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

Written by: SparkerLightning

Edited by: StevenBodner

Chapter 49

"Greetings." Cold barely managed to whisper into the communicator as the surface distorted, revealing the Destroyer and his Attendant.

"You have my attention." The god spoke.

Cold took several slow breaths in as the Destroyer spoke. The light from the mirror blinded him to the stars overhead. The exposed bedrock behind him was sapping the heat from his prone form. This was his chance, his one chance, and what a state he was in. He hadn't been in his first form in years, possibly decades, and now he was exposing his weakness to the divine.

"We saw your display." Whis spoke from beside Beerus. "That was quite a bit of power for a mortal. More than I've seen in eons. Before we hear your request, I would like you to know that I am very impressed."

"Thank-"

"However." Beerus interrupted. "You were barely able to battle a few Saiyans, and when you squeak out a victory, you're left half dead, on your back, on a worthless planet."

"My apologies, Lord." Cold lowered his chin to his sternum, bowing as much as he could given his current state.

"Forget it." Beerus scoffed. "Whis here tells me you have a favor to ask. What favor do you think yourself worthy of requesting from me?"

"The Saiyans I killed today, they killed my sons." Cold kept his chin to his chest, straining his neck. "Cooler was killed on Earth. Frieza was killed on Namek, and again on one of our bases."

"He was killed twice?" Whis tilted his head. "Once being on Namek?"

"Yes. I was unaware of the facts behind his revival until after his second death. The Earthlings, the Saiyans, revived him using Dragon Balls. Then, after he was revived, he was killed once again. Unfortunately, Namek, and the Dragon Balls, were destroyed." He did not say by who.

"And your request?" Beerus tapped one of his claws against his bicep.

"Great Destroyer, please bring my children back to life, one more time." Cold managed to lift his shoulders off the ground, to lower his apparent bow just a bit further. If he had the energy he would have rolled over, gotten on his hands and knees. Right now, this was the best he could manage, and not for long.

"Why would I bring them back to life, when they've already been killed at least once each?" Beerus narrowed his eyes. "Frieza was an interesting one, I'll give you that much, but to be killed, not just once, but twice? The universe is a stronger place with weakness like that removed."

"Because..." Cold started. "I..." A stronger place? Weakness? "If you return my children to me, I will..."

"Yes? What do you think you have that would interest me?"

"I will swear my loyalty to you. I will dedicate my life, and my children's lives, to fulfilling any tasks you give us. If your job is to destroy, we do so in your place. If you crave a particular food, we will find it for you. Whatever you want in the mortal realm, we will make yours."

"You offer me the mortal plain, in exchange for reviving your children?" Beerus' eyes narrowed further, now no more than slits, not that Cold was looking.

"My empire, my life, my eternal soul, and those of my family, and... and of my subjects." Cold took a deep breath. "I will surrender the Cold Empire to you."

"No."

The word hung in the air as Cold's heart broke a second, and third, time. His sons were dead, and nothing, not even the gods, would change that. His empire, he didn't mean to offer it, he didn't want to offer it, but it was so insignificant, the gods wouldn't even entertain his tribute.

Cold lifted his chin, lifted his gaze, and looked at the beings in his mirror. "Why? I control a majority of the universe, I could give one order, one sentence, and half the life in the cosmos would be extinguished in a day. It would take more time to destroy the planets, but anywhere capable of hosting life, I could have it turned to dust, rings around their stars. I could free you from your task-"

"Watch your tongue." Beerus lowly growled. "You forget who is choosing to speak with you." Beerus glanced away from the mirror for a moment, eyes returning to normal. "You could destroy half the life in the cosmos in a day, I could do it with a thought. You could destroy half the planets in a week, I could do it by lifting a finger. Your power is nothing compared to mine, or my Attendant's. Furthermore, your intellect is severely lacking. You could not even begin to grasp the intent of a god, or what task I choose to fulfill. Even if you did not just insult me, even if I were to desire your empire, even if I were to desire the destruction of the universe, I would not bring your sons back, for one simple reason, for one fault of your own."

Cold cursed internally. "A fault, of my own?" He dared to make eye contact with the deity. If he had already offended him, he was dead. What would another challenge bring down upon him.

"I was sleeping when you called Whis, and you woke me up. I take my naps very seriously." Beerus extended the finger he was tapping on his arm, summoning a small ball of red ki at its tip. "Now that I am well-rested, I am not that hungry. But, when I am ready for my snow cone, I expect perfection. You will relay our agreement to your successor, as my next one will be topped in your blood. If your successor is not aware of our agreement, then I may as well just blow your worthless species out of the cosmos myself."

