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 6: REDIC
Nightfall covered the skies above Satan City as Marcus Satsu waited upon a rooftop across the street from the REDIC facility. On the ground, numerous security guards armed with rifles and automatic weapons swarmed the area both inside and outside the outer wall. The wall itself was lined with barbed wire, so scaling it was out of the question. Search lights were also moving up and down the towers of REDIC, trying to catch any airborne intruders. Already nervous about the added security, Marcus then spotted a tank rounding the corner and his face fell.
He shook his head in dismay, Looks like we won't be doing this tonight. Last night was probably our only chance… His thoughts were put on hold when he heard a few pairs of feet tap the rooftop behind him. He turned to see Verto and Trunks had landed nearest him.
"Wow, that's a lot of cops!" Trunks exclaimed.
"I think we might be expected," Verto said.
"You think?" Marcus asked sarcastically, "Well they brought plenty of backup, where's ours?" Just as he finished speaking, Krillin and Eighteen dropped out of the sky and landed a few feet away, startling Marcus.
"There," Verto said simply. Marcus eyed the two that he didn't immediately recognize, but soon remembered seeing them at the World Tournament before.
"Don't we need more?" Marcus asked.
Verto glanced over the side again, "Won't be a problem, this might actually be overkill."
"What do you mean might be?" Eighteen asked.
Verto rolled his eyes, "Anyways, Marcus Satsu, this is Krillin and his wife Eighteen."
Marcus stared at Eighteen in confusion, "Why is her name a number?"
"Oh boy…" Krillin muttered.
"Don't start little man," Eighteen grumbled in warning.
Marcus did not take the warning as he should have, "Can she fight like the rest of you?"
Before he could blink, Eighteen had him by the throat, "Are you done asking stupid questions yet? If not, I'm going to drop you off this building, understand?"
Marcus gagged as he nodded, "P-perfectly!"
Krillin held his head as she released Marcus, "Well, we're off to a fine start. Did you two find anything up north?"
Verto shook his head, "No, not even a piece of scrap metal, which pretty much confirms my suspicions from earlier."
"That weird guy Dr. Wheel is behind it?" Krillin asked.
"Wheelo, and yes, that's my guess at this point. He's not alone experimenting on humans as we've seen before. And he has this thing for building defective robots with copied technology, among other things," Verto said in annoyance.
"Sound like a real charmer," Eighteen muttered.
"Whoever is behind all this is a moot point right now! How are we going to get in with all this added security?" Marcus asked with a clearly panicked tone.
"I can think of a few ways," Eighteen said smugly.
The tone of Marcus didn't change, "That doesn't involve blowing shit up and body bags?" Verto tightened his belt and pulled out the scanner, detaching a small earpiece from a hidden compartment on the side and putting it into his left ear.
"Take the scanner Trunks, use it to communicate. I'll distract them while you guys go in," Verto ordered.
"That's fine, but how are you going to get their attention?" Krillin asked.
Verto snorted lightly and jumped off the roof. He dropped to the ground and ran by every single guard he saw on the way inside. Loud alarms and gunfire went off in many of these places before the search lights suddenly went dark. Shortly after that, the tank went flying into the street and landed upside down.
Verto dashed out almost in a slow jog before jumping on top of the tank, "Hey assholes! Come and get me!" Dozens of guards chased after him, exiting the lot and running up the street, leaving only a few left inside.
"I should've known," Krillin said in dismay as a few more cars drove out in pursuit.
"C'mon, there's still a hole in the roof! We can use that to get inside!" Trunks pointed out.
"Back through the chamber of death. Great," Marcus grumbled. Trunks grabbed a hold of Marcus and the group quietly flew through the darkness to the rooftop. Once they entered and landed, Marcus dug flashlights out of his bag and handed them out. The atrium that had seen battle previously was completely dark, save for a few stray emergency lights scattered about.
"So where do we start?" Krillin asked.
"We started on the first floor and had to stop on the second, save for the trip up to this floor. We should probably work our way down this time. I'd rather not run into those robot zombie people again. Or a stray security guard for that matter," Marcus suggested.
"Big brother's got security handled I think," Trunks reminded.
