Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

By Feraligreater328

A/N: I hope you all enjoy this one. This chapter was my main reason to not just skip the Garlic Junior Saga. Please leave a review to let me know what you think~

Chapter 49: Birth of the Makyan Disgrace

In an unknown location...

Gine woke up wreathed in pain. The Saiyan woman sat up, with serious effort, and tried to get her bearings. The last thing she remembered, before blacking out, was the feeling of Garlic Junior's boot on her face and the look of horror in Gohan's eyes. At that thought, Gine flinched in shock. "Gohan!"

She tried to stand up, but instantly fell onto her face. Jolts of intense agony ran up and down Gine's body as she laid face down on the ground. She was hurt bad. As she tried to push herself up, knowing that Gohan needed her, Gine was suddenly spoken to by an unseen presence. "You should calm down, you'll only make ya injuries worse."

Gine jerked her attention towards the voice and came upon an unusual sight, a talking cat. She shakily spoke at the adorable, but wise-looking creature. "Wh-Who are you?"

The cat smiled. "My name is Korin. I'm the hermit that lives below Kami's Lookout."

Gine nodded. "R-Right. I remember...everyone was worried about you when we first arrived. They were afraid that the Blackwater Mist might have claimed you as well..."

Korin chuckled. "Nah. When I first saw that mist raining down from the heavens, I knew that I had to escape just in case you guys weren't able to stop the demons up above. Someone had to be awake to tell Goku what was up when he returned to the Earth. So, I came in here, where the mist had no chance of turning me."

Gine flinched. "You...know my son?"

Korin nodded. "Of course, I do. I trained him a while ago. He's surpassed my teaching by a lot since then. One of the pupils that I'm prouder of, the more I think about him."

Gine looked around where she and this cat were, taking in the dank, dark cave around them. "Wh-What makes this place so safe from the Blackwater Mist? It doesn't look like anything more than a cave..."

Korin smiled. "I can show you why. Why don't you follow me?"

Gine nodded and tried to stand up again, feeling more jolting pain through her entire body and then falling again. Korin walked up to her. "Yeah, that figures. You fell a pretty long way. Here!"

Korin held out his staff, offering it to Gine for use as a crutch. She took it with a thankful nod and leaned her broken weight onto it. She and Korin walked deeper into the cave and Korin spoke to himself. "It's a shame. I went to grab some Senzu Beans, just in case, but Yajirobe was turned before I could get any. Now, that oaf wouldn't normally be a problem for me to handle, but the mist seems to give supernatural boosts to any of the things it infects. Heck, if it weren't for my own years of training and conditioning, it might've turned me too..."

Gine was only half-listening as Korin spoke, focusing on both her own trouble walking and the ever-increasing lighting within this cave. It filled her with curiosity as the deeper they walked in, the brighter it seemed to get. As they walked down an old set of rickety, wooden stairs, Gine spoke up. "Just what kind of cave is this?"

Korin smiled as they made it to the bottom of the stairs, and Gine herself was left staring in awe. Expanding out before them, glowing with a holy blue light and giving an air of peace and security, was a massive spring. Korin chuckled and swiped his staff back. Gine nearly buckled over, but was saved from faceplanting by Mr. Popo. Korin walked up to the edge of the water, next to a kneeling Kami, and motioned to the water. "Welcome to the Hermit Spring!"

Gine and Mr. Popo both walked up to the edge of the water as well, Gine cringing as she was helped to the ground. She looked to Korin, and then over to Kami next to her. "Wh-What is he doing?"

Korin pointed to the water. "The Hermit Spring is a place of reflection and clarity. Those seeking answers in their lives can come here and gaze into the depths of the water to find answers to the challenges they face in life. Kami's spirit was troubled, and there isn't much else he can do at the moment, so I encouraged him to have a gaze and see if he can find some answers he's been seeking for so long."

Gine nodded. "I... see..."

Korin continued. "Goku came here long ago as well. As part of his training for the fight with King Piccolo. He stared into the waters and that allowed him to come to terms with Krillin's death and prepare for his final fight with the Demon King."

The wise, old cat picked up a pawful of water and tossed it into the air. It sparkled with the beauty of the finest jewels. "This spring is too pure for something like that mist to affect it. It is a safe place from such wicked forces."

He turned his attention to Gine. "And you, ma'am, are in the same position as Kami right now. If you try to go back up there and fight those monsters in your current state, they'll kill you."

Gine gripped her fists tight. "But what else am I supposed to do?!"

Korin held up a calming hand. "Your spirit is weighed down by sins from the past. Intense guilt that you've held onto for the longest time. Perhaps, if you were to face this guilt head-on, you might be able to overcome it and draw even greater strength."

Gine glanced away from Korin and down into her own bruised reflection in the water. "Face it head-on?"

Korin nodded, dipping the tip of his staff into the water and causing ripples on the surface. "Face it head-on. Reflect. Look into your past and use that to decide your future."

Gine stared at her reflection and, slowly, she began to sink into it. Descending further and further, into the recesses of her own mind. All at once, Gine went back to the time so many years ago...

Years ago, on Planet Makyo...

Gnarled branches snapped and cracked under the feet of Gine and her new squadmates. Together, she and Ayam and Spara had been hiking through the dark forests of Planet Makyo to make it to their destination. A dangerous, black fog covered the ground of the Makyan landscape, necessitating that Gine and her weaker teammates all wear protective masks to avoid falling under the influence of it.

The goal of this mission had been laid out plain for them before they were sent off from the main battlefront: they were to find an encampment that was used by the Makyan Kingdom to guard the royal castle of King Garlic and lay a tracker in it for the Saiyan Dropships to target and destroy. It was a simple stealth mission, one befitting three weaklings such as themselves.

After such a long walk, they soon came upon their target. It was a massive tower that stood before them, hundreds of stories tall and black as pitch. It blended in seamlessly with the black and red Makyan skyline. A perfect ambush on any ships that might try to invade to deeply into the planet. Gine stared up at the tower, feeling quite intimidated by it all. "We just have to find a way to break in, right?"

Ayam was equally intimidated, although one couldn't tell by the forced confident look on her chubby, old face. "Y-Yeah. It shouldn't be too hard, right Spara?"

Spara, unlike his female peers, was quite peppy in the face of danger. "No sweat! I was shown some diagrams of towers like this by one of the commanders. They all have access vents around them for the discharge of heat from the defense systems. We could sneak in through one of those and be safe, so long as the weapon itself doesn't fire."

Gine nodded. "Okay. Sounds like a plan. Let's find one of those, do our job, and get out of this creepy place..."

