All things considering, Gohan's reaction to the Boss's news could have been worse. She watched the young man closely as he stared at the ground in silence, turning the thought over in his head every which way. She did the same thing herself every spare second she had. If there were a better course of action, she would have taken it. Trunks on the other hand had been pacing back and forth. The kid wasn't even alive to witness Frieza's invasion, but he was ready to fire off at any minute if Gohan didn't stop him.
"I don't like this," the hero finally spoke.
"Trust me kid, I don't either. But what was I supposed to do? Tell the almighty space king that he wasn't welcome after he saved our asses?"
"I'm not saying you made the wrong choice Launch..." She twitched at the sound of her actual name. Over the years she had grown use to being called 'Boss.' Then again, there weren't many people who knew her before she was anything but the Boss. "You made the best choice honestly."
"What?! Gohan, how can you say that?" The hero and the Boss both turned to the infuriated Trunks. "Now we've got the Androids and a galactic murderer running around on the planet!"
"If this...Cooler is really related to Frieza, he wouldn't have hesitated to destroy the Resistance just for sneezing," Gohan replied. "I've seen the cruelty that these people are capable of on Namek and on Earth. Launch did the right thing by making themselves useful. And even if they are evil, they did save her, and the Resistance at Muscle Tower." The hero turned back to the Resistance leader and dropped his head. "I just don't like the fact that he's here..."
"He doesn't know about you," Launch said. "He's hellbent on taking out the Androids though. With the gear he gave us, and him leading the charge, we might actually stand a chance of punching through the Red Ribbon Army."
"The Androids still outnumber him," Gohan said.
"But they can at least take their numbers down. Four against seven is a hell of a lot better than two. He's already said his men don't stand a chance against the stronger ones."
"So even against 17 and 18 it would be just him..." She could almost hear the gears in Gohan's head grinding away. Only one option popped out, and Launch couldn't even consider it.
"One problem at a time kid," Launch said. She offered Gohan the most supportive smile she could muster. Even if it meant allying with a universal evil, if it could take out even one faction of the Androids, or at least cripple them, it would be enough of a victory for her. "You need to rest up. If anything, we're going to either deal with a tyrant who no longer sees us as useful if he destroys the Red Ribbon Army, or we're going to deal with a pissed off army. You're going to need to be in top shape in either case."
"Right. We won't let you down Launch." The young man gave the Boss a smile that reminded her of Goku's, and her heart gave a painful twist. What she wouldn't give to have him back right now.
She left both Saiyan heroes with a smile before leaving the shelter Videl had put them in, a small shack out on the edge of the woodlands. It was secluded, peaceful. Probably an ideal place to live before things went to hell.
She left with both Videl and Vi. Leaving behind anyone would stir up suspicion from their allies. Things could not go wrong now. For the first time in over a decade, the Boss could finally see an end to the war. She just couldn't figure out how it was going to end yet.
By the time the trio had arrived back to Muscle Outpost, it was almost morning again. The Resistance was preparing for a full out assault, armed and protected with alien weaponry and armor. She really couldn't argue with the advantages that Cooler's more advanced tech and armor provided their people over the Red Ribbon's drone legions. The laser weapons managed to take down the drones in a single shot, and the dense, flexible armor prevented them from getting torn apart by the Red Ribbon's munitions.
Despite their new advantage, the superior numbers the Red Ribbon Army had made the coming battle an even fight at best.
Launch made her way towards the main tower as soon as they returned to base. Neither Vi nor Videl said a word. They knew she had to talk to their 'contractor,' the Overseer. So far she was the only one left in the dark about the last couple of days since Cooler arrived. And given that her son had been in a skirmish with the Devil's Pair, it was high time for an update.
When she arrived in the communications room, it was thankfully empty. Not a lot of people actually knew who the Overseer was. Launch had that courtesy due to their history together. She dialed in Bulma's frequency and waited until she answered on the other side.
"Launch...? Oh shit..."
"Trunks is alive. He and Gohan were roughed up, but they're alive. It was the Devil's Pair, again..."
Bulma pulled the goggles off of her head and sighed with a mixture of worry and relief. Launch always knew that one day she might have to tell Bulma that her son was dead. That was a day she wasn't looking forward to. But things were bad enough that Trunks was held in the same regard as Gohan was. They were the only ones with 'super powers' and they were the only ones who stood a chance against the Androids. They couldn't afford to hold an advantage like that on the sidelines. After Trunks ran away enough times, Bulma realized she couldn't stop her son even if she wanted to.
The Overseer's eyes lit up when they moved back to Launch. "Wait...what are you wearing? That looks like...Saiyan armor?"
"That...was the other thing..." If it were at all possible, Bulma's face seemed to grow even more worried. "Turns out that Frieza guy...has a brother. He's on Earth, and he was hunting to kill Goku. But he realized the Androids were the ones that killed Goku, so he's after them instead. And we've managed to keep Gohan and Trunks a secret."
"But wait, Launch...why are you wearing his armor then?"
A feeling of dread filled the woman's stomach. It was almost similar to the 'Your Son is Dead' speech Launch had rehearsed probably a dozen times in the worst case scenario. It was a conversation she really didn't want to have.
"He...when he first showed up, he pulled our asses out of a fire. Probably saved the Resistance by doing it too. We managed to...make a deal with him. We're providing him information on the Androids and the Red Ribbons, and he's going to help us wipe them out. Their leader is planning an attack on their main fortress now. He's shown himself to be more than a match for the Red Androids. He also plans on going after the Devil's Pair after destroying the Red Ribbon Army."
Bulma didn't say anything. She was silent, but Launch saw through the woman's eyes that her brain was working through the possibilities. Although Bulma liked to keep her status as the Resistance's Overseer a secret from her son, Launch considered her to be the true leader of the Resistance. As the Boss, she just brought people together to form a small band of would-be soldiers. It was Bulma who organized them and supplied them with whatever they could scavenge and give to her. Launch herself was more of a field commander than anything. If Bulma didn't help them as long as she had, the Resistance would have been dead long ago.
"Is there any way you can contract the Fury Force? Maybe if we get more forces on our side..."
"From what I understand, the Fury Force has already launched an assault on the Red Ribbons. And...we can both guess how that's ended." Bulma thought the same thing as Launch when she first heard of General Bon attacking Android 9 head on.
"Fucking idiot..."
The exact same thought.
"As far as our hopes go...they're riding on Cooler and his men for now."
"Wonderful..." Bulma put a cigarette in her mouth just as the screen went on the fritz for half a second. Likely a result of the recent Red Ribbon attack, or lousy transmission. When Bulma's image was settled again, the cigarette was lit and she was adjusting some tech off screen. "Sorry. I'm running on fumes out here. I've almost got the wind turbines set up, but it would be a lot easier if I had my son who could fly."
"I can't really do anything to stop this. I'm just letting you know what's been going on."
"I understand...good luck Launch."
Launch could tell that Bulma wanted to protest, the same way Gohan wanted to. They were both the only two still alive who witnessed the horror of Cooler's people firsthand, on Namek, and then again on Earth. She certainly didn't want to rely on him, but the Red Ribbon Army nearly wiped out the Resistance for good. And now with the Fury Force undoubtedly gone, it was all going to rest on Gohan. She wouldn't do that, not after everything Gohan and his father had sacrificed for the planet.
