Time Distorted

BY MARA ROBERTS

Chapter 9

The five stared into the mouth of the cave, hesitant. Yes, they'd been here before, but at the time they hadn't known with certainly their enemy was here. Watching. Waiting. All that time, and they hadn't even known. It gave them shivers to think how vulnerable they'd been.

They had wondered why they hadn't been attacked in great force while they were here, but Mie explained that Bibidi was the cautious sort, and had probably hoped they would move on so he could force a large-scale confrontation somewhere else, without revealing his strong hold. Once the location was known, it couldn't be taken back, so even though it was the most secure, wherein resided Bibidi's greatest chance of victory, it was also his last chance.

"Where to?" Gohan asked softly. Bardock stepped forward silently into the dim cave and the others followed. Each was super-aware of their surroundings, senses heightened by the eminent threat, alert to the tiniest sound, the barest hint of scent. It was their eyes that hampered them most. Although their vision was also heightened, the darkness of the cave and their strong natural reliance on sight made it a hindrance. They had discussed using Ki to create light but decided it would be impractical; come battle the light would go out and they'd be worse off than before. Bardock asked Mie to change physics and made the rocks glow instead, but Mie said she wasn't far enough along in her training and the rocks might turn to nuclear waste and poison them instead.

Bardock led them down a familiar route, to the gold-filled room. Entering it, he moved quickly past the piles of wealth carelessly discarded and long-lost. Two meters from the back of the room he stopped by the right wall. Placing his hand on an indiscriminate part of stone, he pushed. The rear wall slid open in utter silence. The unnaturalness of it, complete lack of grinding rock or other noise, unnerved them more than anything else they'd seen.

Mie swept past Bardock and they continued on. Very quickly they came to a junction.

"Which way?" Mie whispered.

Kakorott cocked his head. "Do you hear that? It's very faint, but…"

They fell silent and held their breaths. Bardock was the next to hear it, and nodded. "Yeah, but where is it coming from?"

"I think," Mie said and pivoted slowly as her gaze shifted from one path to the next, "It's coming from that direction."

She pointed to the path second from the right. They agreed and went down it. Mie decided against marking the path with Ki. While Bibidi knew they were here, he didn't know exactly where. Mie shielded them from his magic sight; she didn't want to leave a trail. Instead, they opted for a less obvious trail marker. What Kakorott had done the other day when Bardock first found the gold room, was both simple and brilliant. For a class of people that had become so dependent on Ki-senses, physically marking the trail never occurred to them. Bardock made a small indentation in the stone at the right floor of each entrance, so small you wouldn't know it was there unless you knew to look for it.

Problem solved, they continued through the tunnels. The back way was even more of a labyrinth than the front. Finally they came to the source of the noise. It was directly overhead, and very loud, especially after having been so long in near-silence.

"We must be under the lakes," Mie said as they listened to the sound of water above.

"Bad feeling," Kakorott said. Those lakes had obviously been planned out in a specific design, and the layout for these rooms seemed awfully familiar. He had a suspicion they were about to find out why.

And find out they did as the cave roof collapsed atop of them, perhaps a meter thick, and water came tumbling down. The exits were sealed off – no doubt by whoever was running the show – and they'd soon drown unless they found a way out. But they soon spotted the lake's local wildlife, and drowning became the least of their worries.

There seemed a sea of tiny demons, not powerful enough to do harm on their own, but together served as an overwhelming force. The water continued to gush in, moving them quickly from one room to another with enough force that they had to be careful to make it through the entranceway so as not to be slammed into a wall, as well as fight off the monstrous horde.

The steam suddenly diverged into two rooms. They were forced right, but the room beyond was a dead end; the water would crush them. They were slammed hard into the wall, knocking their breath away, but the water soon emptied through the drains in the floor. They slumped against the wall, worn and relieved. Then Kakorott sat up, suddenly anxious.

"Mie," he said. "Where's Mie?"

