"So, moonshine, eh?" Dr. Briefs flicked the end of his cigarette into an ashtray and went back to the console.

"Yeah," Kale laughed momentarily, and re-aimed the flashlight, "They're making their own, y'know, but are having a hard time getting it out. I looked up a few things and somehow or the other ended up making something they're calling the No-Eye Brew."

"No-Eye? Hey, Bulma, sounds like your kinda think."

Bulma, who was working on something rather complicated looking in the palm of the oddly humanoid suit, laughed. "Thanks, dad, but I'm not that interested. Let me guess, you've somehow managed to get this thing at Everclear levels?"

"Maybe not quite that high," Kale replied, "But they're definitely being careful with the stuff, watering it down and all that. It's making them a mint, I definitely think I've made a few friends over there."

"Eh, people are people, same as ever," Dr. Briefs said, "If they don't take comfort in religion they take it in a bottle."

"You're doing it in your work. And the cigarettes, I'd guess."

"Yeah. Surprised you don't, y'know."

"What, smoke?" She hadn't considered it, really, but now she thought about it...Dr. Briefs did it almost constantly. There had to be a reason for it, right? "Why do you do it, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well, it gets to be a habit once you start. And it's always something relaxing to look forward to."

"It's...relaxing? You seem to cough a lot."

"S'got side effects like anything else that calms you down, and I figure I'm going to die anyway, so why not. Been smoking for years, if I ever get unlucky enough to get seriously ill from it I'll just walk into traffic with a sign proclaiming that that pretty android is hideous or something."

"Dad, stop trying to convert her."

"Hey, I'm not trying for anything. Is that thing done yet?"

"Nah, it's a bit off..." Bulma and her father began to spout some technical details that went right over Kale's head.

Not that she minded. Idiot holding the flashlight was probably the least humiliating title she'd ever held.

They broke for lunch a few minutes later, and after eating Kale went over and glanced at the pack Dr. Briefs was pulling a new cigarette from.

"Mind if I try one?" she asked.

"Sure, go ahead. And before you ask, no, it's not got all those blasted chemicals in it, this stuff's grown special by Bunny. Still bad for me, but at least I don't have to worry about some conglomerate poisoning it. I tell you, she has the touch of the gods when it comes to anything botanical. Now I will say, it's going to sting a bit, you're going to cough. But just power through it and you'll get to the good part."

"Alright, so..." She picked up one and held it between two fingers like she'd seen him do once or twice.

Dr. Briefs lit it for her. "Alright, give it a minute, now inhale. Remember, you're going to cough."

Kale took a few puffs on it, and as predicted, coughed roughly. "Burns a lot...gods that's a weird sensation."

And then it hit her.

It was euphoria.

She was numb, but it wasn't the kind she got with alcohol. It was better. She didn't feel the urge to sit in a corner and not go anywhere for a while, she honestly felt as if she had been focused to a point. No wonder he smoked, she thought.

Six months went by.

Kale kept herself busy training, helping Bulma and her father out now and again, and diving with gusto into what she was calling her new best friend and hobby. It might sting, it might burn, but she'd never felt so comfortably numb in her life.

And then there was that metallic thing that was slowly taking better shape. What had at first appeared to be an odd humanoid framework was now taking shape into something far more complex-looking, almost like an odd suit of armor. She'd asked what it was once in that time, and Bulma had just smiled sadly.

"Something to hope for."

"As hard as you two've been at it, I expect it'll have some terribly useful purpose, right?"

"Right. It should, Yamcha died for it."

"Oh, I'm...sorry to hear that. How...? I mean, I hadn't heard of his doing much lately, but I never thought that..."

"Well, we found the location of Gero's lab...you and Borea were off training or something. He offered to go there and look around; I suggested we wait until you or her were available, but he insisted."

"Yeah?"

"He wanted to be useful. Said that over and over, he wanted to be of actual use for once. So I sent him the location of the lab and gave him a few things to take with him so he could send back any information, if anything that could be used was found. And what do you know-he found not only the androids' plans, that is, Gero's blueprints on them, but also blueprints for another android he apparently never built."

"Wow, and he never said anything about it, either."

"He...didn't get a chance to," Bulma said quickly, "He spent the night in the lab and as he was heading back the next morning, they, well...they got him."

"I'm so sorry."

"Funny thing is they left him to bleed out and he spent his last lucid moments texting me."

"You couldn't get to him?"

"He didn't even really know precisely where he was, it was a ways off...or something like that. He wasn't very...clear."

"Perhaps less lucid than you think," Kale said, shaking her head before quickly changing the subject, "Oh, here's some news for you...Ginyu's planning a visit."

"He's aware of the danger, isn't he?" Bulma asked.

"Sure he is, but...I don't know, I guess he wanted to try and raise morale, who knows with him."

"What about his work?"

"Took a small leave of absence? I don't know what he's thinking."

