Hello There. Welcome to a new year and a new chapter.
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Goku, Vegeta and Trunks landed on the lookout thanks to instant transmission. All three walked over to the main hall. Where they saw Gohan and Piccolo sitting on the steps outside the building. The former noticed his father approaching and rushed over. His expression became one of joy as the two hugged.
"Dad! You're alright!" Gohan yelled as they ended their embrace.
"It'll take more than a dodgy heart to kill me! It's great you're here though, we have work to do." The warrior jokingly replied. Who then noticed the Namekian sitting down. Piccolo didn't say a word, nor looked at them. He only stared at his hands. A blank expression covering his face. Goku noticed this, and walked over to him. "Hey Piccolo, you're not having heart problems are you?" The Namekian looked up, surprised by who it was.
"You're... Goku." He whispered. Clearly not in the right mental state. While Goku wasn't great at reading people, even he could sense something was wrong.
"Um... I... believe so. You sure you're good?" Both Piccolo and Gohan couldn't look the Saiyan in the eye.
"Dad... this isn't exactly Piccolo." The boy muttered. "Piccolo fused with Kami and he hasn't been the same since." The other three looked on in confusion.
"I have Piccolo's memories, but I also have Kami's. And then there's a third." Piccolo stated. This time even Gohan failed to understand.
"A third? Do you mean, Nail?"
"No, it's someone else. A Namekian who's long since forgotten his name."
"If I was to guess, I'd say it was the man you and Kami were before your separation." Mr Popo explained, appearing from the building. His tone of voice had a commanding presence to it. The Namiakan looked at him. It was quite clear that Popo was resentful at the fact that Kami was gone.
"Yeah that makes a lot of sense." Piccolo added, stating down at his hand. The heroes all knew that Piccolo liked to brood, but this was different. He wasn't being a loner. He looked generally depressed. "I'm a man with three different voices in my head. And yet I'm no one at the same time."
"Well how about we start with my friend." Gohan spoke up. Surprising the Namekian.
"You want to be my friend? We've only just met." Piccolo replied, shocked.
"If you have Piccolo's memories then we've met before. Underneath you're still my mentor." Gohan extended his hand. Yet Piccolo failed to meet it.
"Sorry kid, but I'm not him. I don't know who I am." Gohan dropped his hand. His heart split in two. Piccolo, his first true friend. Was really gone. While all this was going on Vegeta's patience had completely depleted.
"Enough of this! Kakarot, you promised a place where we could do a years worth of training in one day." He ranted out loud. Goku rubbed the back of his head while smiling.
"Sorry Vegeta. Guess I forgot." The low class Saiyan replied, turning to Mr Popo. "Hey Mr Popo, would it be alright if we use the Hyper... Hyperbo... bowling."
"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber?" The assistant asked.
"That's the one. Can we use it?"
"Of course. I should Inform you all about the limitations though," Goku stood there, looking very puzzled. "First of all, only two people may enter at a time. Meaning two of you will have to wait twenty four hours." Vegeta instantly turned towards his son.
"Boy! You and I shall enter first! We will work non stop for an entire year! Do you understand?" Vegeta barked. Trunks almost slipped over due to the volume of his fathers voice.
"Yeah sure thing." The swordsman answered, sounding a little displeased about the situation. His father father had done nothing but shout and ignore him since they met. So spending an entire year with him wasn't ideal. However there was nothing that Trunks could do about it. Destroying the androids was the only thing that mattered. "Anything else we should know?"
"Yes. Once I close the door it can not be opened again for another twenty four hours. That equates to a full year in the chamber." Popo explained.
"Not like we were going to be leaving early." Vegeta sarcastically added, walking towards the entrance. Popo followed suit, opening the door. A huge burst of light shined through. Yet no sun shined down. It was an entire universe of nothingness. Vegeta turned towards the blue haired fighter. "Boy, let's go." Trunks looked nervously over to the other two.
"Good luck Trunks!" Goku nonchalantly waved goodbye. Trunks took a deep breath as he and his father entered the chamber. Trunks looked back as the door closed behind them. The air was cold. Inside there was a room with two beds, a bathroom and a kitchen stocked with food. Besides that, there was nothing. Only a white void of nothingness. No beginning or end.
