Chapter Two
Pan was thrown into a wild surge of passing lights and colors and millions of indescribable sensations. She felt like she was being sucked into a huge, endless vacuum. She screamed as she whirled around in that black, endless space, hoping someone, anyone would hear her cries. Pan continued traveling through the void, deafening sounds reaching her ears. Then she suddenly felt herself make severe contact with the solid ground. Or so it was the ground she thought in the split second of awareness she had left before she slipped into unconsciousness.
After what seemed hours, she awoke, with a splitting headache. Pan kept her eyes closed and laid on the ground for a few moments, trying to gather her thoughts. She felt as though she had been shot in the head repeatedly. She listened, above the ringing in her ears, to her surroundings. Hoping she was safe at home, and she only slipped and hit her head on something and had a bad dream. Instead, she heard the light trickle of water and birds singing. She opened her eyes and squinted at the bright sunlight. Pan held her head as she sat up slowly and observed the area around her. She saw a crystal clear stream running close to her feet. She looked at the trees and grass that extended for miles and miles. She saw birds fluttering around the treetops. "Is this heaven?" She wondered aloud as she stood up. "Maybe I'm dead…"
Pan walked over to the stream and looked at her reflection. Her hair was messed up and she looked extremely beaten. She knelt down by the stream and dipped a cupped hand into the cool, crisp water. She sipped some and splashed the rest onto her face.
"Hello, may I help you?" Came a young boy's voice from behind her.
Pan's heart jumped into her throat and she swallowed hard. She stood up and turned around to face a boy with blonde hair and green eyes, just a few inches shorter than she was. He was wearing a dark purple fighting gi with a red belt tied around it with matching color wristbands. "My name is Pan." She managed to say.
"Hi, my name is Son Gohan."
~~~~~Back at Capsule Corp.~~~~~
Videl, Gohan, Bulma and Bra all stood in the lab. Bulma was rummaging through her desk drawers for something while continuing to screech at Bra for going in the lab when she knew it was forbidden. Videl was crying hysterically into Gohan's shoulder. Gohan, who was trying to calm his wife down and figure out what happened, had an expression on his face showing that he had been awake for hours combined with extreme anxiousness.
"I found it!" Bulma shouted. Everyone's heads snapped to attention.
"Found…what?" Videl said between sobs.
Bulma turned in her chair and revealed an object in her hand that looked similar to a calculator. "This is a device I created along with the wrist portal. It coordinates the date that the person will travel too. The wrist portal only activates it. And the date is set for about 15 years ago."
"My baby's in the past?" Videl asked weakly. She looked very pale.
"Yes…and the worst thing is, I haven't finished the portal, so it will malfunction. It doesn't quite correspond with the main keypad, which I hold in my hand now." Bulma said in a matter-of-factly tone.
"What do you mean it doesn't quite correspond, Bulma?" Gohan said angrily.
"Well, you see, it has a small glitch in it. She can't be moved forward over great distances of time. Which means, if we were to try and bring her back, we have no idea when or where she would end up. And it would take several tries to bring her back. The farthest she can go is about seven years at a time. And we could not pull her through the time warp too many times in a row, for it will do strenuous damage to her body, and possibly- ." Bulma hesitated. "She could die."
With that, Videl continued wailing and Gohan comforted her. "Videl, it will be fine, Pan is a strong girl. She's like you. She'll know how to get through this."
"Let's just hope she does Gohan," said Bulma with a firm tone. "Because if she interferes with your past self, my past self, or anyone's past self, it may have tremendous effects on our present. She's been sent back before the cell games. I'm afraid if she gets in the middle, our world will be doomed."
Videl fainted. Gohan picked her up and turned to leave the lab. "Thanks a whole lot Bulma. You always knew how to screw our lives up one way or another."
Bulma sat there speechless and Bra stared at her mother, tears streaming down her cheeks. Neither of them had a word to say. They just stood there and prayed that Pan would make it back in time.
