I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. Nor do I own any legal imprinting of whatever theme I'm using, such as a crossover with another anime, movie or TV series. Did I think it up? Yes. Was I the first to think it up? Probably not, but I digress. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just the merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.
Chapter 4: The New Models
Verto opened the door, finding a huge round room with red tiling and yellow lighting. It was a large atrium of some side that extended up at least ten floors before becoming dome shaped. Scattered above were a few catwalks that became simple ledges, as if they were just cut off and left hanging. The Satsus slowly followed him and were barely in when the door was promptly crushed by a thick piece of metal sliding into its place. Marcus was scared out of his shoes as the metal had stripped his backpack clean off but without actually harming him.
Verto smirked at this, "I guess the trap is sprung."
Marcus, still cringing from his near-hit, was incensed, "Sorry if we don't feel so calm about it! We need to get out of here, so do your stupid light beam trick and make us a hole!"
Verto held up one finger, "Be patient detective, no rash actions or we could all be in hot water."
"That's what he always says," Marcus grumbled as he glanced at Sonny.
"Well, it's good advice," Verto said with a nod.
Sonny looked at both of them, "I gotta be honest, I'm going to side with my cousin here. I'm ready to leave."
"Well at least one of you has a brain, I was wondering," a voice said from the far end. Verto turned and saw the man's large glasses first before looking over the rest of the slim figure. He was silently thankful that he didn't recognize this person, but he knew unknowns were just as dangerous as mortal enemies.
"And you are?" Verto asked with a warning glare.
"Project Director Schultz. I've been waiting for one of your kind to show up. It was earlier than expected. My hat's off to you Detectives, for being more resourceful than we anticipated," Schultz said with a slight bow.
"Save the compliments, what the hell are you people doing here?" Sonny demanded.
"And here you wanted to leave, change your mind already Detective? Well we are improving the human race. That is all you need to know," Schultz said.
Verto cracked his knuckles, "So get on with it then. Turn loose whatever you had planned so I can smash it. I can't imagine you would've stayed here without some sort of backup plan once I got involved."
Schultz frowned, "Aren't we cocky? Well, I mustn't disappoint a captive audience. Come out my friends, and teach this boy a lesson!"
Verto heard a footfall above him on one of the steel beams, prompting him to look up. Three new faces stood there, each on a different catwalk edge. They all appeared to be human, two male and one female. The first man had sandy blonde hair and a short, slender build. The other was quite a bit taller and bulkier, easily in the area of six foot four and two hundred fifty pounds and brown hair. The girl was around the same size as the shorter man but skinny with black hair. With all three, Verto sensed a strong power level, one that was in a constant state of flux.
He tapped the ear piece once and whispered, "Kain, what are they?"
"I am detecting a similar pattern of energy and artificial structure as the prototype models you just destroyed. These are likely a final result of REDIC's experimentation," Kain explained.
Verto's eyes didn't budge from his new targets, "So, they're androids?"
"They are unlike any known design from Doctor Gero or Doctor Wheelo. But I am detecting similar technology from both that are consistent with their previous models. Be cautious sir, these models appear to be stronger than Seventeen and Eighteen," Kain warned.
Verto nodded slightly, "I can sense that much, though I wouldn't think I would be able to."
"As I said, they are not the same as the previous models and their power output is more defined and constant," Kain said. Verto didn't reply and waited for the three to drop down.
"What an excellent opportunity, to see our perfected models against one of you gold fighters," Schultz said in slight excitement.
"Only if they can think for themselves. Otherwise they're just lifeless machines. You won't beat someone like me with that," Verto said.
"Don't be ridiculous. The human mind is far too unstable and rebellious to be trusted with this kind of power. Fear not though, we don't control them directly, but their minds only contain what we want them to have. I assure you that they will predict your every move," Schultz said in confidence.
Verto frowned, "Yeah, I'm sure you think that. Let's get on with it."
Schultz held his hand up and gestured towards Verto, prompting all three new androids to drop out of the rafters and descend all at once. Verto smirked and phased out as they arrived, causing them to nearly collide with each other. Verto reappeared in the air and fired an array of Ki blasts at the trio. The smaller male and female models jumped out of the way while the larger one stood in place and tensed up. A bubble of blue energy burst to life around him, forming a protective shell and causing Verto's blasts to explode harmlessly. The other two androids landed next to him on either side, with all eyes on Verto for his next move. A barrier. Maybe they want to fight defensively, which will draw this out. I need to strike hard and fast, which means I need to step this up a notch from the very start.
