Chapter Ten

Warning Signs

The police outside the station were worried to the point of panic. The gunfire several minutes before had been bad enough, but now in the silence their concerns mounted. Why hadn't they heard anything yet? No one from inside had contacted them, not the hostages, not Videl, not even the Red Sharks. The whole of the police force was on the verge of storming the building, with or without an order.

Suddenly, one of the policemen gave a shout and pointed to the sky. Even as he flashed to a stop over the building, the green-and-black figure of the Great Saiyaman was clearly recognizable. The lawmen cheered as he landed on the roof and rushed inside. With both of the Great Saiyamen on the scene now, they knew everything would be fine.

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Gohan charged inside the open stairwell door, leaping whole flights at once in his rush. He paid little thought to the mound of unconscious bodies surrounding the doorway of the eleventh floor, his keen eyes and other senses alert for more serious dangers in the darkness. He came to a halt when he entered the tenth floor, taking a quick survey of the battlefield before him.

Desks were strewn haphazardly all over, bullet holes lining most of the wall behind him. Dozens of unconscious men, both police officers and thugs, were scattered across the floor. A gaping hole stretched through the ceiling across the room, five feet wide and twenty feet long. His gaze halted when he saw the room's only other conscious occupant. He was standing on the opposite side of the room, across the once-clear aisle that was now littered with broken fiberboard from the ceiling, scattered papers and folders, and the broken remains of a few desks. The bulky figure just looked back at him with his arms crossed and smiled cruelly. Though the face was familiar, the sense of the man was not. He was obviously the source of that strange double-ki he had been sensing.

The Boss smiled and peered at him intently, as if seeing him for the first time. He spoke, but it was not with the voice he remembered from outside City Hall months before, or even the one that had spoken over Videl's watch communicator earlier. "Greetings, young warrior. So glad you could join us." The speech was eerily similar to a Fusion, two distinct voices overlapping and blending as they spoke the same words. The Boss' deep, accented growl was there, but there was also another voice, much more precise and calm.

"Who are you?" Gohan demanded, scowling at the thug.

The other regarded him quizzically for a moment. When he spoke this time, the Boss' familiar voice was much more apparent. "Forgotten me so soon, boy?"

The demi-Saiyan just stared back. "No, I haven't forgotten you," he growled, still trying to comprehend this strange turn of events. "Where is she?"

Something in the other man's face changed. His eyes twisted in anger for a moment, then shifted back to a coldly neutral expression. "She is here," he said, his voice returned to the original even mix. He turned, revealing the slumped and battered form of Videl lying unconscious against the back wall.

Suppressing the sudden urge to launch himself at the massive brute and rip him into small pieces, Gohan settled on a low growl. "Who are you?" he asked again, this time more forcefully. "The man we sent to jail six months ago wasn't nearly this strong."

The hulk dropped into a fighting stance, the smile still on his face. He replied in a voice now dominated by the unfamiliar speaker. The constant changes in tone were getting confusing. "If you prove you're worth it, maybe I'll explain it to you," he said. Without another word, he charged.

Gohan threw up a hasty defense, surprise at the thug's unexpected speed putting him on his heels. The spacious room seemed to shrink as he gave ground to the constant barrage of fists and feet. The only consolation was that while the thug was fast, he wasn't quite fast enough.

Gohan parried a strong jab, then leapfrogged over the giant man with a quick jump, no small feat with the small space between the brute's head and the ceiling. He spun around just in time to block another series of blows, but he had successfully maneuvered to get more breathing room behind him. He allowed the big lug to inch him back with his attacks until they were back in the center of the room, but now the half-Saiyan was finished being on the defensive. He sidestepped two more blows, and then lashed out with his own offensive barrage. The larger man staggered as several of the lightning-fast attacks broke through his guard with the surprising change in momentum.

Trying to regain the initiative, the Boss reared back for a powerful punch, but Gohan ducked under the blow and saw his opening. As the larger man stumbled forward, off balance for a critical split-second, Gohan planted a hand and struck out with a double-booted kick right into the brute's midsection.

