~Chapter 1: Goku~

Tendo is the epitome of "Secret-Underground-Country". It is the first one of the kind, buried deep under China. As more and more of the remaining population of South Asia migrated to the hastily-built underground networks, it slowly grew larger to accommodate the mass of over 20,000 people taking shelter there. Tendo's capital, Tianyi, was built first. Then, slowly, more apartments of soil and clay expanded the underground providence. Tianyi is the most structured and luxurious city in Tendo. It's reinforced with iron plates around the city. The living spaces are three times bigger than the living spaces in the rest of Tendo. The people there almost live carefree.

Everywhere else, they walk through dry dirt tunnels and sleep in apartments that are the size of a van. There are local kitchens where people eat two times per day. Water is accessible through tiny holes which sit in the ground of every apartment complex. It's not the choice of living for most, but it's better than not living at all.

Goku walked through the city of Theph, which is just on the outskirts of Tianyi. His footsteps made tapping and crunching sounds beneath the dirt, echoing and causing a stir from people listening intently from their cots. Everything echoes in Tendo. There are no secrets of any kind. Every move made is tracked by the ears of others and the desperate suspicions they have. That is probably why it is always so eerily quiet. People don't want to be spied on, so they keep quiet while they lie on their cots for hours on end, just waiting and listening. Knowing this very well, Goku still made his steps loud and prideful.

Goku is an energetic man. He is abnormal to all who encounter him. When he was only about three years old, the war to protect Earth had started. His grandfather, who was his one and only guardian, was forced into the army, and he was never heard from again. Everyone assumed that he had died. Goku knew he had. Shortly after the enlistment and shortly before the move into Tendo, Goku was taken in by a rich family known by the world as the creators of Capsule Corp.; and he was once asked by their daughter, Bulma, if Goku thought that his grandfather was still alive somewhere. Goku only turned his head and flatly stated, 'The bad guys are pretty strong. He's dead. I know it'. Bulma, shocked, nodded her head in response and watched Goku blink listlessly after answering.

Goku was, and is still his own being. He has never been shaped by others. He was only shaped by himself, and even so, he is still ever-changing. He is flexible in many ways and knows how to handle many situations. He has an iron will, but still gets done whatever needs to be done, and by any means necessary. To many, he is a truly extraordinary person; but in this age, extraordinary is a complicated attribute.

Not many like opposition to Tendo, mainly because opposition leads to conflict, and conflict leads to dire situations — dire situations, being, going above ground. In turn, Goku is watched by many. Any one person can spot him in a crowd. To their surprise and resent, though, Goku does not care. He keeps doing what he deems necessary. Many know everything about Goku, whether it was by choice or not; but almost no one knows his biggest plan that he knows will change the course of things: he wants out.

A/N: Ahhhh, the names. I feel like some would be hard to read/pronounce, so here is a pronunciation chart of the country/city names I used:

• Tendo - tehn-doh

• Tianyi - sheeyan-yi

• Theph - tep

Also, constructive criticism and questions are still welcome! Thanks for the positive reviews on the Prologue, too! :) —Ebee