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A Lifetime Ago

Planet Vegeta is the homeworld of the Saiyans, a race of alien warriors under the command of the evil prince, Frieza, who himself is a member of the expansionist military and corporate faction known as the Cold Force. It is a harsh arid world as savage as the Saiyans who inhabit it. Only a dozen cities dot the entire expanse of the planet, and most of them are glorified spaceports. The few proper cities are small and primarily inhabited by the elite of Saiyan society and favored mid-class warriors. Everyone else either live off-world or in a few scattered villages outside the cities. It was within one of these villages outside of Planet Vegeta's capital, where a Saiyan woman named Gine calls home.

In a pointy clay hut near the edge of the village, Gine was preparing food on top of a stone table in her kitchen.

The woman was unusually short for a Saiyan, who are often thought of as tall and muscular due their reputation as a warrior race. But like most of her kind, Gine had black hair, dark colored eyes, and a monkey tail swaying freely in the air. Her hair was long and spikey, and she wore a dark green and tan battlesuit with a matching skirt over black leggings. Gine left her shoulders and arms bare, exposing her pale and surprisingly clear skin, and she wore violet armbands and white boots.

While Gine has long since retired from the military, Saiyan fashion often reflects the race's emphasis on martial prowess. This collective obsession over combat is a fact of life that no Saiyan could ever avoid, and it is one that Gine knew all too well.

The Saiyan woman was currently cutting up a raw dinosaur leg with a special black knife when the door opened behind her.

"Hey Gine. I'm home," a gruff male voice spoke behind her.

Gine turned around to see a Saiyan named Bardock returning home after a mission in the frontier. Bardock was a taller and more muscular man with a prominent scar on his cheek. He also wore a black and green battlesuit, an image one would associate with the average Saiyan. In any other setting, the Saiyan warrior is that kind of person you wouldn't want to meet alone in a dark alley. However, he wasn't that person to Gine.

To her, he was her beloved husband.

A wide smile brightened the Saiyan woman's expression as she dropped what she was doing. "Bardock!", Gine chirped happily before rushing towards her beloved and wrapping her arms around his sides.

Bardock chuckled as he unwrapped his tail from his waist and returned his wife's hug. With her arms still holding him, Gine backed up and looked her husband in the eyes. Overcome with passion and love, Gine moved in to kiss her husband on the lips.

Once the two broke away, Bardock told her, "You looked starved for affection. I haven't been gone that long, Gine."

Gine blushed. "It's just that... I didn't expect to see you again so soon! I thought you were deployed to some distant world in the Outer Rim."

"We were," Bardock began to explain, "But that planet got destroyed by a giant meteor before we could begin the conquest. It was a massive disappointment really, but at least the team and I get to kick back here until the higher ups send us somewhere else."

"Whatever the case, I'm glad it brought you back to me."

Bardock shrugged. "Don't be so dramatic. I would've come back eventually. You're probably the only decent cook in this entire planet."

Gine playfully shrugged. "Glad to know I was missed for the right reasons."

"You're welcome," Bardock teased back. He then asked about their oldest son, "I don't see Raditz anywhere. Where is he?"

Gine pulled away from Bardock as she answered with a proud smile. "He became a soldier a few days ago. He was assigned to Prince Vegeta's squad, and they just left to some far-off planet. I'm sorry you missed him."

"Prince Vegeta, huh," Bardock hummed, "Working with him must be a pain in the neck."

"Yeah, but it's a good opportunity for him! Raditz might actually have a chance for promotion if he worked under an elite, especially royalty."

"You sound optimistic," Bardock said with an expressionless gaze. In his mind, Bardock knew that such a thing wasn't possible for 'low-class trash' like them in this regimented hierarchy, no matter how talented that trash happened to be. A Saiyan getting promoted above their assigned rank was about as possible as divine intervention. Probable in this universe, but highly unlikely. Despite his resigned cynicism, however, Bardock couldn't say that in front of his wife's face, at least for now. "I hope it works out."

Gine could still see the doubt in his face, however. She tried to reassure him. "It'll be fine, Bardock. Raditz is tough like you. He can handle anything that comes his way," Gine then said wistfully under her breath, "At least, better than I did when I was his age..."

"I never said I was worried," Bardock spoke back trying to reaffirm his toughness, "Whether or not Raditz succeeds or fails is his own business, not mine."

"Right...", Gine said unconvinced. "Since you care so little about our kids, I'm guessing you don't wanna check up on our baby."

Bardock scoffed before walking towards his youngest son's room. "I never said that either."

Gine smirked mischievously as she followed right behind him.

The two entered the room to see a naked Saiyan baby floating inside of an orange incubator capsule. As a warrior race, the Saiyans don't have time to have babies the old fashioned way when there are battles to be fought. As a result, most Saiyans are developed within artificial incubators rather than in a mother's womb. This frees Saiyan women from being inactive due to pregnancy, and it allows the Saiyan race to grow their population at a consistent rate despite the casualties associated with their lifestyle. Even noncombatants like Gine used this method to have children due to its convenience.

This doesn't mean that Saiyans don't have sex, however. Their women just don't want to have to deal with the inconveniences of pregnancy.

Gine and Bardock approached the incubator with the former affectionately wrapping her arms around her husband's muscular arm.

She looked at her child with a warm smile on her face as she told Bardock, "He looks like you, doesn't he?"

"Yeah... he does," Bardock responded but with a more blank expression.

"He even has your unique hairdo," Gine teased as she snuggled up next to him.

Bardock sighed. "It's been three years, hasn't it?"

Gine's smile dropped as her expression grew sadder. "Yeah... he's going to be released tomorrow. Then... they're gonna launch him off to some distant rock, and he's either going to wipe out all life on the planet or..."

It was a state requirement for all Saiyan babies to be evaluated in order to be placed into one of the three castes in Saiyan society. Once the baby has spent three years in an incubation tank, their power level is measured, which determines their caste and their future in Saiyan society. Babies with high power levels are placed among the upper echelons of Saiyan society, the elite, and would be placed into prestigious military academies off-world when they come of age. Babies with average power levels are designated as mid-class, and they get placed in a standard boot camp in Planet Vegeta. And then there are the low-class Saiyans like Gine's family.

Babies with below average power levels would either be assigned to low-prestige positions, such as engineers or cooks, or they would be placed in boot camp like mid-level Saiyans to be trained as petty grunts. For the latter, however, they must first be launched off to a low level planet in order to 'test their worth'. These babies would have been mentally programmed via neutral implants to destroy all life on the planets they landed on, usually by transforming into a powerful Great Ape under the light of a full moon. These missions would either end with the children completing their mission, allowing their control chips to signal the homeworld for evacuation, or they would die on the foreign planet, forgotten and unmourned.

That last possibility was what worried Gine the most. She never wanted this life for any of her children. She didn't want to have to risk their lives on some stupid mission before they could learn to talk, but these decisions were made by people much more important than her.

Bardock slowly clasped his hand to his wife's and held it firmly. "He's going to be fine."

"You don't know that," Gine spoke somberly.

"Raditz survived his first mission, didn't he?"

"I know, but... you know the odds for infiltration babies. We got lucky last time. What if..."

Bardock interrupted her as he used his free hand to cup Gine's cheek and made her face him. "Gine, listen to me. Our child will survive. He's going to complete his mission, and he's going to come back to us. He's strong, no matter what the power readings said. Trust in that strength. You're not gonna mourn him, I promise."

