NOTE: Another intermission and it's the Future Timeline! So yeah, this won't be a happy chapter. Time for you guys to see how things went...kinda. You at least get to see how Makima handles Goku's permanent death.
Enjoy and Review!
Intermission (3): The Future Doesn't Rule
For as long as Gohan could remember, his father has always been a pillar of strength. He was always training, always giving everything his all, and never gave up even when the situations seemed dire.
When his father arrived on the battlefield against the Saiyans it was like a sudden resurgence of hope had arrived. It felt like everything would be fine with him around, a warm blanket being wrapped around you in the middle of a cold night.
That's how his mother would describe him.
That's how all of his friends would describe him.
Son Goku would always be there to protect them, he was their sun. The burning bright star that he and his mother happily rotated around.
…
…
…
But what happens when that star goes out?
What do they do when his father loses a fight that he couldn't punch his way out of?
…
…
…
What does their future look like without Son Goku?
Son Gohan sprinted through the woods of Mt. Paozu as fast as he could, carrying buckets of water with him, careful not to spill the contents. He had been tasked by his mother to gather water to help with the situation.
But he wasn't stupid, Gohan knew that his mother simply didn't want him in the house with the condition his father was currently in. It's been almost two weeks since his father has contracted this new heart virus that's been popping up in countries all over the world.
At first none of them had suspected anything. His dad was a little winded, ending spars earlier than normal and going to bed much earlier than he normally does. But then his father started sleeping in much later, eating slower and fewer meals, and moving sluggish in spars.
His mother, who is usually level-headed in situations, started to worry excessively. She always said that his father has never been sick before as if his body was simply too strong to ever contract normal illnesses on Earth. So the sight of her powerful husband succumbing to this new virus scared her unlike anything Gohan has ever seen before.
Their friends and Vegeta had all come by, worried for their long-time friend/rival's health. They were in the same boat as his mother, having never seen Goku look so pale and weak. He's always been full of life, so to think that some virus was capable of bringing him shook them to their core.
His aunts, Fami and War, were different in their reactions. The former gave them looks of pity as if his father had already passed, saying that she would miss her long-time eating buddy. His mother almost ripped her conscience to shreds for insinuating Goku's death.
War openly mocked Goku's sickly body as if she's been waiting for the day he'd perish a pitiful death. Makima hadn't wasted a moment in turning War's brain into a puddle of mush, dooming the horseman of the apocalypse to an eternity of being brain dead.
As the sun started to set, the evening sky doing little to calm his fears, Gohan finally arrived back at his home. Standing outside were all of his father's long-time friends and rivals, all waiting patiently for the news of Goku's condition. The young hybrid didn't bother saying anything to them as a terrible feeling started to set in his stomach. He tore open the front door of his home, sprinting up the stairs to his parents' bedroom.
Gohan found his mother sitting at the bed, his father's body covered in blankets. She held her husband's hand tightly, refusing to say anything to her son. Gohan slowly stepped towards them, sweat dripping down his face. When he got a good look at his father…he felt his heart shatter to pieces.
Goku was smiling peacefully, having already taken his final breath.
"Dad…?"
He didn't respond.
"Dad…"
No response.
"Daddy…" Gohan's voice quivered, his hands touching his father's chest as if hoping to feel a heartbeat. But he knew it was futile. His father was gone, died to the heart virus, and no mystical objects in the universe would be able to bring him back.
"DADDY!" He allowed his emotions to spill loudly, crying on his father's chest.
Makima just watched her son's breakdown, not making any move to comfort him. She just stared at her husband.
On this day, half of Makima's heart shattered to pieces.
Goku's funeral was short, only filled with the people who truly knew him. Makima was surprised to see all of the people who had turned up and remembered just how many people her husband had truly helped when he was alive. But that didn't bring her any comfort.
Her husband was still dead. Once again he had died without her, leaving her a widow and her son fatherless. Her son…
Makima stared at Gohan and the brave face he was putting on in front of everyone. Perhaps he felt that he had to remain strong for the both of them now that Goku was no longer here. What a silly little boy. He was too young to be thinking like this, but she didn't have it in her to try and tell him otherwise. After all, she was broken.
