Chapter 23: Fallen Angel

3 years later

Now I'm 33, Gohan is 27, and Trunks is sweet 16. We've been training harder than ever because we know 17 and 18 are up to something. They have been too quiet for far too long.

"Come on, Trunks! Get really mad! You almost got it!… No!" Trunks had almost reached SSJ, but he lost it.

"Damn it, I was so close!" Trunks swore as he hit the ground in anger.

"Trunks, you have to transform, or we're done for."

"What… do you… mean?" Trunks was out of breath from his near-transformation.

"It'll be easier for you to stop Frieza in the past if you can transform."

"But you said I was already much stronger than Goku when he fought Frieza on Namek."

"That's not the only reason. Don't you want to help stop 17 and 18? You can help more if you're a Super Sayjin."

"I just don't get it. I'm mad, and I'm strong. Why can't I transform?"

"I'm hoping I'm wrong, but it seems like Goku, and Gohan and I all had to have someone close to us die first. Vegeta… no one really knows how he transformed. He didn't lose anyone at the time." I sighed, remembering Vegeta as a SSJ.

"If we could only figure out a better way than the death of a love one."

"Yeah, it would be better. More convenient, too. We're fresh out of friends." Trunks laughed at my pitiful attempt at making a joke, "Let's head back, it's nearly lunch time." on cue our stomachs growled.

We landed on the roof of the castle and headed inside. We found something to eat, then headed our separate ways for some rest. We'd pick up training in an hour.

I went into my room and found ALOCS playing chess against Bulma.

"Hello Katie." ALOCS greeted.

"Oh hey, Katie! Glad I caught you, I want your help on the Time Machine. It's nearly done."

"Sure. You don't mind, do you ALOCS?" I asked.

"No, I can save this game for later. I've enjoyed playing with you, Ms. Briefs. Please come back soon so we may finish."

"I will, ALOCS."

Bulma left and I followed her down to the lab. We got the final designs finished, and now all we needed was a power source strong enough to power it.

"Well, can't we use radium?" I asked.

"No, its too radioactive for the amount we need."

"So plutonium is out too?"

"Yeah." She sighed, "If Gero was alive, you could bully him into helping us. And all of his files were destroyed, so you couldn't even hack into his network anymore."

"Yeah, too bad. This would work! Damn Gero to HFIL and back!"

"Why not hell? Isn't that what you called it?"

"I'm not so sure on my faith anymore. At least here I've seen proof of your gods."

"Oh Katie." Bulma said, sounding sorry.

"Don't worry, maybe it's just a phase. It hard to keep faith in this kind of situation."

"I know." She sighed.

"What is there that can power this thing besides my core?"

"I can't really think of anything." Bulma sighed again.

"Mom, Katie, where are you!" Trunks called.

"Trunks, what is it?"

"Something over the news, the androids have a hostage!" Trunks called. I took off straight for the TV and watched intently, not wanting to miss a single detail.

"…live from Central City. 17 and 18 have just announced that they have a hostage. Here's the footage."

An image of 17 and 18, standing in the middle of the street, came on. They were holding someone, pushed onto his knees. There was a bag over his head, but the outfit was unmistakable. It was an orange Gi. Then 17 and 18's message came over the air. The missing left arm made my heart stop.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are! You know who you are!" they removed the bag, and my worst fear was correct; it was Gohan. The image went back to the reporter.

"The man in the image has been identified as Son Gohan, the only son of Son Goku, the hero who saved earth many times. The authorities have told everyone to stay away from Central City-"

"Like we listen to authority?" Trunks asked. That old fire lit up in his eyes, both excited to fight, and worry to help his sensei and father figure.

"Right, let's go!"

I teleported the both of us to Central City and we started our search for Gohan. I promised Goku to look after Gohan, and even now I would do that.

"Why do you think they're doing this?"

"It's obviously a trap. But knowing that makes our part easier." I said.

We went from rooftop to rooftop searching for Gohan, but found nothing.

"Where are they?" Trunks asked.

"Not here. They went somewhere else."

"…What's that sound?" Trunks asked after a moment. I heard it too.

"Its music. Carousel music."

"You think they're at the park?"

"No one else would be there." I reasoned.

We walked nervously over to the old amusement park, knowing whatever we found wouldn't be good.

We got to the front gate and hopped it with ease, looking around for any sign. It didn't take long.

"Katie, what's that smell?" Trunks asked, sniffing. I sniffed and recognized it immediately.

"Its Sayjin blood, I could recognize it anywhere." I hissed in anger. They had hurt, possibly killed Gohan. And it was my fault, "Gohan…"

We found a trail of blood leading to the house of mirrors.