"I hope you're not frustrated already," Schultz said.
"I was wondering, what are their names?" Verto asked.
"The girl is Ashlynn, the smaller boy is Graham and the big guy is Xin…why?" Schultz asked.
Verto's blue aura came to life and sent his hair into a brief frenzy, "Just wanted to know what to put on the gravestone at the junk yard!" The entire room shook from the sudden power eruption but it was fairly subtle otherwise despite a few sparks of Ki that danced off his body.
The female android, Ashlynn, stared at this as her cold blue eyes lit up red for a moment, "His energy output has increased dramatically."
Graham nodded, "It is enough to cause us harm, but if we work together…"
"We will crush him," Xin finished for him. Ashlynn then flew upwards and landed on one of the ledges, staring down at them.
Verto smirked, "So you three can talk, you're just mostly mindless zombies. And about that whole 'crush' thing, you're in for trouble. Maybe you should all go grab a few socket wrenches and…" Xin suddenly rushed towards Verto head on, trying to take his head off with one punch. Verto ducked just as the large android arrived, countering with a quick jab at his midsection. Xin's right knee came up swiftly to block it blindly, surprising the teenaged half-Saiyan.
Verto glanced up just as Xin looked down, He countered that blind? Looks like they can sense more than just power levels. Xin's right leg dropped just as his left kicked up towards Verto. The smaller warrior back-flipped just in time to avoid the blow, but another android slammed into him from above. Verto was only on the ground for a second before he was up and brawling with the smaller male android Graham. Graham proved to be faster than Xin and was able to block and deflect a very quick flurry of punches and kicks from Verto quite easily. After a few seconds, he backed off just as a big shadow blocked out the light from above. Verto realized that it was Xin and phased out quickly to avoid being flattened. Xin landed hard on the metal floor, grinning slightly for a moment until he saw it was only floor beneath him. Verto reappeared high above with his arms folded, hovering nearly eye to eye with the Ashlynn, who had yet to participate. She didn't appear to be too eager to fight, but it was hard to tell with the cold, emotionless expression she gave off.
Verto grimaced, So far just the two have attacked. She must be in place to cover any possible escape.
"Surrender. We know everything about you and your fighting skills," Ashlynn declared.
"Sure you don't," Verto remarked. He phased out and charged her from the rear. Ashlynn spun and caught the first punch almost instinctively before jumping back and dropping down to the lower floors. Verto started to chase, but was quickly intercepted by Graham, who blocked his way. Verto used his speed to misdirect his movement, suddenly approaching behind Graham instead. His punch towards Graham's neck was blocked with a no-look palm, as if Graham knew exactly what was coming. Verto followed this up by a strong kick to the side, which Graham caught with a hand stretched out to catch Verto's ankle at just the right time. Verto wasn't sure what to make of this and backed off, allowing Graham to turn and face him.
They're blocking attacks without even seeing them. Can they predict my movements that well that they don't need to see them? No, their senses can't be that good, not at this level. They might be anticipating it, but I had my choice of where to attack. The logical choice might be the head or neck and then the body, but I could've easily hit somewhere else. I'll have to change it up some…
His thoughts were interrupted when Xin charged up towards him from below and he was forced to evade. As Verto dodged, Graham phased out, slamming a kick into Verto's back and sending him flying into a wall. His motion had barely stopped when Xin's whole body smashed into him, leaving a large indention. Xin pulled Verto out by the head and threw him towards the ground. Verto flipped up in mid-air and fired a quick Ki beam straight up. Xin avoided it easily before it sailed through the ceiling, blasting a small hole into it. As Verto was channeling, Graham appeared and speared him out of the air with a hard tackle. Graham pulled him down further by the leg and sent him tumbling out of control. Xin quickly dropped down and buried his large boots into Verto's back just as he hit the ground, breaking partially through the metal flooring. Xin got out of the fresh hole and grinned slightly as Verto lay prone and unmoving. He then set his sights on Marcus and Sonny, who were more than a little concerned at this point.
"Shit, that can't be good if he got beat already," Marcus said.
