Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

By Feraligreater328

Chapter 65: Dr. Gero

In the sky near Mt. Paozu...

Carefully flying through the air, trying his best to avoid jostling his travel partner too much, Yamcha scanned around. "I know I have to be getting close. It's been so long since I've been to Goku's house..."

Slung over Yamcha's shoulder, Goku shuddered and let loose a heavy gasp of pain and clutched his hand over his heart. He began to cry out in pain and Yamcha gave him a gentle pat on the back. "I'm sorry, bud, I know. We're almost there. Just a bit longer..."

Yamcha looked around, trying to spy Goku's house. He glanced forward and, in the distance, he saw a hovercar landing. He closed his eyes and sensed and felt Gine's energy. "Okay, bud, let's go get you some medicine."

And so, Yamcha flew forward towards Goku's house.

In the mountains...

"WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP!"

Bulma glared at Yajirobe. "Excuse me?!"

Yajirobe shook his head. "You heard me! It sounds like nonsense! How in the hell could a human turn himself into an Android like that?! You're saying the guy actually removed his brain and put it in a robot, cuz-"

Bulma marched up to Yajirobe, getting nose-to-nose with the rude ronin. "You live in a world where aliens, gods, demons, and mutants exist and you're saying a CYBORG is impossible? Really Yajirobe?!"

Yajirobe started to sweat. "Uh, I..."

Tien spoke up. "That would explain the brain in the jar..."

He closed his eyes. "I suppose this is what he meant by peacefully passed away...the human Dr. Gero doesn't exist anymore..."

Piccolo sneered. "And we just let him escape..."

He clenched his fingers around his bicep. "Damn it."

Chiaotzu sounded worried. "If he stays alive, then the stream of Androids could possibly never end..."

Piccolo snarled. "Then we don't let that happen! We have to find him and we have to kill him!"

Future Ranch seemed nervous. "I agree but...do we even know where he went? He said that he was going to go and awaken...17 and 18, but the three of us have no idea where 17 and 18 originated from to begin with..."

Bulma spoked up. "Well, it stands to reason that Gero would probably store his experiments in his lab, right? So, we just have to find that lab. And, given that he burrowed away instead of flying off, I'm willing to be its somewhere on this continent..."

Krillin turned to her. "What makes you think that?"

Bulma glanced over at Krillin. "He can fly at super-sonic speeds and he has no energy signature. Why go through the trouble of burrowing away if not to travel a short distance and avoid being spotted?"

Future Trunks nodded. "That makes sense. Good deductive reasoning, M-Mother..."

Bulma smiled at her son from the future. Gohan spoke up. "So, we have a search area, we just need an idea of what we're looking for now. Before we all head out...could the three of you describe what Android 17 and Android 18 look like?"

Future Daikon nodded. "Y-Yeah, of course. We should have done that to begin with..."

He cleared his throat. "Android 17 is a teenage boy with black hair, blue-eyes, and a lean frame. Android 18 is basically his twin, blue eyes and a lean frame. But she has blonde hair. Honestly, the two of them look like normal people...17 looks like a cool boy and 18 looks like a beautiful girl, it's just..."

Future Daikon paused and glanced over at Future Trunks, who was shooting him a sideways glare. "Oh, sorry Trunks. I just meant..."

Future Trunks was green in the face. "Did you really just call her beautiful...?"

Future Ranch quickly spoke up. "Okay! Let's not turn this into a thing! We've given an accurate description, now we should get a move on before the worst happens, right? We should probably head out in teams just so we can watch each other's backs! No one wants to get ambushed alone!"

Piccolo glared off into the distance. "Try telling that to Vegeta. Damned fool, rushing off before being told anything about what's going on..."

Bulma waved Piccolo off. "Don't worry about Vegeta. I'll catch up to him and fill him in on everything."

Piccolo turned to her. "Your husband's impulsiveness is going to get him killed."

Bulma sighed. "Possibly. But, you're still alive so we still have Dragon Balls. So, that's a blessing I guess..."

She turned and called back to her son. "Hey, Trunks, would you be willing to join me and yourself to go and hunt down Vegeta. I'd love to talk and I could use some help tracking your father's power level!"

Future Trunks nodded, walking over to his mother. He watched as Bulma bent over, moving a rock and quietly chuckling before picking up one of Android 20's severed hands, with the energy absorption lens completely intact. Future Trunks warmly smiled. "I would be happy accompany you."

Piccolo turned to the others. "The rest of you group off too. Look around carefully. He was fairly damaged and he's down a foot, I can't imagine he's gotten too far away."

The others all nodded. Future Trunks and Bulma took off in her hover car to go and find Vegeta. Tien and Chiaotzu went off, with Chiaotzu towing the ever-protesting Yajirobe behind him. Future Ranch and Future Daikon took off. And Bardock, Krillin, and Gohan flew off shortly after them. Finally, only Piccolo and Raditz remained. Raditz sighed. "Just the two of us, huh?"

Piccolo nodded. "Looks like it."

The two of them proceeded to take off as well. Everyone's mission was set: find and destroy Dr. Gero.

On the ground in the northern mountains forest...

Future Ranch and Future Daikon both walked along through the forest, looking for any signs of their target. Both of the teenagers were on edge as they carried on, both ready to reach for their weapons at a moment's notice. After a bit more walking, the two of them came across exactly what they were looking for: a massive hole in the ground.

Future Daikon knelt down and grabbed a handful of the recently disturbed soil. Future Ranch glared at the nearby trees and saw several of them damaged or nearly knocked over. Future Daikon stroked his chin. "So, it looks like Gero isn't very comfortable in that massive, bulky body of-"

A rustling in the bushes made the two teens flinch in shock. Future Ranch reached behind and grabbed her gun, aiming it towards the bushes. Future Daikon reached for his weapon but, before he could draw it, the intruder hopped out of the bush, revealing itself as little more than a rabbit.

A brief moment of silence, but then Future Ranch began to laugh. "Oh...oh my gosh...look at us, so on edge..."

Future Daikon chuckled. "Yeah..."

Future Ranch slugged Future Daikon in the arm. "You really do take after our Dad. Know what I mean, Bro? Always so on edge..."

Future Daikon grumbled and turned away, a blush and a pouting look on his face. "Sh-Shut up!"

Near sheer cliffs in the northern mountains...