After some searching, the three low-class Saiyans came across the vent they were looking for. The ground around it was scorched, likely from all of the heat that Spara had mentioned. It took the young man only a couple of minutes to pry the grate loose. Once he did, he turned to his peers with a satisfied smile. "Okay ladies! Let's head in!"

Ayam and Gine both had a chuckle at the boy's eagerness. They both stepped into the vent and Spara followed, putting the grate loosely back in place to avoid suspicion. All seemed to be going off without a hitch. But, unfortunately for the three Saiyans, none of them noticed the lesser Makyan perched on a structure directly above them.

Within the Makyan Tower...

It was hard to be quiet while crawling through the cramped vents of the Makyan Tower, but Gine, Ayam, and Spara were trying their best. The three of them were all awkward and clumsy in their own special ways, but they eventually came upon another grate to exit their tight passage.

The grate was softly set to the side by Spara and the three of them crawled out into a pitch-black hallway. Ayam shivered at the sheer darkness surrounding them. "Geez. Don't these Makyans ever get sick of being surrounded by darkness?"

Gine shook her head. "Well, they are vampires. So..."

Spara put the grate back in place and then started digging into his bag. "Well, luckily I brought along some cures for that darkness~"

He handed Ayam and Gine each a small case. They opened them and found a small eye piece and a small earpiece. After putting them both on, the two women were surprised to see that a lot of the inky blackness had been cleared up. Spara smiled. "A night-vision spyglass and an inner-ear communicator! That way we can split up and search for the control room for this place and maintain a clear line of communication!"

Gine smiled sweetly. "Good thinking Spara!"

Ayam smiled. "Yeah, I have to admit it. That was a smart move, kid."

Spara chuckled. "Th-Thanks guys~"

He sighed. "Okay then. Now, I think we should leave the tracking beacon with the strongest of us. So, we'll leave it with you Gine."

Gine blushed. "Oh! W-Wow...I'm the strongest?"

Ayam and Spara both nodded. Gine looked genuinely stunned. "I... have never heard someone say that about me before..."

Spara handed the beacon to Gine and she strapped it onto her back. Once that was done, each of the Saiyans picked a hallway and nodded to one another. It was time to get searching for that control room.

The hallways stretched on and on, seemingly infinitely, as the three of them undertook their search. Massive, dark expanses of nothing but empty hallway. The longer they went along, the more nervous the three of them seemed to get. It got to the point where Gine could hear Spara's heavy, fearful breathing in her ear before she quietly spoke up. "Perhaps...some light conversation would help steady everyone's nerves?"

Silence at first, but then Ayam spoke up. "Conversation? Wh-What are we supposed to talk about in this situation?"

Gine responded back. "I-I don't know what we could talk about..."

Spara spoke up. "We could...talk about our lives on Planet Vegeta. Just as, ya know, a way to get our minds off of how overwhelmingly creepy this place is..."

Another long silence. But then, Ayam spoke up again. "W-Well...I've never been the strongest Saiyan in the army. B-But my son is. He's grown into a fine mid-class warrior, despite coming from two low-classes. We...barely get to talk anymore, because he's so busy and so high up the food chain nowadays..."

Gine and Spara could hear her smile. "But I hope he knows how proud I am of him. Even if I'm always seen as trash by the upper crust of society...even if he's started to see me the same way...he's honored me by becoming such a great warrior..."

Spara chuckled. "That's so sweet, Miss Ayam."

Ayam snorted. "Hmmph. And just what do you have back home, Spara?"

Spara smiled. "Well...my Dad is a mid-class just like your son is. He's served with some of the best. I actually think he's on General Nappa's ship right now..."

His voice shifted to a somewhat downtrodden tone. "He seemed disappointed when my power level turned out as low as it did. But he never kicked me out of our home. So, as thanks for that, I want to do what I can to maintain the pride of our family name. I... I might be weak, but I will do what I can for the sake of honoring our bloodline."

As Ayam and Spara chatted back and forth, Gine remained silent. She was silently kicking herself for bringing up the topic of conversation in the first place, not thinking ahead to see that it might lead here. Truth be told, Gine didn't have much in the way of a home life, at least not in the same way that Ayam and Spara seemed to. She was born of a somewhat massive, mid-class litter. And she was the one runt out of all of them. It didn't take long for her to be put out on the street by her much more powerful siblings.

She barely even remembered any of her family's names. She couldn't recall her mother's face if you paid her to. The only detail she remembered was that her father's name was Oyon. And even then, other than a small act of kindness towards her, helping her enlist into the army in the first place, Gine could barely remember him. Ayam spoke up into the chat. "So Gine, what are you here fighting for?"

Gine was given pause by this question. Thinking hard, she came up with an answer that a certain person she knew would give. "M-Myself, of course! I don't have time for hang ups with home life or any of that sh-shit...I fight for me!"

Another brief silence, but then Ayam and Spara both started to praise her over the mic. It was wonderful, in their eyes, that a weak soldier like Gine still had the dignity to seek her own honor, even in the face of inherent weakness!

As the praised Gine for being such a noble warrior, however, the Saiyan woman's face burned red. She couldn't share with them the real reason she kept going. It was so un-Saiyan-like that they would surely mock her for it. As the two of them continued to quietly chat to themselves, Gine thought back to her friends. Specifically, she thought of Fasha...and Bardock.

The Makyan battlefront...

Bardock and the rest of his crew were resting in a clearing after they're latest battle. Panbukin had already popped open three cans of indiscriminate meat and flushed them down his gullet. Toma, sitting next to a fire, snapped at him. "Hey! I get that you're wasting away over there, bud, but try not to eat all of the rations. Okay?!"

Panbukin flipped him off and popped open a fourth can. "Why don'tcha eat that, Toma?"

Toma smirked and tackled him off of the log. "Flip me off, will you?!"

As the two of them wrestled on the ground, Toma quickly gaining the advantage, Leek was patching up a fresh set of gashes on Totepo's balding head. "Yeah, sorry Totepo. That's definitely going to leave a pretty nasty scar."

Totepo grunted and shrugged. Bardock, meanwhile, was sat on a high tree branch, overlooking his crew. After Toma and Panbukin finished their wrestling match, the two of them got back to preparing a proper meal for the rest of the crew, none of them having had a bite for the last day and a half. He looked from those two, to Leek and Totepo, and then off in the distance to Fasha. She had been sent to refill canteens from a nearby river, but Bardock could plainly see that she was just standing there lost in her own thoughts. He leapt down from his spot on the tree and walked over to see what the issue was.

After a bit of walking, Bardock made it over to Fasha. "Something wrong?"

