Blood

Chapter 91: Banners in the Wind


Chi-Chi — and Bulma and Rush, for that matter — let silence reign as she held Yamcha's head in her lap. The island was quiet and the waves rolled peacefully onto the sands underneath the luminescent white of the moon.

Something was wrong.

'He's confused,' Bulma said eventually, voice shaky. 'He got injured doing... and once we got here, he couldn't…'

'It's okay.' Chi-Chi bent more and scooped Yamcha into his arms. 'We can talk later. For now — let's get off this island, alright? A few of us are at Fire Mountain right now, recovering in the wake of... ' Chi-Chi bit back her frown. 'Like I said, there'll be time to talk later. A lot has happened.'

Bulma's eyes lingered on Yamcha. Once again he was drifting easily into sleep. 'A roof over my head?... that'll be nice.'

'Excuse me, Bulma?' Chi-Chi and Bulma both turned: Rush had his hands clasped almost penitently. 'I am… sorry.'

She was much too overwhelmed by the events of the past few minutes to understand what he was talking about. She looked wearily towards Chi-Chi. 'Can we go?'

'Yes. Apologize later, Rush,' Chi-Chi said, gesturing. 'It's time to fly back. You get Bulma.'

He still seemed torn about something, but he nodded and gestured in turn to Bulma.

Not too long after Bulma was rising into the air, seeing her modest mark on the island fade into the distance. Everything she had disassembled and refashioned on the island was of no worth to her beyond it, so she let it all remain. Maybe she'd go back one day.

Maybe.

0o0o0

Tien's attention caught a shift in the wind. In an instant his was on his feet, clear aura rippling. 'Someone's coming.'

Yajirobe lifted his nose to the sky. 'Piccolo?'

'There's someone with him.'

That got Yajirobe to stand.

The two of them, tailed by a curious Korin, wandered out to the edge of the Lookout mostly free of debris. There, they arranged in a line as two dots grew larger in the distance. As announced Piccolo landed. More surprising was Traveler touching down at the same time.

'You're back?' Tien asked, eyeing him warily.

'I am.' Traveler gestured for Piccolo to stand by him. 'Events are in motion. And this time I'll explain what they are.'

'You're in for a treat,' Piccolo said dryly. 'He's promised to tell us everything.'

Korin's staff tapped as he approached. 'So, you're Traveler?' He eyed him — his scar, his posture, his… presence. 'You're younger than I would have expected.'

Traveler's face hid a shadow of a smile. 'That's not the first time someone's said to me. But we're wasting daylight. Is there someplace we can talk?'

Yajirobe patted the rubble around them. 'Find a seat, friend.'

So he and they did. Traveler's hands rested on his knees, bordering on squeezing, as he stared at a spot in the tiles. 'I'm 26, and I was 25 the first time I came to this time. Not that young.'

Korin exchanged a look with Yajirobe, then Piccolo and Tien as he sat, laying his staff across his lap. 'You're not... someone we know, are you?'

Traveler shook his head. 'No. Not someone you know.' He drew his gaze from that spot, and looked at them head-on — as difficult as that appeared for him. 'You know very little, so I'll start from the beginning of everything I know. The day I came to this time was, as I've said before, a bloodbath. Chi-Chi, Krillin… Tien...' he said, looking over, 'died. With them gone, and with Bulma going with the Saiyans into space, the morale of those still left alive was… bad, to put it lightly. The group couldn't stay together.'

'Hold on,' Piccolo interrupted. 'The last time we spoke, you mentioned Bulma had made some sort of deal with the Saiyans — presumably to spare what was left of the Earth — but couldn't offer any more details about the deal itself. Was that a lie, or do you really not know?'

Like a teacher acknowledging a predicted question, Traveler bobbed his head. 'I wasn't lying then: to this day I do not know the details of their agreement. I do, however, know more about what happened to Vegeta after Earth. As you know, Nappa died on Earth in the fight. From there, from what I've gathered over the years, Vegeta tore a bloody trail across the galaxy, arbitering and killing as he saw fit, until he reached his goal — the force of an alien named Frieza.'

'Frieza,' Tien muttered. 'Where have I heard that name before?'

'That was Ginyu's superior,' Piccolo reminded him. 'The one he couldn't stop blathering on about; the one who presumably still rules over the galaxy and would kill us without a second thought.'

Traveler cleared his throat, drawing their attention. 'You don't need to worry about Frieza. He no longer rules: instead his brother, Cooler, does.'

'That happened in your timeline?' Tien asked.

'Yes— it seems whatever caused Cooler to supplant Frieza occurred before our timelines diverged — my first trip to this time. But other events are happening now that I had no idea would occur. So when time-traveling I make sure to get a good idea of the current state of things — not only now, but also during my appearance here months ago.'

Tien's gaze lingered on Traveler. 'I see.'

'In any case, Vegeta challenged Frieza and died. What happened to Bulma after that, I don't know. I wish I knew where she was, or even if she was still alive, because she would have helped us during what came.' He glanced between Tien, Korin, and Yajirobe. 'The second calamity I mentioned in that desert — the one after the Saiyans — is here today. An old scientist in the Red Ribbon Army — an evil, bloodthirsty man named Dr. Gero — has built Androids, artificial humans, to wipe you and all your friends off the face of the planet. And though he doesn't know it yet, that bloodlust will drive him to conquer the world, fundamentally tainting it, in pursuit of creating a human race augmented by metal that would never again be weak.'

'Weak to what?' Korin asked.

'Weak to anyone,' Traveler said calmly. 'But mostly so humans would not be weak to the Saiyans. Some of you may already be aware of this, but Kakarot, when he was alive, destroyed much of the Red Ribbon Army. Gero held that grudge his entire life, as he was forced underground to toil away in darkness for his dreams. But he also grew obsessed with Kakarot — he believed the Saiyans were a race capable of annihilating all known life, and driven by this near-insane fear, he began improving himself and other creations to the point where their power far outclassed even your own — even though Kakarot was long dead by the time he announced himself to the world in a city near South City. But the end result was the same. He had made himself into an unstoppable Android, and more of you died. Launch, Chiaotzu… Yajirobe…' he said, looking at the samurai, '...among others, died. And those that lived fled the Earth as Gero installed himself as the despot of humanity.'

Quiet reigned for a little white, each face creased as they absorbed Traveler's words and all their implications. 'Gero became… a king?' Korin asked, brow taut.

'More like a God. He continually improved his technology, improved his body, growing stronger, faster, smarter — and he began to transform normal people to serve as his foot soldiers, willingly or not.'

