Ch 8 - A Match For The Androids

"Hey. How much longer will it be until we get home? I'm tired," the gruff voice of Yajirobe once again complained.

Vegeta was close to the edge of his patience with this trip as he grumbled his answer, "Soon enough. Stop your whining. You've already made me stop for a potty break like a child."

It was true. They had stopped a few miles back because the fat man complained that he was uncomfortable and needed to piss. And during that break, he decided to change their positions so that he could be more parallel to the ground and put Bulma on top of the man on his back. It let them fly faster, but the woman refused to hold on tightly, so it wasn't significantly faster than before. He could sense the battle tension as the fight was just beginning and he felt like dropping the two annoyances off with Instant Transmission instead.

"Yeah, we're tired too," Bulma agreed and the older saiyan grumbled incoherently. No, no. This trip was to keep him as uninvolved as possible. But this was just torturous! Keeping an eye on his grandchildren was more enjoyable than this!

"But I can't stand it! I'm so hungry and I'm cold," Yajirobe continued as his stomach rumbled loudly.

"Gross! That's kind of rude," Bulma commented.

"If the woman wasn't on your back I'd throw you off," Vegeta stated. He didn't need to be reminded that he hadn't eaten for ten hours now. Certainly not long enough to get distracted with hunger, but long enough to desire a good meal.

Bulma's shrill voice called over the wind, "Trunks! Oh, you're being such a good boy!"

But she'd said it too soon as the baby released his tiny bladder over the hairy man below. She laughed fiercely at Yajirobe's expression as baby pee splashed across the man's face. The child giggling with his mother to the large man's disgust.

Yajirobe cried out, "Man! He sprung a leak!"

King Vegeta struggled as Yajirobe complained and wiggled on the man's back. The old man yelled, "That blasted child better not have defecated on my armor, woman!"

"Oh, relax. It's just on Yajirobe," Bulma assured. "But hey, can we stop for a minute? I gotta get him changed."

Annoyed with yet another delay, but knowing it was important enough, Future Vegeta spotted a creek on the Earth's surface and descended to allow the commodity. Once they landed, he waited as patiently as he could on a nearby tree. At least while they were on the surface, he could focus all of his ki in sensing out the battle.

Yes, the group was still by the laboratory in North City. He could only assume all of the androids were activated at this point. Trunks' flare of energy to blast the lab was proof enough that it was going how it should activation wise. He'd let them ramble on as long as they had the first time, so they got to the lab when they needed to.

The bigger question was, what would Kakarot do about it? The clown wasn't supposed to join the circus just yet. Old Vegeta focused more, blocking out the annoying shrill calls of the mother and her baby. Young Vegeta was powered up all the way to super saiyan, but the others seemed to be simply tensed. Good, he was fighting 18 alone then. Or at least one of the androids. Yes, no doubt he had insisted on taking them on alone one by one with his overconfidence and his damned pride. The only problem was, could he be strong enough?

What if he actually was? What would happen then? No more Perfect Cell? No more Android 18? What would that do for them?

"My scarf… A diaper for that kid. That's just great. What could be worse?" Yajirobe whined in the creek water, washing the cloth that was previously used on Trunks. The man gagged as he sniffed the fabric and continued to wash it diligently.

"Yajirobe! Hurry up with that diaper, would ya?!" Bulma called from the bank, holding her half-naked son close.

The man grumbled, "Just a minute!"

But the bluenette was never one for patience, "Do you want poor little Trunks here to catch a cold?"

He responded, "Hey you know, don't worry. We know he grows up to be big and strong."

"Huh, yeah, that is true. That's right. You're going to grow up to be a big boy!" she agreed, making a funny face for her son who openly laughed at her silliness. "That's a good boy!" she cheered and lifted him into the air. Her voice raised an octave to chant, "That's right! Yajirobe has your pants! That's a good baby! There, there."

A voice behind her made her jump slightly as she remembered there was another person that was with them, "Bulma, are we done wasting time? You can just buy diapers when you get to the city. Those weaklings won't stand a chance if things go sour, you know?"

Taking in the advice, she nodded, "Oh, I guess you're right."

"Eh, I guess it's as clean as it'll get," Yajirobe sighed, returning to the creek shore.

"I can't put that on Trunks!" Bulma yelled as the man attempted to hand her the sopping wet scarf. Without a word, King Vegeta grabbed the garment. His hand lit with ki and the surge of energy dried the scarf instantly. Bulma cheered, "Hey, yeah! That'll do it! Wow! You're really useful!" before taking the now warm cloth to wrap around her son's bosom.

