Thanks for all the feedback I got last chapter. Now, for this chapter I will admit it is a very information heavy one, it is most of Gero's backstory; so I hope I've communicated this information in a natural and easily understandable way.

"It all started years ago, before Cell, before the androids, before 20, before the fall of the Red Ribbon army. With a man, one Dr Gerald Gero." By now Dr Flappe had settled back into his chair, leaning back thoughtfully while Trunks towered over him from the side. "His son, Klein had signed up with the Red Ribbon Army. Never really knew the boy, but he seemed like a soft-hearted and driven child. The Army had set up near his mother's animal preserves, armed with propaganda and promise; Gero told me the boy found it hard not to get swept up in the passion of the recruitment officers"

Trunks's eyebrows perked up at this, he had picked up hints about Gero's wife when e and Bulma combed through Gero's database, it was rather amusing to think of her being a nature lover. A man of industry and artificial life with a woman of botany and nature. Still, it explained where 16's strong nature of life came from. "Soon, Gero followed suit out of concern for his son's wellbeing. Gero wasn't a soldier, he couldn't follow his son onto the field of battle, but he could at least make sure that Klein was well equipped"

"Such pure intentions" Trunks snorted, leaning in slightly "And how does protecting his son lead to kidnapping and torturing children?"

"That wasn't-… Gero didn't…" The old man felt like Trunks was reaching through his chest and strangling his heart, but none the less he sighed and collected his thoughts. "Gero ended up causing many atrocities, with every progress in his machines more innocent people lost their lives. But-… But he never…"

"He never intended to hurt anybody? What? Did he think that Red Ribbon Arm weren't going to employ weapons in warfare?"

"He wasn't blind. He knew damn well what he was getting into, he had those morals come up time and again; but he always could spin a tall tale, a reason to justify his work. It always came back to his son" Flappe leaned forward, massaging his forehead as he paused.

"And you?"

"I had no choice in the matter. Red Ribbon caught whiff of my scientific potential and held my village at gun point" A nervous scratch of the nose, cringing at the memory of that fateful day. "They were making big plans, wanted to chase the legends told of secrete wishing orbs. Something about some Dragon's testicles" Flappe briefly shared an amused look as he thought back to when that little Goku kid came to jingle village, in search of one of those wishing orbs. "And for this they needed better tanks, better submarines, airships, the whole lot. And they were prepared to do anything to drag the greatest scientific minds before them any create something wonderful. The likes of Dr Briefs, you Grandfather I believe, had enough money and sense to avoid the attempts. Wheelo was a great mind who just up and disappeared. I was third on the list"

"And Gero wasn't?"

"He was a brilliant mind, but not a well-known one" His head looked back down, eyes taking in the low flames of a quickly dying fire. "Sure enough, he quickly proved his worth and was placed in the same division as me" He grabbed his walking stick and used the blunt end to prod the logs, letting the flames rise. "And from there our plans unfolded, a desire to lower the body count. See, in battle there are many casualties, many well-loved and able-bodied people reduced to cannon fodder" He could see them now, proud smiling men lined up on a beautiful field, only to have their blood paint the countryside the next second. "Gero always believed that life is a precious commodity, and to waste it was a heavy loss. So, why waste life?"

"And that's when you came up with the Androids?"

"The perfect soldiers. Endurance, powerful and expendable" He paused, thinking for a moment before scratching his cheek. "Well, when the kinks are all hammered out and they can be mass produced, but you get my meaning. The Android you're most familiar with are a far cry from their humble beginnings" He could remember the notable first batch, such as Major Metalitron and Eighter. "Android 1 to 16 were completely mechanical. The first Android, the Super Prototype, was an utter disaster. Big and hulking, little movement speed, little strategic value and lacked enough processing power to accomplish much; especially on the battlefield" He pulled back the walking stick, watching the flames lick the edges of the fireplace, taunting him. "Each unit got progressively better, but all the way up to Android 7 they experienced similar problems. Their programming got better, but confining them to the guidelines of programs and codes severely limited their combat potential. They could not think on their feet, only trip on their own commands"

"And so, we came to the decision to add a human factor. Giving the Androids their own personalities. The first subject with this in mind was Android 8, who I believe you already know" Flappe took on a tone of both joy at talking about the innocent Android and guilt at what he originally intended for Eighter. "We designed him as a simple assistant, one who could traverse and survive harsh terrains and weather. We planned on integrating combat features when we fully explored the advantages of the human factor" And then there was guilt. "In the end, he was left locked away in Muscle Tower, at the mercy and command of General White"

Trunks took to leaning against the fireplace, welcoming the warm heat to sooth his rather cold mood. "Why'd you leave Eighter there?"

