Duo Halfbreeds
Chapter Fourteen: The Beast Unleashed
In the meditation room, Gohan was with Priamus and Illusi, ready to be trained for the Escape plan. "You'll have about one minute to get in there, disable the system, and get out." Priamus explained. "Illusi here will use his powers to make you think you're in Taurus's quarters for training purposes."
"What if I can't get out in time?" Gohan asked.
Priamus gave a dismissive wave. "Don't worry about it, we'll make sure that never happens." He answered. "We've gone ahead and revised the plan in case the guards don't leave the control room." He pulled out a strange little circular metal ball from his pocket and handed it to Gohan.
Gohan tilted his head. "What is this?"
"When you get to the vent right by the control room, drop it through the vents. It'll spray a fog that'll knock out the guards, just wait ten seconds before dropping in." Priamus explained. "Now are you ready for some trial runs?" Gohan nodded in response.
Priamus took a few step backs and moved next to Illusi. "You ready?" He asked.
Illusi nodded. "Yup." A blue glow started to emanate around Gohan as Illusi lifted his hands a few inches below eye level. "It won't be one hundred percent accurate, Gohan, but it should give you the general idea."
The surroundings started to bend around Gohan before turning to look like Taurus's quarters. With his desk in front of Gohan, the door behind him, the window to the left, and the vent above him. Gohan looked up and wondered how he would get through it.
"Uhm…how do I get into the vent?" Gohan asked.
Priamus placed his two hands on each side of his mouth. "Do you remember what I was teaching you about Ki earlier?" He shouted.
"Yea?" Gohan turned to the direction of the voice.
"I want you to imagine that feeling but try to think of it, lifting yourself up!" Priamus answered.
Gohan gulped. "Okay." He closed his eyes and relaxed his body, quickly searching for that sensation, unlike before it seemed to have clicked so much faster as if the flow of the waterfall connected itself to a reserve of power.
He felt an aura emanate around him and then Gohan tried to imagine himself being lifted up by this same energy. It took a second but it managed to work and Gohan floated up to the vent and opened it up.
After spotting a ledge, Gohan clung onto it and pulled himself over it. "Now what?" he asked Priamus, scanning the long, seemingly never-ending narrow path ahead of him.
"Keep crawling through it, you should eventually reach a crossroads where there are three different paths." Priamus answered. "When you see that, go left."
"Okay." Gohan crawled through the vent cautiously, and after about ten seconds, he encountered the split path. "Go left, right?" he confirmed.
"Yes. If you keep going left, it should be at the end there." Priamus said.
As Gohan crawled carefully through the narrow vent, he suddenly had to dodge a thin piece of metal that nearly struck him. The shock caused his heart to pound sharply and gasp for air. "W-W-What was that?" He stuttered.
"Security measures." Priamus replied. "It has a pattern and timing, watch it closely, then follow that pattern."
Gohan nervously observed the metal slamming down at a rapid pace. "Uhh. It's going pretty fast. What if I get struck by it?" he asked.
"If you get struck by it, the illusion will end and you'll try again." Priamus answered.
Gohan watched as the metal would strike down, causing him to flinch a bit. When the metal would retract back up, it'd take two seconds to completely retract, then another three seconds before it slammed down.
Once the first one slammed down the others seemed to have followed quickly after. Gohan tried to crawl through the first one but hesitated and backed away, a second before it slammed. "It's going too quickly, I can't crawl that fast!"
"Don't crawl." Priamus pointed out. "Fly through it all. Just time it right and find the correct speed."
Gohan swallowed hard. "F-Fly? I don't know if I can."
"Yes you can, just relax and focus." Priamus replied.
Gohan looked back at the metal and watched it slam down again, repeating its pattern. Slam! One, two, it would retract, then one, two, three, SLAM! Gohan gulped as he got ready, the second it retracted completely, Gohan flew as fast as he could.
However, there were so many of them that by the time he reached the end, the last few hadn't retracted completely and he panicked, nearly getting struck as the metal quickly came to slam at him. He cowered and covered, expecting to get hit.
The hit had never come as the illusion broke and Gohan realized he was fine, although a bit stunned. Priamus walked up to Gohan shortly after and sighed. "Let's get up and try again, alright?"
Gohan looked uncertain. "Are you sure?"
Priamus nodded. "Practice makes perfect." He gave a hand to Gohan and pulled him up, then Gohan got into position again.
"This time I'm gonna do something a little different." Illusi said. "I'm gonna generate a ki construct of it, so you'll be able to see it from the outside, sort of." With a flick of his wrist, a copy of what was made before in Gohan's mind was now in a way solidified. "You should now be able to enter at any time and whenever you mess up, it'll move you back to the beginning."
There was a somewhat purplish transparent door in front of Gohan. Gohan opened the door and walked through it. When he entered, to him, it looked exactly like Taurus's quarters but for Priamus and Illusi, they saw but an outlined version of it.
On the outside it was a transparent purplish glow that created an outline of the infrastructure. They could see Gohan inside but didn't see anything else besides that. The inside of it however was made to cause an illusion to those who entered where Gohan could actually see what he would see if he were really doing this.
Gohan started again, taking a breath as he jumped and opened the vent door, slipping through the vent and pulling himself over the ledge. There again was the thin metal slamming down, Gohan swallowed hard and waited to time it.
Once it started to retract, before it completely retracted, Gohan flew immediately as fast as he could, however this time he'd gone too early and ran into one that was only half-way retracted.
"Just keep trying, Gohan!" Priamus shouted.
Gohan sighed and tried again…again, and again. He continued to do so for a few hours before progress had been going nowhere. Priamus observed Gohan intently the entire time, watching each and everyone of his mistakes.
"Okay let's take a break." Priamus shouted.
Gohan frowned as the illusion dropped and he moved back to Priamus. "Sorry."
Priamus arched a brow. "Sorry? What're you sorry for?"
"I couldn't do it, I kept messing up." Gohan answered.
Priamus laughed, prompting Gohan to look at him with confusion. "That's all part of the learning process, you're doing fine." He pointed out. "Trial and error, you'll get it eventually, so don't even worry about it. In the meantime, why don't we do some other training."
Gohan sighed and tried to smile. "Okay."
The next three days went by pretty uneventfully, Priamus and the others were quick to mostly rebuild what was destroyed but for the most part it was Gohan constantly repeating his training. However, no matter how many times he tried, he seemed to have failed the simulated illusion.