Kale tracked Ginyu's ship from the minute she could sense his power level, and was waiting at the edge of the crater when he emerged. Her thoughts were on the androids...they were still far off, and she really would've wondered why they were taking so long to get back if she didn't get reports that they were currently in New York. A fashion mecca. Of COURSE they'd stay there a while...

As he was getting out of the pod and heading up, she lit up, thinking how things had changed since she'd started. Whatever had happened over the last six months-a sort of emotional hardening? The comfortable numbness of the nicotine settling her down? She didn't know, but it was helpful, at least.

"Captain Ginyu, what a pleasant surprise." she smiled briefly, but stopped short when a look of confusion crossed his face.

"You never called me that before," he replied.

"Things change," she flicked the cigarette. "Welcome to hell, you'll enjoy your stay, I'm sure. What's your aim at visiting?"

"Well...just seeing how everyone is, how I could possibly be of help..."

"You want a new body, don't you?" Kale laughed and took another inhale from the cigarette. "I always could tell if you were lying."

"That's not what I'm here for." He crossed his arms.

"Well, I should probably let Borea know you're here. Unfortunately that'll mean going by the Son House, as they call it." Kale floated off the ground, and Ginyu followed her.

"She spends a lot of time around Gohan and Chi-Chi, then?"

"All the time she possibly can, not that I understand it. Usually we'd switch up who stays with who on what night, but she's started just staying over there, so I just stick mostly to Bulma's."

"Not a lot of time together, huh?"

Kale shrugged. "Sucks, but it is what it is. It's not like the kid wants to see me anyway."

"Are you...alright?" Something just felt...off...to him. Kale was more...well, he'd almost say mean, since the last time he'd seen her. Back then, she was awkward, she was on an even keel most days, but still had plenty of bad ones.

He hadn't heard where she'd had too many of those of late. Borea had told him that Kale barely bothered to speak to her anymore, and as much as it bothered him, he saw that Borea had resigned herself to this fact during the last call she'd made to him.

"I'm fine. Never been better, actually. On top of the world." Kale replied with a narrow-eyed grin. "I've finally got a real purpose to chase after, you know."

"If...you say so...Borea's just, well, it's not just her, it's me, too." It was true, the training would take one's mind off the horrible situation, but there was still something about this that felt horribly unsavory. The way she looked at him, the way she moved...it was probably nothing, he tried to tell himself. She's adapted to awful situations by clamming up and pretending everything's fine before, so why not now.

They arrived at the Son house a few minutes later, and Gohan answered the door.

"Oh...Ginyu. Wasn't expecting to see you here."

"I just thought I should...check in, as it were," he laughed awkwardly, "Let you know that I don't have any ill intent, that sort of thing. Can I come in?"

"Sure." Gohan stepped away from the door. "Mom! Borea! Kale and Ginyu are here!"

Borea looked up from her place in the living room, and waved. Chi-Chi emerged from the kitchen. "Ginyu, it's nice to see you again. Perfect timing, too, I could use some help in the kitchen. These two kids here, with their saiyan appetites..."

"Always ready to be of service," Ginyu replied. He headed into the kitchen with Kale following behind.

"What brings you to this house, then?" Chi-Chi laughed weakly and handed Ginyu an apron. "Did you just feel like cooking again?"

"I wanted to see how I could help."

Kale switched on the radio. It was a recent addition to the kitchen, but was the standard in most houses these days. The Mostly Androids News Network, as it called itself, was the one everyone paid the most attention to. There was always some kind of information going around and the station prided itself on being accurate about their locations to within the last fifteen minutes. The window was narrowing, but...at least they were trying.

Today there was no local information on them, as they weren't in the area, so standard news reports would go on.

"A bit of bad news for anyone with ties to the Greensleeves," came the announcer's voice. "Just yesterday we sent someone out-we're not ashamed to admit it, they make some of the best booze you can get your hands on-for a chat with them about how things were going over there, and damned if the whole place wasn't cleaned out!"

"Isn't that the people you were helping?" Chi-Chi looked up from the pot and in Kale's direction, just as Ginyu stepped over to take his turn stirring the soup.

"Yeah. I wonder what happened...?"

"Now you might be thinking, the androids came back early, right? But nope! This wasn't even their m.o.! They like to leave a big pile of blood and limbs and whatnot, get people in lots of pieces...but that's not what happened here. One shot through the chest. Clean wound."

Ginyu had just removed the ladle from the soup-and promptly dropped it on the floor.

"You okay over there?" Kale asked.

"Yeah...fine. Sorry. Long trip here, you understand." He went to the sink to clean the ladle, but he couldn't help that creeping feeling that was, once more, returning. That wasn't the androids, that was...

"At least it was a quick death," Kale said.

That just doesn't sound like you, he thought, looking over at her. She had a cigarette out and was barely reacting to the news at all. Presumably these were people she liked and got along with...

What the hell had gotten into her?