Chapter Four: Dead End
They all turned from where they were sitting and looked at the white door and listened at the loud sounds coming from the room. The sound of chairs falling and glass breaking, and that was slowly followed by the pained cursing of a very angry Android 17.
"Oh, I take it he's awake then," Bulma said, looking at Krillin and 18.
"Was he always this grouchy when he first wakes up?" Krillin asked his wife, who didn't answer the question -- or acknowledge it. She just stared plainly at the door, knowing that her brother was there, the same being that she'd made no contact with in almost 7 years.
"Can I see him?" She looked over to Bulma, who pulled on the sleeve of her coat.
"Sure you can, she smiled."
"Are -- are you sure it's safe, Bulma?" Krillin pushed past and looked up at the blue haired scientist that stood only inches away. "I mean, listen to him!" He bent down and placed his hands over his little girl's ears, not wanting her to repeat any of the words that she may have heard today.
"Oh it's perfectly safe," she beamed. "I implanted a chip into him that sends a small electrical current through him if he attempts to use his powers."
"I feel so much safer now, Bulma," he sneered sarcastically.
Bulma turned to him. "I told you, Krillin, he's perfectly safe to be around. As long as that chip I planted is activated, it's not possible for him to use his powers. Using his fists is a different matter though," she said.
"Great, now he'll walk around the streets punching people in the face."
"Well, what could I do? Surgically remove his arms and legs so he can't hurt anyone?"
"Yeah," he replied. "Also, I would have removed his vocal cords. I know I wouldn't be a happy parent to hear my child hear or say the things he's coming out with."
Bulma sighed and placed her hands on her hips.
"You do have to take into consideration, Krillin, that he is, technically speaking, still a teenager and teenagers do swear … a lot," she told him, wondering whether Trunks would be anything like that when he became a teenager.
18 stood staring at the door that separated her and her brother. Did she really want to see him again? She would have to explain that she's changed for the better and has a family. Maybe she should explain to him first before showing him Krillin and Marron. She looked back at Bulma and Krillin, who still had his hands over her ears. She rolled her eyes looked back when she could no longer hear her brother swearing and yelling.
Krillin stopped arguing and let his hands drop from Marron's ears, smiling and patting her on the head.
"I wonder what happened?" he asked. "Is it possible for him to kill himself? Maybe he electrocuted himself."
Bulma sighed and looked at him.
"I very much doubt that, Krillin. He's probably figured it out that using his powers is what's causing the pain."
"Anything is possible with androids, Bulma."
Bulma decided to ignore him and walked lightly over to 18.
"You ready?" she asked and 18 nodded.
Bulma nodded herself and placed her hand on the door handle and turned it. She suddenly felt her own nerve beginning to flare up at the fact Android 17 was awake. She took a breath and pushed the door open.
"What do you think you're doing?!" she yelled as she say Android 17 about to throw her chair at the wall. He had his back to them and hadn't noticed that 18 was in the same room as him.
"What does it look like I'm doing!?" he snarled. "I'm going to throw this chair and hope the wall is poorly made and makes enough damage for me to get out of this formidable hellhole!"
"That's my lab you're calling a hellhole!" she yelled back.
17 slowly put the chair on the floor and thought for a moment. The person had said it was her lab, then that must mean that it was her that did something to him when he was out cold. He spun around quickly and looked at Bulma.
"What did you do to me!?" he demanded and looked over her shoulder, seeing a sight that he thought he would never see again. "Sis," he said, unsure what to actually say next. He then wondered what she was doing in this place. "What are you doing…" he trailed off the sentence as he looked closer at his sister. "Holding that short little human's hand??"
18 looked down at her hand, seeing her fingers entwined with Krillin's. She squeezed it hard and smiled reassuringly at her husband as she let go. She walked slowly over to 17, neither of them showing any signs of happiness or anger. Both of them just stared at each other.
Krillin tilted his head and watched in confused, wondering why they were both standing there motionless. 18 was slowly taking steps towards her brother, almost scared. She hesitated slightly, but her solemn expression grew to that of a smile when she threw her arms around his neck.
"I've missed you so much, 17," she cried happily. "I thought I'd never see you again."
"Yeah," he replied listlessly, "me too."
He delicately stroked the back of her head as she cried happily on his shoulder. He was pleased to see her. He had been searching for her for all this time, but never had he thought he'd ever see his sister with a human. A human who had been in the company of Goku's son and Vegeta last time he saw him. He didn't understand what was going on; maybe it was some kind of trick.
18 finally pulled away at looked at 17; her eyes were red and her smile wide.
"When I couldn't find you all that time ago, I thought you were gone for sure. It was a long time to search and I just…" She didn't want to say that she gave up on finding him, she never had. She had always believed that she would know if anything really bad had happened to him. She didn't know how, she just knew she would. She looked confused when he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked sombrely at her, making her wonder if he was as delighted to see her as she was him.
17 stole a glance at Krillin and Bulma before planting his full attention to his sister.
"What -- what's going on, 18? Why are you with these humans?"
18 swallowed hard and prepared herself for what she would have to explain to 17.
To be continued…