Chapter Six: Do Not Disturb- Already Disturbed
The same thing it says on my new t-shirt! Well, here goes another chapter. I wonder how long it will be. It's back to the present time now! Thankfully, Kitty remembered to spell check this one!
That was the way life was for Goku in the institution, and now it had been going on for months.- almost a year he'd spent since Goten was born. Priscilla's grudge only got worse, and he was starting to lose track of reality. Bulma recalled once the saiyan thought Piccolo was dead, and she'd had to explain several times to Goku that he wasn't.
After Bulma left, Goku jumped up and started pacing. He'd never paced before, but he felt compelled to. There was someone he saw in the hall often who always paced. . .perhaps his name was Ryan. Goku didn't know. He was thinking about how Priscilla had broken the staff vending machine and blamed it on him, saying he'd gotten out of his room and wandered around until he'd found the lounge. . .etc. He was trying to think of some sort of revenge, but he knew she'd only use it against him.
"Goku?" a voice asked. It wasn't in his head, so it made him jump. The voices added several interjections to his: "What?"
"Goku, it's us." Krillin and Yamcha walked into the room. Goku shrank back, wanting to disappear. Unfortunately, that gave the voices an idea. They started chanting at him to run away, to escape, somehow.
"The nurses said that they have five complaint filed on you, Goku. Did you accidentally break something?"
"Five? I've only. . .heard about one. . ." Goku said weakly.
"They said you've been fighting with people, is that true?" Krillin asked.
"No! I wouldn't! I'd only hurt people. "
"That isn't what they told us," Yamcha looked hard at Goku.
"I didn't, I swear! It's that Prissy-lady. She doesn't like me! She's making things up about me and everyone believes her!" Goku cried. They frowned at him. "You don't believe me." His eyes flashed, threatening to turn blue.
"Goku, we can't. You might not even remember the things you do!"Yamcha said.
"If you weren't . . .this way, maybe we could trust you," Krillin made a desperate gesture with his hands.
"You have to understand, things aren't the way you think they are. You probably don't even realize what you're doing most of the time. That's why it's so difficult to believe you. That's why we worry that you'll hurt us. it isn't your fault, it's just your disease." Yamcha answered, trying to chose his word carefully, so as not to hurt Goku too much.
"Goku, how d'you expect us not to be afraid of you? You're crazy!" Krillin wasn't being nearly so tactful, though. Goku stared at them. He felt betrayed. He felt like he'd been dealt a blow to the stomach.
"Use your instant transmission if you want so badly to escape!" Hissed a voice.
Goku resisted the voices sheerly by virtue of his inability to comprehend what had just been said to him. He couldn't speak, but sank to the floor, eyes radiating a dull blue as they filled with tears.
"Maybe we should come back later, Krillin. I don't think what you said was very helpful," Said Yamcha, giving Krillin a meaningful glance. He pulled the vertically-challenged man into the hall and shut Goku's door.
They were about to leave, when Yamcha saw Priscilla pushing her cart down the hall. She went into a room with only a full syringe, and came quickly out with an emptied one. Yamcha choked.
"Krillin, I don't think Goku was lying. That woman. . ." He pulled Krillin behind a corner and they watched Priscilla go into Goku's room, with a needle. They crept up to the door nd listened.
Inside Goku had been battling with voices that wanted him to kill Krillin, and escape. He was terrified of what people were saying about him. as Priscilla opened the door he mumbled "How could they. . .think that about me? Am I a monster?"
"You got that right, pal." Priscilla showed him her 'toy.' His eyes widened, and she noticed their coloration. This didn't trouble her much, but she remembered seeing it before. "Shot time, give your arm."
"I haven't done anything. Leave me alone!" Goku gritted his teeth.
"If you don't cooperate I'll file another complaint about you. They already know you resist shot when you need them, your wife will even attest to that."
"I admit that I'm afraid of 'em, I even admit I lost it because of one once. . .but I really don't deserve one now an'. . .and you know it!"
"I always give shots, no matter what. You know, if one more complaint goes on you record, they'll give you the 'treatment' again." Priscilla grinned, as all the color drained from Goku's face.
