Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or really any other property. Thank you.

The Cataylst

Act VI

Chapter 81: Day of Judgement

Tien:

All of the training and dedication they'd put in so far, it all came down to this, today. Today was the day they would live as though it was their last. Even now as the wind blew against his face as they jetted towards Amenbo Island. Were they strong enough? Were that fast enough? Had they improved enough to make the difference that they needed to make? These were the serious questions running through his mind. Even now with Piccolo at his flank, Tien never felt such uncertainty going into a fight, as it was a complete unknown.

They only knew the barest minimum about the things that would be awaiting them on Amenbo Island. The real source of their anxiety however, was the fact that they didn't have Goku with them. Not only was he the strongest, and most courageous of them, he also was the one everyone rallied behind in a time of crisis. The most terrible part about this so far was that they had… Goku with them.

There was a chuckle in the air as Turles did another loop through the air, cutting off Krillin before flying backwards and staring back at all of them with the most obnoxious look Tien had ever seen. Both of Goku's brothers were such disgraces he felt terrible for him. To think such a valiant warrior and decent person, had the injustice of Raditz and Turles visited upon him as kin. Two murderers, just like Vegeta, and the pair of them were treacherous snakes as well. Normally Turles was the calculating one out of them, but in this instance, he was enjoying wearing Goku's skin, as if trying to dishonour him on purpose.

Disgusting.

"What?" Turles asked, trying to contain his sarcasm. "I'm just trying to be as serious as Kakarot is."

"You get 'try harder', then," Piccolo responded bluntly from his side. "Because Goku would take a fight against a serious opponent very seriously. And Goku also wouldn't call anyone a Saiyan name either. Now stop it and play the role."

Looking over to Gohan, Tien could see the boy was upset, though that was understandable, with everything happening with Goku at that moment. As far as Tien was concerned, he was also suffering from the fact this idiot was mocking his father, and his spirit, by being a giant asshole while they were going to confront the Androids.

"I've not had enough head trauma to play Kakarot," Turles laughed before diving beneath the clouds. "Oh, I'm sorry, I deadnamed him by accident. I mean… Hey everyone, I'm Son Goku!"

Looking over at Piccolo again, Tien could feel his own patience having long since run out with this guy. If they didn't need "Goku" to come with them, he'd have already tried to shut this guy up himself. The only one here with any kind of control over him was Piccolo, as far as Tien could tell. Still, the open disrespect to his friend, who was sick, and might be dying, was too much for Tien to handle for much longer.

"We've gotta shut him up," Tien almost demanded. "He's mocking Goku."

"He's agreed to play as Goku, someone he genuinely hates, I'm not expecting him to be professional right now," Piccolo responded bluntly. "But I do expect him to play Goku long enough for us to confront the Androids. He's playing the bait, and he knows it."

There were a few seconds of just gritting his teeth on Tien's part before he just sighed. When he spied Yamcha and Krillin biting their tongues as well, he knew it was something he was just going to need to accept.

As if on cue, Turles emerged from the clouds below, his body spinning as he did before he pulled up next to Gohan.

"Hey guys," Turles said, trying to emulate Goku's voice, which was not as close as Tien would have wanted. "Think I should spare the Androids? I'm thinking they deserve as many chances as Frieza and his family at least."

Finally, it was Gohan who spoke up. After prattling on for almost an hour before they left, and on their way here, Turles had managed to deplete Gohan's patience with him as well.

"Uncle Turles," Gohan said seriously, using the name they'd all said they weren't going to openly say while they were playing along with this charade. "You're not funny, you just think you're funny. Please stop, I don't want to hear you trash talk my dad while he's dying and can't be here to defend himself."

Tien expected to hear the same callous response, they'd gotten so far, given Turles didn't care about anyone, as far as Tien was concerned. The main thing for him, was that he got to see Gohan stick up for himself and his dad to the bully that was Turles. However, minutes began passing and Turles didn't say anything in response other than flying next to Gohan.

That actually shut him up?

"I see it, the island, it's up ahead!" Krillin shouted.

Turning his attention to the gigantic mountain ahead, Tien felt his heart skip a beat. There it was, the place where they were going to face the future. This was the beginning of where every one of them was killed by merciless machines. They'd all placed everything they had in training and preparing for this moment.

This was the last day they had been promised by fate. Tien intended to make it could.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Vegeta:

"You're going to be late," Bulma's voice warned.