Fasha was snapped back into attention. She looked at Bardock, a blush on her face, and shook her head. "N-No. It's nothing. I'm just..."

Bardock sighed and sat on a nearby tree root. "Look. Reassignments happen. That's life. She'll survive and, once this war with these damned vampires is over, we'll request that she be reassigned back to us."

Fasha knelt down, going back to her task of filling the canteens. "I'm just worried about her, Bardock. Gine's a softy. I don't want something to happen to her and we not be around to do something about it..."

Bardock smirked. "Aww! Fasha's worried about her side-girlfriend. If you keep acting like this, Toma's gonna get jealous!"

Fasha snapped at Bardock. "Cut the crap! I'm not the only person here who has that type of relationship with Gine. You and her are together a whole hell of a lot more than she and I are. Are you really going to sit there and tell me that you aren't at least a little worried?"

Bardock was silent. Fasha sneered at him. "When she and I... got together...before our deployment, she told me that you wouldn't even act like your relationship meant something. And..."

Fasha crumpled a canteen tight in her grip. "You can't just do that to people Bardock. You can't just act like it doesn't mean anything. Especially with someone like her."

Bardock grunted. "Okay. Too far. Back it up."

He and Fasha glared at each other. Bardock spoke bluntly. "I don't have time for sentimental crap, Fasha. Especially not before we're shipped out for an invasion. We have a war to fight, battles to win...we have priorities, Fasha!"

Fasha glared at him. "You don't sound too sure. That silent pause speaks volumes, Bardock."

Bardock was stone-faced. "You're reading too much into things."

On the inside, however, Bardock's opinion was quite the opposite. Deep down, he didn't disagree with Fasha. He was worried for Gine, if just a bit. But he had priorities to focus on as the leader of the group. Everyone had told him that Gine was part of a stealth squad for this deployment, a specifically non-combatant unit. She would be fine, as long as she did her job properly. Bardock had to focus on more important matters, making sure that he and Toma and Fasha and Panbukin and Totepo and Leek all made it home alive.

Bardock stood. "Hurry up and finish and then come and get something to eat. We'll just say that that canteen you destroyed was mine and you'll be sharing with me for the rest of the deployment."

He started to walk away and Fasha's glare went from him and back down to the stream. "Asshole."

Bardock continued to walk away, listening as Fasha mumbled to herself. "But, maybe he's right. Gine is in a K-Squad and they don't fight, so maybe my priorities shouldn't be focused on her right now..."

That little detail that she let slip, however, caught Bardock's attention. He turned on his heel and ran back to Fasha, grabbing her by the armor strap and turning her to face him. "She's in a what?!"

Back at the Tower...

Gine continued to remain mum, slowly making her way down the dark hallways of the Makyan Tower as Ayam and Spara continued their conversation. She didn't want to cut them off or force them to worry, but it was becoming increasingly clear to her that they were lost, trapped in the labyrinthine structures of this hellish place.

As she listened to Ayam and Spara talk, it reminded her of her old crew. How Panbukin and Toma would argue, how Toma and Fasha would flirt, how Fasha would flirt with her to get Toma's attention, how flustered Leek would get and how Totepo would never chime in with more than a grunt...and her thoughts seemed to revolve around Bardock's snarky contributions to the conversation. He was everything that the others said about him, "prick, asshole, dick, jerk, etc.", but Gine had always valued what Bardock was underneath all of that. She knew that he cared...but their conversation before this deployment had cast some doubt on this otherwise implicit knowledge. Gine's mind sank into these thoughts, about that last conversation that she and he had, and it made her stomach ache in a way that she had never felt before.

Gine stopped moving, pressing her hand onto her stomach as she thought back to that conversation from two weeks ago. She closed her eyes and fought back the urge to vomit...but was soon snapped out of that by a sharp yelp in her ear. "Wh-What's going on?"

A sharp crack and static followed and Gine shouted. "H-Hello? What happened?!"

Spara answered, sounding positively frantic. "Miss Ayam! Are you there?! Miss Ayam, please respond!"

Gine could hear that Spara's voice was becoming frantic. She tried to ease him. "Now, Spara, just stay calm. It's probably just interference. Ayam is probably fine."

Spara stammered back. "A-Are you s-sure? We're in the middle of an enemy base and-"

Gine cut him off. "No! Don't start thinking the worst! Just stay calm. Just stay calm and we'll try to think of something."

Spara was breathing heavy. "O-Okay. I-I-"

The sound of crashing metal rang through the ear piece and Spara's stammering voice broke into a full-on fearful scream. "MISS GINE! MISS AYAM! DAD! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

The sound of dragging followed by static. And then, Gine was all alone. Gine was starting to panic. She ripped the buzzing device from her ear and roughly ran her fingers through her hair. "No. This isn't happening. This can't be happening!"

She didn't realize right away, but Gine was sprinting at this point. Sprinting down that endless hallway, terrified at the increasing horror of realizing she was all alone. She didn't know what to do. Blindly, Gine rounded the corner as her train of thought ran a mile a minute.

She was so distracted, that she ran into something solid without realizing it was there. Gine fell back onto her back and groaned. As she laid there, another voice suddenly spoke up. "Pardon me, are you lost perhaps?"

Gine flinched. "Wh-Who...?"

He stepped into view, a tall, pale-skinned man with a massive shock of snowy white hair. She wickedly grinned down at her. "Forgive me. My name...is Spice. And you, ma'am, will be coming with me."

Back in the present...

The muck of the damp ground squished beneath Spice's boots as he stepped up to the wooden gate blocking off entrance to what seemed to be a cave. He looked down to the ground and smile at what he saw, a trail of red mixed into the grey muck beneath his feet. He picked up a handful of it and sniffed at the blood, recognizing the scent. "So, she fled into this cave..."

Spice held out his hand and blasted the doors down, chuckling as the burning and splintered wood landed at his feet. "It is time to finally end all of this..."

Up on the Lookout...

Garlic Junior sat in his stolen throne, a wicked smile spread across his face, as his thralls dragged in his latest interest. Gohan, beaten and battered and semi-conscious, was held tightly, dragged by the wrists, by Yamcha and Krillin.

He had put up more of a fight than anyone had expected, going on and on despite all of his allies piling atop him. But, even the mightiest of warriors eventually falls to fatigue. Gohan was tossed to the ground motionless, fading in and out of consciousness. Garlic Junior chuckled. "Excellent~"

The Makyan King stood from his seat and marched up to Gohan. "Now, he shall be converted as well. But his process shall be much harsher than any of yours was."

