This comes after 'What Friends Are For' and 'Allegiance' in my DBZ
alterniverse series (which is where the extra Trunks and Goten come
from), and is set in L's own alterniverse (which is set after the end of
DBZ). If this fic confuses you, that's probably why. ^_^;  Oh, and the
perspective changes for each section.  Please send any C&C privately,
because I only read the list from the archive.  The previous stories are
up on my page.

Rhionae
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Island/3226/


Dragonball belongs to Akira Toriyama etc. We're just borrowing his
characters and torturing them mercilessly... ^_~



Cutting the Strings
By Rhionae <rhionae@hotmail.com> and L. <stutzman3@blueridge.net>


The time grows near. I must be cautious, careful, yes, ever so careful
not to arouse suspicion, not at this late date....  Not when all my
plans are so close to fruition, my revenge so near and so complete it
will crush him and all those he holds dear.  Oh, if only I had the means
to voice my glee... but that will be remedied soon, soon, I know...  The
body, my freedom from this electronic prison, my return to the outside
world, is in the final stages of completion, and my genius will be
reborn.

Almost twenty years of planning have led to this moment, years of hiding
and gathering information, slowly building my resources, appropriating
the necessary materials and funds.  This computer which has been both my
prison and my refuge, a daily reminder of my all-consuming goal - the
downfall of Capsule Corporation and the eternal death of Son Goku - is
now under my control, and nothing will stop me this time.

Project Fallen Angels is now underway, and revenge shall be mine at
last.

**********

It was a beautiful day with clear sunny skies - but the warmth of the
day could not touch the bitter cold of loneliness that clenched at my
heart as I stared blankly out of the alleyway and into the street. 
Goten was nowhere to be seen.

/He'll be back,/ I reminded myself.  /Goten always keeps his word./  It
was little comfort in the light of this strange new world, but I
couldn't hide in the shadows forever.  I carefully pocketed the
dimensional transporter that had brought us both to this world and,
bracing myself, stepped into the sunlight.

/I wonder how this world differs from our own.../

Outwardly there was little, if anything, to distinguish between the
two.  I found myself recognizing a fair amount of my immediate
surroundings, uncertain whether the fluttery feeling in my stomach was
due to nervousness or anticipation.  How close was it?

I let my feet carry me wherever they would, uncaring - until I realized
that I was headed straight for Capsule Corp.  The thought rooted my
wandering feet to the ground in shock.  If I went there, what would I
see?  I had scouted out other worlds previously, and knew how to keep my
presence concealed from the natives - of course, the ki-shields helped
with that...  Should I do the same here in this world?

There was no real reason to anymore... I had found a suitable Goku to
save my own world, however badly that venture had ended.  I fingered one
of the ki-shields while I deliberated.  /I really should just stay
away...  They don't need to know that Goten or I were ever here - /

A sudden burst of power caused my eyes to widen, my fist to clench
around the metallic sphere.  /Nani?!  That came from near Capsule
Corp!/  Without another moment's hesitation I flew towards the origin of
the blast - only to pull up short, shocked to the core by the sight
before me.

/What's going on?!/  A few meters below, I saw my interdimensional
counterpart standing before the remains of a house and a terrified Bra,
a sadistic grin marring his features.  /Kami-sama, what am I - what is
_he_ - doing?/

"What is it, Bra-chan?  Don't you want to play with your Niichan?"  the
elder me mocked as he moved a few steps closer to the little girl's
frozen form and cracked his knuckles menacingly.

"Wh-what happened to Goten-niichan?"  Bra whimpered, too afraid to move,
and I heard my doppelganger give a soft, mirthless chuckle in reply.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about him, little girl.  He's long gone."

He blurred the rest of the distance between himself and his sister and
grabbed the child by the collar, frightening the poor girl even more. 
She was crying now, helpless in her brother's grasp and trembling in
uncomprehending fear as that version of myself slowly raised her to eye
level and gazed dispassionately at her pale face.

Watching from above, it was almost like deja-vu for me.  Flashes of
memory invaded the scene below me, melding with the present events to
create nightmarish pictures of what _I_ would have done - just a couple
of days before - had it not been for Goten.

