Chapter 6

Universe 2

Seventeen and Eighteen with their families had been in Universe 2 for a few hours now.

At first they had been led to the town, introduced to the most famous sights of the City, the whole time being surrounded by crowds of cheering People. Before they finally settled down in Helles personal residence.

For the greatest part Helles herself had done most of the talking when it came to showing the City and it´s beauty to them. With the Kaioshin or some of the fighters making a few additional comments from time to time.

Marron, along with Seventeen´s children had excused themselves at this point.

"Mom Dad - this castle is really cool," she had said to Eighteen and Krillin, "can we go explore it a bit?"

"Oh - yes, that would be interesting," one of Seventeen´s daughters said.

Both their parents and Helles (who ignored the obvious implications from the children that her speeches were boring) allowed it and the children went on on their own.

Right after their arrival at the palace however she was being approached by one of her servants, who seemed to have to tell some important news to her. And as she heard what he was saying, she could barely believe it.

"If you would excuse me for the moment," she said to them. "I would like to continue to show you my love and thankfulness in person. But there is an important matter that I have to deal with. But don´t worry - my girls and their Knights will make sure to take `good care´ of you."

Something about the way she had said this caused Seventeen and his wife Ruby to exchange a short look with each other. Quickly followed by one to Eighteen and Krillin, who looked visibly nervous and a bit embarassed.

They all had already seen a lot of Universe 2´s for them strange seeming values and beliefs - that all seemed to center about the idea of romantic love. Only that it was the kind of like a bunch of hormonal teenagers would have them.

A bit ironically, since 17 and 18 technically were teenagers... and would be for a long long time.

"Of course we will," Brianne replied smiling.

"You can count on us Lady Helles," Sanka said in a similar manner. With her friend Vikal Standing right next to her, with her arm around her waist.

The Destruction Goddess left the room, as it looked in a bit of a hurry, followed by her Angel Sour, Kaioshin Pell and the servant who gave her this unknown news.

They were not sure if the Universe 2 people even had even any concept of marriage or even any deeper relationships at all.

Since they had met them the first time at the Tournament, they had seen Brianne, Sanka and the other girls openly flirting with several of their so called Knights and even some of the fighters from the other universes. And that despite that Sanka and Vikal seemed to be in some kind of relationship with each other. At least they seemed much closer than normal friends. (Not that any of them had problems with that part. Neither 17 and 18 or either Krillin and Ruby were people to have prejudices. Not that they were in any position to have to.)

So they could not help the feeling that they would be invited to some kind of orgy any moment. And given what they knew, that suspicion might not even be off.

Not that Seventeen and Eighteen themselves, if they were honest, had such a concept when it came to relationships. How could they, when they had originally been created by Doctor Gero to be nothing but killing machines?

For them there was, deep down, no fundamental or moralic difference between a `normal´ relationship between two people and one between three, four or what people called open relationship. To them one was not automatically better than the other.

It was just what their partners considered normal and they just went along with it. To them it was just - they loved Krillin and Ruby and were happy with them. That was the entire base of their idea of a relationship.

xxx

Meanwhile Helles was walking quickly through the corridors of her castle, on the way to meet her surprising visitor.

As she arrived in the room her `guest´ was waiting, she saw a tall slender woman in a skin-tight red body suit, with long white hair and the light blue skin of the Angels. She was beautiful - truly beautiful, Helles admitted.

But there was something off about her. In first line the sinister aura around her. How could someone so beautiful radiate so much evil? she asked herself.

Standing next to her was a not very tall, but quite muscular being with similar colored skin. But he was clearly not an Angel but something else.

"Lady Helles," the woman greeted her, "I have taken a look at a few sights of this planet. Your universe is truly interesting. I have heard that it had been erased from existence for a short time. What a loss, what a waste."

The woman sounded nearly sincere.

Helles crossed her arms.

"Who are you... and what do you want?" she asked.

"My name is Towa," she introduced herself. "This is Mira," she gestured to the man next to her. "My Master tells you his regret about what had happened."

xxxxxxx

Future Timeline - 13 years after the Arrival of the Androids

Trunks could not believe it.

Gohan was still alive. The one Gohan he had first known - his master, his friend… Or at least a version that was identical to him in truly every aspect, he thought quietly.

