A/N: Yikes. So it's been quite some time. Writers block and school can pretty much halt a fanfiction. Well, it's here finally, so I hope you all enjoy this new chapter. Also, a quick reminder for everyone, since it's something that I believe is only discussed (briefly even) in Dragon Ball, but Puar is a female and therefore I use the pronoun 'she' when referring to her.
Day 05: Risk Management
Goku held two fingers up to his head. After a few seconds of deep concentration he lowered his hand and cursed under his breath. "Dammit!" He was trying to use his instant transmission technique to reach his son but it was being blocked. This had to have been the 100th attempt.
"He's not going to let you through Goku." A voice came from behind him.
The Saiyan spun around to see his best friend looking on sympathetically through the glass barrier that separated him from the outside world.
"I know Krillin. I know." Goku sat on the edge of his bed feeling defeated. "I've been trying all night so that I can get back with him, but he's not letting me."
Krillin sighed. He knew the persistence of both of them and neither one would give in. "Why don't you eat something?" He lifted up a tray he was carrying full of breakfast food so that Goku had a clear view of it. "Mrs. Briefs made this for you and we both know how much you love her cooking." He proceeded to slide the meal through a slot that allowed for material to be transmitted from the outside in, without compromising security.
Goku let out a small smirk, stood up, and opened his end of the slot when the mechanism allowed. He slowly began to munch on the food.
"By the way," Krillin started while he leaned on the ledge against the window "when did Gohan learn to block your instant transmission technique?"
"He learned it while we were training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber." Goku responded in between bites.
"Is it something you taught him?"
Goku once again let out a slight smirk. "No. It's something he developed all on his own. To be honest I'm not even 100% sure how he does it. While we were training I used that technique frequently. I especially needed it once he became a Super Saiyan and started to match my strength. When I was relying on it, he developed a way to hinder its effectiveness until he was able to block it completely. Not only did I realize how powerful of a fighter he was during our time in there, but also I realized just how capable he was to adapting to his opponent if he really focused."
"How long did it take him to master it?"
"I would say about a week."
Krillin chuckled. Not because he thought his friend was kidding but because he certainly believed it and knew that it would take himself, or anyone else, much longer to master a skill like that.
The short man brought up the story he heard from Yamcha years ago about how Goku had mastered the Kamehameha in minutes after Master Roshi had spent years working on it. This lead to a more light-hearted conversation as they reminisced about their own childhood and growth.
Eventually there was a pause in the conversation and Krillin decided to redirect things back toward the matter at hand. "He's gonna make it through this Goku."
"I know Krillin. I know." However, his certainty was starting to waver. The events of yesterday had drained him and he was beginning to wonder if Chi-Chi was right.
Reality was knocking.
"Any news?" Chiaotzu asked as Yamcha entered kitchen. He, along with Oolong, Puar, and Master Roshi had been waiting patiently for any type of update since they had woken up that morning. Yamcha, having finished his breakfast before them, had decided to check up on how things were with Gohan and those in quarantine.
"Nothing yet. Piccolo and Dende seem to be doing well but haven't been released yet. Chi-Chi is with Gohan in his room (with all the appropriate protective equipment of course), and Tien is checking in with Bulma about what we can do. She mentioned yesterday that she would have a variety of errands for each of us to run including going to Kame House and the Son household. So until we hear anything we just have to continue to wait."
Still slightly peckish, he proceeded to grab a chocolate pastry from a nearby plate and eat while he contemplated the day ahead. His train of thought was quickly derailed, however, by an irate Oolong.
"Hey I was going to eat that!" He shouted, only to quickly be shushed by a swipe to the head from Puar.
"Oolong, you've already had three of those. Don't be such a pig!" She scolded.
"But I am a Pig!" Oolong retorted. "Besides, we never get these types of treats at Kame House. You and Yamcha live in the city where you guys can get good cooking at any time."
Taking offense, Master Roshi was quick to interject. "Hey what are you saying? That the food I provide you isn't good?"
"Ugh, no… that's not it at all." Oolong was trying to backtrack quickly. "I just mean that the food here is just… fresher."
The old martial arts master grimaced through his sunglasses, obviously not pleased with this response. However, it brought a laugh from Chiaotzu, Puar and Yamcha.
