Twelve Eyes Total: The Four Children of Ginyu

By Son Rhandi

Chapter 3: "Save Us, My God"
 

The streetlights didn’t do well to shine their encased torches upon the tear-stained cheeks of the adolescent, Jeice. It was a little nippy this night; he wished he hadn’t forgotten his cloak. It’s a horrible thing as a child to have a trust in a loved one shattered. Into a million pieces it may split, but with plenty of time and twice the effort, it can be rebuilt. That is, if the individual could put forth such resources. The rabbit that had abandoned his hutch had no such interest. 

"A-ha! Caught you, Sir Rabbit!" The wolf spun his ‘prey’ around to meet him. "Berter?" His expression was that of mild surprise, but then turned to an aggressive one as his pounded at the saurian’s chest. "Grrah..! Let go..! Let me go!! You’re not taking me back there!" He yelled, his little fists doing less than that much damage. "I’m not going back to that old man! Not now, not ever!!"

Becoming a little annoyed at the constant hit-and-pound, Berter grappled both the boy’s arms and held him in the air, his legs flailing about. "Let’s be realistic," spoke the wolf, narrowing his eyes. "We may like to think we’re brothers, but our differences are massive. I’ve got enough power in me to crush both your arms with just one of my hands, so I suggest you calm down and listen to what I have to say."

Jeice sniffed, glaring a bit and trying to look as hard-wrought as an unimposing specimen like himself could. Berter just chuckled to himself and set him down. "Where you headed, huh?"

"That’s not your business," he replied icily.

"Oh, I think so. You won’t get far on your own, rabbit, when there are predators all about."

Jeice scoffed. "And how much safer could I be with a wolf at my heels?"

"Look. I’m not going to take you back if you don’t want to go, but I’m not going to leave you alone out here, either. What do you want?"

"……I want… to see Zarbon. Take me there, please."

"Tomorrow. He told me he’d be there tomorrow morning as well. We’ll go then."

They rested behind a bakery, out of which they stole away a loaf of rye and two baguettes, and a jar for water beside. A little cool was the night but they survived just fine. The morning sun rose in the fifth hour, the long songs of whippoorwills rousing Posing’s citizens to wake. Early, but manageable. Dawn had not brought back the eldest and youngest of the Minotaurus, however, who had dashed off the night before.

Berter gradually eased into awareness, grumbling something about birds and licking away at the backs of his teeth. Rubbing the remaining sleep out of his eyes, he turned to where Jeice had settled in, but only finding a slight imprint in the dirt. The sound of liquid being poured drew his attention to his opposite side. "So there you are…" He approached.

"Don’t. I can’t go if you’re watching."

"Oh. Sorry." He cast his sights away and waited for his brother to relieve himself. "Okay, I’m done." Jeice announced, refastening his belt. "Let’s go."

"To find breakfast?"

"No. You said you’d take me to see Zarbon, remember?"

"Mm-hmm."

And so, to the Brindlekat Tea House…

"Excuse me, sirrah."

The indigo catfish met his gaze. He was a bit lanky—probably a teenager for his race—with large auditory craters high atop his head, similar to Berter’s, and thick, fish-like lips with girthy whiskers of either side of his face to accompany. "Can I he’p ya?"

"My companion and I would like to speak with Zarbon."

His cheerful demeanor vanished in an instant. "Ain’t no ‘Zarbon’ feller here. Y’got the wrong place."

The saurian begged to differ. "I came to see him yesterday’s evening. Unless there’s another tea shop with a giant, wooden cat sign in front, I think I’m where I should be."

Gritting his teeth a bit, he slunk his hand behind the counter. "Mister, I think y’ought not be pokin’ yo’ nose where it ain’t t’ be." His fingers inched for the pistol. "I’m afraid if y’all ain’t t’ leave on my ten-count, things ‘round here might get messy, y’understand?"

"Kui!"

All three turned their attention to the corner of the room. That ogre, Dodoria, found hoisting a hidden floor pannel with one arm. "Relax, Kui. You’re the kid who came by last night?" He addressed Berter. "Come on down and have some breakfast with us."

They descended down that short hover of stairs entering the Brindlekat’s hidden lair, equipped with multiple cots, an open stone oven and a long, oakwood table for dining. "So, you’re back, and you brought a friend…" Said the azureman while cutting out of his ham a manageable piece.

"Make two more plates, Zar. They’re staying for eats." Dodoria returned to his morning meal, Jeice and Berter sitting on crates beside. "Y’know, we’re lucky," the ogre continued. "We make good business here in this city, so we can afford to give our guests a free meal from time to time."

"Imported teas have become a pretty hot item in this part of the world. Hell, we’ve probably made as much money in the last three years that K-MUTTS did in its forty-five!"

"Mister Zarbon, is it true that Master Gin—uh, Ginyu delivered you to that Freeza man?"

Zarbon looked up from his ale. "…You’ve soured the taste in my mouth, boy." He took his napkin beside and dabbed at his mouth politely. "Well, I suppose that would be the only reason why you’ve come… Yes, yes, it’s true. That’s why I shot him, if you’re wondering."

