"Well, this is the place," Gohan said grumpily. He looked up from the brightly lit storefront to the company logo above the entrance, Red Ribbon, it read.

Beside Gohan, his diminutive wife was looking into the store with an excited expression on her face. "Gohan, look, they have so many different models!" she exclaimed.

Gohan looked down at her. "I don't suppose there's any point in making one more attempt to talk you out of this idea is there, Videl?"

Videl shook her head and almost pouted up at him. "No, there's not. We've talked about this a bunch of times, and you agreed that buying an android was a good idea. Pan is three now, Gohan. Three. I haven't competed since before she was born. I miss working. I want to get back out there."

"I get that," Gohan said with a sigh. "It's not you going back to work that I have a problem with. I have history with androids. Why do we need one of these plastic pieces of shit?"

"There's not pieces of shit," Videl insisted. She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the window display on the right hand side of the store's entrance. The display was promoting Red Ribbon's latest and greatest innovation of android, the CyberLife series. A male and female model were on show. "Tell me they don't look exactly like people to you?"

That was one thing Gohan couldn't argue with. The Red Ribbon android were always very difficult, if not impossible to distinguish from real people. At least, now they have the small blue processor light on their right temple – a legal requirement for all androids. If anything, they looked too realistic. Gohan found it kind of creepy, he has had the hatred of androids since future Trunks had arrived that. "Yes, they look exactly like people," he admitted.

"And they're the perfect choice for a nanny," Videl insisted. "They don't fail to show up. They don't get tired. They don't get angry or frustrated."

"Can they do all the cleaning," Gohan added, " since we both will be busy."

Videl giggled happily. "And that. Come on, let's go in."

Taking Gohan's hand again, Videl led him into the store. She headed right over to the centrepiece display for the new series androids. It was arranged right in the middle of the store, so that every customer had to walk past it in some way. "We have to get one of these ones, Gohan," she said, looking up at him with the pleading expression that rarely failed to get her what she wanted from her man.

"The most expensive ones, of course," he replied dryly.

"But the best ones," she retorted.

"That's right, these are our latest and best models, the series," a grey haired salesman said, approaching them with a true salesman's smile on his face. Gohan knew him all too well

" You might have a new face and body but your still the same old Dr. Gero to me."

" Ah Gohan, im here to you and your lovely wife" Gero smiled

"You want to help me? Half that price," Gohan said, pointing to the amount displayed below the Red Ribbon logo: $7000. It amused him that the word 'only' preceded the amount.

"I would if I could," 19 said with another smile.

"But if you have your hearts set on an new series and you're struggling with the price, we do have finance options available." Gero added.

"We don't need finance options, he's just teasing you," Videl said.

Gohan rolled his eyes. "Great negotiating skills, Videl'."

Gero laughed quietly at their interaction before launching into his sales pitch. "The CyberLife series is our most refined model to date. They feature our most realistic appearances yet, except for well you know im talking about, these are fully customisable to suit your requirements. These unfortunately have no fighting abilities but they have our latest processor and programming, with added features such as the ability to run for twenty four hours straight in low power mode, and reduced recharging times."

"We've read up on them already," Gohan informed him. "Bulma told me everything i needed to know."

"Yes,of course the bitch did," Gero confirmed happily, showing no reaction to the profanity.

Videl had been walking slowly around the display area while the men talked. She completed her circuit of it and posed a question to Gero. "If we purchase today, is there a waiting time until we get our android?"

"If you go for one that is made to order there is a waiting time of approximately three weeks from order. However, you can take away one of our display models today if you see one you like."

"Ohh, Gohan, can we get one today?" Videl asked excitedly.

"You want it', not me. If you see one you want, we'll get it."

"Have a look with me then," she encouraged, taking his hand once more.

As they began to browse the androids on show, Gero went with them and continued with his conversation with Gohan, explaining he was a changed man. Gohan tried his best to take an interest in what they were looking at. There were male and female examples on display, with all ethnicities represented. Each android wore the black uniform with light blue finishes that Red Ribbon had designed for its domestic androids, the only difference between male and female being pants for males and knee length skirts for females. The right breast had a light blue patch that bore the android series, so that the series of the android was publically displayed – another legal requirement. On the left breast was a similar patch, on which the androids name would be displayed. Currently, it bore the model number instead.

