Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion

This is the sequel to my first story, Cosmic Crisis. It is recommended that you read that one first, in order to understand the plot of this one. Thanks!

Chapter 1 - The Awakening

Natalie sat in her dark room, listening to the sound of the rain hitting the roof of the Capsule Corp. building. It had been 3 months since Orion attacked. On this particular day, she could feel the strange, yet familiar churning in the pit of her stomach. It hadn't hit her since before Orion came. She clutched her stuffed tiger, Vela, in her hands and looked out the window.

Somewhere in space, a small planet about the size of earth's moon orbited around a red giant star. There was hardly any life on the planet, as it had been extinguished many months previous. In the middle of a desert-like area hundreds of square miles across, was a small house-like structure. It was dome-shaped, with many reflective panels on the side that reflected the brilliant sunlight. Inside, there were several rooms with very technologically advanced equipment. In one particular room, there was a rejuvenation tank with a control panel on the far wall. Inside, there was an all-familiar, blonde haired warrior. He had an evil grin underneath his oxygen mask as bubbles filled the tank.

"Natalie!" a female voice called from downstairs. The girl walked to her door and cracked it, peaking her head outside.

"Yes?" she asked in a groggy tone of voice.

"Time to eat!" the voice called back, and Natalie walked out of the room and shuffled down the stairs. She was wrapped in a blanket and had her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she could see Bulma, Vegita, and Trunks all sitting at the dinner table. She plopped down into her seat and struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Oh, honey. Is your fever getting any better?" Bulma asked, feeling the girl's forehead.

"Dot really." She said, sniffling. She looked down and saw a bowl of chicken soup and a small cup of liquid anti-histamine medicine as well as a fever-reducing pill and a pain-killing tablet. She reluctantly took the medicine, washing it down with the warm soup. Her head throbbed from her sinus congestion and her stomach was so uneasy that she wasn't even sure that she would be able to stomach the soup that night. She noticed that Bra's seat was empty.

"Where's Bra?" she asked stuffily.

"Oh, she's over at Pan's house. They're having a little sleep over." Bulma replied, and served Vegita another steak. Everyone else's plates were full of steaks, potatoes, corn, and rolls. Natalie's mouth began to water as she watched them eat, and then returned to sipping her bland-tasting soup.

"Ugh." She thought. "I hate being sick. It doesn't matter though, it's not like I can taste anything anyway" When they were finished eating, Natalie started to help Bulma clear the dishes.

"Oh, no. You go upstairs and get some rest. I'm fine." She said thoughtfully, and called Trunks over to help the weak girl up the stairs. As Trunks put his arm around her to help her walk, she let out a huge sneeze, wiping her tender red nose with a tissue.

"Excuse be." She said. She and Trunks walked slowly up the stairs to her room. When they entered, she shut the door behind her and plopped down onto the bed. Trunks joined her.

"Having fun?" he joked, punching her in the arm playfully.

"Bore than you know." She said sarcastically. Trunks bent over and kissed her forehead. "It was so awful watching you guys eat all that yubby looking food."

"Heh, you mean yummy?" he joked.

"I know! I can't help it!" she complained. She pounced on Trunks, rolling him off the bed by mistake and landing on top of him.

"Hey, play nice." He said, and jumped out from under her. She got up and sat back on her bed, letting out another big sneeze.

"Ugh!" she cried, rubbing her nose.

"So then I guess you aren't coming tomorrow, then?" Trunks asked.

"Huh? Coming where?" she questioned with a confused look on her face.

"You know, to Goten's house. He's having a party, remember?" Trunks said, looking quizzically at the girl.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that one. I guess this fever is clogging up by brain."

"So you're going then, huh?" he said, and hopped onto the bed next to her.

"Sure, why dot? Just as log as I feel up to it by toborrow." She said, lying on her back. Trunks picked up her tiger and threw it at her.

"Hey! Leave by Vela alode." She said, and cuddled the animal.

"Well I'm gonna go get my shower." He said, getting up. "I'll be back in a little while." He finished and left the room.

"Great. Dow what ab I supposed to do?" she sighed, rolling onto her stomach. Her head was pulsating like mad, much to her annoyance. "These pain killers better start working sood!" she said, resting her head onto a pillow. She was half-asleep when the door to her room swung open, causing her to roll off the bed in surprise.

"What the - " she said, rubbing her eyes. She looked up and saw Bra and Pan standing in her doorway.

"Huh? Oh, hi guys." She said, lifting her body off of the floor and into the warm bed again.