"C'mon kid, get up!" Sonny encouraged. Graham landed next to Xin and glanced over Verto before stepping towards the detectives.
Schultz chuckled, "Excellent work my friends. It seems not even the strength of our resident aliens can match yours. I want the boy alive, we have no need for the detectives though."
Graham nodded, "Understood." He kept moving towards the panicking Satsus until he was about ten feet away. Graham suddenly turned and looked back at Xin, whose eyes widened. He dropped to his knees just in time to miss a golden blade of light swing over his head. Xin scrambled forward before turning to see Verto flying right at him with his Ki Sword held in swinging position. Xin stopped and glided left just as Verto swung from the right, causing him to miss narrowly again. Verto scowled at this and stopped, turning and charging a massive Ki blast instead. He caught sight of Graham jumping up and attempting to sneak by above him again and changed targets. He glanced up just in time to see Graham's positioning and aimed just a bit off center while making the blast much bigger and firing. Graham flew straight up to avoid the deadly ball of Ki, only to realize that he wasn't the target as it sailed towards Ashlynn. Xin glanced up and shot off the ground to intercept it, arriving just in time to use his barrier to dispel the blast.
Verto saw this and took note, Why did he feel the need to block that? She had more than enough time to attempt to dodge at least. She should be fast enough if she can block my hits, if the energy I'm sensing is correct. They all feel the same though so it's hard to tell. Based on that action, not only are their roles different, but their individual abilities must be as well. The big guy is obviously the front man and the other is the speed and distract type. So what is her role? Once the smoke of the blast cleared above, Xin and Graham dropped towards the ground again, ready to continue. Ashlynn remained in the same spot, eyes fixed on Verto.
Verto's earpiece lit up and beeped slightly before he pressed it, "What is it Kain?"
"Sir, I am detecting a strange signal emanating from all three enemies. They seem to be both transmitting and receiving this signal," Kain said.
"Any idea what it's for? Maybe some kind of control mechanism?"
"That does not appear to be so sir. It seems to be similar to brainwave patterns."
Verto's eyes widened, "Brainwave patterns?"
"Yes sir. That is the closest type of signal that it could be. I will attempt to decipher it and contact you when I succeed."
"Alright stay on it. Try to figure out how to disrupt it if you can," Verto said as he tapped the earpiece off as the pair of Graham and Xin landed and stepped towards him, with Ashlynn remaining above.
Verto cast a quick eye up towards her before staring a hole through the other two, Okay, she's staying out in a lookout and backup role at the very least. It's probably more than that though, let's see.
Verto charged his palm with golden Ki before jumping up and quickly firing several blasts towards Ashlynn. Because of the speed of the blasts, neither partner were able to intercept them. Ashlynn finally jumped off the ledge and flew upwards, narrowly avoiding the explosions just behind and below her. A generous amount of dust and smoke obscured her position, causing Graham to back off while Xin took point. Verto noticed this strange motion but didn't have time to analyze it as the larger Xin was coming straight at him. He spun as Xin punched and missed, leaving his back open. Verto quickly jumped at the chance and buried a kick into the android's back, sending the big man flying.
Verto winced slightly as his leg pulsed with a dose of surprising pain, Damn, what are these things made of? Graham suddenly flew into him from behind, but Verto was able to hear him coming and threw him over his shoulder, straight into Xin and knocking them both down.
Verto took note, So, looks like they can't completely anticipate my moves. Still, it wasn't any maneuver that was all that hard to read despite the power gap. Must have been a lucky coincidence that they stopped me before. Above, the smoke cleared enough to see the female android Ashlynn, who was once again perched on a ledge, staring down at Verto. Xin and Graham slowly untangled themselves from their own personal pile, with the larger one looking frustrated. Xin made a beeline for Verto once he was up. Verto met him halfway, only to have his initial punch countered perfectly. Xin stopped it with his palm before snatching onto Verto's forearm and heaving him high into the air. As soon as Verto flipped around, Graham phased in and smashed into him from behind with both hands, stunning him and sending him back to the floor. Xin was waiting there with his arm drawn back. He let loose a ferocious blow that sent Verto flying into the wall again with frightening speed. He slowly pulled himself out of the dent he made before a sudden barrage of energy blasts stormed in from above. Smoke, rubble and fire clouded everyone's view for the moment, and the Satsus were getting more than a little concerned. Once the blasting stopped, Verto's power surged and blew away all the smoke. He emerged with a bloodied chin and ripped clothing, but otherwise only looked a little dirty.
