*Chapter 12*

Trunks, Pan, and the Z-Fighters caught up with Vegeta, they arrived just in time to see Vegeta fighting with android Eighteen.

At first it seemed like Vegeta was winning, but it was soon obvious that he wasn't. Eighteen easily blocked all of Vegeta's kicks and punches without even breaking a sweat.

Vegeta was losing energy, and fast. While Eighteen remained the same. She flew at him, kicking his arm, breaking it.

Trunks was furious, he wasn't just going to stand there and watch his father die. He went super, and jumped off the cliff that he and the others were standing on; he drew out his sword aiming it at Eighteen ready to slice the android. Eighteen put her arm out blocking the sword from her head. The sword cracked as it made contact with Eighteen's arm.

She blew Trunks away and started beating on Vegeta again; Trunks got back up to his feet quickly and ran towards Eighteen. The android grabbed Vegeta by his leg and threw him at Trunks. The two saiyans collided against each other; Pan couldn't take it anymore, she powered up to super saiyan and flew down to Trunks and Vegeta's rescue, that's when Seventeen decided step in too.

The Z-Fighters except Krillin went down to help Pan as well, the battle didn't last very long they all got whooped by the androids.

Trunks woke to find everyone pretty beat up, he saw Pan lying unconscious a distance away. He ran over to her, he was a bit scared he didn't want to lose her. "Pan?" Trunks said softly as he shook her awake.

She woke up to see Trunks smiling down at her; she returned his smile with one of her own and gave him a hug, "I'm glad you're ok," she told him.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Yeah, just a little beat up is all," she said as Trunks helped her up.

Piccolo was up and walking, Krillin gave Tien a senzu bean and ran over to Vegeta who was still passed out and fed him a senzu bean as well.

"I thought we might have had a chance this time. These androids are a lot stronger than the ones in our timeline, I'm just sorry you got hurt," Trunks told Pan.

"It's okay," she told him smiling, "I couldn't just let you and Vegeta get beaten to a pulp."

Vegeta kept his distance from everybody, as Krillin informed everyone in on what happened when they were passed out, "So they know all about us except Trunks and Pan of course and they knew about the senzu beans too," Krillin told them.

"The kids were right. It is our fault for underestimating the androids," said Piccolo.

"What did he just call us?" Pan asked Trunks a little annoyed.

Vegeta's pride was hurting; he ascended to super saiyan and took off. Trunks shook his head, what did his mother ever see in that man?

Trunks decided he wasn't going to go after him this time; his father wasn't going after the androids so he decided it would best to let him be for now.

"I think you should all head to Mt. Paozu's to Goku's house and get him someplace safe, before the androids find him," Piccolo told them.

"What about you Piccolo? Where are you going?" Krillin asked.

"It's none of your concern!" Piccolo told him as he blasted off.

"What's gotten him so grouchy?" Pan asked.

"He's going to ask Kami for help," Krillin answered.

"Who?" Pan asked confused.

Krillin explained that Kami was the guardian of earth and that he and Piccolo use to be one. All of the negative energy from Kami split and Piccolo was born. He had to be pretty desperate if he was going to ask for Kami's help.

"Alright, I think we should get going to Goku's fast, before those androids do," Tien said.

"You're right," Trunks said in agreement, "Let's get going," he said as they all blasted off.

"Hey I'm really sorry you guys," Krillin said, "For not helping earlier."

"Hey, don't sweat it Krillin," Trunks told him, "You would've just got beat like the rest of us."

"I really don't get it. If you, Vegeta, and Pan couldn't beat the androids as super saiyans, how is Goku going to be any different?" Tien asked Trunks confused.

"Believe me Tien; we're just as confused as you are. Things aren't as they were supposed to be," said Trunks.

"Yeah," Pan said sighing. "These androids are so much stronger than the ones in our own timeline."

"Well," Tien said when they were half way to the Sons house, "I have to go get Choutzu; I'll catch up with you guys later,"

"Later, Tien," they all said waving goodbye.

"So... are these androids really as bad as you put them out to be?" asked Krillin.

Trunks looked at him sharply, "They are ruthless and cold, they have made both mine and Pan's lives a living hell. They killed all of you in our timeline, not to mention Pan's mother and Gohan; they only delight in causing pain and suffering. Why the hell are you asking?!"

"Trunks calm down," Pan told him in her scolding voice, "Krillin was just asking a question you don't have to snap at him."

Trunks took a breath and sighed, "I'm sorry Krillin, but these androids are killers and that's not going change."

Krillin was amazed at how Pan could calm Trunks down, she seemed like the only who could. They had be more than just friends like she told Bulma. They landed in front of a house in the country, Krillin went up to the door and started knocking, less than a second later a very young ChiChi opened the door and was looking around franticly.

