Dr. Tottle felt the heat of the energy against his face. Well, ol' Betty, he thought, You had a good run. Still…I wonder if this is going to hurt?
Nada watched the energy leave his hand through the smoke of his cigarette, empty and apathetic. But instead of hitting its target, it was swept aside by a powerful hand. "Uh-h?" Nada grunted, his eyes snapping wide and his cigarette barely hanging by his lips. He stumbled back as he saw Goku's face, expression incredulous. "Amazing!" he gasped, "Where did you even come from?!"
Goku ignored him and crouched rapidly in front of his friend. "Dr. Tottle!" he cried, "Are you okay?"
"Damn me!" Dr. Tottle remarked, half irritable and half laughing, "I should have known I wasn't done with you saiyans yet."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you behind," Goku said urgently, "I had no idea you'd be in such danger!"
"Don't be so pretentious," Dr. Tottle snapped, poking him repeatedly in the forehead and making him wince, "I didn't want you to know I was putting myself at risk so you could keep that damaged head of yours focused on Vegeta! Speaking of which, what are you doing wasting time with me?!"
Nada stood watching, shaking in his boots. I…I feel like I should be doing something right now…but I don't know what!
"That's just the thing!" Goku protested, holding up his hands, "I did find Vegeta!"
"Good monkey!" Dr. Tottle praised.
"But the problem is, he's not in very good shape right now. Do you think you can help him?"
"Is Frieza dead?"
"What?"
"It means yes." Dr. Tottle groaned as he climbed to his feet, one of his arms hanging oddly.
Goku looked at it. "Oh no! You're hurt too!"
"Yes, Kakarot, I can tell by the horrible sensations of throbbing pain." He shuffled and grabbed Goku's forearm. "Alright, take me to my patient."
"But what about you?"
"I had kept track of all my injuries as I sustained them. None of them are fatal. Now quit wasting time!"
"Right!"
Nada could only stare dumbly as they both disappeared.
(**Scene Break**)
Dr. Tottle nearly got sick from the smell. The moment they arrived, he clapped his hand over his mouth and nose, eyes watering as he shook with shock. "How is it there is so much blood?!" he cried in disbelief, "There's no way there should be so much!"
"Doctor," said Vegeta.
"Are you alright?" asked Goku.
Dr. Tottle drew a sharp breath, waving his hand in front of his face and moved quickly to where Vegeta was. "My gods…" he breathed as he saw the state Vegeta was in, "I…I don't even know where to…what in the name of the Defiler…?"
"Nevrrest poisoned him," Goku explained, gesturing back to the broken execution machine.
"Good grief," Dr. Tottle scowled at the contraption, "I swear…well they do call poison the weapon of women and cowards. Accurate, in this incident." He got the portable scanner off his medical belt, first testing the still running poison with it. "I can't say I've ever seen a composition like this before…yes, that would explain things. The ridiculously high content would overstimulate the blood production in the spine. What a twisted and revolting manner of murder."
He returned to Vegeta, grimacing as he walked through the blood, and scanned him as well. Without a further word, he immediately got a small canister and breathing mask out of a pouch, fitting it securely over Vegeta's mouth and nose. Vegeta immediately and greedily started to breathe it in. "Well I have good news," he told them both, "It seems your saiyan biology is already kicking the toxin's ass, now that it's no longer being fed into you. Most of the excess blood has drained as well."
He started to prepare a syringe, which was a struggle with only one arm. "There is a lot of internal bleeding though, so we'll have to—oh Kakarot!" he admonished as Goku was suddenly cowering in the far corner of the room in a tiny ball. Both Dr. Tottle and Vegeta glared at him with embarrassment. "Anyhow," he continued prepping the needle, "I'm going to give you something to induce clotting. And let's see…I don't have much on me, sadly. Some healing solution will have to do." He inserted the needle into one of Vegeta's warped veins. "Speaking of which, Kakarot, if you can still hear me over your own whimpering. Don't count on that super-healing trick working from here on out. Your body will surely have burned through the extra kick I gave you by now."
Goku peeked out from his ball of limbs. "Oh so wait, that was you?"
"Correct." He fetched a vial of pink liquid off his belt and frowned at it. "Damn…I only have two of these on me. I should have grabbed more before I left." He sighed and opened it. He moved to feed it to Vegeta, but the saiyan prince beat him to it, taking the vial from his hand and swallowing the contents. Dr. Tottle grimaced with irritation and Vegeta let his head rest on the table again, dropping the vial. "And it seems the other one is for me, then." With a sigh of dismay, he opened it and let the pink liquid empty down his throat.