Cold did not respond as Beerus handed the mirror back to Whis. The deity was gone, the Attendant remained. The Arcosian studied him, he wanted to speak, but he wasn't talking.

"Yes?" Cold closed his eyes, allowing his head to rest on the terrain. Distantly he heard his ship approaching. It wouldn't be long now.

The screen began to distort as Whis' image faded to reveal Cold once again. As the Attendant left, he gave one last piece of advice. "There is another set of Dragon Balls, however you are not capable of gathering or wishing on them."

Well, the Destroyer was a complete and utter waste of time. Declining a favor, something that would bring fantastic changes to the universe, because a nap was interrupted? Cold had to admit, he was not above being petty himself, nor was he the most generous, and that if a generic underling intruded upon him to make the same request, he would be dead as well. But, he wasn't a generic underling, no, he was Cold. He was the king of the Cold Empire. He was the most powerful mortal alive, if not ever.

Dragon Balls were still out there, but he couldn't gather them? Why? Why not? He was Cold, the universe was his. No one could stand up to him, no one could hide from him, nothing was out of his reach. Unless they weren't in this universe. Maybe that's what the Attendant was implying … he would need to travel, to hunt them down. That was possible.

But as far as Cold knew, only gods could cross from universe to universe. But that was ancient knowledge. He had never crossed a border, nor had any of his ancestors as far as he was aware. But if the Attendant mentioned it, there must be a way… Cold was the mightiest mortal in the universe, one step beneath the gods. Well, if he took that step, then nothing would separate him from his goals.

He could cross the universal borders. He could revive his sons. He could punish the Destroyer who thought his request so insignificant that it could be dismissed simply because a nap was interrupted… yes, that's it. He'd become a god, defeat the gods, and revive his children. Why stop at controlling one universe, when he could control them all?

With a painful twist, he became aware of his surroundings once again. He was on his back still, but moving. His guards were surrounding him, and he was on a stretcher. Loyalty, trust, companions. He was weak right now, weaker than he had any business appearing, and these men's scouters must be revealing that. He doubted his power was even at 5,000. Not now, not after that fight, not after those injuries.

His men knew that they knew he was weak. But instead of striking at the blood in the water, they carried him. They would heal him. They would still be his men, trusted, and loyal. These men were to be rewarded. The throne could be theirs, so easily, and yet they still serve him. This was loyalty, this was trust, and this was to be rewarded.

Hours later, Cold had gathered enough of his energy to shift back into his normal form, his second form. Temporarily refusing medical treatment, he took his place at the head of the empire. His wore a complete suit of standard issue armor. The black bodysuit clung to his muscles, showing every carved inch of power, while hiding their damage. His white and gold battle jacket was the same as his guards'. The only difference between his and theirs, is that of the rest of the empire, was the removal of the crest.

"We're live in five, four, three, two..."

"Greetings, loyal subjects." Cold made intense eye contact with the camera, as his men beside him likely were doing as well. "Custody of my throne was challenged by three Saiyans and three Earthlings. I met them in battle hours ago. They are dead. All of them are dead. The Cold Empire remained the Cold Empire."

"During this battle, I had a shift in priorities." He crossed one leg over the other, the motion burning his overused tendons. "I am taking a leave of absence, and I do not know when I will return. My aim has risen far above simply thrusting our universe into an unrivaled age of peace and prosperity. I do not know when I will return, but I will. When I do, I expect my empire, our empire, to be in the same, or better, condition than I left it."

"I am standing down from, rising above, the seat of the head of the empire. To the generals, work together, figure it out. You're on your own, but you have each other. To the soldiers, nothing will change. To the public, nothing will change. Any deviation from Cold Empire doctrine will be severely punished upon my return."

"If you think you can challenge me when I return, feel free to try. However, again, just like the Saiyans, just like the Earthlings, you will be killed. No mercy for those who challenge the Cold Empire. No mercy for those who attack the Cold Empire. No mercy for those who betray the Cold Empire. You know my expectations. Meet them, exceed them, and I will return."

Dragon Ball Z: Darkness

The people of Earth received the message moments after the fleet of blockading ships. Below the clouds, cities slowed to a crawl. They had been living in the shadow of death long enough to grow accustomed to it, the shadow had frozen, and the people were relatively free. Now though, the chains that restrained the beast were released, and their future was uncertain. Above the clouds, the Earth's warriors were jumping into action.

The enemies overhead weren't making a move yet, but they would.

