A/N: Another chapter. I can't believe how long this story has become. Sorry about the wait, I'm having a ridiculously hard time writing these final chapters. I wanted to put more into this one, but I figured I shouldn't make you guys wait any longer. So ya, its shorter, but hopefully my next update isn't far behind! And without further ado, chapter 10!

Irons Monroe

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Chapter 10: Level Out

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There was a gaping hole in Gohan's chest. He was certain the whole world was ripping apart. Shattering at his feet, mocking him for how quickly his entire reason for existence could blink away in an instant. His father, mother, unborn sibling, all dead. Dead. He wanted to curl up, somewhere dark, quiet, and secluded and never have to talk again. So that he could escape this reality. He didn't want to be a part of it anymore. The emptiness hurt. He looked at the pathetically wheezing creature in front of him and realized that never in his life had he wanted something so badly to die. It was evil, it didn't deserve to live, it should die.

"Not quite."

The blast ripped through the creature's chest cavity, dividing him in two before the flames ate up his body. The kill did nothing to lessen Gohan's pain. He had hoped maybe, but it didn't even scrape the surface of what was bubbling up inside of him.

Above him, around him, more and more Shruti were coming in, their numbers reaching astounding levels, further than he could possibly see or imagine. They we're shrieking and yelping, waiting on the brink of the hill, and hanging in the now blackening sky waiting for the fight to begin. Gohan considered them for a moment, and hoped there would be enough for him to make this pain go away.

He spun to Irons.

"You wanted a fight. Let's end this."

Irons quickly sobered, the smirk at the edges of his lips finally fading.

"Yes, Gohan, let's," he agreed and then motioned to Leo.

"Get them ready."

Leo nodded and sprinted off back to the gods in waiting.

The moment was truly happening. The fight against the gods and Shruti, with Gohan tipping the balance. A large, distinct Shruti stepped into the nomads zone between armies, where his comrade had been completely obliterated by Gohan seconds earlier, the ashes of his body still scattering in the foggy sky.

The Shruti ground his knotted black fists into the ground and roared. It wasn't anything like the other shrieks reverberating across the open field; it was deep, loud, and thunderous. And what erupted afterward was a battle cry unlike anything Gohan had ever heard. As one, the Shruti spurred forward and attacked the one in front leading the charge.

Their rumbling feet and sharp smash of wings sounded like a renegade thunderstorm. Gohan watched as they neared, and before he powered up, he turned quickly to Piccolo and Vegeta. When this was over, he would talk with them, and share them everything. Right now, he only needed to know one thing.

"You with me?"

Vegeta smirked in a way that reminded Gohan why Vegeta was the prince of saiyans. He looked absurdly comfortable in the approaching chaos.

"Should be interesting." He spat, faced the coming army, and powered up.

Piccolo only nodded. It said more than any words could. The tall, intimidating alien threw off his cloak and hat, and they hit the ground with a resounding clunk. Gohan stepped between them. The Shruti were almost on them, the nearest just ten feet away.

Gohan released everything he had. Going super saiyan had never been so easy as he felt the earth wail and shift beneath his feet.

He grabbed the face of the first Shruti and whipped it around, slamming him into the coming swarm. They came at him faster, each with bloodthirsty revenge glinting in their crimson eyes. He felt them gnaw and grapple at him, and yet, the feeling was distant. They were like flies. A distant flapping. A minor annoyance. His power level was continuing to rise, each passing second, breathing more strength and stamina into his system. A Shruti tried to take him from behind, and he dodged, elbowing it in the jaw. Subconsciously, he was aware of Piccolo and Vegeta's presence near him, both proud warriors doing their share of damage. The gods, who at one time were behind him, were now interspersed ahead of him in vicious battle with the relentless army of Shruti. His home, everything he had placed his hope and love in, was now a battlefield. There was no other way to describe it, something inside him died.

Gohan lifted himself into the air, powered up again his golden hair flying, and a orb of energy exploding around him. It staggered anyone who was near, god and Shruti alike. He shot out a few ki blasts, into the floating swarm, and watched as some of the black creatures tumble to the grass below. Their hissing was irritating. He wanted it to stop. He wanted them to shut up.