'So,' Tien said, 'the probably obvious question I have now — why did you not tell us this before?'

'Honestly?' Traveler leaned in, face deathly serious. 'I didn't want to terrify you with someone you couldn't face then and there. The last time I came here, I didn't know where his lab was.'

He paused.

'I do now. But we'll talk about that when we finish.'

'And you didn't bother to tell us anything about Dr. Gero?' Tien asked, voice jagged. 'Not even his name?'

'I didn't think it useful to tell you an apocalyptic threat was imminent without telling you every detail relevant to that. I thought it would make me appear untrustworthy. So I settled for a middle ground. I would tell you the threat approach so you would prepare, but not who exactly so that you wouldn't grow… despondent, or hopeless.'

Traveler fidgeted in his seat. 'In all my dealings with you all, keep in mind that I'm trying to hold together people who either died, swore each other off, or gave up in moments where everyone needed to fight united. Everything I've done has been to keep everyone together.' He closed his eyes. 'So that my future is never repeated.'

'We might have surprised you,' Piccolo argued. 'You mentioned you left the Earth, right? In less than a year, while on this planet, we might have found Gero's lab if we knew what we were looking for.'

'Maybe,' Traveler acknowledged. 'But my thoughts were that, if over decades I couldn't find his lab, I didn't think it possible you could with less time, even if you were on Earth. Perhaps I misjudged you all. But I came here as the soonest point where I could make an impact.'

'Meaning… you just found out where his lab is?' Korin asked.

'Yes,' Traveler replied. 'Time travel is one-to-one — the time I spend here is equivalent to the time that passes in my future, and vice versa. So I spent several months in my own time researching where his lab is before coming back.'

Tien said nothing, did nothing, as he settled back onto his slab, eyes never moving from Traveler.

'Circling back for a moment,' Piccolo asked, suddenly glaring at Traveler. 'Does all this mean the Saiyans still live in this timeline, whereas they'd be dead in yours? Because, as I remember, you didn't allow us to talk to them, and even went so far as to spare their lives without consulting us.'

Traveler rubbed his calves. 'Maybe. To be honest, I don't care. I just wanted to stay away from the Earth.' He paused his rubbing and took a deep, tensed breath. 'The Saiyans, in both this time and mine, have always been a source of trouble. Kakarot started the mess with the Red Ribbon Army — and, by extension, with Dr. Gero. Vegeta started the mess with the PTO. It always comes back to Saiyans.'

Yajirobe, unexpectedly, rattled the sword in his scabbard. 'What mess with the PTO?' He asked, squinting. 'You talking about Namek?'

'Not exactly.' Traveler made a torn expression. 'I'm talking about the third calamity. One I'm not sure I can prevent, no matter how much of the past I change, but one that may be made better if we stop Gero.' He sighed, drew a breath. 'I can't say when this will occur, but eventually, the PTO led by Cooler will come to the Earth. From what I've learned he was searching for a Saiyan that might be familiar to you — Raditz, who was some sort of agent working with Cooler when he came to the Earth several years ago. Cooler's trip was something of a lapsed duty — checking in after years of silence.' Traveler's voice lowered. 'What he didn't expect, however, was a fight, and more so, death. Gero and a now gigantic army of Androids, bodies taken from the innocent people of Earth, slaughtered Cooler and his army. And now that Gero knew there were threats to the Earth in the larger galaxy — well, he started a war.'

Traveler paused, searching for the right words to capture the brutality, the death, the suffering he'd been forced to live through. 'Forget about thinking in terms of planets,' he said slowly. 'Or systems, or constellations, or even entire swaths of the galaxy. Instead… just imagine a fire, never-ending, never-dying, slowly spreading across all of known and unknown space, consuming as it went, never ceasing until every last living being was killed and only a metallic husk of a single enthralled race survived. In my time, the PTO has been fighting a losing war against Gero for nearly fifteen years. When they lose, and not if, and despite all the cruelty they've caused… life as anything recognizable ends.'

He paused one more time. 'There is no redemption coming for my time. No amount of dragonballs could fix what has been done. So that is my fate, and this is my warning.' He shook his head, clearing his mind of the image he pictured while speaking. 'If we defeat Gero now, we prevent that, so even if the PTO comes… it'll never get as far as it did in my timeline.'

It was like a wave had crashed onto them and a never-ending cascade of water washed over them, keeping them immobile, rooting them to their seats. Somehow Korin found the will to stand, to hide his eyes from them, and then to leave their circle of rubble, staff creaking like an old wooden door, as without word he disappeared into the surrounding rubble. Seconds passed and Piccolo and Tien, with the same phantasmic energy to their steps, did the same.

Which left Traveler and Yajirobe. Traveler rubbed his knees. Something appeared on Yajirobe's face. He was—

'Are you smiling?' Traveler asked, eyes white.

No— it was almost a frown. Caught between that and a smile. 'Honestly?' Yajirobe said. 'I'm just relieved I died before it got that bad.'

0o0o0

After an abridged night of sleep and hushed conversations between them all covering the events of the last several days, the motions of the afternoon were normal so far, even if she had been near panicking not an hour earlier when her father, Puar, and Oolong told them that Gohan had sneaked out from Fire Mountain. At first she was ready to burst through the walls, aura blazing as she raced around the Earth — but their assurances that he had left with Icarus, not taken or kidnapped — and Rush's urges to be calm so to hide their position on the Earth from Gero or worse — forestalled that.

Gohan wasn't a reckless kid, she knew. If he was gone for a few days, he was probably with one of their friends. Perhaps with Krillin and Rayne, maybe to the Lookout. She was sure he knew how to get to both those places. So she would need to investigate, and forced herself to put that screaming urge aside, for at least a day, to tend to matters here. She couldn't go anywhere until she was sure Yamcha was healing and the others were safe.

Though she did wonder: why had Gohan run off? She'd need to talk to her father, later.

In any case, some preparations were made after their arrival — Chi-Chi put on a pot of hot water, Yamcha was placed into a wheelable bed the Ox-King had once made for his late wife during an illness, and Puar, Oolong, Retu, Suno, and Bulma collapsed into the massive sofa at the center of the main ground-floor study. After bringing in a bed-bound and hazy Yamcha, the Ox-King collapsed into his massive armchair, hands feeling the plushy fabric of his armrests, followed soon after by Chi-Chi, who like a good host poured nine cups of tea and sat in her chair. One-by-one they drank, waited — until their ninth, Rush, entered the room, afternoon rain dripping off of him.

