Author's Note: AU where Androids no. 16 – 19 do not exist. Cell appears later on. Doctor Gero exists, but is not an android himself. The story takes place after the Frieza Saga, but Goku arrives sooner from Planet Yardrat compared to the main timeline. This is so the Z Fighters have a chance to participate in the World Martial Arts Tournament, where Mr. Satan emerged as the new champion in the main timeline.
Freshly inked designs glinted in the pale light streaming from an overhead lamp. The doctor's mind was whirring as he crunched out the last calculations for his tentative project. Inked above the sheet of paper was its working name: Project Epsilon. Gero had realized that new plans were in order after the failure of Androids no. 1-15. Frequent problems with the series of murderous machines ranged from disobedience, to indecisiveness and, in some cases, even empathizing with the targets each was meant to kill. This had earned Goku some eccentric but powerful allies, much to Gero's annoyance.
Even stranger was that these problems were decidedly human—in spite of the fact that these were meant to be entirely mechanical experiments. He figured that poor programming or faulty wiring was responsible for these traits. The doctor had grown weary from encountering these road-blocks. But he realized that building on a human basis could have its benefits. Rather than attempt to diminish these qualities, Gero decided to take advantage of human's fickle nature. Granted, people can be indecisive—but they can also be driven to kill.
He also knew, however, that no regular person could kill Goku. The doctor would need someone much more powerful; someone skilled in martial arts, as Gero's target also was. He knew of such a person, in fact. The combination of raw skill and power granted from cybernetic enhancements would be more than enough, he figured, to finally assassinate Goku and obtain the revenge which he ached so long for.
Various papers littered the table before him. He grabbed a stack and leafed through it—intelligence dossiers on one Mr. "Hercule" Satan, adorned with a centered photo of his trademark arrogant grin, burly fist pumped high. He knew that Hercule was a rising star in the martial arts scene. He would be an excellent candidate for Gero's new cybernetic experiment. He was a skilled fighter, and yet boastful. His loud mouth could attract powerful fighters to challenge his position—including, he thought, Goku. In addition, Gero thought that such enhancements could possibly bypass a problem presented by Goku, which was the ability to sense ki, or one's life energy. The inability for android to be sensed owing to its absence of a life force would be useful for assassination purposes. The target could never sense their killer behind them. One quick slice through the heart would do the trick, and the victim would be none the wiser.
"I think", Gero said, easing himself up from his seat, "that it's time to prepare."
Gusty headwinds tore through the ashen landscape as Gohan and company anxiously scanned the sky for signs of Goku's arrival. The man who had just slain the tyrant Frieza on Earth was resting on a large boulder, glancing up occasionally for any odd glimmers that might indicate Goku's impending crash-landing. And although he didn't show it as much, Vegeta was anxious too. He was curious to see exactly how powerful the legendary Super Saiyan form was. He had a glimpse on planet Namek. But soon after, the planet became grounds which could barely contain the battle between Frieza and Goku itself, prompting his escape.
"Hold on," Piccolo said, inching his gaze toward a shimmering aura in the sky. "I think… is that it…?" He squinted as it drew closer. "It must be…" his voice trailed off.
Gohan nodded. He knew.
The shimmering aura dimmed to the outline of a space-capsule.
"That could be anyone," Vegeta huffed. "Stay on guard—it could be a new enemy!"
Trails of condensed water vapor streamed off the capsule's tail end as it hissed through the atmosphere and prepared for a crash-landing. The impact hollowed out a sizeable crater beneath its shell. Emblazed on its side in block print read: CAPSULE CORPORATION.
"It could have been hijacked," scoffed Vegeta, slowly uncrossing his arms into a half-fighting stance. He was ready for anything.
The brushed metallic-gray door slowly hissed open. An azure throng of hair gingerly poked out into the clearing, soon followed with coarse hands which gripped the threshold for support as the capsule's occupant raised themselves from their slumber.
Those assembled could hardly believe it. Before them, now with an unruly bush of azure hair gracing his head…
"Daddy," Gohan exclaimed. "You've came back!"
Goku arched his back and stretched his arms wide, which Gohan initially mistook as an invitation to hug. In his excitement he bolted forward, sand crunching with his footsteps, and stopped just short.
"Eh…? Oh."
"Man…what a ride! It almost did a number on my back," Goku said, chuckling. He took in the scene. The rest of the Z Fighters could hardly contain their excitement.
"It's been a while, eh bud?" Krillin crooned, with a relaxed lilt.
"Yeah."
Their eyes trailed to his unusual uniform, which in their glee, had not been noticed at first. Vegeta spoke up.
"Kakarot…that uniform…" He crossed his arms again, knowing that a threat had been clearly ruled out. "It's plainly absurd," he spat.
"That's tough talk from someone wearing a pink shirt," Goku fired back. Vegeta growled and narrowed his eyes.
But it was something to behold—a garish white fabric curtained sideways in toga-like fashion, caught between two navy-blue shoulder pads trimmed with gold.
"It's the fashion of the Yardrats," Goku explained, waving over the fabric. "I had a stop-over on their planet and trained with them for a while. They're not much for training, actually. They're physically weak, but mentally very powerful."
Krillin blinked. This new piece of information proved hard to digest. "The Yardrats…?" he parroted, but not quite mimicking the pronunciation. Yard-rats.
"I picked up a few interesting techniques," he continued. He turned to Gohan, who had been listening attentively, and lifted him atop on his thick and corded neck. The younger Son slid down to Goku's back, catching scruffs of Yardrat fabric to prevent his tumbling off. It tore like tissue, and Gohan tumbled down to the ground.
"You're getting a little too old for piggyback, I think," Goku teased. He outstretched his arms for a hug. Gohan gladly returned it, squeezing tight.
"Techniques...?" Vegeta repeated, cocking an eyebrow. He was intrigued.
"I can demonstrate now." He placed two fingers to his forehead and furrowed in brief concentration. Zzzpt. In a split second's time, Goku seemed to have blinked out of existence. No afterimage; no dust.
"Eh…?" Vegeta slowly uncrossed his arms, this time from surprise.
Zzzpt. Goku re-appeared, this time sporting Muten Roshi's trade-mark sunglasses.
"Guess what these are," he teased, wiggling the frame with his little finger.
"N-no way..." stuttered Yamcha, crouching forward in disbelief. "But…Kame House is over seven thousand miles away!"
"Yeah! Isn't it great? It's called the "instant transmission" technique. With just a little concentration, I can teleport practically anywhere I want. I just need a ki signature to lock onto." He folded the frames and replaced the sunglasses into a pocket.
Trunks flickered. He had been silently observing the reunion. "But then…" his voice trailed, "why didn't you teleport here and slay Frieza yourself?" There was a tinge of confusion.
"Well…" Goku drawled as he thought. "I was going to. But I sensed—somewhere on Earth—an extraordinary ki, and it was in the same location that Frieza was heading for. So I figured that it would be taken care of." His hands raised in playful surrender. "Honest."
"That was quite the hunch," Trunks replied, smirking.
Goku nervously brushed a hand across his unruly bush of hair, laughing. "Well," he replied, "I'm glad it worked out. I try not to leave stuff up to chance…!"
A/N: I will update the first chapter as soon as possible. I'm just getting a feel for , and I have enough material written so far, I think, for the story to progress pretty smoothly. I'd like it if you could tell me what you thought of my story thus far. Thanks!