Suspension.

Silence.

Thick fluid cushioning her skin, the strange sensation of breathing despite this immersion.

Takira blinked and sighed into the mask. It seemed this was the only way she woke up, lately. Her "training" with the Agent had been nearly constant; when she emerged from the tank, she would spend an hour or so eating and tending to Kabu, and then it was time to get pummeled again. Her strength had improved greatly, though she'd made little progress in the way of technique. The Agent would not debase himself by doing anything as lowly as teaching, and Takira, for her part, didn't feel that she had much to learn from him. It wasn't as though he could have that much experience. He looked quite young.

A sharp electronic squeak invaded her reverie, and the viscous fluids began to recede. Still dripping, she pressed the release button(silently thanking whoever had thought to modify it so it could be opened from the inside)and stepped out. A strange wailing, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, drew nearer and she hastily dried herself with a quick burst of ki, scuttling past the door to fetch her clothing.

Without warning(or even so much as a knock)the door burst open and the Agent lunged inside, looking about as close to panicked as she'd ever seen him. The source of the howling was immediately apparent; the Agent had Kabu clutched awkwardly in one arm, draped over it like a sack of flour, and the young Saiyajin was obviously less than happy, red-faced and screaming.

For his part, the Agent looked no calmer, and hurriedly thrust the noisy child at Takira.

"It's about time you woke up. I swear if I had to bear this brat's screaming another minute, he would've ended up in the tank with you." Takira hesitated and the Agent shoved Kabu in her face, holding the squirming baby at arms' length. "Well? Take him!"

"Um, sure. Just…let me get dressed first, okay?" The Agent blinked, apparently just now noticing that she was still naked from the tank. He heaved an irritable sigh.

"Fine, hurry up, will you?" he snapped, cringing as Kabu's cries grew shriller. Stifling a grin, Takira hastily slipped into her bodysuit, boots and scabbard, and relieved the flustered mercenary of his squalling burden. She sighed and held Kabu close, stroking his tail soothingly and growling low in her throat. After a moment, Kabu's screeching dwindled to hitching sobs as he relaxed. The Agent looked at Takira strangely.

"And what the hell is that? Purring?" Takira's eyes narrowed and for a moment the growl took on a far harsher tone before resuming its soothing rhythm. The Agent blinked and looked amused.

"I suppose I shouldn't argue, so long as it shuts him up." He sighed and turned to leave, with a sharp gesture to Takira. "Come. We actually have an assignment for a change." He led the way down the corridor.

"Do we have any specifics? Why wasn't I told?"

"You just were. Deoge would've briefed you at the same time he did me, but you were still tank-bound. I'll give you what details you need in transit." They passed into the main hangar and a sour-looking guard pointed them to one of the ships. Takira paused.

"Isn't this a little abrupt?"

"It's a quick-and-dirty job; we may as well get it over with. Come on." With that, the Agent strode into the ship. Takira shrugged and followed, still cradling Kabu.

Inside, the Agent was busily tapping away as the console with unnerving speed, frowning as he glared at the screen with icy blue eyes. With his back turned to her, Takira allowed herself a good look at him. She still didn't know what to make of the man…if indeed she could call him a man. "Boy" seemed a somehow more appropriate term.

His youth contrasted eerily with his bearing. He was dressed from head to toe in ascetic black, right down to his trenchcoat, giving the effect of a funeral shroud. He seemed possessed of a certain self-contained calm that came only with time and experience, but he didn't look old. He looked dead. The fact that he kept his ki cloaked to nothing completed the lifeless feel.

He turned just enough to pierce her with a narrow glare.

"What do you want?"

"Just waiting for my debriefing, Baka. Whenever you can spare the time." The Agent snorted, glanced at the console, then sighed and turned back to face her.

"Well, since the idiots on duty can't seem to find our clearance papers for the moment," he muttered with a sharp gesture to the screen, "I suppose now is as good a time as any. Are you familiar with the Changelings?"

Takira stiffened, eyes narrow, and if anything her already unruly hair bristled a bit further. Kabu squirmed and look at her, his tiny face anxious. Making a mental note of her reaction, the Agent stepped closer.

