I apologize for the long wait. I am TERRIBLE at writing fight scenes (as you all know by now), and there is a LOT of it going on in this chapter. I cannot tell you how many times I have rewritten this and I'm not exaggerating when I say I have been working on this since before the last update. I hope it is cohesive enough to follow, because I have to jump around viewpoints, as everything is going on at once. Please enjoy! We are in the home stretch!

"No..." Shin gasped. "No, it cannot be..." His small voice reached Piccolo's sensitive ears, and he whipped his head around to look at the Kai. He was standing very near Tsuki, looking very pale, his lilac skin nearly white. "My lady... he's Kid..."

Piccolo's heart leapt into his throat and he looked down at Gohan, whose eyes were trained on the army before them.

"Would someone kindly explain to me just why the fuck Frieza and Broly are stronger?" Vegeta snarled.

"He must have done as I had: strengthened their threads before weaving them back together," Tsuki answered calmly, ignoring Shin's panicking beside her, giving no trace of worry.

Krillin let out a big sigh. "Well that's just great," he groaned. "It was hard enough killing them the last time!" Piccolo's leg kicked back seemingly on its own accord, knocking the monk in the knee. He yelped and tried to backpedal quickly. "Oh, uh... Don't worry though! The goddess helped us; we can take them on, I'm sure! It'll be eas-OW!" he cut off when Vegeta elbowed him in the ribs.

"Stop. Talking," he ground out.

Luckily, Gohan paid them little mind, instead looking around nervously. "Where's Cell?" he asked.

Tsuki shook her head. "You completely destroyed him, child. Every last thread."

"Ooh, nice one, kiddo!" Goku said encouragingly, giving his son's hand a gentle squeeze. Well, as gentle as he could considering the boy's hand was almost gripping his like a vice.

"So how do we determine who fights who?" Piccolo asked.

"Maybe we should all dance around and play Rock, Paper, Scissors," Vegeta quipped, looking pointedly at Jeice.

"Dude, really? Now is not the time!"

At that, Gohan gave a small chuckle, and loosened his grip enough for Piccolo to start regaining feeling in his hand. And for once, the Namekian was thankful for Vegeta's usually ill-timed snark.

"I've already sorted it out," Tsuki answered, ignoring the two friends. "Krillin, you will take on King Cold. Broly will go after Goku no matter what. Be warned, Goku; the Saiyan is much stronger now than he was when Gohan killed him."

"Got it," the two replied in unison.

"Vegeta, Jeice, I need you to fight Frieza. His ki has increased exponentially, so it is going to take both of you to bring him down. And Piccolo, you will fight Cooler."

"Hey, what about us?" Yamcha asked dejectedly.

"I have not forgotten you three," Tsuki reassured. "I need you to be my floaters. Go wherever you are needed, be everyone's eyes. I know I can count on you to be able to tell who needs help when."

She turned to Shin then. "East, I need you to take down Babidi. Or at the least keep him distracted long enough so that he cannot control Buu."

Shin swallowed nervously. "Of course, my Lady."

"And Gohan..."

Buu let out another childish squeal, cutting her off. "Buu bored! Buu ready to fight now!"

At that, Gohan pinned his eyes on the surprisingly small pink being, and Piccolo could practically feel the switch from fear to determination. His heart fluttered a bit when he saw Amat had detected it as well, smirking down at the boy.

"What about your brother?" he asked lowly.

"Leave him to me."

"Are you able to do it?"

"I have no choice. If I die-"

She was cut off by Broly's thunderous bellow of "KAKAROTT!"

"Are you ready, dear sister?" Amat called tauntingly. "I cannot contain them much longer..."

Vegeta made the decision for everyone. With a loud snarl, he transformed and rose to the air, charging the group. Amat gave a booming laugh and snapped his fingers. His army immediately surged forward, prompting the rest of the Z fighters to charge into the fray as well.

Goku and Broly clashed first, Goku ascending nearly on impact. They almost immediately disappeared, phasing in and out at a rapid pace only the sharpest eye could catch.

Vegeta and Jeice stopped just short of colliding with Frieza, the latter barely jumping up and back just in time to avoid it.

"Oh, now this is a treat," Frieza said sarcastically. "Best friends, together again til the end. And it will be the end this time, my favorite prince. The child isn't here to protect you and the Legendary is otherwise occupied. You stand no chance."