Chiaotzu stood grimly over the long-dead corpses of two hunters. Tien stood behind him, looking just as grim. The three-eyed warrior knelt down and turned the hunter over, finding a pair of small burn marks directly in the center of the man's forehead. The other hunter had the exact same marks. Tien closed his eyes, remembering Dr. Gero and Android 19's liberal use of Eye Beams and his squeezed his brow. "Sick monsters..."

Yajirobe stood off to the side, shivering from the cold. "Why the hell do you keep dragging me to morbid crap like this?!"

A house on a plateau in the northern mountains...

Bardock, Krillin, and Gohan all stood in front of a massive house in the middle of the forest. Bardock crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the abomination: a purple, blue, and green painted house with multiple pink flamingos and lawn gnomes in front. He turned to Krillin and Gohan. "Th-There's no way this is Gero's lab...right?"

Gohan was equally as confused. Krillin, in a moment of bravery, walked up to the door and pressed the doorbell. Swinging jazz music echoed out and multiple people within the house could be heard rustling about. Bardock and Gohan both prepared for a fight, but then the door swung open and a single man in a leopard skin robe stepped into view. "Hey there, swingers! Welcome to The Vinnie's hip and hopping bachelor pad! Are you more of the happenin', hepcats that The Vinnie met on his dating app?"

Bardock's face turned bright red. Gohan cocked his head. "S-Swingers? D-Dating app? What-"

Multiple scantily clad women showed up at the door, giggling and practically hanging off of "The Vinnie". Bardock grabbed his grandson and shoved him behind himself. "Nope."

Krillin, a sly smile on his face, stepped forward towards the house. "I certainly-"

Bardock grabbed Krillin by the back of his shirt and tossed him across the yard. "Nope."

Krillin cried out in pain and Gohan ran to his assistance. Bardock was blunt. "Do you know if there's any mad scientists making robotic hellspawn on this mountain?"

The Vinnie shook his head. "Nah man, that ain't The Vinnie's scene. Now, why don't you groove on in here onto the bearskin rug and-"

Bardock turned away without so much as an acknowledgement of the strange man. Krillin moaned. "I think you broke my arm!"

Bardock snapped back. "Suck it up and eat a goddamned Senzu Bean!"

Near some caves in the northern mountains...

Piccolo and Raditz both went as fast as they could, searching through a multitude of caves dotting the sides of the mountain. As they searched, Raditz tried to think of a way to express his problems. Maybe an even-tempered person like Piccolo would get it? Raditz cleared his throat. "H-Hey Piccolo..."

Piccolo grumbled, popping out of a cave without any sign of Dr. Gero. "What? Did you find something?"

Raditz shook his head. "N-No. I just, um...I..."

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "Spit it out."

Raditz sighed. "My daughter, you know...she showed up from the future and I just...I'm still getting used to Ranch as a baby. Not to mention Daikon. Now they're here as teenagers and... I just..."

He swallowed a lump in his throat. "I was wondering if maybe you could give me some parenting advice?"

Raditz turned and found Piccolo staring at him, looking positively bewildered. "Raditz...I...I don't have kids..."

Raditz responded. "You have Gohan."

Piccolo shook his head. "I'm not Gohan's father, Goku is."

Raditz nodded. "Y-Yeah. But Kakarot is...a 'soft father'. And that's great and all, but this new Ranch is a teenager and I was wondering if a 'hard father' might be able to give some advice..."

Piccolo looked confused. "What are you on about?!"

Raditz fumbled his words. "Y-You know...Kakarot is a 'let's skip chores and go camping' type. You're a 'are you keeping your grades up' type. And this version of Ranch is a lot older than my infant Ranch and according to the parenting book Launch and I read that requires a different approach, so I'm just wondering what...you...might..."

There was so much television static going on in Piccolo's mind that it could practically be heard by bystanders. Raditz shook his head and sighed. "Never mind..."

Raditz walked into a cave, hoping that maybe he would find Dr. Gero's lab so that this awkward conversation could become a thing of the past. He immediately came running back out with a horrified look on his face. "Crap crap crap!"

Piccolo sneered, preparing a fighting stance, only to be shocked to see a rather large dinosaur head pop out. The long-necked beast roared at the two intruders into its territory. Raditz was gasping. "I think...I walked into...her egg nest..."

Piccolo nodded. "Oh, so she's a parent. Well...maybe she could help you with-"

Raditz snapped. "Shut the hell up! Let's...let's just look elsewhere..."

And then, Raditz flew off with a burning red face. Piccolo shook his head, tiring of this mess, and followed along. Dr. Gero had to be somewhere on this mountain.

In the sky above the northern mountains...

Bulma and Future Trunks flew through the air in Bulma's hovercar. Future Trunks sighed and closed his eyes. "I can feel him a bit farther ahead..."

Bulma squinted and nodded. "I think I see him..."

Future Trunks sighed and slumped into his seat. Bulma glanced over at him with a frown. He looked stressed, beaten down, and just plain tired. A bit playfully, Bulma nudged her son with her elbow. Future Trunks turned to look at her and she smiled.

In spite of how he felt inside, Future Trunks smiled back.

Bulma glanced from him and back at Baby Trunks, staring up into the air at nothing with a look of wonder on his face. "You two are a lot alike..."

Future Trunks rubbed his face. "Ya think so?"

Bulma nodded. "Yeah. Pretty quiet when left to your own devices, but still with that look of wonder sparkling in your eyes. Even with all you've been through...I'm glad that look hasn't been taken away..."

Future Trunks sighed and nodded. "At least you're happy to see me."

Bulma shook her head. "Vegeta's an ass. But, in spite of how much of an ass he is...he does care about his kid. Ever since he and Goku killed Frieza and he decided to stay here on Earth, I've watched him change...in certain ways..."

Future Trunks nodded. "Really?"

Bulma smiled. "Yeah. Vegeta will never not be Vegeta. On the outside, he's always going to be the same, smarmy, overbearing, annoying, cocky, condescending jerk. It's just who he is. He's the type of guy that you have to really read...the kind that you have to scrape the crust off to really understand him..."

Future Trunks flinched. "Scrape the crust?"

Bulma nodded. "You've gotta be forceful. Vegeta is fluent in 'complicated', but he only speaks 'blunt'."

Future Trunks nodded back. "I think...I understand..."

Bulma smiled. "Just watch and learn~"

She pressed a button on her console and the bubble dome of the car folded back. And then, Bulma lovingly called for her husband. "HEY JACKASS! GET OVER HERE! YOU MISSED OUT OF SOME IMPORTANT STUFF!"

Vegeta paused and shot the approaching Bulma and Future Trunks a sour look. "Both of you piss off! I'm hunting an Android; I don't need any anchors weighing me down!"