"We came by to bring you some stuff!" Bra said cutely, and Pan held out a box. Natalie graciously accepted it and peeked inside. There was another blanket, a box of extra-soft tissues, Bra's favorite teddy bear, and a six pack of juice boxes.

"Oh, thank you guys!" she said, and hugged the two girls. They said their good-byes and left to return to Pan's house. Natalie pulled out a juice box and the teddy bear and sat on her bed, drinking. Soon, Trunks walked in with his hair still wet from his shower.

"Hey where did you get that stuff?" he said, picking up the box.

"Pad and Bra gave it to be." She replied, as he took out a juice box and opened it. "Hey! Those are bine!" she said, trying to snatch it away from him. He laughed at her and drank the juice, much to her annoyance.

"Fide." She said, crossing her arms and turning her back on him. She sniffled, and Trunks laughed at her again.

"Awww, is Natalie crying?" he joked with her. She became aggravated and her face turned red.

"Do, by dose is just rudding." She said, trying to control her temper. Trunks put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. She let out an aggravated growl and tensed her body.

"Whoa, what's the matter?" he said, turning to look at her.

"Nothing!" she said, holding Vela in her arms.

"Uh...okay. Well I think I will be going then." He said, getting up off the bed. Natalie turned to him.

"Why are you leaving?" She asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Well you don't seem in the best of moods right now. You should just get some rest." He said. "I'll see you tomorrow." He finished, and left the room. Natalie whimpered in sorrow and fell back onto her bed, grasping her tiger. She eventually fell asleep right there in her clothes, with the light on, but Bulma passed by and turned the light off on her way to bed.

Orion twitched in the rejuvenation tank, his body completely healed. The control panel automatically drained the water out of the dome-shaped tank and sent a mild electric shock to him, causing him to awaken. He ripped off the oxygen mask and looked around. Seeing no way out, he blasted a hole in the side of the pod, causing glass to shatter and blow all over the room. He hovered out of the tank slowly, feeling a new power surge through him. He walked over to the far wall and opened a small door, pulling out a set of clothing. As he slipped into the clothes, he walked into a room that resembled a kitchen, taking a container out of the refrigerator.

"Low quality food; but it will have to do for now." He commented, and sank his teeth into a pre-cooked piece of meat. He walked over to a table and picked up a device resembling a scouter. He clicked and pressed on it, causing it to make various mechanical noises. When he was finished, he tucked it into his over-sized pocket and went out the door, shutting everything down on the way out. When he got outside, the extreme heat caused him to sweat as he walked around the side of the dome-shaped building and opened a large panel, shutting off the main generator. When all power was gone, he closed the panel and continued on to the back. On his way, a small pack of 5 creatures, averaging five feet in height, came towards him. Their skin was a variation of purple, with bumps and scars in various areas, but mostly around their eyes. They were wearing robes and loose clothing to protect them from the sun and the blowing sand.

"What do you want?" Orion said harshly, crossing his arms and looking at the group menacingly.

"We make offering." The supposed leader said, holding out a bag made of cloth, filled with various unseen objects. Orion tore the bag out of the alien's hands and held it down by his side. "Please don't punish us, great one." They said, and bowed down in respect.

"But I haven't had any fun yet today." He said, laughing. The alien's became wide eyed and scattered in various directions while Orion merely held out his hand and shot ki blasts at the weak creatures, splattering purple flesh and scarlet blood onto the sand.

"Whoops. I forgot to thank them." He said, and left the scene with an evil grin on his face. He went around the back end of the house and came upon his space pod; the same one he had used to travel to Earth in. He opened the door with a remote control, and stepped inside. It was about three times the size of a normal Saiyan pod, with more features and a greater speed capability. He stepped inside and powered up the pod, causing lights to flicker on all around the ship. The steady hum of the machine was comforting to him. He entered coordinates and other information into the database and sat down, closing the door. He opened the pouch that was given to him and examined it's contents. There were various tools, as well as some dried fruit and meat. At the bottom of the brown bag, a glitter of light caught his eye. He dug to retrieve it, and pulled it out, observing a black crystal fragment.

"Worthless junk." He said, throwing the bag across the pod. He punched a few more buttons and then sat back into the padded seat. He pulled out the scouter-like device, placing it on his forehead, where it automatically sprouted tiny mechanical arms with circular pads on the end. They reached out and attached themselves to his temples and began to glow a faint bluish color. Orion's eyes closed and he fell into a stage of suspended sleep as the pod took off and left the tiny planet's atmosphere, leaving behind a barren wasteland.