Author's note: Hey, guys, thanks for the reads, and the reviews. I love getting those alerts. Please feel free to keep them coming, and let me know your thoughts as the story progresses.

Chapter 20

Namek:'

Goku and Gohan stood outside one of the Ginyu Force's pods. Turles sat in his while Tien, Krillen, and Loa chatted in front of their own. Turles had finished a brief description of how the pods work, life support, navigation, and extended stasis. They had tested their communicators, and all other systems, and everything was in good working order.

Dende stood near Krillen, and the population of Loa's village stood behind her. Everyone had said their farewells, and now they were waiting to see the travelers off.

Turles had an idea where Earth was. He knew where he encountered his nephew and his crew, and he knew how long it took to get to Namek from there. No one seemed to know exactly how long they traveled before picking him up, but based off of their best estimates, and hoping there weren't any unannounced changes in course, Turles was confident he could get close to Earth. Unfortunately he didn't think he could make it all the way there.

While Loa was familiarizing herself with Tien and Krillen Turles was scanning through the Frieza Force planet database. He was looking for a needle in a hay stack, thankfully he had cut out a vast majority of straw when he worked out Earth's rough location. Right now he was just trying to find an 8 planet system in that area, and was slowly going through the list.

"That sounds heavenly." Loa said to Krillen. She was leaning against her pod, enjoying the last fresh air she'd have for, well, hopefully not that long if the pod knocked her out like it is supposed to.

"Well, that's why they call it Heaven." Krillen chuckled.

Turles slapped his thigh and groaned. "Okay, I'm not having any luck here, but I've got an idea." He said as he stepped out. Immediately the rest of the group was looking at him.

"The communicators are working, but we don't know what channel Earth is listening, or talking, on. I hope it's not encoded, but even if they are, they should still be able to hear us." Turles nodded to the humans. "My suggestion, get to the rough area of Earth, and broadcast on all channels to make contact, from their get their coordinates directly."

Krillen gulped nervously. "So, just, just go, and hope we get within range of Earth while we're awake?"

Turles nodded. 'That's the short version." Seeing Krillen's nervous reaction he elaborated. 'If we couldn't find Earth, then we'd go to the nearest planet that was part of Frieza's army, and recruit help in locating Earth from their locals."

Goku raised his hand as he began to speak. "When you say recruit, what exactly do you mean?"

Tien chuckled, but kept his mouth shut.

"Exactly what it sounds like. Find an outpost, and request assistance from their scientists." Turles thought of the implication he unintentionally made, and winced slightly at the thought of forcing scientists to work for him. "My guess is that as the word spreads, the warriors will take their ships and either go home, or find new homes. The non fighters will be stranded wherever they were until they could create new ships, assuming they could."

Dende opened his mouth, but quickly shut it again. Porunga could easily get them coordinates for their planet, or even send them home. However, with Moori being in control of the dragon balls now, and with what Loa had done, it was unlikely the elders would allow the earthlings to make even one more wish.

Krillen's palms and brow began to sweat. He wasn't afraid of space travel, not by itself, but being in his own ship, potentially waking up, completely alone in the void of space, with no destination in mind, it was too much for him. "I'm sorry, but there's got to be a better way."

"There is." Tien stepped forward. "We could either make the call from here, but we risk the signal being overheard and someone else making it to Earth before we can, or we head to the nearest Frieza Planet directly, and make the call from there. There's no reason not to, right?" He looked between the saiyans, and neither disagreed.

Turles chewed his lip for a moment. "I'd rather avoid any contact with the Frieza Force if possible." Reaching inside himself he felt the swollen pool of energy he had stored. "Aside from that though, no, we may as well go directly to an outpost. There's none too close, but we could get a lot closer than we are now."

Krillen clapped his hands. "It's decided then. We'll head right to the nearest base, and reach out to Earth from there."

"Assuming we can't find Earth using their technology." Turles added. "I'd rather not broadcast their coordinates if we could avoid it."

Goku raised his hand again, and once Turles and Krillen stopped speaking he cleared throat. "There is one other thing, that we should probably plan for."

