Chapter Twenty- Launch
"Oh, I was expecting you guys," Bulma smiled opening the door to them all, "I was sure that you would come here as soon as you saw…"
Gohan had forgotten how nice and big Bulma's house was. She led them across the slick wooden floor to the kitchen were the wafting smell of cookies met their noses. Gohan's mouth watered but he kept his manners. Videl had kept to Gohan's side strangely a lot since Cell's debut on the TV news. It seemed as though she was worried he might do something crazy and leave her behind.
Goku took a seat on the kitchen table staring at the oven hungrily. The only reason he hadn't already helped himself was because Chichi was keeping a annoyingly close watch on him. Krillen and Mirai Trunks took seats on either side of Goku looking rather hungry themselves. Bulma let out a small snicker and laid out a plate of 3 dozen cookies for them to chow down on. They gratefully dug in. Mirai Trunks eating the slowest so not to seem rude to his past mother.
Gohan reached over his father to grab a cookie himself while Videl watched Goku eat suddenly losing her appetite. Gohan took a bite of the rich soft cookie smiling with satisfaction. Bulma had started up a conversation with Chichi. Gohan and Videl could help but eavesdrop.
"I heard all about what happened. You're lucky, Goku got you a sensu bean so quickly! Once Trunks found out about Goten… he locked himself in his room. He won't talk to anyone. He seems to think it was his fault cause the monster took his image…"
"How do you know that?"
"I don't… He just had a dream that that was what happened. I don't know what to tell him. I certainly can't tell him that it wasn't true, since I don't know myself."
"I hope he'll be okay."
Videl and Gohan both cast eachother guilty glances. Poor Trunks was angry at himself with a reason that happened in his dream. It made sense… maybe he would get over it in a while…
"We need a space ship, Bulma," Gohan muttered suddenly. "That's what we came here for. Do you think you could make us one?"
A big grin spread across Bulma's face. She thumbed her chin thoughtfully and said, "I think I have one somewhere…"
She led the group to her warehouse #3. The whole group was in silence not really knowing what to expect from Bulma's warehouses. Bulma was about to finish padding in the password when she turned to the group.
"So what are we to expect in size?" Bulma asked, "How many are going to …New Moon or whatever."
"Just me," Gohan muttered.
"And me," Videl said suddenly stepping forward.
Gohan looked at Videl with a startled expression.
"No Videl! I can't allow you-"
"If you try and stop me I'll just follow," Videl frowned. "I don't want to lose you again."
Gohan winced… So she had figured it out. It wasn't really that surprising, she was rather clever. No one said anything for a few minutes. Videl was weighing her chances of going… If she left with Gohan she was sure her father would panic but she couldn't care less. Goten needed more help now.
"I guess that makes two…" Bulma began.
"I'm going too," Chichi said quite out of the blue.
Goku's eyes bugged out. "No you're not!"
"Yes I am."
"But Chichi!"
"Try and stop me!" Chichi hissed.
Goku bit his lip and turned to Bulma. "Count me in too."
"And me," Mirai Trunks added.
"And me," Out of the bushes stepped little Trunks.
Apparently he had been prying in on the whole conversation. He did appear to have been crying. He had dark circles under his eyes and his cheeks were slightly red.
"Oh, no you aren't!" Bulma snapped.
"Mom! I want to help, Goten," Trunks huffed. "I need to. He's my friend… and if I don't I might never forgive myself…"
Bulma looked doubtfully at her son. On her face it was written fear for her son and sadness that he wanted to leave. Mirai Trunks knew that face all too well. It was the face that Bulma had on when he went into the time capsule for the first time. The face she had worn when he went out to fight the androids with Gohan. It pained him to see that look in his dead mother's eyes. He felt a sudden ache of homesickness. How he wished he could go back into the past where his mother waited for him but truly it wasn't his mother… she always belonged to a different Trunks.
"Let the boy go, Bulma." A voice snarled from the other side of them.
Everyone turned to see Vegeta standing there glaring at them all. It seemed that, like son like father, Vegeta had been listening in too.
"I'll watch him. I am not going to let an opportunity like this pass up again…" Vegeta hissed eyeing Goku with a slightly devious glare.
Bulma let out a deep sigh and counted, "That means we have seven people coming."
"Can you make a seven passenger ship in just two weeks?" Videl asked in awe.
"Not make, sweetheart," Bulma grinned as the door swung opened, "Made. Come with me."
They all walked into the warehouse except for Krillen who suddenly exclaimed on how late it was and hightailed it back home. It looked exactly like the inside of any old warehouse except this one was packed to the brim with all sorts of jets and helicopters and even space ships…
"Wow, Bulma! When did you get the time to do all of this?" Gohan gaped.
"A girl has to have her hobbies," Bulma smiled leading them off to a larger section of crafts.
Both Vegeta and Chibi Trunks weren't impressed. Apparently, they had already seen the hanger several times before. Vegeta even managed to comment, "What do you think see does all darn day? Laundry?"
Chichi slightly staggered at the weight of this comment. She raised her eyes brows at Vegeta who ignored her completely.
They walked by several workers all heading home for the day. They waved to Bulma and called out, "See ya tomorrow, boss."
"Bright and early." Bulma nodded. They finally arrived at their destination. The ship was huge compared to all the rest. It was about the size of 30 of the son's houses stuck together. Possibly more.
"Wow."
"Aint she a beauty? Called her Star Crusader," Bulma grinned walking up a ramp to board onto the door by the wing, "Want a tour?"