Mie was forced left when the others went right, and was locked in a water filled room stuffed with demons. One dodged from the right and she gave a powerful uppercut. The demon disintegrated, but Mie was already kicking another from below. There were so many, and she was just one, but they couldn't all attack her at once. They fought amongst themselves to get to her, and this worked to Mie's advantage. She sent a powerful Ki blast through a crowd of them, but was painfully struck from behind. She turned and sliced at its torso, killing it, but had to quickly maneuver to avoid being hit from the side. The water slowed her movements and she took a glancing blow to her stomach. She formed a small Ki ball in her left hand and sent it towards the demon.

Pushing upward from the ground, she attacked a group of three demons. Punching the first in the gut, killing it, she used it as a shield while the second attacked. When it disintegrated she grabbed the second and threw it into the third's attack. Following its trajectory, she dealt the third a finishing blow.

Mie looked back into the arena. The whole bout had taken all of twenty seconds, and there were still so many more. She continued throwing Ki around, but the once-weak demons seemed to be absorbing strength. She thought Bibidi must be supplying them with energy – probably from the boys and partly herself – and redoubled her efforts. But the demons were becoming too strong too fast. There was no way the others could be losing this badly, this quickly, so as to give the demons so much energy to use. With a start she realized these were Shadow Demons, anathema to her kind. They absorbed the dark energy of their fallen comrades, becoming stronger and smarter with each fallen one.

They mobbed her and Mie was afraid.

She fought and slashed and killed, but it didn't seem to be enough. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, and soon she couldn't even defend herself. Blow after blow rained down on her, and as the demons gained energy, their darkness gained as well. No longer were the attacks upon merely her physical self. The darkness was destroying her holy self. Her mind and soul were numb from the pain. Nothingness resided in that dullness. Salt tears joined the water that would become her tomb.

Mie was afraid.

She was a child, damn it! For all her many years, she was but a child for one whom time so little affected. She shouldn't die like this, so young, so alone. It wasn't right, it wasn't her mission, it wasn't fair! It was so easy then, to tell Grandfather she would handle it, would be okay, but it wasn't, she wasn't, and she wanted out, right now, she wanted home!

Light poured forth from her being, and wherever the light went, darkness died. The demons dissipated; their evil aura bending into light and purifying Mie's holiness. She felt stronger, lighter, freer, than she had ever felt before.

She smiled. Mie was no longer afraid.

Piccillo, Gohan and Bardock leapt to their feet.

"Didn't she come right with us?" Bardock asked.

"Agh! Bibidi was controlling the flow; he forced Mie left! She's fighting alone!" Piccillo said.

The men ran to the door and pounded it open. Surprisingly, it took some Ki to do it.

"Bibidi must have made these doors stronger… by increasing the intermolecular forces… between the stone of the door… and the stone of the cavern… to keep us from… reaching Mie," Kakorott wheezed between their struggles to open the door.

"To try… to keep us… from Mie," Bardock said. They redoubled their efforts, boosting themselves with Ki, and finally, they were able to drag the door up. They flew back to the room where they had been separated to find a locked door.

"Behind this door!" Gohan yelled.

Bardock went back a few paces so he could ram it, and the others followed suit. They ran to the door, but seconds before they reached it, the door flew at them in pieces, barely missing their heads. An outpouring of water followed.

"Not again!" Kakorott complained.

And again, they were washed to the room with the drains, slammed against the wall – but thankfully with less force than before – and slid to the floor in shock.

Mie was sitting in the middle of a puddle, laughing.

Kakorott blinked twice and looked at his friends. "So much for the damsel in distress."

It took them twenty minutes after they Ki dried themselves to find a path back to the caves. Mie seemed far more lighthearted and at ease.

"Seems like she faced some personal demons," Gohan whispered to Piccillo.

"Hmph," the Namek grunted.

"Or do you think she's possessed?"

Mie laughed. "Absolutely! And it feels great!" Gohan was taken aback at that.

"Oh," was all he could say.

"So which way?" Kakorott asked Bardock. But it was Mie who answered instead.

"This way," she said without hesitation. Kakorott gave Bardock a questioning look. The older Saiyjin merely shrugged his shoulders in response.

Mie swept past Bardock and continued on. Piccillo quickly followed, Kakorott hot on his heels, and Gohan next. Bardock hovered back for only a moment. Something about this seemed… The feeling would not come, and he could not wait any longer or risk separation. He quickened his pace and caught up.

