Chapter 1 – Getting with the Program
"What the fuck am I looking at?" Roane cursed at them before he was even within 10 meters of the gate. Gohan blinked, standing up straighter as their new 'commanding officer' approached, looking as pissed as Gohan had only seen a few people get in his lifetime. His default grin was plastered across his face before he could think of a better reaction, and he realized he was rubbing the back of his neck before he could stop himself. Damn genetics. Locking on as if drawn to the movement, Roane was in front of him in a heartbeat, smacking his arm down and yelling in his face from a proximity that let Gohan know he used mint flavored toothpaste.
"Is that how you salute your superiors? Is this fucking funny to you? What the fuck so you have to be so happy about, sunshine?" Roane demanded to know. Gohan blinked and shook his head, taken slightly aback, but for some perverse reason, still unable to stop smiling. Perhaps it was because he was glad they had chosen someone who wasn't afraid to put them in their place...
"No, nothing's funny...sir" Gohan hastily added a 'sir' to the end of his answer. As a response, Roane manhandled him into a proper salute, yelling at him to wipe the grin off his face or else he would do it for him.
Mirai couldn't help it, he snorted a bit at seeing anyone with the last name 'Son' being told not to smile. Roane rounded on him immediately, leaving Gohan standing in the salute while he addressed other issues.
"Where the fuck do you get off, showing up to my base, fucking looking like that?" he inquired loudly, looking quite enraged, for his part. In fact, Mirai was actually beginning to wonder if he'd really offended him somehow.
"What do you mean, sir?" he asked, following Gohan's lead with the 'sir' thing.
"What do I mean? What the fuck do I mean? You expect to go through this training; to fight and sweat and bleed with that long fucking hair swishing around all the time? Like you're some sort of fucking flower child, trying to find a way to 'express' yourself? I don't fucking think so. Not on my base. You've got a lot of nerve for someone who looks like such a fucking pansy. Do you feel like a pretty flower, daffodil? Is that what I should call you from now on? Huh, rose?" Roane yelled in his face. Whatever anger that was raised at Roane's harshness was quickly quelled as Mirai realized he was right about his long locks only getting in the way. It was just something he had gotten used to, over time, brushing it out of his face or out of his way as he worked. If he was going to do anything more than lift a pen or fork, he automatically tied it back, like he had today, but that just wasn't going to cut it for the level of intensity they were going for here. With a sigh, he nodded his head, agreeing with him.
"Damn fucking right, daisy" Roane continued to yell as he made Mirai salute him properly as well. Shaking his head as he evaluated their saluting posture, he circled them like a hawk, telling them to stand up straighter, heels together, etc. Finally satisfied, he walked a few steps to a waiting golf cart that they had overlooked before. Grabbing a bullhorn from the back of it, he switched it on as he climbed into the driver's seat. Everything that was yelled at them took on a whole new echo as Roane's voice ordered them to follow, and then he zipped away across the pavement. Hurrying to catch up, Gohan and Mirai obeyed right away; when this guy had said he was not fucking around, he was serious. Gohan wasn't sure that physically insulting Mirai had been necessary, but he could see the logic of his argument over the long hair. He wanted to cry. It was Mirai's decision though, he supposed. He also supposed that the reaction from Roane would not be pleasant if he asked to be able to keep a piece of it once it was cut...
The golf cart stopped in front of one of the many nondescript buildings on the facility, and Roane hopped off, opening the door.
"Inside! Move it you two!" he barked. Virtually jogging inside, they were met with a row of barber chairs and a long, wall length mirror.
"Attention!" Roane barked again. Gohan and Mirai had seen enough action/war movies to know that meant stand up straight and salute, so they went back to the pose Roane had shown them a moment ago. Then Roane stepped back, looking Mirai in the eye, and pointed to the various barber's implements lined up on the ledge under the mirror.
"Time to fucking commit, soldier."
Mirai nodded and stepped forward, picking up a pair of scissors hesitantly. Taking a deep breath, he raised a shaky hand up toward his face, grabbing a fistful of hair and beginning to cut it short. He made sure it was above his ears, too short to get in his eyes, and as even as he could manage. At least Roane didn't seem to be upset that it was taking him a few minutes to get the job done. Mirai was actually much more concerned about what Gohan would think, and purposefully hadn't looked at his lover's eyes in the reflection of the mirror yet. As he snipped the last chunk of hair, he glanced over Gohan's way, suddenly finding his heart beating too quickly for some reason. Gohan's eyes were wide, like he was watching the saddest act in a play. Of course, he noticed Mirai finally meeting his gaze right away, and gave him a determined smile.
