A/N: OK so it's been… awhile. I apologize for not updating in (looks down at watch) several months. In all fairness I am currently in an accelerated Masters program so that has kept me rather busy. Therefore, this fanfiction has not been abandoned but it may take me longer to finish than I had originally hoped for. All I ask is that you please be patient with me. In the meantime this is a really long chapter so that has to count for something right?... right?!

Please review and let me know what you think. I'm particularly interested in hearing from those who have read No More Forgiveness, as I'm pretty much taking the opposite approach with this story.

Enjoy!

Day 04: Adaptation

"Hmmm." Dr. Briefs contemplated as he looked at the monitor before him. On the screen was a window displaying the progress of the medicine's chemical analysis.

… 99% complete

"See what I mean? Shouldn't it be done by now?" His daughter asked a bit worried. She was the first one into the lab that morning and had dragged him away from his breakfast because of her concern.

He typed in some numbers, bringing up a new window on the screen that was filled with computer code. "Let's see here…" Quickly, he scrolled through the data. "… Well it appears that the machine is still analyzing it. The last one percent of the formula probably consists of a complex compound that the equipment is having a hard time registering." He typed in some more information. "So far it's done a good job with the other materials. While this is strange, it's certainly not indicative of anything wrong. Let's give it a few hours and come back to it. In the mean time we can work on a vaccine utilizing the antibodies from Goku's blood."

Dr. Briefs went to another file in his computer and proceeded to print out some forms, which were then promptly handed to Bulma. "This is some data I was able to come up with yesterday from the blood sample he gave us. After I finish breakfast, we can get started on figuring out the details of how to utilize this to develop a vaccine. By noon I gather we can take a break. At that time the results of the medicine analysis should be complete and we can begin to work on recreating it. With any luck, Gohan will be on the track to recovery before tonight." He smiled before shuffling out the door to continue his meal.

Not one to wait, Bulma studied the material her father had given her and scoured through various textbooks in order to correlate it with previous vaccines developed in the past. There were certain ways to develop a vaccine based on the antibodies someone else produced, especially if those antibodies didn't destroy a virus alone. They would essentially need to verify how the antibody worked and amp up its power. Even with their advance equipment, the procedure would most likely take several days. But it was something to do during the down time, and it offered an alternative cure in case of complications with the medicine.

As the morning dragged on Bulma continued to study textbooks and research papers, making detailed notes that would provide benefit later on. By the time Dr. Briefs came back from his meal, she had already consumed a wealth of applicable information.

Over the next few hours the pair continued to build upon that research and even ran a few small experiments in order to understand how best to approach a developmental phase.

Chi-Chi sat up in her bed, staring out at the cityscape. It was another day waking up at Capsule Corp, a place she was starting to associate with dismay. The overcast skies shrouding the city did little to help her mood and she hoped for some light to shine through to provide her a sign that everything was going to be OK. However, instead of sunlight, lightning flashed in the distance.

"How are you this morning?" Goku asked, causing her to turn away from the window and towards him. He sat on the bed next to his wife, feeling her head for any signs of fever.

"I'm still a little nauseous, but nothing like yesterday." She replied with a weak smile.

"I think we both slept better. That probably helped." He suggested.

Chi-Chi nodded in agreement.

Goku stood back up, smiling. "Well I don't know about you but I could use some breakfast! Bulma's mom is a great cook."

Chi-Chi became quickly unnerved by her husband's enthusiasm. "And what about Gohan? Don't you want to see him first?"

"Ah Chi-Chi, you can't keep worrying about him, you have to focus on your health as well." He tried to soothe her. However, it had the opposite effect.

"Not worry! Goku how could I not worry! He's sick. That's the whole reason why we are here!" She felt her mood fluctuate rapidly.

"Hey, hey, I just meant that right now there isn't-"

"…Isn't much we can do." Chi-Chi finished his sentence for him in a frustrated tone. She was sick of hearing that.

Goku paused before resting a hand on her shoulder. "Chi-Chi, things will soon get better. And when it does, we can all go back home."

His wife turned away from him. "But what if it doesn't?" She muttered.

"Huh?"

She quickly turned around and shouted at him. "But what if it doesn't get better!" Goku's unwavering optimistic attitude was agitating her. It was if he was ignorant of the whole situation. "What if he dies Goku?! This thing almost killed you and we actually had the medicine with us. It's been three days since Gohan fell ill. What if we don't get the medicine in time? What if… what if we lose him?" Chi-Chi started to sob and quickly buried her face in her hands.

Goku didn't know what to say. He thought his wife had worked passed all these negative feelings when Bulma reassured them both that nothing bad was going to happen to their son, that he was in the best care there at Capsule Corp. "Where was all this coming from?" He thought to himself.

"Chi-Chi." He said softly, putting his hand on her shoulder again. She shrugged him off. Staying his distance, he continued. "Chi-Chi, we can't think that way."

"Why not!" She snapped back. "It's the truth. He may not be strong enough to last that much longer. He's not like you; he's just a little boy. He could die on us Goku."

Goku quickly stood up and yelled back at her. "Chi-Chi, STOP IT!" A loud clash of thunder roared in the sky as lightning illuminated the room for a brief second. Chi-Chi jumped up in response, facing him again. In all her life he had never taken that tone with her. And that was because, for the first time ever, he was getting angry with her.

He continued in a stern voice. "Don't you ever say he isn't strong enough! Our son has more power and determination than anyone we know. His strength has far exceeded everyone else's, even my own. You may still see him a fragile little boy, but you have to face reality that he's not anymore. For better or worse, his life circumstances have forced him to grow up fast into the man he's now becoming. He's accomplished things that I wouldn't have even been able to comprehend when I was his age. So don't you dare say he isn't strong enough."

"You make it sound like I'm giving up!" Chi-Chi yelled back.

A tipping point had been reached. The stress and burden regarding recent events was now causing them to lash out at one another. With appropriate timing, rain started to pour outside, causing them to raise their voices even louder over the storm.

"Because you are giving up!" Goku retorted. "You're talking like we've already lost him. He's in there fighting against this thing as we speak and you're acting like all hope is lost."

"How dare you! I would never give up on him. But I'm not going to sit around and pretend that everything is OK."

