Chapter 14

Piccolo and the copy of Android 17 were facing each other high in the air.

Until now, the Namek had been trying to keep his distance. To buy time.

He had long thrown his cape and turban away to move freely and powered up to the highest level he could, using God Ki.

Piccolo did not know how close in power this copy was to the real 17.

He had seen how powerful Seventeen had been at the Tournament of power. Piccolo believed he could maybe match that power now - maybe, if he were lucky.

But in the last half year 17 had grown even stronger. And with the day he had spend in the Room of Spirit and Time, there was no telling how powerful he was now.

Gohan would arrive any moment, he knew.

So he was trying to hold his opponent at distance. He fired a few barrages of smaller ki blast at him from the distance. Most of them his, but they showed no effect.

At least the clone seemed not to be able to copy 17´s barrier technique. Or maybe he just did not bother to use it, Piccolo thought more pessimistically.

The Android moved closer. The blasts did not even seem to disturb him. Not that they were meant to cause real harm, just to distract.

"Piccolo," he said, "you are on our list of targets. So I will eliminate you now."

"You can try," the Namek Warrior called out. He leaped forward, trying to land a punch.

But the Android evaded the strike and then a second one... then he countered by sending a punch into Piccolo´s gut by himself.

He was thrown backwards and grimaced painfully. But that didn´t stop him. He stretched out his arm to his opponent. The false Android 17 of course caught his hand with his own fist.

But that had been not much more than a distraction. Since in this moment Gohan in his Ultimate Form came flying in from the other side... and rammed his fist into the side of the 17 clone.

The Android had noticed Gohan´s approach as well and started to turn around, but had not been able to react fast enough.

The strike then the Android flying a few dozen meters downwards, where he caught himself in the air.

"Piccolo," Gohan greeted him.

"Good that you are here," he answered.

"This guy really looks like 17," Gohen commented.

"But he isn´t," Piccolo replied. "The real 17 is far away from here."

In the far distance they could sense the energies from the other fights, in West City and the place where Tien was training his students. The other Androids were attacking.

"You are right," the Android stated. "I am a new version of Model Number 17, created to supply and to complete him."

What did that mean? Gohan thought. It didn´t matter right now. They had to bring him down.

They attacked him from both sides. The Android was able to block the first couple of their strikes, before Piccolo was able to land a hard punch into his face.

The fake Seventeen was pushed backwards several meters and for a second he showed an visible expression of pain. But then he looked at them as if nothing happened.

In this moment, from another side, Android 18 arrived. Gohan and Piccolo saw to their relief that it was their Eighteen. She was wearing the black shirt that looked like the one from her original outfit (but not the Red Ribbon jacket) and jeans and sneakers.

"Eighteen?" Piccolo said.

"I have heard your mental message," she stated.

"Be careful," Gohan told her. "That is not your brother."

"I know," she responded flatly.

Then she did something that neither of them would have expected. She raised her hand and shot Piccolo. In the same moment the Clone 17 did the same thing and fired a blast at the Namek as well.

With a visible injury at his side, Piccolo was tumbling down from the sky.

"Piccolo," Gohan shouted. "Eighteen - what?" Was this not the real 18 after all? he asked himself. Had she just changed clothes and they were tricked by it?

"You see - this is another one of our special abilities. We can link ourselves into their brains and control them," Artificial Seventeen stated completely uncaring. "So Android 18 is right now doing everything my `sister´ wants her to."

"You," Gohan growled in sheer anger.

At the same time he felt an incredible energy exploding inside him, as his rage completely overtook him and he charged at the Seventeen copy.

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Dende´s Lookout

Cabba watched the young Namek who was the god of this planet starring unsettled over the edge of the lookout.

Standing next to him was Popo, who was having a similar worried expression.

"Is something happening Dende-sama?" he asked.

"Yes - something very serious," Dende replied. "We should get Son Goku and the others."

Goku was still inside the time-chamber, together with the two girls to teach them the Fusion Dance. So he had not sensed the attacks that were happening down on Earth.

xxxxxxx

Gohan charged at the 17 clone.

But before he could even reach him, he was being intercepted by the mind-controlled Eighteen, who punched him hard in the side.