"I finally got the opportunity to 'retire'. I still had to stay close, but I was allowed to keep a peaceful life as long as I was quiet, kept to myself and looked the other way" Eyes closed, another sigh out. "Gero was relocated to another facility, dedicated to this project by now and creating two more Androids who were so advanced… They were capable of hatred and distain. And they did not appreciate being tools" His fingers curled, muscles tensing. "I learned later that at that moment Gero, for the first time, considered taking some unethical roads to success. To give these androids personalities, then take away their will to use it freely"

Flappe stopped, staring into the fireplace where the fames now began to rise further, engulfing the log and hissing at all who burned under its touch. "And then… The Red Ribbon Army was defeated. By a small boy with a tail."

In the back of his mind he could hear his phone going crazy "Something happened, Commander Red… Everyone… They're all dead…" The rustling of paper, the hurried footsteps of a desperate man running once more. "I didn't know who else to call…" Gero's voice muffled through choking panic "He could be out there. I need you to help me, no one else will!"

"We arrived at what remained of the base…"

"Gerald! Hold up!" Gerald Gero was not in any sort of state to be making rational decisions, when he had first set eyes upon the burning rubble that used to be Red Ribbon HQ, any other thought was cast to the wayside in favour of only one: Find his son. "You can't ju-" Fredric Flappe had managed to grab a hold of Gero's shoulder, but for this scientist, physics was just a mere suggestion.

He was a hard worker, a late worker. He hadn't slept a wink for a few weeks, his body hadn't the privilege of a healthy meal plan and his old bones were already crying for mercy as shrapnel scratched against his exposed legs. Still, his body pushed on, dragging along the helpless companion, fuelled only by willpower and a father's desperation.

It didn't matter that many structures in the site were still in the process of falling over. It didn't matter that every step he took had him staggering as the ground was built upon a layer of unstable stone fragments. It didn't matter that his nose twitched at the prevalent smell of gasses he knew were quite explosive. It didn't matter that anyone who saw him would be able to see fresh tears burning his flesh. All that mattered is that somewhere in this sea of choking skies and scorching flames, his little boy was alone and afraid.

One steep slope laid itself before him, built out of shrapnel and turned over vehicles singed by some sort of energy beam. Gero didn't hesitate, caution lost in the wind as he attempted to rush down the dead hill; of course, with that speed at that angel, it only took a few steps before Gero's foot was dragged forward by a loose surface and sent rolling down the slope. He felt the consequence of his rashness almost instantly, a river of metal glass shredding his arms and legs with each centre meter of ground he managed, drawing out more tears. Leaving him a bleeding mess at the foot of the metal hill. The only comfort he could take was that he landed on something soft…

A foul stench of dried blood exploded in Gero's nose, causing him to throw his head back of cough out a disgusted cry, wrenching his eyes open to see what he landed on. The only thing he needed to see were the eyes, those blue, kind, lifeless eyes. Those same eyes he stared into twenty-five years before, where on the edge of the void he was given a reason to live, where he promised to never let harm come to this bearer. Those same eyes had been full of so much innocence, so much kindness, so much love.

And now they were empty, sucking out what remained of Gero's own love from his already bleeding heart. "F-Flappe! Get down here and help!" Maybe it was desperation, maybe it was just tradition. But Gero pulled himself from the body of his only Son and turned to the hill, observing that half of the man's body was swallowed by the build up on ruin. He flung himself onto the heap, grabbing any piece he could get his hands on and throwing them behind his back.

He didn't know how long he had been going at it when Flappe caught up, desperately scraping at the wreckage, tears mixing in with the blood, his emotions pushing aside all feelings of pain and loss. "Gerald… You're only going to hurt yourself!" Still Gero punched weakly at the bigger pieces of the pile, struggling to move them while his muscles cried out in pain. "Good god, man. He's dead! You can't save him!" He felt Flappe's hand again, pulling him away from the body. Gero could hear the trembling in Flappe's voice, but that didn't make it sound any less heartless.

"I'M NOT LEAVING HIM HERE!" Gero's entire body shook as the grief fully hit him, reverbing through his body like a violent echo. "I can't abandon him" He fell back to his knees, clutching what he could hold of the body, ginger hair tickling the ground as the head fell limp over Gero's knee. "Ii did as I was ordered, I followed him to hell and back, I dropped everything… How could this have happened?" He looked to the sky, his voice rising as he yelled, hoping that maybe his grief could pierce the heavens. Hoping someone would hear his cries. "I MADE MY BED! I MADE MY MISTAKES! Why must my hollow heart keep beating while he, who had a whole life ahead of him, had to be taken?"