He spat out a bit of blood from his mouth and tapped his earpiece, "Got anything yet Kain? I'm not getting very far with these things. Too much longer and I'll have to start getting serious."
"My apologies sir, my scanners are not as attuned as your senses," Kain said in his monotone robotic voice but with a hint otherwise.
Verto's eyes narrowed, "Was that sarcasm?"
"It was not intended."
A brief burst of lightning came off Verto's body, "I'll be the sarcastic one. Now what do you have?"
"I have determined that the signal I detected is very close to that of brainwave patterns and that only the female android is sending them. The other two are the recipients."
Verto's eyes narrowed, "What kind of advantage is that?"
"Working together like this allows them better coordination, less decision time and faster reactions. They would then have a process of dividing up duties and roles, potentially shared senses…"
Verto stopped him there, "Wait, shared senses? As in vision and hearing?"
"That would be one relevant example sir. Their sense of smell would also be greatly improved. Since these signals are being transmitted almost instantly, they can react to any move you make with much less time. Even if they are weaker than you individually, they could defeat you with this method if you do not disable them in the correct order," Kain explained.
"So that's why they were able to block my attacks without looking before and why they've been protecting her. When she was out of sight, they had a much harder time. Alright I've got it now, she goes first," Verto said as he focused on Ashlynn.
"I suggest a diversion sir, one that will cloud their optic sensors," Kain reminded. Verto then gave Xin and Graham a long stare down while he could hear Schultz chuckling a bit in the corner.
"Surrender boy, it's only a matter of time now," he taunted.
Verto smirked, "You got that right." He quickly fired a blast directly at Schultz, but Xin was quick to step in front to shield the director. The blast stopped short and detonated off the floor amongst one of the fresh craters. This in turn kicked up more dust, smoke and debris. Verto fired several more shots near the same area, before turning towards Graham, who had flown up to avoid the bursts of Ki and had stayed in sight momentarily. The entire area filled with thick smoke, obscuring everyone's view.
Once the area was sufficiently covered, Verto turned towards the Satsus even though he couldn't see them, "Don't move!"
Schultz laughed, "Is that supposed to scare me? Xin is right here to guard me, and you won't get through him easily, as you already know!"
"Too bad he can't see me right now," Verto boasted.
Schultz was undeterred by this, "Even you know that sight isn't everything boy. Xin can detect the slightest movement and vibrations in the air in a fair distance around him. And as long as he is on guard, you won't get past him!" Just as Schultz finished speaking, the smoke filled room lit up with gold before a large blast sailed towards Xin. The large android focused his barrier and stopped the blast easily, dispersing the lower part of the smoke cloud momentarily before it filled back in.
"Ha! You see?" Schultz declared loudly. Loud sounds of a scuffled sounded before an even louder snap-hiss rung through, followed by a garbled feminine scream, and a distinct clang of metal on metal.
Schultz squinted to see much more than a few feet in front of him, "What was that? Graham, report!"
"Unknown, lost transmission signal, reconnectinnnnngggggg….." Another loud hissing sound filled the air and Graham's robotic voice ceased transmission much more than a mild warble.
Schultz's eyes widened, "Graham! Ashlynn! Report now!"
"Don't bother, you won't get an answer from those two," Verto said from a short distance away. Another bright burst of golden Ki lit up the floor before it soared up and shot through much of the remaining roof, disintegrating the top most layers of the atrium. The thick smoke followed the blast upward, revealing the aftermath of what had just occurred. Schultz felt a distinct shiver crawl up his spine when he saw Ashlynn's metallic head a few feet away on his right, and her body in the middle of the crater. Graham's body was laying towards the left of Ashlynn's, split cleanly in half from head to legs. Both halves were spread apart and sparking frequently on the left side of the atrium. Verto stood in front of the Satsus with his golden Ki Sword buzzing in his right hand, giving the director and Xin a confident smirk.
"Two down, one to go. What's your play big guy?" Verto asked.
Schultz looked impressed, "Very clever kid, using a smoke screen to negate their visual advantage. Tell me, how did you figure it out so fast?"