The Prince started to fly again, but Bulma floored the pedal and quickly caught up, grabbing him by the tail. "Hey! For real Vegeta! You need to stop and listen!"

Vegeta scowled at Bulma. Bulma scowled back. And then, Vegeta groaned. "This had better be relevant information..."

Back in the forest...

Dr. Gero, in his hulking new body, stopped to rest and overview his damaged form. He glanced down at his missing foot and the various holes in his chest, watching them shoot sparks, and he snarled. "Those damned fools..."

Gero growled under his breath. "Android 13 is the sturdiest frame I've constructed. He was meant to withstand force up to that Spirit Bomb technique that Goku's family produced. And yet..."

The Doctor shook his head. "I cannot afford to waste any time on such matters for now. It is not much farther to the lab from here..."

Gero stood and lumbered out into the open. "I must return and-"

Two sharp gasps.

Gero quickly turned, glaring towards the source of the noise. And, when he did, Son Gohan and Krillin came into view. Dr. Gero chuckled. "Well, I see that lesser warriors have banded together in a fruitiless attempt at survival..."

The Doctor loomed over his smaller enemies. "Perhaps I take advantage of this good fortune in order to rid myself of several nuisances..."

As the monstrous Android lumbered towards them, Gohan and Krillin both took a fighting stance. Gero looked confident that he would succeed...but then Krillin smirked. "Gotcha!"

Gero flinched. Gohan cried out. "Grandpa!"

Shooting through the air like a whistling arrow, Bardock crashed into Dr. Gero's back and kicked the Android to the ground. "Sup?!"

Gero rolled over on the ground and stared up at Bardock. Bardock smirked, summoning forth the golden light of his Super Saiyan power, and cracked his knuckles. "So, wanna pick on the small fry? Is that your strategy, old man?"

Dr. Gero stood and snarled at Bardock. Bardock chuckled. "Made an entire army of shitty robots to attack my poor, younger son eh? Well...I can't let that sort of thing go without an ass-kicking..."

The Doctor flinched back and Bardock chuckled. "Krillin! Send out an energy signal to alert the others!"

Bardock bent over and lunged at Dr. Gero. "I'm gonna spend our free time taking this asshole down a few hundred pegs!"

Krillin nodded. "Yes sir!"

He turned to Gohan. "Let's do it, bud!"

Gohan nodded. "Right!"

And then, the two of them got started on sending out energy pulses to alert the others. As they did that, Bardock got to work on schooling his Android foe.

Dr. Gero glanced past Bardock and saw Gohan and Krillin focusing their power in the background. The wicked Doctor was visibly panicked. "Cease that at once!"

He charged a blast and prepared to fire it at Gohan, but Bardock quickly intercepted. He grabbed the Android by the hand, dispelling the blast and squeezing his fingers tight. "Nah! No chance!"

Bardock snorted. "Aiming at non-combatants ain't just disgraceful, old man. It's friggin' rude to think you can ignore me!"

The older Saiyan reared his fist back and rocked Gero square in the jaw. And then, with a second punch, he sent the Android crashing into a nearby rockface. Gero struggled to his feet and scowled. "Do you think this is some sort of social interaction? I do not wish for a fair fight; I wish to kill you!"

Bardock charged forward and grabbed Gero by the head, smashing his forehead into the Android's face. "Then go ahead and try to kill me!"

Gero stumbled back and sneered. "D-Do you think that it would be troublesome for me to kill you, fool?! Piccolo and Vegeta could barely harm me when they were working together, what could you possibly-"

Bardock shot forward and slammed his fist into one of the holes in Gero's chest, twisting it around and ripping it out. Sparks and bio-fuel shot from the gaping wound and Gero fell to his knees. Bardock chuckled. "Do I look easy to bluff with? Piccolo reduced you to a severed head! Vegeta was toying with you! And I was handling 13 like a toy before you took him over!"

The older Saiyan smashed his knee into another hole, making cracks spread across Gero's chest. "Not to mention how awkwardly you move in this body. You're toddling like a child!"

And then, Bardock spun on his heel and sent Gero tumbling back with a harsh elbow jab to the throat. He cocked his head. "This battle is basically over, ya know..."

Gero roared and shot up, grabbing at Bardock. Bardock responded by jumping up, stooping himself on Gero's forearm, and then leaping in the air and delivering a spinning axe-kick to the back of Gero's head. Gero hit the ground hard enough that it shattered around him, making the earth shatter and rise up. Bardock smirked as he rose into the air. "Now then, let's remove the other half of 13's ugly face!"

Bardock made a triangle with his fingers. "RAVAGER CANNON!"

Thinking quickly, Gero extended his arm and shot a blast towards Gohan and Krillin. Bardock snarled. "Damn it!"

The older Saiyan fell from the air, getting between Gohan and Krillin and firing the Ravager Cannon at Gero's blast. The result was a massive explosion that created a thick cloud of dust. Bardock sneered. "Shit!"

Bardock turned and shook Gohan and Krillin by the shoulder. Both of them snapped out of their trance. Krillin looked around. "H-Huh?! What happened?!"

Bardock turned and pointed. "He's running off! Let's get after him!"

The three warriors charged through the dust and came out on the other side to the sight of three blasts coming at them. Reacting quickly Bardock slapped the blasts aimed at Gohan and Krillin from the air and allowed his blast to hit him dead center. Gero laughed out loud, a few feet away. "TAKE-"

Bardock's attention snapped to Gero, putting the mad doctor under the harsh scrutiny of his glare. Gero flinched back. "...that."

A brief staredown occurred. And then, taking his best option, Dr. Gero turned tail and started to run in the opposite direction. Gohan turned to his grandfather. "Are you okay, Grandpa?"

Bardock waved Gohan off. "Don't worry about me! Chase him down!"

He turned to Krillin. "And you keep sending out energy signals! He won't get away this time!"

The three of them chased Dr. Gero as fast as they could, easily able to track the Doctor based on the damage his awkward, massive body was leaving in its wake. Eventually, the dense forest opened into another valley and, to their collective shock, the three of them did not see Gero. Bardock snarled. "Dammit!"

Gohan was confused. "But we were right behind him, where could he have gone?!"

The three of them continued to look around for a moment. But then, Krillin looked up and his gaze fell upon a cave high up in a nearby rockface. Krillin pointed up. "Guys! A cave!"

Bardock looked up and nodded. "Yeah...that cave don't look natural..."