The needles put away again, Goku wandered over to check on them both. "Hey, how you feeling?"
"Don't worry, Kakarot, we're both going to be just fine, I think." Dr. Tottle glanced over at Vegeta as the saiyan held one of his hands over his face and flexed his fingers experimentally. "We're very fortunate our enemy chose a poison that needed a continuous flow into the body to work. Otherwise, we'd be in dire straits. I don't have anything on me that can detox cells like I did back at my lab."
Vegeta pulled the breaking mask off his face and sat up on his elbow. "Doctor."
"Keep that on till the oxygen's all used up," Dr. Tottle snapped, pushing the mask back down on his face, "Why is it you damn monkeys are always trying to rush through your treatments?"
Vegeta growled, but held the mask on. "There's one last thing I need from you." He flopped his tail over his hip and waved the shackle at him. "A battle is coming and for that I need my strength."
Dr. Tottle frowned at the shackle. "I'm afraid I can't help you with that this time, Vegeta." He held up his deactivated fusion wristband. "All my access privileges have been revoked. There's no way for me to acquire the kinetic code to remove it."
"Damn!" Vegeta roared, looking at the shackle with hatred.
"You're not in a condition yet to fight anyways," Dr. Tottle scolded, "You need to give your body at least a half hour to recover." He looked between the saiyans. "Besides…fighting Nevrrest? Is that seriously what you two are planning?"
"Of course it is," Vegeta rumbled, his tail flapping aggressively as he lay on his side. He looked at the scabbed over cut on his hand and clenched it into an angry fist. "That peacock has crossed the last line…and she will pay for every last step she has taken over it!"
"Vegeta's right," Goku seriously confirmed, "Besides, she threatened to destroy the Earth." Goku also clenched a fist and shook. "There's no way I can let her get away with that! And even if we did just run, she'll carve a path of death and destruction wherever Vegeta goes." He looked at the doctor. "It's time we end this. And go home!"
(**Scene Break**)
Nada's cigarette dropped more ash as he wandered in a daze down the hall. What…is today? And just how super…is a super saiyan? Suddenly, a door near him opened. Nada looked at it. Wait…isn't that…the evidence lock-up?
A thick, white furred hand shot from the doorway and latched around his throat, slamming him against the wall. Nada's fleet flailed in the air until he quickly passed out and was dropped to the floor, slumping against the wall.
"Eh?" called Laswe, "What was that?"
"Just another of Nevrrest's men," Oom'Bagu answered, resting his glistening battle baton over his shoulders.
"It's good to see you back in your fusion band, Oom'Bagu," Horkion ground, joining them at the doorway.
"Make that Justiciar Oom'Bagu," Laswe smiled. He narrowed his eyes down the hall, his wings buzzing as he hovered, "Anyhow, let's book it. The rest of the fleet is still in stealth mode, so for all we know, Nevrrest and Goku are already going at it."
Horkion smiled and nodded firmly. "As long as the three of us stand together…I know we can still fix this!"
"Damn gonna try," Laswe agreed.
"Then let us move," Oom'Bagu sounded, following behind Laswe, "We have friends to attend to."
(**Scene Break**)
Not knowing what else to do with himself, Juri-dur checked his bags for a fourth time. He had meant to be on a shuttle back home by now, but the sirens had gone off again and with them came the order for all civilians to remain secured in their quarters. Since he had quit his job as a guardian, that made him a civilian. He looked at the blank spot on his wrist where his fusion band used to be. He still hadn't decided what he was going to tell his family when he got home. His little girl especially was so proud of her father – working alongside those heroes! Heroes…some heroes they had turned out to be. He wondered how he would tell them about the man who had saved his life and what had become of him. He honestly could barely stomach the thought.
He stood up and stared at his uniform, discarded and folded on the shelf in the corner of the room. What was going on out there? He almost wished he hadn't quit just so he could find out. Things had been so maddening in the Justice lately…and for some reason, he felt scared. Suddenly, everything in the room started rattling as the floor and walls vibrated. Juri-dur gasped and stumbled. The ship…the entire ship was shaking! Just like when Vegeta and that monster had been fighting!
Juri-dur caught himself on the footboard of his bed. "What's going on out there?!"