"Hmph, weaklings have no idea what they're up against," Eighteen said.
"No kidding. He's probably done already knowing him," Krillin claimed.
Trunks looked thoughtful, "Well he said he was only going to distract them until we get the information we need and get out. Unless we run into trouble."
"Don't jinx us Trunks!" Krillin scolded.
Marcus nodded fiercely, "I'm with him on that one. I saw more than enough trouble last time. Let's just get this done so my cousin is out of jail!"
Verto nonchalantly jogged down an empty street, glancing back occasionally to see if his pursuers were still behind him. A dozen sets of flashing lights on top of police vehicles answered that, with even more REDIC security guards following either on foot or in their own transportation. He had intentionally led them four to five blocks west before turning one block south and then doubling back. Once he sensed Trunks and Krillin enter the facility, it became a slow stalling game while he waited for the pursuers to catch up. Getting away would've been child's play, but that wasn't why he was there. He was more surprised that they bothered giving chase, but he didn't complain either. They finally caught up when Verto reached the western wall of REDIC again, where numerous security personnel were waiting for him in the T-intersection. He could clearly hearing all of the weapon safeties being clicked off when he stopped in the middle of the street, though there was no order to fire. The police and SWAT officers appeared to be playing cautiously, though the same could not be said about the REDIC security forces. Verto glanced towards the police cutoff line, spotting Lieutenant Reese with a megaphone in hand. He had only seen the man a few times before, so there was virtually no familiarity aside from brief a passing at crime scenes and whatnot.
Reese cleared his throat and spoke as calmly as he could into the megaphone, "Verto Briefs, I ask that you please stand down and surrender. We have you surrounded." Even over the commotion around him, Verto could hear the nervous uncertainty in Reese's voice.
Verto gave him an annoyed glance, "How about no?"
"We will open fire if you do not stand down!" Reese reminded.
"I bet that will go over well, shooting at a kid on national TV. Of course that's assuming your bullets meant anything," Verto said as he folded his arms.
Reese scowled, "Look, we're willing to resolve this peacefully, if you would just come with us."
Verto remained stationary, "If you want to negotiate Lieutenant, you'll do it face to face instead of hiding behind a few hundred firearms. I won't attack unless provoked, you have my word on that."
Reese grimaced as he set the megaphone down and discussed it with a few other officers. He finally waved his men back and stepped forward. As Reese approached, Verto noticed that the REDIC guards were attempting to surround him on all sides, though he wasn't all that concerned about it. Reese motioned for them to back off, to which they merely stopped and stood ready. Despite what appeared to be a brave front, Verto sense Reese's fear dripping off him.
Verto smirked lightly, "Relax Lieutenant, if I wanted to hurt you, there wouldn't be any way your guys could stop me. And we wouldn't be speaking right now."
"Considering what you do to suspects, that isn't very reassuring. You know why we're out here I trust?" Reese asked.
Verto snorted, "Good luck arresting me. You won't take me anywhere that I don't want to go. Something your West City counterparts didn't take into account."
"Well, either way, you won't be entering the REDIC facility for any reason tonight. I fully realize that we probably cannot stop you, but for all those innocent people you killed the other night, I hope you get yours sometime soon," Reese stated with a disgusted tone.
"Oh imagine that, the police getting false information. You're assuming those were people I killed. They weren't," Verto said vaguely.
"They were registered patients according to the records REDIC provided," Reese replied.
Verto quickly realized where this was going, "Records that probably matched your missing person reports. You might want to look at that."
Reese's eyes widened and he lowered his voice, "How could you know that?"
"Sonny and Marcus Satsu. I'm guessing they infiltrated without your knowledge. They called me for help when they ran into those people, but they were no longer human, they were cyborgs," Verto explained.
Reese cast an eye up at the REDIC guards, "Is there evidence of this?"
"Mostly in there I'd imagine, I'm sure they gave you heavily edited video evidence in order to frame me or others. I expected as much. They attacked us like mindless zombies, so they gave me no choice. In fact…" Verto stopped abruptly when he sensed something behind him.
