A/N: Hey everyone…..Sorry for the long wait but I was trying to get Hinata's Respite and Deadly Kunoichi 5 in order first, plus this was a very difficult chapter to do.

So like one day I was rereading one of the chapters of New Androids, the one where they're going around getting the codes, and I was reading that part of the chapter where they see the video of all the other androids and I started to feel sad. I started to remember how hard it was writing that whole scene without tearing up just a little bit. Lmao But anyways enough of that random thought! Back to the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the characters, excluding the ones that I have created for the story, so please don't sue me!

Chapter 20- A Second Chance

"Come on Gohan is that the best you got?" Goku taunted at his fatigue stricken son. Said son narrowed his eyes at his father and aimed to send a punch to his face, which obviously did not land. Gohan looked up at his father and smirked. The two Sayians have been battling it out since the early morning, training for the upcoming battle against Fortissimo. It's been about one day since Goten and the other androids went into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber which meant that it's been about a month of training for him. Goku was confident that Goten was doing well in his training and couldn't wait to see how the results of the android's training would be. Gohan was equally as excited to see how well his younger brother would progress. He wished however that he could have at least seen him off before he left but what was he to do, Fortissimo was pretty powerful and to go up against him was not the smartest idea he has had lately. Even as a young boy, Goten has shown skill that Gohan couldn't even dream of possessing when he was his age and knew that with the right training that he would one day exceed him, which was both exciting and a little bothersome.

"Geez Dad you could go easy on me." The man chuckled at his father.

Goku grinned. "Well I would if you were up to what you were back when you were 11 but since you've lost most of your strength….." Gohan blushed and nodded slowly. Even he could see that he wasn't at his full strength anymore. He guessed that he must have gotten slightly lazy with the whole peace thing but he knew now that he has to get back on the horse. He had to get stronger so that he could fight alongside his brother without being a burden.

Android 27 watched the two Sayians battle it out and sighed. "I hate this…." He muttered to himself.

"Hate what?" He looked up and saw his sister walking out with two cups in her hands. She handed him one and sat down next to him.

27 glanced at 26 before gazing back at Goku and Gohan. "I hate how we have to sit here like sitting ducks while that psycho gets stronger by the minute." 27 said with frustration in his eyes. He was so frustrated with not being able to do anything while that monster goes and runs around like the world is his play thing. He hated it, he truly hated it. The fact that he has to wait 11 more days until he could see that monster dead on the ground was tearing at his mind.

"27, I know how you feel but there is nothing that we can do. The only thing we can do now is to simply put all our faith into Goten." 26 knew how her brother felt for she felt that same but unlike him she fully accepted that she was not strong enough to stop Fortissimo and that Goten had the strength to defeat him lying somewhere in his body. She was hoping that eventually her brother would accept that as well.

"Yeah I know but still….." 27 muttered. "I just feel so useless right now." He hated to feel useless. Before 28 was created He was known as the strongest Android out of all of them thus the most useful but when she was created he was basically considered obsolete, which drove him to feel some amount of hatred for her Compared to her he was nothing, she was stronger, faster, better at quick thinking in battle than he could ever be…..she was the perfect Android occurring to the Scientist at the Red Ribbon Army. Those facts aside, he was driven to prove to everyone that he was more powerful than her, more intelligent than her…..more useful than her. He wanted to show that he could excel more than she could ever dream of doing. That was his goal, he did not bond with the other Androids like everyone else did...he was too into his own personal goal of surpassing Android 28 to care for them. But now he once again must be proven of his obsoleteness, He once again has to frustrate over this, this torture. He looked at the concerned look in 26's eyes and sighed. She was also the reason that he was so frustrated. As they sit there waiting for Goten, they only prolong the danger that 26 is in. He knew that Fortissimo must go in a specific order in gaining power and he knew that the first person that he will go after will be….her. 26 was before both 27, 28 and 29 so he knew that logically she would be the first of them that Fortissimo would go after. He could not let that happened, he was not going to let Fortissimo get to her. She was the first person to show true kindness towards him. She was his family, which was something that he thought he would never have or try to have in his life. She showed him that not all things were meant to be killed, some were meant to be treasured and protected. This brought a thought to him…..26 may have been the first to show him true kindness but she was not the only one. The other Androids that he knew showed him the same kindness in their own ways yet he paid them no mind, too into his own goals.