Krillen tilted his head. "What's that?"

Goku put a hand on Gohan's back. His voice shook as he spoke, but his face stayed firm."Gohan and I, we're not going home, not yet."

Krillen slid his left foot forward. His shoulders tensed, and his fists clinched. "What?"

"What?" Turles asked at the same time as Krillen. His tail whipped off his belt and curled in the air. 'You're not going back to Earth? Why not, Goku?"

Tien fought back a smile. With the super saiyan and his spawn gone the Earth's defenses would be a fraction of what they could be. While he knew he still couldn't take the planet by himself, any doubt he had in King Cold and Cooler's ability to wipe their civilization from the universe swiftly vanished. The remaining saiyan would be the biggest problem, that transformation would still be beastly, but if either of Frieza's relatives had a fraction of his full power, it wouldn't be an issue to destroy him.

"Super saiyan." Goku asserted. "The form unlocks incredible power, but, but it's uncontrollable." He tried, and failed, to avoid looking at his son. "Until super saiyan is completely under control, we can't risk using the power on Earth." Goku felt good that he wasn't lying to his friends, but knew he was getting as close as he could to doing so while still being truthful.

Goku's words hung in the air. Krillen's stomach twisted. He didn't see the fight with Frieza, but he felt it. He remembered when Goku fought Piccolo Junior at the world tournament, the power that was on display. When he fought Burter their powers were hundreds of times higher than that battle on Earth, but the damage was limited. They were more disciplined, not wasting energy on damaging the environment. If Goku wasn't focused, and just went wild while on Earth, the planet likely wouldn't survive.

"Okay." Krillen said. "That makes sense."

"What?" Turles asked again.

"If you." Krillen looked from Goku to Turles. 'Or you." He nodded to Tien. "If anyone here lost focus while on Earth, even at our current levels, the planet would be in danger. If Goku transformed, had all that extra power, the planet, we, wouldn't survive. I get it. I don't like it. Chi-chi will hate it, but, but it makes sense."

"So, how will we find our way home?" Goku asked.

"Why is it the both of you?" Turles asked. "By taking Gohan, you're putting him in the same danger you're trying to protect us from."

Krillen's eyes bulged. "Yeah, why are you taking Gohan? I'll tell Chi-Chi you're staying in space, but, but I've already given her bad news about Gohan once. I'm not doing that again."

"Guys." Goku scratched his neck, trying to think of a way to avoid answering. "Krillen, you won't need to tell Chi-Chi." He cleared his throat again, frustrating Krillen and Turles. "I'll, I'll have King Kai send her a message."

"King Kai?" Tien asked. "You'll have King Kai send her a message, but you won't have him ask for coordinates?"

"Well, um."

"And that doesn't answer why you're taking Gohan with you." Krillen stepped into the middle of the gathering. "If Gohan doesn't land when we do, you know what Chi-Chi will do to us. You know what that will do to her." Thoughts of thrown axes and laser beams filled his mind. "Now, if she finds out what Gohan is doing, him not being home, that'll be awful, finding out he's in danger? That will ruin her, Goku." He touched his friends arm. 'We love you, we trust you, but no, that's too much, that's too reckless. You do what you want, but Gohan is coming home with us, and you can get the directions from King Kai."

"Krillen." Goku stood over the monk. "I need you to trust me." He grabbed Krillen's wrist as Krillen returned the grip. "King Kai will agree with me. This needs to happen. We'll get you the coordinates, I'll talk to Chi-Chi myself." His expression firmed. "Gohan is not returning home, not yet."

"Why?" Turles shouted. "You keep saying that, tell me, why?" He approached Goku as well. "Or better yet, let's let him make up his mind for himself. Gohan, you're able to talk. Tell us, do you want to come with us to Earth, or go with your father?"

Gohan shied away from the angry saiyan. Just as he did on Roshi's island, Gohan slid behind his father's leg, his tail wrapped tightly around his waist.

"Turles." Goku snapped. "You're scaring my son, stop."

