The cool breeze flowing through the air hitting everything it touches. Makes loose leaves flow freely with the wind. Makes tree branches swing freely in every single direction. A nice breeze on what some would call a beautiful night. A night with the full moon shining brightly upon the world. This bright light that can make some of the most beautiful sceneries become angelic. Just like many would call one certain stream hidden deep within a forest in the mountains. This river stream that flows through the mountains. The perfect stream many would say to camp out at. Many would say is the perfect spot to go fishing. The nearby residents have proven this to be a fact over the years. A perfect place to go if you wanted to clear your mind. A beautiful place. This stream that overlooks a small cave hidden deep within a small waterfall. An angelic waterfall many have called it. The very same waterfall that if one was to look closely at on this night they would swear to see an angel inside. This blonde haired angel that used the waterfall to bathe herself. This blonde angel with flawless skin. With no blemishes seen anywhere on her body. This beautiful face with her head thrown back and her eyes closed allowing the water to run freely down her athletic body.
If they only knew the truth. This was no mere angel standing inside of the waterfall. Was no fictional being that would suddenly disappear with a mere glance. No she is real. A real life being but she is neither an angel or any sort of fictional creature that resembles good. No, she is an android. Plain and simple. A once teenage girl turned into this. Turned into a cyborg. This cybernetic organism if you wanted to be correct. A girl whose bones have been replaced with metal. A girl whose brain shares space with a small chip resting deep inside. A girl that once had dreams for herself before this horrible nightmare had taken place. A nightmare that she has yet to wake up from. Will never wake up from.
She could remember the day perfectly. Remember the first moments she had woken finding herself strapped to a table. Had found herself with this display screen as her vision as though she was some kind of computer. But what she saw next would forever haunt her dreams forever. Remember looking down seeing her chest completely ripped open revealing bolts and wires underneath. Remember screaming at the top of her lungs only to have no sound escape her unmoving lips. A memory that she would never forget. Would never forgive the man that had done this to her. A human being hellbent on revenge against the very man that had taken everything away from him. The man that would become her main target to destroy. The programming put into her by the good doctor that had done this to her.
Had given her what was considered at one time an invincible body. Had given her this body that would sustain an never ending stream of energy to use against any that dared to stand in between her and her objectives. A body that many women would kill to have. A body with flawless skin. A body that had no blemishes to be seen anywhere. A body with this silk and soft hair. But if you were to ask her? This android that stands underneath this waterfall oblivious to the world around her deep in thought she would tell you the opposite. This body wasn't a blessing. No it was a curse. A curse that she would forever have. How she has always wondered what it would be like to be one of the many women that she has seen walking around. How she has wondered what it would be like to have delicate skin like them. To have some kind of blemish somewhere on her body. What it would be like to be normal but she could never have that. No the good doctor had taken that away from her. Just like this virus was threatening to take away something else from her.
She still couldn't fully understand what she is feeling. Why would? Before his final encounter against Cell, she had never met the young saiyan before. Only had watched him from the distance along with the rest of The Z Fighters. Perhaps they had been hidden deep inside while she watched this young saiyan grow up into the young man that he is today. A young man trapped inside of a nine year old's body. Well ten if the story about The Hyperbolic Time Chamber is true. A young man that she had watched overcome some many obstacles. Had overcome so many odds that had been stacked against him. A young saiyan that had gone out of his way to save her and her twin brother. How she didn't know and perhaps would never know. What she did know was the moment she had awoken and seen him in the flesh for the first time she had been left speechless. Speechless at the power radiating off from his body. Speechless from his heroic act to save them. A hero. A true hero that she knew would never gloat about his victory. It just wasn't in his character. A young man that doesn't deserve what is happening to him right now. A hero that is dying right now thanks to another's stupidity.
A thought that makes a scowl be seen coming across her face underneath the waterfall. Makes a stream of red slowly be seen trickling down her closed fists from where her nails dig into her palms. The only part of her body that could be considered flawed at the moment. Palms with deep cuts that have been reopened with the pressure being applied. This pain that doesn't register into her mind as she continues to go over option after option that runs across her database. Runs across solution after possible solution over and over again looking for the best course of action to take. And none are proving to be fruitful at the moment. None were proving to provide her the right solution to this mess. If only he had an antidote for this virus. If only he had something to fight against this virus that has invaded his body. If only….
