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The Game

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The front range of the desert mountains, an hour later...

"This isn't right..."

Piccolo lightly touched down on the slope of a caved in mesa. Glancing to side, he spotted Tien crouched in the shadow of a rock outcropping. Following Tien's gaze, Piccolo saw the Oozaru and the giant wolf that used to be Yamcha still locked in combat. "Looking past the obvious..." Piccolo prompted.

Tien responded quietly, his gaze never leaving the combatants. "They're fighting with a rhythm. There's almost a pattern to them. ...Neither of them is going for blood anymore."

Piccolo grunted, returning his gaze to the fight. "They've already felt each other out. They're too evenly matched to go all out. So they're going in a holding pattern, trying to wear the other down. Waiting for one of them to make a mistake." Piccolo paused for a moment. "Classic strategy."

"No. Not this time." Tien's voice was slightly above a whisper. "Yamcha was mopping the floor with us. With this kind of power up, the fight shouldn't have lasted more than five minutes. He's holding back..."

"I don't think so. Yamcha was most dangerous when he was in control. When the virus took over--"

"He still made short work of us."

Piccolo glanced down at Tien. The Human's temper was beginning to slip. "Not as much as he could have. Not as much as he should have, given his power level at the time. When Yamcha was in control, he knew what he was doing. He really was the fighter we knew..." Piccolo paused, looking back at the clashing titans. "But under the virus, he was just reacting. He still remembered us, and maybe knew what was coming, but he never really took advantage of that. He never nailed us the way he should have."

Tien sighed, wearily. "What are you getting at, Piccolo?"

"That Yamcha is being dumbed down. With each power up, he's loosing competence. He's relying more on power and shear brutality, and less on his own skill. With this last power up, he's lost the last remnant of his physical humanity. There's no telling what that did to his mind."

Tien was quiet for a long moment. "You may have a point. But Yamcha should still be pounding that girl. Systematically or just viciously..." Tien shook his head and leaned back against the rock outcropping. His eyes dropped, and weariness crept back into his voice. "So what's the word from Capsule Corps?"

"Surprisingly good. No casualties, and they think they have a lead on fighting the virus."

"How?" Tien deadpanned.

Piccolo grunted. "Apparently, Yamcha was performing some test when he first lost it--I didn't ask, I didn't care--but they still managed to get the information from that test. Bulma's father has been looking over the results of the test, and has figured out just how the virus controls its victims. He says he's isolated the neural-chemical impulse the virus uses, and that he thinks he knows how to block it. By blocking the signal, we can effectively cut the control of the virus, even if viruses themselves are still active."

"In English, Piccolo."

"Like I said, I don't know, I don't care."

Tien snorted, mildly amused. "So how do we go about stopping these neural-whatevers?"

"Bulma's father is working on a drug. Some kind of chemical neutralizer."

Tien looked up at Piccolo, suspiciously. "I'll assume that's a fancy word for a sedative. How much of this stuff do we need?"

Piccolo's face hardened. "For someone our size, a 'complete saturation' would take at least twenty grams."

Tien was silent for a long moment. "How much does the Doc have right now?"

"A couple hundred 'CCs.'"

Tien went quiet again. "That's not twenty grams, is it?"

"My impression was that it was nowhere near twenty grams."

Silence reigned for a moment. "You did tell him about Yamcha, right?"

"Yes."

"...And for someone his size?"

"A factor in the thousands."

Tien's head dropped. "He probably has to mix the stuff himself, doesn't he... How long 'till he has enough?"

Piccolo folded his arms. "Two weeks. Give or take."

Tien looked up, and stared at the Namek for a long moment. "Piccolo, if this ends with all of us wandering along Snake Way, you and I are going to have a long discussion about the term 'surprisingly good.'"

"We have a plan," responded Piccolo, in a level voice. "That's more than we have during most of these crises."

Tien sighed and let his head drop into his arms. For his part, Piccolo stepped up and crouched on a highpoint on the slope.

"Tien," Piccolo quietly began. "Why a wolf? What's the connection? We already knew that Saiyan can go Oozaru, but..." Piccolo looked back at Tien. "I didn't think humans had any transformations."

Tien responded with a long sigh, but he did meet Piccolo's gaze. "We don't. If we did, one of us would have found it by now. And not to sound like Vegeta, but it probably would have been me..."

"But even just legends..." Piccolo's voice broke off. "Hearsay, myths, anything! Bulma's mother said something about a 'werewolf...'"

"Legends, hearsay, and myths," Tien sternly responded. "Not real. Not even close to real. And that," Tien pointed to the dueling titans, "is not even close to any of the myths."

Piccolo exhaled loudly, and turned his gaze back to the fight. "No de-tailing this time... So any ideas on how we get Yamcha back to normal."

"A Couple thousand grams of whatever the Bulma's father is cooking up. The Dragonballs..." Tien snorted "...Rebuilding him as a cyborg... Nothing currently feasible."

"So we have no idea why he's a wolf?"

