Chapter 3:

A Strange Accident! Charisma's Curiosity

Adjusting to life in the bunker wasn't easy at all. Charisma was confined to being inside at all absolutely all times. After all, there wasn't anything to do outside in the world. The only option left for the survivors of the Android's attacks was to continue hiding in order to survive.

The isolation was almost enough to drive her to the point of insanity. She missed being able to go outside if even only for a few seconds. She missed being able to train with Gohan. She missed Bulma's yummy cooking. And she missed just being with her best friend, Trunks.

The pain dulled as time passed and she could barely remember what they even looked like, but she never forgot about her old friends. She held onto the charm bracelet Trunks and Bulma had given to her like her most prized possession. As Bulma had said, she eventually grew enough for the bracelet to fit perfectly and it never came off.

Seven years came and went, and still, the Android's relentless attacks didn't seem to have an end. At this point, it seemed like this was one nightmare they would not awaken from. It had been so long since Charisma had even glanced outside. The only time she did manage to leave the bunker was traumatizing enough to make her want to stay inside forever. She almost forgot what it felt like to feel a breeze or to look at the sky.

"Charisma!" Kaylei called out. "Charisma, where are you?"

Making her way through the bunker, Kaylei came across a room with the door slightly open. She peered inside to find Charisma pounding her fists away at the punching bag that looked like it was ready to pop open.

"She's a strong girl," a voice spoke to Kaylei. She looked over to see the white bearded old man that stood watching. "She has a lot of raw power. It's unlike anything I've ever seen for a girl such as her. She's so small but she packs one heck of a punch!"

Charisma heard him talking and looked over to see. She noticed her mother and waved. "Hey, Mom!"

"I thought I would find you in here again," Kaylei said with a warm smile and looked at the old man. "How have you been, Onigi?"

"Very well!" the jolly looking old man said with a hearty chuckle. "Sparing with your daughter always makes me feel young."

"I hope she hasn't been causing you too much trouble."

"Not at all," he chuckled and turned to leave. "We'll continue sparring again soon, Charisma."

"Bye, Mr. Onigi," Charisma bowed respectfully. Her mother approached her and she smiled. "He's such a good sensei. I don't know if I've ever met anyone as skilled in this bunker before. It makes me happy to not have to train on my own."

Kaylei sighed and patted her daughter on the back. "Come on. I've made dinner."

Charisma and her mother made it back to their apartment. Charisma showered and dressed before sitting down at the small table in the center of their small home.

"So…" Charisma said slowly as she lifted her fork. "It seems Dad has disappeared again, huh? He's not coming to join us?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Kaylei responded with an exasperated sigh. "It's been so long since we've had a meal as a family. I wonder what's going on with him."

Charisma shook her head. "Who knows? He's probably locked himself in his lab again. Well whatever. We'll just have to wait till he comes back, whenever that will be."

As soon as she finished her sentence, the door opened and Mino stepped inside. Charisma and Kaylei stopped mid chew to look at him and both threw him an icy glare. He jumped at noticing their expressions and chuckled nervously.

"…Sorry about wandering off again," he apologized. He nervously scratched the back of his head and stepped inside the apartment.

"What's the point in saying 'sorry' if you're just going to do it again?" Kaylei responded, unimpressed.

Charisma finished eating her food quickly and went off into her 'bedroom.' It wasn't much of a bedroom at all. There was a small mattress on the floor and a few books scattered around. A notebook with notes she'd jotted from homeschooling lay open on the other end of the mattress.

Charisma threw herself onto the mattress and looked up at the dinghy ceiling. There wasn't much of anything to do while indoors. She was already tired of beating away at the punching bag and lifting weights all day.

'When will you guys defeat the Androids?' she thought. 'It's been so long and the Androids are still plaguing the Earth…I hope you're all okay…Aunt Bulma, Gohan, Trunks…' She sat up on her mattress and looked at the charm bracelet on her wrist.

It had been years since she'd seen or heard of anything from her old friends. Charisma lamented the fact that she didn't even have a picture of Gohan to remember him by, only her fuzzy memories. She did have a few pictures of Bulma and Trunks, mostly when they were very young. Her favorite picture, however, was the one Bulma had taken during her 8th birthday.

It sat adorned in a colorful frame on a small stand across the room. She couldn't remember a birthday since then that had been filled with so much joy.