"How do you know that?"

Bardock simply smirked and answered, "You were a lot weaker when you were his age, and you survived, didn't you?"

Gine laughed. "You have a weird way of cheering people up, you know?"

"Did it work?"

Gine nodded softly. "A little, yeah."

"Good," Bardock said awkwardly, "Just don't tell anyone about it. I have a reputation to maintain."

"Don't worry," Gine chuckled, "Your secret is safe with me."

Bardock then turned to his son's incubator and asked, "I wasn't there when you gave him his name. What is it?"

Gine turned to look at her child. With a proud smile, she answered, "His name is Kakarot."

The next day, Gine and Bardock were seeing their son off before he gets launched into space inside a spherical pod. Both parents were standing in the pod launch chamber with Bardock keeping his distance and Gine standing in front of her son's opened pod.

Kakarot was already in a child sized version of a Saiyan battle suit when the caretakers shoved him in the pod and strapped him in. Inside, the frightened child huddled in his seat as his cries pierced through the air. Each note of her child's cries caused Gine's heart to break a little every time.

Compelled by her maternal instincts, Gine embraced her little boy and whispered soft tunes into his ear to soothe him. Sure enough, Kakarot stopped crying after feeling his mother's warm and loving embrace. Once he had calmed down enough, Gine pulled away and looked at her boy while still holding him with her hands.

Gine gave her son a warm smile that only mother could give to her child as she wiped away a still running tear from his soft cheek.

"Kakarot... you will be going away for a while, okay? You'll face many challenges, but I know you will overcome anything that comes your way. I know you will get stronger for it. You have a strength that I could never hope to achieve. A strength that will make you into a great warrior one day. Believe that, no matter what may come. You are a Saiyan, and know that you carry my hope, my pride... and my love with you," Gine was breathless for a moment before quickly finding the strength to continue, "I love you, Kakarot. And I promise, you will see us again."

The baby didn't understand the words that his mother was saying, but he knew their meaning. Deep down, Kakarot knew that he was loved and that was all that mattered.

Bardock stood by stoically as he watched his wife say her farewells. He was then approached by an old and wizened Saiyan who told him, "We shall be making the launch soon. Tell that woman to step aside."

Bardock glared at the insolent man for a second before walking over to his wife and son. From behind, he told her, "It's time to go, Gine."

The Saiyan mother looked back at him reluctantly and nodded. Gine let go of her son and stepped back as the pod door slowly closed up and sealed the vessel. Confused and scared, Kakarot tried throw himself off the seat only to find himself restrained by his seatbelt. No matter how hard he tried, the child couldn't tear the belt away from him.

When his strength was drained, Kakarot slumped back to his seat and he loudly sobbed once again. However, this time the child heard an audible tap from the pod's window. The Saiyan baby looked up to see both his mother and his father looking down on him and smiling.

Gine placed her hand over the red glass, compelling Kakarot to do the same with his little hand fitting into the bigger silhouette of his mother's hand.

Through the glass, Gine told her baby, "You do whatever it takes to survive, okay?"

With that, both Gine and Bardock took a few steps back to allow the rumbling pod to shoot up into the air and through an opened latch on the chamber's ceiling. The Saiyan parents stared at the pod as it shot through the red skies of their home planet before disappearing in a blink amongst the stars.

Seeing that his wife's eyes were beginning to water, Bardock wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close.

He told her softly, "Believe in your words, Gine. He will find his way back to us."

This entire day was emotionally taxing for the Saiyan woman. Her son was now racing through space across many lightyears to a distant world with no guarantees of a safe return. But for once, a light of hope burned inside her heart. It flickered and threatened go out amid a wave of doubt and fear, but like a true Saiyan, this hope stood strong, and in the end, Gine knew that it would last the night.

She had no other words to answer Bardock except for a resolute, "I know."

This turned out to be one of the last moments I ever got to spend with my family.

A few months after Kakarot was sent away, Lord Frieza betrayed my people and destroyed our homeworld. My husband, Bardock, tried his best to stop that madman from destroying everything we held dear.

But in the end... he died with the rest of our planet.

This was not to be my fate, however.

Through a stroke of luck or perhaps misfortune, I was spared while the rest of my people died in a pointless genocide. For the longest time, I sought vengeance against Frieza for everything he took away from me.

I trained, fought, and killed for my chance at revenge. I became more powerful than I ever thought possible... but at the cost of my soul.

For many years, I lived only to avenge my people and my family by killing Frieza and finally ending his reign of terror.

And in the end... Frieza was killed by someone else before I could get my chance.

With my only goal lost to me, I drifted as an aimless mercenary across an indifferent multiverse. I lived my life job to job, paycheck to paycheck in a meaningless journey across countless realities with each day being more empty than the last.

However, my life would soon change once more in a strange little world known as Earth-1.

For better or for worse, this was where my life would begin again.

41 Years Later

"Hey..."

"Hey lady."

"Wake up!"

Gine was rudely shaken from her slumber.

She was sitting down on a dirty stool and laying her head down on a bartop before waking up. With her vision blurred and her head pulsing with a nagging pain, Gine looked around to see that she was inside an empty sci-fi cantina. In one of her hands was a half-empty bottle of vodka and in front of her was the bartender and owner of this establishment, a human with brown hair and with a black hoodie on.

From what little Gine remembered after waking up, she was in a space station. No... not quite.

She was in Hardcore Station, a city-sized complex similar to a space station that is nestled within its own pocket dimension. It is a nexus of life for a great many people from all over the endless multiverse. For many, Hardcore Station was a refuge from the various troubles of Earth life. For others, it was a pitstop to rest and resupply before starting a new life on another Earth or just find adventure on infinite Earths. And for a privileged few, the station was where they conduct their business. More often than not, it was the shady kind.

These days, Gine was in that last category. However, that was unrelated to why she was drinking herself into oblivion in this bar.

Said bar was also reasonably lit, causing Gine to wince and nurse her headache once the light stabbed her sensitive eyes. She groaned and spoke to the bartender, who was looking down at her with disdain. "You... what the hell do you want?", the Saiyan said with a slur that clearly indicates that she is currently hungover.

"It's closing time," he responded with an irritated grumble, "I want you out of my bar. ASAP."

Gine scoffed. "I can't go home yet," she burped in a most unladylike manner before continuing, "My night is... just getting started."

"Well, you can continue your night someplace else. The Prometheus is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., no exceptions. Get out."

"You're such a buzzkill," Gine whined, "Fine. I'll leave, but you gotta give me a bottle of scotch for the road."

"Yeah, no. Just get out of here."

"I'll pay double for it," Gine added.

"Do you want me to call security?"

Seeing that the stubborn bartender wasn't budging on the issue, Gine groaned as she reluctantly got up from her chair while finishing her bottle. However, as she turned to leave the Saiyan woman bumped into something tall and dense. Staggering back, Gine looked up to see a muscular, orange-skinned alien with pointed ears and a distinct lack of a face. He wore a purple and black sleeveless combat suit with metal bracelets, a utility belt around his waist, and an assortment of weapons all over his person.

This was an alien bounty hunter, one of the more infamous ones known throughout the multiverse, and he was currently staring down (in a manner of speaking) at the shorter woman.

Gine sighed. "Chun Yull. What do you want?"