Verto kept his smirk, "Secrets aren't secret anymore if you tell someone."
"Hmph, well either way, it seems we underestimated your skills. Fortunately we didn't underestimate your strength. Xin alone can handle you. I bid you farewell," Schultz claimed.
Verto frowned, "Now you're going to run? And you're wrong by the way. Your big man will be scrap metal very soon. If those other two pathetic models are any indication, I'd give him about ten seconds, if that."
Schultz smiled, "We'll see who is wrong, kid. We had a contingency plan in case one of you showed up and proved to be difficult to handle. Xin, initiate protocol number thirteen!"
Xin hunched down slightly, "Acknowledged!" He leapt to the center of the room, near where Verto was, but missed by several feet and landed a little off balance. His upper arms and shoulders trembled, as if they were strained to their maximum effort. Xin suddenly ripped off his black shirt as he turned around, revealing a large, metallic hole opening up on his torso. Verto's eyes narrowed and he jumped back in cautious. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the dead android Ashlynn begin to move slightly, as if her body was made of jumping beans. One of Graham's halves also began to shudder before a small round object barely the size of an orange broke free and floated towards Xin. Another one came out of Ashlynn and Verto's eyes widened in realization. He quickly fired an intense blast at the closest one, Ashlynn's, only to see it drop down and maneuver around until it flew at Xin quickly. Both objects flew into the chest cavity of Xin before it closed up. Xin's body then sparked with fresh energy, quite a bit of which Verto was able to sense with no trouble.
This isn't good, Verto thought. Xin's body trembled for a few more seconds before relaxing, and not showing any other noticeable changes.
Schultz chuckled, "I'll give you credit for trying kid. Too bad you missed when it might have mattered. Although it doesn't, because the extra power core from Graham alone would have enabled Xin to crush you with ease. Now you're really up, what's that river called?"
"Shit creek?" Marcus called out.
"Yes, that's the one!" Schultz replied excitedly. Sonny glared at his brother while Verto's head turned slightly.
"What?" Marcus asked, not earning a response.
Verto's earpiece lit up blue and he tapped it for Kain to speak, "Sir, it appears that the android Xin is designed similarly to Doctor Gero's number Thirteen. However, it does not appear to have the same capabilities. The absorption of the power cores should have enhanced more than just its power supply. I am detecting an unknown metal alloy on the android's outer layers, more so now than before. I am not certain that you will be able to penetrate its armor like you did with the other two."
"How strong are we talking Kain?" Verto asked.
"Like I said sir, the design is similar to android Thirteen. I suspect that the power level is also similar," Kain replied.
Verto scowled, "Only one way to find out." He dropped back and began channeling a strong blue Kamehameha without the words.
"Xin, use your ablative armor, and then bring him back to my lab. Alive is preferred, but do what is necessary," Schultz ordered. He then left the room through a door he has been standing near, though Verto didn't bother to consider giving chase.
"Your best shot, give it to me!" Xin demanded.
Verto smirked, "Let's test your armor first and see if you'll be able to handle my best shot!" He fired the Kamehameha on target and Xin didn't even try to avoid it. The blue beam collided with the tall android and washed over him, dispersing as it did. Verto stopped channeling immediately, Crap. Xin grinned slightly as he stepped forward, unscathed. Verto's aura came on in full before he rushed at the android with a glowing fist drawn back. Xin punched him out of the air with his longer reach, sending Verto reeling backwards and into the hard wall.
Verto spat blood, This is where I really miss my Psi energy. My ability to read and sense movements is half of what it was, if that. He slowly crawled out of the new dent, sore all over from the one hit.
Xin folded his arms and frowned, "Your energy level is insufficient to face me. Either unleash the power we know you have, or die. It is not logical to hold back when you're at a disadvantage."
Verto snorted, "It never is, however I think your information on me is outdated. I'm not as strong as I once was. I gave up my power so I could stay here."
"That is also not logical. I think you are trying to stall and mislead me so that I make a mistake. Rest assured, I will not. Nor will you buy time for any of your friends to come and help you, this facility is shielded from outside contact. Even if your friends could detect your situation, it is unlikely they would be able to do anything about it until it is too late. You should also know that my power will not deplete, unlike your own," Xin claimed.