Reese was more aware of who was coming and held up his hand, "Stand down." It was a REDIC security guard with his weapon aimed at Verto's head. When he didn't respond to the Lieutenant, Verto turned his head just slightly so he could see the man out of the corner of his eye.
"I'll say this once, you fire that weapon and you'll wish you hadn't," Verto warned. The guard eased up and lowered his rifle about an inch, and Verto turned back to Reese. When he did, the guard pulled the rifle up and turned it around, showing he intended to strike with the butt of the gun. When Reese reached for his sidearm, Verto reacted. With on simple spin kick he sent the guard flying into the large stone wall of REDIC, which crumbled slightly when he fell to the ground.
Reese holstered his pistol, "Well you did warn him, but why did he…" Reese froze mid-speech when the guard got to his feet like nothing happened. Verto sunk into his fighting stance and scanned the guard's energy much more thoroughly than he would usually do for a human. He sensed an above average energy level, but no obvious emotional state or bloodlust. It was however in a slight state of flux, which Verto recognized.
"Lieutenant, you said you wanted evidence right? Well get a dump truck out here, you're about to get a lot of it," Verto suggested.
"What do you mean by that?" Reese asked.
The REDIC guard ran at Verto with his fist drawn back to attack. Verto wasted no time nor motion when he easily ducked out of the way before jumping and kicked the man hard in the side of his neck. Blood squirted out from the skin as the head tore off. Reese and most of the policemen gasped as the severed head went flying and the body slumped to the ground, exposing sparking wires and a metallic spine. Verto turned to the dozens of REDIC security guards, most of which were glancing at each other nervously.
"Any more questions Lieutenant, or did I prove my point yet? REDIC has been doing this to your missing people. I have no idea if that's really them or just a robot with their skin, but it clearly isn't with their well-being in mind," Verto said as he stared down the mass of security.
"Just like Detective Satsu claimed. Can you tell how many of their security guards are like this?" Reese asked.
Verto glanced over the crowd briefly, "It's difficult to tell when they're clustered together and acting normal. However when they attack like this one just did with no rational reason or even a care for what happens, that's a hint."
"So these robots are being controlled somehow too?" Reese asked.
Verto grinned, "So one of you does have deductive skills. And yes, probably." He then stepped forward, "Listen up REDIC guys. If you value your lives, run. If you're actually a robot in disguise, run faster."
Almost immediately, half of the guards dropped their weapons and backed away. Among those that gave up, several suddenly stopped before the same blank stare washed over their faces and they came forward again.
Verto's eyes widened, So even transformed as cyborgs, they seem to be in their right frame of mind and think for themselves to a point. But there is some sort of control device or mechanism that completely takes over. Verto glanced over at the severed head for a moment before dashing towards it. Once he double-checked the position of the REDIC guards, he held his hand out, which glowed briefly before it produced his golden Ki Sword. He sliced the head down the middle, causing it to split apart. Both sides sparked at him a bit before settling down and allowing him to see inside. There was plenty of metal, circuits and wires, but no sign of any brain tissue or even bone.
Verto stared up at the REDIC guards closing in, Their brains were removed. Sonny mentioned that some of the missing people seemed to have memories and knowledge to think nothing was wrong. So after they're changed, they must be given a basic set of replacement memories to at least appear normal. This is worse than we thought.
Reese stepped up next to him as the REDIC security force slowly lumbered towards them, "Any ideas kid? I mean they look so…normal."
"Well appearances can be deceiving. I suggest you pull your guys back. Conventional weapons won't be very effective on them. Sonny mentioned that EMP grenades worked, but use them sparingly," Verto warned.
"Fine, what are you going to do?" Reese asked.
Verto smirked, "You're still going to need that dump truck." Verto flashed forwards and a half dozen cyborg guards were sent flying suddenly. The scene before him then resembled an angry mob attempting to get at the one person they were after, which filled with dust and flying debris just as quickly. Reese couldn't see what happened, but when various metal parts began to litter the ground, it was rather obvious. Reese sat back and watched a little too long and had to duck when a severed arm came flying at his head. The fingers were still trying to move around despite nothing behind the elbow to command them. Reese picked it up and looked it over, stunned to see the flesh-covered arm up close. A brief shockwave displaced the mob of guards away from Verto, one of which landing next to Reese. It gave him a threatening look before getting up and running towards Verto, who was fending off several at a time. After he had cleared out space, he fired a quick Ki blast, destroying ten at once. The remaining cyborgs stopped for a moment as their eyes flashed. They then moved towards the police line, firing their weapons as they did. This began a brief shootout with the cops, who took cover behind their cars.
