Here I am at last with two new chapters. I'm afraid chapter 10 may be a bit weak as I was tired when I wrote it but hopefully it will still be enjoyable.


Chapter 9: Tin Woodsman

Dorothy awoke feeling very refreshed. They were in a cabin that was apparently abandoned in the Great Forest. They had spent the previous afternoon making excellent time on the Yellow Brick Road passing through a few more towns before entering the woods. They had journeyed as far in as they could but the sun had been setting fast and they needed a safe place to sleep. Goku had found this cabin and, after some debate, they decided to spend the night there and apologize if the owner turned up.

"Come on boys wake up! It's morning!"

Goku and Gohan sat up slowly and rubbed their eyes. "Good morning Dorothy."

"Good morning. First order of business, we need to find some breakfast." She sniffed the air a few times and hastily corrected herself "New first order of business, we could all use a bath."

Gohan smelt himself and nodded "I remember seeing a river not far from here. Goku and I could catch some fish for breakfast at the same time."

"I'm pretty good at catching the big ones" Goku grinned.

Dorothy wondered what they were going to use for poles and hooks but the guys insisted they didn't need them. They all set off for the river; the boys making a beeline for the nearby shore and Dorothy vanishing further upstream. Gohan and Goku flung off their clothes and dove into the refreshingly cool water.

"This feels great!" the adult Sayian exclaimed.

Gohan nodded but was preoccupied with the sight of Goku's naked body. The surgery scars were visible all over alongside the unmistakable evidence of whip lashes. "I feel so sorry and disgusted on your behalf."

"Huh? Oh right" he sighed and went on more brightly "No use crying over spilt milk. We can't change the past, only the future."

"Are you sure you need the wizard to fix your brain? You seem pretty smart to me."

Goku said "I only call it as I see it. I'm still really slow and dumb in most things. As long as I'm going with you I might as well see what the wizard can do. You yourself have a mark, you know."

Gohan glanced down at his bare chest and was only half surprised to see a bruise in the shape of Bulma's hand. He sighed and said "Ah this is nothing. I'm sure the wizard will sort it out. Come on we're supposed to be catching fish."

Meanwhile, Dorothy was enjoying her bath in silence. The cool water felt wonderful and she didn't want it end. However she was hungry and remembered that the boys were currently working on breakfast, so she stepped onto the shore and dried herself with a towel borrowed from the cottage. She dressed and said "Come on Toto."

To her amazement, the little dog didn't respond and was nowhere to be found. "Toto where are you!"

She listened hard and heard a faint barking in the distance. She hurried off after the sound and gasped at the sight that met her eye. Toto was barking at a very large man with a shock of red hair and strange clothes. His attire consisted of a black skintight under-suit and a strange green armor over his torso. This odd and frightening person was sitting against a tree and gazing at the little dog. After a few more seconds the man smiled and began to gently pet the little dog.

Dorothy felt a little more confident and coughed to announce her presence. The man looked at her with strangely cold eyes. "Hello sir. My name is Dorothy Gale and that's Toto you're petting."

"Toto is your dog?"

His voice sounded like a recording; "Yes he is but I'm glad you like him."

"Like him? I suppose I do."

"What do you mean you suppose?" She sat down and continued "I don't quite understand."

"Well Dorothy I am not programmed to enjoy anything. I was constructed to be a warrior."

"Constructed? Are you a…a robot?"

"Indeed. I am Android No. 16; a humanoid machine designed for combat."

"What are you doing out here if you don't mind my asking?"

"I was built in the West by a team of scientists including Bulma. She betrayed her colleagues and kept myself, No. 17, and No. 18 as her slaves. It is possible that a malfunction exists in my programming because I found I did not like the violent commands she was giving me. She refused to give me a new purpose so I left. I was suddenly on my own with no one to give me orders so I wandered Oz until I found this forest. I had always found the natural world to be pleasant so I settled here."

"Is that your cottage back over there?"

"Yes. It was unoccupied and provided shelter from the elements so I settled there."

"So you like nature?"

"I suppose I do. I am not supposed to like anything, only follow orders, so this is indeed an odd phenomenon. Before I left No. 17 would often tease me by calling me 'the Tin Woodsman.' I wished he wouldn't."

"When you say Numbers 17 and 18 are you referring to those two aids Bulma has with her? The blonde girl and the black haired man?"

"Yes. They are cyborgs; not fully mechanical like I am."

"Interesting."

"How did you come to be here Dorothy? Where are you going?"

She recounted her story and No. 16 asked "Why do you wish to return home so badly?"

"I told you why. I want to be with my Aunt and Uncle."

"Why?"

"Because I love them."

"I do not understand. Please explain love to me."

"Oh dear. I don't think I can, it's something you have to feel for yourself to understand."

"How does one feel?"

"Don't you ever feel emotion of any sort?"

"I comprehend certain emotions but I don't believe I feel them."

"I'm afraid it would be difficult for a robot to feel. They don't have hearts. I don't mean physical hearts, I'm talking spiritually."

"How complicated it all sounds. Dorothy I would like to make a request of you."

"What is it?"

"I would like to be able to feel. May I accompany you and your friends to the Emerald City and ask the Wizard for a heart?"

She was stunned for a moment but then she smiled "That would be lovely Mr. 16."