He motioned to his two partners. "You two stay behind me, I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire."

Gohan and Krillin both nodded. Slowly, Bardock rose up into the air, prepared to defend himself. But, as he peered into the cave, the suspected attack never came. Bardock nodded. "I see..."

He glanced down at his two companions. "It's safe you two! Come on up!"

Krillin and Gohan both rose into the air and their gaze fell upon the same thing Bardock was staring at: a massive, steel door emblazoned with the Red Ribbon Army insignia. Bardock landed inside the cave and stepped forward, running his hand over the cold steel. "Looks like this is the place..."

Inside the lab...

Dr. Gero cringed as he heard several strikes levied against his door. He lumbered deeper into the lab and grabbed his universal remote from its case on the wall. With a press of a button, Dr. Gero turned on the lights and his messy workshop of horrors came into view. Tools and various papers littered the ground. The skinned remains of his rotting corpse were stored in several trash bags in the corner. Several white chambers stood open, their doors high in the air. Gero glared at the capsules that had once contained 13, 14, 15, and 19. He lamented and collapsed into his chair. "So much wasted technology! Bah!"

Gero took a long look at the two capsules between #15 and #19, #17 and #18. "I cannot believe that I am forced to rely on those two..."

Remembering the last time Androids 17 and 18 had gone out-of-control, Gero grimaced. He stared down at the stump where Android 13's foot was once attached and shook his head. "I cannot activate them like this..."

The banging against his door continued as Gero lumbered across the lab. First things first, the Doctor reached into a bin of spare parts and produced a skeletal, metal foot. He sat back down and began the process of attaching the new limb and thought on what else he should do.

First, Gero glanced off to the side and saw a lonely, white capsule sitting in the corner. He observed the thick layer of dust on it. "Damn...there's no time to remove him from this lab..."

With the foot attached, Gero stood up once more. "But he is ultimately able to be rebuilt. I have the majority of his data stored in my drives..."

The Doctor walked over to his computer and turned it on. Opening his master program, Gero turned his attention not to the lab he was in, but into another. "Site Beta is too close in proximity to this soon-to-be-active warzone. I must transfer that to Site Omega for safe keeping..."

Gero cycled through his active projects until he came upon the one thing he kept secret from everyone else, even Android 19. The words flashed across Gero's glassy, artificial eyes as he moved the cursor over the transfer button. Project Perfection was quickly selected to be transferred, and the Gero closed out his program and smashed the computer with his fist. "Now..."

He turned towards the #17 and #18 capsules. "...those two."

Grabbing his remote, Gero approached the capsules with trepidation. His hand shook as he stared at the red window on each, seeing the silhouette of their faces hidden behind. He gripped his empty hand and scowled. "I have no choice. But the reprogramming should have been successful this time around..."

The Doctor reached out and pressed the button on the #17 capsule. The door been to rise, depressurizing and whirring until it came to a stop. And, within that capsule was Android 17. The dark-haired young man opened his eyes, consciousness flooding back into him. His eyes darted from left to right and then he pulled himself from his former prison. Android 17 stood up and looked over at the patchwork Dr. Gero. "Good morning, Dr. Gero. How are you today?"

Gero was taken aback, but he quickly nodded in response. "G-Greetings Android 17."

Feeling a bit calmer, Gero walked past 17 and towards the #18 capsule, complete unaware of the scowl that appeared on 17's face when out of Gero's line of sight. The doctor reached out to press the button and cringed at the sound of another pounding thud. 17 turned to the door. "It would appear we have solicitors at the door. Should I greet them, Doctor?"

Gero shook his head. "Not yet. First we must awaken your counterpart."

Reaching down, Gero pressed the button to open the #18 capsule. Once the door was raised, a blonde-haired young woman stepped out. She turned to Gero and smiled, speaking in a calm voice. "Greetings Dr. Gero. Lovely weather we're having."

Gero cringed. "You too, eh?"

On one hand, Dr. Gero was thrilled to see that his reprogramming had worked. On the other hand, staring into the icy blue eyes of those two made him grip his universal remote, his one kill switch should they get out of hand, ever tighter. Another bang on the door and Gero snarled. "Meddlesome fools!"

Android 18 glanced over to the door. "Guests?"

Gero shook his head. "Interlopers."

Android 17 nodded. "I see...and are these the same interlopers that did...this to you?"

Android 18 looked Gero up and down. "Yeah, addressing that elephant in the room..."

17 chuckled. "You look like a patchwork Frankenstein Monster, what happened? Did you, uh, build that body in a rush?"

18 glanced at the clothes. "No, wait. Look at the pants and the suspenders. I think this might be Android 13...just with the Doctor's head grafted on. But, then again, the Gero parts of his face do appeared to be mechanical...except for that braincase on top..."

17 smirked. "Didja go Android, Doctor? Last time we were online, you seemed nervous to take the plunge. Scared to become like us~"

18 rolled her eyes. "I bet he settled and just built a body like Android 19's..."

17 looked around. "Where is that guy, anyway?"

Gero scoffed. "Enough! Enough senseless babble! We have more important matters at hand!"

The Doctor turned towards the door, a hateful look in his eye. The allies of Son Goku are gathering right outside that door. "In order to complete our goal of eliminating the Saiyan filth, we must dispose of those pests first!"

Android 18 chuckled. "Goku's allies, huh? You've never told us much about them...only their names..."

Android 17 smirked. "What are they like?"

Gero sneered. "They are little more than irritations in the road towards our ultimate goal. You shall both eliminate them by my command! Am I understood?"

With his back to them, Dr. Gero could not see the look in the eyes of either of his creations. Android 17 maintained his calm tone. "Of course, Doctor..."

Android 18 did as well. "We live to heed your commands, Doctor."

Gero nodded, not noticing either of his "obedient" Androids stalking up behind him. "Excellent. I am glad to see that the two of you are-"

Android 18 leapt up and kicked Dr. Gero in the back of the head. Android 17, meanwhile, charged in and wrapped his hand around the universal remote, snatching it from the off-guard Doctor's hand. Gero turned, enraged. "What the devil are you two doing?!"

Both of the Androids glared at Gero, a venomous mixture of humor and hatred in their eyes. Android 17 squeezed the controller and crushed it to pieces. "You will never put us to sleep again, old man..."

Gero raised his hands in defense. 17 turned to his counterpart. "Hey, 18, do you want a piece of him?"

18 smirked and laughed. "I don't think anyone has ever wanted a piece of that ugly face. I'll just sit this one out, you have fun 17~"

Android 17 nodded. "Right."