"I'm not! I know everything isn't OK! This shouldn't be happening to him. He doesn't deserve this! But at least I have faith that he's strong enough to persevere. I KNOW he'll overcome this."

"How!? How can you be so sure Goku?"

Fed up, Goku headed toward the door. "I can't deal with this."

"You want to know why I feel this way? Do you?" Chi-Chi asked, causing him to stop in his tracks. He turned back toward her and saw that she was again crying.

She continued. "Because if I get my hopes up, and he doesn't make it… it will be a thousand times worse. Already, if anything happens to him… I… I don't know what I will do. But if I get my hopes up and then he dies from this… I will break. Everything inside of me… will break." She took a deep breath to try and compose herself the best she could. "If he dies, and we can't wish him back… you may as well bury me too."

Without any more stamina to continue, Chi-Chi sprinted toward the bathroom and locked herself inside.

Aggravated, Goku left the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Elsewhere in Capsule Corp, Piccolo continued to stand guard outside the (new) infirmary. Despite the relative ease of watching over Dende and Gohan, he was getting anxious.

"The last break Dende took was almost 10 hours ago." He thought to himself. While the endurance displayed by the younger Namekian was nothing short of amazing, he was starting to worry that Dende might be pushing his limits. This could easily lead to negative consequences. Then again, he knew (just as Dende did) that it was a catch 22. Stop to take a break, and the virus might have a chance to cause serious damage. Continue on, and risk being worn out.

It certainly was a conundrum.

Peeking through the window once more, Piccolo quickly checked on the two before making his way down the hall. Grunting in frustration as he headed toward the lounge area, he tried to think of other ways to alleviate the situation. Right now the only thing he could come up with was asking Goku to transport to Korin's for some senzu beans to get Dende's energy up. The only problem was that, a week and a half ago, Korin had given them all the senzu beans he had so that they could fight Cell. The odds that any new senzu beans had sprouted in that time were very small.

"Oh hey Piccolo." Krillin greeted. He and Yamcha were playing cards at a table as the Namekian entered the room. "Do you want to join us?"

Piccolo paused and gave him a cold stare before making his way to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

"Okaaayyy… I guess not." Krillin muttered to himself.

After finishing his drink, Piccolo finally addressed them. "Where is Goku?" He asked.

"I think he's-" Yamcha started to respond, but as he spoke, Goku came charging into the room. "Oh, Goku. We were just talking about you?"

Goku ignored him and continued stamping his way into the kitchen. He started to gather a few items from the fridge as everyone else looked on wondering what was the matter.

"Goku?" Yamcha questioned softly before raising his voice a bit louder. "Goku?"

"What Yamcha?" The Saiyan snapped back. There was a bite to his words.

"Goku are you OK?" Krillin asked, getting up from his seat.

Once again, no answer. A few seconds went by before Piccolo tried. "Hey." He clamored.

"What!?" Goku slammed the fridge door closed as he threw what he had gathered onto the counter. He spun around to face everyone. "What do you guys want?!" Suddenly realizing his mistake of taking out his anger on his unknowing friends, he apologized. "I'm sorry you guys." He pinched his forehead, trying to quell the headache setting in. "I'm just upset right now."

"Why? What happened?" Krillin asked cautiously.

Goku sighed. "It's Chi-Chi. She's worried that Gohan isn't going to make it. I told her that we have to have faith that he will and she started arguing with me. She's not sure if he will be able to fight off something that almost killed me, even when we did have the medicine."

"But Gohan's being taken care of here at Capsule Corp with Dende's healing powers. Even you didn't have those luxuries." Yamcha retorted in defense of his friend.

"Besides, he's a strong kid. If anyone have what it takes to beat this thing, it's him." Krillin joined in, although he unknowingly added fuel to the fire.

"And that's what Chi-Chi doesn't get!" Goku slammed his fist down on the countertop. "She doesn't think he is strong enough! She doesn't realize what Gohan is capable of. I told her that he's accomplished things that I wouldn't have even been able to dream at his age. His power surpasses everyone here! He's going to make it through this! He has to make it through this!" The emotions going through him were making his power level spike to the point that the whole room started to shake. An aura shot out from his body as he gritted his teeth. Things were very quickly getting out of control. Piccolo promptly grabbed hold of Goku's collar. "Goku!" He shouted. "Calm down!"

The force and stern tone of the Namekian's voice caused Goku to get back to reality and quell his emotions. "Pull it together. I understand your frustration but right now Den-" He hadn't even gotten the name out when he realized something was wrong… terribly wrong. He quickly turned to the direction of the infirmary.

He could no longer sense Dende's ki!

"Shit! Dende!" He yelled. The others were quick to notice this as well and were right behind him.

Within seconds, the group was in front of the infirmary. Looking through the large window they saw Dende lying unconscious on the floor by Gohan's bed in an entanglement of wires from electrodes that were once attached to Gohan. A bed-sheet dangled off the side of the bed with one end clutched in Dende's hand.

"Dende!" Piccolo yelled as he banged on the window. But there was no response from inside.

"He must have passed out." Krillin observed, noting the toppled chair and position the young Namekian was in.

Piccolo banged on the window again. "DENDE!" He yelled louder - again to no response. However, the commotion did grab the attention of Bulma and her father who were located in the nearby lab. They quickly ran into the hallway to investigate.

"What's going on out here?" Bulma asked.

"It's Dende." Krillin pointed to inside the room. The two scientists turned their attention to the infirmary.

Bulma gasped, but before she could say anything Piccolo was already making his move. "I need to get in there." He stated as he attempted to walk through the main, double door entrance. He was already fidgeting with the door when Bulma stopped him. "Piccolo, you need to suit up and undergo a sterilization process. You can't just walk in there."

"We can't wait for that." Piccolo argued as he continued to fight against the door, which wasn't budging.

"Stop!" Bulma yelled as she forced her way passed him. "This is a containment area. Forcing this door open will cause a safety breach. The suits we have here are smaller so my father and I will go in first to attend to them."

Piccolo stepped back into the hallway as Bulma and Dr. Briefs closed the door behind them, sealing themselves into neutral zone. From there, the two began dressing up in their protective clothing. Unfortunately, while they continued with the procedure necessary to ensure their safety, the situation escalated.

