Disclaimer:  All recognizable characters belong to their respective owners.  The Ginyu Force belongs to Toei Animation, while Black Shadow belong to Nintendo.

      Black Shadow sat silently in his throne.  His wedding had been ruined, but he remained calm.  He made a promise to himself.  He would get Jenny back for ruining the ceremony.
      “I swear to it, Jenny,” he whispered to himself.
      He pondered hard for a few minutes.  Then the perfect plan came to mind.
      “Yes!  Perfect!” he exclaimed.  “Viper King!!”
      Viper King entered the room.  “Yes, Black Shadow?”
      “I found it!  I’ve found a way!”
      “Really?  You’ve found a way to get back at Jenny for spoiling your wedding?”
      “Yes, but I’ll need your help,” Black Shadow replied.  “Now here’s the plan.....”

***

      Black Shadow wasn’t the only one making plans.  The Ginyu Force had built a cabin in the middle of the forest dome on Arturus.  They were still anxious to get Jeice back on their team.
      “I can’t understand it!” Burter cried, pounding his fists on the desk.  “How can Jeice like them better than us!?  The Spice Club can’t compare with us!”
      “Quite right, Burter,” Captain Ginyu replied.  “I’m trying to think of something here.”
      “All that talk about friendship and looking after one another is giving me the willies,” Recoome muttered.
      Captain Ginyu’s eyes widened.  “Recoome, you’re a genius!”
      Recoome looked confused.  “I am?”
      “Yes!  They care about each other, and they’ll do anything to save one another!  All we have to do is capture one of them and exchange them for Jeice.”
      The others murmured about what a great idea it was.
      “But who are we going to capture?” Guldo asked.
      “How about that girl you fought, Captain?” Recoome suggested.
      “No.  She’s charming, but she’s also bold and strong-willed,” Captain Ginyu told him.  “We need someone with more fear in his heart.”
      “Hey, how about that skeleton boy?” Burter suggested.
      “Yeah, with the way he screamed when Burter attacked him, he’s a fraidy-cat all right,” Recoome said.
      “And the way he tripped over everything,” Guldo added.
      The mutants laughed loudly.
      “Hmm....he’s perfect,” Captain Ginyu agreed.  “Let’s go get him!”
      The Ginyu Force left the cabin to seek out their hostage.

***

      In the public areas of Arturus, Jenny still couldn’t get over the fact that Darkonda was gone.  She was walking down the streets alone.  She just couldn’t bear to spend time with anyone.  Little did she know that Black Shadow was waiting for her with open arms.
      “Here she comes,” he whispered to Viper King.  “Remember our plan?  When she comes to my rescue, you’ll want to lose to her.  Then I’ll take over from there.”
      “Why would she want to rescue you?” Viper King asked.
      “Because.....”  Black Shadow changed shape, assuming the form of Mayor Belcus.  “I’ll be in disguise.  I’ve already disposed of the real Mayor Belcus.  Now hurry up and attack me!”
      Viper King seized Black Shadow by the throat.  When Jenny saw the attack, she rushed to the rescue.  She gave Viper King a fierce kick to the hip, and he released Black Shadow and staggered back.
      “Why do you always have to butt in?” he cried.  Then he vanished.
      “Hmm, that’s weird,” Jenny said.  “Viper King knows that I have a hard time with him; why would he retreat so soon?”
      Black Shadow sighed wearily to get her attention.  She turned to him.
      “Are you okay, Mayor?” she asked.
      “I think so,” Black Shadow replied.  “Thank you for saving my life.  How can I ever repay you?”
      “That won’t be necessary,” Jenny told him.  “Just knowing that you’re okay is enough.”
      Wow, what honor! Black Shadow thought.  She risks her life to save others, and she desires nothing in return!
      “Why don’t you come back to the office with me, and we’ll have some coffee,” he suggested.
      “Um....I don’t like coffee.”
      “Then how about some hot chocolate?”
      “Well, okay.”
      Black Shadow wrapped an arm around Jenny’s shoulder, and they walked down the street together.