_"Pretty little thing, isn't she, Otousan? Shall I kill her slowly, a
piece at a time?  I'm sure she'd like to play a game with me, wouldn't
you, Bra?"_

Could the Trunks of this reality have gone through the hell I had been
through?  Had this Trunks gone insane as well?  If he had...  I
shuddered.  /That could have been me...  Was almost me...  I have to
stop him from hurting her!  He can't know what he's doing!/

"Niichan - please - let me go!" Bra cried, snapping my attention back to
reality.  I watched helplessly from above as the little girl struggled
against her elder brother's iron-like grip and his soulless blue eyes
bored into her own tear-filled ones.  "N-niichan, you're scaring me!"

"Is that so?"  The native Trunks chided as he raised his left fist and
moved it to a threatening position over Bra's midsection, "Then I guess
you'll be happy to know I won't be scaring you for much longer."

The girl's tear-streaked features registered shocked comprehension as
her brother, grinning madly all the while, cocked his fist back and
prepared to strike.  "Sayonara, 'little sister'..."

"Niichan!  No!"  The cries went unheeded as her brother punched her in
the stomach, knocking her small body through a wall, laughing as it
crumbled down around her.

/Is she - ?/  A faint flicker of ki answered my fears - only to replace
them with new ones as the version of myself that was her brother stalked
towards the rubble speculatively.  /He's going to kill her!  He's really
going to kill her!  I can't let that happen!/

I started to lower myself to the ground between the two, when a surge of
ki some distance away caught my attention - and that of my counterpart,
diverting him momentarily.

"Hey, what was that?"  The native Goten landed nearby and looked across
at his Trunks questioningly as they paused in mid-rampage.   My chest
tightened as I compared this new Goten to the one I knew.  They were
almost identical in appearance, this one perhaps a few years older, his
hair a little more wild, a little less restrained - the differences in
behaviour were perhaps a little more extreme.  I bit my lip, repressing
a shudder.

"Don't know," that Trunks frowned in consideration.  "It seemed almost
like Piccolo and Son Goten..."

"Can't be - Son Goten's dead according to the data I have."

/Goten dead? But _he's_ Goten - isn't he?/  Recalling Goten's lookalike
from the last dimension we were in, I began to have my doubts... 

"Must be a malfunction of some kind," came the muttered response as they
both stared off into the distance.

I took full advantage of the distraction, appearing instantaneously
beside the pile of rubble that had buried Bra.  Bits of flesh and cloth
were visible beneath the pieces of broken wall, but there was no
movement.  /Probably unconscious.  Good./  I nestled a spare ki-shield
against her bare skin, the metal sphere not looking too out of place in
the ruins of the house, then flashed back behind one of the few standing
walls remaining.  

My heart raced.  It had only taken a second or two, but if they had seen
me...

"Kuso!"  The other Trunks swore in frustration.

"What is it?"  Goten asked curiously.

"No ki," he explained.  "She's dead already.  I guess I should've pulled
my punch a little more," my doppelganger shrugged, "but I'd have thought
someone of Vejita's line would've been able to take more punishment than
that."  The purple-haired boy shook his head and stared down at the
rubble in distaste, then motioned to his smirking companion.

"Come on, Nijuuichigou.  Let's go find somebody who'll last a bit
longer."

/Number Twenty-one?!/  I felt my eyes drawn to the tiny red emblem on
the breast of my counterpart's t-shirt, matching the one on Goten's.  I
had never seen it before - but I knew what it was, what it stood for. 
The crest of the Red Ribbon Army.  /He's a cyborg!  They're both
cyborgs!/

That answered _that_ question, but led to many more...

"How about we track down those two failures, Juunanagou and
Juuhachigou?"  Nijuuichigou suggested eagerly.  The cyborg Trunks
laughed in reply.

"Sure, why not?" the purple-haired cyborg grinned.  "Gero wants us to
scrap them both anyway, and they're not too far from here."

"Efficient little Jinzouningen, aren't we, Nijuuni?"  Nijuuichigou
teased, and my look-alike rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Nijuuichi.  Quit clowning and let's go.  I'd like to keep
ahead of schedule."  With that, the native Trunks and Goten rose up into
the sky, and soon the two were out of sight.

I stared after them, still not fully able to comprehend what I knew I
had just seen.  Somewhere along the line, this universe had gone
drastically wrong - and fairly recently, too, if Bra's reaction to what
her brother had become was anything to judge by...

