Hiya! Wazzup? This fic took me a year, then I lost it, then I found it. On Word, it has 210 pages. Kinda long for the first chapter. You might want to highlight it, copy it, and paste it in a document you can save. I know how weird this thing is, but I was only 11 when I started writing it. Flames if ya want, but please R/R. I'm working on the second , 'kay? You can skip the first paragraph if ya want, it's just telling ya 'bout the fic. Hope ya like it!

1

You've heard of the Saiyans, right? In case you haven't, I'll explain. They are powerful warriors that turn into raging, giant monkeys at the sight of a full moon. Now, I do have some changes, but first, let me tell you about the Z Warriors. The Z Warriors were Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, Trunks, Vegeta, Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, and Dende, who was never fighting, but he was the Guardian of the Earth back then. I'll describe them to you. Goku was a pure powerful Super Saiyan. His sons were Gohan and Goten. He was married to Chi- Chi, the most powerful women on Earth at that time. He was killed by Cell, and then brought back to life by the Earth's Dragon Balls. His Saiyan name was Kakorat. Gohan was Goku's son. He was part Saiyan and part human, which made him more powerful than if he was of one race alone. He was loyal and brave. After his Kamehameha Wave engulfed and obliterated Cell, he was the most powerful fighter in the universe. He was eleven years old when he was fighting Cell and was a very nice boy. Piccolo was a Namek from planet Namek that was destroyed by Freeza. He had the power to regenerate any lost limbs, which came in handy a lot. He was Gohan's first teacher and he had to be careful not to die. If he died, then Namek's Dragon Balls would die as well. Trunks came from the future to help everyone fight Cell, which was destroying future Earth. He had a good heart. He was Vegeta's son and was always trying to earn his approval. He later fused with Goten to form Gotenks. Vegeta you could almost say was a bad guy. Well, he did want to kill Goku. He was also a Saiyan, pure. Gohan saved him during his fight with Cell. He had an awful temper. He later fused with Goku, forming Gogeta. Tien was from an unknown planet. He had three eyes and was one of the weakest of the Z Warriors. He had compassion for all his friends, even Vegeta. He and Yamcha were best buds during the war. Yamcha was a very good friend of Goku. He had scars from when he was killed earlier. He had a short relationship with Bulma, but they never got married. Like Tien, he had lots of compassion to go around. Krillin was Goku's best friend. He was short and bald. He had a crush on Android 18, and he was always the one with the jokes. He was saved several times by Gohan in the past, and made up for it later. Dende was the Guardian of the Earth. He could see everything from Kame's Lookout, and was a close friend of Gohan and Krillin. He was a Namek and he was a friend of Piccolo as well. He was not as skilled as Kame was, but that changed as time went on after the Cell Games. Now, I have a few important changes. One, Raditz was wished back with the other villains, and has grown remarkably strong. Two, Gohan leaves his tail out all the time. Three, Buu was pure evil and was eventually destroyed. When Buu was destroyed, it broke into several evil creatures with the same power. That's what the Z Warriors have had their hands full doing these past few years. Four, this story is a mix of several different Animes. It has Dragon Ball, Gundam Wing, Outlaw Star, and a tiny bit of Tenchi for comedy relief. Also, I have a new character, Terysa Zea. You'll learn about her later. Well, that's all, and enjoy your Dimension Adventures.

1

When Ty was just a kid, her planet was attacked. No one knew who it was, but whoever it was, they were strong. Soon, the entire small world of Ledd was in chaos. Ty's parents were Saiyans who had escaped to that world before Freeza destroyed their own Saiyan home. Fearing that their deaths would mean the end of the Saiyan bloodline, they stole a small space ship to escape in. They safely made it out of the atmosphere when her father remembered about the rumor of other Saiyans living on planet Earth. Deciding that if there were Saiyans on planet Earth, and that they would be accepted, he set a course for Earth. But then, the planet exploded. Huge chunks of rock hammered the small craft. Careening out of control with heavy damage, the parents launched Ty from the ship. They put the coordinates for Earth in the only escape pod. Shortly after launch, the small pod escaped just as the shuttle exploded. Ty was astounded at her parent's sacrifice and made this vow, " If I am ever in the same situation my parents were, I will give my life for the person in trouble, whether I like them or not. But if it is an enemy, ha, forget it!" After she crash- landed on earth, a family took her in. She just told them she was an orphan. She learned to develop her powers in secret. One day, Krillin was flying around. He noticed Ty's energy and flew in that direction. After landing close to where she was, he was surprised to see her fly off after her mother called her in. Of course, she landed in the woods, and then walked the rest of the way home. The next day, Krillin returned. Ty noticed his energy that time and tried to fly away. After a short chase, Krillin had her cornered. After pressing her, Krillin got Ty to tell her story. After hearing it, Krillin told Ty about himself and his friends. Ty asked about the history of the Cell games, but Krillin promised to return the next day and tell her. So he did. He told her all about it, and who fought it, and who died, and who killed Cell. After hearing Gohan's description, she realized that all the rumors on Ledd were based on him. Fearing that the other Z Warriors would not be as kind to her, she made Krillin vow that he would not tell Gohan 'till he was certain that they would accept her. She told Krillin that she would be on a planet in the Queue System when Gohan needed to find her. A few days later, Krillin told Dende, still the Guardian, about Ty. Deciding that a 10-year-old girl would need training, he took her in and trained her in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for a day. When they left, she was a Super Saiyan type 2, 11-years-old, and a science expert, for she had been studying for years and in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Knowing that she needed to go, she left in a stolen space ship from the capsule Corporation. As soon as she arrived on the planet, she sent back the ship on autopilot, undoing some of her wrong. She knew that she couldn't leave until Gohan came for her, but she just spent that time to train. When Gohan did come, he had to find her. Since both of them had been at level 2, they were equal in speed and in strength. He arrived at the barren planet of Commie just as Ty started to train for the day. He noticed the energy being projected and flew in the general direction, after being sure to eat a special bean that kept his power level down. He came out of hiding as Ty noticed his lowered energy. She asked his name and went through all the descriptions of Gohan in her mind. She decided that it really was Gohan. The conversation went as follows. "You must be Terysa Zea, or Ty, as Krillin told me." Gohan said. "Yes, my name is Ty, and I have not seen another human being or any other species in 14 years. I have only had my dragon keep me company." Ty whistled and a dragon came out of hiding. Ty looked into Gohan's eyes as he viewed the dragon. "Hhh...hhh...Hicarus?" The dragon was enthusiastic at seeing his old master. He rubbed up against him and purred. "So you didn't run away like everyone said. You accompanied Ty so that she wouldn't get lonely!" Gohan looked around. All he saw was one tree with a weird looking fruit. "But what have you guys been eating?" Gohan asked. Ty pointed to the tree. "Those fruit. Tell you the truth, I have only eaten 28 meals since I arrived. Same with Hicarus." Seeing the astonishment in his eyes, Ty explained. "King Kai gave me this tree. If you eat the entire fruit, you won't be hungry for six months. Pretty cool, huh?" "Well, I came here to tell you that...well... I want you to come back with me. The other Saiyans want to meet you. They all promised me that they wouldn't criticize you for being a girl Saiyan." Aiming a small, playful punch at Gohan, Ty said, "Why would they criticize me? How do you think little boys are born?" Ty jumped back. "I'm hungry, you? I haven't eaten in a while." "Yeah, sure." Gohan responded. After they had each eaten a fruit, Gohan flew back toward his ship, not in his Super Saiyan form, though. Ty had no idea that he was a Super Saiyan. Krillin had decided to leave that out. As he was flying, and since he was excited about the though of a Saiyan really close to his age, his eyes turned teal like when he was a Super Saiyan. Ty noticed and stopped. Gohan stopped too. "What's up with your eyes?"

3

Gohan looked at Ty, and Ty stared back. He lowered his excitement and his eyes turned black. He said, "Well, now's the best time to tell you. Did you ever hear rumors of Super Saiyans? Saiyans that had exceeded normal power levels?" "Yes. In fact I have just met one." " Huh? How did you know? I made sure my power level didn't go up, and the eyes, well, that was a mistake." " Here. It will be easier if we are on the ground. There. Well, why don't you power up." "Okay, but stand back. I don't want some power bursts to hit you." Ty flew back and waited. After concentrating his energy, his eyes turned teal again. His hair was pushed back as the force of his power was brought forward. His eyes blazed as his hair turned gold. Then an unexpected thing happened. His eyes turned gold themselves. No other Super Saiyan had done that before. That was a sign of so much power that the eyes had to exert power as well. Ty gasped as this happened. After a moment, the power up was complete. Ty had a look of horror on her face. Gohan noticed it and asked what was wrong. Without taking her eyes off him, Ty led him over to a small pool of water. Gohan looked and was taken by surprise. "What just happened? I have never powered up this much before. Why?" Gohan thought out loud. "The atmosphere here is different, I think. I have noticed it before. I have powered up to extremely high power levels." Ty explained. "How did you know that I was a Super Saiyan? I didn't think that the eyes would be that much of a give-away. Did you see Vegeta or Trunks?" Gohan questioned. "Here. Since you revealed probably the greatest secret you have ever held, let me reveal mine." Ty suggested. "First, that isn't my greatest secret. You see after I left home, I found out that a city was in need of a challenger in that city's ring. As I was, I decided to fight this Champion at the age of 15. When I got there, I found out that the Champion was the same Hercule Satan from the Cell Games. I beat him pretty easily, just as you would have. I then became the Great SaiyaMan. You see nobody knew who I really was. I decided to keep it that way. Every day, a new challenger would fight me. I would always beat them, accidentally breaking a bone or giving them a concussion. I became sick of it when I killed a man. The crowds loved me even more, but even though the man I killed was from a killer gang, I didn't feel like my heart wasn't into it anymore, fighting, I mean. So I purposely lost, and I left that town. I have never been back since. There, well, I am now lifted of the burden of that secret. I killed a man in cold-blood, I was in no danger so it couldn't have been counted as self- defense. There, your turn" Gohan finished. Ty stared at him. "You know, if I was in the same situation, I probably wouldn't have even told my dad that. Well, here goes. Step back a bit would you?" After Gohan did, Ty started to power up. She focused all her energy to one point. Then she, too, turned Super Saiyan. Her eyes turned teal, her hair turned gold. I can do this, Ty thought. I can match the power of Gohan. Her determination paid off as her eyes turned gold. Gohan grinned, for he had been expecting Ty to be a person to try to keep up with the best. He knew that she would take long strides to make sure she wasn't left behind. After the power up was complete, Ty knew that she had turned to a Super Saiyan type three just as Gohan had. She lowered her head as she confessed something. "Well, since we are giving confessions to each other, here's my worst secret. When I was young, I was a total science geek. I loved to tinker around with different ideas for hours. Once, I had the idea of building a high frequency radio that would pick up signals from deep space. Once built, I decided to test it. On that fateful day, I turned the blasted machine on. I heard the following transmission: ' Lets set a course for the planet Ledd. Yes, sir. Attention shock troops and Elite Saiyans. You have my permission to seek and destroy the Saiyans on this wretched planet. Use Saibaimen troops if it suits you. King Cold, we are picking up a radio signal from planet Ledd. They heard all the orders you just sent out to the other troops in their capsules. If this gets out to their militia, our plans could be ruined!' Those words were forever burned into my memory. But I just sat there, like an earthling, not knowing what to do or who to tell. Instead of listening further, I smashed the radio. Darn it! I could have prevented my family's death! I could have warned the people on that planet!" Ty clenched her teeth together and balled her fists. Seeing that the subject was intense, Gohan said, "Come on. My ship's this way. With the anti-grav device, we can train on the way home." Ty nodded and followed Gohan. After arriving at the ship, Gohan ushered Ty and Hicarus inside. He set in the coordinates for Earth and gunned the engines. "Wait!" Ty called. As Gohan prepared the system for take-off, Ty flew back and grabbed some of the special tree fruit. Gohan looked at her as she came in. "How long is this trip?" Ty asked. "Well, the anti-grav system takes up a lot of space and weight, so I'd say about 9 months to a year." He answered. Ty nodded. Then they blasted off.

4

As they traveled through space at 200,000,000 miles a minute, for this was a slow space ship thanks too the anti-grav system, they trained, talked, and had a few harmless battles against each other. As they were flying, they hit an electrical storm passing Jupiter 7. "Ty! The ship is going to come a part if we don't do something! Huh? Ty? What are you doing? This is no time to sleep!" Gohan shouted. Ty opened her eyes and went over to the control console. She looked at the outside radar and saw that they were almost to the eye of the storm. "Keep at this speed until we reach the eye of the storm. Then, slow down so that we stay in the eye. The storm should dissipate after we get past Jupiter 7. Got all that, Ci?" Ty asked. Ci, or Cybotic Intelligence, was the computer that ran our ship. The computer made a beeping sound, indicating "yes". Ty turned toward Gohan. "Problem fixed. I wasn't sleeping, though. I feel another power somewhere, and I was trying to focus in on it. Have you felt it too?" she asked. Gohan nodded. Since they figured there was nothing else to say, they both went back to what they were doing earlier. Gohan went back to training in 500 times gravity using the anti-grav system, and Ty went back to trying to locate the unknown power. After a few weeks of straight training, Gohan came out of the Training Chamber. He looked a little ragged, as though he had been distracted a few times and a few of his energy blasts hit him. He was tired from three weeks of straight training and passed out at the doorway. A few minutes later, Ty found him and brought him to his quarters. There, using an energy technique that she had learned on Commie, she healed his wounds. He sat up and looked at her. "What the heck? Dende knows how to do that. So does Piccolo. But I didn't know that you could as well." Gohan said. Ty just nodded and left for him to rest. Things went on like this for a while. Hicarus became accustomed to people food and begged at every meal for sweets. Once they got within Earth's Solar System, Gohan slowed the ship down. "Capsule Corporation, this is the Capsule 0-0-4. Requesting permission to land." Gohan waited intently for an answer. You see, ever since the Cell Games, Gohan had been the strongest warrior in the galaxy. If he wasn't there, the Earth was relatively unprotected. He heard static for a second, then he heard Bulma's voice. "Hey! You're finally back! Man, it has been Dullsville around here since you left. Next time take a faster ship, ok?" Bulma asked. "Alright. Got a landing space for us?" Gohan asked. "Yeah. It's here at CC. How long 'till you get home?" she asked. "An hour, maybe two." he answered. "You'll have a Welcome Wagon when you get here!" Bulma said. "Bulma, don't do that!" Gohan said. CLICK! The line went dead. "Looks like you're the hero to this place, huh?" Ty asked. Gohan just stared ahead and didn't answer. Meanwhile, Bulma went outside to Yamcha. "Hey you big lug, guess who I just talked to." Bulma said. Yamcha just looked at her and said, "The Avon or the Phone Company?" he asked. "The Save the World and go look for Saiyans Company!" Bulma said excitedly. Realizing that this meant that Gohan was coming home, he jumped to his feet and flew off toward Trunks and Goten who were fighting each other in the front yard. "Guys! Gohan's in this Solar System and is coming home!" The other two stopped fighting and looked at each other. Then, they flew off in two different directions. Trunks went toward Master Roshi's house, and Goten went toward his home to tell his and Gohan's mom, Chi-Chi. Once Trunks got to Master Roshi's house, he, Krillin, Tien, Chioutzu, Vegeta, and Master Roshi flew off toward CC. As soon as Goten got to his home, he burst into the room, yelling, "Mommy! Mommy! Yamcha says that Gohan is coming home! He's almost here!" Chi-Chi looked at him and she flew off with him. About thirty minutes later, everyone one was assembled at CC, talking about Gohan. About five minutes later, a shiny glow appeared in the sky. "That's him! But what's that other power level? It's... weird. Almost like it's coming from a different person." Yamcha said. Piccolo was thinking about the other power level. He knew that it belonged to a different person. He had known Gohan since he was born. His power was distinct. It had a certain air about it that let a person know that if he was on a bad side, he was about to connect with his most powerful opponent. While he was thinking this, the others were excitedly buzzing about the unbelievably high power level came from Gohan. On board the ship, Ty and Gohan felt the presence of his friends and her soon to be friends. "Well, it seems Bulma wanted to give you that wagon anyway, huh?" Ty asked.



5

As soon as the space ship landed, everyone fell silent. Krillin kept asking himself if Gohan had been told at the right time that there was another Saiyan. The hatch on the door started to creak. As soon as the door opened, a few pieces of the shell fell off. Krillin cringed, wondering if Ty had attacked the ship. A foot stepped onto the door. It gave away under the small amount of pressure. The foot was brought back inside the ship. Then, Gohan stuck his head out. He looked at the door and looked over at Bulma. "Sorry. The ship ran into an electrical storm passing Jupiter 7. I'll get it fixed, ok?" Gohan asked. He jumped down from the ship, looked over at his friends, and said, "Hiya." Chi-Chi ran up to him and buried her head in his chest, crying. Gohan smiled and put his arms around his mother. "Hey, it's okay, now. I'm home and safe. I don't think that I'll leave home again for some time." Gohan comforted. Chi-Chi stopped crying and backed away some. Goten could barely contain his excitement. He ran toward Gohan and made a flying leap that sent Gohan back a few steps." Gohan! You're home! You're actually home!" he yelled. Gohan smiled a put his little brother down. Gohan was nudged from inside the capsule. He turned around and saw Hicarus standing there. ""Hey, Krillin. This takes us back to when I was four!" He motioned for Hicarus to come out and when he did, Krillin ran up to him. "Hey, big guy! I remember when Gohan saved you from a forest fire." Seeing Piccolo, he walked up to him. He smiled and talked to Piccolo in his mind. Anything important happen? Gohan asked. No. Piccolo answered smiling. You've probably figured it all out, huh? Gohan asked. You better believe it. Piccolo answered. Breaking the conversation, he looked toward Vegeta. "Hey, can I talk to you alone?" Gohan asked. Vegeta nodded and flew off. Gohan followed. When they were out of hearing range, Gohan started to talk. "Listen, did anything happen when I was gone? I asked Piccolo, but his acting needs a little work." Vegeta squirmed some, then said, "Yes. Something did happen. Dende decided to use the Dragon Balls to bring Kakarot back. He is off training in some desert." Gohan was taken back by this news. He knew his dad didn't want to be wished back. After thanking Vegeta, he flew back towards the ship. His friends were talking when he landed. "So, Gohan, do you have a higher power level? Mind showing us?" Krillin asked. Gohan nodded and asked everyone to step back. They flew back and waited. Gohan concentrated and turned to a Super Saiyan. He looked up. "It doesn't seem that your power level has gone up at all. It seems that you were just loafing around." Vegeta said. Then, from inside the ship, a power level the same as Gohan's was felt by all the Z Warriors. Ty came to the doorway in Super Saiyan form. "Who...who is that? Tien asked. "Guys, meet Terysa Zea, or, as soon as you get to know her, you can call her Ty." Gohan said. Ty jumped down from the ship. "For your information, Vegeta, Gohan has reached an unbelievable power level." Ty walked over to Gohan and winked. Gohan smiled and looked at Vegeta. Then, as if on an imaginary cue, Gohan and Ty both started to power up at the same time. They concentrated their energy and their hair flared. The other Z Warriors just watched as the two reached mind-boggling power levels. Piccolo was taken totally by surprise when Gohan and Ty's eyes turned gold. After the power up was complete, the others just sat there like idiots. "As you can see, Vegeta, both of us are about ten times stronger than you. If I were you, I would watch your attitude around us. Gohan repaid his debt of you saving Kakarot's life when the androids were here by saving your life during the Cell games. Just be reminded of that that he would have no regrets or debts to repay if he decided to kill you." Ty said. "Is that supposed to be a threat?" Vegeta asked, breaking out into a cold sweat. "No, consider it a warning." Ty said. Gohan looked at Ty with a look that said " I couldn't have done that better myself." After a silence had passed, Gohan was starting to feel a little bit tired. He quickly powered down, just as Ty for they were both feeling the same way. "That planet's atmosphere must have a lot to do with power levels," he said, collapsing to his knees. Ty nodded and fell to her knees as well. "Listen, we will need to learn to use this power. Come stay at our place tonight. We can relax the rest of the day, sleep well tonight, and go to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for two days. We can keep doing that until we harness our powers." Gohan said. "Alright. But first, I promised to tell these friends of yours about myself." Ty said. Krillin walked up to Ty. "Good to see you alive, Ty. I was hoping that I could get Gohan out there sooner, but with the Buu attacking planet Earth, we couldn't leave at all." Ty nodded. Then, she sat down and waited for any questions. At once, everyone came up to her and started asking questions. I guess I found another Saiyan, Gohan thought.

6

After everyone was done with his or her questions, Gohan motioned to Goten. "Goten, I want to talk to you, alone with Ty." He, Goten, and Ty flew off. Before they went, Gohan told Piccolo psychically that he knew his dad was alive. I'm sorry. I didn't think now would be the right time to tell you. I didn't know that Vegeta would tell you, Piccolo explained. It's all right. I understand. But after I harness my powers, I am taking you, Goten, Ty and myself to go find him, ok? Gohan asked. Ok, Piccolo said. Then, they headed out. Chi-Chi followed them in her jet while the others flew. On the way home, they had to make a few stops. One, Dende's Lookout. Gohan had to confirm that his father was alive. Two, South City. Gohan had to get his car. Three, the grocery store. On the way home, Gohan and Ty felt that weird power again. Gohan stopped the car and got out, as did Ty. Chi-Chi's jet hovered above them. Goten felt some of the power, too. He got out of the car as well. "There it is again. Have any clue as to what the heck is making it?" Ty asked. "No. It couldn't be my dad because Vegeta said that he was training in some far off desert. This power is coming from space, and..." Gohan stopped as he saw some kind of object sailing through the atmosphere. "Comet, guys get ready. It's heading toward CC. Lets use my instant Transmission Technique" Gohan said. Ty grabbed his shoulder, and Goten grabbed her arm. In a flash they were gone. Meanwhile at CC, the Z Warriors that were still there saw the comet. "Oh, man. It's big! There is no way we can blast that thing!" Vegeta exclaimed. The comet was about 40000000000 kilometers in length and weighed about 5,000,0000000000000 tons. Just as the comet was about to crash into the Earth, Gohan, Ty, and Goten appeared out of nowhere. Gohan flew forward and kicked the comet. Ty flew on the other side and kicked it back to him. "Yahoo! Anyone for a soccer game?" Gohan yelled. When no one answered, he hollered, "Alright! Your loss!" He flew back a little and kicked the comet back at Ty. She kicked it back. The others watched as this game went on for about five minutes. Then Piccolo yelled, "Will you guys quit having fun and destroy that thing?" Gohan and Ty heard him. Then, after timing it out, Gohan and Ty each fired a Mesokin at the comet. They cut right through the come and hit each other on the other side. Then, they came right back and sliced through it again. The blasts came back at the two owners and they dodged them. "Okay, Goten! Give it a Kamehameha Wave headed toward space!" Gohan yelled. Goten got in front of the comet. "Kamiiiii... ahhhhh... maaaaaa... haaaaa!" An energy ball shot from Goten's hands toward the comet. It broke a few pieces off, while the rest of the comet blasted into space. Meanwhile, the fragments broken off started to shower on the Earth. "Blast it! Man, great. Goten, Ty! Shoot all the fragments! Don't let anything hit the Earth!" Gohan ordered. They were flying around like crazy; blasting everything that was a threat. As soon as the shower had stopped, the three flew back down to Earth. "Well, what a great thing to come home to. But I'm not complaining. I'm happy Earth is here. Well, got to jet! See ya!" Gohan said. With that, he used his Instant Transmission to beam them back to where they were earlier. Once at the car, with the memory of the mystery power in their minds, Gohan, Goten, and Ty headed off toward home. Once there, Gohan and the others went to go change before eating dinner. Each of them took a shower. Gohan came down wearing black jeans, a white T-shirt, and a blue CC jacket on over it. Goten was wearing the same. Ty, however, had a different line of clothing. She emerged wearing a black tank top, blue jeans, and a sideways belt that carried a blaster gun. When Gohan looked at the gun, Ty said, "For all those little incidents where I don't want to use my powers." After eating a fine dinner, Gohan took Ty on a tour of the area around his house. He took her to where his dad and him went fishing when he was a kid. As soon as some memories came back to him, Gohan felt sad, even though his dad was alive. "You know, I want to tell you something. During the Cell Games, I was fighting Cell. I had an extremely opportune time to easily destroy him. But, I was overconfident. I decided not to. I just had to wait until my dad was blown up! I had to. After Cell came back, I was no longer confidant. The battle between pride and brains was over inside of me, and pride had won. I feel bad still, for letting my dad die. I know that it didn't hurt much when he died, but I felt a wrenching pain inside my heart, for I knew that he had died because of me." he explained. "It still hurts. I know because I feel the same way about my parents. Except, they were brought back once. They cannot come back again." Ty said. Ty and Gohan looked in each other's eyes. They could feel that a special bond was forming between them. They knew that as long as they were true and truthful to the other, it would never be broken. As soon as Ty looked away, Gohan did. Then they looked back at each other at the same time. A promise to myself: I am going to marry her, the thought went through Gohan's head. I am going to marry him someday, thought Ty.

7

That night, Gohan woke up from a nightmare. In it, his father, who was screaming at him in two different voices, was chasing him. One was his own. The other was a male's voice, heavy. His father's voice was yelling for Gohan to kill him so he wouldn't hurt him. The other was threatening to tear him, his friends and family, and the Earth apart. He didn't understand what the dream meant, but he was sure that it had something to do with the unknown power. He got up and went to the kitchen. He was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of pants. In the kitchen, he grabbed a soda. Then, he heard a noise. Looking up, he saw Ty, who was dressed in a tank top and a pair of pants. Gohan used his mind and he turned on a light. "It looks like neither of us could sleep." Gohan said. Ty was looking at his left arm and his neck. "What are those scars from? They look like whatever made them hurt." Ty said. Gohan glanced at his bare arms and neck. "Those are permanent reminders of a failure of a kid and the heroics of a kid. The ones on my arm are from when I was a hero. During the Cell Games, Vegeta was helpless as Cell was about to demolish him. I felt like I owed a lot to him, so I flew in front of the blast. It took a piece of my power as well as my confidence. I got the scars from that. I got the scars on my neck from the failure. When Cell returned, a few of the blows he dealt to me hit me hard enough to draw blood on the skin. That is how I got those scars. Hey, listen, I had a weird dream" Gohan said. After he explained his dream, Ty said that she would sleep on it. The next morning, Gohan and Ty agreed that they would meet at Dende's Lookout in two hours. In that time, they figured that they could each explore and visit with old friends. The first stop of Gohan was where Vegeta was staying. He decided that he could try to get some information from him on his father's whereabouts. When he asked Vegeta, he said, "The only thing Kakarot told me before he disappeared was ' When you see Gohan, tell him that he will 'see Allah here at redemption's arena.' That is all I know. Now, leave me alone!" After a few more visits to other friends, he found that the story was the same. Meanwhile, Ty was visiting with her foster parents. After two hours had passed, they both met at Dende's lookout. Gohan told her about the mystery message that his dad had left for him. When Ty heard it, she said, "I think I know what he is talking about. But I will tell you after we harness our powers." Gohan nodded. Then, they entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Gohan and Ty both remembered the first time they had both been in there. Gohan was in there when they were training for the Cell Games, and Ty was in there before she left for space. Once inside, they got settled. Gohan gave Ty the only bed, and he decided to sleep on a blanket in on the chamber's gravity floor. He figured he could get a little stronger each night, at least. The first day was the basics, getting used to the gravity, setting rules of energy waves, things like that. The rules consisted of no Kamehameha Waves, no Mesokins, and no Final Blasts. They didn't want to blow each other away. Another rule was only on meal a day. That way, they would have enough food to stay in there two days. In the Chamber, time was different. One day in the outside world was one year in the Chamber. They decided that two years of training should be enough for them to harness their powers. On the second day, they got serious. Gohan trained in black pants and a white Ty-shirt while Ty trained in her blue jeans and tank top. She had decided to leave her blaster gun with Dende. At first, they just used martial art attacks against each other, then blasts. Pretty soon, though, they would have all out one-person wars. They made sure, however, to keep within set boundaries. Once, they trained so hard and so long that they both passed out. After Gohan awoke, though, they were all right. The entire time they were training, Gohan and Ty felt like they had known each other for years. But, they knew that any emotions they had couldn't affect the way they were training. If one started to slack off, the other might accidentally hurt the other enough for a performance glitch. The entire time that they were in there, Goten and Trunks stayed outside. They figured that since the others didn't 'have enough time' for the two Saiyans, they should. Goten kept busy telling Trunks about the mysterious power, and Trunks was listening, concentrating, or playing a game with Goten. When the two days were up, the door to the Chamber opened. Goten and Trunks looked on, knowing that they had to come out soon before the door disappeared and they were trapped in there forever. When they did come out, neither of them had a scratch on them; Gohan had learned the healing power as well. They were laughing and talking like they had never been strangers. When they saw Trunks and Goten, they shut up. "C'mon, guys, let me give you a lift home." Gohan said. Then he used his Instant Transmission power to beam to Trunks' house, and back to their own house. Once there, Ty and Gohan went to talk alone. "I want you to know that I figured out that message your dad left for you."

8

After that statement, Gohan just looked at her. "Listen. Got some paper? Ah, thanks. Now, if you write out the sentence like this: 'See Allah Here At Redemption's Arena', what do you think of it?" Ty asked. "Well, Allah is a kind of god to some religions in southwest Africa, and Redemption's Arena sounds like place a person would go to purify their soul. Wait; the first letters! S...A...H...A...R...A...! The Sahara Desert! It's in Southwest Africa! Allah is the last thing that my dad helped me with on my homework! He's in the Sahara Desert! Goten!" Gohan yelled. Goten walked in the room. "Get ready for a trip, bro. I know where dad is, thanks to Ty." Gohan said. Goten was ready in no time. Gohan used his Instant Transmission technique and beamed over to Dende's Lookout, where Piccolo was staying. Once they were there, Goten yelled, "Gohan and Ty know where my dad is! Can you come help us look for him? Can he, Gohan? Please?" Gohan looked up. "Looks like you've got your own fan club here in one kid. No, make that two. Well, it's true. We figured out where he is. He's in the Sahara Desert. The clue was in the message he left us. Come help us look for him, please? The Sahara is extremely large." Gohan pleaded. Piccolo nodded. Then they all held onto Gohan. They all disappeared as they beamed to the Sahara. They looked over the sand and tried to find a power level, but in vain. "Alright, four of us, four directions. We each go one way. If you find him or anything, communicate psychically. We won't waste our breath that way. If you are in trouble, blast something. One of us will see or sense it. " Gohan said. After that, they blasted off in different directions. Gohan went toward the east, Goten to the north, Ty to the east, and Piccolo to the west. After about ten minutes, each of them felt the beginnings of a terrible desert thirst. They ignored it, knowing that they each wanted to find Goku as much as the other did. Gohan was feeling some sort of energy near him. Confirming with his teammates that it wasn't them, he knew that his dad must be close by. He flew in the general direction the energy was being projected from. When the energy seemed to get more powerful, he knew that he was about to run into someone. He hoped the 'someone' was his father. After a few minutes of flying, he saw some blasts being fired. Knowing the energy was not from his team, he knew had found Goku. Excitement jumped in his heart as breath caught in his throat. He landed and walked over a dune. There, standing, drenched with sweat, was his dad. At first, Goku was so wrapped up in his training that he didn't notice Gohan's power. Then, as Gohan stood clock still, he noticed the specific energy of Gohan. Goku stood there, looking at his son. "Well, looks like you found me." Goku said. Gohan looked around. He didn't see any shelter or anything. As soon as they were near each other, they both saw how different each other looked. "Why were you wished back? I thought that you wanted to stay up there with King Kai." Gohan asked his father. Goku replied by saying, "You, son. I wanted to be with you. I knew that I could talk to you, but that just wasn't enough. As your mom always said, I am a very picky person." At that time, Ty told Gohan to fire a blast so she could find him. Gohan flew up high, the reason unknown to Goku. Then after making sure the blast wouldn't hit his father, he blew up a sand dune. Ty and the others sensed the energy and flew in that direction. "What'd you do that for? You aren't alone, are you?' Goku asked. Gohan shook his head. "I brought Goten, Piccolo, and a very special friend I'd like you to meet." Gohan explained. Goku looked at him with a questioning look in his eyes. But Gohan wouldn't say a thing. A few minutes later, Piccolo, Goten, and Ty showed up. Goku barely glanced at Piccolo and Goten. Instead, he aimed a blast a Ty. Ty just grabbed the blast. "This is your father?" she asked. Gohan nodded. "Nice to meet you!" Ty said as she aimed the blast back at Goku. Goku dodged it but, Gohan noticed, with much difficulty. "Hey. Why don't you guys quit trying to kill each other and lets just go home." Gohan said. At that time, Goku fell to the sand, unconscious. Gohan ran over to his father and leaned over him. After using his healing power, Goku sat up and looked at him with a surprising look. "I didn't know you could do that." Goku said. "I'll explain later.' Gohan said, returning his father's gaze. All of a sudden, Gohan and Ty felt the mysterious power. They looked up at the clear blue sky, knowing it was closer than ever. The others just looked at them. "What are you guys looking at?" Piccolo asked. Gohan looked at them, his mouth hanging open. "You mean... you're saying that... you can't feel that weird power?" The others looked at them like they were crazy. "Well, how is it that we are the only ones who can sense it? I don't know guys. I'm worried about this power. Ty, you know it is about five times stronger than I am. Darn it! If only I knew if this power was an enemy or not!" Gohan said. "But, how can that be? We all know that you are the strongest fighter in the universe!" Piccolo asked.

9

As everyone there pondered the question, Goku thought about how much his son had grown and matured. All of a sudden, a burst of wind rolled over the Z Warriors. Ty flew up and saw a sandstorm headed right for them. "Gohan! Get us out of here! There's a sand storm headed this way!" Ty yelled. Ty knew just as well as Gohan that if you spent one minute in a sandstorm, you would be covered instantly, and suffocate. Piccolo, Goten, Ty, and Goku all held onto Gohan. As they were disappearing, Goku passed out again and let go of Gohan. Gohan noticed just as they beamed out of there. Gohan had chosen the destination of CC. When they got there, Goten was panting. Trunks was there, in the living room where he had beamed them. "Wait, weren't you going after Goku? Where is he?" Trunks asked, looking around. "I don't know why, but he passed out again. I've got to go back. Any second now, that sandstorm will cover and kill him." Gohan said. Just as he was leaving, Ty grabbed his arm and tagged along. When they got back to the desert, the sandstorm had already arrived. Gohan turned and looked at Ty. "Why did you come?" he asked. "He means as much to you as he does to me." Ty replied. Gohan just nodded and looked around. He couldn't see his father anywhere. "Gohan! Look!" Ty cried, pointing. There, fifteen feet in front of him, was his father. Except that only his hand was sticking out, and it was disappearing quickly. Gohan and Ty ran up to him. Gohan reached his father just as his hand vanished. He stuck his hand in the sand and reached around. He felt his father's hand and grabbed it. He flew up, lifting his father gently from the sand. After he had, he flew back down. Goku was out cold. The wind was whipping the stinging sand around their bodies. Gohan stood up and took a small box out of his pocket. He took off the four metal covers and put them in a square around Ty and his father. He held the box up in the air and pushed a button. He let go of the box and it levitated in the air. Then, from each place a metal cover came off, a thin, bright blue beam shot to the corresponding cover. As Ty looked on, the wind and swirling sand ceased inside the shield. "Was that one of those shields that are reusable? Pretty awesome, I think." Ty commented. "Yeah, well, it does come in handy." Gohan said. Ty looked at Goku's wrist. "What's this?" she asked. Gohan looked over her shoulder and saw a strange looking mark that vaguely looked like a monkey. Gohan knew that this was the reason his father always wore his wrist guards. He realized that this was a genetic mark. "It means that he is a pure Saiyan. It was probably heredity. He used to tell me about a scar on his father's arm that looked like that." Gohan explained. He hoped that he was right. Even so, as soon as his father was well and they were alone, he would inquire about it. Ty was examining his father, looking for scars or a wound that might have caused his fainting. The thought that too much excitement had caused this condition, but she quickly brushed that thought away, as she knew that Goku could handle enough excitement to kill a normal man; she came to a similar conclusion about fatigue. Just when she felt stumped, she gave out a small cry of horror when she noticed four, healed, barely visible pinprick marks on his neck. Gohan, who had been standing away to the side, knowing he couldn't help her at that particular time, turned around in alarm at her cry. He knelt beside them as his emotions wandered. Fear. Anger. Surprise. They surged through his mind as he wondered why his healing power didn't fix the marks. Gohan looked up and found he was looking into the deep blue eyes of Ty. "Do you know what kind did this?" Ty asked. Gohan nodded, grimly. "Chegacevenij Spike tail Rattle Snake. Man, this is bad. That's the most venomous snake in this Solar System. What I don't understand is why, when I healed him, didn't the venom leave his body? Did I do it wrong or what?" Gohan asked. Ty shook her head. "No, I'm afraid that since the wounds closed up, and there isn't any other way in, the healing power stayed outside his body, not getting to the venom inside. The only choice we have is a small, slim one. We must wound him then combine our powers to fully heal him before...well... you know." "Well, your choice; you're the scientist. Should we do it here or at CC? I figure if we do it here, if anything goes wrong, we won't have any backup. But if we do it at CC, the other guys might jump us. Goten hates it when any of us are hurt, so he might blast us, too." Ty shook her head at the options and the not-so-optimistic facts that accompanied them. "Well, I say we head back to CC. They wouldn't bother blasting you, but I'm a complete stranger. If they blast me, please explain before you heal me, in case they try blasting me without an explanation. If everything goes fine, you explain. I've never even heard of that type of snake before." She said as Gohan gathered his shield. The wind whipped around them as the shield was removed. Gohan leaned over his father and Ty held onto both of them, making sure she had a firm grip on Goku. When they had arrived, Ty saw that Gohan had transported them outside.