***

      Meanwhile, Spinal was taking some time out for himself.  He was very relieved.  He was relieved that Black Shadow and Astronema didn’t get married, and that Astronema was driven away.  Spinal walked down the sidewalk in the park, and the Ginyu Force hid behind a bush up ahead.
      “Here he comes,” Captain Ginyu whispered.  “Get ready.”
      The others nodded.  As Spinal walked by, Burter sprang out and grabbed him, clamping a hand over his jaws.  He dragged Spinal back behind the bush.  Burter and Recoome held him by the arms as Captain Ginyu stood in front of him.  Burter took his hand away.
      “Relax, pal; it’s only us,” Captain Ginyu said.
      “Oh no!” Spinal gasped.  “The Ginyu Force!”
      “Precisely,” Guldo said.
      “What do you want?” Spinal asked.
      “It’s simple,” Captain Ginyu replied.  “All we want is you.”
      Spinal let out a piercing scream, but Ginyu quickly clamped a hand over his jaws.
      “Wow, this guy really knows how to scream,” Burter commented.
      “This capture was easier than I thought it would be,” Guldo said.
      “See, I told you that this guy would be the perfect hostage,” Burter told him.
      “All right, men; let’s get out of here quick, before someone sees us,” Captain Ginyu said.  “Burter, you might want to suppress his screams.
      “Right.”
      Burter kept his hand over Spinal’s jaws.  Together, the Ginyu Force members took off into the air like miniature rockets.

***

      Back in Mayor Belcus’ office, Black Shadow made two mugs of cocoa.  He sprinkled a black powder into one of them and handed it to Jenny.
      “So, whatever happened to that.....Astronema woman?” he asked.
      Jenny took a sip of her cocoa.  “Oh, we drove her away.  She was planning to marry Black Shadow.
      “Wow, that’s incredible!” Black Shadow exclaimed.  “But then again, everyone needs love, even bad guys.”
      “Well, they could at least marry a good guy,” Jenny said.  “My husband is evil.”
      Marry a good guy? Black Shadow thought.  Now there’s an idea....
      “You’re married!?” he asked, trying to act surprised.
      Jenny nodded as she took another sip.
      “What’s the lad’s name?” Black Shadow asked.
      “His name was Darkonda,” Jenny replied.  “But he’s gone now.  He sacrificed himself to save me.”
      “Wow, I know the feeling.  It sucks when a friend dies and you live on only to mourn for them.”
      “But Darkonda’s not dead.  He just let himself be sucked into another dimension.  He promised me that somehow, someday, he’ll be back.”
      “Do you believe it?” Black Shadow asked.
      Jenny took the final sip of her cocoa.  “Yeah, I believe it.  He’ll be back.”
      She gave an exhausted sigh as she held her forehead.
      “Are you all right?” Black Shadow asked, to appear innocent.
      “I just feel so strange all of a sudden,” Jenny said.  “I’d better get back.....”
      She stood up on wobbly legs and began trudging out of the room.  But as soon as she took two steps, she collapsed to the floor.  Black Shadow assumed his normal, evil form.
      “Sleep well, my little adversary,” he said, taking another sip of his cocoa.
      He stood up and walked over to the closet.  He opened the door to reveal the real Mayor Belcus tied up and gagged.
      “I couldn’t have done this without your help, dear Mayor,” Black Shadow said as he freed Belcus.  “I’ll be going now.  I have some pain to inflict on your little heroine.”
      He walked over to Jenny, picked her up, and draped her over his shoulder.  Then he disappeared in a crack of purple lightning.  Mayor Belcus crawled out of the closet, gasping.
      “Oh Jenny!!”

