Son Gohan and Trunks: Another Road - Android Saga Act III (Chapter 3)
Trunks, 19 y/o. Age 783, February 21st - Earth 9:01 A.M. West City
Bulma rested her arms on a rusted 'red' catwalk, most of the paint having chipped off by now, providing dangerous flakes to nick her skin on. She wore padded gloves and jean jackets however, completely nullifying the 'could-be' elements as she resisted the urge to dig into the cigarette pack in her jacket pocket.
"In a weird way, this level of destruction sets you much farther back. We're in the stone ages in comparison. We may have the knowledge and the taste of what technology was like before but the Androids basically ran through every major city."
"What do you mean?" Trunks asked as he put his hands on the steel beam, pulling up parallel to the weathered railing only standing on nothing on the other side.
"Well… The farther technology gets, the faster it can get you there. So… like… the robots that used to be doing their damndest aren't here to get the job done faster than we could. At a certain point, all we had to do was make the plans and have A.I. execute it. Now that there's none of that we need to rebuild buildings from scratch and actually learn the architecture, that or get people who used to design buildings back into West City and get some work done."
"I see."
"Yeah. It's called a positive feedback loop. The further technology gets, the further technology can get, Faster." Her son just kind of stared at her blankly, forcing her to choke down a cough and noogie her baseball cap deep into the half silver half purple hair hanging down from the cap, almost dreads due to the lack of consistent clean water and mechanical grease. "I don't know if I'm explaining it right but basically. Because we relied on a lot of the technology to do the heavy lifting for us, now we're in dire straits more than ever. No robots, no West City."
"So we need to find some robots?"
"No. We need to find parts to build robots and then I need to learn how to code again. I was using mostly scripts I had memorised by the end. I need to build programs from scratch, something I haven't done in YEARS. I could get West City up and running pretty quickly, I'd just need a lot of resources, and… ya know, some helping hands."
"I don't know anything about machinery."
"I know you don't." Bulma said with a wrinkly smile as she brushed his messy also purple locks.
"So what are you thinking? Me, Puar, and Gohan have cleared out a lot of the debris. I thought more people would be here by now."
"How so?"
"Hmm?"
"Just because you guys beat the Androids doesn't mean the whole world's suddenly gonna know that."
"..!"
"There used to be this thing called the internet, and before that, Television. I don't doubt that there are probably some signals still bouncing around in the more rural corners of the world but that's just it. No one's gonna know unless you were able to broadcast that information somehow. The only way to grow West City now is by word of mouth. You'd have to go find people first, which… Wow, talk about a day's work. And then somehow convince them that you're really not lying and trying to take their stuff."
"That's awful."
"Nah, Chumps. That's smart. Howya' doin', Bulma?"
"Good morning, Launch."
"Mornin'! Ayy. You eva' figure out a good way to plug it up in this shithole? I was mostly just usin' like rags that I had to keep an eye on."
"What are you talking about?"
"Periods. Dumbass. This shit was easy before the androids but there's not such an easy access to clean materials if you're catching my drift."
"... No..?"
"Oh. Hah. It be like that, hah?" Launch quipped, pointing her thumb at Trunks as she filed in next to Bulma.
"It really do, Launch. I tried to make sure he wasn't a dumbass but to be as fair as possible. It's not really something He'd have to worry about."
"Yeah. I guess so. You really beat the Androids?"
"Uhh… Yes ma'am!" Trunks frantically bowed on the air opposite the catwalk housing now three cats as Puar landed on the rusted railing.
"Ha! Relax, Chumps. I believe you. I seen Goku do more with less."
"All you guys talk about Goku quite a lot. I really would have liked to meet him."
"He was a riot. I neva' seen anyone that strong in my life. I don't know how the Androids did it. He beat The Demon King when he was a fuckin' kid. Can you believe that shit?"
Bulma let out a chuckle as Launch recounted tales from long since passed.
"I mean. I seen weirder. Gohan's Goku's kid. He with you when you fought the Androids?"
"Yes ma'am. Puar too."
"Pua'! You dirty dog! You fought the Androids?"
"Heehee~" The Cat squeaked as Launch pulled him in for a furry face hug.
"No wonda'! Goku's kid could do anything!"
"Well, Gohan said he was actually mostly trained by Piccolo. Goku~ his father… passed before he ever really started training martial arts seriously."
"... right…" Launch stated as she flumped her arms over the railing, letting the mask slip and her baggy, tired eyes to show themselves in the fluttering morning light of the misshapen metal rafters.
"..."
Trunks averted his gaze, shifting to the seawater crashing into the bayside as he planted his hands firm in his pants pockets.
"Trunks?"
"Yes, mom?"
"Could you do me a big favour?"
"Sure."
"I'm going to need a lot of machine parts. Do you think you could head to North City for me and see if you can dig up anything?"
"North City? Why there?"
"Before the Androids came, there was really only one name who could rival Capsule Corp. And they sure weren't doing a very good job at it, but most folks in North City just used them instead, so they got a workable monopoly over there. Our best bet would be to try and see if Newman is still active."
"Newman?"
"Yes. He prefers to go by Fresh. Well, at least he told Me to call him Fresh."
"Sounds like you guys had a history. You sure you don't want to come?" Trunks questioned as he noogied the top of his head to find the right spot to scratch.
"Uhh… I'd rather not… Uhm… let's just say we really left on bad terms."
"If that's the case, how would I convince him to come over here?"
"Well…"
"Ayy! I see where you're going!" Launch hollered as she nodded her head in excitement.
"You did say you were a bandit and a thief."
"But you asked me, mom."
"Ayy. I'll get it done, Bulma, don't you worry." Launch said as she herself launched over the railing, leather boots smacking up against the uneven floor.
"Trunks, honey. Try not to rob the man if you can, but if Pod Corporation is still active in any capacity, we could really use the resources. I'll find some way to work it out if you can get him to relocate."
Shooo~Clapp!
"Ayy! We goin' or what!?" Launch shouted from the cracked concrete outside the pummeled warehouse.
"North City?"
"Yes."
"Nimbus!" Trunks hollered as he descended upon the shapely crevices of one of West City's many mangled storage lots with the grace of a dancer.
"I'm coming too!"
"Puar?"
"Yeah?"
"..." Trunks looked at Puar, then got lost as he shifted his gaze up to the red grated walkway his mother stood on, then back to The Cat. "Puar?"
"Mmhmm?"
"If you, Launch, and I go? Who's gonna watch West City?"
"Oolong?"
"But what if he takes the day off?"
"Hmm…" The Cat purred as he placed his paw over his frizzling whiskers.
"And Gohan's not here either."
"Okay! Fine! I'll stay…" He grumbled, floating back up to the catwalk.