He kept timing wrong over and over again, getting struck by the metal or ramming into it by mistake. Gohan attempted countless times to no avail and after a while a couple individuals were getting doubtful.
Meanwhile Gohan was off in Taurus's quarters, cleaning the area. He looked at the place, there didn't seem to be much to clean but Gohan shrugged to himself and started sweeping, wiping stuff down, and tidying up anyways.
As he looked around the room, he was reflecting on something Taurus had told him earlier that day.
"While you're in there, study the surroundings of his place."
Gohan wasn't a hundred percent sure what he meant by that but had to assume he just meant get a good look around the area. There were a couple of book shelves nearby and from the window he could see the entire prison yard.
When Gohan was done, he looked up to the vent and got a bit curious. So he flew up to it and examined it for a second until he heard the doorknob turning. Gohan dropped in a panic, quickly returning to his cleaning as Taurus walked in.
Taurus eyed Gohan with suspicion. "Looks like you're done." His eyes moved around the room, noticing the spotless look. "I suppose you're clear for now, I'll get you if I need you for more tasks again." He gave a signaling wave that motioned for Gohan to leave the area.
Gohan took the few cleaning supplies with him and returned to his cell where he left it. Afterwards he went to go look for the others, he searched the main yard and the training yard but didn't seem to have found them. He wondered if they were near the meditation room and had heard their voices when neared.
However he heard something in there and stopped for a moment…
"He's doing fine, he'll get it no problem." One voice said. Gohan identified this as Priamus and then the other voice that he was talking to was Daiz.
"Priamus, what if he doesn't? If he can't get it in time, he's gonna get in some serious danger." Daiz pointed out. "He could end up hurt, or end up failing the plan, and we'll have to sacrifice the plan just to get him out of there! He's made very little progress." He gave a heavy sigh. "What will you do if he's killed? What then!"
Priamus was silent for a moment before speaking, however Gohan already backed away before he could hear him. A frown formed on his face as he started to walk away, his mind quickly filled with doubts causing him to disappear from the area.
Having returned to his cell where he sat on his bed, Gohan reflected moments earlier, and more specifically the words "killed" and "sacrifice the plan". He shook and trembled at the thought of either of those things happening.
Gohan knew well what could happen if the plan was sacrificed and didn't want to die. He wondered to himself if he should drop out of the plan and let them go without him. "But then I would fail Priamus wouldn't I?" He thought. Gohan couldn't help but feel like he was letting them all down and didn't know what to do. It made him upset, frustrated him, and yet no matter what he still sighed to himself.
So you've decided to give up…
Gohan whipped his head around, a strange voice echoed in his cell but he couldn't find who it belonged to. Something…something was familiar about this voice as if he heard it before, it was on the tip of his tongue and he couldn't figure it out.
After all they've done for you and you want to quit? Quit now when you're so close?
Again the voice spoke and Gohan had a puzzled look on his face. He scratched his ears and shook his head, thinking maybe he was losing it.
A warrior doesn't quit when things get tough. When things get tough, they rise to challenge and overcome it. The only thing holding you back is yourself.
Gohan swallowed hard. "W-Who are you? Where are you!?"
I am nobody, I do not exist.
Gohan tilted his head, his face looking confused as ever. "W-What's that supposed to mean?!"
It doesn't matter. What matters is how you're willing to take everything you've accomplished so far and throw it into the trash over a few words.
Gohan tilted his face down and moved his gaze to the floor. "B-But…but I.." He paused. "I can't do it."
Why not?
A frown formed on Gohan's face. "Because I've tried and every time I do it, I fail." He answered. "I'm not like Priamus or Daiz, I-"
Feh. Who cares? You're not them, You're not supposed to be them. You are not supposed to be even remotely like them. You are yourself and that is all you should ever be. You're going to fail a lot before things work out and even if you fail again and again and again, you have to try. You can't quit because you're afraid you might fail.
Gohan gulped. "B-But I don't know how…"
Wrong. You do. You have before. Would your own father quit when things got tough?
"N-No but I'm not my da-."
He didn't. So why should you? You are his own blood. Show everyone what you are capable of. Show your friends that you can do what needs to be done. Show the determination to prove all those guards, the Warden, and the other inmates that they are wrong about you.
Gohan sighed heavily as a face of uncertainty formed on his face. He spent a few more minutes reflecting on what the voice had said to him before thinking about everything that has happened since he got here and then thinking about what his Father would've done.
He knew his dad would've taken them all down and if not, he wouldn't have stopped trying to get stronger, to get better, to improve. He knew his dad would've been courageous and never gave up. Gohan sat back up and started to walk to his cell doorway, his thoughts still on his own Dad's determination.
He clenched his fist tightly. "I'll…I'll come home, Dad and.." He swallowed hard. "I'll escape from here and I'll stop that jerk that killed you!" Gohan ran quickly back to the training yard and meditation room where on the way he bumped into Priamus.
"Oh..Gohan, I was just coming to get you. Are you ready to continue your training?" Priamus asked.
Gohan looked down for a second then back up and nodded, his eyes flickered with tenacity. "Yes."
Priamus looked surprised as he examined Gohan's look. "Alright..let's go." Priamus watched as Gohan walked through the door. "I wondered what got him so pumped up." He smiled, assuming that Gohan had finally responded to his training.
Once Gohan entered the room, Illusi generated a new ki construct and Gohan moved to the door. As he opened the door, he took a quick breath then entered it. He jumped to the vent, opened it and grabbed on the ledge that was a few feet above, pulling himself over it.
Then he quickly crawled through it before reaching the three pathways and turned left. There he saw the hard part, he watched the thin metal quickly slam down in a pattern like before. Gohan was hesitant at first but regained his composure and closed his eyes as he listened to the sounds of it.
The second he found an opening, Gohan rushed through with each piece of metal slamming down, barely a second after he passed it. He nearly crashed into the dead end of the vent, stopping himself an inch behind it.
The others in the room were surprised. "He did it?" Priamus had to admit, he himself was a bit stunned. He looked at Illusi who gave a mutual shocked look before turning back to Gohan. "You know what to do next, right?"
Gohan nodded. "Yeah." He answered. He grabbed the round metal ball and dropped it through the gaps in between the metal bars of the vent hatch. The ball dropped into another illusion room and filled it with a mist.
