Chapter 18: Lapis Lazuli
Dawn broke over Kame House and sent a million rays down onto the tiny island, waking the young Saiya-jin sprawled out on the beach. Robbie's tail began to twitch in the morning light, followed by his hands, and with a groan he rose to an awkward sitting position. Dragging one hand through the multiple black spikes of his hair, he groaned again. Blinking bleary eyes, he looked around the sunlit sand but found himself completely alone.
Alone with the exception of at least 3 blue-green liquor bottles. Completely empty. That and the pounding in his head filled in the blanks on last night. Bulma's serum let him get drunk and get drunk he did. I sure hope my mom doesn't…and he cut the thought off sheepishly and regretfully. Now was not the time for acting like a kid.
Pushing himself to his feet. Robbie shambled into the day's beginning with as much gusto as he could find. He started with laps around Kame House. First one, then ten, then hundreds, picking up speed with each loop of the tiny island. Soon sand began kicking up in a rising tornado all around the house. He barely noticed the sea foam figure creep out of the house and step almost into his path of travel.
If Bulma had a tail, it would be bushed out and twitching angrily. Robbie stopped as dead as he would be if he kept going.
"What part of TOO EARLY don't you get?!" Bulma raged. Now at a stop, Robbie noticed truly noticed her in the early morning light: same fluffy sea foam robe clinging around her, matching wrap pulling her hair up in a messy bun, and darkened sunglasses barely hiding her puffy eyes. Robbie would have laughed at the sight, if such laughing didn't mean certain death. The wife of Vegeta could not be an easy foe to match.
Still, he decided now was not the time to be a teenage pushover. He was a Saiya-jin warrior. He fought the Androids, he went Super Saiya-jin, he drank. With Bulma. He had overcome many challenges to earn his place.
"Sorry about the dust," he said with a laugh "I was just running off the hangover you gave me." Bulma's eyes narrowed, but the barest smile lit her lips.
"I only gave you a drink. You supplied the hangover, kid." Robbie smiled back. "Now, come inside for breakfast. We have a problem, and I know you Saiya-jins do everything better on a full stomach." Robbie blanched internally, since Bulma's idea of a "problem" was often serious. Especially if the problem was somehow related to Eighteen.
He followed Bulma through the back door and was greeted with a sight of sights: Somehow Bulma had managed to shift breakfast into high production: 3 platters of sausage piled high, 4 stacks of 16 pancakes each, 4 dozen eggs, a basket of fruit, and enough coffee and orange juice to drown an alpaca. If Robbie could have squealed with joy, he would have.
Bulma took one look at him, and he sat down to eat. The young Saiya-jin happily tore through an entire frozen section of breakfast while Bulma merely sipped coffee and looked on, clearly satisfied in her work.
"Thanks," Robbie croaked out between bites, "one of the things I miss the most about home is my mom's cooking. She would make sausage and pancakes all the time, and they were just delicious. She would add cinnamon and brown sugar, and some other secret ingredient that…"
"Probably tequila." Bulma broke in dryly. Robbie stopped, mouth agape. He suddenly realized that his first experience with Tequila was strangely…comforting. "All that aside," Bulma continued, "I doubt she could pull off feeding you now. Not without a CapsuleCorp Firestorm 5000 mobile kitchen. She would be here all day."
"You mean you have a kitchen in a capsule?"
"Yup." Bulma was clearly pleased. Robbie went on eating until breakfast disappeared. Bulma slowly brightened as she finished off a plate of pancakes and two cups of coffee. A moment passed while their morning meal settled. "Now," Bulma continued, "you should be all fired up."
"Yup." Robbie long ago learned that Saiya-jin biology left him ready for battle within seconds of finishing a meal. Trunk and he had devoured lunch right before they left for Bridgetown. Even now he felt his energy peaking, its power only overshadowed by the unease he felt not knowing what Bulma wanted.
"Now, we have a problem. While you were sleeping off last night, I started working on Eighteen's code. The only reason I stopped was because you had to create a typhoon."
"I run off my hangovers. It even worked when I was human. Works better now that I'm supersonic." Robbie beamed.
"You are the weirdest little boy."
"This coming from the girl who puts ketchup on rice?"
"First of all it's delicious and second who are YOU calling GIRL?" Robbie laughed too hard to answer. Once he settled down, Bulma continued.
"I was able to read most of the code but Gero put all kinds of read permissions on a few parts. I can't read or write access so I can't fix her. And I don't have the tools to crack Gero's security here. We have to get her to West City."
"That sounds simple enough. I can just fly both of you there, right?"
"I would be MUCH happier taking a jet, thank you. The more important part, though, is finding the plans for the Androids. I need to know everything that Gero did to them, and that information is in only one place."
"The lab in North City."
"Bingo. And with Trunks and Seventeen there, they can get it. I need you to send them a message to get the plans. I'll even bet Seventeen knows the exact spot."
"I can get Trunks a message telepathically. I'll let him know once I'm outside." Robbie shifted in his chair and hoped Bulma didn't notice.
"Good," Bulma said taking another calm sip of coffee, "And tell my idiot boy his mother loves him."
"Sure thing." Robbie barely acknowledged her words and continued to suppress an inward shudder. He almost leapt out into the morning sun.
Once outside, Robbie wanted to light up into a Super-Saiya-jin again, if only to remind himself that he was still capable of something. Unfortunately, he'd kicked up enough dust to piss Bulma off enough for one day and he already knew that changing his hair color wouldn't solve his problems. There was nothing for it. He reached out to Trunks using their special telepathic handshake.
