Android 17, a lean young man with straight dark hair of medium length, takes a drag on his cigarette while sitting precariously on the parapet of a balcony on the tenth floor of an apartment building in the center of West City. He tilts his head up and puffs smoke at the night sky. He tries searching for stars but doesn't find any.
"It's always hard to see stars in the sky when you're in the city," he glumly tells himself.
He hears a siren from somewhere, and out of curiosity, he turns his head to search the streets for the source but doesn't find that either. The thick smog from all the cars stuck in traffic made it difficult to see anything, even for someone with his augmented vision.
He thinks, "If there's an ambulance trapped in the middle of that mess, there's no way they're going to make it to the hospital in time. Someone's dying tonight."
He turns his head in the other direction and sees his twin sister, Android 18, a slender young woman with golden chin-length hair, taking pictures of herself again with that smartphone she recently lifted off of some old business executive who was too distracted by her beauty to realize that she was stealing from him. She takes a picture of herself while making a sideways V sign over one eye. Then, she takes a kiss selfie.
Her twin brother teases her, "How many pictures of yourself have you taken with that thing?"
"Don't know," the young woman in the denim vest and skirt casually answers. "Lost count."
She sits next to him on the parapet and raises her right arm to take a picture of the two of them.
"Oh, come on. Not another one," 17 grumbles.
"Don't be such a killjoy," his sister tells him.
"What's the point? It's not like you can upload any of that stuff to social media. They'll find out where we are."
"I know," 18 answers, staring at the floor a little embarrassedly. "I just want to leave some kind of proof that we were here, you know? Before-"
She cuts herself short.
"Before what?" her brother asks.
Android 18 clears her throat and sadly says, "Before they get us."
Android 17 knows how she feels. Not long ago, they were just a couple of kids who were still trying to figure out which direction they wanted to take their lives when the Red Ribbon Army, an infamous terrorist organization, kidnapped them and changed them into powerful cyborgs with limitless energy. Then one day, their creator, the mad scientist Dr. Gero, woke them from a deep sleep so that they could kill someone named Son Goku. Android 17 promptly killed the doctor and escaped with his sister. They've been on the run from the Red Ribbon Army ever since.
Android 17 places an arm around his twin and reassures her, "That will never happen. I won't let it." His sister just continues to quietly stare at the floor, so he sighs and adds, "What the heck, take the picture. But I'm not smiling."
Android 18 looks up, and her face finally brightens.
"Okay, ready?" she says, raising her right arm again to take the picture.
"Mm-hmm," her twin answers.
However, the young woman suddenly turns her head and kisses her brother on the cheek right before she takes the picture.
Android 17 cocks an eyebrow and asks, "What was that for?"
Android 18 blushes a little and shrugs then answers, "I dunno. Felt like it."
Her twin brother gives her that mischievous smirk that she loves so much. The young woman leans forward, closes her eyes, puckers her lips, and waits for his kiss.
But, to her disappointment, it doesn't come.
Android 17 is looking over the side, watching several armed soldiers storm through the entrance of the building.
He mutters, "They found us."
"Don't look at me," Android 18 defensively tells him. "I didn't upload anything."
"Let's go," her brother says, flicking the cigarette away and rising from the parapet.
"Are we running?"
"Fuck, no. We can take these guys."
Android 18 grins slyly and follows 17 out the door.
Z
The sound of combat boots thunder into the lobby of the Purple Veggie apartment building. Residents gasp, a few schoolgirls make fearful muted shrieks, and parents worriedly hold their children close as they scurry against the walls to make way for the soldiers.
Alec Card, a tall, muscular lieutenant of the Red Ribbon Army, wishes he really is as confident as he is trying to look in front of his subordinates. His soldiers are carrying .50-caliber rifles, and they are all wearing power armors that significantly enhance their strength; still nowhere near as strong as an android, but it greatly increases their chances of surviving against one. The lieutenant takes a deep breath to calm his nerves, and he reminds himself that he has the RR Torturer, a hi-tech shotgun that fires powerful projectiles of pure energy. And there is also Sergeant Sarah Victory's RR Defender, a hi-tech power shield.
