The planet of Sakesh was a vile and dangerous world hardly worth the effort of colonizing. With a putrid green atmosphere, pus-yellow flora, and a population of fauna that had developed predatory instincts from the simple rat to bigger, crocodile-like creatures, Sakesh was a disgusting world few Saiyans had even seen. This particular patch of ground was ample reminder of that fact; supposedly a swamp, the water was stagnant and putrid, the ground a sickly mush, and the trees strangely twisted and warped.
Gohan could have done without seeing this planet, much less being sent here to train for war. His father, the current commander of the Seventh Regiment, had trained here. His exploits were legendary, his skills unrivaled, and it all originated on this dingy excuse for a mudball. Gohan didn't know how this world would help him become stronger, but at least he didn't have to go through it alone. There were at least thirty more children here. Some were his age, around seven, but some were slightly older or younger. He recognized some of the clan markings on their gi's: there was the Tork clan, known for having sired the most consistent high-level Saiyans in the past two centuries; the Borgan clan, credited to bringing up some of the fiercest Saiyan Conquerers in Saiyan history; the Dorver clan, ancestors of the great Agnar Dorver, the Destroyer of the hated Cold Empire. There were many more, but Gohan looked away, avoiding feeling arrogant about his chances. It didn't help that his family was more legendary than any of the others. It just meant he had more to live up to.
He kept his family gi in his bag, content with the others thinking he was clanless. He instead wore a solid, dark blue gi, similar to the one he wore when he trained in the wilderness with the great God-Warrior Piccolo for almost three years. His mother and father had both been called back to the war by then, and had asked the God-Warrior to train their son in their absence. Piccolo had agreed, putting Gohan through the most brutal training he had ever been through. Even his father had held back in their training sessions before, but Gohan had a small feeling that Piccolo had been pushing him far enough to kill him sometimes. He always seemed to know when to pull back at the last second, and give him some respite, but it was never enough. Oddly enough, Gohan respected him all the more for it. His limits had been pushed farther than any his age, and he had grown stronger because it. He knew in his heart that he was more powerful than everyone here. Even the instructors. After all, he was the son of Goku, the Legendary Super Saiyan.
No one knew about the young boy's incredible power except his father and Piccolo, and even though he had seen it with his own eyes, the Namekian still could hardly believe it. Son Gohan, a seven year old boy, had risen to a level far above him and had outmatched him by a power level of at least a hundred thousand; not many could claim a strength greater than the God-Warrior. Piccolo could see Gohan's potential of becoming the strongest Saiyan in the universe. For a time, Gohan had worried over his heritage. His father never let on his expectations, but Gohan knew he had to ascend soon to carry on his family's legacy. The galaxy expected it as much as his own father.
Gohan pushed the brooding thoughts from his mind, turning his attention to the energy levels he felt fast approaching from the west. They dwarfed the power levels of the other Saiyan children here; his power level far exceeded these mysterious people. He inwardly prepared for a fight; his father told him to expect nothing and to be ready for anything, and so he wouldn't be caught offguard before the training began.
True to his father's warning, he sensed a huge spike in one of the power levels before sensing it take off at unseeable speeds towards them.
It seemed to happen in slow motion to Gohan. A burly Saiyan in massive armor, moving faster than the eye could see, was suddenly among them, striking out at the Saiyan children. It happened so fast, none of the children were prepared, and were sent flying or knocked to the ground, or were catapulted into the air, often before any of the others could hear the scream of surprise.
When he made his move to Gohan, he had attacked thirty-three other children; Gohan was the last child left. Even before the man had closed the distance, Gohan had moved, the man's fist passing where Gohan's head had just been. Before the man could recover, Gohan had moved several feet away, hands up and feet spread in a battle stance.
Instead of attacking, the burly Saiyan stared at Gohan for just a moment before glaring at the others all around him. When he spoke, it was harsh and to the point. "You mean to tell me that out of all you whelps, only one can dodge attacks?" He looked at each child as they picked themselves up off the ground before moving to one and grabbing her by her tail, causing her to scream. "You must always be ready for battle! If that had been Morika, you all would have died!" he screamed in the girl's face. She didn't comment, too terrified to answer. He threw her to the ground in disgust before kicking another boy in the ribs as he tried to stand. "That was pathetic! You are weak! Tell me why I shouldn't save the Morika time and kill you all right now!" He said it to everyone, but he looked pointedly at Gohan.
