[Disclaimer: Isn't it obvious? I don't own DBZ…]
The Story of My Life
Chapter 6
It was a long time later that I woke up again. Dr. Gero was standing in front of me, but he had changed. He was no longer a mere human, but had changed himself into an android. I suppose it was because he did not trust us with being able to do his bidding any longer. I noticed his change in appearance with little curiosity, but didn't mention any surprise that I might have had. I watched him for a moment before I realized that 18 was also there. We were both quiet and still. I remembered why we had been deactivated and I looked at her to see if she remembered only to find that she was already looking at me. Dr. Gero began to talk and to give us instructions. I noticed that his hand was clenched around something. Curious, I let my gaze fall down to his hand and saw a little black box that infuriated me. I looked at my twin again and she was staring coldly at our creator.
Almost as if during our time deactivated we had orchestrated the entire act, we joined forces and killed him. There were no words, only the act itself and I relished punching him repeatedly and kicking his head off of his shoulders. That was the greatest satisfaction I had gotten for a long time. It was for all the many days that I hadn't been able to see my child. It was for the life that he had stolen from us unwillingly and the deception he had used to trick us into being his puppets.
After we were done, we had a little scuffle with the Z Warriors, but we went away, taking an android we knew about, Android 16, with us. When we had gotten far enough away, we activated him. What right had we to keep him cooped up? We weren't stupid. Most likely those warriors would destroy the lab so that it would never be usable again. Taking 16 with us would be the only decent thing to do, right?
At this point, I had an idea of what was all going on, but I wasn't completely in control of emotions and not having to follow Gero's orders even after his death. I suppose he might have changed some circuitry or something to make sure I would never have complete control over myself again. So I ended up thinking of everything as a game. Eighteen, of course, thought I was being childish, she being the more mature one throughout our lives together. But she went along, having nothing better to do, or deciding just to humor me for a while. So off we went in order to complete the mission Gero had set for 16 to complete; 16 was to kill Goku. The fact that someone would be killed did not affect my emotions directly. Instead, I had a nagging sense deep down that perhaps we shouldn't, perhaps we didn't have to complete that mission. But, it was only a very small feeling and it was nowhere near enough to force me to change my mind. As I said, it was a game. And I wanted to win. After having nothing to do for a very long time, after not being out in the real world for so long, I wanted to explore.
You might think that I should have thought of my child. After all, I did relish in killing Gero for taking me from it, but for some reason I seem to have forgotten it in all the excitement. Feeling the warmth of the sun was new to me, I guess like how it is for a baby. Everything was new.
Again, on our way to Goku's the Z Warriors found us and we fought them. Eighteen and I made short work of them, Eighteen breaking Vegeta's arm and knocking him and a boy with purple out. I joined in only after that boy had decided to help Vegeta. Off we went again to search for Goku after 18 had given the short man named Krillen a kiss. He was dumbfounded and I can't say that I wasn't. I thought it odd that she would do something like that, but hey, maybe she wanted to get under his skin. She never did tell me what was going on in her head at that moment.
Eventually, we found Goku's house, but he wasn't there. We searched and searched until we were stopped by the Namek. This time, it was my turn to fight. Unfortunately, our fight was interrupted by a green bug known as Cell. I had no idea what was going on, but suddenly I found myself on the Namek's side and we joined forces to fend Cell off. I have to admit, I was cocky and didn't believe that I would be in any trouble. I was, after all, the strongest of all the warriors without a limit to the use of energy. But I soon found out how wrong I was. After only a short while, I saw that I was having trouble dodging from Cell. His hits were quick and strong, while I could barely block and attempt to attack back. Cell didn't even seem to be having any difficulties, in fact, he looked like he was enjoying himself and was not at his highest attacking power. This was greatly annoying me. I couldn't believe that I was going to be defeated.
Suddenly, I slipped up and I saw Cell's tail open up into an endless black hole leading into his body. Everything clicked in that moment. I knew what my fate was, I knew that I would make Cell stronger, I knew that I had to fight to stay alive. I couldn't give in, I had to fight or else I would never have the chance to explore more of the real world or to see the child. Yes, in that moment, I remembered about it. Unfortunately, I was no match for Cell's power and his tail swung down at me from above, covering half of my body instantly.
Inside it was like space; there was nothing there, I couldn't feel the tail around me. It was so strange. Even stranger was the feeling of my energy leaving and knowing that I was now merging with this giant grasshopper and then I blacked out.
