Chapter Fourteen:
Earth's Destruction.
Toriyama's Dream rocked wildly. What ever had happened on Earth was enough to affect the ship, which was in orbit.
"What the hell happened," Bulma shrieked as the ship slowly stabilized. "Bring the main view screen online! I want a status report of all systems!"
The main screen blinked on, the image nothing more than snow. Slowly, a picture came into view…
"Oh my God…" Bulma whispered as she felt her stomach sink to her ankles.
On the screen flickered a view of Earth. The image was shaky, but that did not hide the huge fifty-mile wide crater scarring the Earth's blue surface. The crater loomed like a giant open mouth, ready to swallow anything in it's path and spit it out on the other side.
Visible from space, was a mile wide hole that went completely through the center of the Earth.
Golden light poured through the hole.
Ominously, a strange green and golden mist floated by the ship and dispersed in space.
"Im.... impossible....!" Ten moaned as the image became clearer.
"Ten-san....."
Bulma swallowed the rapidly forming lump in her throat. "… No one could have survived that... No one… "
Chichi's pale face turned away from the view screen, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Gohan...... Goten….."
Bulma turned to see Chichi faint. Tenshinhan caught her.
"Is... Is she all right?"
Tenshinhan nodded. "…This was just too much for her...."
Bulma nodded and silently and turned back to the view screen. What was left of the green mist slightly blocked her view.
The lump in her throat just wouldn't go away, no matter how hard she tried…
"Vegeta…" Bulma began.
"BAKKA," shouted Vegeta. "You don't seem to understand that there isn't going to BE a tomorrow if we don't stand and fight now! I know how Nappa works! He will find us in a matter of hours and we will all be massacred! Do you comprehend that, woman? You, me, Kakarotto.. Trunks, we will all be just memories of Nappa's! He won't stop at that: he'll destroy the entire universe! He is obsessed with one thing only... POWER... He's just like me..." he paused and looked into Bulma's tear filled eyes.
"Vegeta…." Bulma sobbed.
"Just like I was," He corrected as his scowl softened. "Freezer cast us in the same mold," Vegeta whispered as he rested his head against Bulma's and closed his eyes. "Only I was smart enough to realize what Freezer had done to our people. Now, Nappa's turned our people against me. I've lost my race twice."
"Vegeta… I…" Vegeta opened his eyes and stared directly into hers. Something danced in those dark eyes that Bulma had rarely seen in the Saiya- jin Prince, something she could even come close to fathoming.
She fell silent as his gloved hand covered her mouth.
"Be quiet. I've lost my entire race save for Kakarotto, and because of him…." Vegeta swallowed hard, and then continued. "Because of him, I gained you and Trunks. I refuse to lose that too."
This wasn't right, but there was nothing she could do about it… one third of the earth total population had managed to make it onto the ship…
To save that one third of the population, she had to sacrifice her closest friend, her husband, her son and how every many humans were left alive on the surface.
Bulma squeezed her eyes shut and let the hot tears drip down her cheeks.
"Trunks....... Vegeta...... Son-kuh….. forgive me for what I must do…."
Muten Roshi knew this ki, and that was what scared him. It had drilled completely through the earth, and showed no signs of spiking, just climbing higher and higher… what could have caused this, he wondered…
"Gokou, what have you become….?" He asked quietly as he looked intently upon the golden light.
"Attention…. All crew…. Prepare for hyperspace fold…." Bulma announced as she paused to wipe away some tears.
"We can't leave yet Bulma…. Gokou, Vegeta, Trunks and Goten are still down there…." Roshi informed her as he continued to stare at the light.
Bulma bit her lip and shook her head. "How? Nothing could have survived that…."
"Gokou could. Her survived Namek, he'll survive this too," Roshi replied as he turned and looked at Bulma, all traces of the perverted old man she knew fading into the background as a master of his art spoke.
"I hope your right…. But we have to…." Bulma paused, trying yo smooth her jangled nerves. "It takes a good twenty minutes for the engines to warm up…. If they're alive…. They'll get to the ship… I'm sure they'll all be all right…"
Silently, Roshi turned back to the view screen.
"Gokou…. Hurry…"
As Roshi turned back around, Bulma slumped into her chair. She felt drained. Her world was collapsing and nothing she could do could stop it…
She buried her face in her hands and cried… for her father, for Gohan and Goten, for Trunks, for Vegeta, and for Gokou. But most of all, she cried for Chichi. She had lost Gokou twice before, but now she lost her entire family…
And then she realized that she had lost her entire family as well…
Minutes past, with the only sound on the bridge beside the electrical hum were Bulma's muffled sobs. Finally, when she had no more tears, she dried her red puffy eyes and stood.
