Chapter 20: The End of Super 17

"Katie, snap out of it! We still need you!" Goten cried at me.

"Cell's here! Cell's here! He came back!" I was crying as I laughed, shocked to the bone. My mind couldn't take it, so I shut down. My kids and my mate were dead. Somehow the idea of the Dragonballs was lost to me, or it didn't matter. Somehow the idea that Cell was back got to my mind, but I knew it couldn't be.

"So the greatest warrior our dimension has ever known has finally cracked?" 17 said, laughing too.

"Katrin, snap out of it!" Vegeta hissed at me, shaking me violently.

I turned to Codie, who was watching me helplessly. He shook his head, not taking his eyes off me, but turned back to face Super 17. They began to fight anew, but I wasn't interested in fighting.

I looked at Vegeta, deeply into his eyes. I stopped laughing, and only had tears fall down my face.

"They're gone. My mate and my kids are gone, Vegeta. I can't get them back."

"You have to keep focus. Snap out of it, it'll all be all right soon, I promise. We'll use the Dragonballs, Katrin, like we always do." Vegeta said, being more compassionate than usual and bringing me into a hug.

"No, you don't understand, we can't use them. I can't remember… but we can't use them… something bad will happen if we do."

"You're tired Katrin, all you need is rest. You've fought bravely against many enemies today, but we'll get through this, just like we always do."

Something in Vegeta's tone made it feel right. Everything would turn out okay. Usually Goku was the one to say something encouraging, but not this time.

My family is gone, but I still have Vegeta and Codie. And Goku… where is he? Why wasn't he here to stop 17?

No, don't think like that. It isn't Goku's fault, and it isn't 17's fault. The blame goes to Myuu and Gero… and to me, if my memory weren't fading on me I would have seen this coming.

But I couldn't help that…

I got hold of myself once more. I had to fight, to avenge my family and protect earth. It was my duty as a member of the Z Senshi and as a person in general.

We needed Goku, this was Gero and Myuu's plan all along. Without Goku, Super 17 would reign supreme.

I tried to sense him, but I couldn't. Another flaw of teleportation, only Goku can go in and out of Otherworld, and only I can go in and out of HFIL. And with HFIL so screwed up, I couldn't find him.

"Are you okay now?" Vegeta asked, looking me square in the eye. I nodded, "Can you walk?"

"No, my knee was dislocated by 17's attack." I responded, focusing on the battle at hand. And as I have done in the past, I could grieve later.

"I'll fix that. This'll hurt like HFIL, but you'll be able to move and use your leg again."

"Okay, I can take it." I replied.

"I'm sure you can. I've done this before, so know that I know what I'm doing. On the count of five. 1… 2…" There was a snap, and I cried out in pain.

"Vegeta! You said five!" I snapped.

"You would have tensed up, and it would have hurt even more." He explained.

I rubbed my leg, and stood up. Thank the Kais Sayjins were quick healers.

I looked up at the fight between 17 and Codie. Codie wasn't doing as well as I hoped, but he was doing better than we, as a group, had been doing earlier.

Suddenly 17 stopped, and shocked, Codie stopped too. 17 looked at all of us, ragged, bleeding, covered in our own or someone else's blood, and smirked such an evil smirk that Vegeta could never have done in his evil prime.

"My real objective is here now, so I'll be leaving you now. Once Goku's dead, you're all done for anyway." Then 17 shot off in a sonic boom.

Codie landed, and he walked over to me. He looked nervous, scared, and worried all at once.

"Mom, are you okay?" he asked, his voice shaking.

"Yes, I'm alright now." I hugged him, crying, and he cried, too.

The others were silent a moment. We were all tired, beaten, hurt, and defeated. But we could still save Goku.

Trunks collapsed under his own weight, and Vegeta helped him stand. Gohan and Goten were leaning on one another, and Codie and I stared off in the distance where 17 disappeared.

"Now what do we do?" Gohan asked.

"You guys rest, I'm still able to fight." Codie said, looking straight into the distance.

"You're not going without me, Codie." I said.