***

      On the Spice Rack, Gazelle was on an arm wrestling winning streak.  Right now, he was wrestling with Yamcha.  Gazelle slowly pulled Yamcha’s arm down to the table.
      “Wow, one more challenger down!” Gazelle exclaimed.  “I must be pretty good!”
      “No wonder they all call you Mighty Gazelle,” Yamcha commented.
      “Next!” Gazelle called.
      Vegeta sat at the table in front of Gazelle with a grin.
      “Oh great; it’s you,” Gazelle muttered sarcastically.
      Vegeta’s grin widened as he took Gazelle’s hand.  Gazelle began straining, trying to push Vegeta’s arm down to the table, but it wouldn’t budge.  Strangely enough, Vegeta didn’t appear to be straining at all.  After a minute, Gazelle stopped and looked up at Vegeta, who was chuckling.
      “I suppose you think this is funny, don’t you?” Gazelle asked bitterly.  “You’re not even straining, are you?”
      “You want me to strain?  Okay, I’ll strain,” Vegeta said.  “Ready?”
      Gazelle began straining again.  Two seconds later, Vegeta flung Gazelle across the room.
      “Looks like arm wrestling has a new champion,” Vegeta announced.
      “Ah, arm wrestling is a dumb game anyway,” Gazelle muttered.

***

      Meanwhile, the Ginyu Force flew through the forest on their way back to their cabin.  Spinal didn’t dare look around, for fear of crashing into a tree.  Luckily, Burter was a master of agility, as were the other mutants.  When they reached the cabin, they stopped and walked in casually.
      “Now get in there!” Burter demanded, flinging Spinal into the cabin.  Once the other mutants were in, Burter closed the door, and locked it.
      Spinal stood up and looked at each of the Ginyu Members.  No one spoke.  They were all waiting for Spinal to speak, but Spinal wanted for them to speak.  Finally, Captain Ginyu started the conversation.
      “Hello, little one,” he said.  “It’s nice to see you again.  And what is your name, please?”
      “My name?” Spinal asked, surprised.  “What does my name mean to you?”
      “It means a lot,” Captain Ginyu replied.  “I’m Captain Ginyu, and this is Guldo, Recoome, and Burter.  Now, please tell us your name.....unless you don’t mind us calling you ‘little one.’“
      “It......it’s Spinal.”
      “Spinal, eh?  Interesting.”
      The Ginyu members snickered.
      “Look, what do you want from me?” Spinal asked.
      “We need you to make sure that Jeice rejoins the Ginyu Force,” Captain Ginyu said.
      “No way; I won’t do it!” Spinal declared.
      “You don’t have to do anything,” Burter told him.  “We’re using you as a hostage.”
      “Once Jeice returns to us, we’ll let you go,” Recoome added.
      “Yeah right,” Spinal said in disbelief.  “And I’ll give each of you one million IPD’s when monkeys come out of my ears.”
      Captain Ginyu smiled.  “Come on, men; let’s relax.”
      The mutants walked to the edge of the room and sat down.  Spinal stared at the door with an ever-tempting urge to escape.  Before he could even think of the obstacles, he found himself racing for the door, gasping in fear.  Burter quickly stood up and was in front of the door in a flash.  Spinal stopped only an inch away from him.
      “Nice try, Spinal,” Captain Ginyu cooed.  “But as you can see, we’re much faster than you, so I’m afraid that running away is futile.”
      Spinal was frozen with fear.  Burter scooped him into his arms, carried him over to the bed, and dropped him.
      “Now Spinal, just relax,” Captain Ginyu said sweetly.  “In the meantime, we’ll have a fire, roast some marshmallows, have some cocoa, and just enjoy ourselves.”
      Burter shot out a finger at Spinal.  “And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay put!”
      He walked over and joined the other mutants.  Spinal covered his face and began to cry.