Gohan was the first to be prepared. He stood on the edge of the Lookout. He wore a similar uniform to what his first master did. His dark purple shirt and pants were separated by a thick red belt, which matched his boots and sweatbands. Around his forehead he had a white headband, keeping his long black hair out of his eyes.

Loa and Piccolo were the next to be ready. Piccolo stood to his first student's right, and his second student stood to his left. He wore his standard outfit, and she wore one based on his. Her blue pants and shirt matched his belt, while her purple belt matched his gi. She did not wear a turban, but she did wear a cape, as black as his was white.

Raditz was the next to be arrive, exiting the gravity chamber with Jeice right behind him. His Saiyan battle armor was the same as it had always been, while Jeice's battle jacket was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the red alien wore a black tank top under an indigo jacket, which sported a Capsule Corp logo on the sleeve. He also wore a pair of dark gray pants, held up by a white belt, and tucked into golden boots. The aliens approached Gohan from behind, standing behind Piccolo and Loa respectively.

The humans were the last to exit the palace. Master Roshi led two of his pupils, one older, one newer. Behind them were the rest of their group, clumped together, silent, as they walked. Following his master, Yamcha glanced over at newer fighter, and his daughter...

Videl was at Hercule's side, tears threatening to spill over.

"Please, Daddy, I can help." She begged her father while holding his large hand in both of hers. "I can save lives."

"No." Hercule repeated for the tenth time while shaking his head.

Joining the others at the edge of the Lookout, Roshi stepped between Jeice and Raditz, while Hercule and Yamcha got between Loa and Jeice, and Piccolo and Raditz, respectively.

"Daddy, please." Tears began to fall from her eyes. "I need to protect you."

"No." Hercule repeated for the eleventh time.

Ox-King stepped up to the group, placing a supportive shoulder on Hercule's shoulder. "May I?" He asked, gesturing at the little girl.

Hercule shallowly smiled at the legendary warrior. "Of course."

With permission, Ox-King knelt beside Videl. All eyes on him. "Videl." He frowned at the girl, instantly gaining her attention.

"What?" She tried shooting eye beams at the man who interrupted her persuasion.

"Piccolo and Loa are close, and they're splitting up. They'll protect more ground apart than they would together, and they're strong enough to fight by themselves. Jeice and Raditz will each cover their own city as well, just like Gohan and Yamcha. Master Roshi, and your daddy, are both incredibly strong, but they work best as a team."

"And I'm part of the team!" Videl stomped her foot.

"Yes, but not theirs." Ox-King turned his frown into a smile. "Six cities will be protected by individuals. Master Roshi and your daddy will keep a seventh safe. But, what about us? Up here? But who do you think is going to keep Bulma and her parents safe? Or Chi-Chi? How about the others? Yajirobe and I are strong, but not as strong as your daddy and Master Roshi. They don't need the help, but we do. Will you stay here, and fight with us?"

Videl wiped her sweatband across her eyes, drying them. She was skeptical, but all around her the adults were smiling. Even Gohan was smiling at her. She couldn't defend a city by herself, but could she help here?

"Keep her safe." Hercule whispered as he touched Gohan's upper arm, along with everyone else.

"We will." Ox-King placed his hands on the girl's shoulders as he lifted himself into the air. When Videl turned around, the fighters were gone.

After the first pop, Master Roshi and Hercule released Gohan. After the second, Yamcha let go. Raditz let go next, followed by Loa, Piccolo, and Jeice. Finally, Gohan was alone over the skies of South City.

Central City

With the alarms raised and the streets empty, Roshi and Hercule were the only civilians in the city. Members of the general public were corralled in large underground bunkers. They would be safe from enemy armies, conventional warheads, and with some luck, the Cold Empire.

Roshi was the first to notice the incoming fleet. With his head, and body, on a swivel, he accelerated his dark cloud north, towards the incoming soldiers. Hercule was on his heels, running to keep up.

They arrived right as the battle was sparking off. A conventional blockade was in place, but instead of sandbags, the soldiers were using armored vehicles as cover. Instead of mounted weapons, they used long barreled ki blasters.

By himself, no Earth soldier could hope to shoot a Cold Empire fighter. But with a dozen men and women beside him, with an organized firing strategy, and with the sky darkened by the number of attacking troops, they were managing to hit their target, or one of equal importance, with almost every blast.

Once he arrived, Roshi leaped from his cloud. The aliens were capable of flight, a skill he did not yet have for himself. Furthermore, their armor kept them safe, while their blasters slowly ate away at the human soldiers. Their armor wasn't full body though, and they had massive openings.

