Blood

Chapter 89: Bruises

In Bardock's view, it could have been worse. At least they had goop.

'I don't believe you.' Sitting across from him in this dingy and dark closet, hands behind him bound like his own, Kakarot bobbed his head forward and squinted at the green glass sitting on the metal bench between them. Their restraints- and them tolerating them- was meant more as a cue that they were cooperating rather than serving any practical purpose.

'So-oon,' Bardock burped, tasting the goop for a second time, 'I wouldn't lie about eating. This stuff is better than anything I've ever had at a PTO facility, from the crappiest outpost to the largest base. I can believe it's food.'

'I can't.'

'Agree to disagree, then.' Bardock's head craned as his mouth angled for the glass's rim. 'More for me.'

The stuff had a bad aftertaste, and it was hard tipping the glass and drinking it with his hands tied behind his back, but Bardock was starving considering he hadn't eaten anything since hopping off their stolen shuttle… however long ago that was. Without a clock in this dark and steely closet of a cell, he'd lost all track of time. Though he was sure it hadn't been that long. Just enough time to get him hungry. But considering how often that happened, perhaps that wasn't a great way to measure time passing by.

He burped again as he balanced the empty cup on his face and set it back without incident. 'You'll come around to the goop. Trust me: just give it a few days.'

Kakarot glared at him. 'What does that mean?'

'You think they're gonna give us any other food than this?'

'You don't?'

The two Saiyans sized each other up as stray green globules slid down the cup's rim. Before one drop could fall onto the floor Bardock sighed and nudged the cup towards the table's center. 'Enough bickering.'

'I'm just doubtful,' Kakarot defended himself.

'Whatever.' Bardock settled against the metal wall behind him, laying his neck flush to it. 'Let's talk about something else.'

'Like?'

'You still got the disc?'

'Oh?' Kakarot made a sly face as he started to shift. 'You know I-'

'What?'

'Um.' Right. He was bound. 'I can't really pull it out and show you right now.'

'But you have it, right?'

'Under my butt, yes.'

Bardock sighed from relief. 'Good.' His eyes looked towards the ceiling. 'Wasn't sure if you had lost that in space's zero-g, you know?'

'I know you would have killed me if that happened, so it didn't.'

Briefly their eyes met; Bardock looked amused but he quickly glanced back at the ceiling. 'No matter what these… what do you call these people? Earthlings?'

'Humans,' Kakarot corrected him.

'No matter what these humans plan to do with us, that disc is going to save our asses.' Bardock closed his eyes. 'Just you wait.'

Kakarot craned his neck and head forward. 'And so now you're waiting?'

His father shrugged. 'What else is there to do?'

'...Well.' Kakarot leaned back against his wall. 'What will we do if they don't have or know where Raditz is?'

Bardock blew air out from his nose. 'Not possible.'

'You think we've searched the rest of the galaxy wide and far enough to rule it out?'

'If he was out there we would have heard of it. He was always too much of a brat to avoid attracting attention.' Bardock shifted and half-frowned. 'It was his worst quality about him, back when he was a runt.'

'As a Saiyan on Planet Vegeta,' Kakarot recalled what his father had told him. 'So you really think they have him imprisoned or something?'

'He's alive.' Bardock opened his eyes; his vision picked out a dull spot in the metal ceiling. 'I can feel it, if you can believe it.'

Unseen by his father Kakarot rolled his eyes. 'Alright.'

'And these humans imprisoned us, didn't they? Admittedly, I was a little skeptical if Raditz could have survived before that. But if they took us alive for judgment, they probably did the same with Raditz.'

'We're kinda different, though,' Kakarot said. 'For starters, we didn't attack-'

The stop was harsh enough for Bardock to curiously drop his gaze: his son was staring at the table in between them, on the verge of eating his bottom lip.

'Well, you didn't attack the Earth.'

Bardock could understand a great many things about his son that was totally alien to him; he could understand that Kakarot was at times a dense buffoon and disliked killing. But the regret he always seemed to get hung up on was so… jarring to see. Saiyans died all the time on Planet Vegeta before the PTO came around. Then they started dying off-planet instead. Not much of a change. And he knew that no one ever felt bad about that. Bardock was annoyed, sure, that he had to start killing random aliens instead of other Saiyans who got under his skin, but he never regretted it. It was the way of things in the galaxy no matter where you were. You accepted it.

'True,' Bardock grunted.

'Dad, why…' Kakarot's eyes rose from the table. 'Why didn't you stop them?'

'Stop who?'

'Stop… whoever took me from Planet Vegeta,' Kakarot said. 'Whoever sent me to Earth. You said you never liked the PTO. You never talk about the Saiyans that fondly, either. So why didn't you stop them?'