"I hate to interrupt." Tien's voice came from one of the entrances to the kitchen. Everyone turned around to face him. "But Bulma wants to meet with us in the lounge area."
Everyone quickly followed suit and met up with Bulma and Krillin, who was waiting with her. They formed a semi-circle around her awaiting orders.
"I think we all know that yesterday was a tough day." Bulma began. Everyone else nodded, recognizing the severity of the situation. "A lot of bad things occurred that we could not have been able to predict. However, we can learn from what happened to prevent such further events. Until now we've been underestimating the power of this virus. Today we seek to take every measure possible to make sure that is soon eliminated from existence. Last night, after Goku, Piccolo, and Dende became quarantined, everyone was scanned to ensure that nobody had any sort of latent strain of the virus within their system. Capsule Corp was also scanned yet again over night. The results show that the virus is now just isolated to the infirmary. What we need you to do is help us establish that the virus is nowhere else. Originally we were going to have two of you travel to Kame House and two of you travel to the Son Household. After some more discussion my dad and I thought it would be best to further spread out and cover our bases."
Bulma then took a small disc from her pocket and laid it on the table in front of her. After pushing a button a hologram of the world appeared in front of everyone. Using a special pen she pointed to specific locations that had already been mapped out. "Yamcha, you will go to your home and scan for any trace of the virus." As she point to his home on the map that point lit up and his name, as well as detail information on his assignment was displayed. "You were in close proximity to Goku and thus there might have been virus on you."
"Gotcha!"
Bulma continued. "Tien, we need you to go to the site of the battlefield where Goku became ill." Once again she pinpointed the location and all the necessary information came up on the hologram. "It's highly unlikely but we need to ensure that this virus has not survived in the environment from any of Goku's blood that may have fallen on the ground." Tien nodded and Bulma moved on to the next location – Kame House. "Chiaotzu, you need to go to Kame House and scan for the virus since Goku was there while he was ill."
"Right!" He affirmed.
Bulma highlighted the last place. "Krillin, that leaves you with the Son Household since that is where Yamcha first took Goku. Hopefully we can also find out how Gohan became infected by analyzing the area."
"And what if your equipment picks up the virus and it's still a threat?" Krillin asked.
"The robot arsenal we are sending each of you with includes one that is designed to eliminate any virus found. Additionally, they have all been programed specifically for this job so once at your location there is no need to get anywhere near any potential contaminated spots. Each scan will take several hours so it is best that you get going as soon as possible. Are there any questions?"
Everyone looked at each other; nobody had anything to add.
"Ok then." Bulma said as she pulled out a capsule box with 4 capsules and handed them out. "Each of these contains what you need. I also have included instructions and a direct communication link station attached the container holding the robots. Throw these outside the houses, or in Tien's case about 1000 meters away from the exact location site, and everything will be taken care of from there."
Bulma turned toward the three that hadn't been assigned to tasks yet. "Master Roshi, Oolong, Puar. While they are gone my dad and I will need your help around Capsule Corp and West City. We first need you to go to West City Hospital and pick up these items." She handed Master Roshi a folded sheet of paper.
"Bulma." Tien spoke up. "What about Vegeta? What's he doing?"
The woman furrowed her brow and sighed. "He's staying away from everything. We know this virus attacks Saiyans and we can't risk him or Trunks becoming infected." While she made it seem like it was an order from her in fact it was entirely on Vegeta's own accord that he distance himself from what was going on. She could tell the situation made him uneasy and that discomfort was growing each day.
"OK everyone." She said getting back on track. "We'll be in touch when you arrive to your destinations."
Dr. Briefs looked through his reports while he traveled down one of the long corridors of Capsule Corp. Fortunately enough; progress was being made on his end in regards to studying Goku's antibodies. While still none of the vaccine models worked with their algorithm, they were having success with replicating the antibodies and these replications were proving to be effective against the virus under specific laboratory conditions. Better yet, the antibodies Goku produced were robust enough to counteract the recent mutations of the virus. This held promise not only for a potential vaccine, once an appropriate model was found, but also getting the Saiyan father cleared from quarantine sooner rather than later.
As he approached Goku's quarantine room to provide an update, he saw the man pacing back and forth. Dr. Briefs sighed. He had told him to lie down and rest. Gently tapping on the window he announced himself. "Yo Goku."