The bartender glared at this new interloper and yelled at him, "Did you see the sign?! We're clo-"

The alien pulled out one of his laser pistols at the shouting bartender. The human's face instantly warped from anger to bone-chilling fear as he stared down the barrel of Chun Yull's gun. The bartender raised his hands and stuttered, "I... mean... you can stay as long as you like. Do... do you want..."

"Stop talking," Chun Yull told the human through low-level telepathy inherent to his race. The bartender complied with a shaky nod as the alien looked back at Gine. "I am here to collect what I am owed, Gine."

"And what would that be?", Gine said with disinterest apparent in her voice.

"My money," Chun Yull answered with a growl as he holstered his gun, "You stole my mark during my hunt in Earth-21. That bounty is my right! And you will surrender it to me."

Gine scoffed. "Seriously? You broke into a bar and waved that gun around because you got jealous that I got to Professor Zoom faster than you did? You're very petty. You know that right?"

Chun Yull stood adamant on this. "You stole my kill! And you will right this wrong! Or else!"

"I don't have to do shit," Gine spat venomously, "I got that bounty fair and square, 'Faceless Hunter'. There's no way in hell that I'll give away fifty thousand credits just because you can't get over the fact that I'm a better mercenary than you will ever be."

This heated Chun Yull's anger to its boiling point. The alien bounty hunter unsheathed an energy laced knife from his belt. "Either you give me my money, or I take your head, Saiyan."

There was a time in Gine's life where she would have obeyed men like Chun Yull out of fear. The old Gine would've been intimidated by the Faceless Hunter, and she would've been too meek to fight back. She would've given Chun Yull the money to avoid any trouble. However, that Gine died a long time ago.

Gine mustered the deepest, most disdainful scowl she could as she glared at Chun Yull's nonexistent face. "I'd like to see you try."

Gine gripped her bottle like a bludgeoning weapon as both alien mercenaries stared each other down with enough tension to drown a room with anxiety. The Saiyan was ready to smash the Faceless Hunter over the head with the bottle when another player intervened.

"This course of action is ill advised," a pale skinned woman in a black dress said as she came in between the two dangerous alien warriors with only a paper bag to defend herself, "I don't think Station Security would appreciate the two of you causing trouble in this fine gentleman's establishment."

The woman pointed them back to the bartender, who was hiding behind the counter and shaking in fear.

Chun Yull looked back at her. "I am not leaving until my grudge has been satisfied."

"And I want to knock some sense into this faceless bastard," Gine remarked, "Step aside, Aya. I got this."

Thankfully, Aya was faster to act as she got out of USB drive from her skirt pocket. She pressed it into Chun Yull's chest and told him, "This drive contains fifty thousand HS credits. Will you leave my friend alone now?"

Chun Yull grabbed the drive and grumbled irately as he looked back at Gine. "For your sake, I hope our paths never cross again."

Gine barked back, "I think you meant 'for your sake', because if I ever see your orange ass again, I'm gonna kill you."

The two stared at each other for a few more uneasy moments until Chun Yull shook his head and began walking out the door. The two women stared at the volatile bounty hunter until he left the bar, taking the previously tense mood with him.

Aya sighed as she looked back at her friend and scolded her, "Did you have to antagonize him? He already hates you!"

"He made you gave away fifty thousand of our hard-earned credits! Of course I'm a little mad!"

Aya calmed down and explained, "I didn't actually give him the credits. That was a dummy drive."

"What?", Gine raised her eyebrow.

Aya flashed a sly smile. "Instead of fifty thousand credits, all that Faceless Hunter is going to receive is a computer virus... and over nine gigabytes of cat videos."

Gine smiled back. "You really do think of everything. I'm sorry I doubted you."

Aya shrugged. "Someone has to watch your back," she then turned to the bar counter and called out, "He's gone. You can come out now."

The bartender got back up slowly. Once he realized that the Faceless Hunter was gone, the human sighed. "Thank the Lord! Thank you for getting that alien psycho off my bar Miss... Aya, was it?"

The pale woman nodded took a respectful bow. "It was the least I could do. I'm just glad that you and your bar remain intact."

"Intact? I... yeah, thanks for that."

"But if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to have my friend here change into some fresh clothes before leaving. It'll only take a few minutes."

"What's wrong with the clothes I have now?", Gine asked obliviously.

Aya awkwardly pointed at her crotch. "You have a little... spill on your..."

Gine looked down to dark and wet mark drenching her navy blue jeans. "Oh," she spoke with dull surprise.

"Yeah sure. Go ahead," the bartender nodded appreciatively, "Take as much time as you need. It's the least I could do after what you've done for me."

Aya bowed respectfully. "Thank you, sir. What are you going to say to the nice man, Gine?"

The Saiyan woman rolled her eyes as she took the paper bag from Aya's hands. As she walked towards the women's room, she grabbed a bottle of scotch off the shelf without the bartender's permission before slamming the bathroom door on her way in.

Aya played with her fingers and chuckled nervously. "She's usually nicer than this, I swear."

The bartender shrugged. "Hey, I used to run around Gotham in a goofy helmet. You're getting no judgment from me sister."

Gine stormed into the bathroom in a huff as she downed the entire bottle in under a minute and dumped it into the trash can.

All things considered, this public restroom was cleaner than most in this part of the station. The foor barely had any dirt and only a few pieces of litter were about. The sinks are only lightly coated in grime, the mirrors are only slightly scratched up, and there's even a loaded paper towel dispenser and a half-full soap dispenser. The poop and piss aroma in the air is also very diluted too!

Again, this is a very nice bathroom for tavern/bar standards. Doubly so for Saiyan standards, which is basically just a filthy bucket or a hole on the ground for most commoners.

Sighing, Gine headed towards the larger handicap stall in order to give herself enough room to change clothes. Once she locked the door behind her, Gine dropped the bag in the floor before turning to face the full-view mirror on the back of the door. The Saiyan unwrapped her tail from her waist before removing her leather jacket and her shirt, leaving her torso exposed save for her bra. Before she could continue, however, Gine felt compelled to stare at her reflection for a few moments.

A lot has happened in the past several years. Gine has certainly gotten older since then, but thanks to her alien genes, she was able to retain most of her youth save for a few grey hairs on her wild mane. However, those years have left their mark on Gine, most of which can be seen all over her body.

Ever since Bardock died, Gine had been forced to fend for herself in order to survive. Her once lithe and skinny body has become more lean and muscular due to the training and combat that she was forced to endure. There were scars all over her body, souvenirs of past battles and brutal training sessions. Her hands were calloused and her knuckles worn because of this lifestyle. The most prominent of these was a slash across the bridge of her nose, the only mark that Gine could never truly hide, along with an emblem of a tree tattooed to her right shoulder and a burn mark on the back of her neck that resembled a stylized lantern.

Gine didn't want to think about how much she has changed. She didn't want to think about depths that she sunk to in her pointless quest for revenge. She didn't want to think about the people she hurt or the friends she lost along the way. And most important of all, she didn't want to think about Bardock or how much better her life would've been if that idiot hadn't thrown his life away and left her all alone in their universe.

Gine would much rather drown her sorrows or get into pointless fights rather than think about the past. It wasn't healthy and Gine knew it, but it was much easier than facing the fact that all her good years were behind her.

She didn't even have the strength to see Kakarot, her only surviving son, for gods' sake. It would just be too hard after everything she's been through.

Gine sighed. "I'm so pathetic..."