Gohan counted down to ten seconds before dropping in and holding his breath. The ki construct guards had blacked out shortly before Gohan dropped down. Gohan looked around and studied the room, as he looked for the large panel.
It was very confusing with the hundreds of different switches, wires, and buttons. Eventually, Gohan saw what he had to assume was it, a metal panel that was about twenty-four inches long and sixteen inches wide. He opened the metal panel and there were a bunch of different black switches, but in the top left corner was a big red dial.
Gohan floated up to the red dial and turned it to the left. Once it was all the way around, the illusion stopped. He stood still, stunned, in shock and awe.
"I…did I do it?" He said.
Priamus walked up to and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Yeup. You did it." He answered.
A smile formed on Gohan's face as he turned to Priamus. "R-Really?"
Priamus nodded. "Well…more or less, now you just need to practice til you get it done quicker." He replied. "You were a little too slow here but I wouldn't worry about it."
The Night Before…
"Prepared or not, tomorrow is the day of escape." Priamus said. The group was gathered around the table in the secret hideout. "Once we do this, there is no going back, are you all ready?"
One by one they nodded and answered. "Yes. Yeup! Yeah! Mhm!"
Priamus looked at Kukmop. "Is our getaway secured?"
Kukmop nodded. "Yeah he should be here long before we arrive." He said, leaning back.
Priamus sat down. "Good. Let's go over it one last time." He replied. "Tomorrow, there will be a shift change in the afternoon, right around when Gohan is cleaning near Taurus's quarters." He placed his index finger on the yard of the map. "During this time, we'll start spreading rumors and lies to get inmates fighting with each other, and since today is the only day where no one is fighting, everyone will be there."
He moved his finger to the control room. "The second we give Gohan the signal, he will sneak into Taurus's quarters and slide through the vent and head for the control room." He explained. "There, Gohan will turn off the power to the security system, head back, and we'll all meet up by the main facility. "
He moved his finger to the main facility's laundry hall. "In here is a window that would normally alert the guards but with the power down, we can break it and easily escape." He said. "The real hard part is actually getting to our getaway. It won't be nearby cause otherwise it'd get shot down. It's on the other side of the planet, about a few hours travel. It won't be long before they notice some of their prisoners have escaped."
Daiz nodded. "Yeup, but luckily for us, Illusi will be able to buy extra time, thanks to him getting the laundry schedule for the cleaning patrol…which is us." He smirked. "And on top of it, he can create a short but temporary illusion to buy us a few minutes, making the unit think we're still inside."
Priamus turned to face Gohan. "Are you sure you're ready?"
Gohan bit his lip, his gaze down for a second as he took a breath, then he looked at Priamus with a smile and nodded. "Yes!"
The Day Of… 10:00 A.M
As they waited for the time to strike, the group all gathered together in the yard except for Kukmop who was seemingly late, in an inconspicuous area.
"Everyone hold out your hands." Priamus grabbed some items from his pocket, when he pulled out his hand as he dropped each person an item, it looked like a little black earbud of some kind. "These are communication devices, so in case something goes wrong, we can call each other."
Daiz arched his brow. "Won't they interfere with the unit's scouters?"
Priamus shook his head. "No, completely different frequencies, we should be good to go." He answered. "Kukmop and I have tested it countless times, and did earlier this morning."
"Speaking of whom, where is Kukmop?" Illusi asked.
Priamus looked around with an unsure look on his face. "Have no clue. He's not one to be late, so it's a bit odd.." As if on cue, Kukmop arrived at the scene. "There you are, Kukmop. Where were you?"
"Uh…" Kukmop had this worrisome look on his face. "I've got some unfortunate news."
Priamus raised a brow. "Is it about the getaway ship?"
Kukmop nodded. "Yeah, He's running late, says he may not even make it til later tonight."
The others, except for Gohan, were agape. "What?! Kukmop! C'mon!" Daiz growled.
Kukmop let a quick breath escape him. "Look. It'll be fine, we just have to hold out. We've gone this far." He replied. "It's a small setback. I sent him some extra money to see if he can get some upgrades to head here faster but the time it takes to install those could make it meaningless."
"Kukmop is right." Priamus agreed. "We can't let one setback stop us."
11:00 A.M
Priamus, Illusi, Kukmop, and Daiz all gave each other mutual glances. "You remember what to do right?" Priamus asked.
Illusi nodded. "Oh don't worry, it'll be a piece of cake. Just give the lowest rat to start spreading rumors and I'll warp everyone's brains down so they won't know the difference."
"What about Taurus and his gang?" Kukmop said. "They're not easy to manipulate, you sure it's gonna work?"
Priamus gave a dismissive wave. "Don't need to. We just need them to be distracted stopping the riot and they won't even see us gone."
The four split up and started wandering off. Daiz in particular went to this scrawny, skin to bones, no hair, and very little clothing guy.
The man looked at Daiz with confusion as he leaned up against the wall next to him. "Daiz? What're you doin here?" He asked.
Daiz's eyes darted around before he turned to look at the man. "Forghast…It may not be my place to say this but I think what Aqualure said about you is just wrong." He whispered.
Forghast darted his eyes, noticed Aqualure in the distance then turned back to Daiz and got closer. "What?!" He whispered. "What did the punk say about me? Is he quipping insults against me again?"
Daiz shook his head. "Way worse. I hear he's not just calling you a lowlife coward but also claiming you're a rapist."
Forghast's eyes filled with burning rage. "I cannot believe him!" He snarled. "I knew he was throwin some gossip bout me and insulting how I look but degraded muh honor! I oughta eat the flesh off of his bones right now!"
Forghast stomped and started to walk off but Daiz stopped him. "Wait before you go. You know you didn't hear this from me, right?"
Forghast nodded. "Course, I ain't no snitch." He replied, giving a thumbs up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some matters to take out with Aqualure."
Meanwhile at the same time…
Priamus snuck up to the squid-like inmate that was seen earlier. "Psst. Cephalotus, I got some bad news…" He said.
Cephalotus looked at Priamus with a confused face. "What do you mean?" He crossed his arms, giving a stuck-up frown.
"I didn't wanna be a snitch or nothing but what Cajalien said about you was too messed up for me to not give you a heads up." Priamus explained.
Cephalotus's interest was peaked. "He said something about me? What the hell did he say about me?!"