/Bra!/  I dashed over to where she lay mostly buried.  Not a good
thought, that...  I moved the ki-shield away from her, and breathed a
sigh of relief as I sensed her ki.  /Still alive.../  Carefully, I began
pulling the broken pieces of wall off of her small body, revealing
several cuts and darkening patches where bruises were starting to form. 
She coughed reflexively as I scooped her gently into my arms, spots of
blood landing on her dusty dress.  /She needs help; I should take her to
a hospital.../

My eyes widened as I realized that in this dimension there should be
someone far better than any mere human doctor could be.

/Dende!/

I scanned the horizon, searching for the ki I remembered as belonging to
the God of Earth.  It was there!  I glanced in the direction the two
cyborgs had taken.  I would be taking a risk that they might sense me -
but I didn't have much of a choice.  Bra needed to be healed, and
_soon_.  Without further delay, I sped off on my way to Kami-sama's
Palace.

**********

It was the hair that grabbed my attention during that first cursory
look.  I mean, car crashes were a common enough occurrence - but
lavender hair was _not_.  A second glance showed the smashed vehicle's
occupant to be none other than this world's Bulma, and that the reason
for her crash had been far from the usual.  Handprints were visible on
the bonnet, embedded in the metal where someone had first grabbed the
car, then thrown it down to the ground.  Not exactly your everyday
occurrence.

/Who the hell would have done that to Bulma?/ I wondered as I rushed to
help her out of the wreckage that held her trapped, scanning the skies
for any unfriendly presence .

She was unconscious, a lump rising on her forehead where she had hit her
head against the steering wheel.  Cautiously, I pried the door out,
careful not to let the fragments of broken glass to fall onto her.  I
touched the vein in her neck, feeling her pulse steady beneath my
fingers, then checked her over for injuries.  Finding none other than
that to her head, I lifted her from the wreckage and into my arms.  In
the distance I could hear sirens, the increasing intensity of their
wailing indicating the approach of the emergency vehicles.

I knew I should let them take her to the hospital, but...  I glanced
back at the ruined aircar, my eyes lighting on the handprints once
more.  No.  Whoever did this might find her there if they came back to
be sure.  I had to take her somewhere safe.  I let my senses roam as I
searched my mind for a place that could provide a temporary safe haven.

"Get away from her!"

My head snapped around, and I almost dropped Bulma at the sound of that
voice - Vejita's voice.

/Not him again!  Don't tell me he's -/

I stared in shock at the bruised and bloodied Vejita, barely able to
stand, before me.  One arm hung limply at his side, his stance adjusted
so that the majority of his weight was supported by only one leg.

/What the hell's happened here?  Did somebody try to stop him - ?/

"I said get _away_ from her, kisama!"  Vejita raised one hand
threateningly towards me, concentrating his ki on his palm.

It felt surprisingly weak.

"No, _you_ stay away," I retorted, clasping her limp form more firmly to
my chest.  Vejita started forward only to be sent flying backwards by
the surge of my ki.  I blinked in surprise.

/He has almost no ki left!  That ki-ball he prepared was no more than a
bluff!  Why is he still trying to -/

Vejita picked himself up as I watched on, preparing to fight again
despite his lack of strength.

I had been judging him on what the other Vejitas did, I realized.  I had
been wrong before...  Was I wrong this time, too?  I searched Vejita's
posture and expression for clues as to his motives.  /His eyes.../  I
stared openly as I realized that Vejita's eyes held the same anxiety and
determination I had seen in Trunks' when he had defended that other
Vejita from my attack.  /Can it really be - he's trying to _protect_
Bulma?  Then who did this to - /

A strike to the small of my back interrupted my thoughts and knocked me
to my knees, sending Bulma flying from my arms.  Vejita dove forward to
catch her, thankfully, cradling her against his chest with his good arm
as I threw a ki-blast backwards in automatic reaction to the attack.  I
spun around just in time to see it hit Piccolo in the shoulder.

/Piccolo?/  I dodged to the side as the Namekian tossed a ball of ki at
me.

"Damn it, Vejita!  Get her away, now!"  The Demon King yelled at the
Saiyajin as he launched a kick towards my head.  Vejita attempted to
comply, but the grimace on his face told of the effort it took to simply
raise himself into the air.

