Android Eighteen gave a sigh as she tossed her fine blonde hair over her bare shoulders.
Her partly organic body was sweating a little under the heat of the sun which was particularly sweltering that day.
Also her creator Dr Gero had fitted her body with various sensors and temperature detectors and because of this she could appreciate the feeling of the cool air playing through her hair and over her body as much as she had been able to while human.
"Here we go." Chirped the girl with green hair and eyes producing a tiny yellow bikini.
Eighteen acknowledged her assistance with a grateful nod as the girl helped her into the bikini.
Her tight white top blue jacket faded blue jeans trainers and fingerless black leather gloves lay forgotten in the sand.
The girl flipped Eighteen's hair back over her shoulders and nodded appreciatively.
"Anyone told you that you're a real looker?" she asked cheerfully.
"Vaguely." Eighteen answered cynically.
She was thinking about the gang of biker morons who had engaged her and her brother Seventeen in a motor-way battle some time ago.
At the time Eighteen had responded to their vulgar cries and wolf-whistles by raising her eye-brows.
But now the girls question gave her mind something to think about.
Why had Dr Gero allowed her to look the way she did?
After all the only thing that had been on the psychotic scientists mind while forever ruining the lives of she and her brother had been the death of Son Goku.
So why did he bother let her look human?
He had not done so with Cell.
As were much of the things in her life up to now such as understanding her emotions Eighteen's beauty was a mystery to her.
An enigma to herself as she was to the world around her.
"Come on! Let's go show the others!"
Eighteen and the girl walked out from behind the large rock and rejoined the other two girls.
The brunette with blue eyes and the red-head with eyes of brown looked up as they approached.
"We're back!" chirped the green haired girl who had been with Eighteen a few seconds ago.
The brunette who seemed to be the leader of the band of girls looked Eighteen up and down and grinned lop-sidedly. "Hey you look good in it!" Then she realised something. "Now that I think about it we don't know each others names do we? I'm Cassie by the way. What's your name?"
"Eighteen."
Cassie blinked not letting her puzzlement show.
"Um right. But I was actually asking you for your name! Never mind though. After all now I wont have to ask how old you are right?"
Her friends giggled.
"No I mean that my name IS Eighteen." Eighteen replied levelly.
"You have a number for a name?" the red head asked. "That's pretty weird. Um I mean weird in a good way of course!"
"Hey leave her alone Linaly!" Cassie rebuked her. "I think it's a great name." Cassie transferred her attention back to Eighteen. "So why did your mom and dad pick 'eighteen' in particular?"
Eighteen hesitated.
It was becoming harder and harder to answer their questions without saying something which would prompt the girls to start asking more questions about her past.
"Hey!" Cassie smiled realising Eighteen's discomfort. "Don't worry about it. It's in the past right?"
"And last…" the green haired girl began.
"But not least!" chimed Linaly.
"…my name is Faris!"
Eighteen blinked as three hands were held out to her.
"Good t'meet'cha Eighteen!" Cassie Linaly and Faris chimed as one.
"Will this take much longer?" Eighteen asked as closely as she could get to feeling impatient.
"Hold still!" Faris reprimanded her. "You're making me mess up!"
Faris took her time as she slowly applied the lipstick to Eighteen's lips.
When Faris had asked if she could use some make-up on her Eighteen had given her permission not seeing any reason not to.
But while she sat on the rock as Faris did her work she had plenty of time for her thoughts.
Why were they doing this?
Why had Cassie Faris and Linaly decided to make friends with her, a total stranger?
Most of all though even though they did not know it she felt an inner twinge at the fact that she had been told that in an alternate future she and Seventeen had been responsible for the total collapse of civilization and the end of the human race.
Eighteen realised that she had a long way to go before she'd be able to truly understand this strange gift that had been given to her by the short Z-Fighter who's name had been…
"All done!" Faris screeched as she proudly clicked the top back on the lip-stick.
As Linaly held up a hand mirror for Eighteen to see her red lips Faris waited for her to comment.
Instead after a long pause Eighteen turned to face them all and asked. "Why are you doing this?"
"Doing…?" Cassie left the sentence unfinished waiting for Eighteen to elaborate.
"You know. THIS." Eighteen was serious at the best of times but now she was more than ever. "I mean you don't even know me. Why go to the trouble of trying to be my friend?"
"Hey someone's got to. We're all alone until we realise our need for others." The philosophy sounded odd coming from Cassie but she sounded sincere. "And you look like you have a real need. I can see that you're sad about something Eighteen." Cassie's eyes and voice were sympathetic.
Eighteen had not been used to talking to people so having someone feel sorry for her made her feel a little thrown…and a little indignant.
But their talk was going to have to wait.
