Super 17 glanced at his hand, staring at it intently. Trunks drew his sword and lunged, aiming for Super 17's throat. Without looking up, the Android caught the blade, surprising the half-breed, and flung him away. Ocarin was next to attack and he was actually able to push Super 17 with his fists, unleashing his Break Cannon after the assault. Super 17 smirked as the Cannon smashed into him, but like before, he was left unharmed. He simply ran his hands through his hair, pushing it off his face. Pan charged and swung her fist, but Super 17 caught her wrist and hurled her into Trunks.
"He's strong, but there's a way to beat him," Trunks thought as he picked himself up and checked on Pan. "There has to be."
Lazuli watched as Ocarin battled her brother, her mind torn. She could tell that Super 17 was toying with the trio and at full-power; he was a threat to the world and had to be stopped. But it was her brother, the one being she knew she could never fight against. She couldn't pick sides and it was only a matter of time before Super 17 or Trunks noticed her hesitancy.
"Galick Gun!" Trunks cried, launching the purple beam.
"Kamehameha!" Pan added her ki wave, combining it with her mentor's.
The two beams slammed into Super 17 like a raging ocean. Once again, the Android emerged unscathed and he casually brushed his hair back.
"Damn it, our energy attacks aren't working on him," Trunks growled.
It was like his childhood all over again. The unstoppable Androids, where nothing would work on them, not even his strongest attacks, not even the legendary Super Saiyan form. Trunks suppressed the nightmare trying to invade his mind, reminding himself that he was far stronger than ever before, even more than Super Perfect Cell and he would win this rematch against his tormentor.
Super 17 furrowed his brow, staring at Pan with curiosity in his eyes. "I know that attack. Gohan was quite fond of using it. Who are you?"
"I'm Pan," the child replied, her face full of fierce determination. "Gohan is my dad."
The Android's eyes widened, first in surprise and then in glee. "Ohh, was he now? How interesting. I recall killing your daddy. He was such a weakling, he was lucky to have lasted for so long. That was a great memory, wasn't it, 18?"
Lazuli realised what her brother was doing and she kept her focus on her fused twin, refusing to look in Pan's direction, even though she could feel the child's eyes on her.
"What are you-" Pan started.
"18 and I killed your daddy. Together," Super 17 taunted gleefully. "I'm surprised there was even a body left."
"That's enough!" Trunks cried and he flew at Super 17, only to get backhanded aside.
Super 17 flew after his prey; Ocarin intercepted and was grabbed by the face and driven into the ground. Trunks lashed out with a kick; Super 17 parried and decked him. 16 grabbed Super 17 from behind, but was immediately shaken off and kicked to the curb.
"I'll destroy you again," the Ultimate Android snarled.
Pan stared at Lazuli and the blonde Android finally returned the look, seeing the sadness and betrayal in the young girl's eyes. "You helped…kill…my daddy?"
"Pan, I-" Lazuli started and she had to dodge Ocarin's hurled body.
"Okay, I'm bored now," Super 17 said and he took to the sky. "Try this on for size."
Gero and Myuu quickly flew from the area, as Super 17 unleashed the Flash Bomber. Hundreds of bullet-like ki blasts rocketed towards the ground in a machine-gun manner, blitzing the ground and creating one hell of an explosion. Buildings crumbled in the wake of the devastating attack, chunks of the road splintered and were hurled in the path of destruction. Lazuli managed to throw up a barrier in time, but Pan, Trunks, 16 and Ocarin were caught in the bombardment.
"Such incredible power," Lazuli cogitated as she increased the power of her barrier to withstand the barrage. "If he keeps this up, I will have no choice but to fight him."
Super 17 ended the Flash Bomber and smirked at the devastation he had caused. The dust slowly cleared and his features became amused when he saw the quadrant moving in the circle of craters, buried in the rubble. Trunks was the first to stand, defiant as always, an injured Pan by his side. The huge, lumbering form of 16 was the next to appear and finally, Ocarin, his eyes blazing red.
"Impressive," Super 17 commented airily. "But then again, you are like cockroaches. Especially you, Trunks, always such a pest. As they say, revenge is a dish best served cold."
