An alarm sounded off on Bulma's phone, breaking her from a deep sleep.
It was 6:30 a.m. and it was already the making for another beautiful day. Next to the bed, Bulla rocked in a bassinet. She was a good sleeper—much like her dad—and Bulma sat there for a moment soaking in the peacefulness of her baby. She loved being a mom, even if it meant sharing a permanent connection to Vegeta.
Despite herself, she loved him. It was hard to admit that. The others didn't know him like she did, and if they did, they might grant him a little more grace and patience. Instead, they looked at her like she was crazy for giving him a chance. When he kissed her that first time, it took her entirely off guard. They were standing there in the lab and he was in a stereotypically bad mood. It wasn't unusual for the two to engage in shouting matches at one another, but on that day he seemed particularly on edge.
When she refused to fix the battle drones she had made for him, he cracked. He rushed up to her, swung her around and hung his face a mere inches from hers. Inside her chest her heart was pounding, her face now flush, and she forced herself to take a single, lingering breath. He was speechless. As he looked into her eyes, his expression changed from fury to fascination and he touched her face, gently stroking a thumb across her throbbing cheek.
It's not that it wasn't wanted—after she and Yamcha broke up, she had plenty of fantasies about what it would be like to be pinned underneath his strong arms.
It was just so surreal that he had made such a move on her and that he kept coming back. What was even more surprising was when he would lay there in her bed and share stories about his life. Mostly they were sad stories speckled with what Bulma guessed was his odd attempt at humor. But sometimes the stories were really nice—about his dad, his brother Tarble, what Vegetsai was like in the summertime and the like.
Once, before she found out she was pregnant, he came into the kitchen for a late-night snack and found her drinking coffee and going over lab notes from the day. He placed a gentle kiss on her head before rummaging through the fridge. The man she knew was not the man who got into shouting matches on the lawn, who was disrespectful and mean spirited, or who ruthlessly killed and conquered. He was gentle, misunderstood and incredibly loyal.
Bulla whimpered, and Bulma grabbed the infant. Wrapping her in a blanket, they headed toward the kitchen. When they arrived, she saw the maid and the house cook huddled around the small TV.
"What are you guys watching?" Bulma asked innocently. They cocked their heads, their eyes wide.
"Well…" The maid nervously whispered, realizing that she was supposed to be cleaning and not watching TV. "The news was on...and, well, the broadcast was interrupted because West City's sister station was attacked by terrorists. It's a special news bulletin."
"Do you think it's the same terrorists that attacked Indigo City?" The cook asked.
"I'm not sure," the maid clutched her hands to her chest.
"This just in!" the newscaster crowed. "We've received word the terrorists are going to be making an announcement here shortly. We're going to bring you a feed live from their newsroom once it starts."
The camera shifted to show East City's newsroom. There stood a man and a woman who looked strikingly similar. A few seconds passed, though it felt like an eternity, before the man finally spoke.
"This message is for Goku," the man said as the woman sternly looked on. "We are coming to find you, and if you don't show yourself, we will destroy this entire city."
The cook and the maid slowly careened their head to look at Bulma. She, too, was in shock and her eyes were glued to the TV. Both staff members knew Goku. Throughout the years they had served him and his family while they visited Capsule Corp. Plenty of strange things happened around the compound, so they were never really surprised to hear the misadventures the Briefs family found itself in. But now they were being associated with terrorists, and it was nearly impossible to ignore how terrifying that was.
"Miss Bulma?" The cook managed to squeak out. "Do they mean...your friend Goku?"
She didn't respond, instead thrusting her child into the hands of the unsuspecting maid and quickly exiting the kitchen across the lawn to the lab. Rushing to her office, she sped past Chi-Chi who was looking worse for wear.
"Bulma!" Chi-Chi gasped, her hand grabbing Bulma's arm as she passed. "Have you seen Gohan?"
Bulma ignored her friend and continued her path to Goku's rejuvenation chamber with Chi-Chi hot on her tail. As she turned the corner into her lab, she spied Goku suspended in the chamber, which was humming away in its own little world.
"Are you listening to me?" Chi-Chi snapped. "I can't find Gohan anywhere!"
"He's a big boy, Chi-Chi," Bulma said as she looked at the vital stats for Goku. "He'll be fine."
"There are deranged androids out there trying to kill my husband!" Chi-Chi shrieked. "He will not be fine!"
"Speaking of that…" she sighed. Before she had a chance to finish, her father emerged from the entryway.
"Oh, good morning Chi-Chi! How are you-"
"Listen old man!" Chi-Chi shoved Dr. Brief's into a wall. His coffee cup slipped from his hand, shattering into thousands of little pieces as it hit the tiled floor. "Do you know where my son is?"
"Hey, calm down!" He squeaked. "I think I might know, but you'll have to release me for me to tell you!"
She dropped the grip from his shoulders, but her sour face remained.
"Well?!" She hissed. Dr. Briefs adjusted his glasses.