When - what year exactly were they? Trunks knew they could not trust the instruments of the time-machine after Whiz manipulations on it.

"Mai," he said to her.

"What should we do Trunks?" she replied. "You think we are in our own past? In the timeline that Whiz and Lord Beerus had created?"

"That´s where we we meant to go, right? Just not so far back," he replied.

She nodded.

"If we are in a time when Gohan is still alive, then we must both still be children here. Well, maybe twelve or thirteen." Actually the second time in her case, she thought silently.

"And that means the Androids are still alive as well," Trunks reminded her. "And I don´t mean the friendly 18 we met in the other timeline, but the murderers they had been. Be careful and don´t get too far away from me."

"I will be careful," she answered. "Don´t worry - I have faced worse than them."

"I know - and Black had nearly killed you many times," he pointed out. "After all what happened Mai, I don´t want to loose you just because of bad luck."

"You won´t - I promise," she said.

"We have to find Gohan." He had already capsuled the time-machine and then put it into his pocket. "He can tell us when exactly we are.

"Okay," Mai responded.

Trunks lifted her up and flew with her in his arms in the direction where he had felt Gohan´s energy.

It took only a few minutes for them to arrive. It was the same beach where he and Gohan had been training together quite often. Just like they seemed to do right now.

Trunks landed on the beach right in front of them and let Mai out of his arms, allowing her to stand next to him.

Gohan and his own younger self had obviously sensed him approaching and were now looking at him in shock and surprise.

For a few moments, nobody said anything.

Trunks on his part took in the sight of his mentor.

While he had met the Gohan of the past timeline many times, there had always been small differences. Things that told him nearly subconsciously that this wasn´t the same person he had known.

But here everything was identical. His posture, his expression, the scars, even his missing arm. This at least told him that they had to be somewere in the last year before Gohan´s death. But when exactly?

"T-Trunks?" Gohan asked. There was no doubt that this was the same boy, standing next to him. Only decades older.

His gaze narrowed as he understood. Bulma had told him of her plan after all.

"So - Bulma´s time-machine really works."

"It does. Believe me, it does." Trunks stated cryptically. Working was an Understatement. It felt to him by now as if his entire life resolved around that machine.

"And you are?" Gohan addressed the woman beside him. "Trunks - have you found a girlfriend?" he asked him.

Both he and Mai blushed a little.

"Well-..." Trunks began.

"We - we are not quite sure yet," she replied in his stead. "But... yes, Trunks and me are quite close. My name is Mai," she introduced herself. "I-... uhhm - I have met your father and Bulma before."

She didn´t really wanted to tell them right now how exactly they met. Her younger self in this timeline she knew would not have met them yet. She was not sure if this Bulma would even recognize her, but it was something she wanted, if she could, avoid for the moment.

"You are me?" the younger Trunks said. "But why are you here? I mean, in this time."

"Trunks has a point... ahm - Trunks," Gohan said to him a bit awkwardly. "The plan, as I remember, was to travel back to give my father the cure for his heart and try to find informaton about the Androids. So why come here instead?"

"That was a long time ago. At least in the timeline I came from," Mirai Trunks replied. "The Androids were long defeated in my time. But..." His shoulders sank.

For a brief moment, Trunks let his mask slip and allowed his full pain and grief to show.

"... in their place appeared a few years later an even worse threat. And - Gohan, it is a long story but, in my time the Androids were long gone. We did it Gohan - we had won," he told him.

"But then, years later, an even more dangerous enemy appeared and... it is nothing left Gohan. My and Mai´s world, it is all gone."

"You mean something had destroyed the entire planet?" his younger self asked.

"No," Trunks replied with a grim expression, "the entire universe."

This was followed by a look of complete shock from both of them.

And then he and Mai told them everything. The first visits to the past, Cell, Buu and Babidi, Goku Black, Zamasu… and finally how the disambodied Zamasu had corrupted their entire cosmos and how Zeno had erased it from existence.

And how Lord Beerus destroying the Past Zamasu and Whiz warning Future Beerus about the future one had created their own timeline.

The entire time, Gohan and the younger Trunks were listening in shock, surprise and amazement.

"So that is how we came here," he ended.

"That... - that is a lot to take in Trunks," Gohan finally responded. "I would have never imagined something like this. And you intend to stay here?"