Charisma's eyes traveled to that picture and she smiled sadly. Even as the years passed by and she could barely remember the sound of their voices, she remembered fondly their smiles. She felt warm at remembering how much Trunks always promised to protect her and the good times they had even amidst the chaos of the world around.

'Please…defeat them soon so I can see you guys again!'

The sound of her mother's loud and protesting voice startled Charisma. She got up immediately and hurried out to the main room.

"But you already went last time," Kaylei objected. "It's not fair that you're the only one expected to replenish our supplies."

"I'll be fine," he insisted. "According to the news, the Androids are all the way in South City. I doubt they'll come back here at least not right now." He looked over to see Charisma watching. Admittedly, when he saw her concerned face, he began to have second thoughts about leaving the bunker again but he brushed off that feeling. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"…You're leaving again?" Charisma asked in disbelief. "This is completely unfair! Why don't you just say 'no?' You're letting them walk all over you because they know you're too nice!"

Since being locked in the bunker, any movement outside of it was restricted to only collected necessities every few months. It was dangerous for one to wander around outside, but Mino was always the first to volunteer when needed.

"You really don't have to go," Charisma said to him. "You go all the time, Dad. Please just stay home. It's getting worse out there…"

"She's right," Kaylei agreed. "What will we do if…something were to happen to you?"

"I'll be alright," he said as he left to retrieve his jacket. "It won't be long this time. I promise."

Kaylei and Charisma exchanged frustrated glances. There was nothing they could say or do to stop him. He was just too stubborn.

They joined in, along with the other wives and children of the volunteers, as they were ready to open the latches and head up and out into the dangerous world. Mino turned around before moving on and hugged both his wife and daughter before departing with a smile. "Take care of each other until I get back, all right?"

Charisma and Kaylei nodded and watched as he climbed the metal stairs with the group of five other men.

"Please…come back…" Kaylei whispered.

...

It wasn't unusual at all for the trip for supplies to take a few days. Most trips had taken about three to five days as the men had to travel far distances to find any stores that would be open. After the third day passed without any sign of the men, however, a feeling of uneasiness filled the residents of the compound.

"He's still not back," Charisma said sadly as she sat for dinner with her mother on the sixth night. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach and she barely had an appetite.

Kaylei knew that the situation was looking pretty grim but she tried her best to remain positive, for Charisma's sake. "Maybe they just had to travel further or they got lost. You know how men are," she chuckled. "Don't worry too much. Just eat, my dear."

A week soon passed and in the blink of an eye, two more weeks passed. On her way to the gym in the bunker, Charisma would hear news of more Android attacks on the other resident's radios. Charisma and Kaylei weren't alone in their worry as the women and children who'd been left behind also filled with concern.

"We can't wait much longer," a middle aged resident said one day. "We have to get more supplies. I don't know what happened to the other men, but we can't wait any longer."

Another group of about seven men headed out, to much more frightened and sad cries of their loved ones than the last group. This excursion turned out well, however, as those men returned within three days.

Another week passed and another, until at last, two months had passed without any news of the men that had gone to find supplies the first time. The bunker was filled with the echo of loud sobs and despair, as the families of the men had no choice but to presume their deaths. The Androids had since returned to the area, after all. Only the worse could've happened.

"I told him not to go…" Charisma cried as her mother held her in her arms.

"I know," she cried as well. "We tried…but that's just how your father always was. He just wanted to help people…"

A cloud of darkness came over the women of the bunker, and Charisma and Kaylei's world was turned upside down once more. They would never know what happened to Mino.

...

A few more months had passed and sixteen year old Charisma was now working hard to catch up on her studies.

"I don't think I understand any of this…" she mumbled as she flipped through her notes. "It would suck if I were to fall behind everyone else…" Charisma rolled over all around her bed in order to find a comfortable position for studying. Groaning in annoyance, she sat up and pouted. "So bored!"

Charisma emerged from her bedroom into her silent bunker-apartment, quiet and ominous as always. By now, she had grown accustomed to it, although she disliked it very much. "Mom!" Charisma called out and hurried over to her mother's bedroom. "Mom…?"

Charisma entered to find her mother asleep on the mattress. "Mom…" she said as she approached. "I'm going to the weight room."

Her mother mumbled incoherently in her sleep.

'Mom always says that I should tell her where I'm going before I leave,' Charisma thought. 'I won't be gone for long anyway. She'll know where to find me.'

