Chapter 3- Not So Happy Return

Krillin's mind was racing. He couldn't gather his thoughts. All he could think about was Gohan. He was missing. How was he going to explain this to Piccolo, Bulma, or even Goku? Even worse, would he have to explain it to Chi-Chi? He kept calling the boy's name, holding onto the hope that Gohan wasn't far.

"GOHAN! GOHAN!"

No response. His mind raced faster. Goku was here, finally back from outer space. He'd expect to see his son. How could Krillin deny him that? He had no choice. Gohan, he feared, would not be coming home. At that thought, Krillin arched his back and gave a final cry to the heavens, tears freely streaming down his cheeks.

"GOHAAAAAAAAAAN!"

-On the ground, half a mile away-

The crater was immense, unlike anything they'd ever seen before. For such a small craft, that Saiyan pod sure hit the ground hard. The Z Fighters approached it cautiously, not taking any chances. In the past, Saiyan pods had meant bad news one too many times. They crowded around the crater, watching, waiting. There was hiss of hydraulics and the door began to open. A hand shot out and wrapped around the edge of the doorway. Then, a head came out, curiously looking around. They all recognized the trademark wild black hair.

"GOKU!" Yamcha was the first to yell. Goku turned around and smiled. Everyone cheered, aside from Vegeta, who stood with crossed arms.

"Well, hey guys! Good to see ya!" Goku said, stepping out of the Saiyan pod and climbing out of the crater. Looking around, Goku noticed that two people were missing from the group.

"Hey, uh, guys? Where are Gohan and Krillin?" he said, looking around, as if a joke was being played. The Z Fighters looked around.

"Huh? I never even noticed they were gone!" Yamcha said, still glancing left to right.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. They went to check something out. Gohan said he saw something, so he and Krillin went to investigate." Bulma explained. Goku looked around, trying to feel out Krillin and Gohan's power levels. He felt one, but not the other.

"That's weird…I can't feel Gohan's power." Goku said, worry in his voice. Suddenly, a voice cried out from a distance.

"GOHAN! GOHAN!"

Goku quickly recognized the voice, "That's Krillin!"

He quickly took to the air, speeding out of sight within seconds.

"DAMN! He's fast!" Yamcha shouted as he picked up Bulma and flew after Goku, the rest of the Z fighters following close behind. Goku saw Krillin, back arched, screaming at the sky.

"GOHAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Krillin let his energy slowly bring him to the ground. His feet made contact and Krillin sat, placing his head between his knees. Goku also landed, followed by the Z Fighters, and approached his childhood friend. He kneeled and placed a had on Krillin's shoulder.

"Krillin? What's wrong?" Goku asked with sympathy, "Where's Gohan?"

Krillin sobbed louder at the mention of Gohan's name and shrugged Gohan's hand off. He covered his head with his hands and continued to sob.

"H-H-He's…" Krillin choked through his tears, "Gone…"

"WHAT?" Goku yelled, standing and clenching his fists, "HOW!"

Krillin didn't respond, he just sobbed more. Goku squatted to his friend's level and placed his hands on Krillin's shoulders, looking the man in the eyes.

"Krillin…where is my son?" he asked, calmly. Krillin looked up at Goku. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was stained with drying tears. Krillin took a deep breath and exhaled, collecting his thoughts as best as he could.

"He said he saw something weird…so we went to check it out…it was some kind of machine…"

The purple haired teenager spoke up, "A machine!"

Vegeta glanced over at him, menacingly, "Let the bald man finish, boy!"

Krillin quickly looked at Vegeta and then back at the ground. He took another deep breath before continuing. His words were chocked apart by small sobs.

"We were investigating it…he crawled inside…I told him to be careful…but…he slipped and fell…the machine…it shot up like a rocket…and disappeared."

Goku's heart sank to a deep place within his body. He felt sick. His son was…gone? He looked down at the rocky ground, tears beginning to form in his black eyes. The purple haired teenager sighed heavily and ran a hand through his lavender curls.

"I know what it was." he said simply. Goku's head shot up.

"What! Tell me!" he demanded in an almost threatening manner. The teen sighed again, leaning up against a large rock.

"You're not going to believe this…but that machine was a time machine. My time machine. I come from twenty years in the future. I'm not even supposed to tell you that…but considering the circumstances, I don't think it matters anymore."

Silence was the response from the Z Fighters. Nothing but a small whimper from Krillin.

"So…you're telling me…Gohan is trapped in the future?" he asked, staring at the ground. The teenager nodded.

"I'm afraid so. That also means that I'm trapped in this timeline. I originally came to warn you. In three years time, two androids will appear and if it is anything like my time, they will kill everything and everyone on the Earth…including every one of you. Goku will be rendered useless because of a heart virus…which is part of the reason I came. To give you this."

The teenager reached inside the breast pocket of his denim jacket and pulled out a small bottle. He handed it to Goku.

"This medicine will help you beat that virus, Goku."

Yamcha's face contorted in disgust, "How do we know you're telling the truth? You haven't even told us your name! I don't believe you at all."

The teenager snapped, looking for a moment like Vegeta, and turned to face Yamcha.

"FINE! DON'T BELIEVE ME! EITHER WAY, THOSE ANDROIDS ARE COMING IN THREE YEARS AND IF YOU DON'T LISTEN TO ME, YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!" he yelled. Yamcha took a step back, shocked at the teenager's audacity. The teen also looked shocked at how he had snapped.

"Look…" he said, calming down, "In my world, Gohan was the only hero we had left. Without him in this time, I don't know what's going to happen. With or without him, we need to prepare for the androids. You guys just need to trust me."

Yamcha gulped and nodded, not wanting to further enrage the Vegeta-like teenager.

"Is…is there anyway we can get Gohan back?" Goku asked, a desperate hope in his voice. The teen nervously chewed on his lip and looked at his watch.

"There is a slight chance. There is a tracking device in the machine…its not working. The device that was put in the machine is designed to work, even across different timelines, unless one of two things happens. One, the battery in the machine dies…or two, the machine is destroyed."

Goku looked up, tears slowly falling from his eyes, "So…there's a chance…"

The teenager nodded, "Yes…he'd have to find and meet up with my mother, however. She built the machine. If it's the battery…he could be back in a matter of days, hours even. But…if the machine was destroyed…it could take…"

He trailed off. Goku looked at him, frowning, "How long?"

"Years…"