An ocean of relief had washed over Sepis when he'd seen the green light that Goku was officially registered as in custody. At last, he was able to put Goku and his guilt out of his mind. Now all that was left was to keep an eye on the battle still taking place on Seven. Well…more accurately, keeping a reading on it. What he saw of the fight through the cameras was little more than explosions and vague blurs of movement. According to the data readout from the local scanners, a group of ten marshals had engaged Oom'Bagu in combat. As for Horkion and Laswe, they were pounding at each other with astronomical amounts of power, the likes of which only quantum beings could deal out.

Despite all the terror and peril before him, Sepis allowed himself a brief, quiet moment of pride. He often forgot how much of his surroundings were the direct result of himself. Every system, right down to the last detail, was the product of his mind and creation. He couldn't help but think, despite all the trials before him, that it was wondrous to see all these near god-like beings affected by his works. With his right hand he empowered Horkion and Laswe and with his left he mortalized Goku. On a whole, Sepis considered himself simple, meaningless, and small. But it was good, especially in a dark time like this, to remember his own significance. Right now, he needed to feel in control.

Still, he couldn't help but think about that green light and what it had meant. "It's for the best, friend Goku," Sepis whispered, his bulgy, red eyes watching the various readings with fierce intensity, "I have to believe that it will all be for the best in the end…"

The first sign that something had gone horribly wrong came not from his instruments, but from the friend he had betrayed another friend for. Sepis's eyes widened with concern as the video feed of Nevrrest showed her starting to thrash violently in her tank, as if in pain. The doctors rushed over to her. She pounded her fist against the glass, cracking it slightly and making the doctors shudder back. She looked directly up at the camera, her magenta eyes intense.

Sepis blinked. "Oh no." He spun in his swivel chair, looking at the readings on Goku again. He was still registered in the green. But an alert had appeared that he had overlooked in favor of the ongoing battle. Goku's energy levels were entire leagues higher than they should be. Sepis frantically switched on the comm. "Nada!" he called, breathing heavily already, "Marshal Nada! Master Marshal! Something's gone wrong with your prisoner's inhibitor!"

(**Scene Break**)

To her amazement, Nevrrest suddenly found herself smiling. Goku…he's coming for me. Her powerful tail curled up by her head, like a fetus, her cracked healing tank an egg waiting to hatch. I don't know if you even know it yet…but you're coming for me…! A dark red aura hummed around her, her body inching towards total revival. She pressed a hand to the wound on her stomach, her mind flashing from image to image of Goku's face – all the times he had defied her. I've been holding it in for so long, Kakarot Son Goku. People like us can only restrain ourselves for so long. In the end, it always comes down to war, doesn't it? Doesn't it, Super Saiyan?

The corners of her eyes darkened sharply and her razor teeth extended from her pallet as she grinned. Hurry up and escape your prison, Goku. I want to show you why you should have never dared smile at me…

Horkion stopped in mid-punch and Laswe suddenly froze in the middle of their fight. The Ponachi's jaw dropped, breathing rapidly and turned his head sharply. "What?! Impossible! How did he…how did he get the collar off?!" Laswe's eyes widened further and he gripped his head with all four hands. "And…that energy…no way…! It's…it's his base power level! How can that just be his base?! How can he be that strong?! How much was he holding back on Earth?!"

Horkion trained his senses in that direction and felt it. He too was awestruck. Goku. He had somehow broken free of his restraints and now projected a powerful aura, declaring to the entire fleet he was ready to fight. It was the fearlessness of a true warrior. And the strength of that ki…

"Goku," he said, blinking his stony lids.

"First Nevrrest…now this…?!" cried Laswe. Horkion was shocked to see terror in his eyes. "It's monstrous…how strong is he truly as a super saiyan then?! Those two…monstrous!" As if in response to this statement, Nevrrest's rising aura struck their senses like a quiet roar. Laswe trembled with horror. He looked down at Oom'Bagu, who had retrieved a fresh length of piping, knocking back waves of marshals at once. It was like a bunch of gerbils trying to take down a lion and had remained an almost comical sight. But now, Laswe's racing heart told him he had to do something extreme. "Hey!" he shouted at them, "Stand down!"