***

      Jenny came to slowly.  She was lying chest down on a stone floor.  She lifted her head, but she couldn’t see much.  Suddenly, a pair of feet approached, stopping directly in front of her.  She looked up at the owner of the feet - Black Shadow.
      “Welcome back to reality,” he said.
      “Huh?  What happened?” Jenny asked weakly.
      “You and I were having cocoa, remember?  I was disguised as Mayor Belcus.”
      “You......drugged me!”
      Black Shadow grabbed her by the upper arms and pulled her to her feet.
      “You know, I thought that a team leader would be more.....difficult to capture,” he went on.
      Jenny squirmed in his grip, but it was hopeless.  “Let me go!” she groaned weakly.
      “Remember when I said that you’d pay for spoiling our wedding?” Black Shadow asked.  “Surely you don’t think I’d forgotten, do you?”
      “It didn’t matter if you’d gotten married or not!” Jenny retorted.  “Either way, I would’ve been in pain!  But there’s no way in hell that I’d let you become my father!”
      “So is that how you felt about the wedding?  Well, I thank you for sharing your feelings with me, but now it’s time for you to suffer.”
      “Why not just kill me?”
      “Because death would only end your misery,” Black Shadow replied.  “Isn’t that the main reason why people commit suicide?”
      He released her so abruptly that she couldn’t regain her balance and fell down.  Black Shadow retreated to his throne and sat down.  Jenny stood up and slowly began to leave the room.
      “Don’t waste your strength, Jenny!” Black Shadow called.  “You may have awakened, but my little drug will leave you weak and helpless for hours!”
      Suddenly, Jenny became aware of her condition.  Her knees were wobbly, and her muscles felt heavy, almost like lead.  Her stomach felt as if it was on fire, and her head was swirling like a twister.
      He’s right! she thought.  I’m still weak!
      She dropped to the floor, still conscious.
      “My goodness, Jenny, where are my manners?” Black Shadow asked.  “Won’t someone please help her up?”
      The demons pulled Jenny to her feet and dragged her out of the room.

***

      “I don’t know why, but I feel like picking on someone today,” Vegeta said.
      “That’s strange; you feel like picking on someone every day,” Fulgore told him.  “Have you played with Spinal?  He’s great to pick on.  In fact, it’s his destiny.”
      Vegeta laughed out loud.  “It’s a destiny that suits him well.  Maybe I’ll contact him and tell him to come back here.”
      He went into his chamber and put on his scouter.  Then he pressed a button on it and spoke.
      “Spinal.  Come in, Spinal; this is Vegeta.”
      No response.
      “Answer me, you little brat!” Vegeta demanded.
      “That’s funny,” Fulgore said.  “He always answers.  Something must have happened to him.”
      “As usual.”

***

      Spinal’s ring began to beep.  He couldn’t answer because he didn’t want to alarm the Ginyu Force.  Still, the mutants heard the beeping.
      “What is that noise?” Burter asked.
      “I don’t know,” Recoome said.
      Spinal quickly covered his ring.
      “Search the room, boys,” Captain Ginyu ordered.
      The Ginyu members searched the room carefully, but couldn’t find anything.
      “Hey, the noise is coming from the bone boy,” Recoome said.  “What are you hiding there?”
      “Uh......nothing,” Spinal lied.
      The mutants surrounded him and forced him to reveal the ring.  To his relief, it stopped beeping and flashing before they could see it.
      “Oh, it’s just a stupid ring,” Burter said.
      “Hey, the noise stopped,” Guldo said.
      “Well, Spinal,” Captain Ginyu said.  “Sending distress signals, are we?”
      “No, I didn’t do anything!” Spinal whined.  “I swear!”
      “All right, forget it!” Captain Ginyu called.  “Let’s get back to our tea party.”
      The mutants moved away from Spinal and sat down.  Spinal still curled up in himself.  The Ginyu Force sang a campfire song.
      “She’ll be coming around the mountain, she’ll be coming around the mountain, she’ll be coming around the mountain when she comes!”
      “I want to go home!” Spinal bawled.  “I want to go home now!”
      “Shut up!” Burter ordered.
      “Yeah, you’re ruining our song!” Recoome added.
      “Now, now, let’s not be so rough,” Captain Ginyu said.  “He just wants to go home.  Well, don’t worry, Spinal.  You can go home when Jeice arrives.”
      “What’s taking that buzzard so long anyway?” Burter asked.
      “You haven’t even called him yet, have you?” Spinal asked.  “Jeice isn’t here yet because he has no idea that you’re holding me against my will!”
      “Hmm......you’ve got a point there, little one,” Captain Ginyu said.  “I’d better call Jeice right now.”
      “I’ll call him,” Burter offered.  He opened the front door.  “Hey Jeice!  We’ve got your little friend!  Rejoin us if you want him back!”
      “Burter, he won’t hear you calling him that way,” Captain Ginyu said.  “We have to use our scouters.”
      Guldo laughed.  “Burter Fingers!”
      Burter closed the door and held up a finger.  “Nobody better lay a finger on my Burter Finger.”
      Man, I can’t believe that I’m being held captive by a bunch of blockheads! Spinal thought.  Intelligence seems to be my only advantage.  If I could come up with a well-devised plan, I can get out of here!
 
