Well, at least I'm coming out with chapters faster than . . . . . one a, every six months? Although this isn't much of an improvement.

In other news:

T.T I finally got my PDA back only to have it get screwed up again when I tried to sync it with my computer!!! DAMN IT! Oh well, unfortunitally, you'll have to wait for those results . . . again . . . please don't kill me . . . . . .;

Silence is Golden

Chapter 12: A New Ride

Gohan sighed as he appeared in front of his house. 'Oh man, I'm DEAD! Nearly three hours late . . .' Bracing himself for what was sure to be very painful for his head, he opened the door and walked into the living room.

Goten hadn't tackled him, which was NOT good news. For Goten, the chibi-battery-pack-that-never-runs-out, for Goten not to nearly ram him into the ground meant that his mom was most likely angry. Hopefully she wasn't taking it out of Goten.

"SON GOHAN!" He heard her voice from the kitchen.

'SHIT!' was all the teenage Saiyan could think.

Gohan walked into the kitchen, ready to duck if needed. "Mom, I needed to help someone out! She was going to-"

His voice seemed to freeze as he watched a certain frying pan swing down towards his face. Less than an inch from it's target, it froze. "Did you say 'She'?"

"Ummm . . . yea." Gohan said, still staring at the bottom of the pan, not sure what about his choice of words had saved his life, but he wasn't gonna' object though!

"Should I be expecting Grand Babies soon?!" Chichi said with hearts in her eyes.

Gohan anime-fainted, rubbing the bump on his head as he got off the ground. "NO! It's not like that mom!" He should have known her mind would go to grand children.

"When do I get to meet her?" Chichi didn't seem to hear anything that he'd just said.

Gohan suddenly noticed his rather sticky situation. While it was tempting to NOT reply . . . that would normally not bode well for his head. "This Saturday."

"What's her name? Is she rich? What are her parents like? What do they do?" Chichi was asking way too quickly for Gohan to even comprehend.

"Ummm . . . . Her name is Videl. She's rich, thanks to her father's 'achievements,' and her parents are . . . I'm not sure." It probably wasn't wise to say too much, especially since he really didn't know, and he was hoping she didn't notice his little slip about the reason for the money, after all, how can you know about ways they earn money and not the parents earning it?

"She's coming over Saturday?" Chichi was confused. This wasn't like her normal, semi-anti-social Gohan. "What aren't you telling me?"

"She knows about the powers and things, but not about be being half-Saiyan." Gohan decided to change the subject ASAP.

Chichi then said something that she rarely ever did, "I won't ask, just don't scare her away." A slight maniacal glint appeared in her eye, "Or your head will become good friends with Mr. Pan." Then she walked back into the kitchen.

Gohan just blinked at where his mother had been standing not too long before. 'That . . . was weird.'

One hour later

"Gohan!" Chichi's voice yelled from the kitchen, "Go and get Goten from Bulma's house. Dinner will be ready when you get back."

'At least that explains Goten's absence.' Then the word FOOD clicked in his mind. Without a second thought, Gohan powered up to SSJ2 and shot out the door as fast as his ki would let him.

'Must get Goten fast.' was his only thought as his speed literally ripped the trees out of the ground behind him.

The flight itself took only ten minutes, thanks to SSJ2; but considering that we are talking about a Saiyan's stomach here . . . it felt like an ETERNITY! Gohan floated a few feet above the building, trying to sense where his younger brother's ki was, and where Vegeta's was so he knew where to avoid.

"GOHAN!" The teenage demi-saiyan heard his name called from below. Looking down, he saw Bulma's head sticking out the window of the Capsule Corp living room. Gohan sighed and floated down so he was levitating in front of the window.

"Gohan, come down to my lab for a minute! I have something that I want to show you!" Bulma actually seemed excited about something. She didn't even wait for an answer before literally running out of the room.

"OOOOooooookkkkaaaay." Gohan muttered, flying to the visitor's entrance and walking in.