Some days, Gine wished that Bardock survived their planet's destruction instead of her. Gods know that he wouldn't let himself become an insignificant waste of space like she was right now.

"I need a drink..."

But before that, Gine removed her wet pants and underwear before quickly scrounging through Aya's bag to get a pair of light blue jeans. After laying her previous articles of clothing in the floor, Gine hastily pulled up her new pair of pants and fastened the button. She then grabbed a white tank top from the bag and put it on before wiggling through the pink sweater that Aya provided her. Aya even gave Gine a pair of sunglasses to help with her hangover, how thoughtful.

After placing the much needed shades over her eyes, Gine put her old clothes into the bag. She picked it up, but before she could leave, Gine took a glance at her new outfit.

All she could think about is how stupid the bright and soft colors made her look. It completely did not fit Gine's tastes in how just damned childish the entire outfit made her look from the obnoxious pink to the Rainbow Dash picture sown into the front of the sweater along with the My Little Pony logo on the back.

These days, Gine preferred more tough looking outfits, like that road warrior look she was sporting earlier, along with colors that don't lump her in with the brony crowd. She was a veteran Saiyan warrior, not some fangirl who lives on her mom's basement. She was fearless warrior that doesn't let anything stand in her way. An anti-hero who means business and stops threats before they even happen...

"And now I've become a comic book character from the early 90s," Gine hummed disappointed in herself. Shaking her head, the Saiyan mercenary stormed out the stall and grumbled to herself, "What am I doing with my life?"

Gine walked out of the women's restroom before making her way towards the exit.

The bartender took a look at Gine's new outfit and smirked. "Nice sweater," he commented snidely.

"Go screw yourself, man", Gine responded before grabbing another bottle off the shelf and walking out the door.

Aya turned to the bartender and bowed. "Again, thank you for your hospitality, Mister Morrison. I hope my friend didn't cause you too much trouble."

"About that, she and that faceless freak are no longer welcome around here," the bartender stated bluntly, "You're welcome anytime, though."

Aya sighed. "I'll be sure to let her know," she said disappointed before awkwardly waved goodbye and walking out the door behind her friend. "That's the fifth bar this week..."

The two women used a lift to travel from the poorer districts of Level 2 to the commercial heart of the station, Level 3. It is where most of the station's hangars are located, which housed various ships from all over the multiverse. The two walked to the 'parking spot' that they were assigned to and saw their ship, which was strapped down by magnetic docking clamps.

This ship was called the Interceptor Mk. II, a state of the art, corvette sized ship fueled by the most powerful energy source in the universe. This ship resembled the ship designs of the technologically advanced Oan civilization with a prominent central disk, where most of the ship's facilities are located. Flanking the disk were two smooth and angular thrusters, and protruding from the back was a dual bladed tip with a central green orb. The ship's exterior was painted silver and green, highlighting the smooth curves of the artistically made corvette. However, the most innovative part of this ship's design was its sophisticated D-drives capable of altering the vibrations of the ship itself in order to travel through the dimensional barrier.

This kind of ship is usually the property of the Guardians of Oa (or a version of them) and would not be available to the wider universe. Even in the black market, this kind of ship would usually go for a price that is way above Gine's mercenary budget. However, Gine didn't exactly bargain for this excellent piece of engineering.

This ship has essentially been the two's mobile (and heavily armed) base of operations ever since they have been in business together. It has taken them to many different worlds and realities in search of work (and occasionally fun), served as their shelter through the good times and bad, and it got them out multiple jams when a world's inhabitants tried to kill them. Needless to say, the Interceptor Mk. II holds a special significance to the two... well, mostly to Aya anyway. To Gine, it was her favorite place to rest her head and not much else.

As the two entered the ship's cargo bay through a ramp hatch, Aya's hard-light form gave out in an electronic buzz to reveal a spherical white and green probe that resembled a large, metal eyeball. The probe flew away deeper into the ship as Gine exited the cargo bay and entered an elevator to get to the ship's main deck. As the lift carried Gine up, she spoke out loud, "Out of all the clothes in my closet, you chose this pink garbage? What the hell?"

A rather lively robotic voice sounded through the ship's speakers. "I think you're being too harsh. You look positively adorable in that sweater."

The elevator doors then opened. Gine walked towards the ship's central 'living room' as she continued to talk to the ship's resident AI, "I don't do 'adorable'. I'm a Saiyan warrior, not some soft Earth teen! I only bought this crappy sweater to fit into that brony convention on Earth-47, a decision I regret if I might add!"

"At least it got you close enough to capture Ultra-Humanite, and unless you forgot, you were paid handsomely for that job. It wasn't all bad."

"I suppose...", Gine conceded as she lazily dumped herself into the couch. "I'm still going to burn this ugly sweater later."

"You're more irritable than usual. What's bothering you?"

Gine took a moment to close her eyes and take a deep breath. After mentally closing herself off, she responded, "I'm just a little hungover, Aya. You know how it is."

"Tell me about it."

Gine sighed. "Not today."

Aya was silent for a moment, almost as if she felt disappointed. "As you wish. Thankfully, I have the best cure for a Saiyan hangover. While you were away, I ordered some food from the commercial district. It's already in the kitchen, so feel free eat to your heart's content. I certainly don't have any use for it."

The Saiyan mercenary hung her head low in shame. "Thanks Aya. You're the best friend I ever had."

"I know," she remarked cheerfully.

"And thanks for letting me live in this ship rent-free."

"Don't mention it. I always appreciate your companionship."

"I'm just gonna... go to the kitchen now," Gine stuttered awkwardly.

"You do that."

Gine crawled out of the couch before shambling along towards the kitchen/dining room while nursing a bad headache. Once she went through the automatic doors, Gine saw a wealth of plastic and paper bags littering the top of her table. Thanks to the Saiyan's heightened sense of smell, Gine could pick up delicious and tantalizing aromas from spicy Chinese food to greasy burgers and fries, grocery store rotisserie chicken, sweet smelling pies from the bakery, and more!

The various scents danced inside Gine's sensitive nose and beckoned the hungry Saiyan to this feast like the voice an alluring siren. And like any good Saiyan, Gine obeyed her nose and her stomach with a salivating grin as she literally floated towards the dinner table and gently placed herself on a chair.

One second later, Gine grabbed a takeout box and ripped it open before grabbing fistfuls of rice and orange chicken and shoving it straight into her mouth hole. She cleared out the box in less than a minute before throwing it away and grabbing another take-out box to do the same in less time.

As Gine was burning through a week's worth of food, Aya summoned one of her spherical probes in front of the Saiyan.

"I know you don't like being interrupted during a meal..."

"Thun don dew it...", Gine said as her voice was muffled by the half-pound of chicken in her mouth.

"But this is important. Business important. Would you mind listening for a minute?"

"Fayne...", Gine conceded before swallowing and dumping the half-eaten rotisserie chicken back in its package. Like a grumpy toddler, Gine glared at Aya's probe as she listened to whatever the nosy AI had to say.

"Do you remember our regular from Earth-1?"

"The hot blonde?", the Saiyan guessed rather crudely.

"Her name is Director Lawrence, but yes. She and her organization just gave us a mission. A manhunt to be specific."

"It might just be my hangover, but don't we have an ongoing contract with this woman? We're on her retainer, right?"