It didn't take long for Mirai to figure out what that smile meant, as Gohan stepped forward and picked up a pair of electric clippers. Switching them on, he had a calm, and well, determined, look on his face, though without the smile now, as he gave himself a very, very short buzz cut. Mirai watched with fascination, wondering how he had been blessed with such an amazing and loyal man. When he was done, Gohan faced him, and motioned for him to turn around. Mirai blushed a bit, realizing he'd not exactly done a fantastic job on keeping the back of his hair level. After Gohan finished trimming it up, he turned Mirai around to face him, his grin back full force as they locked eyes for a moment. The moment was cut abruptly short though, by Roane ordering them to clean up the mess they'd made, and on the double.
"And wipe that god awful grin off your face, sunshine" Roane glared at them as they swept and mopped the floor, leaving it in as pristine condition as when they found it.
"Alright, now that daisy here is finally in uniform, we can proceed with the tour of the grounds. Do not, fall behind" he ordered harshly again, jumping back onto the cart. As they ran behind him again, having various landmarks pointed out to them, Mirai wondered if they had just picked up nicknames that would be following them for the rest of their stay...
The golf cart came to a stop in front of a long, low building, and this time Gohan and Mirai immediately snapped to attention while they waited for him to step down. Still scowling, Roane ordered them inside again, clinging to his indignation at the way they had acted when they'd shown up at the gate. He pointed out two neatly made beds at the beginning of the long row of bunks.
"This is where you come to pass out at the end of my scheduled activities, boys; that is, if you can drag yourselves here afterward. I will leave you laying on the fucking floor if you can't keep up, I am not your goddamn babysitter. Even if you don't manage to make it back here for the night, you will still be up, dressed, and have your beds made properly by 6am every morning. A wake up call will be provided at 5:30am, not for your convenience, but for my amusement. When I walk through that door you had better be standing at the foot of your perfectly made bed, at a perfect fucking salute, while in perfect uniform. If you are not, I will make you regret the day you ever crawled out of your mother's cunt. Do I make myself clear?" Roane made sure to yell directly in each of their faces' equally, not picking favorites.
"Yes, sir" they both answered, still standing at attention, eyes a bit wide.
"Good, now get your sorry asses back outside" he finished. Their next stop was the large building right beside the barracks, though Roane had them run the entire perimeter of the compound before coming to a stop again in front of it.
"This, for all intents and purposes, is our supply closet. If I tell you to clean something, the soap will be found in here, if you need a new pair of socks, do not fucking come crying to me about it, you go get it yourself. Everything you need is in here, and if it isn't in here, then you don't fucking need it" Roane explained to them with the bullhorn, in case their ears were too full of pounding blood from their run to hear him properly. As a dual "Yes, sir" met his own ears, he opened the door. Flipping on a light switch, row upon row of cleaning supplies and other everyday items were revealed, stacked neatly on tall shelves that reached the ceiling. Toothpaste, shampoo, towels and even wash clothes were all designated specific spots. Roane grabbed a multi-pack of soap off the shelf and began tearing it open.
"Everything has a place. For a thing to not be in it's place is a concept I suggest you put out of your minds right fucking now, before it causes you pain" Roane advised them. "If you open a bar of soap, the rest of the package does not magically fucking go on a different shelf, or floor, or window sill after that." He rolled over a mop and wringer bucket, taking the handle of the mop and poking it under Mirai's chin so his head lifted up a bit farther. "When you mop the floor, regardless of whether I let you use a fucking mop, you will firmly secure the tops of all cleaning solutions. There are chemicals in this room whose fumes, when mixed together, can cause noxious and fucking flammable gasses. If you find yourself having a hard time recalling this particular rule, just remember the immortal words of my good friend Sargent Bear every time you walk through that door," Roane turned his head so he was looking at Gohan even though he still had the mop handle under Mirai's chin, "Caps are like asses, give them a good screw and you've nothing to worry about" he said with a perfectly straight face.
Gohan blinked. He could tell Roane was just waiting for him to crack a smile, though he was under the distinct impression that he would still get berated for it even though he'd obviously done it on purpose. The moment of wondering what the hell kind of person would even say something like that did not help him focus. His will power fading, Gohan bit the edge of his tongue, applying more and more pressure until the urge to smile passed, tasting a small hint of blood in his mouth as he did.
