Chapter 3 - Panic
Goku smiled as he watched his family from the kitchen. It had been a nice afternoon for all of them - lunch, board games, and now some quiet time in front of the TV. He did not get to see Gohan and Videl enough, and Pan was always a joy to have around. Even Goten had behaved - he usually tried to get out of family time, but he seemed particularly interested in beating his father at Monopoly. Goku chuckled. Goten never could resist a chance to compete.
'Yeah, the kids are something else,' Goku thought happily.
"Grampa Goku?" A small voice chimed from the living room.
"Yes Pan?" Goku smiled and picked up the feisty 7 year old.
"Can I have a cookie?"
Goku laughed and carried her into the kitchen. A cookie would be a nice thing for both of them.
GOku sat the child down on the counter and began opening cabinets. He never could remember where Chichi kept the cookies.
"Ah..here they are."
"Grampa...why is the counter shaking?"
"What Pa-"
Goku was cut off abrubtly by a loud bang. Dropping the cookie jar, he lunged toward Pan and covered her with his body as the roof collapsed on top of them.
***
Piccolo could not breathe; something had him around the neck. He could feel it burrowing into his back, his neck, down into his spine. No matter how hard he pulled, the thing would not relinquish its hold on him.
'What is this monstrosity???' Piccolo staggered over to a nearby pool of water and looked at his attacker. He was horrified by what he saw.
'Great Dende! A Reaver! I must warn everyone...if this...this...BEAST will let me...'
Piccolo closed his eyes against the pain and searched for his power. He still had some left, but it would not last long. Suddenly a loud blast shook the ground. Piccolo spun around and beheld a huge plume of smoke rising in the distance.
'They're attacking! But how? They were wiped out! This is impossible!' Piccolo fell to his knees. The beast was strong; he could feel his hold on reality lessening. It would only be a few minutes before he was consumed. He had to find someone to warn. He tried to climb to his feet, but his knees were too wobbly to support him. His power was diminishing rapidly.
Suddenly Piccolo sensed a strong ki approaching, but he was far too weak to identify its owner.
'If there is any justice in the world,' Piccolo thought with mirth, 'Let this be someone I can trust.'
"Piccolo! Not you too!"
It was Trunks - Piccolo could not beleive it. He seemed to know what was going on - how did he escape? He was a lucky lad, that one.
"Trunks, you must not come near me. I am being attacked by a parasite, a Reaver."
Trunks' eyes flashed with anger. The same thing that had consumed his father now had it's putrid coils on Piccolo.
"Piccolo, what is going on? Those things attacked my family...my dad...he was screaming..."
"This is beyond your understanding Trunks...these....these creatures are far too powerful for any of us." Piccolo was breathing heavily. Trunks noticed that his eyes were clouded. He wondered if Piccolo could even see him.
"You must run Trunks. Get as far away from here as you can. This thing will have me soon, and then I won't be able to stop myself."
"What? What are you talking about? Piccolo, this is crazy! What the FUCK is a Reaver??"
Piccolo gasped and fell to the ground. It was coming; the beast was already telling him to attack Trunks. It knew about his power; it could feel it flowing from the angry teenager, and it wanted it - Piccolo wanted it. No, he did not, but he could not help himself.
"Trunks!" Piccolo gasped, "You...you must...leave. Hide yourself, and your ki...they....they want it for their own. GO!"
Trunks could not beleive what was happening - First his parents, and now Piccolo. How was he to avoid the same fate? He felt like such a coward, but it was time, once again, to run away. He had no choice.
***
"DADDY! GRAMPA! What's happening?" Pan gazed fearfully at the celing fan teetering over her head. She vaguely remembered Goku grabbing onto her, but she could not see him now. She started to cry.
"Daddy! Where are you?" Pan climbed out from underneath a pile of broken wood and drywall and was astonished to see her grandfather's house in ruin. She was getting really scared; people did not just disappear and leave her behind. Her mom and dad always made sure she was with them. Pan had never been alone before.
Her crying increased as each moment passed. Pan could not beleive that her parents would abandon her, especially when the house had just blown up. She wandered about the yard, crying for her parents, but no one answered. She even looked in the scary shed that Grampa Goku refused to tear down, but they were not hiding in there either.
Then Pan heard a voice calling from the wreckage. It was Goten! Pan was so relieved. She ran back to the house, yelling Goten's name happily. She wished that it was her parents and not annoying Goten, but at least it was someone. She could not find him at first, but then she saw him trying to crawl out from underneath a wall. She ran over to help him, but stopped when she saw him; he had a big worm wrapped around his neck! Pan was disgusted; why would Goten want to have that thing stuck to him anyway? She knew that boys were gross and stupid, but this was rediculous.
"Goten!" She called, not wanting to get too close to him and that worm thing, "What are you doing with that? Where's my dad?" Goten did not answer her. Instead he was rolling around on the ground.
"Goten! Get rid of that thing and help me find my parents!" Pan was getting annoyed; Goten was still ignoring her.
"Pan..." he finally gasped. Pan frowned - was that all he had to say to her? Sighing, she turned around and headed for the shed again. Goten was obviously a lost cause, but maybe if she went back there, someone else would appear in the wreckage.
Pan sat next to the shed for a while, listening to Goten's weird cries as he played with his icky worm. She never had understood Goten; he was always doing weird things. She had other things to worry about anyway; she still had not found her parents, or her grandparents for that matter. It was just not like them to wander off.
Pan jumped as she heard a familiar voice.
"Goten! Fight it! Don't let it take you!" It was Trunks! She had not seen him in ages. Pan ran out to greet him, but was stopped short when a large hand closed around her neck.