Priamus looked around. "Well it wasn't just you but he's been going around saying things about a lot of the other inmates, including Aqualure, Crazy Forg, Steely, Arma, and even Tentakai."
Cephalotus raised a brow. "What kind of things?"
"He's been insulting your characters, calling you a weak Cephlarian, among other things. Says he can take you on with two hands behind his back." Priamus explained. "I think you and the others should have a word with him."
"Well…Is that so?" Cephalotus looked angry. "I shall thank you for having my back, Priamus. It's not too often anyone calls out Cajalien, and I knew he was hiding something!"
At around the same time, Illusi was telling multiple others, especially some of the ones named by Priamus, that they were all saying things about each other. He was telling Arma and Tentakai that Cephalotus was gossiping about them, telling Steely that Aqualure had called his mother "fat", among other things.
On top of it, Illusi was sure to keep their senses warp so they would be unable to realize it was a trick and before anyone knew it, there was an intense atmosphere around the yard as stares were given stares, eyes were eyed.
11:50 AM
Finally, a certain individual couldn't take it anymore…
"So?! My mother is fat huh?! Aqualure?!" Steely shouted.
Aqualure hissed at him. "Ain't know what you're talking about but I do know I'm not some stupid dumbass who was dropped on his head. You couldn't even tell the difference between a triangle and circle!"
Steely's mouth went agape. "Tr-Triangle and Circles?! I know what the difference is! I oughta!"
"Yeah kick his ass Steely! That piece of fishstick called me a rapist!" Forghast shouted.
Arma, a compact, bipedal alien with a tough, armored shell covering its body, walked up on scene. "Better than what you called me, Forghast! How dare you say what you say!" Arma yelled. He got close to Forghast and taunted me.
"Is that a challenge?!" Forghast shouted.
Cajalien, one of the ones mentioned from before, appeared on scene. "Which one of you was it that said I had anger issues?! WHICH ONE!?" He snarled. "Cause I'm about to bust your brains out!". Cajalien was a hulking creature, bulging muscles, about eight feet tall with bright red skin that pulsed when he got angry. His eyes blazed, and his arms and legs seemed to always be on fire.
"Good! Whoever called you out for your anger problems was right!" Another shouted. This was Tentakai, A jellyfish-like alien with long tentacles that can stretch and contract at will. "Especially since you've been going around, claiming you can take everyone on and attacking our characters!"
"Yeah!" Cephalotus shouted, agreeing with him.
Before Cajalien knew it, he had a bunch of stares at him, he felt betrayed and filled with intense anger. "I would never! But if you're all gonna falsely accuse me of that then bring it on! Besides I bet I can take any of you on!"
Forghast was the first to attack but instead he attacked Aqualure. "I'll show you who's a rapist!" He lunged at Aqualure and threw a fist but missed as Aqualure jumped above and kicked his head. Steely came in and hurled his large metal arm at Aqualure sending him flying.
Next, Cajalien rushed through them all and knocked Forghast and Steely down. A second after, Cephalotus threw two legs against the side of Cajalien, enraging him. As each passing minute went by, the fights got larger and larger, swiftly getting out of hand.
11:58 AM
As if it couldn't have gotten any worse. "Hey, that's a great idea! RIOT!" One shouted.
In the shadows, Priamus pressed the button on his communications. "Go. Now."
In Taurus's quarters, Gohan was sweeping with a broom. Once he heard the signal, he dropped the broom and opened the vent from Taurus's quarters. He jumped up and similar to the illusion, there was a ledge which Gohan pulled himself over.
"You got an extra minute, Gohan. So use it wisely." Priamus announced.
"Right!" Gohan replied. He crawled quickly through the vents and turned left. There he saw the metal slamming down but the pattern was different. "Uh…The metal isn't slamming down the same as before, what do I do?"
Daiz, who was slipping on his cleaning patrol uniform, pressed the button on his comm device. "Focus. Listen to the sounds and follow the pattern. It's no different from the simulation, Gohan."
Gohan swallowed hard. "Okay." He closed his eyes and listened intently, searching for the pattern. A third of it would slam down when the center of it was already slammed down, then the final third would slam the second the center would retract.
"That's it!" Gohan thought as he got it. The first portion of the trap retracted up and Gohan flew rapidly, stopping when he got to the center portion, waited for it to retract and flew off as fast as he could, narrowly dodging the last part of the trap.
As he reached the end, he noticed the gaps in between the vent, and peaked through it. He waited a second, hearing the doorknob beginning to turn. Gohan took this as que to drop the little knockout ball spray he was given earlier.
When it made a subtle clang to the ground, the guards that entered looked around confused. "Huh thought I heard something."
"Me to-.." The other guard was cut-off before he could speak as the mist that sprayed caused them to gasp for air before being knocked out.
Gohan counted to ten seconds then held his breath and dropped. He looked around the control room, and searched for the metal panel. There it was off to the right, Gohan attempted to open it but it wouldn't budge.
He began to panic as he was starting to lose breath. He looked around for something that could open it but failed to find it.
"Cmon! Open!" Gohan thought as he pulled his arms against it. "Wait…" Gohan enveloped his energy around him then pulled it, it was a bit tough but it came loose. "Alright!" He smiled happily as he floated to the big dial and turned it all the way.
The power dropped, lights went out, and no one had noticed because all of the guards were already outside trying to cull the riot.
"Somebody stop this riot!" One guard shouted. In the midst of the riot, Khang and the others were trying their best as well.
Priamus and the group took notice of the power disappearing, he looked at the others who gathered near him. "Let's go." He said. They nodded. "Good Job, Gohan, now head back to us…"
He waited for a response but none came. "Gohan…Kid! KID?!" He continued. "He's not responding."
The others looked stunned. "What do you mean he's not responding?" Daiz asked.
"He must've got hit by the knockout spray." Kukmop suggested.
Priamus clenched his fist. "Damn it! This isn't good." He said. He turned to face the others. "Okay, you guys get ready, start heading for the laundry hall. I'll get the kid out of there."
Illusi raised a brow. "What are you going to do?"
Priamus shook his head. "No time to explain, we got less than a minute, let's go!" He answered. Quickly, the other four slipped by the main facility and headed for the laundry hall. Priamus quickly brainstormed some ideas and had one when he saw a stray laundry cart nearby.
