Trunks gasped and bolted upright.
"Whoa!" Krillin fell backwards. He had been trying to wake Trunks up to make sure he was okay.
"Where is she?" Trunks panted looking around wildly.
"Who?" Krillin asked. The only thing Trunks saw was Krillin and he calmed down. It was only a dream. He fell back with a groan and rested a hand on his chest, closing his eyes. It was only a dream. He calmed his breathing. "Who Trunks?" Krillin pressed. "Are you alright?"
"No one Krillin. I'm fine." It was only a dream.
"Well okay."
"Where are we?" Trunks asked. He opened his eyes and a flat, gray ceiling met them.
"I don't know. I got attacked by something and it knocked me out." Krillin sighed. "The next thing I know is I wake up here and see you struggling like you were having a bad dream."
"I was attacked too." Trunks sat up and rubbed his wrist where one of those metallic things had latched on to him. He felt odd, but something seemed to reassure Trunks. He looked around the room. It was small and dark, lit only by a small bulb set in a corner of the room. And there was no way in…or out. No doors, no windows, nothing.
"I can sense them now!" Trunks exclaimed. Although they seemed even more smothered than before, he could sense Gohan, Trunks, Goten, and his father.
"What do we do now Trunks?" Krillin asked. Trunks stood up and Krillin followed.
"We could always try and blast our way out." He replied.
"Good idea." A ball of energy appeared in Krillin's hand, lighting up the room. Trunks curled his hand into a fist, then fling it open, summoning another ball of light. They stood side-by-side and raised their hand.
"Now." Trunks said and they released their attack on the wall. The balls hit the wall. The energy crackled across the gray surface and was absorbed.
"What?!" Trunks approached the wall and cautiously pressed his hand against it. He yelped and jumped back.
"What is it Trunks?!" Krillin stepped up to Trunks, who was examining his hand.
"It's cold!" he said and looked up at the wall. There wasn't even a scorch mark on it! Krillin put his fingertips to the wall and quickly pulled back.
"No kidding." He said. "What do you think happened?"
"I think," Trunks said, "That the walls must be absorbing our energy. It probably was drawing it right out of our hands when we touched it. That's why it seemed so cold."
"That makes sense…So…What do we do now?"
"I don't know." Trunks sighed and shook his head. He crossed to the center of the room and sat on the floor. Krillin followed him.
———————————
Number 18 stood well out of sight of the building. She had traced Krillin's ki to this place. He was somewhere inside. It seemed that all the Saiyans were there too. Krillin and Mirai Trunks she could sense easily enough, although they seemed weak, but everyone else was more like a light just barely seen. She had become uneasy when Krillin didn't return, so she went to look for him and ended up here.
She approached the door and it slid open. She walked into a room, then a hallway. Ignoring the many rooms either side of her, she focused on Krillin and pressed on. She followed the hallway until it split into two directions. Taking a quick check of Krillin's position, she took the branch to the right of her. The hallway made a sharp turn and ended at a door. Lifting the latch on the heavy mettle door, she pushed and it easily swung open. She entered the room and took a few steps. The door shut behind her and she could no longer sense anything outside the room. She crossed to the only other door and slipped out. Once outside, her senses returned. Following the hallway, she encountered the work center. It was a drastic change to the rest of the place. It was alive with people working. Computers lined the room, all flashing with different lights.
They all ignored her as she wandered down the long room. She paused as a monitor caught her attention. It showed little Goten, crumpled on the floor of some sort of holding container. His breathing was very shallow. She took few more steps to the next monitor. It was Chibi Trunks, and he was only a little better then Goten. Farther on she saw Gohan who was sitting, but slouched like he had a ton of weight on his shoulders. Vegeta on the next monitor was the only one who was alert. What kind of a place was this?
She continued along. She was getting closer to Krillin. The next monitor showed a dark room, and in the center…
"Krillin!" 18 whispered. Sure enough, Krillin was on the screen, making small gestures with his hands like he was talking to the other occupant, Mirai Trunks.
"Are you new?" A voice asked behind her. She spun around. A man in a lab coat stood looking her up and down.
That's odd 18 thought, I can't sense him. Even if he's a normal human I should be able to sense something this close…unless… 18 cast her mind back and realized that she didn't sense anyone in the room. They were androids!
"Well?" the man asked.
"Yes I am." She said.