"I don’t suppose his was the only revenge you’ve exacted…?"

"You’re a smart, young man. But whatever I tell you from this point on will never leave your lips, got it?" The two nodded. "All right, then. I’ll start from the beginning. This little establishment is just one of several clever locations I have set up all over the continent. It got out in the news press sometime ago that Freeza was hospitalized after falling off a horse… We made up that little cover story so no one would wonder about his sudden disappearance. But truth be told, he was murdered… and I’m his killer."

The young ones immediately stopped eating and fixed their eyes on him. "But no matter how much the horrible being he was," he continued. "A crime’s a crime, and time is time. If I get caught for my crime, then I’ll be doing some time. So when the cavalry starts poking about, we just pack up and move on. The older kids we’ve liberated—like Kui out there—we have run our businesses while we’re away. They’d owe it to us, anyway."

Jeice quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean by ‘liberated’?"

"You’re jumping ahead, Zarbon," Dodoria interrupted, finishing off the last of his breakfast. "Let me. We decided years ago that there was no freedom on this continent as long as others were oppressed. So, we decided to get the rest of those children out of those awful factories and mines, and we did it in a wonderful, sweeping blaze. Every once in a while we come across abandoned towns. If that’s the case, we know there’s a factory near by. It’s really not that hard to convince people to help you out, as long as you’ve got the money to back it up. We could even bribe the guards if we wanted. But anyway, ol’ Zar, here, he’s been around, almost to every factory..! He’s pretty well known or at least recognizable. ‘I’m here on behalf of Freeza,’ he says, and gives himself a little tour of the place, eventually reaching the vats…"

"Factories are incredibly dirty places, you know, or well should." The more attractive man took a sip of his ale. "You can’t tell soot from gunpowder once it’s on the floor, and it’s that which makes for a superbly easy job. I stay until nightfall, to which I request accommodations. A little banter with the guard or guards on duty and we get to drinking. Theirs are poisoned, naturally. It’s the only way I’d be able to get the keys to the barracks, yes? Then it’s out with the kiddies and on with the fire..!"

Berter narrowed his eyes. "So, basically, you’re just murderous arsenists."

"I’d have put it more eloquently than that, but yes."

"We’d prefer ‘Liberators of the Herd’," Dodoria added, cocking his head slightly and raising his fork.

"Zarbon, I want… I want to join you..!" A gung-ho Jeice proclaimed. "I want to put a stop to those scoundrels of K-MUTTS!"

"Join me? Would you?" The azure man seemed almost amused by the sentiment. "And how about you there?"

"I’m only here in support of Jeice," the saurian replied almost sadly. Zarbon twirled a lock of his hair around his finger and said, plainly: "Well that’s good. Now I don’t have to kill you."

"What?!"

"Well, after telling you all this you didn’t think you could just walk out of here, could you?"

"So, that’s how it is…..." Berter hissed, wearing an angry smirk. "We wouldn’t have had a choice in the matter anyway, would we..?"

"Nope. That’s how life works, I’m afraid." He excused himself from the table, gathering his plate and utensils with him and continued kitchenward. He stopped briefly, and turned to Jeice. "You know, you’re an awfully handsome young lad. You’re very lucky that Freeza never found out about you… Very lucky, indeed.

"It’s not quite the same, is it?"

"Not at all…"

"I know. Waking up in an actual bed is kind of strange even for me after all this time."

"That’s not what I meant…"

"Well, in any case you shouldn’t worry too much. Better to focus on the here and now. Guldo, a bit of that jerky, please."

They sat down to their breakfast: a bit of dried moose meat and two bottles of milk, courtesy of the house. "We’ll need to find a way to pay our stay here," said Ginyu, tearing a strip of meat.

"How can we do that?"

"Simple. We find work."

"But what could we do, just us three?"

"Easy. This place doesn’t have a port, so fish is a rare treat. We’ll bring to Posing a fish market." He excused himself from the table round. "Good day to you, innkeeper," he approached the counter.

"Ah, my dear Minotaurus… How’s the arm?"

"Fine, fine, Master Kakarrot. Might you know where I’d obtain a fishing net?"

"Uh… My father, the blacksmith, has a few nets handy. I’ll send my son for you. Gohan!" The young boy looked up, his hands busy cleaning tables. "Go to grampa Bardock’s and ask for a fishing net."

Ginyu quirked a brow. "A blacksmith, you say? Accompany him, Recoom."

"Huh? O-Okay…"

Not far down the cobblestone road was heard the sound of metal striking metal. Enter: Blacksmith. "Grampa Bardock!!"

"Gohan." The grimey man left his hammer and anvil to greet his grandson. "And who is this you’ve brought?"

"He’s a guest back home," the lad chirped. "He needs a fishing net. Dad said it was okay."

"He did, did he..?" The old Saiyan grumbled, his tail twitching. "A fine son I’ve raised, one who thinks he can loan out other people’s things!" Bardock hoisted his grandson atop his shoulders and proceeded to a fine woven net hanging on the wall. "Hey, young man! Hie hither to the net!"