"Hey Gohan." The secretary at the desk said as she pressed a small red button on the underside of her desk, opening a door beside the desk.

"BULMA!" Gohan yelled as he arrived in the enormous lab.

"Over here! In the Hover Car section." Bulma's voice came to his ears from deep into the lab.

Gohan walked through the labyrinth of parts until he arrived at a section labeled 'HOVER CAR TESTING: CAUTION'

"Hey, Gohan!" Bulma walked up to him holding a capsule with a black label on it, the text on the label in white saying X-350. "I need you to do me a favor. I'm working on a new type of hover car, only it's going to be more like a hover bike. Would you mind taking the prototype out?"

"Why would you want me to do that?" Gohan asked her, remembering back to a year before when he and Bulma had been brainstorming on a new type of vehicle.

"Well, my usual testers are all busy with other projects and I'm not one for motorcycles, or hover bikes in this case, and I wouldn't trust Vegeta with it as he'd probably start trying to run people over." Bulma explained, "If you agree, I'd be giving it to you for free, even though it's scheduled to come out on the market in six months."

"What's the catch?" Gohan was a bit suspicious; it seemed to be too good to be true. When he'd passed the idea past Bulma for a hover bike, he'd also mentioned the possibilities for higher speed and controls, which would make it useable on both the ground and sky.

"Well, since it's the prototype, I'd need you to do what my testers always do. I need you to give me a full system report on the thing once a week for the four weeks, then once a month until the thing comes out in stores. It's an inconvenience, but it being the prototype means that I haven't installed the usual . . . protective systems."

Gohan understood what she meant. She was basically telling him, without actualy coming out and saying it, that the speed and energy output restrictors were disabled as well as that the costomization protection hardware hadn't been installed yet (That's just a barrier surrounding the engine and other parts so people can't tamper with them to disengage output limitors etc.).

"How did it turn out?" Gohan asked her.

Bulma smiled, taking this as a yes to her offer. "Well, the engine and computer systems are top-of-the-line, and can reach max speeds of 500mph. With the limitor on, it can reach speeds of 140mph on the ground, and 300mph in the air. The computer has all the basics plus an upgraded GPS system with the new satelite and some extra steering abilities. It doesn't have a normal steering system though, it is controlled by two handles that slide forward and back on either side of the pilot, beside the control console. You know, farther you push it forward, faster it goes. (It's like those TYCO REBOUND remote control cars, push both forward, it goes forward, one forward one back, it turns. Both back, back it goes. Simple enough.) The bike is set up with a set of wind glides that act as tail fins while it's on the ground and flip out to act as air controls while in flight mode. They also have the after-burners it them, the panels on the back edges open up and the flight engines are inside."

Gohan nodded and took the capsule from Bulma. "Do you mind if I open it in here?"

"Go ahead. It's your bike." Bulma seemed happy about finding someone to test the new system.

Gohan pressed the button and threw the capsule, then waited for the smoke to clear. When it cleared enough, Gohan found himself looking at a large black vehicle, about half as wide as a normal hover car. There was white text on the side with the label X-350. The cycle had a 'lean' and sleek, open air shape. The seat behind the controls had two handles that stuck out of the control panel, mounted on metal bars about seven inches wide and four inches thick. Beside each notch on the slot that the handle moved on were the numbers one through twenty-five, although fifteen through twenty-five were blocked off. The bars came out two feet on either side of the pilot, nestled in-between where the bars connected with the control panel was a screen about one foot by one foot, which was currently flashing the words 'LOADING' with a small bar below it that was gradually changing from black to white. Around the screen were a variety of buttons and switches, all below a black windshield only about a foot and a half tall, so as not to affect aerodynamics too much. Behind the pilots seat was a black pad around three feet long with a back-rest at the end, making it possible to two people at most or a days worth of Chichi's groceries . . . (lol) There was also most likely storage below the bench. On either side of the backseat were two large wings, spiking for feet into the air, which could flip out in flight mode, decreasing the energy consumption because it could glide. The wings were needle-point sharp on the front edge, but about four inches thick on the back edge. Behind the backseat were five ion boosters, each six inches in diameter, now glowing with a feint blue light as the engine was active.