Bulma, who was holding baby Trunks in her arms, and Krillin approached her with a mournful look on both of their faces. They were good friends, Goku's closest companions but she didn't want their words of pity.
She was the Control Devil. She didn't do pity.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Makima." Bulma began. "I never thought that this would be the way Goku's story would end."
Makima didn't think it would end this way either.
"He's always been strong, someone you could look to when times were tough. Goku wasn't the smartest of people, but he was one of the best." Bulma continued, ignorant to the emotions stirring inside of Makima.
Krillin nodded his head, agreeing with Bulma. "He was my best friend, and I owe the guy my life. I know that there'll never be enough ways to repay him for everything he's done, but if you ever need us, you or Gohan, we'll be here to help."
She didn't need them. She wanted her husband, but he was gone. Her son, her flesh and blood was all she had left in this world.
Makima will always love Goku, but she'll never forgive him for leaving her again.
And just when she thought this nightmare was over, it seems like the death of Goku was just the catalyst for something worse.
It had been six months since the death of Goku and the world could only continue to move on. Makima went off to work, while Gohan spent his time training with Piccolo. These past six months have seen Makima drowning herself in her work. Many had assumed that it was just her way of coping and that she would slow down eventually, but she just kept going. Makima's behavior had also taken a sharp turn. She was much harsher, more forceful, more controlling to the hunters and employees of the 4th Division building. Whenever she was home, she'd barely talk to her son other than asking him how his studies were progressing. What used to be a warm house of laughter and love had shifted into a cold uneasiness.
Makima sat at her desk as she went over the reports and missions for the day. More devils, more incidents, and more money that needed to be distributed. She had never noticed just how repetitive this all was until just recently. Perhaps she should just take control of humans and devils alike to get them to shut- "Huh…?" The Son matriarch blinked a few times as a weird feeling into her brain. All at once, several hundred noises were just silenced instantly.
Suddenly, the door to her office was blown open by a secretary. The middle aged woman looked frantic as hell as she rushed into the office. "M-Mrs. Makima! T-there's an emergency!"
"There's always an emergency." The redhead sighed. "What kind of devil is it this time?"
"I-I-I'm not even sure if this is a devil!"
Now that got Makima's attention. "What do you mean?"
"Yesterday, several of our hunters were sent out to investigate an attack on a small village near South City. We assumed it to be the work of a devil, so there was no harm in checking it out. However, none of those hunters ever reported back, so when we sent some others to check it out they reported that the entire village had been wiped out. Everyone, even the hunters sent, had been completely killed." The secretary explained.
Makima didn't see the problem, sometimes things like that happened when dealing with a powerful devil. But she knew there was more to the story.
"And just now a stampede of phone calls and requests just came flying in!" The woman started to look much more frantic. "Each one stemming from an island 9 km southwest of South City! They're under attack from something! And no hunters, either from a division or freelance, are able to do anything!"
Before Makima could respond to the frantic secretary, a disturbing sensation just tingled through her head. Three signatures, familiar ones, just faded out of existence and she knew who those belonged to. Turning to the direction of where she had just felt the energy fade, Makima realized the truth of what was happening.
Whoever was causing trouble now had just killed Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu. Three of her late-husband's close friends were snuffed out of existence and she knew that no devil could have managed to do that. What was making the situation worse was that the strong and familiar energy of her son was heading straight for the epicenter of this mess.
"M-Mrs. Makima! What are we going to-" The secretary never got to finish as the division leader vanished from her office.
When Makima arrived on the island, she wasn't surprised to see that the city was in ruins, mangled bodies of civilians thrown all over the place. She examined the city until she came across the ones she was looking for.
Tien had a massive hole blown through his torso.
Yamcha had both of his arms torn off with his head twisted in an impossible direction.
Chiaotzu's body didn't have a head anymore, the burnt neck gave her an answer to how that must've happened.
It wasn't the first time she's seen these three dead, but unlike last time, there wasn't going to be any coming back for them. Seems her husband wouldn't be alone in the afterlife anymore.
"MAKIMA/MOM!"