Starting his assault by smashing a ki reinforced foot into the back of the neck of one soldier, Roshi jumped to the next. There he elbowed the alien's throat, before throwing him down to force himself up once again. Reaching a third, Roshi forced it's head down, and his knee up, crushing its skull and costing him altitude. Encountering a fourth on his way down he delivered a knifehand to the top of his skull, splitting it open.

They were strong, they were tough, but compared to him, they were slow. And due to his experience, he had no issue bringing these grunts down with a single blow. Sure, if they ever hit him, he'd go down like a pack of eggs. But as long as he kept moving, he'd keep alive.

As Roshi cut his way through the enemy overhead, Hercule stayed near the Earth troops. Claiming a tank as his footing, he focused his energy into his right palm. Slowly, a small blue orb of ki had formed. He couldn't fire it like a beam, nor could he shoot it like a bullet, but leaning back he sighted a target.

"Hey, ugly!" He shouted at one of several aliens in a tight cluster.

Getting the invader's attention, he through the sphere of ki overhand. The befuddled warrior caught the sphere of energy. It was solid, as if encased in glass. He held it over head, inspecting the construction… when it exploded, it took his surrounding teammates with him.

Hercule continued his slow assault. He was only capable of creating one bomb for every one or two dozen troops his master brought down, but he was making an impact. He was taking attention away from the turtle hermit, and, and directing it towards himself...

As Hercule formed his next ki bomb, the weapon fire around him went silent. He didn't notice. As he prepared to throw the attack, a purple hand gripped his arm. Nails dug into his flesh. Letting his instincts take over, the student wrapped his left hand around the attacker's wrist, and heaved him over his back. To finish the defensive move, he shattered the bomb on his head, instantly killing the enemy, and launching himself backwards.

Before Hercule hit the ground, Roshi was behind him, carrying him to a gentle landing. With his student unconscious and the brave men and women around him slowly retreating towards the world's palace, he forced his ki out of his core, and into his muscles.

As Roshi's musculature doubled in size, then tripled, and continued to grow, he drew his hands back.

"Ka… me…" He chanted, forming the true version of what Hercule was attempting to perform. "Ha… me…" The attack began to cast off beams of blue light, and scouters all around him began to chirp. "HA!"

The old man thrust his hands forward at the nearest cloud of enemies, widening his fingers as far apart as he could while still keeping his wrists together. The beam attack coned out, greatly reducing its power, but growing capable of enveloping the entirety of his target.

As the smoke cleared the fighting stopped. The human's blasters were powerful, but their defenses were weak. The alien's bodies were strong, but they could only kill one human at a time. This, this man, just turned an entire portion of the attack force into dust.

As Roshi fell to his knees, exhausted, a cluster of Earth soldiers approached him. This man was powerful, he needed to be protected, revived, and brought back into the battle...

East City

Yamcha was facing similar numbers to what his master and peer were. Except, where they were reinforced by the bulk of the world's military, he was virtually alone. Before the enemy arrived he flew over the city, hollering his alert.

"GET TO SAFETY! THE ALIENS ARE COMING!" He repeated over and over.

At first he was feared. Anyone that could fly couldn't be human, could they? But that initial fear was good enough. People ran, people hid. And, when the aliens crested the horizon, true panic set in. Yamcha was clearing blocks, the aliens were clearing the entire city.

Floating over the city, drawing the attention of the first wave, Yamcha summoned a Spirit Ball in each hand. When they were nearly in his range, when he could see the blue, green, red, or orange, of their scouters, he threw each attack. Both hit their targets, boring through the nearest invaders, as well as injuring the ones directly behind them.

As the blood of four aliens showered their fellow soldiers, a rain of ki blasts showered Yamcha. They were weak compared to him. They were nothing compared to him. But they were numerous, and while he knew there was a finite number of attackers, he felt they could be endless.

Yamcha ducked and wove around the incoming blasts, trying to keep himself above the invaders. If they missed him their blasts would continue into space, where as if he was below them, who knew what they may hit. As he danced, he kept his hands where he needed them. Sharply tilting his wrists, bending his fingers, and thrusting his palms, he kept control of his Spirit Balls.

Two soldiers died with their approach, and two more were immediately injured. While he had the attention of the first wave, he was cutting his way through the second. Anyone that got distracted, anyone that fired downward, made themselves an immediate target of his.

Unfortunately for the former bandit, his long-range attack became virtually useless when soldiers were able to close in on him. He sliced and diced his way through a large number of them, but he couldn't get them all, and when the first troops engaged him in melee combat, he had to let others slip through to the city below.

