CHAPTER 60:
The Calm
It was blue. But even that didn't seem to matter. It should not have mattered. The fact was, it was there. Big, or small, the size was of no significance. It was just there, and so therefore, it was.
Her mind drifted beyond her body. She had to shape it in her thoughts, to feel it, nudge it, probe it with her vision and then hold it in her thoughts with her eyes closed. It was draining, but she had to focus, to know that it was there, and she could move it. It seemed easy enough, at least.
Piccolo had never spent much time teaching her telekinesis, though he always stressed that it was the best and most efficient form of meditation. She could see now that it took a great deal more than a relaxed state. The art of levitating objects was draining on both the mind and body, and was an advanced technique that she could barely grasp around the edges, though she made it her goal to practice the skill so she would never lose it.
So here she was on the bed, focusing everything in her right mind on that goddarn pen that refused to budge from nightstand.
The room they all occupied was rather large and designed like an open suite. Two queen size beds occupied the left-most wall, decorated in purples and reds that matched the maroon shade of the room. The farthest wall was built around a small observation deck with a simple coffee table and four master chairs, each equipped with a seatbelt in case the flight might get rough. All the artifacts on the table were velcroed down in case of turbulence, and the carpet, bureaus and nightstands were lined with millions of tiny air vents that vacuumed air silently but steadily, creating an artificial gravity within the room.
And on top of her left-most nightstand, that pen still stubbornly lay motionless.
Pan closed her eyes again and tried to focus her thoughts on its energy. She probed it, felt it, and molded it in her mind to create an essence of a creation in the universe of which she could feel with her senses.
It all seemed so easy… until she tried to grab it with her mind. Unfortunately, the minute she'd attempt to move it, her thoughts would betray her and she would lose concentration; and the more she tried not to lose concentration, the harder it was focus on the pen.
Perhaps some of her distraction lay in the fact that Hercule was singing in the shower and Buu was sleepily mumbling something on the bed across the room. In addition to that, a fan was blowing a few meters from her, but its decibels were just high enough to make it a fraction louder than white noise. But if she could just concentrate hard enough…
She relaxed her closed lids for a moment and took a deep breath, once again focusing on the pen. She could see it almost vividly, its simplistic detail, the fine lines where the pen maintained its structure. She could feel it, breathe it, and then without a moment's hesitation, she grabbed it with her mind.
The pen wobbled slightly, lifting perhaps a centimeter into the air before one of the small vents threw it off-course and sent it in a slight vector to the right.
Uub had been sitting on the floor, against Pan's bed as he was reading the brochure about the spaceship. The motion above his head caused him to casually glance up for a moment, but it was all he needed to break Pan's concentration.
"Oh WOW!"
Pan's eyes flew open in surprise as the pen suddenly snapped in half and ink flew everywhere in parabolas unforeseen in the light gravity.
"Omigod no!" Pan tried to duck as a blob of ink smacked into her face and scattered across the bed, carpet, and mostly across Uub's cheeks as he made a surprised yelp.
There was a silent moment then as they both let the situation sink in. Pan stared blankly at Uub as he looked at her in shock. The walls were splattered to no end, and the blue stained absolutely everything. Some of its stray droplets were still suspended in mid-air as Pan brought her hands to her face and smeared some of the ink off dumbly. She looked at her hands and then looked down to the remains of her costume in similar muteness. Her mouth hung agape then promptly shut as she brought her eyes back up to Uub and then seemed to choke.
His eyes beamed at her for a moment as his lips suddenly spread into a large grin and he started to chuckle, closing his eyes as he got louder and louder. Pan followed suit, her laughter elevating to a loud roar as she threw her head back and held her palms up to show how blue they were. "Hahahaha!"
Uub looked down while chuckling and picked up the remains of the pen, "You did, -heheheh-, quite a number on this."
"Hehehe!" Pan beamed as she grinned widely, and closed her eyes happily, "I think it did a bigger number on us."
They laughed for a few more moments, mostly out of the silliness of it all; then, Uub wiped his face, smiled to her, and then stood up to look at his palms, "I think we should clean up if we don't want this to stain."