'Ah.' Perhaps he shouldn't have grinned, but Bardock did: the memory of those that time always was grossly funny considering how everything shook out. 'Well, in truth, I did try to stop them.'

There was a creak of metal- Bardock watched his son slowly edge over the table. 'You did?' He asked, pale.

Bardock chuckled and shook his head. 'Sure did. It's a strange story, son. I was on a mission with my squad a few decades back. Pretty standard one, might I add.' He titled his head, smirking at the wall behind Kakarot. 'But the planet we were purging- well, some of its people had some kind of gift. After I killed one that had touched me, I blacked out and started seeing visions.'

He rolled his neck back towards Kakarot. 'Crazy visions, son. Things I couldn't make any sense of, of people and places I've never seen. Just a bunch of nonsense. At first I thought I was hallucinating- but these visions were real. They were very real. You see- they were visions of the future.'

Kakarot's expression pinched. 'What did you see?'

'That I understood?' Bardock asked. 'Just one thing. I saw that bastard Frieza, who at that time ruled the Saiyans, not to mention the galaxy, destroying Planet Vegeta.' His face sharpened. 'Destroying my home. He was planning on killing every last Saiyan in the galaxy when they'd be coming back to the planet for King's Day.' Bardock shoulders lifted. 'Big holiday. Lots of meat, drinking, shouting, that sort of stuff. Anyway- I saw this vision, and knew the Saiyans would all be gathered on Planet Vegeta in a few days.'

'Yeah?'

'So I deserted my squad and led a revolt.'

'And?'

'I died, and Planet Vegeta got destroyed.'

'Oh.'

'Yep.' Bardock half-smiled at his son. 'Don't look so sad. We went down fighting. And most Saiyans were bastards, anyway. To be honest, the galaxy is probably better now that they're gone.'

Kakarot's face flattened, just as his back re-flattened against the wall. 'I see. And I was?...'

'Already on your way to Earth by the time that happened.'

'Hmm? But you said-'

'That I tried to stop it?' Bardock finished for him. 'Yes. That's true. But only after you got sent along, and only after I got those visions.'

'So…' Kakarot trailed off, making sure he had the right grasp on what his father was saying. 'You weren't going to try and stop them from sending me to Earth.'

'Well…' Bardock's head weighed itself on his neck. 'Yeah. That's true.' He sighed, as if trying to figure out how to say something. 'You have to understand, Kakarot, that I never chose that life. I was picked for it by the last King of the Saiyans when the PTO came to our planet. Before that I was a respected warrior and hunter. Then I became a merc for hire. But… I never disliked working for the PTO. Day-to-day it was easy enough to get by. I had my wife and my wife had me. That was enough.'

'Did you enjoy it?'

'What?'

Kakarot was staring into his eyes. 'The killing. Being a grunt in the PTO. Did you ever like it? Even a tiny bit?'

'No, son. It was a job.'

'So… you didn't care.'

'My mind was someplace else while I was working.' Bardock rolled his neck. 'It was the same when I was killing Saiyans on Planet Vegeta, I think.'

'You didn't care,' Kakarot repeated. It was then Bardock looked and saw it- the hollowness in Kakarot's eyes, like whatever filter he had always looked at him through had been peeled away, inch-by-painstaking-inch, until he saw the real him.

It was unnerving. The only person who had ever looked at him like that was Gine, and, shit- Kakarot was not his wife.

'Hey, son,' Bardock said, culling his annoyance before it reached his voice, 'don't get the wrong idea-'

'You did nothing.' Kakarot's back melted against the wall. 'They took me away from you- my mother- and you did nothing.' His mouth parted slightly, eyes blinking, head shaking as if trying to clear his head. 'So I am a Saiyan. We are cowards.'

Real anger was bubbling out of him now- but when Bardock went to reprimand his son he found that he couldn't find his voice. He stared as Kakarot deflated before his eyes, sinking and seeping like a pile of sludge, as the color seemingly drained away from his downcast eyes. An odd pain pulsed in his chest.

'It wasn't like that,' Bardock said in a small voice. But his defense sounded feeble even to himself. It wasn't like that. He was sure of it. He couldn't have been like that- uncaring. Look at him now! Look at him in hell! Who had pulled his son up from despair?! Who had given him a reason to keep on fighting?! Who had stopped him from withering away in that cursed place?! Him! All him! Without his mother or brother around, he had made sure that Kakarot would never again betray his life as a-

The thought bit into him before he had even thought it. He felt gross. He almost wanted to puke. The goop, maybe? But that was his anger thinking. He would never say something as cruel as that to his son. Never.

The room grew quiet as Kakarot fell into a draped posture on his side.. Bardock coughed to clear his throat. He really disliked it when Kakarot was silent. 'You know,' he said, 'Though I don't get them anymore, I bet you'd get a kick out of some of the visions I saw.'