"Last night, Bulla came to me and asked me about Gero," he said matter-of-factly. "I told her where to find the RRA compound, and I saw her and Gohan take off in that general direction."
A vein popped out of Chi-Chi's head. Her face was becoming an alarming shade of red, and Bulma braced herself for an onslaught of fury.
"They did what?!" Her face fell and shifted from rage to desperation. Her knees buckled and she fell to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably while she buried her head in her hands. Dr. Briefs instinctively went to console her, and even Bulma turned around from Goku's rejuvenation chamber to lovingly place a hand on her friend's back.
As they waited for her to calm down, Bulma heard what sounded like a giant air bubble release from the chamber. When she turned her head, she saw Goku's big, dark eyes staring back at her.
It didn't take long to get Goku out of the chamber. All his wounds from his fight with 17 were completely healed, and he seemed to be like his old self again. After showering off the chamber's thick, curative solution and eating what seemed like 100 plates of food, he was smiling and talking to the others. Krillin had woken up too and was filling Goku in on what had happened over the past few days he had been incapacitated.
As Krillin spoke, Goku suddenly lost his appetite.
"And Yamcha and Tien—they went to investigate a huge drop of energy," Krillin said nervously. "But they never came back."
"Maybe they got caught up with the androids," Goku reasoned. "But we know Vegeta and Bulla are out there too, so hopefully they've managed to find one another."
"That's the other thing," Krillin's voice fell. "According to Gero, there's an even worse monster coming for us—and possibly for them."
Goku looked stunned. While he hadn't been able to exercise his full power against 17, he knew they were well matched. Factor in a second fighter of his caliber and strength—his twin sister—that was already making for a tough battle. He couldn't imagine what Gero's third monster would be like.
The cook peered out from the kitchen, his hands shaking as he watched the group eat. Goku rubbed his chin and tried to think of a plan of attack.
"How can you be so calm?!" Chi-Chi cried. "Your son is out there right now doing who knows what, and you're just sitting here not doing anything!"
"Chi-Chi, I'm thinking," he said. "I know what I'm up against, and now I have my entire strength back, but that doesn't mean I can just rush in there without knowing what's going on with everyone else. And Gohan is a skilled fighter, wherever he is, I'm sure he is doing fine!"
As if on cue, Gohan appeared in the kitchen archway.
"Dad!" his voice sang. "You're okay!"
Goku stood up to greet his son, but not before Chi-Chi launched herself at him. She let out a shriek and rushed over, putting her hands on her son's face.
"Where did you go?" As she spoke, Gohan tried to wiggle his way out from her grasp. "And where...where is that irresponsible girl that took you!"
Bulma huffed at her friend, but Chi-Chi ignored it. Gohan pulled out a book from his training gi and handed it to Bulma. She turned it over in her hands, looking up inquisitively at Gohan.
"Bulla and I went to investigate Gero's lab," he said. Bulma raised her eyebrows.
"Wait," she stammered. "You actually found it?"
"Yes," his face became serious. "It was on the RRA compound, hidden deep underground."
The group hung on every one of Gohan's words as he described Gero's lab. Bulma flipped through the journal as Gohan spoke, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she tried to make out exactly what Gero was writing about. As her mind wandered, she looked up and listened to Gohan describe the strange things they found at Gero's. It was then she realized that Gohan was alone.
"Where's Bulla?" Bulma cut Gohan off mid-sentence.
"Well, see, before we actually got into Gero's lab, Vegeta came and confronted us."
"And?" Bulma pressed. Gohan let out a nervous laugh.
"Gosh, well, um," he searched for the right words. "They had a bit of an...altercation...and he went off looking for the androids. When we came outside about an hour later, she felt his ki spiked and went to go check it out. She told me to head here."
"So she and Vegeta are out there fighting the androids alone—again?" Bulma gulped. It was bad enough having one person in the family who was so fearless they would willingly put themselves in harm's way but knowing her daughter had inherited that trait too gave her anxiety.
Goku stood up, tightened the belt on his gi and walked toward his son. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he gave him an earnest smile.
"That settles it, then," Goku said. "Let's go find them and help."
"No!" Chi-Chi cried. "You can go, but Gohan stays here!"
"Aw, c'mon Mom," Gohan pleaded. "I don't want to stay here."
"Yeah, Chi-Chi," Goku seconded. "We really need him for this fight."
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she knew it was no use protesting. As long as she had known Goku, there was no convincing him that he didn't need to take part in a fight. She hung her head, threw her hands down to her side, and without saying a word nodded. With Krillin and Gohan holding on, Goku searched for Vegeta's energy. Just as quickly as he had come back, he was gone once more.
When the trio appeared on the battlefield, they found a bloodied Bulla hovering over her father but still suspended in air. Her face was stern as she looked on toward the east. Across the field were the androids, looking slightly battered and confused. They, too, were looking over toward the horizon, a scared and quizzical look on their faces.