10

Gohan took one look at his father, and while concentrating to a low power, he held out his hand and squeezed his eyes shut. Since his eyes were shut, he didn't see his father look at him, conscious, with horror as a small yellow ball flew out of his hand and launched itself at Goku. He heard a muffled cry as Chi- Chi looked on, at what seemed to be the scene of a father's eldest son annihilating him. Gohan heard the sharp intake of breath as the newly arrived fighters powered up as they watched the blast hit Goku, enveloping the whole yard in a swamp of dust and dirt. When the debris settled, Chi-Chi fainted at the site of Goku lying there, eyes closed with pain, his face expressionless. In fact, the only way anyone could tell he was still alive was by a dangerously low power level. They looked in shock at Gohan, arm still outstretched, palm opened, and grieving an easily distinguished feature on his face. Slowly, as he opened his eyes, the look, to the absolute anger of his friends, turned to a smile as he looked at Ty. "Man, I was guessing. I hoped that he had become stronger in the afterlife and here, but I cut it awfully close. I-." Gohan was cut off by a loud voice. "Destructo Disk!" The voice belonged to Krillin. Ty had been wrong. He was facing Gohan. Krillin held the glowing Disk a second longer, his anger practically doubling his power level. "TRAITOR!" Krillin screamed as he heaved the disk through the air. Gohan had plenty of time to move, but he didn't. He wanted them to know that if they thought he was a traitor, he wasn't going to be afraid of dying. Right before the disk hit his chest, he closed his eyes, much to the horror of Ty and Krillin. Krillin had been so mad a second before, but now he wished that he had the power to call the devastating disk back, but all he could do was watch. Right as the disk's heat was felt, Gohan's fighting skills kicked in some. But Gohan held them down. Even with Krillin's strength was doubled, Gohan could beat him anyway, easy. But Gohan relaxed, knowing that Ty could easily heal his father now that he had an open wound. The disk spun some as it hit his chest. Gohan instinctively strained against the blast, but he let go of his power as he knew that it was a sacrifice for his father's' life. He felt the searing pain as the blazing inferno cut through his skin, sealing the veins and capillaries and muscle tissue with the searing heat. He felt himself slipping into darkness, but he held on to look at Ty as he felt the disk vaporize. He spoke in a soft whisper as her strained to get the words out. "Go...heal my father. The, explain to them... don't worry about the...less important facts such as ...snake names. If you'll excuse me, I'm...I'm felling a little tired I'm going to go home." But instead of turning, he lifted his gaze to Goten. "Sorry...bro." With that, Gohan lost the internal battle of darkness and light. His knees buckled, sending him to the ground. The last thing Gohan remembered before he passed out was Ty stifling away tears, turning to Goku, and started to glow as she revved up her healing powers, knowing full well what to do. Then, nothing. After Gohan passed out, they just looked at him, not knowing what to do. Krillin turned away, not knowing how he could tell the rest of the guys 'sorry'. Then he felt Goku's power level shoot to a high level. He turned to see the girl stop glowing and start examining his neck. She had a sparkle in her eye as though she was satisfied. Goku groaned then sat up. He rubbed his neck, and then his eyes darted around nervously. There was no mistake, the pain, and the marks were gone. His eyes darted up to Ty. "Sorry to have to do that, but you should have told us when we first got there that you had been bitten by a," she paused and quickly glanced at Gohan's limp body, 'a very venomous snake; it would have..." She stopped, noticing Goku's eyes locked on Gohan. Wait, he thought to himself. That cut is from a Destructo Disk. He searched the fighter's until he found Krillin's ashen face. Goku knew not to talk to him because if he opened his mouth, he'd probably kill him. Goku looked at Ty, with the question, "Why aren't you over there healing him?" "He doesn't want it, not with you, Krillin, or the others anywhere in the area. You leave; I'll heal him. You don't, I am not the least bit tempted to heal him and break his wishes. If you want him back, high-tail it out of here." Ty stood up, glaring at the others. "I don't know what provoked Krillin to attack, but Krillin, would you please explain yourself? If you choose to attack me, very well, but I will fight back and destroy you, against Goku's wishes as well as my own. I have a billion people's blood on my hands from my planet, and I don't want to add any more." Krillin stood silent, then spoke. " Three reasons: One- Goku's my best friend. Two- He was conscious when the blast hit, making it even more painful. Three- He was acting like a no-good, smuggling pirate, double headed traitor." The others didn't budge, grinding their teeth in anger. "Fine. I, Terysa Zea, Super Saiyan, accept the 6 to 1 fight, as I know that Goku and Gohan will not be participating." She fell into a fighting stance, just as the others. "Okay pretty boys. Bring it on."

11

Ty felt the honorable power of the Saiyan race course through her veins. She looked at the others as she felt a large power tremor rise around her. But, it was remarkably weak. She glanced around, looking for the cause. There, while Tien, Yamcha, Trunks, and Vegeta powered up, she noticed Krillin, Piccolo, and Goten heading across the yard; Krillin and Piccolo toward Goku, and Goten toward his older brother. "Fine. I will now accept the 4 to 1 fight." She said aloud. The others looked at the three bystanders. "What? Aren't you going to fight? We need to do this for Goku!" Tien yelled. Piccolo looked at him, and wisely pointed out, "Well, Tien, do you see Goku lying here dead, unconscious, or defenseless? If he wants to fight her, he will. You only have to fight for someone else when they need it. If you four truly know honor, stop powering up and ask the proper guy for his opinion." Tien knew he was right and powered down; Yamcha did the same. Vegeta, on the other hand, just grew stronger. "Well, you five may be scared to fight a wimpy girl, but I'm not. I-" Vegeta was cut off by five voices in unison. "We know, we know. You rise to meet the challenge. We know. Cliché." Vegeta just looked at them a second before lashing out at Ty. He fired 50 rabid blasts at her, and for a minute, no one could see a thing. But when they could, they saw Ty, no change in her expression, and not a scratch. She hadn't turned Super Saiyan, either, and Vegeta was about half pumped. "Vegeta, I am not afraid to fight. The others stopped because they had honor, and courage enough to back down without being under a whole lot of danger. You, you only said sorry once in your life, and it was out of despair as Cell powered up to destroy your Earth." She stopped and nodded toward Goku. "I found out that Frieza had destroyed my planet, and I failed. You fought Frieza, and you failed. Goku fought Frieza, and just failed. But Trunks, who chose to leave his future world and ask everyone alive for help, succeeded. If any of this is getting through your large head filled with hot air, you'd know that if you weren't so selfish, conceded," Goku and the others could tell Ty was provoking a fight out of him. Ty continued. "...ignorant, unfaithful, and a shame to the entire Saiyan race, and not to mention a bad dresser, you could do anything a Dragon could do. With that in mind, shall we continue?" Vegeta's smart-aliky comment was cut off by a scream. She was pointing at Gohan and screaming. Ty and the others looked at him; Ty could see his body fading. She turned to Vegeta. "If any of you want him alive, leave me for five minutes, then come back. He'll be fine, but only if you leave now!" she shouted. Goten and the others looked at Ty, then Goku. He was still looking at Gohan. He shut his eyes, turned around to face Ty, "I'll be back in ten. You better not be tricking us. You let him die," his eyes were still closed, then they opened, showing only an icy fire, "...I'll kill you." Ty didn't flinch under his gaze. She put her hands on her hips and said, "Well, if all you're bargains are based on my treachery, I'll be living a long time." Goku vanished. One by one, the others did the same. Yamcha took Chi-Chi with him. Then, only Vegeta was left. "Keep in mind, when I get back, we finish this." He vanished with an overly confident smile. Ty searched out until she felt all of them gathered in a place about 15 miles away. Satisfied, she turned toward Gohan. She gave a small cry as she saw that Gohan was almost dead, vanished to almost nothing. She ran over to him, revving up her healing powers along the way. She bent over him and put her hands on his chest. The blue aura that had gathered around her body went on to cover Gohan as well. She watched as the wound patched itself up. She extended her powers further until she also patched up his shredded clothes. After she had done that, she felt the surge of his power. In the woods where the others were gathered, they could feel his power as well. Goku felt relieved, because he knew that they could wish Gohan back if necessary, but he knew it would break his heart to know that Ty was dead. But Goku knew that deep down, he could never kill her; either his heart or the fact that she was way stronger than him would stop him. Back at CC, Gohan's body became solid and he groaned, the sat up. "Did it work?" he asked in an anxious whisper. Ty nodded. "Barely. But after I explained, they thought I was the one who put you up to it. I've booked a fight with Vegeta, and Krillin is truly sorry, and if I had accidentally let you die, you dad would have killed me. Mercenaries, anyone?" She helped Gohan to his feet. They stood there, talking while the others waited for the 10 minutes to pass. 6 minutes left to go. Gohan and Ty talked strategy about the fight with Vegeta. 5 minutes. They talk about Krillin's actions. 4 minutes. They talk about Goku. 3 minutes. Silence. 2 minutes. They are locked in a passionate kiss, straight from the heart. 1 minute. Still locked. 0 minutes. They stopped.

12

As though they all knew where to go, they arrived at the same time in the woods where the others had been a little while ago. Gohan wasn't sure what to say to Krillin, so he decided to keep quiet, and blow the whole thing off. After all, every one was fine afterwards, and it gave every one the pleasure of seeing Vegeta's butt kicked into the ground. Ty looked around and seemed distressed. "Anybody know if these woods are highly populated? I want to keep casualties low. But, one might not be a problem." Ty said, motioning toward Vegeta. Goten spoke up. "These are the Nichimou Woods, highly populated by animals, not humans." Ty was lost in deep thought for a moment, then brightened. The others were getting impatient, but like they were waiting for the fight to begin. Ty asked another question. "Does anybody here have a way to get Hicarus? I need him for a minute." Gohan replied. "I normally don't have to call him; he's always with me." Ty closed her eyes as she reached out. She snorted softly when she felt the presence of the dragon in the abandoned capsule, catching some Z's. Then, she used her powers to wake him up. He came to and started to fly toward them. She opened her eyes and decided that until Hicarus got there, she wouldn't fight yet. Vegeta, on the other hand, was a little too anxious. "Let's finish this, kid. I haven't got all day. What are you going to do? Wait, let me guess. You're going to let yourself get killed until you can save you're precious animals, right?" Vegeta smiled sardonically. Ty closed her eyes, and a yellow aura surrounded her body. A few crashes came through the trees, moving toward the gang. Out of a bush came a white fox. Ty opened her eyes and made a little cooing noise. The fox made a similar noise, and ran and jumped in her arms. Ty smiled and petted and stroked the fox. After a second, the fox climbed up onto her shoulders. "Allow me to introduce to you Fox. I met it when I was resting at Gohan's. I found it has an unusual power and I.Q. that seems to match a human's." Ty put her hand on the fox and it started to glow as well. "Vegeta, blast me." Vegeta didn't hesitate. The blast flew right at them, Ty and Fox. When the blast reached them, it disintegrated. "Fox has the remarkable ability to vaporize power. It can only feed off a living species, though, to use this power. For now Vegeta, we wait." Ty ordered. A few minutes later, Hicarus showed up. "Great! Hey, listen, can you go and round up the animals and get them out of here?" Ty asked. Hicarus nodded. He flew off. Vegeta was really getting impatient. "Listen! Instead off waiting, just beam us out of here to a desolate region! This is getting old! For crying out loud! Let's just go!" Ty was beginning to get an amused look on her face. "Well, for one who's going to die, you're pretty anxious, huh?" Vegeta was now starting to look amused too. "As someone once told me, overconfidence leads to quick defeats." "I'm not overconfident, just knowing to how far my powers go. I know I can beat you, it's just a matter of you being a Saiyan that is making me a little uneasy about fighting you." Vegeta shrugged. "You're problem, not mine." Ty was trying to think of a good place to fight with limited casualties. She winked at Goku. "How 'bout a visit to a desert?" Vegeta nodded as if it didn't matter to him. Half the group went with Ty as the other half hitched with Gohan and Goku. Fox came along as well. They arrived in the desert at approximately the same time. The only problem was that Vegeta was blowing his top. He was about 15 meters away from Ty when he lost his patience. He blasted at the unprepared girl Saiyan. Everyone winced as the sand cloud covered everything. Vegeta, who thought he had won in an instant, began to smirk. "Huh, lucky shot." A voice came through the dust. When it finally cleared, Ty was standing there without a mark, with Fox glowing on her shoulders. "But, you forget about my pet." Vegeta was clearly angry, and was about to explode. "How about putting down that thing and fight, like a real Saiyan would." Vegeta snarled. Ty seemed to consider this, then shook her head. "I'm afraid I haven't been totally straightforward with you guys. Yes, I am a Saiyan, but, I am a different race." She explained. All of a sudden, in one smooth motion, Ty's tail dropped into sight. It was white. Not brown, as a regular Saiyan's would be, just pure, cloud white. "You see, instead of turning into a giant ape, I turn into a panther. A white panther." Ty said. "How bizarre." Vegeta muttered under his breath. "Oh, yeah. One minor, but amazing, alteration. Unlike you, Vegeta, who can only change during a full moon or artificial moonlight, I can change," there was a twinkle in her eye. "...whenever I want to." Ty said. "Huh, you expect us to believe that?" Tien asked. "Guys, don't tempt her." Gohan said. Krillin jumped, almost forgetting he was there. He continued. "I was on the ship when she changed we were having a friendly battle. I didn't believe what she said either, but I got my butt beat by a panther. I don't suggest you doubt her." Gohan warned. Vegeta blew away the warning with a hand. "Well, whatever. Maybe you were too soft to fight her when she was in a helpless form like that." Ty felt something fall into place in her mind. When it did, she snapped.

13

"It was you! You were the one that..." Ty's voice trailed off. "What? What are you talking about, 'It was me?'" Vegeta asked nervously. Ty just lowered her head. "It was you. I've been chasing the wrong shadow. I can't believe that you were the one!" Ty said in a whisper. "Alright. Mind letting the rest of us know what the heck you're referring to?" Goku asked. His response was one swift movement of Ty, and a split-second later, Vegeta was at the ground, with Ty throttling him, her eyes white. "IT WAS YOU! You're the one that finished off my planet and my people! You were one of those elite Saiyans! I'll kill you for what you did to my family and me! Our planet was not a threat to you, neither were our powers! In the afterlife, think about what harm can come out of assumptions! You son of a..." Ty's last words were drowned out by rocks and boulders crashing and exploding as Ty let her power surge. Then, a shining white light glowed around Ty. "Don't look at the light! Close your eyes!" Gohan shouted. The others shielded their eyes and turned away as the light intensified. When it subsided, the others looked in amazement at Vegeta looking into the eyes of a pure white...panther! The big cat was snarling and digging its claws into his Saiyan armor. Gohan ran forward. He didn't like Vegeta, but he was considered an ally, so he had to help. Gohan ran up to her and aimed a sharp kick at her stomach. The kick sent her spiraling backwards and slammed her into a boulder. The boulder fell to pieces. Gohan ran over to Vegeta who was still staring, but at nothing. "It's okay." Gohan soothed. "That light will temporarily blind you. You'll be able to see in a few minutes, but I think you should sit this one out." Vegeta only nodded. Ty was up on her feet again and snarled at Gohan. "You sit this one out, pal. I think that it's for your own health. Besides, you owe me quite a few." Gohan returned her gaze. "Ty, I know you're upset, but something that happened 15 years ago doesn't have to cause you to get rid of a valuable asset to this team." "Huh, stretching the truth a bit, aren't cha? Listen, I don't want to fight you. Just leave us alone and I won't be forced to hurt you!" "Sorry, but I won't. Attack me if you will, but I will not let you kill someone that means a lot to someone else." Ty seemed to consider this. "I thought that you were a different Saiyan, Gohan, one that understood pain. But all the people that you've lost have been wished back, several times, because you can always find a way to bend the rules. But no, I was wrong. I made another mistake like a fool. But I will not hurt you. No, instead, I won't let you help at all! Fox! Secure Trunks, Goku, Gohan, and the rest. All but Vegeta!" Ty shouted. Fox instantly ran a tight circle around the fighters. Gohan felt his hands fall behind him and his feet lock. Man, I'm getting in my paycheck points, aren't I, Gohan thought with an inside smile. They were up in the air and Gohan saw that the invisible handcuffs, the same way, were binding the others. As soon as Fox stopped, they all fell to the ground. Gohan fell on his face and rolled over onto his back. He saw his father land in the same way beside him. "Well, Gohan, I think she's totally crazy." Goku said. Gohan shook his head. "No, it's a Buu! We didn't get all of them! It's taken control of her body and is feeding off her rage. If only we could get to her..." Gohan's voice trailed off. As Goku watched, Gohan pulled his arms under his back and under his feet. In a matter of seconds, Gohan had his hands in front. Goku looked at Fox, and noticed that it was still feeding off of Ty's power supply. In an instant, he had a plan. "Gohan, come here. I know how to stop Ty and kill the Buu, too! All we need to do is..." Goku's voice trailed off as he fell into a whisper. Gohan nodded after a sec, then inched his way over to Goten. He told him the plan, but Goten looked skeptical. "Hey, I didn't think of it. Dad did," Gohan said dryly. Goten shrugged, then said, "I don't care who it came from, I don't really think Dad knows what he's doing." Gohan made a face. "We've been in some pretty good fixes before, and he and I always wind up fine. Trust us, okay?" Goten nodded, put didn't change his look. Gohan wriggled back over to his father, who had put his hands in front as well. Goku raised an eyebrow at his son. Gohan nodded, and then they started laughing their heads off. Fox instantly ran over to them and made a cooing sound that sounded like a question. "Why are we laughing?" The fox bobbed his head. This fox is smart! We better be able to get it to follow the plan, Goku thought. "Well wouldn't you like to know!" Gohan smirked. Fox's eyes narrowed to slits, that was Gohan and Goku's cue to... "Now!" At Goku's shout Gohan and he jumped up and began to fly away. They weren't in Super Saiyan form, though, because that was part of the plan. Fox dug deeper into Ty's energy supply and leaped into the air after them. Goten, however, grabbed his tail and swung him back at the ground. He landed with a sickening thud, then turned toward Goten, it's teeth bared. Gohan and Goku had flown back and started to taunt the fox. That was the time to set the main course out.

14

While they were taunting the fox, they could feel it's energy level rise and Ty's sharply drop. Gohan stole a glance at Ty. She was sitting on the ground, back in Saiyan form, her eyes shut and twisted. At least their plan was working so far. Now, all they had to do was kill Fox. "Well, bud, I hate to do this, but... you're finished!" Goku shouted. He turned to Super Saiyan form, put his still cuffed hands together and started a glowing energy ball. Fox leaped back with confusion, then whipped around and started to run. "Oh no you don't!" Krillin muttered. He twisted around and grabbed the scruff of his neck. Fox started gagging, then started to scratch and bite Krillin. "Goku, fire!" he yelled. Goku hesitated. "But you'll get hit!" he yelled back. "Forget about that. I'll heal him as soon as I'm out of these stupid cuffs." Goku heard Gohan say behind him. Goku looked back at Krillin, and he could see he was starting to lose his hold on the wriggling mass. "Sorry." Goku whispered the words as he fired the blast. At the last second, as to give Fox no chance of escape, Krillin swung him into the blast. For a second, no one could see a thing. As soon as the dust settled, Goku could see that Fox had been annihilated. Krillin, however, looked about the same as when Perfect Cell had hit anyone for the first time: terrible. Gohan saw the same thing. He was relieved when he felt the energy bands disintegrate. He then ran over to Krillin and healed him. Goku was right on his heels. As soon as Krillin was healed he sat up and looked dazed. He looked at Gohan, not knowing why Gohan had healed him. ""Why?" Krillin asked. "You made a mistake, but that's all it was. It was fixed, so there is no point in having a fight over it. Besides," Gohan leaned closer to Krillin and whispered, "my dad would have killed me if I didn't." Krillin got to his feet and looked at Gohan and smiled. "Well, I may have said this once before, but thanks, thanks for being you." Gohan returned the smile. Then he turned to look at his dad. "Well, what is your plan for getting the Buu out? I mean, we drained a lot of her energy, but she can still fight." Gohan reminded him. Goku didn't look concerned. "That's exactly what is our advantage." He replied. Gohan tried to make sense of it then figured it out. His dad's plan was to fight Ty until her energy was depleted. Then, the Buu would be forced to leave her body, therefore giving the Z Warriors an opportune chance to destroy it, as long as it didn't get into one of them first. The others joined them. "Well, are we going to kill her or what?" Tien asked. "No we aren't going to kill her. First we'll get out the Buu by running her powers down, then..." Goku was cut off by Vegeta's scratchy voice. "Then, she'll eat a Senzu Bean, and we can continue our fight." Piccolo was skeptical. "This was considered round one, and she has all the cards. She is obviously stronger and quicker than you are, so I think that Gohan should fight her, also to see what he has learned. I think that after we destroy the Buu, we will be able to fight her without her losing her mind." The others nodded in agreement. "Fine, I'll fight her some other day." Vegeta said, hiding the defeat he felt. Goku looked toward his son, who was looking down at the ground. He seemed to be wrestling with a decision. Goku put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked. Gohan looked at him with an expression he couldn't quite read. He then heard Gohan's voice in his mind. I can't fight her, dad. That kick was hard enough for me to do. I can't. Gohan explained. Goku was confused. Gohan never turned down an offer to fight. He hoped that Gohan would answer his next question. Why not? Gohan looked at him, then said, Because, I... Gohan didn't finish. He looked at Ty instead and noticed that she had fallen unconscious. Then, he noticed the Buu standing right next to her. Its red eyes were searching through the Z Warriors souls, looking for the one with the most hatred. It's eyes settled on Vegeta. It ran toward him at a super fast speed. Trunks could see that his father was going to be inhabited by the Buu. "No!" Trunks screamed. He flew in front of Vegeta and slumped as the Buu searched through his soul, but didn't find any hatred. Well, it did find a little hatred to the Androids and Cell that had destroyed his world, but not enough to live on. But it was too late for the Buu to escape. He would be trapped inside Trunks' soul for eternity, taking over his body only during heightened anger periods. But, Gohan, on the other hand, had a different idea. He ran up to them and placed his hand on Trunks and searched through his body for any signs of the parasite. Gohan then had another idea. He left Trunks and went to Ty. She was coming around, so he only had to use a little of his healing power to wake her up. She looked at Gohan with an expression that clearly meant 'sorry'. Gohan smiled, letting her know that she was forgiven. She stood up but slumped a little, so Gohan reached out and steadied her. Gohan then told her what had happened over the last few minutes. He then explained his idea. "You know that power you have, the one that you don't ever use, except in an emergency, like when we were passing Jupiter 7 and you guided us through that electrical storm? Well, here's an emergency twice as big." Gohan said.

15

The others had no clue of what Gohan was saying, but they hoped it would help Trunks. Ty knew exactly what he was talking about. When they were in the ship, she was able to place her hands on the console and then put her mind outside the ship. That was how she knew they were almost to the eye of the storm. And if she was able to do that with Trunks, to place her mind in his soul and fight the Buu, then they could save him. She sucked in her breath, then nodded. She walked over to Trunks, with the help of Gohan. But when they got there, Vegeta appeared in front of them. "There is no way I'm going to let that girl get hold of Trunks. She almost killed me! I don't want that to happen to my son!" he snarled. Ty looked ragged. She knew what happened a few minutes ago wasn't her fault, but Vegeta was convinced it was. Goku took control of the situation. "Right now, the Buu is your enemy, not Ty, Vegeta. If you don't let her do whatever it is she's going to do to help Trunks, he will die, or worse, he'll become your enemy as well." Ty thanked Goku with a glance, then limped over to Trunks. She almost collapsed beside him, but she knew that she needed to save her strength for what she was about to do, instead of arguing with Vegeta. She placed her hands on Trunks and began to concentrate. Since she decided that Trunks was going to need all the help he could get, she thought to Gohan. Do me a favor. I'm really weak from that Buu attack. Place your hand on my shoulder. You don't mind if I take some of your energy and power, do you? Ty asked. She felt Gohan's hand on her shoulder. Be my guest. She could tell he was smiling. Then it began. First Gohan couldn't feel his energy leaving him. He decided to look into Ty's mind and watch the fight. As he did, he saw Ty and the Buu engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat. Ty lashed out with a torrent of blasts, and that was when he felt his energy drain some. He realized that Ty had been working on her own energy until then. He had to admire her courage, because he knew that he probably wouldn't have done that. One of the blasts missed to Buu, and flew out into the darkness. Then it exploded. Gohan opened his eyes and saw Trunks flinch. He realized that if anything missed the Buu, it would hit Trunks instead. He looked at Ty. She was sweating. He went back into her mind again. The Buu was looking as fresh as ever, but Ty was a little tired. He felt a big chunk of energy and power leave his body, then he collapsed to his knees. Ty tilted her head at the sound, then murmured a quick," Sorry". Inside Trunks' soul the battle raged on. Ty was still going fresh from Gohan's energy. Then, he saw her deal a hard blow at the thing's chin. It staggered backwards, then fell. Ty looked like she was about to go down as well, but she had one more gift to give in that fight. Gohan felt huge chunks of power leave him and he fell to his hands, making sure to keep one on Ty. He was panting. Ty heard him. "C'mon. Hang in there. This 'ill do it! Just a few more seconds." Ty's voice was horse. Gohan only nodded, too weak to speak. He went inside and saw the Buu unconscious. Ty was gathering an energy ball glowing in her hands. She mouthed the words, her voice gone. FINAL BLAST! Gohan gasped, then said aloud, "What if you miss?" Ty barely answered. "I won't." Gohan again saw the blast, growing bigger. Then, she fired it. The blast hit the Buu square on the nose. Ty held onto Trunks' soul long enough to confirm the Buu's destruction. Then she left. The others saw Ty take her hands off Trunks and look at Vegeta. They stiffened, wondering if she was still planning on fighting him. But she didn't say a word, just collapsed next to Gohan, who was already slumped to the ground. Trunks didn't move either. For a minute, no one said anything, until Goku made a suggestion. "Lets get them out of the sun and back to CC." The others nodded. But just as the group moved toward the three forms, Trunks opened his eyes. Goku ran over to him and helped him sit up. Trunks coughed and winced. "Are you okay?" Tien asked. Trunks shut his eyes for a moment before answering with a question. "What the heck happened?" "I'll tell you back at CC. Right now, though, these two are going to need something bigger than a Senzu Bean." Trunks looked around him for the first time. He saw Gohan and Ty, lying there unconscious. He staggered toward Gohan and knelt beside him. In Trunks' own time, Gohan was his teacher, master, and friend, until he had saved Trunks from a blast from the Androids and been annihilated. Trunks had never forgiven himself for that, so he wasn't too thrilled when Krillin almost killed him. But he didn't fight Ty because he knew that he would be dead, too, if he did. Trunks was speechless when he saw Gohan's condition. All the energy Ty had taken out was starting to show on the outside. Also, since Gohan had been inside Ty's mind, all the wounds that she had received, also went to him. Ty had the exact same wounds as Gohan. Trunks was sure that she was still on their side, so he wasn't mad at her. But he was mad at himself for letting them get into this condition. "No, Gohan, wake up." He remembered when he had said that at home. When he was killed there in the rubble and mud of the destroyed city. Except then, he didn't have any resources, until he found his mom's secret laboratory base. Goku nudged him. "Let's go."

16

All of the fighters gathered around Goku and he transported them all to a remote junkyard. They arrived outside, where the entrance to an underground cave was housed. Piccolo was confused. "Why did you take us here? We are going to need to help these two." Goku shrugged. "Trunks thought that we should go here. Ask him." Trunks was keying something in on the pad next to a door. A light blinked green and the door opened. He waved them inside. Goku picked up Gohan and carried him inside. Piccolo picked up Ty and followed. Inside, there was a door to a glass-covered elevator. Everyone gathered onto it and Trunks hit the button that sent them into the depths of the cave. Goku looked around. "What is this place? And why are we here?" Trunks stared at the wall in front of him. "I built this place with the help of my mother from here. I figured that this would be as good a place as any to house the stuff." Tien was as confused as Piccolo. "What stuff?" Trunks remained silent. After a minute of silence, the whole group was silent not in questions, but in awe. The elevator stopped, and then they saw that they were in a huge, light filled cavern. The thing that was the most surprising to Vegeta and Goku was that all the contents were things related to Saiyans! Trunks led them up an alley through the stuff. They saw armor, old books, capsules, and even some pictures of Saiyan kings. Trunks came to a stop beside a door marked 'HEALERS'. It opened on command, and they all saw a room filled with several healing tanks. Trunks motioned to the two limp fighters. "This system should fix them up in about an hour or so. These tanks are filled with..." Trunks left his words hanging, but Goku knew them all too well. "Synthetic Saiyan DNA fibers. It will make them good as new." But he was still stumped on one thing. "But why did you bring us here? CC has these healing capsules as well, I'm sure. And why all the weaponry? I noticed a lot of weapons here that looked old and used." Trunks was clearly distraught by this. "Man, I didn't think you would see that. Well, all these things are things I salvaged from my home time. I hoped that by bringing them here, I could preserve what was left of the Saiyan heritage." Vegeta was starting to get confused, too. "But you have more fire power than a third world country. But a lot of it looks like it was recently used. Are you planning on starting a war, or just captaining your own private army?" Trunks was starting to break down a little. He regained some of his composure before answering. "No, it's not like that. You see, the government found this place while it was being built. I tried to stop them from attacking, but they did anyway. I kept them back with the weapons. Then, they somehow got in and used some sort of stun weapon that knocked me out. When I woke up, I had a gun at my head, and I was forced to sign a bill that said I had to pay them, every three years, the sum of 1,000,000 dollars. They took a few months of it out of my relics and machinery, but also out of my weaponry. Then they blew up some of my stuff with those newly used weapons. But that was last month, and I haven't had time to fix what they broke." Trunks stopped as the door slid open. A man in a general's suit walked in; he had a short whip in his hand. He surveyed the fighters for a second, then walked over to Trunks. He brought back the whip and hit Trunks across the face with it. Trunks barely winced as blood clogged his stinging pores. "It looks like you disobeyed a direct law in your bill. No one but you and your mother are allowed in here. What are these outsiders doing here? Especially those two ragged ones. What are those two? Rabid dogs taken in off the street? You were supposed to tell us when you bring someone else in here!" Another flash of the whip, and another streak off blood. "But these are my friends, and family. My two very good friends, rabid dogs, as you put it, are extremely injured and I was just going to heal them in these tanks. Then, they'll leave. Okay?" The door opened, and Bulma walked in. "Hi, Trunks, I just thought that..." she stopped at the sight of the general's whip, Trunks' face, and Gohan and the girl. She then looked hard at the general. "General Nikka, what are you doing here?" The general seemed to sweat. "Ma'am, your son violated a direct law." Bulma was furious. "I don't care. He was doing something for his friends. And trust me, you don't want to get under their skin. Uh-oh, looks like you already got under Vegeta's skin. And Goku's, Tien's, Yamcha's. Looks like you just signed your death warrant." Indeed, Vegeta was starting to get mad. He lost it and fired a blast at the general's whip. It disintegrated, and the general turned pale. Then he went screaming out of the room. Vegeta flew after him. "Get out of my son's cavern!" A huge blast erupted, and Vegeta came back with a sheet in his hands. He was reading it to himself. Trunks turned pale as well. "That's that bill." Vegeta looked up, then halfway smiled. His hand glowed and the paper fell to ashes in his hand. "So that's why you were doing all those odd jobs. You were trying to get extra money for that law thing. I suppose there's more to the story." Goku said. Trunks smiled. "Yeah."

17

After Ty and Gohan had been placed in the filled tanks, Bulma healed Trunks' wounds. He kept protesting it was nothing, but she said that they could get infected. Goku was standing next to Gohan's tank. He was concerned. His son hadn't ever looked that ragged. He glanced at Ty. She looked like an exact copy of Gohan's wounds, minus the energy wounds. Just then, Gohan woke up. He glanced around, then blinked until his eyes were used to the liquid. He looked through the thick glass in front of him. He could see Bulma fussing over Trunks, the others standing around, looking at all the stuff, and his dad, leaning against the capsule. Since he had an oxygen mask on, he figured he could also talk and be heard on the outside. "Hey." Goku turned around. He looks concerned. I wonder if I look as bad as I feel. Gohan thought to himself. "Are you okay?" Goku asked. The others also stopped talking and looked at Gohan. He winced. "Just a little beat up. Oh, did it work? Are you okay, Trunks?" Trunks, who had heard the story of what happened, looked grateful. "I feel fine, I'm just sorry that you got in this condition. And the girl, too." Trunks really was sorry, that much was clear, but he also looked distressed. Gohan took a note to ask him what was wrong, later though. Gohan winced again. "Are you sure you're okay? You look really bad." Gohan looked at Ty, who was silently watching the whole thing. "Ask her." he gasped. He felt his energy draining with each word, so he stayed silent, shut his eyes, and rested. Goku turned to look at Ty. Her short hair was flowing behind her in the tank. She sighed, a soft sigh. "Yeah, we're both pretty beat up. That Buu was more powerful than both of our energies and powers combined. Gohan took a lot more damage than I did because I had to take a lot of his energy to fight. I didn't mean to take so much, but I don't think they'll be any permanent damage to either of us." She stopped abruptly. She looked at Gohan. His eyes were open and he was talking in her mind. "No, no way! Man, this is worse than you thought too, Gohan, so don't blame it on me!" Gohan answered through the mask as well. "Look, I'm not saying it is your fault, but we need to get out of here and go find it and find out if it's going to do what we think it is." The others were oblivious to what was coming their way. Ty and Gohan realized that it could sense the other's power levels. "You guys! Lower your power levels as much as you can!" Yamcha was totally confused. "But why?" Goku looked stressed as he looked at Gohan's pain-showing face. He got a little impatient. "Stop asking questions and do what he says!" The others obeyed immediately. The source was still coming at them, but it had slowed down a little. "How much time?" Ty asked Gohan. He looked into her eyes with the fear she had only seen when Goku was hurt. "Not enough." Then it was Goku's turn to be dumbfounded. "Not enough time for what?" He asked Gohan. "Not enough time for us to heal so we'll be able to fight this thing." Trunks walked over. "If I turn it up to full blast, I would guess you would only need about a half hour to heal." he said as he turned a knob to a green line. " Will that be enough time?" Ty asked hopefully. Gohan knew that it would be close, but they might make it. "Possibly. Depends on how long it takes to get here." he replied. Vegeta was a little irritated by being bossed around by Kakarot. He was even more irritated at the now deceased general. But he was starting to totally lose it with this halfway conversation. "Listen, you four are the only ones who can talk in each other's minds. So I want to make a request." Gohan looked at him casually, although he knew what the request was. "And that is...?" Vegeta was mad. "STOP DOING IT! The others and I have no clue what you guys are talking about. Oh, why we're on the subject, WHAT ARE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT?" Gohan was tired of the arguing and Vegeta's gravely voice, so he stayed silent, but told his dad what to say. "Okay, as far as I can understand, there is this really weird power that is coming at us. Gohan says that it is about five times stronger than he and Ty is, so that means," he paused to look at Gohan's rapid, but not rapidly enough, healing body, " ...if they aren't healed by the time it gets here, we are in trouble." Piccolo had a question. "But what did he mean by, "...find out if it's going to do what we think it is."" Gohan answered that one. "It's going to destroy this place." Trunks was horrified. "No, it, whatever it is, can't do that! I won't let what's left of my life be destroyed!" Gohan realized he was starting to raise his power level. Piccolo jumped in to help. "Let's go look at the rest of this place and let these two rest." The others considered this and left. Goku and Goten, however, stayed behind. "Huh, don't you want to go look at the stuff? Are you all right, Goten?" Goku asked his youngest son. "Nah, I feel fine. I just want to stay here with Gohan." Goku nodded and admired his spirit. "Dad." The voice belonged to Gohan. Goku turned around quick and looked at his son. He looked better, but his voice and breathing stayed the same. "Yes." Gohan closed his eyes. "If I'm not awake in fifteen minutes, wake me up, because it should get here about then." Goku nodded. Gohan passed out.

