Chapter 2: Relativity

"Please, do what you want to me but spare my AUGH!"

Tired of hearing the same old plea, Android 18 fired a beam straight through the man's chest and into his daughter's head.

"This is Boring!" she moaned to her brother, still busy finishing up his half of the refugees.

"You're right," he chuckled as he held a young woman up by her neck. "Your dad boasted about being the strongest man in the world yet he couldn't handle a simple kick. Kind of says a lot about you humans, doesn't it?" he laughed, enjoying the girl's heartbreaking experience.

Android 18 decided to add some fire to the flame, "And could you believe how he went on and on about his daughter Videl, how he wouldn't let us near her? Yet instead of running while he tried to stall us, you stayed to fight? Way to spit on your old man's grave."

The young girl cried out for help, only to be silenced by Android 17's hand.

"Hey 18, you wanna see how long it takes for her to die?" Android 17 asked.

"Meh, sounds kind of boring." Android 18 retorted, finding the act a waste of time.

"How about this then," he stated while Videl struggled to get free, kicking against Android 17's arm. His hand tightened around her face in annoyance as he continued, "I let her go and have her try to run out of the city without dying. Whoever catches and kills her without using ki blasts wins but if she makes it out, we let her live." He looked back to the girl wriggling against his hand. "Fine with you?" he asked, fully aware she had no choice.

"Mmph!" she yelled in an attempt at defiance. "That's cute," he smirked, enjoying the helpless sight.

"I don't know 17, she seems pretty fast for a human. It doesn't seem like fun if she can just get out of it." Android 18 stated.

"True," he conceded as he thought of a way to make the game more interesting. A sinister grin emerged from his face as he began to explain his latest idea. "What if we just-" pausing to look at the girl for a reaction as he placed his other hand on her leg, "-break her leg?"

"MMMMMMMPPPPPPPHHHHHHHHH!" the girl wailed as she felt the android twist her leg around until the bone snapped. Crying in agony, she screamed for a release from her pain which was answered by Android 17 taking his hand away and letting her fall with her broken leg hitting the floor straight on.

"If you're done with your torture session, can we begin the game already?" Android 18 pestered her brother while ignoring the injured girl in front of her. He nodded in agreement and the Androids began to walk away to give their prey a head start.

Android 17 turned back and shouted. "Better hurry up! Don't want to see your dad too soon, do you?" before flying to his sister.

From one of the few buildings the duo left standing Android 18 stared down at the girl. She was weak and that always made the female android mad. To her, the weak were a plague and her brother and she were the cure.

That's what made fighting "Blondie" so frustrating. He was strong yet he would get in the way of all of their fun. It was weird, why would he defend the weak? It seemed completely unnatural to her.

Who cares? she thought, thinking back on his death. He's out of the picture already, no one can interfere with our fun now.

"Yo, it's starting!" Android 17 yelled to his sister in excitement. They both watched as the broken Videl stumbled along to escape the city. "Turn around," he ordered his sister and he began his count down from 20.

"20...19...18..."

Videl felt panic take over as she began to run straight forward, praying for there to be an exit close by. Pain erupted from her right leg with every step until she felt herself begin to fall.

"...14...13...12..."

She tried to stand up but her right leg kept her knees grounded. Knowing that soon they'd be upon her, Videl crawled as fast as she could, dragging her body across the ground in hopes of escaping her death.

"...8...7...6..."

The numbers were winding down. The fear was suffocating her and she could only think of the terrible things the Androids had in store for her.

"2...1...START!"

The Androids charged forward, excited to beat the other in this modified game of cat and mouse. But Android 17 decided to make things even more interesting. He had seen how little distance the girl had made and wanted to have their game become even more intense. He lifted a broken car and threw it on the ground causing the car to erupt in a blinding smoke and consuming fire.

"Dammit 17, now she's going to get away!" Android 18 complained, irritated by her brother's sudden interference. He however, found this disruption to be amusing.

Videl turned over her shoulder upon hearing the explosion, then began moving as fast as she could. Soon the exit became visible to her; she could see where the city ended and the bare wastelands began.

Dad, it's okay. I made it out alive. I'm not strong enough to beat them, I know that now. But I'm alive! I'm alive!

She felt relief overwhelm her as she lay down knowing she had survived. Then she heard the Androids descend behind her. Quickly turning around, her happiness began to disappear as grief took its place.