When she came back outside, the Boss was escorted to where Cooler and his men were loitering. "Ah, she has finally arrived," Salza said. She made sure to give the nosy alien a foul glare. Predictably, he didn't even blink.
"It's good of you to join," Cooler said with just the appropriate amount of respect. "You neglected to mention there was another army on Earth. The Fury Force?"
"H-how do you—,"
"They attacked the main Red Ribbon fortress directly, and were wiped out within minutes. Quite a miserable display really..." Launch kept the fact that the Fury Force was more formidable than the Resistance to herself. But if Cooler had watched Bon's forces at their most extreme, then the monarch likely knew this already. Launch wasn't quite sure if she wanted Cooler to be desperate enough to rely on them or not. "Our assault will be more coordinated."
It was a relief Cooler didn't want to rush in like Bon and his men. "Alright...what did you have in mind?"
"Your map." Launch pulled out the small device Bulma made for her and pressed a button on its side to project a holographic image of the continent, and the Red Ribbon territory. Cooler raised his finger along the eastern border closest to Jingle Outpost. "A straight line would be most effective to reach the fortress quickly. Their territory however is guarded by a string of smaller defense posts and legions of those robotic drones."
"The Iron Line," she said. Cooler gave her a scalding look for interrupting him. "That's what we call it."
Cooler took his eyes off the woman and moved them back to the map, "My men and I will lead the first attack and do as much damage to their 'Iron Line' as possible."
"We don't know what's on the other side of that line though," Launch admitted. "We've never gotten far enough into their territory to—,"
"Which is why I viewed the area from orbit." As much as Launch didn't want Cooler's presence on her planet, she was becoming more and more grateful for it by the second. "The rest of their territory is a series of small bases and outposts, likely to store reinforcements. My men and I will blow through their first layer of defenses as quickly as possible and destroy as many of the drones as we can. We'll make a bombing run to their fortress, but we can't let the Androids gain the element of surprise on us again. We'll attack them head on before they have a chance to counter attack."
"So, you want us to trail behind and cut off their reinforcements then."
"Very astute. While my men and I assault their main forces, you will cut off the reinforcements and prevent their numbers from boxing us in. After destroying the Androids, we'll help you mop up the stragglers."
It was a sound plan. Launch knew that these guys ran on a charge, unlike the Androids. If they wasted all their power on the small fry, the Androids could tear them apart. It was one of the main reasons they could never strike a serious blow against the Androids with just Gohan. That meant that the Resistance had to handle a few hundred thousand drones. Without any backup of their own.
"We'll keep them off you, so long as you give us a fighting chance."
"What would I be if not merciful?" Certainly not honest.
"Give me time to prepare my people. We'll mobilize as quickly as possible."
Cooler nodded. The woman quickly turned back the way she came. Cooler's men started laughing quietly as they watched the weathered woman leaving. "Poor little humans," Neiz snickered.
"I almost lost it when Lord Cooler said he was merciful!"
The monarch said nothing as his men continued to laugh. Cooler unfortunately found that twisting his mothers words was still distasteful. But the Earthlings would play their part, and with any luck survive long enough to serve their purpose.
"How can you just sit there Gohan?!" Trunks' patience had finally worn thin. Gohan lifted his head off his knuckles and looked up at the angry youth. "You're letting them take this on by themselves?! This alien is a monster!"
"I know."
"And you're okay with him working with the Resistance!?"
"Not really."
"So why are we just sitting here while they attack the Red Ribbon Army?!"
Trunks got angrier when Gohan smiled. He understood Trunks' anger. He knew that passionate fury at his age. "Because we're out of options. I can't fight him and the Androids at the same time. If he wants to take out the Androids and if he's helping the Resistance, then our best option is to wait it out. If he does take down the Red Ribbon Army, that helps Earth."
"So we're just trading one threat for another! One that proves to be worse for us than the one it destroys!"
"Oh, that's only if you have faith that Cooler can do it." Trunks fumed even worse than before. It was bad enough to make his mentor flinch away with a giddy giggle. He wasn't sure if Trunks' angry face matched Vegeta's or Bulma's, or which one was scarier. "Hey! I think they have a chance!"
"That's...do you even hear yourself?! There's a monster out there who can blow up the planet and you just want to sit here and do nothing?!"
"But he's not blowing up the planet right now," Gohan stated. "He wants to take out the Androids because they killed my father. If he can take out the Red Ribbons, then that's a victory we haven't gotten in years. And if he fails against them, or falls fighting 17 and 18, then nothing chances, except maybe he does some serious damage to the enemy."
Trunks relaxed a little more, "So we're hoping that he fails, but that he might do enough damage to where we can handle it?"
"I honestly hope he can handle them." Trunks' brief clarity on the situation devolved back into anger. "Think Trunks, if he wanted to just kill everyone here, he would have done so already and just blow up the planet. This is personal for him. My father killed his family, and he comes back wanting revenge, and turns to the Androids instead. He's killing their killers. It's kind of a...pride thing." Vegeta is who came to mind when Gohan figured out Cooler's motives. Pride had kept Earth safe, at least long enough to give them time. Frieza, Cold, and now Cooler were considered the most powerful beings in the universe. Frieza's pride had brought him and Cold to Earth, and now their failures had brought Cooler instead. It was a repeat of history. "We have time to use this to our advantage. If he's going to take on the Androids, I'm hoping this guy makes a difference."
"But then what about after he gets revenge?"
"He might just spare the planet then..." That was a big hope on Gohan's part. He could tell Launch was hoping the same thing however. If Gohan and Trunks laid low, if the Super Saiyan threat was gone, maybe Cooler would just leave Earth alone to live peacefully. It certainly wasn't like Gohan was going to chase after Cooler in an angry family feud. Earth had to rebuild, and Gohan needed to help them.
He felt the loss of the Fury Force all the way from the Red Ribbon's fortress. That many lives being lost at once hits the sense quickly. When Videl explained that General Bon led his forces against the Red Ribbons, it wasn't long after that Gohan felt the purge. Even though they weren't as powerful as Gohan, or even Trunks, the Fury Force still managed to make some real changes in the early years, and to the day had even made some major victories against the Red Ribbons. But they realized as long as the Androids and the Devil's Pair were around, they were fighting for survival rather than to win.
"Do you think this guy...might not blow up the planet?"
"Our best hope of that is that he might just take enough pity on an already dying world to leave it alone. Destroying Earth would be salt on the wound for the heroes who killed his family." But not for the Androids who took his prize. Destroying them and letting their enemies win would be the ultimate insult. Killing everyone on the planet would only hurt if there were heroes.
Trunks' logic was set along the lines of, 'what does that make us?' Heroes didn't sit and let their hopes ride on whether or not a universal dictator would choose not to destroy a meaningless planet on a whim.
"I know you're upset about this, but after that last thrashing we took, it's not exactly like we can stand up to these guys right now. Launch said that he was able to take on Androids 1 and 2 without breaking a sweat. That means he's not going to be easy to take down, even for me. We can't take any chances."
