Goku had made sure to fill his lungs to the maximum before leaping into space. The way he figured it, it would be a bit like going under water. It turned out to be far worse. Water didn't try to suck the air out of your lungs the way the emptiness around him did. He was also surprised to discover he could no longer hear or smell anything. He quickly understood what Sepis had meant by freezing to death. The heat was rapidly fleeing his body.
Moving in space wasn't like water either. He tried moving his arms and legs and just ended up spinning. Crap! he thought, his cheeks puffed out and getting dizzy, This isn't going the way I thought it would…
(**Scene Break**)
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Sepis screamed at the top of his lungs, clutching his helmet, "Crap, crap, crap, crap! Crap and SHIT!" His mind raced, trying to think through his panic as he watched the image of Goku spinning through space. "I have to save him! But how?!"
Oil ran down his shell. Finally, he calculated a crazy solution. The Super Ki Ray Emitter guns of the Hammer – or the S.K.R.E – if he fire low powered shots at Goku, he could correct his course and send him back into the breach. The security checkpoint was self-contained like every room on one of his ships, so once Goku was inside he could seal it with a shield and pump it with air.
It was the only hope he had.
(**Scene Break**)
Goku was still trying to figure out how to stop his spinning when something painful did it for him. Goku nearly cried out and lost all his air when a flash struck him, blowing a hole in his pant leg and blackening his skin. Goku grabbed at it wildly until he realized he had stopped spinning. He blinked, spotting the massive ships that floated ahead of him in the darkness.
There it is! he thought, recognizing the Hammer, which dwarfed the other ships, Awesome! Now I just gotta figure out how to reach it!
He started moving his limbs experimentally when a pink beam shot through space and struck him in the stomach. He nearly lost his air again, another small hole appearing in his uniform. Another beam hit him. Goku clutched the wounds, his face starting to turn blue.
Where are those attacks coming from? he wondered, looking around, I don't sense anyone out here. He looked over his shoulder. Wait a minute, though! Getting hit like that got me moving! I wonder… He tucked his hands by his side and started charging a Kamehameha. Careful not to hit any of the ships, Goku fired the blue beam into space.
(**Scene Break**)
"What?!" Sepis screamed as he tracked Goku's new trajectory, "He's headed right for the Hammer now! No way…how did he figure that out?!"
(**Scene Break**)
Yes, it's working! Goku thought with excitement as he sailed towards the Hammer. The ship got bigger and bigger. It was then that Goku realized he had another problem – he had no idea how to put on the breaks. Ceasing the wave, he flailed around frantically until he embedded face-first into the Hammer's hull.
(**Scene Break**)
"WAAAAAAAAHH!" Sepis shrieked, nearly discovering the secret of flight, "He…he's made contact! No…nooooooo! I gotta get him back on Seven fast!"
(**Scene Break**)
Goku climbed out of the Goku-shaped dent he had made in the hull, scrambling along the side of the Hammer on all fours as fast as he could. He needed to find an entry port before he got any more light-headed than he already was. Fortunately, after scrambling a ways, he tripped right over it, nearly losing his grip of the ship. His legs kicking like a mad frog, he managed to maneuver himself in front of it. From there, he began to repeat what he had on Seven, bracing his legs against the lip of the port as he forced the blast doors to open.
That was when that same pink beam struck him again.
Goku cringed, losing his grip on the port. A second one hit him, sending him hurling back through space. That was when he saw it – a gigantic guns that had emerged from the side of the Hammer. Goku's eyes widened and then narrowed. Sepis. It was Sepis that had been blasting him this whole time. Goku clenched with determination and fired a one-handed Kamehameha off into space, shooting back at the Hammer. He slammed against the port and forcefully ripped open the first layer of blast doors.
(**Scene Break**)
Sepis gasped and shivered with frustration as he saw Goku land on the Hammer again. "No!" he cried defiantly, "I won't allow it, Goku!" He aimed several of the guns at the super saiyan. "I'll make it so you have no choice but to turn around and return to Seven!"
