Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

By Feraligreater328

A/N: Heya! It's been a hot minute. But it's also been a hectic time. Kakarot came out, so I've been playing through that. I also have my job that I has been keeping me really busy. And I injured my right eye, so staring at a computer screen for too long is pretty painful. Not to mention, I think my editor has been busy with a few things in his life as well. So, I'm so sorry this one took a while. But I don't think the next chapter will take nearly as long. I hope you all enjoy and I look forward to posting more and more of this story!

Chapter 66: Vegeta vs Android 18

In the northern forests...

Piccolo and Future Daikon sped as quickly as they could, farther north as they chased down the fleeing Dr. Gero. The Namekian and the half-Saiyan were both prepared to end this nightmare once and for all, and that all began with the destruction of the demented doctor. Future Daikon called over. "Hey Piccolo!"

Piccolo glanced over. "What?"

Future Daikon looked at the Namekian. "What is this Android like? How does he fight? Does he have any special powers?"

Piccolo shook his head. "Not anymore. He used to have the ability to steal energy, but that new body of his doesn't seem to share that feature. Otherwise, he's got a lot of strength, but he's an utter amateur when it comes to technique."

The two of them flew forward, scanning the ground for any sight of Gero. After a few minutes passed, Piccolo's ear suddenly twitched. He scowled. "I hear people up ahead. Lots of people."

Future Daikon nodded. "Yeah. I think we're flying towards what used to be North City in my time. I've never known it as anything more than a blasted-out ruin. The Androids...this is where they killed Vegeta..."

Piccolo grunted. "Don't get mired in the past. We have to focus on what's in front of us."

Future Daikon chuckled. "T-Technically, it's the future..."

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "Just come on!"

Future Daikon nodded and the both of them sped up. Eventually, a flash of blue skin hit Piccolo's sight and he sneered. "I see him!"

On the ground below, Dr. Gero glared towards North City. Hearing Piccolo's shout, however, he turned and glared up into the air. "Damn you!"

Piccolo and Future Daikon sped to the ground below, towards the waiting Gero. It was time to finish this for good!

Back at the mountainside highway...

Vegeta arrogantly smirked at the three Androids in front of him. He pointed to the three of them. "Please tell me that one of you will give me an actual challenge! Between that purple dwarf and the rotund scumbag, I have yet to see what exactly was so dangerous about you pathetic Androids!"

The Prince chuckled. "As a matter of fact, why don't all three of you just come at me all at once?! The punk, the woman, and the pretty boy! I'll crush you all into metal filings!"

Android 17 rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "So much baseless bravado. A guy dyes his hair and he suddenly thinks he's on top of the world..."

Android 18 flipped her hair to the side. "Like I said, he's mine. I've always wanted to put a rabid dog down. So, you butt out 17. I'm sure someone will come along for you to fight eventually."

17 chuckled. "Hey, I don't plan to get involved at all! I'm saving myself for someone who doesn't look like they're about to pass out."

Android 18 stepped forward and she and Vegeta stared at one another. The staredown went on for minutes, a harsh wind blowing across the deserted highway. Android 16 stared off to the side, watching as a mother bird fed her babies. Android 17 had his hands buried in his pockets.

As the wind blew, a rock from the ledge high above was jostled loose. It feel from its perch, freefalling to the ground below. And then, the moment it hit, the fight began!

Vegeta charged forth first, shouting at the top of his lungs. Threw several heavy-handed jabs towards Android 18, but the Android deftly dodged each strike with a simple feint backwards. She adopted a small smile and then threw a punch of her own, which Vegeta easily caught. Vegeta laughed. "You'll have to do better than that, woman!"

And then, with quite a show of force, Vegeta punched Android 18 square in the face and sent her skidding back. 17's eyes widened a bit. "Whoa! Old fella has some moves! You okay, 18~?"

Android 18 was hunched over, her face shadowed. "I'll give him this, he's a lot stronger than Dr. Gero's computer told us he'd be. He might actually make me have to try..."

She lifted her head, showing a small trickle of blood raining from her nostril. "But, then again...nah, probably not."

18 shot forward, slamming her fist into Vegeta's forearm. Before Vegeta could respond, 18 grabbed his other hand and yanked him forward, maneuvering behind him and forcing the Prince to the ground. 18 wrenched his arm back, pulling Vegeta into a harsh armbar, before slamming the bottom of her boot onto the back of his head. "Don't you know better than to hit a lady's face?!"

She stomped down on Vegeta's head, smashing his nose into the pavement and giving him a bloody nose as well. "Especially a lady that hits harder than you do!"

Vegeta snarled, charging and firing a blast which 18 quickly dodged away from. The Prince got up and threw three blasts of the same nature at the ground, making the road explode and kicking up dust. 18 stared into the dust cloud and, as she had expected, Vegeta rocketed right towards her. She caught the punch that he was going for and responded with a harsh punch to the gut. Vegeta coughed in pain from the blow, but quickly regained himself. "You certainly do hit harder than the other metal trash I've fought today. But this won't be enough to win!"

And then, moving quickly, Vegeta fell to the ground below and swept 18's legs before sending her crashing back with a kick to the chest. Vegeta stood with a wicked smirked, wiping the blood from beneath his nostrils. "So, you broke my nose. So what?! I've had worse done to me..."

18 stood, using her finger to press one nostril shut and blowing blood out of the other one. "You're right. I guess I'll just have to break something more important to get my point across."

And then, 18 shot towards Vegeta. She and the Prince met and began to trade blows back and forth. The sheer force of their blows sent shockwaves across the highway that kicked up clouds of dust. With a harsh elbow, Vegeta sent 18 flying backwards, but the feminine Android quickly recovered and delivered a kick that sent Vegeta skidding to his knees. She went for a second strike, but Vegeta met her with an energy wave to the face. The Prince smirked, only for 18 to emerge from the blast and stomped her foot down on the side of the Prince's face, driving his head into the ground. The battle moves from place-to-place across the entire area, leaving all manner of crater and scorch mark to dot the map.

With a blast from Vegeta, the remaining tatters of Android 18's denim jacket fluttered through the air, right past Android 17. 17 whistled. "Man, 16, how did Vegeta get so strong?"

16 responded bluntly. "Unknown."

17 turned to him. "Well, how do you think he got so strong?"

No response. 17 cocked his head. He followed 16's distracted gaze across the ravine next to the highway and towards the birds in the distance. "Oh, come on man...are you really saying that dull, stupid nature is more interesting than talking to me...?"