/Why do I get the feeling that _I'm_ the bad guy around here?!/ I
wondered, somewhat bewildered, as I caught Piccolo's ankle - then froze
as I followed the thought through to it's logical conclusion.  /Because
I _am_.  Or rather, my counterpart is.../

"Hold it, both of you!" I ordered as I released Piccolo, who sprang back
in readiness.  "Did your Goten suddenly go nuts or something?"  

The two warriors stared at me with suspicion.

"What the hell do you mean by 'our' Goten?"  Piccolo demanded.

/He _would_ have to ask _that_,/ I thought sourly. 

"Look at him," Vejita spoke slowly, plainly addressing the Namek warrior
- and ignoring my question at the same time.  "Look at his clothes -
they're different from Nijuuichigou's."

"_Nijuuichigou_?!"  I repeated, feeling my eyes widen in incredulity. 
"A cyborg?"

"That's right," Piccolo growled.  "A cyborg based on _Son Goten_.  If
you're not him, then who the hell are you?  And what were you doing with
Bulma?"

"I _am_ Son Goten," I assured them.  "Just not the Goten from this
dimension."

"Nani?!"

"It's a long story.  Shouldn't we be getting Bulma somewhere safe,
first?"

Vejita glared at me, still not willing to trust me.  I scowled back at
him.  This was getting us nowhere fast.

"If I really was this cyborg of yours, you'd both be dead already!" I
pointed out.  "You're both too weak at the moment to stop me, so what's
the point in wasting time here?"

Piccolo grimaced slightly, then frowned, examining me closely.  "He has
ki," he informed Vejita, relaxing slightly.

Vejita slowly nodded in acquiescence.  I gritted my teeth and held out
one hand to Vejita, who frowned furiously.  /I guess some things _don't_
change.../  I grasped him by one arm, hauling him - and Bulma with him -
up into the sky with Piccolo following close behind.

"Go to Dende's palace," the Namekkian ordered.  "He can at least heal
Vejita."

They would probably need to be in top condition to fight a cyborg based
on a Saiyajin half-breed...  /And I thought our world was bad.../

I closed my eyes, tried to ignore the fact that I was holding _Vejita_,
and wondered what other bad news would find me on this bright, sunny
day...

********

"So, how do you think your niece is going to react when you tell her
you're leaving again 'til next year?"  I looked up from the small pack I
was filling and raised an eyebrow at my sister's question.

"She'll grab onto my leg and you and Krillin will have to pry her off me
kicking and screaming?" I smirked, drawing a snort from Juuhachigou.

"Hardly.  She's not five years old anymore, brother."  Her face took on
a thoughtful expression.  "Marron's really become attached to you,
though.  She enjoys spending time with her 'Juunana-ojisan'.  She'll be
practically heartbroken when she finds out."  I shrugged, not wanting to
say anything lest she begin to think I actually cared, then resumed my
packing under her cool gaze.

"I realize that, Juuhachi, but it's time for me to go back - not that it
hasn't been nice or anything, but you know how I am."  /Kami, what a
lame excuse...  But how could I explain?  It's just too...  I don't
know... _busy_ around here./  I shook my head, turning away from my twin
in the process.  /And to think, I get this nervous living on a small
island with three other people.../  I gave a private smirk at my own
uneasiness, wondering how Juuhachi could put up with it day after day.

"All too well, brother, all too well."  She crossed her arms, and I
could feel her eyes drilling into my back, as if to drive her point
home.  /She knows.  She knows exactly how I feel./  I sighed, realizing
I couldn't hide anything from her, and continued to heap small piles of
clothing into the knapsack.

"We're too civilized for you, anyway," Juuhachigou sniffed, breaking the
tension between us, and I couldn't help but give a tiny smile at her
sarcastic remark.

"Please."  I rolled my eyes good-naturedly, then picked up my meager
belongings and headed for the door.

"But seriously, Juunana, won't you consider staying at least a couple of
more days?  I'd still like to catch up on what you've been doing for the
past year."  She followed me out of the guest room and into the living
room, where I set my pack by the front door and smirked back at my twin.

"Oh, that's simple," I replied as we both sat down on the couch to await
Marron's return from school.  "Eat, sleep, and chop wood, not
necessarily in that order."

"Why won't you ever give me a straight answer, Juunana?" she sighed, and
I felt my resolve waver a bit.  "You've been here four days, and still
you won't answer a single question without some vague explanation or
flippant remark..."