(**Scene Break**)
Goku felt another sharp pain in his chest as a fourth laser beam struck him, this time making him spin. However, he was starting to get the hang of this space-swimming thing. He reached out a hand and let loose a small blast, steadying him before blasting off another Kamehameha. He planted deftly back on the Hammer's hull, running on all fours back to the port and grabbing the blast doors again. His head spun as another beam hit him, holding on long enough to rip the current set of doors open before several more hits knocked him loose again.
He felt his face turning cold and blue as he deflected the blasts, only to find himself still hurling away from the ship. His entire windpipe burning, he curled his fingers around a fresh, bright blue ball of light.
(**Scene Break**)
"What are you doing?!" Sepis screamed, shaking his tiny fists in the air, "Goku! Just turn around and return to Seven! Can't you see I won't let you win?! And your last breath of oxygen is about to run out!"
(**Scene Break**)
Goku tore back another set of blast doors. A couple of red droplets of blood floated off into the vacuum, the skin about his fingers and knuckles roughed from the strain. The blasts from the Hammer's guns came again and Goku did his best to avoid them. But all it took was a few and through the shower several energy bolts struck him across the chest. Goku's palm tore as he ripped one more door with the force of the impact, flying back again. Instantly, Goku prepared another charge to send him back.
But this time, the blasts from the Hammer were merciless. Goku grunted and cringed as even more guns appeared, putting countless coin-sized holes in Goku's already pocketed prison uniform. Though his defenses protected him from any serious damage, he could feel his body hurtling through space at incredible speeds. The blasts hit him again and again without end, and all Goku could do was lock his jaw against his body's desperate need to breathe.
Finally, all lasers ceased their barrage. Goku's eyes squinted open and then grew wide to discover the Hammer had grown very small.
(**Scene Break**)
Sepis watched the tiny image of Goku look over his shoulder at the ready and waiting Prison Ship 7. "That's it, Goku," he whispered, "It's right there. Just turn around and go back inside."
(**Scene Break**)
Though his vision was blurring, Goku did take a moment to stare at the opening he had made in Seven. He had no doubt that if he went back inside he could get another breath of air. But he also knew that if he did, Sepis would not let him out again. After all, Sepis was right. He was the smarter one - drastically so. He would find a way. If he let him.
Goku closed his eyes and turned away.
(**Scene Break**)
Sepis's large red eyes milked over with horror. "Wait...friend Goku...what are you doing…?" The darkness gained a new star as Goku lit with a brilliant golden storm, shooting forward like a rocket through space. "GOKU NOOOO!" he shrieked, unleashing all the guns again as though they were summoned by that scream.
(**Scene Break**)
Goku had become the head of a living energy blast, his expression locked with determination. The force of his entire being pushed against the unrelenting barrage, taking it all head on as he inched his way closer to the Hammer. His vision swirled and the air at last escaped his lungs, collapsing them. His neck muscles shuddered as he gritted his teeth. Forcefully, he reached out with an open hand.
(**Scene Break**)
Sepis's antennae twitched against his helmet at this gesture. "What...what is he doing?" He stared at Goku's image, moving like a comet against the rain of fire.
Fire…
He saw the flames burn around him on what was once his home.
"No, not like a comet. Like a star. Like a shooting…" He gazed at the way Goku braced out his hand, and in his mind a red star fell from the sky. He saw a hand reached out in that same manner from the crimson blaze, closing around his own. A cold heartbeat sounded in his head. "...Oh…"
Sepis lost grip of himself and felt his body falling out of his chair. …I am the exploding planet. And you are the star. And he...he is your friend Vegeta. Tears ran from his eyes, dripping upward as he fell. I'm sorry, Nevrrest...I can play the part of your wicked servant…but I can't be the planet...I don't have the courage to suffocate a star…
Sepis landed and all at once the laser fire silenced.
(**Scene Break**)
A warning siren rang as the inner door of the Hammer's reception hub buckled and gave way, papers and furniture flying wildly as they were sucked off into space. A shining head forced its way in against the suction and the rest of the saiyan abruptly tumbled forward as a shield went up outside the breach. A chair bounced off the wall and clattered to the ground and Goku dropped to all fours, gasping for air. He heaved with wide jaws for a long moment and let his hair fade to black, looking up with a sweaty brow.
