CHAPTER 6
Goku and Trunks finally managed to recover enough articles of clothing to be presentable in front of Pan. "I'm hungry again," complained Goku, rubbing his stomach. Trunks looked at the young boy and sighed.
"Better head back to the ship, we will need to discuss what we should do next." With those words he yanked Goku away from a small bush with berries and pulled him into the sky.
Pan meanwhile had arrived at the base of the mountains. 'They are a lot bigger closer up' she thought in awe. Giro blipped and Pan followed him into a mountain pass. The pass, Pan noticed as she walked down it, was blackened by soot and corpses of trees. 'It looks like something crashed here'. Giro disappeared between two boulders. Pan darted ahead to keep him in sight. She reached the boulders and gasped.
In front of her were the remains of a large space ship. Pan had never seen such a machine. It was nothing like anything Bulma ever made. The metal was unlike anything Earth known, and the shape was much like a saucer, almost like an UFO that the odd farmer would report. She crept towards the ship, ever vigilant of danger. Sensing no threatening ki's she crawled around the ship till she found the door to it.
The metal door was twisted by the crash and it was slightly ajar at the top. Pan aimed a ki blast at it and it blew sky high. Giro scrambled into the darkness. Pan stood still in her stance for a few seconds until the door dropped several feet behind her. She walked cautiously into the hull, not sure of what she would find. A long, narrow corridor went both ways from the door. Pan began to follow the left one, hoping to find something that would interest Trunks and Goku. 'Trunks and Goku! They would be mad if they knew I was here! Should I go back and tell them?'
"Giro c'mon we gotta go get the guys" Pan began to walk back to the door, but stopped in her tracks. She turned around. "Giro?" Pan's voice echoed down the silent halls. 'Stupid robot had to go and get lost'. Pan turned again to the door and hesitated. 'I can't leave him here by himself, but I am going to get in trouble if I stay.'. Pan stood still for a few moments contemplating her choices. She turned back down the hall and started running along it hoping to find the small robot.
As she went down the corridor a rotting smell filled Pan's nose. Pan grimaced. 'That's the smell from the village.' Without warning Pan tripped over a bulky object. She landed on the floor beside it. To her horror she was staring into a face. She had tripped over the body of a blue skinned alien, with orange hair. Pan screamed. Giro, who had been on the other side of the corpse jumped up and beeped at her. Pan got up off her knees and bolted to the door, tears streaming down her face. Giro followed behind. It was only till she saw the light from outdoors before her did it occur to Pan to fly. She pulled Giro in her arms and flew on, faster than she had ever flew before towards the exit. The fresh air surrounded her on all sides but she never noticed it. Pan flew up into the air and through the mountain pass. The image of the soldier lying there motionless with a look of horror on his face was seared into her mind. She raced back to the ship to find comfort.
Trunks and Goku by now were at the ship and were trying to figure out where Pan was. "Why would she go anywhere, this place can be still dangerous!" Trunks snarled to Goku as if it was Goku's fault.
"You know Pan, she probably wanted to go exploring?" Goku replied soothingly to the steaming Trunks. Trunks look down at Goku with a grim look. 'He knows as well as I do that Pan has change since we found out there were no more dragon balls, she wouldn't have dared to go too far without us'. Goku's thoughts were interrupted by the small twinkling ki in the sky flying directly towards them. Pan landed moments later after she was spotted and ran over to Goku and began to cry again.
"There was this ship and it was dead!" Pan cried out between sobs. Goku and Trunks exchanged a worried glance.
Trunks placed his hand on Pan's shoulder and twisted her grip on Goku, forcing her to turn to him. "What ship?" Pan squirmed under Trunks grip, trying to head back to the ship to hide under blankets, away from the alien's face. Finding the struggle useless she was forced to bring up the new painful memory.
Pan slowed her crying and began. "Giro found a crashed ship in the mountains and so we went to see it and I went inside and there was a body there on the ground, oh Kami, its face - I saw it and -." Pan began to go hysterical again.
Trunks sighed and passed her to Goku. "I am going with Giro to see this ship. You stay here and try to get her to calm down". Trunks picked up Giro and shot up into the sky, towards the mountains Pan had indicated.