(**Scene Break**)
The crack in the regeneration chamber split from top to bottom with a spray of fluid, a brilliant ki aura illuminating every inch of its surface. The doctors trembled against the wall with an unknown terror as a taloned hand split through the top, a piece of glass tumbling through the air as more healing fluid spilled onto the floor. The room continued to shake as medical instruments lifted into the air, the entire tank at last splitting and shattering as the war-bird that was Nevrrest rose up, her silky plume a fierce bunch on her head. She ripped the breathing mask off, it clattering to the floor as she stepped out, the sensors ripping free.
Her eyes had gone completely white, every feather standing on end, her feet cracking the floor under her as she stalked forward. "Kill…kill…" She lifted off the ground, her stiff plume and feathers flapping under the gusts of her energy. She shot straight through the door before it had even finished opening, putting deep scratches in the metal that smoked and glowed red. "KILL!"
(**Scene Break**)
They felt her coming. It was like standing next to a raging inferno – or perhaps, more accurately, the wrath of a phoenix. Dr. Tottle's brow twitched. "So…we're just going to stand here and wait for her?" He looked around the room rapidly. "Where are we even?! Where's the exit?!"
The two Saiyans didn't answer. They just stared intensely at the wall. They felt her coming closer at lightning speed. And then she stopped and waited, mere feet away. Sweat ran down Dr. Tottle's brow. Then, suddenly, the wall rippled like the surface of a pond and a sharp beak slipped through the metal. This was followed by outstretched claws, arrayed feathers, and eyes empty with rage. Goku grunted and tightened his stance, readying himself.
Nevrrest hissed through her teeth, her eyes shifting to Vegeta, who gritted his teeth in return. Her eyes shifted away and two fingers curled in, leaving her index and thumb still extended. "Very well," she hissed, "The direct approach…" Her hand came up, twisting at the wrist to point at Vegeta like a gun. "Now, my sweet prince…how did you used to do this…? Oh yes. Bang." Her wrist flicked as hot energy shot from the tip of her finger.
Goku leapt in the way and swept the blast aside, the attack burning into and marring the mirror-like wall. But then, she was on top of him. Goku gasped as he felt her back talons latch on and sink into his thighs, one arm wrapping tightly over his side and the other stretched out over his shoulder.
Goku's eyes widened as her beak clacked next to his ear. "Fooled you twice…"
Goku screamed as three more blasts shot out of her finger, hurtling towards Vegeta. The prince couldn't even blink in the time it took them to reach him. There was an explosion and a spray of blood on the wall. Nevrrest sprang-board off Goku before they hit the ground, laughing as she turned to behold her victory. But…
The energy around Nevrrest vanished and her magenta irises turned to dots. "…No…"
Goku scrambled to push himself off the floor, huffing with horror as he saw the crater in the smoking, spiked shell where Vegeta had been. A second later, the shell shuddered and Vegeta clamored free of the transformed Kameh's arms. He turned, his entire face shuddering as Dr. Tottle uncurled and spat out blood, his muscular, enlarged body with a hole nearly straight through it.
"Oh no!" Goku cried, his eyes wide, "Dr. Tottle!"
"No…" Nevrrest whispered, taking a step back.
"Damn you," Vegeta growled. He grabbed the front of the doctor's smoking unitard in both fists. "What have you done, you fool?! How dare you shield me like that?!" His teeth ground, his intense gaze filled with pain. "This is the final insult! I never asked you to—"
"Oh shut up…" Dr. Tottle's baritone voice weakly shot back, coughing again, "You think I'm any happier about this than you are? Trust me…dying via sacrifice for a filthy saiyan princeling was at the bottom of the list…"
Goku was quickly at his side. "No, don't say that! Come on, we've got to get you help! Don't you have any medicine or—"
"There's no time for that," Dr. Tottle snapped, deeply groaning with pain, "I already took all that I had and it's not enough to seal this wound…and there's no time for…I'll be dead any second now…" He squinted an eye, struggling to breathe. "I know when the body's been…fatally wounded." He eyed Vegeta. "And so does he…"
Vegeta's teeth clenched, shaking. "You bastard…! This isn't fair and you know it!"
"Heh…you're such a brat…" Dr. Tottle's eyes fluttered. He clenched, grunting, and lifted his bloodied hand off his chest, grasping forcefully the side of Vegeta's face. "Well…listen to one last prattling from me…little bratty warrior…" His eyes narrowed. "No…this is for all of you…though…I suspect you already know this…Kakarot." His sharpened teeth clenched and his eyes shifted. "And yes…I even direct this at you…traitor and deceiver, Nevrrest!" His grip on Vegeta's face tightened, like he was afraid to let go. "Know that I believe…with every cell in my body…that all life is precious. I want you to remember that, Vegeta…though I suspect you are cursed to never stop killing. But from now on, with every life you take, I want you to remember that. Perhaps you'll even do me the favor of…believing it yourself."
