Tide

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z or any of its characters.

This is just something a little different

Warning for swearing, violence etc.

Chapter 1

He clutched his fist, his fingers circling the steering wheel ahead of him. Glancing quickly in the rear view mirror his sharp eyes spotted his pursuer behind a wall of dust. Grimacing, he swung the wheel left, making the wheel's screech. The man to his left leaned out of the open window, his shirt catching on the vehicle's damaged door. The tearing fabric seared through Piccolo's sensitive hearing.

Goten's voice was strained but loud.

"Once more!"

Piccolo nodded mutely and drove the accelerator to the floor, swinging the car round further. The thudding of three more shots rocked the jeep and Piccolo flinched, gritting his teeth. Goten saw his chance, one more shot. Rearing back into his seat the young man turned to the Namek.

"Got him"

Piccolo straightened the four by four, putting his foot down gently. His deep voice rumbled when he spoke.

"How long do we have?"

Goten shook his watch loose, dirt and dark marks marred the young man's arm. This did nothing to curb the teenager's tone, he grinned with his response.

"Half hour, if that"

That's how long it would take before someone external realised there was a problem.

"We should make it" Piccolo hated the worried tone his voice seemed to drum lately, he missed being certain.

They were both wearing the Capsule Corp security uniform, dark in colour. Piccolo's face was hidden with a cap and sunglasses, his pointed ears making a mockery of his disguise. He felt ridiculous. Goten was wearing the same, the hat did well to hide his wild hair. The young teen glanced to his right, Piccolo looked tired. His cheek bones jutted out underneath the glasses and his wrist had worked loose of the jacket; it looked thin.

Times were hard. And they're getting even harder, Goten thought bitterly.

Piccolo held the wheel steady as he drove through the countryside. The trees were untouched, a part of him smiled at that, the part that wasn't exhausted. He looked at the young man beside him and his expression softened. He doesn't deserve this. The Namek had grown attached to Goten, the young man was so like the young Gohan. Their cruel reality caught up with him except Goten has a gun.

He dragged his thoughts away and focused on the road. As they passed a forest Piccolo caught sight of a lake and where the sun touched it glistened. He felt the sting of thirst, the coarseness of his throat making itself well and truly known. He tore his eyes away from it. How weak I've become. He felt shame tinge his cheeks, and his temper. Bastards

The water tables had been the first to go, something tainting the rivers underneath the ground. Only a few months passed by before every pool was poisonous, every rain drop, even the frost on the leaves. People started to die, the food was slowly becoming tainted. They had watched on as neighbours killed one another for bottled water. The world was in such a panic that they didn't have the time, or energy, to notice the real problem.

Governments, once in tatters, suddenly rose to power. News reports would speak of a new era, an answer to their worldwide mayhem. Their new leaders, however, we not what the Z senshi had expected. They weren't human. Piccolo remembered saying that they were some race even Kame had little knowledge of. New rules were put into place and before long, things were back to what huma's would call "normal". They created a rationing system for safe food and water, each person had to work for it. They were called heroes.

The first time Piccolo had run into one of these aliens he had been surprised. The alien creature stood at his height, he was fairly human looking but had so much blue in his eyes Piccolo struggled to see the iris. He had been with Goku, Gohan and Trunks. Without hesitating the four of them lunged at their oppressor, throwing kicks and punches faster than the creature could see. It was physically as strong as they were but didn't seem to fight very well. Before long Goku had pinned it him to the ground but before he could release his attack the piercing light in his hand vanished. Gohan had leaped to fly at the creature but instead of moving forward he just dropped, coughing into the dirt. Trunks looked round with wide eyes and Piccolo swallowed. He felt drained, in fact, he felt empty. Like his life force had been leaking and he hadn't noticed.

Their plight came to an abrupt end. The creature had laughed, Piccolo remembered that.

Energy was a reservoir, and it had run dry.

It kindly informed them that their energy was now on tap, and only they had the power to turn it on. Or off.

When they returned Bulma had good and bad news. Her voice was hesitant.

"I've found something in the water. It's almost….like an artificial parasite that's latched onto every molecule. It's Deadly to any humanoid but doesn't harm plants or animals. The only thing is, every living thing that isn't killed by it is laced with it."

She thought for a moment before continuing.

"Food and water is short, you all know that, but I've found a way to filter it. It's not lethal but it's not exactly good for you either. It will have to do"

Food and water was reserved for those in virtual servitude and even then it was corrupt. Bulma had discovered that the "healthy" water was drugged. It made the consumer calm and susceptible to influence. Malleable. Their invaders were enslaving the human race without the human's really knowing it. Those that did know it were silenced quickly.

To get their short supply of food and water they had to work. Every member of the Z senshi get a job, even Piccolo. It would then be filtered down again so it was okay for them to consume.

Piccolo, however, was having some difficulty. Within a few months of the rationing he had grown thinner. The water he was drinking was so filtered that the nutrients Namekian's needed were negligible. The same compounds were missing from the food. If Piccolo ate and drank everything he had he could survive, but It came at a cost. He felt frail and it made him furious. They all still trained but it was harder to build muscle, actions they thought were simple were now a strain.

