Chapter 9: The Rescue
Gohan and Videl walked in the building, wearing fighting clothes. They took the briefcase and passed through a metal detector, which went off immediately. A security guard stopped them immediately.
"Would you please remove any metallic items you are carrying: keys, loose change—"
Gohan slowly set down his duffel bag and threw open his coat, revealing an arsenal of guns, knives and grenades slung from a climbing harness.
"Holy shit!"
Gohan punched the guard so fast that he went flying into the wall. Another guard took cover, clutching his radio. "Backup! We need backup!"
The backup arrived. A wave of soldiers blocked the elevators. The concrete cavern of the lobby became a white noise roar of gunfire. Slate walls and pillars pock, crack, and crater under a hail storm of explosive-tipped bullets. They are met by the quivering spit of a sub-hand machine gun and the whistle of throwing knives. Bodies slumped down to the marbled floor.
In the office, Numbers 17 and 18 burst into the room.
"What are you doing?" Cell asked.
"There's trouble, sir. I think they're trying to save him."
Cell was not pleased. "Find them and destroy them!"
Gohan and Videl reached the elevator and Videl opens the suitcase. Inside was a bomb. Gohan hit the emergency stop and pulled down part of the false ceiling and finds the elevator shaft access panel. He clamped onto the elevator cable and they both locked on. He whipped out his gun and pressed it to the cable. The cable snapped and the counter-weights plummeted, yanking Videl and Gohan up through the shaft as the elevator fell away beneath them. The elevator hit the bottom and exploded.
Videl and Gohan were getting onto the roof when Number 17 appeared. Videl looked shocked, and fired. The android dodged every one of them at an incredible speed. He lifted his hand and fired chi bolts at Gohan, who dodged them, but one hit his shoulder. Number 17 appeared in front of him, his hand raised.
"Only human."
He was about to shoot when he heard the click of a gun. He whirled around and saw Videl's gun pointed straight at his head.
"Dodge this," she said and fired. Number 17 flew back against the wall. She helped Gohan up. "How did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You move like they do; I've never seen anyone move so fast."
Gohan looked at his shoulder. "It wasn't fast enough."
Back in the office, Number 17 threw open the door and entered. Cell looked to the window and saw a helicopter come into view. Gohan was aiming a machine gun straight at him.
"No."
Gohan fired, and the three agents fell.
Goku opened his eyes, rising from his chair and ran past. Cell came in and aimed his hand at Goku. The chi blasts his Goku in the leg, knocking him off balance just as he dived for the window.
"He's not going to make it," Gohan said. He wrapped the harness around him and jumped toward Goku, their bodies colliding as Gohan caught him. Cell was firing at the helicopter. It started to fall, but Videl jumped out onto the top of a building, firing at the cord as it snapped. Goku and Gohan started to fall, but landed on top of the building.
Goku took out a phone and called Piccolo. "We're on our way back to Karin Temple."
The door swung open as Cell, 17 and 18 stepped out. Goku, Gohan and Videl were gone.
"The trace was completed, sir." 17 said.
"We have their position," 18 replied.
Cell grimaced. "They're not out yet."