"I'll take that as a yes," he continued softly. "In any case, some of them apparently colonized a planet not far from here and Deoge wants us to take care of it."

"Interesting. Why?"

"How the hell should I know? It's not important. Our job is simply to kill them; or rather, one in particular. It seems they've got their own little monarchy set up. Our instructions are to storm the palace and destroy the seat of power. We don't have orders to kill anyone else," a cruel smirk graced his lips briefly, "but we don't have orders not to, either." Takira nodded, expression still coldly brittle.

"What's our timetable?"

"A day to get there, two to finish the job, and another to return. It shouldn't take more than half a day to find the palace and reduce it to dust."

"Good. We'll use the rest of the time to clear the planet."

"Clear it?"

"None will be left standing," Takira hissed. Kabu began to struggle in earnest, grunting his discontent and earning a discerning glance from the Agent.

"Make sure he stays out of the way. Take him with you and he's a target; it would just be a matter of time before you let your guard down and he got blasted."

"Saiyajin never let their guard down." The Agent chuckled.

"Well," he murmured, "I'd say the very fact that you have a kid is proof positive that at least for a moment, you let down a bit more than your guard." Before he could blink, Takira spun and slammed her foot into his chest, pitching him forcefully into the wall.

It was, the Agent thought reflectively, rubbing the back of his head, going to be a long four days.

* * * * *

The cool mustiness of the caverns had a soothing effect on Gohan, which was welcome indeed. He hadn't slept in days, plagued by the same horrific image of the scene he'd stumbled upon: Juuhachigou, stained with blood, crouched over the tiny broken body. Gohan shuddered. He couldn't imagine what Chaozu had done to warrant such and attack, but Juuhachigou was gone before he could ask questions. He wanted…needed to find her.

The moment he saw her there, gasping and shivering on the ground, the voice that had taunted him so long went suddenly quiet. It had since come back, of course, but Gohan was beginning to want to fight it. He had tasted freedom and wanted it back.

He paused suddenly, confused, as he looked at the stone surrounding him. What was he even doing down here? This wasn't…

'Never mind that, Gohan. Keep looking. Follow the signal.'

'Signal? But she…'

'She's not your concern right now, Gohan.'

'But…'

'Do as I say.' An inexplicable note of command had entered the voice. Gohan was certain he didn't like it.

'Why should I obey you?' A pause, then a sigh.

'I'm here to help you, Gohan. I don't want you to suffer any more. I want to take away your pain.'

'There is no way you could.'

'Nonsense,' the voice chided. 'What if you could be with your father and brother again?'

'You could…do that?' Gohan shook his head. Something was wrong, something obvious, but he couldn't think clearly. His mind was drowning in a cottony fog of emotion.

'You could have them back, Gohan. You'd be happy again. Don't you want to be happy?'

'Yes, but…not…'

'Not what, Son Gohan?'

'I…I don't know.'

'Then why are you arguing?'

'I don't know.'

'Then perhaps,' suddenly growing more gentle, 'You should just do as I asked.'

Gohan moaned and pressed a grimy fist to his temple. If he could only…think. Clearly. Simply at all. The spectral grip on him tightened, drawing forth a flinch and a startled cry.

'You're…hurting me.'

'No, Gohan. The pain was yours to begin with; but I can no longer hold it at bay…until you agree to help me.'

'Please…no, I….'

'I want to help you, Gohan. Don't you want to see Goten again?'

A faint whimper.

'He misses you, Gohan.'

'Stop…'

'He needs you.'

"STOP!!" The caverns shook around him, and only as the myriad echoes pounded his ears did Gohan recognize he'd screamed aloud. Wincing, he listened to the echoes dissolving away, and was about to move on when a different sound arrested him. It was pain…suffering…death.

"Oh, no," he breathed. "Oh, Tenshinhan, no."

'Gohan…'

"No!"

'You know what you must do.' Gohan braced against the wall, pressing his shivering face to the clammy rock.

"Please…"

'This is no longer your choice. You must finish it.'

Feet scraping slowly over stone, Gohan moved wretchedly toward his fate.