For a moment, no one said anything. Gohan briefly thought about taunting the man, but reserved himself to simply defend himself should the man attack again.
Before anyone spoke, three other Saiyans descended from the sky, a woman and two men. "Leave them be, Darrow," said one of the men, much smaller and leaner than the other two. "We don't want to kill them before the tests even begin."
The man, Darrow, spit before walking away. The smaller man walked forward and addressed the children as the man and woman began helping them up. "I am Captain Pelazzo. This is Sergeant Corla and Corporol Han." He gestured to the woman and man, respectively. "You've already met Corporol Darrow." The man grunted, and Captain Pelazzo smiled slightly before turning back to the children, setting right to business.
"On the other end of this swamp are medical tents. Between you and the tents are five miles of traps and ambushes organized by our very best strategists. Your objective is to get to the tents as fast as possible. You'll be competing against each other. The longer it takes for you to make it to the tents, the longer you'll wait before your wounds are tended to." He held everyone's gaze a moment longer before pointing into the swamp. "Move out! Don't let anything stop you!"
The children stared in confusion for just a moment before all of them broke out in a run into the swamp, much to the encouragement of the soldiers. They screamed and pushed any they deemed slow enough into the swamp. Many of them found their footing to be lacking in the soft, uneven ground, but Gohan felt right at home, having survived in many different terrains during his training with Piccolo. He had trained in harsh tundras and scorching deserts, and everything in between. A swamp would give him no trouble.
Already he had broken away from the others, his body conditioned to perfection whereas most children were just beginning to learn to fight. He kept his senses trained to the world around him, waiting for an ambush or trap, but continued his speed all the same.
Seconds later, he heard the first student fall to a trap; a lesser-clan Saiyan screamed, and Gohan heard an electro-vice snap. Gohan briefly remembered using those traps while surviving in the wilderness. The trap would snap with enough pressure to break even a Saiyan's leg, delivering an electric shock to paralyze the victim until the trapper could return. It was a common way of hunting game; it was a pathetic way to fall in combat.
He pushed the girl from his mind, knowing she wasn't walking any time soon. He instead continued up a hill, noting a slight depression in the ground as he topped the hill. He quickly jumped, dodging the trap, hearing the boy behind him fall victim to it instead; a stun mine that blinded, deafened and paralyzed the victim for half a minute. He didn't even have time to scream before the blast paralyzed him.
Gohan continued his trek through the swamp, avoiding traps or likely ambushes in favor of longer walk-arounds or slowing for other children to brave the unknown first. His instinct was always right; twice, a student that he let overtake him fell to a trap he thought was there, and he even saw a student fall to an adult Saiyan as he ambushed her with a giant ki blast.
Throughout the run, Gohan kept his senses alert for any trouble, but could tell that just up ahead was a likely ambush he couldn't avoid. The trail cut between two larger hills, virtually unscaleable without taking longer than he would like on such a fast-paced exercise, and his training with Piccolo hadn't including flying. He braced himself as he ran through the opening, and his senses flared danger at once.
On either side of him and above him, a Saiyan flew at him with unimaginable speed. One made to tackle him, while another threw all their weight behind a punch, and yet the other came at him with a savage kick. All three carried a lust to injure, and Gohan knew that this test was not just to weed out undesirables; it was to take out all but the most skilled of Saiyans. They wouldn't waste their time and resources training incapable warriors.
Gohan was far from incapable. Though three Saiyans came at him from all angles, Gohan was still untouched. The man who tried to tackle him, he flipped over. The man who tried to punch him, he twisted his body around to avoid the attack. The kick, he caught with both hands and used the kick's momentum to propel him away from the ambush, ever closer to the tents that were just beginning to take shape on the horizon.
He ran, hearing the Saiyans' confusion about his reflexes, and ignored it. As he ran, he saw the outskirts of the perimeter for the tents, as well as a man standing alone in front of the complex. As Gohan ran past, he called out "First!" Gohan surpressed the pride he felt welling up inside him, instead walking into the main tent marked with a circle and two vertical lines through it: the medical sign for Saiyans.
