Hey guys, Liz here. Last we left off, the future trio and Krillin arrived onto the scene of Gingertown, only for Cell to make his escape at the last minute while bearing Goku's face! (Talk about awkward for F. Daichi and F. Chibi). Now that Cell's on the run, what will our heroes do? Can they possibly be able to catch the monster before he causes even more trouble? Find out, now!

One quick note before we start, there are over 100 of you following the story now, and that's flippin' bonkers! If you had asked me at the beginning of the year when I wrote this story that this would get as popular as it did, I would say you're nuts. Well, here we are at the end of the year, and all of y'all have stuck around for the show. Thank you all so much for taking an interest in the story and these characters. It means the world to me. Anyway, on with the show!

Son Squad Ch. 44

Back at the Kame House, Gohan, Chiyo, and Chinku decided that even though they were stuck on the island, that didn't mean that they just had to sit around and do nothing. Now seemed like the perfect time to train. All three stood on the island's shoreline and glared each other down, waiting to see who would make the first move. The two nine-year-olds and the one six-year-old said nothing as they looked between each other to find a weak point to strike.

Then, without so much as a word being said, Chiyo went to strike at Gohan, her arm being blocked by his. The two seemed evenly matched, so Chiyo jumped back and then went for a kick to the back. Gohan barely had time to stop the incoming kick and throw Chiyo towards the water. She halted herself in mid-air just inches from the crashing waves, which allowed Chinku to take a turn at Gohan with a quick leg-sweep. Gohan was able to jump up before his little sister could get his feet out from underneath him, and he then used just the force of a punch to send Chinku skidding back against the sand.

Gohan then turned his attention back over to Chiyo, who came rushing towards him at top speed. The two exchanged blows between each other, and they both dodged the other's attacks. They seemed to match with one another, and Chinku watched in somewhat awe at her older brother and sister's strength. They were still lightyears ahead of her in terms of skill, but that just meant she had to push herself even harder now. She observed to see if she could find an opening to jump in and fight, but the twins were going so fast that she had difficulty finding a good point to get in on the action.

Finally, Gohan landed a blow to Chiyo's cheek while Chiyo simultaneously managed to land one to Gohan's. This sent the two of them flying to the island's opposite ends and landing in the water, shocking Chinku. She barely had time to register what had just happened before her eyes when she heard the twins hit the water. Before she could scream out either of their names, Gohan and Chiyo popped their heads out of the waves and sat up from their positions in the shallow water. Both parted their wet bangs that now covered their eyes, and they looked over at each other on opposite sides of the island. When they saw that the other twin was in the same situation as they were, they couldn't help but laugh. Even when they got knocked down, it happened in the exact same way.

"Not bad, sis," Gohan remarked, standing up and ringing out his long, black hair. He thought about getting a haircut soon. He liked having long hair, but it definitely was a hassle to care for. Plus, it was starting to slightly remind him of Raditz a bit, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. "You're getting way stronger."

"Yeah, but you're still leagues ahead of me," Chiyo stated to Gohan, standing up and ringing out her shirt before going for her hair. She was well aware of the power gap between her and Gohan, but she also knew that the two weren't far off from each other like they were before. Maybe there was a way to catch up to Gohan after all. "I've still got a ways to go before getting to your level."

"Well, I'm gonna catch up to the both of you soon, so you better watch out," Chinku proudly declared to her brother and sister, placing her hands on her hips to affirm her proclamation. The confidence she had almost was contangious. "I'll be just as cool as my future self. No, wait, I'll be even cooler!"

"Luckily for us, that won't be for a long time," Gohan joked, coming back onto the solid island and getting out of the water. "We'll just have to keep up our training to keep you from beating us."

"Well, we'd better get back to work then," Chiyo joked as well, coming out of the water. "We don't want to be shown up by our little sister, now do we, Gohan?"

Suddenly, a loud growling noise was heard from all three kids, and they all looked between each other and realized they hadn't eaten in a while. Okay, maybe it had been more than a while. "Food first, then we train some more," Chinku stated, her stomach growling a second time following this proclamation.

Then, they all three laughed.