"Yeah."
Suddenly, a voice called out from the steaming bathroom in a low gruff voice, "Don' you come in here! Ah'm in here! Ah'll be out when Ah'm ready!"
Pan sighed as she looked down to her ruined outfit, "Man, it's such a shame."
Uub laughed as he wiped his face with his already ruined shirt, "No it really isn't. You didn't think we'd be Cane and Corn forever, did you?"
"No." Pan followed suit and wiped her face with her ruined shirt and then stood up, avoiding the ink stain on the floor, to walk toward one of the boxes on the bureau that contained their capsules, "I wouldn't want to be, anyway." She opened the box and looked inside a moment before choosing the capsule labeled "651" and observing it, "The minute we get down to Tuffle, Baby is going bye-bye and we won't need to pretend to be two of this lemmings anymore."
Pan threw the capsule onto the carpet, and it suddenly exploded into a small dresser in which she grabbed her gi, threw it onto the bed and started taking off her ruined clothes, starting with her wig, throwing it inside the dresser as if it were a laundry hamper, "I'm changing."
Uub watched this and stood a moment, only to sit on the bed and turn his gaze to Buu. He sat in silence as Hercule continued his shower and Pan removed her leis and the hula skirt she had converted into a too-too over her pants.
Uub frowned a moment, lost in his thoughts as he stared ahead in his own daze. He sighed once and brought his hands up to grab at one of his braided dreadlocks before looking over to Pan again, "Pan, I–ACK!"
Uub suddenly facefaulted off the bed as his face went red with utter embarrassment. "I, I, I'm sorry, I –uh–!"
Pan looked up, frowning, putting her suspenders and shirt away in the small dresser. She stood there topless, blinking in slight confusion as she brought her hands to her belt, "What?"
"I uh–!" Uub glanced again and turned purple as he shielded his eyes and scrambled back to sit on the bed, "It's–uh!– I mean, yeah, ahhh!"
Pan looked down and then up again to Uub with a blank face for a moment before her face softened and she rolled her eyes, "I told you I was changing."
"Well um, uh," Uub looked down and fiddled with his thumbs as his face continued to be a bright, bright red, "Wow…"
Pan gave a half-chuckle and shrugged as she removed her pants with a smile, "You're silly."
"I, uh…" Uub continued to stammer as he forced his eyes to look in the other direction out of respect for what should have been her modesty. His eyes fell on the clock, which read an ungodly late time on Earth and then gulped as he tried to find his voice, "Well, um, uh," he coughed "It's late! I think I'll be going to sleep now."
"Aren't you going to wash your face?" Pan frowned as she folded her pants, looking at him.
"No, no, I'm fine! Really! I'll just –uh–," he gulped, "uh, change…"
Uub continued to look away from her as he brought his soiled shirt above his head and removed it swiftly.
"OH MA GOD!"
Whatever blood was in Uub's face at that moment suddenly drained within a fraction of a second, "Oh my gosh!"
"OH MA GOD!" Hercule shrieked again as he stood there with a towel wrapped around his waist, exposing a massive dark hairy chest, "OH MA GOD!"
Pan turned on a dime and faced him, "What!"
Uub almost choked when he realized what the situation must have looked like to Hercule, "No! It's not what you're thinking!"
"Oh ma God…"
"No!" Uub stood and waved his arms desperately, "I know what it looks like, but it's not what you're thinking!"
Hercule sprinted into the bathroom and grabbed a towel, which he promptly threw toward Pan, "Git yourself dressed, NOW!"
"Sheesh," Pan rolled her eyes as she grabbed the gi on the bed, "I was in the middle of changing."
"YOU!" Hercule pointed a finger toward Uub and narrowed his eyes, "You are not to sleep in her bed tonight! And by god, you lil' lecher, Ah dun know if I even trust ya with Buu!"
"WHAT?" Uub practically facefaulted again, "Hey wait one gosh darn minute!"
"SHUT UP!" Pan screamed as she finished fitting the gi around her, "Wow, you two are so loud!" She growled and stomped her foot, "What do you want to do, gain the attention of EVERYONE on this ship? You are practically blasting down the walls!"
