Chapter 21: Android Fight

I got Goku home without any trouble and got him the medicine. I was restless and bored, and I wanted some action, so I trained a while.

The few hours I asked for were almost up as I sat with Goku. Chi-chi had something she had to finish, so I stayed with him. But I had to convince her he'd be okay before she'd go.

There was a knock at the door, and I was half-afraid to open it. It could be one of the others coming to get me, or it could be the androids, the real androids, looking for Goku. I had to be careful because, though they didn't find Goku in the show, the androids might be here in reality.

I crossed the room slowly as I went toward the door. I couldn't sense who it was with Goku's irregular aura filling the room, but I knew they were strong, whoever it was.

I gave one last glance at Goku as I opened the door.

"Hey!" Trunks said.

"Trunks! What are you- never mind." I stammered. I sighed deeply with relief, I almost forgot he was going to be back so soon.

"Goku's sick, right?"

"Yeah, but I gave him the medicine. He'll be fine."

"Good. We need to talk."

"Okay." I left the room with Trunks and we went outside so Chi-chi wouldn't hear us.

"What's going on?" Trunks asked simply, but I knew exactly what he meant.

"You changed the future some, Trunks. But it's okay… so have I. Your androids should be out by now. I'm more afraid of what might happen if I mess up again."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Ever since I arrived in this dimension, things have happen differently than what the show told." He nodded, knowing what I meant. "Raditz was the first. He lived when he should have died. Then there was the Ginyu force, when your dad should have killed Guldo, he didn't. And then there was Ginyu himself, switching bodies with me and dying instead of becoming stuck as a frog-" Trunks had started to laugh. "What?"

"I'm sorry, but your accent-" he was laughing again.

"My accent?"

"Your accent from the country. Where was it? America? It isn't really bad, but some things you say sound funny."

"Well excuse me!" I said, exaggerating my accent. We both laughed then. Since I had been living here for the past five years my accent has faded, but Trunks was right, I still said some things with an accent. But the good news is I have learned some Japanese while I've been here.

Are we so innocent that we can laugh at a time like this?

"Sorry about the interruption. Please, go on." Trunks said.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I was rambling. We need to go find Vegeta. He'll be fighting 18 soon." Trunks' eyes got big and we left, heading toward Vegeta's Ki signal.

"Trunks, I've been meaning to ask you something… Do your parents and the others know who you are yet?"

"Yeah, I told them when I arrived. Is there something else?" he asked. I had hesitated in my question, waiting to ask this one.

"Yes, how did I die, exactly?"

"You fought bravely, even though you knew you weren't going to win. I was there." He stopped flying, thinking, "Gohan was taken prisoner by 17 and 18. We went after him, but by the time we got there it was too late." He stopped, letting the wind brush his hair out of his eyes, "You got pissed and went after them. You self-destructed… but it was in vain. That's how I became a Super Sayjin. But that was also in vain."

"Oh wow…"

That's weird… since I wouldn't have known the exact details about the alternate future, I died fighting the androids.

"You became a Super Sayjin after dad died, by the way."

We touched down in time to see SSJ Vegeta and 18 fighting. 17 and 16 saw us and 17 laughed.

"Well, look who it is! The reinforcements have arrived. 16, why don't you greet our friends?" 17 ordered. 16 looked at Trunks and I and started to walk toward us.

"Wait, I thought 16 was programmed to kill Goku." I said.

"That was Gero's original plan, but when he found out about Goku and you being aliens he changed the designs a little." 17 explained.

"Katie, I take it this didn't happen in your dimension, either?" Trunks asked.

"No, it didn't." I whispered back. "Alright, time for some action."

"Katie!" Trunks hissed.

"I haven't been in a good fight for three years, Trunks. I'm ready for android 16."

"I hope you can back up those big words, little girl." 17 said with a smirk. Ignoring his remark, I powered up and got ready to fight.

"Trunks, help your dad. I'll be fine." I whispered. I think…

16 stepped up, and his looks were slightly different than back home. His armor was actually silver, and his eyes were red.

He got close and a red light shot out of his eyes at me. I had no time to dodge, but it wasn't an attack. It took me a moment to realize what it was.