"Wolf Fang Fist!" He howled as his dismissed his Spirit Balls, encasing his hands in ki. One strike, one kill. One lunge, one evasion. To the attackers, Yamcha blurred into an orange and blue smudge as he cut his way through their ranks.

He was being swarmed. He was taking dozens of hits. He was going to be soar, but he was going to live. While he was fighting in the skies, enemies descended on the city below.

The army split up on the streets. A handful of soldiers would enter each building, and execute all occupants. As they swept their way from block to block, one soldier went off on his own.

The armored brute bulldozed his way up ornate stairs. Putting his shoulder forward he smashed his way through the doors of a wooden temple. Inside he came face-to-face with a half dozen men, holding wooden staffs, with dots on their foreheads. While one monk died, so too did the intruder. In an attempt to ward away more attackers, they dowsed the aliens body in oil, and threw it down the stone stairs as they lit it on fire. Unfortunately for them, all they managed to do was attract more attention.

Smelling smoke, Yamcha took a dive. Tired of being stung, he left the bees behind, and sought out the fire. As he approached the temple, he saw a fresh swarm of invaders closing in on it. Not bothering to slow down, he used his body as a missile, exploding upon impact with the stairs.

Raising his hands to his head as he rose from the dust, he called his attack.

"Solar Flare!" With the combatants blinded, both aliens and human, he began his assault once more. "Wolf Fang Fist!"

North City

Unlike the others, Raditz used a strong offense as his only defense. Even if a soldier slipped by him, the next batch would all die. Due to this, individual enemies ran rampant through the town, killing all humans they came across, but a majority of the enemy was kept away, and a majority of the civilians were unmolested.

Using his ki detection, he zipped across the city, meeting incoming groups over semi abandoned suburbs. With a combination of continuous ki bullets and melee blitzes, he was ripping his way through entire companies of Cold Empire soldiers in minutes. He wasn't a Super Saiyan, but he was still a Saiyan, and the spilling of enemy blood brought his own to life.

After dispatching his fifth, or possibly sixth, wave of enemies, Raditz turned his senses to the town below. He expected death, chaos, fear, and he wasn't disappointed. To his surprise though, there weren't nearly as many soldiers as he had expected. He knew at least a dozen enemies made it past him, he only sensed seven, and a breath later, he only sensed six.

"These humans are doing well." He grinned from ear to ear. If they could protect themselves, then even if some died, he would be guilt-free. Sensing another squad approaching, Raditz took off for the far edge of the city.

Below him another alien died.

A tanned teenager shot a blast through the alien's corpse, before rushing towards the next lone soldier. His slicked back black hair bounced as his matching shoes ran through the town. His green jumpsuit was starting to match his brown eyes, due to the blood soaking into it. The red belt he wore, complete with matching white "R"s was somehow avoiding the gore. Coming across his next target he pointed two fingers at the enemy, braced his wrist, and fired another killing blow.

Ginger Town

Over the center of the largest intersection in the small town, Piccolo held his ground. With such a small population, it was a trivial task to get everyone to safety, and conveniently, the one bunker in town was large enough for all.

Piccolo stood above the structure, using a technique he hadn't thought of in, he couldn't remember how long. His spread feet reached opposite sides of the massive traffic circle, and his shoulders were even with the office blocks around him.

A third of his mind was focused on the people underfoot. He didn't know how many people were there, he didn't care to dedicate the energy to count. He did know though that they were alive, and they were well. As he continued demolishing their home, he would make sure they remained as such.

The second third of his mind was dedicated to his offense, and his defense. His attacks were small but potent, unaimed but lethal. Five new blasts were formed, and slung out, replacing the ones that he had activated. All around him, high and low, near and far, were unevenly spaced ki balls, hanging in the air, a visible minefield.

The final third section of his mind was dedicated to their use. Each potential blast ranged from 4 to 6 feet from their nearest neighbor, and each had a 3-foot kill radius. As the soldiers approached, they were surrounded, they were erased. This is how it would remain, as long as they would come, he would protect the Earthlings, he would prepare more defenses, and he would kill more soldiers.

Orange Star City

Much like Raditz, Jeice used an extremely aggressive approach to defend the civilians entrusted to him. While the residents of the city sheltered in their basements, internal rooms, and in a few scattered bunkers, Jeice littered their suburbs with the corpses of Frieza Force members.