Garlic Junior glowered over the boy. "He shall be turned into a Royal Makyan. And then, once my conquest has concluded, he shall be raised as a successor to my lineage! A hybrid of Saiyan and Makyan ancestry! AND THE SAIYAN RACE SHALL ROT IN HELL WITH THE SHAME THAT THEY'RE LEGAC SERVES AS THE HEAD OF THE VERY EMPIRE THAT DESTROYED THEM!"

Standing to the side with the others, and applauding his Master's theatrics, Yamcha posed a question. "But, sire, what of the other Saiyan filth?"

Garlic Junior waved him off. "That is not an issue. Either that woman is dead or Spice is going to make her so. And when he returns with her head..."

The brat snickered to himself. "We shall display it on the end of a pike~"

This little tidbit did not sit well with Gohan. On the ground, consciousness rapidly fading from his injuries, the boy's body seemed to move on instinct. Gohan's eyes went blank and he leapt from the ground with a roar. He drew his fist back and, with a briefly flash of gold streaking across his hair, he sent Garlic Junior flying back with a heavy punch.

The Makyan King slammed into Kami's throne and smashed through it with a yelp. Gohan was furious. His body was surrounded by a golden glow. He held his hand forward and started to charge a blast with enough power to give Garlic Junior pause. But, luckily for the Makyan, Piccolo stepped in.

In a swift motion, the Namekian slammed his foot into Gohan's stomach and the boy buckled over, totally unconscious. Garlic Junior shakily stood as Piccolo stomped his foot onto Gohan's back. The Makyan King snarled to himself as he glared down at the boy. "What the hell was that?!"

Back in the past...

Gine snarled and grunted as she fought against her new bonds. She glanced over from her spot, shackled in the corner of the control room of the Makyan Tower. Spice had taken her fairly easily, his much greater strength allowing him to incapacitate Gine without damaging her, and locked her hands into the Makyan bloodsteel manacles above her head.

Gine was seemingly frustrated, her current power level being too low to actually break the restraints. But she was merely putting on an act. While the manacles were too sturdy for her to shatter by herself, Gine's time spent with a group made up solely of former street punks and hoodlums had served to teach her that there was more than one way to break out of a pair of handcuffs. Bardock, Fasha, Toma, Panbukin, and Totepo had spent a good deal of time making sure that she and Leek were accurately prepared to deal with such inconveniences.

As she put on a show of futile struggling, while secret prying away at the bolts keeping her chains attached to the wall, Spice stood on the opposite end of the room fiddling with the tracking beacon that he had confiscated when he captured Gine.

Spice traced his fingers over the outer shell of the device and eventually deployed the antenna. "Him...I see. A transmitter of some kind perhaps?"

The Makyan continued to mettle, slowly making progress in figuring out what the device was. He was certainly smart enough to work it out with enough time and some finicking. Rolling his eyes at the sounds of her struggles, Spice turned to Gine. He spoke in a joking tone. "Perhaps you might be willing to save me some time and explain what this device is?"

Gine clenched her teeth. She dug deep down, trying to think of what any of her comrades would say in this situation. Eventually, she settled for a Panbukin Classic. "Uh...eat...shit? Y-Yeah! Eat sh-shit!"

Spice laughed out loud at the sheer level of awkward discomfort in Gine's voice. "I take it you do not order people to 'eat shit' that often? That's fine. I will happily discern the purpose of this device on my own~"

As he looked away from her to continue, Gine went back to prying at the bolts. As she did that, she though back to the instructions that she, Ayam, and Spara had been given for operating that device. The console that Spice was holding was a standard tracking beacon. The activation, as they had been informed, was as simple as deploying the antenna and flicking the switch to turn it on. Once that was done, it would transmit a signal that would inform ships of the greater Saiyan fleet where to enter the atmosphere at. This would allow the Saiyan Elite to perform a counterattack.

Gine knew that this counterattack would involve some form of aerial assault. And she knew, very well, that she had no desire to be in this tower once that started. So, she focused even harder on the bolt holding the chain between her wrists to the wall. She might have to run with her hands restrained, but that didn't matter. Once Spice fumbled his way into activating the device, and it sounded off with that horrific, piercing noise it made, Gine would make her move. She would flee in the confusion, find Spara and Ayam, and then escape as quickly as possible.

Gine smirked as she pulled the bolt loose, positioning her thumbs and wrists to make sure the chain stayed upright. Now she just had to wait.

But she didn't have to wait long. Almost immediately after she had worked herself free, Spice did what Gine was waiting for. He ran his finger over the switch, turned it on, and was shocked at the sudden, ear-piercing screech the device started sounding out.

Spice clamped his hands over his ears and hissed in frustration, giving Gine her opening. She jerked her arms down in front of her and went running towards the nearest door. Gine smirked to herself, she was going to make it! But then, to her chagrin, a pale hand shot down in front of her, grabbing the chain between her shackles, and hauling her into the air.

Gine struggled and kicked as she was lifted off the ground, coming face-to-face with Spice. He smiled. "Are we going somewhere?"

He dropped her to the ground, quickly binding her even more securely in energy strings, before picking her up again and carrying her back over the tracking beacon, sitting in the controls to the Tower itself. Gine cringed as jolts of Spice's energy ran through her body. Spice looked down that the shrieking device, watching as a meter on the side slowly filled up with red light. "I see now. You...are a K-Class soldier? We were informed about you by our spies within the Saiyan and Cold armies..."

Gine flinched at Spice's apparent knowledge. But she tried her best to disguise how he had managed to unnerve her. Spice chuckled. "You are quite the coward, no? Allowing someone else to activate your device and then fleeing? How amusing~"

Gine grunted at him. "Th-That doesn't matter in the least! The signal has been sent! The Saiyan army is already coming! And when they arrive, this place is as good as gone! So, why don't you just run off before they show up and you die?"

Spice smiled. "Madame K-Class, I am well aware that the signal has been sent. But I assure you, this Tower is going nowhere."

He reached down and shut off the switch to the tracking beacon, just before the meter on the side had completely filled up. "You see? The threat is now disabled. You have failed."

Gine was bewildered by what he meant, her face radiating genuine confusion. Spice stared at her. "What is that look about?"

She cocked her head. "How have I failed? The Saiyan army still got the signal. They are going to come and destroy this Tower..."

Spice looked perplexed. "What is your position in the Saiyan army?"

Gine spoke genuinely. "I'm...normally a soldier. But I was but into this squad as a recon scout because they assumed you would not be able to sense my low power level."

Spice was stunned silent. This long, pregnant silence lasted for a few minutes. But then, to Gine's shock and confusion, he began to laugh. That small laugh soon became bigger and louder until Spice's voice was echoing off of the walls. Gine cringed as another jolt of energy shocked her from the energy strings. "Wh-What's so funny?!"