"No, but Yamcha never really said much about his past. Could be part of his heritage. Or some curse. Or..." Tien went silent as he gazed across the landscape for a moment. "When I first met Yamcha, he was still something of a rebel. A 'lone wolf warrior,' he sometimes called it. It was how he carried himself. It was how he defined himself... Later... When he became less of a threat individually... Before the Saiyans, when we were all training together... He switched mentalities. To him, we were all part of the pack."

Piccolo looked back. "You think his mindset is the connection?"

"Could be. It was more than a mindset for him. It was his whole mental image. It was how he defined himself." Tien sighed, looking back down. "Maybe it still is. And now he's possessed. And mutating. So the virus could just be changing his body to fit the mind..."

"...And the situation," continued Piccolo, thinking hard. "The Saiyan began changing once we started hitting her tail too much. She evolved, getting rid of the weak point. Yamcha was faced with a giant. So once he got a chance, he evolved to meet that challenge..."

Tien weakly nodded. "Makes sense. Scary as hell, but it..." Tien trailed off, sensing a change in the fight.

Tien stood up, and Piccolo slowly turned to face the two titans. "...The hell does he think he's doing..."

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The Southern edge of the mountains...

"Yes," a sarcastic voice began, "I'd say that is definitely the 'disturbance' you sensed..."

Standing at the base of a rock outcropping, Eighteen gazed forward, utterly stunned. "What... Are those things?"

Krillin cracked his knuckles hesitantly. He had thrown on his fighting shoes and a gi top only fifteen minutes earlier, and was still trying to steel himself for the fight. The fact that his wife sounded nervous wasn't helping him any. "I've got no idea what the small one is. But the large one's an Oozaru."

Eighteen continued staring, completely ignoring her blowing hair. "That thing does not match up with my file on Oozarus."

Krillin stepped up beside his cybernetic wife. "It doesn't look like the ones I've seen either, Honey. But I know it's one of them..."

"Which, if true, would beg a second question. 'Who is it?' Gohan? Vegeta? Perhaps one of the newer half-breeds." Krillin looked up at the top of the outcropping, where his brother-in-law was standing. Seventeen's somewhat baggy clothes were flapping in the wind, and his posture seemed almost nonchalant. "And as long as we're speculating, it could just as easily be some new Saiyan."

"Probably that," muttered Krillin, still unnerved. "Which means the wolf thing could be its sparring partner. Making it another alien. Just what the planet needed..."

Seventeen began chuckling. "Hey, Eighteen, ten zenni says the Saiyan is Vegeta's long-lost sister."

"Would you be serious?!" Eighteen snapped. "This is important." Eighteen sighed, and turned to Krillin. "Don't mind him..."

"...I'm tryin' not to..." Krillin sighed and pulled on a wristband. "Okay, they're still focused on each other. We'd better take 'em down now, while we can still surprise them. You two sure there's no one else around?"

"I can't see anyone," coldly supplied Eighteen.

"Nothing in the vis spectrum," came Seventeen's cocky response. "Nothing definite in infrared. Ultraviolet and below is too screwed up to make out anything."

"And no ki around, either." Krillin shook his head. "Well, we can't wait for anyone else to get here. Those two might stop fighting each other, or they might get to close to a city."

Seventeen chuckled in anticipation.

"I'll take the Saiyan," Krillin commanded. "Shouldn't be too hard to take it down. Eighteen, you and your brother double team the wolf. Don't try to kill it--we might be able to reason with them." Krillin broke off with a sigh. "...Maybe. But don't pull your punches either."

"S'alright. But are you sure you don't want us to do the fighting, while you just stand back here and gape?"

Seventeen's smirk withered under Eighteen's harsh glare. Krillin continued to look forward, refusing to acknowledge the remark.

"Or not," Seventeen meekly finished.

"Go in quiet," Krillin continued. "We don't want them to notice us until we're right on top of them. C'mon!" With that, the lone Human and the two Androids took to the air.

With Krillin in the lead, the trio sped close to the ground, trying to keep as low a profile as possible. Only a couple hundred yards away from the fighters, Krillin topped a Mesa and accelerated to an attack speed.

He hadn't even held his course for a second before the Oozaru whirled around. The monster looked directly at Krillin, and coldly raised its arm. Its aura spiked, and an energy blast streaked across the sky.

Krillin's eyes widened in surprise. "Look out!" Barrel rolling to the side, Krillin barely avoided being hit. Eighteen crested the mesa just as the blast hit, and was thrown upwards by the explosion. Seventeen spun to the side, caught by the explosion's backlash.

"Where'd that come from?!" Seventeen demanded as he stabilized himself. "I thought you said they were distracted!" Cupping his hands, he opened fire on the Oozaru.

The Oozaru took a step back and sidestepped the attack. Behind it, the wolf barked and leapt forward. Disappearing before it struck, it reappeared just in front of Seventeen. Snarling, the wolf threw itself at the Android.

Caught off guard, Seventeen raised his right arm to block the bow. The wolf's paw came down, and Seventeen was bashed to the ground. The wolf dove down to follow him, impacting in a cloud of dust. Seventeen rolled out of the dust ball, and crouched in the shelter of a nearby rock outcropping. He desperately clutched his newly damaged arm and tried to keep it from sparking.