And then, before Gero could protest, Android 17 charged and shoved Gero into a wall. Gero raised a fist and attempted to strike his defiant creation, but Android 17 responded with a harsh kick to the side of the face. Gero's hulking frame pushed itself up to find 17 glowering over him. "I'm going to enjoy tearing you to pieces, Doctor~"

As 17 began to hand Gero the beating of his life, Android 18 glanced around the lab. It was a lot more unkempt than she had remembered. It reeked of dust and rot. But, one attraction caught the young woman's attention: in the corner of the lab, one more unopened casket laid flat.

Outside the lab...

Gohan and Krillin continued their assault on the heavy, metal doors of Gero's lab. But, nothing they tried proved effective. Krillin turned and shouted to Bardock. "Hey man! How about a little bit of help?!"

Bardock shook his head. "Not yet. We shouldn't rush headlong in. We have no idea what that wrinkled bastard has hidden in that little den of his..."

The older Saiyan stared out the cave opening, nodding his head. "Looks like we're about ready to go in though..."

Gohan and Krillin both turned, seeing what Bardock meant. One-by-one, everyone else arrived. Piccolo and Raditz, followed by Tien and Chiaotzu and the protesting Yajirobe, followed after that by Future Ranch and Future Daikon, and then rounded out by the arrival of Vegeta, Future Trunks, and Bulma bringing up the rear.

Bulma tapped her chin. "So, this is the place eh?"

Baby Trunks babbled in her arms. Future Trunks seemed nervous. "M-Mother, should you hang back just in case of trouble?"

Bulma quickly waved off his concerns. "Trunks and I are fine, uh...Trunks. We're both hearty and we have Vegeta here to block us from danger! Right, Vegeta?"

Vegeta sighed. "You have too many doctorates to be this overwhelmingly stupid..."

The Prince raised his hand. "But, if you insist, I think it's time we blasted that damned door down!"

Bardock smirked and nodded. "Agreed. Gohan and Krillin have been knocking for long enough!"

Piccolo, as well, raised his hand. "Let's end this!"

But, before any of them could fire, Future Daikon jumped in the way. "HOLD ON A SECOND!"

Piccolo, Bardock, and Vegeta all looked confused. Future Ranch spoke up. "Look, I'm all for going in guns-a-blazin', but we should be a bit more careful about this..."

Future Trunks spoke up from the rear. "We don't know whether Dr. Gero has awakened 17 and 18 yet. We don't even know how they're awakened to begin with. If we aren't careful, we might end up waking them up ourselves and-"

Vegeta snapped. "Will the three of you just shut up already?!"

All three members of the Future Trio flinched. Vegeta sneered. "All the three of you have managed today is to disappoint and mislead all of us with your inaccurate warnings! So, shut your mouths and stand aside!"

Future Ranch glared at Vegeta. Future Daikon grabbed ahold of her shoulder, preventing her from losing her temper Launch-style. Future Trunks stepped up, trying to remember his mother's advice about talking to Vegeta. "L-Look...I know we haven't had the best track record today, but you need to listen! These two Androids are leagues above the level you've dealt with so far! They killed everyone in the future and brought humanity to its knees! I know you want to get this over with, but the three of you need to just stop for a minute!"

Hearing reason, Piccolo and Bardock both seemed to yield. However, Vegeta refused to lower his hand. Future Trunks looked to him pleadingly. "Please, Father..."

Vegeta didn't budge. Bulma snapped at him. "Vegeta! Our son is trying to reach out to you, quit being an ass!"

The Prince turned his glare to Bulma. "You're standing here, on the precipice of disaster, with our infant child. Shut the hell up with your unwanted parenting advice!"

As Vegeta and Bulma snarled at one another, Baby Trunks giggled and kicked in his mother's arms. Krillin groaned. "Think about the legendary arguments that child must have heard by now..."

Future Trunks sounded desperate. "Please..."

Vegeta's hand fell a bit, the Saiyans glare didn't diminish, but one could almost see empathy creeping into his eyes. He looked at his son and seemed to briefly consider listening to him, but then a pained scream rang out from behind the door.

A muffled Gero cried out. "D-Damn you!"

And then, a younger sounding voice spoke up. "C'mon, Doc...is that really all you've got?"

At the sound of the smooth, calm voice, the Future Trio all went white. Future Daikon shook his head. "No..."

Future Ranch's hands were shaking. "Damn it..."

Future Trunks swallowed a lump in his throat. "We were too late..."

Instantly, the rage and indifference filled Vegeta's eyes again and he levied his hand at the door. "Good! Then it doesn't matter what I do now!"

Vegeta charged a blast into his hand and then before anyone could stop him, and almost before Piccolo and Bardock could leap out of the way, he fired it directly at the door. The resulting explosion knocked Krillin and Chiaotzu off of their feet and a cloud of dust blew over the Z-Fighters.

Once the dust settled, the Future Trio saw that their worst fears had been realized: Androids 17 and 18 were both awake, and staring right at the Z-Fighters. Doctor Gero was knelt on the ground next to Android 17, his right arm laying on the ground in front of him after having been crudely torn off. 17 and 18 looked at one another and then back at the Z-Fighters. And, surprisingly, they both smiled.

The Future Trio were shaking, out of fear and of anger, at the sight of their hated tormentors.

Android 17 stepped forward and held out his hand. "So, these are the friends of Goku I've heard so much about..."

Suddenly, to 17's surprise, Future Ranch reached behind her back and pointed her gun directly at his chest. Future Ranch snarled. "Not another step!"

Android 18 chuckled. Android 17 cocked his head. "And... what is that supposed to do exactly? I'm an Android, sweetie. I have reinforced-"

Future Ranch barked at him. "I know what you have! But don't think this won't hurt, monster! This gun doesn't function with standard bullets, it uses my ki!"

17 could see that her hands were shaking. He smirked and reached down to the holster on his hip, producing his own weapon. "Are ya sure you wanna get into a wild west standoff with me, darlin'? I mean, you got a mighty fine piece there...but I'm willin' to bet I got more bullets than you do~"

Future Daikon looked furious. "Cut the accent and cut the crap!"

17 flinched and then turned to 18. "These guys are so on edge, huh?"

18 stared at them. "Yeah, they're all sweating bullets..."

Krillin and Chiaotzu stood back up and 18's gaze fell upon Krillin. The monk stared back at her, scared that she might attack. But then, playfully, 18 winked at him. Krillin gasped and fell back onto his butt. 18 chuckled. 17 looked unimpressed. "What the heck are you doing?"