"He's waking up!" Yamcha exclaimed. Everyone turned back toward the room, elated as they were expecting to see Dende regaining consciousness, confirming he was OK. However, their elation quickly turned to anxiety when they saw Gohan stir instead. Only now did they notice the IV cord, containing the anesthesia, amongst the tangled mess of cords. It had become dislodged from his arm during Dende's fall. A mixture of anesthesia from the IV and blood from the open wound dripped down the side of the bed onto the floor. As the demi-saiyan started to regain consciousness he clutched at his chest, unknowingly tugging on a collection of taut wires connected to surrounding devices. One such large device began to lean towards the fallen Namekian.

"That machine is going to fall on Dende!" Krillin shouted.

Even though Bulma and Dr. Briefs hastened their process, Piccolo could tell they weren't going to make it in time.

"Goku." He shouted, grabbing onto his friend. "Get me in there."

The Saiyan raised two fingers to his head.

"No, Goku don't." Bulma protested. But it was too late; Goku and Piccolo were quickly teleported inside the room. Immediately, Goku grabbed hold of the machine to prevent it from falling as Piccolo tended to Dende.

"Dende!" He tried once again to wake him while untangling the various wires. The young Namekian was covered in a mixture of anesthesia and blood that had pooled around him. Piccolo, lifted up his unconscious friend and began to wipe away some of the fluids from his face as he got him carried him a few feet out of harms way.

"aahh…Ahh." Gohan started to moan as he woke up from his drug-induced coma. He continued to toss and turn, pulling on more wires. In order to prevent any more disasters his father took off the remaining electrodes and anything else that was connected to him. Since many of these machines monitored vital signs, various lights and alarms started to go off, adding to the chaos.

Gasping for air, Dende coughed, spraying Piccolo's face with some of Gohan's blood that had collected in his mouth while he was unconscious.

"Breathe Dende. Breathe." Piccolo further consoled him.

"Gohan!" Goku shouted as he now tended to his son.

"It hurts! AHHH." The demi-saiyan screamed out in pain. He thrashed his arms around, clawing at his chest. The wound from where the IV had been was spreading blood everywhere.

Goku took off his shirt and wrapped it around Gohan's wound. He struggled to hold down his son to prevent any further accidents.

Emergency red lights continued to flood the room as alarms blared.

"Gohan, you have to try and stay still." Goku ordered, but his commands were falling on deaf ears. His son was waking from a deep sleep with excruciating pain surrounded by loud sounds. He hadn't yet processed what was going on.

Everyone outside looked on in horror at the scene unfolding before them.

"Bulma!" Goku shouted for help.

"I'm here!" She exclaimed, running up to him after finally having finished suiting up and going through the decontamination process.

While her father ran to one of the computers and began typing away emergency codes, Bulma quickly retrieved a roll of gauze from a nearby drawer.

"Here." She motioned for Goku to remove his shirt from Gohan's arm and then wrapped the gauze around the wound to prevent further bleeding. Goku continued to hold his son down to provide Bulma more ease in bandaging him up.

Disorder then spilled over to outside the infirmary.

"What the hell is going on here!?" Vegeta yelled as he approached Krillin and the rest. The alarms had been heard all throughout Capsule Corp. Before they could answer, Chi-Chi came running from the other end of the hallway. "What's happening? Is everything allri-" She stopped mid-sentence and gasped at what she saw.

"Gohan!" She yelled. Emotions took control of her as she banged on the window. "GOHAN!" Her cries were blood curdling as she flew into a fit of hysteria.

"Chi-Chi, you need to try and remain calm." Bulma ordered. However, Chi-Chi was in a frenzy. The concerns that she had fought with Goku over only moments before were coming true. Seeing her son, screaming in pain, with blood smeared across his body while her husband held him down was too much.

"GOHAN!" She continued to scream and bang against the window.

"Chi-Chi stop!" Goku yelled, but in a pleading tone. He knew this was the absolute worst thing she could imagine and hearing her wails began to get to him. He did his best to maintain composure but it was starting to break.

Bulma was becoming irked. "Somebody help her!"

"Ughhh…" Krillin and Yamcha stammered. They weren't quite sure what they could do.

Bulma gave a quick glance to Vegeta. He could tell she was desperate in getting the situation under control.

He looked at Krillin and Yamcha who remained frozen. "Oh for god's sake." He muttered under his breath as he approached Chi-Chi from behind and delivered a swift chop to the back of her neck, immediately rendering her unconscious. She fell gently into Yamcha's arms.

"Vegeta!" Goku angrily lashed out.

His old rival glared at him. "What would you have me do Kakarot? I didn't injure her, I just knocked her unconscious."

This did little to simmer the Saiyan's temper. That is until Bulma spoke up. "Goku, he's right. She was experiencing a full-blown panic attack amidst hysterics. If he hadn't done something she could have ended up hurting herself."

Just then, the alarms ceased and the normal lights came back on. The only sounds that filled the area were those of Gohan's cries.

The pause of action was brief as various small robots soon came out of compartments built into the walls and ceilings. Some of them immediately went to work in untangling the wires and cleaning up the mess that had been caused in the recent disaster. Other robots, similar to the machine Bulma had used to scan Capsule Corp for any traces of the virus, hovered around the hospital bed and took scans the were fed directly into the super computer that Dr. Briefs was using to control them.

Bulma had just finished wrapping Gohan's arm up when one of the scanners let off a buzzing sound, followed by flashing blue light.

"Oh dear." Dr. Briefs gulped as he typed in several keystrokes. The buzzing and flashing light quickly stopped but several of the robots and scanners focused in on the blood that had collected on the floor.

"What now!?" Goku said with exasperation. Bulma shared her friend's sentiments. "Dad, what is it?"

Dr. Briefs didn't answer as he looked at several of the computer screens. He brought up images taken from the previous day.

"It can't be." He muttered before swiftly turning around.

Bulma was also studying the images on the screens and was beginning to see what her father was seeing.

Dr. Briefs took a quick look at the scene before him. A trail of blood went down Gohan's arm, alongside part of the bed, and onto the floor where it had then collected in a pool that was somewhat scattered from the movement of Dende. The IV tube hung nearby, dripping anesthesia onto the floor, mixing with the blood. Piccolo held the young Namekian. Both of them, along with Goku, had a decent amount of blood on them.

