A/N: Three names will appear in this chapter that I feel I should explain the pronunciation of. The first is straight forward enough, Insofu is pronounced In-so-fu. Simple. The second is Itenu. It is pronounced Eye-ten-you. The third name is Insenu. It's pronounced Ins-en-ew.
Also, I'm having computer problems and I'm working on NaNo again this year. There will be no more updates to any of my Fanfictions until after November.
Chapter Nine - Silent Mercy
"Still no sign of Slug or Turles." Piccolo said landing.
"If Slug's here Turles must be as well. Damn them. Do you have any idea how embarssing it is to have them walking around on my world like they own it?" Cell growled.
Piccolo snorted. "Not as much as letting Nail escape with Tao." he said with a grin. "Frieza's never going to live that down."
Cell smirked. "True."
The two of them stood in the center of the town below Cell's palace. They'd spent the last six hours scouring the entire planet for any sign of Slug or Turles but neither had any luck. None of the villagers had seen either of them, and they would stand out among the two foot tall and orange skinned natives. "They're here for a reason..." Piccolo said thinking.
"Perhaps one of those artifacts they and Tao seem to be so interested in?" Cell replied nodding. "But I've seen no signs that the Ancients were ever on this world..."
"I suggest we split up and look again." Piccolo said as he clenched his fists and began to grunt and his aura flared and pulsed about his body. A moment later, with a loud cry, Piccolo split into four. They all looked at Cell and spoke at the same time. "If they are after an artifact I'd rather find it first. That way Tao would have to come to us to get it."
Cell nodded and a moment later he'd divided into four people as well. "I'll take the western hemiphere, you take the east." the four said. "I don't intend to pull a Frieza and let them get past under my nose and escape."
"Right." The four Piccolo's nodded and blasted off. A moment later Cell was off again as well.
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17 sat with Pan in his room. She'd not wanted to go back to Saiya but she'd been talking with Bulma since they'd gotten to his room a few minutes ago. They'd managed to get a line connection into the Regen Bay for communications. Both had been rather relieved that a possible antidote had been found. 17 had been rather surprised at who it was that had found it though. Pan, on the other hand, was too worried about her uncle to completely absorb the fact that 18 had a daughter.
Time seemed to drag on as everyone waited to see the results of the antidote test on Spear. The techs had eventually hooked her back up to the tank and filed it again for that extra little bit of help. Finally, her eyes fluttered open and she began to stir. She seemed... out of it... at first. But soon realized where she was and remembered what had happened. She couldn't figure out how she was still alive though, until she heard the sounds from outside.
"It worked!" Bulma cried walking over and looking into the tank at Spear. "She's awake again..."
The techs hurried about and ran a new tox screen on her. "She's clean." one of them said. "The poison has been completely removed and so has the byproducts of the antidote."
"Antidote?" Spear thought. "But... but... how! The plan was perfect!"
Bulma walked over to Marron and pulled the girl up into a hug. "Thank-you... thank-you so much." she said.
"Don't thank me yet Lady Bulma." Marron said after she'd been let go. "Wait until we're sure it works on Trunks and Goten. There's still some danger."
"She is correct." Gero said handing over two syringes to the techs. "One success does not mean it will always work. But it is a good sign." He'd gone off to make the other batches just in case while they waited to see how it worked on Spear. Now the techs were draining the other two tanks and preparing to inject the two Hybrids. Everyone held their breath as they were injected. Once more the bubbles formed uner the skin for a moment but they soon went away and the tanks were re-filled.
Once more everyone was left waiting, worried. "Has anyone talked to my Grandpa, Grandma, or dad yet?" Pan suddenly asked.
Vegeta nodded. "I called them right before I called you. Kakkarotto and Gohan probably already spoke with Chi-Chi."
"Doubt it." 18 said grinning. "Or we'd have heard her screaming by now."
Bra and Pan both cracked up laughing for a moment, their worries temporarily forgotten. That is, until the alarms started going off around Goten's regen tank. The techs began rushing about madly to see what was wrong. "He's not flushing out the waste." one of them called. "It's just building up!"
"Try adding 50CCs of FoP2 to his tank!" called another.
The techs worked madly as they tried one thing after another to try and stabilize Goten. Slowly the green fluid of his tank began to turn blue from the extra solutions being added to combat the problem he was having. "Heart rate is climbing!" a tech called out. "The excess waste is starting to poison his system... Cardiac Arrest! His heart's stopped!" The sirens stopped and turned into a loud wail as Goten's tank flashed once. Then again a moment later. The chaos continued on for a several agonizingly long moments and then all went quiet and the tank began to drain.