Using a red tinted ki blade, he cut his way through large groups. As individuals got to the streets, started menacing noncombatants, he would throw his blade like a javelin, before replacing it with a new, just as lethal, sword.

While he was successful in defending a majority of the people under his watch, he was slowing down. He was used to fights, but not massacres, not this. For every soldier he cut down, a dozen more seemed to appear.

Eventually, as one group engaged him at the eastern border of the town, a squad moved in from the west. Feeling lives being lost, feeling soldiers searching the city below, he cursed in frustration. Curling his limbs in on himself and flying backwards, he drew the attackers in, narrowed them, got them in a line. Snapping his body out he quickly formed a dome of energy behind him, blasting his Explosive Wave forward while protecting the city behind him.

With that company handled, he locked onto the strongest power to the west, summoned a new ki blade, and charged.

West City

Capsule Corp was formerly the most high-tech facility on the planet. When the Cold Empire arrived, it partnered with the government of Earth. Bunkers were built, bulkheads were reinforced, and the vast estate was converted into a militarized research and development-oriented fortress. The carpets were still plush, the decor was still ornate, But under the skin, it was built for survival.

The friendliest looking soldiers directed uncounted civilians through well drilled courses, into the depths of the compound. Teams of riflemen occupied every window. Demolition crews reduced the surrounding structures to rubble. Rings of firing squads surrounded the building, twenty men deep, ready to fire upon any attacker.

Loa had introduced herself to the command, and stood atop the Capsule Corp dome. When the first wave of enemies arrived, she was prepared. Without moving her feet, she swung her arm across the horizon, inflating her hand. The limb shot outward, breaking the sound barrier as she whipped it over her protected territory. The impact of her massive fist brought down soldiers by the dozen, and the back swing was just as successful. She sensed the troops, still alive, but near death. If they retreated, they would live. If they pushed forward, they would die.

The second wave saw the fate of the first, and split up. Opening her fist, spreading her palm, Loa made the same quick work of the second wave, as she did the first.

The third wave kept their distance from the beast. Raising into the air they fired down on defending soldiers. Loa was fast, but not fast enough, and bodies were sent flying. Return fire was launched, and enemies fell from the sky, but not nearly quick enough.

Loa launched herself from her post, rushing into the heat of battle. Losing herself in the brawl. She left the soldiers to protect the innocent, while she tried to defend them. While not another single Earthling died on the side of the compound she was protecting, the soldiers on the far side were not nearly as lucky.

She heard their screams as they burnt. She felt their energies as they fell. She tasted blood in the air.

Quickly expanding her form, freeing herself from the swarm, she launched herself to the far side of the building. The soldiers she left would be fine. Her enemies were stunned, they would be easy targets.

She landed in front of the main entrance. The grass was burnt, the fence was collapsing, and no life was near. The battle was quick, bloody, and a loss on this side. Sensing more violence inside the building, she shot like a rocket through the building.

The first enemy she came across was flattened against a reinforced wall by her approach. The rest were already firing in her direction. The first was trying to break into the bunker complex. And when he died, the rest decided to blast their way through.

The blasts struck Loa, one after the other. She didn't dodge, she didn't evade. She stood there, letting her body expand with every impact. She would protect this door. She would protect the civilians. The enemies numbers slowly grew as she focused on the people behind her. The shots hurt, but not that much. They punctured her body, but she could close her wounds. They burnt her flesh, but she could repair her skin. Whatever they did to her, she could take, she would take.

Heat rushed over her from behind, as the steel door she was defending smashed into her. Smoke filled the air, and a single man, nearly indistinguishable from a human, strode out.

"Idiots." He grinned at the soldiers. "They ushered me right in."

The man that had crashed into her, the man who had wiped out the population of West City, would suffer. He was tall, broad, and aside from a Frieza Force logo on his chest, he would have been human.

Loa threw the door off of her. Pausing for a moment, taking another barrage of blasts, she sent her sense into the bunker. There was life, a fraction of what it was before, but it was fading, burning away. He, he killed them, and he didn't even have the decency to do it quickly. No, he let them burn, he let them suffer. Steam began to whistle from her pores, and her skin flushed from pink to red, as she let her anger take over.

The civilians were dead. Not yet, but they would be. The military was dead. Not yet, not all of them, but any second now. Pushing her energy out she inflated her body further. The man that killed the civilians took a step back, his scouter warning him of the monster in front of him.

As the soldiers on the far side of Loa began to flee, the humanoid decided to try his luck. Focusing his ki into his palm he swung a fist at Loa's chest, penetrating deep into the squishy material. Loa didn't react. Her attention was elsewhere. Three soldiers remained.