"Alright," he breathed, his vision spotting over as he regained himself. He got to his feet and looked around, immediately sensing Sepis's small energy signature. A probe popped out of a container against the wall to come check him out, but it obtained only a glance before Goku vanished, two fingers pressed to his forehead.
He recognized the Control Center the moment he arrived. Its walls still bore the scratches and dents of his and Oom'Bagu's scuffle with Nevrrest. An empty swivel chair was still spinning slowly and he could hear a voice crying. Goku's expression lowered a little and he walked towards the sound, his green boots thumping quietly against the floor panels. He paused, turned, and leaned forward, spying under one of the control consoles.
"Hey Sepis," he stated gently.
Sepis held his hands in front of his face as he curled, catching the tears in his plated palms, seeming to study his reflection in them. "…I couldn't do it," he whispered, "I could have stopped you…but the only way to do that was to let you die. If you had lost consciousness out there, there's no way I could have saved you. The probes don't have the ability to…" He broke off sobbing.
"I wish I could thank you for that," Goku stated sadly, "But instead, I'm afraid I'm going to have to do something I really wish I didn't have to."
Sepis nodded, reaching under the visor of his silly helmet to rub at his eyes. "It's only fair…I've done things I wish I didn't have to. All the same…please don't, Goku. I'm begging you. I'm so scared…"
Goku sighed. "I'm sorry, Sepis, but I can't do that." He reached out a hand towards him. "I can't risk you stopping me anymore."
Sepis wailed, knowing he was about to die. He felt Goku's hand grip the top of his helmet…and pull it off his head, breaking the chin strap. Sepis blinked and stared as Goku looked at the helmet with disappointment and crushed it. Sepis watched the shards tumble onto the floor, stunned.
Goku turned. "I know how much you love your creations…and if you're anything like Bulma, you put a lot of work into everything here." He held up a hand and gently cut to the side. An arched explosion curved around the room, destroying every control panel. "But you're part in this battle is done. Next time you see me, Vegeta will be with me…and he'll be alive."
Sepis blinked again, still in shock. "He…he might already be dead by now. So…how can you be sure?"
"Trust me. I can't explain it. But if he were dead…I'd know."
(**Scene Break**)
It had been a full straight minute since Vegeta had taken his last breath. But as the powerful, overwhelming sensation of that familiar energy reached his mind, the prince remembered it wasn't time to die.
"Bluuuaah!" Vegeta lurched, blood shooting from his mouth in a thick spray. He coughed, wheezed, and forced several heaves of air into his lungs before his pipes closed up again. His eyes rolled, fighting the urge to lose consciousness. His mouth moved, foaming red as he tried to speak. No words came, but he forced himself to move his lips to it all the same, holding onto each syllable like a warcry.
'Kakarot.'
(**Scene Break**)
The doctors cried out and retreated as a new crack split Nevrrest's tank, the entire thing glowing with white light. Nevrrest dug her claws against the glass, clenching her beaks as bubbles slipped out from her mask.
Soon, she angrily thought, Soon I'll be full strength again! Oh but it won't be soon enough. I have a date with destiny, and I must make the efforts of my Sepis worth their while. Dear Sepis, you have done well! Not only have you bought me invaluable time, but you have revealed to me the true strength of my foe. Her eyes widened with zeal. Finally! An opponent who can truly test my power! Come, Kakarot Son Goku. Come for me… Bubbles shot up as she laughed. After all…you won't find Vegeta no matter how hard you look. No. I won't even give you a corpse to take home…
(**Scene Break**)
"Goku, wait!" Sepis cried, daring to poke out from under the ruined console. Goku stopped but did not turn. "You…aren't forgetting something? I mean…you…really aren't going to hurt me…?"
"Hm?" Goku hummed with surprise and then looked over his shoulder at last, "Why would I do that? It's not like you're threat anymore. Besides. I would never hurt one of my friends."
Sepis sucked in a breath and his eyes slowly widened, watering again. "Goku…"
Goku smiled softly and nodded, seeming to understand. Without a further remark, he lit with blue energy and shot out the door, this time knowing exactly where he was going – the execution chamber. It was time to find Misado.