"27 are you okay?" 26 asked him as she his face that was once void of any true emotions shows a flow of emotions that she never knew he could feel.

"I have to go…." He stood up and walked away. 26 watched him leave with a worried look in her eyes. Goku looked over and saw 27 walking away and hmmed. He easily stopped Gohan from attacking him and walked over to 26.

"What's wrong with him?" Goku asked the pink haired android.

"….I don't know…." 26 said truthfully.

New Androids

"Time out Goten…" 28 shouted at the young panting boy in front of her. Slowly her braids returned to their original length and silenced their soft hissing. The training had begun immediately as they entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and it had to have been ten times as scary as Goten had first imagined it. First he had to complete his training with 29 which for some reason was way more intense than it was before. Second, as soon as he had completed the rest of 29's intense training, the training with 28 immediately began and, tough he speculated that her methods would defiantly be more ruthless than the others, he never would have imagined it as intense and difficult as it was now. She had to be the hardest teacher he had ever had to train him, and that is saying a lot. Even Vegeta who is known for his no nonsense attitude towards training would go a little easier on Trunks when they trained together. But that apparently was something that 28 did not personally believe in.

'Imma warn you now lil man." 28 said as she stood in front of the dedicated Goten. "I don't believe in no goin easy on someone, so yo ass betta be ready for the hardest shit that yo ass will ever go through."

Goten nodded slowly. "I'm ready for whatever you can throw at me." Goten said, fully ready for 28's intense work session.

Looking back, Goten wished he asked more questions on how exactly she was going to be doing in their session together. Due to the fact that Goten was almost killed on multiple occasions, broken many bones, passed out from energy loss and basically full out pain, and even once cried himself to sleep, this was like some type of torture that was brought on him for some passed sin that he must have committed in a past life. The rue only up side to this whole thing was that somehow by surviving her training so far, the light down the tunnel was slowly getting brighter as his strength was starting to show more and more each time they spar. He could feel his body starting to grow and his power level increasing. He even had 28 in a corner once, which was a feat that no one has ever done before.

Goten looked up and nodded. "Okay 28…." He walked up to 28 and smiled. "How'd I do this time?"

28 smirked. "Not bad Goten, still sloppy on some parts but you startin to get there." 28 said to the Sayian boy. He truly has changed from the boy that she met long ago. Not also was he increasing in strength and speed but the maturity in him has changed dramatically. He has become more intelligent in his battles. More patient….able to read his opponent's moves without charging in blindly. He calculated his opponents' abilities first, studying their mannerisms before attacking. His speech has changed as well. Though he still had his childish tone to his voice, you can hear a deep wisdom that children could never possess at his age. This was a relief to 29 who at one time feared that he would start to gain the same speech and tone of his master, Android 28. 28 could truly see that he was the one to defeat Fortissimo and save both the world and them.

"I know….." Goten. "I just wish that I could get stronger faster." 28 looked at the disappointed look within Goten's eyes and smiled.

"Don't worry lil man, you sure to get there eventually. You just need to keep trainin." 28 assured the young boy. Goten smiled up at 28, who has become something of an older sister in his eyes.

"Thanks 28…." 28 smiled down at him until she heard 29 calling to them from a distance.

"Come and eat!" Goten grinned at the word 'eat' and ran over to the large Android. 28 smiled at the two boys who were grinning and devouring the food in front of them. Suddenly memories of a time long ago flew in her mind, clutching at her heart. There was once a time were this was normal, smiling friends enjoying each other's company after training. Memories of her lost brothers and sisters that haunted her thoughts started to slowly surface, memories that she thought were lost. It's been long since she has last seen them or even truly thought of them, due to the memory swipe that Dr. Gero many years ago. She guessed that as they continued to be active, the memories that were thought to have been erased were starting to regenerate into her memory files. She was starting to remember 21's silent manner, 22's rough attitude, 23's clever mind, 24's non clever mind and 25's optimism. She sighed once more and walked back over to 29 and Goten, her head full of thoughts that refused to lay back in the back of her thoughts.

