Chapter 4: Not so Ultimate after all

Silence filled the air. An uneasy silence. Android #17 stood several metres ahead of the man known only as Omega, and he stared him down with a questioning intensity. There was information that needed to be explained. Who was Omega really? Noca stood with the people of the village and looked from Omega, and back to #17. There was no telling what would happen next. Noca was just as eager to find out what was going on as #17 was.

"You're an android too?" #17 finally asked, taking the initiative. Omega smirked and chuckled to himself. "What do you know of Dr. Gero?"

"More than you. I worked as his assistant for many years. I learned so much about robotics from the fantastic scientist. His work with cyborgs such as yourself is unrivalled, still to this day," Omega said, clearly speaking fondly of the good Doctor's scientific genius. "It's a pity he liked to steal ideas from humble little assistants, like myself."

"Look, I don't really care what kind of ideas the Doctor stole from you, he died by my hand after converting himself into an android," #17 explained, proud of himself for that past action, but disappointed that his ties to the former Red Ribbon Army scientist hadn't disappeared altogether yet.

"You see, the idea to take the brains of real people and put them into robotic bodies was initially mine. Before that the Doctor had just been toying with cybernetic parts inside real people, as well as some rudimentary robotics, I was going to revolutionise his idea for what soldiers should be," Omega explained, smiling about his own brilliance, but that faded to show a clear annoyance. "The doctor couldn't bear the thought of being upstaged by a younger man; he stole my ideas."

"Poor you," #17 responded, clearly not caring. "That doesn't seem to have stopped you from harming the lives of ordinary people and turning yourself into an android."

Noca noticed that while #17 had been keeping himself away from people he did have some sort of care for them in there. The Saiyan thought his new ally had been doing this all for personal gain, and while he did have a personal connection to this strange man, or android, he was getting himself involved to protect the people. It was admirable.

"I have turned myself into an android, and I want to make it so these people don't remain ordinary forever. I want to show the world that with my brilliant expertise and all the new things I've learned, I can change the world," Omega explained, getting excited about the thought of his own ideas. #17's brow furrowed, and he stepped forward.

"What do the people of these mountain villages offer you?" #17 yelled, asking his question in a demanding nature. Omega sort of flinched at the act of aggression from the black-haired android. "Why decide to show yourself now? I've been tracking these brutes of yours for some time, and only now do you step forward and show yourself. Why?"

Both Avure and Dole were offended by being called brutes but knew that #17 had already made sure they hit the dirt once and he was more than capable of doing it again.

"I heard that my men were drawing some unwanted attention. I only just started to monitor the situation and," Omega chuckled as he thought about it, "Not only did I learn of the existence of one of Gero's android fighters, but he happens to have allied himself with a Saiyan boy."

Omega looked to Noca and the boy froze up, not expecting himself to be drawn into this conflict, especially not because of his species. Holline looked to Noca, concerned for her friend.

"My scientific curiosity got the better of me and I had you see you both for myself," Omega said, his eyes still lingering on the Saiyan. He turned to look back at #17. "My friend, I just want to make the world a better place. Cyborgs, Androids, I believe that all people deserve to have their lives enhanced. I want to see that happen."

"And you think that makes you, what, some kind of God?" #17 questioned, stepping forward again. Omega appeared to tense up a little bit, #17 noticed that. "Do you fear me?"

"It's not that I feel fear," Omega said nervously, "I just understand that Gero made you to be strong, powerful, a fighter. I'm intelligent. I converted myself into an android so I could live forever."

"Well, I'll make sure that doesn't happen," #17 mentioned. Omega chuckled.

"Are you threatening me?" He asked. #17 started to walk forward again. This time going towards the self-proclaimed 'intelligent' android. Omega started to pull back. #17 stopped right in front of him, Omega was basically shaking, concerned about how #17 might choose to use his abilities.

"Take your friends and leave. Pack-up whatever base you have, before I get there," #17 said, making his threat very clear that time. Noca snapped his attention to #17 and wanted to say something, remind him about his bag that was still in their possession, but he had to believe that the android had a plan. He remained quiet as Omega started to back away.

"Avure, Dole. Let's leave," Omega called out to his allies. The two men walked back away from #17 as well, following their leader out of the village. #17 stood and watched them leave, speeding up as they got further away. That was remarkably easy, but it wasn't over.

Noca rushed up to #17.

"What do we do now?" Noca asked, ready to go right away.

"Don't rush yourself. We need to make sure we know exactly where they're going. I'll follow them," #17 explained. Noca was about to protest but he turned back to face the Saiyan. "I won't engage them just yet. I'll just find where they're headed, then I'll come back for you."