Looking at the shaking boy, the angry warrior, and the concerned monk, Turles scoffed and returned to his pod. "Whoever wants to come to Earth, is coming." He took a seat and continued his search.

"Goku." Krillen squeezed his arm. "What does Gohan want?"

"I want to go." Gohan said quietly. "I don't want to go home yet, and I don't want to talk about it." He shook his head. "I'm going with my dad."

Krillen glanced back at Turles, and over to Tien. Why wasn't he up here. "If that's what you want, then, well, I'll tell Piccolo you say hi, okay?" He stuck a hand out to the young boy.

Gohan hesitated for a moment before shaking Krillen's hand. "Yes, please, and my mom, and grandfather too, please."

"Of course." Krillen smiled. He didn't like this. He trusted Goku, but he knew that he wasn't always the most thoughtful person. "Ox-King will be excited to hear about your adventures when you make it home." He released his grip on Goku's wrist.

"How long will you be gone?" Tien asked. "Weeks, months, years?"

Goku's face sagged. "I don't know." He shook his head. "Hopefully not too long. Maybe a few months, hopefully not a year."

"We'll keep the Earth safe while you're gone." Tien nodded. "Take your time."

"Hopefully you won't need to, but, but we'll be back, as soon as we can." Goku shook Tien's hand. "Okay, so, let's find out where Earth is, precisely."

Goku closed his eyes. He focused on King Kai, on Bubbles, and on Gregory. He thought of the small, heavy planet, and the road that lead to it. He internally yelled into the void, and was happy when King Kai respond immediately.

Garlic's Lookout

A large, brightly colored, man walked down the halls of the Lookout. He held a thick, clear glass sphere in his left hand, and its stem in his right. His white hair matched the marble floor, and his pink armor did little to hide his physique, particularly because his abs were exposed. At the entrance to the temple Spice took a knee, and handed the bottle to his master, Garlic Junior.

"Good job, Spice." Garlic nodded to his underling. He swirled the bottle in front of his eyes, letting the spout hang freely between his palms. A thick black fog swirled slowly, like a necrotic lava lamp. A smile crossed his face, showing his sharp teeth.

A purple skinned monster of an alien chuckled. His brown hair bouncing on his back. "Is it time, sir?"

Salt, a taller, redder, version of Garlic Junior joined Vinegar in laughing. It had been ages since their leaders father was killed, and to their leader it had felt like an eternity, trapped in the dead zone. Now though, they would have their revenge. No one could stop them once the mist was used.

The red haired, brown skinned, Mustard clapped the two chuckling Spice Boys on their shoulders, and they quickly quieted down. Two bull horns sat upon his head, just as two braids framed his face.

"Thank you, Mustard." Garlic Junior nodded at the brute. "Now, follow me, and prepare to witness, the fall of Earth."

Garlic Junior walked to the edge of the floating palace. Spice followed directly behind him while Mustard, Salt, and Vinegar walked in a semi circle around the pair.

At the edge Garlic Junior looked down at the world below. Jungle is all he could see, and even that was a blur. He knew cities spotted the planet, he could feel it. He knew people infested every last corner, and that the next few hours would be a blast. He put his thumb under the flared cork of the bottle, and with a strong twitch he sent it flying to the ground below.

He turned the bottle upside down. He started to laugh. The mist filled the spout, and Garlic Junior couldn't hold back his joy. As the inside crawled out, it expanded. The bottle contents flowed freely, but the bottle did not empty. It wouldn't be long until the entire planet was submerged in darkness.

Korin Tower

Korin stood atop the rail of his elevated home. He felt something strange from above a few moments ago, and now, and now black fog was rolling in from above? He couldn't see the source, but he knew it was coming from Kami's. Whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"What are you looking at?" Yajirobe asked as he joined the white cat. He looked across the forest below, finding nothing amiss. Looking up he saw a cloud spreading.

"I'm not sure." Korin shrugged. "Whatever it is though, it's literally above our pay grade."

"So, what do we do?" Yajirobe asked while walking back towards the center of the tower.