"Enough, 17!" Trunks shot back. "Don't tell me you did all this just to fight me. That this is just a petty game of revenge for you. I must have hurt your pride that bad if you're willing to work with Gero again. It's simply pathetic of you."
"I'm not the one who's about to be obliterated, so who's pathetic now, huh?"
"Not if I have anything to say about it!"
Trunks' furious aura exploded into view and he launched from the rubble, his sword slicing towards Super 17. The Android dodged the blade and proceeded to dart around every swing Trunks made. The half-Saiyan, growing frustrated, made one last slash and Super 17 struck him in the gut and followed up with an energy wave. Tumbling through the air, Trunks fired his Burning Attack, which Super 17 took head-on and in response, the Android detached his left hand to reveal an array of barrels, much like 16.
"Hell's Storm!"
Barrage after barrage of bullets slammed into Trunks. They tore through his clothes, bruising his skin and even drawing blood. Trunks yelled in pain under the assault and he lost his Super Saiyan 2 form, unable to withstand the onslaught as he was driven across the sky.
"17, stop it!" Lazuli cried, flying up to face her brother. "Enough!"
"Fine, if you say so, 18," Super 17 said and he reattached his hand. Trunks was struggling to remain upright, his body battered and aching, and his aggressor smirked. "Let me put him out of his misery."
"No!" his sister cried, but it was too late, as Super 17 fired a Photon Flash. Trunks tumbled from the explosion, unconscious as he plunged and Lazuli wanted to catch him, but she didn't want to antagonise her brother and so, she remained. Thankfully, Ocarin leapt into action and he ensnared Trunks' body, bringing him to ground safely.
"Are you finished playing around, 17?" Gero demanded. "End them."
Super 17 rolled his eyes. "Why don't you just shut up!" he shouted as he fired a Full-Power Energy Wave that obliterated his creator.
Myuu grinned. "Perfect. If you hadn't done it, I would've done it myself."
"And now, to finish the rest," Super 17 sneered and once again, he used the Flash Bomber. Lazuli watched on as the group were pummelled and unable to stand the sight, she flew at her brother and socked him in the face, surprising him and halting the attack. "18, what the hell? You're protecting them? What has gotten into you?"
She quickly glanced down. All were unconscious, but at least they were alive and she looked at her fused brother. "Things have changed, 17. I've changed. It's why I remained alive. I had a choice."
"No, you didn't have a choice. You were forced to," Super 17 snarled. "It was Trunks' way or the highway. Not only that, but you left me all alone in Hell. We have never been separated, 18. We've always been together and now I've returned, you've turned away from me. Why?"
Her eyes darted towards Trunks, the very reason why she had chosen to change her ways. It was a quick glance, one she hoped her brother didn't see, but he caught her and followed her gaze. His frown deepened and then he came to a conclusion, his face twisted in bewilderment and disgust.
"Wait; don't tell me…you…and him? Did you guys…hook up?" he insinuated. Her silence was the answer he needed and he made retching noises. "You…slept with him? The very kid we used to beat up for fun? You, 18, you…oh my god! I can't believe you would sink that far to do that. Oh, how far you've fallen."
"You don't have to be like this," Lazuli said. "We don't have to be like that. We can leave the past behind and start anew. Let's be honest, 17; killing humans was starting to lose its appeal."
"You're weak," Super 17 spat. "Perhaps I should destroy you as well because it's sickening to see what has become of my sister. I thought the world of you."
She glanced at the group once more. She needed them to stay alive so they could recover and find a way to defeat her brother, but at this rate, he would lose his temper and outright kill them and there was nothing she could do to stop him. "Maybe I have become weak. But how about you allow me one more moment of weakness? If you spare them, I will join you."
Super 17 quirked a thin eyebrow. "What game are you playing, 18?"
"No games. You're right though. I am weak. But if you let them live, I promise to join you. It can be like the old times again. Just this once and then next time, you can kill them."
Super 17 glanced between his sister, the quadrant below and finally at Myuu, who shrugged carelessly. He returned his gaze to his sister and held his hand out to her. "Fine. But just this once. I don't like the idea of letting them live, but if means you're back by my side, then so be it."