She turned around to see that Krillin, Piccolo, and Gohan had finally arrived on the island. Two of the three were horrified to see their friends' mutilated corpses and the rest of the destruction the city had been subjected to. Her son's hands balled into fists, his anger building up at the sight of all the carnage. "Who…who could've done this?!" Gohan growled.
"Yo! I think you're looking for us!" The four of them turned around to see the ones responsible for everything. It was a pair of young adults, a boy and a girl. The young man had short black hair and wore a black shirt with a red bandana around his neck, and a pair of ripped jeans.
The young woman looked a bit similar to him but with blonde hair. She wore a black top with black and white sleeves underneath a denim jacket, with a denim skirt to match. The girl brushed her hair back in a way that caused Krillin to blush a bit. But he quickly fought against it, reminding himself that these two were the ones responsible for the death of his friends.
"You two…?! You're the ones who did all of this?!" Krillin asked.
"That's what I said." The young man smirked.
Piccolo stepped forward. "Who are you?! And how come we couldn't sense your energy?!"
"Hm…should we introduce ourselves, sis?" The young man asked.
"Sure, not like it matters anyway. They're all gonna die here." She shrugged.
"Cool!" The young man exclaimed. "See, we're just a couple of cyborgs by the name 17 and 18! And all we want is to enjoy our newfound freedom after escaping the hands of our 'master'."
"Master…?" Makima questioned. She took a closer look at the two. Her eyes widening at the familiar insignia on 17's shirt. A very annoyed scowl found its way to her face. "Of course…!"
"Dr. Gero of the Red Ribbon Army." C17 revealed to the other's shock.
"The Red Ribbon Army?!" Krillin exclaimed. "But didn't Goku destroy the Red Ribbon Army years ago?!"
"Yeah, but the old doc lived. He kidnapped us, experimented on us, and turned us into killing machines all in the hopes of getting his revenge on Goku." C17 explained.
"Get revenge on my Dad…?" Gohan muttered.
"Then you're out of luck. Goku's been dead for six months now." Piccolo revealed. "Whatever hopes he had for his revenge are long gone."
"That's pretty much what your three pals over there had told us." C17 pointed at the dead Z-fighters. "To tell you the truth, we never cared too much about Gero's whole revenge. We just wanted our freedom to do whatever we want."
"And your idea of that is mass destruction?" Makima questioned.
"Well, yeah, why not? Humans are pretty annoying and don't treat the planet with the proper respect it deserves. So, I'll do it a favor and wipe out the troublesome insects." C17 smiled maliciously.
"And I hate how weak humans are. Such pathetic creatures that can't even protect themselves from each other. You lot don't deserve to live." C18 declared.
"Don't even get me started on devils! They're even worse, but they're no trouble for the two of us." C17 spoke with as much arrogance as Vegeta.
The last remaining Z-Fighters stanced up against the terror twins. "Well too bad! If you want to destroy any more of this world then you're gonna have to get through us!" Piccolo warned.
"That's exactly what your friends said before they got their butts kicked." C17 cracked his knuckles.
"Try not to die as quickly as they did." C18 demanded.
Makima didn't care too much for their reasons of wanting to kill the human race or devils, since she's had similar thoughts before. However, the two were created to kill her late-husband and potentially anything he considered family, thus she prepared to defend herself and her son.
Unfortunately, none of them were prepared for the overwhelming strength these cyborgs possessed. It had become very quickly apparent that the four of them were outmatched, especially with the way her son was knocked out of the fight extremely fast.
Makima caught her son in her arms, holding him close as Krillin and Piccolo struggled against their cybernetic opponents. The situation was not good and neither monk nor Namekian were going to hold out any longer against the twin menaces. None of her abilities seemed to do anything to the cyborgs as if they were programmed to resist her powers entirely.
A miracle was going to be needed if they wanted any hopes of surviving-
"BIG BANG ATTACK!"
C18 was struck from the back, blown into a building by the powerful blue ball of KI. Piccolo just barely managed to dodge the attack. He, along with everyone else, looked up to see the familiar widow's peak descending onto the battlefield. With his usual brand of smug arrogance, Vegeta examined the chaos.
