"Mom can I take a break yet?" asked Gohan as he sat at the kitchen table with a stack of textbooks on either side of him.

"Now Gohan," started Chi-Chi as she turned away from the dishes she had been washing, "You said that you would study real hard to catch up from all the work you missed when you were training to fight that monster. You still have a lot more to go," she finished by pointing to the taller stack of books that Gohan hadn't got to yet.

"But I've been studying nonstop for the past three hours. I'm tired, Mom," pleaded Gohan, trying to give Chi-Chi the best puppy dog eyes he could.

"Fine," she conceded "You can take an hour break, but…" She stopped when a gust of wind blew against her as Gohan quickly ran out the door. She looked at the wide open door that Gohan forgot to close, and smiled to herself.

Gohan, finally having a break, flew to the creek where he and his father always fished. He remembered Goku saying that all of the best fish could be found there. Gohan smiled at a random thought of his goofy father wrestling one of the bigger fishes that could be found in the creek. He looked in the sky and felt like he could feel Goku looking back down at him. "I miss you, Dad," he said.

It had only been a couple weeks since the defeat of Cell. Trunks had returned to the future a week ago and everything was slowly getting back to normal. Gohan still felt responsible for his father's death, but instead of dwelling on the past, he decided to focus on the present. He knew that it's what Goku would want.

As Gohan neared the creek, he looked down and saw Krillin sitting by the water. He landed a few feet away and walked up to Krillin, but could instantly tell that something was bothering his longtime friend. "Krillin?" called Gohan, but Krillin just sat there, staring out at the water. Gohan walked a little closer and called him again, but there was still no reply. He walked right upon Krillin and tapped him on the shoulder, calling his name again. This time there was more of a reply than Gohan wanted. Krillin jumped into the air and landed in the water.

Popping his head up for air, Krillin remarked, "Don't sneak up on me like that Gohan!"

"I didn't sneak up on you," replied Gohan "I was standing there calling your name, but you never answered."

"Oh," Krillin said as he climbed out of the water and tried to wipe some the water from his face. "Guess I was a little spaced out."

"Krillin, you were on a whole other planet," said Gohan with a smile. "Is everything okay?"

Krillin took his seat back on the grass and, casually replied, "Yes."

Gohan took a seat right across from the bald warrior and stared directly at him, hoping that he'd eventually say what was on his mind.

Krillin tried avoiding Gohan's scrutinizing eyes, but eventually gave in. "Okay! I've been thinking about 18."

"The android?"

"Yeah. I've just been wondering where she could be. How is she doing? After all, she doesn't have anyone left."

"I guess that makes sense, but I'm sure she's doing okay. It's nothing to worry yourself too much over."

"I guess so. It's just, I wish I knew where she was. She could be on the other side of the planet by now, or right downtown."

"Don't worry about it," replied Gohan as he got up and patted Krillin on the back, reassuringly. "If she wants to be found, she'll show herself."

Krillin got up as well and said, "You're right. Thanks Gohan."

"No problem," smiled Gohan "But I have to go. Mom has me trying to catch up on my schoolwork."

"Yikes!" sounded Krillin at the mention of school. "Well you better get going. You know how Chi-Chi can be."

Gohan laughed and took to the air saying goodbye to Krillin, he blasted off.

Krillin waved as Gohan flew away and faded in the distance. He too then flew away and thought more about Android 18 and how much he wanted to see her.

18 walked down the sidewalk looking at all of the happy people and how they were surrounded by friends and family. She envied their happiness and, though she knew not to, wanted to wipe their smiles clean off of their faces with a well-placed punch. She wasn't an idiot, though. She knew that she stood no chance of beating Vegeta, Piccolo, Trunks, or Gohan. It would be foolish of her to attack anyone.

It amazed her how much things had changed in less than month. Her and 17 had been freed from Gero's control, they had both been absorbed by Cell, and now everyone she had ever known to be a friend was gone. 16 was destroyed by Cell and, though she didn't know for sure, she could only assume that 17 was destroyed with Cell. As much as she hated to admit it, she even missed Dr. Gero. True he was annoying and a complete psycho, but he had given her life and was always a familiar presence in her life. She didn't even have her mission to complete anymore since Goku was blown up by Cell. Now what did she have? Nothing.