Kakarot's head lifted. 'Yeah? For example?'

'Well, for starters, in one there was this pink and fat alien who, somehow, wasn't an asshole I knew calledDodoria-'

The door to their closet-cell slid open and Launch stepped inside. 'What's this about a pink and fat alien?'

Bardock blinked. The thought that someone might have been standing on the opposite side of the door hadn't occurred to him. 'Just, uh…' he started, '...some grunt, named Dodoria, who liked to strut around with these stupid cosmetic spikes-'

'Stop.' Launch's glare jumped between them. 'You can tell me what you were actually talking about later. Both of you, get up.'

Kakarot did so. Bardock hesitated. 'For what reason?'

'I wanna have a chat.' Launch threw a disgusted look at the empty goop cup and its progenitor machine beyond it. 'Someplace where you two can sit and I can stand without staring down my nemesis.'

Bardock exaggeratedly glanced around. 'Who?'

'Shut up and follow,' Launch grabbed Bardock by his hair and yanked him to his feet. 'Or I pull you along by your hair.'

'Alright!' Bardock wrenched his head out of her grip. 'Fine! You, er… lead the way.'

She did so and was glad to do it.

0o0o0

She woke up as a wave washed away her warmth. Bulma's eyes fluttered open as a cold film swept between her and the warm sand beneath her, chilling her and soaking her clothes. Like a cat she arched and scurried forward, wet fabric dragging on the ground below her. She outran the extent of the small wave and fell onto her side, coughing.

She coughed for a full minute. At the end she hacked up some black phlegm onto the sand. She stared at it, coughed a few more times into her arm, and then stared at that. Her alarm receded as she picked apart the fluid. Black, but not fleshy. Like dark dust… maybe ash…

All at once Bulma's memories returned to her. She had been in West City after a long day out and had just arrived back home.

Home. Bulma felt the warm sand under her hands and knees. Slowly she rolled her back onto the sand and looked around. It was early morning and she was on a beach to what looked to be a very small, barely forested island, surrounded by water. Across the length of the beach picture-perfect water ran across the sand, save for one spot-

He was face down beside a sand dune, hair matted and splayed across his head and right arm buried. Before Bulma could think of anything else she stumbled to her feet and ran over to him.

'Yamcha?' She pressed a hand to his neck. Beating, breathing. She nudged his head. 'Yamcha? You awake?'

He kept breathing peacefully. Bulma bit her lip as she hooked her arms under his and pushed backward, dragging him out of the sand. After a few huffs and tugs she freed the rest of his body and pulled him into her lap. She caught her breath, coughed again, and started turning him over by his shoulders.

A long, drawn-out sigh fell from her mouth. She scooted back and with her eyes traced Yamcha's right arm down from his shoulder. She got halfway before she had to turn away, coughing, wishing she hadn't looked.

He's breathing. He's… okay for now. But by Kami, his arm…

She wasn't dumb; she could put two and two together. From what she could guess from the color of the water around them they were on an island in the sea near West City. Right before she had blacked out… there had been an attack. She was sure of it. Capsule Corp… her lab… her mom, dad…

Bulma drew her legs into her chest and held the tears in her eyes. They were dead. She didn't want to believe it. Instead she kept looking forward- past Yamcha and the beach at the innumerable azure ocean. She saw a mark of gray in the distance. She thought it could be smoke. Then she blinked and it was gone.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she closed her eyes to think. She pushed aside her anxiety and fear and focused on the matter at hand. She was on an island. Even if her parents were dead- even if they weren't- she would have no way to know for sure until she got back to real land.

She coughed through her sharp grimace. The one day she decides not to throw a plane capsule into her pockets...

Luck was luck. She couldn't change it. Without it, she would have to make do on her own. Which meant, unless she wanted to swim back to West City, she'd need Yamcha to fly her back.

Her attention landed on him. Despite his right arm he looked peaceful unconscious. Her eyes were slowly drawn to his face, and…

Bulma shoved that thought aside. Oh, great… opening that can of doubt again… He left West City. She couldn't feel that way towards him… especially not now.

'Come on, Bulma…' She grabbed the bottom of her shirt and ripped a strip from it. Then she emptied her pockets and pouches and laid out some capsules across the fabric laid in the sand. As expected, she must have lost some on her way here. She didn't have much to work with.

But if Yamcha had saved her life, she was for sure going to save him... or at least make sure he didn't starve as he convalesced into consciousness.

0o0o0

Launch placed her spoon on the metal tray and leaned over her unfinished soup. At the rate this conversation was going, she wanted the bowl as full as possible.

'Nothing?' She barked into Bardock and Kakarot's faces. Her ire moved between them. 'You're going to say nothing until we reach Earth?'