The giant now stumbled back with a grunt, but Gohan did not press the advantage. He decided it was better to take a moment to size up who he was facing. The man was just as massive as he remembered, but Gohan had learned long ago how little bearing size could have on a skilled fighter's abilities. Even so, it was not hollow bulk. His punches and kicks would be able to do real damage if Gohan failed to block them. His speed was impressive as well. He couldn't get a good read on the man's power level, still trying to sift through the strange sensation of there being two people in the same place.

The Boss stood up straight and again favored the boy with his cruel smile. "Looks like there may be a decent fight for me in this room after all," he chorused in the strange dual voice. "I'd say it's time to raise the stakes."

Gohan's eyes widened as he felt the man's energy begin to rise. He wasn't even going all out yet? He was more surprised than concerned, seeing as he had barely even scratched the surface of his own capabilities yet. Even so, it was still worrying to know how much stronger the man before him was than the thug that Videl had knocked around months before. With his mind geared towards combat, the pieces of the puzzle hadn't quite slipped into place. "Ready whenever you are, big guy."

The larger man just widened his smile. Gohan could feel the surge of power from right in front of him continue, but even as the building began to quiver on its foundations around them, he could now clearly feel two distinct ki coming from the Boss. One was markedly weaker than the other, and while growing it was quickly being dwarfed by the second sense.

The rumbling around them subsided and the hulk's spiking energies leveled off. Not wanting to take unnecessary risks, Gohan drew on some of his reserves, keeping his level ahead of his opponent… at least, as best as he could judge it.

His surprise continued when the Boss smiled at him. "Well, well," the Boss said, his tone conversational. His voice was again favoring the cold, precise side of his speech. "Glad to see at least some of the sullen haven't entirely wasted all this time. You're not quite out of strength yet."

Despite himself, Gohan couldn't hold back a brief shock. "You can sense energy now, too? You're just full of surprises."

The larger man kept smiling coldly. "If you can still keep up when I really start trying, you might find out why."

No way! He has to be bluffing. How much more strength could he have gained in six months? Gohan thought worriedly. Something isn't right with this guy.

The young fighter's thoughts were cut short by the Boss' charge. Their bodies were blurred with their increased speed, the fury of the combat rising with every blow. Gohan found himself struggling to keep up this time, once again forced on the defensive and hard pressed to break out.

I misjudged his strength! Oh, great, now I'm in trouble. His opponent sensed his struggle, and came at him even harder. Gohan found himself trapped against an office wall, with no more room to retreat, vainly trying to block or dodge the hail of blows.

The Boss finally slipped inside his defense, driving a huge fist straight into Gohan's chest. With the force of the blow, the half-Saiyan crashed back through the office wall and through the outer layer of the building to boot, creating a gaping hole that the other man followed him through. Gohan regained his senses just in time to bat away the next series of strikes as the two fighters now duked it out a hundred feet above the mass of police cars on the street below.

Unable to concentrate enough to power up, Gohan was getting desperate. With a quick burst of speed, he flew back, trying to gain some distance. The Boss gave chase, but Gohan had just enough time to fire off a small energy blast. The giant batted it aside with a derisive grunt, but had less luck with the punch that followed. Gohan's fist struck true, stunning the Boss just long enough to pelt the larger man with a barrage of punches and kicks. With a powerful double-fisted hammerblow, he sent his opponent spiraling down towards the street.

Policemen scattered out of the way, but the Boss reasserted himself mere feet above the ground. He looked up menacingly at Gohan and swiped a thin rivulet of blood trailing from his lip. "It's been fun, kid," he shouted, "but I'm tired of the games. I want to find out what this new body of mine can really do!"

The demi-Saiyan stared down, trying to comprehend what he just heard. All traces of the thick accent the Boss usually sported were gone, replaced by a voice so cold and confident that it sent chills down Gohan's spine. Before he could shout a reply, he felt another massive surge in his opponent's power. The odd double-sense was now fading, the stronger half of what he had felt before cresting like a tide to drown out all traces of what had once been the Boss of the Red Shark Gang.