Vwerttt!
"Ayy! This lil' numba'! I memba' this thing! Fun times!"
Bwermpp!
Her butt hit the ruined city streets but she just laughed as if The Nimbus were playing a practical joke.
"Nice one, Nimbus!" She said as Trunks took her by the hand to stand her up. After dusting herself off and being brought aboard by the same holding of the hand, her and Trunks took to the skies.
"Can you take us to North City, Nimbus?"
The buoyant orange cloud asserted itself with a conjured limb, saluting the pair as it rose ever higher with steady and precise movements before blasting away above West City's disastrous skyline, toppled buildings, ruined metros, shattered glass and dilapidated, sickly tube tunnels awash with filth and acidic rainwater.
VYOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooo~
Antiq, 42 y/o. Age 783 February 21st Earth - 9:23 A.M. North City
The laboratory was shining, sleek polished metallics, lights on, fluorescents, scientists of all kinds paraded around the floor. The lab walls were rock, proper earthen dust with lights and wires strung up against the stoney cavern. An elevator ran down the line, and a man with slicked back, mostly grey hair stepped out of the lift.
"Mr. Newman."
"Hello, Mr. Newman."
Newman waved them off as he made a b-line towards the computer in the back of the room. Tubes were placed in a line on the back, four on either side, 8 in total. Glassy windows allowed outsiders to peer into them from the front but the people-sized tubes possessed thick metal plating, whatever would be put in there had its work cut out for it.
"Newman. The prototype is finished." A middle aged man with well kept but starting to grey hair said as he brought up a clipboard.
"Ready to activate?"
"Yes sir."
"Alright. Names. We gotta come up with a good name. Capsule Corp. always had our number with the names." Newman replied as he rubbed his hands together. The pair strutted with purpose through the laboratory, avoiding employees, tables, machines, and wires alike.
Zhhhhhhhhkk.
The wall in the back left corner of the lab opened up to reveal a hallway. The pair stomped onto the metal with speedwalking strides as the area opened up into an enormous pit. The only thing separating them from certain death was the catwalk's green glass and the railing. Unlike the rest of the cavern, it had been dug up and workers around the clock were shaping and cultivating more open area to work in. There were platforms of rock carvers and climbers as they shaped out formations to open it up. Down at the very bottom of the pit were blue tiles and a massive pulsating machine adorned with cerulean metals and red lights droning, pulsating with each minute development.
"Mr. Newman!"
Newman nodded from the top of the catwalk, making his way down the winding path, the green glass built into the wall and forming an elongated spiral staircase towards the basin of the crypt. The elderly man pushed his glasses against his brow ridge as he presented a white robot in the shape of an orb. It was packed in, almost an egg shape besides the protrusions on its back and the red glass at the forefront of its design, a tiny little robot cyclops.
"Newman, sir." The old man bowed, shaking on the spot. The man was old, impressively in the line of duty and development. He trembled and presented the machine on a wheeling cart, pushing it forwards towards Newman and the tall brown man walking alongside him.
"We think of a name? Or do I have to do everything around here?"
"I was thinking Gil1 or Gil."
"Gil, huh?" Newman asked as he furrowed his brow, tipping down his circular glasses, taking stock of the 'creature' as it lay dormant on the operating table.
"But eventually I settled on Giru."
"Why is that?" Newman asked as he placed his glasses back into position, pressing on the nose piece with his middle finger.
"The Androids are the ones that forced us underground due to their… ruthless tactics. But… they will also be responsible for Pod Corporation's comeback."
"Glad you're finally seeing things from my perspective."
"So…" The old fogey went on, wiggling his finger in the air both intentionally and unintentionally. "This robot's name is: Genocide Innovation Revitilisation Unit."
Clapp!
"Alright!" Newman shouted as he clasped his hands together. "Giru! I like it!"
"It really is the perfect design, sir. You couldn't ask for better in this time of need."
"Well, Collie. You could." Newman answered back quickly as he took hold of the metal workbench housing the inactive Giru. "Maybe it would have been better to go another route. Just because he can eat scrap and integrate it into his being doesn't mean a whole lot, because he still has to stay away from those damn Androids. If those guys get their hands on Giru it's a wrap. And we still have to field test. We don't necessarily know anything. We only know Giru succeeded in the trial runs… He did succeed in the trail runs, correct?"
"Yes, sir. Giru absorbed the knowledge of a preserved police officer's radio. So, Giru now has access to police frequencies."
Newman slapped his head, laughing his ass off as he smacked the white sphere of inactive machinery.
"Lotta' good that's gonna do us now."
"Are you going to perform field tests now, Mr. Newman?"
"Of course. We've already laid the ground rules for Giru's design, Collie. Long as we don't fuck up we can make a bunch more Giru's."
"I~Heh-hah… Wouldn't say a bunch, sir…"
"Yeah, yeah. Gotcha'. Resources. What I'm saying is… all we really need is one confirmed field test with less than cooperative materials. If Giru comes back with more data and abilities then it doesn't really matter if he gets destroyed by the Androids. … Well… I guess it would matter depending on what he had in his possession before being annihilated. We still don't have any sort of networking system online yet… But that's exactly what we need done. Antiq!"
"Yes, sir?"
"You're doing field work with Giru. First things first. I need you to see if ZTV is still located in Central City. And if it is, I'll need you to confirm the level of destruction. Giru integrating broadcasting equipment into his system would be a Godsend but for now I just want you to scope the place out and see if it'd be worth sending a team to clear out the area."
"Newman?" The tan man asked with a raised brow.
"What is it?"
"The Androids are known to hang around Central City the most out of all five major cities. What if The Giru gets destroyed on its first outing?" Antiq asked with a smooth delivery and a raised brow, sweat beading down his frame from the thought.
"Then we make another one. I don't really see your reasoning here, Antiq. I suppose what you're presenting is if Giru collects broadcasting equipment, integrates it into his system, and Then gets destroyed?"
"Yes."
"Well then that would be a problem. But you know how to keep your head low, Antiq. Better you than me."
"... I see."
"Hey. I'm providing a luxury down here. This might as well be the last true colony of Earth's people. We don't know what's going on on the surface. What if the Androids are gone? What if someone killed them? We don't know. We haven't put boots on the ground in forever. What if bandits get ahold of Giru? We don't know."
"Here you go, Antiq. This is the integration log. Make sure not to lose this on your reconnaissance." Dr. Collie said as he handed over a tablet, shaky hand and all.
Antiq took hold of the tablet and a big:
Turn On [Yes] [No]
made itself known to the tanned man. Antiq let out a short breath through his nose and tapped onto the face of the device.
Whirrrrrrrr! Znn. Ga-Chuik!