"Now then." Vegeta sinisterly said, freaking out his son a little. "Let's get started."
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Bruce burst through Kame House's front door. Charging through, like a bull in a china shop. All the members of the league minus Superman and the Saiyan's were present. Every one of them startled by the Dark Knight's entrance.
"Where's Bulma?" He impatiently questioned the group.
"She and Flash went to Capsule Corp." Arthur answered. "He said that you guys found a way to destroy the androids once and for all. Is that true?" Dick finally entered after being left behind.
"Yeah that's true. But there's a problem. They aren't androids, they're cyborgs." This engrossed everyone even more.
"Wait a minute. Are you telling me those things are human?" Hal asked.
"That's precisely what I'm saying." Bruce answered, before producing two holographic pictures of seventeen and Eighteen. "Their names are Lapis and Lazuli, no family name. Both twenty five, living on the streets of Tokyo since early childhood. A perfect pair for Gero to insert similar nano tech that Cyborg uses."
"They have similar tech to mine and keep their human appearances? I'm actually jealous." Victor added.
"Don't be. Gero captured them , tortured and brainwashed the pair. Turned them into living weapons." The whole room fell silent. Everyone has simply assumed they were soulless killing machines. But they weren't. Behind all the power and upgrades. They were just two people who's whole lives were stolen. "We can't use the remote. It would kill them."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Yamcha said, intriguing everyone. "I mean that guy... seventeen was it? He killed Gero in cold blood. Are we sure that they aren't beyond saving."
"But they're victims!" Dick argued.
"I know, but you all saw what they did! Don't you think trying to save two people who do not want our help is a waste of time?"
"You're just too scared to fight!" Tien shot back.
"You're right... I am scared. I'm terrified that this is gonna be the end. But those androids beat us all with zero mercy. Trunks told us what they did to his timeline. I think they are beyond saving." Yamcha explained. The three eyed warrior was unsatisfied by this however.
"So you think they can't be helped because they killed one person? Then what about me?" The desert bandit eyes clashed with the former crane school student.
"You never went through with killing Goku though."
"I almost did. And to me that's almost just as unforgivable. Yet Goku didn't care. He accepted me as a friend. He saw good in me and chose to forgive."
"He just wanted to fight you again."
"Goku's not an idiot." Everyone suddenly looked at him with a surprised expression. "Alright not a complete idiot. He knows when someone isn't going to change. But he also knows when there's a chance. And I'm telling you all, there's a chance." The whole room looked at one another. Nobody knew how to respond. However their silence was interrupted by a glass smashing onto the floor. The entire room looked around to see Damian standing by the stairs. He was staring into the eyes of Bruce.
"You're... him." Damian stuttered. Without hesitation Bruce charged at the teen. Grabbing his neck and slamming it against the wall.
"Why are you here? Did Ra's send you to kill me?" Bruce interrogated the time traveller.
"What... are you talking about?"
"That sword. I recognise it from Nanda Parbat. I should know, it once belonged to me!" Damian's eyes widened at this revelation.
"You? You once held this sword?" At this point Hal created a whip, pulling Bruce's hand away.
"Bats calm down. The kid travelled to the past with Trunks. He's on our side." Hal explained.
"Anyone who subjects themselves to the rule of Ra's Al Ghul is not on our side." Bruce strongly stated.
"Wait a minute, are you saying he's from the league of Assassins?" Tien questioned the Dark Knight.
"Exactly." The whole room stared at Damian. He could sense they were slightly weary of him. They all knew of Ra's Al Ghul and his numerous battles with Batman.
"Alright it's true. I am part of the League of Assassin's. But my..." Damian stopped as he realised this wasn't the time to tell Bruce the truth. "...Ra's isn't the same man you all know. After the androids attacked he took in so many people. People who's lives had been ruined by those monsters. Ra's isn't a bad man."
"Tell that to the amount of villages he's slaughtered." Damian glared back at the Caped Crusader. No one should be allowed to talk about his grandfather like that. Especially one who turned his back on him. The swordsman didn't care that this was his father. Ra's Al Ghul was one of the two people who raised him. Bruce left the building without another word. Dick ran after him.