Chi-Chi rose and handed him a towel so he wouldn't get water everywhere. After drying himself off he sat in the last available chair in the circle, eyed the tea, took a quick sip, and leaned back. 'Alright.' He scanned the group. 'Are we ready to begin?'

Eight nods. He nodded, too. 'I'll tell you what I know… though, obviously, at this point in time, I haven't even been born yet, so my knowledge is… spotty.'

'Whatever you know will help,' Chi-Chi assured him. 'Anything to fill in the gaps.'

'Right. To start — some of you know what's going on. Dr. Gero, a scientist in the Red Ribbon Army, is alive and well. On his own he's bent on restoring the Red Ribbon Army. And in my time… he won, and conquered the Earth. From there, he then took his vendetta solar. He started a war on the galaxy.'

'The galaxy?' Retu asked sharply. 'Did I hear you right?'

Rush, grimacing, slowly nodded. 'The details are hazy, but as far as I know, he began a war with a galactic empire. There was a terrible, terrible war.'

'You mean the PTO?' Suno prodded.

He made a face at her. '...I think so, yes,' he said slowly. 'I was born on Earth but didn't stay long… and once in the wider galaxy I grew up on planets far away from any news or civilization.' He paused. 'In hiding, more accurately.'

Rush shook his head. 'That's irrelevant. What matters is that, eventually, Gero was defeated… but in the process, the Earth was leveled.' His pale blue eyes pierced them. 'Totally. Nothing could grow, nothing could breathe, nothing could live. It was a barren husk of a once-living planet.'

Unexpectedly, he took a sip of his tea — a long one — and relaxed into his seat. 'That's it.'

Suno blinked. 'That's it?'

'The big stuff, anyway.' He glanced at them. 'Feel free to ask any questions, of course. But, like I said… I wasn't alive for a lot of this, and then spent my time off Earth, so…'

He glanced at Chi-Chi. '...Mom, by the way... we fled the Earth together. It was just the two of us for a few years — until you died, and I was on my own.'

'So… you spent most of your life on your own?' Retu asked, eyes widening. 'I'm… surprised.'

'I'm surprised you have a time machine, then,' Suno said, frowning. 'Where'd you get one?'

'Ah… well,' Retu leaned forward again. 'Something of a lucky find. I had just managed to get a ship to come back to the Earth. When there I started combing the planet's surface, looking for something salvageable, or any survivors… and I found a time machine. At first, I thought it was just another ship, but when I entered it, I quickly realized that this wasn't an ordinary vessel… there was this huge display of numbers and buttons — dates and ways to change them, I realized — and I got to wondering what would happen if I set a specific time and tried to fly… and, through that, I came here.'

'Huh.' Suno leaned back, then forward again. 'Where's your time machine now?' She asked, suddenly curious.

The slightest flinch went through Rush — and was quickly smothered by forlorn regret. 'It broke down on my trip here. I didn't want what was left of it falling into the wrong hands, though, so I destroyed it.'

Chi-Chi crossed her legs. 'Do you have any idea who made it?'

'Not a one,' he said glumly. 'It was in bad shape when I found it. Anything identifiable was worn away by time or damage.'

'And you chose the time the Saiyans came, because?...' Suno asked.

'Because that was the one day I knew — the date where everything started to go wrong in my time.'

'So, to back-up,' Chi-Chi stated for the room, 'You came here, to this time, a few months ago — on the same day Traveler came to this time.'

Rush's eyes lit. 'Traveler? Who is that?'

Chi-Chi exchanged a look with the room. 'Well… he's another time traveler, supposedly, who came and left on that day.'

Inch-by-inch Rush's expression widened. 'Really?'

'...You didn't know?'

The rest of the room kept their hands around their tea cups as Rush almost seemed to sink back into his chair, hand running through his hair, other tapping furiously at against an armrest. 'That changes — no, that explains so much.'

'Meaning?...' Retu asked.

'Why things were so… different,' Rush stood, hands gesturing through the air. 'I knew that a lot of you died the day I came back. That's the main reason why I picked that day to come back. But I was so… shocked when I saw another person there — someone I had no idea who they were.' He shook his head, eyes jumping between them. 'I mean — someone I had no idea who they were. No stories — nothing of what I remember you telling me about, Mom. I was just shocked — completely shocked — and…' He sat back down, suddenly exhausted. 'I didn't know what to do.'

'It freaked me out,' he said, quieter. 'And I was already scared to approach you and Yamcha, because… I was afraid I wouldn't be born in this timeline if I did.' His mouth bent with regret as he looked at Yamcha. 'I might have still done that, but…'

Chi-Chi placed down her cup of tea. 'I understand. I want you to know I don't hold anything against you, Rush.'

'Or me, for that matter,' Bulma spoke up. If she was tracking the conversation as it was Yamcha had saved her… when maybe he wasn't supposed to. 'Just so you know.'

'...I'm going to throw something out there,' Suno said aloud. 'Do you think there's a chance that Traveler is… lying?'

Retu creased his face. 'I'm pretty confident he's a time traveler.'

'Not that. Do you think that he's… misleading us about the future?'

'Would have to have given us concrete information to do that,' Chi-Chi said somewhat sourly. 'But he didn't, other than the calamities.'

'Calamities?' Rush asked.

'It's something Traveler mentioned when he came back in time. Events that hit the Earth after the Saiyans arrived. But, if he's misleading us—'

'No—' Traveler interrupted her. 'No, what he said was probably true. We didn't call it that in my time, but… yes, there were events that could be called that. Gero's attacks, and the galactic war.'

'So you might have told us more than him, then,' Suno pointed out.

Rush stared at his lap. 'Maybe. But I fled my time because I had nowhere else to go. I'm not… trying to save it. I didn't try to remember anything of it when I came here.'

He sighed again, shaking his head in his hands. 'Nevermind. What we need to focus on now is the immediate future.' His eyes scanned the room. 'We're all injured to some degree. You all can continue to pick my brain for information, but it's most important that we stay at Fire Mountain and keep a low profile until we're all healed.'

Chi-Chi nodded reverently. 'Understood. Seems to be the smartest course of action, if we can't sense any other of our friends.'

'In the meantime I need to think more,' Rush said, standing, placed his empty cup on a tray. 'What you said about Traveler… maybe it's possible I did know him, in my time, or… I don't know… a second time traveler, time machine...' He stopped halfway to the door, turned, and bowed. 'Thank you all for your patience.'

'Of course,' Chi-Chi soothed him. 'We're all friends here. You included.'

He gave a slight smile. 'Glad to hear it.' He looked at Yamcha. 'I'm going for a walk. I'll be back soon.'