The white ball popped out four extra limbs and the red glass lit up with LEDs, signalling life from beneath the metal.
"Revitilisation Unit active! Giru~ Giru~" Giru said as it saluted with its three pronged drill hand. "Ready to gather resources for Pod Corp, sir! Giru~ Giru~"
"It says its name?" Newman said with a craned out neck, sharp eyes pointing towards Dr. Collie. "I don't remember it doing that in its trial runs."
"Well uhh… Mr. Newman~ I uhh… It can be turned off. But uhh… one of the reasons Capsule Corp. was so ubiquitous was because it was accessible. People trusted these machines because they were friendly. So uhh… I suppose the idea was that, in these trying times… something friendly would be uhm, far more uhh-"
"-I love it!" Newman said with a gnarly smirk, crossing his arms as a declaration, glaring right at The One Eyed Robot.
"Mr. Newman, sir, chairman, sir, CEO of Pod Corp, sir! Thank you for giving me life! Giru~ Giru~"
"Nothin' to it, Giru." Newman said as he shook the tiny metallic hand of the circular bot. "You wouldn't be here without me of course but I only made the blueprints of the design. I didn't do any of the manufacturing. There's lots of jobs to get done so I can really only oversee the beginning and the end of projects here at Pod Corp. Well. Your first mission is to see if you can recover broadcasting equipment over at ZTV in Central City."
"Roger!" Giru said, cranking out another salute with all the patriotism its little robot body could conjure.
"You're going to pay attention and listen to what protocols Antiq here gives you. Understand?"
"Loud and clear, sir! Giru~"
"..." Antiq gave The CEO of Pod Corp. the side eye, it wasn't returned however . Giru floated up, using hidden rocket boosters to maintain a floating altitude at Antiq's face height.
"Hello! I am The Revitalisation Unit developed by Pod Corporation! Nice to meet you, Antiq!"
"..."
"I have detailed records of your employment history here at Pod Corporation, so I know I can trust you!"
"... Let's just get going."
"Yes, sir! Lead the way! Giru~ Giru~"
"It's just a buncha' trash! The Androids fucked this place up too! Howintha' hell are we gonna find that guy!? Whatsis name, Nougat?"
"Newman." Trunks stated as he hopped off The Nimbus and started scanning the grass uprooting most of the concrete, and busted stones. Felled buildings housed makeshift animal shelters instead of humans. Rats and raccoons scattered about the place as Trunks upheaved large swaths of buildings with his bare hands, thousands of pounds tossed and shrugged aside thanks to his massive strength.
BVYUUU-Bah-BOMMMBB!
Debris rained down onto the desecrated metro, Trunks cleaning up the leftovers with Ki blasts, and laser beams to particularly hassling structures or in-the-way rubble. Snakes and insects of all kinds skittered out of the way as their stone alcoves were ripped away from them or destroyed at the behest of the strange hairless monkey's ethereal presence.
Bzyyyu~KOWWWWW! KABOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!
"Mr. Newman!" An employee yelled down into the blue tiled pit at the very basin of Pod Corporation's underground facility. "The Androids are here! We're detecting seismic activity indicating the usage of plasma!"
"Lock everything down! Where's Antiq!?"
"He's already gone to the surface, sir!"
"You gotta be shitting me…"
"I am designed to eat leftover tech! If you see any electronic garbage just let me at it- Gill~"
Antiq took cover behind a slanted stone, cupping his entire arms around the tiny cyclops as if it were a football and the Androids were looking to make their game-winning steal.
"Antiq? Why did you do that? Giru~"
Buuu~
After pressing the off button on his device's screen, Giru condensed back into himself, less of a robot and more of a basketball.
Bah-BOOOOOOOOOOOHHHMMMMMMMMMM!
"Ayy! Where's Nougat!? We just wanna' talktoya'! No hard feelins or nun'!"
Antiq's hot body ran cold, double duty from the weather and from the fear gripping onto his spinal column. He so desperately shook his legs to wake them up, but something prevented him from standing up and making a break for it. Shifting footsteps, sneakers, carved their way across the concrete of the uprooted city. A huge corner piece of a building flew overhead, at least five floors worth. As soon as it reached the top of the city, it exploded into smithereens, coaxing Antiq to make a break for it, dashing out of dodge and towards a dilapidated stop sign.
His hand ran all along the metal and he cranked the piece like it was a lever and not a device to settle the flow of traffic. The sound of footsteps grew louder.
Tap. Tmp. Tup.
"Oh God! I'm gonna die… Hurry up you motherfucks~"
"Hey!" Trunks said with an earnest smile and a wave.
"Yahooohooooooo~" He leaped into the air, hitting his head on the cold slab above the stop sign, a natural overhang formed by the culmination of a landslide and a fallen bridge. The white ball in his hands rolled out onto the mucky dirt, staining its pristine shape into a manky faded brown. The guy was limp, completely out of it.
"Ayy! Ain't this some technology!? Looks like a fahkin' robit to me!"
"... I wouldn't really know. Sorry."
"Ahh! And one ah these things! I think they used to call this a tablet! I neva' used these things much but this is probably exactly what Bulma was loukin' foa'! Jackpot baby!"
"But why is it here? Was mom right? Is Pod Corp. still around? But that doesn't make sense. I mean look at this place." Trunks asserted as he put his hands on his hips, looking especially like his mom as he turned around and let his long purple strands hang loose.
"Well we're here for Nougat, right?"
"Newman."
"Newton, right. Well, this our first uhh… whaddoya call it..? Clue!"
"..." Trunks crossed his arms as Launch picked up the rotund specimen, scraping off the dirt with harsh smacks that caused the metal coating its frame to warble and sound off.
"Hea'!"
Whapp!
Trunks caught the tablet at mach speeds, the device somehow staying compact even through the baseball heat Launch sent it at him with. He checked cover to cover until a pop-up appeared on the screen.
"Ayy, Chumps! Check the screen!"
"Huh?" Trunks raised a brow, the touchscreen facing outwards towards Launch as the teen attempted to configure it the right way. After flipping it what must have been three times, lost like a little kid with a rubix cube, Trunks finally found the:
Turn On [Yes] [No]
Whirrrrrrrr! Znn. Ga-Chuik!
"Hello! …" The Little Robot That Could stared up into Launch's bright green unblinking eyes. A wash of red layered over her, a blanket of infrared lasers scanned her being as mechanical whirs registered in the background of his machinery.
"Ayy, Chumps! This little guy turned on! It works! We found an actual robot!"
"I am not a robot! I am Giru! The Revitalisation Unit! Intruder alert! Where is Antiq? Where is President Newman?"
"Newton!"
"Newman?"
"It is pronounced Newman."