In haste, Dr. Briefs turned to his daughter. "Get them cleaned up in the shower! Immediately!"

Without question, Bulma hurried them to the far side of the room where a sliding door led to a large shower stall, with shower heads pointing from several directions on the ceiling and the walls. "Quickly, get in there, take off all your clothes and put them in the metal cabinet inside."

"Bulma, what's going on?" Goku questioned.

"Just do it!" She yelled back.

Meanwhile Dr. Briefs ran over to Gohan and took two fresh blood samples from him while a robot took samples of blood from the floor and another collected anesthesia from the IV tube. As soon as he finished, another set of robots disengaged all of the equipment from Gohan's bedside and wheeled him to the nearby digital electo-magnetic resonance machine to help in further analysis. With his samples in hand, Dr. Briefs rushed back to the computer and slide them into a large slot for examination. He typed away with great speed.

As Goku and the others finished undressing and placing their clothes in the metal cabinet, Bulma started the shower, which pounded them from all sides with a heavy torrent of water. "Bulma?!" Goku complained. Everything was happening so fast, he had no idea what was going on. However, instead of answering him Bulma began barking orders to the rest of the crew outside the infirmary.

"Yamcha, take Chi-Chi back to her room and get my mother to help watch over her. If she starts to wake up let us know."

Without question, Yamcha nodded and proceeded to carry away the unconscious woman.

"Krillin, I need you to get in touch with everyone at Kame House. We'll need their help."

"O-OK." Krillin agreed, although he wasn't quite sure what exactly they would be helping with. But he wasn't one to ask questions when Bulma was like this.

"Vegeta. I need you to go to Korin's and see if they have any senzu beans."

"What? Why?" Vegeta protested. But Bulma was in no mood to argue. "Because you're the fastest one here and we need them as quickly as possible."

"Why can't Kakarot just teleport there?"

Bulma was losing her patience. "Vegeta, he can't right now. I don't have time to explain. I just need you to go get some senzu beans. NOW!"

Knowing that she only yelled at him like that when things were serious, he gave in to her demands. "All right, fine." He huffed before taking off.

Bulma turned back toward the trio in the shower and tossed them some soap. "Here. Scrub everywhere. Get as clean as you possibly can."

"You still haven't told us what is going on." Piccolo replied as he helped the barely conscious Dende stand up in the slippery, wet environment. He was starting to get a bit annoyed at this point.

"I don't want to say anything yet. Just finish the shower while I help my dad. Then we will have more information. And make sure Dende get's clean. Have him rinse out his mouth well." Bulma commented, having noted the blood that had gotten into his mouth before.

The young scientist then rushed over to her father's side. "What are the samples saying?"

"It's growing. The virus is growing in number, far beyond what was estimated."

"How?! How is this possible?" This was the last thing they expected and it posed a serious threat.

Dr. Briefs shook his head as he continued to type furiously away. By now Gohan was in the digital electo-magnetic resonance machine and Dr. Briefs was attempting to get a good picture of his heart. However, with Gohan thrashing about in pain, it was hard to get a clear picture.

"See if you can try and have him stay still for a few moments." Dr. Briefs asked.

"I don't understand. Why haven't you given him some more anesthesia? He's in pain right now." Bulma also knew that with each passing moment, Goku and Piccolo were growing more anxious as to why they could hear Gohan's cries for help.

"I can't." Dr. Briefs replied.

"Huh? What do you mean you can't?"

Dr. Briefs pointed to one of the many computer screens in front of him. "Because the anesthesia is what's making the virus increase at such a rapid rate!"

Bulma gasped. To say this was unexpected was an understatement. Never in medicine had this happened before. During this entire time, they were facilitating the growth of the virus within Gohan!

Dr. Briefs continued "The scanners picked it up when they came out just a few minutes ago. Gohan's blood had a higher amount of the virus than what was anticipated. And the blood on the ground had even greater amounts. When I looked closely with what was happening I noticed the IV dripping, mixing the anesthesia with the blood. I took some blood samples from Gohan and added some of the anesthesia." He pointed out two pictures. "This is the sample before adding the anesthesia. And this is the one after."

Bulma's eye's widened. The difference between the two pictures was night and day. The difference in the amount of virus, even for such a short time, was drastic. This was incredibly bad.

"That's why I need you to try and calm him down. I need to get a look at his heart to see how much damage has been done."

"Right." Bulma ran over to the young demi-saiyan and leaned into the machine. "Gohan. Gohan can you hear me?" She wasn't sure if he would be at all responsive to her calls.

"B-Bulma." He managed to gasp between cries. "W-where… ahh…. Am I?"

"You're at Capsule Corp Gohan. You're dad and mom brought you here after you collapsed at home. You've been in a drug induced coma for the past few days."

"Wh-What's… What's wrong with me? Ahhhhh…. Why… does my chest hurt… ahh… so much?"

Bulma hesitated for a second, wondering if she should tell him the truth. She didn't want to scare him but he had a right to know. "Gohan, we found that you've been infected with the heart virus your father had."

"Bulma!" Dr. Briefs shouted. He was growing impatient as time went on. He had to see what damage had been done to the heart.

Understanding she couldn't take all day, Bulma got to the point. "OK, listen Gohan. My dad and I… and everyone else - are working hard to help you get better. I can answer all of your questions in a bit but I need you to do your best to try and stay still for a few moments."

Gohan nodded as he let Bulma guide his hands away from his chest, to his sides, where he gripped the sheets of his bed. His pain continued to be vocalized by stifled groaning but he was still enough for the machine to work.

Dr. Briefs typed away as gears within the machine rotated to provide the picture he needed.

"You're doing great Gohan." Bulma gave him encouraging words. Several minutes went by but it seemed like hours, as her father continued to get the data needed. Eventually, enough time had passed that Goku and the rest emerged from their shower. While Piccolo helped the weakened Dende dry off and fit into the clothes Bulma provided, Goku was quick to get to his son's side. Still dripping wet, with only a towel wrapped around his waist, he rushed back in.