Verto's eyes narrowed, Their target has been changed. Whoever is controlling them must be close by to monitor. Verto leapt through the air and landed in front of Reese, who had emptied his pistol in a futile attempt to take a few guards down.
"Get back Lieutenant, I'm going to wipe them all out," Verto declared. Reese nodded as he took the severed arm and ran for the police line. Verto gave him a few extra seconds before his blue aura ignited, brightening the area. The cyborgs all turned to him at once, but Verto was already in motion. His Ki Sword again appeared at his command and he phased out. One by one, numerous robotic heads fell off their corresponding bodies as they slumped to the ground. A few of the cyborgs seemed to know what was happening and fired their guns, but to no avail. In very little time, Verto had moved through the majority of the REDIC group, leaving the ground littered with cyborg bodies. There was one remaining guard near the back, which Verto quickly locked onto. When he ran in fear instead, Verto's sword vanished and he tripped the guard before dragging him back by the leg. The guard clawed at the ground to try and get away but Verto held his leg firm.
"Please don't kill me! I only work for them, I had no idea!"
Verto didn't even break stride, "It isn't me you have to convince." He dragged the man all the way back to Lt. Reese, where he dumped him off surrounded by officers.
"This one is human, for now at least," Verto said as he released the guard.
"How can you tell?" Reese asked.
"Several ways, but the main one is that the only thing abnormal about him is the soiled pants," Verto pointed out.
As the officers handcuffed the fearful guard, Verto turned his attention to the REDIC facility. As he did, he noticed a hooded figure down to the southern end of the compound, where the guards had all been. He sensed a stronger power within this person and was compelled to investigate. He quickly flew down the street and turned the corner, spotting the figure just a few meters away.
"You, who are you? Show yourself!" Verto ordered.
"I thought you'd never notice me. How did you like those experimental hunks of scrap metal?" the figure said.
"I'll assume you're behind this, whoever you are. Take off the hood before I kick your ass!"
"I suppose I can, out of respect for a worthy opponent," the man said as he removed the hood.
Verto's eyes widened, "Doctor Wheelo?"
Back in the REDIC facility, the group was quickly clearing floors from the top down. This was made easy by the fact that there was little to nothing on each floor. Aside from a few stray chairs, power cords and meaningless paper, REDIC had been cleaned out in the areas that were not a part of the damage Verto had done the night before. The group stopped at the second floor lab, as everything above there was more or less falling apart and not easily accessed.
"Looks like they had a hell of a paper shredding session since I was in here last time," Marcus Satsu noted.
"Which means they had something to hide. Obviously they knew that the police wouldn't be able to keep everyone out. Maybe that's who their hiding it all from?" Krillin suggested.
"Except I didn't see any trucks outside to haul everything away, just a lot of security most of the day," Marcus pointed out.
"Well they had to put it all somewhere right? We checked all the upper floors, whatever is left of them that is," Krillin said.
Marcus looked thoughtful, "We passed by where Sonny and I ended up before the kid showed up last night. I think there was a set of elevators marked differently in that area. Maybe they go somewhere else?" Trunks, who had been very quiet on guard, finally pulled out the scanner Verto had given him.
He jumped slightly when Kain's voice came on, "How may I be of assistance sir?"
"Um, just don't blow up the building or trip any alarms I guess," Trunks said, still surprised.
"Miss Briefs reprogrammed me to follow all of your instructions sir, there is no reason to be concerned," Kain explained.
Trunks didn't look relieved, "Okay, then can you tell me if there are any secret areas of the building? We can't find anything."
"Detective Satsu is correct, the second set of elevators should take you to a subterranean area that is nearly the size of the parent facility. My scanners indicate most of the building's power is coming from there, along with a massive energy surge that has been fluctuating for some time now," Kain said.