"Gohan!" She said. When she saw it was Krillin she frowned, "Oh, it's just you."

"Nice to see you too Chichi," Krillin muttered under his breath.

"Who are these two with you?" Chichi asked.

"Oh, let me introduce you to Trunks and Pan, they are the two who warned us about the androids three years ago."

Trunks and Pan said their hellos as Krillin walked into the house, "How's Goku doing?" Krillin asked.

"He's resting at the moment," Chichi answered.

Just then Yamucya walked into the room, "Hey, you two are back!" He said smiling at Trunks and Pan, "So does this mean you guys beat the androids?"

Krillin shook his head "No, we need to get to Kame House. It's not safe here," said Krillin.

"What?! But why?!" ChiChi asked getting into a state of panic.

"I'll explain later, but right now we need to move quickly." Krillin told her.

Trunks carried a bed and blankets for Goku onto the ship as Yamucya carried Goku's upper body and Krillin carried Goku's lower. Chichi was struggling with a huge bag of supplies, Pan smiled; knowing her grandmother it was most likely full of books.

"Here I got it," Pan said taking the big bag from her.

"Thank you, you're very sweet," Chichi told her smiling. "You know," Chichi said looking at Pan very curiously, "You look very familiar to me, have we met somewhere before?"

Pan was about to say something when Gohan landed beside them.

"Hey, what's going on mom?" he asked her.

"Gohan! My baby! You're alright!" ChiChi said hugging her son as tightly as she could.

"No time for explanations now Gohan, we gotta get going," said Krillin.

Everyone boarded the ship and soon they were off. Yamucya was flying the ship, while the others were sitting in the back. Goku was laid In the middle on the small bed still sleeping. Chichi sat beside him and Gohan sat beside her, at the wall closest to them, Trunks was sitting with his back leaned up against the wall. Pan had her head on Trunks' lap as she took a little nap; it had been a long day for all of them. Krillin stood on the opposite wall telling everyone what had happened so far.

"So the three of them are probably treating this whole thing like a game," Krillin said, "It's definitely a game they want Goku to lose."

"Wow, are they really that strong?" Gohan asked.

"Let's put it this way Gohan, multiply each android to Pan and Trunks by ten," said Krillin.

"No way!" Gohan exclaimed as he looked over at Trunks and Pan.

They all sat there in silence for a moment before Chichi let out a scream, Pan shot up from Trunks' lap into a fighting stance quicker than a blink, it was just instinct. When she saw there was no danger, she sat back down beside Trunks.

"Oh no," Chichi said as she untied the bag Pan had carried for her, "I was so caught up in all this emotion I almost forgot the most import thing!"

"What are you talking about mom," Gohan asked curiously.

Chichi thrust a bunch of books in front of him, "You have studying to do," she told him.

Gohan looked her shocked, "What? You can't be serious?!"

"An android epidemic does not give you an excuse from doing your school work," she told him crossing her arms.

Pan felt sympathy for her poor father, she knew how it felt like, Chichi had done the exact same thing to her as well in her own timeline.

Krillin couldn't stop snickering, "Wow Chichi you're really something else you know that."

"So what's our next move," Yamucya asked.

"Well, don't look at me," Krillin said, "I have no idea."

"This might sound crazy, but here's a thought," Trunks said. "Well since we know where Dr. Gero's secret lab is, Pan and I can travel back to before the androids were activated."

"Of course, that can totally work, right?" Yamucya said smiling.

"Yeah, but stop me if I'm wrong here Trunks, but I thought your guys' time machine wasn't all that precise. Besides, like you told Goku, traveling back and forth through time takes so much energy, you two would have a tough time getting enough energy for a round trip, so if you guys jump into the past again, there's no guarantee that you two will make it back to your own time," said Krillin.

"He's got a good point," Pan said. "Besides even if we did go back, it would only stop the androids in that timeline, not the ones already here," she told him.

"Yeah, you're right I forgot about that," Trunks said with a sigh.

Everyone looked at them confused, "Well you see," Trunks began, "If Pan and I went back to before the androids were created and stop Dr. Gero from ever making them, it would save the future of that world, but we can't change anything they've done once they've been activated, so there's really no point in us going back."

"Can you try that in Japanese?" Krillin asked.

"Okay, you know how Goku is alive now because of the medicine we brought back from the future, well in the future world where the medicine came from, Goku didn't make it. That's because we can only change one reality not both," Trunks told them. But they still looked pretty confused.

"What Trunks is trying to say is, there're two realties out there, in one of them Goku survives in the other, well let's just say he wasn't so lucky," Pan said.