He scanned me! He has all my data now! Or maybe not…

"Are ya ready, big boy?" I asked.

"Yes, I shall carry out my programming and destroy you."

"Whatever." I got into my fighting pose and faced off with 16. He stood there and watched me, waiting for me to go first. I moved behind him, fast enough that I left an after-image. I was directly behind him when he spun around and kicked me away with ease.

"Katie!" Trunks yelled.

"Focus on Vegeta and 18, I'm fine!" I called back as I got up, wiping the line of blood off my face.

"You fool! 16 scanned your data! He knows what move you'll do before you do! You don't stand a chance!" 17 called, laughing hysterically.

"We'll see about that!" I said as I got back into form. I was completely focused on the fight now, not watching Vegeta, Trunks, or 18. I knew my SG would go off if they were in real danger.

16 stood there, still as a rock, waiting for me to do something again.

I need to do something I've never done in a fight before. Something Gero's spy-bots have never seen. But what… oh! My new attack! That's it!

"I'm waiting." 16 said in a monotone voice.

"I'm ready." I drew Arina and got into another fighting pose.

"What's she doing?" I heard 17 say. 16 looked through his data stream and I heard a mechanical beeping sound.

"Does not compute." 16 said.

"Its new, that's why you don't know what I'm going to do." I smirked.

"You think your sword can cut through Dextryte? Just try it!" 17 laughed. I looked over at Trunks and Vegeta. 18 just stood there and watched as Trunks offered Vegeta a hand up. Vegeta smacked it away.

I turned back and concentrated, moving some of my Ki to Arina, causing it to shine a light blue, my aura, matching blue on the handle. I charged and feigned to the left, then moved to the right and slashed at 16 with Arina.

"Ki Sword Slash!" I called.

For a moment nothing happened. I landed and replaced Arina back into its sheathe. I smirked and looked at 16.

"You fool! I told you, you can't cut Dextryte with your little knife." 17 was snickering again.

"I think I might have made a scratch." I said, pointing.

A hairline scratch appeared on 16's chest. The scratch was blue and it grew in intensity. Slowly the scratch became a cut, then a large gash. I could see interior wiring and some wires were sliced clean through.

"What! No!" 17 cried. Then smoke started to pour out of 16 and fire erupted out of 16's metal body. Then 16 exploded. Trunks turned to face me. He was knelt by Vegeta, trying to reason with him. Vegeta wouldn't listen as he got back up, pushed Trunks put of the way, and faced 18 once more. I shook my head and 17 attracted my attention once more.

"You think you're so tough, little girl? I'll be a much hard adversary than 16."

"I'm not a little girl, and I'll prove it on this day. I'll let you in on a secret. I wasn't at full power when I fought 16."

"Liar!" 17's scream of fear got 18, Vegeta, and Trunks' attentions, but I was focused on this fight too much to care.

"I wasn't even at half my strength. So unless 16 was far weaker than any of us thought, this fight should be fun."

"She can't be a- a Super Sayjin too?" I heard Vegeta say. No one else heard his statement but me. They were too interested in my power level.

I powered up, to my max this time. The ground beneath me shook and the loose pavement floated into the air. As the kids back home would say, I looked constipated as I powered up. Soon my light blue aura moved outward and upward, encircling my body. Blue fire encircled my body. When I finished, I looked back up at everyone. But 17 didn't look scared.

"That's it? That's all you got? You're not even a Super Sayjin yet?" he laughed, I think more from relief than anything else.

"No, not yet, but soon." I said coolly, not letting him distract me. Trunks seemed surprised by my power, as did Vegeta, and I was at a loss. Since 17 and 18 were androids, I couldn't sense their energy. But they could sense mine, and they weren't worried at all, which made me worry more.

"16 must have been weak if you defeated him so easily at less than half, because you aren't even at half my power." 17 said. Vegeta, Trunks, and I gasped at the same time, causing 17 and 18 to laugh.

Then the calvary arrived, late by the show's standards. Yamcha, Tien, Krillen, and Gohan even, all here and ready to help.

"You guys should leave, they're too dangerous." I said as I turned back to the group.