The rise of his energy sent shockwaves out, knocking back policemen below like they were dolls. Dust flew about in a storm of grit and debris, and the few men still standing below shielded their eyes. A red aura flared to life around the hulking man, and with a loud roar, the energy peaked with one last blunt shockwave before settling down.

Gohan looked down at his adversary, finally getting a sense of the man's full power. With the surprise finally gone, a confident smirk born of his Saiyan pride attached itself to his face. He floated down until he was at eye level with the brute, who was still staring at him with that same frigid grin. "Nice light show, buddy," he said. Even to his own ears, his voice was casual and cold. "But now it's my turn." He reached up and pulled off his sunglasses and bandana, revealing his crop of short, spiked black hair.

The giant's smile wavered as he felt the ki intensifying in the green-clad boy. A white aura erupted around him, and the ground around them rumbled with the rise of energy. Gohan's cold smile changed to a scowl. Wind whipped around them in a gale, the cars on the street below shifting away in stutters as their tires made vain attempt to grip the pavement against the force of the rising energy

With a last howl that shook the foundations of the skyscrapers around them, Gohan completed his transformation to the Mystic level that the Elder Kai had granted him six months before. Faint sparks of electricity coursed around his clear aura at the full release of the energy within him.

"This isn't possible," the big brute growled through clenched teeth, all traces of his confident smile gone. "The sullen couldn't even manipulate energy. Even in all this time, how could any being from that pathetic race achieve such a level of strength?"

Gohan stared him down with no remorse, knowing now that his opponent had no chance. The Saiyan blood of his heritage sang through him at the promise of combat, but the human side of him still held sway. "It's obvious you can tell when you're outclassed. I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to. Give up!"

"What kind of warrior are you to offer mercy to an opponent that has done what I have?" he spat back. "Have the servants and slaves left to pollute this rock achieved your level of strength only to squander it with pointless pacifism?"

Something in the back of Gohan's mind clicked. "You told me before that if I proved myself, you'd tell me who you were. I know now that the man I see isn't the one I'm talking to. It's impossible that a pathetic thug like that gangster could ever have gained the power you're using now. I think you owe me that explanation. Now." The half-Saiyan's voice carried an obvious threat with the last word.

The hulking warrior just seemed to stare at him for a moment, when a trace of a new smile reached his lips. "You have not proved anything yet, you simple child. Any warrior of merit should know that strength alone cannot carry the day! If you want any answers, you'll have to beat them out of me!"

This guy sounds like Vegeta, Gohan thought grimly, knowing then that this would come down to a fight. His train of thought traced back to Videl, lying wounded and unconscious in the building above. That was all the motivation he needed.

Before the arrogant giant even saw him move, Gohan's fist was buried in his gut. Almost before that hit even registered in his brain, a white boot connected solidly with the side of his head, sending him crashing back into the police station. Racked with pain, he had just struggled to his hands and knees in the lobby when the young warrior appeared next to him again.

"Going up." With a single kick the man smashed upwards through floor after floor, his body breaking through the concrete like a wrecking ball. He smashed all the way through, flying out the roof and into the sky, only to meet Gohan's elbow cracking into his spine. The young fighter shifted around, lashing out with half a hundred blows in the span of a few seconds, pummeling the massive form as if he were a midair punching bag. Gohan stopped and let him fall, watching him tear another hole through the roof and down another half a dozen floors.

Gohan landed beside him as he lay facedown in a pile of rubble, unmoving. The young warrior heard a soft voice begin to speak.

"Very well then, boy. I won't have it said that I wasn't true to my word."

He stared down at the battered crook with an odd expression. It was then he noticed that while the voice was weak, it didn't seem to be coming from the Boss. In fact… the giant was out as cold as could be.

"I have lost my connection with that weakling, so I haven't much time to fulfill my end of the bargain," the voice continued.