Gohan screamed, his whole body clenched tight. Muscles unnatural for his age, bulging. He could feel this power building up inside him, bursting at the edges, fighting to escape. It was different from the Cell games, the power was part of him, that he was sure, but it also felt foreign. Dangerous even. He wanted to release it, to let it all go like he had never had before. Vaguely he realized he had already ascended into super saiyan two. He could hear the crackling of lightening around him, causing the hairs on his arms to stand up like he had a chill. Somewhere too he noticed that most of the Shruti were pulling away from him. That their threats were becoming more and more distant. And that Piccolo and Vegeta had stopped fighting completely, their wide eyed gazes stuck on him. And yet, with all this, there was only one thing he could find focus on, and that was this new wave of power. Something he had thought had never existed before inside him. It was burning to be released and he was fighting with every cell of his being to let that happen. He was trembling, mouth agape in silent scream. He felt it expand and heat up inside him.

It was getting stronger.

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Leo touched down onto the ground, wiping the black blood of Shruti off his hands onto his shirt. Blood was pumping in his ears, a reminder of the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Once he started to fight, it was hard for him to stop. He was, at the very least, Irons previous bodyguard and one didn't get that position for no reason. He was a fighter. And once immersed in battle, he didn't stop until the last enemy had hit the ground. Today, though, the Shruti's numbers were overwhelming, and he could tell this fight was going to be a difficult one. Even with all these gods and Gohan.

Gohan. The enigma of a child. He punched a closing Shruti and shifted back, moving his way backwards towards the small home, dodged another attacking from the right flipping its body over his shoulder, and then he glanced in the kid's direction.

And despite his training, his focus, he stopped suddenly, abruptly, and gaped. Gohan was hanging in the air, and the sky around him was on fire. The wind had picked up, swirling outwards in all direction form Gohan's floating body. The earth was a cavern underneath him. A cavern, Leo realized, that was growing deeper and wider with every passing second. The hissing cries of Shruti and grunts of gods were lost in the whistling wind. It staggered Leo. He fell back a step. A flash of lightening whipped out. Crashing thunder followed. The ground shook. And Gohan's bright yellow hair swayed like a flickering candle in the eye of the storm.

A Shruti made to swipe at the distracted Leo. Leo barely avoided its claws, as he ducked wide. He slammed his fist into its gut and it heaved and stumbled backwards away from him. But Leo was barely noticing. His golden wheat eyes were taking in Gohan in what could only be described as shock. Utter, complete shock.

He knew Gohan was strong. He knew this. He had seen the Cell Games, and had seen Gohan fight the Shruti before. And yet, this Gohan was somehow, impossibly, stronger still. A huge gust of wind and scattered rocks, whooshed past, and he threw up an arm to protect himself, eyeing Gohan through the silt between his fingertips. So powerful...it was hard to comprehend. The sky rumbled, not far to Leo's right the ground spliced open, Shruti and god falling down with shocked cries. He watched as some of the Shruti flapped out, pulling their unnaturally bent bodies up with those leathery wings. Other gods appeared suddenly at the edge, heaving sighs of relief. But before they could catch their breath, the earth quaked again, and the ground split in a hundred different places all flying out from one origin. Gohan.

Leo dived to the side wildly just as the ground split open under his feet. The Shruti who he had hit, fell in with one last ear piercing hiss, unable to fly because of a damaged wing. And Leo grasped air, hoping crazily that he would reach the edge before the crevasse widened. He let out a roar, extending his body, and SLAM, his right hand barely clenched onto the broken edge as the rest of his body flung forward into the wall of earth. He hit it hard with a grunt and then threw a glance over his shoulder, sucking in gasps, and boggled at the depth of the hole. He couldn't see the bottom, not even with his eyes, which were far sharper than any human. He hung there for a moment, before grunting, and pulling himself up. Leo rolled onto the grass, his hair falling in and out of his eyes as the wind whipped at him, almost strong enough to push him back in. The sky was darkening, turning a cold black and the clouds whirled past, being pushed at unnatural speeds. Beneath him he felt the ground rumble and shake. Off to the side he heard another crack of thunder, as the lightening lit up the sky. This was madness. How was this possible? Gohan stop this! He thought desperately. But he was worried that wasn't going to happen. It looked like Gohan had lost control. For the first time in a long time, Leo was very very scared.

Another shake and Leo felt his legs dip downward. Frightened he back pedaled with his hands, watching the earth crumble away at his feet, pulling him with it. Leo flung over onto his hands and knees, his hands digging into the grass, slick and blackened from Shruti blood, and scrambled with all his might from the yawning hole. He could feel it cave away at his feet as he pushed himself up and ran. He didn't dare glance back, afraid he would slow down. He just kept running, heading straight for the house. Gohan's small house, that somehow remained untouched amidst the chaos.