"Have you been monitoring us the whole time?"
"Correct."
"Why didn't you speak up earlier?" Trunks asked, "And doesn't energy surge mean explosion?"
"You did not ask. And this energy surge is more indicative of a powerful presence, not an eminent detonation," Kain explained.
"What did the talking box say?" Marcus asked.
"He said there's a trap ahead," Eighteen said quickly.
Marcus pushed the button on the elevator, "Figures. Let me guess, we're going to trip it?"
"I take it you've done this more than once before? Well don't worry. With Trunks and my wife here, it's perfectly safe," Krillin claimed.
"Wow, that's supposed to make me feel better?" Marcus said with a discouraging tone.
"No, that was for me," Krillin said.
Marcus grimaced as he entered the elevator once the door opened, "Let's just do this."
They proceeded down several floors before arriving at a distant floor below ground marked 'A'. Trunks quickly realized that he couldn't sense anything above ground anymore and pulled the scanner back out.
"So how far below ground are we?" Trunks asked.
"Approximately fifteen stories sir. There is a strong metal alloy covering the walls and floor that is interfering with my scans and communications," Kain explained as Trunks eyed the walls. They seemed to be made of a dark blue metal, but with little lighting nearby it was difficult to tell.
An unsettled feeling washed over him, "So you can't contact Verto down here?"
"Negative sir."
"That explains why I can't sense him above. Maybe we should go back and get him first," Krillin suggested.
"Hmph, he's keeping that lot up there busy, or did you forget already? But run off if you want, I'm going ahead," Eighteen announced as she stepped forward. Trunks was quick to follow, leaving Marcus and Sonny just outside the elevator as the doors closed.
"So, what's it like wearing the skirt?" Marcus asked, stifling a laugh.
Krillin scowled, "You sure know how to rub it in."
The two followed quickly, noting that there were no doors or windows along the long hallway, not that they expected any. After a few minutes of walking in the dark, the group finally came across a large door which prompted the scanner to start beeping.
"Sir, there is a massive room behind this door. I suspect the source of the energy surge is in there," Kain said.
Trunks frowned at this, "Can't you tell me anything else?"
"Not at this time sir."
"So the talking box doesn't know everything? Does that make me the second least useful again?" Marcus joked.
"You haven't seen my husband fight yet," Eighteen remarked.
Trunks winced at this, "Ouch."
Krillin took it in a false stride, "Of course, pile on. I'll remember that when I have to save everyone."
Trunks shook his head slightly before pushing open the door, revealing a huge cave-like room with seemingly random areas of lighting and stacks of equipment. He noticed a large computer terminal not too far inside and glanced around quickly before proceeding. As the group walked across the tiled floor, they noticed large and oddly shaped things scattered about the cave. Trunks wasn't sure what to make of them until he saw what looked like a huge pair of robotic legs.
"I think we're in the right place. That kind of looks like Dr. Wheelo's big robot, only…" Trunks trailed off in thought.
"Only what Trunks?" Krillin asked.
"I could've sworn it was bigger. Even with the body missing it seems small. The legs barely look taller than Piccolo," he replied.
"You call that thing small? It looks like it would level half the building if it was fully put together!" Marcus argued.
Eighteen looked on in disgust, "Ugly is what that is. C'mon, we can use the computer and take a look at their files. Plug the scanner into the port on the right." Trunks nodded and did so as Eighteen took command of the keyboard. Her hands became a blur as she hacked into the system, bringing up a large window of display folders in less than thirty seconds.
"Where shall we start?" she asked.
"Start with what they're doing to people, turning them into those things," Marcus said abruptly.
Eighteen gave him a slight glare, "You do realize that I'm an android right?"
"Oh…I mean the newer ones that are like zombies," Marcus said, realizing his mistake. Eighteen turned and quickly went through file folders until a long list filled with instructions and designs came up. However no one could tell what was being displayed at first.
Eighteen quickly figured out why, "These files are encrypted, I can read the code and translate but it'll take a bit of time."
Trunks grimaced, "Kain, how long do you need to download the entire database?"