Roane must have finally been satisfied that Gohan was not going to take the bait, because he ordered them back outside with a, "Get the fuck out of here."
Jumping back onto his mobile throne and circling around, he made them trot over to the other side of the square where the mess hall was located.
"Food happens here" he yelled at them, pointing to the building, "And only, here. There will be no snacking, or munching, or taking of food of any fucking kind outside the walls of the mess hall. All meals will be timed. If you don't get it down your gullet by the time the bell rings, too fucking bad, sunshine" Roane said at a shout, staring Gohan down as if he could tell the beginnings of a small smile wanted to form at the mention of food. Gohan got himself under control though, once again struggling with his good natured instincts. Roane stared at him for a moment, then nodded curtly before leading them on another perimeter run.
The next time they stopped was in front of an equally nondescript building as any of the others were. Gohan was thankful for his good sense of direction, or he'd have had a hard time remembering which one was what later, due to their repeated treks around the outer boundaries of the facility. This one turned out to be the showers.
"Playtime" Roane started, drawing Gohan's concentration back immediately and making him raise an eyebrow, "takes place only on your time" he informed them.
"Showers run for 5 minutes only; you soap up, you scrub down, you rinse off. No fucking in the showers, this isn't a fucking day spa" Roane said drilling a hole into Mirai's head with the proximity of his gaze.
"Yes sir, I understand, sir" Mirai answered him, since he looked like he was expecting something.
"Is that clear, Sunshine?" Roane asked, turning to Gohan.
"Crystal, sir."
"Good."
Gohan was beginning to wonder how many more stops there were going to be on this 'tour'. Surely not every single one of these buildings held something of importance to them, that they could be mildly degraded in while being instructed in the use of.
"As per the details of our contract, you will have one day a week without any scheduled activities. However, I strongly advise you to use that time, since you are not permitted to leave the base anyway, to attend to things like your laundry" Roane lectured them as he paced up and down a row of washing machines and dryers. "Have either of you ever actually used a washing machine?" he said condescendingly.
"Yes, sir" they both answered.
"Oh really? Which one of you?" he asked.
"We both have used washing machines, sir" Mirai answered him, trying hard to keep the annoyance out of his voice. Apparently he didn't succeed very well, because Roane came right over and got in his face.
"Oh, well I'm glad to fucking hear that Daisy, because now, the time I don't have to use showing your pathetic asses how to operate these machines, can make up for the time we wasted on your little beauty parlor session this morning." Mirai held his tongue, not trusting himself to speak again since Roane's comment didn't really require a response.
"Outside, now!" Roane barked, startling both of them with his quick change of subject.
After three laps in a row around the facility, he stopped at the center of the square that the main road from the gate led to. In the middle of it, there was a large marquee, for only god knows what original purpose, that Roane had converted into a very special reminder of exactly where they stood with him. On the right hand side, there was a long, long list of possible punishments, to be chosen from at Roane's discretion of course. On the left though, under the list of behaviors that would trigger punishment, he had simply written in, "Anything that fucking pisses me off."
"I think you'll find this pretty self-explanatory" Roane grinned at them for the first time since they'd stepped foot on base, "And the other side as well." He hitched his head to the left, indicating they should go around and check it out. They both cringed mentally, seeing the list of 'rewards' on the other side was mostly just an earning back of lost privileges, and was much shorter. Under the column for what kind of behavior would be 'rewarded', Roane had penciled in the words "To Be Determined."
"Both lists are subject to change at any moment, on the whim of your gracious instructor" Roane informed them. Mirai was starting to regret that clause in their contract that let him alter the bonus/demerit system later if need be, as long as it fell within certain guidelines; like no permanent harm to them, or no exposing them to the outside world. Suddenly those did not seem like nearly enough restrictions.
After running a few more laps, they stopped in front of the mess hall again; fairly out of breath even though all this had been in normal gravity. Desk jobs had not been kind to their stamina, Mirai thought as he recalled having run two or three times this distance before without getting worked up.
"Private Son, Private Briefs," Roane addressed them, "it is now time for your mid-day feeding. You will have 20 minutes to eat, at which time a buzzer will go off, indicating that you had better get your asses outside and be standing at attention within the next 30 seconds, or there will be hell to pay. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir" they responded.
"Good, now get in there, your time starts now."
