Hey guys, Liz here. We're at it with another chapter for the books. We have a new cover done by the ever awesome ajaroideas on Instagram/ Story Nado here on the site. I'd recommend checking out his work when you get the chance. Now, last we left off, Gohan, Chiyo, and Chinku were off on a mission to get some metal for Bulma. How will that go? Find out now.

The Son Squad Ch.56

It didn't take Gohan, Chiyo, and Chinku long to find all the memorite they needed to give to Bulma. They each found a decent-sized piece to give to the blue-haired scientist while searching the mountains, running away from a dinosaur or two in the process. Nothing they couldn't handle. Once they got what they needed, the trio made their way to West City to deliver Bulma the parts for 16's memory chip. Upon flying into the city, life seemed relatively normal. In fact, compared to what they had seen on the news, no one seemed like they were in a rush to leave. It was like no one was worried about Cell and the upcoming tournament.

"Guess not everyone is in a complete state of panic," Chiyo commented as they got closer to Capsule Corp.

"Maybe they think that everything will work out with Capsule Corp being there or something," Gohan guessed, although he thought that that was a bit of a stretch.

"Hey, I see her!" Chinku shouted, pointing to a familiar blue-haired woman standing in front of the giant dome-like building in the city center.

Soon, the three older children of Goku came in for a landing on the sidewalk leading up to the giant building. They walked through the main entrance and met Bulma at the front door. "Hi, Bulma," they all greeted at the same time.

"Hi, guys. Thank you for coming by so quickly. I owe ya one," Bulma greeted the three kids with a smile. It took her a moment before she realized that there was something different about Gohan and Chiyo. She blinked a few times before rubbing her eyes to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. Nope, they were fine. "H-Hey, what's with the look, you two?! Are you…really Gohan and Chiyo?" These couldn't be the same little kids she traveled to Namek with. Yeah, they had grown over the last few years, but they were practically teenagers at this point. And the blonde hair and greenish-blue eyes thing was blowing her mind. She had seen Vegeta as a super saiyan, but it wasn't like he ever got close enough for her to see all the features and everything.

"It's us, Bulma; really," Gohan assured the blue-haired woman.

"It's, uh, well, it's a long story," Chiyo added, blushing a bit as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Well, I shouldn't be too surprised," Bulma sighed. "After all, saiyans are a weird bunch, especially that Dad of yours. I shouldn't be too surprised."

"Well, we brought the metal you wanted," Chinku stated. She dug into her pocket and showed off her piece of metal to Bulma triumphantly. "Will this work on fixing him up?"

Taking the piece of metal in hand, Bulma turned it around and began inspecting it. Everything about it looked fine. Not too many scratches on it, and there was not a hole to be seen. Without exaggerating here, this was the perfect piece of metal to use for 16's repairs. Chiyo and Gohan also handed over their metal to Bulma for her to inspect. These bits were just as flawless as Chinku's. "These are perfect for the memory chip. You guys rock!" Bulma proclaimed. "Well, since you guys are here, do you want to watch me fix the android up? I don't think he's dangerous but better safe than sorry. You three don't mind staying for a bit, do ya?"

"Yeah! I wanna see 16 all fixed up!" Chinku answered before her older brother and sister could say anything. That's the whole reason she wanted to go out in the first place.

"Um, okay," Gohan replied, not sure how to feel about this. He honestly hoped they would be able to just go home after delivering the metal Bulma needed. Then again, he didn't want to disappoint Chinku. Still, he wasn't sure how to feel about android 16.

He wasn't alone on these feelings, either. Chiyo wasn't sure how to feel about android 16. Yeah, Chinku seemed to trust him, but then again, she was six. Chiyo had her own reservations and tried to remain open-minded about the whole thing. After all, it would be good to get every helping hand they could to fight with Cell. "As long as we get back to the house before dark, we should be fine," Chiyo followed up after Gohan's shaky answer.

