PHALANX - The series
Episode Twenty-four: Seven Days of Doom, part one.
"Good morning D," Jennifer greeted her friend as he entered the quarters.
"Morning Uncle D," David and Jessica greeted him. Daphnix sat down at the same table Jennifer and the twins were seated, looked around the quarters, and finally asked,
"Good morning all. Say, where's Fred?" Daphnix's voice sounded concerned. His friend should be here, as he normally was.
"Probably on the bridge," Jennifer answered. "He's been acting strange ever since I found him staring at a console yesterday. Ever since then, he's had his head up in space somewhere."
"Well, I'm sure he'll tell us. Have you tried asking?" Daphnix's eyes twinkled as he looked at Jennifer.
"I will. After breakfast. I don't think it's that important, or Fred would have told us about it."
As the four people resumed breakfast, the door chime rang.
"Ami spent the night, right?" Jennifer asked with a merry twinkle in her eyes. "Enter," she added, allowing the door to slide open, and the blue-haired girl stepped in. Welcomes were exchanged, and Ami sat down in her seat, the one next to Daphnix. They gave each other a small kiss, before resuming breakfast.
Breakfast was, contrary to usual, a fast business this morning. Ami picked up on the fact that Frederic wasn't present, and the somewhat tense atmosphere that was hanging in the room like a thick fog. When the five people finished, the dishes were hurriedly disposed of in the replicator, and Ami trailed along as the four others marched swiftly to the bridge.
The massive double blast-doors slid open as they approached. The five entered, to catch a glimpse of Frederic staring solemnly at a rotating planet on the main screen. The picture disappeared as Frederic tapped a few keys.
"Fred? Love? What were you looking at?" Jennifer asked her husband.
"Nothing," Frederic evaded.
"That nothing looked like a planet to me," Daphnix told his friend.
"Do you know that planet, Dad?" David asked.
Frederic closed his eyes, and shook his head. "I don't. Shadow does."
The group stared at him, the implication sinking in. If Shadow knew about this planet, then this was a world she visited on her path.
"That's great news! Shadow gets to visit friends, and we get to meet some people who knew her on her path!" Jennifer exclaimed.
"It is," Frederic agreed. "But this all came as a shock to Shadow. She thought those people long dead. From her point, she left this world over two-hundred and forty-five years ago."
"Damn," Daphnix grunted. "No wonder she's shook up. How much time has passed on this world since Shadow left?"
"About six and a half months," Frederic answered. "She is anxious to go down there, but she's scared at the same time, because she doesn't know what to say."
"There's only one way to get her over this: cross over, and beam down," Daphnix told his friend.
"Possibly," Frederic agreed.
"So? Are we going?" Jessie asked.
"Sure. Why not?" Frederic grunted.
"I have to go to school now," Ami said. "I'll see you later?" she asked the group in general, but Daphnix in particular.
"Of course, Sweets. We'll leave the Daedalus in orbit. Just ask Linda to get you to us whenever you want."
"Thank you," she answered. A quick kiss later, she had darted out the door.
"Linda, release Daedalus," Frederic told the ship.
Daedalus released in stable orbit.
"Thanks. Prepare for dimension jump to 700."
Universe 700 has been programmed. Ready to engage.
"By the way, the universe we're going to visit is the one with the humongous kis I told you about. David, Jessie, You've only been in training for a week and a half. I want you to be careful, ok? The ki on this world is dangerous. Very dangerous."
"Sure, Dad."
"Okay, Daddy."
Frederic smiled at his two children, and turned to his wife and his best friend. "That goes for you too…I have some experience, but it's been 250 years. I don’t know how I'll handle it, but I'll be extremely careful."
"Alright, Love."
"Sure thing, Fred."
Frederic smiled, nodded, and turned to the viewer. His form shimmered, and Shadow took his place. "Linda, engage."
******
Day one, 1140 hours Universe XXX Montana time, location: Sorcerer and
Jennifer's refuge.
"I'll be back in a day or two. After reaching level 5, I think we both deserve some rest," Sorcerer told Jennifer.
