After all that had happened, Horkion was desperate for some good news. Perhaps that was why Dr. Leaton's expression was so kind and sympathetic upon seeing him. Horkion focused his dark, pebble eyes on the rejuvenation tank where the shriveled remains of Misado floated through blue bubbles.

"Any…any luck?" he asked, sounding a lot more pitiful than he meant to. He should have said something more professional like 'has there been any improvements' like one of the other justiciars would have.

Dr. Leaton was a orange-skinned man of the standard frame with a body so narrow it looked as though something rather large had once sat on him. But he came across as anything but comical as he grimly shook his head. "I'm sorry, Guardian. I know you were hoping my hobby in botany would somehow help but…" He turned and squinted at the avatar. "I don't think this is something any medicine can help…or science for that matter. Perhaps if we could find someone with mystical knowledge then maybe, maybe…"

Horkion looked like he was about to shrink in size. "I knew someone like that but…but she's dead." His mind flashed with the memories of Nettelish, painfully mixed between the real her and the imposter. "…She would know what to do. Anyone would have a better idea than me."

Dr. Leaton twisted his mouth sympathetically. "Now, sir, don't be so hard on yourself. It's enough that you're trying."

Horkion didn't feel like it was, but he tried to smile a bit all the same. He looked at Misado again, so small it seemed to belonged in a flowerpot. Dr. Leaton nodded, as though he sensed Horkion's desire to be alone with her, and drifted to another room. Horkion groaned sadly and touched one of his thick, stone hands to the glass. He struggled for a long while with what to say. He had never been the most eloquent speaker and Misado wasn't a conversationalist either.

Finally, he just said, "I wish you were better. I…I got a feeling we could really use your help right now. Even more than we realize." A blue shimmer caught his eye and he gasped as he realized it was coming from Misado. It was small and weak, but still, a leaf grew, reaching out towards him. He watched with hope as it touched the other side of the glass against his palm.

Startlingly, he suddenly felt outside his body. He was inside a planet. A green and blue planet covered by vast oceans of water. He could feel everything. Every rock, bird, and tree – every conscious person – all wrapped under a thin layer of sky. Inside a large house in a city, he could feel the presence of many friends gathering.

A blue-haired woman shuddered, an entire case of capsule tumbled out of her hands and scattered over the floor. A short, tiny man and another with scars on his face started anxiously at the sight, looking like they were about to fly out of their skins.

A woman with her dark hair in her bun hurried up and grasped her arm. "Bulma, are you—"

"It's okay…" she sighed, pushing aside one of her blue bangs, "It was a false alarm." The two men sigh heavily, their faces melted.

The woman with the bun scowled mildly with concern. "You really should be in a hospital!"

The blue one put a fist two her hip and scowled back. "I can take care of myself, thank you!" she replied indignantly.

The two women started to bicker and as they did so Horkion became aware of the life growing inside of the blue-haired woman. He didn't have long to consider this, though, before his attention was drawn to a hillside a ways away. There, a young man with short, spiky black hair and a single bang that stuck out funny stood very still, as though he were listening to the wind.

"Gohan!" a young woman with short black hair hurried up the side of the hill.

The young man turned and blinked once a pair of large, soft eyes – eyes Horkion felt he recognized. "Videl," he answered.

The woman slowed as she reached the top of the hill. "I've been looking for you. What are you doing way out here?"

"Oh…sorry," he answered, wincing ever so slightly, "I just wanted to get away for a while so I could think."

"About what?" she asked, coming closer.

He looked off again. "My father." He was silent for a while till he realized she was standing close, listening and waiting for him to continue. "Ever since I was a little kid, even though he wasn't always around, we were always really close. So close, I could feel it whenever he was in trouble. Times when he needed help. Sometimes, it was so strong, I could hear his voice in my head." She was touching his arm now, looking up at him attentively. "Even when he died, it was still like that."

"So…you think your father's in trouble?" she asked.

"Maybe. I'm not really sure," he admitted, "I think he's alright…but I can't shake the feeling lately that he's going to need my help real soon." He shook his head and sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "But, it's not like there's anything I can do about it. Not yet, anyways. I don't even know where he and Vegeta are right now."

"Don't worry, Gohan, I'm sure your father can take care of things himself," she encourage, still holding his arm, "Besides, it's not all bad. There's other things you could be thinking about too."

"Hm?" he looked at her curiously, "Oh yeah? Like what?"

