Dragonball M, Chapter 2: Lighthouse! Across the Shores of Shattered Time!

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Jinzi nods.

“Then twenty years. I turned fourth-five a few days ago.”

Ah, so it was time travel, was it? Fascinating, though really, time travel to the future was but a hastening of what all did. But what could have caused such a rare, interesting phenomena? And why, exactly, did she get caught up in all this? Not that it wasn't an interesting mystery to figure out, but these others all seemed to know each other, while she... did not.

"...forgive my interruption, but who might you be?" She wasn't expecting anyone important... probably just some random ally of theirs.

[Cthulhu_of_R'lyeh]

Jinzi nods.

“Then twenty years. I turned fourty-five a few days ago.”

Of course it was. For such a sudden shift from wholly fine, to completely destroyed with nary a sign of life on the planet beyond the others ... the disgust that followed Jinzi's answer was evident. Yet ...

Ishtar exhaled slowly.

Now was not the time to get hung up on a simple truth. Looking at Jinzi, then, the golden-eyed Oni simply moved on to the next question.

"What happened ?"

Ah, so it was time travel, was it? Fascinating, though really, time travel to the future was but a hastening of what all did. But what could have caused such a rare, interesting phenomena? And why, exactly, did she get caught up in all this? Not that it wasn't an interesting mystery to figure out, but these others all seemed to know each other, while she... did not.

"...forgive my interruption, but who might you be?" She wasn't expecting anyone important... probably just some random ally of theirs.

"An old ally," Ishtar stated.

"He is ... Or I suppose was, the leader of Capsule Corp."

[KingofPie]

Jinzi nods.

“Then twenty years. I turned fourth-five a few days ago.”

"Pantaloon. Wait...hold up," P-Sta held up his hands. "You mean to say we've...we're..this is..." P-Sta stammered, surprisingly at a loss for words for a brief moment. "This is...a capital offence. We can't be here, not in the future! That's a capital offence! That's..." P-Sta took a moment to lean against the wall in thought. "Okay, calm down. It won't be a blemish on my record if I was kidnapped to the future. It was whoever brought me here's fault! That's the culprit! Whoever did this is incredibly under arrest! Wait, did Pantaloon bring us here? Unfortunate if so, but the law rests for no one...but in that case would I arrest the of the future or the Pantaloon of the past or the Pantaloon of the future...?" SAsheem asked himself, mentally weighing his options before speaking aloud once more.

"Say, do you have any idea how we arrived here, Pantaloon?" he asked.

[grampagen]

The Nevadian's eyes opened suddenly, the burning sensation on his forearm jolting him awake.

He looked absently at the surroundings, slowly taking them in, before realizing he was being moved--aided really--by a will apart from his own.

"....Oc--" Held yawned slightly, "Ochazuke? What are you doing---"

He trailed off for a moment, taking in the chaos that they all found themselves in the midst of, several familiar faces frantically fleeing through the rubble and ruins of a city. It looked vaguely like a city he had visited before, but so different that he could not place it, despite his best efforts.

"--Here?"

"That, we will have to find out shortly," he replied, "once we are out of danger's way, for the time being."

Moving into the foundation below the building, he suppored Held as they followed in the wake of the masked stranger.

And intercept he does. As she approaches, Nevanlinna gives Ochazuke a quick once-over, gauging him as best she could, considering the circumstances. Male, 20s, perhaps, the way he carried himself spoke of a warrior that sought to take his art and himself to its limit... and beyond. If nothing else, she judged this man's technical skill to be the best of the few Earth warrior she'd met thus far. The others were not deficient, but they lacked the martial will of this one.

The probability of him being yet another companion of the others was high enough that she merely stepped to the side and moved past him, though she did utter a single piece of advice to the man as she did so.

"Run."



Without hesitation, Nevanlinna jumps into the opening. Whatever awaited down there was certainly better than these 'Lyne', as he had called them.

Looking over the stranger, Ochazuke knew she was neither Saiyan, Nevadian nor Chroma, and by the briefest surface glance of his limited field of insight, she was unmistakably inhuman as well. Moreover, beneath the armour like a coiled spring pressed inward the surface of this new offworlder held suppressed something unspoken.

There would be time for introductions later. The opponent was in the mechanical menace that pursued even this one.

[grampagen]

Ah, so it was time travel, was it? Fascinating, though really, time travel to the future was but a hastening of what all did. But what could have caused such a rare, interesting phenomena? And why, exactly, did she get caught up in all this? Not that it wasn't an interesting mystery to figure out, but these others all seemed to know each other, while she... did not.

"...forgive my interruption, but who might you be?" She wasn't expecting anyone important... probably just some random ally of theirs.

