Author's note: Orange Star City. Boy oh boy have I been waiting to get to this point. Keep in mind that from here on out, I've had all the major details planned for some time, and I really do know where I'm going. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me thus far. I ask that you be patient with me. Sorry to say, but I have trouble sitting down and just writing anymore. Any tips on that btw? Would be of great help to me. Blarg, I've said enough. On with the show!

Orange Star City. It had been a while since Trunks had last been here, so long that he hadn't been able to remember its proper name til he got there. He remembered it had been one of his first stops as far as helping with restoration, and he was pleased to see that the place had begun to thrive again. However, there was a small problem. While sitting in the truck had been a great way to hide 18, that didn't seem to be an option anymore.

The old truck had finally started giving Trunks some trouble, and he saw why immediately: lack of gas, in need of an oil change, and based on the way he felt the truck was starting to tilt, one of the tires was going. He drove it into the nearest mechanic, who recognized him almost immediately.

"Why you're that Briefs boy aren't you?" asked the man. "The one what came through here fixin' up the town sometime back?"

"Yes," said Trunks, looking around, making sure no one else could see them just yet. The mechanic caught site of 18. His pleasure at seeing Trunks was suddenly turned to panic. Trunks put a hand over his mouth before he could say anything. "Look, it's really, really complicated, ok? She isn't a threat to you or anyone else in this town anymore, alright?" The man nodded in understanding.

"Trunks," said 18, tapping him on the shoulder. "What exactly is the plan here?"

"I don't know yet," said Trunks. "We're stuck here until the truck is fixed up, and we're running low on supplies. I'm thinking it'll be best if you stay here while I go out to shop for food. We just need enough to last us until West City-"

"No," said 18, cutting him off. "I am not staying here all day."

"Eighteen," said Trunks, closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose, "We went over this the whole ride here. These people will recognize you. You attacked this city several times. You know how many kids would have grown up fearing your face and your brother's specifically?" 18 narrowed her eyes.

"So?" she asked. "Why should I care, exactly?"

"Ugh, just listen. You may not get older, but the rest of us do. Scared little kids would have grown into adults by now, and angry ones at that if they see you."

"Like you?" 18 asked. Trunks was silent for a moment before he answered.

"Yes."

"Failing to see your point," said 18 bluntly. "None of these people hold a candle to you."

"If people see you though, we may end up dealing with a riot, and I do not want anyone getting hurt, got it?" Trunks explained. 18 rolled her eyes. While Trunks may have had some kind of point, it didn't change her mind.

"No one in this town is brave enough to try anything," she said. "And if they are, I'll scare it out of them." Trunks glared at her. "I'm not going to hurt them, jeez. Calm down."

"If we run into anyone that wants to start anything," said Trunks, "you leave the talking and everything else to me, alright?"

"Fine," said 18. "Can we just go?"

It wasn't long after they left the mechanic's that Trunks wished they hadn't. Almost immediately, people started staring. Trunks could see the fear in peoples' eyes building right away. After all, 18 and her brother had been here several times in the past, and they hadn't exactly been subtle.

Once again, this wasn't a feeling 18 was used to. Sure, she'd known people were afraid of her, and for a while that had been fun. But now that she was stuck among them, without the ability to make them leave or blow them all away, she was very uncomfortable. Trunks could tell she was uncomfortable, but said nothing. 'After all,' he reasoned, 'this is something she brought on herself.'

Suddenly, out of the alley right in front of them, stepped a woman. She was a little older than Trunks, probably mid 20's. She had short black hair, sharp blue eyes, and an x-shaped scar on her right cheek. Trunks stopped, as did 18. The woman looked from one to the other.

"Trunks, right?" said the woman. Trunks nodded. "Follow me." She stepped back into the alley, motioning for them to follow. Trunks didn't move. "Come on," she said, urgently. "It's very important." Trunks took a step forward, but stopped.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Just follow me," she said, "and I'll explain everything. We don't have a lot of time." The two followed her into the alley. Trunks was curious. What could be so important?

"Is someone in trouble?" he asked. They stepped into a large back area, an empty space surrounded by buildings.

"You could say that," said the woman. She whistled loudly, the sound echoing throughout the alleyways. There was a sound of rushing feet. Before Trunks or 18 knew what had happened, they were surrounded. The woman spun around, pulling out a handgun.

"What the-?" Trunks exclaimed, getting down into a fighting stance. He looked around. 7 people, including the woman who had led them here, were now all around them, each of them with a machine gun. "Who are you?"

"My name is Videl," proclaimed the woman proudly, "daughter of the Martial Arts Champion Hercule! And we are the Red Shark Gang!" 18 looked slowly around at the people surrounding them. They wouldn't be a challenge at all. Did they truly think they had a chance? She looked at Videl, the woman seemingly leading them. She looked familiar.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" asked Trunks.

"What do you think?" asked Videl. "Actually, a better question is what do you think you're doing? How can you just walk alongside her like nothing is wrong, huh? You know damn well who that is! Are you a traitor now Trunks? Huh?"