"But, what should I do?" Noca asked, clearly wanting to feel useful.

"Make sure the people are ok," #17 instructed as he instantly took to the sky to get a bird's-eye view of the area. Noca was thrown off by the ease in which #17 shot up into the sky and he turned back to the people, but Holline had instantly rushed over to him and threw her arms around him in a hug.

"Oh my God, that was so scary, Noca!" She muttered to him, trying to keep herself calm. She pulled out of the hug, "What are you doing here? Why did you rush off yesterday?"

Noca opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He wasn't sure he could say it out loud right away. All of the commotion he had dealt with since the major events of the previous day had taken precedence over everything else in his mind. For a brief moment, he was sent back into the events. The fire. The frantic actions of the villagers. The silhouette. His mother. Noca looked to the ground and started breathing a little heavier than before.

"I…" Noca was about to explain himself, he really was, but he was so glad when the interruption came. #17 dropped down by his side, shocking Holline and bringing Noca back to the moment.

"Kid, we gotta go now," #17 commanded. Noca looked to his new ally and then back to his friend.

"Right. Holline, I'll be back, and we'll talk then. I have to go with him right now," Noca explained, placing his hands on her shoulders and doing his best to give his friend a reassuring smile. Holline could see pain in his eyes though. She just nodded and smiled weakly as Noca turned around and rushed off with the Android.

"Be careful!" She called after them.

Noca and #17 rushed on along the path together, the young Saiyan was eager to fight back against these strange criminals and get back what belonged to him. He needed to prove himself somehow. He wasn't sure why he felt that way. Suddenly a new determination had washed over Noca and he was focused on more than just his quest to find Son Goku. He wanted to get his stuff back and show these criminals just what he could do, even he wasn't yet sure what it was he could do.

#17 could see the determination in Noca's eyes and thought to himself about how the boy's abilities could best be utilised in this interaction or going forward after this little mission. The two of them remained silent as the reached a clearing where there were two paths branching off to the left and right. Noca looked down both paths and then to #17, ready to ask where next, but the Android was looking straight ahead with a smirk on his face. Noca followed #17's eyes and saw what the Android had spotted.

There was an opening in the rocks. Quite a large opening at that, but it appeared to just be some sort of cave. Noca was sceptical of what this meant but #17 started to walk forward, indicating that he was certain of this. Noca stood still, not sure what to make of the situation and found that his previous confidence and determination was replaced with a slight anxiety. He wasn't sure he could do it. He swallowed and put on a brave face, walking up to #17 as he stepped inside the cave.

As they both stepped inside, blocking the light from outside, there was a clicking sound and the cave was illuminated by lightbulbs strung up along the cave walls. The wires appeared to go in and out of the walls. Noca stepped up to one of the lights and looked closer. #17 walked along down the cave which seemed to go deep.

"They've been here a while," #17 muttered, stopping and trying to look ahead into the darkness. Noca looked back to the Android.

"How can you tell?" The Saiyan asked, not yet seeing the obvious.

"Look at the lights again, the wires have been hidden inside the walls," #17 stated. Noca looked back to the light and noticed that #17 was right. "That isn't an overnight job, not for a whole cave."

"He did seem like a tidy person," Noca mentioned as he stepped up beside #17 again. The Android looked down at the Saiyan, inquisitively.

"Meaning?" #17 questioned.

"The suit he wore looked recently cleaned and ironed, no mess on him, but they operate in this cave," Noca explained, looking up to #17 and smirking, "caves aren't exactly clean. Maybe he likes things clean and hidden, maybe it's vanity."

#17 just nodded, he was silently pleased that Noca made that connection himself. There was hope for him, maybe he wasn't as naïve as he let on. The android continued along without saying anything else, until they noticed that the sound inside the cave appeared to change. It wasn't as echoed as before, there was less reverb around them.

The android stopped and looked down, noticing that the floor was less dusty, and started to look more manufactured. #17 looked ahead again.

"They have a lab in here, we need to be careful. There could be weapons or traps," #17 instructed as he started to move in, a bit more cautiously. As they continued on, the duo noticed that the cave was becoming wide and much more well-lit. More effort had been done the further in they were, meaning that #17 was right about there being a hidden lab or something. Eventually, the two of them fell upon a large door blocking their path. There didn't appear to be any cameras around, and there was a small control panel on the door. It would likely be password and DNA protected.

"What do we do now?" Noca asked, letting his nerves get a hold of him. He stepped back, worried about what could be waiting for them behind that door. #17 looked back at Noca and smirked.