Flappe fell silent, arms falling to his side as he watched Gero cradle is sons body, silently sobbing in the corpse's shoulder. Despite the sun blazing in the sky, every ray of light was sucked from his world, leaving the world in utter darkness around the boy's body. There was only one ray of light left. One beacon. One clear way forward. The fire rose through the darkness, all burning, ever consuming.

"This wasn't done by an army." The tears had stopped, Gero's quiet voice only holding venom and vitriol. "This was done by one boy. One imp. One devil with a tail. Riding on a cursed cloud" Flappe felt the scolding heat of Gero's accusing glare. "The same Devil that attacked Muscle Tower… You were there"

"Gerald, this is not the righ-"

"His name."

"Gerald!"

"We all worked for the Red Ribbon Army. Most of us have been here for over ten years, ignoring loved ones, damning our souls, sacrificing our heart and lungs for metal and grit. This was everything" Gero took a handful of dirt and let it softly drift with the wind away from his hand. "Who took everything away from me? From them? From us?"

Flappe couldn't help but let guilt grab him by the throat, desperation and confusion dragging out his tongue. "Son… Son Goku" Maybe he thought Gerow oud be happy with just the name. Maybe he thought Goku was much too powerful of a kid for Gero to cause and problems. No matter what, he told Gero. And he couldn't bare it. Forgive me, boy. I am too weak…

"Son… Goku…" Gero first said the name softly, no anger, no fire, no malice. It was new for him, something stirring that confused him. He looked skyward, his soul asking all who listened "Son Goku?" He repeated the word with a more questioning tone, frustrated at the feeling he couldn't recognise. But then it clicked, his heart beating just a tick or so less. His eyes spared a glance at his son before he stood up, looking over what remained of his heart; burning towers of rubble, broken down and ineffectual war machines, all loyalties repaid in death.

He said it one more time. His eyes blank and empty, only reflecting the smoke that swirled around him. The darkness was hot, but the fire would guide the way out. It was a promise. "Son Goku."

Flappe now stood to his full height, all his strength and years of experience holding him up. He felt competent, healthy, powerful. And yet he stared into the raging fire, one he could see was starting to become uncontrollable and volatile, threatening to leap out and burn him. He did nothing to stop it. "He had experienced loss before. But finding his Son lying there, under the rubble after an event he wasn't even there to change, he found a new type of loss; loss at the hands of another. A loved one taken by another"

"I know the feeling" Trunks immediately slammed his mouth shut after that comment, his throat tightening at the mere thought of empathising with that monster. "Guess even monsters have something to lose" He quickly added.

"The only thing he had left to lose were his morals" Flappe leaned on the wall, looking as weak and tired as he felt. "I knew I was losing Gero, I knew that his hatred was only going to grow. But I had to help him. I thought that maybe in the years it would take for us to continue our project… His hatred would drain away" Flappe's eyes closed solemnly. "Gero didn't discontinue the Androids, he had a new purpose to build something that could rain retribution upon Goku. Android 11 and 12 were live subjects, cyborgs but we called them Androids for convenience's sake. Gero saw no wrong in it, they were dying people desperate to live, and they weren't exactly innocent. 12 was even the highly paid assassin, Tao Pai Pai, soon Gero only knew by the fact he failed to kill Goku"

Trunks almost found the irony amusing. "Gero looked down on Tao? Tao ended up doing the same thing as Gero, hunting down Goku for revenge" When Flappe had no reply Trunks shrugged and continued. "Next was 13 then? The Trucker"

"13 was where the ideas that would later build Cell took root, the idea of an Android that could be made stronger by taking parts from other androids when he needed to" Cold air began to set in, the fire seemed to have completely extinguished itself on its own. "The idea came from when Gero was ranting about how this would progress faster if both our minds could act as one. To celebrate the idea, Gero was also inspired to use this technology to bring back an old comrade. Tucker."

The image of the chuckling Trucker flashed in Trunks's mind, a split second of fear and apprehension causing his muscles to tighten. Flappe continued. "A loyal friend of his late son, a soldier; the perfect candidate be brought back as a weapon of vengeance. We were successful, Tucker was brought back to the living with his personality intact. I don't know what happened. But the next day, Gero was broken, and Tucker was deactivated" Flappe hobbled over to the side of the rom, opening a drawer and pulling out a large and worn out folder. "The same day, I found this"

Trunks immediately recognised the pictures attached to the front of the folder, and on cue his stomach turned. "17 and 18." In the photo, the two were much younger than what Trunks recognised them as. 12? 15? They had this innocent look about them, almost cute even.