18 sighed, standing up and stretching. "Just trying to get a feel for the kind of fight we're about to have. We might've stood a chance before you so carelessly ripped off the old man's arm. But now...I think we need back-up, 17..."

She turned, walking towards the rear of the lab. "How about we wake up our unknown friend back here?"

Dr. Gero lifted his head, snarling in 18's direction. "Don't you dare! You hear me?! Don't you even think of awakening Android 16!"

At the back of the group, Future Trunks gasped. "16...? 16?!"

Android 18 turned and glared at Gero. "And why shouldn't I, exactly?"

Dr. Gero stammered. "A-Android 16 is highly unstable! He might kill us all if you awaken him!"

17 rolled his eyes. "What a load..."

He glared across the room at 16's capsule and scanned it with his close-range sensors. 17 chuckled and shook his head. "Oh please..."

He smirked at Gero. "That is what's going to kill us?! That hunk of junk?! Are you really going to say that that guy, made of older parts and inferior tech, is able to match me in a fight?! Face it, Doc, I'm the strongest Android you've ever made!"

17 turned to 18. "Go ahead! Pop him open!"

Gero cried out, stumbling forward and falling to his knees. "No! You don't understand! I... I have modified the design of Android 16 to run more efficiently with lesser technology! He is more powerful than you could imagine! P-Please, I beg you...don't awaken him..."

Gero gripped his hand, squeezing his eyes shut. "Please, just let him rest..."

17 and 18 blew Gero off. 18 continued her stride forward. "Rest? I think he's been sleeping long enough. I've never gotten to meet this guy and, with how much you're protesting, I really want to~"

Gero snapped. Leaping from his knees, he lunged at Android 18. "I SAID STOP!"

*bang*

Gero fell to the ground in a heap, bio-fuel forming a puddle under his face. 17 stood behind him, smoke curling from the barrel of his pistol. "Keep your hands off 18, you old bastard."

The Doctor shakily pushed himself up, the eye on the 13 side of his face having been replaced with a bullet hole. Gero stuttered. "Please...leave him alone...he doesn't deserve to have to face this cruel, hateful world..."

Android 18 bent open, her finger hovering over the button. "Now, let's see who our mystery friend is~"

As 18 prepared to awaken the latest in the long line of Gero's creations, every one of the Z-Fighters present, alongside Future Ranch and Future Daikon, took a fighting stance. Everyone except for Future Trunks. The poor, tormented boy of the future stared as 18 moved to unleash yet another horror into his life.

Another horror to add onto all of the horrors that she had already inflicted onto his world.

Future Trunks was frozen in those memories, hearing the sounds of echoing explosions and hellish screams of torment. And then...the stump of what was once Future Trunks' tail twitched, hidden away inside his pants.

The boy reached forward, grabbing Bulma by the arm and pulling her out of harm's way. And then, bursting into his Super Saiyan form, he shouted at the top of his lungs in a crazed voice. "IF THEY SET THAT ANDROID FREE IT'LL BE THE END OF ALL OF US!"

Future Trunks held his hands in front, charging his Finish Breaker and screaming in fury and rage. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Their eyes widening, everyone else dove to get out of the way of the oncoming attack. As they all leapt away from the explosion, Vegeta managed to grab ahold of Bulma and Baby Trunks and fly them out of the blast radius. The result explosion was massive enough that it leveled the mountain containing Dr. Gero's lab into rubble.

The Z-Fighters and the Future Trio all hovered around the smoking ruins to the once mighty mountain. Raditz called over to Future Trunks. "Are you insane?! That could've killed most of the people standing there!"

Krillin groaned, Yajirobe hanging onto him like a scared cat. "That was close..."

Bardock shook his head. "Like father, like son..."

Vegeta took umbrage to that. "Shut your mouth! I would never do an attack so pointless as that!"

Future Trunks flinched. "P-Pointless...?"

Future Ranch frowned, staring at the slowly forming silhouettes in the smoke. "Damn..."

Future Daikon growled. "Not even a scratch..."

Once the smoke finally, fully dissipated, it was revealed that Android 17 and Android 18 stood there, completely unharmed. 18 held the #16 capsule high above her head. They both glared up at Future Trunks, annoyed. And then 17 called up to him. "Ya done?! Got that all out of your system?"

18 rolled her eyes. "Whether he's done or not, I'm not letting anything else interrupt this!"

She threw the capsule to the ground and then pressed the button. As the lid to the capsule slowly, shakily rose, Android 18 lost patience and kicked it off of the hinges. "C'mon 16! It's time to wake up!"

The lid went flying and clattered down to the rubble below, falling in front of the half-buried but still functional Dr. Gero. Gero groaned. "N-No..."

Floating above, the Future Trio stared in horror as yet another unknown entity appeared before them. A massive, muscular fellow stood from the capsule. Clad in green armor and topped with a shock of red hair shaped into a mohawk, Android 16 was awake.

Android 17 whistled. "Man... big fella, ain't he~"

17 chuckled and waved at his new friend. "Yo! How ya doin', bud? Happy to be awake?"

Android 16 did not respond. 17 was a tad taken aback, but 18 stepped in. "So, I imagine it must be nice to be out of that cramped coffin. Enjoying the fresh air?"

Still no response. 17 was getting a bit annoyed. "Hey...were you, uh, designed without a vocoder or something? Are your sound drives corrupted? Are you stuck in Japanese mode, maybe...?"

Android 18 scowled. "Hello?!"

Android 17 scowled as well. "Ōkikute kasabaru baka o itte kudasai!"

Finally, Android 16 spoke. "Son Goku."

He turned towards the Z-Fighters and they all took fighting stances. He gazed at each one, his eyes flashing as he did. And then, once he was sure that they were not the one he was programmed to target, Android 16 turned again, and flew off towards the east. Android 17's jaw dropped. "Huh..."

Android 18 turned to him. "So...do we follow him...?"

17 shrugged. "I, uh...do we have anything else better to do?"

18 took a moment to glance up at the Z-Fighters and the Future Trio, and then she shook her head. "Not really."

17 smirked. "Then, I guess we follow him~"

Future Trunks stared in disbelief as the three Androids disappeared over the horizon. As he floated there, shell-shocked, Future Ranch and Future Daikon both flew up and comforted him. Future Daikon put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Trunks..."

Future Ranch pulled him into a hug. "It's okay, Trunks. It's..."