"You haven't been on Earth long, have you?"

Righting Held on his feet, Ochazuke let him stand apart as he paced around the room until he found what he sought, a faded logo on the edge of a piece of heavy equipment.

"His inventions would be difficult to miss if you know where to look," he said, fishing the capsule he held out of his coat pocket, the standard on its button matching the one on the steel box frame behind him. "He made his fortune inventing these. This is Jinzi Pantaloon, Earth's foremost mind and a most formidable ally."

He looked around the ruin of the chamber, hidden in the recesses of the Capsule Corp they'd known. It was hardly the Geofront he'd clashed in with Koorimaru, where they'd fought Nunlil and the Dark Beast months ago. Less a hardy shelter for the weary and the last vein of resistance in a world gone mad.

"At least, he was."

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Jinzi looks affronted.

“Now now, still the foremost mind. Otherwise I woudn’t have the cure to what ails you.”

He takes a box off the shelf and opens it, revealing a row of syringes.

“A nanomat cocktail I created a few years back. Counters the ki supressing nano-machines in the air.”

He hands them all one.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Sarada was at a loss for words. Jinzi was the furthest from he remind, but it was still good to know he was still alive. She figured that out of everyone, he would have found a way to survive this long.

The real thing that snatched any and all words from her was finding out she had been sent twenty years into the future. How such a thing was possible was absolutely unknown, but that fact was mind-blowing. Her immediate thought was home, Vocado. She very much doubted that he knew, and it -- as much as admitting it saddened her -- wasn't a pertinent issue, she would still know the welfare of her people.

As she took the syringe with a grateful nod, she stabbed it into her arm and pushed down. "Thank you, Jinzi. What happened here? How did we end up in the future?"

[MrSandman]

He leads them deeper and deeper, until they come to a sealed door. He unlocks it with a wave of his hand (a scanner reading his biometrics), and they walk into a large bunker style room with supplies and the like.


Once everyone is in he locks the door and his hood and cloak open up, revealing an older face.



The grey in his hair, his voice, the wrinkles are all different and new, but the near boyish smile and warmth in his eyes isn’t.

“Well, by Kami it’s good to see you all.” Jinzi Pantaloon says, tears in his eyes.

"Six months after we defeated Fife, I punched an Ice Giant to pieces." Ishtar stated, only to repeat again.

'How long?"

Jinzi nods.

“Then twenty years. I turned fourty-five a few days ago.”

".....Ok I just want to state for the record if this is time related I didn't do it." Etrina quickly stated as a matter of fact. "But......20 years.........That's a lot of lost time....."

Jinzi looks affronted.

“Now now, still the foremost mind. Otherwise I woudn’t have the cure to what ails you.”

He takes a box off the shelf and opens it, revealing a row of syringes.

“A nanomat cocktail I created a few years back. Counters the ki supressing nano-machines in the air.”

He hands them all one.

"Ughhhh...Nanomachines......" Etrina turned gray as she accepted the syringe.

"Uhuh....Nanomachines Sis!" Erosa took hers as well. They both took a moment to inject...Etrina carefully and methodically, and Erosa stabbing whatever part was open to stab.

[Tami]

It felt like she had been gone forever, but finally she was on her way back to Earth. As her spacecraft was being repaired, the mechanic discovered a box, wrapped like a present with a card attached.

As she flew through space she opened the card,

Dearest Meagan,

I learned recently that your birthday was coming up soon. I did not want to wait until you returned to give you a present, one that I hope you will find useful. Looking forward to seeing you upon your return.

Love,

Jinzi

Opening the box, she found inside a new armored outfit. One that was more 'adult' than the first armor Jinzi had made for her. She quickly changed into it, wanting Jinzi to see her wearing it when they meet once again.

It wasn't long after that, that Meagan saw Earth approaching. Climbing back into the pilot seat, she tried to send out a message to Earth, to Capsule Corps that she was in approach...only to find no response. A small knot formed in her stomach. But she could do nothing until back on the ground.

The craft orbited the planet once before entering the atmosphere.....

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

“The effects take some time to kick in, and even when it does, it’s a constant struggle. You’ll need more than one injection as time goes on.”


Jinzi sighs and sits down.

“We will leave again in a minute. This isn’t safe. I’ll take you to the actual HQ. I can tell the tale better there.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

It felt like she had been gone forever, but finally she was on her way back to Earth. As her spacecraft was being repaired, the mechanic discovered a box, wrapped like a present with a card attached.

As she flew through space she opened the card,



Opening the box, she found inside a new armored outfit. One that was more 'adult' than the first armor Jinzi had made for her. She quickly changed into it, wanting Jinzi to see her wearing it when they meet once again.