To the last moment he'd been training. It felt pointless almost to even have completed a shower before he changed and left, but it was a habit, and probably a good one. The woman had always complained aboard the ship if he'd not done so.

"I'm not going to be late," Vegeta scoffed in return as he stepped out of the bathroom, finishing slipping on his gloves. "We don't even know what late is. No one knows when the Androids will exactly arrive, and I've not sensed anything."

The woman gave him a dim look as she approached him with something in hand. It almost looked like a scouter? His look mirrored hers as she approached him with it. Already he wasn't interested in where this conversation was going.

"Firstly," she breathed in patiently. "We actually know what time they appeared, Vegeta. They appeared at 10 am. It's now 9:35. You are literally going to be late at this rate."

There was a specific time? No one told him the specific time? But they told Bulma? Great, that was just perfect. Here, the Prince of All Saiyans was going to be late because of what amounted to a scheduling error. It wasn't even about helping the others, certainly not. It was about displaying his power and enforcing he was the strongest.

"I thought you knew."

Dim turned to a cold anger as Vegeta closed his eyes, trying to restrain his rage. He fitted his glove more tightly before preparing to move past her before a hand reached his chest.

"I want you to wear this," she said, pulling the 'scouter' in front of them.

"I don't need a Scouter," Vegeta said bluntly. "I haven't needed one since I met you."

"It's not a scouter. I based some of the design on that, but it's way better than that. I'm giving you this so you can record your opponents. It takes in any data you find about them and filters it back to the computers here. That way, I can see what's happening. It's like a fighter's black box."

Why did they need to record this data at all? It didn't matter to Vegeta. That was the plain and simple truth. Rolling his eyes, he was going to take another step when he felt her not step aside. This was going to be one of those moments where he didn't want to talk, and she did. Another thing to go wrong with today. He'd already accommodated her by being here, as far as he could tell.

"Woman, I don't have time for this right now."

"Make time," she said firmly. "This is going to help you train more, you dolt. With new data I can make new systems and scenarios. It's also going to record how you fight, for you to improve. Stop being difficult and just put it on."

Part of him immediately wanted to fight her over it, just on principal. It was a strange paradox. Her equipment helped him train, it even ensured he'd eclipsed what was possible on his own. Training beacons, droids and the gravity room, had given him the edge. But in a way, he felt those were somehow his. The rational part of his mind though, despite this, knew that it was the woman who built these things. This was going to help her build him better equipment. His possessive, and independent nature was pushed aside without remark as he grabbed the item, slowly fixing it to the side of his head.

It was an old familiarity. The glass was tinted red, he suspected he knew why. Hitting button on the side, he saw a series of menus come up in a more familiar language, the same language that his scouter used before. It didn't seem to have any command functions.

"The glass is only there in case you need emergency information that's not available through other means," she promised. "This will make sure I'm right there with you."

Now that was something he didn't want, reaching up to pluck the item from the side of his head, he felt her hand grab his hurriedly.

"I'm not going to bug you or interfere, Vegeta. All of this is going to be useful I promise. Just wear this for me one time. It'll work. It is going to make you stronger. You'll be the strongest one on the planet I swear. Just please, work with me."

Now it was all beginning to make sense. Despite his suspicions, the woman did understand something. She knew that he was the bulwark keeping her and their son safe. Whether that meant being able to kill Raditz on a whim, or defeat and kill that idiot Turles. He'd not recognized it at first when she'd come with him into space. Her motives were her own protection and survival, but increasingly he got the suspicion that she wanted him to succeed. Accepting help, even if it wasn't called that though, was not something he wanted.

He managed to get his hand to the device, even as her arm in futility tried to keep his hand from it. He was debating if he was going to comply with her when she stared straight at him. He was only a fraction on an inch taller than her, their eyes almost entirely met when they were standing with one another.

"You will keep this on, Vegeta!" she ordered. "I'm not going to let you be an idiot about this."

The meek person he'd left with, the one almost killed by Raditz and Turles, had slowly changed into this. The umbrella of protection he offered was the chief cause of this confidence. Much like her, he was able to do his own set of calculations, even if they weren't scientific ones. Reading people was important when surviving in the Planet Trade, with numerous hostiles constantly around you. The number of Frieza's lieutenants that were cocky because they had Frieza's protection was all too familiar. He idly wondered if this was how Frieza felt whenever someone got out of line.