The room fell into a companionable silence, punctuated by sips or the shifting of cushions or the sound of Chi-Chi moving around Yamcha's blankets, until Suno stood and wheeled on Puar and Oolong.

'You two were here for that, right? You didn't ask a single question.'

Puar sipped on her tea. 'Why would we? This is way above our pay grade — not to mention we got our answers.'

'Dr. Gero and the Red Ribbon Army back again,' Oolong said wistfully. 'Hard to believe…'

0o0o0

Again, it was another normal day comasitting. For a change Mark was the one drawing and Recoome was in bed, all the while their yet-to-awaken Saiyan slumbered on the other side of the room.

At one point Mark stood and showed his drawing to Recoome. 'Think I got his hair right?' He asked, rubbing a finger into his chin. 'Sorta… goes everywhere.'

'There's a trick to it.' Recoome traced a shape on the page. 'Saiyan hair is kinda all over but it's also kinda like a lot of leaves sticking out of the same branch, yeah?'

'...Yeah?' Mark agreed. He sorta understood it. 'Like… a really defined bush?'

'Sorta.' Recoome motioned for the pencil and made a few wavy shapes. 'Like this, see?'

'You want me to put that on his head? It seems a little unrealistic.'

'Unrealistic?' Recoome grumbled. Together they both looked across the room. 'Just look at —'

They looked. In return Turles, sitting up, was hazily looking at them — then at the bed, the walls, and the room. 'What... ' he moaned, pain lacing his voice, 'the… friggin'...'

Mark leaned slightly to his right. 'Uh, so...' he whispered. 'I'll go get Launch.'

'Yeah. Do that.'

0o0o0

With a satisfied swing of her head Launch settled forward in her chair, placing her elbows on her knees. 'And there you have it. You're our prisoner… Turles. You said Turles was your name, right?'

Laying on his back, immobilized by pain but also shame, Turles took a long second to reply. 'Just kill me now.'

'They do that a lot in the PTO?'

'They did.' He pressed a finger to his neck. 'Right here, please.'

Launch frowned at, well — all of him. 'Can't tell if you're being serious or screwing with me.'

'Little of both. Not sure which one more.'

'A joker, huh?' Launch said dryly. 'Swell. Anyway, here's the deal: you weren't exactly meant to come with us—'

'—story of my life—'

'—but now you're with us, whether you like it or not. So we're going to let you heal up for a few days under supervision, and then we'll have a chat about… what we'll do with you, I guess.'

'Those two from before?' Turles tried to picture spending a whole waking day with them. 'Again, please end me.'

She shook her head, smirking, as she pulled around her chair and set it against the wall.

'How long is it going to take for me to heal?'

'Dunno. Don't care. Actually — it'd be easier shift-wise if you took your sweet time.'

'Doesn't this ship have some sort of healing tank?'

'This place look like some kind of luxury cruiser?' Launch was already halfway out of the room. 'Suck it up.'

The door slammed closed before Bardock could shout back. 'Bastards!' Turles snarled, teeth flashing, but even that small act of anger made his chest clutch and pulse with pain, forcing him back to the bed. 'Ba— bastards…'

A prisoner, again. From one master to another.

But if he was really, really being honest: he would get some of his best sleep in years now that he knew it for sure from his warden — he would never see Vegeta again. Whoever these 'humans" are, it was clear they weren't Saiyans. So no more pride, vanity and pomp… and no more serving someone he hated and was hated by in turn.

He was actually looking forward to it. And once he killed everyone on this ship and took it for his own… he'd be that again. Free.

0o0o0

Mark's nervous eyes swung from the nearby door. 'You getting worried at all, Recoome?'

'Huh?' The giant pulled a finger out of his ear and rubbed the end of it against his shoulder. 'Launch's only been in there for a minute. Couldn't have done too much to the guy.'

'Not that.' Mark glanced around and lowered his voice. 'Bez still hasn't been able to get in contact with Earth. Doesn't that make you nervous?'

'You think something happened? The PTO is behind us, not ahead of us.'

'Then why have we heard nothing for more than a week? You have to admit, it's weird!'

'Hey.'

Mark and Recoome both jolted — spun — as they hadn't heard Launch until she was right on top of them. 'You're— you're done?' Mark stammered.

Launch eyed them. 'He's been briefed as to how things work on this ship. Get back in there.'

Mark and Recoome saluted. 'Yes, sir!' They said in unison.

'Ma'am.'

'Ma'am!'

'Just kidding.' She strolled past them down the hallway. 'Call me whatever you want.'

She imagined they were staring after her, horribly confused, but she had said what she needed to them. More importantly, she needed to think about what Mark had muttered at the end. She knew as well as they did Bez hasn't been able to get in touch with Earth. Besides making their eventual landing a nightmare to pull off, a lack of any contact signaled that something was wrong. Could be minor, could be major — could be worse. But they had no way of knowing until they got some news, or at the very least knowledge.

Maybe it was time to speed things along with their two other Saiyans.

0o0o0

All of it he committed to his mind — the last flesh-and-blood part of himself. From a far-off corner of his lab he could hear tools spinning, metal grinding, as 19 continued his preparations of the subject. Before Gero there was his original workstation, replete with glassware and saws, stray circuits and copper coils and lithium, not to mention the clamps and vices and all manners of mechanical aids to help shape metal to his wishes. It was here that he forged the first plate to comprise 19, and it was here that he fashioned the very hands he now used, back when he was living and dreamed for so much more than this. So much more than this… cold metal body, this… cage.

There was a time he was close — so very close — to realizing the potential of Saiyan biology. From his painstaking studies of Kakarot and his brother, he had realized something critical — the Saiyan genetic code was some of the most malleable and adaptable DNA he'd ever seen in a living organism. Exposure that would fry other specimens and produce mutations to the point of death almost seemed to improve the Saiyan material he had — cellular bonds would strengthen, stored energy would increase, biological construction would speed up. No amount of harm produced long-term degradation in a sample's genetic quality. If given enough care and time, after any assault or injury, the flesh would come back stronger— better.

It was that receptivity — that ability to take any punishment and grow in its wake, that Gero knew could be exploited. If Saiyan DNA bent but never broke, then it could be controlled at its weakest stage. When close to death and at its weakest, brimming with untapped reparative energy. Gero knew that if, somehow, he had been able to slice in other biological material — bond it to Saiyan biological material with the right equipment or method — when the flesh inevitably came back, it would do so alongside the bounded material. In a word, the Saiyan capacity to repair itself would be… hijacked, in a way, to benefit the bonded material. The potential within the Saiyan genetic code would be retained. But it would be used to serve another element grafted upon it.