"Bibidi must have been here a long time, to have such an intricate trap set," Bardock said.

Gohan shook his head. "The traps were probably set up by pirates – remember the treasure room – and Bibidi reinforced the traps to deal with people like us. That's all. If he'd been there that long, we, I mean, the people of Earth, we'd already be…"

His voice trailed off, unable to speak the words, and Bardock nodded, distracted.

The click-clack-click of foot on stone resounded like a pulse in Bardock's ears. Up ahead, behind Piccillo and Mie, Kakorott raced to catch up, Ki bomb at the ready. Mie was frowning and biting at her lip, an awkward habit Bardock had never seen her do before. But now was not the time to dwell on such insignificant things, though it unnerved him to know the young immortal was even in this small degree, afraid. Gohan and Bardock hurried their pace. Gohan hung back to the side and Bardock himself was to the left. Bardock's heartbeat quickened; he could hear it in his ears. Fear grew inside him, strong and unexpected. Something was going to happen, his memory itched… They skulked down the hall towards their destination… a circular room wherein their enemy lay waiting.

Bardock stopped and took in a breath to warn the others, but there was no time. He threw a hand over his eyes to shield his sight.

Light and smoke poured into the room, and the sense of evil surrounded him. Bardock wanted to run, but he knew now why he couldn't. Bibidi could not be allowed to win. He knew this beyond utter certainty. Instead Bardock took his hand from his face; it had kept him form being blinded and now allowed his eyes to adjust. He straightened his stanceand faced the enemy with strong determination.

Remembering more of his dream, Bardock dodged to the right and pushed Gohan out of the way. White-hot Ki passed right over Bardock's head as though to emphasize how close the call had been.

"Shield from the wind!" Bardock yelled, and though the others still could not see, the punched up their Kis to make a barrier. A strong Ki tried to force its way past and carry the poison that floated in the wind, but was unable to find a weakness. The five warriors gathered close and merged their walls, to strengthen them, creating a common defense.

The wind retreated, no doubt to allow more earthly enemies to attack. The five released the shield so they could fight – a battle was not won with defense. An enemy darted Bardock's way and the world spun quickly, or so it seemed. Then he realized he was the one whirling at top speed. Bardock straightened himself and staggered forward, arms coming up in defensive position. Kakorott had reacted brilliantly and had already launched himself forward into the enemy. His eyes were tightly shut, still blinded from the sudden light – Bardock's thoughts paused as he realized the whole confrontation had thus far lasted merely seconds. Unlike before, in his vision, Bardock knew Kakrott could fight using Ki senses, but he had no time to think about the Saiyjin child as a thorn-covered arm threw a punch his way.

Bardock dodged and retaliated with a powerful right hook that sent his enemy crashing into the cave wall. He slumped against the cave wall, defeated. Bardock spared a glance for his friends.

Kakorott and Mie were fighting gloriously, and Gohan was holding his own. The green man… Bardock shook his head in utter amazement – his fighting was flawless – and stepped forward to reenter the fray.

But then Bardock stumbled, and his vision doubled. A pounded ache resounded through his head, and every noise was a blow to his skull. Naguely he was aware he was being struck, and tried to mount a defense. He silently cursed himself, he knew better than to ignore even an injured enemy, he should have finished the job.

He tried to fight back, but could barely stand. His body was reacting poorly to his commands with each blow that rained upon him. He couldn't keep this up, couldn't call for help. Piccillo saw his predicament and made to come over and help. Bardock remembered his vision and dived to the side, but not quickly enough. As the Namek took his first step, an iron hard fist punched through Bardock's side – not his torso as he had forseen, thanks to his semi-dodge – but still did great damage. Blood spilled out and as the fist exited the wound, the wooden thorns covering the hand tore even more of his life away. Bardock fell to the ground, bleeding. He wanted to let go. He wanted it to be quick. Darkness hovered at the edge of his vision, just waiting for him to submit.