Bardock drew his bound hands over his head and stretched. 'You heard me.'

'You heard me, right?' Launch hands pressed to the table, pushing her towards them like a draping curtain. 'We agreed that you two would tell us everything.'

'Well, now we want some insurance.' Bardock's lips drew into his mouth. 'For our lives, you know?'

'Insurance for your lives?' Launch repeated, disgusted. 'What, you think I'm going to kill you once I get what I want?'

'You've threatened as much!'

'Because those are threats!' Launch shouted, banging her fists against the table. Her soup jumped a little. 'Just threats! Just because I say that- don't do- graaah!' Launch tore her gaze away from him in frustration. 'And what do you have to say about this Kakarot?'

'...' Kakarot sucked in his cheeks.

'Gonna let your dad talk for you?'

'...' Her glare was close to killing them. But with a labored breath Launch calmed herself and sat back down. 'Okay. Am I going to have to start treating you two like actual prisoners?'

'Are we not?' Bardock asked, pretending innocence.

'Shut up!' Launch yelled, flinging her spoon at him. The utensil bounced harmlessly off his forehead.

She might actually follow through on her threats. These two were getting a free ride away from death and they weren't even grateful.

'Hey.' Bardock leaned forward over the table. He was staring at Launch's soup. 'Are you going to eat that?'

'Launch!' Suddenly Bez, holding her spoon, swept into view. He dropped it on her tray and then began drawing her away from the table. 'Let's take a break.'

'Why?' She said. 'Why?'

'Um…' Bez turned away. 'You look… stressed.'

0o0o0

'I was stressed,' Launch acknowledged a minute later, standing against a wall in the ship's main hallway. 'Thanks for pulling me away.'

Bez rapped his knuckles on a door before he turned back to her. 'Of course. I didn't catch much of your conversation with them. Was the whole thing as unproductive as I heard?'

'Unfortunately, yes.' Footsteps echoed from the floor as Launch paced once down and back the hallway. 'For whatever reason they decided to clam up since we last spoke. Maybe it was a mistake to let them stay in the same room.'

'What other room would we have had?'

Launch paused her walking. 'Fair enough. More importantly,' she continued, swiveling around to him, 'how are the repairs going?'

Bez wiped his hands- grease matted on his knuckles and palms- on his hips. 'You want the truth?'

'After what I was just subjected to? Yes.'

'They're not going great. That maneuver busted a lot of our ship. Some of the navigational stuff is fried, as well as some of the temperature control and water filtering systems. We're going to need to keep rationing energy and water until we get to Earth. And once there…' He tailed off.

'Once there?' Launch prompted.

'We won't be able to land.' Bez clasped his hands, fingers locked and pointed into the air. 'Our autolander program was part of the nav stuff that got busted. And because we lost our array, too, we can't contact Capsule Corp. and have them guide us in.'

Launch held out her arms. 'Wait, wait, wait. Back up. You're implying you don't know how to land the ship.'

'...And?...'

'You don't?'

'We had the autolander.'

'Well that's good. And now we don't.'

'How we were supposed to know Bulma's thing would break it?' Bez grumbled. 'How was I supposed to know Bulma's thing would break everything?'

'I feel like breaking the laws of physics and jumping a few lightyears close to Earth would do that.'

'But I didn't know it would do that when we used it!'

A smirk took hold of Launch's mouth. 'Don't get upset. I pushed the button, after all. If anyone's to blame, it's me.'

'Yes.'

Launch thinned her eyes on him. 'Huh?'

They were interrupted as the door Bez had knocked on opened and Mark and Recoome stepped out into the hallway. Mark had his hands tucked into his baggy pants. 'So… he's doing okay. Still unconscious, though.'

'Oh.' Launch's widened eyes landed on Mark. 'I forgot about that. How's your pet Saiyan?'

Mark blushed a little. 'He's not my pet.'

'You have to admit, bud,' Recoome elbowed him, 'you sorta picked him up like one.'

'He was dying!' Mark stressed. 'What was I supposed to do, leave him there to bleed out?'

'I would have,' Launch said. She glanced between Bez and Recoome. 'And I don't think I'd be alone in doing that.'

'Whatever.' Mark squeezed past them one-by-one. 'I need to get some food from the mess.' In silence the three of them watched him swing around a corner.

'He's kind.' Bez said.

'He's too kind,' Launch corrected him. She jabbed a thumb at Recoome. 'This guy seems like the type to pick up a stray cat, but he wouldn't get one that could kill him with a glare.'

'True!' Recoome chuckled.

And kept chuckling. Launch and Bez studied him. 'Okay,' Launch said once it was quiet again. 'Anyway- any other updates from either of you?'

'None for now.' Bez looked at his hands. His purple fingers rubbed at some stained spots of grease. 'I should get back to work, actually.'