"Yes," he responded. For a few moments he was just looking wordlessly in the air. "Of course we have intended to arrive many years later. But I think it is alright as it is," he said.

"The Androids, they are still here," Trunks stated.

Gohan just nodded silently.

"They need to be dealt with. Just like Cell… and Babidi when he arrives," Trunks continued. "And we will...

… But for now… I first want to see mother," he declared.

xxxxxxx

Meanwhile at another part of the planet, two Androids were busy doing what they did most of the the time. Causing carnage and destruction.

In the moment they were terrorizing a region in the Northern Districts, not that far away from Jingle town, where Son Goku had once fought a contingent of the Red Ribbon Army and met Android 8.

xxx

So far the small village and the peaceful old Android had not been in the path of the newer Artificial Humans rampage and not been caught in their reign of terror. For now.

Eight admitted he was terrified. Just like everyone else. He knew, even if he didn´t hate fighting, he would have no chance to stop his murderous `siblings´ if they ever came to their village. He would be forced to watch the people he knew getting killed, the ones who had taken him in, who had become his Friends.

In another life, he and his fellow villagers would have met Son Gohan and Trunks in about a week from now on, only days before Gohan´s death.

xxx

Right now however it was the largest town in the northern regions, around hundred miles away from them, that 17 and 18 were slowly destroying.

They were playing their usual game of taking shots at random people on the streets. Sometimes interrupted by each of them blowing up buildings. Partly to make the game a bit more interesting and diverse, but also to `discourage´ people from hiding inside them.

So it came that the humans, while in panic trying to clear the streets and take cover, didn´t feel very save inside the houses either.

"I am three points ahead Eighteen," 17 commented. He blasted a young women. "Four now." He grinned.

18 responded by shooting an old man on the other side of the place, who was trying to bring a child to safety.

Only followed by 17 shooting and killing the child seconds later.

"Still four points more Eighteen," 17 told her teasingly.

18 just frowned gritted her teeth. She had enough.

She charged up a ki blast. But a much stronger one. And with a wave of her hand she obliterated everything in her sight.

The blast instantly destroyed everything left to her, half of the town and a few people who were still roaming the streets, two young people who seemed to be a couple, an elderly woman, a little girl who had seconds before been shouting for her mother… all gone. Leaving nothing than a smoking crater.

With another move, 18 raised her other hand and wiped out the other half of the town to her right. Hundreds who were still hiding in the ruins were wiped out in seconds.

"You said something Seventeen?" she remarked smiling.

"Really Eighteen - just destroying everything when you can not win?" he laughed. "And you call me immature?"

"Whatever," she responded with her arms crossed. "Lets get home now?"

"I guess there is nothing left to do for us here, right?" he said...

…. sending a short glance to the lifeless wasteland that had once been a town.

xxx

`Home´ that meant in their case just their latest hideout.

Currently, it was nothing else than an old abandoned lab of the Red Ribbon Army. It was an Installation that probably went back to the time when Doctor Gero had been Chief Scientist of the Army. But he had obviously still used it even after the Army´s fall. And pretty shortly before his death, given what they found there.

18 had made it more than clear that she hated the place more than once. And so did 17 if he was honest. It reminded them both all too much of their past.

But 17 had wanted to raid the lab and search it for Information.

They admitted they had been stunned when they had found this facility less than a week ago… and especially what they found inside. Neither of them had knew hat Doctor Gero had possessed other still working labs beside the one where they had been created.

And it had been a special shock when they had found the still working computer sytem… and a pod - one identical to the ones Gero had once been holding them in - and the being inside... another Android.

18 had been curious and wanted to wake the new one. It was female like herself by what she saw.

But 17 had thought different. Especially after he had accessed the computer and checked the data of the new model.

Plainly said, it scared him. Not that he would ever admit that. The data he saw suggested a raw strength that surpassed 18´s and his own... and anything he could have imagined... by far. Not only that, but also a line of special abilities, including the one to absorb energy from other beings.

Seventeen could barely suppress his rage as he had red this. That Gero had actually attempted to create yet another Android meant to be superior to him.

Like this creature he had spoken about years ago… right before they had ripped and blasted the good doctor apart.

The Ultimate Android? He was the Ultimate Android and no one and nothing else. No one.