Oom'Bagu clocked a marshal between the shoulder blades and looked at the quantum warrior with a taut expression. "Laswe?"

They all stared at him as Laswe hissed and pointed. "Do you all feel that? Goku…Nevrrest. Those two monsters have been itching to tear at each other since the moment they met. If they collide…this fleet won't survive it." He eyed Horkion. "They won't hold back like we are. Or have you all forgotten that we're in the middle of a vacuum?!"

"Practical…as usual, Laswe," Oom'Bagu narrowed his eyes. He punched out a marshal who tried to close-range blast him without even looking.

"I'm calling a cease-fire," Laswe insisted, "We gotta think about the short-term problem right now! If Nevrrest finishes healing and Goku reaches her…" He looked at Horkion again and saw the glint of his stone eyes had vanished, floating silently. "Hey! Sand-brain! Are you listening to me?! I'm the only one here who can survive in space, so I'm—" Horkion sank his fist so deep into Laswe's face that there was no expression to be seen. The power exploded and Laswe was sent flying, embedding deep into the wall. "What the hell?!" Laswe screamed, spitting out blood, most of the wall shattering as he broke himself free. "Didn't you hear what I said?!"

Horkion's fist crackled as it tightened, energy zipping up and down the crystals protruding from his back. "Idiot. You said it again."

"What? AH!" He cried out as a yellow energy bullet shot out of Horkion's hand and latched onto his wrist, yanking him down against the floor.

"You said monsters." Horkion landed on top of him and began to systematically punch him repeatedly across the face. "I'll kill you, Laswe!" he roared, the floor under them sinking with each blow, "I won't stop! For anything! I'll pound you into dust! I'll make the very stars explode if you don't give me the right answer! Cause if you can't fix this, then we're both better off dead!"

Laswe could barely see through the blows. He felt like he was falling into an abyss. Oom'Bagu stared in shock. Never in all the years he had known him had he seen such rage come from the Minarite.

Horkion's voice rang in Laswe's fuzzy ears. It was all he could hear. "What are we, Laswe?! WHAT ARE WE?!"

(**Scene Break**)

Nada awoke to someone frantically yelling in his ear. "Marshal Nada! Master Marshal! Nada! Respond!"

Nada groaned, digging his oversized, Cypher fingers into his bruised abdomen. "I got a premonition…that I'm about to have a really bad day." He sat up and touched his fusion wristband. "This is Master Marshal Nada."

The image of the Architect, the Arlian Sepis, appeared floating over the gem. "Oh thank…what's the situation?!"

"Bad," said Nada, standing up and immediately heading out into the corridor, "We got another traitor on our hands." He held his stomach as he glanced about, sensing. He missed his scouter badly in times like this. He'd never really gotten the hang of this whole sensing energy business.

"Another traitor?" gasped Sepis. The Arlian's hands clenched. "Who is it? I'll tag them at once!"

Nada growled with frustration, finishing a cigarette out of his pocket. "I don't know…a doctor. He was green. I never got a good look at him."

"That doesn't really narrow things down for me," Sepis whined, "I need that ID! Their access has to be restricted at once before they do more damage!"

"Relax, bug, I'll get it," Nada grumbled, lighting the cigarette with his finger.

"You're smoking at a time like this?!"

"Hey, I need to concentrate!" Nada snapped, puffing smoke, "So quit your yelping and let me think, you little prick." He pinched his brow and looked up and down the hall. "Prisoner 4747 is on the move and booking it. We're gonna need the big guns to take this one down now." He removed his cigarette and whistled. "Still…I got to experience getting clocked by the Legendary Super Saiyan. Can't complain too much about that one. He was so gentle…yet it was like getting hit by a comet." He grinned whimsically.

"Um…" said Sepis anxiously.

Nada squinted hard, thinking. He started smoking again, his feet lifting off the floor. "I don't know who that doctor was…but I think I know where he's headed. I remember he had a vial of blood when I used my Talent on him. I'd bet my last pack that it was Forty-Seven-Forty-Seven's blood."

"His blood?" said Sepis and then caught his breath, "Of course! He removed the collar, now he wants to sabotage the bio tracker!"