"We're going to need to bust the door down, take them by surprise," the android suggested, his smirk still strong. Noca's eyes went wide. He wasn't a fan of that idea.

"Couldn't we find another way in?" Noca asked.

"I don't think there is another way," #17 said, with a light chuckle, "We have to go in all guns blazing."

"But…" Noca started.

"You'll be fine, kid," #17 cut him off. He raised his hand up to the door and began to increase his Ki. Noca winced and looked away out of fear but heard nothing after a few seconds. He opened his eyes and looked up to the Android. #17 was standing right by the door. He slammed his hand into the control panel, causing it to malfunction, then the door opened.

Noca's brow furrowed as he stepped up beside the android.

"I'm not stupid, they built their lab in a cave, it's not like the tech would be in perfect condition," #17 explained. Noca chuckled nervously and looked ahead as the door opened to reveal a hallway. "Guess they're further in. Time to sneak."

They two started to move in slowly, and quietly. They eventually rounded a corner and could hear the commanding voice of Omega echoing through the halls. #17 put his finger to his lips and looked to Noca, signalling for him to be quiet and then waved forward for them to carry on. They came into a much larger room where there were lots of boxes and a couple of weird looking tubes filled with water, one of them appeared to have something else inside. Noca looked around, trying to take it in but he had never seen that much complicated technology in his life. It almost scared him. #17 had moved further in, leaving Noca behind, so he could hear them better.

"Hurry up, Avure! Get that packed up, and take this," Omega was saying, he appeared to have a frantic and nervous tone in his own voice. #17 had certainly managed to strike a chord. "You and Dole need to take this to Dazir. He will know what needs to be done."

"Oh, not that creepy old fool," Dole groaned, as something heavy slammed to the ground.

"Just listen to me!" Omega yelled back at them. #17 glanced around the bit of equipment he was hiding behind and noticed they were capsulizing some of their equipment and machinery and packing it away inside a brief case that Omega was holding. "I will continue doing what I can back at HQ, you two still have a mission."

#17 was starting to make a plan for what he would do next. It needed to be a smart move and catch them off-guard. That is what would be the most effective idea. #17 was just getting a plan in mind when the machinery he was hiding behind disappeared as it was capsulized. The capsule fell to the ground in front of him and the Android looked up to see Avure standing there. The man stared down, not knowing what to say. He just let out a strange growl as he pointed at #17.

"Hi," #17 said, awkwardly as he grabbed the capsule and kicked Avure back into the centre of the room. He pressed the capsule down and threw it to Avure. The man caught it and went wide-eyed as the machinery revealed itself again, popping out and knocking Avure back towards the other side of the room, crashing through some boxes. Dole and Omega turned to see #17 standing there with a smirk on his face. "You guys still here."

"No, Avure! Get up!" Dole yelled as he ran to his ally. Omega rushed to the weird tubes and pressed a button. Everyone looked as the tube started to drain of the liquid, revealing a body inside. #17 instantly knew it was an android. He looked to see where Noca was. The Saiyan was still hiding behind something.

"Avure, Dole, get out of here!" Omega commanded as he pressed another few buttons and the lights started to flash red. Omega grabbed his briefcase and ran for the exit with his allies.

"No, you don't!" #17 yelled out as he went to move towards Omega but the person inside the weird tube burst out, rushing straight towards #17 and throwing him down into the ground. #17 looked towards where Omega and his allies had gone as a large door slammed shut, with them on the other side. They got away. #17 cursed, kicking the large android off of him. The figure fell against the wall and glared back to #17. This new android was tall, bulky, and bald. There were no real defining features about him.

#17 moved into a stance ready to fight him, then he heard a voice. It came from the speakers and clearly belonged to a computer.

"The Self-Destruct sequence has been activated. Countdown set to Five Minutes."

#17 cursed again.

"Noca, see if you can find your things, then we need to get out of here!" #17 yelled out. The Saiyan looked around and started to move to find his bag. The new android looked to where Noca had gone and his attention had been gripped by something new. "Oh no you don't!"

#17 jumped and flew straight towards the Android, punching him in the head, knocking the android off of his feet and straight into the wall. Noca continued to rummage around as the two androids were fighting. It wasn't easy, he just had to hope that the others had left his bag sitting in a corner or something.

Meanwhile, #17 continued to do his best to fight this new android and keep him away from Noca, but whatever technology had gone into creating this android was new because #17 was finding it a little difficult. The android just kept getting back up and continued to smash things up in front of him, rushing into #17.