18

Goku leaned against Gohan's tank once more. He could sense some kind of pressure in his mind, but couldn't quite make out what was causing it. Goten was looking at Ty. He cleared his throat. "Um, Miss Ty ma'am. I have a question." Ty, who had been resting but no passed out opened her eyes and looked at him warmly. "Yes?" Goten shuffled his feet, then looked at his brother and kept his eyes on him while he asked his question. "Um, will my brother be okay? I mean, he's pretty beat up and even though he's healing on the outside he seems to be feeling the same on the inside." Ty had noticed this a few minutes ago, but was surprised that Goten had picked it up so quickly. Goku went over and rested his hands on Goten's shoulders. "Ty, I haven't thanked you properly yet for saving my life earlier. And I'm sorry that I had to go by the means of threatening to make sure that Gohan lived." Ty was certain he was sincere, so she blew it away. "Hey, I don't care about that. Listen, I want you to know that no matter what, unless I'm possessed again, that I will always be an ally of yours." Goku thanked her with his famous smile. "And for you, Goten, I'm sure that Gohan will be just fine. But now he and I must rest if we want all our strength for what we must do." Goten nodded. Then, he was mad all of a sudden. He shrugged his father's hands away, then walked over to his brother's tank. "Bro, why'd you do it? Why? You could have been just fine now and we could have found some other way to help him!" Goku rushed over and grabbed Goten's fist before it hit the tank. "Hey, let him rest. He's going to need it." Goten nodded but stayed next to Gohan's tank. Goku kept an eye on him, but was positive the outburst was over. A few minutes later, Trunks came rushing in. "Goku, we have a UFO on our radar!" "Radar?" Goku knew that it had to do with the general's attacks. Trunks grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door. "C'mon, it's headed for us and it's not a spacecraft, and the Scouter says that its power level is five times bigger than Gohan's and Ty's!" Goku went with him, instructing Goten to stay. He obeyed and went over to Ty's tank and checked on her and did the same to Gohan. Both only needed about five more minutes till they were fully healed. All of a sudden, Ty was healed. She opened her eyes and talked through the mask. "Goten, I'm healed. Press the green button. Then, when all the fluid is emptied, press the red button." Goten obeyed. As the liquid drained, Ty had to admit that she had never felt too much better in her life. The door opened. She stepped out of the capsule and closed it behind her. She used a little power, not too much, to dry herself off. Then she walked over to Gohan's tank. She spoke in his mind. Gohan? Gohan flinched. Yes. Ty looked his body over. Are you okay? Your body is healed, but you seem really wiped out. Do you need me to do some healing power on you? Gohan opened his eyes. Might not be a bad idea. Ty nodded and pressed the release button. The fluid flowed out, and Gohan took off his mask. He then stepped out of the capsule and leaned against it. He looked at Goten and then looked around. "Where's dad?" Goten spoke up. "He went with Trunks. Whatever you guys have been blabbing about, it's here." Ty placed her hand on Gohan's shoulder and used her healing power on him. All the rest of his wounds were healed. Also, his power and energy shot to a high level, but he quickly lowered it. Just like Ty, he dried himself off. Gohan then tracked his father's power and followed it out the door. The trio found themselves in front of a door marked CONTROL ROOM. It opened and they saw the Z Warriors crowded around Trunks. Because they were in a frenzy, no one noticed their arrival. Almost. Piccolo used his expert hearing to detect their footsteps. "Hey, you guys, quiet down. The others are here." They stopped. Silhouetted by the light of the corridor and the darkness of the room, their features were indistinguishable. Then they stepped away from the door as it closed. Their expressions were serious. "Goten, stay here. Ty, Trunks, Piccolo, you guys come with me." Gohan ordered. Goten started to protest, but Gohan's stern voice told him he wasn't going to get anywhere. "Trunks, give me the Scouter. Oh, dad, Vegeta, you guys should come to. The rest of you, watch those screens and come if I signal you." Gohan and Ty made their way to the front door. "Hey Trunks, do you have more than one door to this place." Trunks shook his head. "Good, we'll melt the lock so it can only get in by blasting it's way in. We'll try to keep it by the machinery in case it tries to do that." Trunks nodded and gave the Scouter to Gohan. He gave it to Vegeta. "You know how to work this thing better than anyone here does. Can we count on you to give us an accurate reading of its power?" Vegeta smiled as he put the Scouter on. Gohan shuddered for that had been the same look Vegeta gave Goku when he arrived on Earth for the first time. It quickly passed as Vegeta admitted something. "I want to live as much as all of you." Then, they headed outside. Gohan arrived first. He turned to Vegeta. "Well, where is it?" An arrow appeared on the Scouter, indicating over where the screens were. They all flew over there and then they saw him. Gohan stopped short in his tracks. "Well, hello, nephew. Long time no see. You've grown a lot."

19

A silence fell over all the Z Warriors. For they knew whom this was all too well. Even Ty knew who it was. "No way, you aren't alive. Piccolo killed you years ago! And we didn't use the Dragon Balls to wish you back." Gohan said defiantly. Yet there, floating in front of him was living proof that he was alive. "Well, my name's Ty. Gohan and I have been sensing your strange power level for quite some time. Why have you been tracking us, Raditz?" Ty had barely gotten the words out when she had to block an incoming fist. "So you, Vegeta and Kakorat are the last pure Saiyans, besides me. Nice to meet you. But enough intros. I came here to destroy Goku and Gohan, Trunks and Vegeta. That is, if you can spare the time?" Ty gritted her teeth as she threw back his arm. "Over my dead body." Raditz smiled a carefree, casual smile. "And it may very well come to that. I guess I shall have the pleasure of destroying you as well." Ty and Gohan powered up to the fullest of their Super Saiyan strength and the others followed suit. Raditz' Scouter took their power readings. However smart he thought he was, he wasn't smart enough. Goku, Gohan, and Ty had the ability to hide a large portion of their true power level, which would make his readings of those three about 2 million off. ""Ha, little pigeons, or turkeys, I think this will be fun, and certainly not a challenge." Ty took that as an invitation, as did Gohan. Piccolo started to follow, but Goku cut him off. "Let them get warmed up and give him a little trouble. They know each other's moves by heart; they spent three years together. They can at least cause some harm. And at first, I think we'll just get in the way." Piccolo didn't know what to do. "Goku, this exactly what happened during the Cell Games. Except then, there was a price, and you paid for it!" Raditz flying out of control through the group cut off Goku's reply. He then regained him balance and flew through the group to charge after the two other warriors. "Like I was saying, there's nothing to worry about. I remember that I realized he was not a warrior, he didn't thirst for fights, but he's different now. Chi-chi wanted him to be a scholar, and I wanted him to be a fighter. He made up his mind after the Cell Games, right after Trunks left to go back to his own time to fight those androids. He said he didn't want her to know because she would probably get so mad she'd through him out of the house." Trunks looked at Gohan, and realized that what Goku was saying was true. "Gohan must know that he is out classed, so why is he being so calm?" Piccolo turned back to the fight and saw a smile on Gohan's face. Piccolo's worst fear had come true. Gohan, no. I didn't want you to change; I wanted you to stay the same kind kid I trained. I didn't want you to become like your father or me. Piccolo's fear was short lived as he heard a fraction of what Ty was saying in his mind. 'Why did the pilot fly into a nebula?' 'No clue, why?' 'Because he wanted to be a star!' Piccolo didn't know whether to smile at his old fear or grimace at his new one. He decided to answer Trunks' question. "He's rebelling against his terror. There are telling each other jokes silently to keep out of their head what they know is true, they are out classed." Trunks was just about to answer back when Ty came flying through the group. She wiped a little blood out of the corner of her mouth before going back to assist Gohan. Vegeta looked at her. "Hey, did you guys see that?" The others had been watching Gohan and as not paying very much attention to Ty. "See what?" Trunks asked, looking at his father. Vegeta was staring wide-eyed at Ty. "He hit her and drew blood, then, as she was flying back, I saw the wound close up. What has she learned now?" Goku turned toward Ty abruptly. He saw one of Raditz' kicks hit her it the mouth and draw more blood. She didn't have time to wipe away the blood, but he saw the wound close up and the blood quickly disappeared. He wasn't sure if it was just something she had learned earlier, or if Gohan knew it as well. Just as he was turning a quizzical look on his face to a normal one, Raditz hit Gohan and he flew into his dad. Goku reacted in enough time to right them. He looked up at Ty, who was faring all right. She shot a quick look at Gohan. Goku heard him grunt in surprise. "You sure?" Gohan asked out loud. Ty nodded briefly. Gohan thought for a minute. "Let me rephrase that: Are you sure this will work?" Again Ty nodded. Gohan shrugged before turning and heading back toward the cavern. His dad caught up with him. "Why are you leaving her to fight him alone?" he asked. Gohan looked back at her and then shrugged. "She had an idea, and I thought it might work. So did she, so now I need to find Bulma." Goku was still confused, so he followed him, and they managed to get inside. They ran up to the control room, where they found the other guys and Bulma. "Bulma!" Gohan yelled. She looked up in genuine surprise. "Huh? What do you need and why aren't you out there fighting?" Gohan looked at her hard. "Bulma, I need the Dragon Radar." Goku gasped. "Why do you need the Dragon Radar?" Bulma asked. He shut his eyes with a little shame. "You want to live right?" Bulma nodded and dug in her pocket for the capsule that held the radar and gave it to him. "Good luck!"

20

An uneasy pause followed this remark. Gohan clicking the button on the Dragon Radar to locate the 7 Dragon Balls shattered it. He finally found one. "There's one in the 612 area of the West Waterfall Park. Want to help?" Gohan asked his dad. Goku looked at his son, as if he didn't know what to do. "I don't know. I think it may be better if I stay here to help out Ty." Goku was acting, as he wanted to get a reaction out of him. He got one. "No, please don't! Ty is much stronger than you are. I think she'll be able to take care of herself. I'm afraid of..." Gohan stopped and shut his eyes. "I get it now. I understand now what that strange watch is used for." Goku was just as puzzled as the others were. "What are you talking about?" Gohan shook his head. "No, I'll tell you when the time is right. But if we don't go now, I'm afraid that curiosity will kill us." Goku nodded and still felt puzzled and uncertain. Gohan took hold of his shoulder. "I'll tell you soon. But right now, help me locate the Dragon Balls. I want you to live." Goku nodded, and they went back outside. Ty was still all right. She saw Goku, and spoke in his mind. I know you don't totally trust me with your precious son. I admire him fully for his strength during the trials of his life. But right now, he is acting, Goku. He is scared to death at Raditz' power, as am I. I can only hope that you get back soon with the Dragon Balls. As soon as you have them all gathered, I want you to make the following two wishes. First, wish that Raditz were dead. Second, I want you to make this special wish for me. You may consider it if you want, but I beg of you, please make it! But before Ty could tell him her wish, Raditz fired a huge blast at Vegeta, hoping to distract her as much as possible as to find an opening. Ty's eyes widened, then shut. In an instant she was in front of Vegeta and had her arms in a blocking position. Goku was horrified, then relaxed. He was going on a hunch that she would be able to rapidly heal herself. He was right. The blast got away with some skin and blood, but as quickly as the wounds had appeared, they vanished. Again Ty spoke. "My wish is simple. I lead two lives. I am Ty in one and Lieutenant Saxon in another. My other life is almost a dream world. I know it is real. I want you to wish all of us to my other world, and I want you all to see the harsh reality of it. When we get there, I will explain everything. Then, I will have a job to finish. If you want to be kind, please persuade the Dragon to let me keep Gundam Deathscythe here in this world. I know I would serve well in your military. Goku, I don't want to force you into doing this, but if you want my trust, I can't keep any secrets from you right? Goku was certain that she was being truthful, so he nodded. "One condition!" he yelled to her. Ty glanced his way. "What's that?" she hollered back. "You have got to assure me that you are fighting the right enemy! Do you fully know who your enemy is in both worlds?" Goku shouted back. Ty slammed Raditz into the ground to buy her a few seconds. She then flew over to him and looked at him eye to eye. They were so close that she could have kissed him. She whispered in his ear. "My enemy is the one who is after my life, or seeks to harm me, my family, or friends. I have always had a clear view of my enemy. The only part I have always had trouble with is this one question. Who are my allies? Are they the ones who fight for the same cause as I do, or are they the ones who are not after me or my friends and family? I don't know, can you tell me?" She leaned back and smiled. "Go now, and protect the one I admire." She flew back just as Raditz got up. "Oh yeah!" she shouted. " We are having a nice party here. I think he has a lot of goodies, too. If you get here too late, don't blame me if I don't leave you any gifts!" Goku smiled as he and Gohan beamed out of there. They beamed to the West Waterfall Park. Gohan asked him what she meant by those remarks. Goku smiled and told him he'd tell him when the time was right. Then using the radar, they went after the Dragon Ball. They figured it was in the water, so Goku threw off his shirt and flew into the pond. A few minutes later, he went up to the surface and couldn't see his son anywhere. He put his shirt on and waited. After few minutes, Gohan came back. In is arms were two Dragon Balls. He smiled and told him he was bored. They had the 3, 6, and 1 Star Dragon Balls. "Only four to go." Gohan said. He then figured one was in the Sahara. They beamed there and searched through the sand dunes with bursts of power. They finally found it under a huge sand dune. It was number 5 and the 5 Star Dragon Ball. The other two were found in the mountains and in the forests near their home. They gathered them up and beamed to Dende's Lookout. He was surprised. "Gohan! I haven't seen you in a few days, what's up? Oh, I get it, you want to wish Raditz out of here." Gohan shook his head, as he never got used to the idea that these guys were psychic. Goku nodded. "I'll tell the Dragon the second wish when it comes to that." Ty talking in his mind silenced Goku. He's too powerful! We are all fighting and we are all losing! You must hurry! We can't last much longer! I don't know how we lasted this long! Ty abruptly stopped talking. "Hurry up!" Goku yelled.

21

After the Dragon Balls had been placed, Dende started the chant. " Dragon of Earth, come out of your confine, for we need your powers, magical Dragon, Shenron!" The Dragon Balls started to glow, then the sky turned completely black. Back at the Caverns, the warriors were laying in the dirt, with Raditz glaring at them. "Well, had enough? Where did Goku and Gohan go? I still have some unfinished business with them." All of a sudden, the sky turned black. Ty smiled weakly. "Good, they did it. The summoned the Eternal Dragon." Raditz grabbed Vegeta by his neck and lifted him high off the ground. "Is this your doing? Was it was your idea?" Ty was afraid that he would kill him, so she quickly got up. Her clothes were ragged and she was exhausted. "No, it was my idea. We decided that you were worth the Dragon's time!" Raditz dropped Vegeta and grabbed her instead. "You should have kept your mouth shut, girl, or you would have lived a little longer!" Raditz' hand started to glow and Ty was starting to struggle some, but she couldn't get loose. Back at the Lookout, the Dragon had appeared, and started to talk in his heavy voice. "I shall grant you two wishes within my power." Just as Gohan was about to ask his dad what to wish for, he felt Ty's life force drain rapidly until it seemed she was just about to die. Then, he heard her talk in his mind. You have to hurry Gohan. Goku will tell you what to wish for, but Raditz, he's on his way there! I must confess I told him, but only so he would leave the others here alone. I'll try to hang on 'till you get here, but hurry, the others are in bad shape, too. Then silence. "No, Ty!" Gohan yelled. Goku, who had not heard this, saw that his son was crying. "Hurry, dad! He's on his way here! Make the two wishes! I have to go help Ty!" In an instant, he was gone. Goku was a little scared, but he knew that he had to hurry, indefinitely. He shouted at the Dragon, "Please make Raditz gone for good, and all the damage he caused undone!" The Dragon nodded. "Your wish shall be granted." Its eyes glowed red. At that instant, Raditz felt weird, and knew what was happening. "NOOOO!" he screamed. A second later, he blew up, and nothing was left of him but a few shards of clothes. At the Caverns, Ty was unconscious, as were the other warriors. Raditz had blasted her through the chest, as he had done with the others. Gohan appeared in the middle of them, and his eyes widened at the sights in front of him. Wreckage everywhere, with no moving thing in sight. He was just about to heal them, when the wreckage changed in an instant, and everything was back to normal. Then, the five warriors started to glow, and their wounds were healed, their clothes mended, and everything fixed. Ty sat up and was confused at first, and then she broke into a huge grin when she saw Gohan. He started toward her then stopped. "I thought...that you were dead!" She got up and smiled. "I wouldn't let you down like that, now would I?" Gohan took on another manner. "My dad is about to make the second wish." Ty looked up, then spoke to Goku in her mind. Do me a favor; tell the Dragon that only when I want to come back to this world, we will. Please trust me! At Dende's place, Goku was still wrestling with the decision. He finally smiled and said, "Oh, what the heck! Can my day get much worse?" Dende also smiled who had learned about he second wish. "Probably not!" Goku looked up at the Dragon. "Listen," It said. "Not that I'm not enjoying the fresh air, but I want to leave in this millennium, so wish for nothing so I can leave!" Goku chuckled. "A Dragon with a sense of humor, how nice. Listen. My friend Ty has a wish." He was about to go on when she appeared beside him. "I'll handle this, if that is okay?" Goku nodded, and the others, who had hitched a ride from Gohan, backed off. She flew up until she was face to face with the Dragon. "Shenron, you are well aware of my other life, the one that is almost like a dream world, but it isn't. It is another dimension, and I know what I have to do there. My friends, family, and base were under attack last time I was there. With all that are present, except Dende, I want you to transport us there. Two things I need to ask." The Dragon waited. "I was wondering if I could please, when I want us to leave that dimension, take my Gundam 02 Deathscythe Space and Ground Edition to this world to serve in the military." The Dragon seemed to hesitate, then said, "Your wish will be granted. When do you want to leave?" Ty had expected this. "As soon as we all rest up and as soon as I can explain to these guys what is going on." The Dragon nodded. "Very well, I shall wait in these Dragon Balls here for your return. You cannot take any longer that 72 Earth hours. Understood?" Ty nodded. The Dragon then went back inside the Dragon balls. Ty looked at her wrist, and looked distressed, so looked at Gohan. "Did you take my watch?" Gohan put his hand in his pocket and took out her watch. "You should have told us sooner that you could be in constant contact with the other dimension, but that you could only go over there every other day." Ty snatched the watch from him. "You should have told your dad sooner that you felt that power before I even got here." Gohan started. "Yeah, a secret for a secret. We are even." Goku looked at him, and he looked back. "What?" Goku just rolled his eyes. "Please tell me he isn't my son!" he said.

22

After assurance that the Dragon Balls would be safe the Z Warriors headed home. Ty went with Gohan and Goku, while the ones who had been inside the Caverns, had also gone home. The trio traveled alone, because Goku wanted to stop somewhere where they could find out everything Ty had been hiding. He stopped at a quiet stream and rubbed his face with water to refresh himself. He then looked at Ty. "It seems that you have been keeping a lot of secrets from us. You want to tell us everything, or do I have to read your mind?" Ty was also refreshing herself, then looked at the two fighters. They wore a hard expression, and looked like they would rip her head off if she rubbed them the wrong way. She sighed. "You guys might want to sit down, as one of my secrets might be too much." Goku didn't budge; neither did Gohan. She sighed again and sat down herself. "It started on the ship out to Commie. I kept hearing cries at night, almost ghost-like. They drove me insane. One night, I began having terrible nightmares of fights with big metal suits, with guns, and space ships blowing up. The thing that intrigued me most was that the people of Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton, Wufei Chang, and Quatre Rabbaba Winner piloted four special mobile suits. I was always the pilot of the fifth suit. These suits, known as Gundams, had come from space colonies that had declared their independence and war on the Romafeller and OZ Organization, who ruled in allegiance with an iron fist over the Earth's nations, and who were gradually taking over the colonies. The Gundams were a way for the colonies to retaliate. I gradually learned everything, but like I told Goku, I almost always lost sight of my allies. I knew the Gundams were allies, but the rest was blank. I could never tell who to attack and why I was fighting like I was. I realized later that I was to destroy everything that had to do with the two main powers. I earned the name 'The Great Destroyer'. I got used to being called the God of Death. But everything changed when I was captured, and my past revealed. Duo Maxwell, who is now in critical condition at a hospital for saving my life, is my best friend. I was recruited to take his place after he lost his memory." Ty paused, partly because she was out of breath, and partly for effect. The father and son were sitting in front of her, waiting for her to begin like a grandchild waiting for its grandfather to read them a story. " This dimension is like a second home. If I win, great, and if I lose, I start to feel a little bad and I can leave whenever I want to, but I can't go back when I need to. I never understood the pressures the other pilots went through until I had to self detonate inside a space Leo. I was certain my life would end, but it didn't." Goku looked quizzical. "What is the secret that might be too much for us?" Ty looked them strait in the eye. "This has nothing to do with the other dimension, and I never wanted it, so I am going to get Shenron to undo it." Gohan was a little impatient. "But what's the secret?" Ty felt a tear drop from her closed eyes. "I am immortal." Goku gasped and got up. "You mean that no matter what, Raditz couldn't kill you? And why the heck is that so bad?" Ty got up as well. "Because it isn't a fairy tale, Goku. I don't like it. I killed all the people on my home planet, and I have to live with that forever. Those screams, dying people, they won't go away. No matter what I do to convince myself it wasn't my fault, I can't come to any conclusion that it was. As soon as we get back, I am going to find the Dragon Balls after one year and stop this! I hate it!" Gohan got up as well and saw she was crying hysterically, so he drew back his hand and slapped her across the check. "It's time you woke up, Ty. You and I are the most powerful warriors on this planet, and we have more important things to do other than regret the past. I regret a lot of things I did in the past, yet I have learned to deal with it, so you have to as well." Goku was amazed that Gohan would hit her, but grateful. She had wiped her tears away, taken a deep breath, and stood up. "Are you okay now?" Goku asked. Ty opened her eyes, and there was a gleam in her eyes. "Yeah, but I want to show Gohan a lesson in courtesy. Will you consent, Gohan?" she asked as she powered up. "Yeah, whatever you say, Ty." Gohan shot back, also powering up. They flew at each other with smiles on their faces. They were engaged in a friendly fight for about five minutes, when Goku decided it was about time to quit. "We need to get those things you needed, Ty." They both stopped and flew to Goku. He beamed them to the space ship still sitting in front of CC. Ty and Gohan walked inside and grabbed two bags. "What's all that?" Goku asked. Ty took out a few capsules. "My things I needed. I need my computer, blaster, arm hostler, ammo, and my caster gun and shells." Gohan asked, "What is a caster shell and gun?" Ty answered, "It's a shell I designed that sucks the life force out of whoever it hits. The problem is, though, it also sucks some out of the shooter. I haven't quite perfected it yet." She put the capsules she needed in her pocket and went over to Gohan. "Let's go and get the others, and if I break down again, slap me." He nodded and they beamed out.

23

Trunks was a little startled that Ty was immortal. He asked how it happened, but she said not to worry about the cause in life, just worry about the outcome. Goten wanted to go, but Ty advised Chi-Chi to make him stay home because they wouldn't have their powers in the other world, so he might get hurt. He stayed home after he was told that he could run errands for her; he loved not running errands, but flying errands. After they had picked up the others, they all beamed to Dende's Lookout. Ty then opened the capsules and put on her blaster and ammo, and everything else. The computer was no more than a pocket one. Then Dende summoned the Dragon. "Magical Dragon, we need you once more, come out of your confine, magical Dragon, Shenron!" The balls glowed, and once again, the huge beast appeared. "You have returned in the allotted amount of time, and now I will grant your second wish. Good luck!" it said in it's tough voice. A golden light surrounded the warriors. Gohan grabbed Ty's hand, which had been looking for his. They smiled at each other, then disappeared. The Dragon returned to the Dragon Balls, and the split up, and shot to different parts of the Earth. Meanwhile, the warriors were caught up in a time and space vortex. A few seconds later, they all hit a steel floor. Ty quickly got up. Gohan at once knew something was wrong. "What?" Ty looked at him. "Sorry, no powers or superhuman strength allowed in this world." They all looked around. Ty saw an old man in a corner. "Dr, Jay? What's going on?" The half-man, half-cyborg walked into the light. "Ah, Jess, I see you brought friends from the other world. Why not introduce us?" Ty was impatient. "Later! What is going on?" Dr. Jay smiled. "Well, it seems the other world has just hardened you, not softened you, like we feared. Well, here's the scoop. Heero is captured by OZ, Wing Zero is in the docking bay, and all the other pilots are waiting for you." Ty stiffened. "And Duo? How is he?" Dr. Jay shuffled. "Not good. He hasn't been conscious since the last time you were here." Ty shook her head hard enough to clear it. "Guys, come with me. And stay close." Ty led the way to a door. "And by the way, there is barely any gravity." Dr. Jay rushed up. "Oh, I almost forgot two important things. Everybody's suit is fixed, and Relena Peacecraft is here to see you." This remark stopped Ty. "Huh? Miss Relena?" Dr. Jay nodded and they left. Goku caught up with Ty. "Where are we going?" Ty kept walking and said, "To meet the other pilots." A few soldiers were in the hall and they stopped to ask her questions. "Lieutenant, what is going on? Are these people soldiers or fighters? Should we lock them in the cells?" Ty slapped the man's gun away. "These guys are my friends. They will not be locked for any reason. They are with me. If you must list these guys as something, put them down as soldiers." The man saluted and went back to his post. Ty led them down a hallway to a lounge and opened the door. Inside were three teenage boys. "Hey." she said. One of them looked up. "Jess, you're okay!" He rushed up to them. "Quatre, these are my friends. They are going to be helping us. Guys, this is Quatre Rabbaba Winner, pilot of the Gundam Sandrock. Trowa, come here! I want you to meet these guys." A boy with brown hair walked over. "This is Trowa Barton, pilot of the Gundam Heavyarms. And over there," she said, pointing to a boy with sleek black hair, "is Wufei Chang, pilot of Shenlong, or Nitaku, whichever you prefer." After introductions, Ty asked how Heero had been captured and not his Gundam, Wing Zero. " It started out as a routine check in the fourth quadrant. Then a group of Taurus Mobile Dolls attacked us. We fought them in our Gundams, but one somehow shot Heero's Gundam in the chest, knocking off his piloting seat door. He was knocked unconscious and the remaining suit grabbed him and held him like a shield if we tried to shoot at him. Then he just floated away. We took his Gundam to this colony. I'm sorry. It looks like we are the reasons your brother was captured." Ty felt badly, so knelt beside him, who had sat down on a couch. "Hey, you guys have been doing pretty good. I'm proud of you guys. There are three things I need to do. One is go and talk to Miss Relena. Second is to check on Duo. And third is to go get Heero." Quatre smiled. "I'll go with you. I've been wanting to get out lately, so, why don't we all go. Four Gundams are better than one. And a carrier can bring Heero's along for after we save him." The others nodded. 'I'll be back soon." The group left. Vegeta caught up to Ty. "Why does that Trowa kid do his hair so weird?" Ty looked at him. "You do yours no better." Vegeta glared at her. She smiled and went down a hall. She stopped. "Listen. Miss Relena is in there. It would be best if no one made any noise. And if you have a comment, wait 'till we get outside." The group nodded and went in. There, standing by a window, was Miss Relena. She turned and addressed the group. "I see you have friends." Ty nodded. "From your world, I suspect?" Again Ty nodded. "Very well, the news here is not good. I suspect that you have heard already of Heero's capture." "We'll help." Goku said. Relena sighed. "I'm worried." "I'll do whatever I can to save him." Ty promised.

24

Ty led the group out of the meeting room to the infirmary. She told them to wait while she went and got Duo's room number. When she came back, she led them to his room. There, lying in a bed, was Duo. Ty slowly walked up to him and sighed. "Duo? Duo, come on, wake up. They say that he might be in a coma, but it is too early to tell." Just then Duo woke up. Ty whirled around and took his hand. "You guys might want to back off. He doesn't like people he doesn't know." The others obeyed and hid behind curtains. Gohan could hear every word, loud and clear. "Duo? Duo. Please wake up. It's me, Jess." He could hear Duo stir, then grunt. "Jess? What happened? I can barely move." Ty sighed. "You saved my life and the other pilot's lives by picking up an armed grenade and throwing it, but you didn't get away fast enough. You saved us all. I was afraid you wouldn't make it." Duo finally opened his eyes. "Darn it. You mean I'm alive. It felt like I self detonated, but a few times worse. Man, why can't I just die?" Ty chuckled. "How would you know what self detonating feels like? Heero and I are the only ones who have ever done it." Duo coughed. "Well, I need to rest now." Ty turned serious. "Don't tell me you self detonated your suit! That's why we ordered so much gundanium alloy. I thought that was a lot for just my suit. You know what?" Duo shifted. "What?" "We pilots must have a death wish. We always accept the craziest missions, always do the craziest things. We must be the craziest people, then, huh?" Duo nodded. "Well, I'll leave you now. A few friends and I need to go rescue Heero. He was captured in that last battle you guys fought." Duo grunted, then said, "You go. I think I'll be okay now. I just need to rest." Ty nodded and left. The others followed. Duo was asleep when the left. "Well, come on. I want you to meet Deathscythe. He's my buddy, and I think you'll like him." The only warriors that had accompanied Ty were Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Trunks, and Piccolo. Ty knew the others didn't feel like going. By the time they reached the Gundam hangar, Ty had to tell a dozen soldiers that her friends were not enemies. She jabbed an intercom that ran through the entire base part of the colony. "This is Lieutenant Jessica Saxon. I want all military personnel to not harm or approach the men who are with me, as they are allies. I repeat, do not harm or approach the men who are with me. And send my tech man to the Gundam hangar." Ty punched the button. She grinned sheepishly. "I'll lose my voice by the time we leave here." She opened the hangar door. Goku gasped. There, standing with nothing under it, was a sheet. Ty was exasperated. "Who put the cloak on Deathscythe?" she asked, half expecting someone to answer. "I did. I heard that there were intruders, so I took the necessary precautions. Sorry." A voice said behind them. Everyone turned around, but Ty. "Mike, make up your mind, will ya? Either you work on Wing Zero, or you work on Deathscythe. I didn't mean you when I said 'tech man'." She turned around. There was a kid, no older than 12, looking at them. "I said sorry." Ty smiled and ruffled his hair. "Forgiven. You get my cloak undone, okay?" Ty asked. The kid brightened and jump into to the air, floating toward the sheet. He pressed a button, and a second later, a huge black metal suit appeared under the part the sheet didn't cover. Ty walked over to a computer and punched a few keys. "99.7% complete. What did you miss?" Mike shuffled his feet and stared at the ground. "I forgot how to change, eliminate, and connect the new components in the left cloak wing. I had to switch full power over to the right wing to get the cloak to work." He looked up, and saw Ty smiling. "Tell you what. We'll fix it together, how 'bout it? I'll still pay you salary." Mike smiled to. "Deal!" They laughed and Ty looked at the group and picked out a lone warrior. "Vegeta, come on, we'll need you." He looked around, as if expecting someone else to answer. Ty grabbed his arm and threw his up in the air and she and Mike followed. "You can do something to participate on this field trip other than insult Trowa." Ty remarked. Mike turned around abruptly and said, "He insulted Trowa? Why, the son of a..." He never finished his remark after Ty's hand clamped over his mouth. "Can it. We've got work to do. Hey. Guys! You can come up if you want. I'll take you on a tour of Deathscythe." The others joined them eagerly. They had reached the left wing. When open, the wings resembled a devil-type thing. Ty led the way to a component box and Mike pulled out quite a few things that not even Trunks knew. Then, she pulled on a part of the wing and a panel slid off. Inside was a blank space with a few wires. "Okay, Mike, give me a 100 ohm-resistor and a 2709 transistor. Now, you place them on the wire strips and place the iron here, on the semi-conductor, and..." Ty and Mike worked, with Vegeta, who seemed to be enjoying himself. All of a sudden, Goku, who had been deep in thought, heard the words, "Goku! Watch out! Duck!" Ty was yelling. Somehow, Deathscythe's arm had started to move, and it was heading strait for Goku! Goku managed to get out of the way some; he was still hit in the head by the huge fist. Everything went black!

25

Ty flew over to Goku, who was suspended in mid-air. "He's alive, but he is going to have one heck of a bad headache when he wakes up." Ty left him in the care of Gohan and flew over to the cockpit door. It flew open and hit her in the mouth, sending her spiraling backwards. A person in an atmosuit flew out and began to escape. Ty regained her balance and gave chase. Pushing hard off a wall, she quickly overtook and grabbed the suspect. They tumbled end over end until they hit a wall. Ty, keeping one hand on the suspect's arm, took off the helmet with the other. She gasped and quickly let go and saluted. "I'm terribly sorry, Lieutenant, I had no idea it was you. But you had no right to harm my visitors! But I am still sorry, Lieutenant Noin." Lieutenant Noin sighed. "I had no idea they were your visitors." she replied returning the salute. She flew over to Goku. "I hope he is all right. I did hit him pretty hard." Ty smiled as she said this. "Don't worry, he has a pretty hard head, and he seems to be waking up." Lieutenant Noin ignored the hard look from Gohan and Trunks, and kept on talking. "Well, I initially came here to bring you some news. I am not sure whether you'll take it as good or bad. The colony Heero was taken to has turned into a war zone. Heero escaped and is now retaliating in full against the mobile dolls." Ty gasped. "On his own? Without his Gundam?" Ty cursed under her breath. She closed her eyes, and almost wished she was back home, but didn't. She opened her eyes when Gohan tapped her shoulder. "I think you should go help him." Ty looked straight into his eyes, and saw a shine. "Mike." Her quickly floated to her side. "Yes?" Ty shut her eyes again, and opened them with a look that sent a shiver down Vegeta's spine. "Get Deathscythe prepped for battle. Double-time." Mike pushed a button on his walkie-talkie. "All Gundam pilots. To your Gundams! Your objective: Bring Heero Yuy back from colony 9452 pronto, while delivering his Gundam. Everybody, move!" A second later, the entire place was in chaos. Before she went to get into her atmosuit, Ty told Goku she was sorry, and that she would hopefully be back. When asked why she was 'hopeful', she answered, "I hope I live through this and am able to be with your son more." Then she left. Five minutes later, she arrived wearing an atmosuit with her hair in a ponytail. "I'll be bringing Heero back A.S.A.P. but if I don't succeed, I am afraid you will all be stuck here for eternity." She looked past the startled faces and saw her Gundam, "I'm glad we are fighting mobile suits. How many lives must I take in these battles? How many more will I take in the future?" An old man with a long nose floated up beside them. "Jessica, now is not the time to be doubting the path you have chosen and the path you will take. You can do that, after you rescue your brother." This remark got an outburst from Trunks. "Your brother? Heero is your brother? But why didn't you tell us before?" A stern look from the old man told Trunks to be quiet. "You must go now, and decide whether or not you can risk your life for someone you love." Ty smiled a knowing look a Goku. "I did it once, I can do it again." She floated up to Deathscythe's cockpit and shouted out to the Z Warriors. "If you get into any kind of trouble, just tell them that you know me personally." A man in a captain's uniform came rushing up to Ty. "Ma'am! We have just received a message from Heero!" Ty sat down in the cockpit and pressed a key. A screen lit up and it showed Heero's face. On it was sweat and blood. "Jess!" he said, gasping. "Heero! Where are you? How bad are you injured? Tell me!" Ty said. He looked like he was about to faint. "I...I can't put you in danger! There are too many! Even with your help, you'll never defeat them!" Ty shuddered, as she knew when Heero said too many, he meant way too many. She pushed back her fear and doubt and said, "Nevertheless, we, the Gundam pilots, a ton of volunteers, and I are coming. Get to a safe spot and stay there." Before he could reply, she cut the connection. She sat for a second, then leaned outside the cockpit again. She looked at Trunks. "Trunks, I need your help. It's true that you are not familiar with some of these parts, but I need you to help me fix some hyper boosters on this thing." Trunks gulped then nodded. She tossed him an atmosuit. "Go change. You won't be very comfortable in space without it. The rest of you go with Lieutenant Noin to the control room. I know you guys can help. Because I didn't tell you something. Even though you lost your powers, you can still fly, and have the same reactions. Tell you the truth, it comes in handy in fighting. You guys may be able to react to orders faster than others." Lieutenant Noin stepped forward. "You're trusting this group with the lives off the entire force!" Ty looked at her, emotionless. "I have trusted them with my own several times and will do so again." After Trunks had changed, he placed his helmet on his head and headed out into deep space to strap on the hyper boosters. It took them an amazing hour. When they were done, Ty prepared to blast off. "Guys, I hope I will be back. Thanks for all your help in case I die." Then she and the entire force blasted off into space. "Well, lets go!" Lieutenant Noin shouted, pulling them to the control center.