Unfortunately, neither of them had ever become good with telepathy. Trunks said that Gohan had never taught him much and therefore couldn't pass on what he knew to Robbie. Robbie, for his part, could only get so much out of wishing on the Dragonballs. This meant that their "handshake" was about as subtle as everything else about their awkward alliance.
It was the telepathic equivalent of a punch in the face.
The response came back immediately as Trunks image came rushing into his mind. And Trunks was most definitely face down on the floor in his boxers. Robbie shook his head and waited to the lavender-haired half-saiya-jin to reach his feet.
"Well good morning to you too," Trunks said, a groan apparent in his voice.
"You sound like you've had a rough night?" Robbie sent back.
"Sort of. Seventeen and I started training. He won; this time."
"You feeling stronger then?"
"Actually yes. He hurt me just enough to cross the Zenkai threshold."
"Zenkai what?" Trunks sense of incredulity hit Robbie like a punch in the face.
"When a Saiya-jin is beaten to near death, he gets a Zenkai Boost. But there's a threshold of damage you need to take before you get a Zenkai boost. I happened to find out the threshold and a way to measure it."
"Well aren't you a scientist?"
"Well I'm not just a half-saiya-jin, I'm also a Briefs!" Robbie was mildly impressed.
"True enough. Listen, we've had a change of plans up here. Something is wrong with Eighteen."
Robbie was able to get only a few steps into his story before the screaming began.
Seventeen heard the door to the cabin creak open two hours after getting back. He lay on one of the threadbare couches looking out into the night, his back to the door. Anything that could hurt him sure as hell wouldn't bother trying to sneak up and hit him from behind. Even turned around, he could tell the kid was fairly banged up. His slow, scuffling walk told the whole story. Seventeen heard the thump of the kid's clothes hitting the floor, followed by the clank of the kid's sword, followed by the heavy thud of the kid. And then silence. Snoring followed moments later.
Seventeen sighed. "And here I thought you would at least say hi," he said, apparently to no one in particular. His hand gripped the arm of the couch that much tighter. After a few more moments, he stormed to his feet and stalked to the window. He had been expecting an explanation as to her whereabouts, not an early end to the night. Given the kid's beating, he probably wouldn't wake up until later in the morning. Much later.
Seventeen was pulled away from his contemplation by mumbling from the lavender-haired Saiya-jin. The mumbling went from whisper to murmur to conversation in moments, until the kid bolted to his feet.
"What happened?! And you did what?!" Trunks cried out to seemingly no one. "AND YOU BROUGHT MY M" Trunks' cry was cut off by the young warrior doubling over in pain. Trunks groaned something unintelligible through gritted teeth, then went back to ranting. "I don't CARE if she's shut down I can't BELIEVE you would do something that f…"
"What the hell did you just say?" Seventeen's mild curiosity surged into rage. "What did you do to my sister?!" Trunks could barely blink before Seventeen lunged and caught the young Saiya-jin by his now bare neck. Trunks cried out and winced again in pain. He finally fixed his eyes on Seventeen's.
"Your sister is…alright," he groaned, "Now can you let me down while I talk to Robbie? Wouldn't want him to think there was trouble up here, would we?" Seventeen caught his meaning. Teeth still gritted and eyes ice cold, he released Trunks.
"Yeah, everything is fine. Seventeen knows." Trunks was silent for a moment. "How do you think he feels? Nevermind. Hold on; I'm going to bring him in." Trunks looked up at Seventeen.
"What? You want me to join the call?"
"Exactly. Ever done this before?"
"Sure. With all those friends Eighteen and I made." Trunks merely stared.
"So are you ready? Put your hand on my shoulder." Seventeen raised an eyebrow but did as he was told. Immediately a presence rushed into his mind. He recognized the presence as that punk kid who nearly killed him at Bridgetown and then took his sister away. His jaw clenched, but he said nothing. He vaguely heard Trunks ask the kid to repeat his story.
"So you remember our plan to train up to fight the android coming to my world right? Well we started to train when Eighteen started acting depressed. At first she was just depressed, then she became withdrawn, and then she wouldn't leave the bathroom. I brought your mom here to look at her and figure out what was wrong. Maybe it was something Gero did." Seventeen sighed.
"Of course it's what Gero did," Seventeen said absently. Robbie paused and continued.
"So Bulma decided to look into her programming and had to shut her down. We have her here at Kame House. She's safe and asleep."
"Don't put her in a cage," Seventeen said, almost absently.
"We didn't," Robbie replied, "she's on a workbench downstairs. Listen, we're planning to move her to West City but we need some help as soon as you can. We need the plans for the Androids from Gero's lab. It should be near you." Seventeen sighed again. Back into hell again. Shit.
"We'll get on it," Trunks said, "and you want us to meet you back at Capsule Corp?"
"Yeah," Robbie said, "As soon as you can. Don't go snooping around the lab more than you have to."
"Like I enjoy hanging around that place." Trunks said.
"So we stop at the lab and then we go to Eighteen?" Seventeen broke in.
"Yeah," Robbie replied. "As soon as you can."
"Don't worry," Seventeen replied, "We'll be there. As soon as the lavender kid puts his clothes on." Trunks shook his head.
"Alright," Trunks said, "we're heading out now. We'll let you know when we have the plans."
Trunks ended the connection and felt silence return to the sanctity of his own mind. He reached into his bag for a change of clothes and pulled out a small brown capsule. It burst open into a chest of drawers, from which he pulled a pair of trousers, shirt, and jacket identical to what he had been wearing. Neatly pressed, he strapped on his sword, returned the chest of drawers to the capsule, and strode out into the night.
Seventeen watched attentively, mildly curious about his random capsule collection. He then followed the lavender-haired kid out the door. Briefly lost in thought, he almost walked into Trunks standing outside the door.
