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Countdown to Extinction	By : CrimsonTide Category: Dragon Ball Z > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2148 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own DragonballZ, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
Countdown to Extinction

Pairings: ???? x Goku

Author - Rourinu (aka Xurpo)

Chapter 4
While he wasn't consciously making an effort to do so, Goku found himself learning more and more about his race.
After being returned to his cell Goku's stomach announced its presence in the form of a loud grumbling growl.  The Earth-raised Saiyajin only then became aware of the gnawing hunger in his gut, and with no small amount of astonishment, Goku realized for the first time in his life he could not remember the last time he'd eaten.  He had no sense of time in this windowless prison, and he had no idea how long he'd been unconscious during the transport from Earth to the Ice-jin planet.
Goku winced and rubbed his hand over his abdomen when his empty stomach once again rumbled loudly.  He was starving.
A disgusted snort drew the famished Saiyajin's attention to his neighbor, and Brox only shook his head.
"Don't expect anything to eat anytime soon.  They only feed us once a week."
Though there were no mirrors around to confirm it, Goku felt his face drain of blood.  His left eye twitched in disbelief as the fingers that rested on his stomach tightened into a fist around his shirt.  His voice, when he found it, was choked and broken from the shock of it all.
"How---How is anyone still alive?!"
Brox shifted his stance as his expression reflected even more annoyance at the younger man's ignorance.  "A Saiyajin can survive up to three weeks without food if necessary.  An excessive amount of sustenance is only required while expending energy.  However, being that we have no access to our ki, our bodies do not require regular meals to function."
Goku stood there staring at the other man.  Surely there was a punch line to this horrible joke.  One meal a week?  Not possible.  Maybe Brox didn't think food was important, but the aching pain in his own belly said otherwise.  But as the seconds ticked by, Goku was forced to accept the reality of the situation.  One meal a week.
The younger Saiyajin drew a deep breath of stale air in through his nose and held it in his lungs as he sank to the floor of his cell.  Only when his rear met the cold concrete did he exhale heavily through his mouth.  Things just kept going from bad to worse!
Goku's moment of self-pity was interrupted by another loud growl, though this time his stomach was not the culprit.  He swiveled his head toward the source of the noise and nearly flinched when he caught Brolli's eye.  Again the growl rang out, and Goku arched a brow as he lowered his gaze to the source.
Brolli's stomach.
The Earth-raised Saiyajin chuckled weakly as a sweat drop formed on the larger man's brow and a slight tinge of pink colored the bridge of his nose.  "Looks like I'm not the only one who disagrees with the portion control around here, huh?"
A strange and awkward silence stretched between the two men as they held each other's gazes, and just when Goku was beginning to fidget Brolli tipped his chin in the slightest of nods.