He doubted it, considering what he was feeling at that exact moment.

Pulling the scouter from the side of his head, he heard her almost snarl at him before he leaned in and kissed her. It drew out for several seconds before she kissed him back. Before he could pull back, she pulled her arms around his neck and pulled him into her as she almost bit his tongue.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Krillin:

It was so strange watching Turles go into 'Goku' mode, once he stopped being a total asshole. It was uncanny, beyond how he walked. That was the main difference Krillin could determine when he saw this complete asshole taking on his friend's role. Though he suspected he was being more quiet than usual. It was like watching a chameleon taking on camouflage. He was trying to cover Goku's mannerisms. It was as uncomfortable as he imagined the Androids themselves being.

Still, the city lay open in front of them. But there was just one problem. What the hell did these machines look like? Krillin didn't know, and neither did Piccolo or anyone else. Worse yet, if Goku knew, there was no way of getting that from him right now. They were here, but they were totally blind. One thing that was really strange was how peaceful everything seemed.

Man, I wish this was just over. I still don't feel like I've done enough. We did all that we could together, all of us training to get as strong as we could… it just doesn't feel like enough.

"I don't sense anything," Piccolo said, his tone grating. "Not from anyone, or anything down there. It's quiet."

"You won't sense anything," Turles remarked, walking to the edge of the cliff as he peered down past all of them. "These creatures don't emit ki, or interact with it. They're machines."

There was a pause among all of them as the realization travelled through their ranks. That was right, wasn't it? These things were machines! There might not be a chance to detect their energy! Well they were supposed to show up just about any minute now. What the Hell were they supposed to do? How were they supposed to detect these things without any ki sense? Their eyes could be useful in battle, but they didn't know what they were looking for beyond some big explosion.

All those innocent people were at risk, and what could they do about it? He could just see the city being blasted in two before they had any hopes of identifying who was the attacker. The kind of dread Krillin felt, was the same dread he'd felt when they Ginyus first arrived. They were almost helpless seemingly in the face of it.

All those poor people down there have no idea, and we can't help them yet! Man! This is such a bad play for everyone. Goku, I wish you were here. You'd know what to do.

"We're going to need to split up to find them," Tien said after a moment. "We've got to be nearby when this all starts to happen. Don't engage right away, but raise your power when they're nearby, and then we can deal with these things. But we've got to get in there to find-"

A flash appeared in the air as an airliner exploded in the sky. There was energy in the heart of the blast.

"There you are," Turles said coldly as his eyes remained peeled not on the blast, but on what Krillin turned to look in the direction of.

There! I can't sense the energy, he's right! Oh man, we're so screwed. We're totally finished, aren't we?! They could be ten times stronger than Piccolo and Turles!... Okay Krillin, get a grip. That future guy wouldn't send us on a suicide mission.

The figures were too small to make out… well, kind of, Krillin thought one of them looked kind of chunky, even from this distance. But it was enough to chill his blood. Even the residual energies any living person gave off, just wasn't there as far as he could tell. The flaming airliner exploded again over the ocean, any hopes of anyone surviving seemed to vanish within seconds as Krillin's breath hitched.

They plunged into the city in a blur of motion, not giving any sign of their movements.

All those people! What do we do now?!

"The people on that plane!" Yamcha gawked. "They're… they're all dead! They killed them!"

"Piccolo, Uncle Turles, we've got to do something," Gohan urged.

But what do we do? I don't wanna die down here. This might be my last chance. We don't even have any Dragon Balls!

"Look for movement," Turles ordered as his own head was moving from side to side, only to be followed by… "Damn it."

They were all looking. Eyes were covering every corner of the city, but all Krillin could see was cars moving, people walking about the city, and the occasional skycar above the streets. This place was placid, it was still serene, even with people gathering near one side of the city to look towards where the air liner had exploded.

All those people.

Krillin's thoughts were drawn back to the innocent people who just died because they'd not been there for them.

"We'll have to wait for them to act again," Turles remarked. "It's a shame, but it's better to wait them out."

"To hell with that!" Tien shouted. "There are innocent people down there, their lives are in danger! These monsters could do anything, they might even destroy the city!"

"Oh? Well then why don't you go looking for them," Turles scoffed in response.

There was the old Turles, the one not trying to impersonate Goku in any capacity. Of course, just being quiet and trying to pose like Goku was enough to unnerve all of them, but this attitude just made his stomach twist. They couldn't just stand by and do nothing, all those people down there were relying on them. They were the last line of defense, they were it.