"Tsch…" Vegeta shuddered, "Just when I thought you couldn't get any more annoying…! Idiot, damn you!"
Goku looked helplessly at the dying man, but put his hand on him. "I do believe that," he assured. The open hand clenched, gripping the unitard with frustration.
"And if you want to talk about being unfair…" Dr. Tottle mused, looking down at himself, "I don't have the strength left to transform back…I'm going to be forced to die in my warrior form." He growled. "I'll admit that…is part of the reason…I hate you Saiyans. Because…I hate that part of myself. And I've been running from it my whole life."
Vegeta's trembling grip loosened a little. "…Is that so?" His brow narrowed. "Well if you really expect me to accept that all life is truly precious…than I think it's only fair that you in turn accept you're one of us." Dr. Tottle looked at him. "You were born a warrior. And now you die a warrior's death. Take some pride in that."
"…Well damn…" Dr. Tottle muttered, "That's actually reasonable…" His hand lost its grip on Vegeta's face and fell, leaving a bloody hand-print behind. "Very…well. Have it your way…little man." He rumbled, the sound reverberating through his thick body as his eyes shut. "My gods…I'm so tired…"
Vegeta couldn't let go of him, even though he knew he was gone.
The shivers wouldn't stop running through Nevrrest's body as she continued to look on. "No," she stated, "No…this isn't right…this isn't what was supposed to happen…" She hissed and gnashed her beak, turning to seethe at Goku. "This is your f—!"
Goku's fist connected dead center with her scaled chestplate, sending her flying into the wall. Normally, a wall in the Justice Fleet would have endured the impact, the shielding absorbing most the shock as it always did. But this wall wasn't made of the same material as the rest – but one that was designed to change states and act as the secret door to The Room. So when Nevrrest's body created the first spider-web cracks, the rest of it instantly shattered.
Nevrrest landed in the rubble and Goku's fists trembled at his sides. "Don't you know how to take responsibility for anything?!" he barked, angry and incredulous, "Dr. Tottle is dead! The least you can do is own up to that."
"I would never!" she shouted back, pounding her fist in the rubble, "Traitor or not, I would never kill a member of my fleet!"
"Wake up, Nevrrest!" Goku cut his arm through the air, "Don't you get it?! This is what you do! You put what you want before everything else and now it's cost someone their life!"
"It just can't be," she shook with rage, her talons digging into the rubble. She hissed and her eyes snapped up again. "Why would he do that?! Even if he has changed, who would sacrifice their life for that murderer?! It's madness!"
"I honestly don't care what you think anymore," Goku glared, all amusement dead to his expression, "All I know is that this ends here and now! No more, Nevrrest!" Nevrrest hissed uneasily, standing up at last. Her eyes shifted past Goku's shoulder to Vegeta, who was still holding the body and had hardly moved. "Don't even think about it," Goku growled, "I already told you, I'm not letting this go on any further."
Nevrrest hissed, a shadow falling over her eyes as her fangs and beak clenched. "Don't think about it…?" Her fists tightened. "You mean don't think about the fact that that man never ceases to take things from me…?" She went from standing on the rubble to directly in his face in an instant, the gust of her movement tossing Goku's hair. "YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT THIS ISN'T GOING ON ANY FURTHER!"
To her surprise, Goku didn't move or say anything, just glared at her with a severe, heavy frown. In her all-consuming shock and rage, she didn't understand why he wasn't already making his next move. But then she felt the rubble shift under her toes and it suddenly hit her that he had shattered the wall – The Room's wall. Where a secret entrance had once been there was now a gaping hole. Which meant that their energies were no longer hidden from the rest of the Justice. Which meant…
Her eyes grew wider and wider, slowly looking over her shoulder to behold what she already could sense. A dark shadow had fallen over their eyes, all three Justiciars completely motionless. Goku continued to glare at Nevrrest with contained rage and Vegeta looked on at the scene helplessly, his whole visage twitching as he still held Dr. Tottle's corpse in his arms.
Nevrrest stumbled, turning to face Oom'Bagu, Laswe, and Horkion. "No!" she gasped, holding up her arm as if to shield herself from their view, "This isn't…it was all a mistake! It was just an accident!"
Laswe's knuckles popped. "An accident…?" he asked in a low voice, "Tell me…Nevrrest…" His eyes flashed like death. "What part of this…exactly…was an accident?!"