"Look," said Trunks, calmly, slowly standing up straight, "it's complicated, alright? I have to-"

"Shut up!" shouted Videl angrily. "Are you really going to try and talk your way out of this?"

"You don't understand!" insisted Trunks. "I have to travel with her right now so I can protect her from-"

"Shut up, Trunks," said 18 calmly. She smirked at Videl. "You should be glad he's calling the shots, and is trying to talk our way out of this. If it was up to me, you'd all be dead."

"You don't scare me," growled Videl, aiming straight at 18 and putting a little pressure on the trigger.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, honey," said 18, smiling and shaking her head.

"Shut up!" yelled Videl. 18 was on her as she pulled the trigger. Videl was momentarily stunned, as were the rest of her gang. 18 held the gun in one hand, and the freshly fired bullet in the other. She smirked again and crushed the gun, casually letting the pieces fall to the floor.

Videl shook herself out of her stupor, jumped back, and then charged at 18. She attempted to execute a kick at 18's head, but the Android blocked it. This surprised Videl, but didn't deter her for a second. She tried kicking again, but was blocked. Then she tried punching, only to have 18 move out of the way.

Soon, Videl was unleashing a flurry of kicks and punches, moving faster than Trunks would have expected from a normal person. 18 just kept dodging and blocking, not showing any signs of effort, while the Red Shark Gang looked on in amazement.

It wasn't long before Videl began to show signs of tiring. Suddenly, Trunks stepped in, blocking one last hit from Videl by carefully grabbing her leg. "That's enough," he said. "Calm down, and let me talk." He looked Videl dead in the eyes, and each knew just how serious the other was about the whole situation. Videl faltered slightly though, for a moment feeling like she may have been out of her league.

However, the fight having stopped, the Red Shark Gang all pointed their guns at 18 again, ready to open fire. "Oh, please," said 18. *FWOOSH* The gang members blinked. They suddenly became aware of an empty feeling in their hands. Their guns had all vanished! They looked back up at 18. There in her hands, twisted together, were their weapons. She dropped the useless ball of metal parts.

"Now that that's taken care of," said Trunks, "we need to talk."

888

Cell and 19 were back at the lab. "Please tell me you can build another tracker," said Cell.

"It is possible," said 19, "but it will take time." Cell's eye twitched. "There is no other way. All of the parts that were readily useable went into the first tracker. I cannot just build another one. I must first repair the pieces, and then put it together." Cell didn't say another word. He walked outside the lab, and flew a short distance away.

19 heard his roar of anger and frustration, but it did not faze the Android. He simply went to work. He knew there were enough parts in this room that he could build another tracker. Unfortunately for Cell, that could take several days.

Cell, meanwhile, was outside panting, seething with fury. They had escaped! And it could be days before he was able to follow them again! He had been SO CLOSE! He tried to calm himself. There would be other chances. He just had to wait. Soon, he would be perfect.

For now, he decided it would be best to use his time wisely. To experiment with his abilities. He knew he could create small clones of himself. He felt it was time to test these "Cell Jr's" as he called them, see what they were capable of. They could prove to be useful.

888

They were sitting in an old warehouse now, using old crates as seats. A redheaded girl, one of the Gang, brought 18 and Trunks a drink each. She scowled at the Android as she handed her the bottle, but smiled warmly and almost, Trunks felt, flirtatiously at him. Trunks took a sip, and then decided to start talking.

"Ok," he said, "I think introductions are in order first. You already know who we are, now who are you?"

"I'm Videl," said their leader. She pointed over at three men, a bald one, a man with brown hair, and a man with black hair and sunglasses. "That's Rock, Jimbo, and Slimjim." She pointed to three others at her right, which where a man with long blonde hair, a woman with short blond hair, and the redhead. "That's Sharpner, Erasa, and Angela"

"The Red Shark Gang huh?" asked 18, taking a drink. Videl glared at her.

"It was my gang," said Rock. "Until you and that other Android came around. Took most of us out. It was just me, and these two." He pointed to Jimbo and Slimjim. "Then Videl found us, and we formed up into this group."

"What for?" asked 18.

"To fight against you," answered Videl.

"No, no," said 18, "I knew that." She smirked. "I meant why bother?" Trunks glared at her, taking the smirk off her face.

"I told you to let me do the talking." He turned back to Videl. "You guys were taking a huge risk, you know that? Trying to fight back against them would have just gotten you killed."

"Well how come you could do it then, huh?" asked Sharpner. "What makes you so special?"

"How come you can fight them and we can't, Trunks?" asked Videl.

"Because," answered 18 before Trunks could speak, "Even if you are a great fighter, and I'll be honest you had some good moves, Trunks is far more powerful than you guys can fathom." The compliment to her fighting ability shocked everyone in the room, and no one more than Videl. "Think about it. You couldn't even touch me. I was holding back even while I was blocking. As I'm sure you've become aware, there are bruises on your arms and legs."