Uub frowned and pointed his finger rudely to Hercule, "He started it!"
"Why you lil' lech!"
"Quit it!" Pan barked as she marched past Hercule and practically cracked the tile floor as she grabbed two washcloths and ran them under the sink, "You two are acting immature and childish!" She walked out of the bathroom and threw one to Uub, "And if we're going to all get along, I suggest we all just shut up!"
Uub could feel the tension in the air that hung on the very threads of all their patience. He moved slowly as he wiped his face then discarded the cloth on the nightstand.
Pan walked up to Hercule and looked up with a mature glare that pierced his gaze. "Get. To. Bed. Now."
Hercule nodded dumbly to her and grabbed some clothes from the dresser before stealing another death glare to Uub like a warning shot before the battle.
Uub grabbed a pillow from the bed and settled on the floor above the spot where the now-dry ink had formerly spilled. Pan then climbed into the bed and watched as Hercule settled into his bed next to Buu, who was still sleeping soundly. Buu tended to remind Pan of her other grandfather, Goku, back in the days when he was alive. He was so innocent, ate everything in site, and could sleep though explosions if untouched.
Pan looked down to Uub sleeping on the floor beside the bed, frowned a moment, and then turned off the nightstand light, leaving the large room in darkness except for the billions of brilliant stars that shone from the observatory window.
A long time then drifted by as she found herself unable to sleep. Being in space again, seeing those stars outside, reminded her of everything she had lost so long ago. And thinking of her Grandpa Goku made her once again think of that other person that accompanied her on the trip. Who was he again?
Trunks. That's it. It was Trunks. How could she possibly forget that?
It just… seemed so long ago, it was hard to remember what his face looked like. She could still remember his voice, though, and that favorite bandana he used to wear. She remembered the one time he baked a cake for her, and it was so delicious she could still taste it in her memory if she tried hard enough to remember her fifteenth birthday party.
Her birthday…
How old was she now? She had never really stopped to think about it, but now that she was pondering it, she concluded that she must be at least sixteen. Her birthday had come and gone and she wasn't even aware of it. One year older meant nothing to her at this point. It was just another number on a calendar.
Pan lay there for a long time. And an even longer time. Her eyes glanced to the clock every once in a while to confirm how late it was, but no matter how many times she glanced, she still wasn't tired, even though she wanted to be.
After finally giving up on trying to sleep, she figured it might relax her to reach out with her senses and probe for familiar ki on the ship. She was actually slightly surprised by how many kis she detected, considering the line had been cut off at five hundred before. There must have been another batch of people selected at some other point bringing the number close to a thousand, which would probably explain why there were relatively – she could only guesstimate, not in the mood to count – two thousand people on the ship, including the staff. And Bulma. And Gohan.
She heard a rustling beside her that jerked her from her thoughts momentarily as she once again focused on the room. She saw that Uub was tossing and turning on the ground, but figured he was sleeping, so she stared up at the plain ceiling, noting only the single vent that was near the right corner.
Uub tossed again, causing Pan to stop and look over the left side of the bed to stare at him.
She never really looked at him at great lengths before. She never thought to, actually. It was never one of her principle concerns to stare at someone she barely knew. Or anyone, for that matter. But Uub was different. She knew him – well, she knew of him. But everything she ever thought about him was negative. All her life, all she ever wanted to do was pummel this kid for taking away her grandfather. But when finally faced with him, she realized how much she had matured. She took him in as his own person instead of a symbol of her Grandpa's absence.
Her Grandpa…
Pan sighed heavily as she let her gaze drop slightly as she once again remembered Goku, one of her biggest heroes who met an untimely death. But at least Piccolo can keep him company… Pan sighed again.
"What are you thinking about?" She heard Uub whisper, and her eyes darted to his in the darkness, surprised that he was awake.
"I'm sorry if I woke you."
"No, it's okay. I can't sleep very well." Uub turned on his side, still looking up at her, "The vents in the carpet are giving me a draft."
"Oh…" Pan frowned in the darkness, looking down to the carpet and then looking warily up to her Gramps and Buu, "… Well, you can sleep with me if you like?"