His blue-haired friend would have preferred he dressed in the protective garments she had provided but at this point she had to pick her battles. Instead, she grabbed a pair of latex gloves and a surgical mask and handed them to him. "Put these on. And make sure Gohan stays still."

As she made her way to her father's side, Goku shouted back. "Piccolo said he heard you say the virus is growing!"

"Yes." Bulma confirmed, mildly irritated. Her attention was being drawn in several directions. If she could only have five minutes to help analyze the data currently being collected, she would have the answers… hopefully. However, she understood where Goku was coming from as a concerned parent and had to tell him something. "The anesthesia was causing the virus to grow."

Before Goku could ask his next question Bulma preemptively answered. "We didn't know it was doing this because we weren't looking for it. This is the first time ever in medical history that this has happened. Something about this virus is not normal."

"I agree." Dr. Briefs added, although he was mainly directing his conversation towards his daughter who was now by his side. "This virus is behaving like a completely new species. It's unlike anything we've seen before in that it contains several characteristics of known, but unrelated, viruses."

"When Gohan first arrived here there was already some damage to his heart and he had a viral load less than half of what he has now. With these new numbers it's possible that more substantial damage could be done. We need to start filtering his blood." Bulma walked to a wall-side panel and began typing in some commands.

"That will-" Dr. Briefs started

"Lower his blood pressure, which could also cause problems, I know." Bulma finished his sentence. "But right now we have to choose the lesser of two evils. We can start to filter his blood to get as much of the virus out as possible and then wait for Vegeta to come back with the senzu beans for him and Dende. Then we might be able to use Dende's healing powers but more conservatively so that he doesn't get worn out." Bulma was doing her best to adapt to the new situation. Despite her planning she was really taking everything one step at a time. The new knowledge on the unusual nature of this virus meant that these past 20 minutes might not be the only setback they would face.

Finally, Goku felt like he would be of some help. "My shower didn't take that long. Why don't I just use instant transmission to go to Korin's, get the senzu beans, and bring Vegeta back on my way."

He lifted two fingers up to his head and was about to teleport before Bulma ran across the room, grabbing his arm.

"Goku NO!" She yelled.

He looked at her with a mixture of confusion and frustration. "What? You said we needed the senzu beans, this is the fastest way."

"Goku you can't."

Misinterpreting what she was saying, the Saiyan tried to reassure her. "Bulma I can use this technique anywhere; inside or outside. It's fine."

By this time Piccolo came back into the room, supporting Dende who was beginning to regain a bit more composure.

Goku tried to raise his fingers to his head once more but Bulma forced his arm downward.

"I mean you can't leave this room." She then looked at the Namekians. "None of you can leave this room."

Goku's face grew serious. "What are you talking about?"

Bulma sighed. She didn't want to deliver more bad news but this was inevitable for them to hear. "You could all be infected."

"WHAT!?" Both Piccolo and Goku exclaimed.

"But you said the virus could only infect Saiyans. And Goku's already had the virus, you told him that makes him immune." Piccolo shouted back, trying to make sense of this new predicament.

"It was… or maybe it still is." Bulma's voice softened at the end of her sentence. She usually spoke with such confidence. Then she decided to simply be straightforward. "It's mutating. The virus is mutating. We saw a change in virus when we first came in here. Our computers analyzed the genetic structure of the virus using the sample of blood my father took. In comparison to our previous data we can tell it's evolving at a high rate. Because of this it's possible that you all may be infected with a new strain of the virus since you've been in close contact with Gohan just now. The three of you have to stay quarantined until we can figure this out."

After rushing outside into the rain, Vegeta leapt into the air, flying straight up until he was above the storm clouds that encompassed the region. Once clear, and embraced by the warmth of the sun, he powered up to his Super Saiyan form and sped off towards the direction of Korin's Tower.

"What the hell is going on?" He thought to himself as he made his journey. It seemed that one minute he was relaxing after the fight will Cell and the next, Kakarot's son was at Capsule Corp in some sort of critical condition from the infamous heart virus Future Trunks had warned them about. He was made uncomfortable when they arrived a few days ago and now things seemed to have gotten worse. After experiencing quarantine first hand, he was growing increasingly anxious about the whole situation. And now this - he had been ordered to retrieve senzu beans and get back as soon as possible.

Vegeta shook his head as he thought about the urgency in Bulma's voice. He knew her well enough to know when she was worried and this… this was unlike anything he had experienced from her. If she was this upset, then that meant things were bad. Not just for him, but for everyone.

The Saiyan Prince grimaced. He chastised himself for his feelings of empathy for those around him. A few years ago he would have thought himself insane for caring about anyone other than himself. However, life experiences had changed him dramatically, and he was no longer the man he once was. Goku, Bulma, Future Trunks, and the rest of them had all impacted him in one way or another. When Future Trunks was killed by Cell, these emotions hit a boiling point. He could no longer deny the changes within him. Heck, he had even developed a respect for Gohan during the fight, something he never thought would happen.

Thinking about Gohan brought him back to focus on the issue at hand and his thought process led him down a path that he was hesitant to follow. From what he knew, the virus infected Saiyans, but Bulma had mentioned mutations to him previously. He wasn't well versed on the science behind such things but he was surmising where this could potentially lead. Despite his newfound respect from the demi-saiyan warrior he knew a decision might have to be made. Should circumstances continue to get out of control, he would be forced to do what was necessary to eliminate the problem to protect not only himself, but also those around him.

Time passed and Chi-Chi began to toss and turn in her bed before regaining consciousness. "Ehh… ugh… What-what happened?" As her memories flooded back to her she jolted up. "Gohan!"

Almost immediately Bulma came rushing into the room. Before she could say anything, Chi-Chi was starting to work herself up.

"Bulma, where's Gohan?!"

The blue-haired woman worked on calming her friend down. "He's still in isolation but he's stabilized."

"What happened?" Chi-Chi asked.

Bulma did her best to describe what had recently taken place, that Dende had collapsed from exhaustion, getting himself tangled in the cords monitoring Gohan's vitals. She mentioned that Goku and Piccolo had gone in to help them but because of the new discoveries about the heart virus and its mutations, they were now in isolation as well.

"You arrived when everything was going haywire but things have calmed down now. We are waiting on Vegeta to get back with some senzu beans to help. He should be back any minute."