"Right. I'll be moving that way," she answered, pointing in the opposite direction Sorcerer was looking at.
"And I'll be going to other way. Have fun, Jenny."
"You too, Fred. See you in a couple of days."
"Ditto," Sorcerer told her as they both started to turn away from each other. Sorcerer reached a small waterfall not long after he left, and installed himself there. Jennifer, on the other hand, decided to keep moving, and to stop only when her body was exhausted. Completely unknown to the two lovers, their happiness was in jeopardy.
******
Day one, 0918 hours Universe 700 DragonBall time, location: a meadow
overlooking the sea, not far from Capsule Corporation.
"Feel it yet?" Shadow asked her companions. Immediately after arriving, she had felt the rush of power her strong ki provided. She could feel the power lurking beneath the surface, and she couldn't help but smile as she stroked the ball of raw power.
"Yes," Jennifer answered. "It's so close…and so much. I could turn Super simply from looking at it. It's incredible!"
"That's exaggerating," Shadow told Jennifer. "Remember, your ki is a lot stronger here, but you'll also need a lot more power to turn Super. And the rest? Have you found it yet?"
"I have," Daphnix said.
"So have we," the twins added.
"Good," Shadow said, giving a dip with her head. "That way is Capsule Corporation, where Bulma lives and works."
"It's been 250 years. Are you sure?" Jennifer asked dubiously. Shadow turned to the taller woman.
"Are you questioning me?" she asked dangerously. "If you don’t believe me, scan. That direction. Tell me what you get."
Jennifer looked startled at the smaller female. She looked up, and scanned. "A normal man, two normal women, a very strong ki, and an infantile very strong one."
"Bulma's father, her mother, Bulma herself, Vegeta and baby Trunks," Shadow supplied. "Now, any other stupid remarks?"
"No ma'am!" Daphnix said. Shadow shot him a smile, turned on her heel, and engaged her ki. The next moment, she was flying. The others had to use every bit of their control just to keep them from incinerating the surrounding area. Jennifer had it the easiest, while the twins had it the hardest way. Deciding not to waste too much time, David and Jessica used their telekinetic powers to fly, instead of their ki.
Shadow landed in front of the large building, and stared at it. The others touched down right next to her, and looked questioningly at her.
"It's been so long…" Shadow whispered. "But only six months have passed here… I wonder how things are…"
"Hey! Looks who's back!" a voice yelled from behind the group. Shadow flashed around.
"Krillin! Yamcha! Puar!" she exclaimed.
"Hey, Shadow!" Bulma yelled, coming from inside. She had heard Krillin's exclamation.
"How have you been?" Bulma asked.
"Yeah, have you finished your path already?" Yamcha asked.
"Was it hard?" Krillin asked in turn.
"I've been fine, I finished the path, and yes, it was hard," Shadow said, answering the questions.
"Come in, come in," Bulma said, guiding the entire group inside. "And tell us, who are your friends?"
Shadow sighed, and closed her eyes, obviously trying to find a way to relate her stories. "Maybe you could call the rest," Shadow ventured. "I wouldn't want to tell the same story over and over."
"Sure," Bulma agreed, and started dialing on the phone.
"So, how long ago did you finish? I though that you said it would take 300 years," Krillin ventured.
"It took me 250 years," Shadow said. "Time moved faster for me… for you, six months passed. For me, 250 years went by."
"Aw," Krillin said.
"Yeah, so you're like 270 years old?" Yamcha asked.
Shadow nodded. "At the time, I didn't know this… 250 years passed, and I thought the same time passed for everyone I visited. I thought you all…dead…" Shadow whispered the last words, finding it strange to confront her feelings.
"Bummer," Yamcha grunted.
"Now, who are your friends?" Bulma asked, sitting down again. "I called the rest. They'll be here shortly. And what was that of 250 years?"
"Allow me to introduce Jennifer, Daphnix, David, and Jessica," Shadow said, pointing to the people in turn. "When will the rest be here? I'd much rather tell my story when everyone's here."