Inside, he saw several people running about, doing whatever it was that medical technicians did. One of them noticed Gohan and stopped, surprise obvious on her face.
"Have you already finished?" she asked. Gohan nodded hesitantly, taking note that she was a human, not Saiyan. Her cheekbones were more shallow, and her forehead was slightly smaller than a Saiyan woman's. The human looked at her watch. "Only seven minutes for this one, doctor." A man turned to regard Gohan with keen interest, and Gohan himself studied this man intently.
He was also human, much shorter than Saiyan men. He had peculiar hair: a lilac color than seemed odd on a man of his years; Gohan could tell this man was quite old, simply by the way he carried himself. He had a thick mustache and large round glasses, but the most peculiar thing about the man was the creature that clung to his shoulder. It looked like a variety of cat only found on human-colonized worlds.
"Only seven minutes, you say?" the man replied, adjusting the glasses as he took a closer look at Gohan. "Let me ask, youngster, are you injured? You look to be standing alright."
Gohan shook his head. "No sir," he said. "I'm fine."
"Right you are!" the man replied, smiling underneath his bristly mustache. "That's quite a record you've set there. No one's made it through the swamp run untouched before, and certainly not in the time you have. That's certainly impressive." He chuckled slightly. "Why don't you have a seat, young man. The others will be along shortly." The unnamed doctor turned back to his work, leaving Gohan to wait for the rest of the children.
He didn't wait long before the second Saiyan ran through the tent, and Gohan couldn't help but stare in shock. It was a girl with an unmarked gi - a true clanless - that shouldn't have been walking. He had heard the electro-vice go off and her scream. She should have never gotten up. But there she was.
She must have tripped and tried to catch herself with her hands when she hit the trap; her right arm was almost completely severed from just below the armpit, the trap's teeth slicing through almost the entire arm. Blood coated the entire limb, and had gotten all over her during her run; she looked like an avatar of death if Gohan had ever seen one.
The nearest scientist saw the girl and screamed, drawing everyone's attention. There were several gasps before someone rushed forward to help the girl. Even though she was damaged so badly, she insisted walking with the scientist as he led her off behind a curtain, blocking Gohan's view. The image was still fresh in his mind as more students began making their way inside the tent, and Gohan couldn't help but wonder if the girl had passed.
Videl lay on another examination table, still nervous as last time. Rota Khan and Elizabeth Zeier were both setting up equipment, leaving the seven-year-old girl to wait anxiously to start the next test.
She had said yes to Rota when she asked her the question. It had felt weird saying she wanted to learn how to kill aliens, but she could tell this wasn't a game. They were telling the truth; if people like her didn't learn how to fight the aliens, they would be killed. She didn't think they would have accepted a 'no' anyway. In that case, they probably would have made her take the tests and make her fight. She guessed going along with this willingly is better than being forced to.
They were making her wear a funny-looking metal helmet with wires coming out of it, as well as strapping her down again. All over her face and underneath the helmet, she had these metal circles connected to each other by more wires. Rota called the metal circles 'electrodes' and the entire thing an 'EEG recording net.' Videl didn't know what that was or what it would do, but she didn't like the feel of it. It made her feel closed in. And she definitely didn't like being strapped down. It made her feel weak and defenseless to be strapped down, but she didn't think they'd hurt her on purpose. Maybe it was meant to protect her. Rota told her that she started attacking them after they let her out of the straps last time, and that she had almost broken her own bones just by attacking so ferociously. She didn't want that to happen again, that was for sure. She had started to gain feeling in her arms and legs again, and they were starting to hurt a lot.
Rota walked up to her and made sure the helmet was fitted onto her head tight. She hadn't made fun of her since the first test. Videl wondered if she was angry with her for attacking her. Maybe she was disappointed and didn't think Videl was worth speaking to unless she had to. It made Videl even more nervous around the woman.
"When we start the Mind Raze, you'll hear a lot of ringing. It might even hurt." She looked Videl dead in the eye. "It's very important that you keep your mouth closed. Do you understand?"
Videl nodded, sensing that Rota was very serious about this. Rota walked over to a computer on the wall, where she began talking with Izzy softly. Videl tried to pick up what they were saying, but couldn't make any of it out. Rota turned around to look back at Videl. "We're ready to begin. Remember to keep your mouth closed, and don't move your head at all." Videl nodded to them once before remembering not to move her head and quickly stopped the motion. Rota didn't notice or care, however, and had turned back to the computer.
