C.12: Setting off

The sun was painting golden lines through the louver of an office building. Throwing long shadows on a fat man, who was smoking a cigar.

"Did you find the clown?"

Blowing out a cloud of smoke, his gaze fell on a young woman. Standing at attention.

"No, Senior comittee member. We haven't found any more evidence of spy activity."

Frowning in displeasure, he took his cigar, crushing the glowing embers in the ashtray. Asking in with a melodious tone, he spoke.

"Amber, dear. Do you know how much money is on the table? Do you know the statistics?"

Folding his hands in front of his big belly, he seemed to recount something from memory.

Amber gulped dryly. She knew the answer. But she shook her head anyway.

"Years of useless inventions. Just because he didn't feel appreciated. The old bastard doesn't even care about money! But worst of all, he didn't even do it as revenge for cutting his salary!"

Recounting the fat revenue he had to spit out to save the company, several veins popped on his head.

"His wife cut her finger? A talking toaster! A dog poops on his porch? The derpy dishwasher!"

Banging his fist on the table, he continued his rant.

"Boring company meetings? He invents a time buzzer. Now he doesn't even come anymore, but we still have to invite him!"

Gnashing his teeth, he screamed out his grievances.

"If it wasn't for our enemies profiting from our stocks and wanting to absorb us, he would be long dead. With the company as his tombstone."

Capsule Corp was the world's Number 1 corporation. Yet this high tower was stacked on the genius of Dr. Brief.

"Those bastards don't want to kill him. But they still pull pranks on him, to buy the stock when it's low! So do you understand the gravity of your mission?"

Redeyed, he waited for her response.

"Yes."

"Find the spy. You are dismissed."

The maid bowed her head to return to her Young Lady's side.

'Nothing bad can happen to her.'

***

Knocking her King off the board, Leon wiped his sweat.

"Checkmate."

He didn't know what he was doing in this match, but he somehow won using all his life's chess experience.

Bang! Bulma's fist loudly crashed on the board. Biting her nails she reflected on her mistakes.

"If I noticed that Bishop earlier, I could've won!"

Not missing the chance, Leon taunted her.

"Best of three. I won! Didn't you say you could beat me in all intelligence based games? Where is that confidence now?"

Glaring at him, Bulma smiled. Seeing this, Leon felt impending doom. He knew himself, that he would lose the next match. Or every match for that matter.

It was only two games after he taught her the rules. But she learned fast enough to make him doubt his past as the school's chess champion.

"How about we play Uno?"

Bulma shook her head.

"Monopoly? Ludo?"

Honestly, he'd rather learn Ki techniques from Roshi, but after he told him about Gravity Machines for training, he immediately fell asleep in relief.

Sighing, he lost the next three games. He should have enjoyed his early victory more. Glancing at the snoring old man, he felt tired too. Looking out the window at the dark sky, he suppressed a yawn.

Immediately after his little soap opera-like confession, Roshi insisted on finding the Dragon Balls as soon as possible.

Bada Bing, Bada Boom, now they're sitting in the company's private plane. It was times like these that made him glad for his great attention to detail in his previous life. If it wasn't for that, they would have to look for the Dragon Balls blindly.

Looking at the Dragon Ball radar on his lap, he couldn't quite believe that it was made in less than 5 minutes. Dr. Brief only mumbled something about already having messed around with space and time, as he adjusted the electrical frequency of the radar to that of the Dragon Balls.

He had a funny thought.

'It's only your first day on Earth, and you already seduced the daughter of the world's richest man. What a sinful man you are.'

A soft smile formed on his face. Bulma was smart, but she was still a gullible child. Wiping the drool at the corner of her mouth, he felt strangely proud.

'That's how Dr. Brief must feel, looking at his family.'

As Bulma yawned too, he hushed her to bed. Going into his own cabin, he fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.