***

      Fulgore rushed into the bridge with Vegeta close behind.  Everyone immediately sensed Fulgore’s troubled state.
      “Fulgore, is there a problem?” Arbin asked.
      “Yes,” Fulgore answered abruptly.  “We just tried to contact Spinal, and he didn’t respond.”
      “Attention!” Beta called out of nowhere.  “Receiving transmission.”
      Black Shadow appeared on the screen.  “Hello, everyone.  Have I got news for you.”
      “What is it?” Fulgore asked.  “We already have something on our mind.”
      “I just wanted to tell you that I’ve got Jenny.  I’ve warned her before.  She spoiled our wedding, so now she suffers for it.  That’s all.”  Black Shadow disappeared from the screen.
      Meanwhile, Jeice was in his own chamber when he heard a beep on his scouter.
      “Jeice!  Come in, Jeice.  It’s your old friend, Captain Ginyu.”
      Jeice gasped.  “Captain Ginyu?  What do you want?”
      “We just want you to rejoin us, Jeice,” Captain Ginyu said.
      “Look, I already told you that the answer is no!” Jeice shouted.
      “Hold on, Jeice,” Captain Ginyu said.  “Before you refuse, let me just make an offer.  If you come back to us, we’ll give you Spinal back.”
      “Spinal?  What about Spinal?”
      “Well, we found Spinal in the park on Arturus, so we decided to......take him into our custody.”
      “What have you done to him?” Jeice cried.
      “He’s just a prisoner here,” Captain Ginyu replied.  “Just meet us at the cabin in the forest dome.  And come alone.  Here, this is to let you know that Spinal is intact.”
      Then Jeice heard Spinal’s voice.
      “Jeice!  Please help me!” the little one cried.  “You don’t have to rejoin these jerks!  They wouldn’t let me go even if you did join them!”
      “Okay, that’s enough,” Captain Ginyu said.
      Jeice heard Spinal’s muffled scream, which quickly faded.  Jeice closed the channel.
      “Man, oh man!” he cried.  “I’ve got to tell the others!”
      He rushed to the bridge.  “Bad news, mates!  I just got a transmission from Captain Ginyu!  The Ginyu Force has Spinal!”
      “Oh great!” the Cryptkeeper cried.  “We just got a transmission from Black Shadow.  He’s got Jenny.”
      “This is terrible!” Chiaotzu cried.  “What can we do?”
      “Captain Ginyu wants me to meet those mutants alone in order to save Spinal,” Jeice said.  “So I can take care of that.  The rest of you can go after Jenny.”
      “Boy, I can’t bear to imagine what Black Shadow is doing to the poor girl,” the Cryptkeeper said.  “Black Shadow swore to get even with her when she stopped the wedding.”
      “Well, I don’t have time to waste,” Jeice announced.  “I’m going after Spinal.  Good luck, mates!”
      He rushed out of the room.