"Affirmative. Director Lawrence's organization is paying us five hundred thousand credits a month in exchange for having our services on demand. The missions she issues take priority. The finer details are in that meticulously crafted contract negotiated by yours truly if you require a refresher."

"So we're her patsies then?", Gine scoffed, "Geez, whose bright idea was that?"

"That would be yours, Gine."

The Saiyan blushed with embarrassment. "I... oh..."

Aya let out a static laugh from her speakers. "You make this too easy sometimes."

"Just... just explain the job already," Gine said trying to change the topic. Aya decided to stop tormenting her friend for now, at least until after dinner.

"The target is one Solomon Grundy," Aya stated before the probe projected a holographic image from its 'pupil' depicting both the image of the target and the intel they have on him.

Based on the images shown, Solomon Grundy is over seven feet tall and is rather bulky with muscles. His skin is pale and cracked like a corpse, and his hair was a slightly darker shade of grey. He also wore a ripped and ragged two-piece suit that is covered in dirt and grime, and the hulking man is often depicted as having a noticeable hunch and a shamble in his gait. Most concerning of all, however, is that Grundy had a bunch a knives embedded in his back but doesn't seem to notice it even when he is moving. In all, Solomon Grundy seems like he was a dead man walking. A dead man who has been taking steroids, but still.

"Is that a zombie?"

"In a sense. Before Mr. Grundy was reborn into his current state, he was Cyrus Gold of Earth-2, a mob boss who used to control much of Central City's criminal underworld. However, the occupational hazards of his profession eventually caught up to Mr. Gold, ending with him being stabbed multiple times by his enemies before they dumped his body in the sewers. However, when Earth-2's Particle Accelerator exploded, it bathed his corpse with dark matter, reanimating him into a superpowered zombie."

"He looks like a strong one," Gine commented as she observed a video where Grundy threw a car at the police without much effort.

"Indeed he is. Solomon Grundy has Class A superhuman strength, and his undead physiology allows him to survive almost everything. However, his mutation also caused him to have a very diminished intelligence, which is why Earth-2's Zoom was able to use him as his personal enforcer when he came into power. He is also one of the many metahumans that accompanied Zoom during his invasion of Earth-1's Central City."

"From what I heard, Earth-2's Zoom is dead, so who is holding Grundy's leash now?"

"Grundy, along with the rest of Zoom's gang, was apprehended and detained by ARGUS. However, his black site prison was recently raided by an unknown party. Solomon Grundy was one of the many metahumans who escaped. Based on the information that the client provided, Solomon Grundy has returned to Central City, where he was engaged in a string of anti-government attacks and heists with other metahuman criminals."

The probe then projected a list of names that the zombie has associated with, which included the likes of Barbara Ann Minerva, Kyle Nimbus, Waylon Jones, and Scandal Savage.

"Interesting crowd...", Gine commented as she hummed to herself, "What does she want us to do with him?"

"Lawrence requested that we bring Grundy to her alive. Or at least functional in his case. I believe she wants interrogate him. For what, I cannot say."

"That's probably not our business," Gine then asked, "Do we have a time limit here?"

"Yes. Lawrence expects us to apprehend Solomon Grundy by the end of the day. I believe she'll take one hundred thousand credits off our next payment for every day he remains free. Harsh, but it's well within her rights."

"Such a slave driver that one...", Gine commented to herself, "Let's not waste any more time then. Set a course to Earth-1."

"Already ahead of you. We shall be making the jump after I am finished with our monthy maintenance. By my calculations, we will be ready to fly in approximately one hour. Are you going to rest for your upcoming hunt, or are you going to finish your meal?"

Gine scoffed. "What kind of question is that?"

The Saiyan picked up the half-eaten chicken, and she sunk her ravenous fangs into its desiccated flesh.

Central City

Earth-1

In the city where the impossible is possible, a simply implausible bank robbery was currently in progress. The perpetrator of this relatively mundane crime is an equally mundane techno-criminal named Drury Walker, known in Gotham City as the D-list 'supervillain', Killer Moth.

Drury Walker based most of his MO around a certain Caped Crusader from his hometown but repackaged it into a moth theme. The criminal wore a purple flight suit with robotic insect wings that allowed him to fly. To compliment his outfit, Walker also wore a lime green moth helmet and a utility belt that held many of his gadgets including his signature weapon- a gas gun.

After neutralizing the guards inside with knockout gas and grabbing a bag full of money, Killer Moth rushed out of the bank before the cops arrived.

Kicking down the glass doors, the insect themed criminal turned back to the cornered civilians in the bank, raising his gas gun proudly, as he exclaimed, "Tremble in fear Central City! For this is not the last you will see of the Killer Moth! My reign of terror has only just begun!"

With his piece said, Killer Moth's insect wings fluttered rapidly as rockets propelled him into the sky with his spoils in hand. As the lower tier criminal flew high above the buildings, Drury Walker was confident that this was the beginning of a prosperous, new criminal career.

But then a yellow streak raced across the streets below before running around in electrified circles directly under Killer Moth's flight path. In a split-second, the yellow figure gathered some of that electricity and shot it up into the sky. The lightning bolt hit Killer Moth directly, short-circuiting the propulsion system and making the criminal fall into the earth like a whiney Icarus.

"I DON'T WANNA DIE! MOMMY!", Moth screamed as he wet himself in fear.

Before the insect themed criminal went splat, the yellow shape used his super speed to run up the side of a nearby building before jumping across to catch Killer Moth. His feet landed into the side of the bank before the figure carried Killer Moth into the street.

By the time they stopped, Killer Moth was sitting on the ground in handcuffs with his wings pulled apart and his utility belt confiscated.

"What the hell?!", the Moth cursed as he squirmed around looking for the cause of these impossible events.

He didn't look far as the lesser villain stared at a young man in yellow and red spandex. With a smug smirk, the man was looking down on Walker with the latter's utility belt in his hands. This man was one of Central City's famous superpowered metahumans. He was a speedster, a metahuman with the ability to tap into the Speed Force in order to move at superhuman speeds.

"The Flash?!", Killer Moth whined, "I thought this city was supposed to be hero-free!"

"It's Kid Flash," the young superhero corrected, "And this city has two more heroes that could also kick your ass."

"They don't have powers, don't they?"

"One can open portals and the other one can turn into steel, so you're out of luck there," Kid Flash said frankly.

"Damn it!", the Moth cried as he punched the ground in frustration, "I knew I should've tried Metropolis instead! Why did I even come to this freakshow town?"

The police cars then stopped next to the two.

"Looks like it's off to jail you go," Kid Flash cheerfully pointed out.

"Come on, man. Give me a break," Killer Moth whined rather pitifully, "I was going through a rough patch in Gotham. I just wanted a win for once."

"Well, you are free to find that win in Iron Heights, bug man," Wally responded unsympathetically.

Killer Moth slouched in frustration. "It's Killer Moth..."

The officers stepped out of their vehicles as one of them grabbed the criminal and forced him to his feet.

As Killer Moth was led to the police cars and was read his rights, Kid Flash snidely commented, "Better luck next time, Bee Movie!"

"It's Killer Moth, damn it! And I'm gonna be a big deal one day! You'll see!", Drury shouted muffling his sobs before being shoved into the back of the police car.

As Kid Flash handed off Killer Moth's wings and utility belt to another officer, a tall and handsome brunette approached the young superhero.

"Nice bust, Kid Flash," he commented smiling as the speedster took notice of him. "Steel would've done it better, but you did good."