Meanwhile, Vegeta laid trembling on the ground. 18 walked up, looking annoyed. "Come on, is that really it? After all that bravado, you-"

Suddenly, to 18's shock, the brown belt around Vegeta's waist unfurled and wrapped around 18's ankle. The Prince stood and whipped around, throwing Android 18 into the nearby guard rail. The Prince held out both of his hands and charged a pink energy ball. "Galick Blazer!"

18 rolled her eyes and smoothly dodged out of the way, skidding around in the confusion and smashing her knee into Vegeta's side with an audible crack. "How about now?! Get the point now?!"

Vegeta smirked and slapped 18 across the face. "A broken rib?! Please..."

That slap sent 18 from cold indifference to seething rage. She hammered her fist across Vegeta's face hard enough to make Vegeta spin, and then reached out and grabbed the Saiyan by his tail. "You think I'll just let you get away with slapping me?!"

With all of her strength, 18 heaved Vegeta off of the ground by his tail and charged towards the rocky wall next to the highway. She smashed the Prince as hard as she could before ripping him out of the stone and slamming him into it again. Vegeta grunted in pain, but powered through his agony and reached out for a counter of his own. As 18 drew him out to slam him again, Vegeta reached out and grabbed a massive, fistful of 18's hair. 18 cringed and let go of the tail to reached up and remove Vegeta's hand, which gave the Prince the opening he needed.

With two sharp motions, Vegeta kneed 18 in the center of her back, and then whipped her into the air. Android 18 shrieked in pain and Vegeta followed through, using all of his strength to slam 18, by her hair, into the unforgiving hardness of the ground. 18 bounced high into the air and then landed a second time before falling still.

It took a moment, but 18 eventually stood back up and felt the spot on the upper side of her head where Vegeta had grabbed her. Vegeta chuckled. "Missing something?"

The Prince held out his hand, revealing a giant handful of 18's hair, before dropping it to the ground. And then, Vegeta held out both hands and fired off a massive storm of ki blasts. The explosions erupting across the highway in a showing of Vegeta's strength. The Prince smirked, thinking his job was finished, and then turned to 17 and 16. "See?! This is why you fools do not ever underestimate a Saiyan! Not only can our noble race take a beating, but any beating we do take only serves to make us stronger!"

The Prince struck a fighting stance. "So, which of you is next?!"

17 chuckled and shook his head. "You seem a bit confused, dude."

Vegeta sneered. "What?!"

17 pointed behind the Prince. "You haven't beaten her. Honestly, I think you've just royally pissed her off."

Suddenly, to Vegeta's shock, a fist drove itself through the armor on his back and directly into the base of his spine. Numbing jolts rode their way up and down all of Vegeta's limbs and he briefly stumbled forward before regaining his composure. "Wh-What?!"

Behind him, Android 18 stood mostly unscathed. She ran her hand over the ruined, right side of her hair and her nose wrinkled. Vegeta was haughty. "Aw! Are we upset that our ratty hair was ripped out?!"

18 gripped her fist. "You know...I was thinking I'd break your jaw...but I want to hear exactly what you scream as I hurt you..."

Vegeta snarled. "Oh real-"

Before he could even finish, Android 18 moved at lighting speed and palm thrusted Vegeta in the side of the head, smashing him into the rocky wall hard enough to create a small cave for him to get stuck in. Supremely pissed off, Android 18 charged a Power Blitz and prepared to fire it into the hole, only to be interrupted by a new voice calling out. "Father!"

18 looked to the sky, as did 17 and 16, and they saw the rest of the Z-Fighters arriving onto the scene. Future Trunks was in front, following behind by Future Ranch, and with Raditz, Bardock, Tien, and Chiaotzu bringing up the rear. Future Trunks landed on the highway, across from Android 17, and called out. "Father! Are you okay?! We're here to help!"

Android 18 was taken aback by this. She turned to Future Trunks and the others with a scowl on her face. "Oh! Are you now?!"

Future Trunks reached for his sword. "We are! You Androids have already taken enough in my timeline, we won't allow you to-"

A sudden, angry shout from the hole on the wall. "MIND YOUR OWN DAMNED BUSINESS, BOY!"

Future Trunks flinched. "Wha-"

Vegeta stepped out from the hole, looking rather worse for wear. "Did I ask you to interfere in my business? Well?! How dare you presume you may just interfere in wherever it is you please! This is my fight and you will maintain your distance!"

18 scowled, glaring at Vegeta. "You might wanna listen to your Dad, junior. No one wants to be in my range right now."

Future Trunks ignored 18, instead stepping forward and trying to reason with Vegeta. "But, Father!"

Vegeta sneered, glaring at his son from the future, and fired a ki wave at the boy's feet. "I've already had to discipline you for your pathetic attitude once today! Don't make me have to do it again!"

Suddenly, to everyone's shock, Android 17 stepped in. The young man got between Vegeta and Future Trunks and chuckled. "Okay...everybody calm down. No reason to have a proper domestic here. Let me just make things simple for everyone here..."

17 stared right at Future Trunks. "Vegeta and 18 started this fight before you go here. That means that this fight is none of your business, my man. If you want to step in, that's fine. You just wait until things are finished between those two."

All of the other Z-Fighters sneered at 17's attitude. 17 smirked. "It's only fair, after all. You don't let people join a game mid-match. So, if you try, I'm afraid you'll have to answer to me..."

At Gero's ruined lab...

With Gohan and Yajirobe meandering about in the background, Bulma was hard at work on her travel laptop trying to comb through Dr. Gero's older files for information. After sorting through and deleting all of the useless files and junk, Bulma came upon what she was looking for: an encrypted file entitled "The Android Project".

Being the technical whizz and super genius that she was, it didn't take Bulma any time to break through the meager encryption that Gero had placed on the files and start to snoop into the history of this entire, sordid affair.

First, Bulma came upon the files relating to Android designations 1 through 6. She tapped her chin as she read, sighing in frustration. "Useless...nothing but notes about individual failures."

She scoffed and saved a back-up of the files to her system. "They might have just been mindless, attack drones...but that knowledge could be useless later..."

Bulma continued to dig and soon came upon the notes for Android 7. "Oh, I see...the first sentient creation. He was fully conscious and capable of complex, emotive thought..."

The scientist bit her lower lip as she read. "He named himself...Major Metallitron..."

She shook her head. "How lame."

Next, Bulma came upon the files for Android 8. She recalled from her conversations with Goku in the past that he had mentioned meeting a peaceful robot by the name of Android 8 while on the hunt for the Dragon Balls. She nodded. "Okay. So that explains that...Android 8, er, Eighter and all of the others before him were joint projects directly funded by the Red Ribbon Army..."