He grabbed it and hurried inside the main facility. As he did, he walked carefully and cautiously towards the control room, keeping an eye out. There he saw Gohan on the ground but before he could do anything, a certain guard caught him.
"Hey! What're you doing here!?"
"Damn it." Priamus thought. He turned to face the guard. "I..Uh saw the door open, thought I'd check it out." His eyes darted to Gohan who was just beside him. He reached for Gohan and tried his best not to lower himself.
"Ain't no prisoner allowed here." The guard started to walk inside, quickly noticing the two knocked out guards. "What the he-"
Priamus acted fast, he tossed Gohan in the cart, kicked the guard, and as he closed the door threw another knockout orb into the room.
"H-Hey! Wha- I ca-..." The guard gasped for air before blacking out.
Priamus sighed with relief then hurried to the laundry hall, where the others were already gathered and had broken the window down.
"Did you get the kid?" Daiz asked.
Priamus nodded, pulled Gohan out of the laundry cart. "Yes but he's unconscious." He answered. "We'll have to make due, let's go before the power comes back on."
The other three nodded and jumped out the window with Priamus following along. Priamus held Gohan on his back and they all flew past the gates. Once they were past the gates, they got back on ground and hid their power.
Around the same time…
Taurus returned to his quarters and entered his office door. As he did, he noticed Gohan gone but the supplies were still here. "What? That little brat left his work unfinished?!" He snarled. "I'll teach him a lesson about playing hoo-..." He stopped when he heard a creek from above, and noticed his vent hatch hanging open.
Taurus was left stunned. "The hell?!" But before he could answer his own questions, he heard something loud from outside.
Khang backflipped out of the riot cloud. "Damn it! Nothing is working!"
"Khang!" Taurus ran up to him. "What in the hell is going on here?!"
Khang shrugged. "A riot! I don't know how but I've been trying to contain it and nothing is working." He answered. "Even the guards can't seemed to control it! It's bad, Boss!"
Taurus growled. "Do you know where the kid is?"
Khang looked confused. "No, I haven't seen him since you put him to clean your office." He answered. "Why?"
Taurus clenched his fist. "Don't know why, the hatch to the vent in my office was open!"
Khang's face became more perplexed. "Wait, why?" It quickly dawned on him. "Wait, you don't think he was trying to…"
Taurus's eyes widened as he and Khang had a mutual glance. "No! He couldn't have! No way Priamus would've tried that again…" He paused. "Unless.." His mind traced back to the past several nights. "The cleaning patrol was guise for all this?! But how?!"
"Think we got more important things to handle than this riot." Khang said, stating the obvious.
Taurus nodded in response. "Don't worry, I'll contact Duran and take care of it." He ran back to his office, opened the door, and rushed to his desk. He pulled what looked like an old telephone of some sort and pressed a dial button. "We got a code teal!"
"Teal? There's a hurricane coming?" The answerer responded.
Taurus flipped through his book. "I mean code black!"
The person who had answered the phone, slammed it back down and hung up as he pressed a button. An siren went off immediately after, alerting all guardsmen. This person was Duran, the warden. He pressed the button on his scouter a few times then spoke into it.
"Tracking Team report! We got a code black!" He said. He picked up the phone again. "Taurus, meet me at the main facility."
Back with the others…
"Oh no…" Kukmop's mouth dropped. "They pulled the siren! WE GOTTA GO!" The group started running and running as fast as they could.
The main facility
Several guards with what looked like some kind of mutated canines were on standby, and Taurus was with them. Duran came walking down the hall a few seconds after and stood in front of them all.
"We have some prisoners trying to run loose men! Get your dogs to work and start tracking them now!" He shouted. They all saluted and went to work immediately after. Duran looked at Taurus. "I give you one job! ONE JOB! And that is too assure order! How could've this had happen?!"
Taurus was a bit speechless, he didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry, sir. I have no real idea, only a bit of a theory." He answered.
Duran sighed angrily. "Fine. Give me your best theory."
Taurus took a deep breath. "You remember, Priamus, right?"
Duran nodded. "Yes I remember your once co-general, he was the one responsible for the original sewer damage." He answered. "Is he behind this?"
Taurus nodded. "I think so. One of the new faces in the prison was receiving a lot of help from Priamus." He explained. "And I noticed he even brought the kid on his cleaning patrol. I thought he was just training and helping the kid but I should've realized he had something else in mind."
Duran raised a brow. "You mean the Saiyan child, right?" He asked. Taurus nodded in response. "What else did Priamus have in mind?"
"A few moments ago, I noticed the hatch to my vents in my quarter was opened." Taurus explained. "And I know for a fact not many people can slip through it…but.. I do know that kid can."
Duran's anger started to rise but he kept his composure. "So..What you're saying is, Priamus and his little group were the ones that made this mess?"
Taurus nodded. "Yea and-"
"Sir! We found something!" A guard shouted. Taurus and Duran immediately got up, heading to the guard's direction. The guard was by the control room and when the two got there, Duran noticed a few knocked out guards and the metal panel to the control room opened.
Duran was stunned. "So they were the ones that caused the power outage!" He clenched his fists and turned to Taurus. "If you want to make sure you're not removed from your rank, I'd suggest you help us find them, got it?" Taurus nodded in response.
"Sir!" Another guard shouted. "We found something else!" He was trying to hold back his canine. Duran rushed to the direction of the guard's voice, heading into the laundry room, with the other guard and Taurus following behind him. "It looks like the window has been broken."
Duran's eyes widened. "Then go after them!"
The guard nodded. "Right! Let's go!" The other guards followed the first guard to exit and Taurus went with them.
Twenty minutes later…
The group was panting heavily. "This would be so much easier if we could fly!" Kukmop complained.
"Sorry, can't risk them finding us too early." Daiz answered. "Gotta buy as much time as possible. Let's keep going!"
After a quick breath, the group ran as fast as they could, doing their best to avoid letting any power slip out. It was a bit tough but with as low as they kept it, they were practically flies and despite that their own physical bodies allowed them to run incredibly fast.
One hour and thirty minutes later..
"We need to take a break." Priamus said.
Daiz looked at Priamus with confusion. "Why? We're almost there!"
Priamus shook his head. "No we got another hour at least and besides, if we don't. We'll burn out and won't make it. Steady and cautious wins the game."
Daiz sighed. "Fine." He sat down and the others followed after. "Is the kid awake yet?"