He instructs a few of his men to guard all the exits. Then, he tells the others to take the stairs and search every floor of the building for Android 17 and Android 18.
Then, he asks his second-in-command, "You ready?"
Sarah, a young, short, but buxom woman with brown hair cut into a flare cut, replies, "Yes, sir!"
And Alec can tell that she too is trying to appear more confident than she actually is.
Z
A Red Ribbon Army point man cautiously hurries up the stairwell.
He grumbles to himself, "Why did I have to be the point man for this mission? I'd rather take on that monkey boy, Son Goku. I hear he only kills when he has to. These androids would kill people for fun!"
He takes some comfort in knowing that his comrades are right behind him. However, all the caution and training couldn't prepare the soldier for the android that is so fast, it almost seems to magically appear before him.
The point man screams and squeezes the trigger. Android 17 grabs the barrel of the rifle and swings it upward. Muzzle flash illuminates the stairwell and deafening automatic fire reverberates through the vertical shaft as the point man's weapon is emptied at the ceiling. Residents can be heard fearfully squealing from inside their rooms. At a lower floor, Alec hears the gunshots.
"Move!" he yells at his subordinates, and they obediently follow him towards the entrance to the stairwell.
Android 17 grins cruelly. He grabs the point man by the belt with one hand and easily throws him over the railing. The soldier screams again as he plummets ten stories down. On the ninth floor, Alec helplessly watches in shock as the point man passes by and falls to his doom.
Android 18 shoves the heel of her boot against the chest of the nearest soldier who then crashes into his comrades. The soldiers tumble down the stairs to the closest landing.
"Open fire!" Alec commands.
His subordinates that are still on their feet obey. Android 17 uses his Android Barrier technique to create a protective energy sphere around himself and his sister. The high caliber bullets harmlessly bounce off the barrier's surface. Then, 17 lowers the force field, allowing his twin to counterattack.
Alec anticipates the move and shouts, "Sergeant!"
Android 18 raises her arm and fires an energy blast from her palm. Sarah holds up a small device in her hand that creates an energy shield. To the female android's surprise, the energy blast is absorbed by the shield. Then, Alec trains his RR Torturer at her and fires. A ball of electricity smacks 18 right in the abdomen, and she yelps as her body is sent crashing through a door that leads into the tenth floor hallway.
Her brother worriedly calls, "18!"
He rushes through the door and finds her moaning and writhing in pain on the floor with her forearms pressed against her stomach.
He skids to a halt on his knees next to her and asks, "You okay?!"
"Do I look okay?!" Android 18 snarls.
Android 17 hears the soldiers coming. He hurriedly scoops his twin sister in his arms and rushes through the hallway towards a large window. With his hi-tech shotgun raised and ready, Alec leaps through the doorway in time to see the glass of the window shatter as 17 throws himself through it while carrying his sister.
Z
"No! Don't fly!" 18 groans in her brother's arms as he rockets through the night sky. "They'll see us!"
Android 17 spots a pair of Red Ribbon Army attack helicopters sweeping the city with searchlights, and he realizes that his sister is right. He quickly descends and rushes towards a dark alley, the soles of his blue rubber shoes splashing over a puddle.
He presses his back against a wall hidden by the shadow of a building, and with his teeth anxiously clenched, he looks up to see a helicopter whir as it passes over them. The android cautiously waits a few seconds for the sound of the aircraft's rotors to fade. Then, he carries his sister behind a large dumpster. He lowers her on her side on the ground.
Android 18 whimpers, "It hurts! It hurts!"
On one knee, her brother frantically tells her, "We gotta get you to a hospital."
"No! Are you crazy?! They'll find us!"
"Then, tell me what to do, 18! I don't know what to do!"
Android 18 grabs the front of her brother's black shirt and pulls him down to her. She tightly embraces him and sobs into his shoulder, drenching his orange scarf with her tears. Android 17 closes his eyes and gently wraps his arms around his sister, wishing that there was some way for him to take the pain for her.