Breaking his anxious concentration Goku looked up. "Dr. Briefs? How is Gohan? Can I get out of this room now so that I can see him?"
"Not just yet." The doctor held up his hand, trying to slow him down. "But we will have you out of there soon. It appears that the virus and any of its mutations have not infected you, or if they have your immune system has quickly destroyed them. We just have to run a few more tests to ensure our analysis is accurate. It shouldn't take more than another hour or so."
"That's great!" Goku exclaimed.
"As for your son, he is reacting well to the treatment we've been providing him which has included filtration of his blood and pain medication to help alleviate any suffering. Aside from Bulma and myself helping to care for him, Chi-Chi has been by his side all night, so he's not alone." Dr. Briefs confided.
Goku let out a smile. He was happy that his son had people by him even if he couldn't be next to him. "What about Piccolo and Dende? Will they be cleared as well?" He asked.
"Unfortunately, not yet."
The Saiyan gave a quizzical look.
Dr. Briefs continued. "We found the virus inside their blood stream. It's not attacking their heart, and therefore it isn't replicating, but their immune system isn't destroying it. Right now we are filtering their blood as well to try and remove all of virus manually. It may take some time before they are cleared."
"Are they in danger?" Goku was concerned.
"No. Not yet at least."
"What do you mean not yet?"
Dr. Briefs sighed. "Listen Goku, this virus is very unique, we can't afford to let our guard down. Every precaution is being taken to ensure that it doesn't have the opportunity to infect any more people. That's why Bulma sent out Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, and Chiaotzu to your home and other locations where you were at when you had the virus."
"Bulma had mentioned that to me a few hours ago."
"And we just received word recently that they have all made it to their destination. Bulma is on the phone with Krillin right now providing him with some direction to set up the equipment we provided. He's at your house where there is the highest likelihood of finding the virus. Robots will be going in and eliminating evidence of the virus. We just have to be extra cautious with everything." Dr. Briefs paused as he opened up the folder he had in front of him. "On that note there is some good news." He proceeded to fill Goku in on the progress that has been made with his antibodies and that a secondary analysis was being conducted on the medicine to ensure the current 99% completion wasn't a computer error. "And, the others are helping to run errands between here and West City Hospital so that Bulma and I can focus on research." He said wrapping up. "It may not seem like it, but progress is being made Goku."
Tien stood idly by while a half a dozen robots scoured the land a few hundred feet in front of him. He was in a large metal pod, leaning over a table with a computer that came in the capsule he had been given.
"They still haven't picked up anything yet." He spoke into the computer. On the screen was Bulma, who had contacted him.
Back at Capsule Corp, Bulma breathed a sigh of relief. "That's what we were expecting and hoping for." She then typed away at the computer she was using. All the robots she sent out with everyone had a direct feed to her and she was investigating the results of those with Tien. "It looks like yours are almost done. After they finish scanning everything, they will file back into the pod you're in and then you can put everything back into it's capsule and come back."
"Understood." Tien nodded.
Just then, a light flashed on the computer screen to Bulma's right. "Hey Tien I have to go, the scanners are done with Goku's room. Give me a call if you find anything there."
"Will do."
Bulma turned off her connection with him and swiveled her chair to the nearby computer. She took a deep breath before opening the new file that held information on Goku's quarantine room.
The screen read exactly what she was hoping for. "No virus detected."
"Yes!" Bulma cheered. She then quickly read through the results to confirm everything. It was as the computer said, no trace of the virus could be found in Goku or in the quarantine room. "Yes! Yes!" She said excitedly once again before rushing out of the room.
Goku was pacing back and forth when he heard the door open behind him. "Bulma!?" He gasped after quickly turning around.
"Goku, the results came back negative. You no longer need to be in quarantine."
Without missing a beat the Saiyan was asking her about Gohan. "Does this mean I can see him now?"
Bulma nodded. "With the proper protective equipment, yes, you can see him. I'll show you the set up." She then led him out of the room, around the corner to the main entrance to Gohan's room.
Goku was greeted with the imagine of Chi-Chi, dressed full body suit, sitting by their son, holding his hand while he slept.
"She hasn't left his side for one moment." The blue-haired woman informed him.
"What do I need to go in there?" He asked.