He blocked a second hit with his arm.

This two punches told him everything he needed to know. Eighteen´s power was incredible. At least twice as much as a current Super Saiyan Blue. Her last visit in the time-chamber had really paid off.

She could have probably beaten him a few moments ago. If not by power alone, then by simply lasting him out until he were exhausted.

But it was not enough against the power his sheer rage was giving him right now.

He simply punched her aside... and then threw himself at his true enemy. He and the 17 copy exchanged punch after punch and he actually managed to force him back a few meters.

But then another unexpected thing happened. Eighteen was suddenly surrounded by what looked like a dark aura. Her body was practically overflown by energy.

Then Eighteen attacked. And Gohan was shocked.

He had no chance to avoid her strike that send him crashing downwards into the ground.

Her strength seemed to have doubled from one moment to the other.

xxxxxxx

Many miles away her copy Artificial 18 was hanging completely move and motionless in the air. She showed no reaction at all.

The reason, that nobody knew or could see, was that she was transfering all her energy into her original counterpart.

xxxxxxx

Eighteen appeared right next to Gohan, who was just standing up again and landed a hard kick on him that send him back down.

But luckily or maybe unluckily, another two newcomers were just arriving. It were Freeza and Cooler.

"Now - what do we have here?" Cooler asked.

The two Androids halted for a moment as they saw the new arrivals.

"I guess you have also gotten Piccolo´s message," Gohan said. He was breathing heavily.

"We did," Cooler replied. "Where is he anyway?"

"They have shot him and he fell down a few hundred meters from here."

`Do not worry about me.´ They suddenly heard Piccolo´s voice in their minds. `I am alive. But I fear in my current state I will not be much of a help to you.´

`I am glad that you are okay,´ Gohan replied.

Artificial 17 was looking at them emotionless.

"You two are not on the death list," he said to Freeza and Cooler. "I would advice you not to interfere and just leave."

"We are not on the death list?" Cooler commented. "That is not a very wise decision from you. My brother used to be the Ruler of the Universe and I am a warlord in my own right. We could cause you real trouble in the future," he said confidently.

"I see. Thanks for pointing this out," Artificial 17 stated. "Asking permission to edit and update combat data," he said to himself.

"Congratulations - you are on the death list," he told the two aliens with a hint of the real Seventeen´s humor.

"They are really looking exactly like the beings we saw two days ago," Freeza stated. "Are you sure that are copies?" he asked Gohan.

"The one who looks like 17 is. The other one is actually our 18, who is being mind controlled," Gohan responded.

"Is that so?" Freeza replied smoothly. "That is kind of bizarre isn´t it? Do things like that happen often to you?"

Gohan frowned. Freeza´s sarcastic tone sounded not much different from how it been before he lost his memories.

"All the time," Gohan stated grimly.

"Oh really?" Freeza commented.

"Then allow us to help you out here before we leave this planet," Cooler said.

"Is this guy strong?" Freeza asked.

"Incredible strong," Gohan replied. "Piccolo and I together could barely scratch him."

Freeza grinned.

"Good," he said. "My brother here told me that I used to be the strongest in the universe. I can not wait to test myself."

Freeza charged forward and his and the Clone Android´s fists clashed.

"Can we take her together?" Cooler asked Gohan.

"I am not sure," the half-saiyan admitted. "She is incredible strong... and somehow she seems to be getting stronger."

"Then I guess we will just have to do our best," Cooler stated.

"Why are you helping us?" Gohan asked him. "You could have just left."

"I guess we owe you people something and besides, beings this strong could turn into a threat to us as well if the take over this planet. It is better to take care of them now, together with you."

"Well - okay," Gohan said.

They both were facing 18.

Eighteen´s copy had by now stopped the energy transfer. But she had kept all the extra power it has given to her.

Her body had adapted to the higher energy level and strengthened itself and was now drawing more power from her own Infinite Energy Source.

Both Gohan and Cooler were attacking her at the same time.

"Eighteen - listen to me, you are being controlled," Gohan said to her. "Snap out of it, please. We are friends. Think about Krillin and Marron."