Eighteen gaped as she swept past the scene. "Seventeen!"

Before her brother could respond, another snarl came from the wolf. A ki blast shot throw the air, taking the dust with it. Eighteen dove to avoid the blast, and scooped up her brother in the process.

"The hell just happened?!" Seventeen spat out.

"I don't know," responded Eighteen as she veered to the side. "But this wasn't--nyaahh!" As explosions went off all around her, Eighteen was knocked to the ground.

"That's it!" Screamed Krillin as he blew past the Oozaru. "Destructo Disk!" A shining spiral of energy appeared at the tip of Krillin's arm, and he heaved it at the Oozaru's unprotected backside.

Roaring, the Oozaru reared around and grabbed the disk. Krillin's mouth fell open as the Oozaru stood there, with energy arcing around its fist. After a moment, the Oozaru snarled and flung his open fist towards Krillin. The Human yelped, and dove to avoid the burst of energy shards.

"That... How'd he... Gaaahh!" Krillin screamed as the Oozaru opened its mouth and expelled a giant fireball.

Coughing out dust, Eighteen pushed herself off the ground. "Seventeen"? She called out weakly. "Seventeen, where are you?"

A menacing snarl brought Eighteen's attention upward. Rolling over, she saw the wolf towering over her, glowering. Eighteen gulped, and tried to back away. Sensing her movement, the wolf bared its teeth and threw down a ki spike. The ensuing explosion ripped across the valley floor, sending Eighteen tumbling backwards.

Eighteen managed to steady herself against a surviving rock outcropping. Panting, she looked up at the wolf. It was still staring back at her, with a look of disgust etched across its muzzle. The wolf reared back, and the cackle of energy filled the air.

Taking a half step back, Eighteen weakly raised her arms into a defensive position. "Not again," she muttered, as unwanted memories began filtering through her mind. "Not this fast! It can't end like this again..."

Abruptly, Eighteen felt a change in the air. A split second later, the wolf was engulfed in a blaze of energy.

"What..." Eighteen lowered her arms in shock.

"Grab--your brother--and move!"

Eighteen whirled at the sound of the voice. Standing on the rim of a crater, she saw Tenshinhan. His face was lined in concentration, and his hands were arrayed in a triangle emblem in front of his chest. Eighteen blinked, trying to sort out what her senses were telling her. "...Again?"

Tien caught Eighteen's gaze. "What are you doing?! I told you to grab your brother and--" Eighteen flinched away as Tien reset himself and fired another blast at the wolf. As he did, his voice dropped an octave. "Leeeeeaaaave!"

"Don't have to tell me twice..." Eighteen's gaze jerked to the side, where she saw Seventeen pull himself out of a pile of rubble. He was still clutching his arm, and looked very much worse for wear. "You two meet like this before?"

Eighteen shook her head violently, drawing herself out of her stupor. "Not now, Seventeen. Just c'mon!" Breaking into a run, Eighteen scooped up her brother and took to the air.

"--Ey!" The raven haired Android exclaimed. "It's just my arm. I can still--"

"Quiet," Eighteen commanded. Twirling midair, Eighteen released her brother, and continued gliding backwards. "Where's Krillin?!"

"Hyuuah. Guyah!"

Keeping pace despite his injury, Seventeen glanced across the valley. The Oozaru was skidding across the ground, leaving a trail of upturned rocks. Not far from where the trail started, Piccolo was frantically digging through some rubble. "Probably down there," Seventeen sarcastically supplied.

Eighteen followed her brother's gaze, and here eye's involuntarily widened in concern. "Krillin..."

Piccolo pulled a limp figure from the rubble, and immediately took to the air. As he did, the Oozaru regained it's bearings, and roared in anger. Piccolo put on a burst of speed, and flung Krillin towards the two airborne Androids.

"Tien!" Piccolo called out, quickly turning around. "We're clear!"

"Give me a set-up then," called back the Human. "Just keep the Oozaru where she is!"

Supporting her still dazed husband, Eighteen looked at Piccolo. "Where did you--"

Upon hearing her, Piccolo angrily whirled around. "You three," he ordered, pointing away from the Oozaru, "get behind that ridge. And stay out of sight!"

Eighteen blinked, still trying to figure out what had happened in the last three minutes.

"You heard him," commented Seventeen, all to eager for a respite. Turning away from the fight, he sped towards the ridge Piccolo had indicated. "Lets get out of here."

Eighteen put on a burst of speed to follow him, but still kept her eyes fixed on the fight behind her.

Seeing its prey escape, the Oozaru roared and crouched down, preparing to spring forward.

"Masenko!" Hurriedly, Piccolo threw down the blast, drawing the Oozaru's attention back to him.

Across the field, the wolf once again leapt at Tien. Bringing down his hands, Tien darted forward, sliding under the wolf. The wolf reared around, and slashed at Tien with its claws. Keeping airborne, Tien dodged the blows, carefully positioning himself in relation to his attacker. Abruptly, Tien dove forward, striking, and then bouncing off the wolf's head.

