~*****~

Despite some objections, Mai, Yajirobe, and I make our way to the surface to watch the battle. And we came at the right time, because Goku Black is monologuing. I couldn't help but smile smugly as how Zamasu comes to be invincible and how Goku Black came to be. "Okay, so if you're telling us you're Zamasu, then who's this guy who actually looks like him?" Goku asks.

"I am also Zamasu, of course," Zamasu retorts. "I'm the Zamasu of this alternate future."

Goku perks up. "You know, at this point, I should really start listening to Mara more." Goku mentions to Mars.

"You think?" Mars retorts irritably.

"More precisely, the alternate future from your perspective." Zamasu continues. "For me, it's the only world I'd ever known. I've allied with the Zamasu who came from your own era to fight for justice."

"From this future?" Mars gasps.

"I totally told them what," I mention to Mai. "Alternate timelines and differentiated branches are theoretically a whole load of trouble." I press my binoculars back onto my face.

"Still the same old egotistical Mara," Yajirobe snorted.

"I'll tell my husband you're being mean to me," I retort quickly, earning fearful apologies.

"Give yourself credit, Goku," Black hums. "You played a role in this tangled loop when you challenged me. Made me suffer humiliation at the hand of a mortal. That was the last straw. The last motivation I needed to chase my righteous dream. It was in that moment as you towered above me, that I resigned to cast off my body and take yours instead. You gave me that push and then you gave me this power."

"But how can that be? I saw Beerus destroy you!" Goku complained. "He said you'd be gone!"

"Old Beerus clearly doesn't understand the full beauty of this time ring!" Black states smugly. "Wearing it protects me from changes to time. Not even what a god did in the past can affect me."

"Okay, so what now?" Goku asks wildly.

"So that means you're some version of yourself where you did kill your master?" Mars asks.

"That's right! I had to, since the only one who can use a Time Ring... is a Supreme Kai. In the reality I experienced, no one stopped me from cutting down Gowasu and clearing the way for my succession, I became the new Supreme Kai." Black explained smugly. Black and Zamasu rose higher into the air, peering at one another with a sinister look on their faces. "Shall we strike, Zamasu?"

"Ready when you are, Zamasu." Zamasu hummed.

Their moves were perfectly identical, destroying the landscape beneath them. After a few catastrophic blows, Black once again began to monologue, explaining how he'd met the other Zamasu and how he managed to kill every Kai in the universe so no one would stop their plans. "Can't we just get back to the fighting?" I ask to no one in particular as they continue to babble. "If you've heard one maniac monologue, you've heard them all."

"You've still got some serious issues," Yajirobe comments dryly.

"I've kinda become numb to the whole, 'mortal terror'." I retort with air quotes. I perk up as the fighting begins once again. But once Zamasu mentions Goku's family, I perk up again to listen to what happened.

"Go ahead," Zamasu hums. "Tell him what you did to his loved ones."

"Where does one begin such a gripping tale?" Black asks idly.

"Yes, a good question," Zamasu comments. "Why don't you start with the wish. After you took the Time Ring and gathered the Super Dragon Balls to summon the beast."

Black gives a laugh. "Very well." Black recounts how he swapped his body with Goku's with his wish.

"Then he snuffed you out, using your own body as his weapon," Zamasu coos.

Black's hand alights with energy, blasting it straight through Zamasu's and into Goku's. My stomach roils and I fight to keep my eyes on the scene. "Just like I'm doing right now." Black chuckles.

Goku grasps the beam tightly, groaning angrily. "Damn you! And what about Chi-Chi? And Goten?"

"Oh, surely you can guess that much, Goku." Black retorts smugly. "After I struck you down in front of your wife and child, it was time to finish the cleansing."

Goku snapped his eyes shut as he tried to force the image from his head. "You monster!" He growled. "You'll pay for that!" My body thrums in response to Goku's energy suddenly skyrocketing. It's amazing. The push and pull, the thrum of power. Despite it's intensity, it's still very much Goku's pure soul being agonized to give him a boost to defeat these monsters. "You took my body. You took my life. Then you even killed Chi-Chi and Goten? You're gonna regret telling me that, Zamasu. 'Cause now I'm mad. I'm really, really mad! And now it's time to pay!"