"Please, . .you can't do that t' me. . ." Goku knew what she meant. He'd only had it once, but there was a procedure involving many, many volts of electricity and a table, which gave a powerful system shock that was supposed to be helpful. Goku dreaded it, like every other patient who knew what it was. Priscilla always turned the voltage up for him, knowing about his unusual strength.
"Then take the shot." Priscilla grinned evilly. Goku shut his eyes. The sting of the needle and the sting of reality hit simultaneously, but both were instantly dulled by the chemicals. Goku whispered one final thing as consciousness faded away, one thing which filled the horrid woman with fear: "Just you wait. . ." She imagined that he glared at her before shutting his eyes.
That was how Yamcha and Krillin found out that Goku hadn't been trying to escape. Yamcha discovered that three of the complaints against goku were from Priscilla, so he knew that Goku hadn't broken a machine, a girl named Fern's leg, or a table.
"So can we trust him?"
"Well, he still did two of those things, and his eyes. . .you can see something in his eyes that shouldn't be there. Even when they're the right color-"
"Which isn't very often anymore," Krillin added. "But I hope they fire that horrible woman, just the same."
"People like her can't be helped, but I expect eventually she'll be caught- or go crazy herself. Did you see how she dropped the needle when Goku said that last thing to her? I think she's going to crack." Yamcha answered.
Krillin continued ranting. "Why hasn't he run of yet? He can fly! He can break through walls! He has instant transmission! What's keeping him here?"
"I wonder. . ." Yamcha trailed off. "Come on, let's go talk to Gohan."
"Hmm, what? Well, if you think it'll help." Krillin shrugged.
When Goku woke up he was alone, or so he thought. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"And he's actually awake, ladies and gentleman. I thought it was impossible, but the fool is actually up!"
Goku gritted his teeth. He knew that voice, it was the reason he was trapped in that room.
A cat that looked like Scratches, Dr. Brief's pet, walked by. It blinked glowing red eyes at him and hissed.
"Hey, you're not. . ." Goku stopped short as he looked up and saw someone. The cat slunk off as Goku stared at the inexplicable person standing before him. "You're. . .not real. . ."
"Haven't you got eyes? Don't tell me you've lost those too!" The voice snapped.
"Go away! You're just- I'm hearing things!"
"Oh dear, little Goku's scared!"
"Stop mockin' me!" Goku's hands shook. He was cornered.
"Who. . .are you?" He looked frantically around.
"You know who I am. I'm Kakorat." It said.
"You're. . me?" Goku looked around, seeing many black cats stalking the floor.
"And I've even got your voice. Isn't that sad? At least I have a saiyan accent. " He made a derisive noise. "Psh, it's a pity."
"What's a pity?" Goku was having a hard time understanding this.
"That you seem to fail in everything you do. You couldn't even kill that-" Kakorat chose some lovely words to describe Priscilla, then laughed chillingly. Of course, this whole experience wasn't real, Goku only thought it was.
"Why don't you leave, if I'm bothering you." Kakorat sounded like he was enjoying himself immensely. Goku twitched. "They'll get mad. . ."
"So? screw 'em! You're the strongest guy on the planet! You should be controlling them, not the other way around!" The sound of an invisible fist punching the wall made Goku jump.
"I'll let you to think about it, Goku." Kakorat stopped talking, and stared at the ceiling. The cats remained. Goku tried to touch one but it ran away.
"What'm I supposed t' do now? Everyone's afraid of me, and I'm seein' cats!"
"Perhaps you should stop lamenting your current situation and start trying to change it," Kakorat said, "Lest you start forgetting . . ."
Goku swallowed. Even after the illusion was gone Goku was still hearing the words "Start trying to change it!"
That was when he came up with a very depraved idea. He asked if he could visit his family outside of the hospital. This request was not in and of itself strange, but Goku's record wasn't exactly spotless. They told him it could be weeks, even months before they allowed him to. They didn't know what he was up to.
Lock your doors and draw your curtains, the next chapter is coming!