Korin followed his tenant into the tower. When he reached the center he lifted his staff skyward and focused on the lookout. "Kami, are you there?"

A moment later Yajirobe choked on a leg of lam and apologized.

Korin readjusted his stance, this time pointing his staff ever so slightly to the side. "Mr. Popo, are you there? What's going on up there? What's the fog?"

Just as Kami did before him, Mr. Popo did not reply.

Korin whacked his tenant on the back of his head while making his way to a row of jars on the far wall. Opening one he looked into a pool of clear water. He touched the surface causing ripples to spread out, bounce back, and grow. When the bottom of the jar was out of view he spoke into it. "Kami, are you there? Mr. Popo?"

"Are they not responding?" Yajirobe coughed. "Are they okay?"

"I thought that Kami was resurrected, I could have sworn it." He cupped his furry chin and thought for a moment. If Kami wasn't back, then Mr. Popo should still be up and at it. If Mr. Popo was gone, how could he be gone? Maybe without a guardian, the servant to the guardian would vanish until a new guardian was present?

"Maybe when Piccolo came back, which I think he did, Kami didn't come back after all?" Korin looked through Yajirobe.

Korin replaced the lid on the now violently sloshing jar of water before opening the one beside it. He gestured behind his back and Yajirobe joined him. The pair gazed into the clear pool and moments later the reflection shifted. A muscle bound, afro headed, man was throwing men over his shoulders and out windows. A dark skinned, turban wearing, man was covering his mouth, running from an enraged mob. An older woman, draped in black, stared back at them.

"Who are you?" The woman scowled out of the pool.

"Um, what's going on?" Yajirobe scratched behind his ear. "Is, is she talking to us?"

"YES, I'm talking to YOU, what are YOU doing in MY crystal ball?" The crone stayed stationary in frame, however her background whirled behind her, a desert, a castle, a ring.

"Sorry to disturb you, ma'am." Korin bowed his head to her. "If you didn't notice though, the world is under siege by, by something."

"Yes, I am aware." The woman growled. "This is old news to me."

"Well, I apologize for appearing in your crystal ball, but it wasn't our intention." Korin whacked Yajirobe on the back as the samurai began to back away. You see, I am Korin, I live under the guardian of Earth, and I was trying to find something that could help us."

"Korin?" The witch's head tilted to the side, however around the axis of her nose. "Korin's tower Korin? Teacher of Roshi, the Turtle Hermit? You may have found what you are looking for." She tips her hat. "Fortuneteller Baba, at your service."

Capsule Corp

Chiaotzu touched his nose to the clean red tiles. Sweat struck the ground like heavy rain. He exploded with energy, mentally pushing himself up to a near standing angle, and fired a dodon ray from each point finger, and forced them to struggle between his hands. With effort he maintained them as he fell back to the gravity chambers floor. Before hitting the ground he canceled his attacks, snapped his arms to his sides, caught himself, touched his nose to the ground, and repeated the step.

"Four hundred ninety nine." Ox-King said from the far side of the chamber. He was counting Chiaotzu's reps. For every ten push ups and beams Chiaotzu would do and fire, Ox-King would do a single squat and a single curl of empty hands. "One more, Chiaotzu. You got it!" Ox-King followed Chiaotzu's lead, powered up, rose his fists in victory, and quickly fell over on his back.

Chiaotzu grunted in effort as he straightened to his full, short, height, and forced himself to walk to the Ox-King. "Are you okay?"

Ox-King wheezed. His right cheek was against the floor, mouth open and tongue hanging out. He didn't have the energy to speak, but he still nodded.

"Do you need a break?" Chiaotzu stood in front of the giant's head, looking for any sign of acceptance.

The Ox-King shook his head. Pulling his tongue back into his mouth and closing it he rolled completely onto his back. He pulled his feet in close and rolled onto his other side. He planted his meaty hand on the ground and pushed, sliding his left elbow under his massive heft. He finished his roll, now on his hands and knees. He pushed himself back, trying to enter a low squat, but instead couldn't stop himself, and landed heavily on his back.

