Took that punch good rookie, I'd say he tried to kill you, for a low-class you're crazy durable."
Quickly snapping upward, the man is shocked, commenting, "How are you moving?"
Standing on my feet I dust myself off, with Nobes soon stepping through the opening he created.
Nobes expression shifts and an agitation washes over him, "Who said you could stand up?"
"Alright, I'll be honest, that pissed me off a little bit, I'm gonna have to ask that you don't do that again," I calmly asked.
His eyes darken as Nobes approaches, his veins bulging, "What did you just say."
I have to do this, this dude is too annoying not to, I thought to myself.
Before Nobes could react I slapped him across the face with twice the power he displayed, sending him crashing through the same wall.
"You ain't no rookie..." the man from before exclaimed.
Pointing my hand at him, I charge a ball of ki blast in my hand, asking, "Where the hell is King Cold?"
Putting his hands up, the man sweats bullets, fearfully retorting, "I don't know stuff like that, I meet him, not the other way around!"
"Does Nobes know?" I asked.
Nodding his head, I point my finger at his forehead, knocking him unconscious with a weak Kiai attack.
Nobes soon erupts from the torn metal, lunging at me.
Grabbing his face, I ask quickly, "Where is King Cold?"
Too angry to respond, all Nobes managed to squeak out is snarls and growls alongside his helpless thrashing.
"Well, you're not going to help me any..." I exclaimed angrily.
Letting go of his head I swiftly punch him in the jaw, knocking him out.
"This was a huge waste of time," I commented in annoyance.
Thinking to myself for a moment, I eventually say, "That'll probably work."
Shooting upward, I smash through several floors before finding myself above the facility.
Raising my power to its limit, I put my hand above me, forming a giant sphere of energy, holding it teasingly above me.
A surge of power suddenly appears from deep within the facility, near instantly King Cold appears in front of me in a blur, a slight sweat on his forehead.
Far more tempered than his son, King Cold calmly asks, "Who might you be?"
"Didn't expect you to be so respectful," I commented.
"Perhaps we could discuss this without that around," King Cold said, staring at the giant sphere of energy.
Absorbing the energy back into me, King Cold whistles, remarking, "Quite the control of your ki, who taught you?"
"Self-taught," I retorted.
Relaxing a bit, King Cold says, "What brings you here, dressed in my army's garment?"
Grabbing at my chest armor, I calmly respond, "My previous clothes were a little worse for wear."
"Are you finding them comfortable?" King Cold asked in confidence.
"Quite," I responded with a smirk.
An eerie sort of silence fell over us, before soon King Cold spoke, "Surely you'd like to explain your presence here?"
Thinking for a moment, I eventually nod, explaining, "Well, your soldiers have been a little less than helpful on a planet I've been calling home for a while."
Seemingly realizing who I am, King Cold asks, "So you must be this Zero I've heard so much about."
Scoffing, I ask, "What's up with that name, I never got to ask your soldiers?"
King Cold has a deep chuckle to himself for a moment before answering, "From what I hear it's a nickname given to you by the soldiers who've heard of your exploits," chuckling to himself a moment more, King Cold concludes saying, "They're referring to you having zero future as long as you oppose the New Cold Force's rule."
Pondering the concept, I eventually retort, "Kind of a boring name if you ask me."
Stretching his arms outward, King Cold remarks, "Hey, not like I told them to call you that."
Made a little awkward by the exchange, I eventually ask, "So... Are we going to fight or something?" I said as I scratched my head.
"Why resort to something so crude, especially when I've prepared such a wonderful gift for you?" King Cold remarked.
"Gift?" I retorted before a sudden well of energy rushed toward me from below.
Lunging backward, in front of me stood Frieza, covered in mechanical augmentations.
"I have resurrected from the depths of oblivion to exterminate you, Adder, you worthless insect!" Frieza foamed.
King Cold placed a hand on Frieza's shoulder, saying, "I hope you like the gift, Adder."
"Lovely, now I have to deal with two tyrants, I really got my work cut out for me," I remarked.
Calming my aura, I tinge my power with a kaioken times 20, causing a violent surge of energy to erupt from my body.
"I've mastered this level of kaioken, after all the training I've put myself through, our fight will go very different from last time, especially since you're stuck in third form," I taunted.
Grumbling at my comment, King Cold calms his son, "That is only a temporary setback, our scientists are working on cellular technology to restore his body to its true form."
Frieza and King Cold ready themselves, assuming a battle stance, and despite the battle being in my favor, the sly grin of Cold and Frieza unsettles me.
Lunging forward I start by close lining both of them, smashing them down into the landing bay, causing a giant explosion to erupt from the platform, smoke billowing from the site.
Flying backward a death slicer comes surging toward me, and with careful precision I strike at the base of the disk, shattering it.
King Cold erupts from the tower of smoke, alongside Frieza, both rushing me with little hesitation.
Fighting in unison, the fuck is bullshit, I thought to myself.
Blocking several of their strikes I manage to get ahold of Frieza's wrist, ripping him forward, and smashing him into King Cold, sending both of them surging toward the ground.
Before they crash to the ground I race toward them, landing on the ground just before contact. Hurling my fist back, I hurl it into Frieza's back, knocking the air out of him, as King Cold lands on the ground.
Turning to King Cold, he spins toward me, slapping me in the face with his tail. My eyes water from the strike, and soon after I'm hit in the stomach with a gut punch, and feel a thick tail wrap around my neck.
Throwing my arms outward I overpower King Cold, releasing his grip from me.
Leaping forward I take advantage of his opening, kicking him square in the nose, throwing him into the air.
Throwing myself backward Frieza grabs hold of me, grappling my arm, and begins to repeatedly throw punch after punch at me.
Struggling to defend, I jump with my full force, tearing his grip away from me. Fuming Frieza flies toward me, holding a death saucer in each hand, quickly chucking both at me.
Rushing back toward him, his death saucers go flying past me, narrowly hitting my neck.
Before I can manage to smash into Frieza's face with my elbow, King Cold fires a beam of energy toward me, forcing me to twirl past Frieza and zip toward King Cold.
Flying toward King Cold several beams of energy launch toward me, narrowly dodging each I fire a ki blast at his face, blinding him.
Jumping toward him with a drop kick I plummet into his stomach, feeling a crunch under my feet.
Flipping backward just in time to avoid a death beam from Frieza, which smashes into King Cold's chest, leaving a singed mark.
Frieza careens toward me as King Cold shakily tries to stand, Frieza points his palm toward me, unleashing a bright blast of energy.
Shielding my eyes I narrowly avoid being blinded, spotting Frieza coming in from my left.
Acting like I am going right, Frieza speeds up, preparing to crash into me with full force.
Stutter stepping right, I twirl to my left as Frieza draws near, smashing my fist into his face and sending him flying into the burning rubble of the landing bay.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I slowly dissipate the force of kaioken, eventually returning to my normal state.
King Cold and Frieza on their last leg shamble forward toward me, Frieza's face showing exposed circuitry.
"I won't die again!" Frieza shouts, lunging toward me shakily.
Striking Frieza in the chest, he is thrown backward, groaning in anger as he tumbles onto his back.
"This makes the second time I'll kill you Frieza, first though for you King Cold," I exclaimed.
Frieza and King Cold both cackled at my comment, earning my confusion, before soon King Cold taunted, "You'll make a fine example of what we do to our enemies."
Before I could respond, a dense beam of energy shot through my right side, and pain immediately surged through me.
Leaping into the air, I look behind me to see someone that would forever change how I perceive this world, Cooler.