"We can't," Krillin challenged immediately. "Tien's right, we've got to do something."

"If I were the Androids, I'd pick off you, weak chaff, first, before I circled around and ambushed the stronger fighters. Oh, or are you thinking we just go on a waltz down the main street together and discover nothing? No wonder Vegeta and Nappa made such short work of all of you."

"Excuse you?" Yamcha barked. "You don't even know what happened! Who told you? Raditz? Well I'd not trust everything you hear!"

"You were killed by a Saibaman," Turles scoffed. "And the rest of you, all except baldy, Raditz and Gohan, were killed by Nappa. You're the B team for a reason. I've survived the horrors of the galaxy. Take a hint."

"I was there when Frieza killed you," Piccolo observed. "So, you can shut up and get in line. All of us here have died before. We all know what it is to pay a price for something. We're going to split up, and we're going to search for the Androids. That's the end of the discussion."

Thank god we've got Piccolo here.

There wasn't even a scowl or sneer from Turles, instead a half-amused smirk and a cold gaze locking onto Piccolo, before he looked at the others, his half smile remaining in place.

"Well then, I wonder how many of you we're going to lose. Gohan, stick close to the Namek."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yamcha:

What a total shithead.

Any degree of inspiration from Piccolo's push to get them to scout out this place diminished rapidly. It was so hard to even get an idea of where these guys were going to go. Which street would they hit first? What person was going to end up being their first victim? There were no signs of anything other than concerned citizens for the people who just died in a fiery plane crash. Worse, no one knew what caused the plane crash. Well, they knew, but none of the people knew. Every corner he turned around people were talking about it on the streets.

Running through several sparsely populated streets, Yamcha hit the brakes as soon as he saw a man laying dead on the ground. It looked like his skull had been caved in. On the wall next over to him there were two other dead men, their bodies laying slumped against the side of a building. A woman was hanging from a lamppost, and a man looked as though he'd been ripped through the ceiling of a car, his broken and dead body hanging limply over his own windshield.

Oh man. It's started.

Eyes tracing around his surroundings, Yamcha tried to look for movement or activity. There was nothing. He was looking for some sign of a someone with the silhouette of a fighter, but that wasn't coming up either.

Man! We missed them! Shit! And I have no idea where they are. I can't hear anything, there isn't even a hint of what they look like. Damn it!

Survivors? Maybe there was a survivor somewhere. Maybe? Walking past several of the bodies very, very carefully, Yamcha tried to keep his eyes open, just like they'd talked about. But there was just no sign of anything. Even if they were moving faster than he could trace, he'd have still felt disturbances in the air, or seen a fraction of an afterimage. Instead he saw nothing. They could even be some of the bodies, pretending to look dead, couldn't they?

Oh man, this is so messed up. I'm gonna need to call for help.

Two figures walked around a nearby corner, seeing the carnage, they were so shocked they didn't even emote.

"Hey, you guys should get out of here," Yamcha warned. "There are a pair of killer robots out there!"

The pair stared at him a moment later, both of them almost mechanically. As they started to approach, he just saw one was a fat guy, and the other was an old man. They briefly looked over the corpses as they continued their approach before stopping near him.

"We are they," the older one said factually.

Yamcha's eyes traced to the Red Ribbon Army insignia on the machine's hat and felt his blood freeze. Jumping back, he immediately began spiking his power.

C'mon, notice me!

"I found them!"

Before he could make another motion, the other man had already appeared in front of him, grabbing him by the face and lifting him in the air. His energy level dropped immediately. It was like the life was being sucked out of him. The world began to fade. To his left, Yamcha's eyes barely managed to move as he saw a massive semi-truck carrying fuel veer away from them. He was barely aware as the explosion rocked the city a moment later as he saw the Android raising its arm, pointing its fingers into a jagged formation. His mind couldn't even think at this point as the world grew increasingly fuzzy, coming out of focus, there were even seconds where he felt himself blacking out.

The last thing he as his opened eyes lost seemingly all connection to his mind, was a flash of red.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Android 20:

The destruction of the aircraft had been a simple measure. A single bolt of energy from his eyes was more than sufficient to down the primitive craft. This would be the first layer of the experiment. Testing the capabilities of Androids 19 and 20 were important. Though unit's 13 through 15, as well as 17 and 18 were already more capable, it was the belief of 20 that they possessed a lower ceiling for their power. With their energy absorbing abilities, he suspected that these two chassis would be more than adequate. It was estimated due to seismic activities from the battle with the aliens from Planet Namek, that Son Goku had improved to be 20-fold stronger than he had been when he'd left from Earth several years prior.