Lazuli took his hand and cast a final look at the group, especially Trunks. "I'm sorry."
"Come on, sis. Let's make this world ours again." Myuu led the way from the ruined city block and Lazuli flew alongside her fused brother, who turned side-on to face her. "I'm glad you made the right choice, 18. I've got a present for you. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."
"Can't wait," she deadpanned and nodded towards Myuu. "Who's he, by the way?"
"Oh him? He's the guy who's responsible for my new power. Had a 'baby' before that or something. Either way, it's because of him that I'm free now."
"Really? Because it looks like to me that you're still being controlled," Lazuli said. "And the 17 I knew hated being anyone's puppet. That's why you killed Gero first chance you got."
"You'll see and you'll understand."
They arrived at the same spot where Myuu and 17 had escaped from Hell and the Machine Mutant scientist led the siblings inside an abandoned building. Lazuli kept strategizing plans, continuously scrapping them. Her brother was alive and she wanted to keep him that way, but she needed him to give up his murderous ways and she was trying to figure out a compromise that would work out for everyone involved. Except Myuu. He was getting killed.
At the top of the building, Myuu opened an office and motioned for the pair to step inside. Lazuli crossed her arms, making sure to keep the pair in her peripheral vision as she racked up her strategy.
"So, what are we here for?" she asked. "You said you had something to show me, 17."
"I do," he said and he motioned to behind her.
Lazuli turned around and her jaw dropped in shock. It was like looking in the mirror, as Hell Fighter 18 approached her template with a smirk.
"I've been looking forward to meeting you," the duplicate spoke.
"17, what is this?" Lazuli demanded, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. "What are you doing?"
"This, my sister, is my gift to you," Super 17 said. "Like I said, the world will be ours again."
Hell 18 started glowing and Lazuli was horrified to find she was glowing in tandem. She tried to fight the magnetic pull towards her replica, her mind screaming in resistance, but she was powerless as she was sucked towards Hell 18 and the two combined together. Super 17 smirked when the light faded to reveal the newborn Super 18 and even Myuu grinned.
"I am a genius," he congratulated himself. "Nothing can stop u-"
A High-Pressure Energy Wave obliterated him and returned his soul to Hell, as Super 18 opened and closed her fist at the same time, feeling the power coursing through her.
"Now, there are no strings on us," Super 17 grinned. "Together, we'll be unstoppable."
"Let's go, 17," Super 18 said. "We have a world to reclaim."
-X-
The water crashed against the shores, as Trunks stared at the horizon in contemplation. It'd been two hours since the battle against Super 17 and when he had regained consciousness, he found that Lazuli was nowhere to be found. Unable to sense her, he had no idea if she had been destroyed by her brother or joined his side; both options Trunks found he couldn't bring himself to think about.
After being healed by Ocarin and with no news of Super 17, the half-Saiyan had gone to a beach in need of reflection and strategizing. His mentor's word echoed to him, about taking advantage of the quiet moments in between battles and appreciating them, because you never know when it could be your last.
"Trunks?"
He turned and gave Pan a soft smile. "Hey. What brings you here?"
The young girl didn't reply at first; she sat beside her mentor and drew her knees to her chest, holding them close. Trunks watched her, saw the sadness in her eyes and his heart broke for her. No child should ever have that look in their eyes, not like he had when he was growing up and he had sworn to himself that he'd never let Pan experience that. Guess he'd broken his oath.
"Did Lazuli really kill my dad?" Pan finally asked.
Trunks hesitated and decided he couldn't lie to her. "Yes, it's true. But you have to remember, Pan, she was evil back then. Just like she was evil when you first fought her."
"I know, but then she joined our side. And she's been good. She's even nice to me."
"I know. It's…definitely taken some getting used to."
"Do you think she's dead?" the child asked sombrely.
"I don't know. I don't think 17 would destroy his own sister, but at the same time, I can't see Lazuli joining him willingly. And if she did…it scares me."
"Why?"
He sighed. "I guess it would feel like betrayal, to know that she's been playing us this whole time. I don't think that is the case, but the part of me that will always been upset with her for Gohan is going to think about it like that."