26

While the confused, yet excited, Z Warriors were being led to the control room, Ty was busy flying to the colony and running a completion check once more on her suit. "100% complete. That's good." They were almost to the colony. "All troops, fall back. When I give the signal, enter. Give all Gundams the right-of- way." She activated Deathscythe's cloak and headed in. She had received an earlier transmission from Heero confirming his location. Ty headed swiftly and cautiously to that area. It was within the colony. Ty knew it was going to be difficult. She approached the hangar door and proceeded to enter the colony. She saw the lush trees and gardens of the colony. Ignoring these, she went over to an abandoned warehouse. She got out of her Gundam and approached it, cautiously, with her blaster out and ready. She searched every room until she found Heero's unconscious body. She talked into her mike. "Gundam pilots, proceed. Leave Heero's Gundam behind. He's in no shape to fight." She then walked over to Heero and removed his atmosuit helmet. His face was bruised, bloody, and dirty. She carefully hoisted his limp body in her arms. She was about to leave when Gohan's voice came in. "Ty...Jess...whatever, there are ten space carriers coming your way. Each one his holding about twenty space Virgos. I suggest you get to your Gundam and head out. ETA, two minutes." Ty cursed and hurried toward her Gundam. She placed Heero's body inside the cockpit and sat down in front of him. She closed the cockpit and started up Deathscythe. They were almost out of the colony when two shots barely missed them. "Darn it! Control center. Have Mike working on some shields that mask my heat source as well. This cloak isn't doing any good." She undid her cloak and activated her scythe blade. She blasted toward the two Virgos that had blasted at her, and cut them in half. "All troops, proceed. Be careful. Use laser swords as these guys have those shields." She finally managed to get out of the colony, but there were more. "Ty! It's Goku, you've got five on your tail!" Just as they were about to blast her into space, Quatre came and sliced through them with his swords. "Glad we can help." Ty smiled, then said, "I'm going to put Heero on the medic ship. I'll escort it to safety, them come back." Then, she was gone. Quatre took charge. "Okay, delta wing, cover me. Trowa, cover Jess and Heero. Wufei, you're with me. Okay, let's send these guys where they belong!" A voice came over his com. It was Vegeta. "Quatre, cancel that last order. If he comes to help, a group of Virgo troops will cover him and give you even more trouble." Quatre looked, and saw he was right. "Thanks. Okay, Wufei, stay where you are, I'll come and assist." Trunks saw something, and said, "Trowa! You've got one right on you! Pull up and step on the brakes!" Trowa obeyed, and then shot the suit that flew under him. Ty was finished with Heero and came back to the fight. "Jess, we're losing! There are way to may backup troops!" Just then, another blip appeared on screen. Ty gasped when she saw what it was. It was a carrier holding two suits. "Epyon and Tallgeese! Who's piloting them?" Her question was answered as she heard Noin's voice over the com. "Zechs, I didn't think you would get here in time! Is Treize with you?" Zechs' smooth voice came over the com. "I'm here, Noin. And so is Treize. We came to help Jess." Ty was grateful. "Thank you, we need it. Which do you prefer? Lightning Count, or Preventer Wind?" Zechs sighed. "I have done away with those names. If you must call me something, call me Tallgeese." Ty smiled. "Okay, Treize, try to control that system." Ty said this, then got an idea. "Wait! That's it! Carrier, get Wing Zero prepped for battle. Trunks, did you go through that manual while you were snooping through my stuff?" Trunks coughed. "Yeah, I memorized it. Sorry." Ty laughed. "No, good! You know how to pilot it! Noin, get Trunks suited up to fight in Wing Zero." Softly she added. "Let's keep this out of Heero's knowledge as long as we can, shall we?" The control room voiced its agreement. Trunks protested some, but stopped when he saw Heero who just came in on the medic ship. "Man, that's her brother? Kind of wild looking, I think." Heero opened his eyes. "Careful with that suit. It's been with me a long time. If you have to self-detonate, try to live. I don't think Jess would like it if you died." Then he passed out again, and medics hurried him to the infirmary. Trunks stood there a minute longer, then went to get suited up. After he had, he got inside the highly feared cockpit. It was true, he had memorized the book, but he wasn't thinking about ever using the suit! He took a deep breath, then heard Lieutenant Noin say over the com, "You aren't ready for that suit! Now human can handle it! Not even Heero!" Trunks smiled. "Well, I'm not human." He reached back into his memories to remember how to pilot the suit. He started the engines. Goku was worried, as was Vegeta, but they held it in. "Careful, son." Trunks smiled at the cam. "You know me." he said as he blasted off. Vegeta cursed as he left. "That's what's got me worried." A few seconds later, Wing Zero was no more than a single star. Trunks was worried, too, if he could handle the system.

27

Goku was puzzled. "What's so bad about that Gundam? Why can no one handle it." Lieutenant Noin gripped her console. "That Gundam is equipped with a system that can change the pilot's brainwaves, so much that he will not fear his own death, and that is why Heero likes it so much. He is always in life and death situations. He doesn't fear dying, but he likes to have limited casualties." Lieutenant Noin stopped, but Vegeta sensed there was more. "What else?" Lieutenant Noin had a sad face. "If the pilot loses control while piloting that suit, he will lose total control over his actions. He can fight for hours, and later, not recall anything. The real problem is, with that suit, he will start to attack is own allies, destroying them. He won't stop until there are no more enemies, or until he is able to jar himself out of the system's control." Back on the battlefield, the Gundam's were holding their own, but running out of ammo. "Wing Zero better get here fast." It was true that with the arrival of Tallgeese and Epyon, the tables had turned, but they still fought a losing battle. Everyone was destroying every enemy they could find, but they kept coming. A shuttle appeared on the outside sector of the battle. "Hey, um, how do you convert again?" Trunks asked. Ty couldn't help but smile. "Orange button, pull down left, push left foot." Trunks thanked her, then got into the action. Thankfully, he only had to ask for help twice until he got the hang of it. But within a few minutes, he started to lose it in the thick of battle. "Ty? I can't think!" Ty gasped. "Noin! How long until it totally takes control? I need to switch suits!" Noin checked. "Only two minutes! But you can't risk your life for a mere child!" Vegeta stiffened, but held back his temper as he had a feeling Ty was going to defend Trunks. "If I trust a 12 year old with my life during every battle, I certainly think I can risk doing it again! Now, give me the trajectory and speed I need to do a fly by!" Noin sighed and checked again. "Trajectory point 1738 by 2954. Speed: 150 kilometers per second." Gohan gasped. "Isn't that a little fast?" Noin looked at him sharply. "You do your job, I'll do mine." Ty expertly executed a fly by and positioned her suit so it would block all shots. Ty opened the cockpit and found out that they had won since they had gotten Wing Zero, even if it was only for a few minutes. Ty floated over to the cockpit and opened it. Trunks was there, his eyes wind with fear. "I saw you! You were attacking me in your Gundam!" Ty sighed. "This Gundam has the ability to show pilots their possible future. But this isn't your world. So any of the possibilities don't matter, right? Let's go back to my home. I still need to check on my brother." Trunks nodded and got out of the cockpit. Ty set it on remote control and got back into Deathscythe. Trunks held onto a rung. "Just sit back, and let Space Hell take it from here." Ty said playfully into the mike. When they got back to the base, Dr. Jay examined Trunks for any side effects. Fortunately, there were none. Ty had gone to check on Heero. She came back a few hours later, her eyes looking frustrated. "I don't think that so far, anything I have done here has helped! I only got Trunks mad at me about the system, Heero in the infirmary, and Goku knocked out! Am I losing it or what?" She was talking to herself and examining all angles of the situation inside the lounge. She couldn't help it. "I don't think I should waste my time like this. I wonder if Mike needs help fixing the Gundams. Might as well check, right?" A shadow flickered across her path, but she didn't see anything. Thinking that her eyes were playing tricks on her, she shrugged and headed down to the Gundam hangar. She reached it and saw a shadow appear, then disappear. She grew wary, but still acted like she didn't care. She entered the Gundam hangar, and couldn't find Mike anywhere. She jabbed the intercom, and found it didn't work. She was starting to feel panic, but held it down within herself. She got into Deathscythe's cockpit, and found that nothing there worked, either. Frustrated, she yelled, "What the heck is going on here?" Her voice echoed eerily off the metal walls and suits. She grabbed her caster gun and put two shells in it. She walked through the weaving, intersecting paths of parts. She saw the shadow once more, and followed it at a run. It slowed down then sped up, almost like it wanted her to catch it. She finally cornered it in a dead end. Panting heavily after the long chase, she asked, "Who are you and where is everybody, and why doesn't anything work?" The shadow began to take human form, and Ty gasped. The figure was Cell. "Ha! You may think that your hero defeated me a while back, but I'm standing right here!" Ty gripped her caster gun and aimed it directly at Cell. "What are you planning on doing, shooting me with that little pea shooter? Take your best shot!" Ty hesitated a second, for she knew that two shots in a row could kill her, but they would definitely kill Cell. She pulled the trigger twice, and two, small black balls rushed out and formed one big one. The ball hit Cell, and sucked all the life force out of the android. Ty smiled as he disappeared. Then, she waited for what she knew was going to happen. Black electricity hit her, and she fell unconscious.

28

All the Z Warriors had been in the control room with Mike, reviewing the battle and debriefing. Gohan was listen intently, but then felt himself gradually losing interest. He figured he needed some air, so he quietly excused himself and stepped outside. He figured that he should find Ty, so he went to the lounge where she said she would be. All he found there was a half-drunk soda and nothing more. Something, he thought, doesn't seem right. I need my dad. He quickly returned to the debriefing room and found them watching a holofilm on the battle. Gohan had already figured that Lieutenant Noin didn't like him much, so it came as no surprise when she expressed her aggravation. "Listen! This isn't a drive through! You stay, or you go! Quit disrupting!" Gohan looked at her then asked his dad, "We're are able to sense kis, right? Isn't that what Ty said?" Goku nodded. "Well, can you sense Ty's ki?" Goku concentrated for a moment, then frowned. "No. I can't. Is she too far away?" Gohan shook his head. "She's got to be dead. She must stay dead for a while before she comes back alive." Trunks turned around. "Well, shouldn't we look for her? I mean, what if she is in a place that as soon as she comes back alive, she dies instantly?" Goku shook his head. "Then I doubt that we would do much good, as we probably couldn't do much to get her out of what ever is killing her." Vegeta spoke. "I think we should look for her. She's been really nice to all of us, and she has already saved our lives quit a few times. We should try to help, at least. That is, if it's all right with you, Lieutenant." Noin shivered at his arrogant tone. "Fine. Go to the second lounge. You'll find all the available Gundam pilots there." A voice spoke out behind Gohan and he felt a gun pressed to his back. "What have you done to my sister? Where is she? And why do you keep talking about her being dead? She can't die. She's immortal." Gohan froze, partly because Heero's voice startled and because he didn't really want him to shoot. "Heero, put the gun down. We haven't done anything to her. We were just wondering why we couldn't feel her ki." Goku hastily explained. Heero looked 100% better, so he was probably released from the infirmary. Heero grunted. "What's a ki?" Trunks answered, "It's a sense of a persons life force. We couldn't feel it. So that must mean she is either dead or so close that she might as well be." Heero put the gun back in his gun hostler. "Sorry, but I wasn't sure if I could trust you guys. I have already checked with a few soldiers. That last saw her headed down to the Gundam hangar. The other Gundam pilots are already there, all but Duo. He's almost fixed up though. C'mon. I think she's in there." Vegeta gave one last disgusted look at Noin, then followed the others. She sighed and exploded, "Men!" As the other Gundam pilots followed, Goku noticed a slight limp in Heero's pace. "Are you sure that you're okay? You're limping." Heero smiled at him, for the first time Goku had seen. "I'm fine. It's an old injury. If my sister hadn't of saved me, then I be leading you guys in a full body cast. Nope, I got this a few months ago. I was too busy working on my Gundam to notice a few hundred soldiers surround the forest I was in. Jess, or Ty, was coming and startled the soldiers, so they opened fire. They got me in the leg, and Ty pushed me into the cockpit and shut the door. Then they captured her because she gave up herself. I didn't realize it, but she had put Wing Zero on autopilot. I couldn't break the code, so it took me back to headquarters, which was located in the Saint Kingdom. I was treated and repaid her by helping her escape. Now, we work as a team. That is the best way Gundam pilots work." Goku smiled back, but muttered, "Maybe it's the best way family works." They had reached the hangar, and the others had noticed that her ki had gotten stronger. "She's in here alright. I can sense her." Trunks said. They saw the other Gundam pilots looking around. Quatre was looking in her Gundam. "She's been in her Gundam, but not for very long. I think that if she left to go somewhere, she would have told us." Trowa was looking at the schematics of the hangar. "According to this, the only place she could have gone is into the Labyrinth-like parts section. Mike, you keep a path through all that junk?" Mike nodded. Gohan walked over to the entrance and grunted. "I've got an idea. She said that we can sense kis, and dad, you learned to sense long- range kis to track down people. Why can't we use the same principal here?" Goku grunted and tried. "It's a good idea, but my powers are extremely limited. I'd say I'd have to be within 300 square meters to be able to sense her." Gohan was just about to suggest something when he felt Ty's ki drop sharply, then rise. "Well, she's back. And it seems she's walking toward us. I think we should meet her halfway in case she's injured." The others agreed and started walking to the center of the pile. They had gone no more than a few hundred feet or so when Vegeta felt her ki drop again. "I think she's injured. Otherwise her ki wouldn't be dropping and rising this way. But she must really be injured." At that second, a blinding light appeared in Gohan and Goku's mind. It showed Ty. Then they heard her voice. Help. Goku would've killed himself for the grief on Gohan's face.



29

Ty had felt the contact with Gohan and Goku's mind long enough to feel their emotions. She was thankful that, in the situation, their emotions were exaggerated. Meanwhile, Goku had told the others what happened. Goku then tried to lock on her ki and track her. "Don't worry, sis. I'm coming." Heero breathed. He took off with the others in hot pursuit. They came to a stop when the path forked. "Where's her ki?" Heero asked. When the other Gundam pilots questioned him, he quickly told them. The group went to the right. They were close, Gohan knew, when they came to an abrupt halt. Ty was slowly walking toward them; with every movement, black lightning shot around her body. She winced at each shock. She stopped when she saw them and smiled lovingly at Heero. "Glad you're all right. Sorry I couldn't do more, but..." She never finished as she finally gave in and fell to her knees. Heero ran forward and caught her before she could fall to the floor and laid her gently across his lap. Goku was frozen for a second, then ran forward. He looked her body over and saw no wounds of any kind. His eyes met Heero's, and they both looked toward her caster gun hostler and her shell holder. Her caster gun was missing, as were two shells. Gohan ran to the dead end and found her caster gun and the cartridges. He didn't know what Ty would need to shoot with it, but he knew it had to be big. He ran back just as he saw Heero jump up as a discovery was made on Ty's arm, which had been covered up by her CC jacket. "What the heck is that?" Heero asked. On her arm, just below her shoulder, was a sort of Chinese symbol that was glowing a soft blue light. A slow, wispy stream off smoke curled out of the sign and started to surround Ty. More smoke pooled out at a faster rate, and started to surround Ty, who was now talking in everybody's mind. Please do not be frightened. What will happen in a few moments will be a little dangerous, so please, move far away. Goku responded by grabbing Heero and Quatre, and the other fighters did the same. They flew back a hundred yards or so when the smoke was hammered away by a bright blue light. It shot toward the ceiling and ate away at a few pieces of cement. They showered down on the Z Warriors with the furry of a tsunami, when all became quiet. The spectators, who had shielded their eyes for the fallout, looked at Ty. She was floating in the middle of the bright blue light. The symbol increased it's light and Ty was washed by a beautiful blue water. A melodious voice mewed from out of nowhere. "What is thy desire? Why has the maiden returned? What is thy desire?" Ty's eyes opened, and she spoke softly in the same musical voice as the unknown speaker. "I am the maiden of the Galactic Layline. Anything you wish for with your heart will be done. You may ask for anything. This is my ultimate secret. The Galactic Layline has found me once more. And once more, I shall grant all of you anything within my powers." The group sat there, dumbfounded. Heero had no time making up his mind so he got to his feet and shouted, "If what you say is true, I want you to take the Wing Zero system out of Epyon and Wing Zero. It's caused too many deaths." Ty closed her eyes and then opened them. She mewed out, "Your request has been granted. The Wing Zero system lives no more. What are you others going to ask for?" Quatre got to his feet next. "My friend Trowa has lost about 90% of his memory. I know he wants it all, though. Please, can you restore his memories?" Ty smiled. "An unusual request, for one of yourself, it is not. Very well, it will be as you ask." Trowa's eyes blazed as a storm of memories flooded into his brain. He smiled at Ty. "I'd like to repay my friend. His friends and as they called themselves, his servants, were killed a little while back. He greatly misses Rachid, the guerilla leader. Can you restore their lives and their own suits?" Ty smiled at him, too. "So many unusual requests. Normally, I am made to grant wishes for selfish people. Yes, this wish is also within my powers." She closed her eyes once more and said. "Very well, the guerilla team is alive, as are their suits." Wufei stood up next. "Allow me to undo the mistake I made in the past when I first started to fight with Nitaku." Ty closed her eyes. "This request, the Galactic Layline will permit, but I will not. Your master died for you to use his death as a lesson. But if you totally wish it, I shall." Wufei said, "No, I trust your judgment. Let me ask for this instead. Please, give me the ability to always see the enemy." Ty smiled. "A selfish request, it is not. You don't want to harm those you don't have to." Wufei was surrounded by a blue light and nodded. "I see." Then, it was the Z Warriors turns. "Z Warriors, you have fought all your life. I believe that you should request something that will make your life a tiny bit easier in the future. That was a suggestion, only." Gohan gritted his teeth, and even though he knew what to ask for, he burned with curiosity to know what the other's requests were going to be. Trunks took a deep breath and stood up. "I would like to request Duo Maxwell completely healed, and out of his coma he just fell into." Ty showed her happiness by a blue light display. "Thank you. It shall be as you ask." At that second, Duo woke up. Changing into his old clothes, he asked himself, "What the heck am I doing in the infirmary?"

30

While Duo was wondering what the heck was going on, Ty was granting the Z Warriors requests. She spoke in her melodious voice again. "Piccolo Daimo, Prince Vegeta, Son Goku, Son Gohan, I shall grant your requests now." Goku stood, and put his big goofy smile on his face. "Well, Chi-Chi never really likes it when I drive, and she's always wanted to be able to fly, so can you enable her to fly? Oh, and make sure she knows how to use it so I don't have to teach her?" Ty smiled as well. "Yes, I can grant both." She closed her eyes, and back on Earth, Chi-Chi went out to fly some errands with Goten. "What are thy desires?" Piccolo, who had barely said anything from the time they got there, said, "King Kai has been pestering all of us about his house that Goku blew up, and he and his pets really want to be wished back. Can you bring back their lives, while restoring hiss planet and house?" Again, Ty smiled. "Done. He is alive, as is Bubbles and Gregory. Their house and planet has also been restored. Prince Vegeta, what is thy desire?" Vegeta sweat some, then said, "My entire life, I've lived in the past. I've always believed that whatever happens, I will win because I am the Prince of the Royal Saiyan family. No matter hard I act, I never win in my mind. Please, I don't want to remember the past of my life. I want to forget it all, and be who I really want to be." Ty smiled. "I was hoping it was something like that. Trunks, I know, has wanted a real father who didn't think about killing Son Goku all the time for his entire life. Very well. Step into the light." Vegeta hesitated a second, then walked into the streaming blue mist. He was immediately raised to where Ty was floating. "Relax and close your eyes." Vegeta obeyed. Ty placed her hands on Vegeta's shoulders. A red light shone on Vegeta. A second later, he opened his eyes and smiled at Ty. "Thanks." He was lowered and stepped out of the light. Ty turned toward Gohan and said, "What is thy wish, Son Gohan?" Gohan closed his eyes, took a deep breath and asked, "What is going to happen as soon as we are done with our requests?" Ty shifted her head, then said, "I must go along with the Galactic Layline and stay there forever. I was made immortal for that reason." Gohan opened his eyes. "Fine. If the Galactic Layline will permit it, I would like you to stay with me and my friends." Ty closed her eyes and frowned. "That request is hard to grant, but it shall be as you ask." She opened her eyes and smiled. "Now, I have three requests that I am allowed to make on my own. First, I wish that the maiden of the Galactic Layline was taken out of me." The light intensified dramatically, and Vegeta shielded Trunks from the rays of ultraviolet light. Trunks was so glad to have a father. Then, a figure that looked exactly like Ty was floating in front of her. She smiled at it. "Next, I wish that this maiden was a human being, free to roam for the rest of her life." The twin smiled at her, then disappeared. Ty smiled. "Now, with my last request of the Galactic Layline, I want to request that I was not immortal!" The light intensified again, and a minute later, Ty was standing on the ground, bathed in a white rain of sparks. She smiled. "With that last request, I am no longer responsible for the Galactic Layline. I am Terysa Zea, and Jessica Saxon. I am not the maiden of the Galactic Layline." Her jacket had been ripped off, and where the Chinese symbol had been, stood a Chinese tattoo. Then, she collapsed to the floor. The blue light that had been surrounding them was gone, and Gohan ran up to Ty. He was grateful she had stayed. But they still had to clear up a certain subject. He gently hit Ty's head against his knee. "Ty, wake up." A sound skittered behind them and Heero saw Duo walking toward them. He looked around and asked, "What's going on? Did I miss anything special?" Quatre clapped him on the back and said, "Too bad, you would have wanted Hilde to be alive, wouldn't you?" Duo looked at him with pain, and said, "Yeah, I wish Hilde was alive." A blue light surrounded Duo, and a second later, Hilde was standing beside him. Duo was hysterical. "What the heck is going on?!? You were killed days ago! You were blasted into space by a group of Virgo troops!" The other Gundam pilots looked at Ty and saw that, for the last time, the Galactic Layline had worked it's magic. The tattoo stopped glowing and disappeared. Ty still wouldn't wake up and Gohan gently picked her up and started for the door to the Gundam Hangar. Mike was waiting for them, and was confused at what had gone on, but never asked any questions. That is, until he saw Ty. He ran up to them and said, "What have you done to her? Is she alive? What happened?" Trunks held Mike back as he struggled to get to Ty. "She'll be all right. She just needs a little rest, that's all." Trunks soothed. Mike began to settle down, and his eyes welled up with tears when he saw that two of her caster shells were missing. After Gohan put her on her bed in her quarters, he took Mike aside to ask him a few questions. "Okay, let's get something straight. My friends and I would never do anything to hurt Ty. She has been too good to us for us. But why are you so protective of her in the first place?" Mike looked away and answered, "She's my mom."

31

Gohan felt his heart shatter. He knew that he could never love her. All that she had told him was a lie, unless... "What do you mean?" Mike sighed. "Okay. It started out when she went to go save the colony I was at from Treize when he was trying to take over the colonies. She had to get out of Deathscythe so she could stop the ground troops. She managed to, and jumped in front of a shot that was intended for me." Gohan felt a glimmer of hope. "You mean, she's not your biological mother?" Mike smiled. "No! She's my adoptive mother. My real mom was killed in the siege. But she adopted me, and trained me in the trials of her life so I wouldn't make the same mistake twice. She taught me all about mechanic drives and Gundams. I miss her in the times she's gone. But she even pays me allowance if I do a good job on her Gundam. She was just calling it a salary because I don't think she wanted to tell to you right then." Gohan was beginning to realize why she trusted him so much. But he wanted to be sure, so he asked, "Why does she trust you so much?" Mike answered by pulling up his pant leg and showing Gohan a small circle on his leg. "I took a shot for her. I trust her with my life, she trusts me with her life. It's all just a symbiotic relationship between us." Gohan laughed and took him out. He went to talk to his father, who was shocked at first, but then quickly realized everything was all right. After Gohan got something to eat, he went back to Ty's room. He sat down in a chair and started to doze off. In his dream, he was sitting exactly where he was, but instead, he had his powers back. The clock showed 12:36. Gohan woke all of a sudden, and glanced at the clock. It was 12:35. Ty was still sleeping peacefully, but she stirred now and then. As soon as the clock turned 12:36, Gohan tried to turn Super Saiyan, and succeeded. He was shocked, but figured that maybe Ty had wished something like this if she had an extra wish. Or maybe it had to do with whatever she shot with her caster gun. Gohan didn't know, and teleported himself to his dad's quarters. He smiled. "We've got our powers back." Goku was surprised and quickly turned Super Saiyan. Back in the others quarters, Vegeta was talking to Trunks and found he could turn Super Saiyan. They hadn't learned the extended period form that the other two had, so they quickly powered down, and went to go talk to the other Super Saiyans. "So, it seems we have our powers back. Do you think Ty had something to do with this?" Trunks asked. "No clue, whatsoever. I guess we'll have to wait until she wakes up. And by the way, she's Mike's adoptive mother." Goku said, smiling. Gohan had gone back to Ty's room to wake her up. First, he just tired to speak to her. When that didn't work, he shook her shoulders, saying, "Ty, Ty wake up, it's me Gohan." After about five minutes, she finally woke up. She opened her eyes and blinked to try to clear the haze before her. She groaned and sat up. She was confused. "Where's Cell? Is he dead? What happened to the Galactic Layline? What's going on?" she asked Gohan. But he had stopped listening at the first sentence. "Ty, tell me what you meant by the first sentence." She looked at him like he had grown another tail. "W-h-e-r-e I-s- C-e-l-l?" she spelled out carefully. But he still didn't seem to understand. "What, you mean I didn't tell you? Where was I? What was I thinking and... Oh." She said, and everything began to fall into place. "Let me guess. The Galactic Layline is gone, and Cell is too. We've got our powers back, and I get to stay here with you!" she said, smiling at the unintended rhyme. Gohan let her wake up, then asked, "Do you know why we have our powers back?" Ty said, "The best theory that I have is that when Cell came to this dimension, he somehow broke that barrier. Other than that, I don't know." Gohan nodded then took her to his dad's room. Goku leaned back and said, "So Ty, how are you feeling?" Ty smiled. "Great. Why wouldn't I be?" Vegeta, for maybe the first time in his life, was speechless. "You mean you don't remember anything?" Ty's smile vanished as she thought. "No. All I can remember is shooting Cell with two of my caster cartridges in my caster gun, then saying the 'Galactic Layline' quite a few times, and your names. What's happened?" she asked, putting on her winning smile. Trunks was nervous. "Okay, you can be your usual, and sober, self for just a minute. It would put my mind at ease." Ty stopped smiling. "You mean I'm never like this?" Gohan knew something was wrong. "Okay, Ty. What is your Gundam's name?" Ty looked confused. "What the heck is a Gundam?" Gohan shook his head. Ty clutched her head for a second and whispered. "Whoa, having total de ja vue here! Man, what's going on?" Goku was confused now. "What the heck is 'de ja vue'?" Ty looked at him and said, "As far as I an remember, it's when you have a feeling that you have felt, done, said or heard something in the exact same order." Vegeta asked, "So, what are you having de ja vue on?" Ty thought for a moment, then said, "I just had the feeling I had when one of my friends- True, Trace, someone like that- lost his memory, except it was a little different." Gohan asked, "How?" Ty turned a little sober. "Instead of feeling the same pain and fear, anger and surprise, I felt a little self-pity in there." Heero, who had heard everything from the door, walked in and said," You have temporary amnesia."

32

Everyone was surprised at Heero's sudden appearance, especially Ty. She jumped back and went into a stiff fighting stance. "Who are you?" she demanded harshly. Heero inhaled sharply and took a tentative step backwards. "Jess? What are you doing? I'm your brother, remember? You couldn't have lost that much of your memory." Ty didn't relax her position. "Sorry, doesn't ring any bells. But then again," she added, "I guess I'm not the most reliable source to consult." Dropping her guard, she ran her fingers through her hair and slumped in a chair, exasperated. "I don't understand. If I have temporary amnesia, then why do I only remember you guys?" she asked aloud, indicating the Z Warriors. Trunks had a theory. "Hey, since Gohan was the first person you saw, then maybe you only got those memories back. Which means something bad is going to happen." Goku looked at him, startled. "Why would you say that?" Trunks glanced back. "Well, it seems that not everything is settled here, in this dimension, yet. But in her condition, I don't think that she is going to be able to fix whatever she needs to, and her subconscious won't let her go back to her memories of here until she fixes whatever she needs to fix." Gohan had gotten a little confused. "Is that explanation of your theory available in plain English, or do we have to change fights in Denver?" Gohan asked. Trunks sighed and smiled. "Plain and simple: We can't go back until she gets her memories of this life back." Then it was Goku's turn to be exasperated. "Which means we may be stuck here for a very long time." The tension in he room started to rise as an eerie silence fell over the silent figures. Everyone was startled when Ty stood up and said, "Well, I think I'll go now." Gohan stepped in her way. "Where to? If you have no memories of this place, you might get lost." Heero placed his hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Let her go. I think Duo will find her and I want to talk to you guys." Sighing, Gohan stepped out of Ty's way, who disappeared through the door. As soon as she left, Heero went and punched Gohan in the chest. Without blinking, Gohan asked, "What the heck was that for?" Heero backed off with his mouth open. "No way! I hit you hard enough to send you flying across the room!" Tension fell over the room once more. Seeking to ease it, Goku got up and pushed Gohan into a wall hard enough to nock out a few pieces of steel. Heero's mouth opened even further. Gohan turned around and tapped his dad so that he flew into the opposite wall. Flying out of the room, he yelled, "Tag! You're it!" Smiling, Goku pushed Vegeta, who went over and pushed his son into another wall. Trunks pulled himself out of the wall and flew out the door after Goku, Gohan and Vegeta. Heero just stood there like an idiot, looking at the human imprints in the steel wall. Then he ran after them. He saw them and shouted, "Hey! Stop for a minute!" Responding to his shouted request, the Z Warriors slowed down and waited for Heero to catch up with them. He looked at them and asked, "Did you guys say that you could fight? Like martial arts." Gohan took a quick glance at his father before answering, "Yeah, we all can because we fight to protect Earth in our own dimension." Heero looked relieved. "Good. I want to ask you a favor. Can you teach me everything you know about martial arts?" Trunks was kinda taken aback by this request, because even though he had known Heero only a short time, he had come to know him as a person who didn't like to ask for favors. Goku looked at Trunks, Vegeta, and Gohan each in turn. Receiving nods from each of them, he nodded to Heero as well. "All right, when do you want to start?" Heero had anticipated this question. "As soon as possible. I want to learn how to fend for myself better without Zero at my command." Goku scratched his head and said, "Well, what do you say, guys? We have a clear schedule, and not much to do around here." Trunks smiled. "Sure, why not? But we'll go easy so that we won't hurt you." Heero immediately agreed, his mind drifting back to the human imprints in the room they had left only a minute ago. After Heero had changed into some more comfortable clothes, they all met in the main Gundam Hangar, which was empty because all the Gundams were being repaired in the Auxiliary Hangar. First, the group of five, because Piccolo was meditating in his room, started out with your basic blocks. At first, Heero was apprehensive to having four people looking at him, teaching him, and correcting him. In a word, he wasn't used to it. After the others started to joke around and show that they didn't mind teaching him, though, he became less tense. Because he was good at mimicry, he could normally copy the punch, block, or stance that the others were showing him. Before the group's first break, Heero had learned about twenty different moves, and had made up a few that had caught the others off-guard. Though there was one problem, he wasn't all too great at blocks. As a result, he discovered muscles he had never known existed in his body. Sometimes, he started to worry about his sister and her safety. During one practice session, he let his mind wander to the subject that Trunks had tried to explain earlier. "... her subconscious won't let her go back to her memories of here until she fixes whatever she needs to fix." At that second, something that Heero had read that morning fell into place with what Trunks had described. He knew her mission.

33

Sure, Heero had figured it all out, but not before Trunks' fist came in contact with his stomach. Feeling the overwhelming pain in his gut, he doubled over. Goku ran up to him and said, "Ya' know, you were supposed to block that." Heero looked up to smile faintly, and then felt suddenly dizzy. Sensing his head was spinning, Goku put a supportive hand on his shoulder hand helped him to his feet. As soon as the pain had subsided enough to let him talk, Heero burst out, "Goku! I know what Ty, or Jess, has to do to get her memories back!" The others, interested by this gush of information from Heero, crowded around the two. As soon as his gut stopped pounding, Heero started. "Okay, don't tell Noin, but I hack into any system file I don't have access to. I was doing my weekly sweep of hacking when I came across this file that had ten passwords to get into it. I was curious at what could be so secretive to be under such protection, so after a few hours, I opened all ten locks. The only icon I could find was a big L. It was quite interesting because it is the same symbol that is used by the unknown attackers in mobile dolls." Heero paused for a breath, then went on. "The power's name is LIEN. In the file, I discovered a lot of e-mail messages from Jose Gonzales, a technician that worked his way up to the highest position available, mission technician, in three years, while it took normally five years for someone of his low caliber to do that. I've had my eye on him lately, so the fact that the technician files I hack into normally have his name mentioned the most doesn't really surprise me." Again, a pause for air, but then more information. "The lot of the e-mails stated things that I had no clue as what they meant. They normally said things like "...what should we do to the person involved?" and "... how should we get rid of the material?" All of the messages start out with LIEN and end with Jose. But Jose can't be talking to the entire LIEN power. I think he has one main boss. I think I'll show you what I mean instead of explain it." Heero finally stopped talking and pulled a small disk out of a concealed pocket in his belt. Trunks put it in the mainframe that Heero had slowly been leading them to. After making sure the line wasn't tapped, Heero entered the passwords needed to open the file and stepped back to let the eager figures read the latest letter written to LIEN.