This was theoretical, of course. Gero had never quite managed to figure out how to do this. But he had two plans he had been working towards, slowly but surely, over the past several years. Both now abandoned.

Gero stopped his wandering through the lab. He had gone down a staircase, then another, until there was nothing in front of him but a dusty hallway with a few storage closets lining it on either side. Gero walked past them and came to the end of the hallway. There, he placed his hand to the featureless wall, had it scanned, and then watched the old metal pull away from the ceiling and recede into the ground.

It was a circular room, as he remembered, and ill-lit by the yellow lights flickering on above him. But Gero was somewhat surprised at the size of the subject inside the tank. The last time he had been here the specimen was about the size of a grape — now, it might be as big as a grapefruit. Growth outpaced his projections, then. The flesh was coalescing well. The bubbles flitting through the tank thrummed as healthily as the echo of a life — a heart.

All the more a shame. This was the project that might have outlived him. This was TORA.

Without a sound Gero made his way to the console next to the tank. Regardless of how the battle went, he had to be prepared to run. He had made sure to copy and burn all physical records so as to leave nothing here that could be used against him. And now he needed to destroy everything that could not be taken with him. Every last station, control board, locker, and cabinet would be destroyed. Not a single thing here would ever be used against him.

So he said a silent farewell to the tank and drained it. Water and matter alike spiraled away.

0o0o0

There wasn't much in the way of privacy at Fire Mountain with everyone nervous and grouping up for communal protection, but somehow Bulma managed to catch Chi-Chi as she went out for a night walk to clear her mind. In the courtyard, underneath a shimmering sky and brilliant blue and white stars sparkling, Bulma decided — well, she needed to have two conversations with Chi-Chi. Though she wasn't sure which one to do first.

At least their leisurely walk into the center of the courtyard was nice. 'Chi-Chi… there's something I need to tell you,' she began, 'regardless if this makes you upset, because I might be the only person who knows this, and if I die, we lose this knowledge. So… please listen.'

Calmly, Chi-Chi turned to her — perhaps already sensing that Bulma wished to share something when she accompanied her out here. She voiced her one and only guess to clear the air. 'You're not going to say that, on the island, you and Yamcha—'

'No,' Bulma said emphatically. 'Never. No. Not that.' For a split-second she thought of broaching that — but recommitted to her original choice. '...Though what I'm about to tell you might be upsetting in a different way…' She glanced around. 'Is there somewhere out here where we can sit?'

There was a tree, so they sat under it and leaned their backs to bark, knees to chest. 'Okay,' Bulma began. 'So… here's the deal. What we know so far is that you, Suno, Retu, and Chiaotzu fought someone associated with Gero… and then Yamcha saved me from Gero's androids in West City.'

'Right,' Chi-Chi agreed.

Bulma rested her head on her knees. 'There's… something else, too, that we can add to that. It's likely there's going to be…' she shook her head. 'How do I even put this?'

'A person?' Chi-Chi probed. 'A weapon? What? Did you discover something in West City?'

'In a way.' She steeled herself, and with a scoot, faced her body to Chi-Chi's. 'I think, in addition to Gero and whoever his Androids are… we're going to face one other person in the future. The near future.'

Chi-Chi frowned at her. Someone from the Red Ribbon Army? There were a lot of colonels, she remembered, not to mention the sergeants and the generals and the grunts—'

'Raditz. I think they have Raditz.'

One of Chi-Chi's hands rested and sank into the dirt. 'Raditz?' She repeated, face pale. 'Bulma— what are you talking about?'

In the dark the circles around Bulma's eyes yearned like a maw. 'Before… what happened at West City, I was investigating a lead… because something of mine disappeared.' She breathed. 'Years ago, after Raditz attacked and died, I… I took his corpse for safekeeping. It felt wrong to leave him out there, able to be found by anyone. So I put him in a tank in a secret annex below Capsule Corp. A few years passed, and then after what happened with Namek and Ginyu and the Saiyans— I forgot I had even done that until Piccolo jogged my memory…'

Bulma's mouth opened and closed without a sound. 'And… when I checked… he was gone, Chi-Chi. So I investigated in the months since then, and found out, through a few other people… somehow Gero got his hands on Raditz's corpse.'

She stopped then, body flushed, breathing quick. She forced herself to be calm and glanced furtively at Chi-Chi. 'Are you?...'

Chi-Chi looked like she had seen her own death — pale, stricken, leaning on one hand. 'Bulma, I…' She made a sound of disbelief, then her eyes jumped. 'You… never told us? That you lost the corpse of someone like that, let alone you had him in the first place?' She asked directly.

'...' Bulma had nothing to say to that. She knew she could say nothing. Even her frown was more to pity herself to give any response. '...I'm sorry.'

'And you forgot?'

'It was for safekeeping.' She turned away, face tugged. 'I never meant to do anything… I swear. I just wanted to keep him out of the hands of anyone who might have done something bad, and now…'

As Bulma trailed off she heard a sound: Chi-Chi stood, staring into the mistless sky — and when she turned back to her, her gaze was both more severe and less accusatory than it had been a few seconds earlier. 'Hold on,' she said, pausing. 'How secret was this annex?'

'I'm the only person who knew about it. Not even my parents knew.'

'...Piccolo knew, somehow,' Chi-Chi said, accusing without saying as much. 'How else would he have known to ask about it?'

'He only knew because he was told, by —'

Bulma's eyes sprung open. '...I almost forgot,' she muttered to herself, head shaking. 'I… can't believe…' Her eyes shot to Chi-Chi. 'Traveler told Piccolo to ask me this… and when I investigated this on my own, the person who handed off Raditz to Gero… they said the person who gave Raditz to him looked exactly like Traveler.'

'...Really?' Chi-Chi asked. 'Scar and everything?'

'It was the scar that sealed it for me. It was described exactly as I remembered it — like a spill across his upper right head.'

'How would Traveler know you had Raditz — let alone where his annex was?'

'...Don't know,' Bulma said quietly. 'But he is from the future. Otherwise… how else would he have known, or known the right time to take Raditz?'

'You never told anyone else.'

'No.'

'...Then maybe you told him in the future.'

Bulma scowled — then one of her hands smacked against the ground, startling Chi-Chi. 'What?'

'That bastard,' Bulma seethed. 'I was thinking recently — I'm still not sure how time travel works — but from what Traveler said back then, and how Rush described his relationship to Traveler — there are so many different timelines swirling around. And the one we're in now — Traveler's been meddling in it!' Bulma stood. 'More than that — he must know me in the future — I must be helping him do this!'