"Vegeta…?!" Krillin gasped.
"Tch! And where have you been?" Piccolo asked.
"Training, what else?" Vegeta responded, then stared at C17. "I see there's some trash that thinks they can do whatever they please."
"If my data serves me right, you're Vegeta, right?" C17 didn't seem afraid of the prince's arrival. "Not much of a challenge."
His words landed right where you'd expect it to. Vegeta's face deepened into a scowl. "Not a challenge? If that's what you think then you're surely mistaken. Allow me to show you the power of the strongest race in the universe!" Vegeta declared. The ground around them started to shake violently, the air cracking from the KI surging around the prince. "RAAAHHH!"
Makima's eyes widened at the familiar golden aura that erupted from Vegeta. She didn't expect him to have figured it out so soon, but it seems like Vegeta had finally transformed into a Super Saiyan just like her late-husband.
"Vegeta's a Super Saiyan!" Krillin actually smiled. "Alright! Looks like we might just make it out of this!"
BOOM!
Emerging from the ruins of a building was C18, the woman's clothes were the only parts of her to have taken damage from Vegeta's surprise attack. And judging by the look on her face she was NOT happy. C17 looked down at his sister and laughed. "Yo, sis! You good?!"
"Shut up! That bastard ruined my jacket!" She tossed the ruined jacket onto the ground. "I'll be sure to pay him back for the damages!"
Vegeta smirked and got into a stance. "Hmph, trust me, I'm not afraid to hit a woman."
"Good. Neither am I." With a surprising burst of speed C18 flashed in front of Vegeta. Her fist clashed against his arm, pushing the Super Saiyan prince back. He countered with a left jab, but she grabbed his fist and pulled him in close for a nasty headbutt. Vegeta used this to ram his knee into her gut, forcing the female cyborg to take to the skies. The newly transformed Super Saiyan followed after her.
C17 clapped his hands, gaining their attention back. "Welp, while she's busy taking care of the prince I think we should continue this little dance, right?"
Makima didn't bother trying to engage C17 in a fight, knowing that there wasn't any point in her trying. Instead she checked on her son and prepared to retreat to get him out of here. She figured that with a Super Saiyan Vegeta (Something she wasn't particularly happy about) their chances of winning seemed better.
Krillin and Piccolo were both knocked back towards her direction, and she used her powers to stop them from crashing into her. She watched as they tried to regain their senses, but it was clear that they were running out of juice quickly. Their opponent, C17, didn't look any different than he had a few moments ago. "They've been fighting this entire time, but he doesn't seem exhausted. Just what exactly are these 'cyborgs'?"
Piccolo grunted, huffing loudly. "How…how are you not even exhausted?"
C17 smirked, flexing his arm. "Let's just say that I have unlimited energy. I haven't even used half of my strength to beat you guys. And just to let you know…my sister's the same."
Whatever question they could've asked was answered by the crashing body of Vegeta. The Super Saiyan was badly hurt, his armor damaged, and blood drenching his blue spandex. He climbed back onto his feet as the uninjured C18 floated down next to her brother. "D-damn it…!" Vegeta cursed.
Krillin couldn't believe what he was seeing, fear growing heavily in his heart. "Not even Vegeta, a Super Saiyan, is able to do anything to them…! If he can't do anything…"
"...Then nobody can." Piccolo grunted gravely.
"AS IF!" Vegeta roared, exploding with power. "I AM A VEGETA, PRINCE OF ALL SAIYANS! A SUPER SAIYAN! THERE'S NO WAY I CAN POSSIBLY LOSE TO SOME ROBOTIC DOLLS!" With a mighty burst of power, he rocketed towards the twins in pure rage. With KI building in his palms, Vegeta unleashed an Earth-shattering barrage of blasts at his enemies.
"It's not gonna work…" Makima realized.
Piccolo sneered at Vegeta's attack before turning to Makima. "Get Gohan out of here! Now!"
"What?! Piccolo, what are you saying?!" Krillin exclaimed.
The Namekian ignored him, fully focusing on Makima. "Vegeta isn't strong enough to beat them and if he can't do it, then we're all dead. I know you and I don't see eye-to-eye, but I think you can agree that the only one with the strength to stop them is Gohan!"