Bulma saved the information about Major Metallitron and Eighter to her computer. Then, as she went digging, she noticed something odd. "This is..."

She double-checked to make sure. "Why is there so much time between these two Androids?"

Looking at the files relating to Android 9, Bulma noticed that all files relating to Android 9 were produced in Age 753, three years after Goku had defeated the Red Ribbon Army. "What the heck is going here? I guess...this is when Gero started working specifically to make Androids that would kill Goku..."

Pulling up the files on the next four Androids, Bulma was surprised to see so many familiar faces amongst the group. According to the notes she was reading, Android 9 was a failed model built off of Commander Red's corpse, the first attempt by Dr. Gero to build Android's not purely from mechanical parts, but with the assistance of human flesh itself.

The next two models, she didn't recognize the faces attached. But, apparently, Android 10 and Android 11 were both based off of Red Ribbon officers: a Colonel Silver and a General White. Upon reviewing Android 12, Bulma cringed at a familiar face. "That's that General Blue guy..."

Bulma read a bit more on his profile, about how Gero had tried to reactivate Blue's psychic powers by implanting diodes into his brain...only for it to blow up in his face. Furthermore, Bulma read a note that had also come up in the previous three files. She read it out loud to herself. "Specimen did not take to the Infinite Energy Motor. How did Gean get this to function correctly...?"

Bulma cocked her head. "Who the hell is Gean...?"

She shook her head and continued to work. The next three entries were entirely too morbid for Bulma to stomach. Android 13, Android 14, and Android 15 were all once human. They were random people that Dr. Gero had kidnapped from the wilderness surrounding his laboratory: a trucker whose rig had broken down on the highway, a native out on the hunt to feed his family, and a pimp from North City. The notes went into sickening detail as to how Gero painstakingly replaced each organic part of the three with machinery, eventually removing and replacing their brains and leaving nothing behind but three robots wearing reinforced human skin.

Bulma saved all of the new information onto her computer and then moved on to the next document, only to be surprised once again by what she observed. Instead of the notes going to the next logical designation, 16, they skipped straight to Android 19. Bulma glared. "What is that old geezer playing at?!"

She quickly read through the file on Android 19, the severed head that she had sitting next to her. He was a purely mechanical model, a lab assistant robot that was upgraded to combatant-level when 17 and 18 proved to be too uncontrollable to rely on. And...that was it. Nothing else in the files. Nothing on 17, or 18, or 16, or 20. Bulma snarled through clenched teeth. "Dammit! I know you're hiding something Gero! What are you-"

And then, Bulma's gaze fell on something in 19's files that put a smile on her face, under the heading of "Security Clearances". Bulma chuckled. "Oh, I see...Site Alpha and Site Beta, eh?"

Bulma's gaze darted around the blasted ruins of the former lab. "Hmm...if I were Gero...where would I hide a Site Beta...?"

Nearer to North City...

Dr. Gero snarled as he faced down the two warriors directly in front of him. To the left was Piccolo, and to the right was Future Daikon. The two of them scowled at the demented doctor and silently took fighting stances. Dr. Gero glared down at the sparking stump of his missing arm and at the various gashes and breaches across his massive frame. He was in no state to face down both of these interlopers at the same time. Piccolo's energy was almost too much for Gero's sensors to bear. And this other mysterious brat unnerved Gero in a familiar way he could not quite put his finger on.

So, with his back against the wall, Gero took his only option. He charged several ki spheres into his hand and tossed them towards a nearby highway leading into North City. Piccolo snarled and charged off towards the highway. "You bastard!"

The Namekian was much faster than the blasts, he managed to reach them and catch them. Piccolo easily dispelled the blasts with a scowl. "That son of a bitch..."

In that instance, Gero took his advantage. He zipped behind Piccolo and reared back his fist, charging an attack to slam right into Piccolo's unprotected back. Piccolo was barely able to turn in time to notice Gero. He had no way to defend. Gero laughed out loud. "Burn in Hell, Demon King!"

But then, with a sharp whistling noise that pierced the air, something shot past Piccolo and into Gero's stomach. The force of whatever had stricken Gero was enough to double him over and smash him into the ground. The blast in Gero's hand dissipated and, just as quickly as it had struck him, the object zipped backwards. Piccolo quickly regrouped and hovered over the downed Gero. The Namekian smirked. "So, should I still prepare to burn?"

Gero was foaming at the mouth with rage. His remaining, bloodshot eye went from Piccolo and towards the one that had ruined his sneak attack. Future Daikon was floating there, a steely look in his eye. He re-tied his mysterious weapon onto his back and scowled at Gero. The doctor glared down towards his stomach and saw a perfectly round hole going straight through to the other side. "Damn you, boy! What sort of weapon did you just use?!"

Future Daikon quickly descended to the ground and shook his head. "It doesn't matter..."

He glanced up at Piccolo. "Hey, Piccolo, you mind if I take over for a bit? I didn't think I would be so angry...but this is the bastard that ruined my timeline. I think I need to work out some stress..."

Piccolo was intrigued. He stared down at Future Daikon, getting a feel of the power boiling beneath the boy's skin, and he smirked. "Fine. Go ahead. Just don't get distracted and lose focus. We need to finish this bastard here."

Gero shakily stood, his robotic form looking ragged. "You little brat. Do you seriously think that I, the great Dr. Gero, would lose to a teenager?! My drones have never given me information on you! You are nothing! Beneath my notice! You are nothing!"

Future Daikon closed his eyes. "Your drones didn't notice me? Tell me...have they noticed anything that you should have been privy to?"

Gero flinched at the sudden calm in the boy's voice. Future Daikon sighed. "Oh well...I suppose it doesn't matter in the least..."

And then, with a shout, Daikon brought Gero yet another unwelcome surprise. His yell was primal and furious, and a dust tornado built around him. And when that dust tornado settled, yet another mane of flaming, golden hair blinded Gero's vision. The doctor squinted his eyes and snarled. "Damn it! Damn that golden form! How dare you have that golden form as well?!"

Future Daikon sneered. "Why do I have this form? Well...it's certainly not to beat you..."

Gero flinched back. Future Daikon's eyes opened and he glared at Gero. "No... this form is meant to kill monsters like you!"