A bump in the road rocked the jeep, bringing Piccolo to his senses. The jerk had jarred Piccolo's side, reminding the Namek of his injury. Grumbing, he grabbed the wheel and checked on Goten. He was staring out the window with a far away look on his face. Dreamer

Seeing the globe of Capsule Corp appear ahead of them Piccolo breathed a sigh of relief. They drove inside the compound and parked the jeep in the garage. Piccolo switched off the ignition and turned, grabbing a bag from behind the seat. Soon they were walking through the bright corridors of Bulma's labs. The light was bright enough to make his eyes water and Piccolo was suddenly aware that he was cold, and dirty. He slung the bag at Goten, speaking whilsy walking in the opposite direction.

"Give Bulma that, tell Gohan I'll be along after I've cleaned up"

He knew Gohan would be concerned, it seemed to be a permanent state of being for the young demi-Saiyan. He eventually reached his living quarters, Bulma had been kind enough to accommodate everyone. Safety in numbers, he thought miserably. Capsule Corp was still a massive industry, Bulma's company directors took care of the financial side of things and that included negotiations with the Zatori, a term that meant government in the invader's native tongue. She supplied them with her science and inventions. In return they left her alone to her own devices.

Piccolo removed his sunglasses while he walked through his modest living room, with only a sofa, coffee table and a couple of lamps. Books were strewn here and there underneath papers with notes scribbled in margins. He opened the bathroom door, leaving it ajar behind him. Looking into the mirror above the sink he grimaced. He was filthy, and he looked terrible. Gingerly removing his jacket he frowned as his fingers slipped in wet, peeling the fabric from his side. He had thought the bullet grazed him but it looked to have penetrated, purple stained his shirt underneath. Taking the dark shirt off he shook a little, the pain was bad enough and the cold wasn't helping.

He grabbed a cloth and soaked it under the tap. The water made him dizzy, the desire to drink was heavy. He had gotten used to the constant feel of thirst but sometimes it burned a little more than usual. He ringed the cloth and turned off the tap, wiping his face, shoulders and neck before pressing it against his wound. The water in the system was lethal, if he drunk enough it would kill him.

He closed his eyes against the pain when he was interrupted.

"I thought you might be in here"

Gohan cocked his head to the side, taking in the Namek.

Without his shirt on the taller man looked slim, he wasn't skinny yet but Gohan was sure it was only a matter of time. His jade muscles were toned but they weren't comparable to the warrior's previous physique, especially now that his waist was so narrow. Piccolo could feel the younger man's gaze and averted his eyes, it's funny how you can literally feel judgement.

Gohan looked a little rough, his hair was longer than he used to keep it and a little stubble shadowed his face. He was still broad and his muscles still stood defiant and he felt guilt when looking at his mentor. A mistake, however, Gohan had made when they were training. Piccolo looked lithe but he still hit the demi Saiyan hard enough to knock him out. He smiled, it reminded him of the old days.

"You're injured!" Noticing the purple cloth Piccolo was trying to hide, he rushed to the Namek.

He grabbed the him by the shoulders and guided him towards the bedroom, grabbing a towel along the way. Piccolo's voice was gruff.

"I know what I'm doing"

Piccolo worked in the local hospital but even Gohan doubted the Namek's ability to remove a bullet out of his own side.

"Right, I guess getting shot was part of the plan"

Arguments were easier now, like they were on the tip of everyone's tongue. Piccolo scowled.

"Yeah, I thought it would be the highlight of my never fucking ending day"

Gohan hesitated, Piccolo had been swearing more than usual.

"Just let me help you!"

"I don't need your help"

Gohan huffed, this could go on for a while He and Piccolo argued every other day, a part of him knew they both enjoyed it.

Piccolo resigned and lowered his tone.

"Can you grab my kit?"

Gohan went to comply when the said kit was handed to him. Smooth hands pushed blonde hair out of brighter than blue eyes. Like looking into the ocean, Gohan remembered Krillan gushing.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Piccolo was startled, stealth was Eighteen's sixth sense. Sneaky Bitch

Piccolo smiled, he and Eighteen had become something close to friends in recent months. They were both in the medical profession and had stayed up late together studying, or arguing, as Gohan would call it.

"Stalking the halls again Eighteen?"

She raised a delicate brow and smirked.

"No, I could hear you girls arguing from the kitchen"

With that she helped Piccolo remove the bullet and stitch his wound. She tried to make small talk while she was working.

"You're filthy"

Piccolo just grunted. She looked up at him, a little concern reached her eyes.

"I think this is going to scar"

Gohan smirked, she just wasn't the sentimental type. He wondered if the two of them knew how alike they really were.

Piccolo smiled. "I don't think that's my biggest problem at the moment"

With that said, Gohan grounded the conversation, his tone stern.

"I'll see you both when you're done. Bulma's a little puzzled at what you've brought back with you"

They both nodded and he left, looking back at Piccolo briefly before exiting.

Eighteen whipped her head round at the Namek who was seated on his sofa.

"Well look who's become big badass decision maker"

Piccolo chuckled.

"I think it suits him, better than Goku's let's trust everyone and hope for the best technique"

She grinned.

"You know I think it's sweet"

"What is?"

She grabbed his cheek between her finger and thumb and pulled.

"That King Gohan came to check on Princess Piccolo"

Piccolo snarled and batted her hand away, evoking hearty laughter from the once deadly android. The Namek was fuming, she crawled under his skin.

"Oh" She tried to speak while laughing "how the tables have-"

She didn't get to finish the sentence, Piccolo grabbed her face and pushed her roughly backwards, bandages flying everywhere.

That's it for chapter 1, there's a lot more explained in the next chapter and more characters are introduced. Please read and review, let me know what you think!