Vegeta growled, his fist flying into Frieza's face. The tyrant retaliated, kicking him hard in the gut. Jeice jumped in at that moment, and soon it became a full-on brawl at a pace nearly rivaling Goku and Broly.

King Cold and Krillin approached each other more cautiously, circling and appraising one another's threat level.

"You're awfully small, aren't you?" he provoked.

In Vegeta-worthy fashion, Krillin retorted sarcastically, "You're only in the second form. You're awfully weaker than your sons, aren't you?"

"Oh, you cocky little imbecile. Do you have any idea who you are speaking to?"

Krillin cocked his head. "A pathetic king who doesn't actually rule anything anymore?"

King Cold growled and lunged at Krillin, sending him skimming backwards quickly, a surprised yelp slipping out. He quickly recovered and began fighting back, attempting to push the giant onto the rebound.

Piccolo and Cooler met calmly, staring each other down, waiting for the first move. Right away, Piccolo knew they were evenly matched.

"A Namekian? Interesting. How very interesting..." Cooler said haughtily. "You're obviously a superior specimen than the rest of your kind, yes. Let's see if you're any better than the rest of your race. From what I heard, my brother practically eradicated them, did he not? And he is far weaker than I."

"Was."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Was far weaker than you. That doesn't appear to be the case anymore, does it?" Piccolo said levelly, jerking his head in the direction of Frieza, Vegeta, and Jeice.

A look of pure fury crossed Cooler's face briefly before he composed himself.

"It doesn't matter. The god promised us all our own realms. All we need to do is kill the boy. The rest of you are just bonuses. You stand no chance; none of you. That child is already as good as dead," he taunted.

That was it. Piccolo rushed Cooler, sending him quickly on the rebound. His anger spurred him forward, so very much like his boy on the ground.

Buu was practically trembling beside Babidi, the wizard just barely able to contain him. His body twitched in anticipation.

"Buu ready now!" he whined indignantly.

Babidi's hand shook with the effort. "I cannot hold him much longer, God," he ground out.

Amat looked down into Tsuki's eyes and smirked. "Release him," he said at last.

"Thank you," Babidi sighed in relief, dropping his hand. Buu's body jerked forward as the restraints finally gave way. He began shrieking with wild laughter, his small body darting around as he tested his new limits, squealing when he realized they were unlimited.

On the ground, Shin gave a startled gasp. "This is it..."

Tsuki laid her hand on the Kai's shoulder. "The time has come, my friend," she said, her voice surprisingly level. "You know what you must do."

Shin swallowed. "Yes, my lady." And with that, he darted forward at a pace that matched his frantic heartbeat. He was in front of Babidi before the wizard was even aware he was under attack. He threw his hands forward, releasing an impressive wave of ki, knocking the small being backwards. And then, with a fire of courage he didn't know he possessed, he punched Babidi square in the face.

Babidi gave a cry of shock and pain. "Of all the cheap shots! You play dirty, Kai!" he snapped, holding a hand to his bleeding nose. When Shin made to move forward again, he flung his free hand out, sending the Kai backwards with a wave of dark magic. Shin yelped, fighting to stay upright as burning pain shot through him. He managed to twist his body, dislodging himself from the magic's hold. Another forceful wave washed over him and he was aware he was falling.

Something surprisingly soft stopped his descent and relieved the pain instantly. He opened his eyes to see Old Kai before him, a stream of magic coming from his left hand as his right sent another beam at Babidi. Shin didn't think he'd ever been so happy to see someone before.

Old Kai's eyes were sad as he looked upon Shin before turning his gaze to Tsuki. "Fare thee well, my dear," he said softly. He saw sorrow in the goddess' eyes, and his choice was made. "Easty! Quickly! Place your hand on my chest!" he ordered nearly frantically as he watched Babidi fight against his magic, the bonds of it quickly dissipating.

"What?" Shin asked as he obediently held his hand to Old Kai's chest.

"I just want you to know, Easty, that I am proud of everything you have done. Now breathe in deeply," he said. Shin looked at him in confusion before wrenching his gaze away as Babidi righted himself and placed his hands together, dark magic charging. "Easty! Breathe in!" Old Kai cried as Babidi's magic grew darker.