One quick trip to the lab later, and the three Son siblings came upon android 16. He seemed to have been shut down for repairs by the look of it. Chinku immediately ran up to the table he was lying on and inspected for changes to 16. He looked better than the last time she had seen him; there was no longer a hole in his head that allowed one to see the wires and machinery that laid beneath the surface. He looked almost brand new.

While Chinku was silently inspecting android 16, Gohan and Chiyo stood off to the sides a bit and watched the mechanical being wearily. He didn't seem dangerous, but then again, that was the whole point, right? To not seem dangerous so he could catch them by surprise? After all, the other androids were said to look like regular people.

So, what do you think? Chiyo asked her brother, turning to look at him.

I'm not sure, Gohan admitted to Chiyo. These things were meant to kill Dad, and they've caused so much trouble in the future.

But even Krillin said that this one wasn't like the others, Chiyo reminded her brother. Maybe we're overthinking it. Chinku seems to trust him, too.

Let's just keep an eye on him to make sure. Agreed?

Agreed.

A few minutes later, Bulma and her father came over with a tiny microchip needed for 16. Bulma placed the chip in a slot hidden underneath 16's hair, and slowly the android came back online. Nothing happened initially as what sounded almost like a computer booting up brought 16 out of his slumber. "Analyzing situation," he robotically said as he opened his eyes and stood up. He looked at the two adults and three children staring at him before turning his head upwards. "Scanning memory logs…I was brought here by Krillin…for repairs…"

"Looks like his memory circuits are all functional," Bulma noted after 16's observations.

"You guys really fixed him all up!" Chinku cheered. She then turned and smiled at 16, who looked back at her with a blank expression. "You remember me, right, 16?"

"You are…Son Chinku, second daughter of Goku," 16 stated, his memory data coming back to him. He then looked towards Gohan and Chiyo, who was standing behind their sister. "And you two are Son Gohan and Son Chiyo, Goku's oldest son and daughter."

"Woah, you know about us?" Gohan questioned, his eyes slightly widening at the fact that 16 knew who he was.

"Affirmative," 16 replied, giving off a slight nod. "I have an accumulative knowledge regarding Goku."

"Now hold on a minute," Bulma spoke up. "You better not be getting any funny ideas here. Just because these three are Goku's kids doesn't mean you can terminate them!" She didn't think the three Sons were in any danger, but this was her house, after all. No one was getting annihilated there.

"They are irrelevant to my mission," 16 clarified, his voice unchanging from its monotone pitch. "My target is Goku, not his offspring."

"…Somehow, I still don't feel better hearing that," Chiyo mumbled to herself, a sweat drop forming on the back of her head. She was grateful that she wouldn't have to worry about herself or her other siblings being targeted by 16, but hearing him talk about his goal of trying to kill her Dad didn't put her at complete ease.

That's when Gohan noticed 16 staring at him in particular. At first, he thought he was imagining things. Gohan even assumed that the android was looking at something behind him. However, it soon became evident that 16 was looking directly at him. Why is he staring at me? Gohan thought to himself.

"Doctor Briefs," 16 suddenly spoke, turning his attention away from the young man. "I wish to gauge this body's functionality by going to the nearby forest for a field test."

"Hmmm, well, I don't see an issue with it," Dr. Briefs stated, shrugging his shoulders. It would be an excellent way to determine whether all that hard work in fixing the android up was worth it.

With that said, 16 turned to look at the trio of kids. "I would like the three of you to accompany me," 16 told them. "Your assistance may be required for this field test."

"H-Huh?" Gohan stuttered out. Why on earth would the android want them to go with him on a field test? Was he trying to ambush them? Was what he had said earlier a lie? Gohan wasn't sure what to think. Before he psyched himself out, though, and without consulting Chiyo, Gohan replied, "Um, okay."

This delighted Chinku, but Chiyo and Gohan were still on edge.

Gohan, Chiyo, and Chinku took off a little bit after 16 went ahead of them. They decided to walk to the spot 16 told them he would be, taking a detour through the city streets. People stepped about and chatted amongst themselves as the sun from above blanketed the city a warm feeling. This wasn't like the mountains or Master Roshi's island at all. It was much busier.