Their time continued to tick down with the computer alerting them when they were four minutes. #17 made a mental note of it and continued to hold the big android at bay. Noca was finding things very difficult. The lab had become a mess and the flashing red-lights weren't helping. His vision was practically impaired by everything going on. He was in a panicked state.

The computer reached three minutes.

"Have you found it yet?" #17 called out after kicking the android in the head and dropping back to the ground.

"Not yet!" Noca called back.

"Well, hurry up!" #17 shouted back, as he jumped up avoiding a slammed down attack from the android. #17 landed and threw his hands forward, firing out an energy wave, pushing the android back towards the wall, doing his best to hold him at bay. #17 managed to navigate himself so he moved closer to the door, ready to burst out as soon as Noca was ready to go.

"Two minutes remaining," the computer said.

Noca threw a few boxes to the side and saw his old bag sitting there, trapped under a fallen piece of machinery. He rushed over and started to try and pull it out, but the machinery was very heavy. Noca strained as best he could to move it and get it out from under there. #17, meanwhile, had broken off from his attack on the android and turned to face the large door, blasting it open with a powerful blast, before turning back and holding the android back again.

"Noca! Have you found it?" He asked again. Noca was straining to move the pipes and stuff that had collapsed in, but he was getting nowhere. It was tough. He wasn't strong enough. So much was going on. He was panicking.

"One-minute remaining."

"NOCA!" #17 yelled.

Noca reacted, his senses coming to life and his mind becoming focussed. He started to do his best to lift up the machinery and was making better progress. There was a sudden burst in strength and energy, and it was easy. He threw it back and grabbed his bag, throwing it over his shoulder. He jumped up over some pipes and #17 saw him.

"I got it, go!" Noca yelled back. #17 broke the blast and turned around, jumping through the doorway he had created and began to rush along the hallway. Noca followed, jumping over things, not noticing what was happening behind him. The android had gathered the energy #17 was using and threw it into the ceiling. Rocks and rubble collapsed down, causing Noca to back up and jump away to avoid being hit. He wasn't close to the door any longer.

"Thirty seconds remaining."

Noca turned around, unsure of what to do next. He saw the android stepping towards him, a menacing look on his face. Noca was scared of what would happen next. He needed to move. He couldn't sit there. All the anger, anxiety, and fear inside him started to mix together and it brought life to something within him. He jumped forward towards the android, kicking him in the head and throwing him back into the wall. Noca landed back to his feet and turned around.

"Ten seconds."

He had to go.

"Nine."

He started to run for the exit.

"Eight."

There was so much debris in his way.

"Seven."

There was no way out.

"Six."

Was this really how he was about to die.

"Five."

No.

"Four."

Noca stepped back, eyes still on the exit.

"Three."

He would need to be quicker than ever before, but right now it felt like his instincts were in complete control.

"Two."

His aura started to flare up around him, Noca didn't have any time to be shocked or surprised by it. He started his run.

"One."

He just managed to reach the door.

"Zero."

BOOM!

The entire cave exploded with a thunderous roar that surely everyone in the nearby villages would have heard. #17 had managed to get to a safe distance and get himself behind cover. He looked around as smoke and debris flew out of the cave, hoping to see Noca around nearby somewhere. Nothing. The android stood up and walked back towards the cave, sighing and looking to the ground. He felt ashamed at getting the kid into that situation. It was dangerous and he should have stayed to help him. He only thought about himself in that moment and he was feeling the guilt.

He looked back up to the cave again and noticed something. A silhouette in the smoke. It was just a blob of dark, but it was definitely moving. It couldn't be him, could it? #17 walked towards the cave again and noticed that Noca had survived. He stepped out of the smoke and fell to the ground, unconscious, with cuts and dirt all over him. #17 rushed to his side and lifted him up, noticing that Noca would need some sort of medical attention, and quickly. He turned, making sure to keep Noca's bag close to them and he flew back to the village right away.

Up on a ridge, away from the scene, and trio of people stood, observing. Omega, Avure, and Dole were fine. Omega wasn't happy. His lab gone. His android more than likely destroyed in the wreckage, and the other two survived.

"You two need to go find Dazir and the others right away. Get the next part of the plan in motion. That boy is worth a lot to me," Omega stated.

"Are you sure?" Avure asked, nervously.

"Positive, tell Shai and Zala to move on with the next stage, now go," Omega followed up. He didn't look back at Avure and Dole as they awkwardly stepped away, walking on down the mountainous path. Omega remained on the ridge, looking back at his cave. He slowly started to walk back towards it.