"Hey 28, something wrong?" Goten asked with his mouth full of food.

28 shook her head and sat down at the table. "Nothin lil man, just thinkin in my head." Goten was not as naïve as he was before and knew that there was something heavy on her mind. But also knowing 28, he speculated that if was truly starting to bother her then she would eventually tell him so he did not stress it any further. 'I hope though that it isn't something real serious….'

New Androids

28 however was not the only one having these memories resurface in their mind. Outside of the Chamber 27 was having similar thoughts and troubles as well. He was never one to dwell within his memories for long, at least not memories that bring a smile to his face. His heart however hurt whenever he would see how comfortable the Z-fighters were with each other. Even Vegeta was somewhat at ease whenever the others were around. Seeing them brought back so many memories of a time lost within the fires of war. Sometimes when he was alone he would go back in his mind to those times, where life wasn't as difficult, where he didn't have to battle with his inner instincts on killing Goku…..Where his family wasn't completely destroyed. While 27 was pondering within in his own thoughts, 17 was busy walking with Marron in his arms.

"Uncle 17 I have a question?" 17 looked down and gave her a soft smile. Never in his life would he have thought of ever being an Uncle to such an innocent child. He never even considered 18 to even be the mothering type. But life is strange like that; the things you would never think would happen tend to happen at the strangest times. Seeing this young version of his sister brought a warm feeling in his heart. It's like as soon as they met a bond grew between them. She was just the most adorable thing that he had ever seen, adorable being a word he would never describe something. She was innocence incarnate, no thoughts of violence or battle flowing through her mind at all.

"Yes Marron?"

"Well…..You're Mommy's twin brother right?"

"Yes…." Wondering what she was trying to say.

"But you don't look like Mommy at all! You have black hair while Mommy has blonde! Plus you're a boy!" Android 17 chuckled and sighed.

"Mommy and I are fraternal twins."

"What's Fr-Fraternal?"

"It means that even though Mommy and I were born at the same time, we still look different than one another." Marron hmmed while nodding her head. "I mean would you rather have a blonde Uncle 17 or an Aunt 17." Marron briefly thought for a moment of both and frowned.

"I like this Uncle 17 way better!" She said while embracing the black haired male. Another chuckle erupted from his mouth. "You're really smart Uncle!"

"You're pretty smart too Marron." 17 said but was surprised to see a frown on her face. "What's wrong…?"

"Uncle 17, are you going to stay?" She asked in her innocent voice. This caught the recently around Uncle.

"What do you mean?"

Marron looked down. "Well, I never saw you before and….I really like you and I was thinking that you might go away again. I never had an Uncle before and I really like having one now and….if you left I'll be really sad and lonely….." Android 17 was confused. How was he going to tell his niece that there might be a chance that he might leave once again…..That he might return to his nomad ways as soon as the threat is gone. A thought however quickly came to the Android….Why does he have to leave? It wasn't like he a true destination to go to. When he was revived from the dead, he wondered around trying to find a new purpose in his life. Knowing that killing Goku was out of the question he wanted to find another purpose, another reason to live besides just living. He knew that returning to the Z-fighters would only bring back old memories of when he was evil and shun him. So going to them wouldn't have been the best choice. Well it wasn't the best choice back then at least. Now it's different, they are different, he is different. No longer do they hold the hate or rage that they once possessed not long ago. They accepted 18 into their lives, making her a part of their family. But would they do the same for him. He unlike 18 took a larger pride in destruction; he was the main one that killed most of the people that they came across. Would they show him the same sort of kindness they showed her? These questions continued to surface into his mind until Marron shook him out of his thoughts.

"Look Uncle 17, its Uncle 27!" He looked up and saw 27 sitting on the edge of the lookout with a thoughtful look in his eyes. "Uncle 27!" Marron jumped out of 17's arms and ran over to 27. The green haired android looked back and saw the blond running up to him and sighed.