Kid Flash smiled back. "Oh really?", he said coyly, "How do you think Steel could've brought down Mothman while he was in the air, good citizen?"

The man pointed at a nearby sewer grate. "He could've thrown that at him. Three hundred pounds of metal flying as fast as a bullet would've dropped the Fly like that," he said snapping his fingers.

"And if he got right back up?"

The man then motioned a swing. "Metal fist to the face. I hear Steel has quite the right hook."

Kid Flash laughed. "You do realize that you just killed the guy twice over now, right?"

The man shrugged. "Well, we can't all have super speed, bro."

Kid Flash then dropped the veneer and motioned to shake the man's hand. "It's good to see you, Nate."

Nate shook Kid Flash's hand and brought him close into a friendly hug. "You too, Wally."

Once the cops left with Killer Moth, Kid Flash quickly changed out of his iconic outfit and into his civilian clothes as Wally West, average resident of Central City.

Wally walked down the sidewalk with his friend, Nathaniel Heywood, who was the alter ego of the superhero, Citizen Steel. The two friends and colleagues were shooting the shit as they walked down their city's busy streets.

"So your girl just left you? Just like that?", Wally asked a little surprised.

Nate nodded somberly and sighed, "Yup. Two months of living together, supporting each other, loving each other... and Amaya just left without even a goodbye note. And on my birthday."

Wally nodded sympathetically. "Man, that sucks. Why would she do that? I thought you two were doing good."

"I thought so too, but I guess it had to be this way," Nate sighed as he thought about his former girlfriend's... unusual circumstances. "Anyway, I really don't wanna talk about it."

"I hear you," Wally nodded in understanding.

After a moment, Nate took a deep breath and asked, "So how's Team Flash? You all getting along alright?"

"We're... good," Wally said hesitating, "I mean, we are doing fine. Losing Barry was hard, but we're coping. Well... for the most part."

"I'm listening."

Wally sighed. "Well, the team is doing alright. We're still catching metas even with Barry gone, but Iris has been a little distant lately. She's throwing herself into her work at the expense of... everything else, really. Not that I blame her considering she lost her fiance. Cisco is like that too. Most of the time, he seems to be obsessed with that secret project of his. He barely goes out anymore, but at least he has Gypsy. Thankfully, Dad has been keeping it together... most days at least. With Julian, Caitlin, Tracy, and HR gone, the team kinda feels empty most days. Even a little disconnected."

"That's rough, man," Nate said softly, "If you don't mind me asking, how are you doing?"

"All things considered, I'm doing fine. I'm doing better as a speedster. I'm at a good place with Jesse even if we don't see each other as much these days. I feel a little guilty for taking Barry's spot on the team, but it could be worse."

"That's good, Wally. That's good," Nate nodded along before sighing. "I wish my team was still around. Ever since Rip took away the Waverider, the Legends are pretty much kaput these days."

"I heard about that. Must be tough."

"Yeah," Nate sighed. "I guess everyone in the hero circle is going through a rough patch recently."

"I'll say. It says something about our situation when I'm starting to empathize with that butterfly guy."

"Talk about some downer endings," Nate mused wistfully. He turned to Wally asking, "Can you think of anything positive to come out of all of this?"

Wally picked his brain for answers until he responded with, "We stopped Savitar from killing Iris. You?"

"We, um... I...", Nate stammered before finally sighing and settling with, "I learned how to make my own donuts."

"That's... good," Wally said awkwardly. It was then that Wally's phone began to ring from his pocket. He pulled it out and answered, "Yeah?"

It was his sister, Iris.

"Wally. There's an ongoing meta attack on a diamond exchange in Wolfman Drive, and he's a big one. CCPD is on the scene, but Cisco is busy with an armed robbery in Pérez Street. There are still civilians present in the area. You better get there fast."

"On it," Wally said before ending the call. He turned to Nate. "Listen, I gotta go."

"Kid Flash stuff. I get it," he said nodding in understanding.

"You know, you could tag along," Wally suggested with an encouraging smile, "I could use your help."

Nate shook his head hesitantly. "I don't know. I'm not really in the right mind to do anything right now after... you know."

"I get it, but a good friend once told me that if you get bucked off the horse, the best thing you could do is to get back on the damn thing. And speaking from personal experience, kicking bad guy ass is the best way to get back on the proverbial horse."

"That last bit is kinda mess up," Nate remarked before stuttering awkwardly, "But I see what you're saying. And yeah... I guess I could stand to take my mind off of Amaya for a bit. You know what, let's do it. Right now. Before I get cold feet."

Wally patted his friend on the shoulder. "My man."

The speedster then took his friend and disappeared from the street they were on in a streak of yellow lightning.

Meanwhile on the other side of the city, a police barricade was currently set up outside the diamond exchange, where the metahuman criminal, Solomon Grundy, was currently raiding. A row of squad cars was surrounded around the front entrance with over a dozen cops pointing their guns at the glass doors. Inside, the hulking zombie was pacing around the lobby with a scowl and scores of hostages on their stomachs. Over Grundy's hunched back was a big burlap sack filled with the diamonds he stole. His motive seems to be apparent.

Over a megaphone, Detective Joe West, the father of both Iris and Wally, called out to the metahuman criminal. "CCPD! You're surrounded! Come out with your hands up!"

The zombie meta snarled as spoke back with a more booming voice. "Grundy no have to listen to man-pigs! Grundy want shiny things! Man-pigs better let Grundy keep his shiny things, or Grundy smash puny humans!"

"So he's as stupid as he looks," Joe said under his breath before he shouted into the megaphone, "Listen Mister... Grundy, was it? All we want is keep the people in there with you safe. You want something, I want something, so why don't we just calm down and just talk like adults?"

"Uh...", Grundy drooled stupidly before shaking his head and shouting, "Grundy wants his shiny things! Grundy also want a spiny flying thing! And a pony! A very pretty pony! Give Grundy or Grundy smash!"

"O-Okay we're working on it," Joe said very confused about the situation, "So you want a helicopter and a... pony? Am I getting that right?"

Grundy scratched his head. When the hamster running the wheel of his brain finally sped up, the zombie spoke up, "That right! Give to Grundy now!"

"We're going to need a couple hours to make the right calls. Is that okay to you?"

A rookie cop came up to Joe and whispered to him, "We're not really giving that idiot an actual pony, right?"

"Of course not. We're just buying Kid Flash enough time to get in there and evacuate the civilians," Joe answered softly.

"Just checking. That sounds good," the rookie nodded before going off and whispering to herself, "Because if anyone deserves a pony, it's me..."

Joe repeated, "We just need a couple hours. Can you give us that?"

Grundy growled in a low, menacing tone. "No! Give Grundy now! Grundy wants pretty pony now!"

"And we'll give it to you. Just give us a couple hours. We can't just pull ponies and choppers out of our..."

"No! No! Grundy wants pony now!", the zombie reacted violently as he dropped his burlap bag and began shambling through the lobby towards the counter. As he passed, the zombie's hostages covered their eyes and winced in fear as Solomon Grundy used his sheer bulk to smash through the counter and move towards a nearby safe. He began to rant to himself, "Grundy don't even want stupid shiny things! Grundy wants ponies! And old city! Friends! And Grundy want Zoom back!"