"Well, I need a break." Chiaotzu pointed at the control panel and the display quickly scrolled from 100 to 50, and 50 to 10. He could have turned it down lower, but this should be low enough.

"Th-thanks." Ox-King stammered as he pulled himself to his feet. Physically standing wasn't a challenge, but balancing was. "I, I think I'm improving." Ox-King smiled at the minute mime in front of him. "And Kami knows you are."

Chiaotzu smiled and nodded. "Thanks." He flexed his arms, one at a time, and he noticeably deflated. "I wonder if I'll ever be as strong as you, Ox-King."

The giant shook his head. "You could be, but I don't think you need to be." He sank back to the floor and began his post workout stretches. "Not only are you faster than me, but even if I had you cornered, there's no way, not with your psychic power, that I could even get close to you."

Chiaotzu closed his fist and put his forefinger to his lips. He thought for a moment, about Nappa, the saibamen, and Vegeta. "I just hope that next time something happens, that I'll be able to help." He looked at Ox-King's massive feet. "I appreciate you training with me. You know, you don't have to, if you'd rather be out there with Chi-Chi and the rest?"

Ox-King let out a hardy laugh as he touched his right toes. "You're not the only one that wants to get stronger, Chiaotzu." He rolled his waist and touched his left toes. "I don't think I'll get to the level of you, or Tien, or Goku, but working hard, studying well, and sleeping plenty, it's the Turtle way." He stretched his back and let out a satisfied groan. 'I've been doing one of those lately, maybe two, but, but training, like I used to, it's helping me pass the time, if nothing else."

"I see." Chiaotzu nodded. "You don't want to wait on the monitor like Chi-Chi and Dr. Brief?"

"It works for them." Ox-King cracked his neck. "It wouldn't work for me though. I'd drive myself crazy."

As the pair in the prototype gravity chamber spoke, Dr. Brief, Chi-Chi, and a selection of scientists were in mission control. Dr. Brief had noted that their ship had taken off from Namek, but it was heading off in the wrong direction. Dr. Brief tried reaching out to his daughter, but wasn't able to get in contact with her.

All he could do was watch as his ship, his daughter, flew deeper into space. He had stopped reaching out himself, instead leaving his scientists to take up the task. He was busying himself with plans on a different space ship, he was going to make it faster, stronger, and more livable. He didn't know where Bulma was going, but as long as he could accelerate quicker, he'd find her, anywhere in this galaxy, or this universe.

Chi-Chi didn't have a way to contribute. She could take a shift on the microphone, but that was it. She did take her turn though, and many others as well. The scientists assigned to keep up contact attempts more often then not found themselves working on components for their bosses newest project.

The first sign they had that something was amiss came from the security desk. Unfortunately due to their isolation in work no one in the lab heard the confusion around the mist. Nor did they hear the screams of feral rage, followed by howls of agony as the black water mist turned red with blood.

When Dr. Brief noticed the strange miasma seeping under his door he immediately hit the panic button. Something, somewhere, had gone wrong, and it needed to be contained. It wouldn't be too late, if they had been in a biological lab, or even a clean room, they would have been sealed into chambers that would recycle their air, keep them hydrated, keep them fed. They wouldn't have been comfortable, especially a large group like this, but they would have been safe.

Instead though, their security doors closed, their warnings were spread, and Capsule Corp fell to the mist. The group climbed atop their chairs, seeing the mist cling to the ground. As it rose, so did they. Puar was the first to breath the mist, she had slipped and fell. She was also the last to be turned by those means.

Her eyes turned red, her incisors grew, and shortly after so did she. Turning from a humble floating cat into a large vampiric humanoid, she pounced at Dr. Brief. Before he hit the ground, she hit his neck. She didn't suck his blood, but she did inject him with the essence of the mist, and moments later the pair of them went to work on their friends, family, and employees.

Chi-Chi was the last to fall. She didn't want to hurt anyone, not at first. However, when the thought of Gohan coming home, not getting hugged, not getting a home cooked meal, not getting her, crossed her mind, she snapped, as did several technicians bodies. Unfortunately she wasn't able to keep up the effort, not forever, and minutes after she started defending herself with her full might, she was swarmed and transformed.