A spork is a runcible spoon. --Kitty
The same thing it says on my new t-shirt! Well, here goes another chapter. I wonder how long it will be. It's back to the present time now! Thankfully, Kitty remembered to spell check this one!
That was the way life was for Goku in the institution, and now it had been going on for months.- almost a year he'd spent since Goten was born. Priscilla's grudge only got worse, and he was starting to lose track of reality. Bulma recalled once the saiyan thought Piccolo was dead, and she'd had to explain several times to Goku that he wasn't.
After Bulma left, Goku jumped up and started pacing. He'd never paced before, but he felt compelled to. There was someone he saw in the hall often who always paced. . .perhaps his name was Ryan. Goku didn't know. He was thinking about how Priscilla had broken the staff vending machine and blamed it on him, saying he'd gotten out of his room and wandered around until he'd found the lounge. . .etc. He was trying to think of some sort of revenge, but he knew she'd only use it against him.
"Goku?" a voice asked. It wasn't in his head, so it made him jump. The voices added several interjections to his: "What?"
"Goku, it's us." Krillin and Yamcha walked into the room. Goku shrank back, wanting to disappear. Unfortunately, that gave the voices an idea. They started chanting at him to run away, to escape, somehow.
"The nurses said that they have five complaint filed on you, Goku. Did you accidentally break something?"
"Five? I've only. . .heard about one. . ." Goku said weakly.
"They said you've been fighting with people, is that true?" Krillin asked.
"No! I wouldn't! I'd only hurt people. "
"That isn't what they told us," Yamcha looked hard at Goku.
"I didn't, I swear! It's that Prissy-lady. She doesn't like me! She's making things up about me and everyone believes her!" Goku cried. They frowned at him. "You don't believe me." His eyes flashed, threatening to turn blue.
"Goku, we can't. You might not even remember the things you do!"Yamcha said.
"If you weren't . . .this way, maybe we could trust you," Krillin made a desperate gesture with his hands.
"You have to understand, things aren't the way you think they are. You probably don't even realize what you're doing most of the time. That's why it's so difficult to believe you. That's why we worry that you'll hurt us. it isn't your fault, it's just your disease." Yamcha answered, trying to chose his word carefully, so as not to hurt Goku too much.
"Goku, how d'you expect us not to be afraid of you? You're crazy!" Krillin wasn't being nearly so tactful, though. Goku stared at them. He felt betrayed. He felt like he'd been dealt a blow to the stomach.
"Use your instant transmission if you want so badly to escape!" Hissed a voice.
Goku resisted the voices sheerly by virtue of his inability to comprehend what had just been said to him. He couldn't speak, but sank to the floor, eyes radiating a dull blue as they filled with tears.
"Maybe we should come back later, Krillin. I don't think what you said was very helpful," Said Yamcha, giving Krillin a meaningful glance. He pulled the vertically-challenged man into the hall and shut Goku's door.
They were about to leave, when Yamcha saw Priscilla pushing her cart down the hall. She went into a room with only a full syringe, and came quickly out with an emptied one. Yamcha choked.
"Krillin, I don't think Goku was lying. That woman. . ." He pulled Krillin behind a corner and they watched Priscilla go into Goku's room, with a needle. They crept up to the door nd listened.
Inside Goku had been battling with voices that wanted him to kill Krillin, and escape. He was terrified of what people were saying about him. as Priscilla opened the door he mumbled "How could they. . .think that about me? Am I a monster?"
"You got that right, pal." Priscilla showed him her 'toy.' His eyes widened, and she noticed their coloration. This didn't trouble her much, but she remembered seeing it before. "Shot time, give your arm."
"I haven't done anything. Leave me alone!" Goku gritted his teeth.
"If you don't cooperate I'll file another complaint about you. They already know you resist shot when you need them, your wife will even attest to that."
"I admit that I'm afraid of 'em, I even admit I lost it because of one once. . .but I really don't deserve one now an'. . .and you know it!"
"I always give shots, no matter what. You know, if one more complaint goes on you record, they'll give you the 'treatment' again." Priscilla grinned, as all the color drained from Goku's face.