"Vegeta." Chi-Chi was having trouble recalling what had happened to her just before she blacked out but she remembers hearing his voice. "… He struck me."

Bulma sighed. "Yes. I'm sorry about that Chi-Chi, but you had lost control and were presenting a danger to yourself."

Chi-Chi glared at her and shrugged away. She was not happy remembering this despite what Bulma had to say. She then stood up, stumbling as she did so.

"Take it easy." Bulma said, which was responded with another glare. "We've given you a light sedative to help calm you down and prevent any panic attacks."

"I don't need to be calm." Chi-Chi replied. "I need to see Gohan."

Understanding that there was little she could do to dissuade her in order to get her to rest, Bulma led Chi-Chi back down to the infirmary. On the way she did her best to fill the concerned mother in on what they've discovered. Despite the bad news, Chi-Chi remained indifferent in her emotions, at least outwardly.

As they turned the corner to their destination, Krillin and Yamcha greeted them.

"Vegeta hasn't come back yet has he?" Bulma asked.

"Not yet." Krillin replied.

"How about everyone from Kame House? You said you were able to get a hold of them?"

"Just recently. They were out when I initially called but I managed to finally get a hold of them. They are on their way now, which means they'll be here in a few hours."

"And how are they doing in there?" Bulma motioned inside the room. Krillin and Yamcha stood aside so that the two women could see through the window into the infirmary. Chi-Chi stood flush against the glass. Inside, Gohan laid on a bed, hooked back up to his equipment. He was conscious and was clearly experiencing mild discomfort by the way he clutched his chest but at least he wasn't screaming in pain. Goku paced in the background while at the far end Dr. Briefs continued to work on his computer in his protective gear.

"He's hurting." Chi-Chi muttered. Her voice was beginning to give as she felt a sense of defeat over recent events, in addition to the affects of the sedative she had been given.

Bulma did her best to soothe her. "Despite what it looks like, he's only experiencing mild discomfort. Ideally, we would like to put him under anesthesia but as I explained on the way here, that was actually making the virus replicate faster. My dad and I had to run a series of quick tests to determine what drug we could give him to reduce his pain. The only that worked without causing any harm was a relatively new synthetic drug. Luckily the hospital nearby had a small stockpile."

Chi-Chi then looked up at her husband who continued to pace in the background. He had not yet recognized everyone standing there. It was like he was in his own world.

"He hasn't left Gohan's side." Bulma added. After things had settled she had heard about the fight between the couple earlier that morning and was trying to pacify the situation. At this point, tensions between the husband and wife would only complicate things and add to distractions. "Piccolo and Dende were put in an adjacent room for their own protection until we can identify how the virus has mutated. We tried to get Goku to go into another room but he's refused. It was hard enough getting him to dress up in some protective clothing."

"He's really struggling with this." Yamcha mentioned, to which Krillin nodded and added his own comment. "I've never seen him like this before."

Chi-Chi pressed her hand against the glass, looking from Gohan to Goku and back again. She continued to question how this could be happening. Both her husband and son were locked in isolation from a mysterious virus that Bulma and her father could not figure out. It just didn't seem real.

Out of the corner of his eye Goku finally noticed he was being watched. He halted his pacing to look up at his audience. "Chi-Chi?" He muttered. Their eyes met. They had not spoken since their fight earlier that day and now the situation was much worse than before.

He slowly made his way to his side of the glass window.

He and Chi-Chi gazed into each other's eyes, solemnly, for a moment. No words were spoken between them but it was clear they were both sorry for their last interaction. They knew in order to give Gohan the best chance he had they had to stick together, as a family. Goku proceeded to press his hand against the glass, in line with hers. They were in this together.

They then both looked at their son, praying and hoping for his survival.

"V-Vegeta!" Krillin shouted, breaking the silence. He has noticed the Saiyan Prince approaching from the end of the hall. Everyone turned to face him as Bulma ran up to him.

"Did they have any senzu?"

Vegeta held out his palm. "Just these three. They said more would not be ready for another two weeks at the earliest based on when they planted them."

While she was hoping for more, Bulma took what she could get. She graciously accepted the magical beans from him. "Thank you Vegeta." She then proceeded to hastily gown up in her protective suit so that she could deliver the beans right away. Due to his discomfort, Vegeta gave one last look at the group before walking off.

"Dad, they're here!" Bulma exclaimed, referring to the senzu, as she joined her father inside the infirmary.

"Excellent!" Dr. Briefs proclaimed. "Give one to Gohan. We'll then measure its effects on the damage done to his heart using the digital electro-magnetic resonance machine."

Bulma promptly provided Gohan with one of the senzu beans as her father studied the image of his heart. As expected, the senzu worked to repair the damage done to the young demi-saiyans heart but did not rid him of the virus. As Dr. Briefs confirmed that the virus was still present Goku became angered once again.

"Damnit!" He scoffed.

Bulma had to reassure him of the benefits that were made. "Goku, we knew the senzu wasn't going to cure him of the virus, otherwise in Trunks' timeline you would not have died from it. We got the senzu so as to repair the damage that had been done to Gohan's heart over the past few days since it's been more aggressive in him and he doesn't have the medicine you had to help combat it. This has saved his life."

"For now." Goku muttered, although it was still audible to everyone around (except for his son whose hearing was drowned out by the noises from the machine he was in). The Saiyan was being driven to pessimism.

"For now is all we can ask for." Bulma put a hand on his shoulder. "Gohan hasn't given up and neither should you."

As Dr. Briefs continued to monitor Gohan for a few more minutes, Bulma went to the room where Piccolo and Dende were in and supplied the younger Namekian with one of the two remaining senzu beans. Samples of blood from both of them were then taken to test for presence of a mutated virus.

After several minutes Dr. Briefs informed Bulma that current tests did not detect any viral load in their blood but more stringent tests were needed in order to provide 100% guarantee. "This virus is highly unusual, we can't leave any room for error."

Bulma nodded in agreement. "How long will they have to be in quarantine?"

"At least 48 hours." Dr. Briefs concluded.