Verto cracked his knuckles just before he pulled his blue wristbands further up onto his forearm, "I didn't figure it would. I guess this is as good a time as any to cut loose and fight serious. It has been awhile since I did." On the bottom of Verto's wrists were a web of inked-in symbols in a pattern, as if he had tattoos placed there.
Xin didn't appear to be affected by this bold speech, "Not fighting serious? Pardon me, but are you out of your tiny little mind?"
Verto smirked again, "Maybe I am. The real question is are you out of your robotic mind? Or does it function more like a person now? As for me being a little short-sighted, let's see." He tapped the bottoms of his wrists together once before they glowed bright, and he crossed his arms and hunched down slightly.
Xin's eyes rapidly flashed between red and blue, "Energy level rising rapidly."
"You asked for it. I don't want to hear any whining later!" Verto declared. A bright, golden eruption of energy flowed out of his wrists before spreading and expanding outwards to fill his whole body. Soon only the outline of the half-Saiyan could be seen before it was abruptly forced outwards. A golden aura of Ki filled the air and twisted it into a tightly wrapped tornado. The Satsus scrambled to hold their position as the wind that was being generated was pushing them against the wall at an awkward angle. Verto's black eyes flashed to a teal-green hue just before his hair stood on end and switched to gold.
"So, this form. We are familiar with it," Xin claimed.
"Oh I'm not done," Verto declared. Blue and gold Ki lightning arced around his body as his muscles bulged in size, giving him a much fiercer appearance. Verto's aura thickened and flowed more thoroughly, forcing wave after wave of dust and debris in all directions. Xin remained in place as Verto completed the transformation to Super Saiyan Two, though his confidence appeared to have waned a bit. Once the change was complete and the air settled down, Verto slide his wrist bands back down to cover up the still glowing lettering.
"Am I mistaken, or was that some sort of sealed power supply you just tapped into?" Xin asked.
"Something like that, don't see why it matters to you though," Verto said.
"Part of my programming is to document and report any new and strange phenomena that I encounter to further our goals," Xin explained.
Verto stretched his neck slightly, "Better write it down then, because you won't be reporting anything." He phased out and instantly arrived with a knee to Xin's face, stunning the android. Xin was knocked down by the next blow, a spinning back fist. Verto quickly dropped to the ground and unleashed a rapid barrage of powerful punches, each making Xin flinch in apparent pain as his back was filled with punishment. After landing countless blows, Verto finished the barrage with one swift kick that sent the android bouncing off the floor and wall. Xin rebounded once he was in the air, recovering quickly.
Verto glanced over his reddened knuckles, Bastard is still pretty tough. That armor must be specialized for facing an Ascended Super Saiyan's level of power. Xin's torso glowed pink as the hole opened up again, extending outward like a cannon's barrel. More energy waves streamed towards it from all over the android's body. Verto's eyebrow went up in realization as the room lit up with pink light. Xin fired a floor shredding beam that washed over Verto's position before tearing up the metal plating. He shut it off after a moment as fire and debris soared upward as if he had set off a volcano.
Xin remained steady as he looked around for Verto, "I know that was not enough to finish you, come out!" Xin's ears perked up when he heard Verto phase in next to him, but he was unable to block the power kick that slammed into his chest and knocked him backwards.
Verto's fist drew back as he loaded it with golden energy and dashed in for the deciding blow, "Galic Fist!"
Golden light filled the room, blinding all to the effects of the attack. Once it faded, Verto pulled back and floated at the same level as Xin, who was embedded in the wall and covered by smoke. Instead of waiting, Verto charged up another blast and fired, striking the area with perfect precision and exploding. A large object fell away from the area and tumbled to the ground with some of the plating. There, Xin emerged with barely a scratch on his chest plate. He looked a little winded and his remaining clothes were ripped up, along with his hair being completely burned off.
Verto grimaced, He withstood that with no real damage? Hell of an upgrade. Xin scowled at him as he arched back and his torso cannon charged up again. After a few seconds, he fired another powerful shot that spanned across half of the room. Verto was able to dodge out of the way as it tore open another hole in the roof and lit up the night sky. Debris and plating fell to the floor, marking Xin's position. Verto could still sense him and dove down to the near side to attack from behind. When Xin didn't attempt to evade or even move, Verto conjured his golden Ki Sword to go for the kill. He swung into Xin's big neck, only to see his sword stop just short and scatter upon impact. There wasn't much to sense, but Verto could see a slim energy barrier settled over Xin's hardened skin. Damn it.