"So?" Trunks asked.
"So what?" Seventeen shot back.
"So are you going to lead the way to the lab? I could lead us around in circles until we find it, but that's kind of a waste of time."
"Sure thing." Seventeen said absently and leapt into the night. Trunks followed. Once again they swept through the night and swiftly crossed the mountains toward Gero's lab, a dark, lonely hole in a dark, lonely mountain. They landed on the ledge and stepped into the gloom. Seventeen's handiwork from the day before lay strewn across the floor as the two fighters walked into the lab.
"Okay," Trunks said. "You're up. Where do we find the plans?"
"You're making the assumption I know this place. Doctor Gero didn't exactly let us wander around out of our cages."
"Sorry," Trunks said casting a wary eye around the lab, "I thought he would let you stretch your legs a bit."
"Of course, because we were so much more than science experiments. Want to see the dining room where we had Sunday dinner?" Trunks shook his head and continued walking. The place was silent and the hum of machines had died years ago, maybe even before he was born. No one was exactly sure when Gero met his end at the hands of his own creations. Seventeen continued.
"We only saw this room. When he found us, he had a van with the pods in the back. He told us to get in and we did."
"He kidnapped you?" Trunks asked.
"I didn't say that." Seventeen shot back flatly. He continued deeper into the lab. Trunks followed. At this point the light was failing into gloom. Trunks raised his hand and lit a ki-ball to light the way. His energy illuminated the dead space and introduced a low hum into the sepulchral silence. They proceeded onward.
A small hallway opened into another larger room with a high, vaulted ceiling, filled with shaded machines. To the left a small office sat dusty and unused. Trunks turned and peered in. An old metal desk sat bare except for a tattered hat with the "RR" of the Red Ribbon Army emblazoned across the front. Next to the hat was a dust-encrusted photo of a red-haired young man. The desk was empty of anything else.
Trunks briefly scanned the office for a file cabinet or anything used to hold blueprints, but saw nothing else. Looking across the second lab, he saw a large cabinet with multiple flat drawers. That looked like the likely candidate. He moved across the lab toward it with Seventeen behind. As he walked through the main floor he whistled at the equipment scattered across the many workbenches: centrifuges and gene splicers sat mixed with drill presses, grinders, and lathes. All sat cold and dust-covered. Another tables held bone saws and scalpels. Trunks shivered and moved on.
They finally arrived at the cabinet. Trunks held his ki-ball close and began to read labels. But they were labeled by "project" and were named after precious stones. He noted "Project Stolen Garnet" and "Project Perfect Emerald." There were no "Project 17" or "Project 18" drawers. He vaguely noticed one simply labeled "Lost Lapis Lazuli."
"Seventeen, any help here?" Trunks asked. Silence. "Seventeen, where are you?" Trunks turned to find Seventeen behind him, staring silently at the drawers. His face was a mask. Not the normal cold, blue-eyed stare but something infinitely more human.
"That one." Seventeen pointed to the drawer marked "Lost Lapis Lazuli." He held his hand up and simply said "That's us." Trunks heard him.
Trunks opened the door and found the ream of blueprints. The top page immediately showed him what he needed. Wireframe images of both of them, the Androids. He saw over each one the name he recognized: Android 17 for the black-haired boy and Android 18 for the beautiful girl. But he saw something else. "Lapis" under Android 17 and "Lazuli" under Android 18. He turned to Seventeen, words in his mouth but a sharp glare from Seventeen stopped him.
"Don't say it. Don't say anything. Just get what you came for and let's go." Trunks moved his mouth but no sound came out. He stopped and was silent. There was nothing more to say, at least not now, and not here.
Trunks began to walk away with one last look at the cabinet. He was vaguely interested in what else could be in there. He thought of other projects the mad scientist could have been creating, and the havoc they would bring to Earth if unleashed. But he remembered that Robbie and his mother needed them back immediately. He turned and strode out of the lab back into the night. As he took off from the mountain and left the shell of the lab behind, he thought that the past should stay dead and hoped it would be so.
Trunks and 17 set course for West City and home.
Robbie sat and stared out at the dark rain, his tail twitching. West City's weather was nowhere near as nice as Kame House, and he missed it already. Thanks to Bulma and his own intervention, that delightful vacation was now cut short and Bulma had barricaded herself into her lab with Eighteen. That was 2 hours ago and boredom had worn his patience thin.
He considered some light training, neglected since the drama with Eighteen began, but didn't want to be in the middle of kicking his own ass when Trunks and Seventeen showed up.
He had both too much and too little time to do anything, and he hated it. It was like that night Sydney wanted to go to some metal show at a local pub, somehow convinced her parents to agree, and then spent 2 hours primping. He couldn't understand what took so long; how many different shades of black did a girl need? Robbie groaned inwardly and fantasized about blasting a building.
A light in the dark grabbed his attention, felt before it could be seen. Moments later Trunks appeared over the horizon, a dark shadow following behind. Seventeen. Robbie exhaled loudly and scowled at Trunks finally arriving. The two alighted on the lawn next to the front entrance. Robbie saw Trunks pull a bundle from his coat and walk toward him.
"Got them." He said, holding the bundle out to Robbie. Robbie took the bundle, briefly noticing Seventeen's detached stare, looking away from them and toward the light beginning to peak on the horizon.
"Bulma's in the lab with Eighteen," Robbie said, "Let's go." Both Trunks and Seventeen reacted visibly and followed. Robbie led the way into the building and Trunks went, followed to the back by Seventeen. The three fighters walked through a once-grand foyer, with high vaulted ceilings now dark with peeling paint and crumbling panels. The only light came from blinking fixtures swaying above a crumbled blast hole through the curving wall of the building. Seventeen whistled.