LIEN,

The plan we spoke of yesterday is going according to plan, so far. The girl involved has received the plans and understands her mission, even though she's following orders under false pretense. She still assumes that the cell bomb will give her five minutes to escape instead of the actual thirty seconds. As you requested, I told her that there is hazardous material in the core instead of the truthful Gundanium alloy that could be useful to her. The plan will commence in five days at 06:30 hours. Sir, I really think that we should tell her it's a suicide mission. José



As the four shocked fighters found themselves unable to speak, Heero broke the silence, saying, "As you can see, José Gonzales and his boss mean business. At first, I suspected Noin was in on this. This theory was shot out the window by the fact that she is leaving in a shuttle in four hours." Gohan read the message again to make sure he had read it right the first time, and to his dismay, he had. "So what makes you so sure that she isn't meeting up with someone else once she leaves the colony?" he asked, checking the message again. Heero sighed. "I looked over the other messages and came across the name 'Tahiny' several times. I decided that they must mean the Tahiny Asteroid at the other side of the moon. Because Jose sent this e-mail three days ago, it would mean that this event is going to happen in two days. Guess where my sister is going in two days." Goku was afraid to answer that, but said, "The moon?" Heero grimaced. "She's scheduled to patrol the moon's dark side in two days at about midnight, and she's asked for four to seven off, which was approved. I thought this was strange because she loves going on patrol, so that's why I remember that detail so well." Just as Heero closed down the file, a description came up that he hadn't noticed before. Pushing Trunks aside he read the label: Military Personnel Only, Confidential. Curious, Heero opened the file. It showed an instant message conversation between José and Ty. Heero read it very quickly and carefully.



Jessica: What do you want now?

José: My boss told me that you have uncovered too much of our slave camps. You snooped too far. Now you have to go on that mission to Tahiny indefinitely.

Jessica: Why?

José: You know that large meteorite that is stationary on this side of the moon?

Jessica: Yes. What about it?

José: We've equipped it with a blaster cannon about four more times powerful than the White Fang's blaster ship, Lebra. If you do not accept and fulfill your mission objectives, we will destroy the colony that your family and friends reside on. So, do we have a deal?

Jessica: You're a sick maniac, has anyone ever told you that?

José: Yes, and thanks for the compliment. Do we have a deal?

Jessica: Alright, alright, just don't destroy the colony. How many minutes will the cell bomb give me to escape?

José: Five minutes. I will be ready to give you the cell bomb thirty minutes before your mission. Good luck, and you had better come back alive, or else...

TRANSMISSION INTERUPTED

INSTANT MESSAGE CANCELED



This time, it was Heero's turn to be dumbfounded. He quickly let the others in on the message and the new information. Then he sent a message to Noin and Zechs, with the message in tow. He couldn't have timed it better, because at that very second he was done, Ty came walking into the hangar wearing her training clothes. Her face wore a rugged expression. She walked straight up to Gohan and unraveled her tail from her waist. This was an ancient challenge between Saiyan fighters, which signified that if Gohan unraveled his tail from his waist, they would fight a training, but serious, battle with no rules. Slowly, as the others backed off, Gohan met Ty's hardened gaze and let his tail uncurl from his waist. It was time to see what the two had learned. Goku and Vegeta knew that this was going to be good.

34

While everyone else hurried to the sidelines, Heero just stood and looked at these two people, facing off, tails twitching with their eagerness to begin the battle. Gohan's brown tailed was curled in a small 'S' shape behind him, twitching every few seconds. Ty's pure white tail was dancing around like a cat, not having any particular shape, or form. Just as Heero was beginning to see the fondness in the eyes of the Saiyans, Vegeta flew out to the arena and pulled him to the side. Vegeta smiled at him and said, "A tip: Stay out of a Saiyan's way if you want to live." Heero slightly smiled and looked back out at the fighters who were starting to power up. As they reached their peak power, cracks appeared in the supposedly indestructible steel and gundanium alloy floor. Heero had never seen a real power up or fight, so he was quite surprised when yellow auras started to glow around their bodies. As their emotions raged with the thoughts of the day gone and the fight ready to begin, the auras kept changing colors, from red, to blue, to green, to yellow, to white; every color Heero had seen in a rainbow once on Earth before he had been reassigned to the colony Ty was on. As their eyes turned gold with the power up complete, everybody found themselves basking in complete awe. Soon, after the power up was complete, Ty and Gohan fell into fighting stances with their hair shimmering and eyes glowing. A split second later, they were up in the air, punching, kicking, and blocking for all it's worth. Each kick was met with another, each blow met with another or a block. After about five minutes, the two Saiyans landed on the ground, only slightly winded. Ty aimed a sudden punch at Gohan, who grabbed it, and with his free hand, threw a punch back at her, who caught it as well. Then, interlocking fingers, they started to power up and push against the other as hard as they could. The power auras ate a good-sized crater into the floor of the hangar. After a few seconds, they both flew out of the now ten foot deep crater. By now, this had attracted quite a lot of attention, and a fair sized crowd of mechanics and the other pilots, including the Gundam pilots, Noin, Zechs, and Treize, started to build up at the hangar door. After the crater struggle, both warriors had lost a little more breath than anticipated, but were still able to go on, indefinitely. Ty, however, had noticed the crowd. After allowing Noin, Zechs, Treize, Quatre, Wufei, Trowa and Duo in during a quick 'time- out', she slid the heavy doors shut and the two fighters resumed their battle. Noin rushed over to Heero and asked, "What are they doing? Are they planning on destroying this entire place?" Heero smiled at her. "No. They're just training. This is just a training battle. Obviously Ty doesn't want her skills to get rusty." Noin was furious. "Well, unless they go to a less expensive colony, I'm afraid it's going to have to stop!" Just as she took a few feet onto the arena, Ty looked at her with glowing gold eyes. She was in a fighting rage, and every fighter there knew it. She stared at Noin and said, "Look, I don't mean to be going off rank here, but this isn't going to stop until one of us is KO. We started a fight, and we are going to finish it. I don't really want you to get hurt, Lieutenant, so step back off the arena, please." Noin was startled by the aura, just as Heero had been, so she silently and quickly obeyed. Heero asked, "Why are you here?" Noin sighed, and replied, "My fight was canceled after this all started. Its okay, it wasn't that important anyway." As soon as Noin had stepped back, Ty assumed a fighting stance and asked Gohan, "Ready?" With a quick smile, they were off and fighting so fast that not even the most experienced fighters, Goku and Vegeta, could see them. They took that time to answer any questions the newcomers might have. Treize had been silently watching what he could of the fight. "She's gotten a lot better. She isn't as fooled by normal tricks as she was the last time she was here. She totaled that trainer simulator, though, remember, Zechs?" Smiling, Zechs spoke out in a smooth voice. "Yes, I remember. That thing took a chunk out of our funding for some of our missions, though it wasn't her fault the designers couldn't make it so it matched her speed." Heero decided to take that time to tell the other Gundam pilots about José and LIEN, but before he could, Gohan came crashing to the ground. He lay there, not moving, and appeared to be unconscious. Ty landed several feet away from him and eyed him warily. She knew he wasn't unconscious. His hair was still gold; he was still in Super Saiyan form. She smiled and said, "Nice try, but I've learned from several simulations that if you are still in Super Saiyan form, you can't be unconscious, but I'll give you an A+ for a valiant effort." When Gohan still didn't move or make a reply, she grew a little concerned. Crossing the distance, she stopped just a few inches away from him and looked at Goku, who shrugged and looked just as confused as she felt. Stooping, she rolled him over on his back and propped his head against her leg. Yep, there was no doubt about it. He was unconscious. She quickly powered down and laid him back down on the floor. She stood up and told the fighters, "Well, he's out. How the heck can he be unconscious and be in Super Saiyan form?" Trunks said, "Maybe, since he can be in Super Saiyan form all the time, he's learned how to whenever he is unconscious." Ty sighed. "Well, it's a sound theory, but I think that if he learned something that was as good as that, he would have told us. So, I think I won, and we'll find out the rest of the story as soon as he wakes up."

35

After the battle, Ty decided to stay in Super Saiyan for a while to see what the other pilots and what her superiors would say. As she expected, they followed her to Gohan's room, and back out. For one, they were amazed at her hair. As soon as the door was closed, Heero stepped up to her and said, "What did you do to your hair?" Ty smiled and said, "Nothing. Why do you ask?" Heero stuttered, "Well, its... its just... gold! Your hair was beautiful black, you know." Ty smiled. "Thanks for the compliment. But maybe I should explain. Whenever you see my hair gold, it means I'm in Super Saiyan form. Whenever you see my hair black, it means I am in just plain Saiyan form. Does that clear up some stuff? Oh, and if you are wondering how I was able to carry Gohan without even looking fatigued, all you have to do is ask for a demonstration, and I'll show you because I have gotten a lot stronger ever since I left." With that, she powered down completely, and her hair turned black again. Smiling a sad smile at the confused pilots, she shoved her hands in her pockets and headed toward her room. She stopped when she heard Wufei ask, "Hey, I'd like a good demonstration, if that is all right with you." Ty nodded, and walked over to a wall. She asked Trowa, "How far do you think I can go through this wall?" Trowa, who was still a little shocked, said, "Oh, I think about ten feet." She smiled and quickly demolished the thirty-foot thick wall with one tap of her finger. Noin shouted, "Hey! You're going to have to repair or replace that!" Ty asked, "Where do you keep your steel and gundanium alloy?" Noin pointed to a nearby shed. By the time she had looked at the door, it was already open and Ty was already out. Standing in the center of the junk, she used her powers to lift the items far above their heads. The others, all but Heero, backed off. He smiled at them and said, ""So, you guys don't completely trust her, do you?" Trowa answered, "Oh, I trust her, alright, but what I don't trust is the ton of junk floating above our heads." By the time he was finished, Ty had rebuilt the wall and asked Heero, "Can I talk to you. We probably won't be back for a while. I was going to take you to the city. In fact, why don't you all come?" Noin, Zechs, and Treize looked at each other, then nodded their heads to Ty. She smiled back and closed her eyes and concentrated. A second later, everybody was levitated in the air, Ty opened her eyes and joined them. She said, "Now you guys can fly as long as I'm in this dimension. Just don't get too carried away." With that, Ty led Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, Noin, Zechs, and Treize through the passageways to the city in the heart of the colony. With a little help from the other Gundam pilots, she arrived in the busy and large metropolis. Deciding to have a little fun, the group followed Ty on a little loop-de-loop follow the leader situation. She led them through narrow alleys, amusement parks, and they had quite a good time. When it came time to rest, her superiors expressed their gratitude with her little gift she had given them. Silently, as Ty messed around with the Z Warriors, Heero led Noin, Zechs, and Treize to a balcony beyond the other group's hearing range. Heero sighed and asked, "Well, did you get my message?" The others stared at him blankly. "What message?" Zechs asked. Heero's jaw dropped, and what had happened suddenly came to him. He closed his eyes with realization. "No. He intercepted the message! He knows that I know and that the other fighters know now! Blast! Man, where're gonna' fry for this!" A cocked gun broke off the rest of his remark. José stood there, holding a .44 caliber pistol pointed straight at Heero's chest. "Excellent for you to pick up on those e-mails so quickly, Heero Yuy. I was afraid you would send them to the authorities, so I blocked the outgoing messages for a week, because I knew that sooner or later, you were going to find out." Treize looked from the pistol, to Heero, and back to the pistol, asking, "Okay, what are you guys talking about?" Heero stared straight at José. "He runs slave camps in this colony, and Jess found out. Then he decided to get rid of her by forcing her to go on a suicide mission. If she doesn't survive, this place is history, courtesy of a high-powered beam cannon in a stationary meteorite. At least, those were the plans before now, right, José?" José grinned. "Alas, Sherlock figured it out all too late. But that doesn't matter now. As long as you three and Jess die, no one else will ever know." Heero smiled and said, "Wrong. There are four other people, besides us, that know. That makes seven in all." José's eyes widened in surprise, then he gritted his teeth and said, "Wrong, now only six people know!" Then, he pulled the trigger. The bullet lashed out of the gun and headed straight for Heero. It hit him on his left side of his chest, just above his heart. The blast knocked Heero over the balcony railing and sent him plunging to the depths of the street. Just as José started to smirk, he was knocked unconscious by Ty, who then blindly rushed over the edge of the building, flying with all her strength to be able to try to reach Heero before he hit the ground. She saw Heero's body and turned Super Saiyan, while trying to be as aerodynamic as possible. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she reached Heero.

36

The others, who had heard the gunshot, quickly ran to the balcony. The Z team got there first, thanks to their super speed and reflexes. Ty got there first and she knocked out a man who had a gun. The rest of them arrived just in time to see Ty jump off the balcony. Instructing the others to stay there, Goku and Vegeta also jumped off the balcony. They could see Ty flying in Super Saiyan form after her brother. They turned Super Saiyan as well and managed to gain a little ground, but not much. Just as the street was fifty meters below them and only five meters below Ty, she finally caught Heero. Slowing down, she landed on the ground with Heero cradled in her arms. She went down to one knee and began a quick probe of his wound. Goku and Vegeta landed beside her, and heard her mutter, "I had better take him back up to the balcony." She gathered him in her arms and flew up again. Goku and Vegeta followed, and Goku knew why she wanted to go up to the balcony. Already, a large crowd was watching them ascend. Once on the balcony, Duo ran over and said, "What happened to Heero?" Ty answered without looking up, "He was shot by a .44 caliber pistol. Did you secure that man?" Duo nodded, then realizing she wasn't looking at him, said, "Yeah, we got him." Ty was about to heal Heero when Goku asked, "Should you take out the bullet so that it doesn't cause an infection?" Ty said, "Hey, yeah. Thanks. I guess it would be bad if he had a bullet in him when I healed him." Ty gently pried out the bullet from the inch deep hole in his chest, then Goku watched as Ty started to glow and healed Heero, but he was still knocked out. Ty murmured, "Must be loss of blood." Then she checked his pulse. He was fine. Ty then stood up and walked over to where José was laying, fully conscious now. No one could tell her expression because some of her hair had fallen into her face. She used some telekinetic energy to rip Jose's gun out of Wufei's hand. He gasped, but quickly fell silent. The gun flew to Ty's waiting hand. Turning it over and over in her hand, she examined the weapon that he had used to shoot her brother. Ty used her tail to flick her hair out of her face, and her eyes were filled with deadly intent. "You know, as I heard Heero and you talking, I realized that I didn't have temporary amnesia; all I did was lock those memories away because I was scared at what my mission was. I guess all I thought about was myself. But now it's different." Using a small ki blast, she cut José's bonds of rope. They fell to his feet. He rubbed his hands and looked at Ty with fear reflecting in his eyes. She walked slowly toward him, and he backed away with each step she took. Soon, she had him cornered in the same corner he had shot Heero. She cocked the gun, but kept it pointed at the ground. José started to sweat when he saw how high they were. Ty said, "You know, I found that the humans have quite a few good lessons that they are taught as they mature. And one that dates back all the way to the beginning of their time, that is used in situations such as this, is a saying; 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." What do you think, José Gonzales?" Before he could reply, she fired the gun straight at his chest. It hit him in the exact same place the bullet José had fired at Heero had hit. Clutching his wound, he tumbled over the balcony railing, leaving a red streak directly beside Heero's own blood streak. Duo yelled, "Now what'd you do that for? He could have led us to LIEN!" Ty answered by crushing the gun in her hand, leaving nothing but a pile of metal. Goku knew he had to act fast and yelled, "Is this what your parents would have wanted you to become? Did they want you to become a cold-blooded killer?" Ty was startled at this and thought back to the images of her parent's smiling faces. She smiled a little before answering, "No." Then, leaning up against the railing, she smiled and said, "Bottoms up!" and fell over the side like a scuba diver. José, who was flapping his arms like a bird in an attempt to fly and above all, screaming like an egotistical maniac, was dropping slower than Ty, because he had his arms and legs apart, trying to act like a parachute. Ty was just going headfirst, arms at her side, and legs together. With a little burst of power, she caught up to José and said, "You are lucky I have sensible friends." She grabbed one of his wrists and flew back up to the balcony. Dropping him on it about ten feet up, she landed and used a bit of telekinetic power to rip the bullet out of José's chest. She quickly healed him and leaned against a wall, folded her arms across her chest, and watched with silent amusement at José trying to regain his composure. Once he had straightened his tie, he said, "I hope you know this means you are not going on the mission, Jess." Ty felt a teardrop form on the back of her head and said, "What do you mean?" José shuffled and said, "Well, the cell bomb dropped out of my pocket on your little courtesy roller coaster ride. It fell on the street." Ty was immediately about to go find it, but José said, "Oh, don't worry, it's disabled; it can't go off." Just then a large explosion rocked the ground beneath them, and the hotel they were standing on began to tilt and wobble. Duo looked hard at José, then slowly said, "DO-NOT-BELIEVE-IT!" Just as they were about to try to save as many people as possible, the building stopped rocking and Ty leaned over the edge. Gohan was pushing against the edge of the building. Seeing Ty, he yelled, "I could use a little help! This thing is a tiny bit heavier than it seems!" Smiling, Ty jumped and joined him. Then, as Ty and Gohan held the building, Goku and Vegeta worked together and sealed the bottom. Ty commented, "It sure is nice to see them work together for a change." Gohan nodded his head. After the hotel had been secured, the Gundam pilots, Ty's superiors, and the Z Team went and helped to save people from the explosion and the ashen debris.

37



After about ten hours, everyone who had been involved in the explosion had been rescued and had been given immediate First Aid. In the confusion, however, the group had lost track of José. The group's strongest took the direct approach to rescue people; they normally used small blasts to blow away chunks of concrete and rock or they lifted large pieces using Ty's telekinetic powers or pure strength. Right as they were getting done, a little action started. Vegeta and Mike, who had come right after the explosion, were getting an old couple out from under an overhanging chunk of building material when it suddenly started to collapse above them. The three, two old, one young, ducked and waited for the end. Vegeta, however, put a protective shield around them and watched as the block disintegrated around them. That was about all the action they got. Ty, Gohan, and Goku had worked the hardest out of all of them, and Heero, who had waken up shortly after the blast, caught the trio yawning their weariness. He waited until they had finished leveling the part of the city they were working on so that it would be easier for people to walk on the debris. Then he carefully approached them, and placed his hand of Ty's shoulder, causing her to jump. Looking at Goku and her, he asked them with a hard expression, "And exactly how long have you two been awake and working?" Ty looked at Goku, then back at her brother and said, "Oh, I would guess about thirty-six to forty-eight hours. Why?" she asked, yawning again. Heero then looked at Gohan and said, "And you've worked just as hard as these two?" Gohan stuttered, "We... well... we all worked about the same, so I guess you're right." Heero pointed his finger to the military section and said, "Get to bed, all three of you! You guys are amazing, but even I know that you guys are accidents waiting to happen! Now go!" Grateful for the excuse to leave, the three didn't argue. Ty knew that the others, just as she had, had barely been able to make it to their rooms, let alone their beds. In the Son room, Goku crawled onto one bed, Gohan on the next, and fell asleep without changing their clothes or getting under the covers. Goten walked into the room and fell onto the third double bed about an hour later. In Ty's room, it was the same story. She fell asleep on top of the covers without changing her clothes. She fell asleep on her stomach, and her tail lay motionless on her back. The only thing she was able to think before drifting to sleep was, "Darn it! José Gonzales got away and he and his boss know we know about their slave camps!" But then, nothing but a dream- filled, undisturbed, well-deserved slumber. At least, that was the way it was for about six hours. Ty was then awakened to a high pitched alarm with people running in the hallways, red lights flashing, and orders and commands being shot out faster than a bullet. At first, Ty was so tired and grumpy that she pulled her pillow over her head and tried her best to ignore the interruption. After a few minutes, however, someone came silently into her room. But by that time, Ty had somehow managed to fall back asleep. As the automatic door slid quietly behind the visitor, a light from the flashing alarms showed Noin's face in the semi-darkness, who was carrying a steaming cup of fresh black coffee. Ty had put her pillow in it's proper place again before falling asleep. Noin sighed and took a good long look at her sleeping form. Sighing softly, she said in a whisper, "Those Saiyans. You can have them work for two days straight, while they are trying to save two dimensions, where they are taught in both to be perfect killing machines, and while they sleep, though, they look as peaceful and surreal as angels. Man, these guys are awesome, yet I feel sorry for Ty as she has to hold the fate of the entire world and outer space colonies on her shoulders. It's just to much for a person who should be enjoying life and settling down with a good husband. What I wouldn't do to give her a better life." With these emotions finally released in safety, Noin gently reached over and shook Ty until she stirred. Ty, who was just a little more than aggravated at all the interruptions, said, "Listen, whatever it is, I didn't do it! Go talk to Mike!" Laughing, Noin sat Ty up and gave her the welcoming coffee, and explained the emergency in three very long sentences. "Okay, this is the deal; Lien has aimed that asteroid blaster cannon at this colony and has it charging up as we speak and it looks like they will fire at will if we don't respond to their demands right away, which we received over the Internet about ten minutes ago. The demands include the following; The Z Team must surrender itself; All of the confidential e-mails must be returned without any copies being kept; All the Gundams must be surrendered to the organization. All in all, we can't respond to the demands, especially the Gundams and the Z Team surrender; what do you think we should do?" Ty was finally awake and thinking all this through. Suddenly, an idea that was so crazy that only the Z Team could pull it off came to her head. She downed the rest of the coffee before asking, "Have you woken up the others?" Noin nodded just as Gohan, Goku, Trunks, Vegeta, and Piccolo walked in the room. Gohan sat on the bed next to Ty and Noin while the others stood. Ty asked Noin another question. "By 'right away' how fast are you talking about for the demands?" Noin answered, "Well, they gave us five hours to meet all of their demands." Ty grinned mischievously. "Excellent." They she got up and told Noin telepathically her plan. At first, Noin gave her a ' Are you crazy!?!' look, but then, after thinking about all the things that she and her friends were capable of, she said, "Okay, it's a long shot, but here's the key to the restricted levels." Taking the key, Ty led the Z Team down to restricted access only levels.

38

Ty was moving at a fast pace, and the others groggily tried to keep up with her. On the way to their unknown destination, the sleepy fighters ran into the Gundam pilots, who were doing their best to formulate a plan. Stopping, Ty said, "Hey! Heero, you're okay now, right?" Heero looked up and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry you guys didn't get al lot of sleep, but I can't do anything about it." Ty said, "Oh yes you can!" he then telepathically told Heero her plan. He pondered to himself for a moment, then asked, "How are you going to get into those restricted levels?" Flashing the keycard, he jumped up and said "Hey! Count me in!" The other Gundam pilots, having no clue of what had just happened, followed. Finally reaching the door she was looking for, she walked in and led the crowd in behind her. Heero gasped at whom they saw; the Gundam scientists. Ty, as though this was nothing special, walked up to Quatre's scientist and asked, "Where's Doctor Jay?" Startled by her abrupt behavior, he shakily pointed over to an office at the far end of the room. Making her way between the computers, she entered the office and started talking to the old man there. Gohan was busy looking at all the textbooks, while Trunks was busy looking at the computers. Then, while no one was watching,

he opened the email ransom. It read:





Colony 281649, we have our meteorite blaster cannon aimed directly at the heart of the metropolis located within your walls. You know what a blast there would do, so don't try anything funny. You have five hours to complete the following tasks:

1. Hand over the Gundams

2. Surrender the 'Z Team'

3. Hand over the confidential material an officer of yours uncovered



If our demands aren't met within five hours, then we shall destroy colony 281649. Good luck!

LIEN



Trunks finished reading the file just as Ty started to walk out of the office. Quickly saving the file to a disk he had inserted, he shut down the program and stood up, tucking the disk into a pocket on his jacket. He walked up to Ty, who had apparently gotten what she had come for, judging by the look on her face. Trunks grabbed her elbow and proceeded to lead her to where everyone was waiting. They looked impatient, so Trunks asked, "Okay, can you please tell us what your plan is?" Ty sat down next to Vegeta and said, "Okay, here is what I have figured so far. All of us except the Gundam pilots and Piccolo pilot one of the Gundams. I'll pilot my own; Gohan pilots Heavyarms because of the weight difference; Trunks pilots Nitaku because its so complex; Vegeta pilots Sandrock because of recent malfunctions which you should be able to handle; and Goku pilots Wing Zero because he should be able to handle the system longer because he is a pure Saiyan. The rest is sketchy, but what I have after that is a little better than nothing. We'll all meet at the designated meeting spot, and I'll be carrying a copy of the documents. The real Gundam pilots will be hidden in hollows in the missile rack on Deathscythe. It will be a little cramped, but I think you guys will manage. Now, as far as I hope, José only knows we can fly and so he won't be expecting our other powers and strength. I think he high tailed it out of this colony after things got a little confusing. The only power he does know of is my healing power, and even that won't give him enough to ride on the notion that we have other powers. If I'm correct, then he'll make sure we are kept in a small, low- ceilinged room with no possible means of escape. Okay, Gundam pilots, I'm positive that after our capture, LIEN will put the Gundams in a hangar and leave them there with almost no one watching them. I'll give you guys caster guns for those guys. Now, any questions so far?" Vegeta spoke up. "Yeah. Why is Piccolo staying and why are you giving the Gundam pilots caster guns and why are we here in this restricted area in the first place?" Ty smiled and said, "Well, three good questions deserve three good answers. Piccolo is staying because there is no reason involving people who don't necessarily have to be getting involved. José didn't ever see him, remember? He was in his room, meditating, the entire time. Now, for the second and third questions, I have quit a few answers. Yes, the caster guns used to be harmful to the shooter as well as the victim, but I already have a team of scientists working on that little side effect. Also, I have all of the Gundams scientists working on a little gift for LIEN. I won't tell you what it is, but all I can tell you is that you won't want to be around when they open it. Now, are there any more questions?" Goku said, "Yeah." Then, flapping his arms and yelling at the top of his lungs, he screamed, "WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO PILOT GUNDAMS!" Wincing, Ty rubbed her ears and said, "You know, I am a cat Saiyan, which means I have good hearing, so you don't have to yell so loud! Besides, I already figured that out. You just have to put the Gundam on autopilot, and I'll control the landing procedures from 02." Goku just said, "Oh." At that second, before Ty could answer Gohan's question of what they do after they are captured, Dr. Jay appeared and said, "We have finished the new formula and LIEN's gift. Come and see!" As the group found out that LIEN's gift was a mere computer command chip, Ty tested out the new caster shells and found that it was perfected. But Ty was a little worried about a problem that she had run into. Before she had too much time to think about it, though, Noin found them and said, "It's time." A short look of fear passed between the Z Warriors before they went to get suited up for the hour long flight. Ty was given a copy of the documents, and then the real Gundam pilot's leader, Heero, met Ty before the flight. Little did those two know that behind Heero, hidden, was the rest of his team, and behind Ty was the rest of her team. There, the others overheard everything. "Heero, do you remember what I told you?" "About what? I don't understand." "Don't play dumb. You know exactly what I mean. Repeat the orders I gave you." "Okay, okay. If anything should go wrong, I am to get my team and your team out, with or without you, and detonate the computer command chip. The detonation should destroy the blaster cannon and reach the fuel for the thing, which would cause the entire thing to explode. But, knowing you, that won't happen." "And what else?" "Okay, Jess, okay. If I see anything explode from the inside out, get in Zero and start attacking anything that moves. I got it." "Heero, take care of Duo for me. And take care of yourself as well." "You to, Jess. Take care of Goku. He's a good friend of mine. And I promise, whatever happens, I will follow your orders."

39

Whatever was said after that, none of them knew. The Gundam pilots had swiftly and quietly exited the scene, and the Z Team had beamed out of there. Gohan was speechless. He knew now what her plan B was, but he hoped it would never come to that. Pretty soon, the group was in the Gundams flying for the asteroids, with the Gundam pilots in Deathscythe, as planned. When they got to the stationary meteorite, they didn't put up a fight, as planned. They turned over the documents, as planned. The Gundam pilots stayed in hiding, as planned. But in the cell where the Z Team was kept, things didn't quite go as planned. Ty was sitting in the cell in a dark corner, thinking as hard as she could, while the others examined the cell for any possible routes of escape. When they found none, they all sat around Ty. Goku asked, "Okay, we followed your plan so far, so what's next?" Gohan asked, "Yeah. Can you tell us the rest of your plan?" Trunks looked anxious. "Yeah, out with it!" Vegeta said, "Hurry up!" Ty went into a frenzy. "Well, you see it's like this..." Outside the gate, the two guards heard barely audible whispers, then the whispers suddenly grew in volume to shouts, yells, and screams. They heard a girl whimpering, with three male voices yelling. As the shouts grew angrier and more hysterical, one turned to his partner and said, "Do you think we should break up whatever is going on in there?" The other answered, "Naw, a war among themselves is going to make our job easier. All we have to do is make sure they don't kill each other!" He let loose a loud laugh before watching his pocket T.V. again. Back in the cell, Trunks and Vegeta were holding Ty against a wall while Gohan beat the crud out of her. Goku, not wanting a part of the thing, was silently and helplessly watching Ty and Gohan. Because her arms were pinned behind her in a way it hurt to move them, Ty was unable to block to onslaught of punches and kicks coming from the one she had promised to marry one day. While she continued to scream, gasp, and shout, holler and yell, the guards started to worry. Then, they heard a guy yell, "So, how does it feel to be helpless. You didn't have a plan, so now you're going to pay!" Then a girl screamed out, "Screw you!" Then, they heard another barrage of attacks and cries of pain. Rushing to the door which was a few feet inside the room they were guarding, they saw one man standing off to the side, his eyes closed in disgust. Then they saw the girl being held by two of the guys, and one was beating her up. The one beating her up pulled his arm back for another punch when the guards yelled, "Hey! Stop it!" Slowly, turning, Gohan faced the two men, his eyes gold. Then, moving aside, he gave them a good look at Ty. They both gasped. Weak from the assault, she was leaning against the wall. Her face was bruised, cut, and bloody, as was the rest of her body. Only one of the guards had been looking at Ty. The other had been looking at Gohan's eyes. Then, blinking to see if he had seen what he thought he had seen, he found that the eyes were black again. Snapping back out of his trance, he found his partner was yelling at him. "Get the keys out for this gate! Hurry!" After the key had been inserted, one of the guards entered the cell. Trunks and Vegeta let go of Ty and she fell to the ground and didn't move. The guard looked at them in horror. "What kind of monsters are you? Who goes around attacking a defenseless girl?" Then, Gohan accidentally made a sudden move. Whipping out his gun, the guard aimed it at Gohan and pulled the trigger. Ty, who had been listening to all this, lifted her head up in time to see the trigger move. Screaming out Gohan's name, she jumped in front of Gohan. The bullet caught her deep in her shoulder. Finally, the pain was too great for Ty. She slumped to the ground once more, unconscious. Vegeta took the look from Gohan as the signal. Using a split ki blast, he quickly killed the two guards. Then, the four flew out of the cell, leaving Ty behind. They quickly killed all the units in the block, then returned to the cell. Gohan got to Ty first, and his eyes welled up with tears at what he had done. He was just about to heal her when he heard a radio say, "Detention level. Respond. Detention level! Is there a problem? Sending help." Acting before anyone else could, Gohan gathered Ty in his arms and pushed back the tears only is father had seen. Flying out the door, the group traveled through the building without being spotted. Then, finding a good hiding spot in a warehouse, Gohan set Ty gently on the ground. Healing her, he saw most of the cuts go away, but the bruises and gunshot wound remained. Barely opening her eyes, she murmured a quick 'thank you'. Then, sitting up with the help of Gohan, she clutched her right shoulder. Then, pulling her hand away, she looked at her blood in disgust. Then, she noted that the rest of her clothes were bloody as well. Gohan looked down admiringly at the girl he had almost killed. "That was some plan, but let's not use it again." Smiling, she agreed. Then, while the others went to clear the warehouse of people, Ty looked at Gohan. Softly, she commented, "You lost it." Gohan looked away, and answered, "Ty, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it to go that far. I didn't realize what I would do to you. I mean it. I didn't think that--." His sentence was cut off when Ty turned his head to her and stopped his words with a kiss. Goku, who had been nearby, saw this through some boxes. Grinning, he said out loud, "Yeah, it's about time, son. Were you going to let her get away from you?" Vegeta and Trunks had also finished and also saw the kiss. Grinning at each other, they knew exactly what the other was going to say. At the same time, they said, "Finally!" After the kiss, Ty said, "Forgiven, so don't worry about it. Promise me you won't worry about it." As an answer, Gohan gave her another kiss. Then he said, "Okay, I won't worry about it." The others arrived at that second. Vegeta said, "Hey, we had better go meet up with Heero and his team before the bad guys find us." Nodding, Gohan helped Ty to her feet. Then, swiftly hurrying to the door, the group took their leave. They had gone no farther than fifty meters when they found the hangar. Motioning for the others to stay there, Ty walked in, with a little difficulty. The soldiers who should have started shooting at her were lying on the ground. Looking around, she saw no one. Whispering, she walked around the Gundams, "Heero? Duo? Trowa? Quatre? Wufei? Anyone?" No one answered her calls, nor did anything move or make a sound. Gohan, Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks walked in and also started to look around. Finally, Ty walked into a room where a soft light was being emitted. There was a computer screen lit up. Warily, Ty read the screen from a distance. It said, "Look behind and above you, girl!" Immediately, Ty looked in that direction. What she saw made her so afraid she thought she was going to scream. The Gundam pilots were in handcuffs, with the chains on hooks fifty feet off the ground. They appeared unconscious, or dead. With nothing under their feet, Ty knew that if they fell, they would all be dead if they weren't already.

40

The other Z Fighters were at the doorway to the large room. Stopping them from coming in, Ty said, "You four, I need you to do something so big that it isn't even funny. Go to the mainframe. It should be at the other end of the meteorite. Take the CCC and install it. Trunks should know how to install it. You others have to protect the CCC. If anything hits it with too much force, then the entire plan will be ruined. Now go!" Gohan took a step forward, then asked, "But what about you?" Ty looked at him with a pain and fear he had never even experienced. She kept glancing up, which made Gohan take on a serious face. "Okay, Ty, what's going on?" Ty sighed and said, "If you promise to leave after I show you, I'll let you see." The four nodded their heads. Ty gestured toward the Gundam pilots. Goku saw them and said, "In the name of Kami..." Trunks was as fearful as Ty. "Are they..." Gohan and Vegeta just stared. Ty then, with her good arm, pushed them out the door. "Okay, you promised me you'd leave now, so complete the mission!" A masculine laugh echoed off the walls. A second later, red tracking lights appeared on Ty's upper body. Gohan recognized them as the ones used on guns. Jumping forward, he tried to reach Ty. Just as he came close, a sniper bullet came and got him in his arm. Grabbing his arm, he stopped. The laughter stopped as well, and the red tracking lasers also went off. Gohan let his father examine his wound before asking Ty, "What was that all about?" Ty came over and looked at his wound as well, but didn't answer. She touched it, and saw Gohan visibly wince. She said, "Man, that's in deep. If I heal you, the bullet will be stuck under the skin and cause an infection. Sorry, but you'll have to live with it for a while. Now I want you guys to go." Gohan pleaded with her telepathically to let him stay with her. Finally, after a few minutes, Ty shouted, "Okay! You can stay! Just try not to get hit again!" Gohan smiled. Ty then made sure Trunks knew how to install the CCC. Just as the group was leaving, the doors started to close behind them. But they were so silent that no one could hear them, and it wasn't until they were in eye view that the group saw them. Trunks was on the inside with the CCC in his hand. Seeing the doors, he yelled a warning to the two men who were right it their path. As though the doors were being manually controlled, as soon as Trunks shouted, the doors moved faster. Trunks rushed to get out of the room, but a sniper got him in the leg. Going down to one knee, Vegeta and Trunks' eyes met. Then, Trunks threw him the CCC. Vegeta caught it, then, as soon as the doors closed, he realized what had happened. He ran up to the doors and started to pound on them yelling Trunks' name. Goku was doing the same, except he was yelling Gohan and Ty's name. Inside the room, Ty and the others could hear the two voices and the pounding sounds. Getting an idea, Ty ran over to the door. While Gohan helped Trunks to his feet, Ty began to pound out a message. Wondering what she was doing, Gohan asked. Ty responded, "You were never taught this but it's old Saiyan Code. I just hope Vegeta remembers enough of his past to decipher it." On the outside, Vegeta was deciphering it. Telling Goku the letters, when Ty was done, Goku recited the message. "'Go finish the mission. We'll be fine. If you finish the mission, get out of here. We'll try to meet you. Be careful. Good luck.' Man, what does she expect us to do, leave her there with our sons, a crazy sounding laugh, and a bunch of snipers?" Vegeta didn't look like he was having a good time dealing with it, either. "Yes, but I agree with you. But if we are going to help her, we have to try and install this thing." he said, holding out the CCC. Meeting his hardened gaze, Goku took the chip and said, "Let's do it!" Then they flew off toward the end of the meteorite as instructed by Ty. Inside the room, Ty heard them leave. Then, she went and looked at Trunks wound. It seemed to be putting him in quite a lot of pain, but just as Gohan's had been, it was too deep to be healed. After making sure that there were no more snipers, at least what they could see, Ty flew up to the Gundam pilots. She went directly to Heero, and checked his pulse with hope. To her great relief, everyone had a steady pulse. Ty then proceeded to get them down. Just as she was getting to Heero, who was the last in line, a bright light blinded her. Holding her hands up to her face, she felt around until she found Heero's still figure. Working with her senses, she found his chained hands, and just as she was about to get him down, he woke up. Turning his head away from the light, he immediately called out, "Who's there?" Ty almost fainted with happiness. "Heero, you're alright!" Heero smiled at the sound of his sister's voice. But right as he started to reply, a bullet lashed out of nowhere and struck him in the right shoulder, right through Ty's good shoulder as well. Shouting out in pain, Ty felt the sniper bullet pin her and Heero together. Then, the same voice that had laughed came in words this time. "Well, finally the brother and sister are together again! But, not for long!" With that final comment, the light and voice died. Gohan and Trunks, who hadn't know what had really gone on because of the light, looked up at the two. Gohan was horrified at the sight. Ty had blood staining her arm, and from where the midriff was on the back, he and Trunks could see streams of bright red blood dripping down her back, and Heero's uniform was also doused with blood. At Ty and Heero's viewpoint, thought, it was a little different. Since Ty was facing Heero when the shot came, they were face to face. The look on their faces were the same; pure pain. Gathering up her strength, Ty felt the bullet lightly. She let out a yelp. "Bullet nothing, this thing is pinning us to the wall!" Heero groaned, "Oh, man. Jess, are you okay?" Ty weakly nodded. "Yeah, but we need to get this thing out." Nodding, Heero held his breath while Ty said, "I'm not going to lie; this is going to hurt a lot, okay?" Heero grinned and said, "Since when did anything in life not hurt?" Ty nodded, took a deep breath, then grabbed the bullet and pulled with all her might. The bullet came out swiftly. To keep himself from screaming in Ty's face, Heero coughed instead. Ty, however found that two bullet wounds were too much. She fell like a stone to the hard steel floor.