"We understand," Bulma said, laughing. "Goku, Chi Chi, and Gohan will be here any minute. Tien and Chao Tsu will be here in ten minutes or so, and Master Rochi will be here in fifteen minutes."
"So, is Daphnix your husband?" Krillin asked. To everyone's surprise, the group burst out laughing.
"No," Shadow said. "Jennifer is my wife…you see, remember that I didn't know who I was? Well, my real form is a man… and he is married."
"A MAN?" the present people shouted. They all were stunned.
"Yes," Shadow said. "His name is Frederic Fromthefield. Speaking of men, where's Vegeta?"
"Well… he's in the gravity room," Bulma grunted. "I swear, all that man does is eat, drink, sleep, and train."
"Maybe you should get him," Shadow suggested. "I'm sure he'll be glad to see me."
"Glad to rip your head off, maybe," Bulma warned. "I swear, he never got over the fact that he couldn't hit you."
"Did my teachings help?" Shadow asked.
"Oh, yeah!" Krillin confirmed. "After the androids, Cell appeared, and he challenged us. And thanks to your trainings, we were fast enough to beat him without too many problems."
"I see. What happened to the androids?"
"Cell ate them in order to gain his ultimate form… and we killed him anyway. By killing him, the androids died with him."
"Looks like the Guardian was right… I wanted to stay, but she convinced me that my trainings would be put to good use, and that you would now have it easier against the challenges."
"She sure was right," Yamcha agreed.
"Here he is, his royal grumpiness in person," Bulma introduced, dragging Vegeta behind her.
"Let me go, woman!" he shouted.
"Hello, Vegeta," Shadow said. Everyone stared at the woman. They had never heard something as trivial as a 'hello' sound so…insulting.
"Shade," he grunted, trying to insult her by clipping her name.
"Veggie," she shot back.
"You haven't changed," he retorted.
"Neither have you. Grab a seat, and wait for the others. Then I'll tell you what happened."
"Not interested," Vegeta shot, and turned around, clearly intent on walking back out of the room.
"Oh, you'll be interested, alright. Surely you want to know how it
comes that I can beat you with one hand on my back."
That comment made him turn around, laughing.
"You? Beat me? Not even in your dreams, woman."
Shadow shrugged. "Keep telling yourself that, Veggie. Maybe someone will believe it. I doubt it, but miracles are known to happen."
Everyone stared from Shadow to Vegeta, and back to the black-haired woman on the couch. They all could see Vegeta reaching boiling point.
"Fine," he shouted. "Let's take this outside, and let's see how strong you are."
"I wouldn't want it any other way, Vegeta."
As the two fighters stepped outside, the rest followed and stood at a safe distance.
"I'll do you a favor, and stay normal. It wouldn't be fair to you to go Super on ya," Vegeta taunted.
"Do what you want," Shadow said, and relaxed in front of him. When an air-car landed, Goku, Chi-Chi and Gohan were introduced to the newcomers, and joined the spectators.
Vegeta gave a snort, and launched at her. Shadow blurred, disappeared, and reappeared above him. Her elbow smashed into his back, slamming him into the ground.
"What?" Vegeta grunted as he got up. "Where did you get that strong?"
"I work out. In 900 times normal gravity," Shadow added the last bit. "Now, do your best."
"You're lying," Vegeta grunted. "And I'll prove it." He turned Super…then Super two. His golden ki increased in intensity, while his hair grew in length.
Shadow gave him a cocky grin.
"I'll wipe that smirk of your face!" Vegeta snarled, and blasted at the defenseless-appearing woman. At the last possible time, Shadow sidestepped, and stuck out her knee. Vegeta smashed right into it.
He jumped up, and launched a flurry of punches and kicks at her. Meanwhile, Shadow's ki was remaining steady at 7,500%. She was just fast enough to avoid him, using Ultimate Divine Speed, but she didn't attempt any hits on her own. She wanted to wear him down first.
Jennifer planted her hands in her sides, stepped forward, and shouted, "Shadow! You'll stop playing with that man right now! Do you hear me!?"