Letting his momentum carry him backwards, Tien thrust out his arms. "Tri--Beam Cannon--HAAAAHH!!" Still off balance, the wolf was staggered by the massive attack. "Hyyaaaah!" A second wave took the wolf off its feet and sent him flying across the field.

The wolf hit the ground, bounced, and rebounded right into the Oozaru's back. Piccolo took advantage of the distraction to hit the Oozaru again, sending it and the wolf tumbling across the rubble. Still hovering in the air, Piccolo watched as the two titans regained their bearings, and immediately attacked each other.

Smirking, Piccolo turned back to Tien, who was also flying towards him and panting hard. "Nice work. They're on the ridge." Tien wordlessly nodded in acknowledgment, and followed Piccolo to the ground.

On the ridge, Seventeen was crouched on a rock, angrily picking debris out of his ruptured arm. Eighteen was standing on a ledge below the ridge, looking over her husband. Still slightly dazed, Krillin rose to meet the descending fighters. "Tien! Piccolo! Boy, did you two show up at a good time. Do either of you--"

"The hell did you think you were doing back there?!" Piccolo angrily cut in.

Eyes wide, Krillin took a step backwards. "Huh?"

"We had things perfectly under control before you three--"

"'Under control?!'" Seventeen blurted out as he spun around. "Are you two blind? You've got two giants beating the hell out of each other just three mesas away!'"

"But before you showed up," growled Piccolo, "they were distracted. Too focused on each other to bother anyone else."

"And... That's under control?" Visibly shaken, Eighteen brushed some stray strands of hair from her face.

Piccolo scowled. "It's as under control as it can be at the moment."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Krillin rubbed his forehead, trying to make sense of the situation. "Everyone, just hold on for a second. Piccolo, you've obviously been here for a while. So what's going on?! Why couldn't we sense you two when we got here? And why weren't you--"

"You didn't sense us," began Piccolo, grimly, "because we were laying low. So that they wouldn't sense us, either."

Krillin stared at the Namek, somewhat exasperated. "Look, what... What's going on here?"

Piccolo grunted. "Hn. Tien..."

"For the last bloody time..." Tien grumbled, as he slouched against a boulder. "Early yesterday, another Saiyan crash landed on Earth. The girl had a virus called Auto Mutation Syndrome, which has basically mutated her into... Well, that." Tien limply gestured towards the battle. "The only way we can stop her is if we freeze her. Because if she dies, she releases a virus that will kill everyone on the planet."

"Oh," quietly responded Krillin. "That's... Not good." Krillin paused, looking at the battle. "Uh, and the giant wolf thing?"

"That would be Yamcha," informed Piccolo.

Krillin choked. "You're--You can't be serious!"

Piccolo and Tien glared at Krillin.

"Okay, you are," Krillin finished meekly. "Bwa... So how'd--"

"The sickness is spreading?" Questioned Eighteen, with a hollow ring to her voice.

Piccolo glared at the Android. "Yes."

Krillin swallowed. "Do... Do we know how to cure him?"

"We have an idea," replied Piccolo, stepping up to the top of the ridge. "But we're not sure if it will work. We're also not sure if we'll have time to even try it."

"How long do we need to try it?" Asked Seventeen, suspiciously. "And what is 'it?'"

"Bulma's father is working on a drug that he thinks will keep the virus inactive."

"The virus that kills people?" Cut in Krillin. "So we can kill them?! We can't do that to Yamch--"

"The virus that turned them into that!" Snarled Piccolo as he looked back at the others. "If we can keep that virus inactive, we can freeze them until we can kill the virus."

Seventeen glared suspiciously at Piccolo. "And how long until we can try that?"

Piccolo turned his gaze back to the fight. "Two weeks. Maybe less."

"What?!"

Having recovered from the worst of her shock, Eighteen raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly do you plan on doing in the meantime? Stand around and let those two fight it out?"

"That's the plan so far," muttered Tien.

"Not a very good one," retorted Seventeen.

"Killer viruses aren't our specialty," Tien drolly replied. "We're just making this up as we go along..."

"Okay, just hold on a second," began Krillin. "We have a cure, but we need some time to get it ready. Until then, we're just supposed to let Yamcha and that Saiyan beat the snot out of each other? For two weeks?!" Krillin looked around. "Couldn't we try to knock them out and then restrain them or something."

"We had the Saiyan restrained," Tien bitterly replied. "Somehow, she got out. And we lost Yamcha in the process. No telling what we did to Capsule Corps..."

"We lost Capsule Corps?" Krillin exhaled dejectedly. "Well, still, it's gotta be worth trying again..."

"Because the five of us did so well against them just now," sarcastically remarked Piccolo. "No. Our best bet is to lay low. Once they've worn each other down, and once we've actually got some way to restrain them, then we'll attack."

"Five of us?" Questioned Eighteen after a pause. "What about Gohan and Vegeta? Where are they?"

"In orbit," Piccolo gruffly replied.

Eighteen balked. "Because..."

"Because there's too much risk of them catching the virus and turning into another Oozaru."