41

Heero looked down at his sister's motionless body. Trunks flew up to Heero and helped him to the floor while Ty was being tended to by Gohan. Heero walked up to her and tried to speak but couldn't. It was then that he noticed her other wound. He asked Gohan, "Who's did this?" Gohan said, "Who do you think?" Heero realized he meant the exact same people who had shot them with that huge bullet a minute ago. Trunks noticed a Gundam pilot was waking up. Limping over to him, Trunks helped Quatre by getting his handcuffs off with just one pull. Sitting up, Quatre looked at him and asked, "What's going on?" Trunks grimly pointed at Ty. Quatre walked over to the trio and said, "What the heck happened to you two?" he asked, indicating Heero and Ty. Heero said, "Well, you know those guys we ran into earlier? They had us chained up there on wall, and then these guys came and got us down. While Jess was getting me down, a huge bullet pinned both of us together against the wall. She was able to get it out, but she's really hurt. How are you doing?" Quatre didn't answer because he was too busy looking at Ty. "She looks terrible. She's got two bad wounds. What are we going to do?" Heero shrugged his good shoulder. Looking at his shoulder, Quatre said, "Man, your wound is just as bad! Is there anything I can do?" Heero said, "Yeah. Remember that caster gun I gave you to hide in this room? Go get it." Hurrying, Quatre went over to a loose panel in the wall and pulled out the caster gun. Running over to Heero, he gave it to him. Heero said, "Hey, thanks." and put it on his belt. A little while later, Gohan sat, quiet as a lamb. He was thinking several different thoughts. He was sitting with his back to Ty, and while the newly revived Gundam pilots tried to stop Ty's bleeding, Gohan just sat. However, even though Gohan didn't remember, Trunks had the gift of telepathy. He listened in on Gohan's thoughts with interest. What has she ever done to deserve this? he asked himself, glancing at her unmoving body. She hasn't done anything to deserve this. This is so unfair. She's practically dead and here I am, acting all jealous. I don't understand it. Why am I jealous of her brother? He glanced at Heero. He was sitting there, trying to help Ty while not passing out himself. I think I'm jealous because he got more time to know her secrets. He knows her better than I do. Darn it, why I don't just blast myself right now I don't know... At once, Gohan had an idea, but even though Trunks was listening in, Gohan's thoughts were going so fast that he couldn't catch them all. While Trunks was busy trying to read his thoughts, he didn't see Gohan walk up to him. Startled, he jumped up. Without an explanation, Gohan grabbed him by the shirt collar and dragged him away toward the door. The Gundam pilots had been caught up with Ty, so they didn't notice. But once Heero took interest, the others did as well. Although they couldn't hear what was being said, they could tell it was a little dangerous. Wufei went over and asked, "What's going on?" Gohan, who had been in Saiyan form ever since they had come to LIEN's H.Q., looked at him with an intense stare and turned Super Saiyan 2. The force of the transformation sent Wufei back a few feet. Heero looked up as the burst of power blew over them like a strong wind. Trunks, who preferred to stay in Saiyan form as well, transformed and nodded toward Gohan. Then, walking over to the door, Gohan powered up. The force of the power up sent the Gundam pilots back quite few meters. Shouting against the roar of the wind, Heero yelled, "What the heck are you guys doing?" Without answering, Trunks faced the group and said, "Here goes nothing!" Using all of his power, he put up a protective shield around the group and himself. Now that the roar had gone down a little, Duo could hear Gohan yelling something. "What the heck is he saying?" Trunks knew what he was saying loud and clear, though he didn't tell the others. Gohan was doing the biggest attack yet. In the last hour, that door had withstood multiple energy attacks, including Masenkos and a Final Blast. This was going to do it, or they would be locked in there for a long time. Gohan was saying, "Kamehameha times 350!" Trunks was saying softly, "This is unbelievable. He didn't tell me he was going to put more than one-hundred times in." Then, pushing more of his strength into his shield, he closed his eyes and waited for what came soon after. An enormous blast shook the floor and the room's walls. Trunks pushed all of his energy into the shield and any shouts or yells he may have emitted were lost in the drowning explosion. After a few seconds of the explosions, the rocking finally stopped. The dust cleared around where Gohan was first, and he was panting like he had just run around the world. His hands were still in the blasting position, and he had evidently put all his strength and energy into to the blast. Taking down the protective shield, Trunks hurried over to Gohan and helped him stand up straight. Leaning against his friend, Gohan looked through the dust, trying to see if he had even done anything to the door. When the dust finally cleared, he could almost not believe what he saw.

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Trunks yelled, "Alright! You did it! We aren't grounded anymore, guys!" he said, looking at the Gundam pilots. Everyone started to cheer, except Heero. Gohan looked over at Heero, then immediately looked at Ty. At that minute, Heero fell against Trowa for some reason. Trowa, who was surprised by the sudden weight against him, quickly grabbed Heero and helped steady him. Gohan walked over to where Heero was. Heero was conscious, but he was extremely dizzy. Slipping through Trowa's grasp, he fell to his knees and placed his hands on the ground to see if he could make the dizziness go away. It didn't and he felt even more dizzy. Gohan knelt beside him and said, "You have lost a lot of blood. Why didn't you tell us you were bleeding worse than Ty? We would have helped you, too." Heero smiled and asked, "Why do you ask questions you already know the answers to?" Then, he passed out. Taking charge, Gohan said, "Okay, Trunks, carry Heero. I'll carry Ty. We can probably find something to help them in the hangar." Trunks picked up Heero, while Gohan carefully picked up Ty's bloodstained body. Walking out of the now disintegrated doors, the group found that Gohan's blast had also hit Deathscythe's fuel pack. But instead of blowing up, all the fuel was leaked out of the pack and was making travel slippery. Wrinkling his nose, Gohan said, "That doesn't smell like any fuel I know of in this world." Wufei answered, "It's new; it doesn't catch on fire from energy blasts. Noin insisted on us using this kind in case Jess had to use her powers." Nodding an acknowledgement, Gohan and Trunks found an advanced first aid kit in the cockpit of Wing Zero. As the Gundam pilots bandaged up Heero, Gohan and Trunks bandaged up both of Ty's wounds. Afterward, sitting in the safe haven behind the Gundams, Gohan asked Quatre, "We never found out how you guys were captured." Quatre looked at Heero before starting his story. "Well, we waited for about ten minutes after the Gundams stopped moving to attack. But when we got out, we found only a few soldiers, but then no one anywhere, and it was too quiet. Heero told us that we had better look around to find anyone that should try to ambush us. We all split up, and as soon as we were out of hearing and visual contact, we were each separately jumped. The attackers wore black clothing and were armed with something that looked like a small handgun. When they fired it at me, all that came out was this blue beam that moved really slow, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't move. When it hit, I had a moment of bliss, then felt the worst pain I ever felt before. Then I fell unconscious. That's about it, because the next thing I remember is waking up in that room." The others agreed that Quatre's encounter sounded much like their own. A few minutes later, Ty stirred. Duo noticed her first, and said, "Hey, guys, she's up." Abruptly turning, Gohan and the others walked over to where Ty was laying. Ty felt terrible. The second she woke up she wished she was back asleep. Her two shoulders ached and when she tried to move, she found she couldn't. She heard vague voices and couldn't make out who their owners were, or what they were saying. She tried to speak, but found her throat was as dry as a dust bowl. Straining against all those problems, she managed to whisper, "Gohan?" She felt a strong hand hold onto hers. She finally managed to open her eyes and at first, the images were blurry. She couldn't make out anything. Finally, as the image sharpened, she began to make out the faces of her friends from both dimensions. Gohan had a worried look on his face, but it gradually turned to a smile. Closing her eyes as a wave of nausea passed over her, she asked, "What happened?" Trunks told her how she had been unconscious for the last two hours due to heavy bleeding. Ty inhaled sharply as a new wave of pain crept over her upper body. Noticing, Gohan asked, "How much do you hurt?" Ty slightly smiled and said, "About the same as when my parents died." Gohan gave an understanding nod, and said, "Yep, that hurts." Trunks said, "Yeah, I can vouch for that." Ty opened her eyes while she tried to make sense of the whole thing. "Why can't I move, and where is my brother?" Trowa answered her first question, "These two bandaged up your wound pretty good, so the gauze must be restricting your movement." Quatre answered her other question by tilting his head in Heero's direction. Ty moved her head slightly and said, "Man, he looks hurt, bad." Wufei commented, "Not as bad as you look." Ty smiled. Thinking about her torn clothes with blood all over them and bruises still visible, she agreed. Asking Gohan to help her sit up, she leaned against the cool metal of Wing Zero. Closing her eyes against the pain, she suddenly remembered something. "Gohan, Trunks, how are your wounds doing?" Gohan answered for both of them. "We're fine. We got the bullets out but decided to wrap them instead of using my healing power." When Ty asked why, Trunks told her how Gohan had used almost all of his energy to get them out of the room. Ty felt defeated when she realized she didn't have enough strength to heal them, either. Then, she asked Gohan, "Did you take the bullet out of me too?" Gohan nodded slightly. Through clenched teeth, she fought the oncoming pain. Then, she looked back at Heero. Thinking to herself, she asked, Why has he not woken up yet. Looking back at the still concerned friends of hers, she made a decision. Looking hard at Gohan, she said, "Bring Heero over here." Taken aback by this request, Gohan hurried to do as she asked. When her brother was laying beside her, she placed her hands on him. His eyes wide, Gohan warned, "Ty, you don't have enough energy to do that!" Ty looked at him and asked warily, "Do I have a choice? What good would it do to save up my strength to heal myself? You know that it takes more energy to heal myself than others, so I figure that these guys better have a good leader who knows them better." Then, telepathically, Ty asked Gohan, Please let me do this for my brother. Looking into his pure black eyes, she knew she had won. Turning her attention back to Heero, she proceeded to charge up her healing powers. Her body started to glow, and she gritted her teeth against the strain that had already begun to pull on her. The other Gundam pilots watched in amazement as the glow went on to cover Heero as well. At first they couldn't tell if Ty had had enough energy to complete the healing. As the glow slowly died, Ty slumped back against Wing Zero. Grunting, Gohan said, "Ty, you should have waited." Before anyone had enough time to worry about her, Heero opened his eyes. Groaning a little, he sat up with no help at all. Peeling off the bandages, the others looked in surprise at Heero's shoulder. All that was there was barely visible scar tissue. Looking around, he asked, "What just happened?" Gohan explained how Ty had used her remaining energy to heal him. Looking back at her, Heero was in shock at how bad his sister looked. Asking Gohan, he kept his eyes on Ty, "How bad is our situation?" Gohan took a deep breath before answering, "Well, we have no way of knowing if the CCC has been installed. We don't know if we can even get back home, and we have no way of communicating with the colony." Suddenly tilting his head upward, he listened intently while Trunks did the same. Without moving, Trunks asked, "How many?" Gohan whispered, "Five, maybe six. Those are the only life-forces I can tell." Nodding his silent agreement, Trunks continued to listen intently. The other Gundam pilots looked at them like they were crazy. A few seconds later, they found out exactly what they were listening to. The hangar door crept open, and six silent black figures walked into the dimly lit room. Not being able to make them out, the group stayed deathly silent. Then, as a flashlight was turned on, it was shone at the Gundams. The metal reflected the light and showed the faces of the intruders. Noin, Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Mike, and Dr. Jay had walked in on the hiding figures.

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Gohan recognized them, looked at the other Gundam pilots, who nodded, and then gave a little whistle. Piccolo was the only one who heard the barely audible noise, and asked, "Who's there?" Standing up, Gohan walked out of the hiding place. Goku looked at his sons bandaged arm and said, "Gohan." There was obvious relief in his voice. The newly entered group walked over to the Gundam pilots. There was a reunion between Gohan and Goku, Vegeta and Trunks before Heero finally asked, "Are you going to get them to look at Ty?" Looking up sharply, Goku asked, "What happened to her now?" Without answering, Heero led the group to where Ty was still laying. Goku walked up to her slowly and said, "Jeez, man, what happened?", before going to his knees to inspect his friend. Noin walked up and said, "Oh my..." Vegeta just looked at her and asked, "Is she alive?" Heero explained about the large bullet that had pinned him and Ty to the wall together, then about how she had lost so much blood, then about how she used her remaining energy to heal himself. Goku didn't say anything at first, then turned toward Heero and said, "Show me that bullet." Leading him to the room where they had been trapped, he led him to where the bullet had fallen to the floor. Almost a foot in length, it was covered in blood. Disgusted with how someone could be so cruel, he kicked it away from them. Going back to the hangar, he realized that Heero had held his breath until they had gotten out. Duo then asked, "Hey, did you guys install the CCC?" Goku nodded, and explained what the others were doing there. "Well, we had gotten to the mainframe, and when we got in there, every guard was down on the floor, unconscious. We looked around until we found these guys. They had come to help us and Dr. Jay installed the chip. Then we made our way back here." Stopping, he saw that Mike was sitting in the corner where Ty was, crying and he kept repeating her name over and over again. Stepping through the group, Goku walked over and sat down next to him. The others decided to give Goku some time to try and get Mike to settle down, so they continued talking about what they would do next. Mike was crying hot tears, and he felt them streaming down his face. His mind was blank, and he kept saying Ty's name, hoping that at least once she would answer. But after he lost count of how many times he had repeated her name, he started to lose hope that she would ever speak to him again. His thoughts drifted to when he was younger, always goofing off, and how Ty never got too mad at him. He laughed slightly when he remembered how he had taken apart the billion dollar engine in her Gundam, and all she did was tell him to put it back together and come eat dinner when he was done. With memories of the past in his head, he felt someone's hand on his back. Looking up, he flung tears everywhere with most of them landing on Ty's bloody body. He looked up into the soft teal eyes of Goku. Wiping away his tears, he whispered, "Just leave me alone." Goku withdrew his hand and said, "You know, I was wondering. Has Ty ever told you how much she cares for you?" Mike looked bewildered, then answered, "Yes, several times. She always tells me that right before a mission, and right after a mission." Goku said, "Well, then you don't have to worry about her." Mike asked, "What do you mean? I always worry about her." Goku looked at him and asked, "Do you believe her when she says she cares for you?" Mike tearfully nodded. Goku said, "Then you don't have to worry about her." Mike was confused. "But why?" Goku explained, "She cares for you so much that she is willing to die for you. She'll be alright because she loves you like you were her own kid. She won't ever leave you without telling you things she may have promised to tell you. She always comes back alive because she loves you and looks forward to seeing you at the end of a mission, and even after the end of a long day. She won't ever leave you without an explanation, so you can bet that she'll always come back to you. I promise." Mike sniffed back his tears and studied the words of Goku and said, "I never looked at it that way. Thank you." Smiling, Goku ruffled his hair and got up, heading in the direction of the talking group. Upon reaching them, Goku found that they had come up with a crazy plan, and it sounded crazy to even Heero. Goku found him arguing against something he called a 'suicide plan.' The other Gundam pilots were neutral, while the other Z Warriors were taking both sides and arguing against each other. Shouting, Goku asked, "Okay! What is going on here?" The others shut their mouths. Then, they all started talking at the same time. Goku closed his eyes and said, "Shut up!" Again, silence. Mike walked over and stood among the others. Picking Piccolo out of the group, Goku asked him to explain what the heck was going on. Sighing, Piccolo said, "Their plan is to hijack a space plane, get away from the asteroid, while taking the Gundams, and detonating the CCC." Goku asked, "Well, why are you guys so against it?" Gohan spoke up. "Because, as soon as we take that plane and escape, they aren't going to hesitate on firing the blaster cannon at the colony." Turning to Noin, he asked her why she liked the plan. She responded, "If we detonate the CCC. which would be at the opposite end of the meteorite, right as we escape, they won't have enough time to fire the blaster cannon." Thinking hard, Goku thought to himself, Well, neither plan will work because right now they are toying with us in their territory. They know exactly where we are and how many of us are here. They also know that at least two people are injured, and that we only have one caster gun. Looking around, he realized that Piccolo had been listening in on his thoughts. Punching him, lightly in the arm, he said, "You know, it's hard to have any thoughts that are kept to yourself." Smiling, Piccolo said, "Who? Me? You think that I would listen in on your thoughts? I'm hiding the pain, really!" Noin said, "Well, do we go ahead with the plan?" Gohan intercepted her last words and added, "Or do we think of a different plan?" A voice whispered out from behind them, "We do neither." Gohan looked over his shoulder and saw Ty leaning up against the Gundam, standing on her feet. He walked over to her and helped her stay on her feet. Smiling, she said, "I thought of a better plan." Then she leaned off the support of Gohan and slowly ripped off the bandages. The wounds were still wet with blood, and at first the Gundam pilots thought that since the wounds were still so bad, she would pass out again. But as they looked at her wounds, they saw them closing up, slowly but well. Gohan smiled at Ty, and she smiled back. After about a minute, both wounds were completely closed and all that was left of her big sniper wound was a scar that looked like a star. Laughing, Ty said, "Hey, that could be my new trademark; a star. And if you guys don't mind, I'm really anxious to get out of these messed up clothes." Jumping into the air, she flew to her Gundam's cockpit and opened the door, then sealed herself in. Heero just looked at Gohan and said, "Does she always do that?" He nodded with a smile and said, "Just about every time we fight. She may not be prim and proper, but she likes to keep herself looking good." A few minutes later, Ty came out wearing clean clothes and she looked ready to kill something. Gohan asked Ty what her plan was. Ty's answer was the cocking of her caster gun and a look that was more mischievous than the one Goten always gave when he and Trunks did something they weren't supposed to do. She said, "What do you think? We'll take the direct approach because I want to meet that jerk who I accidentally let get away from me at the colony. If I do, it's payback time!"

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The group traveled quickly and silently through the asteroid. Only a few times did they have to stop to clean up a few people. Ty and Gohan led the pack with Heero close to them. Quatre had gotten shot by a surprise ambush, and after Ty had effortlessly killed them she had bandaged up his wound with some medical supplies she had brought. She told Gohan to save his energy because she felt like something big was coming up soon. They didn't use any energy attacks; they either broke the person's back or knocked them out. Only once did Ty have to use some energy, and that was to destroy about fifty people who had them cornered. And even that wasn't a lot of energy. Once they had gotten to the halfway mark, Ty and the others decided to let Noin and Mike stop for a break. Mike had been quiet ever since Ty had woken up, and so she decided to have a little fun with him. Telling Gohan his instructions telepathically, Gohan smiled, held in his laughter, and did as Ty asked. Running at Mike, Gohan shouted, "Think fast!" Mike was aghast as Gohan almost ran him over. But before he could, Gohan's shadow ran through him instead. Goku and Vegeta watched this with interest as Mike looked around for his friend. Looking at Ty, who was smiling, he asked, "Where'd he go?" Ty looked at him like 'Don't look at me!' and continued to smile. Suddenly, Gohan went and appeared directly in front of Ty. Mike stuttered, "How... what... How on Earth did you do that? Where were you?" Gohan smiled and said, "You really want to know?" Mike nodded his head eagerly. Gohan looked at Ty and asked, "May I?" Ty spread her hands and said, "By all means, go right on ahead." Gohan smiled and went on to tell him that what he had just done was super speed. He then explained how all it was, was the process of breaking down atoms and transporting them through great distances. Mike looked at him in awe and asked, "Can you teach me how?" Gohan was a little startled by this and knew that with even a power level of one, which was what Mike had, he would be able to lean Instant transmission. Looking helplessly at Ty, he said, "It's up to Ty. If she says yes, though, I'll be glad to teach you." Ty folded her arms and said, "Absolutely not. I don't want his body to suddenly break down in mid-transport. No, and that's final." Gohan laughed and said, "Ty, you're starting to sound like my mom! Give 'im a break! It would be useful in working with the Gundams and especially if there is an accident or an explosion. Think about it." Mike also started to plead. Thinking of a good idea, he whined, "Please, mom, please?" This stopped Ty in her tracks. Mike had never called her 'mom' before, though he had indicated that that was how he felt about her. Gohan gave her his best "go easy on him for once", and he knew he had her. Throwing up her hands she said, "You are such an idiot, you know that! Remind me to beat you into the ground good one day!" Mike happily beamed, and Gohan nodded slightly. Then, he told Mike to close his eyes and relax. Mike did as he was told and he suddenly felt wind around him. Not daring to open his eyes, he suddenly felt the wind stop. Gohan was standing in front of him with his hand on his head in Super Saiyan Two mode. At first, Mike couldn't tell that there was any difference. After a second or two though, he felt some sort of pressure appear in his mind. Gohan told him to open his eyes, then said, "There. Now you know instant transmission. Just don't make Ty regret that I did that." Mike nodded and Ty said, "Well, as long as you have that, and since you can use up some of your energy, you beam yourself and Noin out of here to the colony or to the Earth. Whatever happens, promise me you won't come back here." Mike crossed his arms and said, "Aw, come on! I just got here! What if you nee my help, huh? What about your Gundam? I have to fix the fuel pack!" Ty had her eyes shut and said, "I already did. I switched it over to the auxiliary tank. That thing has enough fuel to get me home. Now take Noin and get out of here." But as she was saying this, she heard someone speaking in her mind. Turning around, she said, "What the..." Gohan walked up to her and asked, "What is it?" Ty stood there, mesmerized, and didn't answer. Gohan noticed her eyes filling up with tears. Turning to Piccolo, he could see that he was reading her thoughts, and her private conversation. His eyes were wide and he had his mouth open wide enough to catch flies. Gohan said, "Ummm...Piccolo? You alright?" Like Ty, there was no answer. Turning back to Ty, he heard her whisper, "No... Adara...please, leave her alone." Abruptly, Ty turned to Goku and said, "Do any of you have a caster gun with the old shells?" Heero held his out and said, Yeah, we only have three caster shells, though." Smiling, Ty said, "That will be enough." Trunks asked, "Who did you mean by 'Adara'." Ty loaded the gun while answering, "Adara Yang Fae. She was my best friend on my home planet. I thought she died when it blew, but evidently not. That same man was telling me he has her, and that he'll kill her if we don't get down to the computer room in thirty minutes." Heero said, "Do the words 'a trap' mean anything to you?" Ty looked up and said, "It depends on if I have my friends with me." Goku yelled, "Ty, you're insane! You are going to walk right into that trap and leave us here! That's absurd! I, for one, won't let you do that!" Ty grabbed her own caster gun and pointed it at him. "Like you have a say in the matter. I have enough shells here for each of you, so don't make me use them. You see that door? Behind it there should be an escape plane. I had at least this plan made, so you don't have to worry about that. Now you guys, get moving!" she yelled, gesturing with her gun. Taking a step toward her, Goku said, "Don't even think about it." When he made a jump toward her gun, she did the unthinkable; she pulled the trigger. The shell sucked Goku's life-force out of his body. Turning Saiyan, Goku fell to the floor with a thud. Gohan looked at Ty unbelievably. Turning, Ty softly explained, "I warned him, an he didn't believe I had the guts to do it." Gohan gently picked up his father, holding one of his arms over his shoulder and asked Ty, "How could you do that to him? After all he's done for you, you stab him in the back!" In a fury, Ty turned around and said, "Me? Stab Kakorat in the back? Let me tell you something about betrayal, Gohan. It isn't always what it seems! Now unless you want to join him, I suggest you get everybody on the plane and get out of here!" Gohan said, "Ty, you are crazy." Ty nodded. Before anyone could do that, a figure stepped out of the darkness and said, "Terysa, you brought them all here, exactly like you promised me. Good job."

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Gohan asked, "Ty, what is he talking abut." Ty just put her caster guns away and said, "I told you guys to leave. You should have listened to me." The man gave a ninety degree bow and said, "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Lien." Walking up to her, he put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Well, it seems that you haven't told them everything. Why don't I give them a summary." Turning to the group, he explained, "You see, she's been working for me ever since she came to this world. She promised me all of you for something she wants so bad she'd kill for it." Trunks asked, "Which would be what?" Ty answered, "My planet and it's people back. Think about it! An entire world of Saiyans, exactly like us! The best part will be getting my parents back. Lien told me that he could bring them back, even in this dimension." Gohan asked, "And what exactly made you believe him?" Ty smiled, "He brought back Namek. He also brought back all the Nameks. It was really cool because he knew about the Z Dimension." Gohan looked at her with hurt eyes. "You really had us fooled, Ty. We all trusted you, but that was all part of the plan, right? Jeez, we trusted you with our lives! The only reason you have ever done anything nice for us is because you needed our trust. And your parent's will absolutely love how you gave up your friends for them. They'll also love it how you let a maniac take over the universe." Startled, Ty looked at him and asked, "What do you mean by that?" Gohan looked at her with shock. "Don't you see? Once you get rid of us, he won't have any opposition at all. You'll be the only one, and guess what, you'll be so caught up trying to rule over your planet that you won't care. Ty, how could you be so blind and selfish?" Ty looked at Lien while pulling out of his arm. "Lien, is this all true?" Putting on an innocent look, he said, "My dear partner, Terysa, how could you take the word of this scum? He obviously is just thinking of himself. He want's to trick you into letting him go. How could you doubt me? I have promised you the world from your dreams, where anything is possible." Taking another step back, Ty asked, "And what about Adara? Was she in on this, was she a victim?" Trunks added, "Or is and was she ever here? Think about it, Ty. All he needs is a little leverage on you. You don't have to listen to him. Stretch out with your powers. Can you even feel Adara's specific energy?" Narrowing her eyes, Ty said, "No, I can't. She has a distinctive energy because she is one-sixteenth of a different race. She has the special ability to breath underwater. I remember her ki all these years, but there isn't a trace of her here. How would you explain that, Lien?" Lien sweat a little, then said, "You aren't going to listen to him, are you?" Ty laid her hand on the caster gun that was strapped onto her leg and said, "Maybe, he has a good point." Then pointing a hand at Trunks, Lien fired a small hand beam that penetrated his skin and went straight through his left side. Gasping, Trunks grabbed the wound and looked at Ty with the light in his eyes going fast. Rushing up to him, Ty placed her hands on him and started to heal his wounds while saying, "You traitor! You said you wouldn't hurt them!" Lien said, "So I lied a little. It doesn't matter now, Terysa. I am almost ready to bring back your planet. There is just one thing I need to ask you to do for me." Trunks' healing done, Ty asked, "What?" Lien made a sweeping gesture and said, "Destroy all of them." Everyone was dead silent. Ty was facing Lien, and no one could tell what her answer was. When she turned to face them, they saw a smile of evil on her face. The grin turning into a smirk, she said, "It would be a pleasure, boss." Walking up to Vegeta first, she stopped five feet away from him. Suddenly running up to him and kneeing him in the stomach, his head fell on her shoulder while he gasped for air. Taking that opportunity, she whispered in his ear, "Play along. I've got to do this to you. I'll get him when the time is right, though." Pulling her head back, she gave a little wink. Getting a return nod, she let Vegeta fall on the floor, appearing unconscious. She rushed up to Trunks and appeared to crush his ribs in a bear hug while telling him the exact same thing. When she got to Piccolo, she told him telepathically. When she got to Gohan, though, she ran forward and stopped her fist an inch away from his face. Not knowing what was going on, Gohan said, "Ty, please listen to me! You don't have to do this!" Lien sniffed and said, "Look at that pathetic excuse for a Saiyan! He's begging for his life at your feet. This is where your combat training comes in handy. What are the two rules, Terysa?" Her fist still in Gohan's face, she slowly recited the first rule. "Anyone who begs for his life should do the world a favor and die." Lien calmly asked, "And the second rule?" Ty turned toward him and said, "And never trust your superior, all you have to do is listen to your heart, and your friends." Lien stopped and said, "That isn't the second rule!" Ty took her caster gun and pointed it at him, saying, "I just made that one up, boss." Looking fearfully at the caster gun, he said, "Terysa, it was all a joke! I would never do anything to hurt you or your friends! Honest!" Her eyes flashing, Ty walked up to him and slipped her shoulder out of her jacket, showing him the star. " You would never do anything to me or my friends? Look what you did to me and Heero, Gohan, and Trunks! You had that room set as a deliberate trap to hurt me in case anything went wrong. And the only reason you know about the Z Dimension is because you can open people's minds and take out any information you wanted. You know what? I don't want my planet back anymore!" Firing the caster gun, she watched Lien fall to the floor unconscious. Walking over to Trunks, Vegeta, and Piccolo, she helped them up, giving them each an apology. Walking over to the Gundam pilots, she didn't look Heero in the eye. She felt so ashamed at what she had done that she couldn't bring herself to face him. Heero said, "Hey let's get you guys home. You have had a rough day." Smiling, Heero finally looked into Ty's eyes as she lifted her head up. Before anyone could do anything, though, Lien started to move. Directing her attention to him, Ty could tell he was laughing. He sat up and said, "Oh, Terysa, Terysa, Terysa. Do you honestly think that I was going to do as you wanted? I was never going to bring back your planet! And in case you had your caster gun in handy, I was ready. I have a special vest, Ty, that not even your shells could penetrate. Now, shall we get on with business?" Taking the CCC detonator out of her pack, Ty yelled, "No! You aren't going to kill the only friends I have left! If anything is going to hurt them, it's going to be me." Turning around, she quickly beamed over to Gohan. A tear was in her eye as she shot the caster gun. Quickly, she knocked out everybody, ending with Heero. Holding Lien at bay with the CCC detonator, she quickly got them strapped in on the plane. Then, putting it on auto pilot, she watched as it disappeared in the blackness of space. Walking backwards, toward the hangar while Lien tried to desperately negotiate with her, she fired off each of the Gundams except her own to the same spot where the plane was going to land on Earth. Taking out her caster gun, she found she had used all her new caster shells on getting the others. Jamming an old one into the barrel, she pointed it at Lien, who had foolishly discarded his vest after he had regained consciousness. Stopping his jabbering mouth, he said, "Terysa, darling, let's be reasonable! You and I could make a great team together!" He was still trying to get out of the mess he had gotten into. "Yeah, a great team of destruction! Forget it!" Ty spat out. Lien tried again. "Terysa, you may be dumb, but you aren't stupid! You know that you won't possibly have enough time to get off this rock before the explosion!" Ty said, "I don't care! I have someone to go home to, at least! If he doesn't know I love him, then this will have to prove it!" Ty then pressed the button.