"I hear you, woman," Shadow shouted back, in the midst of Vegeta's punches and kicks. "Fine. This game is tiring me anyway." She broke the stand-off, jumped back, and clenched her fists.
"Vegeta, you want to see what training has done to me? Take a look at this!" Shadow's head snapped sideways, and she waited patiently for Tien and Chao Tsu to join the group. "Ready? Here goes…" A curt grunt escaped her mouth. Red ki aura blasted around her as she turned Super. Vegeta did a scared step back when he saw the animal fury in her eyes. When she turned Super-two, her red aura turned purple, along with her eyes.
Vegeta's mouth fell open, and a scared glint appeared in his eyes. "Wha…"
"That's not all!" Shadow shouted. "Super-three!" she shouted, the purple aura increasing in strength. Her muscles increased in size, as she sacrificed some of her speed for added strength.
"Now, let's fight," Super-three Shadow growled at Vegeta.
"Fancy tricks. No human can turn Super," he shouted, and launched. She disappeared from his senses. The next moment, all he knew was pain. Pain in his stomach, pain in his face, his head, his back, his legs, even his fingers hurt.
"I didn't hit you that hard," Shadow told the form on the ground. "Get up." with those words, she turned around, powering down from her super mode.
"Shadow… that was incredible!" Krillin shouted.
She smiled at the compliment. "Well, after 250 years, people tend to pick up the strangest things…"
"No kidding!" Tien exclaimed. Vegeta got up, and walked past the group into the house.
"I didn't hit him that hard," Shadow said again.
"I noticed," Jennifer said with an icy tone. "You embarrassed him!"
"He's a stuck-up bastard. It's good someone takes him down a notch or two every now and then," Bulma said. "Now, let's all get inside, and Shadow can tell her story."
Day one, 1859 hours Universe XXX Montana time, location: Sorcerer's home
away from home.
"Magic Boost! Level five!" Sorcerer shouted as he stared into the flames of the campfire. He could feel the magic ripple through his body, enhancing the speed of his body and his mind. He could feel the strength radiating from his super-charged muscles. Feeling daring, he channeled his pyrokinetic powers into the fire. The red-yellow fire turned bluish white as it flared up under Sorcerer's mental control.
Sorcerer started his exercises, floating above the bluish-white flames, the heat searing the clothes off his body, making his skin blister. He screamed louder as he forced his body to heal while sapping the very energy from it by doing the most difficult exercises he could think of.
Twenty years of constant fighting came to a culmination as Sorcerer tapped into the vast repository of knowledge he had accumulated, and alien martial arts techniques flooded his system.
"Let him do this!" Sorcerer shouted into the empty air. "He has three races! I have his three races, as well as dozens of others I can draw the knowledge from! Sorcerer touched down, his energy depleted. Tired, but happy, he dropped down next to the warm fire, which had turned back to normal by now. His sleep was dreamless, and nourishing for him.
Day one, 2215 hours Universe XXX Montana time, location: Jennifer's home
away from home.
Although not immortal, Jennifer had her Amazon resilience to draw upon. She turned level five, and stared into the fire. The vast knowledge Sorcerer had deposited in her mind still hadn't been fully assimilated, and Jennifer set herself out to do the task now. She dunked herself under in an ice-cold river of mountain water she found next to her camp. The fifth level kept her warm while her mind went into overdrive.
Jennifer closed her eyes, and tuned out the feeling of cold penetrating the fifth level aura around her body, and allowed her mind to drift over the vast libraries in her mind. Libraries that had remained sealed up until now. Allowing herself to drift deeper into the meditation trance, she forgot where she was, her mind recalling things it had never learned by itself.
When Jennifer finally opened her eyes, she had dropped back to the first level magic augmentation, and she could feel the chill of the water run through her body. she got up from the stream, and hiked back to her camp. Since she had drifted off, it took her half an hour to return to her campsite.