The tech at the controls swallowed as he stared at the words flashing on the screen. "M-Master Goten.... is dead." he stuttered. "Time of death, 11:08 PM."
The room was silent for a long moment and then Pan's soft cries came over the com system. Marron put her head in her hands and closed her eyes. "It's my fault... It was my antidote that killed him..." she thought chocking back tears. Bra moved over to her Bulma and pressed her face into her shoulder crying. Everyone turned toward the monitor at the sound of a loud crack and saw 17 staring out a new hole in the wall and Pan missing.
"She'll be okay." 18 said. "She just needs some time. Her family is probably the closest of the Masters."
17 nodded. "Yeah. I think I'll let her go for now. Give her a few minutes before going after her." he was quiet for a moment. "My prayers are with you guys, I hope Master Trunks fairs better."
"Thank-you, 17." Bulma said as17 walked over to the hole in the wall. He stood there staring out into the snow. He couldn't see Pan but his scanners were still tracking her power. She'd gone out a good three or four miles now and her power was churning wildly. He'd remembered the way Gohan had vented his own emotions a few years ago when his newborn son had died only mintues after his birth. Bracing himself he waited for the coming rush power as she let her emotions go.
A moment later he saw it starting, the blue glow seeping through the falling snow. And then her cries began to echo through the skies. He watched as the blue suddenly flashed to gold and the rush of energy tore apart the clouds and cleared away the raging blizzard for miles around her. With his enhanced vision he could see her now, clearly as if she were standing right there with him. Arms and head thrown back, tears sliding down her cheeks.
He watched his scanners as her power climbed quickly to her maximum and then pushed at it as she let her power wash out across the entire planet which was now shaking. Suddenly his eyes widened as he saw a spark of blue dance across her raging aura. "Was that...?" he wondered.
Her screams echoed louder as her aura began to pulse rapidly. More sparks of blue flashed across her aura as her head went back farther and her arms bent back more. 17's scanners stopped as an error message appeared. Her power had surpassed 200 million, his scanners couldn't handle that. "Damn... I don't believe it! She... she's ascending!" 17 cried.
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Bulma turned from the monitor as 17 walked from it. Her eyes went back to Goten for a moment as the techs pulled him from the tank and laid him out on a stretcher. Then her eyes drifted over to Marron who still had her head in her heads. She could tell the woman was crying as 18 placed a hand on her shoulder. "A few days ago I bet she wouldn't have given Goten's death a second thought. Or even Trunks's. It's probably 18's connection with Trunks that prompted her to find the antidote... and the fact it was her antidote that killed Goten that's got her so upset. The poor girl, she didn't ask to be thrown into this mess... Oh, by Kami, I hope Vegeta makes the right choice when this is over."
As she turned her eyes back to Trunks she could hear the faint sounds of Pan's screams over the montior in the distance on Planet Cooler. And then she could see the faint golden glow that danced in the room through the monitor. It was Vegeta's startled gasp that made her turn. The Sai-jin was looking through the monitor and past 17 to where they could just faintly make out Pan's form. "Her power is starting to buil..." he started but was soon cut of by 17's own cry of shock which directed everyone's attention to the screen.
Suddenly Pan's body flashed and a new wash of power sped across Planet Cooler reaching Vegeta's senses on Saiya several seconds later. The golden light filled the monitor and bathed the Regen bay in it's golden glow. And then, a second later, the glow vanished and the power subsided.
"Things have changed so much in just one day." 18 said softly. "Marron, Cooler, Goten, and now Pan."
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Xeno watched as Eve and Everfrost chiseled out the pod. They'd managed to determine the age of the ice in the area. Whoever was in the pod had been frozen here for the last 35 years. They'd also worked out how they'd handle this. Since they didn't have the proper resources on the planet to deal with cryostasis reversal the pod would be extracted from the ice and moved to the surface. They wouldn't open it at the campsite however. It would be taken to the Capsule Corp. Command Ship and loaded into one of it's cryostatsis bays and secured. In a few days a transport ship on it's way to Saiya from Planet Frieza would come by and pick him up.
They'd have to carefully move him from his space pod and into an actual cryostasis tank at that point and store the pod seperately. The cargo ship would then take him to Saiya where Dr. Gero would examine him and thaw him out. Meanwhile they'd work on figuring out how a dead Sai-jin's destroyed space pod had found it's way to Geozan 7 more than twenty years ago. And all this was assuming that the occupant was not the Sai-jin the pod belonged to. If Bardock was inside the thing though... well, that would be a head trip.