"I've gotta' say, Bulma. You've outdone yourself on this thing." Gohan whispered as he ran a hand over one of the handles, which was pushed back as far as the slot allowed.

"Want to test it out?" Bulma asked the awed Saiyan.

"What if I crash it?" The normally confident Saiyan asked nervously. Bulma's temper was NOT a thing to be toyed with.

"I doubt you could. If the rate of descent speed and angle is greater than the cycle's ability to gain altitude while in air mode, a shield will be erected around the bike. The same goes if the acceleration is too great for the brake system, the shield will also be erected, so it almost takes direct intention from inside the shield radius to damage this thing." Bulma explained, smiling at the fact that she'd thought of everything.

"I like it. When can I take it?" The confident Gohan was back again.

"It's free to take any time you want. The Energy Charge Unit (ECU) is installed and working to full capacity. I also believe that the system scan is done . . . OH YEA! Yours is open to any customization, as I mentioned before, just include any changes that you make in the report so I know how things react to different peripherals." Bulma looked thoughtful for a moment, "I believe that's everything!"

Bulma walked up beside Gohan and pushed a button on the control panel, causing the bars holding the handles to slide into the control panel, making it possible to sit down. As Gohan sat down in the seat, pushing the button again to make the handles slide back into place, Bulma was puling out a small remote control and pushing the red button on the top of it, causing a large garage door in the far wall to open with a hiss, revealing the bright blue sky of the green-house in the top of the dome.

"Run it through the test course to get the feel of it, and then you're free to go! I'll go get Goten, since I have a feeling that's what you came for." With that Bulma walked to the door of the lab, "And the helmets are in the storage below the back seat." Then she was gone.

Gohan flipped a toggle on the control panel into drive mode, feeling the energy packs below him start to hum as they supplied power to the systems. Deciding to play it safe, Gohan slid the notch forward only to level one, feeling the engines go active as the hover-bike floated a foot off the ground before moving forward very slowly. Sliding the handles to level three, the bike sped up slightly.

Just as the bike was about to run into one of the walls, Gohan slid the right handle back as far as it would go, the right engine went into neutral as the bike began to turn to the right, just not fast enough as the wall was getting WAY too close. Just before the bike would have hit the wall, a pink sphere erected around the bike, seeming to bend inward to the shape of the wall before bouncing the bike back, not damaging anything on the wall, even the glass picture frame mounted on the wall where the bike was about to hit. "Wow." Was all he said at the abilities Bulma had installed in this thing.

Gohan maneuvered the bike so it was about one hundred feet from the door, facing the opening. With a smirk, Gohan pushed the bars straight to level fifteen. A blast of blue flame erupted from the boosters as the bike rocketed forward, a tail of faint blue energy marking its path.

Gohan just about screamed with glee, feeling like he was two again and just having fun riding on Nimbus. Deciding to test out the flight mode, Gohan stopped the bike outside the building and flipped the toggle into neutral power, searching the panel for the mode switch. It only took a quick scan to find a label that said 'FLIGHT / LAND,' above a plastic cover. Sliding the cover aside, Gohan found a small switch, currently flipped to 'LAND.' Pushing the button, Gohan waited for a hum of the engines . . . ANYTHING! Nothing happened. A flashing caught his eye as he examined the screen on the control panel. 'PLEASE ACCELERATE TO LEVEL TEN OR HIGHER AND PULL JOYSTICK BACK TO INCREASE ALTITUDE BEFORE CHANGING MODES TO AVOID DAMAGING POWER CELLS.' Gohan found another button below the mode switch labled 'JOYSTICK.' Pressing it, there was a slight hiss as two plates below the control panel split apart and a joystick emerged from the depths of whatever Bulma had used to build the bike.

