Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z

Chapter 21

Desperation

The alarm ringing woke Goku up. Grogginess was one of the many side effects of the serum they were injected with daily. How long had they been stuck here now? Ten, eleven months, was it? Almost a year anyways and it had been nine months since there had been any reported sightings of Appura and the boys. They'd gone to ground somewhere. But there had been plenty of sightings of Gohan recently. He'd been popping up all over the place, leading the army on a wild goose chase. He was up to something, Goku was certain. Perhaps his genius son had come up with a plan to free him from this nine by six slice of hell. Life in a small room with two Saiyan princes was no picnic. Vegeta, lacking his usual strength, was even more abrasive than normal and frustrated too. He was taking his frustration out on Tarble. Goku was too big for Vegeta to push around, but, limited as it was, Vegeta did have some physical advantages over his younger brother and was making full use of them. He wasn't coping well with the claustrophobic conditions they had been living in. He wasn't sleeping much either. He was still attempting to do training, even though they couldn't even run if they had the room. Their muscles would only allow them to walk and live.

"Wa time ziz it?" came the even groggier response to the noise from Tarble. He seemed to be suffering the most from it, not even capable of getting out of bed some days.

"Six," replied Vegeta from where he lay prone on the floor, exhausted by the one and a half sit-ups he was able to do each day, "The guards have just changed. That alarm means they've found someone. Looks like Gohan's reappeared again. Wonder into which set of mountains he'll lead them this time." The klaxon sounded and their door rumbled open. Three doctors and six soldiers came in, making the room very cramped. The soldiers were merely a precaution now. The Saiyans had long given up attempting to fight back now. They merely leaned their head to the right now to get the daily ritual over and done with, Goku still screwing up his eyes to avoid looking at the damn thing. The doctors quickly left as the Saiyans rubbed their necks. The soldiers didn't. "What?" barked Vegeta, looking at them.

"Get up. Captain Videl has sent orders for you to be brought to the control room," said the soldier on his left. 'Videl, huh?' Goku thought, 'Wonder what she's up to now?' He stood and left the room, flanked by the two soldiers. Vegeta, despite being weakened, still stood straight and proud. Goku just sort of slumped along. Tarble needed help just staying on his feet. The walk to the control room seemed to take forever, as if time had slowed down. But when they walked through the door, it was as if time suddenly sped back up again. People were running everywhere, almost in a state of panic. In the middle of it all, as if she were in the eye of the storm, was Videl, stood straight, her hands behind her back. She didn't move a muscle, she didn't even turn around. She merely nodded her head to some chairs behind her with chains on them. The soldiers marched them over to the chairs and chained them to them. Goku flexed his arms uselessly against the chains.

"Captain, we have a visual from the UAVs," a woman called across the room.

"Put it on the big screen," said Videl calmly. The massive screen in front of them flickered into life, Goten's face looking right at it.

"Goten," Goku muttered under his breath. His son didn't have the same hair as him anymore but there was denying he was Goku's son. There was a brief moment where it looked like father and son's eyes met before Goten went Super Saiyan and the screen went black. "Compensate!" Videl barked. A second later the screen filled with eight different pictures but all showing the same thing. The last of the Saiyans had come out of hiding. Goten and Trunks were closest to the UAVs, Appura was in front of them and Gohan was in front of her.

"What the hell are they doing?" Vegeta muttered.

"Lock targets and fire at will," Videl ordered in a cold, calm voice.

"Locking targets," replied a voice, "Target, Appura, locked. Firing." But no sooner had the soldier finished that word that Appura dropped something she was carrying in her arms and turned on the UAVs as Goten raced down to catch it.

"What did she drop?" Videl ordered.

"I don't know Captain, these UAVs didn't get a lock on it," replied a man.

"Well, where the hell are they?"

"Just south of Ginger Town, captain," the man said as another screen went black. On screen, a flying game of Keep Away was unfolding, with the UAVs playing the role of It. One by one the screens went black as Appura and the others took them out. When they had only one left, just as they were heading out over Ginger Town, Videl calmly ordered for them to drop a surveillance probe.

"Haha! We did it!" cheered Goten, "They're blind."

"Don't get too cocky, Goten," warned Gohan, "No celebrating until the job is done. Appura, how's the package? I don't think they worked out what it is."

"He's fine," Appura replied, looking down at her son, wrapped safely up in a warm blanket, "Let's hope this plan works and they think we're only sending a distress call."

"I don't know how long this plan will work for," said Gohan, "Videl isn't stupid. She knows that I know there is no one close enough to Earth to get that message inside a year, and then they've got to get here."

