An Unburdened Fury
Chapter 35: Introduced Species
Bulma poured over Gero's notes for the dozenth time that day. Only a few days have passed and everyone was deep in their respective training regimens in preparation for the Androids. Say what you will about the doctor, the man was a genius of the highest caliber. So far, the only real issues with his design was programming. Apparently his stronger machines had a tendency to not listen to him or unstable personalities.
The real treasure was Gero's failsafe. Every single Android has a self destruct mechanism that can be activated by remote control. That was her ticket to ending the Android threat in the future. She just had to reverse engineer it. It was a good thing then that she saved the hibernating Androids in the lab before they destroyed it.
She had entertained the idea of just destroying them outright but decided against it. Despite her hatred for these things, her best chance at learning about these machines were to have actual Androids to study. She glanced at the twins formally known as Lapiz and Lazuli, now Seventeen and Eighteen, undisturbed in their glass pods next to a hulking, armored man in green.
Who knows, she might be able to rewrite Gero's programming in time and save three more victims of his insanity. Save might be a strong term for Sixteen however given his fully mechanical nature.
Knowing that such a task would be time consuming, Bulma opted to check on the expedition to Namek. Only Krillin, Piccolo, and Yamcha chose to head to the home world of the Namekians while the rest decided to stay on Earth. It made sense considering that having everyone on deck would be a waste of effort and time.
Krillin's face showed up on the monitor and the monk gave her a friendly smile.
"Hey, Bul- er, future Bulma! How are you?"
The scientist returned the smile albeit a little less enthusiastic. She knew he was only ever genuine in his intentions but the distinctions made her feel out of place. As true as that was, it didn't feel good to acknowledge it.
"Krillin, good to see you. I'm," She thought about it for a second. "Exhausted is a good word. Gero was thorough with his documentation."
The bald man's smile became more subdued though it remained. Ever the worrywart, she thought as she predicted his next words.
"Y'know, you can take a break right? I know six months isn't a long time but if anyone deserves it, it's you."
She waved off his concerns. Twenty years of running had taught her exactly how far she can take her body. This was nothing. "I appreciate it, Krillin, but I'll rest when this is over and not before." Bulma made a show of looking behind the monk.
"Piccolo and Yamcha are on the planet?"
"Uh, yeah."
Perfect, her improvements on Kami's ship worked as expected. The trip would have taken a week otherwise.
"Piccolo was weirdly firm on being the one to meet the Namekians." Krillin put his hand on the side of his mouth as if to whisper in her ear. "Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the guy can be diplomatic when he needs to but he can be a bit rough." He chuckled nervously. It was clear to her that despite his jesting manner, he was actually paranoid that Piccolo would somehow hear him. "I volunteered to stay on the ship in case of any messages from you."
"Really? Nothing against the guy but I'd thought Yamcha would try to avoid getting off the ship."
"So did I. Apparently, before we left, he asked Kami how the Namekians were like. According to him, Slug and Piccolo were extreme exceptions and that the vast majority of their species were peaceful. I guess that encouraged him."
"That's good to hear. How long have they been gone?"
"A few hours."
"Let me know when Porunga is summoned, okay?"
"Okey-dokey."
"Stay safe, Krillin."
"And you get some rest yourself."
She rolled her eyes as she cut the connection. Sometimes, the monk cared too much. Bulma organized Gero's notes and put them to the side. Goosebumps rose along her arms and neck at the thought of the task ahead.
Bulma cut the video feed and set to work on finding a specific ship in the cosmos. There were billions in the galaxy but she knew this one's identifier by heart. It was a few minutes work to connect to it while bypassing its advanced security.
The scientist made sure the voice modifier was functioning before getting close to the mic. She took a deep breath. The lab was sealed from any prying eyes and anyone who even knew she was there were off world or too busy training. Good as she needed privacy for this.
Broly lazed on the chair as he contemplated what to do next. He would have been doing this on his bed but his dumb ass destroyed it after a bad nightmare. It was the first one in a few weeks. He had actually begun to hope they were over but no, his mind didn't like him that much. He didn't want to go back to that if he could help it.
It always made him feel vulnerable whenever one occurred. He could overpower everything physical but the mind? Strength didn't matter there like it did out here. He hated it.
He extended his senses to the edge of the galaxy once more. If he couldn't sleep or train, might as well sharpen this skill. While his memory wasn't anything to brag about, it was good enough that large shifts in the powers of the galaxy was something he noticed. He could feel one particular planet who's notable powers were far more intense now than they were a few days ago.
If he had to guess, extreme training. Last time he reached out with his senses, the powers were calm. He'll let that world cook for a little longer before he visited. Maybe they'll entertain him for an afternoon.
"Hello there."
The voice, deep and grating, was everywhere at once. Broly's heart hammered in his ears as he instantly transformed into his Super Saiyan state. Someone managed to sneak onto his ship and he didn't know?! He swiped back with his left hand and completely sheered the back of his chair in half. The wall behind him screamed as it was dented in by the force in his blow.