Z
"Find them?" Alec asks one of the helicopter pilots through his earpiece as he looks out into the city over the edge of the shattered window at the Purple Veggie.
"Negative, sir," the pilot apologetically answers. "We'll keep looking until we need to refuel."
"Keep me updated." Then, the lieutenant turns to his second-in-command and asks, "How are the men?"
Sarah whispers, "Some of them were actually motivated by how we made the androids retreat. But the others are scared, especially after losing one of their own in spite of the power armor he was wearing. You have to remember, not all these guys are loyal soldiers. A lot of them are mercenaries, and they're starting to think that the money just isn't worth the risk." Her superior merely frowns and grunts in response, so she asks, "What's our next move, sir?"
"Send the injured back to base along with the casualty. Then, divide the team into three and have them scour this city. With so many Red Ribbon Army soldiers out there, the two androids will be forced to flee the city through the nearby woods. And that's where you and I will be waiting for them."
Z
Android 18's blue eyes flutter open. It is morning, and a little daylight manages to permeate the smog from the factories. She is sitting in a narrow alley with her legs curled towards her chest, her back against a brick wall, and the side of her head leaning on her twin brother's shoulder. She thankfully fainted from the unbearable pain in her stomach last night, and she has no idea how long she was out. She turns her head to look up at her brother. He had stayed up all night to watch over her, which he didn't mind doing since he had unlimited energy.
"Hey," 17 greets her with a smile. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah," 18 answers, then she seriously adds, "You can't lose it like that ever again, no matter what happens to me, okay? When you panic, I panic. I need you to keep it together. I need you to tell me that everything's going to be alright."
Android 17 snorts, looks away, and quips, "Those bastards made me look uncool in front of my sister. I'll make sure to pay them back for that one."
"Another time. We gotta get outta here."
"I agree. Can you walk?"
"Uh-huh."
Android 17 stands then helps his sister up. They cautiously look left and right to make sure that the coast is clear. Then, they exit the alley and quickly walk hand in hand with their heads lowered, trying to not draw attention to themselves.
Z
Android 18 squeezes her twin brother's hand and anxiously whispers, "17…"
"Tch! Another checkpoint," Android 17 mutters when he sees Red Ribbon Army soldiers inspecting vehicles passing through the roads leading in and out of the city.
"They're everywhere. How are they even doing this? They're terrorists, aren't they? Why are we the fugitives?"
"A lot of the cities are secretly under the Red Ribbon Army's control."
"What do we do now?"
"We don't have a choice. The only way out is through the woods."
Android 17 turns and leads his sister by the hand off the road and into the trees. As soon as they are far enough from civilization, they make a run for it.
"When we clear the forest, we'll fly over the mountains and head to Northwest City!" 17 tells his sister. But his shoes skid to a halt in the dirt, and he mutters under his breath, "Shit!"
Lieutenant Alec Card and Sergeant Sarah Victory are standing in their way.
"You gotta be kidding me!" 18 angrily shrieks.
Sarah immediately steps before her superior and activates her RR Defender to protect him.
Alec contacts his men through his earpiece and yells, "I have the androids! Converge on me!"
He trains his RR Torturer at his targets and fires. Android 18 quickly flies right, close to the ground, in a wide half circle towards her opponents. Android 17 extends both arms before him with his palms facing forward and uses his Android Barrier. The hi-tech shotgun's electric projectile explodes against the surface of the protective energy sphere. Its torturous effects were greatly decreased, but Android 17 still feels a fraction of the pain his sister had to endure last night. It's like someone just set all the nerves in his arms on fire, and he grunts through clenched teeth.
While in mid flight, Android 18 thrusts both her fists against Sarah's power shield. The sergeant yelps as the impact sends her sliding across the ground on her back.
"Sergeant!" Alec worriedly calls to his second-in-command.
"Don't worry about me, sir!" Sarah shouts. "Finish off Android 17!"