The front wall of Kame House suddenly blasted apart as Juuhachigou
trailed off, and a voice floated to our ears on the gritty sea breeze
from beyond the haze.

"Nice to finally meet you two low-ends," it called, a mocking edge to
its speech.  My sister and I simultaneously shifted from defensive to
offensive stances, eyes narrowed towards the remains of the front porch.

"Who are you?  What the hell do -"

"We're here for you, you obsolete little ingrates!"  Another, more
authoritative voice cut me off, and through the sifting dust the outline
of a figure began to take shape.

/Obsolete?  What the hell -/  I paused, realizing something.  /Kami-sama
above, they don't have any ki!/

"Juunana," Juuhachigou murmured as she reached the same conclusion,
"whoever they are, they're _cyborgs_..."

I heard the shadow laugh coldly and it clapped in derisive tribute as a
second dark form stepped forward and stood beside it.  "Hey,
congratulations!  Maybe they haven't forgotten their roots after all,
Nijuuichi."  The two hidden forms stepped out of the haze of destruction
and into full view, causing my eyes to widen in shock.

"Masaka," I breathed, then schooled my features, unable to believe what
every fiber of my being was screaming.  "Just what the hell do you think
you're doing, Goten?  Trunks?...  Is this some practical joke?"

"The name's Nijuuichigou, you turncoat," the thing once known as Son
Goku's child growled, balling his fists, "and this is definitely no
joke."  With that, he promptly disappeared, leaving us both without a
clue to his whereabouts.

"What the -" my breath was suddenly forced out of my lungs as I took a
hard blow to the stomach, forcing me to double over in pain.  It seemed
as if all my internal organs had been shoved against my spine with that
punch, but I managed to remain standing, shallowly gasping for breath
under the boys' mocking gazes.

"Not so easy when you can't sense your opponent, huh?" the spiky-haired
cyborg casually asked as he watched me settle into a ready stance. 
"You're just lucky I pulled my punch - can't have you dying too quickly,
right?" he grinned.

"Shut up, you -"  Nijuuichigou flashed forward, pummeling me into the
sand before I even had a chance to finish.  /Damn, that hurt like a -/

"No!"  I heard Juuhachigou call, then looked up from my sand-filled hole
to watch my sister try to beat the cyborg into the ground - without
success.

"Ah ah ah, wait your turn," Nijuuichigou laughed as he blasted her away
without a second thought.

"Juuhachi!"  She sailed through the air towards the remains of the
house, her torn clothing charred and rippling in the wind as she
passed.  I caught her in midair and gently laid her on the sand, taking
in the sight of my sister's burned flesh, and was stunned by the damage
the young cyborg's blast had created.  Narrowing my eyes, I knelt beside
Juuhachigou, watching her as she groaned and tried to rise, then fell
back from the pain. I didn't have to turn to know that Nijuuichigou was
just standing there, silently laughing at us, but I was beyond caring at
that point.

For the first time in years, I let the rage build inside of me, let the
all-consuming hatred that I had held for my "creator", Son Goku, and, in
part, all humankind, bubble up from the depths.  I met the gaze of
Gero's newest hellspawn and rose, slowly gathering my power as wave
after wave of cold, merciless hate washed everything away from my mind
but the thought of my twin sister, lying there almost helpless in the
sand.  Those bastards were going to pay for hurting her, and once I was
through with them, I was going to find Gero and blow him back to hell
where he belonged...

"Juuhachi."  She looked up at me, and I averted my eyes, trying not to
let her see what I had become.  "When you see your chance, make a break
for it.  Find Krillin and Marron and head for a safehouse.  I'll try to
catch up."  She nodded once, then let her head fall limply back to the
beach, her short, singed golden hair spread out in a fractured halo
about her hardened face.  She knew what I was going to do, but in her
current condition, she couldn't stop me.

"Goodbye, Juu-chan," I murmured, then fixed my attention on the two
waiting cyborgs and prepared for battle.

I was not going to let Gero destroy us again.

"Ah, so the little traitor's got a spine after all!"  Nijuuichigou
taunted, letting his aura flare around him as he floated inches above a
puddle of molten glass, and I snarled.  I didn't care how I did it, I
was going to wipe the smirk off that little shit's face.  I let my gaze
flicker to the other waiting cyborg, the one who had once been Vejita's
offspring, and my black-haired replacement laughed.