"Ten-san… has Chichi come to yet?"
Ten sighed and nodded, looking much too old. "Yes, but she was in hysterics… the doctors had to sedate her.." Bulma closed her eyes and nodded, mouthing a silent prayer for the Son family and the souls left on earth.
"Engine room: Status report."
The screen spilt, one half the view of the Earth, which was beginning to crack, and the other showing a worker in the bowels of the ship.
"Engines at 25% of maximum capacity, Bulma-Sama.."
"Good. I want an update every 15 minutes," She said as she clicked a button, returning the screen to the view of Earth.
15 minutes past quickly, and the screen once again divided in half.
"Engines at 79… no 82% of maximum capacity, Bulma-Sama…"
"How long until the engines are fully charged?"
"Another 5 to 10 minutes."
Bulma nodded and clicked the button, returning the screen to normal. She looked up rubbed her dry eyes.
"Everyone buckle up…" She began, trying to sound as chipper as possibly. "I'm not exactly sure of what will happen when we go into hyperspace…. I don't want anyone to get hurt…."
"Bulma…" Ten asked from the base of the high pillar on which Bulma sat. "Are you sure about this?"
Bulma bite her lower lip. "Ten-san…. No…. I'm not…. But it's too late to cancel the order…."
"But what if they don't make it….?"
Bulma squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head. "They have to make it…."
Suddenly, the screen changed, the view of the cracked and dying Earth replaced with a scene of the engine room. "BULMA-SAMA!!! THE EARTH IS STARTING TO EXPLODE!!!!"
Bulma had thought wrong, hot tears stung at her eyes, and she didn't try to hold them back.
"Shit…… Son-kuh…. Vegeta…… I'm sorry….. Begin hyperspace fold…."
"But…."
Bulma exploded, the stress of the day too much. "DO YOU WANT TO DIE?!?!?!?! JUST DO IT!!!!"
Worker gulped and nodded. "Beginning fold procedure….."
The huge screen again switched to a view of the earth, golden light was pouring from every crack.
The intense light surrounding the Earth blinded all.
In a flash of light of it's own, Toriyama's Dream disappeared.
The entire bridge was silent except for the sounds of the crew crying.
"Thank God Chichi is still unconscious…. I don't think her mind could handle this…."
It was all Bulma could do to hold HER mind together, she was sobbing like a new born baby, her head slumped on the arm of her high-backed chair….
Ten stood dumbstruck the at last image of earth, with Chaozu quietly clinging to his leg.
It was all Videl could do to keep from screaming.
The arm of her leather chair was quickly being ruined by her hot salty tears, but she didn't care… at the moment, she didn't care about anything…
"God….. Son-kuh…. Why now? Why did those damned Saiya-jin have to come back now? We were all so happy… God…. Vegeta…. Trunks…. My entire family is dead…. Why? WHY?"
Roshi couldn't believe it… just before the… He had vanished, along with Goten, Trunks and Vegeta. It hit the old man hard, nearly sending him to the floor in tears: Son Gokou was dead.
"Bulma…." He whispered. He had to be strong, everyone had to… it's was how Gokou would have wanted it. He gently embraced Bulma as the tears begin to stream down his face also. "There, there…. It'll all be fine…"
Bulma growled something inaudible and pushed the old Muten away.
"No," she screamed as she lost her balance and fell to her knees. "It will never be all right! Gokou is DEAD! Gohan is DEAD! Goten is DEAD! Trunks is DEAD! Vegeta is DEAD! My whole family is gone!" … it's over…. 2/3 of the population is dead…. Earth is gone… there…. There is no hope…" Sobs shook her entire body as she pounded her fist hard on the steel floor. She broke her hand, but she could feel it.
Kuririn hung his head, and cradled the only thing he had of Juuhachigou left, his little girl Marron. "Juu… Juuhachigou…. I'm sorry… Gokou… your sacrifice saved us all…."
"Papa, why are you crying?" Kuririn couldn't answer, instead, he just gave his daughter a squeeze, and wept silently…
Videl hands balled into fists… How dare he die! "…… g…… goh…. Gohan-kun……" She clinched her eyes shut, trying, and failing to block the tears.
Simultaneously, a single though entered the minds of all on the bridge…
"…we need you…. Gokou….."