Now I can talk to you about me. The me writing this at this very moment woke up far away from any sort of civilization after Cell was destroyed. I woke up slightly disheveled, groggy, and annoyed. Where the hell was I? What had happened? In fact, what had happened was the more pressing matter in my mind. I wanted to know who and what Cell was and why, however they had managed to kill Cell, I stayed alive. It would serve to reason that since I had merged with Cell and thus became a part of him, if he died, then I should have died. Cell certainly wasn't anywhere near me. So why was I here? Or was I really dead? But no, I sensed my sister; I had to find her first before I thought anything else or went and did something about my predicament. I made my way slowly back to where I sensed my sister's ki. My energy had been depleted somewhat. I didn't have the same strength as I had being an android. I'm still an android, of course, but I know now that the bomb Gero had implanted has been removed. I'm mostly android, but I guess you could say that I have become more human than what Dr. Gero had created.
Anyway, Eighteen was flying around, seemingly aimlessly. I found her and asked her about what had happened after I had been absorbed.
"…Krillen loves me."
"What?"
"He wanted me wished back and to be human again. He loves me."
"The little bald guy? Him? Eighteen, come on…you're not falling for him are you?" I asked incredulously.
She looked at me with as much emotion on her face as her android self would allow. I made me angry. I guess it's that I was jealous at the time. I didn't have anyone but her…she had always been a constant in my life. But now I knew what she meant to do. It was written all over her face. I knew she would leave. She wasn't about to forego love in order to keep me company for the rest of her life. It was selfish of me to even consider forcing her to stay. She would leave.
Then it occurred to me, "I she is leaving and is going to make a new life for herself, why not find my own?" I had changed a lot since the last time Rachel had seen me. Would she be mad at me? Would she be upset that I had left her to raise a baby all on her own? I know I would be angry. I was almost afraid to confront her… Rachel always had quite a temper. Well, if it all didn't work out, at least I would have seen my kid at least once, my one mantra throughout all my turmoil.
And that brings me to now. I live in a cabin deep in the woods, with only the animals to keep me company, if they even decide to come near me. Eighteen and Krillen visit once in a while with their daughter, Marron. Marron is three years old. And you know, it's been 5 years since I had last seen Rachel, and three years since that day I woke up and had desperately wanted to see Rachel. But, as you can tell, I didn't go. I never worked up the courage to go talk to her.
I don't know why I've written this all out; maybe it's some sort of therapy. Perhaps, someday, my kid will read this and will know everything I've gone through and will sympathize with me. I think maybe this will be the only way I'll ever express emotions. I can smile and laugh, but it's not quite the same as how a regular human smiles or laughs. It's calculated, a careful measurement of the stretching of the muscles around my mouth, and a careful measurement of the pitch of my laughter. But having this, my feelings expressed in some sort of way, may help my child to understand me and why I am the way I am.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Seventeen set the pen down that he had been writing with. He picked up the stack of papers and looked at it for a moment. He set it back down and looked out the window of his small cabin. The trees surrounded him on all sides, shielding him from the world, covering his world in darkness. And that is how he felt; dark, impenetrable. He had a dark life, one he didn't want the world to know about, and had created his own little world where he wouldn't have to deal with anyone else. Except for his sister, who visited him every month, with or without her husband.
After taking a deep breath, Seventeen gathered his courage and picked up the stack of papers, folded them all and grabbed his leather jacket that Eighteen and Krillen had given him as a gift to use during the colder months. He found that it actually did come in handy. Now he walked to the door and stepped out of the cabin that had become his life. He was no longer the hermit that Eighteen had been calling him for staying in the cabin for months on end without going out. Now he was out in the world, breathing in the fresh air of the forest and watching rabbits scamper playfully by him.
He took to the sky and made his way by memory to the little house that he remembered so well; the house where he had last seen Rachel.
It was dirty, beginning to fall apart slightly, but it wasn't much worse off than the last time he had seen it. There was an old dark blue car sitting in the driveway, a car he had never bought, a car that Rachel had never had. His heart skipped a beat as he thought, "Maybe she's gone…" As that thought entered his head, Seventeen found himself walking across the lawn right up to the window where he could look inside. It was no use simply going to the door and seeing some stranger and having to explain himself. Seventeen thought it would be a better idea if he just looked inside first before deciding whether to go or to stay.