When the proud mother was done caring for her son, the group of three plus the toddler took to the sky once more. Bulma was in a much better position being held against the older saiyan's chest with the baby sandwiched between them. It made their flight time cut in half as the man could finally reach a more sustainable pace in the sky. It wasn't long at all before they approached the large and recognizable West City.

The blonde woman of Capsule Corp sat stretched in a lounge chair out in the grassy property within the white picket fence. She was reading a magazine, a whole stack on a small table beside her as it was obvious she was doing some ad shopping. Paunchy looked up to see the figure of people in the sky coming in for a landing and she cheerfully greeted them.

Her hand waved in the sky and her magazine was forgotten as she spotted the blue hair of her daughter in the mix, "Oh my! Welcome home! Hi there!"

"Hi mom!" Bulma returned happily as the group hovered gently over the ground.

Yajirobe, who was being held by his tunik, was dropped to the ground with a loud thump. The martial artist grumbled as he picked himself up heavily and wiped off the grass that came up with him. He was very quickly forgotten in the background, just as the magazine was.

The blue haired woman was gently placed on her feet, the saiyan's hands around her waist to be sure she wouldn't stumble as she readjusted to standing after the swift flight. Once the man was sure she wouldn't fall over, he announced with a twinge of impatience, "Alright, I got you here."

"Oh, look at you all! Hi-a handsome!" Paunchy called as she got up from her lawn chair and walked up to the group. Her squinty eyes seemingly gestured towards the saiyan more than the others.

Trying his best to ignore Mrs. Briefs, the older saiyan addressed Bulma, "I'm going to go make sure they don't screw things up. Don't get any ideas and wait here. I'll come get you if anything happens, got it?"

Bulma, who was distractedly making funny faces towards her son with her mother, looked up and shifted Trunks to her grasp, "Yeah, okay. You better come back then."

The bluenette winked towards the saiyan and he awkwardly looked away and turned to take off again. The man cursed to himself at her flirtatious nature. Why was she always such a pest to him, even now? He had no time for distractions. He hadn't decided to be here, helping the fight against Cell, because he wanted to be distracted. He wanted to grow stronger. To embrace the good and rid the evil. He couldn't do that if he lost sight of the objective: help save the world from potential destruction. He still needed to decide just how much he wanted to interfere…

Would he save the androids if the team were too strong? Would he save Kakarot from being destroyed with Cell? Or would he be put into a position to send Kakarot to Otherworld himself…? What would he risk for this timeline?

Paunchy exclaimed, "Oh, my! Don't you look handsome, hua? Why don't you make yourself at home and I'll make up some cakes and cookies everyone likes so much?"

Bikini Briefs' cookies?! No, no! He had a mission… But he made the mistake in looking back over his shoulder to the blonde. It was as if his body could remember that this woman provided it with food. Even after all these years… Could he resist the temptation before him?

"Come on, don't be shy now!" Paunchy called and turned to the building with a giggle.

That blasted giggle… All the saiyan could do was stammer a weak, "N-no…"

Paunchy turned back to her guests and insisted, "It's no trouble, dear. Just relax!"

Well, if he stayed for a few minutes it couldn't hurt that bad, could it? After all, he was supposed to just be a spectator. He could watch the battle from here with his increased senses from the Instant Transmission technique. If he locked himself in the GR with a tray, he was sure he could watch and just transmit there if necessary…

No! He was just being lazy! How foolish of him!

"I must leave now! Grah! Save some for when I return, woman!" he commanded before blasting off into the sky in the direction of North City. "Blasted woman and her cookies! Always so damn tempting!"

And so the future Vegeta shot off at a rapid speed in the direction of the battle of androids and Earth's fighters. Unfortunately, while flying he couldn't fully sense the battle. He could locate everyone's ki, but he couldn't sense the surrounding area. Which means, he couldn't detect the androids. Up until this point, he had relied on his own present self's stubborn pride enough to keep the androids at bay. Vegeta would insist on taking them one-on-one and it seemed as though Kakarot wasn't interfering with Vegeta's wishes. 16 was an issue, but it seemed he was being kept at a distance. Most likely 17's doing. Future Vegeta didn't know much about the android, but he did know that that android was just as stubborn as Vegeta with his 'games.'

"Father!" a desperate cry came from over the next mountain ridge. The sound of himself in excruciating pain echoed off the landscape. The warrior's arm was broken, no doubt. Something that was supposed to happen. There was hope after all… Future Vegeta relaxed in his flight as he sensed the Z Fighters being taken out one by one just as intended. No doubt by 17.