It wasn't long after that, that Meagan saw Earth approaching. Climbing back into the pilot seat, she tried to send out a message to Earth, to Capsule Corps that she was in approach...only to find no response. A small knot formed in her stomach. But she could do nothing until back on the ground.

The craft orbited the planet once before entering the atmosphere.....

Almost immediately the ship stops working and starts crashing.

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

Like he had with the others, Zaofan goes in for a hug. "MR. PANTALOON!"

For Zaofan, it had only been 6 months, but 6 months was still excruciatingly long. He couldn't fathom 20 years.

"Of course you'd find a way to survive all this. But... What's happened here? How can we be gone for 20 years?"

Of course it was. For such a sudden shift from wholly fine, to completely destroyed with nary a sign of life on the planet beyond the others ... the disgust that followed Jinzi's answer was evident. Yet ...

Ishtar exhaled slowly.

Now was not the time to get hung up on a simple truth. Looking at Jinzi, then, the golden-eyed Oni simply moved on to the next question.

"What happened ?"



"An old ally," Ishtar stated.

"He is ... Or I suppose was, the leader of Capsule Corp."

"You haven't been on Earth long, have you?"

Righting Held on his feet, Ochazuke let him stand apart as he paced around the room until he found what he sought, a faded logo on the edge of a piece of heavy equipment.

"His inventions would be difficult to miss if you know where to look," he said, fishing the capsule he held out of his coat pocket, the standard on its button matching the one on the steel box frame behind him. "He made his fortune inventing these. This is Jinzi Pantaloon, Earth's foremost mind and a most formidable ally."

He looked around the ruin of the chamber, hidden in the recesses of the Capsule Corp they'd known. It was hardly the Geofront he'd clashed in with Koorimaru, where they'd fought Nunlil and the Dark Beast months ago. Less a hardy shelter for the weary and the last vein of resistance in a world gone mad.

"At least, he was."

Ah, so this was the creator of those wondrous little storage devices. She would have to pick his mind, when she had the chance, for any sort of scientific knowledge. She'd already figured out the trick to his capsules--it had taken about five, maybe ten earth minutes to grasp--and was fully intending to... introduce them to her homeworld, so to speak. The possibilities they offered for easy transport would do much to help the lower classes, she figured. She had to suppress a smile at the benefits her people would reap from this one, simple discovery.


"I have not, no," admitted Nevanlinna. "I had just finished a tour of the Saiyan worlds--Ruco and Turrip were surprisingly pleasant, I must admit--and only just arrived on Earth a few days ago when this temporal anomaly occurred."

She bowed to Jinzi. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Jinzi Pantaloon, though I do wish we could have met under less stressful circumstances, however."

Jinzi looks affronted.

“Now now, still the foremost mind. Otherwise I woudn’t have the cure to what ails you.”

He takes a box off the shelf and opens it, revealing a row of syringes.

“A nanomat cocktail I created a few years back. Counters the ki supressing nano-machines in the air.”

He hands them all one.

Nevanlinna allowed herself a small smile. "And, naturally, I was right about the cause of our ki abilities failing." But of course, what else could one expect but perfection from one such as her?

She removed her gauntlets and injected the nanomat cocktail, then put them back on. Almost immediately, she could feel the concoction working, though it would take some time for it to fully take effect, she estimated. "So tell me... these nanomachines, they get into enough of your cells and interfere with the production of ki inside them, am I correct? If that's the case, then long-term exposure to these nanomachines would certainly have detrimental, possibly fatal effects, though thankfully not as... immediate as expending one's life energy."

[Tami]

Almost immediately the ship stops working and starts crashing.

As the craft fell into the lower atmosphere, Meagan ran to the escape hatch and using all her strength forced it open. As she did, the air pressure dragged her out of the spaceship.

Tumbling through the air, she tried to start flying, but found she could not. As that realization hit her, her cloak transformed into a parachute, attached firmly to her back. The effect slowed down her descent.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

As the craft fell into the lower atmosphere, Meagan ran to the escape hatch and using all her strength forced it open. As she did, the air pressure dragged her out of the spaceship.

Tumbling through the air, she tried to start flying, but found she could not. As that realization hit her, her cloak transformed into a parachute, attached firmly to her back. The effect slowed down her descent.

Capsule Corp and Capital City lay ruined benethe her as she parachutes in.

[Tami]

Capsule Corp and Capital City lay ruined benethe her as she parachutes in.

Landing with a hard roll and tumble, Meagan stood up and looked around. As she did, her cloak returned to her shoulders, it's hood over her head. She did not panic, but was feeling a sense of fear and confusion and anger. Without hesitating, she walked towards the ruins of Capsule Corps in hopes of finding a clue as to what happened.