Roshi's Island

Oolong sat on Roshi's couch, enjoying what he thought was a cheesy horror movie. The world was being overtaken by a black haze, and when people breathed it in they turned into monsters. The monsters would chase down anyone that wasn't one of them and bite them, turning them into monsters. It wasn't quite vampires, or zombies, but a decent, for B-movies, mix of the two. The real horror came when the only people left were monsters. The effects were so real, the violence was over the top, but nothing worse then he'd seen before.

He knew vampires, and he didn't mind them. They were actually pretty nice once he got to know them. Oolong wasn't sure if this was because they didn't like bacon, or if the rumors were just that, rumors, but hey, who didn't like a splatter film every now and then ,right? Well, Oolong didn't, not when he saw the mist coming through under Roshi's door.

"Roshi, hey, old man!" He squealed as he transformed into a bat. He realized the irony, just to ignore it. "THE WORLD IS ENDING, ROSHI!" He fluttered his way up the stairs.

Roshi was napping. He was in bed, a magazine on his lap, and blood on his mustache. He didn't wake up until Oolong was on top of him, hitting him with his bed time routine.

Roshi bolted up in bed, knocking Oolong onto the sheets. "Huh? What? What's wrong? Who turned off the sun?"

"Take your sunglasses off, you old pervert! The world is ending! It's the end of times I tell you! WE'RE DOOMED!" Oolong shouted into Roshi's face. Despite his smaller size, and his reduced vocal chords, the pig, bat, shape changer, was able to reach his standard, ear piercing, volume, and Roshi was not amused.

Roshi snorted at Oolong and shook his head. "The world is fine, you probably just had a bad dream. I told you to stop watching those scary movies you like. It's not good for you."

"No, it wasn't a dream!" Oolong transformed back into his normal form and ran to the window. "It, it was the news! The world is leaching evil, and, and it's making, it's making people go crazy!" He opened the window and looked out. "See? Look! It's the end of days! Turtle has already been taken! Oh no, Turtle, why'd you have to be so short and slow!"

Roshi conked Oolong on the head and looked outside with his own two eyes. The sun was setting, sort of. It illuminated miles of darkness between himself and the horizon. He looked where the pig was pointing and saw Turtle, in his normal spot. If this was a prank, it wasn't funny. Turtle was sporting a comically large set of vampire teeth, and nibbling on a very frustrated crab. "What?"

"IT'S COMING UP!" Oolong squealed, drawing the attention of the other creatures on the island. Slowly, without dropping his pinching chew toy, Turtle made his way towards the house. He wouldn't make it in time though, the mist was climbing the walls quickly, and in a minute it would reach the window where Roshi and Oolong were.

"Well, that's not good." Roshi stroked his beard. "We need to get somewhere higher."

"Good idea, lets get to the roof!" Immediately Oolong transformed back into a big headed, pig headed, bat and exited the window. He wasn't quick enough though and Roshi grabbed him.

"No, that's not high enough. We need to get to Korin's tower."Roshi continued stroking his beard in his free hand.

"Are you nuts? You can't fly, and I can't fly that far. We'll never make it to the land of Korin!" Oolong bit Roshi's thumb, trying to free himself, but the martial arts master barely noticed the chomp.

"Nimbus!" Roshi yelled into the sky. Moments later a quiet, comforting, puttering responded, and as the mist reached the window and began to flood into the upstairs, so to did a black storm cloud. Not hesitating, or preparing, Roshi boarded his least favorite mode of transportation and took off, spinning, into the sky, a squealing bat tucked safely in silk. He really hoped he had his capsule case, he'd hate to die in a stained bath robe.

Wastelands

Piccolo's eyes snapped open. He was having a wonderful dream. He had caught a monkey, he had crushed a grass hopper, and become a comedian. After that he had trained with god, and that orange idiot, Yamcha. He stood up, inspecting the barely reclaimed battle ground. Craters stilled marred the landscape, as did trenches, and oddly enough, massive foot prints.