That was still nothing compared to the power these current models had to display, and the acquisition of new power was ever more useful. His own sensors, detecting the fighting potential of this "Yamcha" was a trifling for his sensors. He was 14% stronger than expected, but that fell well within his variables. Once his power level rose, he would be made short work of.

"Twenty, should we kill this one now?"

"Yes," Twenty answered. "I believe now is the time to begin harvesting this one's energy. It will cement our supremacy over the other warriors."

Yamcha was one of the weaker fighters, listed a B-tiered warrior, and certainly at the bottom of the pile. His energy however, would be sufficient to upgrade his own systems. The pair of them jumped from their perched positions before landing in the street nearby. He observed the damage they had caused so far in the beginning of their experiment. Human constructs were as weak as he had predicted, and all tests of his body's full power seemed to be accurate. Nothing here could harm them, and these humans had offered little resistance.

Dr. Rossa had believed the Androids were an evolution on these creatures. If that were true, these humans would not survive a competition with their remarkably more advanced contemporaries, even more powerful subjects such as Yamcha. It was fascinating that this particular human could destroy this city and the entirety of its inhabitants, yet it was dramatically weaker than themselves.

"Hey, you guys should get out of here," Yamcha warned. "There are a pair of killer robots out there!"

As soon as the words were spoken, 20 recognized one portion of what was said that was very important. A pair of killer robots? How was it that this warrior could know without any precognition that they were androids? Admittedly, this fighter was one of the weaker warriors, so it was hardly a surprise. Perhaps he had some means of understanding what was happening, but he was clearly isolated. He had few questions of importance for one of the weaker fighters, regardless of his awareness of what was causing the damage within the city.

The methodical pace he set as he approached the fighter, along with 19, was deliberate, but not offsetting. The last thing they would need is to disrupt their surprise.

"We are they," Twenty said once they came into proximity of the fighter.

"I found them!"

A rush of speed and energy were exerted from his frame before he drove himself into the human, grabbing his face as he felt the energy receptacle on his hand begin to suck the ki energy out of the body across from him. The struggle was brief as the human's eyes seemed to hollow out while he stared at him. Power flowed into his body as it was put into reserves for later, when he would need to call upon it.

Before everything had been purely theoretical. Now, however, he was able to see everything come together. His vengeance would be realized. That was what this was showing him. The body began hanging limply in his hand as 20 moved his arm up, forming his hand into the point of a spear. The first true victim of importance to fall before him, and the dreams of Dr. Gero, would be this warrior. Soon, others would follow.

"Twenty," 19 said, it was almost distant to him. "I am detecting a disturb-"

Air pressure and heat changed in a moment before he could respond. His sensors went wild with warning signs as the human brain interpreted what was being fed to it at machine-like speeds. The filter of red light encompassed him as his eyes widened slightly before he 'felt' the blast impact him from behind. The bolt exploded against him, as he felt his body almost be thrown forward, his machine-legs anchoring him in even as the blastwave tore through the building across from him. The machine-grip he had on the human warrior held in place for a few seconds later as his back smoldered. Turning his head, he only found a long-haired warrior already in his face, when the blow landed on his side, his fingers released, dropping the burnt and unconscious human to the ground as his feet slid along the dirt and burnt ground.

Immediately 19 was at his side, the other Android bracing himself as Raditz no less stood before the burning petrol station, his eyes peeled as the warrior stood there. Scans moved over the warrior as he narrowed his eyes.

Warrior: Raditz

Species: Saiyan

Fighter Ranking: A level threat, subclass C.

Note: Suspected relative of Son Goku, citation needed.

Note: DNA sample places this as a 98% probability.

Note: Appears to be weakest of adult Saiyan warriors.

Note: Power level expected to be substantially lower than chassis, though proceed with caution.

There were no notes of friendship between Raditz and this human, and given the civilian attire the Saiyan seemed to be wearing, he was guessing that this had been circumstantial. Still, this target would yield yet more energy for them. With the reserves he'd acquired from Yamcha, this fighter would be even further behind in his standing.