Goku and Trunks finally managed to recover enough articles of clothing to be presentable in front of Pan. "I'm hungry again," complained Goku, rubbing his stomach. Trunks looked at the young boy and sighed.
"Better head back to the ship, we will need to discuss what we should do next." With those words he yanked Goku away from a small bush with berries and pulled him into the sky.
Pan meanwhile had arrived at the base of the mountains. 'They are a lot bigger closer up' she thought in awe. Giro blipped and Pan followed him into a mountain pass. The pass, Pan noticed as she walked down it, was blackened by soot and corpses of trees. 'It looks like something crashed here'. Giro disappeared between two boulders. Pan darted ahead to keep him in sight. She reached the boulders and gasped.
In front of her were the remains of a large space ship. Pan had never seen such a machine. It was nothing like anything Bulma ever made. The metal was unlike anything Earth known, and the shape was much like a saucer, almost like an UFO that the odd farmer would report. She crept towards the ship, ever vigilant of danger. Sensing no threatening ki's she crawled around the ship till she found the door to it.
The metal door was twisted by the crash and it was slightly ajar at the top. Pan aimed a ki blast at it and it blew sky high. Giro scrambled into the darkness. Pan stood still in her stance for a few seconds until the door dropped several feet behind her. She walked cautiously into the hull, not sure of what she would find. A long, narrow corridor went both ways from the door. Pan began to follow the left one, hoping to find something that would interest Trunks and Goku. 'Trunks and Goku! They would be mad if they knew I was here! Should I go back and tell them?'
"Giro c'mon we gotta go get the guys" Pan began to walk back to the door, but stopped in her tracks. She turned around. "Giro?" Pan's voice echoed down the silent halls. 'Stupid robot had to go and get lost'. Pan turned again to the door and hesitated. 'I can't leave him here by himself, but I am going to get in trouble if I stay.'. Pan stood still for a few moments contemplating her choices. She turned back down the hall and started running along it hoping to find the small robot.
As she went down the corridor a rotting smell filled Pan's nose. Pan grimaced. 'That's the smell from the village.' Without warning Pan tripped over a bulky object. She landed on the floor beside it. To her horror she was staring into a face. She had tripped over the body of a blue skinned alien, with orange hair. Pan screamed. Giro, who had been on the other side of the corpse jumped up and beeped at her. Pan got up off her knees and bolted to the door, tears streaming down her face. Giro followed behind. It was only till she saw the light from outdoors before her did it occur to Pan to fly. She pulled Giro in her arms and flew on, faster than she had ever flew before towards the exit. The fresh air surrounded her on all sides but she never noticed it. Pan flew up into the air and through the mountain pass. The image of the soldier lying there motionless with a look of horror on his face was seared into her mind. She raced back to the ship to find comfort.
Trunks and Goku by now were at the ship and were trying to figure out where Pan was. "Why would she go anywhere, this place can be still dangerous!" Trunks snarled to Goku as if it was Goku's fault.
"You know Pan, she probably wanted to go exploring?" Goku replied soothingly to the steaming Trunks. Trunks look down at Goku with a grim look. 'He knows as well as I do that Pan has change since we found out there were no more dragon balls, she wouldn't have dared to go too far without us'. Goku's thoughts were interrupted by the small twinkling ki in the sky flying directly towards them. Pan landed moments later after she was spotted and ran over to Goku and began to cry again.
"There was this ship and it was dead!" Pan cried out between sobs. Goku and Trunks exchanged a worried glance.
Trunks placed his hand on Pan's shoulder and twisted her grip on Goku, forcing her to turn to him. "What ship?" Pan squirmed under Trunks grip, trying to head back to the ship to hide under blankets, away from the alien's face. Finding the struggle useless she was forced to bring up the new painful memory.
Pan slowed her crying and began. "Giro found a crashed ship in the mountains and so we went to see it and I went inside and there was a body there on the ground, oh Kami, its face - I saw it and -." Pan began to go hysterical again.
Trunks sighed and passed her to Goku. "I am going with Giro to see this ship. You stay here and try to get her to calm down". Trunks picked up Giro and shot up into the sky, towards the mountains Pan had indicated.