It was true. Videl's limbs were covered in bruises where she had hit 18. "If you'd attacked Trunks, he would have made sure you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I don't coddle like he does. You decided to attack me, I decided to let you know how useless it was. Be thankful I didn't just let you break your hand or something."

"Enough," said Trunks. "We're getting off track here. You wanted to know why I'm traveling with 18 right?" Videl nodded, focusing on Trunks. "You know how strong Eighteen and Seventeen are, right? Especially now, you have an indication of just how tough they are." Videl begrudgingly nodded. "Imagine someone even stronger than that."

"Well that would be you," said Erasa. "Right? I mean, we all heard that you beat the Androids, and if she's here with you-"

"Then that means you've got her on a leash," said Jimbo. 18 looked over at him harshly, and he flinched, but not as much as she was expecting him to.

"Yes," said Trunks, "I am stronger than her. In fact, at this moment, there is no chance she could beat me in a fight. However, picture someone even stronger than me." The Gang seemed to have trouble doing that. "You can't can you? Well, here's the thing. out there, chasing us, is a being that, if he gets a hold of 18, will become more powerful than I can manage."

"W-what?" asked Videl, incredulously. "That's... that's impossible!"

"Now do you see the problem?" said Trunks. "I can't let him get her, and the enemy gets stronger with each encounter, so I need her alive to provide backup. In fact, she saved my life just yesterday." This elicited a gasp from the entire Gang.

"So you're saying you have to keep her alive?" said Videl, "so that this enemy, whoever he is, doesn't get a hold of her, and you can't just blow her up because you might need her help?" Trunks identified the incredulousness in her voice.

"I know," he said. "We think it's messed up too." 18 nodded in agreement. They were all silent for a moment. It was broken by the sound of someone snapping their fingers. It was 18.

"I got it!" she exclaimed, looking at Videl. "Now I know where I remember you from! We ran into you last time we were here." Videl narrowed her eyes at 18.

"Oh I'm so honored that you remember," she said sarcastically. "I'm so proud to know that I'm important enough to be recognized."

"Be thankful you're alive, girly," said 18. "My brother decided not to kill you when you attacked us. He said you were cute or something." This comment served to make Videl angrier, which only amused 18 more. "I almost killed you, you know, since Seventeen always did that to any guy I thought was cute." Videl blanched, remembering the encounter.

18 had grabbed her by the shirt, and pulled her in close, grinning evilly. "You are kind of cute," 18 had said. "I guess I'll let you live. Maybe to thank me, Seventeen won't blow up the next cute guy I see." Videl had never been more afraid in her life, but she still had some fight in her. She had spit in 18's face. 18's eyes had gone wide in anger, and she had thrown Videl to the ground. There was already a cut on Videl's cheek at the time.

18 had pointed her index finger at Videl's face, charged up a small point of energy, and shot it at her. It had grazed her, completing the scar she had now. 18 now got up from her crate and walked over to Videl, inspecting her scar.

"Lucky you," she said. "You still look pretty. I must have been feeling generous that day. Try to remember that next time you want to pull a gun on me, and be thankful that there can be a next time." Videl was furious, but she said nothing.

Trunks was about to speak, to try and say something to calm everyone down, when he noticed something interesting. He could feel Videl's energy. It was low, very very low, compared to his or 18's, but he could still feel it. 'Next to other people,' he thought, 'she must be pretty strong. That would explain her leader status. This girl has some serious potential.'

"Look, listen" he said finally. "Let's not argue anymore, and let's stop picking at each other." He looked specifically at 18, who feigned innocence. "Videl. I think since you and your group are clearly in charge of trying to keep the peace in this city, I should ask you. May we stay here tonight while our truck gets fixed?"

Videl, 18, and the entire Red Shark Gang were shocked at the question. Was the mighty Trunks, Hero of Earth, actually asking them permission to stay? Videl looked at him for a long while, thinking hard. This whole situation was insane, but... Trunks had been honest about everything. She and her group had attacked first, without bothering to question him. She felt she owed him at least one night in the city, even if 18 was with him now.

"Fine," she said. "You can stay. On one condition."

"What's that?" asked Trunks.

"You had better figure out a way to help me fight like you."

"Huh?"

"Think about it," said Videl, a determined smile on her face. "If you have me to help you fight, you won't have to ally yourself with the likes of her anymore, and you'll always have reliable backup." Trunks smiled at Videl's offer. It was bold.

"I don't know how far I could get you," he said. "But some day, I promise, I'll do what I can."

Ho ho! Well, readers, we're finally getting into exciting territory! Videl's involved now, which I've been trying to make happen for quite some time. I'll go ahead and clear something right now though: 17 thinks she's cute, does not mean I'd consider pairing them up. S'just weird. And as for Videl's deal with Trunks, that's not going to happen soon. By next chapter it'll be just 18 and Trunks on the road again. Next chapter will also have more Cell. Til then!