Something was approaching them from a distance as a large cloud of sand in the air revealed to them…
Her partly organic body was sweating a little under the heat of the sun which was particularly sweltering that day.
Also her creator Dr Gero had fitted her body with various sensors and temperature detectors and because of this she could appreciate the feeling of the cool air playing through her hair and over her body as much as she had been able to while human.
"Here we go." Chirped the girl with green hair and eyes producing a tiny yellow bikini.
Eighteen acknowledged her assistance with a grateful nod as the girl helped her into the bikini.
Her tight white top blue jacket faded blue jeans trainers and fingerless black leather gloves lay forgotten in the sand.
The girl flipped Eighteen's hair back over her shoulders and nodded appreciatively.
"Anyone told you that you're a real looker?" she asked cheerfully.
"Vaguely." Eighteen answered cynically.
She was thinking about the gang of biker morons who had engaged her and her brother Seventeen in a motor-way battle some time ago.
At the time Eighteen had responded to their vulgar cries and wolf-whistles by raising her eye-brows.
But now the girls question gave her mind something to think about.
Why had Dr Gero allowed her to look the way she did?
After all the only thing that had been on the psychotic scientists mind while forever ruining the lives of she and her brother had been the death of Son Goku.
So why did he bother let her look human?
He had not done so with Cell.
As were much of the things in her life up to now such as understanding her emotions Eighteen's beauty was a mystery to her.
An enigma to herself as she was to the world around her.
"Come on! Let's go show the others!"
Eighteen and the girl walked out from behind the large rock and rejoined the other two girls.
The brunette with blue eyes and the red-head with eyes of brown looked up as they approached.
"We're back!" chirped the green haired girl who had been with Eighteen a few seconds ago.
The brunette who seemed to be the leader of the band of girls looked Eighteen up and down and grinned lop-sidedly. "Hey you look good in it!" Then she realised something. "Now that I think about it we don't know each others names do we? I'm Cassie by the way. What's your name?"
"Eighteen."
Cassie blinked not letting her puzzlement show.
"Um right. But I was actually asking you for your name! Never mind though. After all now I wont have to ask how old you are right?"
Her friends giggled.
"No I mean that my name IS Eighteen." Eighteen replied levelly.
"You have a number for a name?" the red head asked. "That's pretty weird. Um I mean weird in a good way of course!"
"Hey leave her alone Linaly!" Cassie rebuked her. "I think it's a great name." Cassie transferred her attention back to Eighteen. "So why did your mom and dad pick 'eighteen' in particular?"
Eighteen hesitated.
It was becoming harder and harder to answer their questions without saying something which would prompt the girls to start asking more questions about her past.
"Hey!" Cassie smiled realising Eighteen's discomfort. "Don't worry about it. It's in the past right?"
"And last…" the green haired girl began.
"But not least!" chimed Linaly.
"…my name is Faris!"
Eighteen blinked as three hands were held out to her.
"Good t'meet'cha Eighteen!" Cassie Linaly and Faris chimed as one.
"Will this take much longer?" Eighteen asked as closely as she could get to feeling impatient.
"Hold still!" Faris reprimanded her. "You're making me mess up!"
Faris took her time as she slowly applied the lipstick to Eighteen's lips.
When Faris had asked if she could use some make-up on her Eighteen had given her permission not seeing any reason not to.
But while she sat on the rock as Faris did her work she had plenty of time for her thoughts.
Why were they doing this?
Why had Cassie Faris and Linaly decided to make friends with her, a total stranger?
Most of all though even though they did not know it she felt an inner twinge at the fact that she had been told that in an alternate future she and Seventeen had been responsible for the total collapse of civilization and the end of the human race.
Eighteen realised that she had a long way to go before she'd be able to truly understand this strange gift that had been given to her by the short Z-Fighter who's name had been…
"All done!" Faris screeched as she proudly clicked the top back on the lip-stick.
As Linaly held up a hand mirror for Eighteen to see her red lips Faris waited for her to comment.
Instead after a long pause Eighteen turned to face them all and asked. "Why are you doing this?"
"Doing…?" Cassie left the sentence unfinished waiting for Eighteen to elaborate.
"You know. THIS." Eighteen was serious at the best of times but now she was more than ever. "I mean you don't even know me. Why go to the trouble of trying to be my friend?"
"Hey someone's got to. We're all alone until we realise our need for others." The philosophy sounded odd coming from Cassie but she sounded sincere. "And you look like you have a real need. I can see that you're sad about something Eighteen." Cassie's eyes and voice were sympathetic.
Eighteen had not been used to talking to people so having someone feel sorry for her made her feel a little thrown…and a little indignant.
But their talk was going to have to wait.
Something was approaching them from a distance as a large cloud of sand in the air revealed to them…