"It would appear that I had not calculated your residency on this island," Twenty commented. "That is no matter. You will be defeated just as easily."

Nineteen however, put an end to his immediate concern by speaking, just as his own sensors indicated the new arrival. Warnings almost blared at him before his mechanical eyes shot upwards, floating above the burning flames of the wreckage of the gas station and building, 20 saw the ultimate villain of Doctor Gero's dreams. Floating there, staring darkly down at him with a nefarious smirk on his face.

It embodied everything he'd ever feared and hated. The floating figure was quiet for now, but he could see its desire to fight in its eyes. That dark, grim, half smile was enough to make his organic mind itch with irritation. This was the monster that had killed Dr. Gero's son, and destroy the dreams of a world united under the Red Ribbon Army. If it'd been watching the entire time, it was even more monstrous.

There was almost a moment of fear at the realization that this was Son Goku.

Name: Son Goku

Species: Saiyan

Fighter Rank: A level threat, subclass A.

Note: Most powerful living warrior on the planet.

Note: Destroyed the Red Ribbon Army, responsible for numerous casualties.

Note: Primary target for Dr. Gero.

The last part was hardly something he'd forget.

"I hope you're happy with what you've managed so far. For all that I'd heard, I thought you'd be a lot more impressive, if I do say so myself," Son Goku remarked, his eyes scanning over him first, before scanning over 19, his smile growing fuller. "I knew watching the weaker fighters would lead me to you, but given how sloppy your work is, I'm not even sure you're worth fighting."

Slowly, the body descended to the ground, his back illuminated by the flames. Dr. Gero… Android 20… looked into the eyes of the devil that stole his son away, and he could see him in that moment. The horrifying, inconsiderate beast that only wanted to fight stronger and stronger opponents. He would find his match today, that much Gero was certain of.

"Sadly, unless the two of you are hiding a substantial level of power, I think this won't take very long… if you have anyone to report to, I hope you let this know this was a one-way ticket. A suicide mission, is that the word for it?"

"Kakarot?" Raditz asked, looking confused and surprised in equal measure. "What's going on? Did you watch the attack?"

"Quiet," Son Goku ordered his sibling, glaring at him momentarily before turning his attentions back to him. "Only the powerful are relevant in this arena. Am I right, Android?"

Now there was time to begin to be concerned. Son Goku knew he was a machine as well? That was highly unexpected. It was also concerning to say the least. It wasn't that this was going to be an issue, per say. But it did mean there were events outside of his control, and that would need to be examined at a later time.

"I find it surprising you should know that we are androids," Twenty remarked. "I also find it peculiar that you should know about our arrival on this island, Son Goku."

In a blur of motion, a tall figure appeared next to Son Goku. A more than familiar sight, King Piccolo, or the biological descendant of King Piccolo. An alien, much like Son Goku, another monster. Opposite Son Goku's other flank was the one named Tien, one of the most powerful humans on the planet.

"Raditz," Piccolo acknowledged, as he and Tien seemed to glare, before looking forward. "You're the one who stepped in and saved Yamcha?"

"I'd been looking for these things since they blew up the aircraft, I was at the right place and the right time. I don't see the point in letting them murder Kakarot's friend," Raditz remarked bluntly. "Besides, why would I want to leave them to do anything?"

Hovering in the air above, 20 then noticed a boy, and Krillin. That was Son Gohan, Son Goku's child.

Name: Piccolo

Species: Namekian / Demon

Fighter Rank:

As the data for the two fighters began to list off, 20 turned off the feature as he continued to stare down his adversaries.

"Tell me, warriors, how did you know we would come to this place?" Twenty asked politely, looking over his next three victims.

"If you're so strong, why don't you make us?" Piccolo countered immediately.

Their willingness to fight is even higher than anticipated. This situation may be beginning to go out of control. But there is no way they have achieved a higher level of strength than Android 19, or especially this body. This is a bluff, and one I will challenge now. Their confidence is misplaced, surely.

Taking a step forward, he and 19 stopped as he noticed the one called Tien turn his attention to the others.

"There are too many innocent people here, we can't do this here," he said.

Clearing this area of its civilian population was of course, a benefit to both parties. There would be nothing interfering with his opponents and their choices in the coming battle. Before he could say a word however, he saw a purple glow appear around Son Goku as the air around them became more intense. Pressure sensors in his body immediately recognized the signs of ki rising. His scanners tried their best to calculate what was happening with the opposing body's energies.