Nada started flying down the hall, his golden hair horns bobbing slightly with the breeze. "Which means I'll find our rogue doctor down in the maintenance lines headed for the Fridge. Get the Justiciars on Goku. I'll handle the insider problem."

"The Justiciars can't help us," said Sepis suddenly, making Nada frown, "But we won't need them. I'll stop Goku myself."

Nada made a face, shifting his eyes to the side. "You? You couldn't stop a bus."

"May I remind you," said Sepis, nervously putting forth a threatening tone, "That I am at the center of the center of my creation. Give the order to pull all security workers back." Sepis's hard digits planted down on his desk, his large eyes narrowed. "I'm going to unleash the full force of Seven's security measures on him. No one escapes the Justice. He'll never leave that ship."

The Cypher's golden eyes shifted skeptically. "Good luck, bug."

He increased his speed.

(**Scene Break**)

Sepis sat back in his chair for a moment as the conversation ended, contemplating what he was about to do. There was no more hiding from his guilt after this. He was about to directly make himself Goku's enemy. He felt his coward's heart thudding hard and rapidly in his chest, making him dizzy. Part of him was in a frenzy over the idea of directly entering into the conflict with Goku. The very thought made him want to crawl out of his shell and hide. But he didn't have a choice. Nevrrest was still injured and the others were too busy fighting amongst themselves. Besides…if Nevrrest got to him before he did, there wouldn't even be a Goku left to hurt.

Sepis's hands clenched. "Come on, Sepis," he whispered to himself, antennae trembling, "Be brave. Just this once. For Nevrrest." Oil leaked from the grooves of his carapace. "And yes…even for you, Goku."

His hand stretched over the control panel, reaching for the switch that would put Goku back in the red. He hesitated, not because he wasn't sure about doing this, but because he wasn't sure if just sicking the computer on him would be enough. Goku was a brilliant fighter, just as grand as Nevrrest. He was certain he would easily be able to outwit a machine. Which meant Sepis only had one option. He would have to directly coordinate the system's attacks.

But even that left a problem. Goku, like Nevrrest, Vegeta, and quantum beings, had an incalculable power level. Even with him troubleshooting, Sepis wasn't certain it would be enough to recapture Goku. With his level of skill, Goku would surely be able to act countless folds faster than Sepis could give commands.

It was then that Sepis remembered something – an old project he had neglected for some months. It took him a moment to dig it out of the correct locked drawer, but eventually he held the helmet in his hands. He dusted it off with his wrist, turning it this way and that. It had a somewhat silly appearance, he had to admit – with the big, blue goggle lenses and the ringed prongs that stuck out the top. But if it worked the way he had designed it to, it might be exactly what he need to beat Goku.

He sat back down in his swivel chair and placed the helmet snuggly over his head. The visor lit up with text. "Voice key please," the computer requested.

Sepis shut his eyes, picturing Nevrrest's strong, lonesome face in his mind. "Register user: Sepis Uk Breekirn. Voice key: Scarlet Starfall."

"Recognized," the computer answered, the visor lighting up with more displays, "You may access Overwatch system when ready."

Sepis's hands tightened on the arms of his chair. He had never fully tested this system before. He would just have to put his faith in the numbers. He drew a deep breath and his eyes snapped open. "Activate neurolink! DIVE!"

(**Scene Break**)

As it turned out, it was difficult for Goku to navigate the corridors of Seven without his monitor to guide him. The passages seemed to be intentionally confusing, curving in odd ways, many of them coming to complete dead ends. Nor did the fact that they all looked practically the same help his constant confusion. All the same, he pressed on in the general direction he knew the transit tube to the Hammer was, zipping through the halls at blinding speeds. Originally he hadn't intended to hit these speeds for fear of plowing over some unfortunate bystander.

But that was the funny part. There wasn't a single person nearby. Of course, Goku knew that there weren't many staffing Seven after Un's attack. But even so, just a little before, Goku had been constantly blocked by guards. He could still sense them out there, but they were nowhere near him. Why were they giving him so much space? Were they too afraid to attack him now that he didn't have a collar on? Or maybe they had changed their minds about the situation with Nevrrest? Goku wanted to hope for the best, but his instincts told him that something was wrong.

He was right.