Xin turned suddenly, trying to catch Verto with a spinning knife hand. Verto ducked down before taking another swipe at Xin's passing arm, getting the same result with his sword. He jumped back and re-entered the dense cloud of smoke and debris that was still around from the ceiling cave in.
Dense armor and an energy barrier, no wonder I'm not doing much damage. I won't be able to slice him up while that barrier is active, and that armor is strong enough to hold up to my strongest physical attacks. I'll have to hold him off and look for a weakness.
He tapped his earpiece, "Kain, did you pick up his energy barrier?"
"Yes sir, it hardens his armor into an impenetrable shell. Might I suggest using your Psionic techniques to combat this android?" Kain said.
Verto smiled meekly, "Wish that was an option, but if it was, he'd be dust already."
"I was unaware of that sir, I shall recalibrate for this tactical error."
Verto rolled his eyes, "Pay attention to what I say out loud then, geez."
"My apologies sir, I thought you might have been bluffing."
Verto's lip twitched in agitation, "When this is over, you and I are going to discuss following my lead. Can you find me a weakness?"
"I shall try sir."
"I think I liked you better when you were trying to kill me."
By this point, the smoke and debris had cleared aside from some falling insulation. As soon as Xin saw Verto motionless, he began charging his cannon again. Verto prepared to move, but realized that the Satsus were directly below him and changed his mind. To draw Xin's fire, he launched several Ki blasts as he glided to the side. Most of them missed, but one struck Xin's arm and ripped it open in a small spot, exposing several sparking wired.
Verto stared at this in confusion, Wait, how did that happen? Xin grew angry at the wound and turned to aim at the unmoving half-Saiyan. He fired as he turned, making his beam move with his aim, tearing through the metal wall at an alarming rate. Verto jumped up and flipped out of the way as he brought only his right arm back, charging it with green colored Ki.
"Final Shine!" Xin's beam ceased and his energy flashed over his body briefly just before the counter attack from Verto arrived. Xin was swallowed in a small detonation, emerging from it quickly as it dispersed.
Verto's eyes narrowed, "Kain, did you catch that?"
"Yes sir, it appears he must take down his defenses in order to attack with his beam cannon. You will have to attack him at the same time unless you have another way to break that protective shell," Kain advised.
Verto frowned, "And in order to do that, I'll have to get a little risky."
Verto dropped to the ground and stared Xin down while deep in thought, I won't break that armor with the energy barrier in place, not even with my new technique. And he can get that barrier back up quickly when he has to, so even if I lure him into a showdown I may not be able to close the gap in time. And overpowering his attack would also prompt him to get his barrier back up, likely before my beam would then arrive. But since he's at least partially human, he probably thinks like one. His maneuvers haven't been very imaginative, nor has he kept up with my speed. He won't know about my new attack, but I need to stay still to use it and the only way to definitely strike him would be to… Verto double checked the position of the Satsus before gliding a little more to his left and remaining in place. Xin watched him, looking like he was ready for another round.
"So, big ugly, wanna test how powerful you really are? I won't budge from this spot, all you have to do is beat me!" Verto dared him.
Xin immediately started to charge his cannon, "You are a fool! This will be the end of you!"
Verto smirked as he brought his hands up around his face, spreading his fingers slightly, "By the way, how good are your eyes?"
Xin continued charging his cannon, "My optic sensors are functioning within normal parameters. They can see everything you do, including infrared and ultra-violet levels of…"
"Thanks, that's all I wanted to know! Solar flare!" Extreme, bright, white light erupted from Verto's position. Xin cringed as his beam cannon shut off and he instinctively tried to block out the light with his arms.
Both Satsus were blinded as well, with Marcus turning his head, "He didn't say he had a flash bang!"
"That wasn't a flash bang!" Sonny corrected him.
"Feels the same to me!"
Verto smirked as he aimed only his right hand with two fingers held together, supporting his wrist with his left hand as he charged up a vivid burst of golden Ki that flashed with increasing intensity. Small orbs of Ki began to pull into his hand from his body, tracing their paths like blood veins. Xin slowly recovered and saw the attack forming, prompting him to close his cannon and reenergize his barrier.