"Ayy! We're loukin' foa' that guy! You must know where he is, considering he's the president and all."
"Well the president of Pod Corp. at least. That's what mom said."
"Hands off or I will be forced to use lethal methods. 3! 2!"
"Launch!" Trunks howled, snatching her up by the wrists and leaping back. Giru rolled onto the ground and popped into the air like a wind-up toy.
"Thank you. I am still unsure of your allegiances. Hmm. Oh! Mr. Antiq! He's unconscious! Giru~" The One Eyed Robot took on a kung fu stance with his little limbs, kicking up dust. "You must be the Androids! I have combat protocols built into my design! Vacate the premises or I will be forced to use them."
"Oh, you misunderstand-"
"5!"
"We didn't… uhh. We didn't do that to, uhh… Mr. Antiq here-"
"4!"
"Hey! Give me a second! I'm trying to explain myself-"
"3!"
"We did not hurt Mr. Antiq!" Trunks said as he waved his hands while backing away from the bot. "We're not the Androi-"
"2!"
"The androids aren't around anymore. We got rid of them."
"1!"
"It would be a big mistake fighting us, robot." Trunks claimed as the misaligned rock and felled housing editions raised from the flaring of his energy. His purple hair raised into the aether along with the rocks and wreckage.
Giru's red eyeball scanned the power on display in front of him. The data on his heads up display detailed powers ranging at the apex of the bar graphs in every category. With that, the robot chirped like a mouse.
"Forceful deactivation! Opponent too strong! Armadillo mode!"
Znnnn. Ga-Shuigck.
And just like that, Giru rolled onto the dirt, deactivating and folding in on himself.
"Huh."
Trunks squatted down low, palming the now eyeless robot with one hand.
"Hah! You scared him senseless!"
"I didn't think he'd go back in his shell like that. Uhm…"
"We caught a big break! We found a robot and some other thingy!" Launch claimed as she stole the thin tablet from Trunks' off hand. "Let's get back to West City and see what's up!"
"I'm not sure… The robot said Newman's name. That means he's around here somewhere."
"But how are we gonna find him!? That robot clammed up and this dope ain't lookin' like he in the mood to tell us." Launch posited as she presented Antiq's unconscious body with some biker first aid.
"Launch. Press the on button on the thing."
"This thing? Aight."
"..."
"Nothin' happenin'?"
Trunks placed both hands on the dirty white sphere, holding it above his head, bringing it to eye level, placing it on the ground, rolling it like a bowling ball, placing his heel on it like a soccer ball.
"No. Not that I can tell." Bulma's son said as he scratched his fraying purple locks, not quite as stunning or well kempt as they were in The Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
"It says uhh… Uhh… Well I'm not gonna bullshitcha'. I kinda forgot how to read."
"You forgot how to read?"
"Ayy! Listen, Chumps! I ain't come all the way out here just to catch some lip from you! We ain't really need it back in The Thieve's Den, aight!" Launch let out flustered, tomatoey red skin building up as the purple haired teen sauntered over and fished the pad from her fingertips.
G.I. has been forcefully deactivated. Please enter the reactivation code.
[_]
"It needs some sort of password. G. I. R. U. Giru… Right. He said that before."
"Password, hah? Howtha' fahk are we suppost ta get past that?"
"I bet mom'd have the answer but we really should look around. The CEO of Pod Corp. is still alive, this robot confirms it." Trunks stated as he kicked Giru's lifeless form up into his hand from the shaky terrain covered in grass and dusty concrete.
"A win's a win. That Newton guy is still around."
"I'll hang around here and make sure this guy's alright. You check the rest of the city."
"Gotcha. Ayy Nimbus! Where you at?"
Vyoooooooonn~Vwertttt!
"Hupp!"
Bonkk!
"Hyah-Haa! What a jokestah!" Launch let out as she stood up, rubbed her behind and then waltzed out of sight with her puffy orange companion in tow.
Trunks studied the thin pad, immaculately clean all things considered. No rust, no dust, the glass had no imperfection, the silver sheen on its backside hadn't fallen out of favour, its light weight was easy to hold. The purple haired teen sat up against the concrete barricade and looked over at the tan man's snoozing body.
Trunks sat there for a while until the minutes turned into hours. The sun started its descent in the sky until Launch came back empty handed but with far more chalk, dust, and dirt over her leather uniform.
"I got nothin'." She said in a huff before flipping back her 80s style volume with a rocker headbang. "You?"
*I think this guy's about to wake up."
"Rmm~" Antiq's body twitched and then wiggled over just slightly.
"We might as well go back. We can make a note of it. We know Newman is still around here somewhere."
"Ay, works for me. Hup!" Launch exclaimed as she threw the tired old man over her shoulder.
Trunks stepped onto The Nimbus like it were the next rung on the ladder, grabbing Launch before she fell through again.
Newman, 56 y/o. Age 783, February 21st - Earth 9:38 A.M. Pod Corp. Underground Lab
"Mr. Newman!" Another woman in a labcoat shouted from the rafters as he conversed with other employees on the ground floor.
"What!?"
"Giru's forced deactivation protocol has been launched!"
"Is it the Androids!?" He hollered back, climbing the long winding way if the glass slope.
"I don't know, sir, but we can't get ahold of Antiq either. He hasn't been sending back any distress signals. We have fingerprints that he attempted to touch the stop sign after leaving but that's all."
Newman and his employee stood still in the middle of the staircase, Newman himself staring at the large blue apparatus in the middle of the cavern with dotted lights and a constant hum emanating from its enormous stature.
"Well damn. It looks like the Androids got him."
"It would appear so, sir. But right now, we do know that Giru is still operational." She claimed, presenting the man with another tablet detailing a blip over sonar vision.
"He's turned off though, right?"
"Yes sir. Forceful deactivation."
"Good. Collie!" He yelled down into the pit, the elderly man fixing his glasses as he craned his gooseneck upward.
"Mr. Newman?" The old man's voice croaked, slapping up against the sloped rocks of the cavern.
"Did we ever get remote controls for Giru!?"
"Yes, I believe so!"
"Get me the damn controls then!"
"Yes, sir! Right away, sir!"
"Are you sure about this, Mr. Newman?"
"What's there to be sure about, Sherly? We poured all of our effort into The G.I.R.U."
"Actually my name is-"
"It's not the biggest deal in the world if we lose him but if he went into Armadillo Mode then that means he's as cool as a cucumber. The Androids didn't get him."
"But that's what I mean, sir." She said as she chased him down the ramp to the recesses of the underground laboratory, their well kept dress shoes clacking on company tile. "What about the Androids? What if they're still there?"