"Goodness gracious-" I comment dreamily. "That power, it's astonishing! How has he pushed past this level already!" My own body thrums at the natural instinct to absorb his expended energy starts welling up inside. The fight continues on, and Goku is meeting Black blow for blow. He even gets a jab in on Zamasu, not giving him a chance to fight back. But it's as if Black is able to match Goku within the moment, as if his own body is catching up within the instant. "Oh, no-" I gasp as Goku hits the ground.

"Well, this is all kinds of bad!" Yajirobe complains.

"Outstanding!" Black exclaims. "The Saiyan Soul is deeply flawed, but the body itself is grand! The more it's attacked, the more it's power rises!"

Movement catches my eye as Vegeta and Mars try to help Goku, but Zamasu stops when with a harsh energy blast against the earth. "Don't be impatient, it's your turn now," Zamasu hums.

"Let's finish them off nice and slow," Black coos.

Mars steps forward, face set in determination. "What are you doing?" Vegeta snaps.

"You can leave Black to me," Mars expresses firmly.

"Use your head! He's too much for you!" Vegeta exclaims.

"I can do it! You'll see!" Mars snaps back. "Even if I have to pay the ultimate price! You take Zamasu, Father. Please."

"You're so brave, Mars, it's touching." Black comments.

"Shut up! You act like you stole Goku's body for some noble cause! It's genocide!" Mars shouts.

Black laughs. "You speak of crimes, but what you've done is far worse! You've torn reality itself into pieces!"

"I what?" Mars gasps.

"I pondered it for some time, Mars, but you're one of the reasons I decided all mortals must be exterminated. You sealed it for me. By changing the past, you produced a new Time Ring, then sparked a series of events that disrupted reality even more. What I saw in that ring box is a testament to the unforgivable chaos you wreaked upon the cosmos. How many times have you travelled between past and future?" Black asks.

"We know everything you've done," Zamasu mentions. "You, a lowly mortal, have repeatedly committed an act so egregious it's taboo even for the Gods."

"You first defied time to save Goku, when he was supposed to die of a heart illness, isn't that right?" Black asked. "If he had died, as history originally recorded, time would not have been split. He would never have challenged me, and I would not have had to take his body. There would not be an alliance of Zamasus from two separate timelines. The warping you caused made this possible. All this horror, as you deem it, it all begins with you."

"Don't blame us for our righteous judgement. Blame yourself!" Zamasu snaps.

"And the rest of you mortals who defied and twisted reality! That time machine proves mortal arrogance! And why you cannot be allowed to live!" The two shout in tandem.

"Don't listen to their nonsense!" Vegeta ordered.

"We are curing creation from a sickness. Saving it from the scourge of mortal kind!" Black and Zamasu hum.

Mars begins to flood with a new burst of energy I've not yet sensed. "Open your eyes! You are a vile sinner!" Zamasu snaps.

"You both enabled and inspired us!" Black adds.

"You helped to light the flame of our justice! You helped to launch Project Zero Mortals!" Zamasu said.

"So, the next time you mourn your people, remember they're dead because of you-" Black snaps.

"All I've ever tried to do is save people, from walking nightmares like you!" Mars suddenly shouts. He launches into battle, but his anger gets the better of him, allowing Black to capture him, and launch a devastating attack against him. Mars falls to the ground.

"Mars!" I gasp as I leap up and run towards him.

"Only a select few deities are allowed to manipulate time. It's one more reason why you miscreants must be purged." Zamasu sighs.

"Do you believe your own lies? All this lofty crap? You can't build utopia by hunting down people, even Gods!" Vegeta snaps.

"We know you can't understand the beauty of this." Zamasu chuckles.

"It's beyond the limitations of your feeble mind." Black comments.

Just as I get to the clearing Mars is in, he suddenly gets to his knees, hand bracing the ground tightly. I feel a surge of familiar energy, one that usually wells within my own body when I gather from the planet. I stop in my tracks, staring anxiously at my son as his energy swells and swells.

"Just stay down-" Mai whimpers.

Rearing his fist back, Mars slams it against the ground, shattering the concrete blow. He breaths heavily before his anger starts rising. "You say my choices make me evil?" He shouts angrily. "Then that's what I'll be!" I brace myself as the energy blasts forward, still swelling rapidly from his own inner energy and the outside energy. "Black!" He shouts as he turns to them, stomping forward with malicious intent. "This ends... right now! I'm gonna kill you myself!"

~*****~

The fighting starts up again, and Mars is actually holding his own against Zamasu and Black as they gang up against him. It only lasts for a moment, as both Vegeta and Mars are overwhelmed again. But Mars just keeps getting back up.