The interior was worn and shabby, also not unlike how he had last seen it. No one seemed to be in at the moment, though he wondered where the people who lived here were. Nonetheless, he was disheartened and prepared himself to go home after his grand failure at reentering the world. He turned away, but a flicker of movement caught his eye just as he had turned. He quickly turned back to look in the window and saw the most wonderful thing he had ever hoped to see: Rachel, with the same fiery red hair pulled back into a ponytail and still as svelte as the day he had laid eyes on her, and his child, his daughter running into the room in front of her mother. A smile crept onto Seventeen's face, a real smile, not the ones he practiced and faked, but a genuine human smile that expressed his happiness to the world.
The little girl was everything he had hoped his child would be: playful, sweet, beautiful, and best of all, happy. She had her mother's shape eyes and her mother's nose, but other than those two things, she was a carbon copy of Seventeen, right down to the dimples he had when he smiled. She was so vibrant and bouncy, not a care in the world except for her own little world. She danced around the room, talking to Rachel about something, then suddenly she stopped and he realized that she was looking directly at him.
"Oh shit…"
All he could think of was, "Too soon, too soon!" He had wanted to stay there, locked in time, watching his daughter forever so he could memorize her, have at least one memory of her. Who knew how this would turn out? Would Rachel even consider letting him back into her life? Panic overcame him and he wanted so badly to tear himself from the window and run away, never to face his past and his future. But he couldn't stop watching his perfect daughter, his little princess, Daddy's little girl. She smiled and waved at him, talked to her mom and pointed to the window. Now more than ever he wanted to turn away, but he still found that he couldn't. "Does she recognize me?" he wondered. "How can she recognize me if she's never met me?"
Now Rachel was looking at him. Her mouth was slack, tears springing to her eyes with barely concealed joy, but her hands were clenched tightly by her sides. He recognized this at once. Hopefully, those clenched fists would not come in contact with him, only her open arms and loving kisses would greet him at the door. But, once Rachel got in her moods, there would be no stopping her wrath. She marched purposefully to the door and flung it open. Seventeen was already there, waiting, thinking of what he could say that would calm her down. He didn't want his child's first experience being in his presence to be a bad one. He didn't want her to have bad memories of him as he did of his own father.
"What the hell is your-"
"I love you."
Her reproach was cut short by his proclamation. She stood looking at him, searching his eyes for the truth the way she had always done. She could tell he was being truthful.
"Please, let me come inside and explain…"
"Hi Daddy!" the little girl squealed as she hugged his leg.
He shook his head in wonder. "So she does know me?"
Rachel shrugged almost sheepishly. "I never threw out any of the photos I had of you. Annie wanted to know who you were one day, so I guess they came in handy."
"Hi Annie," he said as he knelt down to her level. "How are you, sweetie?"
"I'm okay. You have the same hair as me!"
"Yeah, I guess I do," he said, holding his hair out for Annie to look at as she did with hers. She giggled and it was such a nice sound to hear. Every minute he spent with Annie, he found himself becoming completely drawn to her. Seventeen had no idea what he would do if Rachel simply kicked him out and banned him from ever coming back. He picked her up and walked into the house, sitting down on a lumpy couch.
"Where have you been?" It was asked calmly, with just a hint of anger, but it was not a reproach. It was a simple question that everyone knew needed to be answered.
Seventeen sighed. "I don't think you're going to believe me, and I don't blame you. But what I'm going to say is the truth. I hope you accept it for what it is and don't want me to lie about where I've been. But if I have to lie and tell you that I needed a break from you or that I was scared of commitment, or whatever else you want to hear, then I'll say it. I want to be here with you, and with Annie, for the rest of my life."
Rachel nodded, willing to hear what he had to say. Annie scooted onto his lap and then he told them his story.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Wow, you can fly?" Annie looked up at him with astonishment. It was obviously her favorite part of his story.
Rachel looked at him skeptically, but she had sensed a change in him. His eyes were lighter for one thing. Also, when he talked, it was a bit monotonous, nothing like how he had used to speak.
"Bobby, are you really telling the truth?"
"Of course," he replied with the same nonchalant playfulness that had been his stigma in his earlier years. This she recognized. "Remember, Eighteen…I mean Jenny, turned out the same way. She has a husband and a daughter now, but she is still an android for the most part. Just like me. If you want, you can go talk to her about it, see if I'm lying or not." He really hoped that she would take his word, but his story was near unbelievable and if Rachel wanted and needed proof, he wouldn't deny it to her.
He had, apparently, already won Annie over. She was clinging to him like a vine on a wall. As long as she was left alone and to her own devices, she would stay with her father forever. But at any moment, Rachel had the power to yank her away from her father just as a mean spirited boy had the power to rip the vine from the wall.