The older Vegeta landed at the battle field, touching down on the rocky surface next to Krillin on the sidelines. The battle field wasn't where it should have been as they were still in the mountainous territory off the coast of North City. As the future Vegeta observed the battle situation, he realized just how wrong he was in maintaining hope…

Kakarot was facing Android 16, and it appeared that he was struggling. The android seemed to be as powerful as second stage Cell in the original timeline, and it looked like this verson's warriors were almost there but not quite. It wasn't surprising that the Z Fighters were all unconscious by 17's doing; except Piccolo who was pretty squarely matched. He wasn't as strong as he would be when merged with Kami, but he was significantly stronger than he ever should have been. It meant 17 was stronger, but Piccolo was smarter and a closer match than he would have been.

However, what concerned the future saiyan the most was 18. This fight was the exact opposite of the one of 17 versus Piccolo… Vegeta was significantly stronger than the android, but she was smarter. She had managed to break his arm. However, the condition she was in was far worse than he could have imagined. She was fighting for her life. The others couldn't see it yet as she hid it well under fake confidence only perhaps Krillin would be able to spot. It was probably only because she was able to break his arm that she was still in one piece…

"Baldy, what's the status?" the Vegeta next to the short man commanded Krillin.

Krillin obediently answered, "Vegeta tried to take the android, 18, alone and he was winning but she managed to break his left arm. He's been struggling ever since. Trunks stepped in, and the others followed, but 17 took care of them like they were nothing! Only Piccolo can stand a chance against that guy, and he's not faring too well, either. Goku was stopped by the other one, 16. That guy refuses to engage anyone except Goku. Only 17 was able to stop the guy from jumping Goku as soon as he saw the man! It's not looking good…"

~~~ An Outside View ~~~

Just a small interlude to explain how the battle is faring so far!

Now, the power difference of these Z Fighters against the original timeline is significant, but it isn't something extraordinary. Power levels are shady, so it is best to compare to what we know. In the original, Android 16 was almost as strong as Imperfect Cell. In this version, 16 is a bit more strength wise (being stronger than cannon at roughly less than Future Trunks' strength after the first bout in the Time Chamber) and Goku is just shy in power. Now just think, in the original if Goku didn't have the heart virus (or even if he did) and 16 found him before Cell, Goku most likely would have been done-for! Well, even with this new power-up Goku isn't exactly done-for in this timeline, but he isn't winning either.

[I know I know, how can you say they are stronger but then they are not actually that much stronger?! Well, they got stronger by spending a year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in the original. Meaning they had a few extra months in the original to get to this point of strength. There is only so much they could do without killing themselves in the process. It'd be a miracle Present Vegeta is even alive with how much he'd have to nearly die and recover to match this type of power-up in such a shortened amount of time! By my book, they are about as strong as they could get within the time frame! And without help!]

[Goku was trained with King Vegeta, but it wasn't like King Vegeta would just give away techniques and tips and tricks that would have been out of the man's reach for that age. King Vegeta was very conscious of what he showed Goku in hopes as to not affect the timeline. He wasn't even sure he would be on Earth with the man until he was already on Earth!]

[If you recall, on the way back to Earth in this story, Goku was training under 350 times gravity. This seems pretty low, but Goku trained in 100 times gravity on the way to Namek and the power-up of the super saiyan is a multiplier. Just because Goku doesn't train at a higher gravity level doesn't mean he is less powerful, it means that his body isn't as receptive to this type of training. But! Think about it… Super Saiyan Goku trained at 350 times gravity and Vegeta started his training at 300 in the original… How is that man alive again?! And he had to push himself even harder in this story to keep up than he already did in the original?! Go-mi-kai, this man is insane!]

If you consider how Vegeta is just as strong as Goku, or maybe even stronger, then that means Vegeta would make quick work of 17 and 18! These two androids were always weaker than 16. Well, Dr. Gero did have his bots floating around Earth during the time of Frieza's arrival because Cell in the original timeline had Frieza's genes somehow. Imagine if Dr. Gero had realized there were five extreme power readings of that magnitude? [Frieza, Kold, Future Trunks, Goku, and Future Vegeta.] He would instantly panic and try to beef up his creations to prepare for an inevitable encounter! Gero would calculate that he would need a lot more power in the off chance that those readings were accurate [of course he would be in denial, but being a scientist he wouldn't want to risk the chance of it not being a fluke]. Theoretically, the androids could be as strong as they want to be, but they are limited by their designs and technology. 17 and 18 are restricted to be about the same effectiveness as Tien against Semi-Perfect Cell. [Not strength. Strength wise they would be a little more beefy than before but not by too much. They are still stronger than all the Z Fighters excluding the super saiyans.]

Now just imagine Semi-Perfect Cell strength Vegeta against Tien strength 18… [Yeah, I can't imagine that going well either, no matter what fanfiction it is…] Of course Vegeta would want to play around, testing her limits which buys her time, but in the end it would be Vegeta as the victor of this fight… However, a good Ki-Ko-Ho (aka, breaking his arm) can get at least a little bit of an even playing field.

18 is very confident in herself and her brother, but she is also very intelligent. While 17 is always interested in having fun, 18 is always interested in getting down to business and the best ways to do so. Against Vegeta, she knows that if she shows signs of weakness, then she'll be ripped to pieces. For her survival, and for 17's, she needs to be tough and calm. Something that comes naturally to her. It makes the androids appear stronger than they actually are.