And then, with no hesitation, Future Daikon charged at Dr. Gero. He held his hands out wide and summoned two Destructo-Discs, tossing them both at Gero. Gero managed to leap out of the way of both attacks, but Future Daikon was already above him. The boy spun like a top in the air, building momentum before slamming his foot into Gero's neck and smashing him into the ground like a lead weight. Gero pulled himself from the ground, his body sparking. "You damned brat! How dare-"

Future Daikon landed in front of Gero and splayed his hands in front of his face. "Shield your eyes, Piccolo! SOLAR FLARE!"

Piccolo did, indeed, shield his eyes. Gero, however, was not quick enough to block his eyes and was blinded as a result. Gero growled in pain and Future Daikon landed eight consecutive thrusts, followed by sixteen consecutive kicks, followed by thirty-two blasts to the stomach, before landing another sixty-four mighty thrusts to the armored chest of the hulking Android, shattering what was left of the crusted armor and sending Gero flying back. Gero's vision returned and he snarled. "You little-"

Future Daikon didn't allow Gero to even finish a thought. He charged forward and hooked his fingers, smashing the Android in the jaw and sending shudders through his entire body. Gero grunted, glaring towards Future Daikon and immediately getting booted to the face and planted hard into the ground. Future Daikon back-flipped back, skidding across the ground and motioning to the Doctor. "Get up, you bastard! I know you aren't finished yet! Even you aren't that pathetic!"

Gero leapt up from the ground and lunged towards Future Daikon, blinded with rage. But, Future Daikon was ready. He feinted back, dodging Gero's punch, and slammed his fist into the flesh-toned side of the bastard's face. Gero went flying back, but Future Daikon caught up. He delivered several knife-hand chops to the Android's body, smashing him hard across the face and neck. Before speeding up and burying his knee into the Doctor's chin. Future Daikon rose into the air and charged a large balloon of energy into his hands. On the ground, Gero did the same and the two of them fired several batteries of ki bolts at one another. Eventually, the attacks stopped and Gero started to try and stand...but Future Daikon appeared from the smoke and slammed a brutal kick into Gero's head.

Up in the air, Piccolo watched on as the fight raged. The Namekian smiled with pride as he watched brutal strike after brutal strike be levied against the despicable Dr. Gero. "He's using Demon-Style Martial Arts...my martial arts..."

Piccolo closed his eyes and pictured a person in his mind: his idea of what Gohan might look like, all grown up. "It's nice to see you didn't forget your lessons in the future, kid..."

The Namekian glanced down at Future Daikon again. "Your students...all three of them... are fine young warriors..."

On the ground, the dust settled and Gero laid beaten on the ground. Future Daikon stood triumphant over him. "Are you done? Was that really it, Gero?!"

Gero sneered. "You...little...snot-nosed..."

The doctor sat up and opened his eye wide, firing a beam. "BRAT!"

Future Daikon dodged out of the way, sprinting forward at high speed and grabbing a handful of Android 13's orange hair, heaving Gero forward and smashing him through a small forest's worth of trees. Rested on the ground, Gero growled in frustration. "Damn! Damn damn damn! Damn this damned Super Saiyan foolishness! Damn it all!"

Future Daikon spat. "Pitiful geezer. You create an army of death machines to terrorize the innocent. And yet, even with such an advanced body you can't manage a decent fight. Nothing more than and arrogant, hateful fool in a shiny suit..."

Gero glared up at Future Daikon. "You bare to look down upon me as if I were some kind of worm."

Gero pushed himself up, lurching forward, only to fall flat on his stomach in the dirt. Future Daikon held out his hand, aiming it at the doctor. "My Mom always used to say...if it drags its belly like a worm, then it's probably a worm..."

This infuriated Gero. "You..."

Power erupted from his mechanical frame and all of his injuries began to spark with electricity. Future Daikon charged a massive blast in his hand. "Ya know, 'you' ain't that great of a last word. But, what else can I expect from a guy like you?"

Gero rose up, a massive blast charged in his hand. He levied it towards Future Daikon and fired. But, Future Daikon simply surged his power and dispelled the attack. And then, as Gero stared in horror, Future Daikon slammed his own attack right into the bastard's face. Gero crumpled back, clutching his hand over the human half of his face. Future Daikon's nose wrinkled. "What's that awful smell?!"

Gero stood back off, the skin seared from his face. All that was left was a human-esque eye and a metallic skeletal structure underneath. Future Daikon snorted. "Man, you're just as ugly inside as you are outside. Is there any part of you that doesn't give off the feel of pure evil?"

The Doctor clenched his fist. "You cocky little-"

But then, Future Daikon took a deep breath and fired a massive beam of energy from his mouth. The attack his Gero dead center and smashed him into a nearby rock formation. Once the beam was done, Future Daikon wiped his mouth. "Hey Piccolo! I think I've vented enough. Let's end this guy and then go and help the others."

From the rubble, Gero tried to crawl away. His frame was so damaged that another good attack might just put him down for good. As he tried to slink away, a familiar orange-brown shoe stepped into his view. The doctor looked up to see Piccolo looming over him. Future Daikon walked up behind him. They both pointed their hands at Gero and prepared to attack. Gero snarled. "N-No... this cannot be how it ends..."

Gero glared at Piccolo and then fired a beam from his remaining eye, shouting at the top of his lungs. "GEBO!"

Piccolo sneered. "What kind of name for an attack is Geb-"

Future Daikon's eyes widened and he cried out, taking off at top speed. "OH SHIT!"

Piccolo turned and stared in disbelief. Future Daikon was flying towards North City, where two skyscrapers had had their tops sliced off by Gero's desperate attack. Gero laughed at Piccolo stood there. "Go ahead, Piccolo. Take the time and the effort to kill me. That boy is strong, but he can't stop both of those inhabited skyscrapers from crashing down at once..."

Piccolo snarled at Gero. The doctor smirked at him. "Go ahead. Let them die~"

The Namekian roared in frustration. "GODDAMMIT!"

And then, the moment Piccolo had taken off, Gero burrowed into the ground once more and disappeared.

After a few minutes, Piccolo and Future Daikon had managed to save and successfully set down the skyscrapers full of terrified people. Future Daikon growled in frustration, stomping his foot. "Damn it! If only I had killed him quicker! Trunks is stronger than me, he would have-"

Piccolo placed a hand on Future Daikon's shoulder. "Don't kick yourself. That one's on me. I should have realized what he was doing when he shot those beams."

Future Daikon looked pitifully up at Piccolo. Piccolo sighed. "Don't sweat it, kid. We should just cut our losses and go try and get rid of 17 and 18 for now."

Future Daikon nodded in agreement. "R-Right..."

And then, the two of them took off in the direction of Vegeta's power level.