And suddenly it comes to her like a bolt of lighting making her eyes snap open. It is so simple. A solution that would solve all of this. Solve how to beat this stupid virus. The solution was always right there before her very eyes. A solution that she looks down towards right now bringing her badly cut hands up for her to look down towards. Look down towards with her advanced sight only being able to see them. A true advancement in medicine if it was ever to be discovered. The smallest of specks that could be seen near her cuts. These specks that are much like blood cells only these cells are different. These cells can do so much more and the evidence is right there and now. How her cuts are very slowly being healed with her best estimate that by tomorrow morning there will be no traces of them at all. A solution that for the first time in a very long time brings a bright smile across Android 18's face.
Dead silence. No sound of life anywhere. No sound of joy anywhere. No sound of friendly conversations taking place. Not even a whisper. Nothing can be heard inside of one room. This room whose wall is torn completely open allowing the cool breeze outside to invade. A room where four chairs are seen taken out with four beings sitting silently at a lone dining room table lost in their thoughts. A set of parents that haven't said a word to each other ever since earlier. A couple that has had its fair share of problems throughout the years. Parents that knew deep down what the blonde haired android has spoken is nothing but the truth. A truth that was painful to hear like they were being stabbed in the heart with a sharp knife.
But they weren't the only ones lost in their thoughts. No sitting across from them with her head in her hands threading through the locks of her blue hair their oldest friend can be seen staring down at the table in front of her with nothing but guilt seen in her face. With nothing but unshed tears in her eyes. She had been right. Android 18 was right. She had been so stupid. When Goku had first told her and the rest of The Z Fighters that story that had been told to him by the mysterious time traveler she had been skeptical. Who wouldn't be? A time traveler? Even she knew that to be impossible but if her past showed her anything nothing was impossible so she had done along with it. She had gone along with the story just waiting to see if the things he had said would transpire and they had. Almost to the letter. He had been struck with a deadly virus. Her best friend had been hit with this deadly heart virus. A virus that had no antidote to date except for the small vial given to them by the time traveler. A small vial that she should have taken just a few drops from. Just enough for her to examine and create a mass supply of for when the time came that this virus would spread across the world. But she hadn't. She hadn't and now she along with everyone else was suffering the consequences. He was suffering the consequences. Her best friend's son. A young saiyan that she considered to be her first son. A young man that she had watched grow up. Had gone to Namek with. Had always brought out on camping trips. Has shared a few adventures with reminding her of times of old. A young man that she has failed to protect. Her biggest failure to date that makes silent tears trickle down her cheeks as she suppresses sobs that want to escape her lips.
A silence that is suddenly broken when the sound of the hut's front door is heard slamming open. This sound that echoes throughout the hut drawing everyone's attention at the table. Occupants that follow that sound of footsteps with their eyes before they watch with shock and a bit of confusion Android 18 walk past the room without paying any of them a single glance. Walk past with this emotionless look across her face and yet her eyes spoke of something else. Spoke of his sheer determination. This look that goes noticed by everyone making each get up from their seats and silently follow after her from a distance. Follow after her finding her moving in the direction of Gohan's bedroom. A place that she has been frequenting most of the time if not all of the time ever since she had arrived here at the hut. This android that ignores every single one of them as she enters into the bedroom and silently comes to sit down on the edge of the bed before doing something that shocks every single one of them. Goes over and brushes Gohan's cheek with her right hand almost lovingly and leans over to whisper something that none of them can hear.
Whatever was whispered could never prepare them for what happens next. Never prepare them as they watch silently from the hallway the android reaches into her blue vest's pocket and pulls out a silver box from within and plunk out a capsule from within. A box with the familaur symbol that could be seen on the hospital nearby. A capsule that immediately is used causing to their shock a puff of smoke to emerge before evaporating revealing a small set of medical tools inside of a suitcase. Tools such as needles to scalpels with an empty bag directly in the middle with a line attached. A tool each of them knew what it was but couldn't figure out why it was here. Why would this android bring such a device here? An android they watch in silence take off her vest, placing it off to the side of the bed and slowly rolls up the sleeve to her right arm before digging into the medical supplies.
" What are you doing?"
A question that each of them silently wanted to ask. A question that finally escapes Chi Chi's lips as she watches Android 18 poking around on her right arm as though looking for a vein before the android lifts her eyes up for a moment to look her dead in the eyes.
" I'm saving your son's life."
This answer that is soon joined by action when within moments Android 18 injects herself with a small needle attached to the line of the bag. This line everyone watches become crimson as blood slowly is transferred into the bag before all eyes are drawn back to Android 18 who doesn't look any of their way and instead focuses solely on Gohan's sleep face.