While deep in her thoughts, 18 didn't notice the three ladies standing in front of her until she ran into the one in the middle. 18 fell back on her butt and looked up at the three angry faces staring back at her. "Walk much!" retorted the one that she walked into.

18 stared back, questioning whether being annihilated by the others would be worth knocking this bitch across the city. "Oh look, she can't talk. How sad," said one of the girls.

"She's probably just in shock that people don't wear that trash she calls an outfit," said the other girl, pointing her manicured nails at 18. The small gang of girls began laughing as 18 got back on her feet.

Deciding that she didn't feel like dying to today, she walked through the gang, making sure to knock the one in the middle down. Continuing her walk down the sidewalk, she could still hear their smart-aleck comments. Being around the people in the city was beginning to make 18's head hurt, so she took to the air and flew to the only place that she could ever call her home.

When 18 neared Dr. Gero's mountain-based laboratory she froze in horror as she stared at the mound of rubble that had once been the lab. She landed and walked across the destroyed land. She knew that Trunks had destroyed it when he tried to attack her and 17, but this wreckage looked even worse. Then she remembered that Cell's tank was under the lab. When they found out about Cell from the future, they must've come to destroy the one in the present, she reasoned. She took a seat in the debris and wrapped her arms around her legs. Laying her chin on her knees she fought the urge to cry. This was all she had left. A mound of dirt.

Just when she was about to crumble, she heard a beeping noise. She looked around, but saw nothing. Thinking she was hearing things, she went back to sulking until she heard it again. Sure that she wasn't losing her mind, she got up and walked around the rubble. She heard the beeping again, this time a lot closer, and fell to her knees, placing her ear to the dirt. She could hear what sounded like a computer running and then another beep! She started digging and, once she found a patch of metal, sent a small energy blast through the barrier. She jumped through the hole landing in a hallway. On either end was a door.

She walked to the one closest to her and peeped through a small window. She a wall of dirt and debris, and assumed that that was the lab that was destroyed. She looked back down the hall at the other door. She walked to the door and peeped through another window and saw another lab. She walked inside the lab and looked around. Noticing two pods against the wall, she walked over to look inside. Her heart dropped as she peaked inside the first one and saw the face of her twin brother. "17!" she exclaimed aloud. How can this be him? And if it is really him, how in the hell did he get here? She looked at the other pod and, though she was scared to see what might be inside, she peaked in it as well. Her heart didn't drop this time, it completely stopped as she stepped backwards in shock. She didn't want to believe it, but with the blonde hair, earrings, and familiar facial features, there was another android 18 inside of the pod.

18 didn't know what to do. Should she wake them up? Should she just sit down there until they come around? Are they going to wake up? Should she tell someone? Her mind was going a million miles a minute and she felt like she was going to faint. She knew she had to get out of the lab, now! She turned to run out, but ran into the big computer in the center of the lab, it began making all kinds of beeping noises that she ignored. Reaching down to rub her knee, she said an obscenity and took off running.

Floating high above the rubble and buried lab, 18 tried to regain her composure. The only thing she could thing of at that moment was Krillin. Why she could only think of him at that moment confused her, but she knew that she had to let him know what she had found. With that, she flew off to the house that her, 17, and 16 had found him and the others at before Piccolo and 17 started fighting, hoping that he would be there.

Back down in the lab, the doors to the two pods slowly rose exposing the full bodies of the look-alike Androids 17 and 18. As they stepped out of there pods, Dr. Gero's voice came over the speaker. "My 17 and 18, go out and complete what your creator could not. Take over this Earth in the name of the Red Ribbon Army and kill Goku. You two are my ultimate creations and with your power you are unstoppable! Now Go! Go and Conquer!"

Their eyes illuminated in red as they slow walked out of the lab to complete their master's wishes.