Goku smiled as he watched his family from the kitchen. It had been a nice afternoon for all of them - lunch, board games, and now some quiet time in front of the TV. He did not get to see Gohan and Videl enough, and Pan was always a joy to have around. Even Goten had behaved - he usually tried to get out of family time, but he seemed particularly interested in beating his father at Monopoly. Goku chuckled. Goten never could resist a chance to compete.
'Yeah, the kids are something else,' Goku thought happily.
"Grampa Goku?" A small voice chimed from the living room.
"Yes Pan?" Goku smiled and picked up the feisty 7 year old.
"Can I have a cookie?"
Goku laughed and carried her into the kitchen. A cookie would be a nice thing for both of them.
GOku sat the child down on the counter and began opening cabinets. He never could remember where Chichi kept the cookies.
"Ah..here they are."
"Grampa...why is the counter shaking?"
"What Pa-"
Goku was cut off abrubtly by a loud bang. Dropping the cookie jar, he lunged toward Pan and covered her with his body as the roof collapsed on top of them.
***
Piccolo could not breathe; something had him around the neck. He could feel it burrowing into his back, his neck, down into his spine. No matter how hard he pulled, the thing would not relinquish its hold on him.
'What is this monstrosity???' Piccolo staggered over to a nearby pool of water and looked at his attacker. He was horrified by what he saw.
'Great Dende! A Reaver! I must warn everyone...if this...this...BEAST will let me...'
Piccolo closed his eyes against the pain and searched for his power. He still had some left, but it would not last long. Suddenly a loud blast shook the ground. Piccolo spun around and beheld a huge plume of smoke rising in the distance.
'They're attacking! But how? They were wiped out! This is impossible!' Piccolo fell to his knees. The beast was strong; he could feel his hold on reality lessening. It would only be a few minutes before he was consumed. He had to find someone to warn. He tried to climb to his feet, but his knees were too wobbly to support him. His power was diminishing rapidly.
Suddenly Piccolo sensed a strong ki approaching, but he was far too weak to identify its owner.
'If there is any justice in the world,' Piccolo thought with mirth, 'Let this be someone I can trust.'
"Piccolo! Not you too!"
It was Trunks - Piccolo could not beleive it. He seemed to know what was going on - how did he escape? He was a lucky lad, that one.
"Trunks, you must not come near me. I am being attacked by a parasite, a Reaver."
Trunks' eyes flashed with anger. The same thing that had consumed his father now had it's putrid coils on Piccolo.
"Piccolo, what is going on? Those things attacked my family...my dad...he was screaming..."
"This is beyond your understanding Trunks...these....these creatures are far too powerful for any of us." Piccolo was breathing heavily. Trunks noticed that his eyes were clouded. He wondered if Piccolo could even see him.
"You must run Trunks. Get as far away from here as you can. This thing will have me soon, and then I won't be able to stop myself."
"What? What are you talking about? Piccolo, this is crazy! What the FUCK is a Reaver??"
Piccolo gasped and fell to the ground. It was coming; the beast was already telling him to attack Trunks. It knew about his power; it could feel it flowing from the angry teenager, and it wanted it - Piccolo wanted it. No, he did not, but he could not help himself.
"Trunks!" Piccolo gasped, "You...you must...leave. Hide yourself, and your ki...they....they want it for their own. GO!"
Trunks could not beleive what was happening - First his parents, and now Piccolo. How was he to avoid the same fate? He felt like such a coward, but it was time, once again, to run away. He had no choice.
***
"DADDY! GRAMPA! What's happening?" Pan gazed fearfully at the celing fan teetering over her head. She vaguely remembered Goku grabbing onto her, but she could not see him now. She started to cry.
"Daddy! Where are you?" Pan climbed out from underneath a pile of broken wood and drywall and was astonished to see her grandfather's house in ruin. She was getting really scared; people did not just disappear and leave her behind. Her mom and dad always made sure she was with them. Pan had never been alone before.
Her crying increased as each moment passed. Pan could not beleive that her parents would abandon her, especially when the house had just blown up. She wandered about the yard, crying for her parents, but no one answered. She even looked in the scary shed that Grampa Goku refused to tear down, but they were not hiding in there either.
Then Pan heard a voice calling from the wreckage. It was Goten! Pan was so relieved. She ran back to the house, yelling Goten's name happily. She wished that it was her parents and not annoying Goten, but at least it was someone. She could not find him at first, but then she saw him trying to crawl out from underneath a wall. She ran over to help him, but stopped when she saw him; he had a big worm wrapped around his neck! Pan was disgusted; why would Goten want to have that thing stuck to him anyway? She knew that boys were gross and stupid, but this was rediculous.
"Goten!" She called, not wanting to get too close to him and that worm thing, "What are you doing with that? Where's my dad?" Goten did not answer her. Instead he was rolling around on the ground.
"Goten! Get rid of that thing and help me find my parents!" Pan was getting annoyed; Goten was still ignoring her.
"Pan..." he finally gasped. Pan frowned - was that all he had to say to her? Sighing, she turned around and headed for the shed again. Goten was obviously a lost cause, but maybe if she went back there, someone else would appear in the wreckage.
Pan sat next to the shed for a while, listening to Goten's weird cries as he played with his icky worm. She never had understood Goten; he was always doing weird things. She had other things to worry about anyway; she still had not found her parents, or her grandparents for that matter. It was just not like them to wander off.
Pan jumped as she heard a familiar voice.
"Goten! Fight it! Don't let it take you!" It was Trunks! She had not seen him in ages. Pan ran out to greet him, but was stopped short when a large hand closed around her neck.