Trunks wanted to keep arguing, but he knew Gohan wasn't wrong there. If there was any mantra Gohan had taught Trunks it was always, don't be stupid. They had never charged in against the Androids half broken. If they couldn't give it their all, they would end up dead, and in the long run of things it would do more harm than good. Trunks never fully experienced what Gohan had to sacrifice in order to salvage a few extra lives another day when he was the only Z Fighter left.
Gohan's days of being a hero were long over. Now he was basically one of many people leading the world in damage control. He was the poster boy for hope that one day the Androids would be gone. It's what his father was.
But Trunks was right. Goku wouldn't let Launch and the people of Earth risk their lives to do his job. If Goku were still around, the Androids would already be destroyed. With him gone, the Z Fighters fell apart and died, one by one, leaving a young Gohan to defend the planet. In those early years, before he became a Super Saiyan, there wasn't much he could do. But that didn't stop him from trying.
"If we revealed ourselves now...I'm guessing things would get worse for the Resistance too," Trunks said. "If he thinks the Super Saiyan is dead then he has nothing to gain from killing everyone else. So we just have to decide if the person coming to get revenge thirteen years later would be petty enough to destroy the planet anyway..."
"That's what I've been trying to figure out myself."
Gohan's focus was immediately torn to the sound of the door crashing in. The Saiyans snapped to their feet in an instant. "Is anybody still alive?! Videl?! Videl, where are you!?"
They both heaved a sigh of relief as they recognized the panicked voice. "In here, Champ!" An instant later, the weathered face of one of the oldest Resistance veterans sped around the corner. The next instant, the man was on his hands and knees, howling with tears flooding his eyes.
"OH THANK GOODNESS BOYS! You're still alive!" The grown man sobbed heroically as he lifted his head up to the heroes before him. "At least you survived! Tell me you at least beat them up good! Tell me you maimed one of those monsters!"
"Hercule, we're not the only ones that survived," Gohan said. The dramatic scene cut short really fast. The young hero just smiled and nodded his head, allowing the full effect of Hercule's display to sink in.
"O-oh...th-thank goodness! D-did Videl survive too?"
"She's back at Muscle Tower with your Boss." Hercule wiped the tear marks off of his face.
"Th-thank goodness..." Gohan limped over to Hercule and helped the Resistance soldier to his feet with a sympathetic smile. It was rare to be able to see good news have any effect anymore. "I saw the remains when I got back...I-I wasn't sure what to think."
"You didn't think to try the radio," Trunks asked.
"I tried, but nobody was answering. My radio has been on the fritz ever since I got to Kami's!"
"W-wait, what?" Hercule turned back to Gohan after noting the alarm in his voice. "Kami's as in...Kami's Lookout?"
"Y-yeah," Hercule spoke. "The Overseer thought we should investigate to see if we could find anything useful up there." Hercule and Trunks noticed the pale look of horror on Gohan's face. "G-Gohan...?"
The hero recalled the day that he and the other Z Fighters traveled up to the Lookout, shortly after Piccolo's death. With Goku, Vegeta, and then Piccolo killed by the Androids, Tien led the others to the Lookout in hopes that Mister Popo knew how to get a new Guardian of Earth, in hopes that they could get new Dragon Balls. But the Lookout was gone. There was nothing left aside from floating clouds and blue skies where Kami's Lookout once stood.
It added insult to injury that the Red Ribbon Army had leveled Korin's Tower before they started their invasion. Though the Z Fighters never did find any remains from Kami's Lookout. It was simply gone.
"That...that's impossible," Gohan stated. "Kami's Lookout it was...you're sure it was Kami's Lookout?"
Hercule was baffled to say the least, but he decided to save his questions for later. "U-uh...I think so? There was this one guy, Mister Popo there."
"M-Mister Popo? H-he's alive!?"
"Y-yeah! He was kinda cold. He just gave me a sack of beans and practically kicked me off the Lookout."
"B-BEANS!?" Hercule jumped in fright at Gohan's outburst. Even Trunks had some difficulty understanding where Gohan's excitement came from. "How many?! Where are they Hercule?"
"I-I have a bag right here," the former champion said as he held up a small bag that gave a light rattle. "H-he has more, I think, but he told me to bring these down to you!"
Gohan suddenly had options again. Without a word he snatched the bag from Hercule's hand before the human had time to even process what had happened. Gohan quickly popped a bean in his mouth and then flicked one to Trunks, "Start chewing!"
"Wh-what?"
"You want to join the fight, don't you?" Gohan swallowed the broken down bean and gave a content sigh. With a flex of his muscles, his bandages and wrappings burst off of his body. Trunks and Hercule both were in awe at the sight as Gohan miraculously healed. Trunks followed the example swiftly, and was more than satisfied with the same results.
"W-what the hell are these," the teen asked.
"Senzu Beans," Gohan answered. The hero turned to Hercule, who was still processing. "Champ, did Popo have any more of these beans?"
"I...I don't know. I think so? L-like I said, he gave these to me and practically kicked me off. I-I didn't have time to look around."
Gohan grabbed the man by the shoulders, "Hercule, I need you to go back. Tell Mister Popo that Gohan needs to know how many of these Senzu Beans he has, okay?"
"O-okay...but why?"
"A lot of lives might depend on if he has more of these or not..." Hercule's eyes lit up before he gave Gohan a firm nod of his head. "Good man. Get going! Hurry!"
"Right! I'm on it!" Hercule sprinted out of the shack and then jumped back into his ship. While Trunks watched the veteran soldier take off, Gohan tucked the baggy of Senzu Beans into his gi.
"Are we really going to fight," Trunks asked.
"More like...emergency backup, in case Cooler decides to betray them." Gohan floated up and Trunks followed him until they were both in the sky.
"You still haven't explained why you have so much faith that he'll win. The Red Ribbon Androids may not be the Devil's Pair, but they're still dangerous."
"As a pack, yes." Gohan gave his ward a confident smirk, "But they'll be divided with Cooler's numbers. And unlike the Devil's Pair, the Red Ribbon Androids have a weakness..." Trunks' eyes widened before Gohan shot off into the horizon.
"H-hey! Wait up! Gohan!" Trunks' translucent aura wrapped around him before he raced after Gohan.
They waited outside of the Iron Line for the Resistance to show up. Salza kept watch on the enemy's movement with Cooler. Dore and Neiz were ordered to watch for the Earthlings to arrive. He couldn't quite understand why Cooler wasted their time and energy to give the Earthlings a fighting chance. Why not just go straight through and leave the grunt work to the peasants? Perhaps he wanted to kill as many Earthlings as possible himself.
"Boss inbound," Neiz announced. Cooler stayed hovering in the air, facing forward as a small group of Resistance soldiers including their Boss stepped forward.
"We're here. Ready for your signal."
Cooler turned his gaze over his shoulder, meeting the Resistance leader's eyes. "When we push forward, that will be your time to come out."
"Understood. Do you need to be debriefed on the Androids again?"
"1, 2, and 3 are the ones I need to keep my eye on, the rest are manageable for my men. The first three will likely work together to take me out, while the others break off to deal with the Armored Squadron." That was the gist of the detail Launch gave Cooler and his men in the debriefing. She made sure to explain how Android 1's liquefied state worked, Android 2's cloaking, and Android 3's super analytical mind. He knew just as much as the Resistance did about their enemy. "When you push through, helped the Armored Squadron deal with their enemies first. They will assist me then in finishing off your Android problem."
