"I doubt that, it seems that our survey-mission has turned into a survival one."

Survival and clues

It's been two days since our three H. E. S. F.-agents left their original campsite. Now there being hold up in a cave behind a waterfall which they found by accident.

*Flashback*

One hour after leaving their original site the trio was walking alongside the lake. Sharpener up front with the rifle as Videl walked behind him with the backpack containing the remaining supplies and Erasa closed the line carrying her device to listen in on other people's conversations. Until they suddenly heard rustling in the bushes to their left (the lake is on their right). Sharpener immediately turned left and shot with his rifle into the bushes, after the sound of the shot had subsided there fell a deafening silence. Suddenly two sabertooth tigers jumped out of the bushes.

One of them jumped at Sharpener, he tried to shoot again but before he could both he and the sabertooth tiger were pushed into the lake by the tiger himself. Sharpener had in the process dropped his rifle on the ground. Feeling the water the tiger immediately forgot about Sharpener and tried as quickly as he could to get out of the cold water.

The other one jumped at Videl, as she landed flat on her back the tiger had one of his claws above her left shoulder and left of her face on the ground. The other one was on her right upper arm scratching it while one forth tiger (that's heavy) was resting on it. As the tiger tried to put Videls face into his mouth. Videl forgot about her pain in her right upper arm as she quickly grabbed both the tiger's tusks, one in each hand. Struggling to keep the tiger of her face she kneed him in the stomach. In the moment he winced in pain Videl managed to grab the dropped rifle and swung the butt full force into the left side of the tiger's face, making it roll off her. But it was of no use as Videl tried to get back on her feet the tiger jumped at her again and she was back holding the tiger's tusks. As the mouth came closer to her face suddenly there was a cracking sound and the tiger stopped closing in for a second. Videl noticing that the tiger's left tusk was apparently weakened by the rifle smack, didn't waste a moment and began yanking on the tooth. CRACK! The tusk broke off, Videl brought with her right hand the broken tusk under the tiger's chin and shoved it upward. The tiger jumped off her laying on his front with his paws over his face trying to figure out how to remove the tusk stuck in his chin. Meanwhile Videl got up grabbed the rifle putting it against the tiger's head and fired ending the fight.

When the sabertooth tigers attacked Erasa was so scared she dropped her device which fell into multiple pieces. As she quickly lay on the ground putting her hands on her head as she mumbled little prayers.

After the fight Videl helped Erasa up and Erasa began:

"Wait where's Sharpener?"

"I don't know last thing I saw him do was falling into the lake with one of the sabertooth tigers." Videl said as she walked near the place where it happened.

Looking in the water they found nothing no air bubbles, no body, no blood. "SHARPENER! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Erasa began screaming, causing Videl to hold her ears.

"Erasa, Videl, I'm here!" Looking to their left they saw a drenched Sharpener with a small wound on his head.

"What happened?" Erasa asked.

"Well after I was pushed in the lake the sabertooth tiger immediately went out. Figuring out those overgrown cats don't like water I started to swim away as fast as I could. I was so busy swimming I didn't notice I had swum through the waterfall until I hit my head against the rocks. Did you know there is a cave behind it? It's perfect to hide in until H. E. S. F. sends people to search for us." Sharpener said.

"So you left us, your team including your girlfriend, to save your own sorry ass?" Videl said.

"I rather live than risk getting killed by getting back into it." Sharpener said.

"Is that so? Well then Sharpener it's over between us, you asshole!" Erasa said.

"Whatever," Sharpener said as he shrugged, "what happened to the other tiger?"

Erasa pointed behind her where Videl sat on the grass grabbing a bottle of water from the backpack. As next to her there laid a sabertooth tiger on its right side with a bullet entrance in his skull, blood coming out of its mouth and left eye and its own left tusk stabbed through his chin. Seeing this and seeing Videl sending an angry glare at him Sharpener gulped but played it cool: "Oh, good work."

Just then Erasa noticed Videl pouring the water over her right upper arm which had swollen purple of the pressure and had three cuts caused by the sabertooth tiger's claw nails. "Come on, bring us to that cave of yours so we can attend to Videls arm and your head."