Watching from the upstairs window was Master Roshi, who still couldn't quite believe that these were Goku's kids. They were just like their Father for sure, and maybe they were even better than he was at that age. Kids today with their alien powers and being stronger than him. Oh well. He was retired anyway. Can't really complain. The old turtle hermit glanced back over to the sleeping Goku on the bed with little Chibiko still in his arms asleep. Goku, I think your kids are gonna turn out even better than you did, Master Roshi thought to himself as he looked upon his former sleeping student.


Back at the ruins of Gingertown, Piccolo waited for the arrival of Tien and Vegeta to the scene before explaining everything he had learned about Cell to the others. He told them how Cell got to the past, his goal of absorbing 17 and 18, the fact that he too was an android built by Gero, and even explained his odd ability to shape-shift into others to get a rise of fear out of people. Everyone took this in and tried to process it all.

Krillin and Tien were starting to feel more and more like they didn't belong in this fight. They were no match for the androids and sure as heck wouldn't be a match for Cell. Each hour that passed by seemed to affirm to them that they were nothing compared to these opponents. Things were much simpler when their biggest threat was Piccolo and not some tin-cans made of Goku's DNA.

The time-traveling trio tried to figure out what to think of Piccolo's tale. Part of them felt guilty, and like this whole thing was their fault. Had their other timeline counterparts been more careful, then Cell wouldn't have come back in time, and the people of Gingertown would still be alive. Was interfering with the past part of why everything was topsy-turvy? Was this all their fault? Could it even be fixed at this point?

Vegeta, meanwhile, was livid. Not only was Piccolo now technically stronger than him, not only was there a new android to contend with, but that thing also decided to wear his own face just for sick kicks! You best believe the prince of Saiyans wanted to throw down with Cell right then and there. He hated being pushed even further down the totem pole of power and felt like his own destiny was out of his hands.

"That's what we're up against," Piccolo stated after explaining everything. "To prevent Cell from reaching his perfect form, we'll either have to find Cell and kill him or kill androids 17 and 18. It's one or the other. I say we go after Cell before he reaches a point where he's unstoppable,"

"That shouldn't be too hard, right?" Daichi questioned, his arms crossed over his chest. "Once we feel energies dropping off, then we'll know where he is and gets to him before he wipes out more cities."

"That's easier said than done, though," Trunks spoke up after being in deep thought. "Now that he knows that we know about him, he'll definitely be sneakier about absorbing more bio-energy. By the time we even get to him, he'll be gone. We'll just be chasing his shadow."

"Damn. So unless we manage to get one step ahead of him before he gets the power to absorb those androids, we'll have a real problem on our hands!" Tien exclaimed. "The whole world could be in danger!"

"And as it stands now, Piccolo is the only one who stands a chance against him," Chibi added in. "Even if we all split up to different cities and towns to look for Cell, it won't do us any good if we can't even match the guy in strength. All we'd end up doing is giving him more bio-energy to get stronger."

"Not only that but if Cell truly does have the DNA of Frieza in him, I doubt conquering Earth alone will satisfy him," Piccolo theorized. "Other planets across the universe could be in danger as well. I doubt Cell would be lacking ambition once he reaches his perfect form." The thought of that monster reaching perfection honestly terrified Piccolo. If Cell was a threat now, he'd be unstoppable in his perfect form.

As everyone was taking this all in, Vegeta finally spoke, "You all are ridiculous!" He shouted, getting everyone's attention. Here we go again with another Vegeta rant; "Where you see a threat, I see a challenge! If Cell wants to absorb these androids, then go ahead and let him. It'll save me the trouble of hunting them down one-by-one. Then we'll see how perfect he is when I scrape him from boot heels!"

"Are you some kind of stupid?" Chibi genuinely questioned Vegeta, glaring at him. "If Cell reaches his final form, the Earth, no, the universe is screwed! You could barely handle 18, so what makes you think you can handle both hers and 17's powers combined with Cell's?!"

"Shut the hell up, you brat!" Vegeta snapped at Chibiko, causing Daichi to now glare at Vegeta. "Or I'll kill you right here and now!"

"She's just saying the truth, Vegeta!" Daichi shouted at the saiyan prince and getting in front of his sister in case Vegeta tried anything. He didn't want to fight Vegeta, but no way would he just let this guy threaten to kill his little sister. He had already lost too many family members to take threats like that lightly. "None of us are going to be able to do anything to Cell as we are right now. Not even super saiyan is enough!"