There was nobody there.
"What the?!" He looked around frantically. Unless the intruder was completely invisible, he was alone. "Talk so I can kill you!"
"There is no one on your ship; I speak to you from light years away to deliver a warning."
That straightened him up. Who the hell would warn him? That implied that there was danger they wanted him to avoid. Nobody liked him enough to want to keep him from getting in danger. Except maybe Bojack's former crew but that was more for their own self preservation than anything else. They wouldn't disguise their voices either. He was getting side tracked.
Broly scowled at the closest speaker. "You made me ruin a perfectly good chair so this better be good." There were several seconds of silence which steadily began to irritate him with each passing one. Kami, this reminded him of his messengers when he was king. Always pausing for dramatic effect.
"In six months, an army of machines called Androids will be unleashed among the stars. Within a few years, they will have subjugated all life in the galaxy."
The Saiyan rolled his eyes. This was another doomsday prophecies, wasn't it? The twenty-second 'the whole galaxy is in danger' foretelling if his count was accurate. Granted, the ones for the South Galaxy held true but he was never the focus of the danger in these things; merely the deliverer of the apocalypse if he were to wax poetic.
Broly sat back in his now ruined chair. "Way to waste my time, now leave me alone."
"An Android kills you. There was surprisingly little effort involved. I buried you last week."
That stopped him cold. For that brief moment, it felt like the heat within him was stolen away but he shook his head. Utterly ridiculous if a rather unique context. His curiosity asked that he heard out this mysterious 'time traveler'.
"You have five minutes to explain yourself."
"I come from twenty years in the future. We were, or become, allies of desperation. Even with your overwhelming power, their numbers were simply too great for you to overcome. We ran more than we won."
Him running away? He doesn't do that. Even when Bojack and Cold pushed him to his absolute limit, he never ran away. "If you're smart enough to be a time traveler than you can't honestly think I'll believe you." He crossed his arms. He hated to be cliche but this wasn't something you simply trusted to be true.
"If we were allies, prove it."
"While expected, I don't look forward to this. When you were imprisoned on Aciero,"
His blood ran cold as his mind dredged up memories of that godforsaken world. He shook his head once more. What am he worried about? Cold knew he was in the South Galaxy before he got here. There's probably information on his former imprisonment floating around.
"You had a caretaker assigned to you. Before you escaped, she shared with you a delicacy called Tafru."
His grip tightened on his arm rests and they groaned underneath the force of his hands. The memories attacked him worse than anything physical could ever hope to. The regret was the worst part. He never thanked her for that.
How? How did they know this and how dare they use it against him like this?
As if reading his mind, the voice spoke up once more. "You told me that."
"You lie!" He broke the armrests he was so livid. "I'd die a billion deaths before a word of that would ever leave my tongue!"
"How else would I know if not from you? If you want further proof, find the Galaxy Soldiers. My presence in the past shouldn't drastically changes things outside of the world I'm on so they will be among the first to encounter the Androids within the next six months."
He wouldn't dignify their words with a response. Did they take him for a fool? There was a better explanation. A survivor from Aciero who had access to the prison's cameras perhaps? But then why would they help him? He wasn't thinking clearly enough to find the answer but he would.
The Galaxy Soldiers? That's what Bojack's crew called themselves. Was this just another ploy to get him to join them? No, they knew exactly what they were dealing with when it came to him. They wouldn't be so foolish.
"Prevent my present and your future. Find out Dr. Gero's whereabouts from the Androids. Kill him and the future will be saved."
He was left standing in a dead room as the voice disconnected with an audible click. As convincing as that was, he wasn't fully convinced. Someone out there knew extremely intimate secrets about him and was trying to manipulate him. It made far more sense than time travel.
The Galaxy Soldiers would be the best lead as far as finding out who was the source of this information. Once he gets the info, he'll wring their neck, promptly dispose of anyone else who knows, and things will be back to the way they're supposed to be before he knew it
Broly crossed his arms. There was something else gnawing at him. A morbid curiosity about these mechanical monstrosities. It was the same that led him to Bojack. His Saiyan blood began to battle with his caution. No way in hell did he want a repeat of that but unlike the big green bastard, he was supposed to come into conflict with these Androids regardless of his intentions.
With that, his decision was made. He could give two shits about the other person on the line but in the small likelihood they're telling the truth, it's better to put out the flame before its turns into a wildfire.
Bulma laid back in her chair. That was stressful. Not unlike walking across a minefield now that she thought about it. It was worth it to hear him again even if he was younger and not exactly on her side.
Things were going as smoothly as she could reasonably expect. Once her past self and her father were revived by Porunga, they would try to revive Broly. She wasn't sure if that would work given that he died before reaching the present but they had to try. It wouldn't be right otherwise. She picked up Gero's notes and rifled through a specific one where he documented his process for turning himself into an Android.
If all else failed, she would not hesitate to fight fire with fire.