Back at the mountainside highway...

Vegeta charged at Android 18 in a blistering fury. He took a jab at her with his right fist and tried for a scooping kick with his left, but she managed to dodge both. Since losing so much of her hair to the Prince, 18's jovial attitude had been replaced with laser-focused precision. After yet another kick from Vegeta missed, 18 pulled her fist back and landed a sharp punch into the Saiyan's gut.

Vegeta gagged, but he didn't miss a beat. He raised his fist high into the air and rained down a mighty hammer strike as hard as he could. He clubbed 18 over the back of the head. But, completely unfazed, 18 simply yanked her fist from Vegeta's gut and then sank it in again even harder. This time, instead of gagging, Vegeta vomited up a clot of blood that splattered against the pure white cloth of 18's shirt. Vegeta shuddered in pain and 18 glared at him. "I don't think I broke anything there, but I know I ruptured something."

The Prince sneered. Android 18 scowled and used her free hand to strike Vegeta across the jaw before using her other hand to palm thrust him in the temple. Vegeta stumbled back, but didn't lose his footing. Instead, he regained his balance and then charged low at 18. He took out her legs, but 18 was expecting such and did a handspring off of Vegeta's back. They both landed on either side, facing away from one another. But, as quick as a flash, they both turned and began to throw punches once more.

On the sidelines...

Everyone was shocked to see that Vegeta was still holding his own. Tien spoke with just a hint of respect in his voice. "Damn. Vegeta is a tank. It's like he doesn't feel pain."

Bardock stood next to the three-eyed warrior, his arms crossed. "He's a Saiyan. We do feel pain, we're just wired to be able to handle a lot more of it."

Chiaotzu sounded amazed. "He's still matching the Android blow-for-blow too! He might be a scumbag, but he's still a really great fighter!"

Krillin, meanwhile, stayed silent. He gripped the bag of Senzu Beans with a concerned look on his face. Joining him in his consternation were Raditz, Future Trunks, and Future Ranch. Raditz hissed under his breath, cringing at the sight of the Saiyan Prince taking another punishing blow to the head. "Vegeta..."

Future Ranch maintained a stoic, if a tad dour, expression. She was concerned as well. But, not with Vegeta. She tightly gripped Future Trunks' shaking hand, stroking her thumb across his in an attempt to calm him. Future Trunks, meanwhile, watched on intently.

Back with the fight...

Up in the air, Vegeta maintained his fury as he fought with 18. However, within, the Prince was singing a much different tune. Within, Vegeta admitted things to himself that he would never speak aloud. Things that prayed on his insecurities and exacerbated his doubts. And right now, Vegeta was wrestling with a thought that he was desperately trying to ignore: he couldn't win this.

He didn't even have a chance.

His time in space, with Bardock and Kakarot and Raditz, had made Vegeta look at himself in ways he had never before. He had come to the realization that he was less a Prince among commoners and more an elite-born warrior among those who had risen to that rank. And, while he refused to ever concede to being second-best compared to them, they had taught him to be more aware of his limits and his weaknesses.

And now, Vegeta was taking stock in his head of his situation. His victories over Android 15 and Android 19, those weakling cretins, had made him greedy. The revelations involving his son from the Future and the inaccuracies of the warnings had made him angry. And having the loss of his life in an inaccurate future thrown in his face made him furious. And, in his greed and anger and fury, Vegeta had swam out from controlled waters and into a storm.

The Prince's battle acumen allowed him to read a situation. And, although he didn't know why this was happening, he could point out the problem from a mile away. He was tired and growing wearier by the second...and the Android wasn't.

Vegeta threw a punch, but it was easily slapped aside and he was punished with a heavy shot to his cheek. Hearing a crunch, Vegeta leapt back. Android 18 chuckled. "Now that was a break. Was that your cheek, or..."

Vegeta's vision in his left eye went blurry. He snarled at the Android. "My cheek?! Are you sure you didn't just break a nail, woman?!"

18 calmly walked forward, checking her nails. "I don't think so. But...let's check~"

And then 18 pulled her hand back and, with a sweeping motion, dragged her fingernails across Vegeta face. Vegeta roared in pain and stumbled back, and then Android 18 booted him in the crotch and followed that up with a punch to the throat. Vegeta fell to the ground like a ragdoll, coughing and sputtering, and Android 18 stood over him triumphant.

Back on the sidelines...

The peanut galleries mood quickly changed from mixed to one that matched Future Trunks and Future Ranch, grave and stricken with horror. The all quickly realized that this situation Vegeta had flown into was much worse than any of them could have imagined. As they watched, they all came to the same conclusion that Vegeta mentally had.

Chiaotzu spoke up. "He's exhausted. And she's just...not. What the heck is going on...?"

Krillin snarled. "Damn him. I told him he needed a Senzu Bean..."

Bardock gripped his fist. "These Androids are nuts. They must have some sort of machine inside them that allows them to have...n-no, that would be crazy..."

"It's called the Infinite Energy Motor."

The Z-Fighters all looked over at Android 17. 17 had a smarmy smirk on his face. "It's a little device that Dr. Gero installed in our chests. I think it's attached to our hearts or something..."

Raditz's pupils shrank. "An Infinite Energy Motor...?"

17 nodded. "Yep. When I was fooling around with Little Miss Assault-Rifle there, I mentioned that I would never run out of bullets for my pistol. Well...I wasn't lying~"

Tien shuddered. "Vegeta's fighting someone who can't tire out...while he's exhausted..."

As everyone else discussed the tragedy playing out in front of them, Future Ranch's attention was entirely elsewhere. Breaking her silence, she turned to Future Trunks and whispered. "Come on Trunks. Keep calm. We need to keep calm here so we can be ready to help..."

But Future Trunks didn't hear her. All he could hear at the moment was the sound a desperate weeping deep in the back of his mind.

Back with the fight...

Vegeta was pouring with sweat as he pushed himself up. "Damn it..."

He glared up at 18 and gritted his teeth as the Android stood there, smirking and trying to fix her hair. "So... you've ruined this look. It's going to take forever to grow out because of the mods Gero did on me. So...I'm thinking...side-hawk. A side-hawk with really long hair on one side. That's probably my only option right now, after what you've done. Unless you have another suggestion...?"

Vegeta roared at the top of his lungs. "DIE!"

He fired a blast. But, with a wave of her hand, Android 18 summoned an energy barrier to block it. She shook her head. "First, that's not a hairstyle. Second, has anyone ever told you how unpleasant you are as a person? I mean...how do you even have a kid?"