"And getting your revenge," Launch added. He wouldn't forget what he was getting out of this bargain. Launch just wanted to remind herself why the Resistance was needed. For now.
"Of course. Armored Squadron, move out!"
They moved behind Cooler as he sped towards the Iron Line wrapped in a blue aura. The literal wall that stood on the edge of the Red Ribbon warped and blew away under the force of the speeding Arcosian, tearing a hole through it the size of a building. Cooler came to a stop on the other side of the wall, in the heart of the main military complex for the Iron Line's checkpoint. He hovered in the center of a platoon of drones who all took aim at him.
The Armored Squadron flew over the building their master was inside as it erupted in a destructive blast that ripped outward. Several more explosions trailed forward into the fortress, leveling the entire structure in an instant.
"Woo hoo!" Neiz cheered, "Look at him go!"
"He's not even trying," Dore shouted.
Their master rose out of the fires of the base and watched the surrounding forces mobilize. "Clear the larger waves out first. Once they're broken, we're moving forward."
"Yes sir!"
The Armored Squadron bombed through the packs of drones while Cooler leveled entire structures. Within a minute they blew a hole a mile wide in the Iron Line. Neiz and Dore howled with delight at at the destruction they caused. Salza stared over at Cooler, and saw that same calm, calculated stare out past the Iron Line. There was a plan to all this. The humans were serving Lord Cooler in some way they could not even imagine.
"Move forward and spread out. Destroy the bases along the wings and leave a straight path unmarked for the humans to cut through."
"Yes sire!"
"Bomb em to oblivion! We'll wipe those robots out!" Salza watched as Dore and Neiz flew off and Cooler kept his eyes fixed ahead.
"You have your orders Salza." The Brench lieutenant suddenly felt like he was just a pawn in Cooler's plan, just like the humans. Possibly worse, Cooler was testing Salza and the others. They had failed once already, they could not afford to again. Cooler did not show that mercy.
"Of course sir." Salza bowed his head to Cooler and then quickly departed to join in the destruction.
The monarch looked back as the Resistance made their move, engaging in a mildly fierce skirmish with the scraps he and his men left. Ahead his men were laying siege to the smaller, more wide spread outposts carrying reinforcements, cutting down the forward force by almost half. They leveled the left and right paths bare, leaving the center strip for the Earthlings to push through. They needed to be herded together by something.
That was when he saw movement coming from the distance. "They're here already..." Cooler could not afford to let the Androids get too close to the Resistance. He charged forward at untraceable speeds to meet them, and crashed into one of the Androids before they could process his presence. Two of the others launched counter blasts at the tyrant. He deflected both attacks and charged for Android 5 to his left. The flashy Android yelped in fright and tried to scramble away before Cooler grabbed the back of his jacket. "Don't you move."
Cooler turned and threw the lustful Android at 7. The two Androids collided into each other and went fumbling through the air over one another.
"I've got you, monster!" Android 6 launched a giant orb of glowing violet energy at Cooler's direction. The reigning king slapped the bomb far away into the Red Territory. Cooler spat towards the prideful automaton as nothing more than a bug standing in his way.
Android 4 dove down behind the monarch and swung her leg at him. Cooler snapped his arm up and blocked at the last moment, and was swift to bring his elbow back and smashing into the she-droid's face.
In that brief opening, Android 3 raced towards Cooler's right side. He saw the Android moving, and quickly twisted his feet up to attack her. She jumped into the air and met Cooler vertically from the ground. She threw a punch at Cooler, which he quickly met with a lightning fast elbow. He moved to counter, but Android 3 raced backwards before he could swing. She was clever, keeping a far distance away from him while she stared at Cooler with those cold, analytical eyes focused on him.
Cooler fixed his sights on Android 3. She was exploiting his openings in combat as soon as they appeared. Something he did not look forward to.
Android 2 flashed into Cooler's vision, wearing tactical commando gear and her signature pair of glasses. The two warriors exchanged a sour expression before diving at each other. Their collision together sent out a thunderous impact as the two warriors started clashing with one another. Every punch and kick Cooler threw, Android 2 managed to dodge and return just as quickly. Though Android 2 grew infuriated when she realized that the tyrant had yet to make an effort.
She fell back and put some distance between her and Cooler. The Arcosian ruler looked around and saw that he was effectively surrounded.
"Android 3, analysis."
The redhead's eyes flickered repeatedly as the combat data she gathered from watching Cooler in action. "No variation from original status. Threat level exceedingly high."
"You don't have anything helpful to say," 4 asked bitterly.
"You are dressed better than he is." The fashion vain woman grinned and flipped her hair as she reveled in her praise. "If only because he wears no clothes."
"Now, don't praise our foe too much..." Android 1 floated above the tyrant with his arms crossed as the light from the sun bounced off his metallic body. "The high and mighty is already so full of himself."
"You've got nowhere to run this time Androids. When I'm done, you'll be nothing more than spare scrap iron I keep around for ship repairs."
Android 1 slowly descended so he was on equal level with Cooler. "Why do you throw your lot in with the Resistance? Do you trust them?"
The revenge driven tyrant was done waiting. His aura flared up as he charged towards Android 1. The two foes collided into each other and sped into the ground. Cooler had his elbow driven into the chrome machine's chest, and was pushing the Android through the ground. As they rode to a stop, Androids 2 and 3 appeared and both kicked Cooler squarely in the chest with enough force to send the tyrant flying back into the trench he carved.
"Are you ever going to fight without your dancers?!" Cooler watched as he saw movement behind the Androids.
Dore's fists were burning like stars as he threw each blast of raw power flying towards the Androids. The green skinned brute even grinned when they jumped up to dodge the explosions. Waiting above was Neiz, whose arms were crackling with electric power.
"HAVE IT!" The Zaltian shouted as he sent the blast directly towards the center, or brain, of the trio.
Android 3 looked too shocked to register the trap before 1 and 2 had moved out of the way. When the Binding Wave hit, Android 3's systems went out of control for the first time ever. Her body was paralyzed, and her brain had the negative side effect of being overloaded.
That was when Salza dove in with a sharp purple energy wrapped around his right arm, and a look of triumph on his face. "And zhis will finish you!" As the lieutenant dove in to cut Android 3 in half, his victory was robbed when Android 2 came down and grabbed Salza by the arm, just below his blade. "NO!" Salza twisted back and threw a punch, but the cold hearted Android blocked that strike with an open hand. She threw her fist up and slammed her knuckles hard into his chin, threatening to snap Salza's head off with the blow. The next punch from Android 2 sent Salza slamming down into the ground.
"Salza!" Dore sped towards his commander's aid, but about halfway to his target, he was pounced on by some lightweight. Shortly after, another lightweight slammed into his back hard enough to smash Dore face first into the dirt. Androids 5 and 7 both twisted back on Dore's arms, one locked firmly in place by each Android, and pushed the brute to the ground.
"Now, this is most unsightly," Android 4 said as she floated above Dore in judgment with the ever stoic Android 6. "What was that your master was saying about dancers?"