"You guys sure don't have a lot of faith in me despite every single one of you owing me your lives. I'm way ahead if you. I'm waiting til night time to activate anyway, then I can kill two birds with one stone and see if our nighttime vision implementation is fully operational."
"Sorry, sir."
"Yeah, you better be."
"Here you are, Mr. Newman."
Newman fixed his glasses and looked down at the:
G.I. has been forcefully deactivated. Please enter the reactivation code.
[_]
"Debugger… Mmhmm~" He hummed, tapping on the glass and sidestepping everything with ease. "There we go. Lockout. Hah. If anyone tries to get smart they'll need the debug code."
Bulma, 50 y/o. Age 783, February 21st - Earth 7:41 P.M. West City
"Uhm. I wasn't necessarily advocating for kidnapping, Trunks. I was more so thinking of the diplomatic approach."
"Mom, I-"
"Kidding! I'm more interested in this little number anyway- A tablet!?" Bulma snatched the thin rectangular device right out of Trunks hand as Launch yawned and took a seat on a nearby incredibly scuffed couch, rips, suspicious stains, and fluffy innards strewn outwards lining its frame. "Wow! How'd you guys get your hands on a tablet!?"
"I think it's to turn Giru on or off."
"Ahh. A remote. This thing here does double duty… but I'm not seeing many other features… Hmm… yeah… This is a lockout code. The G.I.R.U. is gonna stay inactive until we crack this baby. It's probably gonna take me a couple tries but I'll have this thing opened up in no time. Who's the guy by the way?"
"I don't know. Apparently he's with Pod Corp. though."
"So they're still around?"
"Yeah. For sure. Giru mentioned Newman by name. Even called him the president." Trunks said as he pointed down at Antiq's dozed off state.
"Until I get this thing figured out, we're gonna have to grill him."
"Grill him!? We're not that low on food are we?"
"No, Puar. Mom was just saying an expression."
"Oh thank goodness." Puar said as he deflated in the spot, whizzing out air and flattening on the ground like a pancake.
"Who's tha' dead guy?"
"Hey, Oolong."
"He's not dead. … I hope." Bulma said, raising a brow and finally taking her eye off the tablet for a moment to get a glimpse of the brown man sleeping off the welt on his forehead next to Launch.
"We don't know his name but he's with Pod Corp." Bulma's boy relayed as The Pig moseyed in.
"Bullshit. Pod Corp's still around?" Oolong shot right back with a raised brow.
"Well. That's what Trunks said, but that remains to be seen. … Not that I don't believe you or anything, baby, but you know."
"I get it, mom." Trunks replied as he put his hands in his pockets.
"Where's Gohan?" The Pig asked as he poked Antiq's now snoring body, as if Oolong pressed the on switch.
"He's back at the island!" Puar said as he resurrected, swirling around in the air.
"Znnnn~ Gnuhhhh!"
"Whoa!" Oolong cried as Antiq iron gripped onto his wrist. "Hands off, buddy!" The Pig stated as he parried the arm grab, thrusting him hard enough into the couch that it flopped backwards, spilling Launch and the tan prisoner onto the somewhat swept floor of the warehouse.
Launch didn't care one bit, not stirring from her slumber. Antiq scrambled out onto the ground, pulling out a gun from the back side of his belt loop.
Shwufff!
"Whoa!"
"Hey!" Puar cooed, dreary eyes as he covered his face.
"I'd advise against it." Trunks said as he stepped in front of his mother. Bulma cupped her hands around Trunks broad shoulders as he glared down the gunman.
"Are you the Androids?"
"Wow. Really. You think a cat, a pig, and two purple haired idiots resemble the Androids?" Oolong asked as he gazed up at the man.
"No. We're not the Androids." Trunks asserted with a raised palm.
"Stay right where you are! I'l-"
Fsht! Ka-Gchingkkk! Klatter~ Klatter~
The gun detached into lego pieces at the behest of Trunks' fast hands before he pushed into Antiq's suit and tie look.
"Well. It's the first suit I seen in 10 years. Maybe Pod Corp. really is still around. But how the Hell'd they get through unscathed?" The Pig asked as he turned his head towards Bulma's.
"I don't know. Mister. We're not here to harm you, let's just calm down."
"Mm-Hmm! I am calm." The brown man said as he flapped his black suit jacket a single time, taking a step away from Trunks and almost tripping over Launch's snoring body.
"Are you working with Pod Corp?" Son Gohan's star pupil asked as he slowly sauntered towards the man, Antiq backing up with careful strides, and lessening options due to the back of the garage being blocked off by walls and a lack of exits.
"..."
"Wow. Shut his trap real quick. We're takin' that one as a yes by the way." Oolong said as he pointed his toddler sized fist up at the man.
"Uhm. Your robot, sir. It shut off. We haven't found a way to get it to reactivate." Trunks said as he kicked up the off-white orb into his hands and presented Antiq with the spherical machine.
"Everyone calm down. Let him speak. We're all over him. What's your name?"
"Antiq." He said as he fixed his tie. "Thank God she doesn't remember me. Bulma? Really? She's out here roughing it with the rest of the world? Capsule Corp? Really?" He almost couldn't keep it to himself, but maintained focus with a clearing of the throat, the rusted air forcing him to choke down some phlegm.
"Antiq. My name's Bulma. This is my son, Trunks."
"Hey."
"Puar."
"Hi!"
"Oolong."
"I mean if Bulma's just gonna reveal my name for me, I guess I got no choice."
"And that, is Launch."
"Hmm!" One more clear of the throat and a fixing of the tie later: "Nice to meet you all."
"So where's Newman?"
"Trunks!" Bulma about fell over from the directness and the sharp brow he used to stare a hole through their 'guest'.
"Who's Newman?"
"Don't play smart with me. This is your robot. If I remember correctly, it even called you Antiq. You and this robot work for Pod Corp. So tell me, how did you guys survive?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know what that thing is."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Trunks glared back at his mother with a stern stare.
"Well… we're sorry for wasting your time, Antiq."
"I was just heading to North City. Where are we, by the way?"
"This is West City." Bulma answered back quickly.
"Ahhhh~" He deflated just like Puar, his jaw flinging open and letting in the strange mix of beautiful non-industrial air and the musk of dilapidated apartment complexes.
"Look. Listen hea'. Bulma's lookin' to get her A game back, and I for one ain't sittin' around here for any longer without air conditioning. So eitha' youa' gonna tell the truth, or you're gonna regret it, busta'!"
"Oolong. Let it go." Trunks said as he put his hand on The Pig's shoulder.
"Oolong?"
"Hmm?" The Pig almost oinked back at Bulma's plea.
"You're right. This bastard's lying through his teeth. I want my machines… I want air conditioning… And most importantly. I WANT TO SHOWER! So you're gonna tell me where you got that immaculate skin-care routine from mister! Because I gotta know!" Bulma howled, her eyes lighting with flames and she womanhandled Antiq's blazer.