"Nah, it's okay. I'm fine here." Uub flushed slightly in the dark trying to get her previous naked image out of his head, "Just need some sleep."
Pan smiled sadly and held out her hand for him to take it, "Come on, I won't bite."
"No, it's fine. I'm fine, really."
Pan frowned as she furrowed her eyebrows and jerked her hand for him to take it, "Come on."
"No, really, I'm fine." Uub then turned onto his back and propped his head up on the pillow. "So why are you still up?"
Pan turned to lay on her stomach and propped her hands below her chin as she looked down to him, "Thinking."
Uub smiled a bit as he cocked his head, "What are you thinking about?"
It suddenly struck Pan as odd then, that she immediately sensed a déjà vu. "About home, I guess…" She looked to her hands as she tried to think of why her words sounded so familiar. "At least, the place I once called home, and people I once considered family."
"Yeah…" Uub frowned as he stared up at the ceiling, "I lost my family to Baby. I know what it's like to lose your loved ones." He brought his right fist to his mouth as if he were trying to muffle something, and then brought it away with glistening eyes, "I saw two of my sisters become Tuffles right in front of my eyes."
"What?" Pan asked more out of reflex than surprise as she looked down at him.
"We were…" Uub closed his eyes, "We were at the well. They had gathered some water and were bringing it back to the house, and my youngest two sisters decided to drink some of it and…" He took a breath as if trying to hold his emotions at bay, "they dropped to their knees in front of me, their eyes glowing some weird red…" He opened his eyes then and looked at her, "It wasn't long until my entire village started acting strange. It was like…" he paused, "It was like all the laughter were sucked out of everyone. Every smile… It was just… gone."
"What did you do then?" Pan frowned.
"I knew something was wrong. Something in their ki wasn't right." Uub furrowed his brow as he looked up to the ceiling again, "So, I escaped to the mountains. I lived off fresh spring water there, survived on my own for several months, trying to understand what was happening." Uub frowned as he paused a moment, "And then I sensed a big battle one day across the globe, and I… I panicked."
"You panicked?"
"Everything that Goku taught me… everything…" Uub grimaced as he clenched his hands together and squeezed his eyes shut, "I couldn't function when I knew Goku was in danger. I just somehow knew… But before I could run off to save him… He was gone. I could sense he was gone." Uub took a deep breath, "It's all my fault."
"What are you talking about?" Pan suddenly snapped fully alert and on the offense when he said that. "What do you mean!" She hissed whispers to Uub, taking care not to wake Hercule.
"I could have made a difference. I wanted to. I did. But after seeing my family… My friends…" Uub looked up to her, "I didn't know what to do. And I didn't think I'd be able to make it in time… I… I don't know what happened. I just wasn't there. And that's what killed him." Uub trembled a bit as he closed his eyes, "Goku was like a second father to me, and I let him down."
Suddenly, dormant emotions slammed into Pan as she remembered the pain of losing her grandfather, of losing Trunks, of losing her father and her mother and everyone close to her. They were dead. Every last one of them. "No!" Pan shook her finger at him and frowned, "Don't blame yourself. If you're going to blame someone, blame Baby. Make Baby pay!"
"And then I sensed your battle." Uub went on as if he weren't even listening to her. "It was months later, but I knew I could help. This time… I would help." Uub looked to her, "And he was going to kill you, Pan. Gohan was going to kill you."
Pan's eyes flared in the darkness as the pain stabbed at her, "You should have killed him. Why didn't you kill him!"
"Because…" Uub sat up then and looked down to his knees, "I won't ever put myself on their level. I'll never degrade myself to be like a Tuffle." He then looked at his hands, "Gohan was no match for me at that point. You had really worn him down; and I knew it; and he knew it."
Pan rolled away from the side of the bed and lay on her back, staring at the ceiling once more as she kept a steady face, "Well, you should have killed him."
There was a long silence then as Pan lay there and focused her eyes on the large vent to the right corner of the ceiling, trying to watch a small ribbon blow in the air current, even though it was barely visible in the darkness. Uub still sat up straight, looking at her, watching her with unwavering eyes.