Salza pulled himself up and turned to Android 2. She kept a close guard to Android 3, who was still held paralyzed with Neiz's Binding Wave. The lieutenant's scouter alerted him to Dore's danger status. What was Neiz doing? Salza looked up at Android 2 again, and realized what Neiz was thinking. Save Dore or claim their prize. Android 2 couldn't defend their precious 'sister' from two fronts. But Dore might not survive that long.
"Dore you imbecile! You had better be able to get yourself freed!"
The muscle of the Armored Squadron perked his ears up to his commander's cry coming through his scouter.
"Yeah! You're ruining the plan!"
"Fuck you Neiz! You're the one stalling for me!" The Androids twisting his arms pulled back tighter on Dore's arms to ensure the brute he was going nowhere. His muscles were strained and tearing, veins bulging from his forest green skin. Despite the pain, Dore just chuckled.
"You're not going anywhere, handsome," 5 said.
The other Android, 7, snickered with delight, "I wonder how valuable an alien arm is..."
"Heh," Dore inhaled deeply, puffing his chest out against the ground. When he opened his mouth to exhale, a searing blast of power came bursting out and literally blew up in Dore's face. The blast threw him and the other two Androids back into the air, where Dore regained feeling and control of his arms. He twisted around and sneered at the droids, his face bleeding, cut, and his scouter destroyed. "This arm isn't going anywhere!"
Dore slammed his fist into 7's face first, and grabbed 5 by the throat to stop their flight. Android 5 reacted quickly and punched Dore across the face, and slammed his knee into the giant's gut. The flirtatious Android quickly fled before risking to brawl with the beast directly.
"Worthless," Android 4 shouted. With no more than a nod of her head, Android 6 dove into the fray. Dore would be no match for the three of them.
Salza flashed a murderous grin before wiping the blood away from the corner of his mouth with his glove. "Alright Neiz...let's show zhe lady a good night!"
"On it!" Both warriors began shouting as they threw a series of blasts onto Androids 2 and 3.
Above the battle, Cooler was content to watch, as Android 1 held the same detached gaze while he watched the same spectacle. The chrome leader knew the rule though. If he joined in, then there would be no reason for Cooler not to enter the fray as well. And if they rest of the Androids lost to the Armored Squadron, then that would seal Cooler's victory either way.
Android 2 moved swiftly and precisely to slap, backhand, kick, and deflect the two sided assault to protect her sister. No matter how fast the blasts came from either side, Android 2's speed was unreal. They were wasting energy against the goalie, and they needed to go for something she couldn't block. Salza ceased firing and pulled his arm back.
"Neiz! Let us close zhe curtains on zhis show!"
The Zaltian turned to his commander and saw the attack he was planning to use. Neiz crossed his arm over his chest and then pulled back on his hip. Both warriors of the Armored Squadron charged their power into their arms, covering their gloved hands with glowing golden power.
"Prepare," Salza cheered out.
"For the Armored Squadron's!"
"Light Show!"
Neiz and Salza blasted an identical attack from their hands. A beam of gold, searing with power, raced from their hands and towards the Android pair. 2 was facing Salza's direction, meaning Neiz would likely claim the kill. Lucky bastard.
They were both disappointed when Android 2 moved with such speed that she deflected both attacks within the same second. To either of them, it looked like she was in two places at once for only a moment.
"S-such speed!"
Neiz shouted as he moved in a downward dive at Android 2. Salza watched as his comrade moved in a blur to occupy Android 2 while leaving Android 3 open. The lieutenant quickly lashed out his signature attack and rushed forward. Before he could even get within swinging range, Android 2 cut him off in the blink of an eye with Neiz in hand. She threw the Zaltian by his arm at Salza, stopping his forward assault altogether. Unfortunately, this put both of them in the same place.
Android 2 wasted no time and rushed in and quickly moved between the pair, easily avoiding their strikes and attacks before she lashed out by striking Neiz in the gut, and kicking Salza across the face in one fluid motion. Neiz fell to the ground on his knees, clutching his stomach in pain while Salza skidded across the dirt.
"You should not underestimate Android 2," the arrogant chrome monster spoke. "She is just as powerful as your brother. Are your men capable of handling that?"
"I'm not sure," Cooler said. In truth, he knew that even with Dore helping that they wouldn't stand a chance against Frieza. They were good, but they were quite that good. But that was hardly the point. "Do you think she can handle this?" 1 turned his head just as Cooler launched a powerful blast from his hand, aimed right for Android 3.
Android 2 turned around too late to stop the blast. She didn't bother to even try as she watched the attack explode in a brilliant flash. She watched with a bitter scowl as the smoke cleared, and all that was left in the remains was just a smoking crater.
"Android 3..." 2's detector claimed that Android 3 survived the attack, somehow. "Interesting..." The assassin quickly rejoined 1's side and cast a hard glare at Cooler. "Android 3 is still alive. She can handle the rabble and we can deal with this one..."
Android 1 chuckled and shook his head. "You have guts for invading the Red Territory. But if you're here to start a war, the Red Ribbon Army owns the war."
"I've had enough of your nonsense. I am not threatened by talentless machines."
Android 1 and 2 prepared and raised their fists to Cooler. The Arcosian King raised his hands up to either side, fingers pointed at both Androids intent to prove him wrong.
"Get those heavy guns up here now!" The Resistance pushed forward, marching over the rubble of another base and push forward against the drones. The new 'heavy troops' were on the front lines with their Boss, wearing space armor that covered them head to toe, and armed with a majority of the alien weapons. The tanks, heavy armaments, and their own Battle Jackets brought up the rear, and softened the forward enemy with mortar shots.
"We seem to be making good time," Videl said as they began their march towards another enemy base. Launch didn't like it one bit. She knew they were being walked in a straight line, she just couldn't figure out why. Their job was as easy compared to what Cooler would have to face with the Androids. Maybe he was more powerful than Gohan could handle.
"Next base in five minutes people! Hustle!" Even Launch was getting worn out by the blistering pace Vi was setting. Videl just smiled at her Boss's tired groan.
"She's excited."
"She needs to be on guard."
A crashing thunder stopped the Resistance in their tracks. They looked forward and saw the aliens battling the Red Ribbons right along their path. Every soldier turned back to the Boss for an answer. "We need to cut around," Vi called out.
"There's not guarantee we'll be safe from that!"
"Well there aren't many other options!"
There was only one option. "We're meant to be his reinforcements. Remember the plan! Stick to the Armored Squadron, and let them handle the rest!"
"Movement, dead ahead!" Launch was dropped back to reality as her eyes looked forward. She saw another platoon of drones moving forward. And they were moving fast.
"Set up for defensive action," she cried out. "Start making your shots count! Long range weapons, soften them up for us!"
The tanks, Battle Jackets, and other heavily armored assault vehicles unleashed hell. Bullets, missiles, bombs, rockets were all fired at the line approaching in the horizon. Explosions went off behind the Red Ribbon's forces, throwing pieces of scrap and machinery into the air.
She called for a cease fire with her arm raised up. As the sounds of war stopped, all eyes stared at the line of fire and smoke ahead of them.
"Movement! One hostile!"
"I've got two!"
The numbers kept jumping. Four, five, nine, twelve. It ended with around thirty something hostiles, unique drone models or something else, closing in fast.
"Defensive line! Battle Jackets in the air! Armored Platoon move forward! We're going to slow these things down!"