#17 returned to the village, where Holline stood waiting, anxiously. Upon seeing one figure approaching she was initially upset and worried but noticed that the strange man was carrying Noca. Wait, Noca was in pain! Holline ran over to them as #17 set Noca down on the ground and stood away. Holline dropped by his side.

"Oh no, Noca!" She practically screamed, sobbing down on her friend. A couple of adults rushed over but were wary of being near #17, especially after seeing the state of Noca. The android noticed they were looking at him strangely.

"I didn't do this to him, now get him somewhere to rest!" #17 yelled, clearly sounding a little worried for the boy. Holline looked up at him and stood up.

"We can take him to my house," She suggested. #17 nodded and lifted Noca up, letting the red-headed girl lead the way. They quickly made it to her house, Holline led #17 up the stairs to her bedroom and they laid Noca down on the bed. #17 placed a hand on his head for a second, as if checking something. Holline watched, nervously.

"When he wakes up make sure he cleans himself up, he'll recover from these injuries without issue," #17 stated. Holline's brow furrowed.

"How? He looks in bad shape," She questioned.

"He's fine. His Saiyan genes are to thank for that," #17 explained. Holline was going to say something else, not knowing why #17 knew about Saiyans, but she decided not to. She was a little scared of this man. #17 stepped away from Noca and walked to the door.

"You're leaving?" She asked, feeling concerned about the whole situation. She still had no idea what was going on.

"I don't have anything else to do here. I saved your village from those guys, and I helped Noca get his bag," #17 said, finally setting the bag down on the ground. "Now I need to continue my mission."

"So, you're just going without saying bye to him?" She questioned. #17 scoffed and turned back to look at Noca again.

"He'll understand," the android said, leaving without saying another thing. He stepped outside and just casually walked out of the village. He didn't even decide to fly away. He had too much on his mind.

"You're a strange one, Noca. I'm sure there's something about you that's worth sticking around for, but you have your own mission. Besides, this isn't the last you've seen of me. There's no way you're making it all the way to West City on your own." He thought to himself as he went back into the mountains.

A few hours later, after some rest, Noca awoke. He was aching all over and coughed up, with his lungs feeling like they were severely depleted of oxygen. Holline rushed to his bedside with a glass of water.

"You're awake, thank God!" She said, handing him the glass of water. Noca took a sip and then started to cough a little. He didn't quite understand the state he was in, but he calmed down rather quickly and started to remember everything clearly. He continued to sip at the water and set it down on the table.

"Thanks," He said, taking a deep breath and getting himself back to a normal state. He stood up, Holline immediately rushed to his side to help him, but he was fine. "Can I stay here tonight?"

Holline perked up, a wide smile forming on her face.

"Of course, you can!"

"Cool. Thank you, I'll be off again tomorrow anyway," Noca responded as he walked over to his bag to make sure everything was still there.

"Ok… but why do you have a bag? Where are you going?"

"I…" Noca started, as he closed up his bag. He was about to tell her but after everything that had happened in the day he was dropped back into his own reality. Everything about why he was there returned to his mind. He remembered everything about the day prior and his emotions were worked up again. He didn't want to dump all of that on his best friend. He wasn't ready to talk about it. "I'll have to talk to you about it tomorrow. I just need to relax after today."

"Ok, you did go through a lot, just by the look of you," Holline joked. Noca smirked up at her and then thought about something else.

"#17 left?" He asked. Holline looked at him inquisitively then realised he was talking about his friend, the strange man.

"Oh, yeah, the man. He left after dropping you off," she told him. Noca sighed and looked back down at his bag. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't get to thank him for helping me," Noca said, trailing off. It didn't matter. #17 didn't seem to be the guy to stick around for thanks. It was a strange encounter, but it happened and now he needed to move on and continue with the next thing.

Noca looked at the photograph of he and his mother again and tried to hide the tears in his eyes. Holline couldn't know, at least not until Noca was ready to come to terms with it himself. As he put the photo back, he noticed a faint orange glow from in his bag, coming from the weird charm his village elder had given him. He just closed up the bag, ignoring it. He went to go wash up and change into a clean set of casual clothing, then he let Holline take him downstairs for something to eat.

He needed to get into some sort of activity that would help him dip into a normal life, even if just for a little bit.


Characters Seen/Mentioned in this Chapter:

Android #17
Omega (OC)
Dr Gero - Mentioned
Noca (OC)
Avure (OC)
Dole (OC)
Holline (OC)
Unnamed Android (OC)
Dazir (OC) - Mentioned
Shai (OC) - Mentioned
Zala (OC) - Mentioned
Emna (OC) - Mentioned