The man pulled on his fist, but could not free himself.

Two soldiers remained.

He propped his feet against her sternum and pushed. The only result? His feet sinking into her body.

One soldier remained.

Thinking quickly, the warrior spawned a ball of ki inside of Loa's chest. Pouring energy into it he let it grow, before popping it inside the woman.

Loa felt what he was doing when the last Earthling in her territory died. Feeling the burning pain, she allowed him to detonate the blast, she added to it, she magnified it. The Frieza Force warrior was reduced to dust in the blast, and Loa did not fair much better.

As the Capsule Corp dome fell in upon itself, smoke, ash, and pink flakes rose into the air, spreading out. The countless enemies surrounding the building froze. They were supposed to kill all Earthlings in the sector, and with that blast, their job was done. As a cheer of victory rang out, pink blobs, no larger than a pencil eraser, began to land on them.

Slowly at first, rapidly once noticed, the pink flecks smoothed against the invaders. They spread out as they thinned, encasing the army in biological material. They began to flee, but their flight slowed at first, before they stopped, and were drawn back in.

The first soldiers to be dragged to Capsule Corp's crater collided. Their bodies began to merge as their amnion refused. The avalanche of terrified, struggling, soldiers continued as Loa's body slowly rebuilt itself, absorbing the weak bodies, the wasted lives, the evil souls, of Earth's attackers.

South City

Gohan multitasked as much as he could. With his Super Saiyan powers raging though, he found it hard to focus on his real task. Soldiers were trickling in, and weren't even getting close to his city. A group from the north would receive a barrage of ki bullets, and a group from the south would be handled by a single Kienzan.

As the sun set on the first day of battle his aura faded. His hair stayed golden, and his eyes stayed green, but he was growing tired. He had no doubt he'd be able to take on the entire army, by himself, but this, a constant onslaught, it was wearing on him. This wasn't a battle, it was a siege, and not one he was prepared for.

As soldiers began to march through the streets, they began to fall from another, unseen attacker. Relying on his cybernetic enhancements, the assassin was able to place one lethal shot after another, before hiding and waiting for the coast to clear.

As the halfmoon rose, Gohan began to grow sloppy, as did the other combatants, all around the world. Loa relocated to Central City. Her mission was a failure, but she could reinforce the others. She could put more enemies to good use.

Yamcha used the Orin Temple as a crematorium. The monks had fled hours ago, but he continued to use their fire. The smoke warned humans to stay away, and drew the Cold Empire soldiers in. One after another, after another, after another, went down, before rising as smoke.

Raditz had used too much of his energy too quickly. While at first he could repel entire armies with single, massive, attacks, he quickly grew tired. Now having to engage each troop in melee combat, he wasn't nearly as successful as he was at first. More and more soldiers were slipping through. More and more civilians were dying. And somewhere around the 6-hour mark, the soldiers that managed to land, stopped dying. Whoever had been fighting back, wasn't doing so anymore.

While Piccolo managed to keep everyone under his protection safe, he didn't know how much longer that would be true for. While he could create hundreds, thousands, of blasts, he never trained to maintain them, not like this. His tight web of energy balls slowly widened as their numbers dwindled. At this point he was barely maintaining a dozen blasts, and he was sending them after the enemies as they got too close. He was lashing out, and that was all he could do.

Jeice was thankful for the minor, yet active, military presence. At first they hid in their reinforced shelters, more than happy to let him protect them. But, as human blood was being spilled, they came out, they pushed, and it wouldn't last long, but they were repelling the invaders.

Panting, settling to the ground, Gohan's hair faded to black. This was too much, he needed a break, he needed energy. The coast was clear, not for long, but for long enough. Touching two fingers to his head, he transmitted himself to Piccolo.

"Gohan!" Piccolo shouted as he nearly wasted several blasts on the boy.

"Mr. Piccolo." Gohan settled to the ground next to his master's feet. "I can't keep this up. What do we do?"

Piccolo looked around. There was no one nearby. He through his attention down, everyone was alive. "The army here is in good condition. Let's gather the others and regroup."

With that Piccolo let himself shrink back to his normal size, and touched his student's arm. Gohan locked on to Jeice's energy and an instant later they were beside him.

Piccolo swung an arm out, blocking Jeice's low powered blast. "Grab on." He growled.

Moments later Raditz was among them, followed by Yamcha, Roshi, Hercule, and an ill looking Loa. With one final Instant Transmission, they were back at the Lookout.