"Mom, you can barely stand. I don't want you to get hurt."

"And I don't want you to get hurt, so either we both go or no one goes!" I snapped, "I've got plenty of fighting experience. I've been in situations direr than this. And you-"

"Have the combined powers of father and myself." Codie keeps it simple, father Cell, dad Mirai. Father sounds more formal that dad, and Codie knows his dad, not his father.

"If you're going to go, then go already. Kakorot doesn't have all day to wait on the two of you while you argue."

"Right, grandpa." Codie said. I placed my hand on his shoulder, and together we teleported to the new battle site.

When Codie and I appeared out of the Void, Goku was already SSJ4 and fighting Super 17. But Goku also looked exhausted and beaten up already. We started that way.

Goku used a volley of Ki blasts at 17, who stood there and took it. I stopped and watched.

"Mom?" Codie stopped.

"I didn't notice earlier, but 17 is taking the blasts and dodging the other attacks."

"Yeah, he is." Codie stated. We watched for a moment, trying to figure it out. I flew in, Codie behind me, and we got closer and landed.

I watched, and finally it clicked.

"Codie, you gotta help distract 17 so I can talk to Goku. And don't use Ki blasts of any kind."

"Right mom." He took off toward 17 and fought as I went in closer to Goku. I floated up to meet him.

"Katie, did you guys already fight him?" Goku asked.

"Yeah, can't you tell?" I asked, showing off my new scars. The dried blood on my face, hair matted to my head from blood and sweat, a large bruise covering my knee, various scars and minor bruises all covered my body.

"Yeah, you look terrible."

"We have to kill him, that's all there is to it." I said in a low tone.

"Katie?" Goku knew 17 and I had become friends, and was shocked. I was shocked at how harsh it sounded.

"He killed them, Goku. He killed Mirai, Kanji, and Andy in cold blood." I touched my cheek, still covered in Mirai's bloody handprint, "I tried to stop him, and I tried to reason with him, but 17 isn't in there anymore."

"He did what?… Okay. Is that Codie? He got an upgrade."

"Yeah, just a little while ago, while fighting 17. Goku, don't use Ki attacks. 17 had been absorbing our Ki the whole time. That's why we couldn't even put a dent in his hide."

"Incredible, I wondered why none of my attacks were working." Goku said with a smirk, "You ought to be proud of that boy of yours." Goku said. I looked, and saw Codie had 17 on the ropes.

"I am, more than you know." I said, smiling.

"You better find a safe place to rest. Codie and I can finish this." I landed, and Goku flew in at 17 and together Codie and Goku fought their best. But it still wasn't good enough!

Codie hit the ground hard, and lost his transformation. Goku grabbed hold of 17, similarly to the way he had held onto Raditz in our first fight. And I knew that wasn't a good sign.

I flew over to Codie and helped him sit up, but that was all we could do as Goku started to gather his energy.

"Mom, what's Goku doing?" Codie said, on edge. I didn't have to reply, we both knew the answer.

"Goku, don't do it!" I cried.

"I have to!" Light filled the sky, and I couldn't see Goku or 17 anymore.

When the explosion was over, I looked up, and at first all looked as it should have. There was no one in the sky.

But then I heard laughing, and I looked over to a cliff to see 17 standing, looking fine.

"He wasn't strong enough!" 17 laughed.

"No, Goku!" Codie cried.

Goku isn't dead, or else 17 would be as well. I know Goku, and he wouldn't try that unless he knew it would work. Or it was his last option. But it couldn't have been his last option, could it? He wouldn't have left us, would he?

"No… I don't want to lose another family member! No! Goku!"

I looked around frantically for Goku, and finally I found him, lying half-covered in rock. He couldn't move, and he wasn't SSJ4 anymore, but he was smiling anyway.

"Think again, 17. I couldn't go through with it. You were right."

"Goku, you baka!" I snapped.

"You can't fight any longer, so I'll give you a quick death."

"That's nice of you." Goku said.

17 powered up a large Ki ball, full of dark energy. It reminded me of Cell's return after he attempted to take earth out with him. It was just as strong and dark.

