Three years had flown by faster than anyone could've imagined.

It was hard for many of the Z Fighters to believe Goku at first. His story of the mysterious young Saiyan woman seemed suspect. He explained to them that she had met a man named Gero during her travels, and that Gero was planning on killing all of them with super powered Androids he was building at this very moment.

Everyone briefly considered using the dragon balls to destroy the androids. There were several arguments against that: What would stop him from creating something even worse? What if this mysterious woman was lying and they harm an innocent man? The dragon balls were solutions to concrete problems for the Z Fighters, and most agreed the right thing to do was to prepare as best they could.

All the while, Vegeta struggled with Goku's explanation of the mysterious woman. Part of him did wonder, though, whether there had been others offplanet before Vegetasai blew up. As Goku remained steadfast, Vegeta submitted to his theories: A Saiyan somewhere must've left their child when Vegetasai was destroyed. This girl was from them. She was a true Saiyan.

Piccolo confirmed Goku's story, telling them he had listened in as the two chatted. He was steadfast in believing her, which pushed the others to believe Goku even more. The Z Fighters soberly considered what to do. They all agreed—even Vegeta—that training and preparing for the threat was the only way to completely defeat it.

Tien and Chaotzu took to the mountains to train, while Krillin and Yamcha set off on their own paths. Yamcha had been frequenting Capsule Corp. to train, but after a big breakup with Bulma, he steered clear. Their relationship was never exactly solid—Yamcha was known to wander and Bulma was known to shut him out. But this time their divide felt different, more permanent.

There would be nights when she was supposed to see him, but he'd find her holed up in her laboratory hunched over schematics and mathematical equations, completely obsessed with helping the Saiyan prince reach his peak physical form.

One night he got the courage to ask her if she had a thing for Vegeta, half hoping her reaction would be one of revulsion. Instead she blushed crimson red.

He swore when he walked out of Capsule Corp., he would never return. He almost kept his promise. It wasn't until she called him one night months later, crying, saying Vegeta had left to go to space. Initially he was confused: Why would that bother her so much? And then she revealed what she had been keeping a secret from the others-she was pregnant with his child.

Against his better judgement, he consoled his former girlfriend and promised to be there for her if she needed anything. And he was there when she gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Bulla, and he fielded questions from the others when she let everyone know about her new bundle of joy's parentage.

It was only two days before the androids were supposed to arrive when Goku, Piccolo and Gohan found themselves in a mountain plateau near Goku's house. They had been training all morning, and Goku was starting to uncharacteristically tired. Bulla had said his virus would attack him in the weeks before the androids reared their ugly heads, but he never felt anything. In fact, for the most part, he hadn't felt this good in years.

But for the past few weeks he felt just a bit off. Each night he laid in bed as Chi-Chi slept beside him, placing his hand on his chest and feeling his heart beating.

Chi-Chi fussed over him knowing what might happen to him. She researched heart-healthy foods and rarely let him leave the confines of their village. She monitored every cough, every sneeze, every fluctuation in temperature (though it was hard to tell, seeing as how Saiyans were always unreasonably hot). Goku brushed her off and remained steadfast in his training.

Back on the battlefield, the sun was beating overhead. Goku felt a twitch in his chest that felt like a sharp pain shooting across his skin very quickly. Piccolo was throwing punches at him furiously when the pain jolted Goku to a sudden stop. The Namek landed a hard uppercut to Goku's jaw, which surprised them both.

"You alright Goku?" Piccolo asked cautiously. Gohan watched probingly in the sky a few feet away.

"I'm okay," he lied, rubbing his cheek. "I think I just need a minute for some water, that's all."

The three fighters took refuge underneath a tree, relaxing in the shade of this unusually warm weather. A scream pierced the peaceful air and jolted Goku from his back—it was Chi-Chi. Even though she was known to shriek at everything—and everyone—this scream was not that of her normal biting rage. She was in trouble, but from what?