As evening drew upon West City, the storm still raging outside, Bulma supplied instructions and tasks to everyone. Dende was no longer to heal Gohan continuously but rather once every hour, at most, in order to prevent the Namekian from becoming too exhausted. While this had some negative consequences in terms of how fast the virus grew within Gohan and potential damage, it was the only option available to prevent any disastrous situations like of earlier that day. Dende was also to be in a protective suit until more tests could be done to ensure the mutations in the virus had not allowed it to infect those other than Saiyans and to ensure it wasn't now air-borne. Because of these factors, Goku, Piccolo, and Dende were to remain in quarantine.

Outside of the infirmary, Bulma and Dr. Briefs met with everyone when Master Roshi, Oolong, Puar, Tien and Chiaotzu arrived from Kame House.

"Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu, tomorrow I need two of you to travel to Kame House and two of you to travel to the Son household. Both parties will be given some capsules containing robots that will scan each premise for traces of the virus and eliminate it wherever it is found. It's not likely that any are located at Kame House as no trace was found on those who just came from there. However, we have to be cautious. We are waiting on a variety of tests to be done over night in order to ensure that this done properly."

Everyone nodded.

Bulma continued. "Puar, Oolong, and Master Roshi, we may need you to help run various errands in between here and West City Hospital."

"What can I do?" Chi-Chi asked.

Her friend turned to her. "You can stay here for moral support for Gohan. He'll need both you and Goku."

As everyone was delegated their tasks for the next day Krillin asked the obvious question. "So what about right now? Is there anything we can do?"

Dr. Briefs spoke up. "We just started an experiment using Goku's antibodies in our lab that will take a little over an hour for our automated systems to complete. This will help us in developing a vaccine. While that's processing, however, I suggest that we have something to eat."

The group looked a bit guilty knowing that they would be enjoying a meal while Gohan and the rest were being quarantined. Bulma took notice of their solemn faces and tried to help ease their feelings. "We've all been on our feet all day. If we don't get some nourishment in us we will be useless. Neither the brain nor the body can properly function without the necessary energy. After we are done eating, we will check on the results of our experiment. If there is anything else to be done before we get some rest tonight we'll let you know."

Reluctantly, everyone agreed to this proposition and joined together for dinner.

The meal was mostly held in silence until the end when Chi-Chi excused herself to go rest. The sedative Bulma had given her, along with the emotional journey of that day, was starting to take its toll. And with food in her stomach, she was barely able to stay awake. Bulma asked her mom to help Chi-Chi to her room. She then asked everyone else to prepare a few plates of food for Goku and Gohan, and some more filtered water for Dende and Piccolo, while she and her father checked on the data from their experiment. (A/N: Remember that Namekians only drink water). "We'll meet you guys outside the infirmary." She mentioned before leaving.

Back in the lab where the two were running their experiment on Goku's antibodies, Dr. Briefs sat down at his computer. "It seems to be done… Hmmm."

"Hmmm… what?" His daughter asked, skeptical by his tone.

"Well, I was hoping for a better assessment from this data. We haven't been able to work on it that much today but still."

"What does that mean?" Bulma inquired.

Her father grinned. "Oh I'm sure it's nothing. I just need to input this data into a different algorithm. However, this means we will need another blood sample from Goku for one of our next tests. Could you get me some?"

"OK." As Bulma began to collect the proper equipment needed to draw blood her head shot up in a realization. "Dad!"

They turned towards each other. Bulma had a hopeful smile. "The analysis of the medicine. It has to be done by now!"

Dr. Briefs smacked his head. "My word, of course! How could we have forgotten?"

"Well this is really the first time all day that we haven't been rushing because of an emergency. And we finally have food in our stomachs so we are thinking more clearly." Bulma set her equipment down. "I'll go and get the read outs."

"Don't worry about that I can get them." Dr. Briefs stated.

"Huh?"

"We both know that as soon as you know what the medicine contains you will be trying to formulate a way to reproduce it and right now I'd rather you get some more blood samples from Goku." He then waved her off. "We should have plenty of time tonight to recreate the medicine and deliver it to Gohan but these blood samples are needed first, especially with the mutations occurring."

Understanding where he was coming from, Bulma agreed. "OK, but as soon as I come back we are working on it."

"I know I know." Dr. Briefs chuckled.

The young scientist made her way to the infirmary where Goku was leaning over his son, gripping his hand for comfort.

Reluctantly she pushed the intercom button in order for him to hear her more clearly. "Goku."

He turned his head around to face her through the window.

"I'm sorry to disturb you but we need another blood draw." She pointed to the side. The door to the right leads to a decontamination area that you will have to go through, which then leads you to another quarantine room. I'll meet you in there."

Goku nodded and turned back towards Gohan. "I'll be right back son."

He stood up to walk away when Gohan grabbed his hand. "Dad."

"Hmm?" Goku knelt back down by his son's side.

"I'm… I'm sorry… For all of this." Gohan apologized between labored breaths.

Goku clasped both his hands into his son's. "Gohan, you have nothing to be sorry for. In no way is this your fault. If anything, I'm to blame. I got this virus first and then it was passed on to you."

"But… I don't… want… you… to get… sick… again."

Goku stared at his son. Sick again? Did Gohan know about the mutations? He didn't think he could hear them talking when the alarms were blaring or when he was in the machine.

"Gohan, wh-" Before he could ask his questions, Gohan answered.

"It's why… Piccolo… and Dende… are in… another… room. It's why… the alarms… went off… a second… time. It's why… Bulma… can't take… you're blood… in here. I saw… the images… on the… computer. Something… is wrong. And… you're… in danger… being… around… me."

"Gohan, I'm not in danger. I'm j-"

Once again the young demi-saiyan cut off his father.

"Yes… you are. You… have to… stay away. When you… go into… the other… room… don't… come back."

Goku was left speechless. All this time he was trying to be there for his son and now his son was trying to protect him. The words ripped through him like knives. How? How could he stay away when Gohan was in such a vulnerable state?

"Gohan listen to me." He held a firmer grip onto his son. "I'm not going to let you battle this alone. I'm going into that room to help Bulma and then I'm coming right back here to be by your side until you get through this." A tear went down his cheek before he wiped it away. "Do you here me? We're in this together."

Gohan didn't respond, but then again Goku wasn't so much asking as he was telling.

"I'll be right back." He then stood up and walked through the decontamination point, into the adjacent room trying his best to stay strong.