Pan could feel her lids getting heavy, though her battle inside was keeping her awake. It was either that, or the fact that Uub was contemplating something as he watched her, and she was waiting for him to say something.
But he didn't.
After a moment's hesitation, Uub lay back down on the floor and propped his head against the pillow. Pan closed her eyes and continued to see visions of her family, thoughts she had been pushing aside for too long. But as she thought more, she could feel her body's exhaustion catch up to her, and was slowly nodding off.
She was slightly alerted again when she heard Uub ask one last question for the night. It drifted almost timidly in the silence, because he already knew the answer, but he just wanted to make sure.
"Gohan was your father…?"
Pan chose not to answer. Some things were just better left unsaid.
–––––––
–––––––
"Lord Baby," the hologram screen hummed to life and showed a black-clad woman with dark brown hair scowling to the camera. "Lord Baby."
The chamber was large, ovular, and decorated in fine royal fabrics that draped from the tall ceiling, icing its marble halls. One large throne sat at the end, framed by two large columns that stood erect by either side.
Baby scowled as he adjusted his seat against the throne and pushed the button on the left armrest of his chair to display the transmission in full.
"Lord Baby, the express carrier 'Tuffle II', departed 13 hours and ninety-four minutes ago Tuffle-time, has been scheduled to dock in Quadrant 944 tomorrow at eleven forty-seven, Tuffle-time. It is confirmed that Lieutenant General Gohan has been documented in their registrar. If you have any other queries, my Lord, feel free to–"
"–Shut up!" Baby's high pitched growl echoed in the large ovular royal chamber as he glared at the woman who was as dimwitted as a sheep, "You will immediately inform Gohan of our meeting. Prepare the conference hall. I will be boarding the moment you land."
"Sir–"
Baby cut her off by pointing angrily to the holographic device, "Don't you Sir me, you lemming! How dare you show me disrespect!"
The Tuffle woman's eyes widened in fear as she shook her head violently, "Oh pardon me, I meant no disrespect I –!"
"–Inform Gohan of our meeting. You are dismissed." Baby pressed the 'End' button twice on his armrest and let the image cut itself short.
There was a momentary silence as Baby seethed in his rage. And after he collected himself, he raised his right hand and beckoned with his index finger for his minion to step closer.
"Lord Baby." The Tuffle, Trunks, stepped forward and bowed deeply, "How may I serve you."
"That girl's family." Baby brought his hand to his chin and stroked it with a dark smirk, "I want them dead by the time she returns home."
"Consider it done." Trunks bowed again, more deeply out of respect for his master.
"And inform Colonel Son…" Baby sneered as he watched his puppet dance on the strings he tied, "To make good use of his time."
"Lord Baby," Trunks held his bow.
"And keep both your schedules free tomorrow." Baby's sneer grew as he clasped the armrests of his chair. "You will be expected at the meeting."
"Yes, Lord Baby."
"You are dismissed." Baby flicked a hand and watched Trunks stand up straight then make his way down the ovular hall and out of the chamber. The large doors clanged behind him and ran an echo down the hall as Baby stroked his chin and grinned menacingly at his own diabolical thoughts.
What are you planning? Vegeta cut into his mind and tried to once again fight Baby's control over his body.
As I said before, I'm going to make you witness the fall of every last Saiyan-tainted stain in this universe. Baby snickered, And it's only fitting I should punish Gohan for his failure, yes?
What are you going to do to them?
It is of no concern to you. Baby grinned as he tapped the armrest with Vegeta's hands, but it's guaranteed to make you suffer. Baby smirked, And I want you to suffer, you Saiyan filth. I want you to remember every last act, everything that happens.
Baby could feel Vegeta struggling to fight him again. Baby loved when he struggled. The more power Vegeta spent trying to break free, the more Baby preyed on him and grew even stronger. It was a losing situation for Vegeta. There was no way out.
You MONSTER!
Yes, Vegeta, Baby snickered under his breath and stroked the armrest of his throne, yet you have no idea how monstrous I can be.
––––––––
––––––––
–7/12/05–