"What do you really think?" Pan asked.
Again, he paused, sifting through his thoughts to find his definite answer. "That she hasn't betrayed us and has gone with 17 to find a way to stop him. Which means we can't sit around here forever. If Lazuli is alive, she will need our help."
He stood up, shoved on his boots and jacket and slung his sword over his shoulder. He tried to suppress the worry at the thought of Lazuli's circumstance, tried telling himself he was only concerned because she was a useful ally, but deep down, he knew it was lie. Trunks cared about her well-being; he just had no idea how to articulate that and thought it was best he didn't. Hell, he cared about her overall and with the situation he was potentially facing, it brought that apprehension to the forefront. He needed to know that she was okay, that she was going to be okay.
"How are Ocarin and 16?" Trunks asked.
"They're fine. Ocarin is grumpy."
"Good. We're going to stop 17, even if it's the last thing we do."
-X-
It was hard to determine her mind set right now. Super 18 was focused on taking control, launching energy waves at the humans, but she felt nothing. Her brother, on the other hand, showed his enthusiasm as he used his Flash Bomber against the masses, but she couldn't find that same pleasure. Inner analysis suggested that this aversion came from the original Android 18 and try as she might, Super 18 couldn't purge it, even though it was Hell 18 in control of the fusion. Android 18 appeared to have formed emotions and feelings, especially deep hidden ones for Trunks and it was frustrating Super 18 that these thoughts were plaguing her system and holding her back.
No matter how people she killed, she couldn't shake Android 18's humanising influence.
"This is great! Isn't it, 18?" Super 17 grinned widely. "Just like old times. Ah, I've missed this. Even the air; so much better than Hell."
"That's a shame, because that is where you're going."
The twins turned around and Super 17 sneered at Trunks. "I made an agreement to spare you guys until I saw you again. Looks like that agreement is over now. Why do you have a death wish, Trunks?"
The half-Saiyan looked upon the fused being of his lover, hiding his shock well. He just hoped that he could somehow reach out to her, somehow get her to regain control. The Lazuli he knew wouldn't be indiscriminatingly killing again; it had to be her doppelgänger and he was going to do everything he could in his power to bring her back to her senses.
He couldn't lose her.
He also couldn't work out why it was important to him.
"Why do you allow yourself to be like this, 17?" Trunks retorted. "You have all this power and this is how you choose to use it? Even with Gero gone, he still has control over you."
"Shut up! No one controls me. I do what I want," Super 17 growled. "And what I want to do is kill you. So for your sake, I really hope those weren't your last words."
"Kill him," Super 18 said, hating there was no conviction behind her request. "And make him suffer."
Trunks went Super Saiyan 2. Pan turned Super Saiyan. Ocarin became a Super Namekian. The calculating nature of the Big Gete Star chip released nanites that increased 16's natural power level. Super 17 grinned.
"Me first."
He launched forth and Trunks met him, his sword drawn. Super 17 dropped him with an elbow, caught Ocarin's fist and booted Pan aside. He blasted Ocarin and dodged 16's fist and hit him with an uppercut. Trunks held his hands out to the side and was hit from behind, as Super 18 joined the fray. She landed a blow that drilled Trunks through a building and she fired her High-Pressure Energy Wave after him. Buildings crumbled and Trunks shot up from the rubble; Super 18 was instantly before him. He gasped in surprise at her speed and she pressed a ki ball to his chest. He yelped as he was blasted across the sky.
Super 17 detached his left hand, chasing Ocarin with the Hell's Storm. The Namekian returned fire with a multitude of energy blasts and the Android simply grinned as he was hit with the bombardment. Behind him, Pan cupped her hands together and pulled them to the side.
"Kamehameha!"
Unaffected, Super 17 punched Pan to the ground and 16 drilled him in the head…to no effect. Determined, 16 then grabbed Super 17 around the waist and slammed him to the ground, held him down with his boots and detached his forearms.
"Go on," Super 17 taunted. "Hit me with it."
"Hell Flash!"