As water was handed out and drank, as Videl and Hercule reunited, and as Loa jumped from the edge of the Lookout, the Cold Empire made their move. As soon as the Earth's defenders retreated, the report was made.

Within a minute of their regrouping, the attackers received reinforcements. Within a minute of reinforcements arriving, their efforts doubled. Within a minute of pushing forward, cities were on fire, and shortly after, bunkers were breached, and humanity fell.

As the group regained their power, regained their senses, they felt what had happened in their absence. The number of enemies on the ground eclipsed what they had been facing moments ago, and they were far more spread out as well.

People were alive, but other people were dying every second. And they didn't know if they, or their loved ones, would soon be in that latter group.

"Do you feel them?" Jeice asked as he forced himself to his feet. "They keep approaching, and keep fading. What's going on?"

"It's Loa." Piccolo said as he set his feet back on the floor. "She's under us, giving us a break. She's getting tired though. She needs to rest."

"It's not safe here." Raditz said, glancing at Hercule and Videl. "I don't think we should stay here, not if they can find us."

"They can." Piccolo said. "when Kami was the Guardian, this place was protected, a lot more than it is now. But without him, we're just in a floating castle, nothing else."

"So where do we go?" Jeice half stumbled a step towards Piccolo.

"We get Dad." Gohan said. "He can help."

Silence fell over the Lookout once again.

"I'll be right back." Gohan nodded to Chi-Chi, brought two fingers to his forehead, and was gone.

While he was away, silence continued. The fighter's thoughts turned to salvation. If Goku were here, a fresh fighter, a powerful fighter, they would almost certainly be able to repel at least another wave. He'd at least allow them to recover. Bulma's thoughts turned to Cold...

Minutes later, Gohan reappeared, tears streaming down his cheeks. His eyes red and puffy, he hiccuped. Slowly, he stretched his right arm out. "Everyone, grab on. We're going to King Kai's planet."

"King Kai?" Piccolo asked. "Why are we going there?"

Gohan shook his head as Piccolo touched his shoulder. Letting out a sigh, he answered the best he could. "Because it's safe there. Someone, get Loa."

The group obeyed without response. Bulma and her parents, Videl, Puar, Oolong, and Korin, everyone crowded around the grieving boy, everyone touched him. Together, intimately close, they waited. Hugging

Finally, Jeice rose above the edge of the platform, Loa in both of his arms. Her energy was strong, aggravated, but she was barely reacting. Something was wrong with her, her normally pink skin had faded to yellow, and her typically slender form had grown quite robust.

Jeice touched Gohan's hand, and helped Loa do the same. No time later, the Lookout was gone, the darkness was gone, and light had returned to their lives. The death and suffering that had surrounded them was immediately replaced with the dead and the overseer of their galaxy.

Piccolo moved first, disregarding Goku, disregarding Tien, disregarding everything, he was kneeling beside the now collapsed Loa.

"Are you okay?" He begged, grabbing one of her hands.

"Let me through!" King Kai hollered as he pushed his way to the woman's side. Upon seeing her his stomach turned. "Majin? A Majin?"

He spread his hands apart, hovering them inches over her body. His antennas twitched as he analyzed her body.

Her body continued growing. Her skin continued to change. Parts of her exposed midriff collapsed inward, as the skin around them thickened and grew outward, forming cannon barrel like holes in her belly.

As she continued to inflate, her arms and legs began to change color. A dull purple tone crept down her legs, not stopping until her entire lower body had changed. From her shoulders to her elbows, the same tone crept over her body. Her bright eyes changed as well, as her skull began to morph.

Her two ears, holes on her head, were the first change. As if someone pinched them, treated them like modeling clay, they were pulled back, sharpened, eventually becoming elf like in appearance. Her antenna was next. It slowly retracted off of her head, down her back, leaving two pseudo horns behind.

As her form settled she blinked her eyes. People were above her, around her. There were souls everywhere, she could taste them in the air. Bouncing upward, she hovered over the group. Clapping twice she laughed in a new, childlike voice. Waving goodbye with one hand, she formed a marble-sized energy ball in the other. As she rocketed down Snake Way, she left the ball, which quickly expanded, passing through King Kai's planet, over the inhabitants, and surrounding them.

King Kai lifted his gaze to Piccolo. "She absorbed evil people?"

Piccolo shrugged, but Hercule answered. "She was absorbing all kinds of aliens. Why?"

King Kai sighed and hung his head. "That's not good."

Author's note: Who knew that exposure to massive numbers of evil souls could have odd side effects? Not me, that's for sure.