"Yo Sis, I think she actually bought it." Android 17 joked, amused at the girl's ignorant optimism.

"Obviously, this is the same girl who thought she could beat us." His sister replied. "I guess we've got to call this a tie though, since she did make it out of the city." she added on, disappointed with the results.

"Yeah, sorry about the car thing," he jokingly apologized "but it's much more fun when they think they've won. It's true and you know it," he teased to his sister.

"Alright, you got me there," Android 18 admitted while charging a ki blast straight at Videl.

Videl, now knowing her death was inevitable, began to speak her mind to the Androids. She wanted to at least in some way get back at them, no matter how small the attack.

"You're both-!"

Her final words were cut off by the Android's blast, disintegrating her body into nothing but one small stump. It was her right leg.

Android 17 laughed at the irony before destroying the remaining limb. The two flew away, still pleased with their game's outcome.

A freezing sensation forced Gohan out of his sleep.

"AUGH!" He shouted, flying out of the lake he found himself in. Looking down to the plain beside it, he saw the two Kais snickering at him. Irritated by their amusement at his reaction, Gohan flew back down while swearing to get back at them. "You want to explain what that was about?" he asked, more annoyed than curious at that point. "Well we thought of simply waking you, but we figured you needed a bath anyway," Supreme Kai jested. Gohan turned to Kibito to see a similar grin on his face, clearly enjoying the interaction.

Gohan sighed, attempting to expel his frustration with the two. However, another glance at their expressions only angered him more. "Move on already," he demanded, tired of their taunting. He wanted to ignore his embarrassment and focus on something else. He wanted to finish with what the kais needed in order to get back home and stop the androids.

Stop the Androids? Could I now?

He paused to think of what had happened before he passed out. He remembered the power he felt surge through him and how incredible it was. How strong was he now? He had to test it out. He'd try again with his power up, to see if he could harness it again. He looked up to the two Kais and smiled.

This'll let me get back at them.

"HHHAAAAAAAAA!" Gohan shouted, exerting his ki outward and forcing his body to ascend into his Super Saiyan form once more. The Kais turned in surprise to Gohan's sudden charging, only to be sent backwards by the intensity of his power. Gohan felt his body bulk up slightly, the usual result of the transformation, although the change felt more noticeable. After feeling as though he had charged his ki enough, he stopped and looked at himself. While the basic traits that came with the form remained, the emerald eyes and golden hair, the golden aura he had seemed brighter than it usually was. He wondered if the same changes extended to his face too. He turned to the lake and looked at his reflection and saw similar results; his emerald eyes eclipsed his reflection with a gleam and his golden hair become a much bolder shade of the color, nearly the color gold itself.

He heard the Kais fly back to their original position, humbled by Gohan's retaliation. Gohan looked back at them and repeated his request to move forward with the training. Eager to move past their humiliation, the Supreme Kai cleared his throat and spoke. "Gohan, do you see that tall and thin mountain over there?"

Gohan turned in the direction he pointed and nodded after it met his line of sight. "There's a sword that has been buried in the mountain for thousands of years. I need you to remove it." The task seemed easy to Gohan, but the way the Supreme Kai spoke, it seemed like a difficult job to complete. Kibito's expression only further told Gohan of the challenge the request presented.

Gohan decided to ignore what he observed and instead fly to the mountain to attempt the sword's removal. Landing at the top, he saw the hilt stick out of the ground, the sword seeming to be stuck deep within the top of the structure. The Kais quickly caught up to him and Supreme Kai began his instructions. "The sword is meant to be removed only by the chosen one," he stated, once again reminding Gohan of the faith Kibito and the Supreme Kai had for him.

Gohan wrapped his hands around the hilt and pulled at it, using all his might to lift it, only to have his hands slip out and for him to lose his balance, falling onto his back. "Simply pulling at the sword will not yield results," Kibito corrected. "You need to rely on all the power you have. Anything less will leave the sword in place." Gohan thought back to the first lesson. He was meant to push his limits farther than he ever had, allowing him to channel more of his energy. This is what that exercise had been leading to. This is what his newfound power was meant to achieve.

He placed his hands around the hilt once more and planted his feet firmly into the ground. He took one deep breath, then another. "HHHAAAAAAAAA!" Gohan shouted as he called upon all the power he had. This sword was what stood between him and home. Between him and his family, his friends. Between him and the Androids.

The Androids...