Makima stared at him, but she increased her grip on her son.
"Right now, he doesn't have the strength to stop them, but one day…" He was interrupted by the sounds of Vegeta getting knocked into the ground. The Super Saiyan was getting double-teamed by the cyborg siblings, the legendary transformation that had Freeza on his knees treated as a child's plaything against their might.
Makima didn't care too much about Vegeta dying, but she guessed that it would be terrible for Bulma and Trunks. Guess, the heiress will finally know what it's like to lose the man you love. She looked at Piccolo, knowing what was going through his head. "You know that if you die, then those Dragon Balls you all love to use will be gone forever."
Piccolo grunted, turning away from her. "So be it. I'd rather die than live my life running in fear. Besides, it's not like any of us could be brought back to life again anyway. Maybe it'll do the human race some good to not rely on them anymore. C'mon, Krillin."
Krillin stood with Piccolo, giving the wife and son of his best friend a pained look. "I guess this'll be my way of repaying Goku. We'll buy you guys some time to get away."
BOOM!
Vegeta's energy completely vanished, meaning that they were now the targets of the twin menaces. Piccolo turned back to Makima, but the devil had already vanished along with her son. The Namekian wasn't surprised to see that she took the first chance she had to leave, and he hoped that she would actually follow what he said. "If that woman doesn't do anything stupid, then you're the last hope of this world, Gohan. Live, train, and avenge us!"
"You know… I didn't think I'd end up dying again like this. I still never got a girlfriend." Krillin mourned.
"Tch…! No point in dying with regrets."
"Yeah… I guess you're right. HAAAAAA!" Krillin and Piccolo charged up whatever power they had left and took off to face their deaths.
"HAH?!" Gohan sat up with a startled gasp, sweat pouring down his face. He examined his surroundings, realizing that he was in his bedroom. But that didn't make any sense…he was just facing off with those cyborgs with his mom and- "Mr. Piccolo…?!" Immediately Gohan stretched out his senses to feel out his master's KI, but no matter what he did he couldn't find him anywhere. Not just him…Krillin nor Vegeta could be felt either. Fear of the worst case scenario filled every corner of his heart. "No…no no!" He threw off his blankets and bolted for his room's window.
"Where are you going?"
Stopping on a dime, Gohan turned around to see his mother standing at his door with a tray of food in her hands. "Get back into bed, Gohan." She said as if nothing was wrong.
"W-what are you saying, Mom?! Where's Mr. Piccolo and Krillin?! What about those cyborgs-"
"They're dead."
"What…?" Gohan stared at her.
"Piccolo, Krillin, and Vegeta are all dead. Those cyborgs killed them just hours ago." She didn't censor any of the truth from her son. But why would she? There was no point in hiding the truth of matters now.
Gohan stared at her as he processed the newly acquired information. His master was dead, which meant Kami was dead, and that meant that their way of reversing everything that's been done was gone forever. A burning anger started building, his fists clenching tightly enough to draw blood. "I-If they're all dead…then why are we just sitting here?! We should be out there, fighting those cyborgs and avenging everyone!"
"There's no point." Makima's cold response shocked him. "Vegeta was a Super Saiyan when he fought them, and he still lost. Those two are dangerous, so we won't be dealing with them ever again."
"No, Mom! We can't just sit here, while everyone else is out there suffering by their hands! Mr. Piccolo would want me to fight them!" Gohan declared.
He wasn't wrong, she thought back to Piccolo's final words about Gohan being their last hope. She knew that Piccolo was likely right about that, but she was never going to fulfill his last request. Allowing her son to ever fight those cyborgs again and risk losing him too? No, that was never going to happen.
He was all she had left in this world.
"Piccolo is dead, whatever he would've wanted is irrelevant." Once again, her words cut through her son like a knife. Instead of calming him down, all it did was make Gohan even more angry.