"What do you mean, 'lost your connection?'" Gohan knelt down, feeling for a pulse with sudden worry. It was there, but faint. He honestly didn't think he had beaten him up that badly. At the level the hulk was at, he should have been able to stand way more punishment that what he had taken.

"I have released the body, as well as its owner, in penance for my defeat. I will soon be gone. Truth be told… I am grateful for it. I let it happen by removing my own strength from the powers of this body when you attacked. I had no way to defeat you, so why not instead allow you to grant me the release I desired even more than life? Believe me when I say that for myself, death is better than what I have suffered for countless years."

Gohan could only listen in quiet amazement.

"I am perhaps the first of my kind you have seen, but I will not be the last," the voice said. It was growing fainter, and its source was drifting higher above the still form of the Boss. Gohan noticed that a thin mist had left the body, forming into an indistinct cloud hovering a few feet off the ground. "I have no more time," it said, and Gohan had to strain even his exceptional hearing to make out the words. "You will see more of us, and you will know when you do… You sensed it, I could tell… I must warn you. Not all will be so willing to leave this world again… And none of us will be your friends… If they were to rise again, some might even make your powers seem but a candle before a star…"

Gohan rediscovered his voice. "Wait, what are you talking about?" he asked.

"I have no more time… I go… to release… finally…" The last word faded to silence, and the thin mist dissipated like a wisp of smoke in the breeze. Gohan sensed the last traces of life fade away, leaving only the weak sense of the Boss in front of him.

The heat of battle faded to confusion and unanswered questions, and Gohan knelt there for a long minute, pondering what he had heard. Another thought struck him like a thunderbolt, sending a fresh surge of adrenaline through his body. He flew up through the holes in the ceilings, stopping on the tenth floor. He ran over to the unconscious form of Videl, still lying against the wall as if in a deep sleep.

"Videl…" he whispered, looking her over. She was still breathing, but she didn't look to be in very good shape at all. The adrenaline rush slowly faded to allow the fresh surge of emotion through. He reached down and picked her up as gently as he could, cradling her limp form. "Videl," he said, his voice rough with concern and regret. The faintest whimper came from her at the sound of his voice. She shifted, but did not wake. "I thought I'd lost you…"

From behind them, the sound of footsteps came charging inside. "Saiyaman!" the flustered lieutenant in charge shouted, surveying the carnage of what remained of the police headquarters. He was followed in by a crowd of other officers, who spread out through the room. "Where is the Red Shark Gang's leader? And where's—" his voice cut off as he noticed Videl's unconscious form lying in his arms. "Oh, no! Is she…?"

"She's alive," Gohan replied. Conscious of having discarded his bandana and sunglasses during the battle, he kept his back turned. "But I have to get her to some help, fast. The Boss is down on the sixth floor," he continued, his voice grim. "But he's in bad shape."

"Well, I, ah… Saiyaman…" the lieutenant stammered, gaping at him. The man was torn. Half of him wanted to rejoice that that gangster had gotten the beating of his life, all the more so now that he saw firsthand the war zone that the police station had become. But another part of him remembered that the Saiyamen, who were so often the difference between a good day and a disaster for the Satan City authorities, were still not actual officers, and therefore it would not be pretty if someone they had helped subdue ended up anything worse than roughed up. "I'll get a medic down there ASAP," he said at last. "What about—"

"I'll take her myself," Gohan cut him off, assuming his next question. "Can you handle this from here?"

"Go ahead." The young lieutenant nodded. His voice was confident, and there was the trace of something else in his expression as well… it looked like understanding. "We've got this covered."

With a nod, Gohan took flight out the nearest exit, which conveniently happened to be the hole in the wall he had made himself, with a little help from the Boss' fist. He raced off, going as fast as he dared with Videl's slack form in his arms.

The lieutenant and almost all of the other officers now standing in the chaotic mess that was the tenth floor of the Satan City Police Department, watched him go. A few waved, shouting their thanks, even knowing he couldn't hear or see them. The young officer, the same knowing look still on his face, said something different. "Take care of her, Saiyaman. For our sake… and for both of yours."

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Next chapter: Recovery