Chapter 7

When Kakarott awoke, he was strapped to a table. He looked up to see strange creatures with large eyes staring at him. He tried to leap up, but the straps were too strong. "Where am I?" he growled.

The creature spoke in a strange tongue, but at Kakarott's look of confusion, he switched to Saiyan.

"Hello, Kakarott. You are in the ship of King Cold. He has asked us to examine the 'monkey' that killed his son before he takes revenge on you."

Kakarott's eyes widened in horror, and he struggled fiercely. However, as he tried to draw upon his chi, he felt it slipping away and realized he was in a chi-restricting band. The aliens became excited by the data he was feeding them from his chi, and another pulled out a large knife. Kakarott struggled harder, even though he knew it was fruitless as the alien approached him. He pulled out a needle, and stabbed it deep into Kakarott's arm, and his arm went numb. The alien lowered the knife and cut a long slice in the flesh of his arm. Kakarott screamed in pain. Instead of numbing his arm the liquid in the needle had accentuated the pain. His arm felt as though someone was pulling it apart. Then the creature dripped some of his blood into a bottle and handed the bottle to another creature. Then it took out the needle and stabbed it into his leg. Again the cut a long slice in his leg. Kakarott growled and struggled feeding more chi into the machine. The creature then took the knife and chipped a piece of bone off of Kakarott's leg. He then handed the chip to another creature. This he did with everyone of Kakarott's limbs and then he stopped and stared at the struggling Saiyan. "He seems to have a lot more chi then expected. We thought it would be gone by now. Oh, well, King Cold would like some more data on where the pain center is located. Insert the needles."

More of the same needles with the same fluid were taken out. Kakarott watched, feeling fright like he'd never felt before. One of the creatures stabbed a needle into Kakarott's temple and left it there. He then hooked a line to the needle and into a machine. Two more were stabbed into his legs, and another two into his arms. One was inserted on each side and then one was inserted into his tail. After seeing the jerk of pain that followed from the tail, the alien inserted another two.

Kakarott gritted his teeth. His pride would not allow anymore screams for these aliens. The alien then got out a large hammer and hooked it to the machine. Kakarott watched, his eyes wide as, they lowered the machine over his leg. Then the alien keyed it and the hammer crashed onto his leg, smashing it. Kakarott bit entirely through his tongue and blood spilled from his mouth as he frothed from pain. The pain from his smashed leg went to every needle and was intensified by a thousand. Kakarott began to choke on his blood as his throat tried to open for a scream. Quickly the aliens inserted a tube down his throat so he could breathe. Then they positioned the hammer over his other leg. Kakarott tensed waiting for it to fall. It was becoming too much for the poor boy to bare. Finally it crashed down, and again the pain was intensified times a thousand. Kakarott bit through the tube and his highly intelligent mind informed him that his body could only take a little bit more stress before it shut down into unconsciousness. He just had to hold out. They then positioned it over his arm. He finally lost control. He snapped and wrenched at the straps with all his might. He exploded into Super Saiyan, but the chi-sucking straps went into overtime, and soon he was back at normal form again. Then the hammer came crashing down shattering his arm. He had one arm left, and he was still conscious. He gritted his teeth and groaned. His whole body ached as the pain passed through every limb, including his head. He finally screamed. He screamed and he howled until the final hammer blow came crashing down, and he lapsed into unconsciousness.

Kakarott awoke to a hammer blow across his face. He opened his fuzzy vision to look into a face that strongly resembled Freeza.

"So, this is the monkey that killed my son. Pitiful."

Kakarott growled and struggled to move. Surprised he looked down and realized his limbs were completely healed. He moved his arm in wonder.

"No, it wasn't a dream. Yes, I had my scientists heal you. No, you won't live long enough to enjoy your new health."

Kakarott growled and lowered himself into a fighting stance. King Cold smiled and pointed to a band tied around his arm. "See this band I'm wearing?" he asked.

Kakarott eyes strayed to it, and then he snapped it back onto King Cold's face. The mighty tyrant continued, "It is connected to a chip in your head. This chip is state of the art technology. When you power up, it takes your chi and gives it to me. When I feel pain, it triggers your pain sensors and intensifies it times ten, so you see, there is no way you can beat me. So why don't we just begin?"