Shin closed his eyes and did as he was told, and as a ball of dark magic came barreling towards him, his ki swelled, mixing with magic of his own, knocking the offending spell off course. When he opened his eyes, Old Kai was gone and his hands tingled with newfound power. He looked up to glare at the small wizard, confidence glowing in his chest.

Both beings threw their hands forward at the same time.

Dark and light magic hit one another in a blinding wave.

Gohan looked around him as the others fought, anger growing in his chest with each blow his friends, no, his family, received. He turned his focus onto Buu and fear fluttered in his belly as he realized the small monster was fidgeting with anticipation as he watched each fight, trying to determine which one he wanted to jump in on. Which one would be the most fun. He looked up at Tsuki and she nodded her head.

"Let it go."

That was all Gohan needed to hear. Without another thought, he gave a powerful cry and released his ki.

An oppressive wave of power expanded out, nearly knocking everyone over, all fights abruptly halting. All heads whipped around to look down at the boy on the ground, amazement and shock written clearly on their faces.

Piccolo looked over at Vegeta, the Saiyan's eyes meeting his. His expression said it all.

Is it going to be enough?

"Oooooooh..." Buu crooned, a bright smile on his face. "Buu's turn! Buu's turn now!" he cried in excitement. His small body curled in on itself and pink light surrounded him, steadily growing brighter...

The cry that emanated from Buu's mouth as he unfurled in an equally oppressive wave made Piccolo's ears pin back and wince. He looked down at Gohan and his brow ridges shot up. Gohan's face showed no fear, only cool determination.

The reverie of awe broke in that moment with an angry bellow of "Kakarott!" and a fist flying into Goku's face.

Piccolo whirled around just in time to catch Cooler's fist headed towards his own face. He brought his knee up, slamming into Cooler's stomach and knocking the breath from him. He wasted no time, crashing his elbow onto the back of his opponent's neck. Cooler lost altitude for a few moments before catching himself. Still holding his stomach, he extended his arm and sent an impressive ki blast at Piccolo, the Namekian barely knocking it away. He grunted at the burning in his hand, throwing his other out to unleash his own blast.

Tsuki and Amat stared at one another, fiery gold meeting calm blue.

Amat smirked and gave a mocking bow before disappearing. Tsuki waited with bated breath, allowing her ki and magic to sense where he had gone.

There!

She spun and barely deflected a surge of dark magic with her own. Her eyes met her brother's once more before she too disappeared.

Thunder in the heavens sounded as their magic crashed against each other, sparking and flaring like lightening, illuminating the battle below them.

Broly and Goku punched each other hard in the mouth, sending both Saiyans flying backwards. Goku recovered first, plowing forward once more, driving his fist into the other Saiyan's gut. Broly fell a few feet before gaining control of himself. He howled and sent a heavy blast at Goku.

Goku barely caught it before it was able to hit him in the chest. He grunted and gasped he fought to keep the searing ki from finding home in his heart. Broly cackled, increasing the power behind the blast, causing Goku to give a pained cry as the heat began to become unbearable.

King Cold turned his attention back to Krillin, sizing him up once more. Krillin squared his shoulders and met the giant's eyes. He breathed out and, taking note from the boy, released his ki fully. The sudden burst of energy that came from the monk was enough to force the king back several feet. Krillin smirked when he realized that his opponent was already at his maximum.

Good. No surprises.

Again, he allowed King Cold to make the first move, quickly dodging back from the flurry of punches that were attempting to pummel him.

"My oh my, what a powerful little creature, hm?" Frieza mused. He turned to look at the two warriors before him. "That child may have grown stronger, but he's nothing in comparison, hm? It will not take long to defeat him, and then the Earth will be mine. The god promised us our own domains; promised me Earth. I will reform it, create my own empire, and kill anyone who opposes. Including your little family, dear Prince." At Vegeta's bewildered look, he smirked. "Oh yes, I've seen them. The god allowed us a look at our spoils. Your son looks so very much like you, Vegeta," he taunted. "Do not worry, Saiyan; he will not be fatherless for long. I will send him and your beautiful woman to join you in death. They will be my first priority, I promise," he said proudly, as if doing the prince some great honor.

Jeice gasped, turning his attention to his friend. Vegeta seemed frozen in shock before hatred marred his features. His ki flared around him in angry golden waves, pushing both Jeice and Frieza back with the force of it. He released a bellow of rage and rushed his tormentor.