Charisma stepped out into the hall and paused directly outside of her door. 'Being cooped up inside all day like an animal is the worst kind of torture there is. But until the Androids are gone, there's nothing else we can do…'

Charisma looked up at the ceiling as her thoughts raced. 'But I have to wonder…was Dad really working hard on finding a way to destroy the Androids? What kind of machine would be able to do that?'

Curiosity began to get the better of her as Charisma walked past the gym and towards another end of the bunker, far from any of the apartments and other rooms.

'This is Dad's lab…' Charisma had followed her father many times before since her childhood, enough to have memorized his PIN number to unlock the electronic door. 'I haven't been in here since…since he left…'

She stood in front of the closed door like a statue for several moments. Tears stung the back of her eyes as she thought about her father. Hesitantly, she pressed the buttons on the key pad by the door. The door opened slowly and Charisma paused for a second before slowly stepping in. She pressed a button on the wall to shut the door behind her and turned around to observe the many oddities. Gadgets, electronics, all kinds of machines were sprawled all around her.

"Dad really was some kind of a genius," she remarked as she looked through his tools and notes. Charisma's eyes caught sight of a large looking machine at the furthest end of the lab.

"What's this supposed to be?" she wondered as she circled around it and inspected it. "It looks like a rocket ship…or maybe it's a special kind of port-a-potty…" Charisma giggled immaturely at the notion. "Sounds like something Dad would come up with…"

Charisma's hands traced the cool surface of the clunky machine and her hands brushed against a button accidentally. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the door came open.

"Wow, it works!" Curiosity getting the better of her, Charisma cautiously stepped inside the machine.

"But what does it do? It's pretty small here…a claustrophobic's nightmare…" Charisma almost lost her footing and stumbled to regain it. The sudden shift caused the door to slam shut right behind her.

"It's so dark!" Charisma cried, getting nervous now. "This was a bad idea. How do I get out?"

Charisma fidgeted in the darkness and placed her hands against the door. "It won't budge! I'm stuck!" Her nervousness was escalating as she inadvertently pressed a button by the door, with a loud click.

The inside of the machine suddenly shone brilliantly as the screen turned on and the buttons lit up. Her eyes stung at the sudden brightness. "It actually works?"

'Input date,' read the screen on the other side of the machine.

"What is this? I don't care about the date, I just want to get out of here. How do I open this door?"

Charisma pressed several buttons only to hear an error buzz after each one. "Damn it! I might just have to break this thing!" Confused and desperate, Charisma frantically began banging on many controls at once in her frenzy. The date flashed on the screen but she noticed the listed year was off by about twenty years. The date seared into her eyes when she looked up.

Without warning, the machine began to shake around violently and loudly. The force threw Charisma about and she fell back, landing on the seat sloppily and hitting her head on the back of it in the process. The noise was loud enough to wake up the other residents of the bunker. They ran out of their apartments to investigate the noise.

"What's that commotion?" asked one.

"I think it's coming from Professor Mino's lab," replied another.

Kaylei's eyes came open suddenly as she heard a bang that sounded horribly loud and terrifying.

"What's going on?" she cried as she stood up, blinking away her drowsiness. "Charisma?"

Noticing that Charisma was gone, Kaylei hurried out of her apartment to find the other residents chattering about. "What's going on?" she asked.

"We don't really know," replied her neighbor. "All we heard was a loud bang."

Kaylei hurried towards the gym in hopes of finding Charisma there. The gym was empty, however, and Kaylei turned around towards her neighbors. "Have any of you seen Charisma?"

They all shook their heads.

"Where is she?" Kaylei ran towards the exit. "No…there's no way she could've left. Why would she have stepped out? Charisma!"

"She's not in here," one of the residents informed Kaylei. "No one has seen her in here at all."

Kaylei hurried up the steel steps towards the latch.

"What are you doing?! You can't go outside!"

"It's dangerous!"

"You'll give us all away! You'll get us killed!"

Kaylei desperately tried to escape through the opening in the latch outside, only to be physically restrained by the other residents.

"Charisma!" she screamed. Her cries echoed hauntingly thought out the bunker. "Charisma!"

...

Charisma didn't know why but her head hurt like all hell. Her eyes fluttered open to hear the humming of the machine she was sitting in.

"Was I dreaming?" she said out loud as she rubbed her eyes. "What happened?"