"Trunks, stay on your guard. Don't let your eyes fool you. Remember your training from the caves." I ordered as we stepped inside.

"Right, I remember." He responded.

"Close your eyes." To make it easier, I closed my eyes and told Trunks to as well, using my hearing to tell where we were going. Like a bat's sonar I knew exactly what was around me.

Our footsteps reverberated off the mirrors and walls, making it easy to navigate the halls. Luckily this would help us find 17 and 18.

Further in I could smell Gohan, and I checked his Ki. It was low, but stable. We continued in that direction carefully.

"22!" 17 called. His voice bounced around so much I couldn't focus on him. And he knew that, that's why he picked this place. I opened my eyes and looked around.

"22, are you ready to play?" I heard 18 call.

"My name is Katie. And if you want to play, come on out so we can get started."

"But we've already begun. We call this game Ultimate Hide and Seek. If you can't find us, you're little cousin will be dead! He's bleeding to death as we speak."

"Gohan!" Trunks called, both angry and worried.

"That won't work, he can't talk. It kind of hard to talk when you have a sock down your throat."

I tried to focus on their voices, but the echoing effect made that impossible. And my eyes were useless in here with all the mirrors to play tricks on them.

"Trunks, cover your ears." He looked at me confused, but nodded and did so. I pressed the sides of my wrists to expose my mechanical arm, and I hit the correct buttons to release a high-pitch frequency sound. Humans couldn't hear it, but a Sayjin could. Once I pressed it in I held my ears as the sound was released and the sound went through the building. This caused all of the glass to break, making our job much easier.

"Now that's seven years bad luck, 22."

"I'm not 22, and I don't believe in that crap."

"You better hurry up and find Son Gohan. He's almost dry." 18 called, and then her and 17 laughed.

"Damn them. C'mon Trunks, we better hurry."

I sniffed the air and went toward the scent of Gohan's blood. I followed my nose as Trunks followed me, and soon the trail led us to the back of the House of Mirrors. I ran now, fearing for Gohan's life, and saw him lying on the ground motionless. The sock 17 and 18 talked about was covered in blood and next to him on the floor. I knelt down and rolled him over to his back, cutting the ropes that bound his arms. His wrist had been slashed open roughly, and it was oozing out slowly. I could hear his heart beating slower.

"Trunks, give me a Zinzu." I ordered, and I instantly gave it to Gohan. But it didn't work.

"Katie, what's wrong? Why isn't Gohan awake?"

I listened to his heart, but it was too late. It had stopped. He had bled to death.

For a moment I sat numb. Only moments ago I had told Trunks we were 'fresh out of friends' when it came to trying to get him to transform. Now it was true.

"No. No, no, no. No!" I got mad, so mad my Ki went through the roof, literally. A hole started to form right above my head, and as I cried in a rage my power grew outward, making the hole grow. Soon the roof was incinerated and then the walls started to crumble. Trunks stood back, afraid of me.

He should be.

Once more Dextryte tears formed as I cried, and I transformed in a SSJ out of anger.

"No, Gohan! Gohan!" Trunks was sitting next to Gohan, trying to shake him awake, but he knew it was futile.

I felt Trunks' anger grow as well, his Ki was reaching transforming status. But it was at a cost, just like all the other SSJ transformations.

I stood up and wiped away the metal tears. I sensed out 17 and 18, and immediately teleported to them. Without losing a beat I started to fight them, not paying any attention to my surroundings or which of them I was fighting.

"I think we pissed her off." The one not fighting me said. The Dextryte had blurred my vision, but I didn't waste any time fighting them. They killed Gohan, Vegeta, Krillen, Yamcha, Tien, and Choazu. They killed innocent people. They killed Mama and her pod. In a way they had killed Son Katie, too.

"Do you think its funny playing with people's lives? Do you enjoy blood? Do you like to hear people scream in terror at the sight of you?" I screamed. But what really ticked me off was the response.

"Yes, why else would we do it?" 17 said. It was him I had been fighting, and 18 watched in boredom, like I wasn't to worry about.

Trunks showed up a moment later, trying not to be seen, but I knew if I saw him, they had seen him. And I was right.

"Look! It's the runt!"

"Your fight is with me." I hissed, trying to attract their attention.

"Yes, it is, isn't it? And as long as he doesn't interfere, it can remain that way." 18 stared right at me, drilling those words into my head.

"Trunks, stay back. This is my fight."

"But Katie-"

"No Trunks, I don't want to have to see you die too. Now stay back!" I growled. He didn't move, just stared, looking hurt.