"I am sick of you're attitude! All you do is tell us what to do! We've trained for this as much as you have." Yamcha called.

"Look Yamcha, I know what I'm doing!"

"Like I don't! I was a fighter when you were in diapers!" he argued. I knew this was coming, he had been angry with me ever since I told him and the others about my secret.

"Yamcha, shut up! That is not what I meant!"

"This is nice and all, but could we please fight?" 18 asked.

"Yamcha, we'll finish this some other time. If you won't leave, then please be careful, okay?"

"Sure, whatever." He said sarcastically.

"Great, now that that's settled." 17 said as he and 18 powered up. They didn't power up very much, and my SG went off, though I couldn't figure out why. Usually it sort of tells me what I need to do, but not this time.

The others powered up and I charged, in flight, at 17. He saw me coming and attacked.

"Power Blitz!"

I took the full force of his hit and fell back onto the ground. The others all came at the androids and Trunks helped me up.

"This is bad." I said, standing near Trunks as 17 took down Yamcha and Tien with the same attack.

"They're playing with us." Trunks said.

"I know. Come on, we have to stop them."

"Katie, you already know it's useless, don't you?"

"We still have to try!" I charged and Trunks did too, going SSJ on the way. Vegeta was already down by 18's hand and out of SSJ. He was down and unconscious. I took 18 as Trunks took 17.

We exchanged blows for a few minutes, and she was only playing with me. I hit her as hard as I could in the face, and I think it broke my hand. She wasn't even phased by my hit. She grabbed me by the back of the neck and pushed my stomach into her knee. I must have blacked out, because then next thing I knew Trunks was helping me up. I didn't even realize I had been given a Zinzu bean. Trunks still held my hand as I got up, and at the touch of his hand I blushed. He did too as he let my hand go.

You can't fall in love with a cartoon character! You'll never see him again after Cell is destroyed anyway! Snap out of it!

The others all had solemn looks on their faces.

"They were playing with us!" Yamcha said, then he turned and grabbed hold of me by the collar. "Alright, little miss know-it-all, what do we do now?"

I was tired of being pushed around. All my life I had been pushed around. Kids at school laughed at me, the enemy laughed at me and beat me repeatedly, and now this.

"I am so sick you your attitude." I said in an angry calm.

"What?" he snapped. I slapped his hands off my collar.

"No matter what I do, it isn't good enough for you, is it? I tried to warn you about 17 and 18, but you wouldn't listen. Now you're blaming me for your mistake? I have knowledge of the future, you know that, and I have to use extreme caution when I make a decision because of this knowledge. If I tell something when I shouldn't I could screw up everything! My home is in another dimension, and it was a normal, boring life. Then I wake up here, as another species, and have to help fight these monsters that come our way. I can never return to that life! And YOU can't appreciate how hard it is! Now LET ME GO!" I walked away, growling.

"Katie, I-" Yamcha started.

"If you don't want my help, I'm out of here! I'll go somewhere where I can help out." I started to follow the road into the city, knowing the androids headed that way.

"Katie, wait!" it was Trunks, but I didn't care. I kept walking. "Katie!"

"What!" I screamed. I felt bad after I did, but I let my anger control my emotions anyway.

"Katie, don't leave. Yamcha, he's an idiot, but we need you."

"No, you need the information from the show. I'm useless."

"No, you're not!" Trunks stepped around in front of me to stop me. I still didn't look at him, "You're a great fighter, and wiser than any of us. I should have though out my speech three years ago better than I did. I should have said what the androids looked like."

"Trunks, it so hard. Every waking moment I feel like screaming out the events that will take place. You can't because you have no idea now that it changed on you. But everything I know is basically the same."

"Then lets put it to good use. Now, what do we need to do?" Trunks asked. I sighed, feeling better already.

"We have to move Goku. The androids know he's sick and at home. We'll need to take him to Roshi's island."

"Right, who'll go?"

"Chi-chi, Gohan, Krillen, Yamcha, you, and me. We'll be there in case the androids appear, and then Chi-chi, Yamcha and Gohan will stay with Goku."

"Alright, let's go."