"Let me try to understand this," Krillin said trying to fit the pieces together. "What you're saying is, even if Goku somehow beats the androids in our world, they'll still be alive in your world in the future? Boy that sounds like some kind of periled universe or something," Krillin said scratching the back of his head.

"Exactly!" Pan told him.

"But then why did you guys go through all the trouble of coming back at all? If the world where you two are from wouldn't reap any of the benefits?" Yamucya asked.

"My mom said that she was done, done living in a world without any hope because of the androids. Any future where they didn't exist was good enough for her even if she couldn't live in it herself. Of course recon was our primary objective; she thought we could find some sort of weakness to exploit the androids by watching Goku fight them," said Trunks.

Pan sighed, "unfortunately, the past we've traveled back to has changed so much, it throws a wrench into all those plans. Not only is the timing of Goku's heart condition a little off, there's now one more android then we were prepared to deal with. And for some unknown reason all three androids are a lot stronger," Pan said biting the tip of her thumb.

Gohan looked over at them "So what do you think made everything change so much in our time?" he asked.

"I don't know," Trunks answered sighing, "I can't explain it, but…maybe…maybe it was us and our coming here only made things worse."

"Hey don't over think it you two," Chichi told the saiyan teens. "However bad it seems, I know we're better off now than if you hadn't have come. My Goku's well again because of you two," she told them smiling.

They smiled back.

"Yeah focus on the positive," said Krillin. "Things will work out."

"Sure, they always do," Yamucya said with a smile.

"We've been through a lot worse scrapes then this before, right? We'll make it through this one way or another… Probably."

"KRILLIN!" Chichi shouted at him.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

Pan couldn't help laughing, her grandmother would never change.

"Master Roshi's place isn't much further," Yamucya told everybody, "Hey I don't know if anybody's thought of this, but Krillin do you think we should clue Bulma in?" Yamucya asked him.

"Yeah sure, wait you're thinking I should be the one to call her aren't you? Oh great!"

"Common you're the best person to get her up to speed, you know more," Yamucya told him snickering.

"Uhh! Fine!" Krillin said as he took the passenger seat, "No offence Trunks, But your mom's got one hell of a temper,"

Trunks and Pan started laughing, "Trust me Krillin, she's not going to mellow with age," Trunks said with a light laugh.

Krillin called Bulma and told her what was going on. She then told them about an abandoned machine found by a team of land surveyors with the Capsule Corp logo on it. She believed It was the time machine, it was over grown with moss, it looked like it had been sitting there for years. Trunks said it was impossible, he had the time machine with him in capsulized form, he even showed Krillin to prove it. Bulma sent them a copy of the picture the surveyors sent her. Trunks and Pan were shocked to say the least.

"She's absolutely right, this is the exact machine Pan and I came back here in, there's no question," Trunks told them.

"But…but how is this possible Trunks?" Pan said in disbelief.

"Does she know the exact location of where this photo was taken?" Trunks asked Krillin.

"Hey Trunks' got a question, do you know where the photo was taken?"

"It's outside of section 10.50 West. Are you two going?" Bulma asked.

"Yes," Trunks answered. "We need to see it for ourselves."

"I'd like to come if you don't mind? it's not that far for me," Bulma told them.

"Umm, sure if you want too Bulma," Pan said.

"Great I'll meet you guys there," Bulma said before hanging up.

"Hey, so I'd like to come with you guys too, if that's okay?" Gohan asked.

"Sure that'd be great dad," Pan said smiling, "What do you say Trunks, can my dad come with us?"

"Sure I guess so," Trunks answered.

"Wait a second!" Chichi yelled as she looked back and forth from Pan and Gohan her eyes wide in shock. "Did you just call my son, dad?"

Pan gulped, "Oh, I forgot to tell her didn't I?"

Gohan spoke up, "Well mom, you see, Pan's my daughter from the future," Gohan explained.

"What?! You're kidding!" cried Yamucya.

"Nope it's true," Krillin told his friend.

"Mom are you okay? You look like you're going to…" Before Gohan could finish Chichi fainted.

He and Pan both ran over to her as she came too, "Y-you're, you're my granddaughter?" She asked looking at Pan.

Pan nodded giving Chichi the famous Son grin.

Chichi started squealing with delight as she hugged Pan tightly, "I have a grandchild, I can't believe it! You're so beautiful! I have a million questions to ask you, but I know you got to be going, so we'll talk later," Chichi said as she let go of Pan.

"And you," Chichi said looking at Gohan. "When you get back it's straight to the books, no excuses, you got it?"

Gohan nodded as he, Trunks and Pan got ready to fly out of the ship. The three saiyan teenagers made their departure.