"What about Bulma, Trunks, Master Roshi, Aunt Fami, and everyone else?! They're all going to be left helpless at the hands of those monsters!" Gohan was internally praying that his mother would see reason. The way she was talking made it sound like she couldn't give a damn about the rest of humanity or all of their friends. He knew she didn't have the highest opinion on most people, but surely she wasn't-
"If they die then that's simply what fate had instored for them." Gohan stared at her in horror, but she didn't care how he felt. "It is not either of our responsibility to fight on their behalf. As long as you are safe, then that's all that matters to me." She watched him lower his head, his bangs covering his eyes. Figuring that the conversation was over, Makima turned to leave until Gohan's next words froze her.
"Dad would…"
"What?" She faced him.
"Dad would want me to fight them! He'd want me to fight them and to protect the world-" That's as far as he got before his mother was mere inches from his face. For the first time in his life, Gohan found his mother's eyes distributing to stare at.
"He is dead. He died six months ago and abandoned us. Whatever he would've wanted doesn't matter and I will not allow you to talk like this to me. I am your mother, which means you listen to me, you are under MY control." Her eyes flashed and within seconds Gohan felt his consciousness fade into black. Whatever desires he had to fight against the cyborgs, to save the world, to avenge his fallen friends, and make his father proud all died within seconds.
Makima watched her son fall to the floor and sighed. She didn't like forcing her control over her son, but he left her no choice. He was simply too young and too emotional to understand the gravity of their situation and the state the world was in. She was never going to allow him to fight those cyborgs, she wasn't going to lose him, and they were going to remain their little happy family for the rest of eternity.
She would ensure it.
She would maintain control-
"...No…"
Makima whipped around instantly, staring at the twitching form of her son. This shouldn't be possible once he was under her control. Resisting it was fine, but her son wasn't just resisting her influence he was utterly decimating it.
"I…I…" Gohan pushed his fists against the floor to push himself back up. His head rose to reveal his glowing teal-colored eyes to his shocked mother. "I am not YOURS TO CONTROL!" Gohan roared, golden light igniting around his body like flames.
"G-Gohan…!" Makima muttered in disbelief at the phenomenon happening to her son. But she regained her focus, knowing she had to stop this. "Stop, Gohan! You WILL submit!" Her power pushed against his mind, causing him to scream from the mental attack.
"I…I…I WILL NOT!" He screamed, his energy skyrocketing from his anger. But his mother continued to try and subjugate his mind, which made everything else worse.
"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPP!" His anger reached its boiling point, the power of a Super Saiyan came to life within him. The power exploded like a fierce typhon, throwing Makima through the house. Gohan's power continued to rage on, destroying his room entirely and even more of the house.
Makima climbed to her feet and stared at the glowing visage of her son. His hair was now glowing golden, his eyes perfect teal, and his power was evaporating his leaking tears. All the Control Devil could do was stare at her son.
She took a step forward.
He took a step back.
"Gohan…" Makima muttered. She realized that he didn't trust her anymore, not after forcing her will over his. She took another step towards him, but her son was having none of it. He blasted her with a charged KI blast, knocking her through the last few walls of their home.
Makima laid on the grass, watching as the golden streak of her son took off from their home. The Control Devil didn't make a move. She just stared at the sky blankly until it started to rain as if the world was crying in pain.
She understood its pain. She was in pain too.
The world was in shambles.
Her husband was dead.
And her son hated her. He feared her.
For the first time in her life… Makima truly had truly lost control.
Makima cried her husband's name desperately. Wishing that he would show up at the last minute like he always did and fix the situation. That he would wrap her up like a blanket to protect her fragile heart.
She wished for his hope.
Intermission End
NOTE: Yeah...this is a pretty sad one. There will be a part two which will be the rest of Trunks' future (In regard to the Androids).
Yeah, Makima LOVES her family, it's basically what keeps her sane. But the world is cruel and took her husband away from her forever. Which is different from main timeline Makima who didn't go off the rails when Goku stayed dead. This is due to the fact that the option of Goku coming back still exists.
She also doesn't give a shit about the rest of humanity or how Gohan is the world's only hope. Her world has always been Goku and Gohan. Makima already lost Goku, so wasn't going to lose the last piece of that world.
I did Vegeta dirty, because it's funny. Everyone is busy having a conversation as 17 and 18 just tag-team him viciously.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed!