It made no difference anyway. As it turned out, the other Android had never been finished.

And 17 had decided to make sure that it never would. Before his sister could even say anything else, he had blasted the pod apart and an entire corner of the lab with it.

Still, it had enraged him that Gero had even tried...

18 had given him a short look and then just shrugged her shoulders and decided to find something else to entertain herself with.

xxx

As the two Androids had returned to the cave complex where the lab was hidden, Seventeen send a short look to the few burned up pieces that were left of the stasis pod he had blown up. Especially a broken piece of the frontside… that had the Number 21 written on it.

xxxxxxx

Capsule Corp Building - Future timeline

They had arrived only a short time ago. This timeline´s Bulma had been, mildly spoken, shocked as she saw them. Especially since there were suddenly two versions of her son standing before her, one a grown man.

And even more when she heard their story. At fist she had been enthuastic about how her time-machine had worked and helped them create a new past. And how he came back and defeated the Androids. Even Hearing about Gohan´s death had not completely changed that.

But then, as she heard about Goku-Black - Zamasu - and all the horrors that came with him, about her own end and then the destruction of their entire reality.

"I am sorry. I am so sorry," she just said.

Somewhere during this, Mai had also admitted to Bulma who she was and at the same time apologized to her for leaving her behind in Pilaf´s dungeon to die on his order all those years ago, in her old life, before the Dragon Balls had given her a new childhood.

Unsurprisingly Bulma had just accepted her apology and simply forgiven her for this incident. This was the woman who had been with Vegeta after all.

It was then, when they had heard the news. Plum Town - an entire city obliterated and wiped out. Trunks remembered this events from his own past. It had happened in exactly the same way.

He now knew exactly at what point in time they had landed. And if things wouldn´t change, Gohan would be dead in less than a week. But that was exactly what he was planning to do - changing things.

"I will put an end to this once and for all," he said.

xxx

But... he thought quietly. He remembered the Eighteen he had met in the past. How could she be so different and still technically the same person?

But he also recalled a conversation he and Mai had with that Eighteen about that topic. How she herself admitted that she was not quite sure if she and her brother and the other 17 and 18 could truly be considered the same persons.

She told him about Doctor Gero´s attempts to shape and warp their minds in his Image, after simply erasing the memories of their former human selves after kidnapping them. How he had basically tried to completely recreated their personalities into the killing machines he wanted.

But Trunks had already changed events in the past before this had even happened. So while their human base - two teenagers named Lazuli and Lapis - were clearly the same, the outcome of these `experiments´ might have been quite different in both timelines.

And while Eighteen freely admitted that many leftovers of Lazuli´s personality were clearly still left inside her and that some of her own `quirks´ (like her love for shopping and clothes) were most likely inherited from her, she didn´t consider Lazuli and herself to be the same person. She could not.

Had Gero in his reality simply succeeded in creating the monsters he wanted, while in the other he didn´t?

xxx

They all - Mai, Gohan, Bulma and his own younger self - were looking at him.

"I have seen a glympse of hos strong you have become Trunks," Gohan said.

"You have barely seen anything yet," he replied casually.

"I want to come with you," Young Trunks said.

Gohan looked at him with a serious expression.

"You don´t need to be there Trunks," he said. "The older you alone is more than enough. I will only go with them as ensurance."

"I..."

"Maybe you should really stay here," Bulma told him. "If this two can defeat them, then there is no real reason for you to go too."

"There is a reason," Trunks said, looking at his younger self. "I know exactly like you feel."

He turned to Gohan.

"The fear, the dreams - the nightmares, the despair, the anger, the hopelessness - for his mind it will not truly be over, unless he sees it end with his own eyes. He should be there, even if it is just for his own peace of mind," he said.

He looked first to Gohan and then to Bulma, who both slowly nodded.

As soon as the Androids showed themselves the next time, they would go.

xxxxxxx

Universe 6

Goku, Vegeta and the others had just been at their meeting with the king.

Vegeta admitted he had not been quite sure what to expect.

In some ways the man they met reminded him of his tather, in others he did not. The King of Sadalah was a great warrior in his own right, so much was clear. Of course he was far away from his own, Kakarot´s or Gohan´s level. Or even that of the three Universe 6 Super Saiyans.