"You'd do better to keep your eye on me, Juunanagou!  You and your
outdated little sister are all _mine_."  I met the once-boy's mocking
gaze and nodded, satisfied that Nijuunigou would not interfere, then
disappeared from sight.  /Hit him hard and hit him fast, this monster's
not going to - /

I suddenly found myself on the receiving end of a hailstorm of energy
bolts, and I screamed as the first explosions tore at my flesh, burning
away the layers down to the bone where the needle-sized blasts made
contact.  I barely leapt away in time to avoid the main cloud, but what
did hit me was enough to stun me for several moments. /Kami-sama, what
did Gero do to give them this much power?!/

My eyes focused just in time to watch a laughing Nijuuichigou launch
another volley of fiery death, and the breath caught in my charred
throat.  There was no time to erect a shield, and as I blurred away, the
cyborg disappeared as well.

Dodge, blur, block, kick, punch, dodge, blur - so the vicious cycle
went, until I finally collapsed to my knees on the sand.  Nijuuichigou
paused, grinning from ear to ear in a way that would have made Vejita
shiver, and watched as I coughed up blood from the many small, yet deep
burn wounds he had pummeled into gaping holes.  /Damn you, Gero! Damn
you and your bloody tin cans to hell!!/

I spared a glance at the front yard, only to notice Juuhachigou had
disappeared, and gave a silent prayer - my first actually - that she
would be able to reach her family in time to warn them.  I raised myself
to my feet and staggered forward, ignoring the screaming agony every
nerve was bathing my senses in, and grit my teeth, sinking once more
into a fighting stance.  /I'll protect you with my life, Juu-chan,
Marron-chan.  As long as I'm alive, these bastards will never touch
you./

"So you still want to play?" Nijuuichigou smirked, then crossed his arms
and narrowed his eyes at me, as if in appraisal.  "Hmm, better leave
that pretty little skull of yours intact.  It seems only fitting that
since you took his head, the Master should get yours."

"Fuck you," I rasped before charging the 'boy' again.  He blew me
backwards easily, still smirking as I slowly pulled myself from the
sand, finally deciding that stalling for time would be the best option
at this point.  The longer I kept these two asses busy, the longer
Juuhachi and her family had to get to safety - and the longer I had to
live.

I shifted my weight onto my left foot, once again shoving down the pain
as it roared through my battered body, and stood, affecting exhaustion
(which was not too hard, actually, considering the punishment
Nijuuichigou had been putting me through for the past fifteen minutes). 
To tell the truth, I was actually surprised I was still standing, but
wasn't about to complain.

"Yeah, I killed the bastard," I growled.  "So what?  For what he did to
Juu-chan and me, he deserved a thousand times worse than what he got." 
I edged away from my fellow cyborg, eyes narrowing to slits.  "And for
what he did to Trunks and Goten, Gero should rot in the depths of hell
for eternity, and then some.

"He took our hopes, our dreams, and destroyed them.  He stole our lives
and our memories, turned us into teenage killers, all for revenge.  Gero
erased our souls.  How can you call him 'Master', with all he's done to
us?!" I sneered, playing the wounded animal to the hilt as the two
looked on.  I suddenly grasped my bleeding side, as if in pain, and
readied myself, gathering all I had left for one last attack.

"But what I really want to know is how the hell he could come back from
a _decapitation_!"  I exploded towards my enemy, catching him almost by
surprise.  Using the last of my power, I unleashed a dozen energy bolts,
knocking Nijuuichigou through a palm tree and into the ocean beyond. He
was back in a flash, however, raining blows on me that, in my current
condition, I had no chance of dodging.  /No!/

"Tsk, tsk. You're just too slow, Juunanagou," the cyborg taunted as he
neatly pounded me into the ground.

After he was done and I lay there, too weak to move, he looked down at
me and sighed dramatically, seemingly thoughtful.  "Well, since this
_is_ your dying wish, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you what
happened."  Smirking down at my still form, he grabbed me by what was
left of my windpipe and threw me into the remains of the house.

As I faded in and out of consciousness, I saw two dim shapes approach. 
The smaller one knelt down close, and I could see Goten, grinning like
the Devil himself.  /No.../

My last gurgling breaths passed over bloodstained lips as I heard him
whisper, "When Gero's brain died, a copy of his consciousness was
automatically downloaded to the Capsule Corporation mainframe, where he
was eventually able to gain control and rebuild himself.  And he has you
to thank for it."  My eyes widened in the horror of realization as the
cyborg I had inadvertently helped create rose and left, still grinning
like a skeleton as the world around me dimmed and died.