~~~ Returned View ~~~

King Vegeta grunted, "Hmph, about as well as it should then, in the end. Anyone injured besides Vegeta?"

Krillin hesitated, "N-no. Well, maybe Tien and Trunks, and I think Gohan got hit pretty bad too."

"Any breaks? Are the rest just unconscious?"

"Just Vegeta, and I believe so," Krillin confirmed. He looked up curiously to the man beside him. 'As it should,' the man had commented. His eyes were pinned on the blonde haired boy in the dust. Could this be a man of the future as well?

Android 18 tossed Super Vegeta into the cliffside. As the man fell after the impact, she stepped down on his spine. The man cried out in pain before scampering onto his hand and knees. The blonde woman fixed her hair behind her ear and snarled, "He doesn't know when to quit!"

Not allowing the saiyan prince time to recover, 18 kicked Vegeta's broken arm. The man screamed and his body was sent flying back into the cliffside, turning him over to lay on his back. He breathed in gasps in an attempt to control the pain.

"What's it going to take to get through to you, Vegeta? You've been beaten," the female spat. As if proving her point, she stepped on the saiyan's other arm. With a loud snap, Vegeta screamed once more and his hair returned to its original charcoal color. The sound stirred Trunks not too far away.

"Vegeta!" Goku called and desperately tried to get to Vegeta's aid, but was blocked by the very large and powerful Android 16.

16 pointed his fists in a prepared attack as his mechanical voice commanded, "Son Goku. You are my opponent alone. 17 was very clear that only Vegeta was to fight 18 and I made it very clear that only you were to fight me."

Piccolo gave a pained gasp when 17 took the alien into a choke-hold. The namekian's extending arms wrapped around his opponent, but it made no difference to his situation. 17's legs hit powerful blows against the warrior's legs and hips. Each blow was sure to bruise at the impact. Piccolo's hands clawed at the android's skin and hair, ripping clothes and pulling hair. It only made 17 angry and tighten his hold. Soon enough, Piccolo was out cold and dropped like a play thing. His body hit heavily against the rocky ground, bouncing off debris that was disturbed from the fighting.

"Finish him now, 18," Android 17 suggested flatly.

"I won't… Let you…" Trunks staggered as he got to his feet. "I won't let you kill my father!"

The teen boy powered up and charged the blonde android alone. Goku was busy with 16, and the only ones left to fight were Krillin and the older saiyan who both seemed uninterested in messing with the beasts before them. Trunks felt furious at this. How could his very father of the future not interfere?! These were monsters and they were winning! This wasn't supposed to happen! He grit his teeth and let the anger guide him into the devil before him.

"Well if you want it that badly…" 18 taunted as she narrowly dodged Trunks' attack. This boy was far weaker than the other blonde. She smacked his spine and sent the kid into the dirt. Even though he was weaker, she wasn't taking any chances. She quickly stepped on the boy's right leg, getting the bone to break…

She dodged a powerful energy blast that grazed her cheek. Where did that blast come from?! She looked around before spotting the two sideliners on the cliffside. One of them had interfered… She didn't expect that to happen. The short one seemed too terrified to make such a rash move. It had to have been the other one. He was new… And he looked dangerous…

Future Trunks screamed bloody murder. Never before had the older Vegeta heard such a horrible sound come from his son! It was a sound he'd only ever heard from himself. A sound he never wished on his own flesh and blood. It made him see red. If that android took things too far, he would have no choice but to eliminate her. Krillin and Marron be damned!

"S-seventeen!" 18 anxiously called, getting the male's attention away from watching 16's fight with Goku. This man that slowly approached her emanated killer aura. He was out for her blood, and she didn't doubt for a second that he could do it.

Defensively, Android 17 flew in front of his twin sister in an attempt to block this new threat from getting to her, but the android was swatted away like he was nothing. The man grabbed 18's throat with a firm grip and she struggled against him. Her legs kicked at his body, but not a single blow appeared to affect him. She couldn't help the fear that crept into her features as she realized she was prey waiting for death in this hunter's trap.