46

Back on the Earth, the plane had just landed in a grassy meadow. Gohan woke up first because he was the first one shot. Using his healing powers, he woke up the others. Moaning, Heero asked, "What the heck happened?" No one had an answer for him. Duo suddenly stood up and pointed to the sky. Four bright objects were coming straight for them. Recognizing them, Goku said, "It's the Gundams!" Mike asked, "But who's piloting them?" As soon as the Gundams had smoothly landed, Trunks, Vegeta, Goku, and Gohan each checked each one, but Ty was nowhere in sight. Looking down at the others, Goku yelled, "They're all on autopilot!" Then, a large explosion made the Z Warriors turn their heads skyward. Quatre said, "That must have been the Tahiny Asteroid." Gohan then asked, if only to himself, "Then where is Ty and Deathscythe?" Debris streamed like shooting stars through the atmosphere with most of it burning up. Then an object that looked like a stick landed close to the other Gundams and stuck straight out of the ground. Duo said, "No. That's Deathscythe main weapon. It's from Ty's Gundam." Another object landed close to them, and Duo identified it as the 'Beam Stinger', also from Ty's Gundam. Suddenly, the sky above the Gundams was dark. Looking up, Gohan saw the sun was being blocked by a large, formless object. As soon as the sun was restored, Gohan saw that it was 02, Deathscythe, Ty's Gundam. Landing with an explosion sound, the suit lay, halfway covered in dirt, in the middle of a huge crater. Goku and Gohan jumped to the ground and started to examine the broken Gundam. The head was out of proportion, while the engine was smoking. While Goku used an energy burst to cool down the engine so that it wouldn't explode, Gohan examined the door. The manual lever was busted, and the mechanical opener was shot. Digging his fingers into a crack, Gohan started to pull the door off the exterior. Once he had gotten the outer shell off, he proceeded to get off the interior door open. When he did, he found his efforts had paid off. Ty was inside, her head leaning against her harness, her fingers still on the joysticks. Her face was scratched and bruised, as was the rest of her body. The screens had the glass blown out, and a lot of it was cutting Ty's arms and neck. Tugging at her harness, Gohan found that her restraint release was jammed. Goku leaned over Gohan's shoulder and asked, "Is she alive?" Gohan worked at the tough harness and answered, "Yeah, she was lucky. The screens blew up, and her harness is digging into her skin." Mike ran up the Gundam and pushed Gohan aside, saying, "Let me through, I know how to get her out!" Stepping aside, Gohan watched as this small boy sifted through the glass. His hand was getting cut, but he didn't care or didn't notice. Reaching to the small compartment by the seat, he pulled a key out of a hole. Turning to them, he said, "I turned off the nitrogen harness system. It should be easy to get her out of there now." Getting out of the Saiyans' way, he realized his hand was bleeding. Trunks walked up to him and said, "Hey, you want me to wrap that up for you?" Mike smiled and said, "No, what I have is nothing compared to what Ty has." Looking at Gohan and Goku, Trunks said, "I will never understand that girl. She risked everything to destroy that place, yet she still had time for us. I don't get it." Mike whispered, "I don't think anyone does, not even me." In the Gundam, Gohan had finally gotten Ty out of the stubborn harness. With the help of his father, he got Ty to the ground and was about to heal her when a sudden thought came to his mind. Goku asked, "Aren't you going to heal her?" Gohan shook his head. "No, for the same reason Ty and I didn't heal the Gundam pilots when we were trapped in that room. We don't know what her injuries are, and we don't want any glass to get stuck in her body. She should probably wait this one out in a hospital." Goku thought about Gohan's reasoning before agreeing. Noin said, "Hey, there's got to be a military base around here somewhere. I'll pilot the plane while the Gundam pilots pilot the Gundams. You guys can ride with me." Trunks said, "I think I'll fly. I want to see the scenery a bit." It was decided that Duo would fly the almost totaled Deathscythe while everyone else pilots their own suit, and Trunks, Vegeta, Piccolo and Goku would fly, while Gohan, Ty, Noin, and Mike rode in the plane. Setting off, Trunks was silent, admiring the scenery, while the others were trying to figure out just what the heck had happened after they were knocked out. Inside the plane, Mike was strapped in, but Gohan was holding onto Ty who was laying on the bed that was in the plane. Noin was busy checking a map that would tell them where a military base was. Figuring that they had missed one a few miles back, she made a slow u-turn. Speaking over the com, she asked Quatre, "Do you have any guerilla bases out here?" Quatre's face appeared and said, "Yes. We have most of them in the desert, but we have spread out to the countryside, to." Noin said, "Good, because that's where we are headed." Following the plane, Goku remembered how Gohan and Ty had first met, how they had looked for him in the Sahara desert, and how so many times she had saved his life. Realizing that if they didn't hurry she could die, he put more energy into his flight. Catching up with the plane, he flew to the windows. Pointing to his wrist, he asked how much longer. Noin signaled that they would be there in about five minutes. A few minutes later, they did indeed arrive at the guerilla base. Hidden under the fertile land, it was a base big enough to fight it's own small war. The group received a warm welcome because they heard about the Tahiny asteroid. Mike had been treated for his scrapes, and Ty had been immediately rushed to the hospital section of the underground base/city. Gohan had decided to go because he didn't really feel right that she had saved his life and he might be messing around in the city when she loses hers. While Ty was in the emergency room, he was pacing up and down the waiting room. A soldier was there and asked, "Are you the one with the girl in there?" Gohan absently nodded. Standing up, the soldier held out his hand and said, "The name's Phillip Mason, but my friends call me Flip. I am really impressed on how you got rid of the asteroid." Taking his hand, Gohan said, "Son Gohan. And I didn't do jack, she did it all." Flip laughed and said, "Modest little guy, aren't you? Well, it doesn't matter what you did up there; you're a hero to the world. I can see that you are wound tighter than a rubber band, so I suggest you chill. We have the best doctors this side of the hemisphere." Taking his advice, Gohan sat down and ran his hands through his hair, saying, "I don't get it. Why do the chicks always have to be the heroes?" Laughing, Flip got him to calm down until he finally started laughing at most of the jokes and wise cracks Flip broke. About two hours after Ty had been in the emergency room, a nurse came into the waiting room and walked up to the only two people. She walked up to Gohan and said, "She's doing okay. She is still unconscious, and she's pretty banged up, but the doctors expect a full recovery." Gohan asked, "Can I see her?" The nurse said, "Yes, and since you basically saved the world, you can stay as long as you like." The nurse disappeared past the double doors after telling Gohan Ty's room number. Inviting Flip to come, Flip turned him down, saying, "No, thanks anyway, kid. My partner was injured and I have to wait for him now. You go see her. I'm sure you would like to be alone." Smiling, Gohan thanked Flip for everything and headed off to Ty's room. Opening her door, he closed it softly behind him. Sitting down in the chair, he saw the bandages that covered the scars, scrapes, and bruises her body had collected over the last few days. She had an I.V. attached to her arm, and for a minute Gohan watched the liquid drip into the tube running to her body. Figuring that all he could do was wait for her to wake up, he leaned back in his chair and watched her sleep until the last day's events finally caught up with him. An hour or two later, Ty's senses finally returned to her. The first thing she heard was the drip of the I.V. and the beeping sound of the life monitors attached to her. Slowly, as she regained consciousness, she heard the steady breathing of someone close by. Moving her head slightly, she saw the welcome sight of Gohan. His arms were crossed, and his head was resting on his chest as he slept for the first time in days. Her throat was pounding, and her neck and arms hurt. Clearing her throat, she said, "Hey." Startled, Gohan woke up. Looking at Ty, he showed relief in his eyes. Holding her hand, he asked, "What happened up there?" Ty sighed and said, "Well, I got you guys and the Gundams out and pushed the button. This is going to sound weird, but it was exhilarating. The last time I felt an adrenaline rush like that was when you and I fought last." Gohan asked, "But why did you do it?" Ty looked him in the eye and answered truthfully, "Because, I love you, Gohan." Gohan gripped her hand a little tighter and said, "I love you too, Ty." Pulling her closer, the two shared a passionate kiss. Pulling back, Ty asked, "What are we going to tell the others?" Giggling, she went back to kissing without Gohan answering her question. A few hours later, with Ty asleep in bed, Gohan lay asleep in the chair once more. Their hands were still locked. That was how Goku and Vegeta found them. Goku whispered, "Well, I think I have a daughter now." Smiling, Vegeta nodded and they crept out of the room.

47

Ty was released from the hospital two days after she was injured. She received a hero's party, with all her friends invited to it. There was food, dancing, and all the 'Congratulations' you could want. Ty was reunited with the Gundam pilots and her brother. Gohan told Ty of a mystery he had faced. He told her about Flip, and how he had wanted to see him again. So he had checked with Quatre, but found that there was no one in the military that had that name. Gohan didn't forget about Flip as his life went on, and he knew that he was real. Ty, Heero, Gohan, Trunks, and Quatre all had scars from the adventure, and they were inclined to tell people over and over the stories of what happened up there. The reason his party was so great was because the asteroid's blaster cannon would have shot through the colony to the Earth, which would have caused an everlasting winter. With the days of partying at an end, Ty decided that it was time to go home. She was gathering her stuff from her room when Gohan walked in. He was wearing some casual clothes, yet he was a little nervous about something. Recapsulizing her suitcase, she asked, "Hey, you packed yet?" Gohan answered, "Yeah, I just wanted to ask you something, and it's really important." Ty sat down on the bed and said, "Okay, I'm listening." Gohan sighed as he drew a velvet box out of his jacket pocket and went down on one knee in front of Ty. Looking at the box, he said, "Well, here goes." Looking up into Ty's blue eyes, he opened the box, revealing a gold ring with a ruby surrounded by diamonds. Speaking strongly, he asked, "Ty, will you marry me?" Ty's eyes clearly showed surprise, and she closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her cheek. Gohan knew that tear could either mean the rest of his life, or the end of his life. Ty's eyes opened, and she said, "Of course I'll marry you." Smiling, Gohan took the ring out of the box and placed it on Ty's right ring finger. Ty adjusted it a little while admiring how it shone in the light. Looking back at Gohan, she grabbed Gohan's shirt collar and pulled him close. Kissing the most loving and tender kiss that had been done, they knew that it was right for them to marry one another. The others had long been done packing and were sharing a few good-bye's with the Gundam pilots and the guerilla fighters of the base. They were just beginning to wonder where the other two were when they came walking hand and hand to the group. No one could tell why they were so happy. Piccolo took one look at the people and asked, "What are they so happy about?" Trunks saw a glimmer of light on the wall and asked, "What was that?" Following it's light source, he found what it belonged to. Gasping, he said, "No way..." Vegeta looked in the same direction and only smiled along with Goku. Piccolo was hiding his feelings under his calm and cool exterior. Heero took a step back and asked, "What the heck is this?" Ty answered, "This is the first day of the rest of my life." She smiled at Gohan who smiled back. Duo said, "You dog! You finally did it, huh, Gohan?" Gohan nodded a happy face. Ty walked up with her fiancé to Goku and said, "Well, it's official. We're engaged. But I first want to ask you, Goku, if that is alright." Goku put on a serious face, just for sport to see what their reaction would be and asked, "Well, why would I say it isn't alright? Give me a good reason." Ty returned his gaze and said, "Because I almost got you killed quite a few times." Goku's expression softened and said, "Ty, you've saved my life more times than it's been threatened. Of course you guys can marry. I have absolutely no objections." Ty smiled and gave him a hug, followed by a peck on the cheek. She whispered in his ear, "Thanks." Gohan took Ty's hand again and asked, "Are we going now?" Ty looked at a sound that had caught her attention. Letting go of Gohan, she said, "Hang on, alright?" Gohan nodded and let her walk behind her Gundam, which was there in the hangar with them. She followed the sound to a sobbing Mike. He was holding a picture of the two of them and seeing her, he asked, "When are you coming back?" Ty squatted down next to him and said, "I'm not really sure." Mike dropped the picture and threw his arms around her neck. Clutching her, he sobbed, "I don't want you to go, mom." Ty smiled and hugged him back. She let him sob in her chest, then pulled him back, having an idea. She said, "Hold out your hand, and trust me." Mike did as he was told. Ty placed her hand around his right wrist and her hand started to glow while Mike looked on in wonder. Removing her hand, Mike saw a tattoo on his wrist that went all the way around. It had some marks that looked like words, and it had a sword which the writing was written on. Looking at it, he asked, "What is this?" Ty lifted up her pant leg slightly and showed him one that looked exactly like it on her ankle. She explained softly, "It's a special mark, Mike. My parents, who gave it to me before they released the escape pod I was in on the ship before it blew up, told me that it was passed down through several generations of Saiyans. It's always passed down to the kids. Do you see those words? They're written in the ancient Saiyan language. They mean 'Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Love as if you were to live forever'. Mike, I will love you forever, and you are the smartest person I know. Mike, what the quote means is that you can't always live for no reason. Your reason in life is to learn everything you can, but always be prepared for death. I want you to know that I will always love you. This mark is only given to a child when they know what it means, and when the family is being separated. When you have kids, Mike, I want you to pass down this mark. You have the power to do that as many times as you have kids. Do you understand?" Mike nodded slowly, then asked, "Just one thing." Ty asked, "Yes?" Mike rubbed the tattoo and asked, "Do I have the power to make up my own tattoos?" Ty nodded, not understanding what he was getting at. Suddenly reaching out and grabbing her wrist, he used his power. Not resisting, Ty waited in silence for him to complete it. When he was done, she looked. On the underside of her wrist, there was a small star, and underneath that, there were the words 'If wishes were horses'. Touching the tattoo, Ty closed her eyes and hugged Mike once more. Standing up, she said, "If wishes were horses, Mike, you would ride like the wind." Smiling, Mike got up with her and said, "They're waiting for you, mom." Ty lovingly ruffled his hair, then walked back to where the others stood waiting for her. Gohan said, "You ready?" Ty took a deep breath, the nodded. Looking back in Noin's direction, she saluted, "Lieutenant." Returning the salute, Noin nodded without a single word. Closing her eyes, Ty did what she had been avoiding since they got to that dimension. I wish we were back home. Opening her eyes again, she saw a swirling light surround her friends and her Gundams, Ground and Space Edition Deathscythe. Ty closed her eyes as they were whisked into the air by the miniature tornado. Her last sight was Mike, whispering, "If wishes were horses." A second later, they hit the ground of Kami's tower.

48

Ty opened her eyes and let out the breath she realized she had been holding. The bright sunlight warmed her bare arms. Looking around, she saw Gohan and her Gundams. Looking the opposite direction, she saw the other Z Warriors, struggling to get to their feet. Accepting Gohan's hand to help her up, Ty walked to her Gundam and asked, "You think the military would like to have a superpower fight with them?" Gohan nodded and commented, "You know, there was a rumor of fights breaking out around the north countries. A dispute over land and resources, I guess." Dende walked out and said, "Wow! You guys are finally back!" Slowly turning around, Ty asked, "What do you mean finally? How long have we been gone?" Dende looked them, and said, "Well, guys, how long do you think you've been gone?" Ty looked down at her watch and said, "Six days, eleven hours, twenty-three minutes and forty-one...forty-two...forty-three..." Dende said, "Okay, I get the point. Boy. You guys are going to be needing a lot of filling in on. You guys have been gone nine and a half months!" Ty said, "Whoa! Man, that means that each day in the Gundam dimension is equal to six weeks! We could have missed so much!" Dende nodded grimly and said, "Those small fights that Gohan was just talking about has turned into an all-out war between the northern countries. Over seventy thousand people have lost their lives, and that's only the northerns. We have over five hundred P.O.W.'s and double that for M.I.A. I don't understand. The other fighters should have tried to do something to stop this war, but there hasn't been any word from them." Gohan asked, "Well, could they have been drafted and not been able to contact you? I mean, those guys were probably on the military's list because they all fought well in the World Martial Arts Tournament." Dende said, "That may be true. But don't you think that they would have been featured in the news?" Ty, who had sat down after hearing how many people had been killed, said, "You're wrong Dende." Looking at her, he asked, "How so?" Opening her eyes to reveal that they were gold, she said, "Those people aren't killed in action, they're slaughtered in action! People aren't just killed, they're picked off by a bullet or a grenade! Tell me, Dende, what is the reason for this war?" Dende was a little startled and said, "Well, no one has really stated that. They always beat around the bush so much that they don't ever get to he reason." Ty snapped, "That's exactly what they are dying for! They don't know why they are fighting! All they know is that they are to live and return with a scratch or something, then they'll be honored and celebrated like kings! It's sick! To all the people who aren't dead, war is just a game! Has this planet ever faced any wars before?" Goku shook his head, and Ty lowered her head and whispered, "Those people are dying for no reason! Anyone can see that! I've seen the harshness of war in my time, and hundreds of people have fallen to my hand! If I have to stop a war again, that'll be it! I won't let them destroy themselves." Turning suddenly, she jumped into her Space Gundam. Turning, she said, "By the way, search with your ki to the north. I think you'll find that the other fighters are there, and they are fighting." Gohan turned to go after her, but Goku said, "Don't worry. She isn't going off to fight just yet. She is going to go and sign up, get some food and rest, then she'll go. You'll have plenty of time to catch up with her. She just needs to be alone for a while." Gohan sighed as he watched Ty busily prep the engines for takeoff. Before closing the hatch, she jumped to her other Gundam and put it on autopilot. Turning to Gohan, she held up her hand with her engagement ring and said, "Don't worry. Our date is still on." Gohan smiled and held up his hand to shield his eyes form the wind that was created as Ty blasted off with her other Gundam following close behind. Trunks watched her until she was just a dot in the sky. Looking around, he said, "Why don't we go home, father? Mom will be worried about us, I suppose." Mumbling a comment how he was right, and how different he would feel around her, he said bye to the others and took off with Trunks. Piccolo said bye to Goku and Gohan as they left for their own home, leaving him to talk to Dende. Gohan slowed down and told his father, "We are never going to hear the end of this from mom." Goku grimaced and said, "Man, why'd you make me think about it?" Gohan laughed and said, "Hey, at least we'll have some good news for her." Goku looked at his son in a smiling, but serious, sort- of-way and nodded. Picking up speed, they headed for a bite to eat before facing Chi-Chi. When they did get home, Gohan's prediction proved true. The two men stood there motionless and silent for two reasons. One, Chi-Chi was looking them over like a drill sergeant. Two, Goten had been missing for months. Suddenly noticing the bullet scar on Gohan's arm, Chi-Chi softened and asked, "My, what happened?" Gohan said, "A sniper hit me." He was preoccupied with something, she could tell, and asked him. He grew a little nervous to her reaction, and said, "Well, maybe I should tell you later." Chi-Chi yelled, "No, you'll tell me now!" Rubbing his ears, Gohan said, "Well, to be perfectly honest, I'm engaged." Chi-Chi's jaw dropped and she said nothing. Touching his arm tenderly, she found her voice and asked, quietly, "Who is it?" Gohan hadn't expected this and was obviously frightened, for he feared she would lose it any second. With just a little more force, she asked again, "Who is it?" Closing his eyes, he murmured, "It's Ty." Drawing her arm back, she was numb. She wasn't sure if she was happy or sad. All she knew was that Gohan and Ty were going to get married. Smiling, she decided to feel happy for Gohan's sake. Looking at him in a motherly way, she said, "And I was worried you'd let her get away." Gohan laughed and asked, "You too? Man, you guys weren't going to give me any slack, were you?" Goku shook his head, then Gohan said, "Hey, listen, I think I had better find Ty or something. She has been gone a little while, and it's almost dinner time. I think she was heading to the mountain lakes." Goku shook his head. "No, she needs to cool off. She knows what she's doing. She just needs to find her head. Trust me." Gohan hesitated, then said, "Well, okay. I just hope you're right." Meanwhile, Ty was at the mountain lakes. She had just finished making some fine tune adjustments to her Gundams. Then she had changed into her old military outfit. Her camouflage boots, bandana, shirt, jacket, and pants complimented her black hair. She was sitting the largest lakeside. She had taken all the machine guns, grenades, rocket launchers, and her favorite bowie knife out of her Gundam's storage unit. Ty sat on a rock, using it to sharpen her knife. She tested her knife's sharpness by bringing it along the edge of her arm. It effortlessly cut through her tanned skin, and she wiped off the blade while healing herself. She started working on her machine guns. Sighing, she cleaned and loading her weapons. She was working on an RXCP-90 when Piccolo's silent form landed softly behind a rock that totally hid him. Not noticing, she checked her gun's aim and barrel before inserting a clip to test it. She pointed it at the water and waited for a second. Firing the eighty bullets in eight short bursts, she watched as blood clouded the blue water. Ejecting the empty clip, she moved onto the next machine gun. This went on until she had gone through all twenty guns. The water was now completely clouded with a dark red stain in the middle of the lake. Using her telekinetic energy, Ty lifted the large freshwater whale she had shot earlier. Letting it rest on the shore, she went over to a tree next to the whale. Kicking it on her way to satisfy herself that it was dead, she picked an apple that was on the tree beside her. Rubbing it on her shirt, she started to eat it. Walking over to a computer that was connected to both Gundams, she started to type with one hand and eat the apple with the other. Piccolo started to move in closer. Not noticing a twig that was in his way, it cracked as he stepped on it. Ty still didn't move, and Piccolo cautiously moved on. Ty finished her apple before getting up. Piccolo froze, and she walked over to where her RCP-90 was laying. Putting her hand on the trigger and drinking some water out of a container, she fired the entire clip in Piccolo's direction. Piccolo stayed still as the shots cut through his cape and not once, though, did one bullet hit him. Emptying the clip, Ty turned around, saying, "You can come out, Piccolo." Unfreezing, he walked out into the open. Holding up his hands, he commented, "Good shot." Ty walked back to her computer, not speaking. Throwing off his ruined cape, he walked up behind her. Still looking at her computer, Ty asked dryly, "Why did you follow me?" Piccolo answered, "What's wrong, Ty?" She flinched, but didn't say anything. Piccolo sighed and sat down on the rock Ty had been sitting on. Studying the still-red lake, he said, "Ty, I know something is wrong. Is it about your marriage?" Ty still didn't answer. Piccolo said, "This isn't going to be easy if you don't tell me." Ty finally turned around. She had tears in her eyes as she confessed, "It's just that..." Piccolo got up and placed his hands on her shoulders. "What is it, Ty? You can tell me." Ty wiped away her tears before going on. "Ever since I was left by the Galactic Layline, I felt an empty hollow in my soul, and I knew something was wrong. Then, one night in the Gundam Dimension, I had a really weird dream. I was surrounded by the blackness of deep space. It was cold, and I was shivering. Then my parents walked out to me. They warmed me up somehow, then told me some stuff. I guess it would be better if you heard the entire message. My father spoke first. 'Terysa Zea, you are still to learn one secret of your past.' Then my mother told him to be quiet before she spoke. 'You now when we took you to a temple every year on the same day, Terysa?' I said that I did. Then my dad said spoke again. 'That is one of the ultimate secrets. You see, Terysa Zea, you are not our own daughter.' I asked my mother to explain. She told my father he had put it too bluntly. Then she spoke to me again. 'It is true, my child. You see, I was barren, not to have a child for as long as I lived. Then, we gathered the Dragon Balls of our planet.' I told them that I bet they wished for me. They continued with the story. 'Yes, Terysa, you are created by the magical Dragon Ochanbe. You are one half Saiyan, and one half Ochanbe. He made you with his own cells.'

49

Piccolo was speechless. After he regained his composure, he told Ty to go one. She hesitated, then said, "I asked them about the temple and why they had kept it from me so long. My mother answered my first question. 'Every year, at the temple, we had to go and renew your power, the one that should be where that empty spot in your soul is. To tell you the truth, the power belongs with the dragon, and he gave it to you. The power you are missing is an energy shield. Whenever we renewed your powers, you created a shield around the entire planet. You had the power to camouflage the planet so that it looked like the stars it lied by. You opened windows for the spaceships of the planet to leave and enter. That is how our planet stayed hidden from Frieza so long. But when the Dragon's creator was assassinated, your powers died as well.' I then asked why they kept it hidden from me so long, because I never remembered anything about using my powers. My father explained that to me. 'You see, Terysa Zea, your powers would be a danger to the planet. If you found out how to use them at your own will, you could have been corrupted by it. We didn't want that to happen.' My soul felt emptier by that so my mother told me why they had come. 'We came from the afterlife to give you this message. That is if you want your powers back. If you do, then go back to where our beautiful planet Ledd once stood. There, you must search until you find the Dragon Balls. They survived, and now, you have to awaken them.' I was about to ask her how when I woke up. At first I thought that all it was, was a dream, but I wasn't sure. What do you think?" Piccolo was leaning against her Gundam, thinking to himself. Looking at her, he asked, "What do you think?" Ty shrugged while she went about sharpening her bowie knife again. She said, "I don't understand. It's true that I remember going to a temple once a year. Also, I remember getting a lot of calls from the military, but the rest is blank." Blowing on her knife, she held it up to the sun, inspecting its sharpness. Piccolo asked, "Are you going to go before the war is over?" Ty immediately shook her head. "No, I didn't think you would. How about this? I don't say a thing to Gohan, Goku, or anyone else, you finish up the war, and then you can go to where your planet was." Ty looked him straight in the eye and said, "Thanks, Piccolo. You don't know how good it feels to be able to talk to someone else about this. But if you'll excuse me, I have a war to end. Oh, tell Gohan to meet me here, if you would. Tell him not to bring any food, I have some." Piccolo laughed as she motioned to the whale, and she laughed along with him. He blasted off, leaving his cape behind. It was about sunset then, and the blood water looked even redder when the evening sun hit it. Ty had started a fire, with Piccolo's discarded cape burning in the center of it. Ty cooked some whale meat over the fire, and looked up at the stars. She knew that Gohan wouldn't come until morning. Deciding to get clean, she walked over to another one of the lakes. Slipping out of her clothes, she dove into the cool water. Using a small energy ball for light, she scouted along the bottom of the lake. Seeing a sponge, she picked it up and brought it to the surface. As her head rose above the water, she felt something slip by her leg. Seeing a whale like the she had shot, she smiled and stroked it's head. Swimming to the beach where her clothes were, she used the sponge to wash her clothes. Rinsing them off, she got onto the shore again. Walking over to where she had a pile of sticks, she quickly made a drying rack and hung her clothes on it next to the fire. Drying her hair with a towel, she felt the warm air dry her body off. Slipping the towel over her shoulders, she sat and watched as the whales splashed and played in the lakes. Looking up at the stars, she felt a wave of remembrance pass over her. Seeking to end it, she ate a load of whale meat, which put her in the mood to sleep. She had faxed her draft form to the military from Deathscythe, and she laughed as she thought what they would think when they saw her Gundam. Smiling again, she laid down after adding wood to the roaring fire. Snuggling under a wool blanket, she fell asleep while the whales watched. Hours later, Ty woke up to the almost dead quiet morning. She felt chilled, and she wrapped her blanket around her tighter. A fine fog was covering the lake. Looking at her fire, she saw the glowing embers staring back at her like eyes. Using a small power burst, she lit the fire, and added some more logs. After a few minutes of warming her clothes, she quickly changed. Buttoning her jacket, she checked her weapons. All of them were accounted for, and then she got serious because she felt something coming. She swiftly flew above the fog. Looking around, she felt the presence of a person nearby. Flying back down to the ground, she began to type at her computer again. Seeing that the Ground edition needed some work done to the engine, she grabbed her work belt and put it on just as her visitor arrived. Turning as she cinched the belt tight, she looked into the face of a stranger. Shocked, but getting into a defensive stance, she asked, "Who the heck are you?" The stranger looked as shocked as her for a second, but then laughed. The stranger asked, 'Who do you think I am?" Ty was checking his clothing and said, "Well, to be honest, you look like a mix between two of my friends." The stranger asked, "And who are these two friends of yours?" Ty answered, "Son Goku and Vegeta." The stranger was startled, then said, "How did you know?" Ty asked, "What did you just mean by that?" The stranger asked, "Well, have you ever heard of fusions?" Ty shook her head, and the stranger explained. "Well, it means to combine two life-forces. So guess who I am." Ty said, "I'm taking a shot in the dark, by I'll guess Vegeto." The stranger opened his mouth in surprise. "You forgot, Vegeto, I can read your mind." Ty said as she went back to fixing her engine. Feeling a power surge behind her, she kept working. After she had gotten the problem neutralized, she pulled out the part that was malfunctioning. She sat down at her computer and typed a few words in. A machine beside her began to vibrate. Tossing the broken part into a hole on the contraption, she finally turned to face Vegeto. Only he wasn't Vegeto anymore. He was separated into Goku and Vegeta. Goku asked, "How are you doing?" Ty smiled and said, "Not bad. I got a fax earlier today that says I'm to report to the Kantaneta base in five hours." Goku was silent. Clearing his throat, he said, "There was a news bulletin about the war today." Ty's head shot up as soon as he said 'war'. She asked, "What was it about?" Goku said, "Well, the northerns are getting upset about all the P.O.W. camps, and so are we. They say they will decide whether to destroy all of the P.O.W camps or not. Most of the country is leaning toward it, though." Ty's face dropped as she said, "Are they crazy? Don't they know that the rest of the Z Team is in P.O.W. camps?" Ty slammed her fist down on the table. Goku said, "What! You mean to tell me that Yamcha, Tien, Chioutzu, Krillin, and Goten are in P.O.W. camps that might be destroyed?" Vegeta was as shocked, then asked Ty, "How did you know this?" Ty hung her head between her shoulders. "King Kai told me to get them out, but in five hours, it'll be too late for all of them." Slamming her fist down on the table again, she yelled, "That's it! I'm not waiting any longer for my friends to die! I'm going for it!" Quickly going to her engine and fixing it, Ty remained silent, but murderous. Goku asked, "Ty? You know that they'll pass that thing even if you ask them not to." Ty looked at him, and spoke in a deadly voice, "I'm not going to ask them, Deathscythe and I are going to make them." Going back to her computer, she ran a check while she recapsulized everything else. She checked her computer when she was done and found that there were no glitches. Getting ready to jump into her space Gundam, she told Goku, "Tell Gohan he can reach me using the radio I left at CC. I'll be on frequency four. Also," The fire in her eyes died some as she said softly, "Tell him I am sorry that I left so abruptly." Securing her safety harness, she left the cockpit open while she got the engines prepped. Goku flew up to her and asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?" Ty solemnly nodded her head, and then waved a little wave. Goku jumped out of the cockpit and landed softly on the ground. Vegeta watched as she took off and asked, "How do you think this will affect Gohan?" Goku said, "All I know is that they are going to have some problems. I think we shouldn't tell the others that the rest of the Z Team are prisoners of war." Vegeta asked slowly, "Even Gohan?" Goku nodded silently. Vegeta shook his head and said, "You know, it makes me sick to think that this country is planning on letting the northerns kill our own men! It makes us look like barbarians!" Goku agreed, then they left for their separate homes.

50

Ty sat back against the cool leather seat. She had just talked to the Kantaneta base head, and after much persuasion, they had finally agreed to let Ty attack the enemy and try to release the P.O.W.'s in the northern territories. In fact General Jori Lee Pommel had asked Ty to try to save a certain Katania Jennifer Alachbay from one of the most secure camps. Ty had eagerly accepted after being told that she was one of the best officers he had. Ty was flying over enemy territory, and recieved a warning message. "Unidentified craft, surrender at once or be shot down." A voice command system was obviously being used, so Ty told the computer system of hers, which was a very regal man's voice, to say, "Northern territories, I am only going to say this once. My name is Ty Zea of the Southern Military. I am ordered to destroy all enemies and save the P.O.W.'s out of camps you have created. I am in a super weapon that was built out of an indestructible alloy. I suggest you give up at once before I am forced to open fire on your bases." Her answer was a shot from a laser turret. The shot bounced harmlessly off her protective cloak. Inside the base, the commander of the Northern armies, Beou Yachi, was getting a little worried. Holding face, he spoke into the mike, asking, "Are you a coward to not show yourself?" Instantly, Ty was on the screen, but she was shielding her face. No one could tell she was a woman. Yachi said, "So, you are not a coward to not show yourself, but a coward to not show your face! What a mix, boy!" Ty's eyes narrowed, and she slowly withdrew her hand, saying, "For your information, I'm a girl." Suddenly knowing how to get under their skin, Ty let her tail slip into view. She softly said, "You remember those Saiyans that attacked Earth so many times in the past? Well, I've got some news for you." Yachi asked, "What are you?" Ty got serious, then put a confident smile on her face, then said, "If wishes were horses," She then used her scythe and destroy the gun turret that had shot at her. She smiled slyly and finished, "This war would be over." Before Ty could destroy one more thing, Yachi had taken refuge in the bomb shelter at the base. Only his best men were allowed to go in with him. What they knew was coming happened with an explosive entrance. In no time at all, Ty had destroyed base one. With her report in, Ty proceeded to destroy the next base. She destroyed ten bases within an hour, and each time, it was the same story. Men would shoot at her with weapons whose ammo bounced off the alloy, and there would always be some official begging for his life. Ty decided to go on foot to rescue the P.O.W.'s, and right as she was about to get out, a red light on the center of the main screen started to blink. Ty didn't notice it as she was looking at a map. Gohan had turned on a viewscreen right as the light came on. Worried for Ty, he asked, "What the heck does that mean?" Ty flung her head up. Typing in a few keys, she started to curse uncontrollably. Gohan shouted, "What is happening?" Ty looked at the screen with fearful eyes. Speaking softly, she said, "Well, it looks as if the nuclear bomb secret was given away after all." Gohan said, "Oh, man! What will that do to your Gundam? Is there anyway to outrun it? And how did it lock onto you?" Ty calmly answered the three questions. "It will probably mess it up so bad I'll be forced to leave it behind. I can't outrun it or otherwise I would have been gone long ago. They probably locked onto my heat source." Gohan whispered, "Ty, get out of there!" Ty shook her head and said, "Nope. The bomb has only one mile to go. Not even close enough to get five miles away." The blinking light grew more rapid in action, and a warning beep started to urgently request movement. Ty subconsciously braced herself for the impact. She gripped her joysticks tight and turned on the nitrogen harness system by inserting her key. She took one last look at Gohan before the bomb hit her Gundam in the chest. Ty's head snapped forward then back. She tugged at the joysticks as she tried to keep her pride and joy from blowing up. The harness held her in her seat. Ty closed her eyes against her front screen blowing out. He shouted her name, but she didn't seem to hear him. Realizing he was wasting his breath, he watched to see what was going to happen next. Ty was having difficulty keeping Deathscythe from tipping, and she was beginning to peel the leather off the joysticks. She vaguely heard Gohan call her name several times, but she couldn't respond. Getting an idea to get out of the NG bomb's way, she pulled out her keyboard in between the shocks of electricity that found a path through her body. She typed in a few numbers to access the computer, then typed in four single keys; ZERO. Gohan saw this and was wondering what it did when a bright light obscured Ty' body. Remembering what it was, he grew a little excited because Ty was enabling her ZERO system, which would enhance her combat abilities. The light vanished, and Gohan saw Ty's eyes. As the system took control, her eyes shimmered a green color. Ripping her hands from the keyboard, she grabbed the joysticks with lighting speed. Using a tricky u- turn maneuver, she was able to get out of the NG bomb's destructive path. Shutting off the ZERO system, she was thrown forward in her seat by the explosion the NG bomb gave off when it finally hit ground. Her face was slammed against the metal that had replaced her front screen, and she didn't move. Vibrations shook the earth on which the Gundam was resting, and a voice came over Ty's com. "Unidentified object, do you concede defeat?" Ty didn't respond as she looked unconscious with a bleeding gash in right arm. A face appeared on the screen in front of Gohan, and he instantly turned off visual, but kept audio on. He heard the man say something about the NG bomb, but then something caught his attention. "Well, since she's not dead, and that thing no longer poses a threat, let's get it out of here and out the girl in a P.O.W. camp. Send a troop out there!" As soon as Gohan didn't hear anything else, he turned visual back on. Seeing Ty's condition, he said, "C'mon Ty, wake up! For the love of Kami, wake up!" Ty felt herself straining toward Gohan's voice, and then she felt a slight pain in her arm that grew bigger by the moment. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself looking into the black metal of her cockpit door. Bringing her hands up to the door, she pushed against the cool alloy and pushed herself slowly up. Her eyes felt heavy, and so she shut them again. She didn't notice the lit screen beside her, and she smiled. She drew her hand across her mouth and found blood. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve until she found no more blood. She then healed herself, slowly, but the fatigue stayed. She opened her eyes again and noticed Gohan's face on the screen next to her. He immediately said, "Ty! They're sending a troop after you! You have to get out of there!" Ty snapped into alertness and found that she wasn't really all that tired. She looked at the screen and asked, "How long?" Gohan answered, "No more than five minutes." Ty looked at the door in front of her and weighed her limited options, which were all very negative. She told Gohan, "Listen, I have three choices. I can leave Deathscythe, escape, and let the enemy get his secrets. I can get captured and try to finish my mission the hard way. I can self detonate and make it look like I was killed in the explosion." Gohan didn't say a word except, "Your choice. I know you can pull off all of them." Ty smiled, then silently chose. She looked at Gohan, then looked at a small compartment. She knew what was in there, and it was her best bet. Leaning over, she pulled the cover off and found the deadly mechanism. A button on a black tube connected to her Gundam. Gohan asked, "What is that?" Ty smiled and looked at the contraption fondly. "It's my self destruct mechanism. I chose that option because it is the one that seems to make the most sense. Who else would be better to rescue P.O.W.'s than a corpse?" Gohan sighed and said, "I hope you know what you are doing, Ty." Ty said she did, then pressed the red button.