Chinku skipped a bit ahead of her brother and sister as they went down the sidewalk. However, she stopped at a store with a few TVs playing in the window. On all of them was a news reporter talking about Cell and his announcement to the world: "Many have left their homes in the city in search of shelter out in the wilderness. The time for the being known as Cell's martial arts tournament is only over a week away, and the world holds its breath in weighted anticipation," The reporter reports. "While some cities are having more extensive exoduses than others, there are a few who refuse to leave their homes at all, choosing to wait and see what will happen on the field of battle."

After that, the TV switched to a commercial.

Chinku then turned to look back at her older brother and sister, noting the minor signs of worry on their faces. She hated seeing Gohan and Chiyo worried like this. But what could she do to comfort them? It wasn't like she could just make Cell disappear or something; that would surely make them less nervous. "Are you guys gonna fight Cell?" She asked the twins, who were slightly taken off-guard by the question.

To be honest, they weren't sure whether or not they would fight Cell. They had no idea what the order would be for who would take on Cell. One thing that seemed to be a given, and that was that their Dad would be the last one to take on Cell. He was their ace in the hole, the last line of defense to finish off Cell.

"We're…not sure yet, Chin," Chiyo replied on behalf of her and Gohan. "Probably, but we have to wait and see how things play out."

"I wish you two could fight him together," Chinku admitted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Too bad he made it a rule that everyone had to fight him one-on-one. I bet you both fighting him together would've been awesome. You two could've tag-team him and take him down together!"

"Well, we gotta follow his rules, unfortunately," Gohan stated. "That way, no one else gets hurt from him."

The idea did make Gohan and Chiyo feel better, though. They both wished they could've fought together as they had before. Heck, the only time they ever did fight in the past was together. Still, this was how it had to be. They couldn't always be in battle at the same time, right?

In the forest outside of the city, small deer, birds, and squirrels roamed about. Sunlight broke through the tree branches and leaves to shine spotlights here and there on the ground. A slight breeze wove its way through the grass and trees to give off a calm feeling that reminded all who felt it that summer was close.

The three Son kids found 16 standing in the middle of a few trees and some deer. He just stood there, not even acknowledging the trio as they arrived onto the scene. None of them knew what 16 was doing.

"So…uh, how's that body of yours?" Gohan asked after an awkward moment of silence.

"…Satisfactory," 16 replied, walking a bit closer towards one of the deer. "Diagnostics indicate 100% functionality."

"That's good, right?" Chinku asked, trying to make sure she understood the bigger words.

"Yes," Chiyo confirmed for her sister. "It means he's back to full health…so to speak."

After that, another pause of awkward silence fell. Chinku wasn't sure what to say to 16, and the twins sure as heck weren't sure either. It was awkward for everyone involved, that's for sure. That's when the three deer nearby began to approach 16. The three siblings watched as 16 dug into one of his pockets and pulled out some food. He gently held out his hand to the three deer to eat out of, and, surprisingly, the deer did just that.

"So, you like animals?" Gohan questioned, still feeling awkward about all of this.

"Affirmative," 16 answered. "They put me…at ease."

"That's cool," Chiyo remarked. "Do you have a favorite one or anything?"

"Birds are fascinating to me. However, I find interest in most animals."

"Yeah, animals are pretty interesting," Gohan agreed. He was starting to feel more at ease the more he got to know about 16. This giant red-headed android wasn't like he'd thought he'd be. It almost seemed like he was a gentle giant of sorts. (A gentle giant who wanted to kill his Dad, but that's beside the point). "I guess a lot of stuff interests me, though. I'm hoping to be a scholar someday."

"A fine goal. I'm sure you will make an exemplary scholar."

More awkward silence followed after this statement.