'And I'll keep an eye on Turles, boss,' Recoome chirped, saluting her.

'Put that hand down,' Launch commanded. 'If that's all… I'm going to take another crack at our Saiyans.' Launch lifted her arms above her arms, cracked them, and then spun and glided down the hall. 'They'll start talking, eventually, even if-'

'No punching!' Bez called after her.

'What?' She shouted back. 'I was gonna say, "even if I have to talk to them".'

0o0o0

The morning was cold and chilly, and despite their best efforts to grab enough clothing before running off, they were shivering under several layers of fabric.

'Here,' Gohan said, teeth chattering as he wrapped an arm around Marron and pulled her next to him. 'I'll use my ki to keep us warm.'

'W-won't that be d-d-dangerous?' Marron chittered anxiously.

'It won't be much…' Gohan closed his eyes and nestled further behind the shelf of rock as he used just a tiny amount of energy to warm them. 'And… he's not here anymore.'

'W-what if he c-comes back?'

Gohan didn't know how to answer that. In truth he didn't know how to answer anything right now. Even if he wasn't freezing he was still scared. Less scared than Marron, but still scared. It hadn't been easy to convince her they needed to run away from her house. It would have been impossible if she couldn't sense ki… and hadn't sensed her parents disappear just as Gohan had.

That was when she became scared. Gohan, too. But not too scared to stop him from running. He had been brave enough for both of them and led her to one of the ridges surrounding her house. There, buffeted by the cold wind, they settled against rock and watched him arrive.

Rush. Calmly, slowly, he had landed and entered Marron's house. For a few minutes he was out of view and once visible again he spent a few more scanning the valley. But he never did anything more than that and left just as calmly as he had come.

That had been a few hours ago. At first Marron wanted to rush back inside but Gohan was suspicious.. and scared, still. Marron was too, but in a different way. She was thinking about her parents. Gohan was thinking about them.

He was pretty sure Rush had come here to kill him.

'W-we have to go somewhere else,' Marron said, voice sweeping his thoughts. 'We'll freeze if we s-stay out here forever!'

Gohan exhaled through his mouth. White mist floated away. 'Where do we go?'

'This Rush guy is looking for you, right?'

They stared at each other, wrapped together for warmth. 'Why do you think that?' Gohan asked.

'You came, then he came,' Marron pointed out. 'Right?...'

'...Right,' Gohan agreed. He didn't want to drag her into this. 'I think he's… looking for me.'

'We should find a place to hide, then!' Marron exclaimed. 'Someplace warm, too.' She rolled her face, thinking. 'Maybe… we could go to your home?'

Gohan frowned. 'Rush might be there.'

'Oh.' Marron made a show of thinking again. 'Then… there's a village nearby, I think.' Her face brightened. 'Yeah, we could go there! They were always really friendly. Mom and Dad might even be there!'

'Maybe,' Gohan stopped himself from biting his lip. 'Well, in that case.. can you fly?'

'Hmm?' She stared at him quizzically. 'I don't think they taught me that.'

'Oh? Alright. That's not a problem. I'll… carry you there.'

'Really?' Marron's smile beamed at him. 'You're awesome, Gohan!'

He scratched his cheek, nose wrinkling. 'Ah… okay.' Suddenly nervous, he motioned Marron to her feet. 'Let's get going, then…' Quickly...

0o0o0

By the time the sun rose they had carved out some space among the carnage. While Tien rested to make sure his reattached arm finished healing properly against his torso, Piccolo and Yajirobe had pushed aside rubble and debris to clear away important area as per Korin's instructions, There were blocked entrances to the Lookout's underground sections that, thankfully, hadn't been impacted by Slug's assault and only needed a few slabs removed from. The Pendulum Room had been leveled, but the grooves on its floor hadn't been damaged and thus Korin said the room could be rebuilt. There were other chambers too Piccolo saw had just avoided being utterly leveled. Through the rest of the night he and the human samurai freed crates, retrieved sacks, and in one case even set a particularly heavy door back into its still-standing door frame. Korin had personally supervised that effort and was satisfied once he heard a strange click.

Now, under the day's thin morning light, Piccolo finally rested. On the edge of a larger space they had dragged rubble out of Piccolo sat on a stone slab. Across from him Korin, crouching, stood on his staff over a sleeping Kami. The old Guardian was swaddled in linen and pillows and other usable items they had salvaged. Near them, Yajirobe sat with his back against a broken wall, as did Tien, who sat opposite from him.

Piccolo placed his hands on his knees and stretched forward. 'You know,' he began, catching Korin's eye, 'I'm surprised you were able to point us in the right direction so often.'

Korin bent away from Kami. 'What do you mean?'