'You think… your future self is involved?' Chi-Chi asked slowly. 'Why do you think that?'

'It makes sense! To me Traveler doesn't look like some sort of scientist. And someone must have built his time machine, whatever it is. I'd be the natural pick, right?'

'But he told us… you left the Earth with the Saiyans…'

That was a bit of a roadblock — both Bulma's theory and her momentum. 'Alright. There's a lot we don't know. Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions. But one thing we do know — it's likely that Traveler has meddled with our timeline before fighting the Saiyans. Either he took Raditz from Capsule Corp. hours before he confronted the Saiyans… or he made another trip back in time before that.' She turned to Chi-Chi, urgent. 'Do you understand, Chi-Chi? Traveler is changing things for some end— if Raditz appears soon, that is — for his own goals… because in no reality do I understand how handing off a Saiyan corpse to our worst enemy would help us.'

'I understand,' Chi-Chi said, thinking… about what Bulma said and then something else. 'And…'

'What?'

'We need to share this with the others. They deserve to know, right?' Chi-Chi made a face. 'Unless you don't want me to do that.'

They held their silence as leaves waved in the wind.

'It doesn't paint you in a good light.'

'I know.'

'Do you want to tell them yourself?'

'...Let me think about it.' Bulma let her arms drop from her legs as she stood. 'I'm tired and I want to sleep. So… yeah.' She made a face — at what, Chi-Chi wasn't sure, because she displaced it a moment later. 'Thank you, Chi-Chi. For…'

'For doing this,' Chi-Chi said, eyes searching for Bulma's. 'Of course.'

'Of course.' Bulma stared at her feet. '...Can I ask one more thing before you go?'

Chi-Chi turned back to her. 'What?'

She really didn't want to ask this question — of her, at least. 'You and Yamcha… are…'

'...Do you want me to say it out loud?'

'I guess not, no.'

'But do you have your answer?'

'I do now.'

Chi-Chi nodded — slowly, considerate. 'Okay. Once Yamcha is healed — this is a conversation you should have with him. I don't think I have anything much else to say, except… it happened. If it means anything, I'm sorry—'

'Don't,' Bulma said sharply. 'Don't,' she repeated in a warmer tone. 'Just… like you said, it happened. Nothing else to say, do, beyond that.'

'You're alright?'

'I was, and I will be,' Bulma replied with a tight mouth. 'Just… it flares up sometimes, like an old wound. Is that how it goes? The road back to normal is bumpy.'

'Yeah.' No longer near the tree, Chi-Chi looked out-of-place, without a tether. 'Do you want to come inside with me?'

'I'll come in soon, but not now,' Bulma said, sitting back down. 'Thanks for the chat, Chi-Chi.'

She gave a faint smile. 'Anytime, Bulma.'

So now she knew. As Chi-Chi left Bulma wrapped her legs to her chest and bent back, body facing the stars, thinking about yesterday and today and tomorrow like it was one long coiled thread that she'd never finish untangling. But at least the night sky was clear.

0o0o0

All across the Earth the air was light — a calm settling over a weary planet, if only for one night. From a different spot and different place Tien looked out, up from the Lookout, squinting at the brighter, more visible stars. He heard him approach, and chose not to speak.

'Am I interrupting?' Piccolo asked, coming to his side.

'Not at all.'

They stood side-by-side, each gazing at their own thoughts strewn across their vision. The night was ripe with it. 'I don't know what to make of him,' Tien said under his breath. 'Traveler… everything he said…'

'Do you not believe him?'

Tien eyed him out of the corner of his eyes. 'I do, actually. The bigger issue, question, is whether I trust him.'

'Which part?'

'So you trust him, then?'

Piccolo let the question hang in the air. 'I'm not sure,' he eventually answered. 'Traveler was, is… hiding something, I'm sure — but I trust him now more than I did when I first met him. I think he's treating us fairly, and that he'll be a reliable ally against Gero.'

When he glanced up again, he saw Tien glaring at him. 'You think that, after everything he told us?'

'More so after what he said. You disagree?'

'He never explained himself. He never explained what was the gain of not telling us about Gero and the PTO and everything else until now.'

'To be accurate,' Piccolo countered, 'he said he waited to reveal what he knew because he didn't want to discourage us.'

'And you buy that?'

'...'

'Do you feel particularly discouraged right now?'

Piccolo turned away. 'Perhaps, some.'

'And why is that?'

Tien's tone was starting to irk Piccolo. He wasn't his enemy. 'In any situation with Traveler,' Piccolo bit back, 'we might as well be children, considering the gap in power between him and us. It won't be a partnership.' Piccolo grimaced. 'It'll be… hand-holding.'

'And that's how he's treated us from the beginning,' Tien added. 'Revealing things to us, piecemeal… I'll never like that. Not least it gives the impression… nevermind.'

Piccolo noted the dark expression on Tien's face. 'What?'

'...He knows more what he's letting on… so he knows Chiaotzu is dead, doesn't he?'

Unexpected. 'How do you know?'

'I knew for a while,' Tien said, closing his eyes. 'I sensed it, even during our fight with Slug, because I know his energy by heart… and felt it blink out of its own accord.' He turned to Piccolo. 'Do you understand what that means? He went out willingly… either because he beat whoever he was facing, or he made a difference. So my only question is—'

Anger flushed the air around him, rolling off Tien through his crisp, raging white aura. 'So — what if Traveler knew what was going to happen to Chiaotzu? What if he didn't prevent it?'

Piccolo felt of mix of relief and concern wash through him. Relief that he hadn't been the one to tell Tien this. Concern that he had let Tien's anger target an unpredictable stranger.

'You could ask him,' Piccolo advised.

'And have him run from a question he doesn't want to answer?' Tien grumbled. 'No. I'm not going to ask him. Instead… I'll challenge him the moment I'm confident he caused it.'

Piccolo could feel the intensity radiating off of Tien. 'I'm not sure that would be wise. I'm not sure if that will ever be true, either.'

'Maybe. But if we really are children like you say we are, then Traveler will have to humor me — or give me answers. His choice. Either way, it'll reveal the kind of person he is.' Tien glared at the tiles beneath his feet. 'The kind of secrets he keeps.'

'Well…' Piccolo reached for the obi at his waist and produced a brown bag. 'We'll have our secrets from him. I'll keep these Senzus hidden, so if we need them…'

'We have them,' Tien finished, nodding. 'Alright. Understood.' He sighed. 'Then I guess we're really doing it tomorrow? Facing down Gero at his lab.'