The scanner beeped slightly as Kain answered, "Two hours minimum. However without my signal transmission to Capsule Corporation, I will not be able to extract nearly that much information. You will have to be selective about what you wish me to record."
Trunks thought about it for a moment, "Copy whatever Eighteen says to copy."
"Understood sir, standing by."
"Okay hold on," Eighteen said as her eyes were moving at a wicked pace while she read the garbled display.
She finally stopped to rest before reciting, "This Director Schultz has been kidnapping people and extracting their brains before turning them into cyborgs using their own skin and outer tissues as a disguise. It doesn't say if they do anything with the other organs, but the brain matter is then moved to another facility listed as 'E'."
"That's pretty heavy," Krillin muttered.
"Extracting their brains?! Well what the hell do they put back in? And what are the brains being pulled out for?" Marcus shouted.
Eighteen glanced at him in annoyance before continuing, "It doesn't say, but the body is given a basic memory for appearance and job skill. This function is replaced when each unit is given new orders by the mainframe. It looks like this Schultz person only extracted one hundred brains and then stopped. There is also a note about pinning murders on the Earth's Special Forces and framing Sonny for electronic theft. I guess Verto was just unlucky enough to be the first one in that regard."
"Okay, well that part makes sense. What about the three androids that Verto fought the other night?" Trunks asked. Eighteen went into another typing frenzy shortly before a different set of documents popped up for her to translate.
"It looks like Schultz got a hold of some of the designs for my brother and Android Thirteen and implemented something similar. It doesn't say where they came from, but there are numerous notes of Schultz running failed trials with the new models. My guess is that he was acting alone on that front. That Dr. Wheelo creep or his assistant might've given him the information and tools, but he definitely constructed them himself," Eighteen explained further.
"Does that computer say anything about that Schultz guy? We need to know who to look for," Krillin suggested. Eighteen quickly punched it up, finding an unencrypted file with a picture.
"That's him alright, what a fruitcake," Marcus said in disgust.
"Expert in the fields of brain surgery and robotics of artificial limbs. Wrote a book about how underused the human brain is and believes that only technology can bring out its full potential," Eighteen added.
"Well, it is underused, I can think of a few cases locked up in the nuthouse he'd be right about," Marcus noted.
Eighteen scowled, "I've lived that life, it isn't worth it. A former member of MAX as a primary consultant, whoever they are. Also says he's co-founder of COT and chief financer. What the hell are those groups?"
Marcus' eyes narrowed, "I have no idea who MAX is, but I think my cousin Sonny does. He mentioned something about another cop he worked with before." Krillin and Trunks glanced at each other before staring back at the screen.
Trunks was more intrigued by the acronym group that had been mentioned, "Is there any information on this COT thing?" Eighteen typed furiously again before a map was displayed. On the map were various locations marked all over the world, with one of them being Satan City.
"There's only this map, nothing else. Maybe it's a side project or something that never got off the ground," she guessed.
"Or something very secret. Either way, we should at least get a copy of it so we can find out for sure," Krillin suggested.
Trunks nodded, "You heard him Kain."
"Already downloaded sir. I have now reached my storage limit," Kain announced.
"Was there anything else we needed?" Krillin asked. The computer suddenly shut off, making the screen go completely dark.
"I guess not," Krillin said, answering his own question.
"Looks like someone is on to us," Marcus said, "Maybe we should get out of here?" A large slab of thick metal promptly dropped over the entrance, completely blocking it for the moment.
"Scratch that idea," Krillin said in dismay.
Trunks boldly stepped up, "I can get us out."
Eighteen turned her head slightly before spinning completely around, "Hold on Trunks, there's something else in here with us." Trunks turned and stared into the dark depths of the cave, not seeing anything at first. After a moment a shadow moved in front of the dim lighting before stepping towards them. Trunks sensed a normal human presence, but still sank into his fighting stance.
"Well Detective, I didn't expect to see you again so soon. Nor did I anticipate these three."
Marcus reached for his sidearm when Director Schultz stepping into the light, "I didn't plan on coming back, but since you framed my cousin and his brother, I changed my mind," he said as he gestured towards Trunks.