Earth's Destruction.
Toriyama's Dream rocked wildly. What ever had happened on Earth was enough to affect the ship, which was in orbit.
"What the hell happened," Bulma shrieked as the ship slowly stabilized. "Bring the main view screen online! I want a status report of all systems!"
The main screen blinked on, the image nothing more than snow. Slowly, a picture came into view…
"Oh my God…" Bulma whispered as she felt her stomach sink to her ankles.
On the screen flickered a view of Earth. The image was shaky, but that did not hide the huge fifty-mile wide crater scarring the Earth's blue surface. The crater loomed like a giant open mouth, ready to swallow anything in it's path and spit it out on the other side.
Visible from space, was a mile wide hole that went completely through the center of the Earth.
Golden light poured through the hole.
Ominously, a strange green and golden mist floated by the ship and dispersed in space.
"Im.... impossible....!" Ten moaned as the image became clearer.
"Ten-san....."
Bulma swallowed the rapidly forming lump in her throat. "… No one could have survived that... No one… "
Chichi's pale face turned away from the view screen, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Gohan...... Goten….."
Bulma turned to see Chichi faint. Tenshinhan caught her.
"Is... Is she all right?"
Tenshinhan nodded. "…This was just too much for her...."
Bulma nodded and silently and turned back to the view screen. What was left of the green mist slightly blocked her view.
The lump in her throat just wouldn't go away, no matter how hard she tried…
"Vegeta…" Bulma began.
"BAKKA," shouted Vegeta. "You don't seem to understand that there isn't going to BE a tomorrow if we don't stand and fight now! I know how Nappa works! He will find us in a matter of hours and we will all be massacred! Do you comprehend that, woman? You, me, Kakarotto.. Trunks, we will all be just memories of Nappa's! He won't stop at that: he'll destroy the entire universe! He is obsessed with one thing only... POWER... He's just like me..." he paused and looked into Bulma's tear filled eyes.
"Vegeta…." Bulma sobbed.
"Just like I was," He corrected as his scowl softened. "Freezer cast us in the same mold," Vegeta whispered as he rested his head against Bulma's and closed his eyes. "Only I was smart enough to realize what Freezer had done to our people. Now, Nappa's turned our people against me. I've lost my race twice."
"Vegeta… I…" Vegeta opened his eyes and stared directly into hers. Something danced in those dark eyes that Bulma had rarely seen in the Saiya- jin Prince, something she could even come close to fathoming.
She fell silent as his gloved hand covered her mouth.
"Be quiet. I've lost my entire race save for Kakarotto, and because of him…." Vegeta swallowed hard, and then continued. "Because of him, I gained you and Trunks. I refuse to lose that too."
This wasn't right, but there was nothing she could do about it… one third of the earth total population had managed to make it onto the ship…
To save that one third of the population, she had to sacrifice her closest friend, her husband, her son and how every many humans were left alive on the surface.
Bulma squeezed her eyes shut and let the hot tears drip down her cheeks.
"Trunks....... Vegeta...... Son-kuh….. forgive me for what I must do…."
Muten Roshi knew this ki, and that was what scared him. It had drilled completely through the earth, and showed no signs of spiking, just climbing higher and higher… what could have caused this, he wondered…
"Gokou, what have you become….?" He asked quietly as he looked intently upon the golden light.
"Attention…. All crew…. Prepare for hyperspace fold…." Bulma announced as she paused to wipe away some tears.
"We can't leave yet Bulma…. Gokou, Vegeta, Trunks and Goten are still down there…." Roshi informed her as he continued to stare at the light.
Bulma bit her lip and shook her head. "How? Nothing could have survived that…."
"Gokou could. Her survived Namek, he'll survive this too," Roshi replied as he turned and looked at Bulma, all traces of the perverted old man she knew fading into the background as a master of his art spoke.
"I hope your right…. But we have to…." Bulma paused, trying yo smooth her jangled nerves. "It takes a good twenty minutes for the engines to warm up…. If they're alive…. They'll get to the ship… I'm sure they'll all be all right…"
Silently, Roshi turned back to the view screen.
"Gokou…. Hurry…"
As Roshi turned back around, Bulma slumped into her chair. She felt drained. Her world was collapsing and nothing she could do could stop it…
She buried her face in her hands and cried… for her father, for Gohan and Goten, for Trunks, for Vegeta, and for Gokou. But most of all, she cried for Chichi. She had lost Gokou twice before, but now she lost her entire family…
And then she realized that she had lost her entire family as well…
Minutes past, with the only sound on the bridge beside the electrical hum were Bulma's muffled sobs. Finally, when she had no more tears, she dried her red puffy eyes and stood.