She knelt down next to the almost burned-out fire, and put some small branches on the smoldering ashes, allowing it to rise once more. Soon, she had a crackling fire going once again. Still kneeling, she stared into the very center of the flames. This time, her mind went over the events of the last months. Her release from Sorcerer's grasp, his collapse, and the link they had formed.
Jennifer smiled as she remembered the times they had shared, the love she and Sorcerer shared. When dark thoughts entered her mind, the smile vanished. Jennifer was smart enough to know that she needed to keep the big picture, and look at the dark parts as well. She remembered her slavery, how unhappy she had been, trapped without a way out. She remembered the collapse of her home when they had been forced to flee from Sorcerer's twin. Jennifer's mind recalled the hard times on universe 576, and the harder times on this ball of dirt, renouncing all technology in order to ensure their safety.
Jennifer's eyes opened. "Enough," she muttered. "I'll do a couple of hours of training, then catch some sleep. I need to stay strong, if not for myself then for Sorcerer."
Day one, 1526 hours Universe 700 DragonBall time, location: a secluded
spot in the wilderness.
After Shadow had told her story, she had shifted into Frederic. As Shadow had thought, things were awkward for a few moments, but after the initial shock wore off, things returned more or less to normal. Vegeta still refused to speak, or even show himself for that matter.
The people all felt for Shadow, who had decided to stay out for the time here, as she told them about the feeling of loss each time she left a world.
Right now, Frederic had retaken his body, and was about to give the children their first lesson in large-ki use. Goku had decided to accompany the group, even after Shadow had told him that Frederic was going to take over. Also present were Krillin, Tien, and Chao Tsu.
"All right," Frederic said, standing in front of his two children. "You know the drill. Power up."
The children turned their kis to 100% normal.
The training resumed at a steady pace, with Goku and the others looking on in amusement as the children went through exercise after exercise, the one more difficult than the other.
"Dad?" David asked after training was over. The others were coming over to talk to the group, and Frederic was about ready to shift back into Shadow.
"Yes?"
"Can we have a go at you?" Jessie asked. Frederic gave a grin.
"Sure. I don’t see why not. Come on," he said, stepping back out on the training field.
"No turning super, okay? You have to give us a chance," David told his father.
"Even without turning Super I could beat you without trouble," Frederic told his children, laughing.
"Want to bet on that?" David said back, assuredly.
"Okay. If you defeat me without me turning Super, I'll make you each Phalanx for one day."
"It's a deal! And if we loose, we'll…" he cut off as Frederic held up his hand.
"No counter-offer," he said. "See it as an extra boost for you to perform well."
"Fine," David answered as he and his sister dropped into combat stances. Frederic stood erect.
<<What do you say, Sis? Do we wipe that smirk off his face?>>
<<You're on, Bro>>
The two kids grinned as they eyed their father. Jessie burst into ki flames, and blasted toward him as David blasted in a perpendicular direction, after which he changed directions, on a course that put him directly next to his father. Genomes flashed in front of his eyes. Alright, Dad… deal with this.
Frederic sidestepped Jessie's simple attack. He was smart enough to keep a tag on David, though. And when he felt the tag tell him something was wrong, Frederic's mind flashed to his son's direction. His eyes went wide-open in surprise, and his jaw dropped. Jessie used this to her advantage, and kicked him in the back.
Frederic tumbled forward, and rolled onto his back, allowing him to block Jessie's attacks easily. He kicked her off him, and came face-to-face with…a Ketari Dune Runner. Dropping into a combat stance, Frederic eyed the creature that was his son.
"You have the fluidic DNA of a Ketari Dula," Frederic stated. His ki went up to 7,500% normal. Not enough to go Super, but enough to teach his son that his human form was still the strongest. What he didn't expect was that his son had full control over his beast-form.
At 75 kilometers an hour, the Dune Runner leapt at Frederic, who brought his hands up. A ki blast hit the creature dead-on, sending it back in the direction it came from. Frederic jumped after it, and hit it at the base of its neck, basically incapacitating it. Normally, a harder blow would be administered, breaking the creature's neck, killing it. Right now, it was just sedated.