"Beginning mentality evaluation 01. Commencing integration. Mind Raze online."
Videl could feel a small vibration all over her head as the metal helmet came to life. She heard the low thrum of the machine as it did whatever it was doing, and she consciously clenched her jaw tight, afraid of what would happen if she opened her mouth. For a minute, it just thrummed the low sound in her ear, but then, like Rota warned, a slight ringing started. It was barely noticeable at first, but as the seconds went on, the ringing grew in intensity until it really did start to hurt. Videl didn't dare move, but she wished it would stop.
"Beta waves at 24 hertz, 12 per transient. Theta and Alpha waves normal. Delta waves normal." Rota was silent for a moment before turning to Videl. "Everything's in order. We just had to see your normal wavelengths. Now we're going to put you to sleep. While you're asleep, we'll be manipulating your dreams. This will tell us everything we need to know about your brain activity." She paused for a moment to let Videl soak it all in. "Blink once if you don't understand, or blink twice if you do understand." Videl blinked twice, and Rota disappeared from her field of view for a moment before returning with another syringe. "This is an anesthetic. It'll put you to sleep. It shouldn't hurt." She cleaned and sterilized a place on Videl's arm before inserting the needle and injecting the drug. It felt cold to Videl, and for a moment she couldn't feel anything. Then, all of a sudden, she felt weak and tired.
In a matter of minutes, she fell asleep and dreamt.
Gohan stood away from the rest of the children that remained. Twenty students had failed on the first test. Fourteen remained. Oddly enough, the girl who had made it to the tents despite her injury had failed. Gohan couldn't believe it. The girl had outran all her other brothers and sisters with an entire arm gone. He would've passed her on the spot if it were up to him. The scientist he had asked, though, insisted that the injury was too great for her to be of use to them. They were keeping her comfortable for the time being, but she would be leaving the facility within the week. Gohan had mixed feelings about their decision, and decided to put away his thoughts. He was here to become a soldier and save the galaxy, not to right an injustice. And perhaps it was for the best. Maybe she would find a better occupation for herself while Gohan would be literally thrown into the jaws of death time and time again.
The doctors assured them that this next and final test would weed out the 'undesirables' and the real training could begin. They said nothing else about this test, only that it was called the 'Mind Raze,' and that it was a brutal test the likes of which they've never seen. Even now, Doctor Briefs, the doctor that had previously spoken with Gohan, was explaining just what the Mind Raze did.
"It's quite a fascinating test, really. Battle Corps. developed the Mind Raze shortly after the war began, and it's been vital in developing warriors capable of protecting the galaxy. It's a test we use on Saiyans as well as humans, but for completely different purposes. When testing humans, we look for abnormalities in their thought processes. If we find one, they fail." He pushed his glasses up before continuing. "When we test Saiyans, however, we are looking for something quite different." He smiled as the children, Gohan included, looked skeptical at best.
He cleared his throat before continuing. "In this war, you Saiyans will be bonded with a human counterpart through a process known as Psyjic Integration. With this bond, your human counterpart can provide you with split-second information to save your life in battle, as well as protecting your mind from psychic assault by powerful Morika known as Sages. It is your bondmate's job to protect you from mental assault while you protect him or her from physical assault. Without either, the Morika will surely win." He smiled as he gestured to the machine in the middle, a sort of tube that had many wires hooked up to it.
"When you are tested, we are seeing if you can withstand psychic connection with a human partner. The gene splicing that we perform later will ensure a successful bond with your partner, but we have to make sure your mind can take a psychic connection to another creature without it shattering. Don't worry, it's not dangerous and it won't take long at all." He looked across the students and smiled warmly before nodding to a scientist beside him, who began to read names from a clipboard.
"Son Gohan!"
Gohan felt his heart stop. He wasn't expecting to have been called first, and so felt fear against the unknown. He took a deep breath, remembering his clan name, wrapped his tail around his waist and stepped forward, where a scientist ushered him into the tube. The scientist, a young man with glasses and pimples, placed electrodes across Gohan's face before pulling a black veil over his head. "Keep your mouth closed, no matter what you feel." Gohan didn't understand, but didn't ask. He knew how to follow instructions without an explanation, and so stayed silent. He felt straps being pulled across his body to bind him in place before the hiss of the tube signaled separating him from the rest of the students.