 ***

      In Devil’s Palace, Jenny was thrown into a dark prison chamber.  She couldn’t bear the pain to get up.  To make the situation worse, she heard a pair of footsteps in the cell.
      “Well, well, look who’s come to play,” a familiar voice hissed.
      Jenny looked up.  “Viper King?”
      Viper King pulled her to her feet, then punched her face.  Then he kicked her stomach, and she staggered back into the wall.  Jenny collapsed to the floor.  Viper King towered over her and kicked her again.  When he took a closer look at her, he saw that she was unconscious.
      “Viper King!” Black Shadow called from the cell window.  “If you beat the hell out of her while she’s unconscious, she won’t feel the pain.”
      “So what am I supposed to do?” Viper King asked.
      “Wait until she wakes up, then beat the hell out of her.”
      “Oh man....” Viper King sighed.  Black Shadow opened the cell, and Viper King walked out.

 ***

      Back in the forest dome of Arturus, Spinal had almost given up in trying to escape the Ginyu Force.
      Almost.
      Spinal was curled up on the bed beside the cabin.  Guldo, Recoome, and Burter were waiting outside the cabin for Jeice.  Captain Ginyu sat in a chair reading a book.  He threw a different book at Spinal, who sat up with a shriek.  Spinal looked at the title that was thrown at him.  Little House on the Prairie.
      “What was that for?” Spinal asked.
      “Just to get your attention,” Captain Ginyu replied.  “Do you read Laura Ingals Wilder books, Spinal?”
      “No.....”
      “She’s a very talented writer.  She’s a well-known author of the ‘Little House’ series.  You know, Little House on the Prairie, Little House in the Big Woods.....
      “Okay, whatever,” Spinal said, wondering why Captain Ginyu was asking those stupid questions.
      “I enjoy these books very much,” Captain Ginyu said.  “I think you will, too.”
      “Maybe I would if you hadn’t recommended them to me,” Spinal responded.
      Captain Ginyu went back to his reading.  After a moment, Spinal dashed for the door again.  He shook the doorknob vigorously, but the door wouldn’t budge.  The mutants outside heard the jiggling of the door.
      “Looks like poor Spinal is trying to escape again,” Burter said.
      The mutants cracked up loudly.  When Spinal heard the laughter, he gave up.  He pounded on the door.
      “Let me out of here!” he sobbed.  “Let me go!!”
      “Spinal, just sit down and relax, all right?” Captain Ginyu said calmly.  “Just do it.”
      “Why are you torturing me like this?” Spinal asked.  “Why!?”
      “We wouldn’t have to torture you if you hadn’t kept trying to escape.  As I’ve said before, once Jeice rejoins us, you’re free.”
      The other Ginyu Force members came back into the cabin.
      “Hey, Captain, we’re feeling a little bummed out,” Recoome said.
      Captain Ginyu looked up at him, but then looked back down at Spinal.  With the little guy trapped with them, they could do whatever they pleased.
      “Well, Spinal, what shall we do with you next?” Captain Ginyu asked.
      “We could play ‘Punch the Target’” Burter suggested.  “And he’ll be the target.”
      “Don’t be silly!” Recoome exclaimed.  “There’s no way he’ll hold still.”
      “I can fix that,” Burter said, grinning directly at Spinal.
      Spinal gasped and stepped back.  Burter quickly zoomed behind him and grabbed him, pinning his arms back.  “Hit him, Recoome!”