He felt the piercing hatred that consumed him when he saw their faces. Those were the faces that haunted him at night, the faces of the people who left his world in ruins. That rage became his strength. He recalled explaining the feeling to Trunks, just before he went to fight the Androids one last time.

"I feel a horrible hurt and the pain from that turns into rage. It's maddening. I don't want it to ever happen again, something that unfair. And then suddenly, the dam breaks."

The memory of his friends' deaths ran through Gohan's mind again. He imagined fighting the Androids one more time and being able to defeat them. His dream would come true. But not if he was stuck here, not if he was forever unable to remove this damned sword.

I will do this! I will do this! I will do this!

He chanted the thought in his mind, over and over again. His ki became more and more powerful as the hours went by. Soon the mountain began to shake from the force of Gohan's power. The Kais quickly flew up to escape the impact as the mountain began collapsing on itself.

"Can he really do this Master?" Kibito asked, still doubting whether the Saiyan could truly be the chosen one. Supreme Kai turned to Kibito and sighed. "To be honest, as of now there's no way to be sure. The chosen one has always had a vague description and up until recently I had never even considered someone other than a Kai to be able to." Supreme Kai spoke without moving his glare away from Gohan. This was what mattered now. This was his life's work. Gohan had to remove the sword, otherwise there would be no hope.

Now the mountain had completely fallen and was surrounded in a dust cloud from hitting the ground. Unable to see Gohan anymore, the two Kais raced down to see the results. After the smoke cleared the two looked around to see Gohan resting on one knee, his back facing them. He had reverted to his base form and he was panting heavily. He stood up and turned to face them, his right hand holding the sword in it, now free from the mountain at last.

A smile emerged from the Kais faces as they processed the situation. "You did it!" Supreme Kai shouted, running over to see the fully exposed blade. Gohan released a pained laugh as he spoke. "Looks like I am the chosen one after all." He fell backwards and closed his eyes as his body rested on the cool grass beneath him. "I'll be good soon, just give me a minute to catch my breath," he pleaded.

"Of course," Kibito said, understanding the fatigue Gohan had felt. Both he and his master had attempted to remove the sword multiple times only to find themselves weary afterwards.

The two androids returned home to the lab they initial awoke from deep into the mountains. Android 17 sighed as he reflected on the repetitive nature of their lives. Ever since they had killed Gohan, they had realized the dullness of the two's daily refugee raids.

"What else is there to do?" he whined to his sister, looking for an answer he knew she wouldn't have. She stared blankly at him, unable to form an answer. It was clear that she had been lost in thought over their lives too. The brother looked around the lab to see if there was anything fun to do. He glanced at the pods he and his sister initially woke up from. He looked down to the robotic corpse of their creator, Doctor Gero, the man he had killed just after awakening them.

And then Android 17 saw it. The ladder to the basement. He had already explored some of it after killing Vegeta but now he felt like seeing the rest. He signaled for Android 18 and pointed to it. The two descended into the basement and began walking around.

They looked towards the center of the room where broken glass, burned metal and dried liquid was scattered. In the early years of their reign the two had found, in place of the current sight, Gero's secret project: A Bio-Mechanical Android. Contained in a glass container filled with green liquid, the small and frail bug was meant to grow to be the strongest warrior.

The Androids made sure that wouldn't happen though. Upon seeing the insect, Android 18 reacted in disgust and fired a ki blast that destroyed both the creature and all that supported its life. All that remained of the incident was the current debris.

The two turned away from the site of the bug's demise and began exploring elsewhere.

Android 18 went to the back of the basement to see the scrapped designs Gero had left unfinished.

Androids 13, 14, 15, and 16...16? How did I miss you? She thought to herself, surprised to have left one of the Androids unnoticed for so long.

She looked through the glass and saw the mysterious android. A tall and sturdy man was hidden behind the pod's case with a Strange Green and Black Suit covering his body. His ears were pierced similarly to herself and Android 17 and his hair was a distinct red Mohawk. She looked at the buttons to the right of the case and saw a tiny screen with smaller text scattered across it.

"Status: Functional," she read, surprised that there was an inactive android that could join them. "Hey 17," she called in order to get his attention. "I've found another Android, #16." Shocked by his sister's words the brother ran over to see the revelation. "Well, let's wake him up," he said energetically. His finger quickly tapped the button labeled "OPEN" and the two stood in awe as the awakening commenced.