Inside the room Bulma was waiting for him in her protective suit. Immediately she recognized something was wrong. "Goku, what is it?"

"I think Gohan knows… about the mutations. And that I could potentially get reinfected."

"How?" Bulma questioned rather surprised. "You asked that we keep that information from him in order not to scare him, especially since we don't know for sure. And he shouldn't have been able to hear us when we were talking about it earlier."

"I don't think he did." Goku said as he sat down next to her and folded out his arm for her to take blood. He wanted this to be over as quickly as possible so he could get back to his son. "He figured it out without anyway telling him."

Bulma sighed. She knew Gohan was smart but in this case it was working against them. "What did he say?" She asked as she tied the elastic band around Goku's arm.

"He wants me to stay away."

"What?!"

Goku looked up at her. "He thinks he's endangering me."

Bulma didn't quite know how to respond. Technically, Gohan was right, well at least until they could find out how the virus had mutated. But she knew Goku wasn't going to just leave his son alone while he fought this virus.

"I'll… I'll talk to him." She then proceeded to draw blood into several tubes.

Krillin and the others appeared outside the door. "Hey Bulma, we have food for Goku and Gohan." The small man said through the intercom as they watched Goku's blood taken.

"Give me one minute." She replied. She then looked up at Goku with a smile, thinking the mere mention of food would help his demeanor. Her smile quickly disappeared, however, when she noticed that had no affect. Her friend had only one thing on his mind

"You know he apologized to me. He said he was sorry for all of this. I mean how can he say that? If anything it's my fault. I got this virus first and then passed it on to him."

The others outside looked on, somewhat confused, as they had missed the beginning of the conversation.

Bulma did her best to comfort him. "Goku its nobodies fault. You didn't infect Gohan with this virus just like nobody infected you. These things just happen." She then untied the elastic band around his arm as the last tube of blood was filled. "We're going to help you get through this. All of us." She motioned to their friends standing outside the room. "Besides, we still are developing a vaccine based off of your antibodies and my dad is looking at the results of the chemical analysis of the medicine as we speak."

"Your dad?" Goku questioned.

"Yea, he's reviewing the data right now." Bulma smiled.

"No, I mean your dad." Goku pointed through the window. Charging down the hall was Dr. Briefs with several papers in his hands. As he got closer, everyone could tell his face held urgency.

"Bulma!" She shouted into the intercom, slightly pushing Krillin out of the way.

"Dad? What's wrong?" Bulma asked.

"The algorithms. The models for the vaccine. They aren't working." He said through labored breaths. His voice was frantic, unlike anything Bulma had ever heard from him.

"What do you mean they aren't working?" She shouted back.

Dr. Briefs looked at all the papers he was holding. "Everything is coming up inconclusive."

"This doesn't make any sense. We have the most up to date database. How could none of the models work?" She was quickly joining in his frantic concern, which caused their friends to question what this all meant.

"Bulma what is he talking about?" Goku shot out.

His friend tried to think of a way to explain it. "Every vaccine has to use a model for which it is based off. There are a select number that all vaccines in the world use." She then turned her focus back to her father. "Are you sure you ran all of them?"

"Three times." He answered.

"Well… what about the medicine?" Yamcha asked in a panic tone. He and the others were starting to understand the seriousness of the situation. "Bulma said you were analyzing its compounds and that this morning it was 99% complete."

Dr. Briefs looked at them with a sense of dread. After he didn't answer Bulma spoke up. "Dad…" He turned back towards her. "What about the medicine?"

Dr. Briefs gulped. "… Still 99%."

"WHAT!?" Everyone shouted knowing full well that it should have been completed hours ago.

However, they didn't have too long to consider the consequences of this as that same instant they heard a loud buzz sound come from Gohan's room.

"Gohan?" Goku cried as he tried to open the door, but it was jammed. He looked at the edges and noticed that they were melting together with the metal doorframe.

Krillin quickly ran around the corner to see what was happening through the window to the infirmary.

"He's sealing the door!" He shouted. As he spoke he witnessed Gohan, hunched over, welding the door between him and Goku shut with his ki. After a few seconds he proceeded to weld shut the door between him and the other rooms where Piccolo and Dende were.

"Gohan!" Goku shouted once again as he banged on the door. He was about to knock it down when Bulma stopped him.

"Goku NO!"

"I can't just leave him in there all alone." Goku screamed back at her.

"Goku listen to me. If you break that door down there will be a safety breach. This area is programmed to be highly sensitive to any disturbances. All of Capsule Corp would be locked down. It could potentially take days to reset, without anyone coming or going."

Goku started to panic. "But he's locked himself in! How are we going to help him?"

Bulma sighed. She knew exactly what Gohan was doing. "He hasn't locked himself in. He's locked you, Piccolo, and Dende out." Based on what she could tell from what Krillin was observing she explained that the main entrance to all the rooms remained intact. These entrances had more specialized decontamination areas (the same decontamination areas her father and her had to go through whenever they entered any area of the isolated infirmary). As she explained this she asked Yamcha to run to the other side to inform Piccolo and Dende what was going on so that they wouldn't break down their side of the door either.

As Yamcha ran to the other side he saw Krillin talking with Gohan.

"Gohan…why?" Krillin asked sympathetically.

"I need… to… protect them. Please… tell my… dad that… I'm sorry." Gohan said before making his way back to his bed.

Krillin slowly backed away and returned to Goku's side of the infirmary. He relayed the message to his friend.

Goku fell to his knees and sniffled, trying his best to hold back the tears that were finally coming through. "Why?!" He cried. "…Why is this happening to him. Why can't I help him?" His voice was weakening. "He… doesn't deserve this." Despite his efforts, he could no longer hold up a strong front. "He doesn't deserve… any of this." Tears began to pour down his face as he reached his tipping point. "My… boy." And with that, Goku broke down, and cried from the depths of his soul.

The others looked on, helpless. Goku was always so stoical. Never in their life had they seen him cry or show fear, yet now they saw both. Earth's greatest warrior reduced to his most vulnerable state. It was as if the only thing he had ever known, his power, was stripped from him in the cruelest way possible. The pain Goku felt was indescribable and his cries personified the absolute and total despair of a father… who was powerless to help his son.

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Two steps back