"He was planning long before you'd think. He had been watching them for years. I confronted him about it and it was only then I realised how foolish I was. He was broken beyond repair, there was no turning back on this, only more shards to pick up and dust away. Something about Tucker had shook him that day. It was a moment of weakness that broke through his rage and blinded him with the moral question of what he'd been doing"

"What did you do?"

"I ran" He slammed the folder onto the ground, spilling across the ground paper and photos detailing the two orphans. "I ran, and I ran. I found the largest, heaviest rock and I hid under it. I couldn't face him, I couldn't face the world, I couldn't do anything"

"You watched him plan and scheme his hatred, and you did nothing" Trunks spat pure venom as he advanced upon the old man, punching through the wall just beside him. "You found these, you knew what he was planning to do to those children… AND YOU STILL DID NOTHING!?" Flappe had no time to protest as Trunks grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up, before slamming him into the wall. "You could have told someone. You could have stopped him yourself if he was so distracted. You could have stopped all of this. You let the world die, you coward!"

"Yes, yes…" Flappe cried out in pain, but he still managed to keep his desperate eyes locked onto Trunks, the guilt obvious. "I am a coward. I never had much courage. I never told Eighter about how I put a bomb in his chest. I never pulled the grieving man away from the path that would lead him nowhere. And I didn't stop him even when my eyes were open. That guilt has been choking me for twenty years, but…" He sighed, he sobbed, he muttered hopes of forgiveness under his breath. "Trunks, I want to ask you something…"

"Ask me someth-"

"Could you do it?"

"What?"

"You have people that you love, people you hold close. Some like lovers, some like friends, some like brothers. I grew up with that man, I was his partner for our first official big invention, I was the best man at his wedding. I loved him like a brother." His shoulders shuddered, his mind crying out for the good old days. "If your loved one fell into a dark place, their spirit broken and their intentions destructive. Could you bring yourself to stop them? Could you take that burden? Could you hurt them?"

Trunks stood frozen for a few moments, his eyebrows furrowed as he thought back to his loved ones. To those he'd come to care for. 16 could become Gero's puppet again if his programming was recoded. To those he knew were family. My Mother and Videl could snap, they've been through so much... And to those he didn't know how to describe yet. Pan reminds me of my Father in some ways, would she disregard life like he did? His eyes hardened, already chewing himself out for taking more than a second to answer the question. "Of course I would. They're important to me, but I will sacrifice anything to keep this world safe, even if that sacrifice has to be my happiness" I mean, of course I would. Right?

Flappe relented with a slump in his eyes, like something inside just broke. "Then you are stronger man than I"

Trunks had to admit, he was suddenly feeling like a bit of a jerk for assaulting the man. No one could be expected to overcome everything. "You can still be strong, Flappe. You can help me protect this world by helping me find out if the Androids are still around"

"I can?" He responded as if the thought had never occurred to him, like the idea itself was impossible.

Trunks set him down. "Do you know what happened after you left?"

"I pieced things together from data I could find" The old man slid down the wall, slumping against it as his shoulder shook once more. "16 was the most significant point. I gather you already know that 16 was modelled after Gero's Son. Seems obvious now, bring back his son and everything gets better. But with his Son, his core reason for everything he's done; he started to wonder if his Son would agree with this" He paused, closed his eyes and braced himself. "He never activated him. He felt guilty. He finally acknowledged it out loud, he couldn't do it. No human could. One part of him chastised him, he was held down by his emotions and no matter what he'd never be able to push him to go as far as to kidnap children"

"Then what pushed him?"

"Nothing"

"I don't understand"

"Trunks, if you were a mad scientist who built fully functional, fully sentient Androids. What would you do when you realize that you can never get past your human flaws?"

"I'd… Build a me that wasn't limited by those flaws"

"Exactly. An android had no mental limits. Personality? Ethics? Boundaries? Moral stomach? All can be reprogrammed. And so Android 20 was born, forged in hatred, indoctrinated into obsession, powered by the thought of Son Goku's death" He got back up and stamped down on the file with his boot. "Dr Gerald Gero died that day, and from his ashes Android 20 took his place. So, when I looked back on this broken world, the monster that caused it all… Yes, it was Gero and me who made the schematics, but it was that monster, 20, who built the machine. Who doomed this world"

"You keep mentioning that…" Trunks crouched down in front of the man, trying to be on even level with him. "Sure, the world's not in great shape, but we're all pulling together and rebuilding. And if the Androids are back, I can beat them like I beat Cell and the Twins"