Tired of the awkwardness, Chinku walked over to 16 and noticed a bit of food still in 16's hands as the deer were chewing. She looked up to the towering android, and he looked down at her. His unemotional blue eyes gave off no real feelings for Chinku to read off on. Then, without saying a word, he dumped the last bit of food into her extended hands to take. She cupped her hands together and held her hands out in a similar manner that 16 had done moments prior. "L-Like this?" She stuttered, nervous as to what the deer would do to her little fingers.

"Remain perfectly still, and they will come to you," 16 advised the young child in his ever calm monotone voice.

Following his instructions, Chinku remained completely still as the baby deer of the deer trio walked over and started nibbling a bit from her hands. Chinku smiled at the deer as it took the food out of her hands and began to enjoy itself.

Gohan and Chiyo watched with wonder as 16 got down one knee to pet the deer feeding from Chinku's hands. The creature did not shy away from 16's hand and even seemed to like being gently stroked. For a machine programmed to kill their Dad, he sure wasn't acting like any sort of monster they expected him to be.

"…So, you said earlier at Capsule Corp about…um, killing our Dad," Chiyo squeaked out, gripping her left shoulder a bit as she said that. "Is that true?"

"Correct," 16 replied. "I have no other use. That is why I was declared defective and stored away."

This was news to Gohan and Chiyo. They did not know that 16 was viewed as a liability instead of an asset to Gero. 16 told the three about Gero's views on him and revealed that he was made in the image of Gero's slain son. No one expected to hear that at all, let alone that Gero had a son. It just didn't seem like Gero was capable of starting a family, what with him being a mad scientist and all. 16 lamented how he was supposed to be a weapon, but due to his passive tendencies, he was defective and seen as nothing more than a waste of potential.

"You're not a failure," Gohan tried to assure 16. "You're just…different, that's all. And there's nothing wrong with that. There's no reason to think that you need to be shut down."

"You don't have to be so hard on yourself, 16," Chiyo jumped in.

"I am merely stating the facts of the matter," 16 replied. "A war machine that shuns violence is ineffective."

"That's why when this is over, we're getting you some hobbies," Chinku stated. With her hands-free of deer food, she wiped them off on her pants and then walked over to 16, grabbing hold of one of his hands. "We're gonna find you something to do, okay? You could go work for a zoo, or a nature preserve, or something like that. Dr. Gero didn't know what he was talking about when he said all that mean stuff. He was just a mean old man."

Gohan chuckled after hearing his little sister's proclamations. He could tell that Chinku cared a lot about 16. 16 could change his ways, and he seemed like he wanted to do something else that didn't focus on taking down his Dad. If Piccolo could change, then what was stopping 16 from doing the same?

They stayed out there for a little while, and 16 even practiced a few moves in front of the kids just to make sure he was capable of going into battle again. He found himself at adequate function. After a bit, Chinku got tired, and Gohan picked her up to carry her back.

"She tuckered herself out," Chiyo giggled as she watched Gohan place the sleepy child on his back. She then looked over to 16, who was finishing up the last of his functionality checking. "She was really excited to see you again. The whole flight here, Chinku was talking about how good of a person you are."

"…I do not see why she thinks so highly of me," 16 remarks, crossing his arms over his chest. He walked over to stand next to Chiyo. "I am a machine designed to kill her father, yet she does not turn away in disgust. I do not understand."

"Chinku's just that friendly with other people. She gets it from our Dad. That's what Mom says anyway."

"….."

Chiyo blinked in confusion and turned to look up at 16 when he remained silent. "What's the matter? Is everything okay?"

"I must apologize…"

"For what, 16?"

"The real reason I asked you three to accompany me was a discrepancy between my data and your and Gohan's current appearance," 16 explained. "I intended to personally re-evaluate your potential in combat."

"Oh…I see." How do you respond to that? After hearing that you were being monitored by a giant android, there's not much to really say, even if he apologized for it. Chiyo tucked a piece of hair behind her hair and looked between 16's unemotional face and the ground. "And…what did you find?"

"My scanners detect that you both have immense power, your brother in particular. I sense within him a great power that could be the deciding factor in the battle with Cell."