Gasping inwardly, Charisma stood up and remembered what had occurred. "I'm still trapped! Mom is going to kill me if I'm not home in time for dinner."

Charisma tried once again to open the door, and surprisingly, it opened with ease. Charisma's eyes were blinded, however, by sunlight. Sunlight?

"W-what is this?" Charisma stepped outside to hear green grass crunching under her feet. She looked down as if it were the strangest thing ever. She looked up to see mountains in the distance and many trees around. She was in the clearing of some kind of wooded area.

"Am I dreaming…? No but this…feels real…"

Charisma walked through the clearing for a few minutes before giving up. "I don't know where I am. Seems that machine is some kind of transportation device or something…I better figure out how to get home…"

Charisma made her way back to the machine and stepped inside.

"Battery low…" the screen read.

"Oh no! Bad, bad, very bad!" Charisma cried and began fumbling around with the buttons. "What am I going to do? I'm stranded! I'm lost in the middle of nowhere!"

The machine didn't give way to her protests and faded away quickly.

Charisma's shoulders slumped as she leaned back against the seat. "What am I going to do now? I can't just fly and look for help…that'll just attract the Androids if they're nearby…"

Charisma exited the machine and began walking towards a random direction. "I'm sure I'll come across someone who can help me eventually…just gotta keep walking."

Charisma must've walked for about twenty minutes before she came across a stretch of road that cut through the woods. A large truck began heading down the road and Charisma brightened up.

"It's another person!" Charisma waved her arms wildly in order to attract the driver's attention.

"It's a girl," the middle aged man remarked and stopped for her. He rolled down his window and peered out. "Hey, where are you from?"

"Hello," Charisma replied. "I'm from West City. I don't know how I ended up here but I need to get back before the Androids show up. It's dangerous to be outside."

"Androids?" the man repeated with a raised brow. "You mean, like robots?"

"Yeah," Charisma responded. "You know, the Androids. Those robots that are going around killing everyone. They're around here somewhere and it's dangerous to be outside of the bunker. I have to get back before Mom finds out."

The man was give her a strange look as if she had two heads. "Are you alright? Did you hit your head or something? You're not making any sense."

Charisma blinked up at him in confusion. "You're saying…you've never heard of the Androids?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"…are you joking?" Charisma frowned and shook her head. "What a weird thing to joke about. They're all over the news…how could you not…?"

"Anyway," he said suddenly. "I'm heading towards West City to deliver some stuff. You can hop on and I'll give you a ride."

Charisma didn't see any other choice but to jump into the truck. The ride was smooth and silent. The man noticed how the look of bewilderment remained on her face.

"Do you want to go to the hospital or something? You don't look too well."

"No, I'm fine…" Charisma responded. "But tell me…where are we exactly?"

"We're about a half hour south of West City," he replied. "Don't you remember how you got here or what happened?"

Charisma shook her head. "I can't…I can't remember anything…"

"Thank you for tuning in," the radio blared. "The West City Marathon 764 is set to take place this Saturday!"

'The West City Marathon…' Charisma thought. 'How strange. Mom said she loved to run marathons but there hasn't been a marathon anywhere after the Androids showed up. And why would they name it 764?'

Charisma noticed a slightly crumpled newspaper at her feet on the bottom of the truck. The date was printed in small letters to the right of the main headline. '764?'

"Say," she said cautiously. "…what's today's date?"

"April 10th," replied the trucker. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason…" Charisma mumbled. 'Sounds right…'

"Um…what's the year?"

The man took his eyes off the road for a moment to look at her with bewilderment and concern. "Did you forget that, too? You really must've hit your head on something if you forgot that much."

Charisma grinned nervously. "I guess…well?"

"764."

Charisma felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. 'He can't…he can't be serious…' Charisma's eyes widened with disbelief. "764…are you sure it's 764?! We're not in 784?!"

"Of course not," the trucker replied instantly. "That's not for another 20 years…But you already know that, don't you?"

Charisma shut her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew she needed to calm down if she wanted to find any type of answers. Her eyes opened and she stared out the window at the passing scenery. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen. The world she knew was in shambles. This world looked like it was happy and flourishing.

'The date on the machine said 764, too,' she thought. 'But…how is that possible? Am I going crazy?'

"Something must've happened to you back there," the man finally said after a moment of silence. "For sure…I'm going to get you some help once we get to West City, young lady."