A WHILE AGO...

just when son goku thought he was free from the place that Dr. gero guy took him, it turns out that he was far from safe, what with battling the ninja murasaki in his artificial garden and climbing the seemingly endless stairs that led him to the second floor of muscle tower...straight into a huge man resembling frankenstein's monster!

he had short, black hair, had stitches on his forehead and right cheek, was built square like a crustless pizza, his back was slightly hunched and he had big, expressive eyes with tiny black iris in the middle. he had a black coat with matching formal pants and black chic shoes on him.

he was looking intimidatingly at goku, prompting the monkey boy to take a fighting stance, defying the golden in front of him.

then, suddenly, he heard a snobbish, feminine laugh. he leaned to the left to see where that laugh came from. he was surprised to see Dr. gero's assistant, rubi, leaning on the wall, with an amused smile on her face.

" you again?" goku shouted as he went on the defensive. " what did you plan, this time?" he asked the puffy orange haired scientist.

" oh, silly monkey boy!" rubi exclaimed. "you don't stand a chance against our androids!"

"so that's one of these human robot thingies that creepy old man talked about..." goku said, looking at android 8. "...it sure is big, alright!"

"its not just big, it's also really smart!" rubi boasted cockily. "it is our first model equipped with an advanced, adaptive A.I, capable of both sentience and learning from their mistakes, and, due to this complex program, is able to counter any incoming enemy attacks! if you don't wanna get hurt, darling, you should just give up and let us bring you back to the lab!"

goku only answered by smacking his butt while making monkey noise, angering rubi.

"Fine! we'll take you the hard way, then!" said an irritated rubi. "No.8, take him out!" she ordered the golem.

no.8 then looked at goku, and stood still for a couple of seconds. then, he uttered only a single word:

"...no."

completely taken aback by these words, both goku and rubi were confused.

"y...you didn't just say no right now, did ya?" asked an annoyed rubi, who couldn't believe that an android just refused a direct order.

"A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm." no.8 dully said, reciting the first law of robotics.

"W-WHAT? what is this stupid crap? who told you that?" rubi asked, taken aback by no.8's words.

"you and Dr. gero are me and my brothers's creators, yet you don't know the three laws of robotics?" android 8 asked the puffy haired woman.

"These are just made-up mumbo jumbo from a sci-fi novel!" rubi told the android, sighing. "what's real is that the red ribbon army are the ones who made you! now listen to the parents that bore you!" she ordered him.

"you kidnap innocent people, and torture them in the name of science." no.8 says, catching rubi off-guard. "you claim to be saving humanity. is imposing fear and panic on others really a form of protection?"

"Stop asking questions and take him out!" rubi shouted, pointing at goku.

"i can't do it...sorry." no.8 said. rubi was furious! how dare this piece of junk refuse to obey it's master!

"grr, I knew we shouldn't make our androids sentient..." rubi groaned under her breath while grabbing a remote from her pocket.

" you see that?" rubi asked no.8, pointing at the button of the remote. "we installed remote-controlled bombs inside every single androids in case they become disobedient runts like you! just one press of this button, and BOOM! you instantly turn into a fiery tornado of burned circuitry! you don't want that to happen to you, am I wrong? then TAKE THAT BRAT OUT!"

android 8 closed his eyes and swam deep into his thoughts, under the watchful eyes of both goku and rubi. then, he opened them and came up with an answer:

"...i really can't do anything bad."

goku smiled at the androids response. rubi, however, was anything but happy!

"grr, you traitor! you're nothing but a useless piece of junk!" she said as she lifted her remote and was about to press the self-destruct button.

"YOU ARE A DISGRACE! D-"

rubi was suddenly knocked the FUCK out by a thunderous hit from nyoibo, sending her flying into ninja murasaki's garden! the remote subsequently dropped from her had and fell between goku and android 8. goku then smashed the remote to pieces with nyoibo. android 8 stood there, fascinated by the monkey boy he was supposed to capture sympathizing with and helping him.

"thank you for helping me. I'm happy." the big golem dully said without emotion.

"you could've just shut her up yourself, yknow?" goku told him.

"A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm." no. 8 dully repeated the first law of robotics.