As soon as his presence was felt, though, all eyes turned to Goku.
"Goku!" 18 shouted.
When he heard her voice, he was taken off guard. This wasn't the vicious killer he had met outside his house just a few days ago. Something had changed about her. She was more fearful, more desperate.
17 whipped his head around to look at him.
"I'm here now," Goku said calmly. "Your reign of terror can come to an end."
Whatever Goku was expecting, it certainly was not what he got. 17 broke his gaze, instead turning his eyes back to the east. Goku focused on the energy—he could feel it too. It was the mass extinction that Gohan had told him about.
"Can you feel that too?" 17 asked Goku, a sincerity in his voice that stunned the fighter.
"The energy drop?" Goku responded. 17's eyes bulged.
Most of his life 17 had been conditioned to be unafraid. He was trained to believe he was superior, capable of defeating even Earth's strongest warriors. But he was never delusional enough to believe it would be easy. So when the girl talked about the energy drop and the strange monster, he thought it was a bluff to throw him off his game.
But Goku felt it too and seemed equally as confused as the others. 17's mind raced: Goku was right in front of him now—steps away from being pulverized, his mission near completion—but something was holding him back.
"Do you know what it is?" His voice quivered slightly.
"I know what it is," A voice rang out from above. The androids stood motionless. "It's Cell."
The voice belonged to Piccolo, his cape whipping in the wind and his arms crossed. While everyone searched the Earth for a possible explanation, Piccolo, Tien and Yamcha managed to find the group. As they descended from the air, 17 gritted his teeth.
"Ah, Piccolo," he snarled. "Right on time I see."
Bulla, too, came down. The Z fighters had now slowly congregated together and were gingerly closing the gap between their android foes and themselves, still ready for a fight.
"I told you I would be back," Piccolo said coldly. "But I see you took it upon yourselves to create more chaos."
"I never promised you I would be good while I waited," 17 glared.
"I'll give you a chance to change your ways," Piccolo said, his voice becoming increasingly more serious. "That energy drop over there was caused by a monster named Cell. He absorbs energy and uses it to give himself power—he was created by Gero."
Piccolo studied 17 and 18's faces. While they remained motionless, he could see behind their eyes that they were beginning to worry.
"He's even stronger than you," he continued. "I've fought him myself."
"You're lying," 18 interjected, her voice shaking. "I've never seen such a monster."
"You mean to tell me that all those years you spent in Gero's lab, you never knew he was making another creation?"
"I…" 17 stammered. "I never saw anything like that."
"There were months that he would force us to hibernate," 18 explained. "There was a lot of time we didn't know what he was doing."
"He's Gero's monster," Piccolo reiterated. "He can suck the life energy out of people—he did it to me. He will try and do it to all of us—including you. But if you team up with us…"
The revelation sent a shockwave through all parties. There were mass extinction events happening—mass extinctions of humans. Bulla's mind immediately went back to the strange drawings she saw. The word "CELL" written in all capital letters; the strange human-like monster sketched onto the page in a thick, dark ink.
"He was in the back of the lab," Bulla gasped. "In the very back, in that long corridor."
She remembered as she and Gohan filed through all those shelves, digging through the front, and making their way back through that long, dark hallway. That's where Gero's journal was—and that's where she spied another pod like the others in the front, shrouded by darkness.
"How do you know that?" 18 clamored. "How do you know what Gero's lab looks like?"
"I was just there," Bulla admitted. "I saw it."
18 couldn't believe it. How had she found the hideout so easy?
"Liar!" 17 shouted defiantly.
"Join us," Piccolo intervened. "Fight them, not us. Stop your needless campaign of chaos."
17 shifted uncomfortably. He looked over at his sister, then back to Piccolo, before desperately trying to relax his face. 18 moved closer to her brother. While she knew he would never consider abandoning their mission, part of her wanted to. For the past few days, she had become hyper aware of her temporariness, of her position as a tool for a vengeful man to use and discard as he pleased. And while she once took pleasure in destruction, right now on the battlefield it made her stomach twist and turn. The thought of her own death painted the blood of the innocent people she had killed on her hands and it was something that no matter how hard she tried she could never unsee.
"What are we going to do?" She whispered to her brother.
"Gero is going to kill us," his voice was steady. "He has no intention of giving us our freedom."
18 stayed silent. He was right, and she knew it. Their insolence during this mission had proven to be a fatal mistake, and Gero was not going to let them live. But what confused her was the fact that he could've easily destroyed them hours ago when they were back in the lab. He had the power to subdue them, he had guns and weapons that could destroy them-she knew this because he had shown them to her. Now suddenly he was passively allowing them a chance at clemency. There was something else at hand, something she couldn't put her finger on. She suspected it had something to do with Cell's power of absorption.
"What will it be, androids?" Piccolo asked once more.
"I will kill Goku," 17 seethed. "Then I will kill you, too."