"….I see." A slight shiver went down Chiyo's spine as she heard this. Gohan and Chinku were far enough away that neither of them couldn't hear 16 and Chiyo's conversation. She wasn't sure why that scared her. Shouldn't she have felt better knowing that Gohan would ensure that Cell wouldn't win? Besides, she hadn't seen Gohan's anger in a while. Maybe it was gone, and she was just overthinking it.

"You do not seem satisfied in hearing my analysis. Why is that?"

Leave it to the android to point out the obvious. Chiyo let out a long-winded sigh. "…To be honest, I'm worried about what that means for Gohan. I've always known he's been stronger, stronger than me, that's for sure. But…there's also this…I can't explain what it is. I don't want to say it's evil because I know Gohan isn't evil…But still, whatever it is I've felt…It scares me." Chiyo slightly rubbed her arm, feeling ashamed of what she was saying. "I must sound awful, right? For thinking that about my brother?"

16 took in this knowledge and assessed what the young girl had said. "Your concerns are valid. However, I do not think you have to worry about your brother." He turned his attention over to Gohan as the young man was making sure his little sister was secure on his back to carry home. A small smile crept its way onto 16's face. "He and I are not so different. Gohan is a gentle soul who has a great power to carry on his shoulders. He is strong, and he will need the support of others to help him navigate through that strength within."

"…I guess I never thought of it that way." But what can I do in the grand scheme of things? Chiyo thought to herself.

16 then turned to look at Chiyo. "You could be just as much a deciding factor in this battle as him."

Chiyo lightly chuckled. "I doubt it…but I'll make sure to keep that in mind."

About an hour later, the Son trio made it back to Mt. Paozu. The trio noticed that the car was still gone, so it hinted that Goku and Chi-Chi were still out. The sun was setting, so they all assumed that their parents would be back any minute now. As Gohan opened the front door, the three siblings were immediately hit by the smell of food. They went inside to find a spread of takeout boxes at the dining room table, with Daichi, F. Daichi, Chibiko, and F. Chibiko sitting down around it. Daichi and F. Daichi were scarfing down every bit of food they could while F. Chibi took in her food at a much more normal pace, and little Chibi ate mashed-up baby food.

"Hey, what's going on?" Gohan asked upon walking into the dining room. "Weren't we supposed to wait on Mom and Dad?"

"Mom called after you guys left," F. Daichi stated with a full mouth. He chewed up his food a bit more before swallowing and then pounding his chest a bit, thinking some food got stuck. Once he was done, he continued: "She said to go ahead and eat. She and Dad are gonna be out a lot longer than originally planned."

"Okay, but what's up with all the takeout?" Chinku asked, pointing to the multiple boxes of food on the table.

"You think me and Daichi know how to cook?" F. Chibi stated, taking a sip of water. "Neither of us knows the first thing about it. So, rather than risk catching the house on fire, we ordered out."

"But where'd you get the money to do that?" Chiyo questioned, scratching at the back of her head.

"Oh, from Bulma," F. Chibi answered, turning and cleaning off her younger counterpart's face with a napkin. "You know how I was staying at Capsule Corp for a few days while she was working on the shutdown device? Well, she gave me a credit card as payment for watching Trunks. She told me I could use it when I needed to and stuff."

"Oh, okay." The newly arrived trio replied, all the pieces coming together. Then, as a collective group, Gohan, Chiyo, and Chinku's stomachs all growled simultaneously. Everyone laughed. They definitely were their Father's kids.

About an hour or so later, Goku and Chi-Chi made it back to the house. The two had arrived back just as the sun had set behind the horizon. They walked inside, expecting to be greeted by their kids, but were surprised to find that no one came to the door to greet them. They expected to hear pattering footsteps coming to meet them, but all they heard was the faint sound of the TV playing in the living room. "That's a little weird," Goku said out loud as he closed the front door. "Where is everyone?"