(**Scene Break**)
There were several funny things when it came to getting the living daylights pounded out of you. First, you stopped being able to feel pain after a while. Eventually, it all melded together. Second, your thoughts went into a sort of hyper drive, able to process things with little concentration.
That said, Laswe was starting to think that Horkion really was going to kill him. He wasn't sure how long he had been pounding and throwing him around for. That was another thing about getting thrashed. You lost track of time. But it sure had seemed a while by now. He wasn't sure what was going on around him much anymore. But he recalled Horkion wanted him to answer some dumb question.
Or maybe it wasn't so dumb after all. Maybe the dumb thing had been trying to save the Justice in the first place. He remembered that long fight he'd had with his father when he'd first approached him with the idea of not only funding this little prison project, but contributing the sacred ybora to it. They were a stubborn bloodline, the Unbroken. And he had stubbornly supported Nevrrest from the moment he had joined their little team.
I'm starting to think simply fighting isn't enough anymore, she had said to the five of them – in what place and what day he couldn't remember, No. We have to become symbols to the galaxy. As symbols, we can make the masses change things for the better. We can finally put the monsters on bottom where they belong.
With great bitterness, Laswe realized he had always misunderstood her meaning. Becoming a symbol had never been a matter of honor to her. It had just been another battle strategy. Did Nevrrest even value those she had saved? Nevrrest had always looked upon the world around her dismissively. Laswe had thought that was because she was trying to be strong. But somehow, all the pieces suddenly came together. All the death Nevrrest had witnessed at the hands of the PTO. All the death she had dealt in return.
She honestly didn't know how to value life anymore. Somewhere along the line, she had forgotten how. Even though she had countless times protected others, the weight of saving or taking a life had been lost to her. He knew that Nevrrest didn't believe in gods or the idea of universal truth. He had taken someone who operated by the will of her own conscience alone and put her at the helm of the galaxy's fate. And now he was being beaten senseless by his own friend for trying to protect the disaster he had created.
Fools. They were all fools to believe for a second they could be a symbol. They weren't pillars of justice – no matter how much they pretended or wanted to be. They were just…wait. What was that word he called Horkion a moment ago…?
Like a new power had been born in him, Laswe suddenly wrapped his whole body around the minarite's one arm. "Horkion," he said, his voice sounding strange under all the bruises, "You can stop now…I know the answer."
A glint touched Horkion's pebble eyes. "Then tell me…what are we, Laswe?" Sand fell down his back.
"Goddamn it, Horkion…you could have just said it in the first place…" He laughed mournfully, glancing at Oom'Bagu who stood in the middle of a pack of fallen marshals. "We're friends. Just a bunch of stupid friends who thought we could save everyone all by ourselves. But we couldn't…" He wiped his face and stared at the milky blood on his palm. "Because we're broken. And we're angry…we aren't filled with hope. We just wanted to keep the people we love safe."
Horkion slowly nodded. "I forgive you, you know."
"Oh don't say that," Laswe scowled, sitting up, "I haven't earned forgiveness from anyone…" He spat. "Nevrrest…my friend. We all really bought into our own fantasy, didn't we?"
"You are not alone in this, Laswe," Oom'Bagu spoke, saddened but sure, "We all chose to believe that each of us was as good and strong as we claimed to be. We thought doubt weakness. But truly, if we had allowed for misgivings in one another, it would have saved us all from his mess."
Laswe was about to reply when he noticed for the first time the shouting coming from his fusion band. "Justiciars!" the head technician shouted, "Repeat, you need to deactivate! There's a loose conduit in the core!"
"What?!" Horkion and Laswe cried in unison.
"Oh thank God you finally answered," she growled, her image appearing floating over Laswe's gem, "Don't panic, it's not an issue…yet. But I if you don't deactivate right now, it's going to become an issue very soon."
"Crap," muttered Laswe. He immediately twisted his band, his body shrinking to its normal girth and his spare set of arms disappearing. Horkion did the same, his body returning to its slighted stature.