      Recoome stepped forward and punched Spinal’s ribcage.  Spinal screamed in agony as he squirmed in Burter’s grip.  Recoome punched him again...
      Meanwhile, Jeice landed in the woods outside the cabin.  He refused to rejoin the Ginyu Force!  There had to be some other way to save Spinal, and Jeice was going to find it.  Jeice began to walk towards the cabin.
      “Hello?” he called.  “Anyone home?  Captain Ginyu?  Burter?  Recoome?  Your old pal Jeice is here!”
      Nothing but birds chirping in the trees.  Jeice continued on towards the cabin.  The Ginyu Force had to be inside!  Jeice reached the door and tried to open it, but it was locked.  So Jeice pounded on the door.  The games ceased inside.
      “What was that?” Recoome asked.
      “At last, our friend has arrived,” Captain Ginyu said.  “Allow me.”
      He went to the door and opened it.  “Jeice!  Welcome back, old friend!  Put ‘er there!”  He extended a hand towards Jeice.
      “Where’s Spinal!?” Jeice demanded.  “I wanna see him now!”
      “Of course.  He’s back there.”  Captain Ginyu moved aside.
      “Jeice!” Spinal cried, lunging out, but then realized that Burter was still holding him.  Spinal looked up at him as far as he could.  “Let me go, you big bully!”
      “Why should I?” Burter asked.  “We’re not done playing yet.”
      “Let him go, Burter,” Captain Ginyu instructed.  “We’ve got what we really want.”
      Burter released Spinal, who collapsed to the floor.  Jeice rushed over to him.
      “Spinal!  Speak to me, mate!”
      Spinal looked up weakly.  “Jeice.....no.....don’t join them.....”
      “I’m sorry, old friend,” Jeice said.  “I couldn’t just leave you here to be tortured.  You’d better head back.  The others need you in order to save Jenny.”
      “Jenny?  What’s happened to her?” Spinal asked.
      “She was captured by Black Shadow.  She needs help.”
      “Enough with the sweet talk!” Captain Ginyu cried.  “Get out, you miserable pile of bones!”
      He grabbed Spinal and carried him to the front door.  Then he kicked the little guy, sending him flying.
      “And stay out!”  Captain Ginyu slammed the door shut.
      Spinal stood up and stared at the cabin, trying to control his sobbing urges.  The Ginyu Force had gone to all this trouble to keep Spinal from leaving, and now they were kicking him out like a naughty dog!  These mutants really were goofballs!
      “Galaxy glider....hang ten....” Spinal called shakily.
      A white galaxy glider moved down and stopped in front of him.  Instead of hopping on and taking off, Spinal slumped over it, sobbing at full force.  Why was he always the one to be tortured?
      When Spinal was done with his cry, he hopped onto the galaxy glider and flew back to the ship.
      The Ginyu Force came out of the cabin.
      “Come on, Jeice!” Captain Ginyu cried.  “Let’s do an old pose for old times sake!”
      He performed an old pose while Jeice watched with a disgusted look.  Captain Ginyu shot him a look.
      “Jeice, come on; where’s your enthusiasm?”
      Jeice sighed.  He and Captain Ginyu performed another pose together.
      “We are......the Ginyu.....Force!” the mutant leader announced.  “Great job, Jeice!  I can’t tell you how good it is to have you back on the team!”
      “I’m simply delighted,” Jeice grumbled.
 