Shin and Babidi threw spells at one another, each rebounding off the other. Shin had almost always only ever used ki, and was surprised how easily the magic was flowing through him, as if he'd had it all his life. He used both in forceful combination, throwing the small wizard for a loop, as he had no ki of his own to fight with.

Babidi continued skirting away, just out of reach of most of the blasts. He conjured a small shield up around himself, though it did not deter all of the ki and magic bombarding him. He threw magic of his own every few moments, pleased when a few reached their target.

A howl of pain reached his ears and he looked around before throwing an impressively large wave of magic at Shin, knocking back and disorienting the Kai. He turned and fled for the source of the howling.

Buu and Gohan stared each other down. Buu appeared genuinely curious as he regarded the other child before him. Excitement flooded his small body.

Another kid! Another kid to PLAY!

He giggled and clapped his hands. "Come! Come play with Buu!" he called, gathering a ball of ki in his hands.

Gohan breathed in deeply, creating his own ball, waiting for Buu to make the first move. And then, he could practically hear Piccolo's voice in the back of his mind chiding him for always waiting to go on the defensive.

Just do it!

Gohan unleashed the blast suddenly and violently, the bright ball hurtling towards Buu with incredible speed. Buu gave a startled cry before unleashing his own blast. The two collided with incredible force, creating a shockwave that spread over the land, knocking everyone around them around a bit, but luckily not enough for any of them to stop their fighting.

Too close. Must move him away from them!

Gohan rose high into the sky and began skimming backwards rapidly, not taking his eyes off of his opponent.

Buu cocked his head in confusion. "Huh? No, you stay! You stay to fight Buu!" he cried indignantly, giving chase. "Come back!"

Gohan gave him no heed, continuing his retreat. Suddenly, Buu seemingly disappeared. Confused, Gohan stopped. A crushing blow hit him hard in the back of the head and he tumbled forward, dropping some altitude, his vision hazy.

"You no run!" Buu snarled angrily. "You stay! You fight!" He reached out to punch him in the head again, but Gohan luckily regained some sense and was able to turn quickly enough to grab the incoming fist. He squeezed as hard as he could, feeling Buu's hand crumple with the force. Buu shrieked in pain and twisted violently out of the boy's grasp. "Ow ow OW!" he howled.

Gohan smirked, watching with satisfaction as Buu danced backwards, violently shaking his crushed hand. His face quickly changed to one of shock as he watched Buu's hand seemingly repair itself of its own volition.

"I'm sorry, Gohan!" he heard from behind. He turned to see Shin to crash into Babidi, knocking the wizard back and breaking his stream of magic off of Buu. He turned back to Buu, who was staring at his hand in wonder before looking at his master. Gohan could practically see the wheels turning in his head.

No!

He raced forward, catching Buu off guard and getting his attention back on him as his foot made contact with his stomach. Buu coughed, blood spurting out. One arm wrapped around his middle, his other flying out to send a wave of ki at Gohan. The boy managed to barely sideswipe it, burning his forearm in the process. He hissed in pain as his skin scorched, using the feeling to fuel his anger, unleashing a blast that turned Buu's entire right side a sooty grey.

"OW!" Buu screeched. He turned his murderous eyes on the Saiyan. "You mean!" he whined childishly.

Gohan's brows shot up. I'm the mean one? Are you kidding me?

A sharp cry from Shin drew his attention away as he saw a dark stream of energy envelop him. Sudden movement caught his eye and he threw his hands up as an unexpected wave of ki blinded him, closing his eyes against the harsh light and heat.

When he was able to see again, Buu was no longer before him. He whipped his head around, panicked.

Where did he go?

"Buu...don't..." he heard, and he jerked his head around to see Buu stalking Babidi. Shin seemed frozen to the spot, unable to figure out how to get out of the situation he had been put in.

Gohan's heart seized as he realized what was about to happen.

"SHIN! KILL BABIDI! KILL HIM NOW!" he cried, unleashing his own blast at the tiny wizard. Buu phased in and knocked it out of the way easily.

Shin threw a wave of magic over the wizard, Buu knocking it away just as easily as he had the blast.

"Buu, I am your master! You listen to me! Go kill the boy! Leave me! I will give you whatever you want when you do! I promise!" Babidi tried to reason.