'We'll do more than that,' Piccolo said, determined. 'We'll win.'

0o0o0

'I'm going to ask you about your son now. I'm going to ask about Raditz.'

The question had caught all of them completely off-guard — Bez, Bardock, and Kakarot all gaped to some degree. Her ally seemed to the most concerned. 'Uh, Launch,' Bez said under his breath, 'I'm not sure—'

' ,' Launch spoke over his concerns, staring at Bardock. 'Feel free to hold nothing back, because,' she made a grand gesture, spreading her arms across the table, 'I'll be completely honest — we're haven't gotten in contact with our friends on Earth at all since leaving that space station, which makes me think something bad has happened, which makes me believe—'

'Launch!' Bez shouted, shooting to his feet. 'You can't reveal that—'

A look — a look from Launch both terrifying and, somehow, reassuring, made Bez sit back down, face angry but quiet all the same.

She held his gaze as she turned slowly back to the Saiyans. 'Now…' She leaned in. 'Tell me— is there anything relevant to Raditz that might explain our little communication issue with Earth?'

'...What the hell are you talking about?' Bardock barked. 'You would know better than us.'

'Would we, though?' Launch parroted back, scowling at him. 'Because, as far as we've gotten, Kakarot hasn't explained how he came back to life, but you — you, buddy, have been alive for more than a few decades, if you're actually his father. Which means you also knew Raditz too — who was the only other one of your kind to pay a "visit", so to speak, to Earth.' Launch pursed her lips. 'So here's how I see it. You were alive in the galaxy. You were in contact with Raditz. You either sent or knew Raditz went to the Earth — which means you knew about Earth, which also means you could have sent something bad there over however long you've been scampering around the galaxy with your should-be-dead son.' She paused, glancing at Bez. 'Well? Makes sense, huh?'

'...Uh…' he rubbed his neck. 'I don't think…'

Bardock stiffened, straightening. 'Let me be clear, because we should make a policy not to lie to each other — whatever shitty thing is happening on Earth right now, us two haven't been a part of that. We were being hunted by Vegeta and his crew of Saiyans. We were in hiding! How would we have sent anyone your way? Not to mention—'

Kakaort's hand landed on his father's shoulder, drawing his attention — and then drawing him away from the table. 'Whatever. I've said it.'

'Said what?' Launch squinted at him. 'You were going to say something there, weren't you?'

'Nevermind.'

'Say it.'

'No.'

'C'mon. Just say it.'

'No!'

'I promise—'

'You have Raditz, don't you?' Bardock breathed, looking at the ceiling. 'On Earth. So why bother asking us about him?'

'...' Bez and Launch exchanged a look. Bez even went so far as to leave the table, swing around, and stare at Bardock close-up.

'Is he hallucinating?' Launch asked.

'Doesn't look like it.'

'Weird.' Launch made a flat expression as she met Bardock's gaze. 'Guess you really didn't know. Raditz is dead.'

It was like the room emptied and filled with air in a single second. There was a slow roll of change on the faces of the two Saiyans: while Kakarot's grew ever-so-slightly more concerned, open, nervous, his father seemed to turn inward — his presence here, with them, fading.

'Alright.' Bardock closed his eyes, leaned back, and let his chin touch his chest. 'I'm done.'

Launch quirked an eyebrow. 'Pardon?'

'You're lying.' Like a wind passing by, all three felt it — the anger pulsing off of Bardock. He tore at his face, nose and mouth bending and creasing, until he ripped open his gaze and stared at Launch and Bez head-on. 'Raditz is alive. I know he is.'

'...we wouldn't lie about this, you know,' Bez said cooly. 'There'd be no point—'

Bardock's fist — easily freed of his flimsy restraints, banged down on the table. Pens and paper went flying as metal warped under his palm. 'Of course there'd be a point! If you were cowards and liars and cheats who wanted to get information out of us that we wouldn't otherwise give up— yes, there'd be a point!'

Launch rose quickly. 'You're going back to the cell.' Her sharp gaze met his. 'Now.'

'Fine.' Bardock shoved away from the table. 'Good. I have nothing more to say to you two.'

'Yeah, we got that. You going to apologize for the table?'

And in silence they exited, each drawing out that silence for as long as possible.

Bez, too muted for words, both staring at the way Launch and Bardock exited. Eventually, frowning, Bez turned back to Kakarot. 'Do you have anything to say?'

In stark contrast to him, Kakarot was staring at the table nearly flattened to the floor — more than that, he was running a hand over it. 'None at all,' he said, looking up. 'Take me to my father.'

0o0o0

It was early in the morning: dew and silver-laced leaves pearled water at their tips, ready to drop to wet Earth. Near a kitchen window Chi-Chi sat, watching the world outside, thoughts just as tired as she was. She hadn't slept well last night. For a while she wanted to crawl into bed alongside Yamcha, but it was clear every time she approached him he needed every second of uninterrupted and unaffected sleep he could get. Not to mention she wouldn't be able to rest her head on his chest with the cast-like wrappings around his right arm.

So instead she had to sleep in her old bed, in her old room, and fail at that, and rise groggily with the sun lacking any more will to try. Since then she had planted herself in the kitchen, sipping at her tea, watching the world brighten to life.

Her conversation with Bulma was weighing on her mind. Her conversation with Rush and the others, too. She knew that, lacking any information, and lacking any sense of where their allies were beyond… maybe Piccolo, she thought, circling the Lookout not too long ago — it was safest to stay here, stay hidden, hiding their power levels, until they were healed.

But more than anything, concern for Gohan consumed her mind. She had told herself she would spend a day here to make sure everyone — Yamcha especially — was safe and healing well. Her father gave her some encouraging news about him last night when they traded watch before he slept. So it was time to do what she so desperately wanted and needed to do. It was time to find Gohan.

As she took another sip of her tea she heard a door in an adjacent room open — a few seconds later, Rush wandered into the kitchen, bleary-eyed like her.

She lifted her cup to her mouth. 'Couldn't sleep?'

He paused as he leaned over the counter, then turned to her. 'That obvious?'

'It is very early.'

His head dipped. A moment later he sat down at the table with her. 'True,' he murmured.

She eyed him as she took another sip. He did look odd — like he hadn't slept at all last night. She can't remember ever seeing him look this… exhausted. His usually tanned skin was just… tan.

Tentatively — she placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed him. He was her future son, after all… though, if she was being honest, it didn't feel like that. But she had to try.