"Hm. I wasn't aware that we had a new worker." He said, "Come. Let me show you around." He turned assuming that 18 would follow. She did, but only because that was the way Krillin was. The man spoke as they walked. He was the director of all the 'workers' here. Some guy named Doctor Semadd was the creator of this whole operation.
"'Operation'?" 18 asked. The man looked at her.
"Didn't they tell you anything before you were sent here?" he sighed, "They expect me to do everything do they? Very well. Doctor Semadd has located the four most powerful people on the planet and is currently taking the energy from their bodies. It will be converted and used to power the Device that will be complete in a few hours."
"What device?"
"What'd they do? Just give you a number and sent you here?!" 18 didn't answer him so he continued, "the Device will be used to control the minds of all sentient creatures on the planet. It's just the first step in the plan. Next he will have his Controlled build a transmitter that will send the Device's effect thought the galaxy." He said this without any enthusiasm, excitement, or anything. But more like he was just delivering the plans for building a rubber ducky rather than this device that will mean the end of the world.
"You said it will be complete in a few hours?" 18 asked. The director nodded. This wasn't good news. She came to find Krillin and now she has to save the world.
They passed by a large depression in the wall with a door set in the center. Krillin was right on the other side of the door.
"What is that?" she asked.
"That is called a Chamber. We get two new people who we didn't know about that had pretty high energy levels so we put them in the Chamber. It will absorb any energy they give off. As soon as one of the four run out of energy, these two will be used as replacements."
"How long, do you think, the four will last?"
"The younger two are already running out. They have no more than a quarter of an hour if they're lucky. The oldest may have another day or so." 18 knew she had to act fast or their may be no hope for Goten or Trunks. If too much of their energy is drained, they may never be able to recover.
"Where is it that they're being held? The four?"
"They are in the very center of the complex and safely tucked away. Now let's continue on."
"I don't think so." 18 raised her hand and held it in front of the director's face. She sent a surge of energy directly in his face and he was reduced to smoldering ash, floating down to the floor. She shook her head. Some android.
"That had to have set off alarms." She raised her hand again, but this time at the door of the Chamber.
———————————
Krillin paced the room. Trunks had remained seated. His hands were clenched into fists. He could sense Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks, and Goten all slipping away and there was nothing he could do about it. He shut his eyes tight. He felt so helpless! Trunks growled and rose to his feet.
"We have to do something!" he cried. "I can't just sit here and watch as they all die!"
"I know Trunks. I feel the same way." Krillin said calmly, staring at the ground, "But there's nothing we can do. There's no way out of WOAH!" A blast rocked the room and tossed Krillin and Trunks to the floor. Peering under his arm that he had thrown up to protect his face he saw…
"18!!!" Krillin cried. He leaped to his feet and ran to the rubble that was, until recently, a wall. Trunks slowly stood up, keeping his distance. 18 eyed him and looked at Krillin.
"Are you okay?" she asked him.
"Yes, thanks to you. Hey, how did—"
"We don't have time for that now." 18 cut him off "We have to free the others. NOW."
"How?" Krillin asked.
"You go find Yamcha and Piccolo, we're going to need all the help we can get."
"What about Trunks?" Krillin said, turning to look back at him. 18 studied him; Trunks hadn't taken his eyes off her since she showed up.
"He can come with me and find them." Trunks said nothing. "Forget the past!" she yelled at him, "Just forget it for ten minutes and help me free Vegeta, Gohan, Goten and Trunks! You have to trust me."
"Trust." Trunks snorted. Though he had to admit it was kind of funny, in an odd way, that the one who killed Gohan in his future is now asking him to help save him.
"Yes trust!"
"Trunks, please!" Krillin begged.
"Fine." Trunks said. He never thought he'd be helping an android with anything, but then again he'd do anything to help the others, and if it meant he had to, Trunks swallowed; trust this android, then so be it. "Fine" he repeated. He ignored the memories of his dream and of the past fights with the androids and took a step forward. "Let's go."
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There, how's that for a chapter? Things are starting to heat up now! I think I'm nearing the end of this story *sniff* I'm gonna miss writing this.
I have to let you all in on a little secret, this is my first action story I've ever written. ^__^ How am I doing? Thank you everyone who's reviewed. I do have an e-mail alert list for this fic so if you want me to e-mail you when I get another chapter posted you can e-mail me at SwordofTrunks@yahoo.com or tell me in a review and I'll be sure to put you on!