Future Lapse

The
party was dying down for the most part.

Goten
and Trunks had joined their fathers under the picnic blanket and the first of
Goten's infamous snores could just be heard gaining volume.

Gohan
and Videl were being grilled by Bulma and Chichi, the two parties sitting
opposite a campfire with Videl and Chichi leading most of the conversation.

Yamcha,
Roshi, and Krillin were engaged in a leisurely game of what they claimed was
cards, but mostly seemed to consist of passing around a cigars.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  The windows of Kame House were open
wide to the night and the smell of the sea, spilling yellow light to mingle
with the semi-intentional campfire's flames.

Piccolo
had been just about to take off when Eighteen hopped down from a window (having
just put Marron to bed) and began exchanging quiet words with him beyond the
rings of gentle light.  Her voice
was lost beneath the sound of the waves.

"I'm
freezing." A voice barely warped by electronic conveyance, "This water's eating
away at my life force."

"All
the better to hide your ki with my dear." Another, lighter, voice chuckled over
the earplug.

There
were a few beats of silence.

"Really
guys.  Does it look like anyone's
looking?" the first voice again.

Yards
out from Kame house a dark lump broke the surface of the water.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  The night was lit with stars, but
moonless and the lump looked like nothing more than an awkwardly breaking wave.

His
voice was bent in his own ears by the mask as he ducked back beneath the waves,
"I've never been good at waiting, but this looks like as good a time as any to
make the scan."

"Righto,"
the lighter voice in his ear, "I'm still just south of you, the current's moved
me a bit."

"I'm..."
there was a brief pause, "Very funny Zed. 
You gave me the broken goggles didn't you?"

There
was static on the line where he could imagine Zed's snickering was being warped
out of shape.

"I'm
fire-side of the house.  I just
took a look.  Where's Goku?"

"Over
here," he murmured into the mask, "Opposite fireside."

There
was another waiting pause.  It
stretched uncomfortably long.

"Guy's
this-"

"We
shouldn't-"

The
two spoke and went silent in unison.

"Don't
worry guys." He was lying flat on the beach, the underside of waves rolling up
and down his back, "I'm already there."

"T-"

"Don't
hurt him!" the rougher voice cut through Zed's.  There was a moment where he stood on the beach, relying less
on sight than ki-sense, and waiting for whatever the other was about to say.

"We...
He might not... this time..." and the static edged plea hung in the air between the
three of them.

There
was a pregnant pause.

"I'm
just scanning him, Garen." He murmured into the mask.

But
for a moment he stood over the blanket, scanner in hand, thinking he'd told
Garen their first lie.

His
father and Goku were sprawled side by side beneath the picnic blanket, bowls
and plates had been shoved aside to give the pair a wide swath of grass.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  Two small forms were nestled between
them, one set of hair looked identical to Goku's and the other had his father's
frown.

He
numbly lifted the scanner and pressed in the proper commands.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  Goku had another child.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  And his father... he guessed that was why
Bulma was sitting at the campfire... 
He'd met her when he'd been to Garen's.  Things must have turned out similarly here.

Zed
must have been streaming the data into his goggles, "This is weird. He's older
than I expected-" Something yellow darted from the peripheral blocked by his
goggles.

FUCK!

He
coughed into the mask as his guts and kidney's were simultaneously
imploded.  His vision went electric
blue and his body a jolted into a distant spasm of pain with the vague sense of
being pressed between two fists.

He
hit the ground and had enough time to mentally wince before the pain slammed
him back into his body.  He hazily
wondered whatever happened to the good old days when you just grabbed a Saiyan
by their tail.

And
Zed was still talking in his earpiece! "-
but I can't really tell if that's something unique to this one."style="mso-spacerun: yes">  He'd punch Zed next he saw him. In the
kidneys.

He
nearly choked when the mask and goggles were yanked off and two blurs, one
green and one yellow, swam into focus.

He
managed to roll back onto his shoulders and push up to kick Piccolo before
Eighteen punched him in the other freaking kidney!

He
lay face down on the ground this time. 
And tried to breath. 
Yea.  Mostly just tried to
breath.

He
expelled his first full breath, "Dammit Woman!"

And
his gasping was the only noise for a full three beats before being yanked up by
his shirt.  His father's dark eyes
bored into him.  He couldn't do
anything but glare back, his hands wrapped around the other's wrist.

"Vegeta."
And both their heads turned to Goku, though it was a tough swivel for him.

"Er..."
for a moment the large Saiyan seemed to wither under both their glares but he
quickly recovered, "Maybe you should just let him down."

And
there was the hand on the tail. 

When
his father let go he fell to his knees and gritted his teeth.

He
was beginning to hate those pauses.

He
ground out, "I'm not here to hurt you-"

"Let
go of him!" Garen's voice from sea-side. 
He felt the grip on his tail clench and there were a few gasps.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  He let his head bang into the packed
ground.  He knew they should have
made Garen stay in the ship.

"Um...
please?"

He
let out an exasperated snarl in Garen's direction and pushed himself back to
his hands and knees.  The hand on
his tail was Piccolo's, ironically.

"I
can explain." The women surged sideways when Zed stepped out of the shadows of
Kame house.

"Make
it a fucking picnic why don't you?" and he realized the irony of that statement
only moments after he growled it.

There
were confused looks all around, but some gazes were to be expected.style="mso-spacerun: yes">  Bulma couldn't tear her gaze away from
the blue-haired boy who'd stepped out of the shadows, Vegeta's glare was
directed at the look-alike at his feet, and Piccolo's stare rested on the green
youth hovering a few yards out.

The
blue-haired boy coughed, "Um, you can let go of his tail now..."

Piccolo
tore his gaze way, "Who are you?"

The
blue-haired boy hesitated, "Zed..." he nodded in Bulma's direction, "Briefs."

"Like
me!" Trunks' excited exclamation brought the collective focus of the group on
him, "The other me." He clarified, grinning at Goten.

Bulma
raised an eyebrow in Zed's direction, "It would seem that way." Her eyes
glanced to Vegeta's for a moment.

"Um,
other you?" Zed fidgeted slightly, his eyes on Bulma.

"You
came from the future didn't you?" Krillin stood between Gohan and Yamcha, he
ran a nervous hand through his hair.

"Um,
the past, technically.  If our
readings were right." His eyes settled on Goku then.

"You
were scanning Goku?" Eighteen was staring at the scanner's interface, a hand
gripping the metal tightly.  There
was a small hush and all eyes went back to Zed.

"Yes,style='font-style:normal'> I was scanning Goku." The Vegeta look-alike let out
a breath, "Now will you let go of
my tail.style='font-style:normal'>" He glared over his shoulder at Piccolo, who let go
after a moment's thought.

He
was up in one swift movement and snapped his teeth at the Namek while wrapping
the tail around his waist.

"Yes,
we were here scanning Goku.  And
yes, we're time travelers." The boy let out a huff of breath and crossed his
arms.  Vegeta glared at the pose
and the look alike glared back.

"Why?"
and there was something in Goku's voice that made everyone turn to him, edged
by stars reflecting off the ocean.

The
green youth, he'd pulled close enough now to make out the tail waving in the
air behind him, put a hand on Goku's shoulder, "G- Goku." His eye-ridges were
drawn together in something between concern and sadness, "You're... You may be
about to do something awful."