---------
"Come with us."
Goku was startled out of a troubled sleep by the abrupt command, spoken from the scaly lips of a reptilian guard.  The glowing restraints formed around his neck and wrists as he jumped to his feet, and he stood and waited for his cell door to click open before he cautiously stepped out of his prison and let himself be ushered down the corridor.
A knot that had nothing at all to do with hunger clenched within his gut as he found himself back in the arena from before; only this time the stands were far less crowded than they had been the first time he'd stepped foot inside there.  It seemed that whatever was to come was for the eyes of those with money only again, for he recognized a few of the wealthy VIP aliens he'd been exposed to earlier that day.
Unlike before, the arena was nearly silent.  The sound of his own footsteps seemed to echo off the walls as he was forced to the middle of the dirt enclosure.  His brow broke out into a cold sweat as he looked around him.  His discomfort grew with each passing silent moment, and the eyes that bore into him were making his skin itch.  A pink tongue darted out to wet dry lips, and just as he was about to inquire about his current situation, the arena's door once again swung open and another Saiyajin was led inside.
Goku's brow furrowed as he sized the other man up.  He was older with graying hairs at his temples, and though he was taller than Goku himself was, this man looked malnourished.  His muscles were under developed and he walked with a limp.  Scars littered shallow, pale looking skin, and the Saiyajin's tail hung loose and unprotected behind him.
The guard accompanying the shackled man suddenly shoved his prisoner forward, and Goku found himself automatically stepping forward to catch the Saiyajin before he fell.  The older man snarled at the unwelcome contact and snapped his teeth, narrowly missing Goku's nose as he jerked away from the act of aggression.
Several amused chuckles drifted from the audience as Goku released the still snarling Saiyajin and took several steps away from him.  From this distance it was clear from the wild look in the older man's eyes that he was no longer sane.  Years of imprisonment in this place saw to that.
And when the glowing restraints disappeared from around their wrists, Goku understood why he was there.  To fight.  The audience wished to see his fighting skills before putting their money on him, and they'd pitted him against a highly aggressive, though not necessarily powerful looking opponent.
Goku's lip curled up as anger gripped him, and his hands balled themselves into fists as the other Saiyajin let out a savage shriek before rushing him.  The younger man easily evaded the erratic attack, and he danced on the balls of his feet as he ducked, weaved, and distanced himself from the snarling Saiyajin's wildly flailing limbs.  At one time this man had been a talented fighter.  Now, he was nothing more than a raging beast.
"FIGHT HIM!"
An enraged shout from the audience caught Goku's attention for a split second, and that was all the distraction his attacker needed to land a solid punch on his cheekbone.  The younger Saiyajin's head snapped back and to the side as he stumbled backward from the force of the blow.  His left eye squeezed itself shut as sharp pain radiated throughout the side of his face, and without even thinking Goku drew his fist back to deliver a retaliating punch of his own.
The sudden cheer of the crowd snapped him back into reality, however, and the Earth-raised Saiyajin instead performed several back flips to quickly create distance between himself and the other man.  The resulting hiss his actions drew from the spectators made him smirk.  If they were looking for a good show, they wouldn't be getting it from him.
Goku's amusement was short lived.  He watched, horrified, as the familiar Ice-jin from before suddenly flickered into existence behind the older Saiyajin.  In his black-taloned hand he held a needle, and before the other man knew what was happening, the Ice-jin had jammed the syringe into his unprotected neck.  The resulting howl of pain sent a shiver down Goku's spine, and he swallowed thickly as a wave of fear flooded over him.  Wide black eyes remained fixated on the needle as it was withdrawn from its victim's flesh, and Goku's knees turned to rubber as the idea that he might be next ran through his mind.
Only when the older Saiyajin fell to the arena floor did Goku shift his attention away from the object of his nightmares.  He watched as the man screamed and withered in agony.
"IT BURNS!!"
Goku found himself taking a step toward the tortured man before he could stop himself.  His instinct to help those in need temporarily overwhelmed his fears, but when the needle was suddenly tossed into the dirt at his feet, he found himself freezing in place once again.
"I injected him with a deadly nerve toxin.  Its soul function is to create an astronomical amount of pain without rendering the victim unconscious.  He'll suffer for hours unless you give him the mercy of a quick death."
Goku's eyes moved back to the Ice-jin, his face pale and clammy as panic threatened to consume him.  His mouth opened, then snapped closed as he turned his gaze to the suffering Saiyajin on the ground.  The wailing man was clawing at his own skin and slamming his head into the dirt in an attempt to knock himself out, but as stated, the toxin prevented him from losing consciousness.
Black eyes returned to their tormentor.  "Why?"
Red orbs glittered with amusement.  "You refused to fight him.  My clients expect a good show and I am inclined to give it to them.  If you will not display your fighting skills, then you will demonstrate your ability to kill."
Goku shook his head as he took a step away from the chaos, as if distancing himself would make everything go away.  The continuous howls that assaulted his ears refused to let him escape his nightmare-ish reality though.
"I won't take his life!"
"Then you sentence him to a long and painful death."
The Ice-jin turned away from the two Saiyajin and disappeared as he took his first step;  gone as suddenly as he'd appeared.  Goku looked between the needle still laying in the dirt and the victim it had been used on, and he raised his arms to press his palms against his ears in a desperate attempt to shut out the awful screams of agony that echoed off the walls around him.  His eyes squeezed themselves shut, but reality would not let him escape.  Within minutes he found himself pacing like a trapped animal, but a particularly shrill shriek from the other Saiyajin made Goku stumble.  His hands moved from his ears to instead fist into his hair, and the younger man let out an anguished scream of his own before he whipped around and quickly closed the distance between himself and his fellow Saiyajin.
By now the older man was covered in self-inflicted wounds.  His blood flowed freely over his skin and made mud out of the dirt below him.  For a split second two sets of black eyes met, and Goku's heart clenched as he picked up on the man's silent wish for a speedy death.
The younger Saiyajin lowered himself to his knees beside the other and reached out with shaky hands to cup a bloody face.  With a low whispered apology Goku readjusted his grip and with a quick jerking motion, broke the other Saiyajin's neck with a sickening crack.
Screams finally quieted, the sudden silence was deafening.  There was a buzz in his ears as they adjusted to the lack of noise, and even when the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves, Goku didn't notice.  He gently lowered the dead Saiyajin's head to the ground as if the man were only sleeping, and the sudden roar of approval from the audience didn't even register as Goku stared at his bloody palms.
--------------