"I'm tellin' you~ Get off me!"
Fwommm!
"I don't know anything!"
"If Newman's got some sort of underground lab, I'm going to be Livid. Dad said: 'No~ that's unnecessary. We have everything we need up top.' and I just Had to listen to him. It might not have defeated the Androids but at least I'd be clean! Ahuuhuu~" Bulma cried, her knees collapsing inwards as she freaked out on the stained concrete flooring of the warehouse.
"I don't know this Newman guy. And I don't have anything to do with Giru either."
"Giru? Who's Giru?" Trunks asked as he raised a brow.
"What?" Antiq said, bringing a smile to Trunks' face.
"..."
"Alright, Oolong. What did you have in mind?" Trunks asked as he scrubbed out some of the messy knots in his long purple hair.
The Pig lambasted the tan outsider, setting up the ransacked couch just to throw him on it.
"I'll let you know up front, Antiq. They used to call me Oolong The Terrible."
Bom!
"I'd make it quick if I were you." Oolong said as his tiny body morphed into an indescribable abomination. Antiq pressed a button on his watch.
The moon rose ever higher in the sky as Oolong ran the gambit.
Bom!
"Scared yet?"
Bom!
"You're gonna talk, damn you!"
Bom! Bom!
"On second thought, I'm not doin' that. I debased myself once already. The only one who even saw me do it is dead, so I'm pretty much startin' fresh." Oolong quipped as he turned into a modelesque figure only to rewind back to his regular body immediately.
"You have to threaten him for the torture to work, Oolong!" Puar said as he bopped him with a paw.
"Without even gettin' into the fact that we're still within earshot of the guy. I'm not Trying to fuck him up. He ain't doin' anything wrong. I might not be the shining example of altruism but give me a friggin' break! I ain't the Androids! I don't even know how to interrogate someone!"
Bulma stood atop the catwalk, eyes fixated on the keypad, typing and hesitating. She held her breath but then jammed her index.
Incorrect reactivation code. The G.I. will not reactivate until the [Debug] code is utilised.
[_]
"Damn it! I knew I shouldn't have been too hasty. But what else am I gonna do except try? I don't have the tools to troubleshoot… Hey, Trunks!"
"..?" The kid looked up at his mom standing on the rusted metal grate as she shook the tablet.
"No good! I don't think we're gonna get that bot active! Not unless there's a reset timer on the reactivation code! Newman's smart, but I didn't think he had it in him to go through the trouble. We're literally resetting back to the stone ages and he cares that much about an incorrect password! Whatever that robot is, it must be a doozy."
"Huh."
"This guy won't talk, Bulma!" Puar yelped to the rafters, cupping his whiskered maw with his toebeans.
Bulma hooted and hollered, shaking the tablet as she shouted and made her way down the ramshackled staircase.
"I'll give him something to talk about! I Know this guy has had a shower. Not a wash in the lake, or a soak in a hot spring, a nice hot shower! Listen, creep!"
"Whoa, creep? We're the ones holding him hostage, I'd lay off on the accusations there, Bulma." Oolong said with a furrowed brow and an outstretched palm.
"You think I care? I haven't had a bath in 20 years!"
"You don't gotta tell me. I can smell it from here."
"I MEANT A REAL ONE, YOU PIG! With a showerhead and shampoo!"
Klangg!
"Rrrrrr! And after that training you did I can't even wring your neck! This is infuriating! A girl can't live like this!"
"You know. Maybe I was in the wrong for holding out for so long. There are some perks to puttin' in tha work." Oolong stated as he hopped out of range of her grasp, forcing her to eat the cement as he ninja leaped onto the railing up above.
Whirrrrrrrr! Znn. Ga-Chuik!
The rubble parted and the mostly clean, somewhat scuffed orb leaning against the back corner of the warehouse sprouted limbs. The red bulb lining its face glowed a silent green behind the eyes as it shuttered with multiple lenses like a camera before settling on green sensors and proper night vision. Giru's limbs folded in just as fast as they popped out and the orb-shaped robot boosted out of the broken down facility with jetpack functionality.
"..? Hey!"
"Trunks?" Bulma asked as her little-boy-turned-man shot to his feet and ran out into the night.
"I'll be back! Giru's trying to run!"
"Giru's trying to what!?"
Trunks' voice echoed from beyond the black, and he disappeared behind night's blanketing vapours.
"You guys stay here! I'm ~oing ~avda~ ~iru~"
The purple haired boy's hair broke out of its bun as he dashed after Giru's rapid departure.
"Great. Who the hell is this bastard? He saw it? Give me a break. Bulma even locked herself out. Let me see this. ..! Well… he doesn't Look like one of the Androids." Newman stated as a young man with long hair chased the G.I. through West City's many ruinous alleyways, and no-longer city squares. "How the hell is he following us? It's nighttime. How is he seeing this thing? We're switching plans. Aha! This'll be a great time to test its aquatic features."
Puhlashhh!
Water surged up as Giru cannonballed into the sea, followed immediately by Trunks' full-commit swan dive into the darkened murk. He took the plunge but lost visuals as soon as he opened his eyes.
"Yeah! Got him! He can't see underwater!"
"Mr. Newman?"
"What!?"
"What about Antiq? We received an emergency signal from his smart watch."
Newman grabbed the tablet in her hands and typed up a storm.
Don't make a scene. What's going on, Antiq?
The tanned man clicked a mechanism on the side of his watch and brought it up to his lips as Puar grabbed hold of Bulma's jacket collar.
"Lay off him, Bulma!"
"Lay off him, Bulma!"
"..! Bulma!? You're shitting me!" Newman shouted as it came through the other end.
"I'm being held hostage by Bulma. She knows that robot's ours. Don't know how. Giru must have snitched while I was knocked out." Antiq let out in between yells from Capsule Corp's previous CEO and the two talking animals.
"Knocked out!? What the hell!?"
CliccCligcKliggGliggClick.
You were knocked out? What happened? Are you alright?
Antiq's ears burned as he waited to find another spot to sneak in some intel into the microphone.
"I've had it! I can only stay composed for so long!"
"You ain't special, sista'! Sit down!"
"Theyuhh~" Flashes of his teenage girl screech and subsequent self-KO played through his mind. "-jumped me. I don't even know what happened. I'm still lucky to be alive."
"Mother of God…"
CliccCliccClicGlicGliccClicck!
Sit tight. We're gonna double back for you tomorrow.
"Tomorrow!? Bullshit tomorrow! I'll be dead before the sun comes up!"
"Enough!"