Bulma pulled out a suit from an attached closet. "One of these. And once you step through the decontamination room here and close the door behind you, you just need to hit that yellow button. After a few seconds the other door will open allowing you to enter."
Goku took the suit from his friend and began putting it on while Bulma continued with her instructions. "Whenever you or Chi-Chi want to come back out just hit the exit button on the panel on the other side. That set of doors will open and then close behind you once you are in the decontamination area. Water and cleansing agents will decontaminate your suit. After a quick dry a scanner will verify that no virus escaped the room and the other door will open letting you out."
"Sounds simple enough." He said as he put the astronaut like helmet on his head, securing the suit.
As he entered the decontamination area Bulma decided to provide him with a quick update on how everything else was going. "And I just spoke with Tien. The robots I sent him haven't found any trace of the virus where you battled the Androids. The others will most likely be at their locations several hours longer.
Realizing he didn't know the exact locations of where everyone had went, Goku questioned further. "I thought you had sent them only to our house."
Bulma shook her head. "No, we sent everyone to different locations that you were at when you were afflicted with the virus. Tien is at the battleground area where you first had symptoms, Krillin in at your house, Chiaotzu is at Kame house, and Yamcha is at his apartment since he was in close proximity to you."
Goku thought for a second. "What about where Gohan fell ill?"
"Huh?"
"Gohan collapsed when we were fishing and we first took to the Lookout to see Dende." He pointed out.
"I completely forgot about that! We'll need to check those places out as well. Especially since they are more recent. I'll tell Tien to head to the Lookout next since he's about done. I should also tell him to bring back Mr. Popo to have him get checked out just to be on the safe side. I will also inform Krillin to check out the location where you and Gohan were fishing. Although, we need to know exactly where you were."
"I can show him." Goku responded. "I can use instant transmission to get to him and show him where we were at. In fact, I can first use it to get to Tien, bring him to the Lookout, and bring Mr. Popo back here."
"Goku that's brilliant!" Bulma shouted. "It will also save us a lot of time."
Goku looked through the window to see his son before turning back to Bulma. "Just give me a few minutes with him."
"Yes, of course." Bulma replied as she stepped back from the decontamination chamber and the door closed in front of her.
After a few seconds the door on the other side opened, allowing Goku to enter the room.
All was quiet while he made his way over to his son and sat opposite his wife. Chi-Chi looked up at him for a brief moment and then back down at Gohan. As Goku took his son's hand into his own, the demi-saiyan opened his eyes and struggled through his labored breathing. "Dad. I'm… sorry. I had to… keep you… safe."
"Gohan." His father said, caressing his son's hair with his free hand. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You made a decision that was very brave. I can't put any blame on you. If anything, I should be the one saying sorry. This virus has passed from me to you."
Gohan shook his head. "You can't… control… a micro… organism… like that. It's not… you're fault. We don't… have the… power… to stop it… once it's… infected… someone."
Sensing a feeling that his son was starting to give into a notion that succumbing to this illness was inevitable, Goku squeezed Gohan's hand. "Listen to me Gohan. We may not have the power to stop it right now but Bulma and her father are working tirelessly to develop a cure. You know if anyone can figure out this problem it's them. And the others are out trying to make sure that any possible trace of the virus is eliminated."
For the first time in awhile Gohan smiled. "So… nobody else… will get hurt?"
Goku nodded. "I don't want to leave you again Gohan but I have to help in their efforts. I need to show Krillin where you first fell ill and I need to teleport Tien to the Lookout. You hang in there while I'm gone OK?"
"OK." Gohan affirmed.
"How long will you be?" Chi-Chi asked.
"It shouldn't be too long using instant transmission to get to everyone." Goku responded. "I don't want to leave him but this way we can hasten our resources and give Bulma and Dr. Briefs the information they need." The Saiyan then stood up. "If anything goes wrong I will be able to sense it and come back immediately." He then walked toward the exit before giving one last look to his wife and son.
As Goku left the isolation chamber, and went through the sterilization process to get back to the outside world, Bulma was waiting for him. "I've been in contact with Tien. I need you to teleport him to Korin's. From there he will set up the scanning system that will travel to the Lookout, a safe distance away. I then need you to teleport to Mr. Popo and then teleport back here to my dad. He will be in a quarantine room where he will be examined. If he is cleared, which we expect he will be, you can then transport to Krillin and help him identify the location of where Gohan first became ill."