"yeah, but it's ok if they're trying to hurt you or your friends." goku answered back, prompting no. 8 to think.

"...A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws." no. 8 recited the third law of robotics.

"uh? what laws?" goku asked the golem.

" the three laws of robotics." no. 8 answers. "its a code of conduct for robots devised by humans in order to avoid a potential robot revolution." he explained, confusing goku even more. "it basically prohibits robots from hurting or having any physical contact with a human being."

"even if it's for defending yourself?" goku asked.

"...to tell you the truth, I could defend myself..." no.8 said, looking moody. "...its just that...i don't like hurting others."

"yet you were used by this gero guy to hurt others." goku said.

"alas...it hurts me badly, seeing these innocents and good-willed human beings die by my hands..." no.8's head bowed down in shame. "...but now is not the time to talk. we must get out of here."

"now we're talking!" goku exclaimed. "by the way, what's your name?"

"they call me android no.8." the golem said.

" yeah, I heard that mean girl call you that earlier." goku said. "such a bizzare name! how about I give you another one?"

"what do you suggest?" the android asked.

" hey, I know!" goku exclaimed,looking at no.8's appearance. "I'll call you Frankie!"

"i beg your pardon?" no.8 said, asking for the meaning behind that name.

" yeah, Frankie!" goku said. "cause,you look exactly like frankenstein!" he explained.

" who is frankenstein?" no.8 asked.

"he's a bit like you, actually!" goku told him. "he was created by a mean doctor, just like that gero guy, and at first,evereveryody thought he was mean cause he would hurt others by accident, yet he's actually a really nice guy, who would eventually be accepted by some people, even becoming their friend!"

"you knew this Frankenstein?" the golem asked the monkey boy.

"nah, it's a story my grandpa told me during bedtime. I just thought you were like him, so that's why I called you Frankie!" goku said with a smile.

"frankie..." android 8 said. suddenly, a smile appeared on his face. "...i like that name!"

goku smiled at the golem's approval, and tried giving him a high five...but the android didn't budge.

"...what are you doing?" android 8 asked.

"why, a high five, of course!" goku responded. "you don't know how to do it?"

"high...five?" no. 8 said, hesitantly lifting his hand. goku immediately slapped it, laughing at the same time. no. 8 simply smiled.

suddenly...

"THERE YOU ARE!"

goku and no.8 turned around to see none other than yamcha and master roshi running towards them!

"Yamcha! master roshi!" goku exclaimed, delighted at seeing familiar, and friendly, faces. yamcha and roshi too were delighted to see goku...however, their smiles turned into a defensive fighting stance as they saw android 8!

"go help bulma and krillin, goku!" yamcha told the monkey boy.

"well take care of that android!" roshi said.

"No no no, he's a friend! he's a friend!" goku exclaimed, putting himself in front of Frankie, confusing the desert bandit and the turtle hermit.

" goku, that's an android! they're here to hurt you!" yamcha said.

"A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm." Frankie recited again the first law of robotics. this prompted a surprised reaction from master roshi, who dropped his guard, surprising yamcha. "h-hermit..."

"ooh, the first law of robotics!" master roshi exclaimed in surprise. "interesting that gero built his androids following these laws."

"actually, I am the only android who follows these laws." Frankie corrected. "I started following them after realising they built me and my brothers as tools of war."

"i see..." roshi said, rubbing his beard. "...though it can be easy to find loopholes in those laws."

"indeed..." Frankie murmured. "...but I still follow them strictly by the letter, no matter what kind of loophole they would use to force me to do something I don't want to!"

"an android...with a conscience?" yamcha said, dropping his guard.

"see? Frankie's a friend!" goku exclaimed.

"Frankie?" both yamcha and master roshi said.

"that's the new name given to me by son goku." Frankie answered, pointing at the monkey boy. "I used to be known as android no.8 in the past. son goku chose that name be-"

"cause you look like Frankenstein? no offense, of course!" yamcha wondered.

"indeed, because I look like him." frankie confirmed. "you know this Frankenstein, too?"

"yes." roshi answered. "but actually, frankenstein is not the monster's name. it's the name of the scientist that created him. the actual monster has no name." the hermit corrected, surprising goku.