A loud sound erupted from the pod as the door rose from its originally vertical position upwards to a horizontal stance. Inside, the sleeping Android's eyes lit up a strange red hue before then changing into a bright blue color. He placed his hand onto the side of the pod and pulled himself out. He glanced down at the two before him and an emotionless robotic voice spoke out to them. "Where is Goku?" he asked, recalling his programming. It was his duty to kill Goku and it was something he would not rest until seeing completed.

"Easy big guy," Android 17 said, "Goku's been dead for a long time." The newly awoken Android paused for a moment to process the statement. After finally waking up from his long slumber, his programmed goal was already completed. Noticing the new Android's depressing expression, Android 18 decided to cheer him up, the only way she knew how.

"We've found a life outside of killing Goku. Something more fun than you could imagine." Her tone appealed to Android 16 and she had piqued his interest. "What is this experience?" he asked, curious as to what could be better than fulfilling his life's purpose. "Why don't we just show you?" Android 17 said, excited by the addition of another member to their group. The three proceeded to leave the basement and lab altogether, flying off towards a new city with Android 17 and 18 guiding their new friend.

It had been 32 hours since the training began and Gohan was finally feeling the fatigue hit him. He panted like a dog as he finished his latest set of sword swings and sat down on the grass, his back resting on a nearby boulder. He hadn't felt so worn out from training since back when Piccolo began to teach him.

Kibito appeared before him with a towel, offering it to Gohan to wipe his face. Gohan accepted and began to laugh. "It's funny," he began, "It's been so long since I've really trained and I only have bad memories of it. Yet I've realized from this just how much I have missed pushing myself. I guess that's all from my Saiyan half."

Kibito smiled, a sight Gohan was still surprised to see, and began to respond. "I'm surprised by your love of training too. Most would not be pleased to train for over a day straight." Gohan's eyes shot up to face Kibito as he heard his words.

Over a day? How long have I been here?

While Gohan had become comfortable training on the planet, he had still wanted to return home as soon as possible. Yet he had let himself become distracted from his goals. The Androids were still wreaking havoc and he was far away. It was then that Gohan had an idea.

"Hey Kibito, how is it that you're able to travel so far over such a small duration?" Gohan asked. While he truly was genuinely curious about the technique, he had an ulterior motive. Kibito seemed pleased that Gohan was taking interest in his abilities and so he began to explain the concept.

"It's a difficult but valuable technique I take much pride in knowing. It requires the user to understand not only how to manipulate their ki but their relativity as well."

Gohan stared back at him, slightly aloof. He thought back to the term "relativity" and all he could recall was the material his mother forced him to study in his spare time but he doubted that held the answer in this case. Seeing Gohan confused, Kibito began to elaborate.

"Essentially, you must understand where you exist relative to the rest of the universe. It's important to understand how your ki adds to the overall energy of the Universe and how you can harness that union." Gohan nodded to show his comprehension. "You use your union between yourself and the universe in order to allow your ki to focus on another location, one that is also connected to the overall flow of Ki."

Gohan thought back to his father's instant transmission and how simplified his explanation was, albeit vague. If only his father had taught him that technique before he had passed on.

Kibito snapped his fingers in order to regain Gohan's attention and began to display the technique. "Let's focus on another area that connects to the overall flow of Ki." He paused in order to determine an interesting location. Signaling for Gohan to place his hand on Kibito's shoulder, he began the teleportation.

The two found themselves on an a miniscule planet, its size barely containing a small home and a car. Gohan turned to look around and saw beneath the orbiting sphere was a long path with jagged edges towards the sides, reminding him of a snake.

Something about this place seems familiar but I've never been here.

"Aw, who is it and what do you want?" A groaning voice echoed from the home. The two turned to see a short and blue man emerge from the house, dressed in black robes with a large emblem encompassing the front of the robe. Gohan looked at the symbol and recalled the same design on his father's clothes during his fight with the Saiyans.

The man looked up to Gohan and gasped as though he had seen a ghost.

"Are you by chance King Kai?" Gohan asked, hesitant to speak to the man who at one point trained his father.

He must be quite disciplined if he was able to teach Dad.

The man nodded, still shocked by Gohan's appearance. Gohan ignored it and continued. "You taught my father, Goku, years ago. I'm his son, Gohan." King Kai's shock subsided as he processed the situation and he began to nod as though there was much to consider.