Later that day Goku had finally been given his first meal.  As hungry as he'd been only an hour before, he found he couldn't eat.  The food was a reward for murdering someone, and the thought made his stomach turn.  So instead he'd let the plate sit untouched while he sat tucked into the corner of his small prison.  At one point Brox had inquired about his absence and sudden change of demeanor, but Goku wasn't interested in talking, so he was ignored.
The only thing that finally brought him out of his stupor was the familiar growl of a hungry belly.  Goku turned his head toward Brolli and stared at the larger man's back.  He seemed to be sleeping, but the tension of his muscles and the way he lay curled around his aching stomach gave him away.
With a sigh Goku crawled over to the plate of food and pushed it against the bars that separated he and Brolli.  While he couldn't pass the plate through without spilling the contents, the larger man could reach the meal and take it piece by piece.  The clink of the dish against the metal bars drew Brolli's attention, and the larger man sat up and focused his suspicious glare on Goku.  The Earth-raised Saiyajin motioned to the food to make his intentions clear before retreating back to the far corner of his cell.  Closing his eyes, he sat quietly and waited patiently for the neighboring man to accept his offering, and just when he didn't think he would, Goku heard a steady crunch as the other Saiyajin chewed on a selected morsel.
He grinned.
----------------------------
Time blended together after that.  Their once weekly meals had increased to four as the starting date of the simian games drew nearer.  The chosen Saiyajin were allowed one hour a day in a heavily guarded courtyard to exercise and rebuild the muscle that had withered away due to inactivity.  Surprisingly, no one seemed interested in fighting anyone else.  Aside from a few men who had formed what Goku liked to call 'social' groups, most chose to keep to themselves.  Even Brox and Brolli seemed to disappear during their hour of semi-freedom.
Goku could only imagine this was a survival strategy.  These were the men who would be out for his blood in only a short amount of time.  It was best to conceal your strength and techniques rather than openly display your abilities to people who could then form counter attacks.  For this reason Goku only stuck with basic exercises to strengthen his body.
They were allowed three showers a week, and in Goku's opinion, that wasn't nearly enough for some of the men. At night especially the smell that came off some of them was so strong it made him sneeze.  The scents that assaulted him weren't necessarily bad, but they were sometimes overpowering.  Some smelled sweeter, while others took on more of a musk.
One particular night the musk emanating from a nearby Saiyajin was so strong Goku found himself plugging his nose.  It was making his head swim, and he found himself agitated and restless.
"I take it you don't care for that particular brand?"
Goku, his hand still covering his nose, shifted his eyes to Brox.  The older man was smirking at him strangely, and his black tail flicked back and forth behind him.  "What are you talking about?"
Brox, who had grown accustomed to the younger man's complete lack of knowledge concerning their people, only cocked his head.  "Each Saiyajin has their own unique scent.  It grows stronger during their rut or heat cycle, and with so many of us packed in here like sardines, we tend to trigger each other's cycles.  When that happens… Well, you can smell for yourself."
Goku blinked as the man's words and their meaning registered, and he tried his best to ignore the almost cruel laughter his burning face evoked from the other.
-----------------------------
It seemed like he had only just closed his eyes when a loud siren jolted Goku awake.  He was on his feet in a second, alert and focused.  By now he knew that that particular siren was sounded only when something important was about to happen; and Goku felt a growing dread weighing down on his shoulders as beside him Brox confirmed his fears.
"It's time to die."
TBC
- 3
- 4
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Countdown to Extinction