The pilots of the Battle Jackets floated above the ranks, while the soldiers spread out behind the Resistance's newly formed Armored Platoon. The soldiers who wore the armor and equipment handed to them by their alien friends named their group after the 'inspiring' Armored Squadron. The Boss included, they had all been fighting on the front lines for most of the fight so far. They were the tip of the spear, and the brunt of the shield.
Launch stood with her fellow soldiers and braced her blaster arm with her opposing hand. The other men and women around her in the Armored Platoon took aim, but waited for the signal from the Boss. She didn't give a command, or an order. She waited until the drones were close enough before taking the first shot. Within half a second, every last soldier of the Armored Platoon opened fire. A line of searing laser blasts shot into the fray. Some of the robots dropped. Most didn't.
That was when they saw the horror of what they faced.
The butchered, cobbled together pieces of the Fury Force charged head first into the Resistance's fire. Leading them was the cyborg version of General Bon, with a murderous look in both of his cybernetic eyes.
"Spread yourselves out!" They were packed together in a perfect line. If even one of the cyborgs broke through, the number of casualties would go up. "Armored Platoon, tighten up and focus your fire!"
"Is that seriously the Fury Force," Videl shouted over her shots.
"They're charging us, they're going down!" Launch loved out Vi made everything so simple.
"You heard her! If it moves, it dies!"
"If it dies, you move on," Vi cheered. She and Videl joined Launch and began firing right at the rushing Cyborg Bon.
Android 9 watched the wars being fought on his frown lawn from the safety of his viewing monitors. It seemed that his fellow Androids would handle Cooler after all. And Cyborg Bon's new Fury Force had just broken through the Resistance lines, and pushed towards the back to where the heavy weapons were. The Resistance would use the heavy units to cover their retreat in case their attack went south, but 9 saw through their deployment. It was a basic tactic, and given their circumstances, 9 commended the Resistance Boss' call. But even the best plan wasn't always the smartest.
He was pleased, almost joyful, when Android 2 came back with the remains of several Fury Force members. She was the one who thought they would be useful if they were reprogrammed. And against the Resistance front line, they were beyond useful.
The tyrant was the one that truly impressed Commander Red the most. Cooler saw his approach in building upon his victories in absolute domination. Cooler's men capped out around Android 4's power level, which meant they were no match for the top three. But, if his soldiers had the aid of the full firepower of the Resistance, then they could make short work of the defects, and focus their combined might on finishing the rest. A flawless plan in theory, especially since he helped pave the way for the Resistance to have an easy fight.
But he knew that the key to Cooler's victory lied with the Resistance.
The Fury Force's power was frightening, but it wasn't unstoppable. They pushed through the Resistance's ranks, but it did not become an easy fight. The Armored Platoon survived the breakthrough, thanks to the durability of their armor, and closed the flanks of the Fury Force.
The cyborgs were fearsome, but they could be taken down. A pair of Battle Jackets could overwhelm one, as long as they got the first strike. A few hundred bullets could stop another, as more dropped through the denser ranks. They were half robot now, but even their enhancements couldn't deflect the lasers the Armored Platoon wielded.
"Focus fire," Launch shouted out as she finished blasting another cyborg to the ground. "We can take them down!"
"Launch..." The Boss turned about sharply and aimed her blaster right at the Fury Force leader. The new Cyborg Bon held a soldier's neck in his robotic arm while he glared at the Resistance leader. "It's been awhile..."
"Put. Him. Down." Bon's response was the sickening snap of bone under his metallic grip. Launch's glare grew sharper, as did her resolve to take Bon down. "You're going to pay for that."
The cyborg laughed as his robotic eye shifted. "You brought this on them Launch. When you and your people refused to bow to your new King!"
"Are you really doing this right now," Launch asked with an tiresome tone in her voice. "You're programmed to work for the enemy, and you're going to lecture me on how I need to lead my people!?"
"We will live on into the days when the Red Ribbon Army has taken over this planet, and expands its reaches to the stars!" General Bon chuckled coldly as the burning smoke floated between them. "And you will die, lost and forgotten."
"At least I'll go out with some dignity!"
The cyborg chuckled again, "If only you had any control over that."
Bon rushed forward, kicking up earth under each boot he planted. Launch jumped out of the way and rolled across the ground. She swiftly took aim and blasted Bon in the shoulder. The bull gave a pained roar before rushing Launch again. He was too fast for her to dodge or shoot first, so she braced herself against Bon with her arms over her chest. The armored absorbed most of the blow, but Launch still felt a rib or two break under the impact.
She hit the ground on her hands and knees, and slipped onto her face before coming to a stop. Her ribs gave a painful twist as she moved her arm. Definitely broke something.
"You don't stand a chance. You never did. Not with the Super Saiyan, and not with this alien monster!"
"It's not about them! Fucking..." Launch lifted her body up as that ache in her ribs tore painfully upwards. "You care so fucking much about who wins, that you forgot what we were losing! You were wanting to fight a war while we wanted to survive!"
"Survival was only obtainable through victory! That is why joining the Red Ribbon Army was the only sensible choice from the beginning! As if killing the King wasn't enough for that bastard Android 9!"
Staring at Bon in that moment, all Launch could do was roll her eyes at the General's dramatic revelation. "Of course you killed the King..."
"But that wasn't enough. Android 9 demanded more, and more, until he commanded me to bring in the people under my rule, so he could complete his take over of the planet. Is extinction worth the pride of any one person?! To risk the lives of those who follow you on some sort of hero, or a savior to rescue them! That is madness!"
"I should give you a fucking mirror. So you sold your planet? Your soul to live?"
"The save the Earth. You would trade away everything to a conqueror from another galaxy rather than believe that this is the only way for us. I sacrificed myself and my men to save a few by staging an assault on the Red Territory. I knew they wouldn't just throw me away, not after relaying communications and outpost locations of the Resistance to them. Not to mention movement patterns of the Devil's Pair."
Launch gave a bitter scowl to that. "So just how much blood is on your hands then, General?!"
The cyborg chuckled coldly and lowered himself down, ready to charge again. "Less than on the hands of those who wish to fight, rather than submit."
Bon was blasted in the back, which caused him to bellow out a howl of agony. He turned and swung his arm out at Videl, who ducked under the swing and rolled under Bon's guard and blasted him across the chest with three more shots.
"And who made you judge and jury of Earth's fate!?" Videl quickly jumped out of Bon's swing before he could even turn. Vi crossed in front of Bon and shot at him safely out of his reach.
"You'd sell us all out without giving a damn about what the people actually want! You don't care about the people of Earth, you don't even care about the men and women who died for you! You just wanted to play king!"
Bon shouted at Vi before his robotic arm tore out a gigantic rock out of the ground and hurled it at the purple haired maiden. She quickly dove out of the way.
"In short: go fuck yourself," Launch seethed as she raised her arm up. Without hesitation she squeezed on the trigger and launched a blast that nailed Bon between the eyes. The bull cyborg's head snapped back, and his leg started to give, but he caught himself. "Son of a..."
Bon slid down onto a knee and nearly foamed at the mouth while his eyes tore into Launch. The smoking black spot on his forehead still burned, causing Launch to give a delighted little chuckle. At least she would die laughing about something.