In his rage, the metahuman zombie effortlessly ripped the huge safe door off his hinges as he then threw the metal object out the doors with an animalistic shout. The makeshift projectile smashed right through the glass doors, reducing them to tiny shards, as the safe door began racing towards Joe with almost the same speed as bullet.

The detective's eyes widened as his fellow officers started run away from the metal object's general trajectory. "Oh crap!", Joe cursed as he tried to jump away from the squad car. Thankfully, a yellow streak managed to grab Joe and pull him away safely. As the metal projectile safely embedded itself into the squad car, Joe witnessed the yellow streak run into the diamond exchange. With a relieved sigh, he said, "Thank God for that boy."

As Grundy was finished throwing the safe lid out the door, this streak zoomed all over the lobby, picking up the hostages and dropping them off to the police outside one-by-one. The zombie looked around confused before a brush of wind pelted his undead face. When Grundy opened his eyes again, he saw two superheroes standing in front of him, one in a yellow suit and the other with a more star-spangled outfit.

Citizen Steel began by taunting, "Hey Frankenstein! You're giving us bronies a bad name. Shame on you, man."

The metahuman brute growled, "Grundy's name not Frank Stein! Grundy's name is Grundy!"

Steel whispered to Kid Flash, "Big guy with gray skin and doing stupid speak? Somebody's gonna get sued by Marvel."

"Hulk has green skin though," Wally corrected.

"I actually read that he actually had grey skin in his first appearance."

"Really?"

"Ah huh," Nate confirmed to which Wally responded with an amused smile.

Steel turned to Grundy and continued, "This is usually the part where I talk big and say something like, 'surrender' or 'resistance is futile', but you strike me as the kind of guy who would say something back and throw the first punch like a boneheaded Neanderthal. Am I wrong?"

The zombie shouted. "Grundy no give up! Grundy no punch! Grundy...", he then dug his giant hands deep into the floor and picked up a boulder sized piece of concrete, "Smash!"

The brute then tossed the boulder at the two heroes. Nate whined, "You weren't even trying to hide it that time!"

Kid Flash ran off, while Citizen Steel activated his powers and turned his skin into the metal of his namesake. Now in his Steel form, Nate ran forth and pressed his denser arms forward, catching the boulder around his arms. Steel used his super strength to bear against the makeshift projectile. At the same time, Wally ran forward and raced around Solomon Grundy at supersonic speeds, surrounding the zombie in a circle of yellow lightning.

Solomon Grundy grew frustrated as he struggled to track the young speedster with his eyes. Grundy shouted and grunted as he flailed his fists at the lightning. "Little man! Stay still! Grundy want to smash!"

"If you say so," Kid Flash remarked sarcastically before swinging his arm to fire a lightning bolt from his hand. The lightning bolt struck Grundy directly in the chest, electrocuting him and forcing him on his knees with a pained scream. The speedster then got out of the way as Steel threw the boulder right back at Grundy. The rock shattered into a thousand pieces upon impact on the zombie, and the force managed to launch him across the floor as he let out a pained whimper.

However, Solomon Grundy quickly got back up and started to foam in the mouth as he started to growl like a dog. "Bad men hurt Grundy! Grundy kill bad men! Kill them to death!"

"Out of all the pop culture references that I thought I'd hear today, I'd never thought anyone would reference that comic," Nate commented snidely.

"I'll bring him back down," Wally said before speeding at Solomon Grundy and running circles around him while also pummeling him with lightning punches.

Grundy moaned and staggered as Kid Flash's barrage of punches began to wear down the metahuman zombie. The onslaught of pain was like a dreadful tidal wave to the simple-minded zombie, but when that pain spiked at its climax, a frightening calm began to overcome Solomon Grundy.

His eyes turned from silver to red, and the zombie took a deep breath similar to that of a bull ready to charge. With a low, indiscernible tone, Grundy stood straight and spoke, "Solomon Grundy..."

With an uncanny precision, Grundy managed to track Kid Fash and swipe him away with the back of his hand, sending him flying. "Born on a Monday!"

As Kid Flash slid down the floor, Steel's eyes widened in shock. "What the hell?!"

Steel tried to retaliate by running up and delivering a forceful punch into the zombie's sternum. However, Grundy barely budged against the hero's fist. After seeing how ineffective his first punch was, Citizen Steel then threw another punch and then another, but again, Grundy wasn't phased. Solomon Grundy then grabbed Steel's sides and lifting him up with his super strength.

"Christened on Tuesday!", Grundy screamed before slamming Steel back to the floor, "Married on Wednesday!"

The zombie picked Steel up by the legs before spinning around in a pivot and throwing him to a nearby pillar. "Took ill on Thursday!"

Kid Flash got up and glared at Grundy. He sped up to the front of the door before running back towards the metahuman zombie at the speed of sound. When he got into striking distance, Wally leaped forward to strike Grundy with an electrified fist. However, Grundy managed to react fast enough to grab Kid Flash's wrist before it could impact his collar. The zombie grinned sadistically before slamming Wally into the ground.

"Grew!", Grundy then slammed Wally again in another direction, "Worse!", and then another, "On!", and another, "Friday!"

The zombie then picked up the bruised and battered Kid Flash and flashed a smile at his pain clenched face before ripping one of the knives from his back and stabbing it into the speedster's gut.

"GAAAHH!", Wally screamed as he felt rusted steel twisting in him.

Grundy laughed evilly before leaning close and whispering into the speedster's ear, "Died on Saturday."

The villain then ripped the knife out of Kid Flash before flinging him away like a football. As Steel got back up with his metal form down, Wally's body impacted on his chest, putting the two back down. As the two heroes squirmed on the ground together, Grundy walked towards them with a gait that resembled less like a shambling zombie and more like the refined mobster he once was with a straight back and a swagger in his step. "Buried on...", Grundy let out a pained grunt as ripped out another knife out of his back, "Sunday!"

"That was the end of Solomon Grundy," the zombie stated before continuing with an evil smile, "But the day is just gettin' started for Ol' Cyrus Gold!"

"What the hell?", Nate said as he watched the zombie's personality change out of the blue. He then heard the pained groans of Kid Flash, and the hero turned to see friend still lying on the floor with his hand clutching is heavily bleeding wound. Steel rushed to his side with concern lighting up his face. "Kid Flash! Don't try to move, you're hurt!"

"Nah... it's not so bad. I can still... gah!", Wally screamed as the pain spiked when he tried to pick himself back up.

Solomon Grundy, or rather his alternate personality, Cyrus Gold, laughed in the background. He taunted in a stereotypical Mafia accent, "I wouldn't worry about him, Steel Boy. Even if he wasn't a speedster, it would take him hours to bleed out."

Steel ignored his taunts as he continued to tend to his friend. "Can you superspeed your way out of here?"

Wally groaned, "Nope! Not as long as I got this hole in my stomach! Damn, sorry to let you down like this man..."

"Hey, don't sweat it bro. Just call Joe. Tell him to pick you up, and let that healing factor of yours do the rest," Nate then turned to the knife-wielding zombie and finished, "I'll take it from here."

Citizen Steel got up and walked towards the villain. Kid Flash tried to outstretch his hand to a nearby pillar to pick himself back up, only to be held back by his stab wound. "Damn it!", he cursed to himself.

The star-spangled hero transformed into his Steel form as he and Cyrus Gold met each other eye-to-eye. Steel told him, "I noticed that you're no longer doing that Hulk-speak from before. What was that anyway? An act?"