51

Gohan saw Ty leap out of her Gundam's cockpit after she pressed the button. Gohan turned off the screen and sighed. She was going to get herself killed on one of those missions, but she didn't care. Gohan walked out into the lobby of Capsule Corporation, looking worried. He had been sent in there to find out just what Ty was doing. Goku, Trunks, Vegeta, Bulma, Chi-Chi and Piccolo were all gathered there. Gohan stuck his hands in his pockets and walked past them all, without looking up or saying a word. When he was at the door, he shoved back growing tears, looked at the group and said with a small smile, "If the war isn't over in five hours, just wait longer." Then he walked out the door into the bright sunlight. Goku saw him stop and look up into the sky. Gohan sighed and slowly flew off to the west. The group behind him was silent. Gohan flew in a calm manner, not using a lot of energy and going slow. After about ten minutes, he found the place where he wanted to be. He landed in the soft grass beside a lake, then looked at the huge Gundam beside him. He looked at the clover at his feet that was being ruffled by a small breeze. Shutting his eyes, he made a decision. Opening them, he looked at the piece of metal again. Walking up to the computer still connected to the Gundam, he typed in a few words. Sitting down on a rock, he was prompted to enter his name. Entering it, he saw a small sentence. It looked normal, except that it was in the ancient Saiyan language. Reading it, he found that it said 'Open this. For your eyes only.' Doing as he was told, he saw a video menu appear on the screen. Pressing the play button, he saw Ty's face. She smiled and said, "If you see this, it means that you have decided to help me. I accept your help. I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you all this in person, but I was in too much of a hurry. Now, I suspect that the reason you came here is so that you could pilot Deathscythe. It's the ground edition, but it should have enough fuel to get you to the northern countries. Now, type 'yes' to continue and help me, or 'no' and this program will be shut down." Gohan typed in 'yes' and the video continued. "I was hoping you would do that. Now, what you need are lessons to pilot the Gundam. Unfortunately, those lessons will take you about ten years." Gohan's jaw dropped." But don't worry, I have created a little device that will transfer all my skills, which are stored in Deathscythe's computers, to you. Now, if you are completely serious about this, go get in Deathscythe's cockpit." Gohan jumped into the air into Deathscythe's waiting cockpit. As soon as he sat down, Ty's face appeared on his right screen. She said, "Now, press the green button below this screen." Gohan did as she said. The door shut in front of him, and Ty's face appeared on the screen in front of him. She spoke again. "Now, open the compartment in the armrest." Gohan did and found something that looked like a virtual reality glove resting there, and it seemed to be connected to the Gundam. Ty instructed him to put it on, which he did. "I'm warning you in advance. This is going to feel a little weird. What I am going to do now is upload all of my knowledge and skills into you by a machine that I recently invented. Whatever you do, don't think about anything. The only thing you can safely think about is Deathscythe. Ready? Let's do it!" Gohan thought about the suit he was in, and then he felt some sort of force in his mind, then it became a natural weight. He let out the breath he had been holding and looked at the screen in front of him. Ty said, "Congratulations! Let me tell you now that if you thought about anything else, your head would have exploded! Now, you can take off the glove and place it where you found it. Now that you know exactly what you are doing, you can come and help me save the P.O.W.'s from these stupid camps!" Gohan smiled and shut off the video, then started the engines. He was about to blast off when he heard a rapping at the cockpit door. He shut off the engines and opened the door. Goku was flying right in front of him, a serious expression on his face. Placing his hands on the door so that Gohan couldn't close them if he tried, he yelled, "What in Kami's name are you doing?" Gohan steadily answered, "So someone did follow me. I thought I felt someone's energy pattern. Anyway, I'm going to help Ty. Her Gundam was destroyed." Goku clenched his teeth together and said, "No you're not! You'll get yourself killed!" Gohan sighed and shook his head, saying, "You're wrong, dad. Deathscythe's computer transferred Ty's skills to me. I'll be fine." Goku still didn't give in. He didn't calm down, but he did lower his voice. "I don't care! I've already lost contact with four friends because of this war, and one son. I don't want to lose another son. So you aren't going!" Gohan didn't give in, either. He calmly spoke, "Dad, I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm one of those most powerful people on this planet. I can take care of myself. I just need you to take care of mom for me. She misses you beyond your knowledge. I know that she would like your comfort during the war." Goku was startled by his son's approach and loosened his grip slightly on the doorway. Gohan continued, "I love Ty. I know she loves me. We would do the exact same if the situation were reversed. You have to let me go, otherwise, I won't be getting married in the near future." Goku's grip loosened further as Gohan went on. "She and I made a promise, dad. We both promised that we would never desert the other. We won't ever leave each other in the dirt like you're asking me to do. I have to do this." Goku's grip loosened completely, and Gohan shut the door quickly, saying, "I'll be careful." Goku pounded on the door, crying out Gohan's name. Gohan spoke through the outside intercoms. "Dad, I promise I'll bring everybody back alive. Including me. Don't worry." With that, he started the engines again. Leaving Goku in the dust, he headed off toward the battlefield. Goku landed on the ground and did something he hadn't done since he was born. Holding his head in his hands, he cried. Ty's mind raced along with her feet as she struggled through the rugged terrain to get away from her pursuers. Shots ripped through the foliage around her every few seconds. Smiling to herself, she thought of how Gohan must have found her message at the lakes. She was jolted out of her thoughts by a sniper bouncing off a nearby rock. Picking up her speed, she gained a little ground before turning and blasting her attackers. Clear, she headed where her senses told her to go and found herself at a P.O.W. camp. Killing the guards as quietly as possible, she headed toward one of the shacks. She snapped the guards' necks before entering the musty shed. She fired two small ki blasts where she felt evil life forces, then created a fireball to light her way. The only prisoner she found was latched to an electricity conductor. Bringing the fireball closer to the prisoner's face, she gasped and said, "Oh my Kami! Goten!" He wasn't moving and she felt the springs, which he was fastened to. They were still hot. Looking down at the guards in disgust, she figured that they were torturing the small eight-year-old boy right before she got there. Gently prying the handcuffs from Goten's wrists and feet, she laid him on the floor. After using her healing powers, he woke up and said, "I don't know anything!" Ty put a finger on his lips to silence him, and that's when he recognized her. Propping himself up on his elbows, he whispered, "Miss Ty!" Ty nodded and told him her directions, but he wouldn't even hear about it. He shook his head fiercely and said, "No way! I'm not letting you do this alone!" Ty helped him up and said, "Goten, I really appreciate your help, but I don't want to have to worry about you. All I need you to do is go home and tell your father that I'm getting everybody out, okay?" Goten shook his head, and Ty said, "Well, then I don't have any choice." Goten grew a little nervous and asked, "No choice but to what?" Ty placed her hand on Goten's head and used her instant transmission power to beam him to CC. Ty had learned how to transport other people separately, without her tagging along, and so she was able to stay at the camp while Goten appeared at CC. With that completed, Ty continued to check the shacks. She found twelve more guards and twenty prisoners, and she silently beamed them all to the Kantaneta base. As you could probably expect, Jori was pretty surprised because he hadn't expected a girl to be part of Earth's special forces. All the prisoners were treated for their traumatic torture and released to their waiting families. At CC, Chi-Chi nearly fainted when she saw Goten appear in front of her, and Goku, who had arrived back at CC, had the same reaction. Ty, meanwhile, had destroyed that P.O.W. camp, headed off to the next place her Saiyan instincts told her to go. The next camp was a little more secured, and she found several dozen guards surrounding one shack, and she quickly eliminated them. Inside the shack, she saw Krillin lying in a broken, bleeding, and bruised pile. Running her eyes over his body, she found that he was in much worse shape than Goten. She figured that the farther she went into the forest, she would encounter the stronger Z Warriors. She healed him, then helped him sit up. Since the light was almost non-existent in the shack, Krillin said, "Who's that?" He then jumped up and went into a fighting stance. Krillin, not knowing that he was facing Ty, immediately drew up a Destructo Disk and brought it in front of him. He heard someone cry out sharply, and he realized it was a woman's voice. Hoping it wasn't whom he thought it was, he minimized the disk and created a fireball instead. He was freaked out when he saw Ty clutching he side, eyes closed with the sharp pain. Opening an eye, she asked, "Hey, I save your life and this is how you repay me?" Krillin dropped down to his knees beside her and said, "My gosh. I'm so sorry, Ty. I didn't know it was you." Ty smiled and withdrew her blood soaked hand. Smiling, she said, "Don't worry, it's nothing to be concerned about." Healing herself, she smiled and said, "Hey, Goten is already at CC, and you'd better join him."" Teleporting him to the multi-billion dollar company, Ty continued to make her way through the forest of the north.

52

Jori was amazed. He had gotten reports of prisoners appearing out of nowhere. Then they would walk up into the base, praising a certain lady who had not revealed anything about herself and who had not given a name except 'Deathscythe'. The prisoners were almost always healed, with nothing wrong but fatigue and homesickness. Jori beamed when his supervisor in the Pentagon offered to give him a promotion. At first Jori didn't think twice about it, but then his thoughts drifted back to the one person who was responsible for his boys coming home alive. Declining, he said, "Sir, I appreciate the offer, but I feel inclined to meet this certain Terysa Zea and get her in the military. If you want to do anyone any favors, give them all to her. She saved all the prisoners that have been rescued. Kudos to her." His supervisor was impressed and gave him a raise just to be fair. When Jori got off the telescreen, he found that twenty other prisoners had been transported to the base. Jori sighed and thought of the girl who had claimed to be a Special Forces member, who had said she had a powerful super weapon to defeat the enemy, and who had, above all, had drafted herself. That had overwhelmed Jori, because of the fact that men were dodging the draft by the dozens, and a single girl was offering her services. Jori was lost in thought when he recieved a report from an unknown man. Switching on the telescreen again, Jori found himself looking into the rugged face of a man who looked to be no older than twenty-five. Jori was suspicious. "Who are you and what do you want?" The man replied, "My name is Son Gohan and I am Terysa Zea's fiancé. I want to request information on Ty's current position." Jori was immediately impressed by this man, but needed more information. Jori vaguely remembered that name from somewhere, but it didn't click. Speaking out loud, he said, "Well, I am very happy about the engagement, you have a good woman there. Anyway, I'm afraid I haven't had any contact with her for about an hour. However, we have been getting people here by something the prisoners call--" He was cut off by Gohan finishing, "Instant Transmission. I already know that and how to do that. All I need is a little information about her position. Don't any of the prisoners know that?" Jori was a little irritated. "Let me guess. You're on the Special Forces too." Gohan nodded. Jori asked, "What is that weird noise?" Gohan turned around and shut off his nitrogen seat system, saying, "Sorry, I had my nitrogen seat system on." Jori's mouth dropped, saying, "You mean you are in a Gundam too? Terysa's Gundam made that same noise when she talked to me!" Gohan quickly explained how Ty had two Gundams. Requesting the information again, Jori realized who he was. "Wait a second! Gohan is the name of the person who saved the world during the Cell Games! That was proven after Hercule got a bad conscience." Gohan sighed and said, "That was a long time ago. I don't really feel like bringing up the past when Ty is in a life and death situation. Can you give me that information or not?" Jori was still in awe that he was talking to the legendary Gohan who had saved the Earth from total annihilation years ago. Regaining his composure, he straightened and said, "Certainly. I'll get on it right away." Quickly stopping an officer who was walking past, Jori whispered something in his ear. After a second, the officer straightened, looked at the telescreen in complete wonder, then hurried off to do what Jori had told him. Gohan continued to pilot Deathscythe while Jori nervously waited for his officer to return. He returned a minute later, leading a ragged man with him. The man walked up to the general and saluted in a professional manner. Jori asked, "Private, I need to know just where you were and please be honest." The private looked flustered and said, "Well, to be honest, I'm not all sure." Gohan, who had his eyes closed, said in a stern voice, "Private Zak Stryker, please come here." Jori looked at Gohan and said, "How did you know his name?" Gohan impatiently said, "Look, all I did was read his mind. Now, Zak, will you please come over here." Stryker had no idea what was going on, nor did he know who Gohan was. Gohan shut his eyes and placed his had on the screen. Zak started to glow, then suddenly stopped. Jori looked at the telescreen and saw that Gohan was no longer looking at the screen. Instead he was looking at his other screen. Jori asked, "What's wrong?" Gohan didn't look back at them, but said, "Nothing's wrong. Everything is perfectly all right. I just found a totally destroyed base. That must mean that Ty has already been past here. And according to Zak's thoughts, he came from a camp only a few miles off. That means Ty has been heading off to the north. Zak, did you ever hear any of the guards talking about someone a lot?" Zak said, "Yeah. He had a really weird name. It was Goten." Gohan's eyes widened in horror, then asked, "Please tell me everything about that kid." Stryker sat down in a chair close to the telescreen and began. "Well, he was brought in about five months ago. The guards always teased us because they said that a kid could stand more than us men. I didn't believe them until the kid was placed in out shack for a while. I can remember that day clearly. He was brought in by two guards and thrown on the ground like he was dirt. His clothes were torn and he had bruises, whip marks, and weeks of torture showing everywhere. The kid didn't move after he was thrown down, but the guards kicked him a few times out of spite. I felt pretty bad for the tike, as did some of the other guys, so we sheltered him and took him under our wing. We saved half of our food for him while the others didn't care that this little kid was a prisoner of war. He didn't wake up for about two days after he was thrown in with the rest of us, but we managed to keep him alive. He woke up and was in a lot of pain, and we didn't know what to do. It was heartbreaking to see this kid sit in the corner of the shack with spasms of pain ripping through his body. As the weeks went on, he got a little better, but rarely said anything to any of the other guys, just us. He talked about how we shouldn't worry because someone who was really great, named Goku, was going to save us soon. We just thought he was crazy, but we humored him and went along with his little gig. Something's at night, when I couldn't sleep, I'd take watch over the kid. He'd talk in his sleep some nights. He'd say things that didn't make any sense. He's same the name Trunks, Goku, Gohan, Ty, Piccolo, and all sorts of other names. More often then not you could see him wake up in the night. A really weird thing happened one night on a full moon." Gohan's eyes whipped up to the screen and asked, "Are you sure it was a full moon? You're absolutely positive?" Zak nodded, then continued. "The kid crawled to the wall and looked through one of the holes that the guard used to check on us. He looked at the moon for a long time, almost as though he was mesmerized. I think I was hallucinating or something, because I thought I saw a tail drop into sight. I fell asleep before I could take another look, and the next time I talked to the kid, he denied everything about that night. Anyway, as soon as the kid got his strength back, he showed us just what he could do. He would lift up about ten of us men with just one finger! It was unbelievable. After he had been in the shack for a few months, something bad happened. Two guards walked into the shack and demanded to get one of the men who had ignored the kid. The guy was unwilling, and so was the kid. He jumped up and started to shout and yell at the guard for all it was worth. The guards forgot about guy and went after the kid. Using some fancy karate moves, he was able to take them down. But then several guards came in and dog piled him. He wasn't able to fight that many at once, and so the guards took him instead of the other guy." Gohan asked, "What did they want from him?" Zak shrugged, "It depends. Maybe information, or maybe they just needed some amusement. It doesn't matter. The kid isn't here, and the power went out just after he left, right before we were sprung." Gohan asked nervously, "What did the power outage mean?" Zak lowered his eyes and said, "It means that they were electrocuting him. Since that boy was so tough, I imagine that they gave all their electricity to that torturing." Zak looked at Gohan, who had his eyes shut and his head down. He looked up slowly when Zak stopped and said, "I'll make them pay. Jori, I've got to go." Zak said, "Hey, hold on a minute! Why are you so mad?" Gohan answered, "That kid that you helped so much was my eight-year- old brother. I just hope Ty got to him in time." Gohan turned off the screen, leaving Jori, the officer, and Zak feeling totally helpless to do anything but wait until he reported to them again.

53

Ty walked up behind the guard and covered his mouth with one hand while breaking his neck with the other. She entered the shack and looked around the lit room. She saw Tien lying in a far corner and guards getting ready to charge her. Tien watched as she took a step forward and, with one swift stroke of her hand, broke the neck of the guard who ran at her. Ty kept her eyes on Tien while taking another step. Ty reached Tien just as she counted twenty guards. Grabbing his hand, she helped him up while healing him. Tien said, "Thanks. I was wondering just when you guys would get back. What do you want me to do now?" Ty said sweetly, "Disappear." Teleporting him to CC as well, Ty continued on her rampage of destruction against the northerns. Ty arrived at a higher security complex than the last camp, and she was able to get inside. She had to admit that the guards were better trained in combat situations, but they relied too much on their weapons. Ty made it to the main shack and was about to make her way inside when she heard someone yelling, "Alright! That's it! I've had it with your lies! Now tell me the secret of the Gundam! We just got reports saying that the Special Forces knew what they were! Now, you had better tell us or else!" Ty looked through a crack in the door. Two officers were holding Yamcha with his back against the opposite wall of the shack. His head sagged between his shoulders, yet his voice was firm as he said, "I'm not telling you anything! Even if I did know, like I would actually tell you just because you tell me to. You have had one too many drinks." The man who had been yelling at him pulled back his arm and began to beat Yamcha into the ground. Ty winced as each blow hit him. Deciding to take action, she pushed the door slightly. The door creaked and the guards stopped, looking around. The man who was beating up Yamcha asked, "Did you guys hear something?" The other two shook their heads. Ty raised her power level a bit to let Yamcha know just what was going on. Yamcha looked up suddenly and said, "Ooh, you guys are going to get it! You are definitely in trouble now." Ty couldn't help but smile as the other guards grew nervous. One hit Yamcha across the face and asked, "What do you mean by that? You should be talking!" Yamcha chuckled softly and said, "Man, are you guys dumb or something? Let me really quick sum up a few things. You captured most of the Special Forces while the others were in another dimension. You captured Goten, which means you'll have Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, and a special friend of mine after you. You guys just don't get it! No matter what you guys are going to die." The guards slapped Yamcha again and told him to shut up. Then they started to look around again. Ty decided to have a little fun. She leaned against the doorway, then pushed it open with her foot. It opened on its creaky hinges and the guards' guns were immediately pointed in her direction. Ty spoke in a soft voice, saying, "You boys new to this planet or what? I have found Yamcha to be a very reliable source. I suggest you let him go." One of the guards laughed and asked, "And just who do you think you are? The Queen of Sheba?" Ty smiled and shook her head, saying, "You know, I think you boys need an attitude adjustment. You think you're all high and bad, but you're just children underneath. I'll make you a deal. If I let you hit me as hard as you can, I'll hit you as hard as I can. Is that okay with you guys?" Yamcha laughed and said, "I wouldn't if I were you guys!" The leader smirked and walked up to Ty, saying, "I won't tease you when you start to cry like a little baby. I'll even let you run home to your mommy!" Still smirking, he drew his arm back and punched her square in the jaw. Ty didn't budge. Barely moving, she asked, "Is that all you've got?" The guard gritted his teeth and tried to punch her again. Ty caught his fist that time and said, "No, no, no! We had a deal. You hit once, I hit once." Ty slammed her fist into the man's face, drawing a spot of blood from his nose. He stumbled back a few feet and wiped his face off with his sleeve. Seeing the blood, he looked at Yamcha and asked, "Well? Is this what you meant?" Yamcha shook his head. "No." Ty lunged forward and grabbed the guy's neck with one hand. Raising him high above her head, Yamcha commented to the hysterical man, "That's what I meant." Ty walked over to the wall and slammed the man against it, holding him a few feet over the floor. Smiling she said, "Now, let's see how you like being interrogated. I've been moving north and at every camp, I have found a Special Forces member. Tell me who I am going to meet at the next camp!" The guard grabbed her arm, trying to get her to loosen her hold on him. The guards that held Yamcha couldn't do anything but watch. Ty didn't loosen her grip, but only tightened it further. Yelling in his face, she demanded, "Tell me which member I'll find at the next base! Tell me or I swear I'll kill you right here and now!" The man struggled against her more while unrecognizable noises escaped his throat. Yamcha said, "I think he's talking." Ty agreed and set him down on the ground. The man clutched his throat after Ty released it. Ty grabbed his shirt collar and said, "You were saying?" The man stuttered, "There are two people at the next base. A kid called Chioutzu is there." Ty said, "You said there were two, but that means that the entire Z Team is accounted for with just Chioutzu. Who's the other person?" The man said, "There's a girl there named Katania Jennifer Alachbay. She was a hard one to capture, but we got her." Ty's mind registered that the man was talking about the same girl Jori wanted Ty to personally rescue. Ty was about to ask more questions when she heard a roar outside. Looking at the door, she waited in an intense silence as the roar subsided. She heard people yelling outside, and a few clips being shot off, but they were quickly silenced. A shadow appeared outside the door, and Ty held out her hand, ready to blast whatever was coming. As soon as the light fell on the face of the newcomer, Ty found that her actions were unnecessary. Gohan walked in with a man at his heels that he hadn't got. Ty yelled, "Gohan, duck!" He did swiftly and Ty blasted the man who was about lodge a knife into the back of his head. Gohan stood back up and said, "Well, I was about to come rescue you, but I see that these are the guys that need to be rescued from you!" Ty smiled, then looked from Gohan to the two guards holding Yamcha, and back at him. Taking the cue, Gohan grabbed the guards, one with each hand, and Ty smiled at him. Turning her attention back to the guard, Gohan saw how she handled business. Tightening her hold on the man's shirt, she yelled, "Okay, tell me why you guys need Katania so bad! She's just a pilot!" The man struggled again and said, "She may be just a pilot, but she has the codes to the missiles in the south! We are going to use your own weapons against you!" Ty frowned. "Well, at least you were. Tell me, have you gotten the codes yet?" The man didn't answer but struggled against her more. Aggravated, Ty lifted him high above the floor. The man was kicking and gagging at the same time, trying to get her to let him go. Ty yelled again, "Have you gotten the codes yet or not?" One of the guards Gohan was holding said, "No! We haven't gotten them yet!" The other said, "The boss would have told us if we had gotten them!" The guard Ty was holding glared at the men. Ty let the man down to eye level. Suddenly tightening her muscles in her hand, the man stopped squirming. Letting him fall to the floor, Ty looked at the man who had talked first. Smiling, she said, "That's what would have happened if you hadn't of told me what I wanted to know. But since you cooperated, you live." Looking at the other man, she said, "And I'm feeling generous, so I'll let you go too." Gohan let them go and they ran out of the room as fast as they could. Ty sighed and said, "I suppose they put Chioutzu in the high security complex because he used his psychic abilities to give them some trouble," Yamcha nodded while Ty healed him. Gohan remembered something and asked, "By the way, have you seen Goten?" Ty nodded and said, "These sick people were torturing him right before I got there." Gohan said, "Yeah, I know." Then he went on to explain about what Zak Stryker had said. Ty teleported Yamcha to CC, and Gohan asked, "How the heck did you do that?" Ty smiled and said, "I'll tell you after we rescue Katania and Chioutzu." Walking outside to the Gundam, Gohan piloted it while Ty flew along side it.

54

Katania leaned against the rough wall of her cell. She was surprised that she was in an underground camp, and she knew that it must be their most protected complex. She sighed as she thought of all the torture she had been through just because she knew the codes to the missile silos in the south. She tenderly touched her new scar on her face, and winced with the pain. The man who had been torturing her had carved a jagged line in her fair skin with a white-hot knife. It hadn't hurt then, but it hurt as she probed it. She suddenly heard a tapping at her wall and she shuffled over to the source. Her co-pilot had been captured as well, and they had been communicating using a special code the elites used. Pressing her ear against the wall, she did her best to make out the message. When she got all of it, her heart lifted. Apparently, someone was destroying bases and camps, and they were going to get there next. The best part was that the prisoners were somehow being rescued. Beou Yachi, who had escaped the destruction of his base, was hysterical and had to have psychiatric treatment before the base got the information they needed. Katania tapped back her thanks before heading back to her bed, which the base had generously given her. She sighed. Thinking aloud, she said, "All they are trying to do is sucker me into giving them those codes. Well, I won't! Not even if they kill me!" A voice came out of nowhere, "Are you Katania Jennifer Alachbay?" Katania stood up instantly, looking around asking, "Who said that? Who are you?" Ty appeared next to her with Gohan. Katania jumped and stumbled backwards. Reaching the wall, she stood frozen in terror at the two. Ty sighed and looked at Gohan. "I told you we shouldn't have done that! We should have come the hard way! Now she is probably not going to trust us!" Katania found her voice and said meekly, "Are you here to kill me?" Ty laughed and said, "No way! We're here to get you out. Your boss told me to come find you and bring you to safety." Katania said, "You mean Jori? I thought he would rather have me dead! I disobeyed a direct order, and that's why I'm here in the first place." Ty said, "Well, he seemed pretty concerned on the teleview." Katania suddenly remembered something. "Hey, your that guy from the Cell Games, aren't you? You look the same, except you're older. Are you that kid?" Ty sighed and put a hand on her forehead. Gohan said, "Yeah, I am. Just don't go telling that to everybody else." Katania nodded and then said, "Well, what's your plan for getting me out? Oh, we need to get Angel out too. She's my co-pilot. She's been getting me all the information I need." Ty looked up suddenly, and looked at Gohan. "Why don't you go find Chioutzu. I need to talk to Katania a second. And please gat back as soon as you can." He nodded, then disappeared. Katania asked, "Hey! Where did he go off to?" Ty smiled. "He went to get a friend of mine. Now, answer me honestly. Have you ever seen your co-pilot after she was captured?" Katania shook her head. Ty asked, "Have you ever seen her cell?" Again, Katania shook her head. Ty sighed. "Well, I'm afraid that Angel will have to stay." Katania was incredulous. "But why?" Ty said, "First, let me guess your capture. You were deep in enemy territory and were ordered to pull back. You didn't because you are devoted to your job. Suddenly, your computer says that your engine codes have been broken and that your enemies were pulling you in on a remote controlled landing. You're captured and you never see Angel again. What did I get wrong?" Katania said, "Nothing! That's exactly what happened. But what does Angel have to do with this?" Ty grimly said, "She's a northern. She's got to be a new draftee, so the northerns sent her from up here with everything she needed. She became your friend and you requested that she and you be partners. She gets the codes from the flight computer and gives them to her boss. End of story. Isn't that right, Angel?" A shadow appeared behind Ty in the cell. Katania could make out the figure of a person with a gun. Angel crept out of the darkness. She said, "Very perceptive, Deathscythe. I've been after you ever since I heard of your crash landing on Earth so long ago. You were so dumb to think that you could hide forever." Ty whirled around and whipped out her tail. Turning Super Saiyan, she said, "I haven't been hiding from you, Angel. I've been helping the other dimension, the one you betrayed. You thought that you could leave everything there. But you forgot about me. I'll never forget how you sent all those guards after Tez. She didn't mean to hurt you, yet you killed her anyway! She was following orders, and if she knew that your family was in that colony, she wouldn't have destroyed it. You'll never be forgiven for killing her!" Angel yelled, "I don't care! I don't care. The past is irrelevant, and you'll see that soon!" Angel's finger moved to the trigger, and Ty noticed something behind her. Turning her attention back to her, Ty said, "You forgot one more thing, Angel." Angel's lips twisted into a cruel smile. She asked, "What's that?" Ty smiled as Angel was whipped against the wall and held in place. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't get free. Picking up the gun she dropped, she crumbled it into a useless heap of metal, saying, "You forgot that my friends have psychic powers." She then smiled at Chioutzu and Gohan who materialized in the cell. Tossing aside the scrap metal, Ty watched with amusement at Katania's expression. Ty said, "We had better get going. Do you have a nickname?" Katania said, "No, but I never found out what your names were." Ty answered, "My name's Terysa Zea, Ty for short. This is my fiancé, Gohan, and our friend Chioutzu. We're all on the Special Forces team. Nice to meet you, Katania." Katania said, "Nice to meet you too." Ty looked at Gohan and suddenly got a deadly smile on her face. Gohan groaned, "I hate that look. What is it now?" Ty walked over to the bars and easily ripped off two bars. Walking over to Angel, she bent the bars around her legs and shoulders and stuck the bars in the concrete wall. Taking off her bandana, she secured Angel's mouth. As she did, her mind flashed back to how she had killed her best friend. Finishing tying her up, Ty swiftly grabbed her bowie knife from her shoulder strap and brought it to Angel's neck. Gohan said slowly, "Ty, she's not worth your time. She'll have to live with her betrayal her entire life. She'll eventually get her's." Ty gritted her teeth and put more pressure on the knife. "She killed my best friend! I won't let her get away with it!" Katania placed her hand on Ty's shoulder saying, "So, you think that killing her is going to make the pain go away? It won't. Revenge isn't an art, or a random act. It's madness. She'll get her's, just like Gohan said. Either she'll die late in life or the northerns will kill her. You can't kill her." Ty asked while putting more pressure on the knife, "If your best friend was murdered because she was following orders, would you show any mercy on the murderer?" Katania sighed, "No, because I wouldn't care that the hurt wouldn't go away." Ty closed her eyes to stop the burning sensation that flooded them. Opening them again, she saw a small bead of blood resting on the metal blade. Ty looked deep into Angel's eyes before slowly pulling the knife away. Holding the knife between their faces, Ty said, "If I ever see you again, I swear to Kami I'll kill you." Drawing the knife down Angel's arm to wipe the blood off, Ty put the knife away. Powering up, she turned toward the cell bars and fired a small ki blast. The bars blew away. Katania looked at them and asked, "What are you guys?" Gohan answered, "Saiyans." Katania took several steps back and held the two Saiyans in place with eyes that showed obvious terror. Ty asked, "What's wrong?" Katania didn't answer, but her face grew as white as a sheet. Gohan looked at her with a funny expression, then suddenly laughed, Ty asked, "What's so funny?" Gohan clutched his sides and said, ""She thinks that we're like Vegeta! Remember from that history lesson I gave you? Remember how Vegeta attacked Earth with Nappa, and how Raditz had come before that? Well, they all revealed that they were Saiyans when a television reporter asked to interview them. I bet Katania here thinks that we're as ruthless and heartless as they were." Ty laughed and looked back at Katania. Smiling a sincere smile, she promised, "We're good Saiyans that don't enjoy killing innocent people just for fun, and so you don't need to be afraid." Katania's face drew color as she decided to trust them. Ty led the group out of the now blasted cell. Right before they left, Ty looked back at Angel and said, "Remember my promise, and a saying. 'That which you have promised, you must perform.' So don't think I'll show you any mercy." Then ,she left.

55

Ty led the group down the halls of the complex, going wherever her instincts told her to. They had a little exercise, but not much. Ty was enjoying the look on Katania's face, but that changed when they rounded a corner. Ty gasped along with the others. Angel stood facing them, her eyes wild and her hair messy. She was panting as she said, "So, you gonna kill me?" Ty said, "Maybe, but how did you get loose?" Angel laughed a maniacal laugh. "Oh, it was easy. But I'm not going to show you any mercy." Angel's hands, which had been behind her back, slowly came forward. She was holding Ty's caster gun. Ty said, "What the..." Her hand flew to her holster and found that her gun was missing. Ty gritted her teeth as she turned back to Angel. Ty grew tense as Angel's hand moved toward the trigger. She pulled the trigger and Ty realized something. Holding out her hand, she easily blocked the blast. Ty laughed. "You have got to be kidding me! You think that a #5 will hurt us? You have to at least come up with a #17 or maybe you have a #3 lying around here somewhere." Angel smiled evilly. "You should never underestimate your opponent, girl." While she was talking, her hand came out from behind her back. Ty took a step back as she realized what caster shell she was holding. Angel laughed maniacally.



"Be afraid, Saiyan scum. Not so tough now, are ya?" Ty tried to reason with the other girl. "Angel, you know that you'll kill yourself while you kill me. What's the point in revenge if you don't even live long enough to enjoy it?" Ty glanced nervously at the #24 shell in Angel's hand. Angel spoke while putting the shell in the gun. "You know, I used to think you Saiyans were invincible. I now know otherwise." She cocked the gun and her green eyes blazed as she asked, "Any last requests?" Ty grabbed Gohan and Chioutzu's hands. "Yeah!" she yelled. "Instant Transmission!" Angel's finger twitched and the trigger pulled just as they vanished.



The explosion rocked the ground as Deathscythe lifted off. Ty sighed in relief, then winced as she moved one of her legs. "Man, I've gotta work on those roundhouse fly kicks." Gohan and Chioutzu flew along side of her. Gohan had teleported Katania back to the Kantaneta Base right after they had gotten airborne. Ty opened an outer channel and turned on her view screens. "How do you two feel?" Both gave her a thumbs up. Ty yawned and said, "Think I'll take a nap. See you guys when we get there." Sighing and leaning back, Ty set the autopilot and fell into a deep sleep.



The trip home was uneventful. After dropping off Chioutzu and making sure everyone was alright, Ty used parts from a junkyard and took a few hours to turn her ground edition Gundam into a space edition Gundam. That done, Ty headed out to the Kantaneta base. "Unidentified… um… vehicle, please… uh… uh…stop?" Ty laughed softly. She turned on the communicator. "This is Terysa Zea, piloting Gundam 02, Space edition. Please inform Commander Jori that I've returned as promised and have brought his newest super weapon." The voice seemed relieved. "So you're on our side? Whew. Okay, I'll tell him." Ty chuckled and leaned back in her seat. She was directed to an empty field and she executed a perfect landing. Opening the cockpit, she saw that there was a huge military procession in front of her. She saw Jori at the front. She jumped to the ground and heard sharp intakes of breath as she fell. Just before smashing into the ground, Ty came to a floating stop. She flipped her tail around her for a good measure. She floated through the crowd as the people made way for her. Reaching Jori, she stepped to the ground. Straightening into a precise military stance, she said while saluting, "Terysa Zea, reporting for duty, sir."



Jori returned the salute. He smiled and said, "Terysa Zea, I've been wanting to meet you ever since we talked. I'm thankful that you're on our side." Ty sat still and didn't let her eyes wander as she called up half remembered military training. Her knees were locked and her tail didn't twitch or move. Jori regarded her with a hard stare, and, softening, said, "At ease." Ty immediately clasped her hands behind her back and spread her legs shoulder width apart. Jori glanced her over and saw several cuts, bruises, and rips in her clothes. Jori said to an assistant, "Get a medical team down here." He'd hardly turned back to Ty when she said, "That won't be necessary, sir." Jori asked, "Why not?" Ty answered in a summarizing manner, "I do not need medical attention, sir. I never have, sir, and never will." Jori asked, "And why is that?" Ty answered by glowing gold. Slowly enough for all present to see, Ty healed herself. Her clothes were mended as well. Jori decided to see what her military abilities were. He asked, "State your name, occupation, and living address." Ty responded quickly and strongly. "Terysa Jernia Zea, sir. Special Forces Member and Gundam pilot, sir. No current living address, sir." Jori looked surprised. "What about Gohan?" Ty's face warmed slightly. "That's classified information, sir. I cannot tell his address, sir, for fear curious Cell Game or SaiyaMan fans may come and pester him and his family, sir." Jori nodded. A bold move for someone he was used to seeing. Jori continued the inquiry. "State your living relatives, birthplace, and any pets you may have." Ty answered in calm manner. "No living relatives at this time, sir. I was born on planet Ledd in the 14th Quadrant, sir. My only pet was destroyed in a past conflict while saving the Earth from total annihilation, sir." Jori regarded her coolly for a moment, but that was all. He decided to see if she had the training of a soldier to answer all questions, no matter how offhand or strange. "State your favorite music group, vacation spot, and favorite star and planet." Ty answered without hesitating in the same tone. "I enjoy music by Point of Grace, sir. I enjoy going to the mountain lakes near the equator, sir. My favorite star is Canis Major, and my favorite planet is Tonishckaby." Jori asked slowly, "And that planet would be like what?" Ty answered, this time with a hint of remembering in it. "Tonishckaby was a beautiful planet with mountains piercing the atmosphere. Snow was on the slopes all year long. It was a great place to go snowblading and snowboarding." Ty's eyes grew misty as she said, "I was ordered to destroy it when it was found there was a internationally sought-after terrorist using it as a hideout. It has been gone for ten years." In a second, the softness was gone, and there was a steely glint of determination to make it through the interview. Jori decided to ask her one more question. "Does this Gundam need maintenance?" Ty answered brusquely, "No. It contains classified information, sir. It can be serviced by me only, sir." Jori had heard all he needed to hear. Extending his hand, he said, "Welcome to the Southern Hemisphere United Territories Military." Clapping was heard from all around as Ty and Jori shook hands. Ty looked into Jori's eyes and asked, "How is Katania Jennifer Alachbay doing, sir? I hope she is all right, sir. She was mildly traumatized and a little scared." Jori smiled slightly and said, "Kat is back at her post, and has received an approval document allowing her to get a new fighter jet. It's supposed to be one of those new Nighthawk 9-17 Stealth fliers. Costs a lot, too." Ty tilted her head slightly and asked, "What is her position in this base, sir, if you don't mind me asking." Jori nodded his approval at her military training and answered, "She's second in command to me. The boss we have above us is Nathaniel McIntyre, and above him, Jack Hugo, in the Pentagon, and above that, the President of the Southern Hemisphere United Territories, which is also known as S.H.U.T." Ty didn't say anything, but gave a slight nod. Suddenly, an assistant ran up to Jori. He handed him a datapad and whispered something excitedly to him. Jori smiled, and the grin got wider as he read to datapad. Holding it out to Ty, he said, "You have just single handedly ended the war against the Northern Hemisphere United Territories! They want to surrender and become one huge nation!" Ty glanced over the datapad. Smiling softly, she asked, "So, is it now going to be the United Earth Nation?" Jori said, "I suppose they could call it that when the other two nations surrender to us.. But it's up to Congress and the president to decide. But that's a good name. I'll tell it to my superior." Ty handed back the datapad as Katania came walking up. Her hair was flowing behind her, and she was dressed in uniform. She gave Ty a sweet smile as she strode up. "Thank you for saving my life. I'm sorry, but I lied. I do have a nickname. You can call me Kat. And another thing, would you like to be my partner? I heard the news about the Northern territories surrender. However, the Eastern and Western Territories are still waging war against us. Ty gave Kat a smile and said, "Kat, I'd love to."





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