Bulma tossed a monkey wrench across the way, much to the dismay of Puar.
Klanggg!
"What the hell was that?"
Antiq. You still there? Say something. Anything.
"Puar. Were you sleepin'? You could have caught that."
"Uhm… I… uhh…" The Cat stuttered, tucking his paws in as Oolong pushed him back. "Hey! You could have caught it too!"
"If you hadn't noticed I was trying to make sure Launch was out of the way of Bulma's outburst. I kind of had my hands full. Now look at tha' guy. He might be dead for real."
"I killed him?"
Oolong placed his big furry ear over the suited man's chest, a faint beating below the silk, the bones, and the flesh. He smirked for a fraction of a second.
"Wheww~" He whistled. "Tsk-tsk-tsk. It ain't a good look, Bulma. I can maybe look the other way just this once, but I ain't gonna look at you the same way eva' again."
"I killed him!? Bwahahahahooo~" She burst into tears, collapsing on the floor. "I'm sorry, beautiful chocolate man! I didn't mean too~ Ahuhhooo~"
"Oolong!" Puar's blue coat turned red as he hissed. "Stop goofing around! He's not dead, Bulma! Oolong's just trying to get a rise out of you!"
"He didn't turn off the watch." Newman said as he ran his palms against one another. "This is perfect. The CEO of Capsule Corporation is still alive. We need a brilliant mind like that down here. Turn on the mic!"
"Yes, sir." His assistant replied right away, clicking the microphone icon at the bottom of the tablet.
"Hello? Is this thing on?"
"Huh?" Bulma let out as she wiped away greasy tears from her oily face.
"Watch. Itshis watch." Oolong stated as he picked up the golden metallic strapped around Antiq's right wrist.
"Is Bulma here? Did I hear that right?"
"Yeah. Snuff~ You did. Who's asking?"
"President Newman of Pod Corporation. I just want to talk, and I don't think that's an unreasonable request considering you just kidnapped my employee, stole my private property, and beat my associate half to death."
"You listen here, mister! I don't think you know who you're talking to! I'm not a thief, and I'm certainly no kidnapper!"
"The facts are the facts, Miss Bulma. Antiq's out there camping in your bandit hideout while we're here worrying about his and our robot's safety. Now you can either cooperate or… uhh…"
"Mr. Newman, sir?"
"I'm in the middle of something!"
"..."
"What? Wassat?"
"..." Scrambled goings on chirped just below the surface of the watch, inaudible to the trio as they gathered around the tiny time-telling device like a campfire.
"A shower? What's a shower got to do with anything? You're being ridiculous-"
"A shower!? You really have one?"
"..."
Newman looked at not-Shirley and rolled his eyes.
"Yes. If you don't comply with our demands, you'll be forced to scum it up with the rest of the filth above ground."
"Why didn't you just say so? We'll be on our way first thing in the morning! Kyaaa~ A shower! A real shower! I'm ecstatic just thinking about it."
Newman jammed the microphone button on the tablet as he paced around the green glass with an exasperated sigh while wiping away the sweat on his wrinkled brow.
"There's no way that just worked…" Newman said, rolling his eyes.
"You didn't even think about consultin' us befoa' answerin', sista?"
"Look, Oolong. That Newman guy is one smart cookie. Don't go besmirching his name."
"You didn't have such a charitable view of him befoa'..."
"Listen, Pig! I'm not gonna have you screw up this opportunity for me, okay! So behave yourself!"
Oolong just sighed, letting her get it all out as he placed his head in his palm. With the rush of wind and a couple claps on the concrete:
"I couldn't find him! I lost Giru in the water!" Trunks shouted as he shook it out like a dog.
"Don't worry about it, kid. We just booked a date with Newman. All we gotta do is bring this guy back in one piece. Oh God, he's bleeding."
"Way to go, Bulma." Oolong said as he whistled his way out of the building, leaving behind the curtain of darkness.
"Come back here, Oolong!"
"You guys can go visit, Newman, but leave me outta this!"
"Fine! We'll go enjoy our five star experience without you!"
"So we're really gonna meet Mr. Newman?" Trunks asked as Oolong vacated the premises.
"If he holds up his end of the deal, yeah."
"Hmm…"
Trunks, 19 y/o. Age 783, February 22nd - Earth 7:55 A.M. North City Stop Sign
"Hmm. As smart as he think he is, I don't think he thunk this one through." Antiq said in his mind's eye, sparing a passing glance back at Trunks curious body language, a lexicon of strength mixed with intense unease. Antiq placed his palm over the rusted red stop sign and then pulled it like a lever.
"The obvious. I really should have at least tried…" Trunks said with a sigh as he watched the man fiddle with the only stop sign that was still standing amongst the rest of the rubble.
"Ayy. Everyone makes mistakes, Chumps." Launch said as she took lead, messing with Trunks' long locks as she stepped forward. "They got food down there? I'm hungry as hell."
ZNNNN~CHUNGKK! CHUNGKK! CHUNKK! JUNKK!
Metal parted in big booms, multiple steps folding out of the wall until they revealed a hull style wheel door. Antiq cleared his throat and fixed his tie before placing his hands over the cold metal and turning it.
Squeee~ Squee~ Squee~ THAH-TOOOHHMMM!
The light flooding in from early morning pivoted into darkness as the metal sheet slid back into position, locking the five of them in the stairwell.
"Hey! What gives!?" Launch's voice pierced through the veil.
Kshhhhhh~ Bvuuu~
Trunks' hand lit with Ki and through the new yellow-based lens, he watched his mother, his new blonde haired compatriot, and the furry blue cat drop to the chrome floor finish like a sack of potatoes. Smog filtered in from the ceiling's corners in dense bursts of mist as he clamped down as much as his teeth would allow.
"..!" Trunks' eyes opened wide as he saw Antiq type in a code. The wall whirred and dispensed a gas mask from a compartment built into the metal.
"..!" Antiq leaped from the jumpscare of making eye contact with Trunks as he spawned a plasma candlelight in his hand.
DWANNN!
"What's going on?"
"What's that noise?"
"Hey, do you hear that?" A gathering of white lab coats and scientists in the lobby area skulked about at the banging noise coming from the front entrance.
DWANN! DWANN!
"Oh good heavens!" An older lady shrieked as the hull door rocked inwards like jelly.
DWANNN! KLANGGGGG! Fwaaaaaaa~
Smokey white mist shot out in a wave as the hull door crashed onto the chrome floor in spiky chunks. An alarm system blared with red lights accompanying it as Trunks stood to his full height, placing the two women and animal companion in the chairs at the front desk as the lab coat wearing Pod Corp. associates fled the scene. Trunks took off the mask, as Antiq flattened himself to the wall and sidled around.