Priamus shook his head, turning to face Gohan who was still on his back. "No." He answered. As Priamus sat down, he placed Gohan down, his head against a nearby massive branch. "But he should wake up soon."
"We can't rest for too long." Illusi announced. "They're searching for us out there and I can definitely sense them quite a ways from here but they'll catch up soon enough."
Priamus nodded. "I'm aware, do you think you can slow them down from here?" He asked.
Illusi shook his head. "No and even if they were closer, I'd be unable to warp their senses with the canine unit." He explained. "Those things have powerful senses and can easily break my illusions. We'll just have to soak up as much rest as possible then get going again."
Priamus sighed and leaned back. "Alright. We'll leave again in two minutes."
As the two minutes came, Gohan quickly woke up, a bit stunned. His head whipped around. "P-Priamus? Daiz? Where are we? Guys?" Gohan knew this wasn't the prison yard.
Priamus smiled. "Escaping." He said.
Gohan's eyes widened. "Really?!"
Priamus nodded. "Yes and we need to get going, so keep your power down and start running with us, got it?" He answered. Gohan was stunned for a split second but he regained his composure immediately and nodded.
The group continued to run, although Gohan struggled a bit to keep up but despite this Gohan persevered. However, soon they heard the sounds of barking and snarling.
"You hear that?!" Daiz shouted.
"Keep going! Ignore it!" Priamus said. "Whatever you guys don't look back!" He looked to Gohan who was beside him. "Got it?" Gohan swallowed hard and nodded in response.
"We're on their trail!" One guard shouted. The rest of the team followed after him as they rushed through the forest. The canine started to bark louder and louder, and not long after they could start to make out pictures. "I think I see them!"
The group had easily heard the guards and that was the signal they needed to go. They all unleashed their powers and flew fast!
"They're making a run for it!" Another guard shouted. He smirked. "I like it when they run! Split up and go!"
The unit dispersed and rushed after the group, a single guard was the first to spot them. He pressed a button on his scouter, sending the signal to the others and he flew below the tall trees to the group.
"I got you now!" He shouted.
Priamus looked back and cursed under his breath. "Crap! Keep going! Keep going!" He shouted.
Gohan started to panic. "I can't! He's going so fast!" Gohan turned to see the guard right behind him. The guard pressed a button from a strange remote-like device on his hand and a net shot out. Gohan was left stunned, until Daiz jumped in and pushed Gohan out of the way.
"Daiz!" Kukmop shouted. He moved forward to help him but Daiz shot a blast his way to stop him right after burning the net. Around the same time Priamus flew down and grabbed Gohan before flying back up.
"GO! I'll catch up!" Daiz answered.
"Let's go!" Priamus said. Kukmop sighed and nodded. The rest of them took off and flew faster. A frown formed on Gohan's face.
"I-..I'm sorry, I panicked I-I"
"It wasn't your fault." Priamus interrupted. "These things are bound to happen but in the heat of it all you can't let yourself get wrapped up. Stay focused, alright?"
Gohan nodded in response and sighed, although he still felt bad. Meanwhile, as much as Daiz tried to fight the guard off, the guard eventually succeeded in capturing him, locking him up with energy cuffs on his wrists and ankles.
The guard returned to the others, calling for a regroup. "Here, beat the information out of him, why don't ya, Taurus?"
Taurus had an impassive look on his face as he caught Daiz after he was thrown from the guard. "So you wanna tell us where your buddies are hiding?"
Daiz chuckled and formed a smirk on his face before spitting in Taurus's face. "Never."
One Hour Left…
Priamus had a large water bottle in his hand and started passing around. "Drink up. Rest for another two minutes, then we get going again."
Each of them took a sip of the water, except for Gohan. "Gohan, you should drink." Priamus said.
Gohan's gaze was fixed on the ground. "I'm not thirsty…"
Priamus sighed and sat next to him. "Daiz is gonna be fine. There isn't anything to worry about."
Gohan swallowed hard and clenched his fist against the fallen tree he sat on. "But it's my fault…" He answered. "Isn't it? I couldn't keep up with you guys and I froze, so Daiz had to take the fall."
Priamus shook his head. "No. It wasn't your fault. You didn't do it on purpose, it was an accident." He explained. "Things like these are gonna happen, sometimes stuff happens and there isn't anything you could do about it."
Gohan moved his gaze to Priamus. "But I could've! If I wasn't slowing you guys down, none of this would've even happened!"
"If you weren't here with us, we would've never found the perfect person to go through the vents." Illusi pointed out.
Gohan shook his head. "Daiz said that Kukmop could've tried! All I did was making you guys nearly lose the plan."
"Hey I ain't that short! And besides when he started this plan we knew it was all or nothing." Kukmop said. "We all came in with the possibility of not all of us making it."
Priamus nodded in agreement. "Yeah, so just keep your head up and stay focused alright?" He asked. "We'll get out of here and maybe we can rescue Daiz."
Gohan sighed. "Okay."
The group got up and started to head-off again, only to immediately hear the sounds of the dogs. "W-What?! They found us already?!" Kukmop shouted.
Priamus turned and took off. "Let's go guys! Go!" The others were quick to follow and catch up.
"They're gaining on us!" Illusi shouted.
"Just keep going!" Priamus replied. The group took off and flew as fast as they could yet again.
A few minutes had gone quickly and the group couldn't shake them. "They're gaining on us!" Kukmop shouted.
"I'll take care of it! I'll slow them down, you guys go as fast as you can!" Illusi shouted.
Priamus stopped. "What?! No Illusi! We need you!"
Illusi shook his head. "GO!" He shouted. As the guards approached, Illusi generated a psychic barrier that made all of them go to a halt. The sheer concentration it took to keep from any of the guards to break free caused Illusi to stand still.
The other three flew as fast as they could, making as much distance as they could. As more time passed however, Gohan was beginning to slow down and as much as he tried, he couldn't keep up.
"You gotta speed up, Gohan." Priamus said.
Gohan tried his best to release more energy but failed to do so. "I'm trying but I can't, I'm too tired." He answered.
Priamus stopped and motioned for Gohan to get on his back. "I'll carry you, it'll be faster this way." He said.
Gohan looked hesitant. "Are you sure?"
Priamus nodded. "Yes, so let's hurry."
Forty-Five Minutes left..