He acknowledged the gesture with a lift of his head. 'Are you going somewhere?' He asked, noticing that she had on her training boots alongside a loose red-pink and white gi she'd had in her closet for years.

She nodded. 'I know what you said yesterday— but I need to go find Gohan. I haven't seen him in over a week. He's smart, capable, but… I'm worried.'

Rush's eyes narrowed, highlighting the weariness in the skin around his eyes. 'You don't have to say anything — I understand.' His mouth quirked. 'But you should also understand that it'd be dangerous to—'

'I have to find Gohan,' Chi-Chi said, emphatic. 'Especially given how dangerous everything is, because he'd be safest here with me and everyone else. I'm sure of it.'

'...Alright.' Rush frowned. 'Then… how about I'll go with you? I'll feel that you'll be safer if I'm around.'

Chi-Chi smiled a little. She wouldn't mind a one-on-one conversation with him, her son. Things had either been too busy or too dour to really talk. 'I like that idea — though you think everyone here will be safe without you and me?'

'We won't be long, right?' Rush reassured her. 'No more than half a day. We'll go where we think he might be, check, and come back with him. Should be quick. Not to mention we'll be using our ki to fly, so we'd be more noticeable than anyone here.'

'Agreed.' She finished her drink and set it down. 'Should we get going, then?'

'Let's.'

0o0o0

As the sun rose they found him at the Lookout's edge, peering at the faint blue skies hiding this place from the Earth. His head turned slightly at their approach. 'Yes?'

Tien and Piccolo stopped, fastening their obi. 'We'll go. We're ready.'

'So you'll come with me?'

'We need to do our part,' Tien said. 'For our friends. Living or dead.'

Traveler faced them — a sharpness resided in his eyes. 'I'll say this now, then: I have only one request in return for my help. I need you to stall Gero and his androids when we arrive.'

Piccolo's eyes narrowed. 'What for?'

'There's something I need from Gero's lab. Information that can help save my time.' He met Piccolo's gaze. 'This is what I meant about us having different motives, but the same goals. I would like to save your time very much. But I would like to save mine even more.'

'How badly?' Tien asked, fixing him a serious look. 'Enough to abandon us if it meant getting what you needed?'

He seemed disappointed — or perhaps annoyed — at Tien's question. 'I'm your ally. Trust me when I say that I hate Gero far more than you could imagine. And your death would make him happy, so… I'm not going to let that happen, ever.' He crossed his arms. 'Satisfied?'

'Hm.' Tien and Piccolo exchanged a look — and then, unexpectedly, they bowed slightly to him. 'We'll do that, then,' Piccolo said. 'We'll do better than stall, too. We'll beat Gero's toys.'

They were capable of surprising him, he reminded himself. So far… they and events have done that. Not everything will go as planned.... 'I just need time to comb Gero's lab. You don't need to defeat Gero and his Androids on your own — you only need to keep them busy until I'm ready to join the fight.'

'Our friends would help you with this too, you know,' Tien said. 'It would make the battle easier, and…' His expression faded, thoughts drifting.

'You're thinking about if they're in danger, right?' Traveler asked. 'I'll admit, it's hard to say. I'm sure you've sensed it as much as I have — I've felt no one who was present at my first arrival for days. It's likely that they've fought with Gero and are hiding to heal or bide their time for a counter-attack. But if we engage Gero now, together, unified, I'm confident they'll come out of hiding and help us.' Traveler allowed himself a slight smile. 'Once we show our fangs, they'll come with some of their own.''

'Logical,' Piccolo commented. He exchanged one last look with Tien. 'Well, if that's all—'

'One more thing.' The three of them turned: from the rubble Korin and Yajirobe walked out. 'You'll have one more person accompanying you,' Korin continued.

'And he's not happy about it,' Yajirobe grumbled.

Piccolo crossed his arms as they came to a stop. 'You're up for a fight, Yajirobe? I was under the impression you haven't been training.'

'Not as much as you lunatics, no,' he shot back. 'But I've learned a few tricks here and there. I wouldn't be useless. But, uh…'

'Let me guess,' Tien said, frowning. 'You need us to fly you there?'

'...Please.'

Tien sighed. 'Alright…'

'Good luck,' Korin clapped his staff to Yajirobe's back. 'Don't die.'

'Yeah, yeah.' Yajirobe held up his arms so that Tien could hoist him onto his shoulders like a sack of rice. 'Just keep an eye on the plants in the tower, alright?'

'Of course. I'll head there once you're gone.'

'Alright then!' Yajirobe pounded on Tien's shoulder. 'Let's gooooo! Lead me!'

And so Traveler did. The blue skies — the very same he was gazing out on earlier, eyes parsing and sifting like an ever-trawling net, searching through it and that and his mind past, present, and future, parted as they passed, and the land — a land he never knew in his time — greeted them and the arc of destiny.


A/N: The plot thickens. Also, I offer the now customary apology for the chapter delay. Luckily, this was the last one where I had to do extensive back-reading to make sure my present narrative reveal-drip lines up well with established history. Hopefully, I'll have an uptick in speed soon.

Also, review if you're enjoying the story or catch a plot inconsistency! I'm juggling a lot of plot balls right now and I'd appreciate anyone pointing out anything I missed or forgot.

Reviews:

KagariAsuha: Things are getting so much more interesting. You are not prepared. Also, thanks for the review!

Anonymous: 100% about Rush… but what about Traveler? Is he playing 6-D chess?

I think Gero is more worried about facing everyone at once. It's different to gang up on one of the Zs.

All I'm going to say about that Gero comment about Rush looking like a Saiyan is that there's a reason for that. As for why that is, can't say.

Perhaps Bardock will tell that heroic liberation story someday… and yes, it involved Kakarot. As for that Raditz discovery angst — you got it in this chapter.

Yeah, sorry, the mystery is unfurling slowly.

I agreed with everything you said about Bulma / Chi-Chi / Retu… the only thing I'd add is that Chi-Chi and Retu are reacting as they are to Chiaotzu because they weren't exactly best friends with him. Meanwhile, Bulma and her parents…

Thank you for your review!

Mr. Legoman: Glad you're enjoying this ride! There's a lot more WTF material in this chapter. Thanks for the chime-in.

Cityracer: Yes… why would Rush give Gero time to prepare?... HMM

Bulma's an interesting character to me! Very integral in some ways but in other ways totally not in canon. Also I blame your bad impression of her on canon's lackluster writing of her xP

I have to wonder what you think of Traveler now.

Recoome is a goof, yes. I like writing him!

As with Traveler, I wonder what your thoughts of Rush are after this chapter.

As always thank you for the review!