"And this was where you were hiding? Wow…mistakes were made." Trunks scowled but didn't reply. Robbie vaguely noticed that Trunks was moving more slowly than usual, and a check of his power level revealed the toll of training with Seventeen. Trunks was drained and needed rest. Robbie wondered but already knew what kept him going.
Trunks hadn't seen his Mom since Bridgetown and probably barely spoke to her after the battle. In fact, neither of them had much time to recover fully, so a day or so of rest might actually be a great idea. Ending one battle and jumping right into the next with no time for family was as DBZ as Dragonballs unfortunately. Robbie wasn't even a character in this universe and yet he was living the dream. He sighed and counted the remaining months.
Robbie quickly looked back to catch a glimpse of Seventeen's face, and saw a worry that he never expected. It looked like the worry for his sister he saw in Bridgetown, but with something else. He couldn't think what would worry the Android until he realized his situation. Seventeen had never met Bulma, and now had to share a room with someone whose family he personally destroyed. Bulma had always suffered the worst in the future timeline. Not only was she a widow who lost her only friends, she also had to willingly let her only son go into harm's way. And now she would be sharing a room with the two who took it all. And Robbie knew that he himself was to blame. Robbie stopped thinking so hard and kept walking, tail wrapped tight and still around his waist.
A quick ride in a lift brought them ten floors below the ground. The door opened into what could only be called an opulent cavern. A hallway paneled in the colors of Capsule Corp stretched for what seemed like miles. Double doors at the end opened into another cavern of dazzling white. In the middle of the cavernous dome sat Bulma, furiously working away at a multi-screen workstation. Eighteen lay on one of two workstations, still motionless.
Seventeen, heedless of Robbie, Trunks, and Bulma, walked over to the workstation and gripped his sister's hand. Lapis, and Lazuli…their names are Lapis and Lazuli, Robbie thought. He hadn't seen the documents from Trunks, but he had spent a crap ton of time on Dragon Ball Wiki. Now he could only sit back and watch the reality play out in front of him. Those goofy fanfic authors weren't even close.
Robbie had been so busy watching Seventeen that Trunks escaped his notice. By the time he turned back, Bulma had his face in her hands and tears in her eyes. "My dashing hero!" she cheered. Seventeen barely registered the celebration. It was a reunion in the same room as a hospital. Robbie barely flinched as thought floated up through the murk: Celebrate while you can, because if we fuck up no one is going home. Robbie was silent.
Bulma picked up the plans and began to page through, past diagrams, explanations, equations, and finally stopped at pages of code. She smiled, and Robbie knew she had the answer. She turned to Trunks.
"Good job, kid. Now we can fix these two." Seventeen looked up sharply.
"Come again?" He said, an edge in his voice and his hand still firmly gripping Eighteen's. Bulma stared at him intently.
"Hi there. I don't think we've met. I'm Bulma. Trunks' mother. And Vegeta's wife." Her brow was steady as stone, but Robbie heard her message. Seventeen did as well.
"Yes," the dark-haired Android said, "I remember that day."
"Good," Bulma returned, "And it's a good thing you didn't finish the job that day, because I'm going to save both of you from Gero."
"Gero's dead," Seventeen shot back, "And that's a job I did finish."
"You may have killed the madman, but his plan is still alive in you. You would still be out there, killing this world, if Trunks and Robbie hadn't stopped you. You feel it, don't you." There was no question in her voice. Seventeen gritted his teeth.
"Listen lady, I don't care what you think. You don't know my sister and you don't know me. All I care about is when you can wake Eighteen up." Bulma was unfazed.
"We can wake Eighteen up once we've fixed her. And once we fix her we can fix you." Robbie watched the exchange without emotion, taking a few quick glances at Trunks. As expected, Trunks didn't catch on. He didn't know what was wrong in the Android's minds. Robbie knew only because he heard it from safely behind a television. Bulma knew the most from looking directly into their source code. Only she truly knew what Gero had done to them.
And Robbie knew that bickering was only a waste of time. Both Androids had to be shut down. He would not sit by while Seventeen acted like an ass.
"Enough games, Seventeen," Robbie yelled. "You know what has to be done. You can listen to Bulma, or you can listen to Gero. But not both. Make your choice." Robbie crossed his arms as his tail instinctively tightened. Despite tattered clothes and looking up at Seventeen from two inches down, he certainly approached intimidating.
Seventeen looked back at Robbie, sniffed, and turned back to Bulma.
"So what do we do to wake up Eighteen?" Seventeen said.
"Simple," Bulma said, "We need to undo what Gero did to you. The programming he put into you to obey his commands. I can do this, but I need both of you."
"Why? Can't you fix Eighteen first?"
"You two aren't the same. Gero linked you somehow. So just as you two are two halves of a whole, so is your source code. I need the plans as well as both of you. This can't work any other way." Bulma's face was no longer stone.
"Once I'm deactivated you can just destroy us both. Why should I trust you?" Robbie burst in angrily.
"We could have destroyed you already. Either at Bridgetown or any time after. You're lucky you're still alive, Android." Trunks held up a hand.
"What Robbie is saying is that we want you alive. We wouldn't have brought you here otherwise. And," Trunks closed his eyes for a moment "despite everything we think you want a new start. You've caused pain across our world but only because you let Gero make you into something evil. That stops today if you want it."
"I don't care what you think. I want my sister back." Seventeen's jaw tensed.