'You knew exactly what places we were to clear a path to. It's almost like you used to live here.'

'I did live here, if you don't remember,' Korin said, setting his staff down after pulling further away from Kami. He sat on a block of rubble near the old Namekian. 'When you and Kami were dead and the others went to Namek to revive you.'

'Ah. I wasn't aware.' An old memory passed in front of Piccolo's eyes. 'That is why you knew how to use the Pendulum Room just after Kami entered his coma,' he realized.

Korin nodded. 'Yep.' His gaze passed over the ruins surrounding them. 'I got to know this place pretty well… though not as much as I should.'

From the side Tien grunted as he sat up. 'You mean because you're not the Guardian.'

Korin nodded again, slower. 'There are certain powers this place gives to Kami that are denied to me. It is…' He closed his eyes. 'Unfortunate, considering I might have known what danger was coming to this planet long before Slug came.'

Something in his tone stuck in Tien's mind. 'Are you saying that you knew Slug was coming here?'

'Yes. Hours before he came to the Lookout, I sensed… something ill on the planet.' His eyes opened; regret swirled in them. 'But by then there was nothing I could do except scramble here. I had no time to warn you. In the end I only managed to protect Kami.'

'Perhaps that was enough,' Piccolo said. His attention flitted over to Tien. 'Though…'

'My arm will heal,' Tien brushed off his concern. 'And if it doesn't, we have more senzus.'

'Our supply isn't limitless, you know,' Yajirobe jumped in, audibly annoyed. 'We've only got seven left or something, and I'm not gonna have any more batches ready in a while.'

'So we'll be smart,' Piccolo reassured him. He exchanged a glance with Tien. 'Speaking of… it's about time I go, right?'

Korin's head perked up. 'Wait, what? Go where? And now?'

'Before I came here Chiaotzu and I were heading to investigate the ki of one of our friends,' Tien explained. 'It felt like Suno was in a fight. And now a day has passed and I haven't heard anything from him.'

Korin's head dipped. 'I see.'

'Piccolo and I discussed it earlier. We agreed that, while I heal, he would go investigate at the first opportunity.'

'And this is the first opportunity, now that we know the Lookout isn't going to collapse from under us,' Piccolo said, standing.

'Whatever,' Yajirobe grumbled.

'I'd like to take some senzus with me, too.'

Yajirobe made a face. 'Seriously, dude?'

'Hold on- hold on,' Korin said, snatching his staff and rising with it. 'Two things. First, you need to explain why- what was his name, Slug? You need to explain why Slug came here.'

'I'd like to hear this too, actually,' Tien added. 'You two almost seemed familiar with each other.'

Piccolo met Tien's gaze. Like before he saw interest and some concern underlaid a lingering suspicion. 'He knew me- or a past version of me. I didn't know him. As for why he came…'

Silence stretched. 'You're not saying anything,' Yajirobe commented.

'I think there were two reasons,' Piccolo said eventually after a long time spent thinking. 'One, he came to die. Second… I think he wanted me to absorb him.'

'Absorb?' Tien gritted his teeth as he shifted his back against the wall. 'Years ago you mentioned that's what he and the other old Namekians did centuries ago… but you've never…' He trailed off as Piccolo's posture lilted. 'Did you?...'

'On Namek… I did something to another Namekian. It wasn't intentional- I didn't even know what I was doing. It was like a trigger, like…'

'A habit?' Korin suggested, no judgment in his voice.

'No… like… a…'

It was clear to them that Piccolo struggled immensely to put to words what he was remembering, feeling, living. But the effort was too much to bear and he was forced to release his breath. 'It doesn't matter,' Piccolo's voice echoed slightly. 'Not now, anyway. Slug is dead.'

'You're sure?' Korin probed. 'If you need time-'

'I'm fine,' Piccolo said, snappishly but not aggressively. He just wanted to be done with the topic. '...For now,' he conceded. 'What matters more is that I go and check on Chiaotzu.' Piccolo's eyes crossed. 'What was the second thing you mentioned, Korin?'

'Hm…' Korin's hands wrung around his staff as he pushed off it to stand. 'With the Lookout I should be able to… probe for any danger, in a word, before you leave.'

'Is that necessary?'

'It's safe,' Korin stressed. 'I should have realized Slug was here on Earth long before I did. I worry that there may be other things I've missed.'

Tien stared at Korin. 'Other things?'

'Come,' Korin said, beckoning Piccolo away. 'Let's take a look.'

0o0o0

'Chiaotzu is dead.' At the edge of the Lookout Korin gazed at the blue expanse below, eyes shrouded by his eyelids. 'Had been for a few hours, now.' His ears flattened against his head. 'I didn't have the courage to tell Tien.'