The first thing that hit was the blast from the pacification field. Goku screamed as it knocked him clean out of the air, crashing into the deck so hard the impact ripped up several panels. His body convulsed violently, every nerve shrieking in agony.

No! Goku coached himself, You can't let this stop you! He shut his eyes as he continued to scream, suffering. Don't fight it. Just let it flow through you as if it was your own energy. Accept it as part of your body! Come on, Goku! Remember how that felt!

His fingers gripped the floor as he found control of them again, the field still storming over and through his skin. The pain didn't stop and his muscles didn't want to cooperate, but he forced his body to obey, letting the energy and pain flow as freely as his ki as he lifted into the air again, shooting forward. But, as it turned out, that was but obstacle number one. Goku's instincts flared and he veered abruptly to the side as a panel in a wall opened up, unleashing several cylinders that exploded a wave of goo.

"Gah!" Goku cried in pain as a single drop of it managed to hit the skin on his neck, latching on and hardening. Goku clawed at it as he flew till it at last came off, leaving a dark red sore behind. That's when the turrets appeared. Goku yelped again as he dodged the energy bolts, spinning as he continued to move forward. More and more things kept exploding from the walls – traps and weapons of all kinds. A wire lassoed his leg and it took two strikes to cut himself free before a fresh gun leapt out of the floor and spewed a blast of freezing liquid. Some of it caught his hair, freezing one of his black locks solid instantly.

Wow, this is intense! Goku thought as he dodged an energy net, It's almost like the walls have come alive!

The pacification field hit him again, but this time Goku didn't allow himself to be knocked down. He let the agony and convulsions flow freely through him, maintaining concentration even as rockets blasted out of another sliding panel. He twisted out of the way of the first bunch and punched through the last. It turned out to be a mistake, the rocket exploding against his knuckles and releasing thousands of stinging balls that made him numb with pain wherever they touched. He slammed against a wall, his shoulder driving a long, sharp dent into it. Goku winced, but gritted his teeth and kept going.

I won't let anything stop me now! he stubbornly stated in his mind, No matter what you throw at me, my body can take it! I won't quit!

His energy plume erupted, giving him a new burst of speed, the traps continuing to unleash their fury in his wake. Goku felt his confidence grow as he weaved through the various snares with increased ease. But his gut sank slightly when he realized that he'd become so consumed with evading the traps that he'd allowed them to herd him into a dead end.

"Damn it!" Goku cried in frustration.

Just as he said this, he heard a sudden, loud hum behind him. He turned in time to see the dozens of large robots that had filled the hallway. They unleashed their already charged lasers down on him, the air exploding with heat and smoke. The gas cleared and Goku glared intently over his cross-guarded arms, his green prison uniform slightly chafed. The robots started to charge their weapons again.

"Give up, Goku!" said a voice from the air. But it wasn't the computer's usual emotionless, female voice.

Goku blinked, recognizing it. "Sepis?" he said with surprise.

"I…yes, friend Goku. It's me."

"Where are you?" he rapidly looked around, "Wait a minute! Are you the one that's been sending all that stuff to attack me?"

"I…yes!" His nervous voice steeled. "Yes, that was all me. I won't let you escape!"

Goku straightened. Looking again at the wall of robots, he noticed they bore vague resemblance to the Arlian – with large, red lenses and a pair of prongs coming out of their backs. "Did you build these?" he flatly asked.

"What?" He paused. "You're asking about…? Yes! Yes, I did! These are level 8 roboGuardians! Any one of these robots could easily destroy a planet! Even with your strength, don't think getting through them is going to be so easy!"

"So you did make them…knowing all the other stuff you made, these things really are serious business." Goku smiled a little. "I appreciate the challenge. Honestly, they sound like they'd be great for training." His brow lowered. "But I don't have time for that. I gotta figure out where you and Nevrrest are keeping Vegeta."

A shivering gasp echoed from Sepis.

"If you want to make up for earlier, I'd appreciate if you'd tell me where he is."

Sepis's breathing continued to shake. "You're…looking for Vegeta…?"

"You do know where he is," Goku seriously pressed.

Sepis was silent a long moment. "…Do you honestly think I'd be stupid enough to believe I could ever make up for what I've done to you? I know how this will end if I don't stop you." The charged guns shone brighter. "No! I won't tell you where he is! And even if you did know, you'd never get to him. The way is secret. You've got no chance, so just give up!"