"That's what we want," Trunks said, "And we want you both to live a new life. Once you are free of Gero and we save Robbie's world, your lives will be yours. No more running, no more fighting, no more killing." Robbie was ashen behind Trunks' notice.
Seventeen appeared slack. He tensed, ready to appear strike, then deflated like a sail in the calm. Hands limp at his sides, he looked down at Eighteen and all his defiance was swept away in concern for the only thing that still mattered. Not looking at Trunks, Robbie, or Bulma, he turned and looked up through the skylight into the pitch black above. The darkest it had ever been. Stuck again.
Seventeen turned, face a defiant mask again, and strode to the second workstation. He sat down long enough to run one trembling hand through his sister's hair, one softly spoken word on his lips, then lay down on the workstation and closed his eyes. Trunks nodded to Bulma, who went over to the workstation. She gently pulled Seventeen's black shroud of hair back from his head and softly pressed the black connector into his neck.
Without opening his eyes, he spoke to Bulma. "When my sister wakes up," he said with a smirk, "tell her I was right this time." A light on the screen flashed, an alarm chirped, and Seventeen fell into sleep with his sister once again.
Once his eyes were closed the tension left Bulma and Trunks. Robbie released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Everyone could only stare at the two Androids, now deactivated and lying peacefully in the lab.
"That was tense." Trunks said nervously. Bulma was silent for a moment, then sighed.
"At least that's over. Now we have to break Gero's programming, and then we have to deal with what comes after. And you're not going to like it." Robbie was ashen again. Trunks fixed his eyes on Bulma.
"That doesn't sound good. What's next?" Trunks asked.
"I'll show you." Bulma, Trunks, and Robbie stepped in front of the main display showing a readout of each Android. Most of the numbers were a blur to Robbie, but he could tell by the color that both Androids were in a normal state of sleep. Nothing to worry about, for now.
Bulma typed a command into the terminal and switched the display to show the Androids' source code. Robbie recognized a few squiggled lines and some X's and Y's but precious little made actual sense. Robbie's one public school programming class had reached the end of its usefulness. He did notice the color coding of several code blocks as Bulma scrolled down. One was highlighted in red, and the other was highlighted in green. Robbie gathered one was bad and one was good, so there was that.
Trunks' eyes zoomed in on one variable simply called 'A.' The value for A was 'Son Goku.' Variable A was located in the green code block. Trunks looked stunned.
"Mom," he said quietly, "does this mean that…"
"Yes." Bulma whispered back. And Robbie then knew the plan. And he didn't like it either. Guys like Qaaman speculated about it, but it was hard to be academic when shit was about to hit the proverbial fan in your immediate vicinity. And your likelihood of being splattered by said shit was high. Lost in thought, Robbie didn't hear the argument start between Trunks and Bulma.
"…you're not the one that has to fight them if they get out of control!" Trunks yelled. Bulma yelled back.
"This is how we make sure they DON'T get out of control. They are more dangerous now than they will be, even if they are stronger." Trunks huffed in exasperation. Robbie felt all the color drain from his face, but despite his fear he spoke.
"Let's do it." Trunks and Bulma stopped. Trunks turned to Robbie.
"Do you even know what this means? Gero wrote their code so that…" Robbie cut him off.
"Gero programmed the Androids to hunt down and kill Son Goku. He made them focused on their mission, and the strongest they could be. Once Goku was dead, their orders were to destroy the world which didn't need as much power. If we switch them back to 'Kill Goku' mode, they will stop destroying cities and be much stronger to fight." Robbie cut off before he said the next thought in his head. Of course maybe it wouldn't matter much. Everyone knew power levels were bullshit.
"It's a risk." Trunks said slowly.
"It's a calculated risk we need to take." Robbie replied.
"You're both right," Bulma broke in, "and we won't save Earth if we do nothing." Trunks' panicked look faded as the realization came. He settled to a calm and nodded. "Good. Now we can get started."
Bulma and Trunks sat down at the terminal and began loading the files. Robbie was somehow expecting something with a bit more flash, but he remembered the "Take Your Kid to Work" days with his dad. Those were a bit more boring than expected.
After 5 minutes Trunks looked over at Bulma in confusion. "Mom, what's this file called 'decoy.s'?" Bulma responded without looking up from her terminal.
"That's the file that will keep the Androids from looking all over for Goku and from reverting to their previous state. It will fool their source code into thinking they're chasing Goku when they're not." Trunks briefly opened the file and Robbie peeked over. Once, one of Robbie's friends showed him a PERL script and it wasn't nearly this inscrutable. "Recursive" was what he called it. Bulma really was a genius.
With a few more keystrokes, both screens showed a progress bar moving with glacial slowness. Bulma and Trunks leaned back from their terminals and rubbed tired eyes. The Androids were still locked in sleep without so much as a twitching eyelid. Dark still hung heavy overhead.
"And that," Bulma said tiredly, "is all we can do for today. That code will be installing for the next 10 hours. It will be daylight by the time it's done. We should get some sleep." Trunks nodded.
"Another 8 hours and we should be back to full strength."
"Good. We won't know what to expect when these two wake up." Robbie spoke up.
"Do we know exactly when they'll wake up? Does anyone need to keep watch?"
"They can't wake up without our signal," Bulma said, "but I'll seal this room and turn on security so if anything moves, we'll know." Robbie was strangely not comforted but had nothing more to say. Bulma punched a few keys, and the lights began to dim in the room. Bulma grabbed her lab coat and turned to leave. Trunks followed. Robbie was the last to leave, the darkness of the room casting its shadows across his face before he stepped into the light of the hallway.