King Kai sipped his tea casually as Nappa and Raditz were busy hitting each other above him. Monkeying around as usual. The deity covered his mouth so as to not burst out laughing at his comedic genius and subsequently spit out his drink.
Yenma was really adamant about not letting yet another living Saiyan come up here since he was already kinda stretching it with Raditz around but the events with Lord Slug won him over luckily enough. Those two have long since learned all he could teach and now were helping him teach the next batch of heroes. So far, none have matched up to Broly by any means but evil throughout the galaxy has been brought down quite a bit so there's that.
His antennas perked up as he felt Goku approach behind him.
"Ah, Goku! You're just in time to place bets on who would win!" The rotund god grinned. "I have my money on Nappa right now."
Goku scratched the back of his head like he normally did. "I couldn't tell ya, King Kai. They're pretty even."
"Bah, you're no fun sometimes." He put his tea down on the table and his hands behind his back. "So what brings you back here? I thought you were meditating."
"I tried but it ain't working for me." The earthborn Saiyan's expression hardened. "I can feel something in me, King Kai. Another level to the Super Saiyan form. I'd thought that meditating would help me reach it but I'm not any closer."
"Do you think you'll achieve this new level in time for the Androids?"
"That's tough to say. I'm sure I can do it with the Hyperbolic Time Chamber but if we can beat the Androids without using it, I'd rather save the chamber for later, y'know?"
King Kai understood where he was coming from. After all, who knows what awful powers could rise up after those machines? But it was flawed thinking. If they invested the time into the chamber before any threats show up, the pay off will be threats more easily disposed of later.
"I still think you should go in now while you can. After all, what threat would be stupid enough to wait for you to train in the chamber after they show up?"
"We've all decided we didn't need the chamber when I brought it up when Future Bulma first showed up." He smiled his famous Son grin. "We don't have anything to worry about since she warned us so far ahead of time. It'll be fine, King Kai."
The rotund god turned away from the simple man with a roll of his eyes underneath his sunglasses.
"You're the salt of the earth, Goku."
He looked upon his newest creation with a certain glee. It was unbecoming of a machine such as him to emote so openly but he allowed himself this one rare instance. It was a purple dot in the middle of a tank of that miraculous healing liquid the PTO had available to them.
It was developing so fast, much more so than original estimates indicated. Barring any errors, it would finish developing in the next six months. It wasn't his greatest, that titled belonged to Cell who still developed in his underground lab on earth, but this was a close second.
With Frieza breathing down his neck, he couldn't just go home and retrieve the bio android. Without any of his notes or the DNA samples from the earth warriors, he couldn't simply recreate Cell so he had to make due with a close approximation made in secret. Luckily, Frieza's army made up for the less than stellar conditions with a rich biodiversity simply unheard of back on Earth. The shared potential among them was simply staggering once put together in a better, more mechanical context.
Once he goes back to his home world, Cell would be recovered and these two would serve as his personal guards after crushing Goku and his friends. Dr. Gero inputted a combination of keys into the panel on the machine and the setup slid back into the wall. It was imperceptible among the rest of his laboratory.
He looked upon his latest conversion. A purple freak with an elongated head that it infuriating to work on his skull. Appule was its name. As Frieza demanded, he had managed to resolve the programming errors that plagued Seventeen and Eighteen back on his home world. This one would be hopelessly loyal to the Arcosian tyrant.
At least, that's the story he'll feed to the dictator. Ultimately, it was he who held the key since this alien technology allowed him to solve his issue with programming these Androids.
His scouter alerted him to an incoming call. It was coming on the private frequency he set up away from Frieza's prying eyes. He patched it through.
"Dr. Gero." Came the voice of Android 19, a lowly soldier who no one noticed missing for weeks. The higher ups couldn't be bothered if any of their grunts don't report back from low level assignments. "We have retrieved the elite's bodies you have requested."
"Perfect."
Author's Notes
And the plot keeps moving forward.
Leave a review and let me know what you think!
Ent out.
Review Responses!
Trunkssan766: This story was written far before Super was a thing. Chapter 6 has a summary at the end detailing LSSJ. As for Turles, there's no numbers for how much a fruit multiplies a fighter's strength so no, Turles was not at Android level before turning Super Saiyan. That would be some absurd power right there.
Rufael: Previous chapters implied that she and her father were carried away in Slug's ship alongside Gero. Since he killed everyone on board... As for how she and her father got resurrected, Krillin mentions that they planned on reviving them around the time the Androids appear in Chapter 34. Third question is answered vaguely in this chapter.
enarmonios: There are Androids on earth but they're not usable as Bulma pointed out. The Androids that come to earth are scouts from the PTO. You were on the money with the teams splitting up.
Jadangle: Since Goku died before Broly got to earth in the future and subsequently died before Goku showed up in the past, she does not. It's funny because technically, given there are no other active Androids besides Gero, he'll be the strongest Android for a brief time. c. c
Tireless Overseer: Yeah, his need to surpass Cooler by attaining the fifth form himself will be disastrous for him.