"And if he isn't cleared?" Goku asked.
"We'll cross that bridge if and when we get to it." Bulma replied.
Goku sighed, knowing there was nothing he could do to help change anything. Holding two fingers to his head, he locked on to Tien's ki and teleported.
-Schwoon-
"Hey Goku!" Tien greeted his friend. "I'm glad to see you're OK. Bulma filled me on the plan. Everything is in it's capsule and Dr. Briefs requested you take this back to him when you bring Mr. Popo to Capsule Corp." He then handed the Saiyan a flash drive containing a more detailed analysis of what the robots found at the battleground site.
Pocketing the item, Goku thanked Tien. "All right, let's get going."
-Schwoon-
"Ahh, Goku! You startled me!" Korin exclaimed as two figures appeared in front of him.
"Sorry about that Korin." Goku apologized.
"What's been going on? Vegeta was here the other day getting senzu beans. He arrived and left only saying your son was sick."
"He is. But Tien is going to have to fill you in. I have to get Mr. Popo." Before any more questions could be asked he raised two fingers to his head and disappeared leaving Korin turning to Tien with a flabbergasted look.
-Schwoon-
"Goku?!" Mr. Popo said surprised. "How is Gohan? Is he all right? Are Dende and Piccolo still at Capsule Corp?"
"Unfortunately, we confirmed that Gohan has the heart virus that had previously made me ill. Dende and Piccolo are still at Capsule Corp but… well I don't have much time to explain everything that has happened. I came here because Dr. Briefs want's to make sure the virus hasn't somehow infected you since Gohan was here after he fell ill. Will you come with me?"
"Oh my. Yes, certainly." Mr. Popo agreed.
-Schwoon-
"Ah Goku, that was quick." Dr. Briefs noted as he spun around in his chair. As a precautionary measure he was garbed up in a protective suit in the event that Mr. Popo had the virus on him. "Yes Mr. Popo, if I'm not mistaken. As Goku may have explained we need to check you out to confirm that you were not infected. If you could lay on this table here and hold still we can run a quick test."
Mr. Popo climbed onto the sliding table of the digital electromagnetic resonance machine as Goku handed Dr. Briefs the flashdrive from Tien.
"Thank you Goku." He said before getting back to his computer and typing instructions for Mr. Popo's scan to start. "I've already put in the parameters so this shouldn't take long."
Ten minutes later, while Dr. Briefs monitored the machine a green light flashed on the computer. "Well that is a relief. As we hoped and expected Mr. Popo does have any trace of the virus on him or in his system. Goku you can bring Mr. Popo to Korins. Once the Lookout is cleared, Mr. Popo can go back."
"Cleared?" Mr. Popo questioned as he got up from the machine. "I'm sorry to say that I am still rather confused as to what is going on."
"I know, I apologize Mr. Popo. Tien is at Korin's and he can explain everything. Krillin is at my house and I have to rush over to him to help in what he's doing."
Understanding that the situation was rather complex, Mr. Popo nodded. Then, after transporting him to Korin's, Goku quickly teleported back to his home.
-Schwoon-
"Goku!" Krillin greeted with a big smile. "Bulma told me you would be coming by. She said that you are going to take me to the place where Gohan first fell ill."
"Yea, that's what she told me to do. She wanted to make sure that no trace of the virus is in that area or anywhere else." Goku replied.
"OK. Let me get a pair of robots that we will need." Krillin typed away at the computer, calling back two robotic units. After less than a minute, the robots exited the house and made their way to Krillin and Goku about 200 meters away. Once they filed into a small bin with a portable computer on top that was then capsulized, Krillin turn to his friend. "Ready when you are."
The pair took off into the sky, flying low among the forest canopy. After a few minutes Goku pointed to the location. "It's right down there. We were sitting on the edge by that tree."
Krillin made note of the location. "Lets go over here to get everything set up."
The two landed about 30 meters upstream of the location and Krillin was quick to get everything ready. "So you were just in that area?" He asked.
Goku nodded in confirmation. "We set up our fishing gear right were we landed."
The former monk typed a few more parameters into the computer before the bin popped open and the robots went to work.
"Is that it?" Goku asked.