The ground finally stopped trembling, and he slowed. Lookng back to see a large cavernous split in the land where he had been lying moments earlier. Leo wiped sweaty palms on his pants and glanced back up at Gohan. The boy was shaking, from exertion, or maybe it was all that power, and he was literally glowing, lightening scattering and flickering from his fingertips. A strange light in the growing darkness.

Leo turned his gaze to the battle, but there was no fight anymore, everyone was fleeing. Trying to find safer ground. He swept the landscape looking for Irons, but the god was nowhere to been seen. If he died Leo was sure he wouldn't care. Any other time, and he would have felt guilty just thinking that. He stepped to the side, the wind rushed and whipped again at him with ruthless conviction, and this time he looked for Ruby. Searching hopefully for a flash of her long blonde hair.

"Ruby!" he yelled out into the thunderous noise. His voice lost in the wind and the thunder and the earthquakes. "Ruby!"

Desperately he turned back to the house. And that's when he saw a head flicker behind the window.

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Eric clutched Grace closely to his chest, and pulled her inside the house out of the raging windstorm and war.

The reasonable part of his mind was trying to rationalize an endless army of giant flying creatures and hundreds of equally strange people that suddenly appeared and scattered across the Son's lawn. The more dominate and present part of his mind was hyperventilating and hoping to god that this was all a dream.

Breathing short and rapidly out of fear and exhaustion he dragged Grace inside. He accidentally knocked against the table. Stumbled over a chair. Nearly tripped on the carpet, before he realized he was in full on panic mode.

Come on, Eric, pull it together! Come on now!

He gasped. Set Grace down on the floor, and ran shaking hands through his hair. Slow breaths now, come on. The wind flung the front door open and he jumped three feet in the air.

"GOD! Oh God, oh God, oh..!" he stammered rushing over to the door, nearly falling backward from the gust of wind. The curtains from the front whipped out at him like grasping hands. He batted at them.

"This is crazy! GOD!" He snatched at one curtain and ripped it off its post. "I'll pay for it later!" he swore to no one.

The wind whistled in again, and he skittered backwards a few steps from the door. Gritting his teeth, and with every inch of strength left in him he staggered to the door and slammed it shut, locking and bolting it before he turned to the windows and threw those closed to. The howl of wind quieted slightly and his anxiety lowered the tiniest sliver.

He rushed back to Grace and pulled her up against the back of the couch, and used the curtain that was still in his hand as a pillow for her on his lap.

"Come on, Grace," he said again for the hundredth time, "I could really use you right now. Wake up now. Please wake up."

She in turn did nothing.

He shivered, wiped at his glasses as a nervous gesture, and refused with all his might to not look out the window. It was crazy out there. That was not reality. NO way. He focused on thinking of different things. He thought of a thousand different things. He thought about how hungry he was. How he loved cherry pie. He thought about his grocery list. That his car needed and oil change. That he was certain he had left his favorite shirt in the laundry and it was sure to get wrinkled. He thought about slapping Grace awake. He thought about candles and dinner.

The wind shook the house, the ground beneath him moaned and swayed.

He clenched his eyes shut and thought harder and more resolutely about his favorite pair of socks.

A stack of plates fell off the kitchen counter and shattered to the floor.

Eric's eyes flew open. "AH!" he yelped. He searched for the source of the sound, and did not relax when he found it was the plates that were responsible. He jumped up to his feet, flew across the living room floor, closed his eyes as he passed the window, and flicked the lights off. Nobody's home. He thought hopefully.

More carefully this time, he made his way back to Grace in the dark. She was lying just as he left her, as still and as limp as death. A chill ran up his spine and he sat again next to her. He patted her head.

"Please Grace, come on," he whispered.

He pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around the both of them, huddling against the storm that was shaking the house, threatening to rip it from its very foundations. He had no idea where it had come from. He was also certain that he didn't care.

He shivered, closed his eyes and tried to relax. Suddenly, the front door crashed open. Eric's stomach lodged into his throat, and he clutched Grace, probably a bit too tightly as he ducked down further behind the couch, hiding. It could just be the wind, again. That could be it. But then, he heard the door close, and something heavy being dragged across the carpet. Dead body? He thought wildly.

He bit his lip and chanced a look around the couch. A tall man, mane of golden hair, had his back to him, and was putting the living room recliner in front of the door so that it wouldn't blow open again. He made a move to turn around and Eric whipped his head back behind the couch, trying his best not breath like he had just run a marathon. He hoped the sound of the wind outside would cover for the terrible job he was doing.