Verto saw this and grinned wickedly, "C'mon android. Let's finish this. I want to see if you can back up those words. Show me this power you claim to have! Or are you still blind?"
Xin frowned, "You fool! I don't need my full sight to finish this! I will vaporize you!" He pulled his arms down as his barrier dropped off and his cannon began to charge again.
Verto's grin deepened, That's it, take the bait. This is probably going to hurt but it'll be worth it. Xin fired his broad beam before Verto was completely ready, but he still stayed in place.
Just as the pink beam was on him, he finally fired, "Ki Cutter!" Compared to Xin's beam, Verto's barely looked like a thin straight line drawn on paper. From the side view, even the Satsus noticed that Verto's beam was much, much smaller than Xin's.
"The kid is gonna lose!" Marcus claimed.
"Hmmm, I don't think so," Sonny said.
Verto's smaller, condensed beam collided with Xin's larger pink one before tearing right through the middle of it. Verto held on and kept channeling as Xin's larger beam crashing into his whole body, except where his narrow beam was shredding a path. He cringed slightly and shut his eyes while pushing his energy forward. Xin also kept channeling his attack, unaware of the thin golden column of light heading straight for him. Xin suddenly gasped and looked down as his beam faded, revealing the golden blade had pierced right through his body just above the hole his beam cannon emerged from. Verto's Ki Cutter beam had gone right through Xin's body with no trouble like a concentrated laser, sending random bursts of sparks throughout it. Verto, still very sore and wary as Xin's beam finally ceased, motioned his hand up and down at various angles, maneuvering his beam like a carving tool. Xin could only look down in horror as Verto's Ki Cutter beam easily burned a two-inch wide swath through his body as if he were made of butter. He began convulsing violently before his skin glowed red. The explosion that followed shook the entire building, but was contained to a deep crater that spanned over half the atrium. Verto was covered in bruises and reddened skin, but for the most part was not seriously injured. He stood up and sighed as he dropped out of Super Saiyan, letting his hair fall back in place before he looked towards the Satsus.
"Wow, how did you get him?" Marcus asked.
"I used a very concentrated energy attack to cut through him like a laser. His attack masked mine for the most part, but I used the blinding technique beforehand to make sure he couldn't see it completely. Otherwise it might not have worked and this battle might've taken all night," Verto explained.
"Say what?" Marcus asked, confused.
"Since that tin can was based on a human being and fought like one, I knew he wouldn't know that we can make our attacks stronger by focusing our energy. The beam I used was an extreme version of that focusing. He was too busy making his attack bigger in order to guarantee that he hit me. And since he had a special type of armor that was enhanced by an energy barrier, I couldn't destroy him until he dropped that barrier in order to attack. So I lured him in, thinking that he could overpower me," Verto explained further.
"I'm still lost on the barrier thing," Marcus said.
"I think I get it, it's like if you were to use a wooden drill bit on solid rock, you'll only make sawdust. But a hardened metal or diamond one would chew right through it. The kid had to catch him off guard from a distance," Sonny said.
Verto nodded, "In a nutshell, yes."
"I think I'll stick to guns and military training. No offense kid, but I don't do magic tricks," Marcus proclaimed.
Verto snorted, "Your call." Verto then noticed that the backpack Marcus had was missing. "Where's the bag with the detached robot arm?" Verto asked.
"The door caught it when we came in, can't we just get another one from the dead ones in here?" Marcus asked.
Verto glanced over at Ashlynn's unmoving body, "Yeah, but it would've helped to have both." He walked over and summoned his sword, but stopping before he swung down, "On second thought, let's just take the whole thing."
"Ugh, the whole corpse?" Marcus asked in disgust, "I'm not carrying that!" A loud alarm sounded, catching their attention.
"I think that's the cue to go. I'll carry it and fly us all out of here," Verto offered.
"More magic tricks, awesome," Marcus grumbled.
"Stop whining and hold on."
Powerlevels
Android Ashlynn: 75 million
Android Graham: 80 million
Android Xin: 120 million
Super Xin: 300 million
Verto (suppressed): 50 million; powered up: 165 million; SS2: 380 million; Ki Cutter: 420 million