"Mind Raze online," he heard Dr. Briefs say. "Beginning mentality evaluation."
Gohan could hear a small humming throughout the tube and clenched his jaw. His mind began racing, wondering what was going to happen. He couldn't see the other students through the veil, and being secluded in this tube, truly felt alone. He felt a tinge of fear before forcing it away. His father went through this test and passed. He would too.
The Mind Raze continued with its intense humming, eventually reaching deafening decibels. Gohan wanted to scream, but didn't dare open his mouth. He began to feel a massive headache, so painful it blinded him. It was a pain unlike any he had ever experienced. His muscles grew taut, and his body went rigid. He bit his lip to keep from opening his mouth, and could taste blood welling up inside his mouth.
He grew angry. Angry that these men and women were testing him like some lab rat. Angry at the students watching him. Angry at his father for creating a legacy he was destined to follow. Angry at his mother for birthing him, that he would experience this pain.
Then there was no anger. There wasn't sadness. He couldn't remember joy, or love, or fear. Even pain had been taken from him. He felt nothing, thought nothing, knew nothing.
"Videl."
Videl didn't stir, even though the nurse spoke with urgency. The nurse wiped Videl's forehead, the towel coming back damp with sweat.
"Videl," the nurse tried again. "If you can hear me, Videl, I need you to wake up." She pressed her fingers against Videl's forehead, feeling incredible heat on the skin.
The door to Videl's small room opened, and Rota Khan walked in. "Has she awoken yet?"
The nurse shook her head. "No. She hasn't. She doesn't even move." The nurse checked Videl's vitals on the machine she was hooked up to. "Her pulse is weak, and her blood pressure has dropped severely in the last few hours. And she's burning up with fever." The nurse shook her head at the futility of the idea. "The Mind Raze was too much for her. I don't think she'll make it."
Rota stared in shock at the limp form of the girl who had just hours ago been alive and well. "There's nothing you can do?"
The nurse shook her head. "No. I've tried everything I know and nothing works. All I can do is make her passing painless."
Rota stared a moment longer, unable to accept the truth before turning and walking out the door, heading back to the lab while deep in thought. How could she be dying right now? She was the most biologically perfect candidate they'd ever had for the integration. She had passed the genetic and mental stages of the tests with flying colors! Why had she not woken from the dream scan?
There were always patients that never woke from the Mind Raze, boys and girls that didn't have the mental capability to integrate with the Psyjic chip. In that event, they always sent them to the Processing Wing, where the scientists would study the reason and try to find workarounds, so that more children would wake from the scan.
Videl Satan had been the pinnacle of human health at her age, though. She shouldn't have failed!
Rota walked back into the lab, sorting through the different scenarios and reasons as to why Videl didn't wake. None of them made sense. She sat at her computer, pulling up Videl's scans, intent on finding a reason why.
She sat there for over an hour, staring at the monitor and pulling up file after file after file, when Elizabeth walked in.
"Still no word?" the brunette asked. Rota shook her head, and for a time, the only sound was Rota's clicks of her mouse. "Rota, you can't blame yourself," Elizabeth said. "These things happen."
"And the minute we accept that as an excuse is the minute we are no better than the Morika." Rota snapped at Elizabeth. "We're better than that. These are children, Elizabeth. Children. We're ruining their lives by sending them into battle, but at least out there, they have a chance. I will not have them die on a table, crippled and defenseless. That's no warrior death." She glared at Elizabeth for a moment longer before turning back to the computer. Elizabeth herself went over to the big overhead computer screen, bringing it online.
"Well then, let's see what we can find out. We know her genetic, physical, and mental scans went well. Perfect, in fact. But the Mind Raze itself proved to be her undoing." Izzy began going through Videl's session in the Mind Raze, looking at her brain activity as the session progressed.
For another hour, the women stood looking over files and recordings, attempting to understand what made their perfect candidate fail. Countless reports made it to the women about the steadily declining health of Videl as the girl fought whatever force had decimated her in the Mind Raze. Several times Rota walked away in frustration, yelling out in anger of being clueless. But she always went back to the computer, intent on finding a cure and saving Videl.