Goku smiled confidently. "Thank you, Sepis."

The robots hesitated in their firing. "What?"

"You just confirmed that he's still alive." His fists clenched and he stooped. "That's all I need to know—HEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHH!"

All the robots fired on him again, but this time their shots exploded against a wall of golden light.

"Super Saiyan," Sepis immediately assessed. The robot's formation tightened. "Okay then, Goku…let's go!"

The golden haired, green eyed being shot forward out of the smoke, his fist meeting dead center in the forward most robot's chest. Its plating spider-web cracked, its metal hand latching onto his wrist and punching him back. Goku grunted at the blow and broke away, touching the spot with an impressed laugh.

"Not bad, Sepis," he stated, "This is gonna be even harder than I thought."

The robot touched its damaged chestpiece. "Critical. This model might not be enough."

The roboGuardians unleased another volley of blasts from their mouthpieces. Goku raised his defenses to full and leapt straight through the attack, striking the one robot again. This time his fist went clean through its hardware, putting a hole out the other side in a shower of sparks and wire. But before Goku's fist had even cleared the metal the other robots were on top of him. Goku yelped as dozens of metal fists came at him from all sides, having to jerk and twist around like a man dancing on hot coals just to avoid them.

"I know what you're thinking, Goku," Sepis's voice quietly rang around him, "That I don't stand a chance of stopping you. You're stronger, faster, and better than me in almost every way imaginable. There's no way I could hope to measure up. Well…that may be true. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have a prayer of beating you." One of the robots charged a blast. "But I'm wearing my prototype neurolinker helmet! With it, I control all the systems within the Justice like they were my own body!"

Goku deflected the blast across his hand while still dodging every attack, the yellow energy ball putting a hole into the mechanical. "Like your own body, huh?" Goku inquired. He tucked his arms. "In that case, I better take this to the next level!"

He yelled with exertion as he unleashed a powerful explosion around him, knocking all the robots back, their armored plating cracking. Goku leapt out with physical attacks, knocking one robot's arm clean off and shattering another's head to pieces.

"So I was right," Sepis surmised as his robots gradually turned to metal chunks on the deck, "Level 8s are too weak for you. Guess I'll have to unload…the level 9s!"

Goku heard something echoing down the hall as he pummeled the last level 8 into submission, jerking his head in that direction before taking off flying again. He knew Sepis's machines would catch up with him soon, but he had to cover as much ground as he could before that happened. As much as his heart raced at the thought of fighting even stronger robots, he still had a friend to save.

As he returned to racing through the ship, so came the return of the traps. I get Sepis's plan now! Goku thought as he twisted through a spray of razor blades, He's not only trying to catch me – he's trying to control my movements! Lead me away from where I'm headed! He grew a thin smile. Which means…if I head the opposite direction the traps are pushing me…!

Goku changed his course, going against the flow of the traps now. However, this action didn't come without a price. Goku grunted and winced as the attacks started regularly grazing him, cutting, burning, stinging him and damaging his sturdy prison uniform. But despite this, Goku's heart soared with confidence at the progress he was making.

That was until he suddenly found himself at another dead end.

"What?!" Goku cried, coming to a stop, "But I thought—"

"I've got full read-outs on your movements and biometrics, Goku," Sepis almost growled, "You don't think I noticed your patterns had changed? I just changed with them." The super saiyan clenched his teeth a little as Sepis's volume rose. "You…you might be better than I'll ever be! But there's something I got on you, Goku." Goku turned swiftly as the whistle of air against metal came down the hall. "I'm smarter than you."

"Geaah!" Goku cried as a spray of energy attacks came pouring down on him before he even saw the new roboGuardians.

They came at him in pairs this time, each one wielding ideally complimentary attacks. One would cover long range, shooting beams and various other arsenal. The other would come at him with physical attacks, unleashing vicious strikes from metal fists and energy whips. Goku's golden energy plume flashed around them as he dodged these attacks, gritting his teeth as a whip grazed his chin, leaving a dark mark behind. More came, their speed increasing as they boxed him in, their attacks even more powerful and vicious now. The walls around him sparked and buckled as their misses struck the ship's internal shielding.