"Please, . .you can't do that t' me. . ." Goku knew what she meant. He'd only had it once, but there was a procedure involving many, many volts of electricity and a table, which gave a powerful system shock that was supposed to be helpful. Goku dreaded it, like every other patient who knew what it was. Priscilla always turned the voltage up for him, knowing about his unusual strength.
"Then take the shot." Priscilla grinned evilly. Goku shut his eyes. The sting of the needle and the sting of reality hit simultaneously, but both were instantly dulled by the chemicals. Goku whispered one final thing as consciousness faded away, one thing which filled the horrid woman with fear: "Just you wait. . ." She imagined that he glared at her before shutting his eyes.
That was how Yamcha and Krillin found out that Goku hadn't been trying to escape. Yamcha discovered that three of the complaints against goku were from Priscilla, so he knew that Goku hadn't broken a machine, a girl named Fern's leg, or a table.
"So can we trust him?"
"Well, he still did two of those things, and his eyes. . .you can see something in his eyes that shouldn't be there. Even when they're the right color-"
"Which isn't very often anymore," Krillin added. "But I hope they fire that horrible woman, just the same."
"People like her can't be helped, but I expect eventually she'll be caught- or go crazy herself. Did you see how she dropped the needle when Goku said that last thing to her? I think she's going to crack." Yamcha answered.
Krillin continued ranting. "Why hasn't he run of yet? He can fly! He can break through walls! He has instant transmission! What's keeping him here?"
"I wonder. . ." Yamcha trailed off. "Come on, let's go talk to Gohan."
"Hmm, what? Well, if you think it'll help." Krillin shrugged.
When Goku woke up he was alone, or so he thought. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"And he's actually awake, ladies and gentleman. I thought it was impossible, but the fool is actually up!"
Goku gritted his teeth. He knew that voice, it was the reason he was trapped in that room.
A cat that looked like Scratches, Dr. Brief's pet, walked by. It blinked glowing red eyes at him and hissed.
"Hey, you're not. . ." Goku stopped short as he looked up and saw someone. The cat slunk off as Goku stared at the inexplicable person standing before him. "You're. . .not real. . ."
"Haven't you got eyes? Don't tell me you've lost those too!" The voice snapped.
"Go away! You're just- I'm hearing things!"
"Oh dear, little Goku's scared!"
"Stop mockin' me!" Goku's hands shook. He was cornered.
"Who. . .are you?" He looked frantically around.
"You know who I am. I'm Kakorat." It said.
"You're. . me?" Goku looked around, seeing many black cats stalking the floor.
"And I've even got your voice. Isn't that sad? At least I have a saiyan accent. " He made a derisive noise. "Psh, it's a pity."
"What's a pity?" Goku was having a hard time understanding this.
"That you seem to fail in everything you do. You couldn't even kill that-" Kakorat chose some lovely words to describe Priscilla, then laughed chillingly. Of course, this whole experience wasn't real, Goku only thought it was.
"Why don't you leave, if I'm bothering you." Kakorat sounded like he was enjoying himself immensely. Goku twitched. "They'll get mad. . ."
"So? screw 'em! You're the strongest guy on the planet! You should be controlling them, not the other way around!" The sound of an invisible fist punching the wall made Goku jump.
"I'll let you to think about it, Goku." Kakorat stopped talking, and stared at the ceiling. The cats remained. Goku tried to touch one but it ran away.
"What'm I supposed t' do now? Everyone's afraid of me, and I'm seein' cats!"
"Perhaps you should stop lamenting your current situation and start trying to change it," Kakorat said, "Lest you start forgetting . . ."
Goku swallowed. Even after the illusion was gone Goku was still hearing the words "Start trying to change it!"
That was when he came up with a very depraved idea. He asked if he could visit his family outside of the hospital. This request was not in and of itself strange, but Goku's record wasn't exactly spotless. They told him it could be weeks, even months before they allowed him to. They didn't know what he was up to.
Lock your doors and draw your curtains, the next chapter is coming!
A spork is a runcible spoon. --Kitty