"Let's just hope she thinks we're that desperate," Appura said as they headed for the mountains. The foursome touched down just north of Ginger Town. Immediately Trunks and Goten hopped off in search of what they'd come for. Gohan however paused, looking down at a spot that was stuck in his memory.

"Is that it? Is this where the Trunks from the future killed Frieza?" Appura asked. Gohan nodded and then looked a little further north.

"And that's where my dad told us all about his warning about the Androids," he said, pointing at where Trunks and Goten were just disappearing over the precipice. He took a deep breath.

"Appura, if this works…" he started.

"If this works, and this whole mess ends, I will stand by what I said, Gohan," she said firmly, looking away from him, "There is no going back for us now." Gohan nodded in understanding as she followed after their younger brothers. He followed after her.

Goten and Trunks were clearing the rubble off the pod that had brought Goku back to planet Earth all those years ago, after the destruction of Namek. Gohan had piled the rubble there to hide it from the army. He reached into his pocket. The recent sightings of him were to throw the army off the scent. Wherever he led the army, somewhere else in the world, Chester, Appura's old friend, was purchasing a component from the list Gohan had given him. Right under their noses. Today, he was going to fit in the last bit to make the pod work again. Four months it had taken to get everything together. He pulled open the door to the old pod and began tinkering with it as Appura lulled their son to sleep. Goten and Trunks were on the look out for any more UAVs. Gohan got the last component installed and sat down on the chair inside the pod to record a message.

"My name is Son Gohan, my father is Son Goku. This message is for the people of Namek. Over ten years ago, my father defeated Frieza and saved you from his tyranny. I ask for another favour in return. In this pod, is my son Kabu," he said, "We have been betrayed by the people of our planet, and now, we are hunted. My father is held in captivity. I have been on the run for almost a year. We only have one pod like this, one chance to save someone, so, Princess Appura and I have made this decision, that our infant son will be the one who is saved. Please take care of him. We will try to end this and if we can, we will come for him. If we do not arrive within ten years of you hearing this message, it means we have failed. In this pod I have included a database on both Saiyan and Human cultures. This is his heritage, please teach him. Do not let him come back here! I know the blood that runs in his veins. He will want to help, he will want revenge. Kabu, that is not why we saved you! That is not why your mother and I are putting you in this tin can and blasting you into space!" He paused and screwed up his eyes. This may be the only thing his son has to remember him by. He didn't want him crying to be the only thing Kabu had. "We…" he paused again, "We saved you, so that you could live in peace. That's all we've ever wanted. We wanted to live in peace. Goodbye, my son." He ended the message. He slumped forward and put his head in his hands. He sobbed. This was it, this was goodbye to his son. He hauled himself out of his pod, wiping his eyes on his sleeves. Appura was close by.

"It's time," she called to Goten and Trunks. They bounced over as Appura moved towards the pod, kneeling in front of it.

"Okay, time to say goodbye to Kabu," she said.

"Bye Kabu," said Trunks, gently stroking Kabu's soft black hair, "I'll miss you."

"Bye little nephew," whispered Goten, leaning over and kissing Kabu's cheek. Appura's arms were still locked tightly around Kabu as she turned to Gohan. She somewhat reluctantly handed him over. Gohan stood up and looked down at his sleeping son. "I know you probably won't remember this," he said softly, "But your grandfather Vegeta will kill me if he finds out I didn't say this. You are a Saiyan, more than I am, thanks to your mother. You are the firstborn of the firstborn of the Prince of All Saiyans. You are Prince Kabu of Vegeta, First of your name. You are what we leave behind. You are the last Saiyan to be born here on Earth, just as I was the first. We love you so much and I know if your grandpa Goku was here, he'd be crying like a baby right now. But we have to do this. I don't want you growing up in fear, constantly hiding. We love you, Kabu, we will always love you. Time and distance will not diminish it." He gently pressed a kiss to his son's forehead and bent to place Kabu in the specially customised pod. He'd sleep for most of the journey. The computer would play music and recordings so that Kabu could learn as he went on his journey. Gohan knew it was a long shot that he would ever see his son again and it broke his heart. He typed the final command into the console and took one last look at his son as the door closed. He stepped back as the engine fired and watched as the pod lifted into the air before shooting upwards out of the atmosphere.

Goku stared in disbelief at what the surveillance probe was sending back. Everyone in the room was frozen. Videl was shaking slightly. He couldn't believe that this what his son had been planning. For a moment, Goku had allowed himself to believe that he was going to be rescued. But now he knew how dire the situation had become.

This was it.

All bets were off.

The planet was in serious trouble.

It had broken the spirits of four of the most powerful beings in the galaxy.

There was nothing holding Gohan and Appura back from ripping the planet apart anymore.

In a moment of fear, the Earth had put itself in even more danger from the very people who were meant to protect it.