"What do you want?" He asked with a bored expression on his face.

Marron giggled and grabbed his hand. "I wanna play with you silly!"

"I don't feel like playing any childish game." 27 said to the young girl.

Apparently what he has yet to realize was that Marron inherited more than her mother's hair color. "Please Uncle 27!"

"No…"

"Please!"

"No…"

"Please!

"No…"

"Marron, why don't you go and find Bulla." 17 said while walking up to the two. Marron pouted but saw the stern look on her Uncle's face and nodded. The two watched the young girl run off cheerfully, both with thoughtful looks on their faces.

"Sometimes it's hard to believe that she is 18's daughter." 27 muttered with 17 nodding.

"She may have gotten her mother's looks but her personality has come from her father." The thought of Krillin and 18 brought a strange look on 27's face.

"Apparently humans have some charm or something when it comes to android women." 17 sat down next to 27 and smirked.

"Guess you're not just talking about 18's love life." 27 did not even have to answer for 17 to already understand by his looks alone.

"Sometimes I don't understand how humans can just go and charm 18 and 26. What do they have that's so special?" 17 shrugged.

"It caught me off guard too…..but I think I might know what they have that can't be found anywhere else." 17 smiled. "They offered our sisters love, a love that we can never understand. They show them emotions that they cannot feel alone. They show them care, affection both physical and emotional. I don't really understand it myself but I think I'm starting to get some clue as to what 18 sees in Krillin." 27 nodded. "Besides, I rather her be bossing around the short bald guy than some guy bossing her around, though that would be fun to watch him try." 27 let out a small chuckled and thought for a moment. He was never fully on board for the whole 26 and Yamcha ordeal it could be worse. Knowing how 26 is with violence, if she were to be in a relationship with someone who wasn't as dimwittedly in love as Yamcha and actually tried to control her she would not put up much of a fight. In that situation it would either be him or 28 that would take the situation into their own hands. It was kind of nice that she found someone who at least respects her. "I think the person to have the hardest time with this would have to be Android 21 with his twin 22." Suddenly the content look in 27's eyes changed back to the thoughtful and saddened expression that 17 came over and saw. 17 looked at 27 and sighed, knowing full well how he is feeling.

"It's weird huh….thinking of them…" 27 said softly.

"Yeah….." 17 said more to himself than to his somewhat brother. "You know if 24 was here she'd be talking nonstop with Marron, probably learning something from the girl." 27 chuckled.

"Yeah, Marron would come up to us and ask if she was stupid or something."

"I wondered how we could explain something like that."

"Simple, we say the truth. She's an idiot." 17 chuckled and stood up with a sudden thought appearing in his head. "Come with me, I have something to show you."

New Androids

27 couldn't help the small smile appear on his face as nostalgia filled his heart. 17 watched as well with the same emotion in his eyes.

"How did you…..?"

"When we were searching for the codes that could deactivate you guys, we came across particular video recording, I went back a few days ago and collected this one." 17 said as the two continued to watch the video of all the androids together, before the attack and separation of them. They both watched and started to remember times before all this. They started to remember 21's calm domineer, 22's rough girl attitude, 23's suspicious ways on getting money, 24's goofy carefree yet airhead antics and 25's cheerful and kind smile. The memories however started to turn black as the Doctor appeared; causing them to quickly turned the screen off. 27 sighed and placed his head in his hands.

"Man, life was defiantly simpler back then…." 17 nodded. "It's funny, I finally start to see them as family…..and they're not even here to rub it in my face." 17 sighed knowing how he felt. It was a strange feeling, like all the years of separation combined with the recent returning of locked memories fell onto of him all at once. He was feeling emotions that he never thought he would ever feel. He felt angry, enraged, heartbroken…..lost…..He wanted to break something so bad yet let out all his forced back tears. He knew that 27 was going through the same thing, the same feelings that he was feeling. He looked over and saw the look in 27's eyes and stood up.

"27…I know what you're feeling and….I understand….." 27 gave him a small glance before looking back at the blank screen. "But maybe….this is a second chance." This brought 17 27's full on attention.