That was until four Battle Jackets descended behind the Boss, quickly followed by a small number of Armored Platoon soldiers, and a dozen more armed troops all aimed at Cyborg Bon. He suddenly didn't seem to favor his chances.
"Ma'am, we've taken down the rest of the cyborgs, and are ready to move forward."
Launch looked at the soldier next to her and gave a pained laugh. "Holy shit...good job."
Bon's fury had melted down into cautious contempt. There was only one option left.
"Android 9, this is General Bon..."
"I hear you General...and I see you as well..."
Android 9 glared viciously at the monitor. "I am not pleased with what I am seeing."
"I willingly pledge my life to the cause. You may initiate your countermeasure..."
His lip gave a twisted grin before taking a puff out of his pipe. "My idiot General. I prepared launch long before you radioed in." The look of betrayal and horror on Bon's face was priceless. "I saw how the battle was turning. Like always, you pushed too hard, Bon. If you can't even beat an army of humans, you're no better than drones. Just as expendable..."
The twisted Android cut the call with Bon and flipped the switch to fire his contingency plan. The fortress gave a rumble as the missile was shot overhead, locked onto the dedicated General's signal. At least he would serve a purpose in death.
Dore stumbled back and raised his forearms to brace against the sweeping double kick from Androids 5 and 7. The dual attack broke his guard, leaving the brute wide open for Android 6 to capitalize and hammer his gloved fists into Dore's already bruised body.
The Beppan only scowled before brought his skull crushing into Android 6's head. It broke the blonde's assault, and gave Dore enough of an opening to slam a savage double axe handle into the back of the Android's head. 6 went crashing into the dirt face first, and was buried there when Dore slammed his head boot on the back of the Android's head to keep him planted in the ground.
He slammed a vicious shoulder charge into Android 5's chest. The scanty Android's chest caved in as he was pushed back from the savage assault. Dore gave a twirl and lifted his hand up, cupping Android 5's jaw in his hand, hanging the Android in the air. The brute flashed a triumphant smile before he brought his other hand chopping down onto the other side of 5's face, spiking his head into the ground.
Dore crumbled under a sneak attack from Android 7, who slammed her foot into the brute's ribs. The titan did not fall however. He grabbed 7's leg before she could leave and threw the black haired Android down into the dirt.
Android 4 watched with absolute disgust as the others were unable to handle even this one foe. "What the hell is wrong with you lot?! This is embarrassing!"
Though they were unable to make Dore fall, he was beaten, bloodied, and bruised, but still fighting back harder and harder the more the Androids threw at him. If Android 4 wasn't genuinely worried about the worth of her lesser siblings, she would have actually considered jumping in and ending the fight. The only one of their siblings pulling their own weight was 3, who was fending off the other two aliens with controlled ease. Not even the 'oldest' of their siblings could say the same.
Cooler spun back between Androids 1 and 2's swift strikes. He ducked and turned out of the next ones as well. Android 2 rushed in when Cooler had his back to her. The tyrant's tail lashed out and struck the glasses off the assassin's face. Cooler pulled to the side as 1 threw a crossing strike at him, then ducked and twisted under to slam his elbow into the chrome creature's stomach. Before 1 could finish folding in on himself, Cooler reached up and laced his fingers over the back of the Android's head before throwing him over his shoulder. This sent 1 slamming down into Android 2, and had both of them closer to the ground.
"You know, I find it to be rather embarrassing that I have you to thank for killing the Super Saiyan. I would have hoped you Androids would prove to be more of a sport..."
"How is he so powerful," 2 questioned. "Not even Gohan can fend us off so easily."
"He is better trained," 1 answered. "His fighting style is refined and quick. Like Goku, it's very well trained in combat." Their heads turned to the faint sound of something roaring in the distance. Android 1 and 2 knew exactly what this was. "Heh...looks like Bon failed..." The duo both turned their heads back to Cooler, with 1 wearing a triumphant grin. Android 2 only frowned. To her, it didn't make a difference if Bon failed or not. "You better decide how important the Resistance is to your goals, tyrant. Their lives may depend on it."
Cooler shifted his eyes over to a rapidly approaching object off in the distance. It wasn't going to hit any of them, but it would pass very close by. The force it was carrying swept by Cooler, who whipped his head over to watch where the apparent missile was heading.
The soaring warhead brought all the fighting to a pause as everyone watched it speed right towards the smaller war of the Resistance. The other Androids and even the Armored Squadron watched with mixed expressions.
"Are they worth saving," Android 1 asked with a cruel chuckle.
Cooler kept his gaze heated, watching the scene very closely. Salza, Neiz, and Dore were all sitting in wait, wondering if they should stop the missile and save the Resistance. Did the Earthlings still serve a purpose to Lord Cooler's goals?
Launch just watched in horror as the speeding warhead raced towards them. They had seconds before it hit, and no chance in hell of shooting it down. The others just knew it, and seemed to accept the end with silence. She had a moment of clarity in her final moments. They were being led towards their doom the entire time.
A shot was fired out from behind the Resistance lines. Not a gun, or a cannon of any kind, but a blue streak of energy that struck the warhead and caused it to detonate from a safe distance away in the sky. The blast shook the ground, and threw a few Resistance soldiers off of their feet. When the explosion settled, and the dust sprinkled down, everyone started to look for the source of the attack.
The Resistance turned their heads. Approaching from the sky were their saviors, in more ways than one. Gohan and Trunks approached the Resistance with grim expressions painted on their face. They knew they had revealed themselves.
Salza and Neiz's scouters went off just before the missile exploded. "Wh-what the hell was that," Neiz shouted.
"Gohan," Android 3 whispered.
"What zhe hell is a Gohan?"
"SALZA!" The lieutenant looked at Neiz, who was stricken speechless by something. "Z-zoom in on that power level!"
Salza did so, tapping the button on his scouter to enhance the image of the Resistance's savior. "Zh-zhat...zhat cannot be!" Salza and Neiz both shuddered in horror as they saw a flying hero with black hair, and an orange outfit. "Zh-zhat is..."
"The last Super Saiyan," Cooler smirked. Android 1 and 2 both looked grim at the revelation. They didn't plan for this. Not so soon after Gohan was beaten by 17 and 18. Cooler turned back to his opponents with a triumphant smile and folded arms over his chest. "Did you think I cared about the humans? I was waiting to draw out the Super Saiyan."
"You...you knew about Gohan?"
"Not at first," Cooler admitted as he flashed his smile at Android 2. "But after going through your databases, I learned that Goku's one and only Super Saiyan son is alive. I was hoping to draw him out if the Resistance was in danger."
Android 1's eyes flickered with realization. "That's why..."
"I gave your army the best shot to destroy the Earthlings, and you failed. But the truth is, I never needed them to destroy you Androids. I just needed them, and you, to lure out my prey." Cooler unfolded his arms and unleashed a raging blue aura around his body. "And now that they've served their part, you will die for stealing my prize away from me, Android!"
The Arcosian lord dashed forward and slammed his fists into Android 1 and 2's faces as he met them in a blitzing upward rise. It knocked the pair up where Cooler could grab their ankles in a tight grip. With a powerful heave, the tyrant pulled and swung the duo downward towards the ground. They crashed into each other before they hit the ground, and sharply turned back to the grinning monarch.