Gohan had been hearing Mirai's stomach growl as they ran, and let him enter the door first, not that it would make a huge difference. He was hungry too of course, and was glad to see several small mountains of food waiting for them. Not bothering with the cafeteria serving style the room was set up for, since it was just the two of them, all the food had been piled on one table. As they quickly dug in, one other thing became apparent; though it was nutritious and plentiful, taste had obviously not been a concern when the meal had been cooked. It wasn't bad, but the steamed rice and vegetables was just that, not even a hint of salt on the meat, nothing, in any of it. He would have paused to comment if their time hadn't been so limited. As it was, they both shoveled food into their mouths like there was no tomorrow, figuring that since the tour was over Roane would probably make them run or do something else exercise like for the rest of the afternoon.
After the buzzer rang, and they were heading back out the door, Gohan spoke to Mirai out of the corner of his mouth.
"I guess we'll be getting used to the 'natural flavor' of food here" he half whispered, not sure if they were supposed to talk.
"I guess so... But it could be worse, I'd rather have my fill of bland food then have it be something disgusting, or even have it taste good but there not be enough of it" Mirai answered quietly, squeezing Gohan's hand and giving him a smile before they opened the door.
Roane was waiting for them outside, in the exact same spot as where they had left him, making Mirai vaguely wonder if he'd moved at all the entire time. Apparently they had made it back within the 30 seconds, though they hadn't exactly counted them, because hellfire did not immediately begin to pour down as they stood at attention.
"Alright, listen up now" Roane said, as if they had been doing something else besides watching him closely, "The rest of the day will be spent taking some base-line measurements, so I can track your progress."
"Sir?" Gohan's voice sounded questioningly before Roane could get back in his golf cart. Roane raised an eyebrow and moved directly in front of him.
"I have a hard time believing you are not familiar with the concept, private" he said, somewhat sarcastically.
"Uh, actually I have a different question, sir, if that's ok" Gohan asked hesitantly. Crossing his arms over his chest, and looking Gohan up and down, Roane finally gave a curt nod, granting permission for the real question.
"I was just wondering, sir, if we're allowed to talk to each other or you during the 'activities' you have planned for us" Gohan asked, "or if that would get us in trouble."
"Silence is only required when at 'attention' private, though I expect you to be focusing on your tasks, not flirting with your boyfriend" Roane informed him.
"So a few words here and there are ok, as long as we don't get distracted, sir?" Gohan wanted to be sure.
"Yes, soldiers are permitted to socialize at a minimal level while in training, but," Roane paused, "if you have enough breath left to carry on a conversation, then I'm not doing my job" he smiled. Then getting back into his cart, he lead them over to the only new building on site, the one that housed the gravity chamber. They really hadn't needed any introduction to it earlier, having been the ones to design it. It would be their first time doing anything of significance under artificial gravity in a very long time, and though taking some base-line measurements didn't sound too bad, Mirai was beginning to get a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"How are you doing?" Gohan asked him quietly as they jogged, glad it wasn't out of line for him to do so, but not really wanting Roane to hear. It looked like something was bothering Mirai, but he didn't think either of them appearing 'weak' in front of Roane was a good idea.
"I'm fine," Mirai started, glancing at Gohan out of the corner of his eye. He had that 'knowing' look on his face though, so Mirai continued, "I guess it just kind of feels like we're really starting now" he said, giving him a smile. Gohan nodded in agreement, smiling back.
"Yeah, no more tours or warm ups, here we go..." he said, quieting as they reached the door. They came to attention only to have Roane motion them inside almost right away. Walking down the corridor, Gohan followed Roane to the third door on the left, trying to ready himself mentally to perform as well as possible for the tests.
There were technically two separate gravity rooms inside the building, and as expected, Roane had lead them to the one housing a variety of weights and workout machines. The other was larger and clear of any equipment, meant to be used more for sparring and ki drills. Walking inside the current room, you would never have known you weren't back at Capsule Corp, trying to get Vegeta's attention in between ki blasts to tell him that dinner was ready... Mirai shook his head to clear the unnecessary clutter of memories. On a separate note, the lightness of his head now was going to take some getting used to. Taking a deep breath, he readied himself for the extra gravity to kick in after Roane shut the door on them.