"What are you aiming at?"

17 shrugged. "Think about it, both of us really didn't appreciate having all the other Androids around as family until now and being that we don't know where they are or if they're even alive…" Just by saying it 17's heart clenched with grief. "….Maybe this time….with these people….We can change...We don't have to bottle up our emotions, we can keep our guard down with them without fear…..Maybe these people the Z-fighters….could be our second try at having something of a family." 17 said before turning back to face the door. "It's just a thought, a sappy thought but a thought." He said then walked out, leaving 27 to his own thoughts.

A second chance? Could this really be a second chance for 27 to once again create the family bonds that he once blocked off, having the only bond being with 26? Should he really try to open up to these strangers, would they even want him too? After all he did almost try to kill their friend…..but then again 18 and 17 were once programmed to do the same thing and yet they welcomed them with opened arms, some more than others. But would they do the same for him? Suddenly the thought of the man he had killed not long ago came to his mind. That was something that the other Androids have not done, they may have threatened the lives of their friends but never have they ever took a life of their friends, he has. He has killed the bald man with the third eye…..Tien? He thought about how the small floating thing stared at him with nothing but pure hate in his eyes….would that cause them to push him away. Would the death of their friend be so great on their hearts that they would cast him out? 27 sighed and stood up. Why does he even care? All his life he hasn't cared about how others saw him or how his behavior mattered to those around him. Why would he start now? He walked out the room with a thoughtful look in his eyes, unknown to him that two small girls were walking up to him.

"Uncle 27!" 27 sighed and looked over to see Marron and Bulla running up to him.

"What is it now?" He asked while giving her a bored expression, trying to hide his thoughts.

"Well me and Bulla were wondering if you wanted to come and play with us." She smiled up at him. 27 was about to refuse once more until he saw the innocent look in both girl's eyes and sighed.

"Fine….." He mumbled. Seeing their faces glow was a strange feeling for him. Both of them grabbed his hands and pulled him across. Never has he ever made someone smile, besides 26 but she's always smiling so that doesn't count. Never has he made someone happy but….here he was watching these young girls giving him the hugest grins that he has ever seen. Maybe he can at least try…..Maybe…..

New Androids

26 hummed a tune she created on the spot while walking around the Lookout. She was surprised however to see 27 with the young girls in what she could assume was a doll in his hand.

"Oh no Miss Nancy, we're lost and can't find our way out of the enchanted forest!" Bulla giggled as she moved the blond doll in her hands.

"Oh no what will we do…." He muttered with held back anger. 26 quickly placed her hand over her mouth to control her laughter. This was something that she never thought would ever happen in her life yet here she was watching 27 playing dolls with little girls. She was also surprised to see a smile on his face while Marron jumped into his arms with Bulla following after. Seeing him without his usual wall, without his usual mask, was a huge relief for the young Android. She hoped that maybe 27 could find a place in this new world and seeing him now gave her more hope than she ever had before. 'This is nice….' She walked away with a smile on her face but stopped when she saw the other Z-Fighters watching the news, all with heated looks on their faces. She looked at the screen and gasped seeing Fortissimo chuckling while killing thousands of people at once. What serious brought tears to her eyes was the last two people that he viciously murdered. Those once kind eyes now were opened with the shock and lifelessness. Their white hair stained by their own blood. A tear ran down 26's eye as she fell to her knees in horror, which made her presence known to the group. Videl quickly ran up to her and fell to her side.

"Android 26, are you okay….?"

"Those people…..on the screen…." She said through tears. "The old couple…..no….it can't be…" She bit her lip and let more tears fall from her eyes.

A/N: Sorry I'm mad late but again this chapter was a toughie :D I hope you guys liked it. I tried really hard portraying a sort of difference in 27's mind and how he's conflicting with his latent desire for a second chance at having a family and his feelings of feeling useless and beaten. Showing love between two people is one thing but all the emotional conflict within the mind of a former killing machine is another. Lol but hey what can you do! This was still fun to write and share with you all. Hope you come back soon.