The Makyan sighed, wiping a tear from his eye. "Oh, dear Madame K-Class...you seem confused, so allow me to educate you..."

He set her down onto a clear spot of the control panel, getting close to her face to make sure she could hear him clearly. "You are a K-Class soldier within the Saiyan Army. Perhaps, do you not know what the 'K' in K-Class stands for?"

Gine flinched. "Wh-What does it-"

Spice answered, amusement in his voice. "Kamikaze. You are a Kamikaze Class, K-Class for short. You are not a scout, nor reconnaissance. You are a suicide bomber. That device on your back is a high-powered explosive. And you...are you really unaware of what your role here is?!"

The silence and horror on Gine's face seem to confirm that this was indeed the case.

Spice looked away from her to the bomb on the console, smacking it away and letting it crash to the floor. "The Saiyan army is composed of little more than baffling fools. Who would make a bomb so easily disarmed? An, adding to that, why would they have it send a signal before it explodes? Are the fools that govern Planet Vegeta genuinely so shortsightedly bloodthirsty?"

As Spice pondered to himself, and Gine sat there trying to process the revelation just provided to her, both their attentions were suddenly drawn to a noise from the sky. The telltale groan of a warship breaching the atmosphere. Spice and Gine both looked to the inky black mist that filled the blood red Makyan sky and saw a ship stoked with Saiyan elite making its way through. Gine looked to the bow of the ship and saw the name inscribed onto the front. "General Zorn..."

Spice's eyes lit up. "General Zorn? The vanguard for King Vegeta's personal fleet?"

He smiled wide. "Oh, this is perfect!"

Reaching over, Spice grabbing Gine harshly by the jaw, squeezing tight and forcing her to stare directly at the Elite Warship. "You are going to want to see this~"

Spice clicked a few buttons on his control console and the entire tower began to hum. Just below the window they were looking from, a red ring began to spin and charge with electrical power. Spice gripped a lever with his free hand and chuckled, before leaning over and whispering into Gine's ear. "Watch closely and see what your failure fulfill your duty has caused."

And then, pushing the lever forward, Spice unleashed the Tower's attack. Bolts of dark red lightning shot forward, crashing into General Zorn's ship. And there was nothing anyone on the ship could do to stop it. With no way to defend or evade, thousands of Saiyan lives were left at the mercy of the Makyan Defense Tower. The lightning hit it on the starboard side and surged through the entirety of the ship. Explosions rang out from every port and opening in the hull, and then the engine itself exploded, blowing the ship in half and sending both pieces crashing to the ground in flames.

The two halves of General Zorn's ship laid there, burning and destroyed. No person on board could have survived that. The flames of the wreckage reflected in Gine's eyes and the realization hit her hard. Thousands of Saiyans had just died all at once...it is was her fault.

Spice chuckled and glared down at Gine. "What do you think? Isn't the sight of your failure marvelous?"

Gine continued to stare in silence, the weight of all of the lost lives weighing heavily on her mind and soul. And then, she mustered the only response her body would allow. She threw up.

Spice hissed in disdain, pressing a button on his console to open a shallow pit behind him before throwing Gine into it. She landed and the energy string snapped. At her wits end, she stared pitifully up at Spice who had managed to readopt his smug grin. Gine stammered, her mind unable to process clearly. "Wh-What are you going to do with me?!"

The Makyan chuckled. "You have handed a great victory to us today. King Vegeta's fleet is going to come through this sector and, one at a time, I shall blast them out of the sky! As a showing of gratitude...I am going to allow you to reunite with your former squadmates~"

Gine was flustered and confused. "Wh-Wha-"

Spice answered her by pressing a button on his console. A door within the bit opened and two distinct low growls emerged from the darkness. Gine peered into the void, trying to see what might lie within, and was horrified as Ayam and Spara both bolted out.

The two of them lunged at her and Gine quickly fled backwards, receding into a corner. Gine's former squadmates lunged at her again, pouncing on top of her and snarling in her face. Using the chain that still kept her hands restrained, Gine held the two of them at bay, drawing the chain between their snapping teeth and keeping them held back.

She looked up at the two and finally got a good look at them. They both had bright red, glowing eyes and massive fangs. At first, Gine thought that they might be turning into Oozaru before shakily remembering that the Makyo Star prevented the production of Blutz Waves.

As they both snarled at her, snapping and slobbering as she barely held them back, Gine tried to reason with Ayam and Spara. "Guys! Please! Stop! Pull yourselves together! We have to get out of here and warn everyone else about what's going to happen! We have to hurry and-"

Gine's frantic attempts to reason were cut off by an amused chuckle from Spice. "I am afraid that reasoning will not work in this case. The two of them, as you knew them, are both well and truly dead at this point."

Her heart pounding through her chest, Gine glanced up at Spice. The Makyan smirked. "The Makyan condition is quite the thing. One bite and anything will turn. Your comrades are gone, replaced by two hungry thralls for the Makyan Empire. Nothing short of a burst of pure energy crashing through them would reverse the condition. And, well, I doubt you are strong enough to cure them...Madame K-Class~"

Gine grimaced as both of them pushed against her, making her arms strain as she tried to hold them back. Gine's pupils shrank and she began to tear up. "N-No! No!"

Spice smirked. "I shall leave you and your friends to get reacquainted. I must now prepare for the arrival of your King. We simply cannot allow a foreign dignitary to arrive without a proper greeting~"

Gine's heart began to beat even faster as she realized that yet more lives were at risk. She shouted out. "NO! PLEASE STOP!"

In her distraction, Spara and Ayam pushed even harder against Gine, their snapping fangs mere inches away from her face. Overwhelmed by everything happened to her all at once, Gine finally snapped. In the face of all of the torment and horror, she could do little more than scream bloody murder. And that sound pleased Spice to no end.

Spice watched the sky, smirking with the bow of King Vegeta's personal warship crested through the thick, black mist. The prideful fool was most likely totally unaware of what was about to hit him. Spice chuckled as he set the Tower to charge once more. "Yes! Yes! The foolish Saiyan race that dared to oppose King Garlic's will is about to meet their doom! Their King is going to die in flames and then Planet Vegeta will fall! And then, soon after, King Cold shall meet the same fate! You fools might have started this fight with our glorious empire, but we shall just as quickly end it!"

Spice gripped the lever tight. "And then, we shall plunge this Universe into infinite darkness from which it shall never escape!"