Vegeta sneered and charged at 18, but she simply kicked him to repel him back. And then, she walked forward and continued to lay a righteous beating into the Prince.

On the sidelines...

Everything was muffled around Future Trunks. Everything from his allies discussing a plan to his girlfriend trying to talk to him. In his mind, Future Trunks only heard one voice.

Future Bulma sounded confident as she spoke. "He was always such a great warrior..."

She sounded nostalgic as she spoke. "He had his moments, but he was a noble man..."

Her voice was warm as she spoke. "He didn't show it very well. But he did love me. And, between us, he was very happy the day you were born..."

And then, Future Trunks remembered that desperate sobbing again. In her private moments, away from life and people and news of the Androids, Future Bulma laid alone in her bed and sobbed. She sobbed one, single word that made Future Trunks' heart ache whenever he heard it. "Vegeta..."

And now Future Trunks stood above it all watching this again, watching that name that his mother so desperately called for being beaten by one of the same monsters that had taken him. While Future Ranch held onto one of his hands, Future Trunks' free hand was gripped so tight his knuckles were whiter than Vegeta's gloves.

Back with the fight...

Vegeta landed hard against a massive rock sitting in a shallow pond. He sat there, his back lounged against it, and briefly fell still. 18 cocked her head. "Are we all tuckered out already? Really?"

But then. to her surprise, Vegeta got back up again. He was doubled over in pain, but he stood. 18 smirked. "So, you still won't give up yet? What do I have to break for you to stop with this pointless fight?"

Vegeta gasped. "N-Nothing..."

18 looked down on him. "Huh?"

Vegeta sneered. "No matter what you break...I am a warrior...and a Prince! I won't stop standing...I won't stop fighting...my bloodline would never forgive me if I did...my woman would never forgive me if I did...my rivals and fellow warriors would never forgive me if I did...I would never forgive me if I did..."

The Prince wobbled as he marched forward, ready to keep going at it. 18 chuckled. "Very noble. A nice speech. But I think you need to stop. You look like you're struggling to support the weight of all that stupid hair on your head..."

Vegeta spat at 18. "At least I still have all of my hair..."

18's smiled faded. She glared at Vegeta. "You know...I thought one more thing that might work..."

Vegeta sneered. "Wha-"

And then, at top speed, Android 18 shot forward and slammed her head into Vegeta's. Vegeta stumbled back and blood poured from his forehead. "What did you think-"

He paused at the sight of 18's leg whipping towards him. Vegeta had no time to respond, being forced to watch and endure as 18's leg slammed into his left arm, forcing his entire body to crumple inward. But, worst off, Vegeta heard a very clear snap immediately upon impact.

Vegeta gasped, stumbling forward as he did. His arm hung limp from his side like a piece of meat hanging from a hook. Vegeta took a few steps forward, kneeling at the nearby pond and staring at his reflection in the water. And then, he could no longer hold it in.

Vegeta raised his head to the sky and cried out in pain and agony for all to hear.

On the sidelines...

Everyone flinched upon hearing a sound that none of them had ever heard before. This was not like the yelps that Bardock and Raditz had heard from Vegeta on Namek. This was worse, this was real pain. And from a Super Saiyan no less.

Future Trunks trembled in place, Future Ranch still trying to keep him calm. And then, he remembered Bulma's voice one more time. This time, it was the Present Bulma. "Please don't let Vegeta die..."

And then, Future Trunks lost all sense of reason. Pulling away from Future Ranch, he shouted with fear and panic in his voice. "FATHER! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Future Trunks went Super Saiyan and charged into the fray, much to the annoyance of the onlooking Android 17. Future Trunks drew his sword and prepared to attack. "FATHER!"

Future Ranch called after him. "Dammit Trunks!"

She pulled her rifle into her hands and leapt down after him. Raditz growled and activated his Kaioken. "Dammit Vegeta!"

Bardock shouted after all three of them. "All of you stop! You're rushing in without any strategy!"

Android 17 spoke up. "I'll agree there. They certainly didn't think this one through..."

Bardock turned to 17. 17 frowned at him and then turned to 16. "Hey, big guy, you want a piece of what's going on down there?"

16 didn't answer, instead staring at the birds off in the distance. 17 sighed. "You just enjoy your birds, buddy. I've got this."

17 took a leap off of the ledge and descended after the errant rulebreakers. Bardock sneered and leapt in after him. "Goddammit!"

Tien motioned. "Krillin! Chiaotzu! Come on!"

Chiaotzu followed without hesitation. Krillin called after him. "Everyone wait a minute! Stop!"

Back with the fight...

Android 18 saw the flash of metal out of the corner of her eye and turned to see that Future Trunks, freshly Super Saiyan, was right above her with his sword raised. He swung the blade down, but 18 raised her bare arm into the air and blocked the blade. It shattered on impact, leaving Future Trunks stunned. Moving quickly, Android 18 reached down and seized Vegeta by his broken arm. She swung the Prince like a club and smashed Future Trunks out of the air.

Future Trunks landed on the ground hard and 18 stomped her foot down on his stomach. "Why don't you mind your own business?!"

She lifted her foot to stomp again, but a sudden hail of ki bullets forced Android 18 to retreat. The Android turned and saw that Future Ranch was standing across from her, her rifle at the ready. And she looked pissed.

18 glanced from Future Trunks to Future Ranch and then smiled. "Oh! Am I attacking someone special? Are you his girlfriend or something?"

Future Ranch snarled. "DAMN RIGHT, I AM!"

The female Saiyan dropped her rifle to her side and then charged two ki blasts in her hands. "DOUBLE SUNDAY!"

The two blasts shot towards 18 and she summoned and energy barrier to block them. They exploded and 18 laughed. "What do you think-"

Suddenly, 18 heard something sliding beneath her. She looked down to see Future Ranch, red hair ribbon wrapped around her forehead and bluish-black hair now glowing golden. Future Ranch aimed her rifle up at the Android and started to fire, forcing 18 to retreat into the air. 18 charged a blast and fired it down, blasting the rifle out of Future Ranch's hands. "What are you gonna do now?!"

Future Ranch responded by reach down and ripping off her cargo pants, throwing them up and into 18's face. 18 quickly burnt the pants away. "What the hell?"

The Android flinched. Future Ranch was in a crouching position and bearing herself for everyone to see. Both of the girls' thighs had 3 Ruger SR9C pistols each strapped to them. And each shin had five ammo clips and a case of Capsules each. Future Ranch ripped two of the pistols out of their holsters, not bothering to load them, and firing them at the airborne Android.