Pushing both handles forward to level thirteen, the bike shot forward down one of the large yard surrounding Capsule Corp. He took one hand off the right handle and grasped the joystick, pulling the left handle back to make a quick left turn to loop around. He was surprised to find that the left handle moved with the right; sliding the right forward and back a few times, the left moving with it every time, Gohan noticed an illustration on the screen. There was a figure of a person with their left hand on the left handle and the right hand on the joystick. As it pushed the left handle forward, the entire bike sped up, and slowed when it pulled it back. The figure moved the joystick and the bike turned, as it pulled it back the altitude increased.

Understanding what he was supposed to do, Gohan positioned his hands like the figure in the illustration had. Pulling the joystick back, a booster below the bike activated, pushing the bike into the air. Gohan turned the joystick as far as it would to the left. The bike, obeying its driver's commands, went into a barrel role as it turned sharply to the left. Setting the joystick back to normal, the bike leveled out, now going in the opposite direction. Once again going to the mode switch, Gohan flipped it.

A light beside the screen began to flash on and off as the bike began to vibrate slightly. The wings on both sides flipped out and slid forward, so they were now in the middle of the bike. The back edge of the wings flipped open, the panels sliding into the body of each wing as four slim boosters extended out of the now open edge, glowing with a faint blue light. The block that kept the handle from reaching level sixteen up to twenty-five hissed as it shifted out of the way, leaving the slots open.

Gohan smirked almost evilly as he pressed the handle to level twenty-five. The bike shot forward with enough G-Forces to kill a normal human instantly, although it was child's play for Gohan's Saiyan blood. The boosters on the wings ignited and spewed even more blue flames than the ion boosters behind the seats, pressing the bike forward all the more to the point where it was moving more like a blur with a light blue tail. Pulling the joystick back more so the incline increased far beyond what it was before. 300 feet, 400 feet, five hundred feet; the ion boosters released even more blue flame to compensate for the rising altitude. Deciding that he was high enough, Gohan leveled off at 800 feet.

Everything below him was seemingly a lot smaller than before. Grinning like an idiot, Gohan pushed the bike into loops and dives, pushing the boosters to their maximum power. The controls were incredibly responsive, although his senses told him that there was a 7 millisecond delay between command and response, although that could also be an effect of the wind. Flying was one of the best ways he knew to calm himself down, and although it was more fun to do under his own power, he could deal with this.

Deciding that he'd been up there long enough, Gohan pushed the joystick forward and to the left, sending the bike into another barrel roll before diving straight down, the bike careening toward the ground which was rapidly coming up to meet it. Only one hundred feet from the ground the pink barrier appeared once again around the bike, although it would never get a chance to be used as Gohan jumped off the bike and pressed the capsulizing button on his way down.

The bike was gone in a puff of smoke and he could hear Goten clapping from behind where he'd hit the ground. Gohan actually grinned, still on the adrenaline rush that was flying, before walking over to the two.

"I knew I gave that bike to the right person!" Bulma sounded ecstatic, "I'm expecting that report, Gohan."

"I know, I know. I'll get you a primary version later and the normal report." Gohan looked at his watch, the color draining from his face. "Shi-oot, DINNER! I've gotta go. Bye!"

Without waiting for a response, Gohan transformed into SS1 and blasted into the air, the chibi-Goku (AKA: Goten) trying to keep up until they were out of Bulma's sight, then transforming himself and catching up with Gohan.

Well, that's all I've got for now. I'm not sure what to do next though . . . gotta have something on training Videl.

And some good news! I do have an idea for an enemy / challenge / other crap, so things are looking up! Now I've just got to find a way to implement those ideas into this story and things can get moving again . . . if school agrees with that. Blasted thing has a bad tendancy of getting in the way.