Illusi was beginning to struggle to keep the barrier alive, as the individuals inside started to move faster and faster. "Can't keep it up but I gotta keep trying! Come on!" He unleashed a burst of energy but it did very little to stop them.
The barrier cracked and the individuals quickly began to move faster. Illusi tried to unleash more energy but anymore did nothing and he was drained as it already was. As another minute went by, Illusi started to give out and a guard slipped through.
He slammed a fist into Illusi, dropping the psychic barrier and allowing all the others to come free. Illusi went flying, crashing and sliding into the ground, pushing massive mounds of dirt up behind him. Illusi stood shortly back up afterwards as a guard appeared in front of him.
The guard raised his hand to chest level and pointed it at Illusi as he unleashed a powerful energy wave that eradicated every fiber of Illusi from existence.
"Two down, three to go." The guard said.
Twenty Minutes Left…
Having returned to running on the ground, the group took one final shortstop. "We're almost there. It shouldn't be much farther now." Kukmop pointed out.
Priamus nodded. "Just gotta push it, we'll make it in no time."
"Yeah but what are we gonna do about Illusi and Daiz?" Gohan asked.
"They would want us to not worry." Priamus answered. "Let's not put the plan in jeopardy for that, alright?"
Gohan frowned and nodded. "Okay."
As they got ready to take off once again after another minute, they heard nearby footsteps and a voice. "I know you're out there, I can see you." It was Taurus. "So you better stay where you're at!"
"Crap now what?!" Kukmop said.
Priamus clenched his fist. "I don't know, just stay put for a second." He answered. "Come on Taurus! You're not seriously gonna prevent us from escaping, are you?!"
Taurus had a slightly confused expression on his face. "What kind of question is that?" He replied. "Of course I am! You five have been nothing but causing trouble and ruining order!"
"To what? A Prison? Which may I remind you, you are also part of that prison! You're still a prisoner!" Priamus pointed out.
"And unlike you, I'm trying not to ruin my chances of getting out of here!" Taurus shouted. "So come back quietly or I'll take you down myself!"
Priamus growled. "You can't be serious! They're not gonna let you out due to some good behavior!" He yelled. "You know that! You think after following years of their orders they'll let you roam free?!"
Taurus scoffed. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. There was no escaping that place and the only way out was to play it by their rules!"
"Playing it by their rules is one thing but you've switched sides!" Priamus accused. "The way I see it you've become a coward! A coward who's too afraid to even consider trying!"
Taurus fired a blast in their direction. "What a load of crap!" He snarled. "I'm the coward? For seeing reality as it is?" He moved out from the bushes and the trees. "You're the one who's always running, Priamus. You're the coward here!"
Priamus shook his head. "Wrong, If I were the coward, I'd be the one standing on the same side of the same people who imprisoned us for merely crossing paths." He explained. "If I were the coward, I'd be the one helping those same people who put us through years and years of slavery!"
Priamus shot a signaling glance to Kukmop who fired a silver wave that flashed in the blink of an eye. It struck Taurus before he could see, knocking him down and the three flew up in the air. Kukmop took off with Gohan following behind, and Priamus stopped for a second to create a massive energy blast.
He sent the blast down aimed at Taurus and although Taurus dodged it narrowly, the blast gave Priamus enough time to disappear from the scene, plus the massive amounts of dust and smoke was surely helpful to aid that.
The three flew sped up to their maximum speeds, and continued to the getaway.
Ten Minutes Left…
As they got ever so closer, the sounds of barking started to echo closely. The group knew the unit was hot on their trail but still they continued to trek their path the best they could. It wasn't long before the unit was in sight.
Five Minutes Left…
The unit got closer and closer. "Come quietly now and I can assure you, you'll at least have a chance of staying alive!" One guard shouted. "Don't and we'll end you right here, right now!"
"We're running out of time!" Priamus shouted. "How much further!?"
Kukmop took a look at their surroundings. "Five more minutes! We're almost there, keep pushing!"
The two flew faster but Gohan still stayed at the same speed. As much as he tried, he couldn't go any faster than he already was. A guard bursted his speed and caught up to Gohan, pressing a remote device that fired a net onto Gohan. Gohan panicked and let a short scream escape his voice.
The other two turned around and looked agape. "The kid!" Priamus shouted. He flew down after the guard that captured Gohan, and slammed a powerful kick into the side of his upper body. The guard went flying for a short distance and during this time, Priamus broke Gohan free from the net.
"Go! Hurry!" Priamus shouted. Gohan froze a bit but Priamus threw him in the air towards Kukmop. He turned around and unleashed a volatile blast of energy, aimed at the guard before taking off. He caught up with Kukmop and Gohan quickly, the three took off again but the same guard caught up just as easily.
"You think a little blast like that can stop me that easily?!" The guard shouted. "I'm the Captain of this unit! Your little attacks might work on my men but not me!"
Kukmop stopped and turned around. "Fine then let's see how you take this!" He fired another silver blast that struck the guard in the blink of an eye. Kukmop immediately charged after the guard, grabbed him in a full nelson lock and aimed for the ground. "I ain't going back to that prison! If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me to hell!"
As he approached and came closer to the ground, a powerful energy radiated around Kukmop before it latched on to the Captain. The Captain tried his best to break free and struggle but it got harder and harder, the momentum made it nearly impossible, before he knew it, everything became silent.
A loud and massive explosion erupted for miles. Gohan looked back as he continued to fly, becoming stunned at the sight as it approached him. Priamus reacted quickly, grabbed him and flew to his limits.
One Minute Left…
"Priamus, what're you doing! We gotta go help Kukmop!" Gohan said.
Priamus shook his head. "No, I told you, stay focused!" He answered. "We're not that much further we need to keep going!"
Gohan bit his lips and swallowed hard. "Keep going? How are we supposed to keep going! We lost everyone!" He pointed out. "What's the point of escaping if we can't even escape ourselves."
Priamus sighed and turned around, placing his hands on Gohan's shoulders. "When we started this plan, we didn't think all of us would make it out alive."
"Why? Why would you make the plan in the first place?!" Gohan asked.
"Because if even just a single one of us can make it out, if one of us can escape…" Priamus answered. "Then it proves that it isn't hopeless and that this place can be stopped, that there is still hope! We can't give up because most of everyone is gone. We have to push forward." Gohan frowned in response. "So let's keep going alright? We're so close."