"I can hear you," the man said evenly. "Behind the couch."

Eric was certain at the moment that he was indeed a dead man. Shakily and still not turning away from the couch he said. "Nobody's home!"

The man walked forward and Eric finally saw him from the front as he rounded the corner of the couch keeping his distance. He didn't look nearly as threatening as some of the other things outside. He had a wild hair and beard, golden eyes, and a look about him that was rumpled, at ease. He almost looked friendly, until Eric saw the the stains of black on his shirt and hands. Blood.

"What are you doing here?" the man asked.

Eric suddenly decided he didn't want to die sitting on the floor. Gently, he laid Grace's head on the ground, curtain cradling her head just so, and he stood, knees a little wobbling, to face the stranger.

"Shouldn't I be asking you the same thing? This is my home!" Eric challenged.

"You don't live here," the man said simply. "This is the Son's home, and you are not a Son."

Eric's tiny bubble deflated. "We're friends," he tried again.

The man scanned Eric. "This is no place for someone like you. You have..." he stopped there, as his eyes found Grace on the floor. Those weird golden eyes clouded in concentration.

Eric protectively stepped in front of her.

"What happened to her?" the man asked a trifle bit to curiously, in Eric's opinion.

"Why would I tell you?" Eric shot back, sounding a lot braver than he felt.

Instead of getting angry like Eric had half expected, he expression turned soft. "Because," he began, "I might be able to help."

Eric didn't have anything to say that.

"Tell me what happened," the man said more forcefully over another low rumble of thunder and echoed hiss from a far off Shruti.

"Not much to tell..." Eric found himself saying. "We were just talking when she passed out."

"When?" the man questioned sounding urgent.

Eric showed his palms. "I don't know. Just before all this chaos happened."

Lightening snapped and lit up half of the man's face

"Does she know Gohan?"

Eric halted. Glaring up at the man. "Why? And how do you know Gohan. You're not a friend of Piccolo's are you because I think I've had enough of him and his crew."

"Piccolo..."the man started. "That green guy? No. No. Now please tell me. It's important. You can't even begin to imagine how important."

Eric's impulse was to argue, but something was swaying him. He slowly nodded his head, looking down at Grace's impassive form as he did so.

"Yeah. She knows him." He paused, and then added. "He saved her life."

The man frowned. And then with sudden agility, moved to her side before Eric could even track the movements.

"Hey! Wait a second!"

But the man was already touching her forehead. His own brow wrinkling as he did so. There was a moment, where even the thunderous booms and cries outside seemed silenced and then he jerked his hand off suddenly as if shocked.

"I don't believe it," he murmured.

"Don't believe what?" Eric pressed, hands finding his pockets.

The man was looking up, hurrying to the window. Eric shifted between following him and staying with Grace. Before he could decide, he heard a soft moan at his feet. He glanced down. Grace was frowning, her expression tightening.

"What did you do to her!" Eric accused, turning on the man. He didn't care if this guy was nearly a foot taller than him. He was going down.

"Nothing," the man hissed back, his eyes still glued at whatever was outside the window. Eric snorted and started to charge.

"Eric?"

He stopped mid stride and spun around. "Grace?"

Grace was slowly pulling herself up. Her hand going to her head and she blinked dry eyes. Eric rushed to her side and helped her to her feet.

"What happened? Are you okay?" he asked in a whirl.

"It's okay," she said her voice softer than usual. "It's okay."

The man at the window turned to face her. Their eyes met for a moment. Before Grace turned away, frowning.

"Eric who's that? Friend of Piccolo's?"

"No, but I think he knows Gohan."

She brightened, still working on shaking off the fatigue that was plaguing her. Pulling her down slowly. Eric again, adjusted his grip and propped her up so that she stood straight. She smiled slightly in thanks.

"Than you can tell us where he is?" she asked hopefully turning towards the man. Eric sighed. She had such hope in these weird strangers. No wonder she got put at gun point. Eric regretted the thought immediately. They should probably tell her there was some war going on outside. He wondered how'd she react to that one. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he almost missed what the man said to her question.

"Yes."

Eric fumbled and Grace's eyes widened. "What do you mean, yes? Like at this moment you know where he is."

The man looked at them both strangely. "Yes...I know."

He pointed out the window up towards the sky. "He's right there."

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A/N: And so the climax builds. Reviews are so welcome!