"Father! I want you to take Goku and get back to your timeline! I'll hold them off and give 'em everything I've got!" Mars shouts over his shoulder. "But in case I fail, you need to find a way to defeat them!"

"We're not going to leave you!" I exclaim.

"Do you take me for a coward?" Vegeta snaps irritably. "I'm not going to leave you here!"

"No, he's right," Goku groans. "It's the only way to save his future."

"You agree with this?!" Vegeta barks.

"Father! Hurry!" Mars shouts.

Vegeta growls out in anger before snapping his head to me. "Get the time machine ready." He growls. I flinch upright. It's agonizing to leave my son, but I know he's right. I need to think about our Mars' future. I go a safe distance away before popping the capsule. "The senzu beans! Take them!" Vegeta snaps as he tosses them to Mai.

"Don't worry, I'm gonna make sure he survives!" Mai states firmly.

We board the machine and manage to escape just in time. Tears well up in my eyes as I stare down at the console. I begin to weep silently for my son. The time machine lands safely in our time and the top opens up, filtering in the voices of the kids and Beerus. "Did I tell you imbeciles to have faith in my divine power?" Beerus taunted.

I snap upright, eyes clenched shut tight. There's a distant rumble before the entire planet beneath us begins to shake. "Do not talk about your divine power right now, Beerus!" I shout. I snap my gaze up to him, and the influx of energy in the air shatters the glass in his hand. "If you were so curious- MY SON'S FUTURE IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS BEFORE!"

"It didn't change?" Mars murmurs.

"My son came home to ruins, not to mention Black and Zamasu on a rampage," I explain as I stomped forward. "We walked into a nightmare!" Beerus looks utterly flabbergasted as I stared hard at him. Tears are burning down my face as I scream at him. "They nearly blew us out of the sky!"

"Then where's the big me, mom?" Mars asks in a wobbly tone.

I clench my eyes shut again. "Still fighting." I snap. "He insisted he stay and take them on alone to give us enough time to escape."

"Interesting. So it didn't change." Beerus hums offhandedly. "Honestly I had a feeling that might be the case."

"YOU SPEAK POLITELY WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU, BEERUS!" I shout at him.

"Mara, that's enough!" Vegeta snapped. "Use your anger and find a way to help us prevail!" He turns his gave onto Mai, Pilaf, and Shoo. "You three! Make yourselves useful and take him inside!" Vegeta orders as he tosses Goku to the ground.

Goku groaned in agony. "Aw, come on, Vegeta," He complained. "I'm already banged up here, you don't have to throw me." The kids take him inside. Vegeta storms over to me and pushes me into a chair.

"Did they mention anything about the other gods?" Whis asked curiously.

Vegeta sighed irritably as he took the drink Marble brought out for him. "Yeah, they mentioned it all right." Vegeta hummed. "They said they killed all the Gods, and they were the only ones left." Beerus glances over at me, but it's all harsh glaring that probably reminds him of my mother. "And Black's not some puppet copy of Kakarot, like we thought. Zamasu used the Super Dragon Balls to steal Kakarot's actual body, then jumped to Mars' alternate timeline, recruited that Zamasu, and wished for him to be indestructible."

"He commandeered Goku's body. So that's why Black's energy feels like Zamasu." Whis hummed.

"Well, that means all our questions have been answered," Beerus hummed. "Come on, Whis, we're leaving."

"You're just walking away?!" I bark at him.

"I've already eliminated the Zamasu from this reality. If he's running around a different timeline, that's none of my business." Beerus retorts. "You people can do whatever you want from here."

"DON'T YOU EXPECT ANYMORE FOOD FROM ME, BEERUS!" I bellow angrily. "I THINK IT'S BETTER YOU STAY ON YOUR SIDE OF THE UNIVERSE, BECAUSE THE NEXT TIME I SEE YOU, IT'S NOT GONNA BE YOUR EARDRUMS BUSTED, IT'LL BE YOUR KNEES!"

Whis just chuckled at my threats before the two make their exit. "Dad?" Mars murmurs as Vegeta stalks towards the building.

"Don't follow me, boy. I need to think." Vegeta orders. "You, too, Marble. Stay with your brother."

The two kids pout as their father disappears into the building. "It's late. I want you two to bathe and get to bed." I hum in a gentle tone.

"But, mom-" Mars stammers.

"Mars." I express softly. Mars lowers his head and sulks.