She smiled and tossed her arms back, pushing up on her toes into his face. "Well, for example, we're going to be getting married soon, aren't we?"

"Uh-doh-yeah!" he said awkwardly, trying not to blush, "Of course!" He laughed, rubbing at his head a bit in a way that made Horkion realize that this was Goku's son.

Just as this became clear, Horkion felt himself yanked back into his own awareness. His touch broke away from the glass and he stared as the leaf withdrew into a tiny bud. "What…?" He stopped himself, thinking hard. "That must have been Goku's planet…Earth…Vegeta too…" He scratched at his head, thinking of the young man who looked like Goku and the blue-haired woman. He realized he recognized her. "Vegeta's wife…Goku's son…" He turned back to Misado pleadingly. "You're trying to tell me something, aren't you? But what? I don't understand…"

His thoughts were disrupted as suddenly his fusion band lit up. "Incoming message," the computer alerted him. He tapped it twice, not surprised to see it was one his subordinates contacting him. What did shock him was how blotchy and tight the guard's face was.

"Sir," said the guard, short of breath, "You better come see this…"

"I know we're all stressed, but try to remain professional," kindly reminded Horkion, "Just tell me what's wrong."

"I…" He swallowed. "You really need to see for yourself, sir."

Horkion sighed, deciding to give the man a break. "Alright. Where are you?"

"Corridor L-44, sir. Judicial deck."

(**Scene Break**)

"Wake up, Saiyan."

Goku grunted, jolting into awareness as a hand struck him across the face. His vision was blurred at first, but he could hear the humming of energy and feel an uncomfortable tightness in his muscles. His head felt heavy, his hair dangling forward and tickling at his cheeks.

The hand struck him again. "I said wake up."

His neck moved stiffly, his whole body sore like he'd been training for a month straight without rest. He squinted ahead and even before his vision cleared he recognized the bright, tropical colors before him. "Nevrrest," he said, his brow immediately narrowing.

She seemed to be at the same height as him, which was odd because she was about as tall as Piccolo. It was odd, at least, until he realized she was floating in the air. And so was he. Except he wasn't floating, he was suspended in the air by harsh cords of energy, much like the ones that came from the guard's whips. Goku turned his head and immediately assessed his situation. The cords were lashed around his wrists and ankles, connecting to projectors from the walls of a room with a divot in the center, his body held uncomfortably out in an X formation. He lowered his brow and twisted one of his wrists about experimentally and determined what he had already surmised – he could barely move.

"Yes, you've been restrained," Nevrrest affirmed, "And are headed towards worse if you don't wizen up very quickly."

Goku landed her an angry gaze. "Where's Oom'Bagu? What have you done to him?"

She sneered at him with disgust turning her beak aside. "Oh don't act like you're the one who really cares about him. I called him friend long before you did, Son Goku…even if he has betrayed me now."

"Where's Oom'Bagu?!" he barked.

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, as though she were considering rebuking him. "…Tucked away," she answered, "Alive, well, and no longer a threat." She snorted at his disapproving glare. "I haven't thrown all my principles aside, monkey."

"That still doesn't answer my question," he accused.

"And I don't rightly care."

Anger burned in Goku's chest, his muscles tightening and starting to bulge. Hissing and growling, he began to pull against the energy cords, his body quaking with the strain. He snarled and puffed, the lines of his face deepening and quivering as he fought to break free.

Nevrrest looked amused. "Oh. Of course, by all means, go right ahead."

Goku's struggle intensified, white energy swirling in a mist as his veins bulged against his skin. White turned into a flash of gold, his hair rippling with it and eyes glowing bright green.

"Pull and struggle as hard as you possible can…"

Goku didn't let up one inch. His growls erupted into screams as he drew upon more and more strength. His limbs convulsed, wrists turned inward as he pulled against the energy cords, the binds starting to spark. He screamed louder and his hair went straight up, white-ish blue lightning flashing around the growing plume of golden power. Nevrrest watched with great interest as the glowing blue binds reverberated with energy, Goku's might growing greater by the second.

It seemed he would somehow reach and all new peak of power when suddenly a tsunami of energy whiplashed down the length of the binds and into the super saiyan. Goku cried out in agony as it exploded against him, his clothes partially blasted away as he was left smoking and black-haired once more.

