Chapter One

The Girl From Another Time

It was a gorgeous day in West City. The sun was shining brightly with barely a cloud in the sky. Though within a couple of hours, it would be setting. Two months passed since Trunks Briefs had returned to his time. His world was finally at peace after he managed to defeat the Androids and Cell thanks to all of the training he had received in another timeline. Now the people of Earth were in the process of rebuilding cities that had been lost or were badly damaged.

The 17 year old half Saiyan stepped out of an apartment building after a long day's work. He had been assisting people in any way he could with the rebuilding process. One day he could be building a room, the next day could be spent moving heavy objects, etc. He was pleased to see how many people would volunteer and work together for such a great cause.

Trunks had short purple hair and his eyes were a light blue. He wore a white t-shirt with a blue jacket over it which had the capsule corp logo on the upper left side, a pair of dark blue jeans with a black belt tied at the waist, and a pair of brown boots.

"I'm sure mother will have dinner ready by now. Which is great, because I'm starving." Trunks thought to himself as his stomach growled. "That Saiyan appetite of mine has really kicked in today." He chuckled softly and began to ascend into the air. A white aura erupted around him as he flew off toward Capsule Corp., his home.

Meanwhile, in the bowels of Hell in Trunks' timeline, the mad scientist known as Dr. Gero wandered about. His hatred was no longer with Goku who had died from a heart virus... but with Trunks. The half Saiyan who had destroyed his precious androids. He wanted revenge against him more than anything. However, there was little he could do about it in his current situation.

The doctor had long white hair that came down well below his back, a mustache, and his eyes were a bit of a dark blue. A bizarre feature of his was that his brain was visible through a sort of half glass bowl. His outfit consisted of an orange shirt with black stripes and yellow sleeves, a black vest, a pair of brown pants with a red cloth belt tied at his waist, a pair of black and white shoes and a pair of yellow socks just barely visible.

He stared off into the distance as he approached the end of a cliff. Wondering if he would be able to complete his current plan by himself. That's when he heard a voice behind him. "It appears as though I am not the only scientist who has been sent here."

Dr. Gero spun around to see a blue skinned man with long pointy ears, long orange hair, and an orange mustache. He wore a long sleeved green shirt with a matching pair of pants, a one piece black and gray type of armor over it which had golden shoulder guards, and a pair of yellow and blue shoes. Placed upon his head was what could only be described as a pointy helmet.

"Ah, the infamous Dr. Myuu. What a fantastic coincidence that minds as great as ours should meet down here." Dr. Gero responded, his lips forming a half smirk. Dr. Myuu appeared surprised that Gero knew who he was. "I see my work precedes me."

Dr. Gero nodded. "Indeed it does. Dr. Myuu... I believe that the two of us can free ourselves from this wretched place. Secretly I have been working on an android... an android that may be the key to our problems. But I need the mind of another scientist. A mind like yours. What do you say?" He asked, raising a hand out in front of him to shake on a deal.

Dr. Myuu thought about it for a moment. He placed two fingers upon his chin and rubbed it as he stared at Gero. Then he simply nodded his head and took Gero's hand in his. "You will not regret this, Dr. Myuu." Gero responded as they shook hands.*

Meanwhile, back at West City, Trunks came in for a landing before Capsule Corp. He places his hands in his pants pockets and smiled as he approached the entrance. The doors slid open and as he stepped through he could practically smell the home cooked meal his mother had prepared. The scent of the delicious food seemed to almost pull him toward it. As if it were capable of lifting a person in the air.

He soon entered the kitchen where his mother was setting a plate for her and her son upon the table which was crowded with numerous different foods. "It all smells so great, Mom!" Trunks said as he approached the table. Bulma looked up and smiled, happy to see that her son had arrived. "Thank you, Trunks. You're just in time. I swear, for a moment there, you reminded me of Goku." They both exchanged laughs and they sat at their usual spots.

Bulma had long blue hair which was tied up into a red ponytail and her eyes were a slightly darker shade of blue. She wore a light purple shirt trimmed in white which was partially visible under her red jacket which was zipped up about half way. Her jacket also contained the Capsule Corp logo on the left sleeve. Placed on her hands were a pair of light purple gloves. She also wore a pair of red pants, matching the shade of her jacket. Placed on her feet were a pair of light purple boots, almost the same shade as her gloves.

Once they were both seated, Bulma began to place some food upon her plate. "Well, let's dig in, son. I'm sure you're starving." Trunks nodded his head and began to pile a bit of everything onto his plate. "You have no idea. I don't think there will be any leftovers tonight." He chuckled softly while his mother shook her head.

