Android 18 and Krillin take Marron to visit Android 17
Chapter one
The rays of the South City sun washed over Marron's white face as she and her parents drove down to the Royal Nature Park for a family outing. Her mother, Android 18, clad in denim, sat with her in the back of the convertible while Krillin, Marron's father, attended the wheel.
"It'll be great to see how 17's doing. Right, 18?" said Krillin, for wont of cheerful conversation.
"Yeah. Even after all the horrors of what Cell did to us, I still wish I knew how my brother was getting on. How life is treating him" sighed 18 with a woeful air to her tone. This changed when she turned to her daughter "Are you excited to see uncle 17, darling?"
"Sure, mama" replied the naïve and content child "I don't think I ever met him. What does he do?" she continued inquisitively
"He's a Park Ranger. He looks after animals and makes sure none of them are stolen by poachers" her mother explained
"What's a poacher?" asked Marron
"Poachers" Krillin replied "are nasty people who steal and kill wildlife for their skin or bones and then sell them off for profit. If you ask me, I have no problem with 17 killing people like that" he concluded coldly
"Krillin," 18 scolded "not in front Marron!"
"Oh, Ok. Sorry, sweetheart" replied her husband. 18 was skilled in keeping her husband on a lead; whenever he did or said something uncouth she would scold him.
They had finally made it to the park…but what the three saw was not peaceful landscapes with lots of wildlife. No. what they saw was terror, death and anarchy. 17 stood erect with a pistol in his hand. His face was emotionless. He fired the pistol at a shrieking woman. The three spectators looked in hypnotized shock as the bullet silenced the female.
"That…that woman…" 18 stuttered "The last I'd heard from my brother, that woman was his wife! His…his own wife…killed in cold blood. What is this?!"
"I don't know, but I'm stopping this now!" growled Krillin, and with that he flew out of the convertible and dropkicked 17 from the sky. "Get out of here, 18. Get Marron home. I'll handle this!" he ordered heroically.
Chapter two
Marron and 18 made it back home after hours of hurried driving. It was now night and Marron was in bed, fast asleep. But her mother was still awake and worried about her husband, to say nothing of her brother. Suddenly the doorbell rang. She answered it. Krillin entered his home, bruised and battered and very, very tired.
"Krillin!" gasped the android "are you ok? What did 17 do to you?"
Her husband coughed and spluttered: "18" he winced "I couldn't beat him. Gohan and Piccolo are holding him off as we speak. They saw something was wrong and came to help me. I don't know what's happened but something's wrong"
18 sighed: "you can say that again. I don't know what's happened to him. He's completely changed! It's as though Dr. Gero somehow survived and has reprogrammed him again! I feel…" she sat down in a chair in the living room, as she did so her eyes filled with tears "I feel like…like I don't have my brother anymore!" and with those words the usually collected android let her head drop into the palms of her hands and she wept. Krillin wrapped his arm around her shoulders tenderly
"That's right, 18. Just let it out. We'll find out what's wrong with him. I promise" he said kindly
"Promise me," she said through her tears "promise me you won't kill him!"
"I promise. It's going to be ok"
The two were interrupted by the door creaking open and Marron entering the scene in her nightgown.
"Daddy" she asked "why is mama crying?"
"Marron, go back to bed" Krillin replied "I'll tell you in the morning" and with that, she and her father left 18 to weep in the chair.
Meanwhile, Gohan and Piccolo were still battling Android 17. Two Masenkos and a Kamehameha later, the android was down but still alive.
"Why are you doing this?" Gohan demanded
"Why should I tell you?" was the robotic retort
"Because your sister and her family were coming to visit you and then you kill your own family?" screamed the half-Saiyan "What's going on?!"
"Very well, I'll tell you" replied 17 "Please, sit down and all will be revealed"
Chapter three
Krillin awoke early the next morning. 18 was not beside him in the bed. He went downstairs and found her getting the coffee ready in the kitchen. Her face was pale and the look of melancholy had not disappeared.
"Are you ok, baby?" asked Krillin
She turned and looked at him; only to reveal heavy eyelids: "Do I look ok to you?" she replied coldly
"Well…no…but…did you even sleep?"
"How could I sleep knowing my brother is wreaking havoc on the world?!"
"Honey, you must sleep. He's going to be ok, I promise!"
"I'm going to save him, Krillin. Stay and look after Marron. I am the only one who can save him." Krillin was shaking his head and making preventing gestures but 18 was determined to save her brother.
She left and flew away to find 17. As she left Krillin roused Marron from sleep and explained everything. The child became more and more worried with every detail.
"Mama…I hope uncle 17 doesn't hurt her, daddy" She sobbed
"He won't, Marron. He won't" sighed her father uncertainly.
Chapter four
Android 18 met Piccolo and Gohan on the way to find her brother.
"Ok, you two. What have you done to my brother?" demanded 18
"Nothing" Replied Gohan "He got away from us. But he did explain why he's acting this way"
"Apparently Dr. Gero wasn't the only survivor of the Red Ribbon Army" Piccolo explained "There's another scientist. Professor Indigo's his name. He's controlling 17. We'll find Indigo. You look for your brother"
"Ok" she replied. And with that she continued her flight in search of her brainwashed brother. She found him very quickly, as he appeared in front of her just as she turned around.