"Then I'll just go beyond super saiyan!" Vegeta declared, surprising everyone and smirking at their surprised expressions. "And I'm sure Kakarot will do the same once he's awake."

"Beyond super saiyan?" Trunks muttered to himself. Was such a thing even possible? Or had his Father finally lost his mind? Had the stress of it all gotten to him?

"You fools can do things on your own," Vegeta cockily remarked, looking over his shoulder at all of them. While all of this was a lot to take in, he was also excited at the idea of being pushed even further. His excitement outweighed his doubts about the situation. "As for me, I'll do things my way." With that, Vegeta took to the air to do who-knows-what.

"….Okay, maybe that guy's been hit in the head too many times," Chibi said after Vegeta was gone. She placed her hands on her hips and kept looking off in the direction the saiyan prince had flown off in. Part of her was intriguied by the idea of going beyond super saiyan, but the more realistic side of her was analyzing the facts of the matter. "I mean, is it even possible to reach a level beyond super saiyan? I thought super saiyan was the highest a saiyan could go."

"I don't know," Piccolo admitted, slightly shaken by Vegeta's proclamation. You could see the sweat going down his forehead as he thought it all over. "But for our sake, let's hope it's possible."

"If it is, that could be a real game-changer, for sure," Daichi stated. "And if anyone can do it, I'd place my bets on Pops. He seems like he'd be able to do something like that for sure." He hoped he was right. While he didn't know his Father personally, just hearing about him through stories from his siblings and Bulma convinced Daichi that his Father could be capable of anything. He was almost like a legend to Daichi.

Looking up at the sky, Trunks was still trying to process all that Piccolo, and his Dad, had said. He couldn't believe that this Cell creature would use his own face to bring about terror and fear in others. Not only that, but the monster was a creation of Gero and had killed him and his friends to get to this place in time in the first place. The idea that a creature like that could even exist made his skin crawl more than the androids.

"Hey, Trunks," Krillin spoke up, getting Trunks out of his thoughts. (He seems to be doing that a lot lately). "You said that with the rules of time travel, it'd do no good to go back in time to destroy the androids, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Trunks answered. "All it would do is create a new timeline. Nothing would change here."

"Then, it would be a bad idea to suggest we go back to Gero's lab and destroy the mini Cell in the tank, right?" Krillin questioned, still not quite sure he understood all the exact rules of time travel.

Trunks thought about it for a moment. Sure, destroying the mini Cell wouldn't stop the current one that was rampaging around, but not destroying it would be just as bad. "No, we should do that. It'll make sure another Cell doesn't come roaming around 20 years from now in this timeline."

"Well, it beats just standing around in a destroyed town," Chibi stated. "Besides, the idea of another Cell running around here makes me wanna be sick."

"Then it's settled," Piccolo said. "The rest of you go off to the lab and destroy that tank. I'll stay here and see if I can pick up Cell's trail."

"I'll stay," Tien corrected Piccolo. "You'll need the extra eyes." (Pun intended? Maybe, but who knows). Either way, Tien wanted to feel like he was useful. He figured the others would have no problem destroying the mini Cell and the lab, so why go with them? Piccolo would need the extra help trailing the Cell on the run, even with his newfound strength from Kami.

"I'll go with you guys," Daichi spoke up. "If things get dicey, having a super saiyan on call might come in handy." Just like Tien, he figured the others didn't need any more people to go with them to the lab. He'd be more help with everything by going after Cell and trying to kill the monster.

"Just don't do something stupid and get yourself killed, okay?" Chibi instructed her brother. She and him may fight, but she cared about him. If that moment earlier with Vegeta was any indicator about how much the two siblings cared about each other, then you could tell they would always have each other's backs. "Cell absorbing your power could put him over the top and make him unstoppable. And the last thing I want to do is be the one to tell Bulma and Chinku you got yourself killed."

"Awe, sis, you do care about me," Daichi teased, pulling his sister into a side-hug. He instantly regretted it when she lightly elbowed him in the stomach to release her. It knocked the wind out of him instantly.

"What have I said about the unnecessary side hugs?" She stated, side-glaring at her brother.

"Right. Sorry about that. You like your personal space."