"I am the Ketari Phalanx," Frederic told the Dune Runner. "As such, I know its weaknesses."
Frederic rolled aside, avoiding an attack by Jessie, who had also assumed a beast-form. In her case, it was the Ketari version of a vulture. The only problem was, this bird had evolved to feed on Dune Runners. As such, it was very fast, very maneuverable, and had an accuracy that must computers could only dream about. When Frederic rolled aside, the Dune Vulture simply adjusted its angle, and kept bearing down on Frederic.
"I know that one too," Frederic told his daughter. He jumped up, made a quadruple summersault, and landed on the bird's back. He grabbed the neck, bare of feathers, just like the Earth version. Jessie began twisting, trying to get him off, but Frederic's super-human abilities kept him firmly installed on the bird's back, and he forced her to shift back to normal human form.
Both kids now stood back in front of Frederic, their clothes intact. It was obvious that they were using the same poly-morphing materials Frederic was using for his clothes.
"Charge!" David shouted. He and his sister blasted forward, When Frederic crossed his arms.
"Multi-form!" he grunted, and a perfect clone appeared. David and Jessie broke the assault. "When dealing with multiple threats, this is an ideal technique."
Tienshinhan swelled a little as he saw his technique used by the strongest fighter he had ever seen. He swelled more when he heard it praised.
"Why didn't you tell us?" David grunted.
"Never underestimate your opponent. You saw how easily I recovered from your little surprise. Now, fight!"
"No, thank you," David grunted.
"Me neither. It was foolish of us…" Jessie began.
"Nah, don't worry about it," Frederic said, deactivating his clone. "It's just youthful optimism. I had it beaten out of me by Thor. Don't worry, I'll beat it out of you some day."
The kids looked sour, and talked quietly among themselves when Goku and his friends came over to congratulate Frederic on his technique, as well as the children on their strength and resilience.
Day one, Universe 000. Time: irrelevant. Location: unknown.
"You have your mission," the man said to a second man. The one who had spoken was about 1.80 meters tall, was lean in appearance, and was dressed in a ceremonial garb and matching hood, hiding his features. His voice was cold, and carried no inflection. The second man was dressed in body armor, and carried a sword on his back. He also carried a large assortment of weaponry scattered all over his body, mostly knives and short swords.
His appearance was human, tall, and muscular. He stood around 1.90 meters tall, and looked very muscular, his muscles accentuated by the armor. He had black hair, and black eyes. No facial hair decorated his features, which did include an expression of someone who had seen it all, done it all, and couldn't care less what dirty job he had to do now.
"Yes, My Lord," the second man answered.
"Don't fail me, Assassin," The first man told the second.
"I won't, Lord Second. Failure means death," Assassin answered.
"That it is," Second grunted. "That it is. Now leave, and carry out your orders."
Assassin clenched his fist over his heart, gave a curt nod, and disappeared.
"Lord Second, forgive me," a third figure appeared, clearly a woman this time. She was about 1.65 meters tall, and was dressed in a black robe, just like Second was.
"Third," Second dipped his head in her direction. "Our plans will come to conclusion within one week, standard time-stream time."
"Your plan is brilliant, Lord Second. But, may this humble one voice her opinion?" Third asked, her head bowed.
"Always. I value the opinions of my underlings. Who knows, they might actually have something to contribute. Speak, Third."
"Is Lord Second sure of going against the First's orders, and jeopardizing the Divine Treaty?"
"The First is weak. If we are to become Destroyers once again, the cast of the Divine Treaty has to be disbanded, and our strongest opponents need to be eradicated. You know this, Third."
"I do, Lord Second. But what if, by some chance, our plan doesn't work?"
"That is why it's so brilliant, Third," Second told the woman. "You know the details just as well as I do."
"Of course, Lord Second. Forgive your servant."
"Nothing to forgive, Third. It is healthy to doubt plans. However, it is not healthy to doubt them after they have been implemented."
"Of course, Lord Second."
"Now, let us return, Third. And let us await the completion of our
plans."