"Now may I ask what's going on?" the head technician stated, putting her hands on her hips.
"It is nothing, Cheese," Oom'Bagu stated, stepping into view, "Horkion and Laswe were merely…" He glanced between the two. "Having an ethical debate."
Cheese's jaw hit the floor. "Justiciar Oom'Bagu! But I thought you were—"
"Bye," grunted Laswe, slapping his gem and ending the conversation.
"That was mean," Horkion frowned.
Laswe laughed. "What does it matter? We're apparently just a bunch of assholes collecting a bunch of assholes. We executed the man who saved our entire fleet from a vampiric mole and imprisoned the Legendary Super Saiyan! I think being a little rude is at the bottom of the offense list at this point."
"You feel very hopeless, Laswe," Oom'Bagu frowned.
"Ohho! I'm beyond hopeless," Laswe snarked, flopping like a pillow on the floor, "I'm done. There's nothing we can do to save anyone now. Hell, even if I tried to keep supporting Nevrrest at this point…once Goku gets to her, that plot would go out the window anyways."
Horkion ground and creaked. "So you still think that supporting Nevrrest was the right thing?"
"Horkion," said Laswe wearily, "I was never really behind her…I just thought it was the only way to protect…everyone. Like I said. I'd do anything to protect this fleet. As stupid as we are…I know how important what we were trying to do was."
"Is," Oom'Bagu corrected.
"It's over," Laswe shot back, "There's nothing we can do to redeem ourselves at this point. Once the universe witnesses the Legendary Super Saiyan trying to take down the Crimson Fighter…well. Everyone will divide. Hell, there might even be a galactic war."
"We won't allow that," said Horkion, holding up a fist, "If we rally behind Goku, I know we can still save the fleet!"
"After we killed Vegeta?" he dryly scowled, "...I know that one wasn't on you two. But if we oppose Nevrrest we'll have to tell the truth. And if we do that, it's over."
Horkion growled like a falling boulder. "Laswe, don't make me punch you again."
"Oh go ahead," Laswe limply snorted, "Nail me. At least that will make you feel better. My whole body's a flying bruise at this point anyhow." He looked down heavily. "I wish I could be my usual zealous self...but I sold out the goddamn poster child for criminal reform. I got nothing."
Oom'Bagu groaned. "Laswe, your depression is wearying me."
"Oh forgive me for not shrugging off murder and scapegoating - not to mention publicizing false information!" Laswe exploded, "Good grief...if my plan had worked maybe I could have slept at night. I could have kept...some form of justice. But now?" He spat a web. "This whole fleet is sunk. Never mind what happens to us."
Horkion looked helplessly at Oom'Bagu. The gregorik hummed and nodded. He stepped forward, planting his pipe. "Laswe, there's something you don't seem to understand." Laswe lifted his swollen, jelly head. "We need you."
Laswe's wings lifted. "What?" He blinked at the two of them. Suddenly, it hit him that they could have left him and gone after Goku long ago. They had definitely beaten him ages ago. And even now, they were just standing there, looking at him expectantly. It all rattled together - the truth behind their anger and scowls. "Heh…" he pitifully smirked, "I get it now. Friends. You two were fighting for me this whole time. Idiot friends…" He looked up, gazing at a hole they had put in the ceiling. "You know...heh...that Goku. He got tipsy once and started asking how we Ponachi have babies." He snickered emptily. "Truth is, we don't have such a thing as 'romance'. Girl lays an egg and guy gives it life. It's incredibly easy to make more of us, so we value the community over anything else. The society lives on…" He looked at them. "So it's easy...for a prince of the Ponachi...to see the big picture...and forget what's right in front of me." He folded his arms. "I'm sorry. And if I had succeeded I would still be sorry. Take that for what it's worth."
"It's worth a lot, Laswe." Horkion patted his shoulder. "My masters taught me that punishment is only meant for those who refuse to pay their debts. When a person commits a crime on my world, it is considered a debt. He is given the option to decide how he can repay it. You have that option, Laswe. You don't have to leave everything to society."
"Sometimes," Oom'Bagu rumbled in agreement, "One good man can make all the difference in eternity."