The entire Empire knew the story of Bardock. Hell, it was part of intergalactic history classes on all the worlds. Brolly's power had been exceptional, especially for a child, and Paragus had plans to make use of that power. He had planned to use Brolly's power to overthrow the Masters. Bardock had gotten word of the conspiracy and tracked the two Sai-jins down to some remote planet, Xeno couldn't remember its name any more. Once there he'd confronted them and the three had fought, Bardock quickly losing his ground against the two more powerful Sai-jins.
Now, it was well known that Bardock had always disliked the Changelings from the moment he'd met them. It was also well known that his loyalty lay not with the Masters but with the Sai-jin King. The events of that day, of that battle on that remote planet, were proof enough of that. All they had was the audio recording from Bardock's scouter to piece together what happened, but it was enough.
The three had fought and Bardock had been losing. With the Sai-jin at death's door Paragus revealed to him his plans.He wasn't after just the Changelings as most of the Empire had assumed. He wanted to take out all the Masters. That included the Sai-jin King and the young Prince Vegeta. Bardock had made some speech about Sai-jin pride and that he wouldn't allow the two of them to harm the King or the Prince.
Xeno leaned back against the cold ice and closed his eyes as he remembered hearing some of Bardock's speech. "You're forgetting something, I am a Sai-jin! I do not give up, I do not surrender, and I do not lose. You're right, I'm finished, I'm not leaving this world alive. I know that, even if you left me here I'd be dead in a couple of hours. But when I go I plan on taking you with me!" After that was about a mintue of screams from Bardock as he unleashed his power. The scouter was destroyed shortly thereafter, and a moment later so was the entire planet Bardock had been on.
The Sai-jin had given all of his energy in a self destruct attack that took out the planet he'd been on and the two Sai-jin's he'd been fighting. Bardock had been a well known name within the early Empire for that reason, for his sacrifice. And he'd become a role model that many young Sai-jins tried to follow. Pride in his heritage, his people, himself, and his King. He was what was considered the perfect Sai-jin.
So how could Bardock possibly be inside the space pod? Hell, how could it be his pod? It had been on that world too and gone with the three Sai-jins. Xeno could think of a few answers, none of which made much sense. Either someone had managed to escape before the planet was destroyed or the pod somehow survived the planet's destruction and was flung this far into space. Personally he didn't like either one of those answers. Neither one made much sense to him.
"Done." Eve said walking over to him.
Xeno nodded and stood. The time for wondering was over, in a few moments he'd be able to see inside the pod and he would know for certain. Whether this would create more questions or answer the ones he had was yet to be seen. He moved over to the ship and watched as the six strongest of the workers lifted it free of it's icy grave and brought it into the open once more. Xeno moved around in front and peered in through the red glass. Brushing off the ice crystals with his gloved hands he gazed in at the occupant.
"It's not Bardock, I can tell you that much, but I don't recognize the person... wait... he does look kind of familiar..." He looked him up and down but the clothing he wore wasn't familiar and there were no markings on him either.
"Well, he's been here for 35 years." Eve said walking over to join him with Everfrost at her side. "So it's not like you'd have seen his face on TV this morning."
"Funny." Xeno said frowning. "Real funny. You ever think of doing stand-up?"
She smirked at him and looked inside. "Hmm. Well, from those muscles I'd say he's probably a fighter of some kind. And he's definately a Sai-jin. Only three races in this universe look like this, Sai-jins, Humans, and Vaaddaas. The Humans weren't part of the Empire until 35 years ago, October was first contact in fact. Well, outside of Master Kakkarotto growing up there at least. And Vaaddaa males are large and tank like as the standard. Recoome's a runt."
"Yeah." Xeno said stepping back and crossing his arms. "He's also got the Sai-jin hair style, wild and black." He frowned as he looked at the pod a moment longer. "So, why does he look familiar? I don't know that many Sai-jins. Just the Masters really, and he's not a Master and doesn't resemble any of them either." He paused again and frowned more. "And is there a way to turn off that infernal message? Now that it's out of the ice I can hear it clear as day!"
"We'll look into it after we get it to the ship." one of the workers said. "If not, it's not that big of a deal."
Xeno snorted and moved over to the computer. With a few button presses he pulled up info on all the Sai-jin Masters and their families. He moved to just the ones old enough to be frozen here. "We know it's not Master Vegeta, Master Gohan, or Master Kakkarotto..." he said closing those ones. "That leaves only two family members, Turles and Bardock. Both of them are damn near clones of Master Kakkarotto so it's definitely not them. Damn, that leaves no one!"
"What about other famous Sai-jins?" Everfrost asked.