Laying on the ground, with her former allies snarling over her, this was all too much for poor Gine. Her struggles to keep Ayam and Spara back were becoming weaker and weaker. Her ears were starting to ring. She didn't know what to do. Gine cringed as she felt a sharp pain in her gut and this falter allowed Spara and Ayam to overcome her. As the two of them descended down, their claws tearing into her flesh, Gine was totally numb. She closed her eyes, waiting for death to come, and mentally she cried out for help one last time.

And this last plea for help was met by a Riot Javelin crashing into Ayam's face.

Gine's eyes shot open and she looked up, seeing Spara staring at something other than her. Her vampirized form comrade lunged up towards whatever he was staring at, but was immediately sent flying back as well, crashing next to where Ayam had crashed and exploding, leaving two scorch marks in place of the now deceased Saiyans.

Gine sat up, breathing and sobbing at the same time, still not quite able to process who had saved her. But this question was quickly answered when her savior landed directly in front of her. From his spot on the ledge up above, Spice stared down with disdain. "And who might you be?"

He responded back. "That's none of your damned business."

He stepped forward, looking ready to brawl with Spice. And, as he leapt up to face down his Makyan foe, Gine mumbled her savior's name in confusion and shock. "B-Bardock..."

Just a little earlier...

Bardock raced through the dark and gnarled Makyan forests towards the large, imposing tower in the distance. He was furiously trying to make it there as quickly as possible, before he and the rest of the squad lost Gine forever.

A K-Class, a suicide bomber. If anyone had told Bardock that that was Gine's reassignment, he never would have allowed her to go on this mission. He would have done anything and everything he could to keep her away from this.

Luckily, Bardock had quite a few contacts in various levels of the Saiyan hierarchy. It didn't take long to get the coordinates that Gine had been sent to. Bardock continued to race along, get closer and closer to the Tower. He looked up into the sky as he arrived at the base of the structure and saw General Zorn's ship breaching the mist up above.

Bardock sneered. "Dammit. This day just gets better and better..."

Back in the Tower...

The fight between Spice and Bardock didn't amount to much. As strong as he was, Bardock leaped up to engage the Makyan foe standing above him and was near instantly smacked back to the ground for his trouble. Spice was quite powerful, easily an equal to Zarbon or Dodoria, maybe even closer to matching a member of the Ginyu Force. As Bardock crashed back to the ground, and Spice followed. "Was that meant to be an attack? Foolish Saiyan..."

Bardock tried to sit up, but Spice stomped hard on his chest. He gurgled in pain and sneered at the Makyan. Bardock jerked his attention over to Gine. "Hey! Help me out here!"

Gine didn't respond, still knelt there, still shackled, and still in general. Her eyes were nearly blank. Spice chuckled. "You must forgive her. She's been through a lot today."

Bardock growled in frustration and thought on the fly. Knowing he couldn't hurt Spice, he aimed for something else instead. Bardock shot a blast at the ceiling and brought a pile of rubble crashing down on the both of them. Spice was sent to the ground and Bardock, moving quickly, pulled himself from under the Makyan's boot and went running.

Spice sneered and pushed himself up as well, chasing after Bardock as the Saiyan leapt out of the pit. "Damned wretch..."

Hearing the fight and the struggle going on above, Gine still couldn't force herself to move. She knelt there, totally numb to the world around her, letting her guilt weigh heavily on her mind. Every single life on that ship, thousands of Saiyan lives...extinguished because she couldn't even act as a suicide bomb correctly. Ayam and Spara, both dead because she couldn't do anything to save them...both having died as wretched Makyans rather than as Saiyans. Her ears rang, empty tears poured from her eyes like a waterfall, she wanted to vomit but her writhing stomach was empty. This was all Gine's fault...and that realization broke her.

She knelt there, and up above Bardock wasn't faring any better against Spice than before. Gine didn't notice, but her savior was sent flying across the room, his battered form smashing against the same screen that Spice had forced Gine to watch through. A massive crack formed behind Bardock's back upon impact. He crumpled to the ground and, seemingly acting on instinct, he began to crawl away.

Spice chuckled as he gave lighthearted chase. "And where are we crawling to, little mouse?"

Bardock's body began to shake. Spice snorted. "Are you going to start crying too? Are all Saiyans this miserable?"

Bardock rolled over and Spice's smarm instantly melted away. Bardock held up the explosive, the one Gine was originally supposed to activate, and showed that he had activated it. "Nah, just having my last laugh. Later, ya Makyan scumbag!"

Spice lunged forward. "No!"

Bardock got to his feet, thinking fast, and threw the bomb threw the cracked screen. He and Spice both watched as it fell, it's shrill shriek getting quieter, until it exploded right as the center of the Tower. The explosion burned a massive gash into the side of the Tower, and the force of the blast sent it crashing over. Bardock, Gine, and Spice were all sent tumbling over as their current housing fell with them, hitting the ground with a mighty thud and crushing under its own weight.

After that, all was still. Nothing moved for a while as the aftershocks of the explosion rang out. Underneath the rubble, Bardock and Gine were both alive. And they were both trapped, buried alive underneath piles and piles of rubble from the destroyed Tower. Bardock was struggling to make himself stay awake, he needed to try and dig himself and Gine out to get them both to safety.

But, as Bardock began to struggle, the silence in the room was broken by a furious scream. Spice exploded from the rubble burying him, screaming at the top of his lungs with hate and frustration. "Damned, accursed Saiyans!"

Spice looked up, through a hole in the side of his once glorious Tower, and saw that King Vegeta's ship had burst through the layer of black mist in the sky. "Dammit. No. That ship is going to make it to King Garlic's castle now."

Not caring to check for Bardock or Gine, Spice flew out from the ruins of his former base. "I must go defend the King and the Young Lord!"

The moment Spice was gone, Bardock went back to struggling free. In spite of his injuries, it did not take the gruff Saiyan long to pull himself free of the refuse burying him alive. He sat up, looking around through his blurred vision, and eventually saw one of Gine's delicate hands sticking out from under the rubble. Bardock shakily stood and began to limp over to her.

As he did, Bardock heard Fasha's harsh words ringing through his mind. He limped, and he thought about how their special relationship had started. It was nothing at first. Just a way to pass time and kill boredom on shore leave. They all engaged in it with one another, in some form or the other: him and Gine, Toma and Fasha, Fasha and Gine, him and Toma. Different types of relationships seen as odd or out of place in Saiyan society. Bardock never wanted to make anything more of it than that. But Gine...Gine was always wired differently than the rest of them. There was a sentiment packed into everything that she did. Kindness foreign to the Saiyan race. She had managed to win over Fasha after enough times. But, Gine's actions and words always made it clear that she had wanted something with Bardock more than anything...