Piccolo's face slowly moved between Korin and a loose tile hanging precariously on the platform's end. He bent to grab the ceramic and skim it back towards the center of the Lookout. 'So you tell me?'

Korin looked at him, mouth bent into an ugly shape. 'You'll have to look for him, right? I'm trying to save you time.'

'...' Whether or not Korin intended this, foreboding radiated from the would-be Guardian like heat from a stone. 'Things are bad down there, aren't they?'

With a heavy dip of his head Korin sighed. 'Yes. How badly, I don't know. But it's been a mess of energy and chaos and… suffering for half a day now. I was able to ignore it when I was rushing after Kami and the senzus. But once the adrenaline wore off and there was nothing left to do except sit among the rubble and think…'

Cautiously, reluctantly, Piccolo placed a hand on Korin's shoulder. 'It's… alright,' he said, immensely unsure of what to say but feeling something had to be said all the same. 'There's… nothing you could have done.'

Korin laughed, bitter and short. 'Hah. You're right! If I was a true Guardian I would have known what was coming. I would have warned people!' Korin lurched out from under Piccolo's hand. His staff scraped against the tiles, scuffing them. 'I would have saved lives!'

'But you are not the Guardian,' Piccolo said in a quiet voice. 'You had no control over that.'

'Yes, but!...' Korin's chest heaved and flattened. 'Yes. You're right. But I still feel bitter. I should have known more, earlier… but I didn't.' Korin and his staff drew into his body.

'How did you know Chiaotzu died, then?' Piccolo asked, connecting two thoughts. 'If everything was so… chaotic.'

'Do you want to hear something incredibly strange?' He turned to Piccolo. 'I felt Chiaotzu die just as Tien launched his final attack against Slug. Seconds apart. Odd, isn't it?'

'Strange,' Piccolo said. His furrowed gaze passed away from Korin and turned on the wide-open blue stretching towards the horizon. The air was crisp and clean. But… maybe nothing strange about it.

0o0o0

Hands folded in her lap, Chi-Chi watched as a slow stream of people emerged into the ruined laboratory. SIngle-file pale and baggy-eyed souls trudged out, afraid of the carnage they saw. The wall separating the laboratory from the large chamber adjacent had been knocked down, and at the edge of their vision the robot body Wheelo had used loomed like some forsaken structure, dull and dark despite the still-flickering light shining down from above.

With a careful lift of her head Chi-Chi traced that light. She wasn't sure what was powering this place now that nearly everything inside it had been wrecked, but she guessed from the weakening glare whatever it was would soon be spent.

'Chi-Chi?' Her vision dropped to her right. With a slight limp Retu walked over to her. 'How are you feeling?'

She couldn't shake her frown. 'I'm okay.' When Retu had woken her her body had been in incredible pain. Now her mind hurt as well, knowing that Chiaotzu was dead. He hadn't told her initially, which she understood, as any physical reaction might have injured her further. There wasn't much she could do about any of this. Retu could walk (mostly) without pain and judging by his red face he had already spent some time coming to grips with Chiaotzu's death. So she had allowed him to take the lead and instead rested against a crumpled wooden crate. It wasn't comfortable but it was better than the metal walls or floors.

It didn't really feel real. She wasn't used to the idea of someone dying when she wasn't even… conscious. It felt wrong. Like she should have done more. But she also felt incredibly exhausted and would have fallen asleep if not for the pain. So most of all she just felt empty.

She had gotten so lost in her thoughts she hadn't realized that Retu had sat next to her, saying nothing, doing nothing, except staring off at nothing with her. 'Everyone's been taken out from the cells below,' Retu told her. 'Everyone who can walk.' He sighed. 'Everyone who is still alive. A sad mix from both my village and Suno's.'

Chi-Chi looked at her hands, laying atop the metal floor. Her knuckles were scabbed and bruised like they'd been painted.

'He was using them… like batteries,' Retu went on. 'Human people. Once the draining began they just… withered away. I saw one person, and…'

'I'm sorry,' Chi-Chi said softly. She slowly flexed her hand. 'If I could lift my arm comfortably, I'd put my hand on your shoulder.'

Retu laughed harshly, though Chi-Chi sensed he'd gotten some joy out of that. 'I appreciate the thought. All we really have, now…'

'That,' Chi-Chi nudged her head forward, 'and all those people there. It's not everyone…'

'No. It isn't.'

'...but it's some.'

Retu slowly nodded. 'Some.'

Her brain really was on the verge of a shutdown. For a few brief seconds her vision fluttered and she only realized after the fact that her eyes had closed. 'Is Suno awake?' She asked through her exhaustion.

'No, not yet. So I'll have to carry her.'

'You're up for that?'

'I am.' Retu took a deep breath. 'We'll all get to Jingle Village, together. Then we'll try to get in contact with Bulma. Then... we hope that Capsule Corp. can send some relief.'