It was when Rota was just about to give up that Izzy came through. "Rota, I think I found something!" The Saiyan appeared by Izzy faster than the eye could track.
"What? What have you found?"
On the screen in front of the brunette was a recording of Videl's session in the Mind Raze, with various wavelengths monitored throughout the session. Izzy pointed at the gamma waves, which showed several spikes and valleys in a normal pattern. "Take a look at the wavelengths. Right here, they're normal. But when the Mind Raze starts, look at what they do." She keyed in a few commands and the current window on the computer shrunk with another one popping up, this one showing a modified gamma wave. The new gamma waves showed increased spikes at alarming frequencies. "This is after we used the Mind Raze to stimulate her brain. Now look at what it goes back to when we end the session." She keyed another command and the second window changed to show another set of gamma waves. There was barely any activity in comparison to the normal patterns. "Something happened in there, Rota. It's like the Mind Raze fried that portion of her mind, or shut it down, or...something."
Rota stared at the screen, explanations going through her head as she struggled to understand what she was seeing. "How could that happen? We've never seen that before."
Izzy shrugged. "I don't know. This is still experimental technology. I can't begin to think of what happened." The two women stood staring at the screen before Rota suggested an idea.
"There's got to be something we can do. Something we can develop to bring her out of that state." She looked at the screen a moment longer before turning to Izzy. "I want you to make a report about this and send all relevant data to the Science Wing. Have them come up with an answer. Their jobs depend on it."
Izzy nodded. "What do we do about Videl?"
Rota sighed, face in the palm of her hand as she considered her options. "I don't know..." She stared at the screens for a time before answering Izzy very softly. "Freeze her. Put her in cryogenic stasis."
"Are you sure we should do that?" Izzy asked. "What will the Council say?"
"Damn it, Izzy, I don't know! What I do know is that the Science Wing had better come up with something. We're not losing this one."
"Gohan."
Gohan twitched at the sound of his name, feeling returning to his body. He opened his eyes slowly, disoriented from the spinning of the room. He had no memory of how he got into the room, or where the room was. The last thing he remembered was the Mind Raze, and the excruciating pain it caused him before he blacked out. He looked slowly to the side and saw a familiar mustache, before a mouth below it cracked into a smile.
"Ah! You're awake! Splendid!" Dr. Briefs said, too loudly for Gohan's tastes. The scientist didn't notice Gohan's wince at the shout, continuing. "I must say, my boy, you gave us quiet a scare in there."
Gohan blinked, his eyes adjusting to the light, and opened his mouth. All he could manage was a hoarse whisper. Dr. Briefs leaned over him, helping to prop him up as he encouraged him. "Shhh, not so fast." He grabbed a glass of water from a table near Gohan's bed and held it to him, bidding him drink. The cool liquid was the best drink Gohan had ever had. He savored the flavor, feeling rejuvenated as his parched throat drank in the water. He drained the entire glass before the doctor pulled it away, rubbing his back as Gohan swallowed too quickly and fell into a coughing fit.
His coughs subsided, Gohan looked to the doctor. "Where am I, Doctor?"
"You're in the infirmary. You've been here for almost fifteen hours. Quiet unexpected, I must say, but certainly nothing we're not ready for." He looked aside to a type of medical equipment, and when Gohan followed his gaze, he saw that he was hooked up to several machines that seemed to monitored every part of his body. Dr. Briefs fiddled with a monitor, bringing up a reading of gamma waves, beta waves, and alpha waves and studied them for a moment before turning to him with a smile. "You're probably wondering how you did in the Mind Raze." His grin widened. "You passed."
Gohan stared ahead, the words just clicking for him. "I... I passed? But... I blacked out. I couldn't take it."