"Goku," Piccolo warned. "It's time to move the fight to somewhere else. Now."

"They're already here," Son Goku remarked callously. "Anyone who wants to get out the way, can do so on their own time. I'm not here for them."

I knew it. His conquest of the Red Ribbon Army was from his bloodlust. I can see it now. This creature is no different than Vegeta, Nappa, or Raditz.

"The humans will get in the way," Raditz then added.

"Dad, we should listen to Piccolo," his boy shouted from above. "It's time to go!"

Before he'd even noticed, the body of Yamcha seemed to have been moved out from under him. The figure of Krillin seemed to be carrying him through the air. Twenty had not even noticed, given the display from the Saiyan himself.

"What do you say Android, do you want to make this a more private affair?" Son Goku asked, his hellish eyes staring straight through him. "Or do you want to not waste the time?"

There was clear pushback from his compatriots, their expressions all read it, even the one named Raditz. However, Android 20 had devised a perfect solution for this problem. The fires behind the Saiyan and his comrades flared as combat looked as though it was about to begin. However, 20's eyes already began to glow.

"I agree in principal to your wishes to make the battlefield less crowded," Android 20 remarked. "Many people may get in the way of the battle. I will see to it that they do not."

Eye bolts blasted past the fighters as they plunged into the burning fuel station, before he began turning his head to every direction nearby as bolts showered the buildings. The once tranquil city, imbedded in the middle of paradise, turned into an inferno in moments. Explosions rocked the city before it burned. The heat was so intense even the stone seemed to burn in the open flames. The firestorm had already eliminated 87% of the population in the first few seconds.

His own optical sensors saw the fury and outrage come across the warrior's faces, but none of them dared to intervene. By the time the bolts were done, they were surrounded by the inferno. With the one exception being Son Goku himself. The Saiyan was smiling, like the devil had returned home to the flames of Hell. As the last of his blasts stopped, he even started to laugh.

"Is this your idea of intimidation? Killing these humans?" his voice was rife with amusement before the ground started to shake, violently. All of the warriors near him looked concerned as Android 20 took several steps back himself, 19 in tow.

"Do you want to see the most powerful force the universe has ever seen, Android?" Son Goku asked, his smile only growing.

Dr. Gero's face twisted into one of contempt for his adversary.

"Regardless of whatever trick you have conceived, I can assure you," Twenty started as the world around them burned. "Android 19 and myself will be more than capable of dealing with it. Nineteen, destroy this one. We were designed to destroy you. Our data on your file, all of your techniques and secrets, is more than sufficient to stop…"

The fires around them seemed to go quiet a moment later, it was as if everything was hushed. Sensor readings started to become erratic as the skies above seemed to darken. It was as if it was heralding some great, ancient evil, that Android 20 didn't fully understand, or wanted, to understand. The ground in front of them cracked into a small fissure as the intense inferno behind the warrior himself seemed to just… die… smothered by the force of the ki which now whipped through the streets. Burnt bodies were revealed in the rubble, having recently been kindling for the fires 20 had set.

The rumbling only got worse before 20 took a step back, his ire only growing before he looked to the others, all of them poised to enter the fray as well.

Perhaps I have miscalculated.

When Goku roared, it echoed out over the ruins of Amenbo Island before a golden light covered him, his hair arching up and flaring into gold. It was remarkable, his sensors couldn't even begin to calculate what was happening. This technique hadn't been listed. As far as he could tell, this form had enhanced Son Goku's strength substantially. The question was how much, and so far, his sensors told him there was no immediate cause for concern.

"Everyone, stay out of this," Goku remarked, cracking his knuckles as he began to walk forward. "I want to see if these things are as strong as everyone says they were."

"A fascinating turn of events, but you and your compatriots are hopelessly outmatched. Android 19 will demonstrate the futility of your efforts by destroying you, I will not intervene."

Here, on the scorched wasteland of Amenbo Island, the successors to the Red Ribbon Army and Doctor Gero, would meet the monster that had destroyed the true future for so many. Though 20 couldn't help but see his android 19, even if never designed as such, as the avenging Angel, coming to strike down the devil he saw before him. The narrowed harsh amusement written on the devil's face was unnerving, even for him to see. What was more unnerving, was this monster's grin as it extended across his lips, filled with delightful amusement.

He was looking into the eyes of the devil that killed his son.