The ki bullets ricocheted off of 18's skin, leaving scuff marks and scratches as they did. 18 sneered. "Stop that!"

She slammed down onto the ground and Future Ranch just barely managed to roll out of the way. She quickly loaded a clip into each gun and then started to fire from only her left pistol. The bullets collided with 18's skin and she chuckled. "You think normal bullets can hurt me?"

Future Ranch looked grim. "Not even a little. But these aren't normal bullets!"

She raised her right gun and unloaded nine rounds into 18's chest and a tenth into her head. And that is when 18 noticed what was going on...the bullets weren't ricocheting off of her, they were sticking. Future Ranch smirked and dropped both empty clips, before aiming one of her pistols at the bullet in the center of 18's forehead and firing a ki bullet. As soon as the ki bullet hit that sticky bullet, the effect was activated. A supremely powerful surge of electricity surged through 18's body and left the female Android shrieking in pain.

And then, Future Ranch charged in. She reached down to the Capsule holster on her ankle and pulled out a dark gray Capsule. She clicked it and it poofed into a specialized Benelli M4 12-gauge shotgun. Future Ranch slammed her foot into 18's chest and then pointed the barrel directly into the Android's face. "Eat this! SHOTGUN SATURDAY NIGHT!"

The bursts of ki came hot and fast as Future Ranch pulled the trigger eight times in Android 18's face. Future Ranch smiled. Android 18 was on the ground, vulnerable. She called out behind her. "She's down, guys! Come on! Let's get her!"

No response. Future Ranch turned. "Guys?"

The sight that met Future Ranch stunned her silent. Tien and Chiaotzu were both beaten and on the ground. Bardock was also lying on the ground, blood pooling under his head. And, up in the air, Android 17 had Raditz locked into a brutal chokehold. Future Ranch gasped and stumbled back. "N-No..."

She was then tapped on the shoulder. Future Ranch turned just in time to eat a sucker punch from Android 18. 18 then reached out and wrapped her hand around Future Ranch's throat. Over on the ground, Future Trunks shakily pushed himself up. "N-No..."

He lunged, his Super Saiyan power flaring. "Get your hands off of her!"

Android 18 didn't look at him, reaching out and grabbing Future Trunks by his throat as well. She held the two Super Saiyans aloft in front of her and chuckled. "Such a cute couple~"

And then, she slammed their faces together hard. "Now kiss!"

18 chuckled and slammed Future Trunks and Future Ranch's head together three more times, until blood was raining down both of their faces. At the same time, Raditz finally fell unconscious and 17 dropped him like a stone. "Now then..."

Suddenly, two beams of yellow energy shot towards 17. He dodged them both and then looked down to see that Tien and Chiaotzu were back on their feet. 17 chuckled. "You guys got some moxie; I'll give you that."

Android 18 shook her head at Future Trunks and Future Ranch. "So, do you two give up?"

Neither answered. Instead, Future Ranch scooped up her boyfriend's sword with her foot and Future Trunks snatched one of the pistols from his girlfriend's leg. Future Trunks fired in 18's face and Future Ranch tried to stab her with the sword, but the blade shattered further and the bullets bounced off. 18 chuckled. "How cute. I hope I meet someone like you guys one day~"

And then, with all of her strength, 18 smashed Future Trunks and Future Ranch's head together one last time. Two fountains of blood poured from Future Ranch's nose and blood spurted from Future Trunks' ear, their eyes rolled back, and then both of them lost their Super Saiyan forms and went limp. 18 cocked her head. "Bizarre..."

As she looked her now unconscious opponents over, however, 18 was suddenly kicked in the back by an unseen foe. She fell forward, dropping Future Ranch and Future Trunks, and turned to face this new challenger. It was Bardock, his Super Saiyan power flaring. Bardock shouted. "You-"

But then, before he could finish, 18 jumped forward and planted her boot into Bardock stomach hard enough that the armor on his back spider-webbed. Bardock gurgled in pain, and then his Super Saiyan form dispersed and her slumped over onto the ground. 18 was confused. "His hair too...?"

17 chuckled and called over to his sister, holding an unconscious Tien aloft by his toga. "Man, 18, everyone sure is ditching the blonde look pretty quick, huh? Maybe it's a sign you should dye your hair?"

18 rolled her eyes. "Shut up. This is weird..."

On the sidelines...

Krillin stared down at all of his beaten friends. "Oh no..."

From Tien, to Chiaotzu, to Bardock, to Raditz, to Future Trunks and Future Ranch, to Vegeta. Everyone but Krillin had been brought to their knees by the power of the Androids. The little monk watched, mortified, as the two of them walked over to Vegeta. "I... I have to do something..."

And then, it dawned on Krillin. They were facing Vegeta. Not him. If he was quick enough and sneaky enough, he could end this right now!

Krillin raised his hand into the air. "Destructo-"

But then, the sound of heavy footsteps caught Krillin off-guard. He turned and stared in horror at the source of the noise. That hulking robot, Android 16, was marching right towards him with a blank look on his face. Krillin stumbled and fell back. "N-No..."

Back with the fight...

17 and 18 gathered around Vegeta, surrounded by a sea of unconscious warriors. 18 spoke with a bit of curiosity in her voice. "I'm just saying it's weird. When we kicked the crap out of the other blondies, they all reverted back to their normal hair color. And, when we saw this guy back at the lab, he sure as heck wasn't blonde..."

17 shrugged. "Who knows what's going on? But...about all those guys we kicked the crap out of."

18 sighed. "I already know what you're going to say. And no, I don't think they deserve to die either. They might have stepped in when they were asked not to...but they were just trying to help their friend. Just like you would do for me or vice-versa."

17 nodded. "Cool. But, what about Vegeta?"

18 sneered, holding her hand out. "This asshole can die in a series of fires."

17 smirked. "Are you that mad?"

18 snarled. "He ripped out a chunk of my hair with his bare hand! By the roots!"

But, suddenly, Vegeta sprang to life. He roared at the top of his lungs and lunged at 18 with his good arm. Both Androids leapt into the air to avoid his attack, and then 18 slammed down hard onto Vegeta's remaining arm, shattering it as well.

Vegeta screamed in pain, and then his eyes went completely white. The Prince slumped over and the gold left his hair, leaving him unconscious and powerless on the ground. Android 18 nodded. "Oh, I see, so the gold is just a powered-up stage. Like that Kaioken technique that Dr. Gero recorded..."

18 glared at Vegeta and extended her hand again, charging a Power Blitz. "Asshole."