16's ultimate attack lit up the sky, but Super 18 ignored it as she dodged and deflected Trunks' blows. She kneed him in the gut and he was breathless as she followed up with a fist to his jaw. As he tumbled, she fired her Power Blitz with both hands, the four ki blasts homing in on Trunks in a pincer action. He flared his aura, cancelling the blasts, fierce determination on his face.
"Lazuli, please listen to me. I know you're in there somewhere."
"Sorry, Trunks, but she's not home," Super 18 said. "I am. And you can bet your sorry ass that I will destroy you for what you've done. Humanising me? I'm an Android. I am also not your pet."
"I will find a way to break this fusion."
"The only way you can do that is if you destroy me," she said and she shot forth to punch him. "And you can't. You're weak, just like before. I now have the power I need to easily kill you."
Trunks spat blood. "So do it. If you really want to kill me, you'll do it right now."
"Gladly."
She held her hand out and gathered energy in her palm. Excitement rushed through her at the prospect of killing Trunks, but just as she was prepared to release the energy, she discovered she…couldn't. Super 18 frowned in confusion. Was Android 18's influence that strong that it was capable of preventing her from killing Trunks? How could that be, when Hell 18 was in control?
"You can't do it, can you?" Trunks noted. "You may have taken control of Lazuli, but you can't erase her completely. She's not going to help you kill me."
Super 18 cancelled the blast. "That may be so, but I can still beat you up."
He fired a Finish Buster at her. She took the hit and then flew at him, her boots planting deep into his stomach. Trunks choked and Super 18 proceed to slam him with an array of kicks, a blade of energy hanging in the air after each strike. When she finished the Dance Macabre manoeuvre with a backflip kick, the energy blades slammed into Trunks in succession, creating a detonation that rocketed him across the air.
"I have to get through to her somehow," Trunks painfully thought in the aftermath of the powerful attack. "She may be holding back, but she is too powerful for me. I need to break that fusion."
She came at him again; he tried to counter and failed when she punched him so hard, he made a crater in the ground from the impact. Dazed, Trunks was unable to prevent her from driving her heels onto his sternum, causing him to scream out in pain.
-X-
Super 17 kicked Pan with such force that she lost her breath and teetered on the edge of consciousness. A Full-Powered Energy Wave later and she was unconscious, her body wracked with pain. Ocarin shouted as he unleashed a combo upon the Android and was rewarded by having his head driven into the ground. Super 17 hauled the Namekian up, socked him in the stomach and hit him with a Photon Flash. Ocarin tumbled across the ground like a bouncing ball, soon coming to a rest and didn't move again. Super 17 brushed his hair back and faced his final opponent.
"I don't know how you managed to come back after last time, but this time, I'm going to make sure I do a good enough job."
"Is mindless chaos all you are capable of, 17?" 16 questioned. "Is that the only thing that means anything to you? To me, you are achieving nothing but worthless destruction."
"Oh, and your idea is better?" Super 17 mocked. "Protect the world and the pathetic humans? You've failed to realise that it was because of a human that I exist. A human designed me to a killing machine. What does that say about your precious humans?"
"Your sister changed. She saw the pointlessness of her atrocities and sought to reform. She overcome the ideals of Gero and now seeks her own path. It is not too late for you to do the same, 17. All you are doing is Gero's madness. You act out to oppose him, but you are doing exactly as he wished."
"I obey the wish of no-one, pal. Killing humans is fun. You'd understand if you were so defunct."
"For what gain?" 16 probed. "What does it accomplish for you in the end? What happens when you kill every last human? Your fun is over."
Super 17 clenched his fist. "I am supremely powerful. There is a whole galaxy out there and I bet not a single person out there could oppose me. I was one of the top dogs in Hell, until someone sent down a muscle-bound freak capable of saying only one word. And a bunch of pirates. Point is, I will be the best in the entire universe."
"Your power may be evolved, but your line of thinking is not. To seek destruction at the expense of others; it is not something I can abide by."
"Yeah, well, I don't care for what you think," Super 17 said, gathering energy between his palms. "And I think you've prattled on for too long. Shocking Death Ball!"
16 blanched as the powerful energy ball zoomed towards him. He put up an energy shield, but the Shocking Death Ball needled away at it and broke through the barrier, detonating upon 16 with the force of a nuke, devastating the area. Super 17 snickered when he saw robotic pieces rain down.