"Oh, of course," continued Seventeen, with his own sarcastic drawl. "Because it's not like you Humans aren't catching the virus either..."

"We still have no idea why Yamcha caught the virus," Tien wearily interjected. "But in the two days the Saiyan has been here, he's been the only other to catch it."

"That you know of," cut in Eighteen.

Tien remained silent for a moment. "...That we've noticed. But when Vegeta left, he said that Saiyans were 'especially susceptible' to the virus. Which, for all we know, means they might get sick after just an hour's exposure. And those two are already more powerful than any of us... If they go down, we've got no way to stop them."

"So that's really our best option," muttered Krillin. "Just sit here and let Yamcha fight that Saiyan... Does... Does he even know what he's doing?"

Piccolo was silent for a moment. "He did at one point. But he's long past that stage. There isn't much in there that's still Yamcha."

Krillin shook his head. "And this has been going on for two days? Why didn't you call us?"

Piccolo grunted. "Do any of you know anything about viruses, Saiyan diseases, or 'nanites?'"

Krillin paused. "Uh, no."

"Gero distributed nano-tech on need-to-know basis," added Seventeen. "He never felt we needed to know..."

"Are any of you stronger than Tien or I?" The Namek continued.

Krillin looked at Eighteen, who glanced nervously at Tien. "Not anymore..."

"Then you really weren't needed," concluded Piccolo.

"Where have you been, anyway?" Asked Tien, still slouched over. "This thing's been going on for two days now. How could you not have noticed this?"

Krillin smiled weakly. "Well, the truth is, Eighteen and I were, well, a little distracted--"

"Forget I asked," Tien quickly muttered.

Eighteen balked. "No, not like--"

"With the pervert they live with? Not likely." Seventeen snorted. "No, those two were too busy doting over that little pink thing that's supposed to be my niece... Speaking of whom," Seventeen's tone abruptly changed, "do all you Humans start off that small?"

"Seventeen, we already discussed this," Eighteen snapped. "Yes, she is normal."

"Seriously," Seventeen continued, ignoring his sister. "It's a phase you all go through, right? One that most people grow out of. My niece won't live her entire life as short as Krillin..."

Tien stifled a chuckle.

"I never should have invited him over," muttered Krillin.

"More than likely," supplied Piccolo, who never bothered to look back at the conversation. "Gohan has changed drastically since he was a child. Krillin's daughter will probably go through several phases during the course her childhood."

"Well that's comforting," commented Seventeen. "Except now I've got a mental picture of one of those phases being as a big giant wolf." With that, the Android hopped up a few rocks and crouched at the peak of the ridge.

"Very funny," deadpanned Eighteen.

"Speaking of funny..." Krillin began after a slight pause. "Tien, you start your own line of shirts, or something? Or have you just been hitting the 'Badman' shop?"

Tien raised his head and glared at Krillin. After a moment, he dropped his gaze and began chuckling. Krillin joined in almost instantly.

"Uh, Krillin," began Eighteen, eyeing the two suspiciously, "you want to explain that?"

"Ask Bulma," supplied Piccolo, with a smirk of his own tugging at his mouth. "And do it when Vegeta is around."

Eighteen shook her head dismissively. "I suddenly stopped caring."

"Seriously, though. What's with the shirt, Tien?" Still stifling a laugh, Krillin gestured to Tien's needlessly elaborate shirt. "I know it's been a while, but embroidery just doesn't seem your style."

"It's not," Tien dryly responded. "But, well... Lunch needed a hobby, and it was either this or cooking. This just seemed safer."

"That it is," cheerfully conceded Krillin.

Eighteen looked at the Humans blankly. "Okay, that I want explained."

Krillin gave his wife a questioning glance. "Gero didn't give you files on Lunch?"

"Not beyond the meal."

Krillin blinked. "Oh. Well, lets just say that our little Marron may soon get a blue-haired playmate to hang out with..."

Eighteen raised an eyebrow. "Girlfriend?" Krillin responded with a curt nod.

"Blue haired?" Krillin glanced at Piccolo, who was looking questioningly back at Tien. "I had pegged the blond one as your mate."

Krillin chuckled. "No, no Piccolo... Lunch changes hair color whenever she sneezes. The blond girl, the blue haired girl, they're really the same person."

Piccolo stared at Krillin for a long moment. "Krillin, what are you talking about? They were standing right next to each other."

Krillin remained silent for a moment. "What?!" Whirling to the side, Krillin gaped at Tien. "Tien! What happened?!"

"Nothing important," replied the Human, determinedly staring at the ground in front of him.

"No," continued Krillin, loudly. "How'd those two separate?!"

"Just drop it, Krillin," Tien muttered.

"Tien," Krillin persisted, "I've known her a lot longer than you have. I think I deserve to know just how she separated, and how in the world you ended up with the blond psycho?!"

"I don't know!" Spat out Tien. "Probably the same way you did."

Krillin choked.

"I," began Eighteen, "am not a 'psycho.' Three eyes."

Tien replied in dry tone. "Oh, so you've forgotten about that whole trying to kill us all episode, I see..."

"Listen, you has-been..."