"I see, well then let us begin." He spoke as though they had agreed to something and Gohan looked to Kibito in confusion. Kibito simply gestured for Gohan to follow King Kai to which he reluctantly did.

"Now as I understand it, you want to learn my techniques, is that it?" King Kai asked. Gohan stared blankly at him, surprised by this sudden scenario. Gohan cleared his throat and nervously replied. "Actually, I was brought here by that man, Kibito, as a demonstration for his teleportation technique. I'm sorry but I didn't come here for your teachings." He bowed both out of respect and guilt and began to walk away before stopping once he heard a snicker behind him.

King Kai went into hysterics, laughing loudly at Gohan. "Oh man, to think you're Goku's son! You're his complete opposite! I thought I'd be dealing with some rude muscle-head but it looked like this acorn is on a completely different planet than the tree!" He continued chuckling about the differences between Gohan and Goku to the point where it bothered Gohan.

Before he could express his irritation, he was cut off by the loud grunts of a monkey who had descended from a nearby tree. Gohan sighed and began to walk towards Kibito, ignoring the two behind him.

"Hey, you mind if I try the technique now?" Gohan asked, excited to see if his plan could work. Kibito nodded in response, and so Gohan began to focus. He thought back to Earth, his planet that was in danger from the Androids. However, he struggled to focus given the noise both King Kai and his monkey were making.

Gohan thought of Earth and focused his ki. But the sound of King Kai only became louder to him and soon he was losing concentration, his mind was racing. He thought of his father's training with the Kais in order to prepare for the Saiyans. He thought of the Saiyans, now rotting in Hell. Now in Otherworld himself, Gohan could sense the malevolent Ki rising from it.

Hell...

Gohan let the thought linger, perhaps too long. Soon, he was gone, already vanished in a fragment of time. Kibito smirked, pleased with his effective instruction and began to teleport back Kais where he expected to see Gohan. He focused his mind and just as Gohan had done, he vanished off the planet, leaving King Kai alone with his monkey.

The monkey began to grunt to his master in what seemed to be gibberish to which King Kai reacted sincerely. "Yes Bubbles, I noticed it too. His face is riddled with tragedy," he paused. "Fate will not be kind to him."

Kibito returned back to the Sacred World, only to find himself alone. Where was Gohan? Before he could decipher an answer, Supreme Kai arrived with a concerned expression.

"Where is Gohan? I sensed the two of you visit King Kai but now I can't seem to locate his ki." Kibito froze.

Could he have gone back to Earth? No, it's too soon for that!

Kibito's mind was racing as he began searching for Gohan's energy on Earth but even with his experience as an aid to the Supreme Kai he could not detect Gohan. Supreme Kai glared at him, irritated by Kibito's silence. Kibito muttered his answer.

"I taught Gohan the instant transmission and now it seems he got himself lost." He awaited his master's backlash, but it never came. The Supreme Kai instead sighed and seemed to contemplate what could have occurred.

"I don't sense his presence on Earth, do you think he might have gone somewhere else?" Supreme Kai looked up at Kibito, showing the fear that had overtaken him. The two may have just lost their best chance.

Gohan gasped as he looked at the drastically different environment he had found himself in. He was in a dark and dreary location with rivers of red that seemed to resemble blood. There were billions of energy signals he sensed located around the area and he could many converging to his location. This was far different from Earth. He was completely lost in a world he had never seen before, with unknowns surrounding him.

It was then that Gohan saw them: the Ginyu Force: Guldo, Jeice, Recoome and Burter. A searing pain ran through Gohan as he recalled Recoome kicking his neck back on Namek, the attack that shattered his spine; the memory chilled Gohan's entire body. However he realized the bigger issue. These four were dead and were regarded as Freeza's right hand men.

Gohan had reflected on his first attempt at teleportation. He had intended to go back to Earth. He remembered focusing his ki back to his home world. Then he had become distracted by the evil energy that arose from Hell. Then the realization hit him.

I'm in Hell.

Author's note: What'd you guys think of the chapter? I'm hoping I was able to convey the Androids cruelty well with the opening scene. I was having trouble trying to include them in the main story so I plan on having them as part of a growing sub-plot along with the Bojack one I introduced last chapter . Right now what I primarily want to focus on is Gohan's past and coming to terms with it. I think him being in Hell is the best way to do so now that he is forced to confront the villains from his childhood like the Ginyu Force, as well as someone else we'll be seeing next chapter.