"What'd you do to them!?" Trunks shouted over the blaring sirens.
"Just knockout gas. Bulma's too valuable to kill, especially in these times. Newman knows that."
"..." Trunks furrowed his brow at the brown man across the way stepping over slowly but surely to the door on the other end. Trunks leaped into action, pinning him against the wall. "If that's the case, what's the deal with the gas, then? There's something you're not telling me- ..!"
Twingg!
Trunks dipped under a dart. It clinked off the wall and bounced onto a nearby chair. He got low, looking for anywhere it could have come from. Giru rode the elevator shaft up, forced to cling to the ceiling as droves of employees crammed into the tiny room. Giru floated out of dodge as the many inhabitants pressed down onto the underground button in rapid succession. Trunks scoped out the place, dodging needles fired from the security cameras operating under double duty.
"What are those?" Trunks questioned as he looked up at the rectangular prisms dotting the corners of the room, following his every move.
Shiggle~
"Hey!" Trunks shouted as Antiq attempted to make a break for it the other way.
Pwah-POKKK! Skweeeeeee~
The sound of Antiq's dress shoes sliding across the tile was akin to sportscar tires peeling out on asphalt as the pocket of wind burst and dragged him towards Trunks' position.
"..?"
Whst!
Antiq took to slumbering the moment the dart hit him as Trunks was forced to dodge the camera shot, leaving him there without thinking.
"Ahh!" Trunks exclaimed as Giru rolled along the ground and snatched up his mask, ripping it in half before the purple haired boy saw him. "Giru!"
Kshhhhhhh~
"Huu! Hey!"
Fwashh! Skweeee~
He snatched up Giru's egg body and looked at the mask now in two pieces in its clutches.
"..!"
Fog rolled in from all angles, another smokey attack. Trunks looked for a solution only to eat mace to the face from Giru's malleable arm slots. An orange gunk splashed onto his eyes, forcing a guttural scream and then the subsequent inhale that was forced to follow after such an egregious exhalation.
"Khuuuuuuuu~" And as soon as he took the first breath:
Nothing.
Newman, 56 y/o. Age 783, February 22nd - Earth 8:31 A.M. Pod Corp. Underground Lab
"Hey! Nice to see you again, Bulma."
"Huh?"
Dwangg!
"What the hell!?"
"Don't be alarmed. That's just a decontamination pod. We've been down here for years. And you've been… you know, rolling around in the mud for so long that it'd probably do you good to decontaminate."
"Where-"
"-You're in Pod Corp's underground laboratory."
"I Knew it!"
"Yup. Underground is Always better. Now. Listen up. I've got a couple ground rules."
"Doesn't look like I have a choice. What are they?" Bulma asked as she crossed her arms and squinted her eyes, the sharp fluorescent lighting burning into her eyes from all angles inside the cylindrical tubing not doing her any favours.
"We've now successfully performed our fist Pod capture. That means that the Pod can now store living organisms."
"... What..?"
"Yes! That means that first things first, we're going to get rid of the Androids."
"But they're gone. My son and his friends defeated them."
"Apologies but I'm not just going to take your word for it, Ms. Brief. Scientific method and all that, I'll need to see it to believe it."
"Believe whatever you want to believe but if you actually got Pods to capture living organisms just so you could capture the Androids then I'm afraid you're shit out of luck."
"But that wasn't the only purpose."
"I see." Bulma snarkily shot back as wiping mists and soapy agents deployed over her flakey jacket caked in mud and sweat. The gunk spat out onto the chrome floors in brown droves, a bit of red fell by the wayside too, draining into the holes at the bottom of the contraption.
"I know first hand thanks to those events known as The Tenkaichi Budokai that there are some real dangerous people out there. Especially now, since it's basically the wild west. Any martial artist or bandit crew, or tigerman with a shotgun has the power. There are no laws, rules, or regulations now on the surface. The Androids set us back pretty far, so the only real way to fight back against such unscrupulous crooks is to fight fire with fire. I think that was your boy who I tested the first Pod on."
"Trunks?"
"Trunks? Shoot, I don't know. He had purple hair like you, but he wasn't wrinkled to all hell. And he's fine."
"What did you do to Trunks!?"
Klanggg!
"Didn't you just hear me, bitch? I said he's fine. The whole point of a Pod functioning as normal is that it's just like a Capsule. You seal whatever you want inside with pristine conditions. He's technically safer in there than he would be out here."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Well… Maybe it's safer for Us, if he's in there. Your boy just knocked down 20 inches of solid metal. I'm not sure I trust him to play nice with the more delicate equipment we have down here."
"You're going to regret this."
"Am I? I need your assistance. Your cooperation is paramount. I really lucked out with you still being alive."
"If you needed my assistance, you had it. I don't know why you did this runaround."
"Oh, but I do. I'm talking big scale, bigger than Capsule or Pod Corp. ever was. We're rebuilding the world from the ground up. It's the perfect storm and I can't have you flaking on me."
"What do you plan to do?"
"Forget the Androids. We're going to be the world's only superpower."
"I mean… I do and I don't like the sound of that."
"Bulma. If you don't help me, it's not just you. The whole World, is going to stay in the stone ages for years. Either you help me right now or all hope is lost."
"But… I was going to help you out anyway. Why did you-"
"That purple haired boy you have with you is a wild card. I can't have him disturbing our work. And we don't have the resources to dispatch him other than the Pods. Rule number one in Pod Corp: always use the most efficient method. He could kick my ass, why the hell would I waste the resources fighting him? And second: use your resources to your advantage. If I have your boy locked up, you don't really have a choice."
The tube opened up and Bulma smacked him one across the face, a red mark immediately searing its way onto his cheek. Guns were drawn on the purple haired lady as soon as she drew it back.
"Uhhh~" She let out dumbly.
"Relax. I deserved that one."
"Yeah, you did." Antiq called out from the back, drinking a golden orange liquid from a leather couch across the foyer, stupendously preserved, a utopia among the broken-down nature of the rest of the world at the hands of the Androids.
"This place is… like before."
"Yeah. Pod Corp. doesn't live in squalor. But it looks like the same can't be said for Capsule Corp."
"Hrmmm~" Bulma grunted as the guns trained on her lessened, lowering to the chrome finish of the floor tiles.
"First things first. Pod Corp. stopped production a long time ago because you and the rest of the Briefs cornered the market. First thing we're bringing back are those God damn Capsule Corp. supercars. Oh man, I'd love to take one of those things for a spin."
"Fine! But you're releasing everyone after, right?"
"No-ho-ho?" He laughed out, stunning Bulma to the core. "Why the hell would I? The rest of those goons are staying in Pods until I figure out what to do with them. You're Pod Corp. for life now, baby!"