Piccolo watched the bickering unfold with a smirk on his face.

"Would you tell those people quiet down over there?"

Piccolo glanced sharply at Seventeen, who was staring intently at the clashing titans. "I wouldn't worry about them. After what Tien's gone through, he needs some kind of release. And Yamcha and the Saiyan won't notice them..."

"Don't be too sure," muttered Seventeen. "Those two have been moving steadily closer to us. I don't like it."

"Hn. I don't think any of us do, really." Piccolo stepped beside the Android and gazed out over the field. "But trust me, they won't notice us. They're both too busy with each other. Back to feeling each other out and trying to force a mistake."

Seventeen grunted. "'Feeling each other out.' That's an interesting way to put it."

"Hn?"

Seventeen cast Piccolo a sideways glance. "What, you can't see it? Those two are firing off low level electrics all over the place..."

A hint of concern came crept into Piccolo's voice. "'Low level electrics?' What's that supposed to be?"

"Electricity," supplied Seventeen, somewhat exasperated. "I'm sure you've heard of that sometime in your life. Those two have got paths running all around both of them. Arcs are two thin to produce anything in you're visual range, but they're spewing UV all over the place..."

Piccolo remained silent for a moment. Despite not understanding half the jargon Seventeen had used, a haunted look was slowly forming on his face. "Seventeen, are what are neural-chemical impulses?"

"They're what you organics use to think. They shoot down your spinal cord and all through your central nervous system. Eighteen and I work on a modified system..." Seventeen turned to Piccolo with a curious expression on his face. "Why are you asking that?"

Piccolo continued staring forward. "Are they electric?"

"Yeah," Seventeen drolly replied. "It's a chemically induced electronic charge. Ions moving from cell to cell through an electrolyte solution."

"...Shit."

Seventeen's expression dropped. "Huh?"

"Everyone," Piccolo yelled. "Scatter!" Without further explanation, Piccolo violently powered up and fired a blast at the pair of dueling titans.

Confirming his suspicions, both wolf and Oozaru leapt backwards, avoiding the blast. They both recovered quickly, and glared menacingly at Piccolo and his companions.

"Piccolo!" Called out Krillin, angrily. "What was that for?!"

As they all took to the air, Eighteen looked at Tien. "I thought he said you wanted them fighting each other..."

"He did!" Cried out Tien. "We do!"

"I get the distinct feeling we don't," muttered Seventeen as he held is good arm out defensively.

"We've been played," Piccolo grimly muttered. "The virus wanted them together. So it could link up with itself. This whole time, it's evolving them into one mind!"

Tien's eyes widened in horror.

"Wait!" Cut in Krillin. "What do you mean the 'virus wanted?' How can a virus--"

"How could you possibly know what those two are doing?" Interrupted Eighteen. "They could be doing--"

Eighteen's voice was suddenly inaudible under the combined roar of the Oozaru and the howl of the wolf.

"For what it's worth, Sis," muttered Seventeen as he flinched away. "I believe him."

"Scatter!" Piccolo again commanded.

With a snarl, the wolf threw himself at the fighters. For its part, the Oozaru held its ground and thrust out its arms. It growled, and began firing a succession of ki bolts around the wolf.

"They're not acting as ooo-one!" Called out Krillin as he darted backwards.

Tien grunted as he evaded a ki bolt threw a blast of his own at the wolf. "She's giving covering fire. Linked or not--" Tien cut off as another blast came at him. "They're allies!"

Screaming, Piccolo cupped his hands and opened fire on the Oozaru.

"Dyaah--" After receiving a backhand slap from the wolf, Seventeen found himself skidding across the landscape. Stopping himself, he bushed the larger debris off his injured arm. "Damn it, that's the second time today! Die, dog-breath!" Narrowing his eyes, Seventeen fired a pair of optic lasers back at the wolf.

Focused on chopping at Eighteen, the wolf took the shots in the shoulder blade. Snarling in pain, it spun to the side, throwing a handful of ki balls at it went.

"Don't kill him, Seventeen!" Called out Krillin, as he threw a light blast at the wolf's side. "That's still Yamcha under there--"

"Then what are we supposed to do, Krillin?" Responded Eighteen, while dodging the Oozaru's blasts. "Talk to--gyaaah!"

"Eighteen!" Krillin dove after his wife.

Tien skimmed forward, delivering a missile kick to the wolf. "Just beat 'em down, Krillin! Hurting them is the best we can hope for at this point." Darting forward, Tien landed a back elbow on the wolf's shoulder. A quick roundhouse sent the wolf tumbling away.

Rolling over a crest, the wolf righted itself, and jumped backwards. Firing off blasts as it went, it kept Tien back and managed to knock Piccolo out of the sky. Landing lightly on the slope of a mesa, it spiked its aura and leapt forward. A flat hand strike drove Tien into the ground, and the wolf's follow through immediately brought it onto Krillin and the still recovering Eighteen. Krillin was quickly grounded by a massive headbutt.

"Not again!" Eighteen yelled in defiance. Throwing herself to the side, she fired an energy wave, catching the wolf in the gut. As the wolf doubled over, Eighteen clasped her hands together and clubbed the wolf's jaw.