"Buu want you!"

"Shin, please!" Gohan screamed again, once more trying to send a blast at Babidi, phasing in to get closer, to get a better shot...

"I can't!" Shin called back as his magic was once more blocked.

"Buu! Buu no! NO!" Babidi screamed as pink ki washed over him, erasing his existence. Buu cackled maniacally as Babidi's magic flowed into him, his ki steadily rising, soaring...

Gohan's eyes shifted to the fighters below him, his gaze settling on Piccolo.

I'm sorry, Piccolo. Goodbye. I love you.

He began to power up, pushing past his maximum, his heart racing with the strain.

Tsuki and Amat fought viciously, magic flying and colliding with near-sonic booms. Tsuki could feel herself weakening with each wave she sent, her body slowly succumbing to her already failing heart.

Suddenly, the Heavens were blindingly white. Tsuki blinked against it, trying to gather her bearings...

Searing pain pierced her side and she cried out. She felt lightheaded, her head swimming, and just as she was about to plummet back to Earth, strong arms caught her.

"I am sorry, Tsuki," Amat said solemnly, "but this is the only way it could end. There was no promise killing you with my magic wouldn't send you straight into Darkness. I cannot risk that; for all the fighting we have done over the centuries, I do still love you, dear sister," he admitted. "Forgive me," he added in a whisper as he slipped the lethal knife he had conjured out from between her ribs. She gasped as her blood spilled, dark red staining her blue dress.

"Amat..." she said weakly, struggling to get the words out. "Amat...please..."

His lips placed a delicate kiss upon her forehead. "Fast travels, sister. I hope you join Mother swiftly and painlessly."

And then, she felt a slight tingle and the pain was gone. He let go then, her body falling slowly, carefully, to the Earth as the last bit of light magic Amat would ever release guided her back. As her body gently landed back in the dirt and the tingle began to dissipate, she breathed in deeply and wiggled her fingers.

There's still some left, she thought as her eyes closed.

Krillin dodged backward once more before darting forward and landing a hard punch into King Cold's gut. The giant coughed, blood spurting forth, droplets staining Krillin's gi.

Sudden movement caught the monk's eye and he punched King Cold in the face absentmindedly, knocking him to the side as he watched the goddess' body fall to the ground. At that same moment, he heard Goku cry out in pain as Broly's blast bore down on him.

It's all falling apart!

He punched his opponent once more before calling out to his friends.

Something's wrong...

The words ran through Piccolo's head as he felt some sort of disturbance in the air around him. Unable to look to see what it was, he focused on beating back Cooler. If he could kill him and get back to Gohan...

Cooler let a punch fly towards Piccolo's face, only for the Namekian to catch it. His anger and fear roared in his chest, raising his ki and determination. He crushed the fist in his grasp, and as Cooler grunted in pain, he let loose a blast into his stomach, pushing his bloody opponent back.

He turned his head to see Tsuki's bloody body on the ground.

No!

Yamcha's eyes followed Vegeta carefully, waiting to have to jump in if need be. And while he hated the Saiyan with every fiber of his being, his love for Bulma was stronger. He had checked in on his former lover from time to time, and while it broke his heart that she would fall for the man who had ordered his death, he saw how utterly happy she was being with him and their precocious son. He promised himself that he would keep the Saiyan alive for her, even if it meant erasing his own existence for eternity.

Tien and Chaoutzu stood beside him, their eyes darting back and forth between the fights. Goku's cry caught their attention, and they readied themselves to jump in.

"Yamcha!" Krillin's panicked voice called, "Kill King Cold! Tien, Chaoutzu, go help Piccolo! VEGETA!"

Yamcha raced past Krillin to where King Cold kneeled in the ground, battered and bloody. The leviathan looked up into the human's face and smirked.

"Another human... And here I was, thinking you were that annoying Saiyan, Radditz..." he taunted as he stood once more. "You're no Saiyan. You think you can best me?" he boasted in an attempt to save face and hopefully knock doubt into the warrior before him.

"Yup."

And with a smirk, Yamcha held his hand out and blasted King Cold away in an anticlimactic end.

Vegeta crashed his elbow into Frieza's gut, knocking him straight into Jeice's waiting knee. The tyrant wheezed, curling in on himself as his opponents circled him like hawks.