She stopped, not sounding too sure of herself. The Future Trio all floated there, all agreeing on one thing for sure: this was bad.

But, the three of them were quickly snapped out of their funk by the sound of what had quickly become familiar ranting. On the ground below, the ruins of Dr. Gero's former lab, Vegeta was raging as loud as he could. The Prince's golden, Super Saiyan power surged as he shouted. "Damn those damned Androids! How dare they?! HOW DARE THEY?!"

The Future Trio landed, watching as Vegeta lost his temper. Future Trunks tried to reach out. "F-Father..."

But, with a surge of power hitting him head on, Trunks was forced to slide back. Vegeta snarled and gripped his fists tight. "They dare...?"

He remembered the derisive response the Android had upon looking at him. How they just ignored him. Vegeta was livid. "They dare ignore the Prince of All Saiyans?!"

Piccolo shielded his face from the dust and mumbled to himself. "Whining child..."

Future Trunks took a deep breath. And then, before anyone could stop him, he stepped forward. "Father! Listen! This is a good thing! They've left us alone! We can regroup now and try to come up with a plan! They might go after Goku and, if Goku's sick, then he won't be able to defend himself! So, we should-"

Vegeta turned and shoved Future Trunks out of the way. "To hell with Kakarot! They'll never so much as see his face! I will crush them!"

Future Trunks gasped. "Wh-What?!"

Gohan spoke up. "Vegeta! That's not a good idea..."

Tien nodded. "They outnumber you. If you rush in alone, you're the one who will be crushed."

Vegeta sneered. "Weaklings and cowards, all of you! Do not dare to assume I would perform the same way you all would! These Androids are nothing to me!"

The Prince prepared to take off. But, before he could get off the ground, a hand reached out and grabbed one of the shoulder straps to his armor. Vegeta turned, snarling, and saw that Future Trunks had dared to lay a hand on him. Vegeta snapped. "Boy...you had better remove your hand from me..."

Future Trunks shook his head. "No! Not until you listen!"

Vegeta yelled in Future Trunks' face. "Listen to what?! Are you going to tell me another half-story? Or try to frighten me with tales of subpar robots?!"

Future Trunks shook his head. "No! Listen! The Androids you fought before might have been weak, but these two are in a whole different class! You can't face them alone!"

Vegeta spat. "And who's going to stop me?!"

Future Trunks yelled back at him. "I am! I won't let this happen again!"

A vein popped out of Vegeta's head. "Let what happen again?!"

Future Trunks shouted as loud as he could. "I WON'T LET YOU DIE BECAUSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW WEAK YOU ARE!"

Bulma gasped. Everyone else's eyes widened. Future Ranch and Future Daikon froze in place. Future Trunks stared at his father as his head lowered. "Now then, could we just-"

Vegeta, in a quick and brutal display, punched Future Trunks in the mouth, and then again across the face before violently kneeing him in the gut. The boy keeled over in pain, the air knocked from his stomach and blood trickling from his busted lip. Krillin called out. "Whoa! Hey!"

Tien snapped. "Vegeta! Stop!"

Raditz and Gohan prepared to step in, but Piccolo held his arm out to stop them both. Bulma shouted. "Vegeta! What the hell is wrong with-"

Vegeta held up his hand. "Be quiet."

The Prince reached down, grabbing Future Trunks be the hair and practically spitting every word into the boy's dazed face. "You, as my offspring, should know better than anyone that I am not weak. I will show you, boy, just how wrong your pathetic premonitions of the future are when I bring back those Androids' heads..."

Vegeta tossed Future Trunks to the ground and turned away. "Now don't let me see your face again."

And then, Vegeta took off without another word, leaving everyone else standing there in silence. All except for Baby Trunks who loudly began to cry. Once Vegeta was out of sight, Future Ranch immediately sprinted over to Future Trunks. With tears of rage and sadness in her eyes, she heaved her boyfriend onto his knees and held him close.

Raditz stepped up. "Ranch...I'm so..."

Future Ranch's hands quivered as she held Trunks tight. "That guy..."

She clenched her teeth. "How do you all put up with that guy?! I... I hate him..."

Raditz looked away from his daughter, scratching the back of his head. "It's...we always try to say that there's some good in him somewhere, but-"

Future Ranch snapped. "Where?! Where is there a single drop of good in that arrogant, hateful little man?!"

She looked at everybody and no one could think of anything to say. But then, a shaky voice spoke up. "M-My Mother..."

Future Ranch looked down. "Trunks...?"

Future Trunks pushed himself up, coughing and wiping the blood from his face. "My Mother, when she told me stories about him...she always said that he was a man that valued his pride and his strength...and his value in other people's eyes..."

Finally, Future Daikon spoke up. "None of those are excuses, dude! He's your father and he just beat the shit out of you over a petty insult! He-"

Future Trunks cut his partner off. "HE DOESN'T DESERVE TO DIE OVER THAT THOUGH!"

The half-Saiyan lowered his head. "I... I don't want for him to die again..."

Bulma stared down at her teenage son, her eyes becoming misty. She held Baby Trunks close. Taking a deep shaky breath, she spoke. "He's the worst, sometimes. The worst that anybody can possibly be..."

Future Trunks looked at Bulma and Bulma looked back at him. "Please don't let Vegeta die..."

Seeing Bulma's hands tremble, tenderly embraced around her infant son, Future Ranch and Future Daikon relented. Bulma turned to Piccolo and the others, her face looking more vulnerable than Bulma had in a long time. "You'll help them, right?"

Piccolo closed his eyes and sighed. "I think-"

But then, Piccolo's ear twitched. He turned and glanced over his shoulder and saw a sight that he had almost forgotten about. A vein popped from Piccolo's head. "You!"

Attempting to lumber away, Dr. Gero turned and faced his Namekian foe. Sparks shot from the various, damaged parts of Gero's body and Piccolo, enraged to see the Doctor was still alive, levied a ki blast at him. Gero barely dodged in time, his body smashing against the ground hard. But, Gero quickly managed to push himself up and started to sprint away. Piccolo snarled. "You won't escape! Not again! I will not allow you to run off and create any more problems you old bastard!"

The Namekian took off in hot pursuit of his foe, ready to end things once and for all. Everyone else looked dumbfounded at this sudden development, but Future Trunks quickly spoke up. Shakily getting to his feet, clutching his cracked rib, Future Trunks turned to Future Daikon. "Hey...D-Daikon! Go help Piccolo!"

Future Daikon flinched. "What?!"