Xeno pursed his lips and clicked through the files some more before pulling up the history files and locating the picutres of Bardock, Paragus, and Brolly. "Shit!" he cried staring at the screen. "There's no way in hell...." he trailed off as he picked up the computer and walked around to the front of the pod again. He glanced from the screen to the face in the pod and then back to the screen again. "By the Kais! It is him! He's older but it's definitely Brolly!"
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Gohan watched his father moving through a series of different katas. He'd done a more intense workout a few hours ago and then had switched to this. It was his way to keep his mind busy and focus it on something... not as painful. If it weren't for the fact they'd rip the ship apart they'd be sparring again to keep their minds away from the possibility that Goten may not be alive when they got back to Saiya.
"So calm and fluid... his form keeps getting better everytime I see him. It's amazing. I don't think anyone's even close to him in skill." Gohan thought. "Though I'd bet Piccolo would be the closest. He's practically a Sai-jin in mindset." Gohan suddenly smirked. "In fact, the only things stopping him from being Sai-jin are his lack of eating and non existant sex drive."
Gohan suddenly felt something pulling at his mind and focused on it. "Pan?" "Hey dad, can you feel that?" he called.
Kakkarotto stopped in his motions and focused. "Yeah. Isn't that Pan?"
Gohan nodded. "Her power is... she's ascending!" he cried in shock. Kakkarotto was the only one to have attained the third level, and for the longest time Vegeta had been the only other one who could go beyond Super Sai-jin. Gohan had reached it next, and then Trunks. They'd all figured Pan's Sai-jin blood was too thin for her to go beyond Super Sai-jin but here she was, proving them all wrong. "She's even younger than I was!"
Kakkarotto nodded. Gohan had reached the second level 15 years ago at the age of 24. Pan was still a teenager, only 17. This was something indeed, something Kakkarotto wasn't sure he liked. "What set her off though?" he asked silently, not sure he wanted to know the answer. The two Sai-jins glanced at each other and then turned to head back to the command room.
They reached it in a matter of moments, just as a message came in. Kakkarotto nodded to someone at the controls and the monitor flared up. Vegeta's face took up most of the large screen but behind him they could see 18, Bulma, Bra, and someone they didn't recognize. "I know." Kakkarotto said simply, before Vegeta had the chance to speak. "I felt Pan's power."
Vegeta nodded. "You should know something." he said after a moment. "It wasn't the poison that killed him, it was an adverse reaction to the antidote. An antidote which was found by 18's daughter."
The two powerful Sai-jins glanced at each other for a moment. "And Trunks?" Gohan asked as he turned his eyes back to the screen.
"So far so good." Vegeta replied. "The Eawpon woman made a full recovery as well."
"That's good to know." Kakkarotto said cracking his neck.
Vegeta nodded in understanding. "Thought you might like that. Still, this raises a new problem. Perhaps we're looking at her from the wrong angle."
"18's daughter you mean?" Gohan asked.
"Yes. Maybe, instead of seeing her as an outsider, we should look at her as part of us." Vegeta said. "And if she does have a child who says it'll turn on us? Raise him as a Master."
"That could work." Gohan said with a nod. "We'll go with that, but keep a close eye on her Vegeta. If anything starts to go... off with her."
"I know."
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Inferna sat in her chair aboard her ship once more. She'd left the Earth several hours earlier as had Cold. They'd decided to go to her world where Cold would be shown the workings of the empire that she'd built. They would spend the next few months integrating the two empires. There was also talk of re-ordering the ruling structure of the Empire and moving some of the existing Masters into her galaxy to help her out.
She'd also felt Cooler's sudden power spike earlier and learned he'd 'unlocked' his sixth form. That was one thing she'd found odd about these North Galaxy creatures. They had to gain their transformations. Every race she'd encountered within her own galaxy was born with them, just as she had been. It seemed very odd to her that any race would need to 'unlock' a transformation.
Cold had explained it fairly well though. For the Sai-jins it was more of a survival trait. There were other triggering factors but the main source was survival. Beyond that one characteristic that held true for them all was power. He'd told her just how weak all the Masters had been upon birth, espeically Kakkarotto, and it was hard to believe. But it did make the 'unlockable' transformations make sense.
Well, it had until she'd learned Kakkarotto had been born with the power to transform. Cold said that according to Dr. Gero, Kakkarotto's body was simply more resiliant to high levels of power beyond what he was cappable of. Perhaps that explained why he had attained the third level of Super Sai-jin when no other had. She sighed and rubbed her head. The whole mess was very confusing.