He felt within himself and brushed his power. It was still there. His training with King Kai wasn't a waste. It wasn't as dramatic as he would have liked, but, but it was still incredible. He'd dare the saiyans to try invading his kingdom, his father's kingdom, his home, now.

Extending his senses out he didn't expect to find Goku, or the other Z-warriors. He expected to be the most powerful fighter on the planet. Sure, Yamcha would be here, and with Kaio-Ken he would be more powerful, but without it, no, no one should have compared. He was amazed to feel not just one, but over a half dozen massive power levels on Earth. He was even more surprised to feel where a majority were coming from, Kami's Lookout.

He kicked off the ground and rapped himself in his aura before blasting off overland. He was looking down as he flew, noting the heavy smoke, burning villages, the broken bodies, and the humans that gave chase. Looking back, watching as a large group ran off the side of a bridge in their attempt to follow him, he didn't realize as he flew into the cause of their madness.

As Piccolo flew through the black water mist King Kai reached out to him, and together they were just as lost as apart.

Capsule Corp

Half an hour later their cool down was done and the mist dissipated without their notice. Ox-King was the first to exit the chamber, Chiaotzu hovering over his shoulder.

"Where is everyone?" Chiaotzu asked.

"I don't know. I hope we're not too early." Ox-King craned his neck and looked around the Capsule Corp grounds. "If we're too early, we should get back in the chamber. I don't want Panchy to think we were waiting on her."

"I think something is wrong." Chiaotzu stated. He pointed at a puddle of still wet blood on the ground, which was the source of a pair of crimson footprints.

"That's, that's not good." Ox-King said. "Come on, we need to find Chi-Chi, now." He pulled up his mental map of the facility, and figured out the shortest route to the lab where she was likely broadcasting into space. Unfortunately, that was the same way the footprints lead.

Luckily, or not, it didn't take long for the pair to discover what had happened. A security guard and a secretary pulled out of a savage brawl when Ox-King and Chiaotzu entered their corridor.

Ox-King was a fighter, and Chiaotzu was a world championship contender. Ox-King had witness multiple child births, multiple burn victims, and many farming accidents. Chiaotzu was a trained assassin, he was on the front line when the saiyans came to Earth, and he once admired Tao Pai Pai. Neither had seen something as brutal as the display in front of them, and neither wanted to allow it to continue.

The pair of demons lunged at Ox-King, aiming for his neck, but Chiaotzu stopped them. With a raised palm he froze them both in the air, and with a few twitches of his fingers he knocked the pair unconscious. "Hurry, lead the way, I'll keep us safe." Chiaotzu landed on Ox-King's head, and the giant, for the first time in his memory, let his anger, his fear, and his body, take over.

He bulldozed his way through the building, knocking security doors aside with ease, and brushing the few combatants that made it past Chiaotzu aside easily. He didn't want to kill them. He hoped there would be a cure. He wasn't careful though. He wouldn't let anything get between him and his baby girl, his grandson's mother.

Despite his hunger, thirst, and exhaustion, Ox-King quickly came to Chi-Chi's post. He didn't know how many people they passed, but he knew none of them were from this lab. He burst through the lab doors effortlessly, and immediately was glad he let his daughter train. This room was no better than the rest, however the combat was very one sided, and Chi-Chi was covered in blood, but presumably, by her charge, uninjured.

Ox-King wrapped his baby in a bear hug, letting her teeth dig into his thick overalls. Regular clothes wouldn't stand a chance against a bite like hers, but due to his extreme size, and the extreme conditions he was training in, he wore tougher clothes than the average human, and he cried. "Chi-Chi." He held her body to his, not noticing the torn up scientists approaching.

The red coated group jumped in unison at Ox-King, but like many before them they froze. Chiaotzu gave himself a mental pat on the back, he wasn't physically stronger, not much anyway, but he was able to use his powers a lot more than he used to. He levitated the group to the door and knocked them all out once they were on the far side. Slamming the unhinged doors shut behind them he went to work on sealing them, not completely, but well enough that a human wouldn't be able to break his ki generated welds.