Dr. Briefs shook his head. "Oh, no, my boy. You passed with flying colors." He smiled again. "Just because you passed out during the test doesn't mean you failed. What we're also looking for is the reaction." Gohan's vacant stare was all the reply he received, so he went into further detail. "You see, the Mind Raze not only determines if you can safely link with a human. It also tests the reaction speed and strength your mind has with what we call the Core. It's a little part of the Mind Raze that mimics a human's mental presence. We grade you depending on your reaction to the Core. We want to make sure that you are not only physically fit to go through the Psyjic Integration, but mentally as well." He fished out a stack of papers from a suitcase on the floor that Gohan didn't see, adjusting his glasses as he studied them. "It wouldn't do well for you to be able to link with your partner, only to be too slow a mind to respond to your partner's mental commands. From our reports, though, we can see that your mental wellbeing is extraordinary. You are certainly capable of achieving Psyjic Integration with a human candidate later this year. If I had to guess, I would suppose your clan subjected you to rigorous training, physically as well as mentally." He looked at Gohan and smiled. "I dare say I haven't seen a candidate as promising as you before."
Gohan just nodded, feeling overwhelmed with all he had learned from the doctor.
Whether Dr. Briefs noticed or cared, Gohan didn't know. He continued with as much vigor as he had. "Later this year you will bond with a human counterpart. This human will be your partner and friend for the rest of your life, however long or short that may be. To prepare you for this bonding, you will be subjected to mental exercises. Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, Philosophy, that sort of thing. It's all to stimulate and strengthen your mind so that no issues will arise from the bonding. We'll also have our psychics teach you to erect mentals walls, so that the bonding goes smoothly."
"Issues?" Gohan asked, feeling slight trepidation.
Dr. Briefs sighed, and Gohan didn't like the feeling he had welling up inside him. "Science between both races has proven that, of the two races, humans have the more powerful mind." He looked Gohan square in the eye. "When a Saiyan and a human mentally bond, it is supposed to be within equal measure. Neither party is mentally stronger than the other. However, tests have shown that when a human mind is linked with another that is completely alien to it, it lashes out. The human, unless trained to supress this urge, cannot control it. We don't know how it happens... It may be that introduction to a new mental presence triggers an innate survival method we've never seen before, or that the cybernetic nodes we implant into the humans causes a severe reaction in the frontal lobe of their brain." He shrugged. "All we know is that the Saiyans that bonded with these humans didn't survive the sudden mental assault. That's why we're taking as many precautions as possible. Trust me, you'll be safe."
Gohan nodded, understanding everything as the doctor said it. It put everything in a new perspective. He knew the doctor couldn't guarantee him safety, but in a way it didn't bother him. He was going to die one day. He changed the subject. "Doctor, maybe it isn't any of my business, but...there was a girl, during the first test, that injured her arm on an electro-vice."
It took Briefs a moment to remember the girl Gohan was talking about, and when the description clicked, he nodded. "Oh yes, Dara. Quite a spitfire, that one."
Gohan briefly thought about asking what he meant before shaking his head of the thought and continuing. "Yes... The scientists said that she failed her test even though she made it to the tents. But she made it to the tents almost as fast as me, and she was injured. I'm just wondering... What will happen to her?"
"Why do you care?" the doctor asked, not unkindly, but more inquisitively.
Gohan shrugged. "I don't know, really. I've just come to respect her. She ran the course with an electro-vice on her arm. That's impressive. I think she deserves another chance."
The doctor nodded. "Indeed. I am not at liberty to discuss the progress of other students," he said, much to Gohan's chagrin. "I can only say that her fate is not your concern, and that asking questions like that will get you in all sorts of trouble.
Gohan nodded, sensing this was a touchy subject and changed it. "What should I expect within the next year? Up to the bonding?"
Dr. Briefs looked up in thought. "Well... We'll be shipping you out to a remote facility orbiting one of Vegeta's moons, where you'll begin training for the Bonding Process. You'll take many classes that will strengthen your brain. We have to make your mind as sharp as possible. We'll also assign you to a psychic, who will give you mental exercises to practice. You'll never be as strong as a human psychic, so don't worry about having to learn to battle with such abilities. Rather, she will train you to defend your mind against mental assaults, the most dangerous form of attack on a Saiyan. Her lessons will not only prepare you for the bonding process with your human, but it will be invaluable for defending yourself in the event your human partner is incapacitated or otherwise indisposed. Apart from that, you will continue physical conditioning aboard the facility, as well as training in proper use of firearms. At that time, you will undergo a final evaluation that will determine if you can successfully bond with a human. If you pass, you and the other passing students will again be shipped out to Earth, where Battle Corps. will take custody of you. It is there that you will be bonded." He pushed up his glasses as he continued. "While you and your Saiyan brothers and sisters are training your minds in preparation for the bonding, the human candidates will be training to control their primal urges. The goal is for them to have complete control of their mind during the bonding, so that they don't accidentally lash out at you. If they do, you'll be prepared." He looked asides he pulled a datapad from his pocket and began scrolling through something. "In the meantime, we'll be looking into this phenomenon and will try to find safer means of integrating you with the humans, perhaps even stop this dangerous side-effect altogether."