"VEGETA!" Krillin called as he raced over.

For a moment, the Saiyan ignored the monk, absorbed in finally having the chance to kill his childhood tormentor.

"Vegeta, Goku needs help!" Krillin cried, breaking Vegeta out of his rage-induced trance.

The Saiyan growled, punching Frieza once more in the gut, causing blood to spurt forth. He then grabbed the tyrant by the back of the neck and thrust him towards Jeice.

"Kill him," he ordered. "Make it as painful as possible." And with that, he phased out and above, narrowly avoiding Goku's body careening towards him.

"Oh, my former elite, how far you have fallen," Frieza taunted. "Doing your friend's dirty work."

"It's every bit my work as it is his. Funny, you brought us together as children. Then, you tore us apart; turned us against each other. And now, you've united us again. Full circle. Except this circle does have an end: your death. Nice knowing you; I hope you enjoy Hell. I know I didn't."

And with that, Jeice held out his hand and blew Frieza away.

Goku's cries stopped as he finally was able to wrench himself out of the blast's power. He started to drop as his weakened body began to give out.

A strong hand grabbed his arm, stopping his descent.

"Kakarott!" Vegeta snarled. "Pull yourself together!" he growled as he transferred a small amount of his ki from his hand into Goku's arm.

The other Saiyan's voice snapped him out of his pain-induced reverie and he jerked out of Vegeta's grasp with renewed energy. He met Vegeta's eyes and nodded before turning his attention back to Broly. Vegeta followed his train of thought as they rushed the Legendary, blasts alight in their hands.

Broly stumbled backward as he was bombarded by the two other Saiyans, pain ripping through his body as their blasts bore through him. He let out a cry of outrage as he realized he was fading, his body slowly returning him to death's grip.

Tien phased in front of Piccolo suddenly, grabbing the fist that was aimed towards his face. Chaoutzu landed on Cooler's shoulders, his small arms wrapping around his neck, lethal ki flowing through his body into the one under him.

"Piccolo!" Krillin called as he sped towards the Namekian. "She's down! Tsuki's down! Help me!"

Piccolo needed no encouragement, already racing for the fallen goddess, Krillin at his heels. They landed running, skidding to a stop and falling to their knees beside her. Krillin carefully hoisted her upper body onto his own, Piccolo's hand grasping her chin and gently tilting his face towards him.

"Goddess...Tsuki, wake up!" he called, his other hand going to smooth her hair away from her face.

"She's bleeding out," Krillin whispered, his hand going to her side and putting pressure on her wound.

"P-Piccolo..." she mumbled, her eyes opening blearily. "Amat...G-Gohan...H-help him..."She lifted her hand weakly, holding it out in the boy's direction.

Piccolo whipped his head around to look at Gohan as he felt the child's ki suddenly jump and push past his maximum, his body tensing to move.

"He can do this, Piccolo," Krillin said. "You have to let him do this...You can't help him this time..."

Piccolo growled and turned his attention to the monk. "It's not going to be eno-"

Golden light flashed from the Heavens and then the sound of Gohan's pained cries assaulted his ears and he whipped around once more to see the boy in a blaze of dark magic, his whole body writhing. Buu stopped his approach and cocked his head in confusion before letting out childish, sinister laugh, advancing on the boy once more, murder in his eyes.

It's time!

Piccolo gave a loud, deep snarl and made to rush the god. He sideswiped Amat, knocking the stream of magic off of Gohan, the boy's limp body beginning to fall, just barely caught by Krillin before he could fall too far. Amat growled, rounding on his new opponent.

"Really, Namekian? You would die for him? He's not even yours; he belongs to me. He's made from me."

"He was never yours," Piccolo spat.

"You would die for him? For a child not your own?"

"He's always been mine."

Amat laughed darkly. "As you wish."

Before Piccolo could even attempt a defense, the god thrust his hand out, and the most intense, searing pain he had ever felt tore through his whole body, making every blast of ki that he had endured before feel like a mere bee sting. And then, the pain stopped, replaced by overwhelming numbness. He was dimly aware he was falling, everything fading to black...

Gohan, don't die...

The Namekian plummeted to the ground, landing with brutal impact beside the fallen goddess. Time seemed to come to a standstill as all eyes turned to stare in shock at the still-bodied Namekian.

Deafening silence.

And then, the screaming started.