"We need to help her." Ox-King mumbled. "We need to help her, Chiaotzu." He adjusted his grip on his daughter, cradling her close, not letting her chew on his clothes. "Chiaotzu, we need to fix this."

Chiaotzu didn't know what to say. Tien was the smart one, he would have a plan. Tien was the strong one, he'd be able to fix this. Self doubt flooded through Chiaotzu, just as the black mist flooded across the Earth. Just as the mist vanished as quickly as it came, so to did Chiaotzu's lack of faith. The black water mist left as part of its use, transform a majority of the population, let the rest be picked off in fearful agony. Chiaotzu's doubt left due to a voice in his mind.

"This is King Kai, the Earth is in danger. Can you hear me?"

Both Chiaotzu and Ox-King knew of the deity from Goku's time in recovery after the saiyan invasion, and they both quickly confirmed attention.

"I've been trying to figure this out." King Kai said. "I think, I think what's happening is on Kami's Lookout. Shortly after he was revived he was taken out of commission by, by an evil Makyan, Garlic Junior. Garlic Junior has done something his father tried to, he released the Black Water Mist over the planet."

"Garlic Junior?" Ox-King asked. "Didn't Gohan trap him in an alternate dimension?"

"Not quite, but something like that." King Kai answered. "He was immortal, and sealed in the Dead Zone." He grumbled under his breath. "That doesn't matter right now though. You need to get to Kami's Lookout and use the Sacred Water in the same way they used the Black Water Mist. After a day, the change is permanent. You don't have much time. You need to meet up with the others at Korin's Tower, Piccolo is on his way, and the others are too."

"Is Yamcha here?" Chiaotzu asked. "Did he get revived with Piccolo?"

"No, and yes." King Kai growled in frustration. "He's in the Dead Zone, but he and Kami were revived. Now, get moving, I need to get back with Korin. This, this is unprecedented." He shook his head. 'This would be a lot easier if this didn't involve three of my students."

With that the voice in their head vanished, and Ox-King and Chiaotzu were alone in the lab with Chi-Chi once more.

"I'm not going." Ox-King said. "I'm not leaving Chi-Chi. I can't leave here to, to join that." He nodded towards the door.

"I wouldn't ask you to." Chiaotzu smiled. "Can you reseal the doors when I leave?"

"Normally I'd say yes. I could use the tables." Ox-King looked at his daughter. "I can probably. No. but I'll be fine."

"I'll see what I can do from the other side." Chiaotzu didn't bother undoing his welds, but instead broke through one of the small windows in the doors. Being so small had its uses sometimes. Once he cleared the portal he inspected the door, applying a few welds on the outside to match the other, and waved farewell to the Ox-King. He was off on an adventure of his own, where Tien wouldn't be able to save him.

Namek

King Kai didn't know how much to tell Goku. There wasn't anything he could do from Namek, and worrying him wouldn't help anything. He knew the saiyan's plan, and he agreed with it. If Goku knew Earth was in danger, he may head directly home, putting it at a much greater risk.

Not long after courses were set, and the final farewells were made, Loa, Krillen, Tien, and Turles sat in their pods. Goku and Gohan sat in their own.

"Are you guys ready?" Turles asked the Earth bound crew.

"Yes." Tien answered first.

"Yes." Krillen said, voice shaking slightly.

"Yes." Loa confirmed.

"Goku, you set on your course?" Turles reconfirmed.

"Yes." Goku confirmed.

"Remember, you should wake up shortly before landing on planet. Take that time to scout it out." Turles thought for a moment. "You shouldn't run into anything you can't handle, but, but there are rumors out there, and, and be careful. Space is a big place, and it's not a safe place to just wander around like you're doing."

"We'll be careful." Goku said. "You be careful too, all of you. Loa, good luck. Krillen, Tien, take care of the Earth. Turles, take care of the others."

With that Turles' pod launched into the air, and the rest quickly followed.

Author's note: Well, crap, Garlic Junior is back, but no Gohan to kick him into the Dead Zone again … how will they get out of this situation?