"You talk about them as if they could kill us."
Dr. Briefs nodded, all humor gone from his face. "Oh yes. They could kill you in a heartbeat and not even mean to. That's how potent their mental strength will be. You must make sure you are ready for the bonding."
Gohan nodded, feeling determined about his chances. "Okay, what then?"
Dr. Briefs sighed in thought as he continued. "If you survive the bonding process, you and your partner will be put through rigorous exercises that will test your saiyan might and your partner's human mind. We will work to sharpen your abilities until you are capable of wiping out all known forms of Morika warbots, from the lowly Hellion to the mighty Titans. You will be assigned a specialty, and will take courses that will develop that specialty to make you a more effective fighter in certain scenarios."
Dr. Briefs looked as if he were to say something else, but an idea came to Gohan at the last minute, one so interesting he couldn't stop himself from voicing it. "Doctor, you talk about making your own people into a warlike race. Like us Saiyans. And yet I know from the elders of my race that your people despise mine. If it weren't for this war, we would have never coexisted." He cocked his head. "Why are you so easily able to turn your own people into something you hate? All for the sake of war? Isn't keeping your values more important?"
Dr. Briefs stopped, caught offguard. Gohan could see him bristle at his tone. "We humans are unprepared for this war," he said softly. "This is a war we cannot understand. It is a war between gods, not men." He looked at Gohan. "Your race is capable of wiping ours out in a blink of an eye. The Morika can also do this. We had only discovered space travel when your race found ours, and from that brief contact, many of my people died. Your race is composed of killing machines, Gohan. It is what you are born to do. What use are values if we aren't alive to think of them? If we humans don't take steps to level the playing field, we might not survive this war."
That, Gohan admitted, was a distinct possibility.
Videl Satan's naked body lay on the table, unmoving. It was as if she were sleeping, and that she would wake any moment now, ready to continue the tests with the same silent determination that Rota had come to respect. Rota turned away, however, knowing that Videl was only silent now, and may be silent for a long time.
The hydraulics whirred as the table was placed into the cryogenic casket, the lid closing with a hiss. Elizabeth was there to authorize the process and activated the freezing. The scientists rolled the girl away to be stored while a solution was found. Rota sighed as she walked out of the cold room, her feet heading towards the laboratory, but her mind wandering far off. She kept going over theories and hypotheses as to why Videl had suddenly gone silent when she went through the Mind Raze. She had passed with flying colors, a rarity that Rota thought was worth fighting over. To date, Videl Satan was the only human to pass her physical and mental tests with more than a 90% synchronization rate.
So why did something inexplicably wrong happen in the Mind Raze?
She knew she was out of her league here. While she had topped the charts in genetics, she was no neurologist, and that was what Videl needed now. She had sent an email to her superiors, detailing the situation and requested that they dispatch a neurologist to her facility. Now she played the waiting game, where her boss would undoubtedly have someone else look over the request, the request would be sent in, and dozens of people would simply skim the email before someone decided to do something about it. Meanwhile, their best candidate was lying frozen in stasis, awaiting her sentence, and Rota was left with nothing to do about it but sit on her ass.
At least, that would be the official response to her request. Rota was either more foolish or courageous than most, and wouldn't wait to hear back from the higher ups. She strode through the lab, avoiding the scientists as she passed by several tables and research centers, already coming to terms with the possible consequences she might face when she did what she was going to do.
She passed through several hallways before entering her office, closing the door behind her and sitting at her desk. She grabbed the directory to the Battle Corp. facilities across the world, flipping through the pages before stopping at the one page she needed. She picked up the receiver of her phone, dialing the number on the page before settling in to wait. Oddly enough, she didn't wait long. The woman on the other line confirmed that she had reached the right party.
"Yes, I need to speak to the Director. Immediately."
. . . . .
Please alert me to any mistakes or inconsistencies you may find.
Thanks for reading!