Pan was thrown into a wild surge of passing lights and colors and millions of indescribable sensations. She felt like she was being sucked into a huge, endless vacuum. She screamed as she whirled around in that black, endless space, hoping someone, anyone would hear her cries. Pan continued traveling through the void, deafening sounds reaching her ears. Then she suddenly felt herself make severe contact with the solid ground. Or so it was the ground she thought in the split second of awareness she had left before she slipped into unconsciousness.
After what seemed hours, she awoke, with a splitting headache. Pan kept her eyes closed and laid on the ground for a few moments, trying to gather her thoughts. She felt as though she had been shot in the head repeatedly. She listened, above the ringing in her ears, to her surroundings. Hoping she was safe at home, and she only slipped and hit her head on something and had a bad dream. Instead, she heard the light trickle of water and birds singing. She opened her eyes and squinted at the bright sunlight. Pan held her head as she sat up slowly and observed the area around her. She saw a crystal clear stream running close to her feet. She looked at the trees and grass that extended for miles and miles. She saw birds fluttering around the treetops. "Is this heaven?" She wondered aloud as she stood up. "Maybe I'm dead…"
Pan walked over to the stream and looked at her reflection. Her hair was messed up and she looked extremely beaten. She knelt down by the stream and dipped a cupped hand into the cool, crisp water. She sipped some and splashed the rest onto her face.
"Hello, may I help you?" Came a young boy's voice from behind her.
Pan's heart jumped into her throat and she swallowed hard. She stood up and turned around to face a boy with blonde hair and green eyes, just a few inches shorter than she was. He was wearing a dark purple fighting gi with a red belt tied around it with matching color wristbands. "My name is Pan." She managed to say.
"Hi, my name is Son Gohan."
~~~~~Back at Capsule Corp.~~~~~
Videl, Gohan, Bulma and Bra all stood in the lab. Bulma was rummaging through her desk drawers for something while continuing to screech at Bra for going in the lab when she knew it was forbidden. Videl was crying hysterically into Gohan's shoulder. Gohan, who was trying to calm his wife down and figure out what happened, had an expression on his face showing that he had been awake for hours combined with extreme anxiousness.
"I found it!" Bulma shouted. Everyone's heads snapped to attention.
"Found…what?" Videl said between sobs.
Bulma turned in her chair and revealed an object in her hand that looked similar to a calculator. "This is a device I created along with the wrist portal. It coordinates the date that the person will travel too. The wrist portal only activates it. And the date is set for about 15 years ago."
"My baby's in the past?" Videl asked weakly. She looked very pale.
"Yes…and the worst thing is, I haven't finished the portal, so it will malfunction. It doesn't quite correspond with the main keypad, which I hold in my hand now." Bulma said in a matter-of-factly tone.
"What do you mean it doesn't quite correspond, Bulma?" Gohan said angrily.
"Well, you see, it has a small glitch in it. She can't be moved forward over great distances of time. Which means, if we were to try and bring her back, we have no idea when or where she would end up. And it would take several tries to bring her back. The farthest she can go is about seven years at a time. And we could not pull her through the time warp too many times in a row, for it will do strenuous damage to her body, and possibly- ." Bulma hesitated. "She could die."
With that, Videl continued wailing and Gohan comforted her. "Videl, it will be fine, Pan is a strong girl. She's like you. She'll know how to get through this."
"Let's just hope she does Gohan," said Bulma with a firm tone. "Because if she interferes with your past self, my past self, or anyone's past self, it may have tremendous effects on our present. She's been sent back before the cell games. I'm afraid if she gets in the middle, our world will be doomed."
Videl fainted. Gohan picked her up and turned to leave the lab. "Thanks a whole lot Bulma. You always knew how to screw our lives up one way or another."
Bulma sat there speechless and Bra stared at her mother, tears streaming down her cheeks. Neither of them had a word to say. They just stood there and prayed that Pan would make it back in time.