As they began to eat there was a strange sound coming from outside and a blinding flash of light entered the room from the windows and caused them both to shield their eyes. "What in the name of Kami was that?" Bulma asked. "I have no idea!" Trunks responded and he jumped to his feet once the light died down. "But I intend to find out."

Trunks charged out of the kitchen and headed toward his bedroom where he kept his sword which was placed in a red shoulder strap. After placing it over his shoulder, he charged through Capsule Corp at an incredible speed until he was outside. That's when his eyes widened as his mouth nearly hit the ground.

Before him, was what was obviously a time machine. Not much different from the one his mother had built. He immediately entered a defensive stance being as he could sense a fairly decent power level reading coming from within the machine. After what felt like ages, but was only about a moment, the top of the time machine opened, revealing that Pan had successfully traveled to his time.

Pan's eyes lit up and her lips formed a smile. She was relieved to see a familiar face. "Trunks!" She called out to him as she jumped out of the time machine and practically through herself upon him, wrapping her arms around his neck. However, this was a girl he had never seen before. He had no knowledge of her. How did she know his him? He grabbed her hands and removed them from around his neck as he forced her off of him, causing her to fall to the ground, landing on her butt. "Who the heck are you?" He asked, looking the girl over.

"Ouch! Trunks, you jerk." She shot back at him as she jumped to her feet, placing a hand upon her butt. "That hurt, you know. And why are you acting like you don't know me?" Trunks shook his head in a bit of frustration. "Because I don't know you. I've never seen you before in my life. Although..." He paused for a moment. "...There is something about you that seems vaguely familiar."

Pan rolled her eyes. Then she took a moment to think it over. Maybe... just maybe she hadn't been born in this timeline. After all ... she didn't really know what timeline her father had programmed the time machine to send her to. "Maybe I look familiar because I'm the daughter of Gohan." Trunks eyes widened upon hearing this. "Gohan has a daughter?"

Pan nodded. "Yup, I'm the living proof. My name is Pan." Trunks was in a bit of shock... and then he felt horrible for having thrown her to the ground like that. "Oh my Kami... I'm so sorry, Pan. If I had known... please forgive me." Pan shook her head and waved her hands in front of her. "It's okay. You couldn't have known who I was. For all you knew I was some crazy person."

"Still... I have to make it up to you. Why don't you come inside?" Trunks offered. "My mother made dinner. We can talk about what timeline you came from... and why." Pan was happy to hear that a Bulma was alive in this timeline, but she was silent once he mentioned discussing her reason for being there. Trunks noticed the unhappy expression upon her face. "Of course ... you don't have to discuss it if you don't want to."

"No ... it's fine." Pan responded. "It's just ... not a happy story to tell." A single tear started to form in one of her eyes. Trunks placed a hand upon one of her shoulders. "Hey, whatever happened... you're okay, now. Come on in and eat with us."

Pan slowly nodded her head and Trunks lead her inside. Upon reaching the kitchen, Bulma was surprised to see that they had a guest... and a female one at that. "Well now... who's your girlfriend, Trunks?" Trunks' face turned beat red. "Moooom! Gosh, you can be so embarrassing sometimes. This is Pan. She's the daughter of Gohan. She arrived her in a time machine. Actually ... it sort of looks like the one you built."

The mischievous smile that was once upon Bulma's lips faded as her expression turned to shock as her son filled her in. "Well ... this is quite an interesting turn of events. Well if you're Gohan's daughter, please... join us Pan." She pulled out a seat for her and Pan smiled before sitting at the table. "Thank you, Bulma."

Trunks took a seat next to Pan while Bulma sat at the head of the table. The dinner conversation became one of sorrow as Pan explained her story to them. Telling them everything that happened. Including the loss of her family, her friends ... and how she nearly escaped death at the hands of Super 17 by using the time machine her father had built.

Trunks and Bulma were speechless as they listened to her every word. It was very difficult for them to hear. Especially with Pan practically sobbing as she told the story. Trunks couldn't resist the urge to place an arm around her in a comforting manner. "I'm so sorry, Pan. I ... have a pretty good idea of what you're going through. But you're not alone now, Pan. My mother and I are here for you."

Pan nodded before wiping a few tears away with a single finger. "I know. Listen ... I'm ... I'm not very hungry. Is there a place I can try to get some sleep."

"Of course there is." Bulma responded. "We have plenty of space here. Trunks, show her to a bedroom." Bulma said as she turned her head to face her son. Trunks nodded and climbed to his feet. "Right this way, Pan." Pan got up from her seat and followed him as he lead her out of the kitchen and down a hallway until they came to a room. He pressed a button and the door slid open. "You can sleep in here. There's a bathroom attached to the room too in case you need it."

"Thank you, Trunks." She wrapped her arms around him in a friendly hug and then entered the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

(To Be Continued)