"It was him!" she screamed, pointing hatefully at Vegeta, "It was always all him! Every bit of it was because of HIM!"
Oom'Bagu's lips curled back, his body shaking as he gripped his staff. "Nevrrest, will you continue to lie even to yourself…?"
Horkion's head jerked to the side in disgust. "I can't even look at you, Nevrrest!" he cried, "This is worse than I ever imagined! How could you? How could you take things so horribly far?!"
"You can't put this all on me!" Nevrrest shouted desperately, slapping her chest.
"Oh can't we…?" Laswe hissed, almost sounding maniacal, "Where should I begin…? A secret execution chamber? A dead civilian? Falsified information? Sabotage? Coercion? Torture? Unlawful imprisonment?" A spark of energy crackled over his body. "Am I forgetting anything, Nevrrest?!"
"It wasn't supposed to go this far!" Nevrrest angrily insisted, "I had it all so carefully planned! But it kept getting pushed to further and further extremes! It was made this horrible by Vegeta and this…" She looked over her shoulder to catch Goku in a maddened gaze. "This minion of his!"
"Just how gullible do you think we are?!" Laswe screamed at her, Horkion and Oom'Bagu standing firmly at his back, "Though I admit our faith in you—my faith was to the point of stupidity. But we're not dumb sheep who can't recognize something that's directly in front of us!" His fuzzy, white brows shuddered. "No, I suppose that's exactly how you see us. Dumb sheep that you have to lead by the nose to keep things as you suppose they should be. Eh, 'Founder' of the Justice?!"
"Have you listened to nothing I've told you all over the years?!" Nevrrest cried incredulously, cutting her arm through the air and smacking her tail against the deck, "The only reason any of this exists is because of me! I, who sheltered you, guided you, fought for you, trained you, and inspired you! Do you so quickly forget all that?! You talk about being sheep like it comes as some kind of surprise…" She planted a foot forward. "I am the strongest in the universe! Have you all forgotten Frieza?! Forgot what life was like when he was alive?! Strength is the only thing that defines reality! The only reason you even have the ability to complain is because I reshaped reality so that you could! I became the strongest so that the very concept of justice could be born! It doesn't even exist without me!"
"So that's it…" Horkion rumbled, standing close to Laswe, "Until now, I thought this was all just your hate. But it's not just that, is it?" He gripped his stump and his gaze wandered over to the blood-stained Vegeta. "It's pride…everything you've done…it's all been just cause you're too proud."
"Yes, I think you are right, Horkion," Oom'Bagu sounded, gazing at Nevrrest without pity, "Too proud to let what was done to you as a child stand. Too proud to let the 'monsters' run free. Too proud to see anyone as your equal."
"Yeah," Goku finally added, still not moving from his planted stance, "That's exactly what I've always thought too. You're proud, Nevrrest. So proud, you've refused to back down from your revenge no matter what it cost you or anyone else."
Fools, Vegeta seethed, at long last letting Dr. Tottle rest against the reddened wall, How dare they talk about that peacock having pride? I refuse to believe it. There's no pride in one who would sell their honor…!
Nevrrest seemed equally offended by the idea. "It's not ego," she retorted, "It's just facts."
"Facts, huh?" Laswe seethed. His wings buzzed, lifting him off his tail into the air, energy crackling up his length again. "Do you know what I see as facts? That you're a liar. That you stand for nothing you ever claimed to. I think you're a fake. Liar. Murderer. Traitor." Two angry streams leaked down his cheeks. "And that's not even the worst part. The one thing I can't let stand…" Cracks split through the floor under him, toppling shelves. His head reeled, his teeth clenched as his eyes burned. "Is that you made me hurt my best friend!"
Horkion's breathing stopped and Oom'Bagu's jaw hung as he gazed side-long at the Ponachi, soaking in the emotions he was feeling. Horkion's lips trembled and warm sand fell off him onto the floor. "I'm…I'm your best friend…?"
"IDIOT!" Laswe howled, throwing his tears to the side. His whole body clenched and he threw himself at Nevrrest, Horkion's face lengthening in shock as Laswe's energy maxed three times higher than it ever had on its own. "SHUT THE HELL UP, HORKION!"
Laswe's energy flashed brightly, casting darkened shadows over Nevrrest's face before the explosion happened. Laswe howled, throwing punches so hard and fast even he couldn't keep track of them. He didn't have the will to stop, every inch of him letting loose the terrible emotions – rage, guilt, and grief – that he had been feeling for the past few days. He howled, thrusting a hand forward as a cone-shaped attack formed, pushing out from his palm.