Gohan sighed and nodded. "Alright." The two continued flying and as another minute went by, there it was, a somewhat large circular ship. It was sleek and futuristic in design, with a metallic exterior that gleamed in the light. It was long and slender with a pointed nose and angular edges. The exterior was adorned with various mechanical components and thrusters.
"We made it…" Priamus said. He couldn't believe that they actually did it, it almost felt too good to be true but there it was in all of its glory. He pulled out a remote-like device from his hand and pressed the button. The hatch to the ship opened and the two headed for it. "Alright, let's hurry up and get out of here."
Before they could however, a sudden powerful blast shot through the ship, causing it to explode. In an instinctive reaction, Priamus jumped towards Gohan and shielded him from the blast. Pieces shattered everywhere, fire erupted furiously, and smoke bursted at the seams.
From the distance, the tracking unit could hear and see the explosion go off, and Taurus saw as well. They all headed in that direction as fast as they could. When they got there, they saw Priamus on the ground hovering over Gohan, and floating above it all was Duran.
"So you thought you could escape here?" Duran spoke as he floated down to Priamus. Priamus stood up and scowled at Duran. "In case it ain't obvious, no one breaks free from the Bloodbath Colosseum, not you, not the brat, no one. It is impossible and it's about time you learn that!"
Duran looked up to the sky at Taurus. "Taurus, show me some loyalty and take care of these fools!" He shouted. Taurus nodded and floated down to the ground as Priamus glared at him.
"Don't do this, Taurus!" Priamus pleaded. "This isn't you! You're not like this!"
Taurus scoffed. "Shut up!" He yelled. "I don't want to hear any more of your nonsense!" Taurus darted forward, slamming a fist into Priamus's face, causing him to go flying towards the center of the wreckage.
Gohan's jaw dropped as he turned to see Priamus spiraling away. "Priamus!" He shouted. He tried to run to Priamus but was pulled away by Duran who placed his arm against his throat and his other hand onto his head.
"Oh you aren't going anywhere kid." Duran laughed. "You're gonna stay right here until your turn."
The color drained from Gohan's face. "M-My Turn!?" He could only wonder what that had meant.
As Priamus stood back up and Taurus came closer. "Please Taurus!" Priamus shouted. "You can still change this! Help us get out of here! Come with us! And we can be free of this place!"
"Free of this place? Are you still on that?" Taurus rolled his eyes. "Your ship is destroyed!"
Priamus sighed. "I can get another ship! And I can get it here fast!" He pointed out. "Do not do this! You know this is wrong! Don't make the same mistake you made a decade ago!"
Taurus growled angrily. "I didn't make a mistake then! And I'm not making one now!" Taurus moved forward and aimed to throw a fist but Priamus deflected the fist away.
"Really?! Or is that just what you're trying to tell yourself!" Priamus argued. "How much longer are we gonna have to go back and forth through this crap?! When will it end?!"
"Until you learn that this is the only way!" Taurus snarled. He threw another fist but Priamus avoided it narrowly. Priamus thrusted his knee forward and Taurus blocked it with ease, he tried to throw a counter at Priamus but a powerful fist to Taurus's jaw prevented it.
"Stop lying to yourself! Is this how you wanna go down? The once great general of Bizarl?!" Priamus yelled. "Stripped down to a coward, playing on the enemy's side!?" Taurus was silent in response. "The general I knew would never stoop this low! He would've tried every angle, every corner, ev-"
"Zeeeeewwwwww" A small yellow energy beam shot Taurus in his heart within a flicker of flame, striking him down and causing him to fall.
Priamus stood with a stern expression, his eyes locked on the several others in front of him, a look of disbelief crossing his face. His lips parted to speak, but before he could utter a word, a blinding blast of energy ripped through the air, sending him hurtling to the ground a few yards away. The sheer force of the explosion shook the earth around them all, leaving Gohan reeling with shock and disbelief.
"I was getting tired of their babbling." Duran said. He blew the steam that had emerged from his index finger, and then threw Gohan to the ground. "It's about time those two were shut up, they sounded like an old married couple more than the brothers of Bizarl."
As Gohan dropped to the ground, he tried to keep himself from falling but he stumbled a bit. He got back up and ran to Priamus.
"P-Priamus!" Gohan shouted. He pushed Priamus over to backside down. "A-Are you okay?!"
Priamus coughed and wheezed heavily. "I..I'm fine." He answered. That was a complete lie, he tried his best to stay awake, to stay alive but every breath he took filled him with intense pain. "Listen carefully, I need you to run G-Gohan. Run as far as you c-can!"
Gohan shook his head. "What?! I can't leave you, Priamus! I need you!"
"D-Don't let our p-plan be in vain, Gohan. Go! Run! Now!" He urged. "Hurry before it-" Another beam shot through him before he could finish. Gohan froze again.
"How pathetic." Duran rolled his eyes. "This was like watching one of those cliche movies, only difference is…There's no happy ending." He moved forward, walking up to Gohan and reached to grab his arm, but in that moment, thoughts, memories, everything filled his mind intense in a rapid motion.
Gohan reflected on everything that has happened since he's gotten here, the way he's been treated, how everyone who stood up for him has died. He quickly realized something, something that made its message clear. When Duran's hand began to touch Gohan's arm, Gohan deflected it back, stood up and turned…then he snapped.
A violent rage filled Gohan as he unleashed a powerful force of energy, with tremendous winds generating, as the sky turned dark, and clouds covered it. Storms began to produce as Gohan let loose an intense fury-filled roar.
Gohan realized that if they were all going to try to kill him, to hurt him, to make him feel truly alone, then he was just going to show them exactly what he was capable of. Show them that anyone who would stand in his path, he would take them down.
The winds caused several of the soldiers to nearly fall back, they had to take a stance, and blocked the wind with their arms, proving to be a lot tougher than expected. Duran tried to reach for Gohan again but a more powerful burst of energy forced him back, crashing into the other soldiers.
To be continued…
A/N: Casting Call Clubs are still available btw, links on profile, and yes this is part of the midseason finale. Returns Winter 2023
Additional A/N: Forgot To Mention. When I had wrote this, that ridiculous and absurd "beast form" was never a thing, so PLEASE do not associate this with that. AND do not think I say this because I like or dislike Super, I'd rather not have that defined based on a singular thing nor do I want people assuming anything based on what I said. Seriously the internet likes to psychoanalyze everything.