Bardock collapsed onto his knees and began to dig. Buried underneath so much heavy refuse, Gine could feel that someone was digging her up. But, deep in her soul, she wished that that wasn't the case. Gine was in so much pain at that particular moment. Physically, mentally, emotionally...everything was throbbing. Gine just wanted to be left there. She just wanted to die.

Gine closed her eyes and flashed back to the last moment of happiness she truly felt. That last tender moment that she shared with her one-sided lover. All she had wanted, after that intense moment of passion, was just for Bardock to say goodbye. To wish her luck in her mission. To ask her to be safe. She just wanted to know, in case anything and everything went wrong on Planet Makyo, that their time together had meant something to Bardock. But, by the time she had recovered...he was already gone.

Ever since then, something had felt wrong inside of Gine. A pit, a knot in her stomach. It had been there ever since and it had only been developing into something bigger and bigger ever since. And whatever it was, it made her crave his attention and affection all the more. She just wanted to know that she was worth something. That she was genuinely meaningful to someone in the world...

By the time that Bardock had managed to dig her up, Gine was long passed out. Hearing explosions of the battle echoing off in the distance, Bardock decided that his part in this war was over. He threw Gine over his shoulder, pulled his communicator to make a call, and started to limp away. "Hey Leek...I found Gine. We need...we need pickup, we're both hurt pretty bad..."

Back on Planet Vegeta...

What followed after that incident was what could only be described as a total victory. King Garlic, through a joint combination of King Cold and King Vegeta's efforts, was beaten and executed. The young heir, Garlic Junior, was unable to be located at the time, but it was assumed that he was killed in the Makyan Planetary Slaughter that followed.

Upon returning to Planet Vegeta, Bardock Squad was seized by the royal guard to be interrogated for abandoning their assigned post. Cross-referencing with various branches of the Saiyan Military Structure proved to vindicate Bardock's decision. It was officially stated that his abandonment of duty served to save King Vegeta's own life from the unforgivable mistake of an incompetent K-Class. As a result, Bardock was slated to receive a commendation from the Royal Family itself.

As for said K-Class, Gine was not so lucky as the rest of her squad. Her inability to do the duty assigned to her had resulted in not just the death of an Elite General, but one of King Vegeta's closest confidants. While the rest of Bardock Squad were released from custody, Gine was immediately sentenced to serve the rest of her life in prison, until the date of her forthcoming execution. The rest of her squad futilely tried to resist, but Gine herself seemed perfectly fine with the judgement, being led away with no struggle.

Bardock made no fuss over the subject of Gine's execution, keeping a cool head right up until the day of his commendation. King Vegeta presented Bardock with a medal, going through all of the pomp and circumstance that one would expect of such a ceremony. However, when the time of Bardock's reward came, and aberration occurred. King Vegeta was ready to welcome Bardock into the Elite Class with open arms. His recent zenkai boost, in addition to his actions, ensuring him a place in higher society. But, to the shock of everyone in attendance, Bardock interrupted the King mid-speech. In his own words, the low-class warrior had a "different reward in mind."

Days later, Gine was still locked in her cell in the Saiyan High Prison. Her head was leaned against the stony wall, allowing her to hide her face. In the near month she had spent in that hellhole, she had barely eaten anything, barely drank anything, and hadn't spoken a word. Her guilt, combined with the constant sharp pains in her stomach, prevented her from having an appetite. When the jailers finally came and opened her cell, Gine was ready to accept her fate. She stood and walked across the cell, her head down, and prepared to meet the end of her life.

Which led to quite the surprise when, instead on taking her to the gallows, Gine was taken to the front of the prison and harshly thrown out onto the street by the guards. She turned and looked up at them, utterly perplexed. "Wh-Why?! I thought I was supposed to-"

Gine was cut off by the guard's heavy sigh. He and his partner turned to walk back in and he mumbled to himself. "What kind of idiot would pass up elite status for someone as worthless as her?!"

Gine had no idea what was going on. Shakily, she stood up, watching as the door to the prison slammed shut, only to be immediately tackled from behind. Gine turned, and was immediately met by a warm kiss on the cheek from Fasha. "GINE!"

Gine flinched. "F-Fasha..."

Immediately, the rest of Gine's squadmates descended upon her. Totepo, Panbukin, Leek, and Toma all came up to check on her, making sure that she was okay and offering to go beat the hell out of any prison guards that might have hurt her. Gine sounded confused. "W-Wait, guys. What happened? I thought I was supposed to be...executed..."

Toma chuckled, gently placing his hand on Gine's shoulder. "You have our fearless leader to thank for that."

Toma used his thumb to point across the street and Gine saw him standing there, leaned against the wall of a local market. The owner of the market came out and started to chastise Bardock. "Get the hell away from my shop! A disgraceful punk like you has no place in my-"

Bardock slugged the guy across the face, sending him flying back into his business. As he walked towards Gine, the two of them shared a long gaze with one another. As they stared, Panbukin leaned over and whisper into Gine's ear. "Big man was supposed to be an elite, but he looked ol' Vegeta in the eye and said 'hell nah'. It was badass, you shoulda been there for it!"

Gine and Bardock didn't break their gaze away from one another. She blushed as she stared up at him. "Bardock...you-"

Bardock interrupted. "We aren't welcome in the capital anymore. But I called Taro and he set us up a place to live on the outskirts. So, let's get moving before the elites chase us out of here."

The gruff Saiyan turned and started to walked the other way. "Totepo, carry her. He leg is still pretty badly injured."

The larger, silent member of their group gently picked up Gine and started to follow Bardock. Alongside him, Panbukin followed. And then Toma, with Fasha lovingly clinging onto his arm. And then Leek brought up the rear. As they walked, Panbukin loudly joked at his comrade. "Hey Gine! Guess what? You're part of the criminal record club now! Now all we have to do is get Leek arrested and we can all be matchy!"

Leek stammered. "Th-That's a joke right? G-Guys?"

Gine kept her eyes trained on Bardock back. Watching as he led the lot of them out of the city and into their lives as outcasts. The Bardock Squad might not have been welcomed into Saiyan society anymore...but at least they still all had each other.

In the present, in the Hermit Spring...

Gine snapped out of her trance and looked around, seeing that Kami had moved but that Korin was still right next to her. Korin spoke calmly. "So, have you been able to reach a conclusion based on what you saw?"

She responded with a sad smile, looking back into the water and sighing. "A conclusion? No. Not really. At least...nothing I didn't know before..."

Korin nodded. "I see. And that would be?"

Gine reflected on everything, her past and the crisis of the present, and spoke with a quiet, broken voice. "I'm...useless. Without Bardock at my side...I'm just useless. Every failing that I have ever had, every problem in my life...it's been solved by him."