"Looking for me, Android 18?" he smiled coldly
"You…what has happened to you? You never used to find pleasure in killing people!" his sister scolded "I'm ashamed you're my brother because of what you've done to your family and to me emotionally!"
"You have emotions? But you're an android like me…Sister" His eyes lit up. 18's mind went blank and she just floated in the sky.
"Yes…I am…an android" she complied
"Now…number 18…come with me and we will unleash destruction on this world. You know you need me. I'm your brother" continued 17. He was hypnotizing her. Brainwashing her. Depriving her of any emotion she had. When 18 was like this, there was no Krillin; there was no Marron. There was only Android 17 and their duty to destroy.
"You are my brother" 18 repeated vacantly. With that, they flew in the direction of her home. Krillin and Marron's lives were at stake and she couldn't stop it.
Chapter five
The two androids arrived at the house. 17 kicked open the door.
"I think I'll give you the honours, sister" he said "Kill Krillin and the child"
"Yes…I will" she replied obediently
Krillin rushed out from the living room: "18!" he gasped "what has he done to you?!"
"You will die, human" was the cold response
"18. Snap out of it. He's controlling you, you're stronger than this, fight it!" he said, trying to loosen the grip of 17's lies "I'm your husband!"
"My…my husband?" she asked.
"Don't listen to him, 18. Kill him. Kill him now" her brother commanded
"STAY AWAY FROM MY MAMA!" screamed Marron from her room. She charged down the stairs and faced her uncle defiantly
Krillin gasped. She shouldn't be here. "Stop, Marron! No! Get out of here!" he yelled
Marron just stood there: "No! He's got mama and he's making her do mean things! I won't let him!"
"Oh, how adorable. The child is trying to be strong. Pathetic toddler. Die." He was about to charge up his attack.
"No! Stop it 17! What's gotten into you? Has Dr. Gero survived somehow?" Krillin screamed. 17 stopped his attack
"I won't tell you, Krillin" replied his puppet of a brother-in-law. 17 turned to his sister. She stood there blankly. Her mind was completely numb.
"Now 18. I promised you the right to kill them. Kill them both!"
"Yes…I will kill them both" was the obedient response
"Mama!" Marron cried "Mama. Why are you doing this?!"
Krillin tried to grab his daughter but she escaped his grasp and ran to her mother. The child looked pitifully at Android 18: "Mama. Stop this. I love you. Don't kill me and Daddy. We're your family! We love you, mama. Don't be like this. Daddy and I will miss you if you act like this" Her eyes filled with tears "Don't act like this, mama. We need you" and with that the child cried and cried. And it was then that something happened. Something worthy of Gohan's fits of rage. 17's grip on 18's mind became weak. Weaker then when Krillin had tried to rouse her from trance. 18 regained consciousness from the mind control.
"Marron" she whispered "it's ok. I'm here" She tried to embrace her daughter but just as she was about to, 17 pushed her aside and grabbed Marron.
"18!" he growled "meet me alone on top of the skyscraper in East City if you want to see your daughter alive again!" and with that he flew away with the frightened Marron.
Chapter six
17 and Marron were on the roof of the East City skyscraper. The child was weeping
"I want my mama. I wanna go home. I'm scared. Uncle 17, why are you doing this?"
"I'm not your uncle, Marron dear!" 17 spat with frigid sarcasm. Marron's tears rolled down her cheeks a thousand fold at the awful thing he had just said
"Stop right there, 17!" came a voice which was not his sister's. 17 turned to see Piccolo holding Professor Indigo
"So…you've kidnapped Professor Indigo" the android said without much interest "what do you plan to do with him, Namekian?"
"Unless you release the child, I'll kill him here and now!"
"Do you think I am unworthy of functioning without him? Kill him if you wish. It doesn't matter"
"You're bluffing!"
"Am I?"
"Release Marron now!" Piccolo demanded
17's eyes flashed and a cruel smile spread across his face: "Very well. Here!" He released Marron but didn't just give her to Piccolo. No. He threw her from the great building. The poor child screamed as she fell.
Chapter Seven
Marron's eyes opened. She was in the car. They weren't moving. Her parents were gazing at her with deep concern. What was going on?
"Mama?" she whimpered "I'm alive? And Uncle 17's not trying to make you kill me and daddy?"
18 realized what had happened. She smiled "Awwww, poor thing. You had a nightmare. Uncle 17 would never do that. You just drifted off into a bad dream, that's all"
"A dream?" replied Marron hysterically "but…how? Everything felt real! I'm scared!"
Android 18 stroked her daughter's head compassionately: "Dreams like that can feel very real. But that doesn't mean they are. Don't worry, sweetheart, mama won't let anything happen to you" With that being said; Krillin revved up the engine of the convertible and they continued for a while until they reached the nature park.
Chapter Eight
18 and Krillin got out of the car. 17 was waiting to greet them.
"Hello and welcome to the Royal Nature Park. Good to see you again, sis. Hello Krillin"
"Hi, 17" the little man replied. The Android Ranger noticed his niece peeping over the door of the convertible. He calmly walked over to her: "You must be Marron" He said, smiling kindly at her
"Hello, Uncle 17" She replied, returning the smile.
The End