"Don't you dare lay another finger on the boy, you hear?!" a primal growl escaped the man, booming off the android twins as they both were helpless to this powerful being before them.

Krillin nervously remained on the sidelines. That man had to be Vegeta from the future, right? Concerned about Trunks like that? Oh, yeah, no doubt about it! He looked similar, acted similar, and went ballistic over Trunks. The only thing was… Why hadn't this future Vegeta stepped in before?! If he had this kind of power, why wouldn't he just go right ahead and make a show out of destroying them in the first place? Why did he bother to take Bulma home instead of letting Yamcha do it? It just didn't make sense to Krillin…

17 shot out of the rock debris and furiously kicked and punched at the dangerous man who held his sister. Not a single attack phased the man, even when 17 used his full strength! What the hell was this guy made out of?! 18 was able to break Vegeta's arm with the same blows, and this man wasn't even moving from the impact! The man's hand tightened and 18 screamed. Her hands clutched against his arm to desperately tear him away, but it was futile. This man was just way too strong!

He saw her fear. She was terrified of death. The older saiyan slowly released his grip on her throat until she was able to rip herself away. If she was scared for her life, then he knew he got his message across. She wasn't heartless like the androids Future Trunks had always described. She was so far innocent. If she was to become Krillin's wife, then he wouldn't stop such things.

With her found freedom, 18 and 17 combined a powerful blast attack at the newcomer. The man didn't even flinch as he took the power head-on. A large smoke screen covered the valley as dust stirred from the blast. Taking advantage of the man's inability to see, the androids bolted to the cliffside. They couldn't look to be running away, but they needed to separate themselves from the battle with haste. If they stay, the man may come for them again. They needed to kill Son Goku, and that wouldn't happen if they were killed before they had the chance.

"No! Stop!" Krillin called out as he spotted the androids retreat to the cliffside he still resided on. The short man ran to meet them and formed a blockade with his body to physically stop them.

"And what do you want now?" the calm voice of 17 answered him.

Krillin gulped before solidifying his stance, "Stop. You guys leave Goku and everyone else alone. Goku hasn't done anything to you. Why are you after him?"

Smoothly, the male replied, "16 has been programmed to destroy Goku. So that's what we're going to do. If he doesn't do it now, then we will return to do it later."

"Why?!" Krillin demanded. "You don't have to do that! And besides, what happens if he can't? Or if you do, then what?"

"We're only following Dr. Gero's master plan," 17 responded simply with a shrug.

"Just listen to yourselves! Did you forget? Dr. Gero is gone! You took care of that!" Krillin insisted. If the androids could feel fear, then they could listen to reason, right?!

17 nodded, "Yes. I haven't forgotten about that. But this, friend, is a game."

The bald man staggered, "What… Do you… Mean? This is just… A game? Is that all?"

The ravenette confirmed, "That's right. Yes. And killing Goku is the main objective of the game. That's why we didn't all attack him together and let Vegeta interfere. To make the game more interesting."

"What? No! Stop this! I beg of you, please don't kill Goku! Please! You don't have to do this!" Krillin begged.

"Well, until something funner comes up, afraid that's exactly what we're going to do, pal. Now if you'll excuse us, we were in the middle of said game. If you want to make it more difficult for us, then stop worrying about Goku and take care of your other friends. They look like they could use some senzu beans."

Krillin was at a loss. If he couldn't convince the androids to stop, and King Vegeta or Future Vegeta or whatever he was wouldn't interfere, then who was to say that they wouldn't just go and kill innocent people? Who's to say these androids would stop until they have ganged up on Goku and destroyed him together? Goku was struggling against 16 as it was!

18 approached Krillin with a confident sway in her hips. The short man took a step back, unsure what she was planning. She leaned her face close to his and planted her soft lips on his cheek. The turtle student couldn't breathe as she pulled away and tossed her hair over her shoulder. How could someone with such gorgeously beautiful blue eyes be so dangerous?!

"Good luck," she flirted. "Bye."

Taking the distraction, 17 and 18 passed Krillin to flee from the battle field. The battle between Goku and Android 16 slowed as the large mechanical being watched his fellow creations leave. This was not good for their party. 16 could maybe destroy Goku, but not if that strange man was able to chase away 17 and 18. That man could be far more powerful than himself. 16 could not risk his defeat in this fight. If he couldn't kill Son Goku now, then he would have to take the same action as his adoptive siblings.

"I will be back for you Son Goku!" 16 called out as Rocket Fists launched into Goku's face. The explosions blinded the saiyan before the android recovered his hands and fled in the direction of his allies. So it has come to live to fight another day…