Still, his power surpassed Cabba´s back then as he first met him and before the young saiyan had learned to transform. Had he lived in Universe 7 a few years back, he could have easily beaten Cell in his strongest for and even put up a fight against Buu.

Vegeta could tell that after a short sparring match the king had asked him for. And he admitted he was impressed. Secretly he guessed he had somehow expected someone who had grown soft sitting on the throne.

The king however had been similar impressed by the saiyans from Universe 7, the ones who he had been told helped to restore their entire universe by winning the Tournament of Power (of course being a saiyan king, he did not openly show it. But Vegeta could tell).

But at the same time he had been horrified when he had heard that nearly their entire race had been wiped out by a being of the same kind as Frost.

He had of course also shown interest in the Super Saiyan Transformation and downright shocked as he saw even Goten and Trunks doing it... and been told that they could do it since they were seven years old.

Both Goku and Vegeta had then started to explain the basics of the transformation to him.

With Caulifla at one point adding in her own version of the process. Her explanations of a `tingly feeling in your back´ however led to everyone starring at her a bit strangely.

"W-what?" she asked awkwardly and with a blush on her face.

"She means that to trigger the Transformation without anger, you have to channel your ki into the energy centers in your back and from there through your entire body. Which usually comes naturally when you are angry," Goku said. "Well - I guess that is what she means at least." He grinned.

"Yes - that probably is it," Cabba added.

The king started to laugh.

"Okay - I will follow your advice - all of it," he remarked with a side-glance to Caulifla. "And when I have mastered this transformation myself, I am looking out for a few sparring Matches with you three as well," he said to her, Cabba and Kale.

Yes - Vegeta thought, all in all it was like dealing with a more peaceful and gentle version of his father. In a way he was King Vegeta the Third might have been under different circumstances.

The man his father could have been.

And Vegeta just wasn´t quite sure how to deal with it.

xxx

Meanwhile, not far away, the Fallen Angel/Demon named Saek was holding a conversation with the shadow image of his Master, that had appeared before him.

"So as you see My Lord, this particular God of Destruction is…" he started.

"An idiot," Demigra stated. "Incompetent, lazy and quick to blame others for his shortcomings."

"Yes - and what is worse, he seemed to show absolutely no resentment to Xeno for erasing him and his entire universe. Or if he does, he is so occupied with planning to start another fight with his brother that I didn´t even notice."

"I see," Demigra replied. "Let us spare him for later. For now, I am more interested in testing these saiyans and the other fighters."

"As you with," Saek said.

He fired a ki blast and blew up a building close to the palace. An empty one, in opposite to some others of his group, he was not particular interested in harming random mortals.

It had however the desired effect. Less than a minute later, Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks, Goten, Cabba, Caulifla, Kale and the king came running outside. Followed closely by a number of guards. The rest of their families had staid inside.

Saek was levitating above the place, so that they could easily see him.

"Who are you and why are you doing this?" Cabba called out.

One by one, they started to transform into SSj form.

"Be careful - he is dangerous?" Goku said. "Are you some kind of Angel?"

"Something like that. But I am not the one interested in seeing you," Saek replied.

They sensed another, for now formless power building up next to him.

"I have been looking out to meeting you," it said.

They could now make out a transparent silhuette in the air.

"I am Demigra... and I am curious to see your power."

The Universe 7 fighters halted for a short moment. They remembered this name from Freeza´s story.

Then the silhuette became more and more tangible, until another solid Angel like figure was standing before them. Tall, with a sleek but musculous body and long deep red hair.

This being was radiating god level power, they noticed. But at the same time they also realized that it was still only an apparation, formed out of ki Energy - divine ki. If a mere manifestation was this strong, just how powerful was his real self?

The Universe 6 saiyans however seemed less impressed. Cabba, Caulifla and Kale all took fighting stance.

And Saek moved. With a speed that only Goku, Vegeta and Gohan could truly follow, he appeared right in from of them.

A hit of the staff that he was carrying at the side of his face threw Cabba off his feet, nearly in the same moment he landed a kick on Caulifla that send her crashing right through the outer walls of the Palace.

All what was left was a completely shocked Kale, who he then send flying backwards with a `light´ punch as well.

She however got caught in the air and stopped by Son Goku.