Goku grunted as his body moved just as mechanically and efficiently as the machines. "I know Oom'Bagu told me I should never use energy attacks because they could damage the fleet, but I don't think I have a choice right now!" Goku flipped back several times on his hands and then curled his fingers by his hip. "Kaaa…meee…haaa…meee…HAAA!"

"Waaaaaaah!" Sepis's voice frantically echoed as a blue beam tore through the center of the robots, turning several of them to shards and the hallway into a sparking tube of wires. "What is the matter with you, friend Goku?!" Sepis screamed, "Are you trying to get us all killed?!"

"Sorry, Sepis," Goku protested as his hands lit up again, "But you aren't leaving me with any choice!" He blasted away another wall of attack robots, this time punching a hole straight through the mechanical, opening a new passage into the next room.

"Gah!" Sepis whistled, "Stop blowing holes in my ship!"

Goku stared at the hole for a moment, his eyes wide with a realization. "That's it!" He flew through the hole and planted his green boots in the room on the other side. "If I can't figure out the path to the transit tube, then I'll just make my own!" He glanced around briefly at the smoking mess of what was once an employee recreation room and tucked his hand by his hip again. "Ka…meeee…!"

"Wait!" Sepis piped, "What are you doing?!"

"Ha…meeee…!"

"You can't be serious—!"

"HAAA!"

The blue beam ate through the arm of a roboGuardian who took as swing at him as well as the wall ahead, the internal shielding angrily burning and sparking white. Debris fell as Goku gazed down the long tunnel he had made, crying out as three robots leapt on him from behind, an extra powerful burst of the pacification field hitting him at the same time.

"That was mean, Goku!" Sepis cried as more attack robots piled on top of him, "Mean and really stupid! That ship has been through enough without you acting like…like some nasty worm in an apple!"

Goku's golden hair and green eyes flashed as the robots started pounding and grappling him with their metal fists. "I'm sorry, Sepis," he gritted, the robots creaking as he forced his legs under him, "But it's like I said before…you…aren't…leaving…me…any…choice!" He screamed, energy exploding around him and knocking all the robots back. He took off down the new tunnel like a shot, scraping his way through hanging wires till it ended in a scorched hallway. Bright blue shone in his hands again. "Kaaa…!"

A fire trap exploded on him, but he blasted anyways, tearing through the metal and shielding once again. The roboGuardians set after him and he fought back as relentlessly as they attacked. They didn't go down as easily as the level 8s did, but every once in a while he'd break through their armor or disintegrate them in a Kamehameha Wave. But what really mattered was not the battle, but that he was finally making progress. With each tunnel he ripped through Prison Ship 7, he could feel himself getting closer to the transit tube and to Vegeta. And then, finally, he found himself in an area he recognized – the transit security checkpoint.

"I made it!" Goku pumped, "Alright!"

Just then, even more level 9s came pouring out of every entrance. Goku's brow narrowed and he smiled confidently. He'd gotten a good feel of these robots by now and felt certain not only that he could take on any number of them, but enjoy himself while doing so. He struck an offensive stance, his eyes carefully shifting to pick his first target. That was when something went straight through his kneecap.

"GAAAAAHHH!" Goku screamed, his right leg buckling out from under him and making him drop, his knee and calf running red.

A roboGuardian twice the size of the rest pushed its way through the others, one of its gun arms still heated orange and smoking. "You know…I didn't want any of this…" The robot's large, metal feet planted heavily before him. "You and Nevrrest never asked me what I wanted…!"

Goku tried to move, but his wound slowed him down. The giant robot grabbed both his wrists. Goku grappled with the thing, straining. To his horror, the robot overpowered his super saiyan strength, forcing his arms back. It strengthened its stance, twisting Goku's arms over his shoulders and back.

"GEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH!" Goku howled in pain as there was a simultaneous cracking sound.

"I just wanted you both to be happy," said Sepis bitterly, "But then you had to force me to choose…by trying to destroy each other. How could you both be so cruel…?! Making me choose like that…! Well now you're good and I'm evil…and it's come down to this." Goku continued to scream as the hunk of metal bent over him. "So…say hello to Monster! My prototype roboGuardians level 10."