The impact jarred the wolf to the side, where it was struck by a ki blast from Piccolo. Grinding her teeth, Eighteen threw out her arms and joined in the attack. For a moment, their combined firepower drove the wolf steadily backwards.

Over the explosions, neither heard the pounding footsteps of the running Oozaru.

Before she knew what hit her, Eighteen was engulfed in a ki laced fireball. Jumping backwards, Piccolo readjusted his fire, and threw a pair of blasts at the new attacker. The Oozaru shrugged off the blasts, and promptly fired back with a blast of its own. Piccolo threw up a ki shield, but was thrown backwards nonetheless.

Quickly returning to its rampage, the Oozaru stepped forward and backhanded the now singed Eighteen across the sky. It fired a ki blast after her, then spat another fireball towards the just recovering Krillin. As the Oozaru took another step forward, two lasers strafed across its chest. Snarling, the Oozaru turned its head.

"I guess there's a reason you Saiyans wear armor," Seventeen grimly muttered.

Narrowing its eyes, the Oozaru began walking forward.

Scowling, Seventeen cocked his good arm and pointed it skyward. With a mechanical whirl, a two inch wide barrel extended out of his palm, and several intake vents opened up along his forearm. The whine steadily built up, and a glow appeared in the depths of the barrel. Resetting his feet, Seventeen took aim at the Oozaru. "But lets see if it deflects plasma as well!"

The air around Seventeen sizzled, and the Android let loose the blast. Seventeen was torn off his feet by the recoil, and rolled back across the dusty landscape. After coming to a stop, he pushed himself up and glanced across the field.

Roaring in pain, the Oozaru was staggering backwards. Its armor vest was part melted, and wisps of flame and superheated gasses still swirled around it.

Seventeen grinned wickedly as Piccolo threw himself at the wounded Oozaru. But his grin only lasted a second as he immediately noticed the wolf charging him. Leaping to the air, Seventeen flew backwards, quickly taking aim and trying to recharge. But the wolf had already gained too much ground, and one last leap brought it to within striking distance.

"Gyahh!" A hard downward swipe knocked Seventeen to the ground. He landed on his good arm, whose whine increased in pitch dramatically. Swearing, Seventeen threw out his arm and opened every vent he had. Blue-hot nitrogen spewed forth, inundating the area. In a desperate attempt to avoid any further injury, the Android leapt backwards, keeping his arm as far behind his main body as he could. "Damn it!" He muttered, leading a wake of superheated gas. "That's number three. I am really getting pissed off, here!"

Finally coming to a stop, Seventeen shook his arm and closed the now half-melted vents. The main barrel failed to fully retract, and Seventeen was swearing again when a snarl caught his attention. As his head snapped to the side, Seventeen saw the wolf tear through the dissipating plasma, aiming straight towards him. The Android was hit with a backhand chop, and was sent sprawling into a nearby hill.

The wolf moved to press its attack, but stopped short as an energy disk swept just in front of its nose. Before it could face the new threat, the wolf was struck from behind, and fell to the ground. Bouncing off the wolf's back, Eighteen leapt across the landscape to her brother's side. Krillin hovered a short distance behind her, firing as he went.

"Are you okay?" Asked Eighteen as she pulled Seventeen out of the rubble.

"What do you think?" Snarled the Android. With a grunt, he slammed his palm against his shoulder, forcibly retracting the plasma barrel.

Krillin landed next to the couple, and fired off a succession of more powerful blasts. "When this is over," he began between recoils, "you're gunna have to tell me what that was."

"Overkill," Seventeen replied, still leaning on his sister. "A really, really big gun."

"It was in case Goku had grown his tail back," added Eighteen. "How are the others, Krillin?"

"Firing at us!" Cut in Seventeen. Throwing his sister into the air, Seventeen jumped backwards. A fraction of a second later, the Oozaru's fireball covered the area.

"Krillin!" Yelled Eighteen as she flew backwards. "Why didn't--"

Caught in the backlash of the blast, Krillin took a moment to recover himself. "They switched on us! Piccolo was right. They're thinking together!" Krillin touched down, sidearmed an energy disk at the Oozaru, and then leapt backwards.

Roaring, the Oozaru pressed forward, throwing energy blasts everywhere. Before him, Krillin and the Androids continued to fall back.

Abruptly, a second wave energy blasts streaked across the sky, with a spray of debris accompanying them.

"Tien," Muttered Seventeen, as his optic lasers laced across the Oozaru's armor. "Fancy meeting you here. How's every little thing?"

Tien pulled himself out of a debris covered hillside with a guttural grunt. "Shut up!" Any further retort was cut off as the Human leapt away from the Oozaru's assault.

Avoiding the slash of the Oozaru's arms, Eighteen glanced over her shoulder. "Piccolo, are you holding your own over there?"

Backpedaling across the sky, Piccolo didn't even look at her while responding. "No!"