Trunks looked confused, "That's not Dr. Wheelo."
Schultz moved closer, "No, afraid I'm not. Suffice it to say, the monkey boy and your cousin are two crucial pieces to a larger puzzle. You four however are not leaving this place."
Trunks gave off a smug expression, "You won't be able to stop us from leaving you know."
Schultz looked unimpressed, "Well, let's just cross that bridge when we get there."
"If you have another android model, now is the time before I blast this place apart," Eighteen warned.
"I'm afraid that isn't the case, number Eighteen is it? The boy destroyed my three incomplete models the other night. Pity, they had a lot of potential, but their programming was tricky. Honestly, I'm not sure how Dr. Gero dealt with your more, human, tendencies," Schultz said.
Eighteen frowned at the jab, "He's dead for a reason."
"Indeed. No matter though, it's not as if we're unprepared for you," Schultz claimed vaguely.
"What's this COT thing about? We found a file on your computer saying that you're the co-founder of it," Trunks pointed out.
Schultz grinned, "Well that is on a need to know basis, you won't find anything prudent about it in my database. If there are no more questions, shall we get started?"
"With what?" Trunks asked. Schultz pulled a large remote from his pocket, though there were only a few buttons on it.
"Your destruction," he said, pressing the large red button.
The floor trembled slightly as a wide circle opened and slid away near the center of the cave. Out of the vacant area, a large and misshapen robot lifted up until the platform it rode stopped and became part of the floor again.
Marcus strained his neck looking up at it, "Damn that thing is huge."
Trunks' eyes widened, "Wheelo's robot! But my Dad destroyed it!"
Schultz rolled his eyes, "Same model boy, not the same robot. You'll notice that there isn't anything in its head. By the way, your alien father did not finish the job, otherwise I would not have this replica to use against you."
"So it's being controlled, great," Krillin muttered aloud.
"Surrender and save yourselves some trouble. I wouldn't want my lab to get too messy," Schultz claimed with a sarcastic grin.
Trunks' hair promptly stood on end before he transformed into a Super Saiyan, "In your dreams!"
Schultz pushed another button and the robot's eyes lit up, "So be it."
Trunks charged at the big metal abomination, phasing out when it swung its large claw at him. Trunks rushed past the counter-attack and punched hard into its chest plate. The robot barely twitched from the impact before it brought its arms together in a flash, crushing Trunks from both sides.
"Trunks!" Krillin shouted.
A burst of golden Ki separated the robot's arms briefly, long enough for Trunks to escape. He didn't get far before the robot took another swipe, knocking him back into the furthest wall at a high speed and leaving a slight dent as he fell to the ground. Krillin and Eighteen were stunned by this, as was Marcus, who dropped his pistol in shock. Trunks got up and wiped the blood from his lip, cringing in pain as he held his side. Eighteen didn't wait for the robot and unleashed a flurry of energy blasts, covering the behemoth in small explosions. The robot was barely forced back at all, and Krillin glanced back at Trunks, giving a brief nod. Trunks leapt forward next to Krillin as both of their auras flashed to life at full power and they took the same stance.
"Ka…me..ha…me.." Eighteen heard the chant and jumped up into the air above them, charging her own strong blast to join in.
"Haaa!" Both of them unleashed a large combined Kamehameha that the robot had no chance of avoiding in the condensed quarters. Eighteen fired her own blast a moment later, and the huge display of light exploded on target, rocking the cave and causing a generous amount of the ceiling to give way, which was mostly incinerated by the blast.
Marcus cheered from where he had taken cover, "Yeah! That was awesome!" Neither Trunks nor Krillin looked ready to celebrate. Marcus saw why when the smoke cleared to reveal the robot, unscathed.
"Aw crap, this is going to suck isn't it?" Marcus asked.
"Probably," Krillin admitted.
Schultz laughed, "This is the same Mark-5 model that Dr. Wheelo fought that kid's alien father with! You're crazy if you think you're anywhere close to being powerful enough to fight it!"
Trunks scowled, desperately trying to think of a plan as the giant robot stepped closer. This is not good!
A/N: So, we've determined a few things so far. But there is so much more to come.