Android 9 watched in horror as the warhead, and several of his contingency plans, went up in flames with the unlikely arrival of the Saiyan duo. The Commander glared daggers at Gohan as he joined the Resistance. The hero seemed to be luckier than an old cat with nine lives.
Gohan's arrival was planned for, but not as thoroughly. After the thrashing 9 watched the hero take from the Devil's Pair recently, he figured that the Super Saiyan would be down for awhile. This meant there were fewer backup plans to rely on that could take down Gohan. But the Red Android had two aces to deal with Gohan once and for all.
"Well, old friend, time for you to mobilize..." Commander Red began inputting the command to activate Android 10. The warning would be transmitted to the others, as was part of the sequence to activate the secret weapon.
Launch just gawked as Gohan landed before her. The rest of the Resistance was busy whooping and celebrating their delayed demise. The solemn look on the kid's face confirmed her fears.
"Shit..." Her mind started racing with her frantic heartbeat as she panicked herself to come up with a solution. "Maybe...maybe you can still get out of here!"
"He would have sensed me one way or another Launch."
She drew her hands through her hand with a long exhale. "Shit!"
Gohan wanted to console her, but they both knew this was one of the possibilities. Launch was just going to beat herself up for falling into such an clear ploy. His eyes, and senses, turned to the enemy in the distance. Though he couldn't feel the Androids, he sensed the power of Cooler firsthand. Stronger than Frieza, and even stronger than King Cold. The new monarch was going to be a definite challenge. There was a certain comfort going into a battle without being able to sense how great your opponent's power was. Gohan had grown use to it fighting the Androids for half of his life.
"The Resistance needs to pull back," Gohan said. "Things are going to get really bad, really quickly."
"Gohan, we're blown here. You can't fight against the Androids and him at the same time! If either side comes out of this alive, we're still going to need you!"
"This is the best chance we have to deal a serious blow to the Androids. That's why you risked everything on this. Now this is my fight..."
She couldn't talk sense into him. Gohan knew that no matter the risks, he would have to deal with the tyrant Cooler sooner or later. If he had his way, he could take out them and the Red Ribbon Army without sacrificing any lives today. Then it was just the tireless war of attrition against Androids 17 and 18.
"This is our fight! But we need to retreat right now! You included." Gohan looked back over his shoulder and met Launch's pleading gaze with a fiery stare. The Boss's heart gave a twist as Gohan shifted into the heroic image of his father. "I can't bury another one of you..."
Gohan gave an unnervingly cheerful smile back at Launch before he turned that familiar look forward. Cooler continued to evade and fend off Androids 1 and 2, drawing out their attacks while waiting for an opening. Smart, powerful, and ruthless. Definitely worse than Frieza.
"Trunks! I want you to escort the Resistance to safety."
The youthful teen gave a familiar, disapproving frown at the back of his mentor's head. "You can't just turn away all of your help Gohan. I'm not leaving you to fight on your own! You need me!"
"Which is why I want you to get back here as soon as you make sure they're safe." Trunks gave pause to that. Gohan turned back to stare at his ward, and friend. "You make sure they're okay, and get back here. If we're taking down the Red Ribbons today, I'm going to need you."
"R-right!" Trunks felt exhilarated at Gohan's gesture of trust. He was determined to finally do some damage.
Launch was disgusted with herself. She thought she was baiting the tyrant into taking out the Androids. The same way she thought she was ambushing one of the Red Android's supply shipments. Each time she was wrong, and she had to be saved. Her chest gave another painful rend as she realized the danger she put her people in with both idiotic choices.
"Gohan..."
"Don't worry so much! What's the worst they could throw at me now?"
A blink later and Gohan was gone. The brutal and sudden lashings of the wind shortly after was a bad sign.
"Gohan?!"
The hero stared with wide eyes at the mysterious Android that pushed him across the Red Territory for almost a mile before stopping the assault with a knee to the strange machine's abdomen. Gohan gave a sudden jerk and quickly gained some distance from the hostile Android. It was unlike the others. Its robotic nature was very apparent, despite the frame still resembling a man's body. The Android stood at a full height of around ten feet, with a hulking body to match, an infrared visor, and a speaker for a mouth.
"You new off the assembly line?"
"New off of the emergency reserves, actually." The Android's voice was almost entirely artificial. Gohan saw past the superficial appearance and recognized the threat it carried. "Android 10, at your service. I must say, it will be a real pleasure killing the son of Goku."
"You might want to get in line for that. There's another party guest who wants a shot at me, and he was here first."
"Oh ho, but this is much more personal for me..."
"Don't act so self important," Gohan teased. "My father killed his family."
Android 10 gave a dry chuckle and tilted his robotic head to the side. "Well, your father killed me once already. And after I kill you, I'll finish that pest that the others can't take care of. The rest of those chaotic little defects can fall in line behind a real leader." Of course, something else with a grudge against his father. This one apparently having a personal history. "You shall behold the glory, the prestige of the Red Ribbon Army's second-in-command, Staff Officer Android Black!"
The title gave Gohan a small tickle of remembrance. He didn't have time to consider it further, as Android 10 dashed forward again. The hero quickly powered up to Super Saiyan and braced his forearms to catch the oversized swing from the Staff Officer. Gohan strained against the pressure, and the painful sting his arms gave when stopping such raw speed.
"Heh...n-not too bad. My turn..." Gohan's golden aura flared to life, unleashing a burst of power that threw the towering 10 back.
The flare of power drew Cooler's attention after countering another attack from 1 and 2. He gave a delighted smile at the golden light off in the distance. He came to Earth to kill a Super Saiyan, and he would finally get to claim a Super Saiyan.
So...this was really not meant to be as long as it was. And as terrible and flawed as this chapter is, just remember the rough draft was worse. Not that any of you would know what the rough draft was like, but...trust me. Lotsa holes in the plot I filled in this chapter...after subsequently making said holes. There are a few plot points that I'll address in future chapters. None jump out at me at the moment, due to my brain being on the fritz with editing and writing and working but I am gonna work on those little details too.
Kudos to anyone who guessed Androids 1-7 being based on the Seven Deadly Sins! Brief-ish going over: 7 is sort of like...an extremely psychotic gold-digger, anything unique or of value she has to have. 6 is...well, I said it in the last chapter: he could give Vegeta lessons in humility. 5 is...well...cowardly but likes tempt his foes. Not that it ever works. 4 strives to be the center of attention, revels in others envying her, but has an angrily triggered inferiority complex. 3 doesn't like to do ANYTHING in excess, which actually works well with her analytical and tactile way of doing things. 2 is angry. 1 consumes energy, can never get enough, feels incomplete, desires to fulfill his 'wholeness' and shizz.
And why yes, that does suspiciously sound like Cell. (No, he's not Cell). Androids 9 and 10 aren't based on any of the sins (there ARE only seven of them, and Red and Black at least have their own canon personalities that I didn't have to draw up myself).
Probably going to have this opening arc closed in...probably two chapters. One would be ideal, but two is more realistic, even if half of it would be filler. The plus side is, the other half would be nothing but fighting.
Anyway, done rambling. Reviews feed my addiction to write. Be nice, or constructive, or both! Negativity/bashing/hatefulness gets you...? Nothing.