"woah! you know Frankenstein, master?" goku asked the old man.

"oh yes!" roshi answered. "it's one of my favorite books, actually!"

"hehe, Frankie might look like a bad guy, but he's actually a good guy who managed to make friends, despite his scary looks and weird demeanor, just like the real Frankenstein!" goku said.

"...i don't think frankenstein ends like this..." both roshi and yamcha thought, sweat dropping from their temples in dull reactions to goku's incorrect facts. still, they were relieved that the android known as Frankie was actually harmless.

"hey, yamcha, you mentioned bulma and krillin, earlier." goku said,rememebring that scene. " are they here, too?"

" yeah, there heading towards Dr. gero's lab." yamcha answered.

" what? aww man, and they must be thinking I'm still down there!" goku said, bowing his head.

"actually, they know you escaped." yamcha corrected him. "its just that the notes Dr. briefs compiled on your training with krillin is still in there."

"oh, really?" goku said. "then they're certainly going to need my help!" the monkey boy then looked at Frankie. "hey Frankie, ya comin with me?"

"i'll help you, son goku." Frankie answered.

"cool!" goku exclaimed. "what about you, guys? where are you going?" he asked roshi and yamcha.

"we're going after the dragon ball." roshi answered.

"there's a dragon ball here, too?"

" yeah, but we can't seem to find it." yamcha answered, looking at his dragon radar, with the orange blip still appearing on the top edge of the screen. "it seems that it's not on this floor, either..."

"i know where the red ribbon guard their treasure." Frankie said.

" really? where?" yamcha asked hurriedly.

"it's in the secret room on the 5th floor." Frankie explained. "No one but commander black and chairman red has access to it. nobody knows what's inside the secret room

"i assume the key to that room is in chairman red's possession?" roshi asked.

"correct." Frankie confirmed. "it's in the command room on the top floor, in a secret compartment in chairman red's office."

"thanks." yamcha said. "though obviously, they won't just let us knock on the front door and let us enter..."

"there are air ducts everywhere on the base, if that can help you." Frankie suggested.

"no...i'll get captured!" roshi suggested, confusing everyone.

"well, it's true that I have handcuffs on me..." yamcha said, grabbing a pair of them from the belt of his stolen soldier uniform. "...but why?"

"the red ribbon army belongs to an old rival of mine." roshi explained, intriguing the gang. "they would surely let us in if you pretend to have captured me, yamcha."

"who's that rival, master?" goku asked, curious.

"his name is shen." roshi answered. "we used to be old buddies, way back when we trained under the same master, mutaito." however, as time marched on, we drifted further and further apart, turning into two completely different person. eventually, we engaged into conflict, and now, we are enemies."

"friends...now enemies..." goku was stunned at roshi's explanations. how in the world could friends turn into enemies?

"and what would faking your capture have anything to do wi-"

"shen is the founder and leader of the red ribbon!" roshi revealed.

" really? I thought it was chairman red!" Frankie said.

"nah, he's just that, a chairman!" roshi said. "anyways, shen spread his hatred of me and the turtle school to his entire army. if you pretend to Have captured me, yamcha, they will bow down to you, I can assure ya! they'll even have you take a part of the treasure with you as a prize for your "outstanding contributions"!"

"woah..." yamcha was amazed at what the hermit just said. "...i can enter that secret room...and take the dragon ball!"

"...and to make sure that it's not too easy for you, you'll surely be accompanied by someone so you don't make any moves..." roshi guessed.

"i can confirm all of this." Frankie said.

"right...okay, that's a plan!" yamcha agreed woth roshi's plan.

"yosh!" goku exclaimed. "alright, I'll go find bulma and krillin! let's go, Frankie!"

"let's." Frankie answered with a smile as the unlikely duo went downstairs to help goku's friends, while yamcha put handcuffs on roshi.

the two men then went towards the 6th and top floor. every time soldiers looked at then, they were in awe at the sight of their dreaded enemy, muten roshi, being captured! it's as if yamcha was this almighty super soldier that just did the impossible.

he...liked that feeling.

and then, they finally reached the top floor. only a huge steel door with the words "command center" written on it.