The three z-fighters weren't sure what to make of this interaction since none of them had siblings of their own to compare these two. (Well, Piccolo technically did, but the other Namekians were on the other side of the galaxy now, and even during their stay on Earth, he didn't really interact with them all that much to make a lasting connection).

Trunks just shook his head at this. "They do this all the time," He stated to the others.

"I mean it, though. Be careful," Chibi stated in a serious manner.

Daichi rubbed his sore stomach and nodded. "You too. Who knows what else is in Gero's lab, so stay on guard."

"Then let's all meet back at Roshi's when everything is said and done," Krillin suggested to the group. "If you can't find Cell, chances are he'll appear on the news."

"Good idea," Tien nodded in agreement.


Trunks, Chibi, and Krillin, didn't have to fly long to reach Gero's lab's remains. They had been there not-too-long-ago and the place had made a lasting impact on them, so it wasn't hard to find the place where everything seemed to start to go downhill. However, the rubble didn't make finding the hidden entrance easy. Realizing this, Trunks suggested blasting around a bit until they found a ladder leading down underground.

"This has gotta be it for sure," Krillin remarked upon looking down the hole.

"Let's check it out," Chibi said, ready to get this over with.

"Ladies first," Trunks jokingly remarked, earning an eye-roll and small shove from Chibi. She went down first, followed by Trunks and then Krillin.

Once all three were down the ladder, they found a familiar-looking door that they had seen with Gero's other lab. However, unlike the previous door, this one wasn't locked, and they easily pushed the door inwards to find Gero's computer at work, the container housing the micro-Cell, and a bunch of other odds and ends thrown about. This wasn't like the previous lab and seemed more disorganized in a sense. The other lab at least had the decency to be more organized and put-together, like a good mad-scientist lab should be. Before deciding to completely trash the place, the trio thought it would be a good idea to look around to see if they could find anything of use.

Chibi walked around and made her way to the back of the lab, where she found what looked to be a personal desk with scribbled-out plans and ideas on sheets of paper. Nothing there was really of note, and it looked the ravings of a spiraling old-man. Given the circumstances, Chibi figured the doctor went mad a long time ago and this was just further proof cementing that fact.

However, something on the desk that didn't seem like it belonged was a picture of a young man in a military uniform. Chibi picked it up and noticed how the young man looked slightly familiar, sporting red hair and a uniform with the Red Ribbon logo on it. He was a somewhat muscular looking guy, and his eyes were a familiar blue. Looking closer, Chibi noticed that on his uniform was the last name Gero underneath the flaps of his collar. "Wait, huh?" Chibi mumbled to herself. "Is this guy related to Gero?"

Then it clicked to her why this guy looked familiar to her; he looked just like android 16!

"Hold on a sec," Chibiko said aloud. "This guy right here might by Gero's son or something. And, if that's the case, then did Gero remake his son from android 16? I don't get it!" Gero didn't seem like the type to care much for family, yet here was proof that android 16 was based on someone that Gero held in high regard. Why else make the android look like this person? Did this also mean that this person was no longer around? That also reminded her of what Gero had said to 17 and 18 before he was destroyed; how 16 had the capacity to destroy the planet if he was released. Just what did Gero mean by that?

"Hey, Chibi," Trunks called out from the other end of the lab, getting the young woman's attention. "Get over here. I think we found blueprints for android 17!"

"Say what?" Chibi slightly gasped. She put the picture down and went over to the desk Trunks was standing around. Sure enough, these were definitely plans for android 17. Chibi couldn't believe her eyes when she saw this. Were they finally getting lucky in this endless battle with the androids? If so, it all felt like a dream. "You know what this means, right?"

"If we bring these back to my Mom, she might be able to find a weakness in the design!" Trunks declared a smile on his face for the first time in ages.

Seeing him smile slightly made Chibi's cheeks flush red. She liked it when he smiled. He was always scowling or in deep thought. She wasn't much of a smiler, but she thought Trunks should do it more since it fit him more than it did her. When she realized her face was warm, Chibi quickly turned away before Trunks or Krillin could notice.

With the plans gathered and nothing else to do, the trio blasted the lab until it was nothing but rubble and then took to the skies with plans for androids 17 in hand. The feeling of flying out of there with the plans made everyone feel pretty darn good. They needed a little win every now and again, you know?