Future Trunks nodded. "Piccolo is right. If Gero gets away, we could have an entirely new series of problems to deal with! So please go and help make sure that that gets taken care of!"

He held out his fist. "I know you can do it, partner."

Future Daikon nodded, bumping his fist to Future Trunks'. "I'll do my best!"

And then, Future Daikon took off to chase down Piccolo and Dr. Gero. With both of them gone, Future Trunks held out his hand. "Krillin, can I please have a Senzu Bean?"

Krillin nodded. "Of course."

Future Trunks gratefully took the bean and chewed it up. After feeling his rib heal, he spoke with humility. "Now, I know I don't have the best track record at the moment, and most of you don't really know me, but-"

Tien stepped up and gripped Future Trunks' shoulder. Future Trunks turned and Tien smiled. "Let's go save that pain-in-the-ass from his own ego."

Future Trunks turned. "R-Really...?"

Bardock stepped forth with a smirk. As did Krillin and Chiaotzu. Raditz sighed and shook his head. "I guess we can't let Vegeta die..."

Finally, Future Ranch stood up. "I... I'll follow you into any fight, Trunks..."

Gohan spoke up. "I'll help too!"

Future Trunks looked down at the boy, the younger version of his late master, and he adopted a tired smile. "Actually, Gohan...would you mind staying behind and protecting my mother and my baby self? I don't want them getting hurt out here..."

Gohan turned back and gave a brief glance to Bulma. And then, he turned back to Future Trunks and confidently nodded. "Of course!"

Chiaotzu turned to Yajirobe. "Hey..."

Yajirobe shook his head. "Hell no! I'm not going! Not again!"

Chiaotzu narrowed his eyes, unimpressed. "I was going to ask you to stay here and help watch over Bulma too. Because I know you wouldn't be much help against those new Androids."

Yajirobe flinched and nervously smiled. "Oh, uh...eheheh...I was just about to suggest that..."

Chiaotzu was still quite unimpressed. "Uh-huh..."

Bardock called out. "Okay everyone, let's get moving! Vegeta's been out of sight for over three minutes now, so the world is probably doomed!"

The older Saiyan gave Future Trunks and encouraging pat on the back and then motioned for him to lead the charge. Future Trunks did so gratefully, taking off with all of his allies at his back.

Finally, with all of the others gone, Yajirobe sighed and fell onto his massive ass. "Jeez...thought I'd never get away from all that insanity..."

He turned to Gohan. "So, what do we do now?"

Gohan shrugged. "I'm kind of worried about my Dad, so I guess we could just get in Bulma's hover car and fly to my house..."

The boy turned and looked over towards his older friend. "Would that be okay, Bulma?"

What met Gohan, however, was not a look he was expecting. Bulma did summon her Capsule Car, but she had a steely look in her eyes. Placing Baby Trunks into his seat for a nap, Bulma pulled out Android 19's severed head and Doctor Gero's severed hand. Gohan was confused. "Bulma?"

Bulma shook her head. "I'm sorry Gohan. You can go if you want, but I'm not ready to leave yet. This Gero creep caused my baby so much pain in the future...I'm not leaving here until I search the ruins of this lab for every last secret he has hidden away!"

Bulma tossed Gero's hand and 19's head to the ground and then produced her laptop. She walked over to the blasted ruins of Gero's computer and kicked the broken hunk of junk out of the way. Bulma sat down and connected her laptop to the port directly underneath the computer. "Now, let's see what secrets the Red Ribbon Army is still hiding..."

Miles away, on a mountainside highway...

Android 16 flew forward, unabated. He had one goal clear in his mind. One target to terminate. One person that he had to kill with extreme prejudice. The hulking Android came to a stop in the air, looking to the road below, and then chose to land. "Calibrating sensors...loading relevant files for the task of locating Son Goku..."

Android 16 stood there, his mental faculties in flux. It had been years since he had been activated. As he stood there, his core memory trying to align itself, 16 looked around. And, as he did, his facial features softened. Stretched before him was magnificent landscape lined with various flora and fauna. The Android's jaw dropped in amazement. In addition to the programming to kill Goku...something else had awoken within 16's processors.

"Phew, man... you sure do fly fast!"

16 turned, glancing towards the two approaching him. Android 17 and Android 18 stepped forward, both with friendly smiles on their faces. Android 18 stood next to 16. "We saw you looking at the canyon from up in the air. Like what you see, big guy?"

Android 16 was silent at first, but then he nodded. "Yes. Something about these surrounding...it resonates with me."

Android 17 chuckled. "That ain't the only thing that does, huh? What were your first words again?"

Android 16 glanced down at the raven-haired boy. "Son Goku."

Android 18 sighed. "I guess Gero really did do that to every Android he made, huh?"

Android 16 looked confused. 18 pointed to her ears. "Non-stop, right? Kill Son Goku! Kill Son Goku! Kill Son Goku!"

She sighed. "It's enough to make someone go insane..."

She stared out at the natural vista. 17 stared out as well. "But...that sort of thing loops. We both lost it for a while since Gero...'employed' us. But insanity just became sanity again after a while, ya know? Like...what happens when you snap, when you've already snapped?"

16 spoke calmly. "Forgive me. I do not quite understand."

17 chuckled. "Well, ya see big guy, I have a plan. And the fact that you decided to land on this road is perfect. How about we-"

Before 17 could finish, however, a sudden force smashed into the ground behind him. The road cracked under the three Androids' feet, but none of them seemed to care. The three of them turned and faced down this new intruder onto their conversation. The dust cleared from the landing and Vegeta was standing there, his golden aura flaming around him. "Yes...I've finally caught up to you..."

Android 17 cocked his head. "And... you want what exactly?"

Vegeta chuckled, taking a fighting stance. "What else? I want to kill you three Androids! I'll tear you all into scrap metal and spare parts."

Android 16 looked utterly apathetic to Vegeta. Android 17 shrugged. "Fine. If you want an ass-kicking that badly, I guess-"

Android 18 stepped forward. "He's mine."

Android 17 scowled. "Oh, come on! Really?!"

Android 18 smirked. "You got to have Gero. I'd like to get a bit of exercise too, after being trapped in that coffin for so long..."

Android 17 rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever..."

18 stepped forward, her arms to her sides in a confident stance. Vegeta chuckled to himself and shook his head. "A shame. You just climbed out of a coffin only to go back into one..."

The blonde Android smiled a calm, confident smile. "Oh Vegeta, the only coffin in these parts is too short for me~"

Proofreading: StevenBodner