"Alright." Sharpener muttered as Erasa and Videl walked after him.

*End flashback*

It's been two days since Icarus came crashing in the Son backyard. Gohan and Icarus are getting ready to start searching the woods for H. E. S. F.

*Flashback*

While taking care of Icarus' leg Gohan found pieces of a tent and clothes entangled with the leg. Removing the pieces there was something that caught Gohans eye: a piece of a green camouflage jacket with H. E. S. in orange letters on it. After properly bandaging the leg he went behind his computer and googled H. E. S. in it. Gohan was shocked when the results came in:

"H. E. S. also known as Honorable Extraterrestrial Slayers" read the page. Gohan sighed of relief when he read further: "This fan club of the comic 'Death to Aliens' has been abandoned 13 years ago." Further were no results that could possibly be what he searched for, he decided he would show Bulma the piece of clothing when he tomorrow had to be in West City for work.

Then the door swung open and Goten stood in the opening. Gohan could see a few tears as Goten came running towards him grabbing Gohans leg. Goten looked up and began: "MomcalledandsaidthatIcaruswasattackedishegonnabeokayihopesobecauseheismybestplaymatetogetherwithyouandTrunks."

"Calm down squirt," Gohan said as he kneeled down putting one hand on Gotens head as he ruffled his hair. "Icarus is going to be okay. He just needs to rest for a while, I want you to guard the house when I'm gone tomorrow in case those mean people come back. Okay?"

"Okay, but Gohan why do you think they are still here?"

"Because I can sense them, I didn't at first but like an hour after Icarus came home I could definitely sense a raise of ki above animal level. But I can't exactly locate them because now they're small again in this large forest. Just keep your ears open, if you concentrate you should be able to hear an engine if a vehicle leaves the area. This forest is too big to walk out of, especially when Icarus destroyed your camp." Gohan muttered the last part to himself.

Next day by Bulma at lunch

"Hey Bulma" Gohan began.

"Hey Gohan, is Icarus doing okay? Chi-Chi told me yesterday when she called to tell Goten about it." Bulma replied.

"He's going to be fine, he just needs some rest. I do have a question for you though…" Gohan said as he handed the piece of clothing over to Bulma. "It has the initials HES on it, any idea which company uses those initials?"

"No, not really…" Bulma said examining the rag. "It's torn right after the 'S', I think there was supposed to be a fourth letter…" a silence fell. "I do remember Hercule Satan coming here asking if we could make equipment for them. I flat out refused because of everything he said about our friends being tricksters and such. Seeing the list of what kind of equipment he wanted I decided to find out for what."

"What kind of equipment did he want?" Gohan asked.

"Mainly spy and military equipment, so you understand why I was curious, but back at the story. Hercule found another company to make his equipment, Cases Ses. So in a meeting with CS and CC he was the whole time bragging about having the 'World Saver' as customer. I glanced over at the details of the order and saw that Hercule has started H. E. S. F. nobody knows where it stands for. I think that this rag belonged to a H. E. S. F.-uniform, you've got some of Hercules slaves spying on you.

"I let him keep the credit because I don't care and want to keep my privacy but apparently that's too much to ask, if they are still in the forest I'm going to search for them."

"That's fine and all, but we have an emergency meeting with one of facilities in South City."

"This is going to take forever isn't it?" Sighed Gohan.

"Yep, we'll be lucky if we are done around 22:00 the 'Southers' have always been the 'many words zero meaning'-type." Bulma finished as they got back to work.

Son household at 22:03

"Hey Gohan, do you know who those meanies are who hurt Icarus?" Goten greeted as Gohan walked through the door as he came home.

"Yes I do Goten, tomorrow I'm going to search the woods for them. But now it's time for bed."

*End flashback*

(A. N. Looking back they could've just walked in the same direction they saw the hoverbus leave in chapter 3, oh well. I was planning on making this chapter longer but I rather make multiple smaller chapter, sorry if you don't like that.)