"Finally, we have a leg up in this mess," Krillin cheered, a grin plastered on his face. He wasn't sure about being hopeful before, but now he was beaming at realizing that victory was actually within reach.

"Tell me about it," Chibi said. "As soon as Bulma gets these plans, I'm sure she'll figure out how to stop the androids for good."

"If anyone can figure it out, it's her," Krillin agreed.

Glancing over her shoulder, Chibi noticed Trunks in deep thought again. Oh no, She thought to herself. What's he thinking about now?

"Hey Krillin, Chibi, do you think you can deliver these plans to my Mom on your own?" Trunks requested, handing the plans over to Chibiko.

"Uh, sure," Krillin replied, raising an eyebrow at the request. "Why, though? Where are you gonna be?"

"I think it'd be a good idea to try and train with my Dad," Trunks explained. However, he didn't seem like he was confident in the idea of actually getting to train with his Father. Still, what other option was there? "If there really is a way to go beyond super saiyan, I should try."

"Well, good luck getting help from Vegeta," Chibi warned Trunks, glaring at him ever-so-slightly. She saw this more as Trunks trying to get to know his Father better. For Chibi herself, she knew plenty enough about the saiyan prince to last her a lifetime and couldn't stand being within a few feet of him. Trunks suggesting to go train with him to go beyond super saiyan made her want to make some smart aleck comment, but she kept it to herself for now. "I doubt he'll happily welcome you as his training partner."

"I gotta try something, don't I?" Trunks questioned his friend.

"Yeah, I know. Just be careful. And don't do anything stupid. That's what we have Daichi for."

Trunks chuckled and nodded. "You be careful too. Try and keep your temper in check."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it."

With that, Trunks split off from the group and left to try and train with his Father.


So far, the search for Cell turned up nothing. Tien, Piccolo, and Daichi spent nearly an hour on the outskirts of Gingertown looking for the android and found nothing. Their only clue was a bus filled with battle-ball player uniforms dumped on the side of the road. Each uniform had a punctured hole in it, indicating that Cell had been there. Other than that, there was nothing else to go off of for clues. No other cars were on the road indicating the direction Cell might've gone.

As they searched, a small surge of energy popped up on their radars, and the three raced to the next town over, a small town known as "Nickytown." Upon landing in the middle of the place, the trio found clothes and a few weapons scattered about. Other than that, there was no sign of human life or Cell within the vicinity.

"Damn it! We're too slow to catch him!" Tien growled in frustration as he looked around at the loss of human life. He felt so useless, standing in the middle of the abandoned street.

"He's probably already long gone by now," Piccolo huffed, angered that they had lost Cell yet again. "We're just chasing a shadow now."

Daichi looked around and felt a sense of unease wash over him. This was different than the total destruction of his time. There, you didn't have full articles of clothing scattered about. Every now and again you might find a shoe, a hat, maybe the bits of a shirt to indicate people were there, but other than that, you usually found nothing but rubble and remains of a city to indicate that humans had once lived there. This...this felt more haunting, as if they people had melted away entirely and life had been ground to a halt. You could be fooled into thinking that people would soon be coming back to claim their belongings, but then you'd realize that no one would ever be coming back for any of their things ever again.

Scanning the area one more time, Daichi noticed a small teddy bear on the ground the probably belonged to a young child. He picked it up and holds it in his hands for a minute, turning it as the fabric rubbed against the palms of his hands. He could imagine a little girl showing it off to her mother, maybe hugging it to her chest, and possibly planning to take it home to nap with. Now, it was sitting alone on the street without anyone to care for it. "This monster is gonna pay for this!" Daichi says, clutching the bear in his hands, nearly squeezing the stuffing out of it.

Before leaving, Daichi placed the toy on top of a small child's dress that he found the bear next to. He bowed his head and said a little prayer that the young girl would find peace before taking to the skies with Piccolo and Tien. Small tears pricked the corner of his eyes as he tried not to cry. Tears weren't going to bring the child back. He knew that from experience.


Meanwhile, Krillin and Chibiko arrived at Capsule Corp with the plans for android 17. They gave them to Bulma and her Father, who tried to see what they could decipher right off the bat. The two also filled in the scientists on the situation with Cell and the androids, emphasizing how quickly they needed to understand the plans and stop the androids.