Gold shrugged. "A side effect from my resurrection. I became stronger than I ever thought possible, but now I have to share this body with that idiot you saw earlier. Such a patsy, that one. Grundy craves leadership, be it from Zoom or that nutbar who put us up to this. He never realized that with this power, he could be the boss of this town. Well, I ain't gonna make that same mistake. After I'm done wasting all you so-called heroes, Central City's gonna have a new Zoom and his name is Cyrus Gold!"

Steel caught on to what Gold was said. He continued to question him, "And who put you up to this?"

Cyrus Gold looked at the hero funny before chuckling to himself. "A slip up, my bad. Looks like Grundy's rubbing off on me more than I'd like. No matter, though. I'll just put you both into the ground before you tell anybody."

The zombie then stomped towards Steel, menacingly sharpening his knives with each other as he does so. Steel raised his fists as he prepared himself for another round with the zombie. However, Joe and a few other of his fellow officers stormed into the building with their weapons raised.

With a metahuman restraining gun pointed at Cyrus Gold, Joe shouted, "Get away from him, you bastard!"

The angry papa bear then pulled the trigger and fired a metahuman dampening collar at Cyrus Gold. However, the zombie managed to react quickly enough to slash the collar in half before it could dampen his powers.

Gold took a brief look at the bewildered Detective West before chuckling to himself. "More pigs to skewer. Lucky day!"

He then threw both his knives at the police officers, one at Joe and the other at the cop next to him.

"No!", Steel shouted as he ran towards the officers to try to shield them with his body. However, he's not a speedster. He won't make it in time. The knives would've raced forward unopposed and skewer the two officers, a tragedy in the making.

Thankfully, a figure moving near the speed of sound crashed through the ceiling like high-caliber bullet. It crashed feet first near the police officers, cracking the floors open and creating a shockwave the drove everything back. The shockwave pushed everyone standing on their backs. The force slammed into the knives, flinging them to the opposite direction and sending them clattering safely into the floor.

After everyone took a moment to work through their small concussions, Cyrus Gold and Citizen Steel stood up with wide eyed surprise as they taken a look at this new interloper.

The figure was none other than Gine herself, who was now decked out in full combat gear with her tail wrapped around her waist. Her new outfit is now made up of a steel breastplate covering over a short-sleeved green shirt along with fingerless metal gauntlets, black cargo pants, and leather boots. Strapped to her thigh was a sheath carrying a special knife, and over her face was a white mask with black streaks across the red lenses over her eyes, which gave Gine the look of a malevolent spirit.

"Who the hell are you?", Gold asked the Saiyan mercenary.

Gine smirked behind her mask. "I'm just the monkey hired to take you down."

I hope you all are liking this rewritten version of this first chapter. It's been a little difficult trying to input my new vision, while keeping as much of the good stuff as possible. I just hope that these rewrites don't make the story an incomprehensible Frankenstein job. That would be unfortunate, but I'd like to think that my skills have a writer have improved since when I started. For any of my old readers, I'll explain why I decided to do these rewrites in the first place in the third chapter. For anyone new, I have some notes to share about my story that will clear up some questions.

When it comes to timeline placement, the main story of this fic obviously takes place during the time skip between Seasons 3 and 4 of the Flash, meaning that Barry won't be in the picture for a long time unfortunately. As for the DBZ part of the timeline, the story takes place shortly after the Tournament of Power arc but before Dragon Ball Super: Broly, and it assumes that the events of Dragon Ball FighterZ (particularly the Android 21 route) happened. This will have greater significance later on, but for now that's all we need to know. Additionally, I will also be placing flashback segments throughout this story ala Arrow that tells the journey of Gine after the destruction of Planet Vegeta and the events that led her to be the woman we see 41 years later (sorta, time gets weird across universes).

Additionally, I decided to integrate the 12 universes of Dragon Ball into the Arrowverse multiverse, and they are going to designated Earths 101 to 112. Although Dragon Ball has its set of gods that govern these universes, for the purposes of this fic, the Omni-Kings and his subordinate gods only have influence over these universes. I know it sounds terribly confusing, but here's my idea. There are a multitude of gods and other godlike beings and forces across the multiverse. Some of them are only powerful enough to influence one world, while others are strong enough to hold sway over multiple universes. However, most gods are unable to influence universes outside their sphere, at least not without severe consequences. This means that the gods of Dragon Ball won't be a factor in this story for as long as Gine is outside of the Omni-Kings' universes, meaning that I don't have to worry about them and can use DC's cosmic forces without breaking the lore too bad.

As for the naming conventions, not everyone is going to refer to their world by the "official" Earth designations. Dragon Ball's gods, for example, refer to their universes as Universes 1 to 12 like canon as to them their universes are the center of the multiverse. Just keep that in your back pocket for now.

I'm not sure if I'll find the opportunity to get this into the story proper, but the super-secret organization that hired Gine and Aya is a relatively new organization created by the president to deal with extra-normal phenomena (ie metahumans, aliens, magic). It's basically Earth-1's version of the DEO, but it will take up another name from the comics. If you hadn't figured it out by now, this is a result of Supergirl suggesting to Earth-1's US president about forming the DEO after the Dominator invasion. This organization's leader is a version of Liberty Belle, AKA Libby Lawrence, from the All-Star Squadron. However, she's going to be a little different from her comics self, and I will be combining her character with aspects of another. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised to see who when she finally shows up.

As for Gine's robot gal pal, she won't merely be an adaptation of her character into the Arrowverse. Rather, this will be the same Aya that we saw in Green Lantern: The Animated Series. Considering the cartoon's events clash with my vision for the Arrowverse timeline, Aya and her peers will originate in Earth-16 rather than Earth-1. Yes, that means that in my fic's canon, Young Justice and GL:TAS happen in the same universe. Namely, the events of the latter predate the former in Earth-16. When I was younger and watching both shows on Cartoon Network, I always imagined that those two awesome cartoons took place in the same universe because they work so well in my mind. The only real change to that timeline in this fic is that the Interceptor crew took on a Galactus-like Manhunter Prime rather than the Anti-Monitor on the second half of the series as the Arrowverse will be using a multiversal version of that character in their upcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths.

As for Aya herself, you already saw how much she has grown since the events of the cartoon along with a noticeable change in occupation (although all is not what it seems). You'll see how she survived and even changed soon enough, I assure you. Also because this is a fanfiction, I have to clarify that I'm not shipping Aya and Gine together. Aya is not with Gine romantically nor is she attracted to her. They're just friends. Gine is not in an emotional state that would allow a stable relationship (yet), and Aya is not attracted to women.

And for any of you interested in the details of present Gine's power level, techniques, and stuff like that, I will be putting off describing that for the next chapter as I want to show off her abilities in a fight first before giving her stats. Also, considering the Flash TV show has referenced Dragon Ball Z before I'll be pretending that they didn't and Dragon Ball doesn't exist in Earth-1. Sad, I know, but that makes things easier for me.

Before I go, I'd like to point out that I name dropped two famous comic creators during this story. Other than to make a fun Easter Egg, I did this because I will be incorporating two characters that they created into my story. I won't say any more for now, so I'll leave you all to the fun guessing and speculation.

That should be it for now. I hope you guys liked what you saw, and I would appreciate a review for both support and creative criticism (no trolling please). Thanks for the read, and I hope you have a nice day.