There was a set of controls and display on the inside of the room, but there was also a set in the 'command center' as they had taken to calling it when drawing up the prints. It was a separate room where Roane could watch, evaluate, and interact with them by remote camera, without the inconvenience of being crushed to death. The screen flashed to 50G three times before Mirai felt the familiar pull settle over him. Roane's voice came over the speakers, giving them a set of instructions on which machines he wanted them to use, and how many repetitions on each, etc. The nice thing about the system that Gohan had come up with was that they didn't have to wear wires or monitors while they trained, it could detect things like their heart rate, blood pressure, etc., with sensors built into the walls. It could also give a power level reading as well when switched into that mode.
At only 50G's, Mirai was not even working up a sweat yet, and he was already halfway done with their assignment. He glanced over at Gohan, to see how he was doing, and was rewarded with a rather distracted looking smile after Gohan's eyes finally wandered up to his lover's face. Mirai grinned back at him, but stayed focused, knowing this was exactly the kind of thing that usually derailed them, but was not an option now. Neither of them had a problem putting in a good workout, it was just working out together that always seemed to bring up 'issues'.
When they finished, the screen immediately flashed 100G, and Roane gave them a new set of instructions. Feeling it a little more now, Gohan was not quite as distracted as he had been for the last set, but it was a close thing. Knowing Roane was watching was all the deterrent needed to keep him from actually pulling Mirai aside and ravishing him, but it didn't stop him from imagining it. They were both developing a lovely sheen from the intensity of their efforts now, and Gohan nearly dropped a barbell on his foot while watching Mirai bend over to adjust the next machine he was about to use. When he straightened from retrieving it, he suddenly found himself looking into Roane's angry face.
"What the fuck is your problem, Private Son? If this is all the attention you plan on paying, you can consider yourself evicted right fucking now!" he yelled at him through the monitor that had dropped down from the ceiling.
"Sorry, sir. No, sir. I'll do better, sir" Gohan saluted to the screen.
"Damn fucking right you will! Do not make me send you two to opposite sides of the room like some horny fucking teenagers with no self control!" Roane had the speakers set to full volume to make sure his voice carried well in the room's acoustics. The screen then zipped back up into the ceiling without further ado, and Gohan went back to his reps with a small blush across the bridge of his nose.
When 150G kicked in next, it began to take longer to complete the routine laid out for them, though Gohan supposed it should have been about the same length as the others, under the other gravity. He watched Mirai wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead, but quickly focused back on his own set again. Feeling the strain and pull on his muscles actually felt pretty good, and was invigorating in it's own way.
Mirai could tell Gohan was in the zone now, not letting himself get distracted anymore, which was good. Though it was flattering, of course, that he was still such a temptation, Mirai knew they should be taking this seriously. It wasn't as though he wasn't tempted to stare at the flex and bulge of his lover's muscles either, it was just that he felt somehow it was a matter of pride now. That they take pride in their abilities and status as part of Earth's defense force again. They needed to take the path of wisdom and keep up their skills, even in times of peace. He equated it to a more reasonable and altruistic version of Vegeta's all-consuming drive to be the best. They needed that same determination and focus, if not so much the intensity that never let him loosen up...
Speaking of intensity, Mirai was woken from his thoughts by 200G settling on his shoulders, and Roane's voice instructing them to do alternating combinations of sit-ups and push-ups until further notice.
"Until further notice? What does he mean by that?" Gohan wondered aloud, but lay down to comply immediately.
"I don't know, I guess we'll find out" Mirai shrugged, not really having a good feeling about the phrase either. Having already been at it for hours now, and considering all the different levels of gravity they'd been working out under, Mirai's arms began to get a bit shaky as he finished the rep of 100 that put them at a grand total of 5000. There wasn't really anything to do but count them, though they hadn't been instructed to keep track.
Gohan was drenched in sweat as well by this point, pausing only long enough to wipe his brow before switching to the next rep of sit-ups. On number 5100, total, he noticed the screen flash to 250G's. Giving almost identical grunts, both he and Mirai were pulled flat against the floor, their already tired muscles unable to keep up with that much force washing over them. Roane's face appeared on the wall in front of them, "Is that all you've got, Privates? Do you mean to tell me that's it? After all the time spent preparing for this, all the effort, when it comes down to it, you're just going to fucking give up and lay there like a sack of shit?" he chastised them, though he knew full well that 250 was Gohan's limit, and past Mirai's.
"No sir" Gohan grunted, taking a deep breath and struggling to continue. He was afraid to turn his head too far and break his concentration, but he could hear Mirai struggling beside him as well.