Kakarott reached up and felt his head. He could feel the part with stitches in in, but he refused to give up that easily. Kakarott powered up, and immediately he felt his chi begin to flow out of him. King Cold smiled as the band on his arm began to glow, and his muscles began to puff up. Kakarott immediately stopped powering up, and charged at King Cold. He slammed a fist into King Cold face, and felt his fist cause impact. King Cold screamed and lunged back at the same time Kakarott did. Kakarott clutched his face. It hurt a lot more than he had expected. Then he removed himself from the pain. He had dealt with pain before, and he could do it again. He moved in and began to hammer at King Cold. He felt the blows across his own face, but he ignored them. King Cold was soon bleeding and staggering, but he also seemed to be growing stronger, while Kakarott was growing weaker. As he was using his chi it was being fed to King Cold, and King Cold's smile was only growing cockier. Finally, Kakarott hit on a solution. He knew he was not going to enjoy what he had to do, but he also knew it was his only chance. He finally jumped back from hammering King Cold. Kakarott was bleeding as well, his own hits were inflicting a lot of damage on him, but then, he powered down as low as he could. King Cold smirked at him with an aggravating smile, and Kakarott grinned back. Then Kakarott casually reached up and ripped the stitches in his head apart. Blood spurted from the wound, and Kakarott felt inside his head for the chip. Very carefully, he felt his own brain, and then felt a hard lump. King Cold realized too late what he was doing and yelled, "NO!"

Kakarott was too quick. He pried the chip out of his brain and threw it on the ground, and then he smashed it to a pulp. With blood matting his hair and face, Kakarott looked through his scarlet mask and grinned at King Cold. King Cold's jaw hung open, and he looked as though he was in utter shock. Kakarott smirked and said, "My turn."

He flashed to Super Saiyan and attacked King Cold, and the ugly tyrant was no match for the young Super Saiyan. Kakarott finished him off with a kamehameha, and then went to find the doctors. He destroyed every doctor and every needle in the place, and then sat on the barren rock and began to cry. Kakarott, elite Saiyan warrior, legendary Super Saiyan, killer of Master Roshi, cried. He cried for Master Yamm, and he cried for the loss of his youth. He knew no one would ever comfort him, and so he wept for the loss of humanity in Saiyan society. Most of all, he wept for those he had killed. He suddenly felt a strong hand on his shoulder, and wheeling around he crouched down defensively.

Goku looked at the younger, bloody, tear-streaked version of himself with sympathy. He knew not to waste his words on comfort, it would simply dishonor the young warrior.

"So, I heard your battle with Freeza went well," he said, sitting next to the young boy.

The Saiyan sniffed, and wiped his tears away, and mumbled, "Yeah."

"Uh, your head's kind of bleeding a little bit," Goku said, knowing perfectly well why.

Kakarott wiped some of the drying blood off his face and looked at it. He giggled slightly and then said, "Are you sure?"

Goku laughed and settled back, waiting for the question he knew would come. It wasn't long in coming.

"So, why are you here?"

Goku smiled and said, "I dreamed you needed my help, so I stole a ship from Bulma and followed your plotted course. It looks like you didn't need it though. I wasted a trip out here for nothing." Kakarott unconsciously nestled against the older warrior's side, and Goku, fatherly-like put an arm around him.

"What type of situation was I in when you dreamed about me?" Kakarott asked.

Goku grinned, and said, "Well, let's just say I'll hang around for a while, okay? I brought Gohan along too, by the way. He's looking for wounded among the dead."

"Why didn't you help him?"

Goku shivered. "Too many needles."

Kakarott looked with surprise at the older version of himself. The man seemed invincible, but here he was, with fears and phobias like any other person.

"So, what is your greatest fear, Goku?" Kakarott asked, a teasing glint in his eye.

Goku grinned. "My wife," he said. Kakarott laughed, not even knowing what a wife was, but the way Goku said it made Kakarott think of the teenaged girl he had met on earth.

Just then, Gohan came back, he noticed the position the two were in, with Goku's arm over Kakarott's shoulders, but then shrugged. "I didn't find any survivors," he said gravely, and then looked shocked as Kakarott laughed.

"If there had been," Kakarott said, bitterly, his voice filled with ironic sarcasm, "I wouldn't be doing by job right."

Gohan looked shocked, but Goku smiled, he understood. Even without his memories as a Saiyan, he still knew what Kakarott was talking about. Kakarott looked at Gohan, and said, teasingly, "I'll race you back to your ship."

Gohan shook of his melancholy. "You're on!" he yelled.

With bursts of chi, the two boys were off.

Goku's smile faded. He sighed. With the dream he had received, the boys deserved to have fun while they could. Hard times were ahead, and Kakarott needed to be as strong as possible.