Everyone followed her carefully. The first room they arrived in looked similar to regular plane, except more room. 12 leather reclining chairs pinned to the floor were aliened into pairs along the walls of the ship. 6 on one side and 6 on the other. The floor was nicely carpeted and even had floor lights so they could see if power went out. Videl ran her hand down the chair nearest her and smiled with contentment.
"Wow. They must be really comfy."
"You haven't see the best of it," Bulma smiled beckoning them to follow her further into the plane.
"This is the cockpit. It's rather simple to run if you know how," Bulma smiled.
The room was a lot like a piloting place for any other ship. The floor was covered in metal slabs and their were two comfortable chairs facing the big sweeping windows that opened out to the ceiling of the warehouse. There was a large space behind the seat possibly for extra storage later.
Bulma tapped her foot on what looked like a trap door. She smiled and explained, "This leads down to the engine room. It's about twenty feet down so it's a long drop. And then you would have to walk all the way to the back of the ship where the engines are…"
"Wow," Videl muttered.
"Who is piloting?" Vegeta asked sternly not impressed by the tour.
"Why, Mirai Trunks and Goku of course."
"WHAT?!" The whole group cried upon hearing Goku's name.
"Mirai Trunks will be the captain cause I am sure he knows a lot about piloting. He piloted the time machine through time so I sure he can handle her. And as for Goku…" Bulma smiled, "Everyone else it going to be too busy to pilot. Gohan is going to be too busy with other things and Vegeta I am sure will want to blast some aliens rather then pilot in his words 'a hunk of metal'. Chichi and Videl are needed else where and …Trunks is too young. Anyways, Goku has piloted a ship before, haven't you Goku?"
"Yes," Goku muttered not understanding why everyone was startled by Bulma choosing him.
"And last but not least, the sleeping quarters," Bulma announced once they had reached the hallway below the upper decks, " figured out who would sleep with who on my way here."
Bulma pointed to the left of her where a room was,
"Vegeta, Mirai Trunks and Trunks will sleep here. There is only two beds so two of you will have to share."
Vegeta huffed in a way that meant that he was clearly not sharing his bed with anyone. Not even one of his sons.
"On my right is where Goku and Gohan will sleep and the other room on the right belongs to Chichi and Videl."
"Who gets the last room?" Gohan asked.
"Oh that's for food storage. It has enough food to last 2 years but knowing you Sayians might take about 2 months. " Bulma stated sensibly.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Videl asked uncertainly.
"I'll tell you later." Gohan laughed sheepishly.
"I'll need about a week to train Trunks and Goku everything about the plane. I'll need Gohan around too. It will take you about a day's journey to the old moon that got blown apart. I suppose that is where he wants you to go."
Gohan blinked. It was so clear now. The New Moon was the moon he had seen that night when Goten got kidnapped… that's where they needed to go after all!
Trunks sat up on the porch on the night before they were prepared to leave. Gohan came and took a seat next to the troubled companion.
"I supposed this is the last time we see the Earth…'' Trunks muttered softy as Gohan took a seat beside him.
"We'll come back…"
"Not all of us." Trunks muttered darkly.
Trunks dared not to say more. It was just a strange suspicion anyway. He had no proof that his awkward feelings towards this mission were true.
"Gohan," Trunks spoke again building his courage, "Goten wanted me to give this to you…"
Trunks handed over a small envelope to Gohan. It had the words Big Brother written across it in black crayon.
"Back when Goten was four and I was five… Goten crushed a bug. I had to tell him it was dead. And when he didn't understand I had to explain it to him," Trunks sighed, "Goten was so devastated with the answer that he demanded he honor the bug by eating it... Ah, but I told him the best way would to bury it. Eventually he agreed. He had this big funeral and right in the middle Goten asked if the bugs parents knew what Goten had down to it. Or if his brother knew…"
Gohan blinked as Trunks paused. Seemingly, it was painfully to think of these memories when they all feared the worst had become of Goten.
"Goten wrote a letter to you. And made me promise that if anything had ever happened to him, (like being sat upon), I had to give this to you… It's Goten… goodbye letter."
Gohan opened the letter with shaking fingers… He pulled out the small letter in his brother's hand writing. It was done in bright blue handwriting…
Daer Gohan,
If I got sat ooon ro something like that Truunks was suppppse to guve you this. I luv ya borther. I alwayz wills. I just wannta tell ya that not to worry about mi. I'll fiannly get to meet dady! And will be waiting 4 you up theres!
-Goten
"I helped him with the spelling." Trunks smiled sheepishly.
"Thank you, Trunks." Gohan smiled, "You don't know how much this means to me."
"I think I might have an vague idea," Trunks smirked.
Bulma checked all the instruments with Trunks one last time. The countdown had begun…
10…
Mirai Trunks and Goku sat in the cockpit readying for takeoff. Goku was slightly bored while Trunks was tense with alert and worry…
9…
The rest of the group sat in their seats with the seat belts buckling fast about their bellies. Gohan and Videl sat as a pair on the right while Vegeta and Chibi Trunks sat as a pair on the right. Chichi sat behind Videl her fingers twisted about in her hands as she gave a silent prayers for strength…
8…
Chibi Trunks gripped the sides of his seat suddenly very scared…
7…
Vegeta hesitated but then placed kind arm about his son. Their eyes met… Chibi Trunks smiled grateful for his father's warmth.
6…
Videl began to shake…
5…
The engines kicked to life…
4…
Chichi's prayers became more desperate…
3…
Videl gripped her arm rest and began to breath in and out slowly trying to regain calm…
2…
Gohan squeezed her arm kindly. She looked up at him startled… He smiled. 'It's going to be okay. I promise,' He mouthed.
1…
Videl nodded…
LIFT-OFF!!! WE HAVE LIFT OFF!
To Be Continued...
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