For a short moment she seemed to hesitate. But then she attacked them again.

xxxxxxx

Tien´s dojo

The three Androids had stopped their onslaught for the moment.

Tien saw that several of his studenty had been injured. One was dead, lying on the field with a hole through his chest.

"Who are these bastards?" Yurin called out. She and a male student had been taking cover behind a large piece of debries that had been blown off the roof.

The rest of the students were hiding at similar places. Or were still lying injured on the ground.

"Androids," Tien said. "Artificial beings created to fight."

He saw that this had no real effect on his students, because it didn´t really say anything to them.

"Like Cell," he added.

This caused his students, including Yurin, to actually freeze in terror.

"W-what?" she exclaimed.

"Cell?" another said horrified.

"Yes - very right," 13 called out. "Cell was just another creation from our brilliant creator. And soon we will finish what he had started," he announced.

"Tien - you are the first on our list of people to be killed. Why don´t you come over to us to die?" he asked grinning. "Otherwise I fear we will have to take out a few of your students first."

He pointed his finger and fired a blast at one of the students who was lying helplessly on the ground with an injured leg... and shot him right in the head.

"You bastard," Tien growled. He moved forward to attack.

But he didn´t came to it, because someone else beat him to it.

Before 13 could do anything else, he was attacked from behind.

16 had come flying down from the sky and slammed his fists into 13´s back. The surprised Android crashed into the ground beneath them.

Sixteen then turned around, quickly removed one of his hands and blasted the small Android 15 with one of his Hell Flash attacks, before reattaching the mechanical limb.

Tien was equally surprised, but more than happy to see the tall Android.

"Flee!" he shouted to his students. "And take the injured ones with you."

The students followed Tien´s order. He himself picked up one and put him into Yurin´s arms.

"Go now," he said to her. "I and my friend up there will take care of them."

He gestured to 16, who was now fighting the other three Androids.

Yurin nodded and run with the wounded student she was carrying after the others.

Tien turned around to help 16.

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West City

Bulma was looking nearly helplessly around. Chaos was everywhere.

There was a hole through the entire building. The blast that the 18 copy had fired had hit into the city and leveled a few buildings. Police and ambulance sirens were to hear everywhere.

She could not see the entire damage from here, but hundreds were most likely dead.

The Android looked down to her, wordlessly. Then she flew away.

In this moment Bulma was only happy that her son Trunks was not there. He would have for sure attacked her and gotten himself killed.

She had seen the place where Goten from the future had landed after the Android had dropped him and she and the Pilaf Gang, who had just come running out of the house, were trying to see if he could still be helped.

She kneeled down next to him. She saw it was too late.

"Is he?" Pilaf asked.

"He is dead," Bulma said. There were still the Dragon Balls, she told herself.

"What do we do now?" Mai questioned.

"We need to make sure the others all know about this," Bulma answered, "and we better try to contact Vegeta."

xxxxxxx

Gohan and Cooler were still fighting 18, while Freeza was dealing with the copy of 17.

So far nothing they did seemed to have much of an effect on the female Android.

Gohan also realized he was getting tired. His rage had given him a great boost of strength, but at the same time he was now burned out.

"I guess you were right," Cooler said to him. He had several visible bruises and looked similar exhausted as Gohan felt. "I should have left the planet while I had the chance."

Freeza on the other hand was doing well against Artificial Seventeen. He even seemed to have the upper hand and had landed a few good hits on the Android.

Now he raised his arm and fired a Death Beam at the Android. But he was met with yet another surprise as the 17 clone raised his own hand to block it - for a moment they saw a strange device implanted into his palm - and the blast seemed to disappear when it hit his hand.

"Freeza - he has an energy-absorber!" Gohan shouted. "Stop shooting at him. You are only making him even stronger."

But Artificial Seventeen only laughed.

"Stronger you say? You have no idea."

A moment after he said this, he was being surrounded by a similar black aura like 18 earlier.

What none of them knew, hundred of miles away, the real Seventeen was standing motionless at the neach of his island, while his power was flowing into his clone.

"No - don´t telll me..." Gohan called out and turned around to 18, who was also once again showing the same aura around her, as energy from her double was flowing into her and her power was rising even higher.

