Chapter Two: The Unconscious Mind
The blue haired genius had worked long and hard to find a way to restrain Android 17 for when he wakes up. So far all she made managed to do was mess the whole thing up and lose a lot of time because she had made the vital mistake of making the device to weak. He'd be able to deactivate it with ease because of the way Dr Gero had created him -- so no one could tamper with his creations. But Bulma, being the genius she is, managed to go around the situation. She finally had the device that she needed, a small microchip that had the power to, not control Android 17, but keep him from creating havoc on the world.
She sat comfortably on the computer chair and held the silver chip between her fingers and just stared at it for a moment.
All that time taken, forged into a small chip.
She was extremely pleased that she had managed it in such a small space of time -- a couple of hours. All that was left to do now was to insert the chip into Android 17's brain (a Spike thing from out of Buffy). The problem there, being that she couldn't access it, and she had to access it on computer before actually implanting it. She had sat there for an hour and still the solution hadn't come to her.
"Why'd Dr Gero have to be so damn specific with his creations?" she huffed. "They really are something else. I can't do anything with this chip unless I can access his brain via the computer, and if I can't do that all this work was a waste and I won't be able to stop him if he happens to go on a rampage," she spoke to herself; gaze still fixed on the chip.
Bulma clutched the chip in the palm of her hand swiftly and stood up. She looked around her lab, hoping that an idea might come to her. She looked at the cabinets, the door, the windows, but still nothing came. She walked over to the sleeping android in the centre of the room and looked at him.
"Maybe he has some kind of switch at the back of his head. It's very unlikely, but hey, anything's possible -- and I'm desperate."
She placed the chip in the pocket of her light blue jeans and started to feel at the base of his neck, but felt nothing. She suddenly withdrew her hand and stared at 17.
"That's strange," she murmured. "I could have been sure he moved. But he's not moving now … how strange."
She went back and observed the android; he looked very lifeless and dreary. Bulma also felt a small tinge of sorrow for the android; she couldn't help it, just the sight of him. So sad and unhappy.
"It's hard to believe that such a heartless thing could look so despondent. What am I going do with you if I can't insert this chip?" she asked. "It's not going be very likely for you to just give up and say, 'hey, look I'm sorry. Let's call a truce,' now is it?"
She began to think again when her concentration was disturbed suddenly. She thought that she heard something -- a voice. She looked at 17 and prepared for the worse.
She expected him to jump up and kill her instantly, enjoying the pain of others … but that didn't come. She saw him thrashing around and mumbling something.
"Is he talking in his sleep?" Bulma wondered aloud.
He began to shake more viciously now and started to speak clearly. Bulma walked closer, but not too close, just in case. She then stood and listened carefully to what he said.
"No! Lieta, get outta here. Now! Go! You can't stay here; it's not safe. If he -- if he catches you, he'll just hurt you … please get outta here."
Bulma gazed at him as he spoke. His voice was full of deep emotion, he sounded hurt.
"Who's, Lieta?" she asked herself.
"Lieta! No!!"
*********************
Krillin, 18 and Marron were inside the large yellow hover-car riding over to Capsule Corp to see Bulma. Krillin was driving with his wife sat in the passenger seat next to him, and Marron was strapped in the back seat. She was singing a happy and merry tune to herself and counting the number of birds they passed. She stopped singing and looked outside.
"What's that?" she said as she pointed to something outside the car.
18 turned to look at what her daughter was pointing at.
"That's a hand glider, Marron," she replied softly.
"A hand what?"
"Hand glider. They're old things that people used so they could fly through the air. Not many are around anymore … they became out dated."
"Oh," she said. "Pretty isn't it?"
"Yeah."
She sat back and looked at Krillin, his face was tensed up and he had a strong firm grip on the steering wheel. She smiled and laughed softly at him.
He looked at her confusedly. "What are you laughing at?"
"You. You're more worried about seeing my brother that I am."
"What do you expect?" he said. "You remember what your brother was like, don't you?"
"Yes, I do know what he was like," she said darkly. "But … it has been 7 years. Maybe -- just maybe -- he's changed."
"I don't think so, 18 … he was bad to the bone. Nothing could change him … not even the Dragon Balls."
"I changed," she simply said, her gaze leaving her husband and focusing outside.
"Yeah, but you're different, 18," Krillin began his case.
18 instantly looked at Krillin and glared at him.
"And how am I any different to my brother?!" the blonde quizzed him sternly.
He hesitated a little before answering 18's question. He didn't really know how to answer it, all he knew that that she was different to 17.
"Umm, well. Everyone's different, 18." He tried to laugh the problem away, but 18 still glared at him.
"How am I different?! I know I am … but how?!" She crossed her arms firmly and noticed Krillin clutch harder to the wheel.
"Err … well, you see, 18. It's just you're in someway different to 17. Would he really want to settle down with a human and have a family?" he laughed. "He felt no remorse to all the people he…" He noticed she was staring at him more intensely now that before. "…You two killed."
"Neither did I feel remorse then."
She wanted her husband to be fully aware of what she was getting at and for him to understand what she was thinking and how she saw the situation present at hand.
"Then, 18," Krillin said defensively. "That was then and this is now. You feel remorse now don't you? You wouldn't go and kill anyone in cold blood now, would you?" He looked at her and watched as her head dropped. He leant over and ran a hand through her soft blonde hair.
"I … was around you people," she began slowly. "I eventually learnt that you are not my enemy, but my friends. That it would be pointless to purposely attack something that is far weaker to you. I learnt to care about you all … emotionally. I began to feel what you feel, the emotion called love. I admit that I would never have even considered being with a human, let alone have a family, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, nothing.
"I love my family with all my heart … but 17 is still my family, Krillin, and I love him as much as I do you and Marron. Family is everything -- that's what you human's have taught me, so I can't abandon him can I?" She took a deep breath as she continued. "17 has never really been around you people. When he was, they either ran from him or attacked him. He's doesn't know what it's like to have friends, he was never given the chance I was.
"It's been 7 years; do you think that he would have had much contact with you all? To him humans are his enemies … something to destroy. He lives in the world of kill or be killed, the hunter or the hunted, the predator or the prey. Do you understand what I am saying, Krillin?"
Krillin nodded in understanding as he slowed the car down a bit and continued to listen to the pretty blonde.
"I had all you guys around to help me. When I didn't understand all these emotions you all told me it was natural to feel all of them. My brother has no one to tell him that they are right. He'd most likely suppressed them all.
"All he needs is friends like I have. If I can be accepted then so can my brother … I will make sure of that!"
To be continued…