A devil which was now laughing.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Author's Notes:

I really wanted this to be mostly from Gero's perspective. I thought it'd be interesting if Turles was every horrible thing he imagined Son Goku to be. Just some battle driven bastard who didn't care about who he hurt, though of course, Goku cares a great deal. "Goku" on the other hand, certainly doesn't, lol. Turles doing nothing to stop the destruction, save Yamcha, or save the people of Amenbo island felt very fitting as well. He's not there for them, even if Gohan or others would want him front and centre to stop that, it's just not in his interests.

It also highlights that Turles from the outside perspective is still quite the total bastard. Next chapter's going to be very much in the Raditz perspective. We've got some fun coming up with our long-haired friend.

Also, I enjoy the idea that Bulma's grown more of a spine again, though her values have changed. I think in the show, Bulma's really always been on Team-Goku and company, even when she was with Vegeta. I think she always thought Vegeta would come around. In this particular case, as she's found herself again, I think she's on team Vegeta, before anyone else.

I think there is only one short chapter on the run up to Chapter 90. Everything else is approximately the same size as this chapter, ranging between 17-22 pages. So, there is a lot of meat coming up. I do have up to Chapter 90 written, there are some tweaks I'm doing here and there, but its mostly set in stone, with me working on Chapter 91. I just hope everyone enjoys it. I've put a lot of work into this section. Also, Chapter's 87 and 89 are super great, in my humble opinion.

Right now, I'm just trying to work out the logistics of how to write everything I want to happen. Lol

Also, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine there would be so much support recently for The Catalyst when I jump started it a little over a year ago. I'm really happy hundreds of people are enjoying it, so props to all of you!

The Long Road is going to get similar treatment as The Catalyst in April, but in the meantime, there will be an update this month once I get Chapter 80 sorted out. Ideally, I wanted to get up to Chapter 92 written first before touching on it, depending on how fast I write, maybe chapter 93-95. I've got a timeline in my head for when I was to get all of this done. After that, we'll be having another update in March. I really want to get The Catalyst written for as long as I can while I still have a huge inspiration for it though. :)

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Reviewers:

Perfect Carnage: And it will continue to be so!

Blades of Fury: Dr. Gero, most definitely does not know about Turles.

Super Mystic Gohan: He's got a few moments in the 80's, but Raditz's time to shine is coming up in the 90's. I really can't wait for it.

Ultimate Savior: I'm bad and posting more consistently? I'm hurt dog! Lol.

Pyromania101: I thought it was clever, lmao.

Thomas-The-TMC: You're going to love Chapters 86 and 87.

Guest: It's still not detectable.

Kacarrot: It's a life my friend, lol. I still paint a bit, so fear not :P

Mouse From Hell: I actually think Turles is in the long run, just due to the themes of The Catalyst, may have a better arc in some ways than TLR Gohan. I don't think Turles is as mistake prone as Gohan is. Gohan relapses sometimes, where is Turles is just too manipulative and calculating to slip up as often as Gohan.

Luke: No one did in the series, why would they now? Lol

ThePowerFullkira: Sadly no, I'm not sure people would want that. I'm also terrible for spoiling upcoming things, so people would definitely not want that XD

Guest2: There is so much here, but so many spoilers if I answer! Turles went full villain mode when he confronted the Androids. I even loved how he let Yamcha, Tien, and Krillin be bate, rather than hunting for the other Androids himself, lol.

KagariAsuha: They just hated him being an asshole in Goku's outfit, lol.

Guest3: Oh, The Catalyst alliance is definitely starting to fray. The Colds don't trust Garlic, because he's immortal, and Garlic increasingly doesn't trust Piccolo. They're advancing far enough that they're all feeling that they might not need one another. You almost called it for Turles's behaviour, outside of him using the other fighters to flush the Androids out.

Anon-Sama: I wish I was more comedically inclined, but Turles himself is just too spiteful towards Goku to be truly funny. All he could really do is offend people. Lol

Transformers G1's-Prime: Things are gonna get bad as the story progresses on. Just wait to see what's coming up in the 90's chapters… it's gonna be so good.

Guest4: Yea, I thought it was funny when Piccolo called him out.

TheItchyCocoon: Dr. Gero's want to see Goku as a monster has blinded him from the truth, lol.

DarkFalconZ: Who would betray Turles?! Lmao

Anon: You're going to love Chapter's 86 and 87. Lol