"Think you can figure something out, Bulma?" Krillin questioned the blue-haired woman, sticking his hands into his pocket.

"Hard to say, right now," Bulma admitted, rolling out one of the blueprints onto the table. She scratched her chin a bit as she looked at the notes Gero left on the prints. "It might take a while before I have anything for sure, but we'll definitely look into it."

"Man, what could've been," Dr. Briefs remarks, putting out the cigarette that was in his mouth. "If only Dr. Gero could've used his work for good. The world could be a much better place than it is now."

"For sure," Chibi nodded, looking at the blueprints herself.

"Well, we'll leave you two to it," Krillin said to the two scientists. "We gotta get back to the Kame house."

"Actually, Krillin," Chibi said, looking up from one of the blueprints. "I think I'll stay here."

"What?" Krillin questioned, scratching his head. "Why would you want to stay here?"

"Well, let's say, gosh forbid, Cell or the androids come here to the city," Chibi proposed to Krillin. "No one would be here to defend Bulma and her family if they come by. If I'm here, there would at least be a little bit of defense until backup shows up. It's just in case, you know?"

Krillin couldn't argue with Chibi there. If the androids or Cell did show up, having a super saiyan bodyguard would be suitable for ensuring Bulma got something put together to stop the androids. It was better than not having any kind of protection at all. "Well, all right. I'll let the others know you're here, okay?"

"Got it."

With that said, Krillin left to head back to the Kame House.

Once he was gone, Chibi stayed in the lab with Bulma and looked over the blueprints. She could barely understand a single thing written on the sheets and felt like an idiot for not getting anything. Bulma had taught her a thing or two in the lab, but she was nowhere near the level of advanced thinking to understand Gero's blueprints. "So, is this making any sense to you?" Chibi questioned the blue-haired woman.

"To an extent," Bulma admits, putting the paper down before heading over to get a laptop. She typed in a few things and then pulled up a software program to start putting in information from the blueprints. "I'll have to run some tests before we can start working on anything that can be used to shut down the androids."

"Oh, okay….Is uh, there anything I can do to help in any way?" Chibi asked, not really thinking this whole thing through with staying at Capsule Corp. I mean, what were the odds that the androids or Cell would come this way anyway? Was this Chibi's way of trying to compensate for everything going wrong? Maybe she just didn't want to go back to the Kame house and face everyone with the bad news about the situation they were now in.

"Could you just make sure Trunks is all right?" Bulma asked, looking up from her laptop. "I like having him close in the lab, but I'm gonna have to keep my focus on this and not him. Can you just watch him for me?"

Great, I've been relegated to babysitting duty, Chibi thought to herself, internally face-palming. I've trained since I could walk, and I'm stuck being Trunks' babysitter. She wasn't so great with kids. She especially wasn't that great with babies. (Although she did have limited exposure to them, so maybe she wasn't as bad as she thought she was). "Sure thing, Bulma."

Walking over to the small play-pen on the other side of the room, Chibi sat on her knees and looked at the sleeping little Trunks inside. He was so tiny and frail, probably without a care in the world right now. His only concerns were probably eating, playing, and getting attention. It was hard to imagine that Trunks was ever like that. The one she knew was too serious for his own good. (That's the pot calling the kettle black right there). This one still had the promise of hope of living in a future that didn't have the androids in it. Chibi gave the baby a small smile and reached in to gently touch its cheek with her index finger. Little Trunks slightly wiggled in his sleep from the touch, but otherwise didn't stir much.

I promise, she thought as she looked at the little baby. We're gonna make sure you grow up in a better world than we had.

Hope is possibly within our heroes' grasps, but will they be able to finally corner Cell? Or will the android keep slipping through their grasps? Find out next time on the Son Squad! Sorry if this one was a bit of a heavy hitter in the angst department, but after the last chapter with Cell being a complete monster, we gotta discuss how that psychologically affects everyone.

I know I say this all the time, but I just have to keep thanking you all for making it to this point. I'm so glad you guys like the story, and the support you've given me is amazing, especially during this crazy year. Next week's chapter might be the last update for the year, but I haven't decided yet. A lot is going on, so I gotta check things out first before anything is set in stone. I'll let you know more in the next chapter. Anyway, have a good day, guys, and remember to wash your hands!