"Ten-san… has Chichi come to yet?"
Ten sighed and nodded, looking much too old. "Yes, but she was in hysterics… the doctors had to sedate her.." Bulma closed her eyes and nodded, mouthing a silent prayer for the Son family and the souls left on earth.
"Engine room: Status report."
The screen spilt, one half the view of the Earth, which was beginning to crack, and the other showing a worker in the bowels of the ship.
"Engines at 25% of maximum capacity, Bulma-Sama.."
"Good. I want an update every 15 minutes," She said as she clicked a button, returning the screen to the view of Earth.
15 minutes past quickly, and the screen once again divided in half.
"Engines at 79… no 82% of maximum capacity, Bulma-Sama…"
"How long until the engines are fully charged?"
"Another 5 to 10 minutes."
Bulma nodded and clicked the button, returning the screen to normal. She looked up rubbed her dry eyes.
"Everyone buckle up…" She began, trying to sound as chipper as possibly. "I'm not exactly sure of what will happen when we go into hyperspace…. I don't want anyone to get hurt…."
"Bulma…" Ten asked from the base of the high pillar on which Bulma sat. "Are you sure about this?"
Bulma bite her lower lip. "Ten-san…. No…. I'm not…. But it's too late to cancel the order…."
"But what if they don't make it….?"
Bulma squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head. "They have to make it…."
Suddenly, the screen changed, the view of the cracked and dying Earth replaced with a scene of the engine room. "BULMA-SAMA!!! THE EARTH IS STARTING TO EXPLODE!!!!"
Bulma had thought wrong, hot tears stung at her eyes, and she didn't try to hold them back.
"Shit…… Son-kuh…. Vegeta…… I'm sorry….. Begin hyperspace fold…."
"But…."
Bulma exploded, the stress of the day too much. "DO YOU WANT TO DIE?!?!?!?! JUST DO IT!!!!"
Worker gulped and nodded. "Beginning fold procedure….."
The huge screen again switched to a view of the earth, golden light was pouring from every crack.
The intense light surrounding the Earth blinded all.
In a flash of light of it's own, Toriyama's Dream disappeared.
The entire bridge was silent except for the sounds of the crew crying.
"Thank God Chichi is still unconscious…. I don't think her mind could handle this…."
It was all Bulma could do to hold HER mind together, she was sobbing like a new born baby, her head slumped on the arm of her high-backed chair….
Ten stood dumbstruck the at last image of earth, with Chaozu quietly clinging to his leg.
It was all Videl could do to keep from screaming.
The arm of her leather chair was quickly being ruined by her hot salty tears, but she didn't care… at the moment, she didn't care about anything…
"God….. Son-kuh…. Why now? Why did those damned Saiya-jin have to come back now? We were all so happy… God…. Vegeta…. Trunks…. My entire family is dead…. Why? WHY?"
Roshi couldn't believe it… just before the… He had vanished, along with Goten, Trunks and Vegeta. It hit the old man hard, nearly sending him to the floor in tears: Son Gokou was dead.
"Bulma…." He whispered. He had to be strong, everyone had to… it's was how Gokou would have wanted it. He gently embraced Bulma as the tears begin to stream down his face also. "There, there…. It'll all be fine…"
Bulma growled something inaudible and pushed the old Muten away.
"No," she screamed as she lost her balance and fell to her knees. "It will never be all right! Gokou is DEAD! Gohan is DEAD! Goten is DEAD! Trunks is DEAD! Vegeta is DEAD! My whole family is gone!" … it's over…. 2/3 of the population is dead…. Earth is gone… there…. There is no hope…" Sobs shook her entire body as she pounded her fist hard on the steel floor. She broke her hand, but she could feel it.
Kuririn hung his head, and cradled the only thing he had of Juuhachigou left, his little girl Marron. "Juu… Juuhachigou…. I'm sorry… Gokou… your sacrifice saved us all…."
"Papa, why are you crying?" Kuririn couldn't answer, instead, he just gave his daughter a squeeze, and wept silently…
Videl hands balled into fists… How dare he die! "…… g…… goh…. Gohan-kun……" She clinched her eyes shut, trying, and failing to block the tears.
Simultaneously, a single though entered the minds of all on the bridge…
"…we need you…. Gokou….."