"SUPER DRILL FINALE!" The attack shot out from his hand, throwing sparks and beams of light. The explosion toppled more shelves, gigantic crates rolling against the force and Vegeta and Horkion having to hold onto the nearest surface just to remain standing. Laswe panted heavily, his jaw slack.
But when the smoke cleared, Nevrrest hadn't even moved an inch. She looked down at Laswe, lifting at corner of her mouth, her eyes no longer angry, but sad. "Oh Laswe…" She stretched out an arm toward him. "I trained you so very well…" The tip of her claw gently rested against his forehead. "But not that well." Without any movement from his attacker, a shockwave rippled through Laswe's jelly body, an explosion sounded, and he went flying like a bullet.
"LASWE!" Horkion screamed. He managed to catch him and was relieved to discover that while the ponachi's entire face was leaking white blood profusely, he was still very much alive.
Goku's teeth clenched, but Oom'Bagu moved in first. He got his baton off his back and held it out, his brow locked. Nevrrest eyed him. "Oh yes," she dryly recalled, "You have been an annoyance lately, haven't you, old friend?"
"I should have put you in your place far sooner, Nevrrest," Oom'Bagu rumbled in return.
"Oh yes." She looked at her hand and flexed her talons. "You think you have some power over me because you have such an acute awareness of my potential weak points. But what kind of fool never stops to consider that that is a two way street?"
Oom'Bagu's eyes started to widen and she appeared in front of him, gazing down at him – sad and empty – as she turned her tail into a spear and tapped his left temple. Oom'Bagu gasped as a shockwave passed through his skull. His cranium cracked and the Gregorik roared in agony, dropping his baton and clutching his face as blood ran from his ears.
Nevrrest's tail weaved next to her. "You make that empathy of yours seem like magic, but truth be told it is but a piece of your brain – something that won't work so well after being severely bruised. You'll need time to recover and in the meantime all six of your senses are scrambling and struggling to make sense of your surroundings." Her expression flattened with disapproval. "You treat me as though I am so unkind. But I could have done that to you at any point in this whole ordeal. Sheep? If that is really how you see it, then you all need to wake up and smell the grass."
"That's enough, Nevrrest!" Goku shouted, putting his foot down, "I can't believe you! How can you treat your own friends like that?!"
"I derive no joy from this disaster you and your prince have concocted, Saiyan." She turned to him, the anger lighting in her gaze. "Can you even comprehend how careful I've been? I have put endless thought into keeping losses at absolute minimum. And unlike you, I'm not so empty-headed as to not recognize the necessity of tactical loss." Her eyes shifted back to The Room and the corpse that rested near Vegeta. "Dr. Tottle…what an unnecessary and tragic loss. How thoughtlessly you defend your prince, Saiyan."
Goku felt like his insides were going to pop out of sheer rage. "What a horrible thing to say!" he accused, "Dr. Tottle's death wasn't some unnecessary loss of yours! He did what he did, knowing full well what would happen, so he could save Vegeta's life!"
"There's nothing redeemable about saving a life as worthless as that bloodstained ape." She moved towards him. "No. You're what I find horrific. Giving merit to such a senseless act. I can't make sense of such a skilled warrior who is so flippant. It's as if you've never had to—" And then it dawned on her. She thought of all the outrageous testimonies during Vegeta's trial. The pieces came together and Goku's careless and confident behavior suddenly made beautiful sense.
She laughed.
"Urgh!" Vegeta snarled, standing at the edge of the hole, "What is she cackling on about now?"
She chuckled deep in her throat and rubbed her wrist to her forehead, gazing at Goku. "Well, Prisoner 4747, once again I find that I have not credited you enough. I feel so embarrassed for not figuring it out sooner."
"What do you mean?" Goku irritably returned.
She giggled and pointed at him. "Of course you don't worry about mistakes or loss. After all, you have the ultimate trump card in your back pocket, right?" Her brow lowered. "The dragon balls."
Vegeta's hand, still bearing the mark, clutched the broken wall.