Marble grasps his shirt. "Let's go, Mars. It'll be okay." She urges. He nods sullenly and follows her into the house. I shake my head and take a seat on the patio chair, hanging my head lowly.

~*****~

I don't know how long I'm outside, just staring at the table top, but when I feel two familiar energy signatures, I perk up and raise a brow in confusion. Mars is usually good about getting enough sleep, but Goten has a stricter bedtime. "Mom, mom-" Mars calls out as he and Goten land in the grass. "Goten and I wanna go help future me! And we can by fusing into Maten!" Mars exclaims.

"Absolutely not." I snap firmly.

"But-"

"I said no, Mars!" I snap louder. "You kids are strong, there's no denying that, but you do not have a chance against them."

"But we wanna do our part!" Mars declares. "We can't let them wreck his future! Big Me is fighting them all alone! I can't sit around and do nothing!"

"Mars. This is not your responsibility." I say in a calm tone. "I will not let either of you risk your lives for this. This is to be left to the grown-ups. Do you understand. Goku and Vegeta have this."

"But mom-" Mars tried to complain again.

"I'm done talking about this, Mars. You and Goten are just children. This isn't your responsibility." I express again. "Inside. Now."

"Mara!" Chi-Chi's voice rings out from above. I grimace and palm at my face. "Hey! I'm up here!"

"Shit-" I whine. "You two, stick with the story of a sleep over, got it?" I order irritably. "Inside, now!" I turn around and plaster a fake smile on my face. "Hey, Chi-Chi! What are you doing out so late? And Gohan, you must tell me how Pan is doing, I need to schedule some day to come see the little cutie."

Gohan smiles appreciatively, but before he can answer, Chi-Chi speaks up. "Goku is missing. Do you have any idea where he is?" Chi-Chi asks.

"No clue," I shrug. "Knowing him, he's probably passed out somewhere in the forest from eating too much. You know how he is, Chi-Chi."

"We're sorry to just drop in like this, Mara," Gohan apologizes. "But we did check the forest. There's no sign of him, and he hasn't been home in a while, so we're getting worried."

"Have you checked the restaurants in the city? He's probably eating some poor establishment out of house and home." I mention.

"What about Mars and Goten? Are they out here?" Chi-Chi asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, it must've slipped my mind!" I chirp. "I forgot to mention that Mars and Goten wanted to have a sleepover." I exclaim apologetically. "They just went out for a late-night snack, you know how my son is, he can't help himself sometimes."

"Mara!" Shoo's voice rang out. "Lola said your machine successfully increased the efficiency of the time machine fuel production, and it should be ready soon!"

"Hold on, a time machine?" Chi-Chi asked.

"Oh yes, I've been so interested in the theory of it for a while, and I wanted to see if I could crack it! I'd love to be featured in some fancy science magazine! It'll be a great boost for sales at my stores, you know?" I explain hastily. "Most of the trials have only been a few minutes in the past, is all." I lie effortlessly.

"Dad?! Oh, I mean, hey?" Mars suddenly exclaims in shock. We gaze at Vegeta as he plucks both boys off the ground.

"What are you kids still doing out at this hour?!" Chi-Chi shouted.

"As I've said, Chi-Chi, my son gets a sweet tooth every now and then, it's okay." I try to urge her.

"So, they're still a threat?" Piccolo's voice rings out as he and Krillen appear from above.

I sulk. "What?! Who's still a threat?!" Chi-Chi exclaims. "Mara, what are you hiding from me?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I retort firmly. Vegeta rolls his eyes as he approaches with both Mars and Goten under his arms.

"Mara, you got anything good to eat around here?" Goku complains as he walks up. "Now that the pain is starting to fade, I'm noticing how hungry I am."

I sigh louder. "There you are!" Chi-Chi shouts.

"Oh, hey, Chi-Chi!" Goku chirps.

"Why am I seeing bandages and a gigantic hole in your outfit?" Chi-Chi asks.

"It's just a little flesh wound. I got beat up by my own body." Goku explains.

"What the heck does that mean?" Chi-Chi asks.

Goku just laughs. "Hey, Gohan! Are those box lunches?" He asks eagerly. "Did you make those for me?" Goku asks his wife.

"What? Well, yes, but Goku..." Chi-Chi complains.

"Thanks, Chi-Chi!" Goku cheers. "You're too good to me!"

"I'm going to get something sweet," I sigh as I palm my head.