"That is not fair," Gohan said tonelessly.

xxxxxxx

Tien´s dojo

16 was now fighting 13 and 15 at the same time, while Tien was now facing the tall grey skinned Android 14. He remembered the time they had faced the Androids for the first time after Trunks warning from his future.

Back then he could not have hoped to fight one of them on his own and have a chance. But he had become even better since then. And this 14 was not nearly as good as 17, 18 or 16 had been.

Still, the Android was powerful and not to be underrestimated.

He fired a barrage of Dodon Rays at 14, followed by a line of kicks and punches that forced the Android in the defensive. But he remembered that 14 could fight endlessly without getting weaker, he however not.

Suddenly however, they were getting unexpected help.

Fifteen was suddenly hit by a couple of ki blasts that blew of one of his arms and part of the shoulder. What allowed Sixteen to finishhim off with a single punch that blew the small Android´s body apart.

As Tien and 16 looked upwards they saw that it were Trunks and the younger Son Goten in their SSJ forms.

13 however reacted in a way that none of them would have expected. He looked at 14... and fired a two handed blast right through the other already damaged Android´s stomach.

To their horror they saw that the blast continured it´s way after it pierced through 14´s body obliterated a good part of the dojo and then finally hit into the small town next to them.

14 meanwhile exploded.

And 13 was only standing there and laughed. Moments later, before anyone knew what was going on, a couple of chips and both energy-generator from the wreckages of the two destroyed Android were rising up into the air and moving automatically towards Android 13.

xxxxxxx

West City

Marron was kneeling with tears in her eys next to Future Goten´s body.

She, her father Krillin and her younger self had arrived just a minute before. They had come here after her mother had just disappeared and they had received Piccolo´s telepathic warning about copies of her and 17 and a few other Androids a few minutes later.

They had also sensed the fight between Goten and an Android. And now they had arrived and he was dead. Killed by what they had heard by an exact copy of her mother, who had also laid waste to an entire block of the town.

"The Dragon Balls can still bring him back," Bulma said.

In this moment Son Goku and the three Universe 6 saiyans appeared next to them per Instant Transmission.

"I have heard what had happened," Goku said to them. Like Marron, he was looking at Goten´s body.

`Dende - can you tell us where the Androids are right now?´ Goku asked him telepathically.

xxxxxxx

Somewhere in space

It was a large space-station under the control of the Galactic Monarchy, a crossing-point for traders and travellers from all over the known cosmos. The station was orbiting the only planet in the system that carried life. No truly intelligent one, no civilization, but several species of animals.

Dozens of ships were lying at the many anchorages.

But now everyone on the space station and on the ships was dead. In fact every living being in the star system was dead.

All except the two on inside a small spacecraft that was hovering in space in front of the station.

On board Moro was standing and now glowing with energy. His old appearance now actually seemed a few years younger.

In front of him, sitting on the controls was the small alien criminal who had accompanied him during his escape.

"Good - very good," he said, "but I am still far from my old level."

He will need more - more lives, more planets.

Moro remembered the group of people this Towa woman wanted him to destroy in exchange for her help in his release. He knew he would come across them at one time. By the information she had given him about them, they are not the types to let an opponent like him running around getting stronger.

It would be foolish to try to get out of the deal. Going by who Towa´s Master was, even he had reason to fear him.

And if this particular group of fighters gained even the legendary Demigra´s attention, then they were a problem for him that he would have to take care of sooner or later anyway.

Good - their lives and their energy would be his... and then - with all their power in him - this entire universe would be his. That too was part of their agreement.

"Are we ready for our next halt?" Moro questioned. "To planet Namek?"

"Yes Lord Moro," the former inmate replied.

Here is now the next chapter. Like said earlier, the copy Androids are in some aspects different as in GT.

In GT Hellfighter/Artificial 17 was able to awake dormant power in the original.

Here the copies and the original are able to transfer energy between each other. Also, since their bodies are getting used to the higher power-output, they are keeping the extra power, even after the transfer is stopped.

In the end there is also a small scene of Moro, who will face his opponents on Namek.