"Mom…?"

"Codie, forgive me if this doesn't go well." I said, getting up and standing in front of Goku.

"If you want to kill Goku, then you'll have to kill me first." I said, calling to 17.

"No problem." 17 said, making his blast bigger, "I'll take both of you out at once!"

"17, I know you're still there. You wouldn't want to hurt me. We trained together, I taught you what true power is."

"I'm stronger now that I ever was, and it wasn't due to you."

"No 17, you're at your weakest. You were stronger when you fought me in our first fight outside West City than you are now." I fell to my knees, no longer able to stand. I was at my weakest in body, but my spirit was still strong.

"If I'm the weak one, then why are you knelt before me?" 17 asked, making his Ki ball grow.

"17!" someone called. 17 whipped his head around to see whom, and when I turned I saw 18, looking pretty rough.

"He attacked you, too?" I asked 18.

"Not only that, but he killed Krillen!"

"What? No, not Krillen!" Goku said.

"Krillen…? No…" I tried to hold back the tears, but I wasn't strong enough. Krillen was one of the strongest pieces in my armor of love, I had fought with him since the Sayjins.

"I know I was hard on him a lot, but I really did care for him. And 17 killed him! And he tried to kill Marron and me too." 18 cried out.

I remembered back to the days during our training. With that knowledge, I knew that my friend, and 18's brother, was gone now, no doubt.

My mind was hazy, so I don't really recall exactly what happened, but it led to 18 attacking 17 with a barrage of Ki blasts.

Goku studied 17 very closely, watching him in interest. He wasn't absorbing Ki blasts, but deflecting them. An idea came to Goku, and he shared it with me.

"Katie, I can't move, but you can still fight, right?"

"I think so. Do you have an idea?"

"You need to fire a powerful Ki attack at 17, and wherever you hit him, you need to follow up with a strong hit, like the Dragon Fist. At least, that's what I'd use."

"Brilliant. I know exactly what to do." I stepped beside 18, who was still attacking 17. "18, I have to finish him."

"Just do it." she said, firing Ki blasts and crying. Her tears fell from her face with every attack she made against her twin.

"Try to forgive me." I responded as stood ready.

"Super… Gatlik-" I powered up my attack and waited for the right moment. 18's attacks would get in my way, but she couldn't stop. When an opening came to me I seized it. "-Wave!" I teleported and blasted 17 through the chest.

"She warped her attack?" I heard 18 say.

"Yeah, she sure did." I heard Goku respond.

The light from my attack faded, and 17 stopped moving.

"What did you… do to me…?"

I drew my sword.

"Ki Sword Thrust!" I drove the blade all the way to the hilt into 17, "17, my friend, if you're still in there, forgive me."

"Yes… I for-forgive you, Katie. And Katie? I'm… sorry…"

"I am too, my friend." I spun around with all my force, nearly slicing 17 in half. I thrusted my sword to the side to remove any blood and sheathed it as 17 exploded behind me.

I landed, tears falling as Goku was carried over by 18.

"I can't believe it… my own brother…"

"I know, 18. He killed Mirai, Kanji, and Andy." I looked over to Codie, who was limping our way, back in his normal, Sayjin form; "He's all I have left now."

"You still have me and Vegeta." Goku said.

"Thanks, Goku. Dr. Myuu and Gero did this to us. I hope they burn in HFIL for all eternity." I said, staring at the ground.

"Come on, mom. Let's go home and get fixed up. Tomorrow we can start looking for the Dragonballs." Codie said, nearly falling over some debris.

"Yeah, lets go home."

AS22: so, how was it? R&R!

Okay, questions:

1. Does anyone agree with me that Cell is based off a dragonfly? If not, tell me in a review what you think he is.

2. Do I bring Cell up too much? I think I might be pushing it.

3. Am I telling GT well, or not?

4. How's my grammar- I love grammar. Is it okay? Am I telling the story too simply?

5. Is my foreshadowing telling too much or not enough?

Answer in a review!