I don't doubt your ability, just your strength. I'm sorry if it hurts now, but one day it won't.

I charged at the androids, starting to fight them both, and I did well. I had learned a few tricks since the last time we fought.

I kicked 17's feet out from under him, and as he started to fall, I kicked him again into 18. While they were both down I hit them with a Dissolver Ray.

"Dammit, get up! I know you're still alive." I screamed. I went to the rubble and blasted with a Kamehameha wave. There was a large crater, but no signs of 17 or 18.

"Stop playing games with me! Come out and face me!"

"If you insist!" 17 and 18 both grabbed me and flew at breakneck speeds toward the ground. At the last second they let me go and dodged, causing me to make a new hole in the cement.

I got up and shook my head, trying to clear it. Before I could get up I was blasted repetitively with Power Blitz attacks.

After ten minutes of relentless attacks, they stopped and I tried to get up, but I couldn't. I managed to roll over and saw that my clothes were ripped to shreds. My sports bra was all that covered my chest, my pants were ripped off below the knee, and only one sleeve was intact. Even my boots were ripped up a little.

"Oh wow, did one of us do that?" 18 asked, pointing to my right leg.

"Yeah, I did, remember? Last time we fought." 17 reminded.

"Yeah, now I remember. I didn't think you destroyed her leg completely, though."

"That's not all you two have taken from me! You took my family and my friends, you killed innocent people, and you killed a pod of harmless whales! Now it's my turn. Karma will bring me my fortune."

"Don't you think it already has? The good guys always win, so now its time for the bad guys to win!" 17 laughed.

"You have absolutely no regrets, do you? Not a single one. Your humanity really is all gone. You don't care that you're hurting others. You don't care about the earth and its inhabitants at all. I kinda feel sorry for you, but any pity I feel won't stop me from killing you!" I stood and powered up, feeling rejuvenated. I started to form the Kamehameha, but then I got an idea.

"Ka-Me-Ha-Me …Kaio-kin 200!" I moved behind them and fired, "HA!"

I had trained with the Kaio-kin for the past 3 years, steadily increasing the amount each time. But 200x was my limit. I also learned warping of attacks, teleporting at the last moment. Something inside told me that Goku could have taught that to me if he was still alive, but I had to teach myself.

I was drained now, knowing I had done the dumbest thing you can do when you fight: spend all your energy too early. I fell to the ground, and I would have stayed there if it wasn't for my stubborn streak. But as soon as I got up I fell to my knees, holding myself up by my weak arms.

Then 18 came up right next to me, a little dirty and scratched, but nothing near what I had hoped. She just calmly came over and knelt next to me.

"Don't worry, little sister, it'll all be over soon." She almost sounded sincere, but then she reached out and ripped off my left arm.

I screamed in pain as I fell over. My arm was bleeding, both blood and Dextryte leaking out of my left shoulder.

"Katie!" Trunks cried. I felt his power/anger jump a little.

"No, stay back Trunks!" I winced in pain again, but forced myself up onto my feet, "If you wish to kill me, it won't be done with me on my hands and knees. I won't lose my honor, not now, not ever. Not in this life or the next."

I started powering up whatever I had left, and as 17 and 18 calmly walked closer, I made a Ki dome over the three of us. Nothing was going to break in or out of this shield.

"22, why do you try so hard to stop us? Join with us, and we'll repair you, make you better than new." 17 said.

"Is that some of your humanity leaking out?" I sneered.

"Wretched girl!" 18 hissed.

"Why don't you attack, 22? Why do you stand like that? Do you wish to die?" 17 asked, thoroughly confused.

"I don't want to die, but if it's the only way to stop you, then I'll pay the cost. Trunks can repair your damage when I'm gone, I'm sure. Don't you see? I've been powering up an attack this whole time. ALOCS helped me program it in. All I have to say is one word, and I'll self-destruct, and with this shield over us it'll only kill the three of us."

"You're insane!" 18 cried.

"Katie, no!"

"Sorry, Trunks. You're earth's protector now. You're Prince Trunks of the Royal Vegeta line. My title of Sayjin Princess is relinquished. Take care of earth, and don't lose your fire. …I love you, Prince Trunks."

I finished powering up, and just stood and watched 17 and 18's faces. There was fear, but they seemed calm. Robotic logic has no room for fear.

"Katie, no!" I heard Trunks call out, but it was futile. I had made up my mind. And I prayed this would work.

"Goku!" I whispered out the password, keeping calm. I felt myself being torn apart. The last thing I saw were the tears in Trunks' eyes.

I wonder where I'm going to end up, Otherworld or--