Bulma and Trunks began to walk toward the inhabited wing of the building but Robbie held back. Bulma turned and called out. "Hey kid, want to sleep in a real bed tonight? It's better than sand!" She laughed, and Trunks turned a confused look first to his mother and then to Robbie. Robbie hoped Trunks didn't get the wrong idea. That was a level of complication he did not need.
But Robbie didn't want to sleep in a real bed. Despite the pain in his bones that had barely healed, he didn't want to sleep at all. He wanted to fly. As soon as Trunks and Bulma had left to their home upstairs, Robbie leapt to the rooftop of the dome-shaped building. Looking down, he saw the dim outlines of Seventeen and Eighteen lying in sleep. A dim sky with dim stars rose above him.
The night was warm, but Robbie sat on the edge of the rooftop feeling cold and alone. He knew what was coming next, and what came next after that. The Androids were about to get a power boost, and no one knew if their loyalties would stay put once they realized their increased strength. Least of all Robbie.
And then there was the bigger problem inching ever closer to Gingertown: Cell. Robbie didn't need to go to Gero's lab to know Cell was already out, steadily growing from larval form to Imperfect. And soon they would all have to face him. But this time the Androids were alive and well, meaning the risk could not be higher. Robbie shuddered as he remembered the earth-shattering Kamehameha…the laughing…I am the universe's end!
Robbie's breath caught.
And then assuming all of that somehow worked itself out…a new android. Enemy Unknown. Power, abilities, origins a mystery. Not even his father knew anything about this thing except that it was coming and would take power beyond their world to stop. And Robbie was the one to bring that power. Even more frightening, he was that power. And it needed to be enough. He needed to be enough.
In the dark of night, Robbie bowed his head and slipped off to sleep.
In the dark of the conference room, the video screen lit and Malcolm Barnes faced his old friend, Dr. Leia Ripley.
Malcolm was struck by the friend he had not seen in years. Late night studies and even later night parties never dulled her eyes then, and time hadn't dulled them now. Even through a video link they shined as green as ever. He could only imagine what his grey eyes and 24 hours of beard growth looked like now. Catherine said he was still a catch but…
Leia had aged, but her green eyes and red hair remained bright. Her short height was hard to notice through her imposing demeanor. The only detail that softened her imposing figure was the handmade crocheted scarves she had always insisted on wearing. Bright and puffy, it stood out like an unanswered question and was all that could draw the eye from her face. Even more significant was a brilliant scientist crocheting scarves in her off hours.
Leia stared straight ahead, intent but not shaken. Though she always remained focused on the task at hand, she was never overwhelmed. Meeting her eyes now gave him a confidence he had not shared only a minute ago.
The video came into focus and Leia saw Malcolm clearly.
"You look positively dreadful, Malcolm," Ripley said flatly. Her disapproving stare clearly judged his disheveled clothes and beard. He had not slept since he left his wife at the door of their home and pushed his only son into a dangerous other world. Even so, he felt sheepish standing before his erstwhile classmate looking like a pitiful sack. He shook his head inwardly and tried to focus on the mission.
"A pleasure to see you again as well, Leia. It was quite the shock to receive your…package."
"Certainly as shocked as I was to produce it. I see from your light show that you have begun preparations. Care to share details?"
"Classified, unfortunately. But suffice to say that I've put a few of my trinkets to good use."
"You always had ideas, Malcolm. And I was worried you would never get serious about them." Malcolm Barnes shifted nervously.
"At any rate, I'm glad you called back. I wanted to talk more about the data you sent over. It was certainly compelling. Compelling enough to warrant a response from the US military."
"As it should. We did not know whether to be excited or alarmed. We were mostly both."
"As were we all. Your metallurgical readings were a bit strange though. The entity is made from titanium? Nothing special?"
"Nothing at all. Based on that alone, I could be looking at nothing more alien than a satellite. The only real interesting bits were its methods of propulsion and some of our spectrograph readings. The method of propulsion is completely unknown. It's moving and we don't know how."
"And moving fast. We are t-twelve hours to planetfall." And hopefully 12 hours to Robbie coming home, he thought.
"Stranger though, are the spectrograph readings. The android is wreathed in two electromagnetic fields. Both are dense and interfered with our instruments quite a bit. We are not sure what it is, but we are speculating it is some kind of a shielding system."
"The question is whether the shield works against both projectile and energy-based weapons."
"This isn't Star Wars, Malcolm." Leia shot back.
"This is a big universe, Leia, and we haven't even been to the edge of the galaxy yet. Who knows?" Leia chuckled noticeably.
"Always the optimist. If your trinkets are as powerful as your penchant for hope, this android will stand no chance."
"That's the hope." Malcolm said dryly.
"Hope indeed. By the way, we have more data and some updated images to send over. I will ensure you get them."
"Always a pleasure, Leia."
"You as well, Malcolm. Once we see this through, you and Catherine should join us up in San Francisco."
"It's a date."
They said goodbye as the screen went black.
Robbie's eyes snapped open and the screams stopped. Rubbing bleary eyes and fixing his tousled hair spikes, the young Saiya-jin opened his eyes from another fitful night. Sun glared down from overhead, blocked only by the rooftop overhang he fell asleep under. It was dawn, and the time had come to see the result of yet another of his choices.
He did not need to wait long. Rising to his feet, he looked down through the glass ceiling and saw Bulma and Trunks already in place. Waiting for him, most likely. He could be downstairs in a flash, but every muscle resisted the move. He did not want the events of the morning to begin. But the situation demanded courage. He leapt from the rooftop, cleared the dome, and landed lightly on the ground below. Turning, he strode inside.