"So where are we going?" The boy wonder asked.
"I am going to Capsule Corp to see Bulma. You are staying here." The Dark Knight answered. Confusing his sidekick.
"What for?"
"I need you to keep an eye on that kid. Report back to me if you find anything suspicious."
"He travelled back in time to warn us about the androids. I think he's on our side."
"With Ra's Al Ghul involved we can't be too sure." Dick scowled, not wishing to have an argument now.
"Alright... I'll do it. But just answer me this. Do you trust me?" Bruce was halfway up the steps when Dick asked him. In response he stopped and turned around.
"Excuse me?"
"You always say how you shouldn't fully trust anyone. So what about me?"
That question caught Bruce off guard. And that in turn caused him to hesitate. That few seconds of absolute silence was all Dick needed to hear. "Thought so." The sidekick turned his back towards his mentor and strolled inside. Bruce didn't react. He simply got into the cockpit. However inside he was torn. Bruce had to keep everything under control. But the more he tried to hold on. The more he seemed to let things slip from his grasp.
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Bulma was back at Capsule Corp slaving away at the remote. The designs were very complex and difficult to understand. However the heiress persevered. Baby Trunks lay in a cot right next to her. Despite not biologically being her son. Bulma never kept her eye off him. Next to her sat Barry, who's tapped his feet in frustration. This whole day had been a mess. So he found it nice to simply relax. However his anxiety from the androids was starting to affect him.
"How long is this gonna take?" The speedster groaned.
"Creating a brand new remote from scratch isn't easy, thank you very much." The CEO said, her voice oozing sass. I suspect it's going to take an entire day."
"That's a shame. I was hoping we'd catch up." A voice softly said. The two turned around, and to their utter shock. Diana was standing before them. "It's good to see you both again."
"Diana... you're back." Flash stuttered.
"Yeah, I had... an epiphany. What I did a few months back, was wrong. I am determined to make things right." The Amazon looked over, walking towards her son. "He's beautiful."
"His name is Trunks." Bulma flatly mentioned.
"That's... a nice name." Diana whispered back, as she cradled the baby. Bulma though had seen enough.
"Just stop!" Diana looked back in shock. Even Barry was caught unaware by this outburst. "Do you honestly think that you can just walk back in here and expect me to forgive you? You abandoned your own son the day he was born. Just so you could hang out with some god damn deities.
"I know! If I could change what happened I would. But I can't. All I can do is be a better mother."
"You don't get it. You aren't that kids mother. I am." That response was like a humongous punch in the gut for Diana. "You abandoned that child. So I had to take care of him. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. But that's the difference between you and I. When things got tough, I didn't run away." The two glared at each other. "Now put him down and leave." Diana though pushed Bulma to the ground and attempted to exit.
However she was stopped by the sound of crying. Trunks was in floods of tears, and Diana knew it was because of Bulma. The baby held his arms out as he stared at Bulma Briefs. The woman he considered his mother. Diana had left him, and Bulma had been the mother she refused to be. In that time Trunks had connected with his 'mother'. Diana shed a tear as she placed the baby back in his basket. And then left without a word. Barry, who had been quiet this whole time rushed after her.
"Listen Diana, if you need a place to stay. I have room in my apartment. It's not exactly a five star hotel. But it's cosy enough." Barry offered. The Amazon nodded as the two made their way towards their home. Diana though couldn't help but think about what just transpired. She had gone there to find redemption for her sins. Yet maybe Bulma was right. Perhaps she didn't deserve it.
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So i hoped you enjoyed the first chapter of 2020.
Reviews:
X3runner:
1: Without giving anything away. Bruce knows exactly why Chill killed his family.
2: The comedy writes itself.
3: Thanks for your support.
Cruden: Its gonna be a rocky road.
corondomontes: Thanks.
MeteorElDrago: Patience youll get to see more from Gohan and Kara soon.
Fax 15: I missed Diana too.
jalen Johnson:Glad to see you back.
SailorDragonaball87: about that well.
Guest: Interesting comment.