"I guess…I'll accept it for now. But at some point, I do want to see Jenny. I want her to confirm what you've told me."
Maybe it wasn't the answer that he had been hoping for, but it was okay. He couldn't complain.
"So, what happened to you?"
Rachel launched into a long-winded story about her life after he had left. The highlights were that she had quit school in order to take care of Annie better. She didn't trust people in this neighborhood to take care of Annie for a long time. Rachel had gone to work full time and had paid for a day care center to watch Annie while she was at work. Bobby felt a pang of guilt creeping upon him. He had always wanted Rachel to make something of herself. She didn't deserve to be working at a mediocre department store when she could be making more money as a good veterinarian.
"Listen, why don't you save the money you use to pay for the day care? Leave Annie with me while you go to work and you can save up some money to take the rest of the classes you need to become a vet?"
She snorted. "Do you know how long that would take? I only have half of it done!"
"It's still more than if you had no courses completed already, right? Besides, in the long run, what's going to work out for you better? A job that doesn't pay well and you stay working there for the rest of your life, or working there for a little while, then switching to a better paying job?"
She saw his point and shrugged. "I don't know."
"Don't tell me you've come to accept this life?" He leaned forward, "Please, don't say that. That's not anything my Rachel would say."
"Well, Bobby, you've been gone a long time. I've changed since then."
"No, no, no! You can't let this place get to you! You have to move up in the world. I always knew you were smart and you could get any job you wanted once you set your mind to it. Now that I'm back, you don't have to worry so much about Annie. I can help and you can get enough money eventually to move to a better neighborhood."
"How do I know that you're not here to take Annie from me?" Perhaps this was the question that had been burning in her mind the most prominently.
He felt that his chance might be slipping from his grasp, but he couldn't find words to say. "I guess you don't. Look, for the past few years I've lived in a cabin in a remote part of the woods. I wouldn't want to take Annie back there for any reason. I have nothing there. It was just a place for me to sleep in. My life is here with you."
Rachel stood up and walked over to him and sat down beside him. "I guess we can give it a try." Then a sly smile spread on her face, a familiar one that he easily recognized and he awaited her passionate kiss.
"Yay! Now you don' have to cry for Daddy anymore, Mommy!" Annie cried when her parents' lips locked. "Daddy, can you take me flying?"
That began Bobby and Rachel's tenuous return to their relationship, but Annie acted as though she had always had a father. She was immediately taken with him and would follow him wherever he went. He was new at being a parent, so Annie helped him a little, pointing him in the right direction of parental duties and telling him which toys she liked better, what she preferred playing with. She would play dolls, like any other girl, but she had a special fondness for toy cars and watching them speed around a fake track. Bobby vowed that since she liked them so much, he would someday take her to a real car race.
Rachel took Bobby's advice and continued her studies while she worked part time. Her parents began giving her money again and she did eventually become a veterinarian, one of the better paid ones. She saved enough money so that they all could move to a better neighborhood, a place that was safe for Annie to grow up in.
Bobby and Rachel got married in the fall after Annie's 6th birthday and they invited everyone they knew. Bobby was happy to have his sister there, especially since she was the maid-of-honor. He made Krillen his best man. Annie and Marron, of course, were the flower girls.
Though facing a lot of problems through the years, and Rachel never quite understanding why he was gone and wondering if their story was true, Rachel and Bobby made the best of it and neither ever regretted marrying each other. Bobby did show Annie his memoir when she had gotten older, around 16, when she could understand it. Annie had no trouble understanding and loved him all the more for what he had gone through in order to be her dad. She believed him and loved him for what he was, and that was all Bobby needed to be happy for the rest of his life on Earth.
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~ The End ~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
Well, I know I said it would be two more chapters, but this is how it ended it. If I would have cut this story down to 3,000 words a chapter, then the second chapter would have had maybe only a thousand words to it. If I shortened it to 2,000 words each, then it would have been too small for having to wait since May for another chapter. Sorry about that! Heh heh.
Just one thing about this chapter. I know maybe some of you will notice that towards the end, I started interchanging Seventeen with Bobby. I did it to show how he was no longer considering himself as an android and was willing to pretend to be a complete human and embracing his old self.
TO EVERYONE!
Thanks for reading this, I appreciate all the reviews and I'm glad that so many people liked it. This one has been fun to write and because of it, this is how I will always think of 17's past had been. Thanks again!
~Lady Branwen~