"Understood." Whirling around, Eighteen threw one last blast at the Oozaru then darted toward the wolf. Before she had even started closing in, the wolf threw a passing ki ball at her. Eighteen avoided the blast with ease, but was caught completely unawares by the blast the Oozaru had thrown after her.

"Eighteen!" Krillin yelled as he dove forward. The Oozaru quickly stepped forward and backhanded the distracted Human to the ground. Following up, it threw its arms out and opened fire on Piccolo. Simultaneously, the wolf started flinging ki bolts at Tien and Seventeen. In short order, both Piccolo and Tien were both knocked out of the sky.

Picking herself off the ground, Eighteen jumped to the air and blasted the Oozaru, hoping to break its concentration. In response, both titans turned their attacks towards her. Before the first volley had finished, Eighteen had been blasted across the horizon.

"Fall back!" Heaving in exhaustion, Tien picked himself up off the ground. "We can't win like this. We won't even survive like this!" Tien's voice dropped an octave. "Fall back and regroup!"

Leaping backwards, Seventeen glanced over his shoulder. "Uh, what say we go to Plan B?"

Tien snarled as he fired a Dodonpa ray at the Oozaru. "We don't have a Plan B, you idiot!"

Seventeen grunted. "Huh. Sucks for West City, then...."

"West City?" Rubbing his arm and flying backwards, Krillin glanced to the north, and did a double take. "West City?! Tien! They've been driving us towards the West City!"

"They planned it this way. " Growled Piccolo, catching up with the retreating fighters. "One way or another, it's thinking again..."

"And its got a sadistic side," added Seventeen. "It wants to play in the city. Bet it knows just how much you guys are looking forward to that."

Taking another leap backwards, Tien's face contorted. "They take out West City, they take out whatever's left of Capsule Corps. If we let them pass, it's over!"

"But we can't stop them!" Krillin frantically cut in. "Not like we are now! We need the Dragonballs. Once we find them we can--"

"Two months," snarled Piccolo. "They won't be active for another two months. Don't you think we'd thought of that alr--"

"Was Eighteen knocked this way?!" Demanded Tien, interrupting the pair.

A somewhat distant voice answered him. "Thanks for the concern, Three Eyes."

A combined roar from the wolf and Oozaru forced a break in the comments. Emboldened by the ease of their advance, the titans let loose of a barrage of ki blasts.

Still falling back, Tien called out again. "We make our stand with Eighteen. Spread out, and hit 'em with everything you've got!"

"Use concussive blasts," hoarsely added Piccolo. "If we can knock them back, we'll get some breathing room. And breathing time!"

"We're close to..." Commented Krillin as he avoided a string of blasts. Gaining altitude, the Human glanced over his shoulder. "I see her!"

"On three!" Cupping his hands together, Tien jumped back one last time. "One!" Tien let his aura spike, along with Piccolo and Krillin. "Two!"

Two streaks of plasma shot past the fighters, engulfing the Oozaru.

"THREE!!!"

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In orbit...

With the others having long since fallen asleep, Vegeta stood alone at his post, silently watching over his planet. In the distance, West City was barely visible, and was quickly making its way toward the horizon. Though its nighttime lights had yet to come on, Vegeta could still pick out the city that had for years been his home. The geometry of the surrounding fields. The tamed waterways. The muted reflections of glass and concrete...

Below the city, a pinprick of flight flared against landscape. Bright as a sunrise, it expanded southward like a flame blown from a wick.

"...Damn..." Separated from the disturbance my miles of vacuum, Vegeta's whispered curse was the only sound to disturb the silence of the ship...

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Earth...

All screaming in rage, the five fighters poured energy at the titans. Hit the preemptive volley, the Oozaru staggered and was lost from view in a second. For its part, the wolf's aura flared, and it took to the air. Its snarl was lost under the roar of the attacks, and very air around it seemed to boil away. It made one lunge forward before breaking under the onslaught. Convulsed and battered, the wolf gave an unheard cry of despair and disappeared into inferno behind it.

The fighters' attacks peaked, reaching a point where energy simply blanketed the wasteland in front of them.

And then they stopped.

Vented and newly created plasma still swarmed around the impact zone, but the Earth stopped trembling, and the deafening roar of the inferno began to fade.

"If at least one of those two isn't dead," heaved Seventeen, still holding out his smoldering arm, "I'm going to be really annoyed..."

"We're still alive," grunted Piccolo, "so so are they."

Krillin slowly began descending to the other fighters. "Well, at least West City is being evacuated. At least it's starting to..."

"So what do we do next?" With the air around her still sizzling, Eighteen moved forward cautiously.

Still breathing heavily, Piccolo growled. "We move in. And we hit them again..."

A low rumble came from the inferno.

Tien brought his hands back up into a fighting stance. "...Or we wait for them to come out. Either way..."

Wisps of plasma began to swirl violently, and a power level grew within them. Stepping back from the flames, each fighter fell into a defensive stance.

"Hold the line!" Commanded Tien, in a voice that cracked under the strain. "No one gets through!"

A moment later, a shockwave shook the fighters, upturning the landscape for miles around. A ki sphere supplanted the plasma inferno, and a column of energy shot up into the sky...

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