***

      Jenny slowly regained consciousness.  She gasped as she looked around.  She was back in Black Shadow’s throne room, chained down to some sort of altar.  Black Shadow stood above her, sharpening his sword on a stone.  He apparently didn’t notice that she was awake, as he was merrily humming to himself.  Jenny decided that it was better this way.  She tried to leap off the altar; that’s when she realized that she was chained down by the wrists and ankles.  The rattling of the chains grabbed Black Shadow’s attention.
      “Oh, you’re awake, I see,” he cooed.
      “What are you doing?” Jenny asked.
      “I’m sharpening my blade, silly,” Black Shadow said.  “I’m getting ready to make the final blow.  You know, to put you out of your misery forever.  A villain can only torture the main hero for so long.  I can’t take any chances with you, Jenny.”
      Jenny got the message.  Black Shadow has decided that it was time to kill her.
      “Okay, help me out,” Black Shadow continued.  “There are several ways that I can kill you.  I could cut off your head....but what a mess that would make.  Even I have more sense than that.”
      He dropped his sword and pulled out a black marker.
      “There’s still the option of severing your vocal cords.”  Black Shadow placed a hand firmly on Jenny’s forehead and marked an “X” on her throat.
      “Eeeuw, gross!” Jenny cried.
      “Or the method I’m leaning towards is piercing your stomach through,” Black Shadow concluded.
      He marked an “X” on her abdomen.  Jenny then realized that with her arms and legs restrained like this, she was defenseless.
      “I have a better idea,” she said.  “Just let me go.”
      Black Shadow laughed.  It was an evil laugh that also expressed amusement.
      “Nice try, young one, but you won’t get off that easy,” he told her.
      “Well, if you’re going to kill me, hurry up and get it over with!” Jenny suggested.
      “I wish I could,  however, I want to cast a spell before I kill you, which will take a few minutes.”
      “What kind of spell?”
      “It’s a spell that will transfer your powers to me before you die.  Prepare yourself, young one!”
      He pulled out a book and began to read some sort of spell from it.  Jenny stared down at the area where Black Shadow intended to stab her.
      “I’ve got to get out of here!” she thought.  “And where are the others?  They must be having problems.....”
      Black Shadow raised his sword.  “Once your life drains from your body, I’ll slowly absorb your powers.  Doesn’t that sound lovely?”
      He aimed directly for her stomach.  He gripped the hilt tightly, and got ready to make his move.  “Goodbye, Jenny!”
      Jenny closed her eyes and braced herself for the end.
      Suddenly, an energy blast struck Black Shadow in the chest, causing him to stagger back.  “What was that!?”
      Jenny looked over to see Yamcha standing in the doorway to the throne room with a half smile on his face.  While Black Shadow was distracted, Yamcha rushed over to Jenny and freed her.
      “What’s up?” he asked.  “Sorry I’m late.”
      “Actually, you’re just in time,” Jenny told him.  “Any later and I wouldn’t be worth rescuing.  By the way, where are the others?”
      “They’re still back at the ship.  I came by myself.”
      Black Shadow stood up.  “Well, Yamcha, I’m glad you could witness the ceremony.”
      “Hey, the ceremony’s over, pal,” Yamcha told him.  “We are out of here.”
      He grabbed Jenny’s wrist and fled from the room in a flash.  They flew into space on their galaxy gliders.
      “So, what took you so long?” Jenny asked.
      “Well, you weren’t the only one who needed rescuing,” Yamcha explained.  “The Ginyu Force nabbed Spinal, and Jeice had to rejoin them in order to save him.”
      “You mean Jeice left?”
      Yamcha nodded.  Jenny sighed.
      “Oh Jeice.....”
      The pair continued their flight back home.

 ***

      That night, the Ginyu Force slept in the cabin.  Captain Ginyu relaxed on the bed, Burter slept in a chair, and the other three slept on the floor in sleeping bags.  The larger members were snoring loudly.  Jeice sat up.  He was amazed that Guldo wasn’t disturbed by the noise.  Jeice looked around, his scouter beeping to pinpoint the exact spots that the other mutants occupied.
      “If these guys think I’m going to put up with this for the next 10,000 years, they’ve flipped!” he told himself.
      Using his scouter as a guide, he stood up and slowly walked towards the door.  He stepped over Guldo’s body, then slowly opened the door, making a creaking sound.  As Jeice stepped outside, he peered back into the room.  Burter groaned as he stretched his arms out.  Jeice gasped, fearful that he may have awakened the Ginyu Force.  But then Burter crossed his arms, lowered his head, and began snoring all over again.  Jeice sighed with relief.
      “Goodbye,” he whispered softly as he silently closed the door behind him.  “Suckers.....”
      He began to walk away from the cabin.  “What a bunch of blockheads!  It was so simple!  All I had to do was sneak out at midnight, and they’d never find me!  Now I’m going back to where I belong, with the Spice Club!  They have a true leader and a true purpose, and I’m proud to be a part of it.  Ready or not, here I come, mates!”
      He began running through the forest, then flew up into the sky, back home.

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