She pointed at Goku with a little smile. "Death, tragedy, and damages – they're all meaningless as long as you have the dragon balls. After all, as long as you win, all you have to do is make a wish and all your problems just blow away!" She looked down and giggled, her eyes wide with excitement. "It's actually rather brilliant when you think about it. Turns out it's not too late after all. It's never too late!" She laughed and looked at Dr. Tottle's remains, her arms spread wide. "Death doesn't mean anything anymore! Even if someone dies, I can just wish them back to life! Even if someone escapes from the illusions I shield them with, I can simply wipe the memory away!" She squealed with joy, hugging herself. "It's almost too delicious to think about! Dear Kakarot Son Goku…what a devious man you are…"
"…What a load of shit…" Laswe's voice painfully came. Her eyes shifted to him as Horkion held him upright. "You think that just because you can undo something that the Universe doesn't judge you for it? Hate to break it to you, sister, but it's not that simple." He tried to rub the blood out of his eyes. "And you can take my word for that. I know you don't believe in a higher power or gods, but I've stood as a naked soul and been judged for the life I lived. Karma doesn't wash off like blood. And what's more…" He held up a hand and clenched it into a fist. "You have no right to talk about death being meaningless until you've tried it yourself! You think just because a person comes back to life death loses its sting? It doesn't change the sensation of feeling yourself ripped from your body. It doesn't change the look in others eyes as they watch you pass…" He spat a bloodied web. "Ain't that right, monkeys?! You know what I'm talking about…"
"He's right," Goku agreed, expression unchanged, "It's true, I plan to bring Dr. Tottle back to life with the dragon balls. But that doesn't make what you did any less horrible. Death is a tragedy, no matter what scenario you put it in!"
Vegeta's brow twitched. "Quite stalling already, Kakarot!" he suddenly barked.
Goku paused and looked back at the other Saiyan with concern. "Vegeta…"
"I already told you before, trying to talk to that peacock is a waste of time!" he continued, clenching a fist, "It's bad enough I'm being force to stand on the sidelines…but watching you just standing there debating over morality is more than I can stomach! So just hurry it up already and finish it!"
Goku's mouth twisted. He knew how much it would hurt Vegeta to be forced to sit by and watch while others fought, especially in a matter that had become so personal to him. He honestly had been delaying a bit, hoping to buy Vegeta enough time to recover from his wounds and remove the inhibitor shackle. But Vegeta was right. It was time to end this.
Nevrrest narrowed her eyes at Vegeta. "I'm going to kill him, Vegeta," she stated plainly, "I'm going to kill the last loyal subject you have and then I'm going to put you down nice and quick. So I wouldn't be in such a rush." Her bright gaze returned to Goku. "However, I concur. It's time to finish this." She paused and looked at the other justiciars. "The Core must not be fully repaired yet. Otherwise, they would have tried to use Quantum Fusion against me." She touched her band and it lit up. "Sepis."
(**Scene Break**)
Sepis knew every inch of this fleet by heart. And yet, as he wandered the empty halls, he felt horribly lost. The fragile sense of control he had been maintaining was destroyed and such things were not easily reclaimed. And what of his two precious friends? One he had loved for so long and one he had loved so short a time. Would they somehow make everything alright? He pictured them both before him, so tall and strong. Oh how Goku could smile! It was such a beautiful smile.
Sepis stretched out a hand before him. "Won't you smile for me as well…my friend Nevrrest?"
He tried to picture it like he had so many times before. He traced her large, beautiful eyes and imagined them creasing without care. He measured the curve of her beak up into her fleshy jaw and conjured her cheeks pressing upward. Perhaps she would even open her mouth ever so slightly and give a gentle laugh. But it was all fantasy. He had no true idea of what such an expression would look like on her face. Sometimes, it seemed only possible in a dream.
"Won't you save us just one more time…my friends?" Sepis whispered.
He envisioned them both stooping on either side of him, pressing their foreheads to his and resting their hands softly on his shoulders.
His wristband lit up. "Sepis."
If joy was a color, it would have turned Sepis's eyes. "Friend Nevrrest!" he cried, clutching his wristband, "You've fully recovered! How are you?! Are you alright?!"
"I…yes, Sepis, I'm fine."
Sepis's antennae twitched. "…Where's friend Goku?"
"…Sepis, I need your help."
His heart clenched. "…He's there, isn't he?"
"I need you to get the Core online."
He felt himself start to shake. "Oh God…you're going to fight him, aren't you? I'm begging you, please don't hurt him, Nevrrest!"
"Sepis, I need you to fix the Core."
"It's not fair!" he cried, thrashing the tears from his eyes, "Why must you—?!"
"Sepis, please!" She was silent for a moment. "Sepis…I need you. Please…don't let me down."
Sepis shuddered. "…Fine. I'll do it. I'll do it for you."
"Thank you, Sepis." The wristband dimmed.