"No sir." Forcing his body to push through, ignoring the aches and beginnings of pain, Mirai resumed his count on the sit-ups. He knew he wouldn't last forever, but was glad he had been able to keep up at least this long with Gohan. His abs screaming at him, he was actually rather amazed when he made it through the set. Maybe he had just forgotten what it was like to really push himself, he thought as he took a few deep breathes and turned over to start on the push-ups. Gohan had already started his, but he wasn't very far ahead, Mirai was pleased to see. His strength of will and determination basically carrying him through the push-ups, Mirai was caught off guard when he finished the set and was suddenly cheek to tile with the floor, unable to move.
"Too...much..." Gohan panted. Having already turned over, he could see the screen showing 300G's now, though his eyes were the only thing he could move. Again, Roane's face and voice greeted them, "Did I say you could stop?" he growled at them. Gohan was working up the energy to try and at least grunt at him, when a small red light must have flashed on the board below the camera, because it reflected off Roane's face as he sighed and rolled his eyes. He moved away from the monitor, and suddenly the gravity disappeared around them, and the screen shut off. Mirai drew and almost gasp-like breath as his lungs were able to fill to capacity again. Frowning, Gohan hadn't noticed anything wrong with Mirai's ki, but now he was a bit worried. He worked up the energy to put his arm on Mirai's shoulder as they both lay there and caught their breath.
Finally turning his head toward his lover, Mirai smiled at him, seeing the concern in his eyes. "I'm fine Gohan, no Saiyan ever died from a good workout" he chuckled. "I may not be able to get up for a while, but I've survived worse, trust me." Shaking his head, Gohan sat up, though it took a considerable amount of effort.
"So why do you think the gravity just cut out like that, if you were fine?" he asked, not entirely believing him. Gohan forgot the mechanical doors on the gravity room were soundless when opening and closing until Roane spoke up.
"I cut it, there's a warning that's the first level of fail-safe built into the sensors, the one I can choose to ignore if I wish. It would have automatically shut off if it detected an abnormal heart rate or brain waves, but breathing was deemed 'discretionary' apparently" Roane informed them.
"Right," Gohan said. Thinking back to the code they had written for it, he remembered Bulma asking him something about that now, but he'd only cared at the time that it would shut off in the event that they were about to die. "You know, your Mom may have officially been hanging around Vegeta for too long now, if she thinks breathing is optional" he sighed.
"Thanks, Mom" Mirai said to the tile beneath him, still not able to get up.
"Thankfully for you two, I'm not a believer in destroying your body to try and get stronger. If you're too injured to train properly the next day, then that's counter-productive" Roane brought their attention back to him. "Today's session is over, you are now free to eat and shower, if you can manage it" he smirked. "Your first real inspection is still tomorrow at 6am sharp, Privates. I'll see you then."
It wasn't for a good twenty minutes after Roane had left them that Mirai was able to work up the ability to roll over and sit up. Groaning, he and Gohan finally made it to their feet after resting for another twenty or so after that. With the strict understanding that once they were down again, they'd be down for the night, they did their best to help each other out the door and back to the barracks. Halfway across the open area at the center of the base, a whiff of food-smell drifted across their path, making Mirai pause as his stomach tightened painfully.
"Damn it" he said out loud. Gohan had stopped beside him, and hearing his stomach growl fiercely as well, Mirai ventured, "Maybe we should risk it..."
"Food might help, actually" Gohan commented, eying the distance between them and the mess hall, and the mess hall and the barracks. Looking at each other with a nod, they shuffled in the new direction, the smell driving them on.
Once inside, Gohan was pretty sure that the food only tasted this amazing because they were starving, but he didn't really care, he probably have eaten sawdust and liked it at that point. Shoveling as quickly as he could, he didn't stop until he had cleaned his side of the table of it's food. Since they'd already been excused for the day, they figured the time limit didn't apply, especially when no timer went off. Sitting there at the table, Gohan was sorely tempted to lay his head on the metal and succumb to sleep right there, but he wasn't sure if they'd be able to hear their 'wake up call' in here. Being late for Roane seemed like something that would be far worse than making himself get up right now was.
"Yeah, we have to...might as well just get it over with" Mirai sighed, as if reading his mind. At least they weren't on the floor, and had the table for leverage to help them stand this time. Walking just as slowly, but with less pain now that their stomachs were full, Gohan and Mirai finally made it to the barracks. Mirai would not normally have called the cot like structure a 'bed', but at the moment, he couldn't have cared less. Not so much getting into them, as falling on top of them, they went to sleep immediately, closing their eyes on the first day of their new lives with an exhausted abandon.