'It's going to be a cold walk.'

Retu nodded as he pulled himself to his feet. 'We'll manage. You know, I know I shouldn't tempt fate,' he said, groaning as he straightened his back, 'but I want to say things can't get much worse.'

Chi-Chi waited patiently and when the time came grabbed his hand and let him pull her up. 'I hope so…' she muttered.

0o0o0

Glass and color glided in patches, swarming alongside air within the tank. It had been a while since it had an occupant, and Gero thought it would be an even longer time until it had one again, if at all.

His lab had gone through a few changes over the past few years, but perhaps nothing had been a bigger one than the breaking of his solitude. He had grown used to living within his own thoughts and honing his mind towards a single pursuit. When this tank was full it had been a reminder of the life he had chosen: the decision to commit his life to seeking recompense for the harm done to him.

When the Red Ribbon Army existed Gero had worked tirelessly for them and his own gain. Through them he would have achieved so much; the perfection of these diodes in his hands, the successful automation of cyborg production, the knowledge of the Saiyan DNA of that one called Kakarot. He would not have grown old and withered and nearly died on the floor of his lab from a heart attack. He would have not been forced into a cold metal body, locked away from achieving the fruits of his research. Without all those fighters in his way he would have changed this world from its roots to its highest branches. Humanity could have been so much more. He could have led them all to a greater being. Now instead he simply fought for the part taken from him.

'Dr. Gero.'

So lost in thought he hadn't noticed Android 19, patched so that he could now speak once more, stride into the room. With a gentle turn of his head he met his gaze. '19. Is there an issue with the subject's modifications?'

'No, Doctor.' Unexpectedly 19 handed him a tablet. 'An alarm was triggered outside the lab.

Gero's heart plunged into his stomach. 'An alarm?' He repeated, forcing calm into his voice. 'Do you know who it is?'

'I studied the feed. It was not someone the computer recognized.'

'Unknown?' He hated the word usually; in this circumstance he dreaded it. 'Who, then?'

'You may ask them.' 19's finger swiped across the display. 'They are outside, waiting.'

Between 19's hands a fuzzy image focused into something tangible. A tall, tanned human with unflinching black hair and pale blue eyes fully occupied the width of the feed. More importantly- he was staring straight into the camera.

'You and I need to talk, Dr. Gero.'

A/N: An actual shorter chapter for once. Who'd have thought?

Reviews:

yasho360: Sounds like you enjoyed all the crazy events of last chapter! I'm glad! Thanks for the review!

the1andonlyLucian: Krillin had some time to enjoy his own body. Anything more than a year is nothing to scoff at! But otherwise, yeah, he's having a rough go of it. Everyone is, really.

Transformers g1's-Prime: You're right about your Slug fight reasoning. The only thing I'd add is that Slug also wanted to tempt Piccolo with an absorption… which may have done something nefarious to his own gain…

There is so much theory here and I would love to make my response as long as all the thought you put here, but obviously I don't want to give the game away. All I will say is that you were totally right that there was a future meeting between Rush and Gero coming...

Anonymous: I understand your points about the Slug fight. If I had more time I would have probably written out the fight to be longer. But the main two things I wanted to do with that fight is demonstrate that the age in which Slug conquered the galaxy has passed- he's turned into an old man near his death and was drawn to Piccolo before reaching that. I also thought the decision of Piccolo deciding whether or not to absorb Slug was more interesting than the fight itself. But it's up to the readers to judge what worked and what didn't. I appreciate your feedback.

It's also true about Piccolo's decision being somewhat of a bind. He could use the power, but there's also the worry of taking Slug like he had taken Leera.. and Leera is obviously not like Slug.

Lol. I imagine Recoome would either be super mad or totally cool with knowing he's become a low-tier scrub. I'd have to think about that. I think he just likes to fight, lol

Your point about Marron made me laugh a lot. Also, I'm glad you liked what I did with Rush! I was worried having him make such a decisive and quick move on the story would jar some people. But it seems I worried for nothing!

Thank you for the review! Gero's a fan of mine, if you can't tell xp

Cityracer: This chapter was even shorter! I hope you still enjoyed it.

Glad you enjoyed the Slug fight. His arrival on Earth DOES have bearing on Piccolo and the others… but we'll get there when we get there. Also, yes, the fight between Tien and Launch would be close.

The text with Rush is the text. I will speak more on things when they become relevant. Otherwise, you said some interesting things about him…

That's kind of right on Chiaotzu's power level. I wasn't explicitly thinking / remembering that he doesn't have the scaling with the Kaioken like all the others. Thinking on that, I probably should have put him lower in the tier list. I'll probably have to make that change.

Thanks for the review! Thank you all for the reviews! I appreciate them always.