The little arlian hiccupped a sob, fiercely rubbing his eyes with his wrist. "I have to trust friend Nevrrest…have to trust friend Nevrrest…" He wobbled on ahead and then broke into a run, heading straight for the Core Chamber.
Cheese felt a small droplet of sweat run down her face as her workers took their tools to the delicate part of the Core. It could be really intense, working on all this sensitive machinery. It had been removed from the containment fluid by a mechanical arm and laid carefully on an anti-energy safety blanket. Of course, they were all professionals and knew that they could easily handle the repairs. Still, one wrong move and the super-charged conduit would explode.
The gigantic security door to the Core Chamber suddenly peeled open. "Out of my way!" a high voice cried.
The specialty maintenance team looked up with surprise. "Architect Sepis, sir!" Cheese jerked, "What is it?"
Sepis didn't answer. Their jaws hit the floor as he weaved his way through them and picked up the conduit with his bare hands. He spun it through his plated digits and the sparking ceased.
"He didn't even use the proper tools!" one of the workers cried.
Whistling a rapid breath, Sepis stripped himself of his tattered, brown cloak, hooked the part to his belt, and scaled up the robotic arm. The workers screamed with shock as Sepis dove straight into the active fluid, swam down, and reattached the conduit with a simple tool off his belt. He swam out and climbed back down.
"Seal the containment and start her back up again immediately," Sepis commanded, hooking his cloak over his shoulders.
Cheese couldn't stop staring at Sepis, the sweat trickling down her face. "But…how did you…?"
"It's just math," Sepis assured, "I ran the numbers and knew how to be safe." He watched with his large eyes turned upward as the Quantum Fusion Core hummed to life. "Besides…she's my machine. I know her inside and out." He turned. "Alright, you're all dismissed! Clear the Core Chamber! I'll stay here and watch over her in case anything else goes wrong."
As the last one filed out, Sepis gazed down at the control panel before him and hit the switch that would deadlock the only entrance, sealing him in tighter than the gates of Hell. He let out another breath and ran his fingers over his knuckles, the plates clicking against each other anxiously.
"Friend Goku…" he said quietly, "Whatever happens…don't you die…" He shut his eyes and pounded the control panel. "Don't you die, friend Nevrrest and friend Goku!"
(**Scene Break**)
Nevrrest's eyes shimmered as the computer's voice rang. "Quantum Fusion Core fully operational and back online. Quantum functions restored."
Instantly, Horkion went for his fusion band. But Goku put out a hand. "No, don't, Horkion."
The Minarite blinked once. "Goku?"
"I know you want to help," Goku continued, glaring at Nevrrest, "But even if you used Quantum Fusion, it wouldn't be enough to stop Nevrrest. You'd only be putting yourself in danger."
Horkion clenched his only remaining fist and stood up. "But Goku—!"
"Please!" Goku insisted, "I need you to get the others to safety! Oom'Bagu and Laswe are seriously hurt and Vegeta can't protect himself like this!"
"Ah!" Vegeta cried, trying not to blush, "You did not seriously just go there!"
Horkion looked from side to side, surveying the scene. He sighed heavily. "Alright," he relented, "You're right. I'll take care of them."
Vegeta growled loudly and turned on the justiciar. "The only thing I'm interested in from you is getting this damn thing off my tail!"
Horkion shifted his jaw. "Okay. I'll—"
Nevrrest laughed. "As if," she tossed a hand to the side, "If you tried, I'd only have Sepis scramble the codes." She eyed Goku coldly. "You may have destroyed Central Command, but he doesn't need that level of access to do a simple scrub."
"Very well, but I'm not going anywhere," Vegeta bit out at them all. He touched the bloodied handprint on his face and looked at the spots it left on his fingertips. "Weak or not, I have unfinished business here and I won't leave until I've seen it carried out."
"Besides, no matter what you do," Nevrrest smiled, her razor fangs extending from her pallet, "You can't stop me from killing him. So he might as well just sit there and wait his turn."
Goku's expression flattened, gazing at the towering blecha. "So sad," he stated, "You were supposed to be so much better than this, Nevrrest."
"Hmph," she snorted and leaned to the side, "Better hurry up and clear the floor, Horkion. The real warriors are about to have their day."
Horkion creaked with anger, but didn't answer. He put Oom'Bagu on his back and Laswe under his arm, shooting out of the storage chamber on a plume of ki.
AUTHOR NOTE
To the guest reviewer who was asking who was crying out that I hadn't uploaded in three weeks…oh my God, I love you guys XD The fact that one of you starts to worry when I'm a week late warms my heart :D