He and Vegeta had now powered up into their SSB forms and Gohan into his Ultimate State.

"Thank you," she said.

"Don´t worry about it," he responded, as he placed her back on the ground.

Cabba and a very unhappy looking Caulifla had come back up to their feet as well.

They all turned to face their opponents.

xxxxxxx

Universe 2

They had spend the time speaking to each other - truly speaking.

Brianne, Sanka and Su were the first ones, by telling them how they all had discovered their special abilities and became warriors for Lady Helles.

Sanka however admitted that at first, she thought she didn´t think she could ever be something like that. Since it turned out that the alternate form she had developed was not much different than a wild beast. How could a creature like that ever hope to serve the Goddess who valued love and beauty above everything?

But Brianne had told her that her transformed form was beautiful and that this didn´t matter as long as she had love in her heard.

"So you possessed some wisdom the whole time after all," 18 remarked.

"I was still a hypocrite," she replied. "I only saw appearance and flashy showings, but never the deeper feelings. Until you have thought me that lesson." She sighed.

"Don´t be so hard on yourself Lady Brianne," Zarbuto told her.

"Yes - we all make mistakes," Zirloin added.

At this point, Seventeen and Eighteen had finally begann to talk about their own past - about the Red Ribbon Army, Doctor Gero and his experiments, about their former human selves being captured and turned into Androids, how they had finally freed themselves and killed Gero.

None of the Universe 2 Warriors felt bad about them doing that. They all agreed that the man had been a `horrible villain who kidnapped young maidens and men to try to turn them into monsters to kill innocent people and heroes.´

In return they found out that one of the girls from the Universe 2 Team had her own dark past as well. Vikal - as they were told - had once been some kind of villain and a follower of someone called Lord Vael. A being who had hated the entire philosophy of love of this universe and had sworn to eradicate it.

Until she had met Sanka and started to change her ways. And even helped to stop her former master for good.

But there were and would probably always be villains and enemies around, even here in their Universe 2, as they explained. That was the reason why warriors like them even existed.

Seventeen and Eighteen meanwhile continued their own story, with Cell.

As they had come to the point where Krillin had crushed the remote control to deactivate Eighteen, instead of shutting down and destroying her for the `better´ of their universe

- something that, as Seventeen had pointed out, would have most likely solved nothing, since Cell would have most likely just self-destructed like he did during the fight with Gohan a short time later -

They could not longer hold back.

"Such - such and incredible display of love and chivalry," Brianne said sadly. "I am sorry for all the ugly things I said about you during the Tournament. I am a horrible person. You are truly worthy of any maiden´s love - Knight Krillin."

"Uhm - thank you," he said.

She laid her arms around him from behind, while at the same time Sanka and Vikal draw him into a fierce hug from both sides… and his face turned into a deep red color.

Eighteen could not help but notice, with more than a bit irritation, that because of his short stature, their breasts were pressing right against his face.

She glared at them.

At the saw time she realized that both Seventeen and Ruby seemed to barely hold themselves back from laughing. Okay, it was funny, she admitted to herself.

"Let me make one thing clear Ladies," she said. "You will not show your `love´ to my husband… or to me," she added, "without mine and especially his clear permission. Do you understand this?"

"Yes - yes of course Lady Eighteen," Vikal answered.

They released him, visibly intimidated. They all remembered 18´s Incredible display of power when she completely overwhelmed Ribrianne in her strongest form. If they were honest with themselves, the Android could have probably taken their entire Team.

And they had overheard talking about her training and that she had gotten even far stronger since then.

"The same goes for me and Seventeen," Ruby said, trying to sound serious but still visibly keeping herself from laughing. "You will not do anything with either of us, unless we both say it is okay."

"So does this mean you will give us this permission?" Brianne asked innocently.

Eighteen, Krillin, Seventeen and Ruby facepalmed.

xxxxxxx

Back in Universe 7

Piccolo was meanwhile still guarding Seventeen´s Island in his place.

What he didn´t know was that a ship with a possible invasion force led by a so far unknown brother of Freeza was already on it´s way to Earth.

This chapter was for the most part character interaction and build up for the coming fights. That will come in the next chapter.

The idea of Vikal having a past as a villain is based of the stories from GigglesMcFiggles and used with permission.