Suddenly her eyes widened as a new power hit her senses. "Amazing!" she cried standing. Her crew turned to look at her and then felt it as well, their eyes widening in shock. She thumbed the button on her chair and was patched through to Cold in a matter of seconds. "That power? Do you know?" she asked as it began to subside.
"That felt like Pan." Cold said slowly. "I'd say she just did the impossible and reached the second level of Super Sai-jin."
Inferna shook her head in disbelief. From the time-line of events that Cold had outlined for her she knew that Pan was still only a child. It wouldn't be for another three years yet that the Eternal Youth magic would kick in for her and yet, already, she was one of the strongest in the universe. Cold had said that Cooler's transformation earlier made him the fourth strongest, Pan's new one made her stronger so she was now fourth strongest, at the least.
For years she'd assumed her power was the pinnacle of what living beings could attain but now she saw just how small her power truely was. Well, she'd work on that. She would not stay so low on the list of power for long. Even if it meant braving the Ordiron Challange.
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The Grand Kai looked up as he felt the nearing powers. "Well now, we're about to receive some unusal visitors indeed." he said with a small smile. Pikkon and Olibu stopped their spar and turned to look. A moment later Shin landed with Bardock, Raditz, Nappa, and Daimao right behind him.
Standing beside the Grand Kai were the two Metamorians. They were short, only about three foot tall. They were also covered in silver blue scales and had foot-high mohawks of pink hair. Their faces were fish like and their eyes cat like. Their clothes were nothing more than simple white togas held closed with belts of black. Imposing they were not. Neither in appearance or in power.
Bardock gauged them quickly, as well as the three others before him. He could tell from his garb that the bearded man was a Kai, most likely the Grand Kai. He could also tell that the green man's clothes were weighted but the blonde's were not. "An interesting collection of fighters the Supreme Kai has assembled to train these Humans. Interesting indeed." "So, where are our 'students' then?" he asked.
"We have a few more days before they arrive." Shin replied. "The Earth will not be destroyed for another six days or so. Until then the eight of you will be preparing for them and learning to work together. I don't know how long it will take them to get past the North Kai's training and tests and be passed along to us, it may be a few weeks or months before their training under you begins."
"I'm just glad to be out of that hellhole for a while." Raditz said casting a glance back over the horizon toward the unseen golden clouds. "A number of the others down their were begining to grate on my nerves."
"Just be happy we were sent to the H.F.I.L. and not to Hell." Bardock said looking over to Raditz. "Things could have been worse." He turned back toward the others. "I must ask though, these two at least seem powerful, why do you need our help?"
Shin nodded. "An understandable question. Pikkon here is the strongest in Otherworld so he will make a powerful sparring partner for my warriors. Olibu is Human and has mastered the Human transformation, a valuable asset in this venture that needs to be passed along. The Metamorians, Insofu and Itenu here, possess a skill that will aid my warriors greatly. Daimao is a good sparring partner, the Humans are around his level of power. As for you three Sai-jins. Well, that will become clear in time."
Shin turned and moved over to where the Grand Kai stood. "Meanwhile, since I am hoping to have you revived in time to help the Earthlings fight the Masters we will train you as well. This first technique will only work for Bardock and Raditz. Similiar size and race are required for this. Also similar strengths help but it's not completely needed. Insofu, Itenu, if you would please."
The two short aliens moved to where Olibu and Pikkon had been sparring a moment before and then turned to face the gathering of warriors. They stood a good distance appart and Bardock could tell that the stronger one was lowering it's power. A second later the two powers were nearly even with each other and the aliens moved through a series of odd motions calling out along the way. "Fuuuuuuuuu. Sion. Ha!" Their fingers touched and there was a bright flash. When the light died, one warrior remained, much stronger than the original two. Ten times stronger than the weaker of the two had been.
"It is called Fusion." Shin said looking over to Bardock and Raditz. "The Metamorians will teach the two of you this ability as best they can while we await the Earthlings. But first, time for Raditz to get a real work out. Pikkon." The green alien stepped forward and began stripping his weights. Once they were off he tossed them aside and took a fighting stance. "I suggest you transform." Shin said.
Raditz glanced at Shin then back at Pikkon. "I should have listened to Father and learned to sense KI." he thought grimly. Since he couldn't he took Shin's advice and in a flash of gold transformed into a Super Sai-jin. His long hair turned golden and his eyes teal. Several tufts of hair spiked up on the top of his head as well. He then slid into a fighting stance.
The Grand Kai grinned as a small gathering of Otherworld Warriors formed around them. None of them had seen Bardock or the others up here before though a few no doubt recognized them, or at least the Super Sai-jin form. "Alright, go!" the Supreme Kai ordered. The two warriors lunged in at each other and began the spar.