"Bravo," Nevrrest remarked, floating down to the deck below them and toes spreading as she landed, "Bravo. And thank you. I've always enjoyed seeing Sepis's handiwork in action." Goku lifted his head and hissed, clearly ready to have another go at it. "Go ahead," she encouraged, reading his expression, "Try to escape as many times as you like. The results will always be the same."

"I have to admit…" Goku panted, "I've never felt anything that could hold me like this before."

"Not surprising – you are the Legendary Super Saiyan, after all," she replied, her beak twisting as though she were begrudging to admit this fact, "But it will hold you, Saiyan. It was designed to hold me."

"You?" said Goku with confusion.

"Yes." The fan of feathers on her tail opened and swayed. "When we were building this prison, I told Sepis I wanted all the containments so strong that not even the strongest warrior in the universe could break free of them. And since I'm the strongest the galaxy knows, I volunteered to be the guinea pig." She looked at one of the beams like it was an acquaintance who had insulted her once. "It works by feeding off the prisoner's own energy. The more you struggle, the stronger it gets. And if it happens to be holding someone so strong that that person manages to overload it…" She gave him a mean little smile. "It returns the energy right back to the sender. Painfully, as you discovered. Impractical for long-term use though. Still." She raised her chest proudly. "My Sepis is a genius."

"That's another thing," he spoke, glaring heavily once again, "If you care about Sepis so much, how can you force this on him?"

It made her angrier than he had expected. She was immediately back in the air with him, her talons baring over him like she wanted to ripe his face off. "I didn't force anything on him!" she shouted, "I told him I didn't want him involved anymore! But YOU!" She slapped him back and forth, breaking open the scabs on his cheeks. "You dumb, damned, meddlesome ape! You had to get involved and force him to help me again! Now there's nothing I can do to keep him out of it!"

He sternly waited for her to finish, his cheeks hot from the blows. "There is one thing. You could end this now."

She seized a fistful of black hair, yanking his head painfully back. "Oh you think you're so clever and cute, don't you?" she remarked with utter disgust, "I can't even begin to remember the last time someone managed to anger me this much." Her free hand reached for his throat. "Part of me wants nothing more than to just tear you apart…" The hand retracted. "Honestly…you were better off dead. I wish you had stayed that way."

"Can't say I'm sorry to disappoint you," he shot back.

She glared at him, but swallowed, regaining herself. Turning away with a snarl, she floated back down to the flooring and folded her arms. "You're a problem, Goku. You've been nothing but a problem since the day we met."

"Don't plan on changing that either."

"Well start planning," she spat, shooting him a look. Her talons drummed over a layer of scales. "Do you know what this room is, Kakarot Son Goku? We call it a processing room. It's where problems are turned into prisoners." That frightening glaze covered her irises. "You see, I have a plan…a plan you weren't supposed to be part of. But you can be."

Goku's brow narrowed. "What plan?"

"Hmmhmhmhmhm…." Her low chuckle rumbled, putting a finger to the side of her beak. "Not even Sepis knows. You see, Goku, you think that you're the hero in this and I'm the villain. Maybe you are for now, but that's going to change. Nothing that transpires will matter in the coming days but the end result. And in the end…all will be as it should be. I will see to it."

His face furrowed with confusion, but in the end just glared. "I don't know what you're talking about, but whatever it is, it won't work. Cause I'm going to stop you."

She choked down a laugh. "Even now, your stupidity never ceases to amaze. No, Goku. See, there are only two paths before you." She held up two fingers. "Both of them end in my favor. And only one of them in yours." She sighed heavily and grumbled. "Frankly, I didn't want to bother. But…" She sighed again. "Somehow, you've managed to win Sepis's devotion. I don't know how, but it is what it is. And he rather fervently asked me to spare you if I could. And that could depends entirely on your choice."

She pinned the bound Saiyan under a heavy, foreboding gaze. "This is your last chance, Saiyan. And by last chance, I mean absolute…last…chance. This is the end of all hope. This…is the point of no return." She extended a finger up at him. "Walk…away. Get the hell out of my fleet. Return to your pretty little planet and don't even think of showing me your ugly face again. Forget about Vegeta. He's dead to you."

Nevrrest thought he had been looking grim, stern, and disapproving this entire time. But he took on a whole new level she hadn't thought possible. His lips curled into the most shaming frown imaginable, his black eyes like steel. "No, Nevrrest," he answered, "This is your last chance. Let everyone you've hurt go and face the wrong you've done. It's the only hope you've got left."