Goku took off in rapid speed with Piccolo and Gohan close behind them. The house came into view, and below was Chi-Chi on the lawn, retreating backward. Standing near the front doorway were two people Goku didn't recognize: A slender blonde woman and a dark-haired man who looked almost identical. When he touched down, their eyes darted toward him.

"You must be Goku," the dark-haired one said coldly. Goku positioned himself between the strangers and his wife while Piccolo and Gohan helped her to her feet.

"I am," he said sternly. "Who are you?"

The duo smiled at him. He looked them up and down to see if he recognized them. They didn't look like a threat, but Goku knew better than to make those types of assumptions. He couldn't read their power levels at all—not even a speck of their ki—and wondered how they had gotten so good at hiding it. It wasn't until he saw their outfits that the realization struck him.

Both were wearing Red Ribbon Army jackets. The androids were here.

"We've come here to kill you," the blonde smirked.

"You're the androids, right?" Goku's words shocked them. Piccolo let out a low growl while he and Gohan flanked Chi-Chi, who was still bumbling in fear.

The androids aren't supposed to be here for another two days, Piccolo thought. And they're definitely not supposed to show up here!

"Gohan!" Goku shouted without breaking his gaze with the twins. "Take your mother far away from here—somewhere safe—do you hear me?"

"But father!"

"I said now!" It was rare that Goku ever shouted like that at his son, and Gohan knew he was serious. "Take her to Bulma's and tell her what is happening."

Without a word, Gohan lifted his mother by the arms. She struggled against her son, but ultimately he was too strong.

"Goku, wait!" she cried out. "What-what's going on?!"

Gohan started flying as fast as he could with his mother in his arms, leaving Piccolo and Goku to face-off. He didn't even turn around to look, though he wanted to, instead focusing on wrangling his flailing mother.

Back on the ground, a long bout of silence hung in the air. Piccolo cemented his feet in the ground, balling his fists and preparing mentally for what was about to come.

"Didn't want your boy to fight, huh?" The male android said calmly. "I get it. Leave it to the adults."

"How did you know to come here?" Goku snapped.

"It's not like your address is some big secret," the android said, swiping a hand through his long hair. "And I've already told you why we've come. You somehow know we're androids, so I don't know why you're shocked."

"17, stop playing with your food," the blonde woman said curtly. 17 careened his head around to look at his sister, his eyes throwing daggers.

"18, please don't interrupt me before a fight," he hissed.

"Not here," Goku said calmly. "Up there—on the mountain where we've been training."

"Suit yourself," 17 shrugged. "I don't really care where I end up killing you."

The four found themselves in the air in seconds, taking the short journey from the front of Goku's house to the grounds where Goku, Piccolo and Gohan had been training. Goku racked his mind: This was not what Bulla had predicted. They still had two days before they were supposed to arrive. They were supposed to have the upperhand in the fight. But it was Goku who was now surprised, which left him vulnerable. Even more troublesome was his heart. He wasn't feeling like himself—was this the virus?

The wind picked up and a plume of dust swirled around them: Goku and Piccolo on one side, and the androids on the other. No one was moving.

"Scared?" 17 let out with a laugh. "If you want us to strike first, all you have to do is ask."

Goku gently massaged his chest. Maybe it was always his destiny to die like this.

In a flash, 17 was airborne, heading straight on for Goku with his fists clenched. Goku stood unmoved, as did Piccolo.

Goku easily dodged 17, but it didn't deter the android. Goku soared up into the air and 17 followed closely behind. Quickly turning around, Goku sent a ki blast down toward 17, who deflected it and sent a blast of his own in response. It was powerful and it pushed Goku back as he tried to intercept it.

17 then came up on Goku, throwing an assault of punches which Goku blocked, answering with his own flurry of kicks and punches. Below Piccolo and 18 watched the fight. While she seemed unimpressed, Piccolo started to feel a bit worried. Goku was much slower than he normally was, and Piccolo couldn't help but realize he struggled to block 17's attacks, which, while powerful, were not more so than any other enemy they had fought in the past.

The two continued sparring midair, with neither getting a good hit in on the other. Goku finally grabbed 17's hands and locked on.