Laswe shook his head. "I'm not a good man. Not anymore."
A mauve light flickered in Oom'Bagu's eyes. "Make yourself one."
"We need you, Laswe," Horkion murmured.
"We need you," Oom'Bagu echoed.
Laswe's wings twitched twice. He looked down. "...I could only say I had made myself right if I could undo all I have done."
"That may be possible," Oom'Bagu returned, "Goku believes Vegeta yet lives."
Laswe laughed. "I wish. If that were true, I would turn this story on its head. I would flip the tables. Turn the chessboard around." A ripple ran through his entire body. "But there's no way...Nevrrest is a brilliant strategist, but even she couldn't pull off something as whacked as all Goku thinks on a breakdown. She'd have to have been at this whole mess for a lot longer."
"Yeah…" Horkion had to admit.
Oom'Bagu shut his eyes for a long moment. "…Laswe. You were young when Nevrrest and I first met you. Because of that, there is much you did not see. The fault is mine. I saw. But I chose to believe anyhow." He drew a breath. "Now I pay penance for that, by choosing to believe when I do not see. I believe Goku."
"Wait, your belief is choose—no start over!" Laswe squawked, "What are you saying?"
"She and I are kin," Oom'Bagu replied, "I always knew what she was capable of."
"So you think she's had a rotten side all along?"
"I know she has. I only gave her more credit for keeping it at bay than she deserved."
"But could Vegeta really be alive?" asked Horkion, rubbing his hand against his side.
Oom'Bagu bent close to them both. "Think. Is there any clue she might have given you? Perhaps not even in recent events."
"I don't know," whimpered Horkion, "I didn't pay anything she did any mind before…"
Laswe didn't answer. His mind focused on that question. All his support behind his actions thus far had been built on the belief that Nevrrest had always been the hero he held her to be. But could a person truly have lived a whole life split between the roles of hero and villain? He couldn't wrap his mind around such an idea. No, a person was either one or the other. There was no possible way she could be both. One had to be a lie. But even if one was a lie, was he ready to accept that yet?
It wasn't something he could answer right now, so he refocused on Oom'Bagu's remark. He thought about all the little things that had transpired over the years on the matter of Vegeta. He remembered the day Sepis had carved the words 'Vegeta, Prince of All Saiyans' in large, red letters into that first cell. Nevrrest had stood watching with something wild in her eyes. He thought about those first few years where the two of them would spend countless hours in front of a computer as the probes searched the galaxy for signs of Prince Vegeta. But Laswe called that obsession, not wickedness.
But there was something in recent times that had been bothering him since the moment he had witnessed it. It wasn't something that would confirm any rottenness in Nevrrest outside of her recent flip. But it was something…that moment that Vegeta had become a corpse on the execution floor, Nevrrest had stroked the body and whispered something in its ear. 'Sw— dr—'
"Sw…dr…" Laswe muttered to himself.
"Huh?" asked Horkion.
"Something Nevrrest said," Laswe replied, thinking, "I could only vaguely make it out. Two words. What the hell was she whispering?"
Two, single syllable words. Sw— dr—. Swe…dre… He pictured the way she had stroked Vegeta's back. The clacking of her beak and the flick of her tongue. Swe— dre—s. Yes, there had been an 's' at the end. Swe—t dre—s.
Laswe's wings buzzed wildly and he shot into the air, eyes wide. "Oh my God!" he cried in disbelief, "Sweet dreams!"
"Sweet dreams?" questioned Oom'Bagu.
"Yes!" Laswe cried, grabbing his head.
"What's sweet dreams?" said Horkion, doubly confused.
"When I saw Nevrrest with Vegeta's body after the execution, she whispered something in his ear! I just figured out what it was! It was sweet dreams!" He turned on them wildly. "That's not something you say to a corpse!"
Oom'Bagu sucked in a breath, his fur standing on end. "Dear universe…Goku was right," he breathed, "So that's how she did it. She must have changed the gas…"
"But why would Nevrrest fake an execution?" said Horkion, blinking once his stony lids.