Her teeth showed and her eyes burned. "To hell with you then. Computer! Proceed with processing!"

"Acknowledged," the computer chimed, "Obtaining DNA sample."

Goku's teeth gritted, his head turning the side as something extended from the wall. His entire visage melted, all the color draining from his face as his pupils turned to dots. "No…" he whimpered. The biggest needle he'd ever seen was being extended towards him on a mechanical arm. Sweat boiled out of him and he screamed in terror, struggling with all his might to move away from it.

Nevrrest stared at him with a stunned expression and then about keeled over with wicked cackles. "Computer, pause!" she ordered, gasping for breath. The approaching needle frozen an inch from Goku's neck, the warrior's eyes shut and whimpering pitifully as he bent as hard as he could away from it. She laughed with delight. "I completely forgot about your little phobia! How pathetic!" She floated up to him and took his chin. "Shhhhh…aw, you poor little runt. Are you certain you don't want to just go home?"

Goku shivered and opened an eye, the look in his gaze like a cornered rabbit. He had never allowed himself to hate anyone – not even Frieza after he had killed Krillin. But in that terrifying, horrible moment, part of him really wanted to hate Nevrrest. Never before had he felt a sting so cruel. He had been mocked many times in his life before and rarely had it bothered him at all. But this…this prick something so deep inside him it made every corner of his being freeze and burn.

And he couldn't even say anything. His mouth just wouldn't work! He breathed so hard he was getting dizzy, his vision turning weird colors. He wanted out – out of this moment so badly! His muscle and bones quivered, trying to leap out of his skin and run. But he couldn't escape and the false sympathy in the Blecha's darkened eyes ate his insides out. Still, the sensible part of his brain was fighting to kick in and to his embarrassment he realized he was whining incoherently in response.

"Come on," she encouraged as though she were talking to a child, "Just say 'yes, Nevrrest'. Aw, or if that's too much, just nod. One little nod for me? Just nod your head and it'll all be over…"

The sweat was dripping off him now, his clothes sticking to him like someone had dumped a bucket over his head. He couldn't think. He could barely breath. His eyes shifted over to the needle, which seemed to glimmer hatefully. "Mm…mmm…mmm…!"

"Yes…?" she prompted.

Finally, his eyes snapped shut as hard as they could, his jaw open to its absolute maximum as he screamed. "NO, NEVRREST, I WON'T DO IT!"

Her face wrinkled with hate and with a snarl she turned away. "Computer, resume!"

She didn't bother to watch as the needle sank into the crook of his neck, but the scream of horror that came from him was ridiculous, as if he were experiencing the worse torture imaginable. Perhaps to him it was. But she was done with him at this point, hardly paying attention as the rest of the processing procedure took place with mechanical whirlings, flashes of light, and cries of agony.

Finally, there was a thud, a last robotic hum, and the computer's crisp voice. "Implant successful. Designation: Prisoner 4747."

At last, Nevrrest turned, regarding Goku coldly. As anyone was after processing, he was exhausted and sore, a prisoner collar welded to his neck and his right shoulder glowing with four aqua numbers. "Hmm…Forty-seven Forty-Seven," she read, "How quaint. The number seems to suit you somehow." She grasped something off an alcove and strolled towards him, her powerful tail swaying. Goku tried to push himself up to face her, but he felt too weak to do even that. "When a god becomes a mortal…" she whimsically remarked, "Truly a rare sight. How does it feel to have all your strength stripped away…?" She flicked him in the nose and it exploded with blood, sending him rolling across the divot.

Goku gagged on the red fluid, but even in his weakness he regarded her without fear. "I wasn't always this strong, Nevrrest. I—" Blood got stuck in his windpipe and he hacked.

"Wasn't always as strong as this," she mused with a little mocking smile, "Now that is a pitiable thought." She grabbed a fistful of his tunic. "Anyhow, you're now a prisoner of the Justice, yada-yada, your new home is Prison Ship 4." She fingered the item in her left palm – a strange disk of some kind. "But first, I have other plans for you. For all that you've done and all that you might have done, you need to be punished." She held up the disk before his face. "Goodbye, Kakarot Son Goku. This is the last we speak. I'm going to forget you."

Goku tried to say something back, but she pressed the disk to his forehead. The moment she did, the floor suddenly opened up, black, shadowy hands seized him, and he fell.