"I hope this isn't all you have," 17 sneered. "Because if it is, I'm afraid I've been sorely misled."

Goku threw down 17's hands, causing him to lean forward just enough for Goku to swing back with a chop. The android shot down to the Earth below and left a crater in his wake. As he searched the ground, Goku was struggling for air.

Down below, 17 sat up from the ground, slowly stood and brushed himself off. He was entirely unaffected.

Goku knew he was not going to win this fight, but he had to try. He powered up, letting out a scream as his hair flashed yellow and his eyes turned green. With two ki blasts appearing in his hands, he shot them down at 17. Much to Goku's surprise, 17 easily caught them and sent them soaring back at the Saiyan, who managed to evade them.

He descended to the ground and continued to struggle for air.

"You look tired," 17 chuckled. "Maybe you should quit."

"I don't think so!" Goku said, gripping his chest. He powered up even more, the yellow light around him shooting up like brilliantly burning flames. The earth around him vibrated and the trees began to sway. It was clear the androids were impressed, but they were not surprised or scared—and this concerned Piccolo. It was almost as if they knew what moves Goku was going to make before he even made them.

But as soon as Goku peaked, he fell silent. He stumbled backward, his eyes growing large as his hair fell back to black. He collapsed on his knees and began dry heaving. The androids were stunned and cautiously watched as Goku writhed in pain.

"What's wrong with him?" 17 snipped at Piccolo. "Too scared?"

The Namekian had rushed over to his friend and placed a hand on his back. 18 moved closer to her brother and looked over at Goku. Piccolo could've sworn he saw concern behind her eyes.

"He's having a heart attack," Piccolo shouted to them. "He's sick."

They raised their eyebrows and 17 frowned. "You mean to tell me that he can't fight—mighty Goku is immobilized—because he is sick?"

"Typical humans," 18 snorted. "Well, this is no fun at all. Gero said this was going to be entertaining!"

Piccolo saw his opportunity. These bloodthirsty androids were killing machines sent to destroy Goku, but they had other desires, too. Namely, they wanted a challenge. Maybe he could convince them to give Goku more time. And even if Goku couldn't heal up in a few days, it would give Piccolo a chance to go and collect the others. Last he checked, Vegeta wasn't even back on Earth yet, and from the looks of the androids' strength, they would need him in the fight.

"What if I told you I could heal him?" Piccolo asked. "And that he could fight you at full strength in just a few days?"

The androids looked over at Piccolo and Goku. Both knew Namekian DNA held the ability to regenerate, but were unsure whether this precluded healing. They exchanged apprehensive glances. The latter was now clutching his chest and using his other to grip onto his friend for support. Was this a trick?

"Don't try and trick us, Piccolo," 17 shouted. Hearing his name sent shivers up Piccolo's spine. "We're here to kill Goku, and we will do so even if it is far easier than we imagined."

"But don't you want to challenge him at his best?" Piccolo asked. "It seems like a waste of talent to just kill him now when he's sick. In two days he will be rested and ready to challenge you, full on, with his complete energy."

17 looked over at his sister, whose head was cocked in curiosity. He shrugged his shoulders. His whole life he had been waiting to face-off against Goku. The Namek was right: Did he really want to waste his opportunity to defeat Goku when he was weak and sick? No. 17 wanted a true challenge. What was the harm in waiting?

"Two days?" he said quizzically. "Hmm, well. I suppose we can swing that."

"But what about Gero?" 18 asked her brother. He again shrugged. 18 searched her brother's face for a moment, before looking back at Goku and Piccolo. She was somewhat confused and also somewhat scared. She couldn't help but think Gero would see through their lie—he had drones, didn't he? Who wasn't to say there was a drone being used right now?

"We will say Goku wasn't home." A small smile formed on 17's mouth. "If you aren't back here in two days, Piccolo, we'll come find you instead."

As soon as they took off, Piccolo grabbed onto Goku—who had now collapsed—and headed toward Capsule Corp.