Gine's sad smile became a frown, tears welled in her eyes and began to fall into the water of the Hermit Spring, making the water ripple. "Even in the things I thought I had done well in my life, what did I really do? Raditz was born just shy of a year after the Makyan Incident. I thought I had given him a good enough life...but he lived in nothing but fear and misery after I died. Kakarot had a decent upbringing...but he never knew who I was."

She continued. "And Bardock...poor Bardock. He became so laser-focused on defending me from all of my faults that my death broke him. I like to pretend that I don't know why he won't talk to me, but I know the reason. He became so focused on feeding into my dependence on him that it broke his spirit when Frieza killed me..."

Gine sobbed. "I'm unnecessary. Meaningless. I... I can't even be relied upon to keep my own grandson safe in the face of threats like this. That's the conclusion that I was able to draw, Master Korin. I'm a pathetic failure desperately hoping that other people will provide me a happy life..."

She buckled over, burying her face in her knees. "I'm dead weight."

Korin nodded. "I see. Now that you've said your peace, may I offer a retort?"

Gine looked at Korin through puffy eyes. "Hmm?"

Korin spoke with wisdom that only his years could provide him. "Everyone has their faults and their foibles, Gine. Everyone. I don't know your husband, so I can't speak on him and his mindset...but I do know your younger son."

She lifted her head a bit. Korin continued. "Goku once placed all of the blame for Krillin's death squarely on his shoulders. In his eyes, losing his friends life was his fault because he wasn't there to defend him. But, that's not how you should think in these situations. Life happens, no matter what. So, you just have to roll with the punches and learn from them. Take all of your experiences, positive and negative, and turn them into strength. That, Gine, is how you find meaning in life. That is how you grow and become stronger. You must look at your mistakes, take your lessons from your lumps...and then just let them go. You aren't the dead weight, those bitter feelings you're holding inside are."

Gine hung her head again. "I... I don't know what to say Lord Korin. I...I..."

And then, another voice spoke up. "If it helps you at all, I still believe that you are a failure."

A chill ran up Gine's spine. As she turned, a blast came flying forward that crashed directly into Korin, sending the wise old cat flying into the Hermit Spring. She cried out. "Master Korin!"

Gine's gaze turned from worried, to a hate-filled glare. She stared across the cave at her mortal enemy in all of this. Spice stood there, a beaten Mr. Popo collapsed onto the ground in front of him and a defeated Kami gripped tightly in his hand. "I am quite lucky today. Not only are you here, ready and waiting to be killed, but the King's Dragon Balls are here as well~"

Spice picked up the chalice of Dragon Balls and then tossed Kami hard into a wall. He stepped forward, with a sinister smirk on his face. "Now, are you still ready to die on your own, or do you require assistance?"

Gine flinched as Spice stared down at her again. She felt incredibly small under his harsh gaze. But, in spite of that, her body told her to act. Even if she felt worthless, Gine was compelled to resist! She pictured Bardock, how he always snarled in the face of danger and death, and she chose to do the same!

Gine jumped at Spice, roaring in frustration and anger, and shouted at him as loud as she could. "Leave the Dragon Balls alone!"

Spice chuckled. And then he responded with a shattering punch to the face. Gine spun in the air, eventually smashing against the ground and skidding back towards the water. She shakily pushed herself up, seeing her bruised face in the water again, and then seeing Spice's reflection behind her. Before Gine could react, Spice pressed his foot down onto the back of her head and shoved Gine's face down into the water.

Gine struggled, gurgling and trying to force herself back up. But Spice's foot was unmoving. He chuckled once more and spoke as Gine struggled for air. "I've trained for so long since our last meeting, Madame K-Class. I have reached heights in strength that I had never thought possible. All for this day, when my embarrassment could be avenged. And now that day has arrived. And no one is coming to save you..."

Spice smirked as Gine's struggles became weaker and weaker. Under the water, Gine could feel her strength fading. Her lungs filled with water and her vision began to blur. This time seemed to be it. This time...Gine would die. And no one was going to come and save her. As her vision went black, Gine felt her eyelids become heavy. They slowly started to shut, and Gine's last thoughts flashed through her mind.

She saw Chi-Chi's warm smile. She saw all of the friends that she had made on Earth happily training. She saw Vegeta. And then Kakarot. And then Raditz. And then Bardock. And then, as she felt the last of her life draining away, Gine saw one last thing. This image was not nearly as happy. In her mind's eyes, Gine saw a familiar shape. It was screaming and struggling and begging for help, unable to defend itself from the monster attacking it.

As the screams continued, the voice became more and more clear. Gine's vision of this person became more and more clear until it was perfectly in view. It was Gohan, her beloved grandson, and he was in the clutches of Garlic Junior.

This image, of the newest lovely addition to her life being brutally tortured, forcibly converted into a monster, resonated with Gine. And then, deep down, something burst forth within her. Gine's eyes snapped open under the water, filled with purpose. She couldn't die yet!

All at once, Spice's confidence faded. He stood there, his foot pressed to the back of Gine's head, and observed a sight that he had never seen before. Underneath the water, Gine began to glow with golden light. Spice spoke up. "What in the hell are you-"

And then the power burst forth. With a furious, primal scream, the water of the Hermit Spring was blown away and Spice was blown back, slamming back first into the stony wall of the cave. He snarled in frustration and shakily pushed himself up. He was ready to eviscerate Gine. But, as he prepared to strike, Spice was stunned still. Standing before him was not the same, broken woman that he had seen before. Instead, Gine towered over him. He hair was shining gold, flowing from the sheer energy radiating off of her. Her eyes, now a stunning emerald green, were intense, but seemingly quite disinterested in Spice himself.

Spice stood. "What have you-"

Gine spoke, her soft voice now as hard as steel. "You're in my way. Move or I'll move you."

Spice snarled. "You! You think that you...can order me around?!"

Spice roared at the top of his lungs and lunged at Gine; his fist drawn. "YOU K-CLASS SCU-"

Gine slammed her fist into Spice's face, the force of her punch collapsing and caving in the Makyan's features and making his eye pop from the socket. And then, forcing all of her energy into her fist, Gine engulfed Spice in burning light. Spice screamed in fear and pain, and then he disappeared. Cinders fell as the energy faded. Spice was incinerated by Gine's new Super Saiyan power.

Korin, Mr. Popo, and Kami all shakily looked up from their position on the ground, seeing the glowing, golden woman standing over them. And then they watched as, wordlessly, she took to the air and burst through the top of the cave.

Gine's next target was clear and she flew up towards the Lookout at top speed.

Proofreading: StevenBodner