The white room shined even more brightly with the sun overhead, and the light focused on the two Androids resting peacefully in the center. Robbie looked ahead through shaded brows. Trunks and Bulma stood off to the side, checking and double-checking readouts to determine the state of the Androids. Their eyes also shaded, they moved with purpose.
The looked at Robbie as one as he strode into the room. Fists clenched and tail wound tight, Robbie looked ready to fight the Battle of Bridgetown all over again. He vaguely noted that his muscles had healed and that he may be in shape to do just that. He also vaguely wondered about Zenkai boosts and thought he should ask Trunks more about how those worked.
By the time he reached Bulma and Trunks he had put all thoughts out of his mind. The time to ask questions would come later. Now was the time to take action and find out what the hell they were in for. Wordlessly, their eyes met.
Bulma stood at the terminal and began typing commands. Trunks stood next to Robbie shoulder to shoulder. Robbie could feel the tension radiating off his friend and ally like dry heat. His hands were at his side, but his brow and eyes were set. There it was, Bridgetown all over again.
"You ready?" Trunks asked dryly.
"Are you?" Robbie returned.
"That answer had better be yes for both of you," Bulma chimed in just as dryly, "5 seconds to activation."
Bulma sent up a din of keys as she worked the keyboard and initiated the activation sequence for the Androids. Robbie expected lights and alarms. He was fully expecting a dramatic crescendo of technological prowess which he could ironically ignore. Instead, the computer finished its cycle as designed. A light appeared next to each Android's head, and then the room took its last breath of silence.
Seventeen groaned. His eyes slid open and became clear. Robotic motion gave way to human realization, and he quickly looked to his left to find Eighteen still motionless in sleep. Turned away, Robbie couldn't see his reaction but he guessed it was something like panic. Seventeen reached out to touch his sister's arm.
Eighteen gasped. Eyes immediately wide, her mouth open in surprise, she fixed her gaze into the sky above her. Then, slowly, her eyes fell on Seventeen and they both froze. Robbie watched as they faced each other, silent in realization.
Eighteen rose up to look Seventeen in the eyes. Robbie, an only child, had never understood the stories that could pass between siblings in a single moment. His only experience has been watching Mike and his little sister as they grew up. A glare could pass for an entire argument, and a single glance could be a heartfelt apology. Robbie could only guess at the story the glances of Seventeen and Eighteen told.
All at once, Eighteen smiled and held Seventeen close.
Trunks and Bulma looked on silently from the computer terminal. Robbie continued to watch the scene unfold, untouched. His tail wrapped firmly around his waist, he looked on detached, but ready. A low hum ran through him, expecting anything.
Seventeen stepped down from the platform. Reaching back, he helped Eighteen down. Unsteadily, she moved her feet over the edge and stepped down. She finally stood up and looked her brother in the face. Both smiled for the first time Robbie had seen them, not as killers and enemies but as something entirely other.
Seventeen and Eighteen, now changed, looked up into the sunlight, then at Bulma and Trunks, and finally at Robbie. Robbie mentally tensed all the more. Bulma and Trunks, though, looked on with a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty. Trunks stepped forward, eyes on Seventeen.
"Notice anything?" Trunks asked.
"Yes," 17 said, "I don't want to smash your lavender face. How sad." Eighteen laughed, a new sound. It was different from the menacing chorus Robbie first heard when he arrived in this world. This both comforting and strangely unnerving. Robbie shivered inwardly and held his composure.
"You don't feel like before?" Trunks asked. Eighteen suddenly looked at Trunks.
"No, it feels…new." Eighteen spoke quietly. Robbie watched Bulma's reaction from the corner of his eye. Her face was a mask. Her eyes were open and the set of her lips were neutral. He could not read her. She stepped forward.
"Do you feel the urge to kill…anyone?" There was no mistaking the directness of her question. Seventeen responded.
"I feel like we need to take a vacation." Eighteen nodded in agreement. Seventeen and Eighteen were silent.
Robbie continued to watch them carefully. They were still Androids, so sensing their power was out of the question. Robbie realized now that he knew less even than he knew before. The Androids could be weaker, stronger, calmer, or more violent than ever. He hoped they had reverted to their state in the normal DBZ timeline, but what if he was wrong? Uncertainty crushed him.
The group stood silent as a dark cloud dimmed the sunlight.
The dark of the desert night split aside before the twin headlights of the blue SUV. Cruising along the highway at a conservative 57 miles per hour, the SUV nonetheless moved with purpose. Up ahead, the lights of LA grew brighter as the vehicle approached. The SUV exited the highway on 8A, crossed Sunset Boulevard, and continued toward the city. The streets were quiet, empty of cars and people.
Minutes later, a desert tan Humvee rounded a corner and rumbled down Van Ness with a heavy hum. Moving with purpose, it swept a searchlight across the road, looking for any movement. Seeing a quiet street, it continued on.
Once the Humvee was exactly 6 blocks down the road, the blue SUV pulled out from behind the local school and continued on its way. A second Humvee crossed into the road a few blocks ahead. Again, the blue SUV turned quickly into cover, allowing the patrolling vehicle to continue on its way. The blue SUV continued to the end of the road, quickly turning left to avoid another Humvee approaching from the west. The game of cat and mouse continued as the SUV moved closer and closer to its destination in the city center.
Inside the SUV, two women sat in silence and watched their surroundings with care. The passenger, long grey hair pulled back in a bun, leaned her head against the window and peered out into the night. Dressed in a simple gray dress and a green overcoat, she looked ready for a simple evening stroll. But the bags piled in the back of the SUV spoke to a much longer journey.