Walking into the living room, Goku and Chi-Chi stopped when they saw the living room lights on along with the TV playing an old west movie. Inside the living room, the couple found their children, but they were all asleep. Little Chibi was sleeping in her playpen with a small blanket on top of her; F. Chibi was sleeping on one the couch with her own blanket covering her; Chinku slept on the other end of the sofa without a blanket on her; F. Daichi was sprawled-out asleep on an air mattress on the floor with his younger counterpart doing the same thing; and Gohan and Chiyo were sharing another air mattress that was right next to the other one, along with a large blanket.

"Aww, how sweet," Chi-Chi whispered as she looked upon her sleeping children. "They all fell asleep together." Chi-Chi quietly walked over and carefully took Chibiko out of her playpen and then walked back over to Goku. "We should probably get them all in bed."

"Right." Goku nodded in agreement.

While Chi-Chi took Chibi to bed, Goku went and picked up Gohan to carry to his room. Once those two were tucked in, Chi-Chi and Goku went back down, this time with Chi-Chi grabbing Daichi and Goku picking up Chiyo. Then, on the last round of carrying, Chi-Chi went and got Chinku while Goku made sure F. Daichi and F. Chibi were more settled in. Surprisingly, none of the kids were aroused by the movement. (These guys are some heavy sleepers for sure).

As Goku fixed a blanket for F. Daichi, he noticed that the young man had fallen out of super saiyan in his sleep. In fact, F. Chibi, Gohan, and Chiyo were the same. He figured that would happen. Still, it was almost odd for him to see the four out of that enhanced state. For months now, he had seen his children as super saiyans, as warriors. Now, looking at two sleeping before him, it dawned on Goku that they were still kids. Yes, F. Daichi and F. Chibi were more grown-up, but they were still kids- his kids. His family had so much life ahead of them. They had so many things they wanted to do, a lot of which didn't involve fighting.

Heading to bed, Goku slipped under the covers of his and Chi-Chi's bed, where Chi-Chi was already waiting for him. He tossed around for a bit before he was finally comfortable under the blanket. He looked over to his wife and saw that she was drifting off to sleep. She looked different when her hair was down like it was now. She had had it up in a bun for almost ten years now, and she rarely kept it down anymore. Seeing her like this, with her hair down she looked so…pretty? Was that the word he was looking for? He wasn't a good judge of beauty, but that seemed to be the right word to describe Chi-Chi in this state. She was always considered pretty to him, but this just seemed to be more natural beauty? Maybe that's what it was?

Either way, Goku scooted a little closer to Chi-Chi and wrapped an arm around her body. As he got closer to her, he felt a small surge of energy go through his hand. It woke him from his slightly tired state, and he sat up and looked down at his sleeping wife. That was definitely not Chi-Chi's energy; he knew it couldn't have been. But that could only mean… "Chi-Chi," Goku whispered to his wife. He slightly shook her by the shoulder.

"Mmmm?" Chi-Chi mumbled, sitting up a bit from her sleeping position. Her eyes were half-open as she propped herself up on her elbows.

"Chi-Chi…are you, okay?" Goku asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She tiredly yawned.

"It's just…do you feel any different?"

"…Not really. Why do you ask?"

Realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere with his wife like this, Goku just smiled and shook his head before leaning in to kiss Chi-Chi on the head. "It's nothing, Chi-Chi. Go back to sleep."

Chi-Chi tiredly nodded, and she laid back down on the bed.

As she got comfortable under the sheets, Goku laid back down and watched his wife's gentle breathing. He drifted off to sleep and fell out of super saiyan as he laid an arm across his wife's shoulders and held her gently in his arms. He had a lot to think about now.

Well, this should be interesting. How will things turn out for Goku, the kids, and the planet? Let me know in the reviews below and find out what happens next time on the Son Squad!

Thank you guys so much for continuing to come back to the story. It means a lot to me. You guys continue to blow me away with how much you like the story. I might take a break next week due to school, but I'm not sure yet, so we'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, have a good day, everyone, and remember to wash your hands!