"We're gonna find out," Laswe stormed, his body turning bright pink, "I don't know what the hell is going on anymore, but I'm gonna damn well find out!" He grabbed the piece of pipe from Oom'Bagu. "But first, we're getting your stuff back. And then we're heading straight to the Hammer to get some answers."
Oom'Bagu's chest rose and his expression lit. "I agree."
"Horkion, fetch us all some healing tonic," Laswe instructed, "Then meet us at the evidence locker."
Horkion gave the biggest smile. "You got it, Laswe."
"I'm turning the chessboard," said Laswe, leading the way.
(**Scene Break**)
Goku met little to no resistance while traversing the Hammer. All the halls he flew through were completely empty and all the doors locked. Occasionally, a probe would show up and try to stalk him, but all of them failed to keep up with his speed. A few times a security robot tried to give him trouble, but none of them could keep up with him either. He shot up the elevator shoot, avoiding the path of the ascending and descending boxes, and broke through the doors onto the solemn and discreet floor where the Execution Chamber was kept. Though Goku had never visited this area of the Hammer before, it wasn't difficult to navigate. There was very little located on this deck and it all curved towards the same place.
Goku's boots touched the floor quickly, blinking rapidly at the doors ahead of him. They had been complete shredded, as though some kind of monster had chewed its way through them. Running up to them, Goku carefully stepped inside the long hall beyond. Goku's brow lowered uncomfortably. This place smelled like death. He continued forward, realizing that Vegeta had been forced to walk this same path.
I'm sorry, Vegeta, he thought, But I'm nearly there, now. I promise!
Goku heard something crunch under his boot and abruptly stopped. He lifted his foot, looking down, to find he was standing on some kind of crumbled, brown mess. It looked like dirt. Goku knelt down and ran his fingers through it, gasping with horror as he realized it was charred plant remains.
"Misado!" he cried. Goku stared at the shriveled bits of leaves in his hand for a long moment and then bowed his head with anger and shame. "Misado…Nevrrest did this to you…damn it!"
He slammed his fist against the floor, the paneling buckling out under the impact. Goku clenched his teeth and hissed, his eyes tight with pain. He had been hoping to find some clue of where Misado had gone, as Dr. Tottle said – not the dust that had once been the sacred avatar. Misado didn't deserve this. What's more, this had been his only hope for finding Vegeta. What was he going to do now?
He stood up and turned to leave, his fist clenched at his side and trembling with frustration. But as he walked away, he suddenly sensed something.
"Huh?" he said, looking over his shoulder, "Wait a minute…what is that?" He darted back to the pile his hands raised with hope, and began to dig rapidly through the mulch. He scooped it up with his hands, fling it about, till his fist at last closed around something. Goku held his breath and opened his fingers, revealing a tiny, little nut. "Misado?" he asked.
As if in response, the nut glowed with faint, blue energy and a tiny, tiny green stem pushed its way out, releasing a pair of even smaller, shimmering leaves.
Goku laughed with joy. "Misado!" he cried, "Hey-yeah!" He brought the sapling close to his face. "Misado, I need to find Vegeta. Can you please show me where he is?" Very slowly, a curly vine grew from the side of the stem and twisted around his little finger. Goku gasped as his eyes glowed with blue light. His mind gushed with the sensation of all life around him, falling down into the darkest corners of the belly of the ship. There, he felt another Saiyan. "That's him!" Goku proclaimed, "Vegeta!"
Immediately, Goku acted. Ripping off a piece of his prison uniform, he gathered up some of the ashes of the old avatar and placed them in the make-shift pouch. Gently, he planted the seedling in the dirt, secured the torn fabric around it, and placed it in his pants pocket. With the tiny plant safely in tow, Goku flew out of there as fast as he could, heading for the lowest deck of the Hammer.
AUTHOR NOTE
While I appreciate the enthusiasm towards this chapter, I would ask that the arguing about whether or not Goku would have exploded, imploded, frozen, or overheated in space to stop. If this was my usual fiction, I would have scienced the shizzle out of that scene. But then it wouldn't have felt like DBZ. So I just stuck to the usual cartoon logic :)
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Love you guys!