"Right," the lieutenant thinks. "Hold on, Sarah. I'll defeat 17 first. Then, I'll come rescue you."
He squeezes the trigger on his RR Torturer. Android 17 blocks the projectile with his Android Barrier again, but his energy sphere is starting to weaken, and he falls down to one knee.
"I knew it," Android 18 says as she repeatedly pounds on the RR Defender with lefts and rights. "This power shield of yours can only absorb energy blasts, but it's not much good against physical attacks!"
Sarah shuts her eyes tight fearfully, and she yelps everytime the android woman's fist crashes against her shield. The punches are so strong that the ground beneath the female soldier begins to crack.
"Gimme that!" Android 18 yells, yanking the shield from Sarah's fingers with both hands.
The sergeant is so dazed that she couldn't hold on to the RR Defender.
"Just a little more," Alec tells himself. "His barrier is almost gone!"
He fires again. Except this time, Android 18 intercepts the blast, and the RR Defender absorbs the electric ball.
"What-?!" Alec exclaims, his eyes wide with shock.
But before the lieutenant can react, Android 17 lowers the barrier, draws the Colt M1911 from the holster on his hip with one hand and returns fire. One of the bullets smacks against the RR Torturer, knocking the weapon out of Alec's hands. Three more bullets crash into his torso. His power armor manages to stop the projectiles, but it still feels like getting kicked by a horse in the ribs, and he coughs out blood before collapsing to his knees.
Assured of victory, Android 17 confidently walks towards him. Along the way, he crushes the RR Torturer under his foot. Then, he points his pistol at the Red Ribbon Army lieutenant's forehead.
The android growls, "I should kill you after how you made my sister suffer last night. But if I did that, you won't be able to deliver a message to your superiors for me. It's a short message. Just three words." Then, Alec shuts his eyes tight and flinches when 17 leans forward and snarls, "Leave us THE FUCK alone!"
The lieutenant frowns and mumbles, "Actually, that's five w-"
"I KNOW IT'S FIVE WORDS! Are you going to deliver my message or not?!"
"YES! YES! I'll tell them."
Android 18 walks over to Sarah who is still on her back. The sergeant fearfully cringes as the cyborg woman approaches her.
Android 18 haughtily tells her, "You know, I'd keep your fancy shield, but it doesn't go with anything I wear."
She deactivates the RR Defender and crushes it in her hands. Then, she sprinkles the little pieces on Sarah like salt on a steak.
Android 17 takes his sister's hand in his and says, "Let's get outta here before their backup arrives."
Android 18 nods. The twins leap into the air and soar through the sky towards the mountains.
Z
Much later, the androids are casually walking along a wide and empty open road to Northwest City. It is so peaceful that the only sounds they can hear are the distant chirping of birds and the crunching of stones under their feet.
"Damnit," 18 mutters with her head bent forward while she frowns at the smartphone in her hands.
"What's wrong?" 17 asks.
His sister exhales in frustration and whines, "Look at what they did to my phone!"
She holds the phone really close to his face in one hand. The screen is cracked and blank, and the case has been burned completely black.
"They must have fried it when they shot me with that damned electric shotgun!" 18 continues to whine, her lips pouted, as she desperately tries to reactivate the phone.
"Might be for the best," 17 calmly tells her. "For all we know, that's how they've been tracking us."
"But we've lost all our photos! We've lost all those memories!"
"Then we make new ones."
Android 17 whips out another smartphone from his pants pocket. His sister smiles, her blue eyes widen, and she inhales excitedly as she drops the old phone and takes the new one in her hands.
"Where did you get this?!" she happily asks.
"I swiped it from that guy I threw down the stairwell."
"But what if you're right? What if this is how they're tracking us?"
"Meh. Makes no difference. We live dangerously anyway."
He puts his right arm over her shoulders and takes the phone from her with his left hand.
Then, he holds the phone before them to take a picture and says, "Okay, ready?"
Android 18 nods her head and smiles at the phone's camera. However, she gasps and blushes when her brother suddenly kisses her on the cheek right before he takes the picture.
END