"well, this is it..." roshi whispered under his breath.

yamcha was gulping in nervousness. he wondered what was going on inside that command center...

"mr. chairman, can I talk to you?"

the intimidating ebony-skinned man known as commander black asked his boss, who then turned his tall chair around to face him. in fact, the chairman was not even tall enough to have his head make even half the chair, as he was a midget! he had an eyepatch on his left eye, a thin mustache the same color as his slick back hair, which was a crimson shade of red. he was wearing a suit and the, and he had a gruff look on his face, smoke coming out of his pipe. he looked eerily similar to a redhead Peter dinklage.

"whaddya want? we've got intruders in our base and ya wanna ask questions?" chairman red was in a foul mood.

"...can I change my codename?" commander black asked the chairman, confusing the short redhead.

"...why?" he simply asked the ebony-skinned commander. "is there anything wrong with it? cause I don't see anything!"

"really?" commander black answered, as if he was offended. "you don't see anything wrong? cause it's a big-ass problem, and it's right in front of ya!"

"get to the point!" said chairman red while sighing. "we're being invaded, commander! make it quick!"

"the point is...i am commander black, and I'm...well, black!"

" yeah, so what?" chairman red dully asked. "it was the last name available."

"well, don't you think it's...i dunno, a bit...devaluating?"

"...you serious?" red was becoming annoyed. "that's not racist at all! black is literally a color! and when we call you comm. black, we refer to your color!"

"..."

"...okay, yeah, I see why it would cause a problem..." the midget bowed his head down in shame while sighing. "...so, which color do you want to use, from now on?"

"i don't have a clue..." the former comm. black answered. "...what do you suggest?"

"hold on, a color that isn't used yet..." chairman red started thinking hard about finding another color. "...ooh, I know! how about commander Brown?"

"...fuck you!"

"okay, okay, geez..." chairman red began thinking again. "...alright! from now on, you are Comm. pink!"

"...why am I comm. pink?" comm. pink asked, getting annoyed.

" cause I said so! now go repel the invaders!" red told him.

"i wanna be comm. purple!" the ebony-skinned man suggested.

" No, you are NOT Comm. purple!" red told him, very annoyed. "that weird Chinese ninja has already chosen this color! YOU. ARE. COMM. PINK!"

"murasaki's actually japan-"

"JAPANESE, CHINESE, BURMESE, DOESN'T MATTER!" red shouted. "now stop all that cheese and protect th-"

"how about comm. azure?" the commander suggested.

"...that's blue..." chairman red resppnded.

"nah, nah, nah, azure's a DIFFERENT shade of blue!" comm. black corrected his boss.

"IT'S STILL FUCKING BLUE!" red shouted in anger. "speaking of which, why isn't general blue responding? dammit, send reinforcements!"

"...hey, how about comm. emera-"

"FINE, COMMANDER EMERALD, THATS YOUR NEW NAME, NOW GET YOUR ASS OUTTA HERE AND PROTECT THE BASE AT ONCE, OR ELSE YOU'RE FIRED!"

"you can fire people from a terrorist group?"

"DISMIIIISSED!"

"commander black! this is lieutenant turquoise!" turquoise voice came out of the newly-baptised comm. emerald's walkie-talkie.

"its comm. emerald now, lieutenant!" he corrected him. "what is it?"

"the intruder has been captured! I repeat, the turtle hadmit has been captured!" turquoise joyfully exclaimed.

" the turtle hermit? really?" both chairman red and comm. emerald asked, looking as if they won the world cup.

"Yes! a young private is coming towards the command center right now! he has handcuffed the hermit!" turquoise confirmed.

" good! let him know he'll be handsomely compensated!" comm. emerald proudly stated, while chairman red was spinning on his chair chanting hallelujah.

"open the door to my office!" chairman red ordered comm. emerald. "I'm gonna welcome him personally! oooh, the boss is gonna be so happy about this!" he said while rubbing his hands.

meanwhile, outside the office, yamcha and roshi were growing inpatient. that's where the door to the command center opened, a bright light aging all over the door frame.

"well, this is it." roshi whispered.

"no turning back..." yamcha whispered, as both the desert bandit and the turtle hermit entered the command center...

END OF CHAPTER