But then those images came again, and they disturbed his peace. They pounded his mind with their truth and his brain could not comprehend all that it meant. He saw outside himself, saw himself, as he lay there, dying, dead. He saw the shifts and paradoxes it caused, the waver in Kakorott's existence, the strange undoing of the boy's presence, essence, self. Somehow he had to hold on; there was no explanation, no reason that could explain why his death would effect Kakorott so, the boy was not of his line… But then he remembered a conversation: Mie and I are from the future…

So, he IS my hier. Bardock snorted softly to himself. And here he had though Kakorott was descended of his brother of the same name, had been so proud that the blood smell was so strong after so many millennia, when the truth was he must be only a generation or two from Bardock's loins.

Bardock gasped. He had to live, had to give this child a chance to live. If Bardock died… A scream tore from his throat, a cry of rage. Ki erupted from his being; Bardck drew power from his blood, from each cell that lay lost on the floor, and turned it into energy, energy to kill. With sudden momentum, the ball of Ki passed right through his enemy's stomach, as the man had meant to do to Bardock. Blood pooled at the corner of the nameless man's mouth, surprise evident on his face. When he hit the ground, he was already dead.

The Namek reached him then and lay a hand over his wound, pouring some of his own energy into him for strength. Bardock nodded his thanks and looked around. All the enemy was dead, and of his group, Bardock was the worst off. Gohan sported a nasty gash from right shoulder to left hip, but it wasn't deep. The others had minor cuts and bruises and seemed out of breath, but that was it.

The other three moved towards Bardock, worry etched on their brow.

Kakorott stopped abruptly. A jolt of thought passed through his mind, full of dark energy and a compelling presence. Come, the voice said. Join. Unleash. Bask in the blood, feel the life force flow over your hands, stain your soul. Let go, unleash…

While the words horrified him, the tone of the seductive whisperings dulled his mind. He no longer knew what the words meant, only that they were good. The voice was no longer a voice, but a call to his most base instincts. It thrilled the blood in his veins, giving rise to a strange transformation.

His nose gathered in the new scents his permutation afforded. Before, he had thought it was a sensitive, discerning instrument, but now he knew true fragrant sensitivity. No longer could he distinguish a man only by his pheromones, but by his blood as it pulsed through his veins. His sweat was so strong to his nose that Kakorott could open his mouth and taste it on his tongue. Kakorott's tongue licked his canines at the thought, drawing blood from his tongue at the sharpness of his fangs.

A man's wounds saturated the air with the tang of pain, fear and death. Kakorott found it alluring. The blood called to him, sang to him. Injured prey was in his grasp. Kakorott took a step forward.

Mie frowned. "Kakorott, what's wrong?"

The demin-Saiyjin bared his teeth in answer.Mie's eyes widened when she saw his incisors had become fangs. Her gaze traveled to Kakorott's eyes. The irises, they were... red.

Bardock gasped, holding his hand over his still-gushing wound, and spoke. Each pause was a desperate grasp for breath. "He is like… a primitive… of our race. Before we… evolved into intelligent creatures."

Gohan thought back to what he knew of primordial, carnivorous beings. "He isn't alpha male… is he?"

"'Fraid so," Bardock said. With that, Kakorott charged. He had studied his prey sufficiently and his interaction with the pack. Bardock's blood was the strongest, so he must be the dominant male. The pack would be unlikely to defend an injured leader; the weak did not deserve to live, much less dominate. Some leader, the sane parts of Gohan's mind whispered as they battled for supremacy.

It surprised him.

It surprised him enough that when he was about to strike the Saiyjin, he hesitated just enough that Gohan was able to intercept. Piccillo charged him from behind, confident he could knock out his former pupil.

But Kakorott ducked and the kick went high. The boy went down, left knee bent, right leg outstretched and circled it to swipe at the Namek's leg, but the green alien had recovered his balance and jumped back.

"Go on!" Piccillo yelled to the others. "Keep going, I'll take care of Gohan!"

Mie nodded. Piccillo knew Gohan best – if anyone could break through to Gohan, it was his sensei. And if he couldn't, Gohan would eventually kill them all anyway. His strength was enormous, and without his usual uncertainty, they stood no chance in battle.

"Let's go," she said, and ushered the others out of the room.