"I'm afraid that isn't it, Trunks" A faint hand reached across and clasped itself on Trunks's shoulder. "Though Gero might have something to do with it, something far worse is troubling our world. Haven't you noticed? Strange weather patterns, the World GROWING, landscapes rising and switching and falling. Gravity shifting" His eyes were wide and pulsating, crazed. Trunks had to admit, he did feel heavier as he approached the house, but he just attributed that to the snow. "The distance between this house and Jingle Village was once half an hour, yet now that travel time has stretched to a full hour. Mountains taller, Wastelands wider. Next thing you know, the sky will be falling upon. These aren't just anomalies, these are the signs of the apocalypse"

"I haven't really been paying attention… But I'm sure it's just a bit of rough weather, irregular things happen"

"Irregular? IRREGULAR!? A man in a devil costume dancing atop a toilet is irregular, this is catastrophic!" With his free hand, Frappe wiped sweat from his brow, his voice panicking. "I've read theories about this kind of result made by your Grandfather"

"My Grandfather?"

"Yes, yes, once upon a falling apple he had the thought to try and build a Time Machine, in which he began investigating the adverse effects and application of time travel. Ended up scrapping it all though…"

Trunks had sworn his entire face had gone blue as he blurted out "Time Travel? Hold up a sec, you mean these line up with the effects of using a Time Machine"

"Well, yes… But as I said, he ended up scrapping it, so I suppo-… Why are acting so jumpy when I bring up Time Tr-" Flappe stopped, the gears in his head working, and before Trunks could interrupt Flappe's jaw had already dropped. "That brilliant woman! She did it, didn't she!? SHE BULIT A TIME MACHINE!"

"You already figured out it was my mother who did it?"

"Of course! Your mother's scientific mind rivalled that of Gero and her Father's combined, she'd be the only one who could do it" A fire seemed to have been relit inside Flappe's eyes, his groaning bones paid no mind as he launched himself at Trunks, gripping the boy's shoulders with glee. "Did you use it? Have you time travelle- Of course you have, that's why this is all happ- Oh, the anomalies; this both terrible and amazing at the same time. I'm not sure my heart can take it!"

"Your mood swings are confusing…"

"Don't you get it? This is a scientific extravaganza of the century! The pinnacle of knowledge, the impossible!" Flappe got to his feet with a new spring in his step. "So impossible that even Dr Briefs gave up and he never gave up. I always had suspicions, but to know now that such a thing is a reality; it makes me… Makes me hopeful" He hopped over to the bookshelf and started tearing down pages, scattering them all over the floor. "You're right, I'm weak. I'm at the bottom. But being at the bottom doesn't mean the end, it just means that the only way to go is up" He briefly stopped to grab a large bottle of alcohol and take a swig. "Now, this might just be the stages of my body reacting to the alcohol drank before you came in, but I feel like there's hope. I feel… I feel like saving the world!"

And just after that moment, much like Flappe's confidence, the house exploded in a blinding tornado of golden light. All Trunks could do was throw himself in the way to protect Flappe as they were both engulfed.

That was... Longer than I thought it was. Hope you enjoyed and, again, I hope the information was neither lost nor annoying to read through.

I wanted to get across that at his core, Gero wasn't just a mindless villain, he had personal reasons for what he did. Now, one thing I worried about with this chapter is how I presented Gero's backstory. I didn't want it to look like what he did was being justified, the intention is only to understand why Gero goes on to do such terrible things. We will be returning to this backstory more in depth later, which will certainly be better than Flappe just explaining this.

One thing that did make presenting this backstory hard, is that at the same time I'm also balancing Trunks's behavior. I wanted to convey his inner struggles that the return of the Androids has stirred, how his desperation and anger is getting the better of him when it comes to anything related to those subjects. To the point that he lashes out at people who don't deserve it because they try to look at the full picture, I had a bit of this back with Eighter. This is because, in my view, Future Trunks has always been a rather impulsive character. He may not share Vegeta's combat boner, but he has his Daddy's impulsive nature when something gets his hackles up.

I also really wanted to portray Flappe as someone who feels his years catching up to him. Someone who's been carrying the guilt of inaction for years on end, so much so that he's secluded himself with suicidal thoughts. He's thought about uing science to combat the androids before, but he always called it impossible, he called every situation impossible. Which is why acknowledging that Trunks killed Cell and the Androids, as well as the fact that Time Travel is possible, it gives Flappe hope that maybe his situation isn't so impossible after all.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, see you next time!