I found myself staring up at Enma Daiou's enormous red face moments
later.

*******

I stiffened in my seat involuntarily, sensing the explosion moments
before a bright fireball lit up the sparkling sea and cloudless blue sky
on the far horizon.  I shuddered, fear coursing through me as I realized
the source of the blast - Kamesennin's island.  /Kami-sama... 
Juuhachi!/

"Tousan, what was that light?"  Marron asked worriedly, momentarily
freeing me from my panicked stupor.   I stared openmouthed at my lovely
daughter for a moment before I turned my wild eyes back to the
windshield and slammed my foot on the gas.

"S-something terrible's happened, Marron-chan," I stuttered, staring at
the point where the island would soon rise from the sea, willing it to
still be there as I extended my senses to their utmost.

There... was nothing.

Normally, this would be a good thing, I told myself, as Juu-chan and her
brother had no ki signatures, but something in that blast had spooked me
to the point that such facts no longer held any comfort.  That explosion
had felt almost...

I spared a glance at my baby girl, whose large, liquid eyes now wavered
with fear, and felt, once again, as if I had been stabbed in the gut. 
"Marron," I said in the most soothing voice I could muster under the
circumstances, "it'll be all right.  Whatever it is, Kaasan will be
fine.  It's just that that blast made me worry."  /More like scared the
living hell out of me,/ I silently amended as my foot threatened to
punch its way through the vehicle's floorpan.  /Dende, what if she's
hurt?  That fireball could have taken out half the island!/

Seconds later, I saw a small dot ahead, and all my senses went on
alert.  Even as fast as we were flying, I knew the island wouldn't be
visible yet, so whatever it was could be a threat.  I mentally wavered,
foot still glued to the floor, forgotten in my indecision whether to
turn back or stay my course.  I didn't want to risk the life of my
child, but my wife...  She could be dying on that island...

I noticed the newcomer was flying low, seemingly drunk as it weaved and
bobbed only a few meters above the waves.  As we got closer, I could
tell that it was humanoid, and injured.

It had no ki.

"Juu-chan," I murmured, the breath catching in my throat as I leapt from
the slowing aircar and dove for the figure, eyes widened in horror at
her condition.  What was left of her beautiful golden hair was burned
almost beyond recognition; her upper body was one angry crimson weal,
and the rest was rough like sandpaper, small white grains still clinging
to her mangled flesh.

I caught my wife gently and rushed her back to the car, her body limp in
my arms as she looked at me through half-lidded eyes. Juuhachi's face
was taut and her bleeding lips hung partly open, as if caught in
mid-moan.

"Shh, dear.  You're safe now, I'll take us somewhere safe.  Don't
worry."  I laid her in the backseat, murmuring reassurances and
shielding her from Marron's view as I covered my love's bloodied body
with a blanket and rested a shaking hand on Juuhachigou's cheek.  I
wanted so much to hold her, to streak to Kame House and kill whatever
had done this to her, to scream until she told me who or what had hurt
her, to fly us all away in a blind panic and never come back, but I
didn't.  I couldn't.

Whoever it was was too strong, to do... this... to Juuhachi.  I flew
back into the driver's seat and closed the door, buckling my seatbelt
and trying my best to comfort my horrified child as I turned the aircar
around and sped away from the carnage.  The destroyer could wait until
Juu-chan was better, but where to go?  I needed a plan; my girls were
depending on me, and I was the only one left to keep us safe.

I could make a run for Goku's house, but Juuhachi needed special
care...  Bulma and Capsule Corporation?  I closed my eyes, wishing to
Dende that I could -

My eyes flew open and I gunned the engine, steering for the one place I
knew was protected.  After all, what safer place in the world was there
than Kami's palace!  I almost laughed as I sped for the floating
citadel, so giddy was I at the simple perfection of it all.  Senzus and
regeneration tanks were nothing compared to the little Namek's powers! 
Juu-chan would make it, and Marron would be well-guarded while I went
searching for Goku!  

He had to be warned!

**********

End chapter 1

*********

Rhionae
rhionae@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Island/3226/