Make that 2-0 to him.
He frowned when he saw the pieces wiggle and bands of wire stretched out, joining parts together until they reformed into 16, completely intact as if he hadn't just been blown to smithereens. An eyebrow quirked, Super 17 simply created the Shocking Death Ball again and launched it. 16 took the attack head-on again, there was another explosion that turned the place into a warzone, Pan getting buried in the rubble, but Super 17 was shocked to see 16 intact still.
"No! How is that possible!"
"You cannot destroy me," 16 said. "Not-"
Super 18's fist punched through his head and when she tore it out, she held the Big Gete Star's chip. 16's body crumbled as she crushed the chip, sprinkling the remains upon the robotic corpse.
"Well, that worked," Super 17 said.
"16, no."
Super 18 sighed as she faced Trunks. Unable to kill him, she simply beat him into submission, exerting her control over Lazuli as she did, which allowed her to land the blow upon 16. She thought Trunks had been dealt with, but he was far more resilient than she thought.
"Oh, look who's here," Super 17 said. "Time to finish him off like we should have done all those years ago."
"No, I can't allow it," Trunks thought desperately as he shifted his gaze between 16's body, Super 18 and Super 17. He could barely sense Pan's energy and he knew Ocarin was down. He was the last stand against the Androids. "I can't allow them to do this anymore. I can't let Lazuli become a monster again. I have to bring her back. I have to! I need to!"
Power comes in response to a need, not a desire. He needed the power to save Lazuli and defeat 17. Just when she had gotten free of Gero's madness, it had risen up from the depths of Hell and reclaimed her against her will. And after what happened between them in the Chamber, where they'd entered unknown territory and nothing had been the same again, he definitely could not let Lazuli be consumed by her creator's influence again.
She meant more to him than he realised and with 16 dead by her hand, he had to do all that he could to save her.
He flared into Super Saiyan, his building rage fusing with the need to save Lazuli, the will to free her and he shouted as he reached Super Saiyan 2. It wasn't enough, he knew that, he needed more and he tried to push his power further. Super 18 watched him with indifference and Super 17 was simply bored, only because he believed he could handle whatever Trunks was attempting to achieve.
The rubble of the devastation floated up from Trunks' power, as he screamed, his voice strangled as he sought the power he needed. Flashes of bio-electricity whipped up in a frenzy. His emotions were mixed, but he managed to focus them, utilising them to push himself higher than he could imagine.
Super 17 frowned, noting differences in the atmosphere, as Trunks' furious aura glowed with the intensity of a hundred suns, a raging fire that made the day even brighter. Clouds moved on their accord, sucked towards the half-Saiyan as his power influenced the atmospheric pressures. Shattered glass launched through the air like spears, cars were flipped and tossed like paper planes, and the buildings creaked and groaned against his power, angry cracks splintering their frames. Around the world, people were horrified as the planet shook beneath the immense energy Trunks was putting out. His voice was raw from the energy charging through him and still he screamed.
-X-
"Agh! What the hell is happening?" Bulma cried in horror as instruments crashed in her quaking laboratory and she tried frantically to save her equipment. "This can't be good. Make it stop!"
-X-
He had to save her. He had to protect everyone else who couldn't defend themselves. He had to erase Gero's malevolence from the world for good. He had to, he had to, he had to! He couldn't let down the people he cared about, Lazuli included.
There was a glimpse of a man with wild white hair, his body covered in white fur and a long monkey tail, grinning at him like he was proud and amused by Trunks' ascension. The image lasted for a split second and was instantly forgotten as Trunks let his power strike the pinnacle and elevate him.
His hair, once rigid and spiked, now hung to his waist in a luscious, bladed mane. His brow was hairless and extended, thick and intimidating. His eyes were emerald green with blue pupils and his golden aura was like a flame that pulsed so frequently, it appeared static, bolts of energy electrifying the heated air around him.
Super Saiyan 3.
A/N: If you're wondering what Super 18 looks like, it's based upon the design by hsvhrt on Deviantart. Check it out.