As Kuro floated down the river, Goku was still contemplating what had happened that fateful day...
"That black machine must've knocked me out somehow.", thought Goku to himself. "It was also a decoy. I wonder how the killer got away..."
"Oh! Goku! You're awake! Thank Kami you aren't in a coma.", Chi-Chi cried.
Chi-Chi embraced him so hard that even Goku found it difficult to breathe. Goku was lying on a couch in Bulma's house. It was now 2:00 AM. The whole gang had decided to bunk at Bulma's place just in case the killer, or killers, wanted to assassinate any of them too. They had been watching the news all day. Numerous theories had sprung up about the true identity of the killer and the plot's origins. Some believed that it was some old opponent of Hercule that was still bitter about losing to Hercule. Others thought it was the work of a lone madman, seeking attention. The public demanded revenge for this atrocious act and they got it. After the murder of Hercule, a man called General Shenko held a press conference. There was a huge crowd of reporters in the room. Of course, they had all been searched beforehand. The meeting was also being held indoors. Guards lined the entire room. General Shenko walked up to the podium as cameras began flashing.
"Fellow citizens of Earth, this is a grave day. President Hercule is dead. Hercule, the savior of the whole world, has been taken from us by a most devious assassin. When called upon by the people, he answered that call. Without hesitation, and with steadfast determination, he stood ready to lead our civilization to new heights. Now, all that is lost. Let us take a moment to honor this great man."
The audience all followed Shenko's example and bowed their heads in respect.
"Now then, we will not let this reprehensible act go unpunished. The Royal Military, in conjunction, with local authorites, have begun operations to find and prosecute this devil. Anyone with a criminal record, will immediately be taken into custody for questioning. The crime scene has been roped off and is now under official investigation. The surrounding buildings are also being searched by our best men. No details regarding this investigation will be released to the general public until the killer is apprehended. In the meantime, the world still needs a leader. It is at this time that I must announce I am now your new leader!"
The whole crowd gasped and started asking questions rather loudly.
"Quiet, quiet, my dear friends! Elections cannot now be held with an assassin out there. The law states that in the event of a death of the King or President, and if no heirs are present, the next highest ranked person must assume power until a new leader is found. As Supreme General of the Royal Army, that responsibility falls to me. I promise I will only be a temporary leader until the killer is brought to justice. Then, I will gladly hand over the reigns of leadership to the next freely elected President. Right now though, you may call me, First Consul Shenko.
Good evening and may Hercule's spirit rest easy tonight."
And with that, the good general made his exit. He ignored all the clamoring reporters and stepped off stage. He was sweating something fierce, and demanded a scotch on the rocks to calm his nerves. His guards escorted him to his new Presidential office. There, he awaited the arrival of his Lieutenant, soon to be Second Consul, Lily.
Meanwhile, Goku and Chi-Chi had been joined by Bulma and Vegeta. They were watching the rerun of the press conference in order to fill in the previously unconscious Goku.
"I'm sick of looking at this fool", Vegeta said, "Change the channel or something."
"Well, he wasn't joking when he said he was going to find the culprit. Have you seen all the police outside?", remarked Bulma.
"Yeah they really are cracking down. You'd think they would've already found him by now with all that manpower.", said Chi-Chi.
"I should've found him.", said Goku bitterly, "Who knows where he is now. I'm certain he was in the building that I was searching. Vegeta were there any of those strange devices in any of the other buildings?"
"No, Kakarot. I've already guessed what you're thinking. That black cylinder was planted there in order to lead anyone who came in that place away from the killer. He obviously knew we would be there and that we would be aware of any power levels in the building. If I was in that building I wouldn't have been tricked by such a machine."
"Shut up Vegeta. You're such a jerk. Whoever the killer was has some interesting technology. I wish I could've gotten my hands on it. After it knocked you out, Goku, it self-destructed. If you were a normal guy, you'd be dead now.", said Bulma.
"How are Gohan and Videl doing?", asked Goku.
"They have been alone together ever since we got here. Poor Videl, we can still wish Hercule back with the dragon balls, but to see your own father killed like that right in front of you...", Chi-Chi said.
With this, Bulma wished them both good night. They all went to sleep, all except Goku, who couldn't stop thinking about how he had been tricked.
Back at General Headquarters, the First Consul had been informed he had a visitor...
"Lieutenant Lily here to see you sir, shall I send her in?", asked the foot soldier.
"At once, fool!", ordered Shenko.
The soldier went out. Shortly thereafter, Lieutenant Lily came in. She saluted the General and sat down. She couldn't stop smirking.
"Well? Stop smirking and tell me what happened. We can talk freely in here.", said the General.
"You saw what happened, sir. Hercule caught a bullet with his head.", Lily said sarcastically.
"Bah, tell me something useful...bitch."
Lily didn't mind being called bitch. In fact, it made her even more energetic.
"Kuro assassinated Hercule at 1600 hours with a standard issue sniper rifle. He entered the sewers at 1601 hours. At 1935 hours, Kuro emerged from the sewers and met yours truly." Lily winked and, after giggling, continued, "1937 hours, Lt. Lily incapacitated Corporal Kuro with a silenced 10 mm pistol. Then from 2000 hours, to 0100 hours, Lt. Lily celebrated mission accomplished at some local bars and then drove here, quite carefully I might add, to report in...sir."
"Drinking on duty...tsk, tsk, tsk, Lieutenant. Normally, I would reprimand you for that, but considering your efforts and superior level of talent, I instead award you the title of Second Consul Lily. You will begin your new duties tomorrow at 0600 hours, is that clear?"
"Sir, yes sir! Um...aren't you forgetting something?", Lily held out her hand.
"Ahh, yes, the extra compensation to keep quiet about this. Here you are," Shenko handed 10,000,000 zeni to Lily and said, "Now get out of here. I have to get some sleep for tomorrow. Oh, uh, one more thing Lieutenant, you are sure Kuro's body will never be found right? If the killer is never found I will never have to give up my power."
"Yes sir, I watched him float down the river. He went into some rocky rapids and bashed his head on a few rocks. If the bullet didn't kill him, the river did.
"Good, very good. Dismissed."
Lily stood up and saluted. She left thinking of how best to spend her money. Booze, boys, and beaches were the top things on her mind. She had lied to Shenko about killing Kuro. The initial orders were to kill Kuro on the spot and dump him in the river known for its brutal rapids and sharp rocks. She couldn't bring herself to actually shoot her former lover and merely stunned him instead. She figured the river would do the rest...
Now, as General Shenko slept soundly, Kuro, battered and bruised, washed up on a distant shore.
Kuro slowly came to. He felt like he had drank too much tequila the night before. He layed there in the muddy sand for a while before trying to sit up. When he did finally get up he felt woozy. Kuro just then remembered what had happened. It seemed so long ago. He might as well have been a different person now. What was he going to do? His first thoughts were to turn in General Shenko as the mastermind behind the plot. Would anyone believe him? He doubted it. Kuro had no proof. His public identity had long been erased as he was part of the Black Ops branch of the military. He had no family left in the world. Even if they did believe Kuro and arrested Shenko, Kuro would likely be put to death himself since he had pulled the trigger. They would ask, "Why didn't you tell us before. It doesn't look like you cared whether Hercule died or not." This would've been the truth. Kuro really didn't care about Hercule. Now all he cared about was revenge, but he couldn't do it himself. He had one advantage; no one knew that he was the killer. Kuro assumed Shenko would not make the public aware about what really happened and that meant Kuro would definitely not be mentioned. Kuro had only one hope; the Z fighers.