Android 17 shrugged with a smirk. "Hey, he pissed you off. You should just kill him. That's the way things are."

Android 18 narrowed her eyes and prepared to fire. But then, a voice called out to her and her counterpart. "Attention Android 17 and Android 18! I have located Son Goku!"

17 and 18 both turned to the source of the voice up above. And then, giving each other a look, they both flew up to see what the commotion was.

Back on the sidelines...

As Android 17 and Android 18 returned to the highway level, Krillin could only stare in disbelief. What had he just witnessed? Those two Androids, killers from what he had been told, chose to spare nearly everyone down below to be sporting? And that big guy...he just stared at Krillin for a moment, but then he turned and saved Vegeta's life with a single sentence? What was going on here?!

Android 17 spoke to his larger ally. "So, what's up 16?"

Android 16 nodded. "I have managed to upload, from my memory banks, information pertaining to the location of Son Goku."

17 nodded. "Oh, I get it. That's why you were staring into space earlier. You're just having trouble processing."

18, seemingly having forgotten about Vegeta, sighed. "Poor guy is just a bit slow..."

Android 16 spoke flatly. "Son Goku's house is located at 58N 018, 439 East District. We should make our way there at once to eliminate Son Goku."

17 and 18 glanced at one another, and then 18 indifferently shrugged. 17 smirked and nodded. "Fine, big man. Let's go do what you wanna do. Sounds like a blast~"

And then, just like that, the three Androids turned and started to walk away down the road. Krillin gasped. "W-Wait!"

The three of them stopped in their tracks and turned to glare at Krillin. 17 sighed. "What?"

Krillin, fear overriding common sense, blurted out a question. "Are you not going to kill us all?!"

17 glanced back at the other two and then towards Krillin. "Do you...want us to?"

Krillin yelped. "N-No...it's just...uh..."

He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Why do you have to kill Goku?! I heard you both talking down there! You said you weren't going to kill anyone but Vegeta, because no one else was that bad. Goku isn't a bad guy at all, so why kill him?!"

Android 16 spoke up. "I was designed and programmed to kill Son Goku. That is my purpose for existence."

Android 17 motioned to 16. "There ya have it, chief. Our friend 16 wants to kill Goku, so Goku's gotta get killed. Sorry."

Krillin stood up, taking a few steps forward. "B-But you can't! I-"

Suddenly, Android 18 stepped forward. "You'll what? Will you try and stop us like you did a minute ago?"

Krillin shuddered, flinching back. 18 sighed. "I saw you, ya know? Preparing that Destructo-Disc of yours. You were gonna cut me and 17 in half, right?"

The little monk was stammering in fear. 18 sighed and rolled her eyes. "You would have failed, of course. And then I would've beaten you senseless."

She bent over, staring Krillin in the eye. "But still...you're like all of them down there. You were willing to put your neck on the line to save a life. Even if it was the life of a dick like Vegeta. I... respect that~"

And then, to Krillin's shock, the feminine Android pressed her lips to his cheek and gave him a quick peck. "You're a good guy. Try to never lose that good guy charm, okay?"

Krillin was in disbelief. "I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I..."

Android 18 waved. "Just for you, I'll forget about Vegeta this time. So, make sure you get him and all of your other little pals a Senzu Bean, okay? I'll see ya around~"

This time, however, the Androids attempt at an exit was cut off by two newly arrived obstacles. Piccolo and Future Daikon both descended from the sky and landed in front of 17 and 18. The two of them glared at the Androids and the Androids glared back. 17 sighed and started to roll up his sleeves. "I don't think these ones will be won over by a kiss on the cheek..."

Future Daikon snapped, turning Super Saiyan. "What have you done to my friends, you monsters?!"

Piccolo, meanwhile, remained calm. He observed the situation at hand and then thought long and hard about. Finally, he reached out and place his hand on Future Daikon's chest, pushing the boy to the side. "Don't let us stop you. Be on your way. Goku isn't going to kill himself."

17 and 18 both flinched. Future Daikon's jaw dropped. As the counterpart Androids looked to one another, trying to decide what Piccolo's game was, Android 16 spoke up. "Data shows that the Demon King Piccolo is Son Goku's mortal enemy. He would benefit from the death of Son Goku."

Android 18 frowned. "I dunno...Gero's data is super dated from what I've seen today..."

Android 17 rubbed his chin, but then he nodded. "Okay. We'll be on our way..."

He glared at Piccolo. "But I'm gonna kick your ass if I find out you pulled a sneaky on us, green man."

Piccolo glared right back. "Hmph."

Android 17 turned to his comrades and smiled. "Guys! I just thought of a really cool idea! But it's going to require us find a small town. So, let's fly for now!"

Android 16 nodded. "Satisfactory."

Android 18 rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I need a hair salon and a new outfit anyway..."

The Androids took to the air and quickly disappeared over the horizon. Once they were gone, Future Daikon snapped. "Piccolo! What the hell, man?!"

Piccolo spoke calmly. "I have my reasons..."

He glanced over at Krillin. "Hey Krillin! Get everyone back on their feet. We need to regroup and plan in a hurry!"

Krillin, snapped from his trance, nodded and leapt down towards all of the fallen Z-Fighters. "R-Right!"

Back at Gero's destroyed lab...

Dust blew high into the sky as Gohan blasted more rubble. On the sidelines, Yajirobe coughed, covering his face with his shirt. "What the hell, kid?! Can't you give that a rest for just a minute?!"

Bulma snapped. "Shut up, Yajirobe!"

Gohan ignored the argument behind him, continuing to blast until his attacks collided with something that caused them to disperse. "H-Hey, Bulma! I hit something!"

Bulma blew Yajirobe off and walked over next to Gohan. Once the dust settled, she smiled at the sight of a metal door hidden beneath the rubble. "There we go..."

Bulma walked forward towards the door. She tapped her fingers on the rocky wall around it until she came upon a surface that felt less like rock and more like metal disguised as rock. She pulled a miniature screwdriver out of her pocket, stabbing it into the metal and then forcing it away, revealing a hidden eye-scanner and handprint scanner underneath. "Bingo!"

The scientist walked back to her laptop, grabbing 19's severed head and ripping out an eye. She also picked up 20's severed hand and walked back. She scanned both of the items and tossed them to Yajirobe as the hidden door shakily slid open. Yajirobe yelped in fear, dropping the eye and hand onto the ground.

Bulma didn't seem to notice or care. She had found something more interesting. "Well boys, while we wait for the cavalry to come back...why don't we have a nice, little tour of Site Beta...?"

Proofreading: StevenBodner