The driver's eyes were sharp and clear behind the simple grey rims of her glasses. Hands on the wheel at 4 and 8, her nimble hands guided the vehicle through the night and through the diligent efforts of the military to keep any civilians out of the city. The bright red nail polish on each finger caught the light of streetlamps as she turned every corner. Her hair glinted blonde in the light of the dashboard display. She wore a simple grey sweater and a pair of high-waisted jeans. But her boots were brown leather, suited more for a hike than a night out. Her bags contained more than more clothes; a worn black electronics case hung out of one back pocket.
"You know Katie," the older woman said quietly, head against the window "this would be enjoyable. If it weren't the apocalypse and all." She laughed good-naturedly. The driver's impassive mask broke into a smile.
"Yes, mom, it would," Catherine Barnes said, "This would be nice if we didn't have someplace to be." Catherine's mother, Maureen, smiled.
"But even the drive is nice. Thanks for coming all the way to get me. I was getting worried with all the evacuations."
"It's fine. Santa Clarita isn't that far. And everyone thankfully cleared out. Traffic has never been this nice!"
"It would be nicer if I had that little doohickey you have." The passenger motioned to the extra screen attached to the dashboard of the SUV. The screen showed the surrounding streets like a high-quality GPS. Suddenly a red circle appeared on the screen, moving swiftly down the road behind them. The driver quickly guided the SUV off the road and cut the engine. Both women ducked their heads as the vehicle rumbled swiftly past. Searchlights washed over the dashboard, then continued on. Both women looked up and breathed a sigh of relief. The dashboard displayed no markers in the area. Catherine drove the SUV onward.
"Was that one of Malcolm's toys?" Catherine sniffed.
"I've come a long way from that Erector set you bought me as a kid. I even have my own workbench." Maureen smiled sheepishly.
"Indeed you have. That computer you set up for me still works nicely. Really, I don't know where you get it from…the daughter of a mechanic and a housewife. Now a genius."
"Not that hard to understand. I cooked with you and I fixed cars with Dad. I just realized years ago that it's all science. After that I just paid attention. You were both my inspiration." Both women smiled in the quiet of the vehicle.
Up ahead, a line of red appeared on the display. Looking through the windshield, Catherine saw a line of flashers and searchlights. A roadblock. Calmly, she turned down an empty side street and stopped the SUV. Maureen looked at her daughter with worry. Catherine merely smiled and reached up to press a button on a black controller clipped to the visor. Around the corner of an alley in front of them, light washed across the street. Catherine started the car and pulled forward. They turned the corner and Maureen gasped.
At the end of the short alleyway, a rusting dumpster had pulled aside to reveal a downward ramp into a brightly lit passageway. Just large enough for the SUV, Catherine drove them down underground. Track lights above lit the way forward a mile or more. They drove in silence. Catherine looked forward with determination, while her mother could only look on in wonder.
Sirens blared suddenly. Flashers overhead began to spin and the track lights alternated between white and red. Panels from the walls extended out to show ominous flashing signs with a single message: Stop. Mechanical voices echoed the same message down the hallway. Catherine continued on. Up ahead, the alleyway came to an abrupt end. Closed yellow ramp gates blocked the way, guarded by dozens of gray suited ZeDi guards. Strange, blunt-ended rifles pointed at the SUV, their message was clear. Catherine slowed the vehicle and crept up to the checkpoint. Maureen's voice quivered with worry.
"Was this part of the plan, dear?" She shivered and raised her hands. Catherine raised both of her hands and smiled.
"Exactly, mother. Just stay there and let me handle this." Catherine stepped out of the car slowly, hands still raised. Three of the guards approached, blunt-ended rifles still raised and trained on her. She maintained eye contact as they drew closer. Behind them, a young black-haired officer stepped out from the guard station. He walked toward Catherine with slow deliberation, and pulled a small box from the pocket of his grey lab coat. He opened the box into what looked like a square eye lens and an earmuff. Placing it over his left eye, Catherine was stunned to see it light after the young officer pressed a button.
"Lower your weapons," he commanded, "Power level is 1.3. No weapons or other energy sources. She's clean. No threats in the vehicle either." The guards lowered their weapons and stepped back. Everyone lowered their hands. The young officer walked up to Catherine.
"I am assuming you weren't trying to slip in unannounced. Mind explaining why you came in here?"
"I have important business with Professor Malcolm Barnes. I'm Catherine Barnes, his wife." The officer's eyes widened slightly.
"So you're Mrs. Barnes. It's a pleasure to meet you, all things considered. But I cannot grant you access. This is a restricted area that is under lock…" Catherine quietly cut him off.
"Should I call my husband and tell him his wife and mother-in-law are at the gate?" The officer frowned. Pressing a button on his eye lens, he spoke.
"This is Captain Reese. Come in Sir." A low crackle was the only indication of a response. "Yes sir, this is important." More static. "We have a visitor at Alpha Gate. She says she is your wife." More static, and the young officer frowned. "She didn't mention leaving the city, sir, and is most definitely here along with your mother-in-law." The young officer's frown deepened. "Yes sir, this is indeed neither the time nor the place. I will send them up." The officer turned back to Catherine.
"Shall I get my things?" She said calmly.
"Both of you can come with me. I will send our security staff to get your things and move your vehicle once I have your accommodations settled."
"Thank you sir," Catherine said warmly, "And by the way, this is my mother, Maureen." Maureen, now out of the SUV, waved brightly.
"Pleasure to meet both of you ma'am. Now if you'll come with me, I will bring you upstairs to the Professor." Captain Reese and two guards led the way to a steel-walled elevator. Catherine and Maureen followed them inside. Soft rock played quietly as they made their way to the upper level command center.
Catherine smiled. The plan to save the world was coming together. And the time had come for her part to begin.