"Yup." Krillin answered. "We just wait for them to finish and then head on back to your house to check on the progress there. Or rather, I can wait here for them to finish. You probably want to get back to Capsule Corp."
"I do." He confirmed, however Krillin sensed pain behind the answer as if Goku was starting to lose hope.
"Hey." He said. "As I told you this morning, Gohan's going to make it through this. We're all here for him. You guys aren't alone."
Goku rested his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Thank you Krillin."
For the rest of the afternoon, into the evening, Goku used his instant transmission technique to travel between Capsule Corp and the others that were spread out all across the world in order to bring them back in a more timely fashion. In between these tasks he spent as much time as possible with Chi-Chi by his son's side, while Bulma and Dr. Briefs worked tirelessly to find a cure.
By the late evening Bulma had called everyone in the lounge area to discuss their findings.
"OK, we have some good news. After everyone's hard work today we can say with certainty that the heart virus is now solely isolated at Capsule Corp in the quarantine rooms. Analysis of the various locations show that it was not found anywhere except at the Son household. The robots identified traces of it in the room where Goku was kept when he first fell ill, as well as in the living room where Gohan was taken shortly after he got sick. After samples were collected to verify this, these areas were sterilized until all readings from the scanner came back negative. So like I said, it now only exists here in Capsule Corp, in quarantine."
"So nobody else can catch it or pass it on?" Krillin asked.
"Exactly!" Bulma confirmed. "As long as we continue to follow proper procedures, the virus will be confined to those areas."
"What about the cures? Where are we on that?" Goku spoke up.
"That's another area that we've had a lot of progress in today." Bulma then opened up a folder she had. "We are getting closer to identifying an appropriate model for a vaccine and, based on our research, your antibodies are proving to be very robust at killing any and all strains of the virus. In the meantime everyone is responding well to the treatment given to them."
"So that means Piccolo and Dende are still held in quarantine?" Krillin asked.
Bulma nodded. "Sadly, yes. Nothing has changed much on that front except we are working to remove the virus from their system. It isn't replicating in them but their immune system isn't getting rid of it on it's own. However, once we get the vaccine or the medicine we should be able to flush it completely out of their system if we can't get everything from filtering their blood."
"What about the analysis on the medicine?" Chiaotzu inquired. "Is it complete yet?"
Just as Bulma was about to answer, Dr. Briefs (with perfect timing) came running down the hall with a paper in hand. "100%! We have 100%!" He halted in front of everyone, catching his breath.
"Dad, slow down. What's happening?"
Dr. Briefs handed his daughter the report. "We have… *gasp* 100%. *Gasp* … the analysis on the medicine… *gasp* it's finished."
"Hey that means we can make medicine!" Yamcha declared. Everyone started to cheer.
Bulma scanned over the report. "Hold on everyone." She shouted above the commotion. "We aren't quite out of the wood yet."
"Huh?" Chi-Chi stopped her celebrations. "W-What do you mean?"
"I just don't want everyone to think that this is something that can be done by tonight. It's certainly worth celebrating that the analysis is complete but this report shows that the last compound the computer was trying to analyze is rather complex. We essentially have the recipe but it's going to take a few days, a bit longer than anticipated, to create the ingredients and make the mixture. Unfortunately, this isn't something we can make quickly."
Goku stepped forward. "A few days? Bulma, what if don't have that long? You've already seen what this virus has done."
Both scientists looked over the report once again. "I'm sorry Goku but we don't have a choice. This is an extremely complex process. We are just going to have to make time."
The mood of the room quickly shifted to gloomy.
"Listen, I know this isn't the exact news you all wanted to hear but it is progress. And we know so much more than we did yesterday." Dr. Briefs spoke optimistically. "We can get it done, we can do this. And in the mean time we can continue to work on the vaccine. After yesterday we need to focus on the good."
"He's right." Krillin said. "We've made such progress today. We're going to beat this thing!"
Motivated by his friend, Yamcha joined in. "Yea!" He shouted, helping to raise spirits once again.
However, not everyone shared in the enthusiasm. In the shadows, Vegeta had been listening from an adjacent room. While the others remained optimistic, his patience towards the virus was wavering. Today had been a success but he remained realistic about the power of this disease. What IF they didn't have a few days? What if things got worse?