Recoom reached up and unhooked said net. "You know, you’re an awful strapping fellow. How’d you like to be my apprentice?"

"As a blacksmith?!"

"Well, what else?" Bardock chuckled. "Vegeta—the little one with hair—is almost finished his masterpiece, so he’ll be on his own soon. Hey there! ‘Geta! Nappa! Finish up those orders of horseshoes, yeah?"

The two looked away from their basket of bread and cheeses, eyeing the red-haired humanoid—not aggressively but rather curiously—and set about covering up their food with cloth set in basket. "What’s your name, son?" The master smith inquired.

"Recoom, sir."

"Well, Recoom, you just take a little time to think about it, and when you return my net, inform me of your decision."

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

"C’mere. Take a look."

"What?"

"Shhhh! Keep your voice down! You want the guards to hear? Look at this…" He slid a stone from the wall. "I’ve spent two months loosening the stones in this wall. You can even see the outside. Breathe in deep while you can."

"It smells nice…"

"Aye, I know. It’s a poor choice in location and shabby construction that allows us the means to escape."

"Escape? You mean, leave this place for good?"

"Of course. You can’t possibly be happy here."

"I’m not. I miss home."

"If you want to come with me, we can make a home of our own."

"Our own home? Do you mean it? Who else knows about this?"

"The red-haired humanoid and that frog creature there. I’m only telling those who I think can keep up. They won’t miss four of us."

"When?"

"As soon as I’ve budged the last top stones. I need enough space for me to slip though quickly. Just keep quiet and when the time comes, be ready."

"I here there are trout in this particular body. Let’s hope for a good catch, shall we?"

That man, the old Minotaurus, launched the net into the deepest part of the Kurtz: that old bigmouthed river running a few miles west of Posing. They waited a minute or two then hoisted the net—Ginyu on one end and Recoom on the other—back to the surface. About eighteen or twenty, Ginyu speed-counted. Not as much as he’d hoped for but still good for a first try. "Okay, you two. I think that this is a good enough amount to start with. Here starts our fishing expedition! Guldo, roll out the barrel!"

The little frog came to attention, springing to his feet and with all his might eased the barrel to the grass and rolled it to its destination. Top off, each of them cast a fish or five or six to the cylindrical crate, filling her half. "Have a care on the smith’s net. I don’t want a single tear."

"Yes, sir." Recoom bore the fish barrel on his right shoulder, the net under his opposite. "Master Ginyu, the smith Bardock approached me with a proposition earlier."

"Oh?"

"He wants me to apprentice under him."

"Is that so? Well, you‘d be good for it, a strapping fellow like yourself."

The humanoid nodded. "That’s what Bardock said, too."

"Have you considered it?"

"Briefly."

"You should." The Minotaurus puffed out his chest. "There’s nothing like spending hours striking a hot pieces of iron, bending it to your will with just a hammer and your brute strength, or so I’ve been told. You have my approval should you choose to do so."

"Thank you."

It was raining that night when the escape had been made, advancing deeper, deeper, and deeper still into the forest of Hunds. He stole a bearskin cloak—those dogs provided them something to sleep on, at least—to covered the young ones whilst he realigned all the stones through which they passed. If the guards were to peer in, which they were known to do on occasion, they’d not notice a hole in the wall, though it was doubtful that they would, anyway, it being night and nary a light to guide them.

He thanked his higher power that it was the season, summer. The rain was warm and, therefore, a bit more tolerable. Dashing thought the precipitation and careful of his footing, he darted between bush and tree on the beaten path to Hunds, Recoom following close behind with a frog on his back. He, himself, had the redskinned child clinging to his breast, to whom he’d wrapped his arms around and cared to keep warm as possible.

"How does that feel to you?"

"It’s so small…"

"Yes, pistols are small, but aimed at the right place can bring down both your choice of man or beast. Try shooting that bottle there."

The adolescent extended his arm, barely able to keep it steady. "Relax. If it helps, have the gun-wielding arm rest on your free one. Like this…" Zarbon demonstrated, bringing his left arm bent before his chest and the right to rest upon the crook. "And then, blam! Just like that. Now you do it."

Jeice did as shown; resting the arm aimed at the bottle, he pulled the trigger…

"…I missed…"

"But not by much. Come look."

He brought the boy to the glass container, still intact. "See that hole?" Zarbon asked, pointing to the wood flooring. "It’s only a bout two inches to the right of the target. That’s impressive for never having fired a gun before."

"You mean it?"

"Mm-hmm. With a little more practice, you’ll be able to pick off a crow in flight if you want."

"You think so?"

"I know so." The azure man turned away from Jeice. "Berter? Would you like to try?"

The saurian looked up, then lowered his head and wavered his hand in a polite ‘no, thanks’ gesture. Zarbon shrugged. "Well, at any rate we have to get ready to leave this place."

"Leave? Why?"

"I didn’t think my stunt through. I’m sure the law will be in and about this place when word gets to them. So, time to go. Not having second thoughts, are you..?"

"Of course not!" The lad gave an aggressive, little smile. "Down with K-MUTTS and all their institutions!"