"I think Pan would prefer a female nanny, don't you?" Videl asked him.

"Yeah, i guess so," Gohan answered.

Videl stopped in front of a blonde android. It was currently deactivated, as they all were, but it had a slight smile on its face that Videl thought her young daughter would like. "How about this one?" she asked.

"Alright," Gohan relented. "If your heart is set on this one, we'll get this one."

"Okay, great. Shall we go and process the order?" Gero suggested.

Gohan agreed, and they were led to the back of the store, where they could sit in some privacy and complete the order. In less than fifteen minutes, Gohan was seven thousand Zeni worse off, and he was the owner of an android. Or, rather, his wife was.

"Thank you, baby," Videl said sweetly after the purchase had been completed. She gave her husband a peck on the cheek.

"Now, what do you say we go meet your new android?" Gero asked, hyping the prospect up for them.

"I say let's go!" Videl exclaimed. This time, she was the one to lead the way across the store, stopping in front of the android they had just bought.

"I never thought about this before but how do we turn it on?" Gohan asked. He really had no clue about androids, having hated androids most of his life.

Gero supressed a grin at the way the question had been phrased. "First, would you like to choose a name.? You dont have to it can be a number like my prevois series" Gero asked.

"Hmmm," Videl said thoughtfully. "What do you think, baby?" she asked Gohan.

"I don't know," he groaned. His patience was starting to wear thin now. "Just pick something so we can get out of here."

"Alright, how about Launch?" Videl said. "I think she looks like a Launch."

" Launch sounds ok, it is an old friends name"

"How are you spelling that?" Gero asked.

"L-a-u-n-c-h" Videl guessed.

Gero nodded, then addressed the android. "Android 6969 activate. Your name is Launch, L-a-u-n-c-h"

The name appeared on the left side of the uniform in the correct space as the android's brown eyes opened. 6969 got her first look at the world, seeing a Gero standing in front of her, along with a man with scruffy, black coloured hair and a leather jacket standing next to an exceptionally short woman with black hair. Her processor began running boot up messages across the left side of her display.

ACTIVATED

RED RIBBON DOMESTIC ANDROID – 6969

ASSIGNED NAME: Launch

DATE: 798

TIME: 10:16

"These are your owners, Son Gohan and Videl Satan," Gero said.

OWNERS: Gohan and Videl – FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS

"Nice to meet you, Son Gohan and Videl Satan," Launch said in a pleasant voice that was indistinguishable from that of a well-spoken person. "My name is Launch, and I'm happy to serve you."

"That is so cool!" Videl yelped, nearly jumping up and down in excitement.

"It's kind of creepy," Gohan mumbled.

Launch's processor analysed his words and expression in real time and displayed a message for her.

WARY OF ANDROIDS

"It's natural to be uncertain initially," Launch said reassuringly. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

"Oh my, I love this already," Videl said. Androids were now a common part of everyday life, so she wasn't new to interacting with them. Even so, it was something else to own one, and to have it respond to her and call her by her name.

"Launch, you're free to accompany them now," Gero instructed.

"I'm looking forward to seeing my new home," Launch said as they walked across the store.

While Dr. Gero and Android 19 were off at the shop/base. Androids 16, 17 & 18 marched towards the pub.

"Always thinking of your stomach", 18 grumbled under her breath, drawing a small laugh from 17. He suddenly stopped and rubbed his scar, it wasn't painful but something felt off, "17, are you alright?" 18 asked with concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I think so", 17 began, "just a bad vibe that's all".

"That's the third time today mate", 16 called out, "I think Dr. Gero needs to know about this".

"Yeah I'll do it when we get back", 17 replied absentmindedly. A few minutes later, the teens were sitting in the pub with beer in front of them, "I think I'll have the Shepherd's Pie with extra chips", 16 said as he looked through the menu.

"How can you still be hungry", 17 shook his head, "we only had breakfast two hours ago".

"I'm a growing boy", 16 shrugged.

Suddenly the pub was rocked by several powerful explosions. Wooden splinters flew everywhere, bottles shattered on the floor and all the windows were blown out. The trio threw themselves to the ground as quickly as possible, "What the fuck?" 17 asked the others.

"An attack of some kind", 16 replied.

"But in broad daylight though", 18 added.

"Well I'm not going to hide in here", 17 announced and quickly ran for the door, closely followed by 18 & 16.