Chapter 7:

Mystery Revealed

"Oh my gosh…" Bulma said in disbelief. "Did the Androids really do all that?"

"They sure did," confirmed Yamcha. "It looks like they blew up half the city. I just don't know how we're going to stop them, you guys."

Krillin and Charisma had returned to Bulma with Yamcha in tow, who was just barely clinging to life. Fortunately, they arrived in the nick of time and Yamcha was able to fully recover with a senzu bean. Gohan was there, too, and he had brought along Yajirobe, who miraculously survived the explosion and crash of his plane without a single scratch.

Charisma looked on with sad eyes as Yamcha explained what he could remember of his ordeal. The guilt she felt was almost overwhelming as she replayed the incident over and over in her mind.

"Hey, Yamcha…" Charisma said so softly he barely even heard her.

He turned to look at her curiously. "Is something wrong?"

"...I'm sorry. I almost didn't get there in time," she said, using all her strength to not cry. "I completely froze up. I didn't know what to do so I didn't do anything…maybe I could've stopped it somehow…."

Yamcha observed her expression intently. Despite her best efforts to mask her sadness, Yamcha could easily tell she was on the verge of tears. He stood up and approached her with an awkward chuckle. "Hey! I'm all right now. Don't worry about it."

"This is just so horrible..." Charisma mumbled, shutting her eyes. She took a seat on the ground behind the others with her back towards the city. Before anyone could say anything else, Krillin noticed five figures that flew up into the sky and away from the island.

"Hey, look!" he exclaimed. Charisma turned around and looked up. "Goku's leading them away from the city."

"Oh no! We've got to warn him somehow!" cried Yamcha. "He doesn't know that the Androids can absorb his energy! I don't know how they did it, but when the Android grabbed me, I could feel all my energy being drained from my body."

"Androids that absorb energy?" Charisma repeated to herself. 'That doesn't sound like the Androids I know…' she thought.

"I know it sounds crazy, but that's exactly what they did," he said. "I have to warn everyone!"

"Well, what are you waiting for?" exclaimed Bulma. "Get over there before those nasty Androids grab someone else!"

"There's no time to lose," Gohan shouted as he powered up. "We've got to warn my dad!"

"I know but...I'm not so sure I wanna go back there, Gohan," explained Yamcha. "I mean, I almost bit the big one last time. Maybe I should stay here…"

"I understand," Gohan said. "But I can't let my dad walk into battle with these monsters without knowing about this. I'm going after them!" Without another word, Gohan suddenly took off.

"Gohan's right," Krillin said. He turned back to look at Yamcha. "You stay here then. But I'm gonna help. I'm taking the senzu beans." He took to the skies and trailed after his friend.

"Those two don't have the foggiest idea what they're up against," Yamcha said, grabbing on to the place where the Android had stabbed him. "I won't let what happened to me happen to anyone else! I've got to help my friends!" He powered up and called them. "Wait up! I'm coming!"

He took off and left Yajirobe, Charisma, Bulma and her baby staring up at them, silently.

"...What should I do?" Charisma wondered as she stood up from the ground. "Even though I've trained with every ounce of my strength for the last three years, I can't help but feel that it wasn't enough. I want to do everything in my power to help, but the reality is, I'm such a coward."

"Hey, don't be hard on yourself," Bulma said reassuringly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You did what you could. I'm not a fighter, but when it comes to anything in this life, it's important to know and understand what your limitations are, just as much as it is to know your strengths. When the time comes, you'll rise to the challenge."

Charisma took a deep breath and smiled brightly at Bulma. Bulma was someone who Charisma could always count on to cheer her up, just as much as her Auntie Bulma from the future. "You have a good point…"

"You're not a coward, either," Bulma said. She threw a glance back at Yajirobe. "Unlike some people I know..."

Yajirobe threw back a sour glance at her. "If you've got something to say to me, then say it!"

"I am saying it!" Bulma shouted back at him, confidently putting a hand on her hips. "I don't see you going after them!"

"Me? Going with them?" Yajirobe repeated as if it were the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. "Not on your life."

Bulma growled. "And why not exactly? From what I hear, Yajirobe, you're a good fighter and they need all the help they can get! So, I suggest you quit being a coward and get into gear!"

"Can't do it…" he responded, arms crossed, not budging a bit.

Bulma grew more agitated. "I am tired of hearing your lame excuses! Get over there and help out your buddies, now!"

"I don't know how to fly, Bulma," he announced. Bulma gasped and started with a dumbfounded look.

"How…can you not…?"

Yajirobe remained silent. He wasn't looking to argue but simply wanted Bulma to get out of his hair. Charisma chuckled to herself at their banter. With a deep sigh, she stared into the distance thoughtfully. 'I will find a way to help them...I just have to.'

"In any case," she said, changing the subject. "I guess all we can do right now is wait…"

"We could also go home…" Yajoribe snorted.

"No way!" Charisma and Bulma exclaimed in unison, nearly sending Yajoribe off the cliff.

"What if they need us?" Charisma reasoned. "There's no way we can just leave them."

"Charisma is right," Bulma said. "Besides, I know in my heart they have what it takes to win this battle. They will be back soon. I just know it!"

...

About an hour had passed after the women decided to wait for the Z Fighters to return from their fight from the Androids. Yajirobe sat on the ground, playing with baby Trunks. Bulma and Charisma were leaning on Bulma's formerly encapsulated plane, watching the interaction of the two. Although she was overflowing with uneasiness and worry, Charisma was amused enough by what she was watching to crack a smile.

"I had no idea you were so good with kids, Yajirobe," said Bulma with a smile. "Usually, he starts crying when other people hold him."

Yajirobe lifted Trunks high into the air playfully, laughing and making silly faces, until he felt some weird, warm liquid spray all over his face. Upon watching the scene unfold, Charisma quickly ran to the other side of the plane to silently laugh. The sound of commotion, baby Trunks wailing loudly and Yajirobe grumbling filled the air.

"You gave him a sour face!" Bulma scolded Yajirobe. She hurried over and took her son into her arms.

"I'm the one who got all wet!" complained Yajirobe, desperately wiping the warm urine off his face with his scarf.

Bulma comforted her baby, and he stopped crying instantly. "Hey, Charisma? Where did you go?"

Charisma composed herself and came out from behind the plane. "Here."

"I'm getting bored, and I don't think the guys are coming back any time soon. What do you say if we go find them?"

"I don't know if that'll be safe…" Charisma said.

"We'll be fine!" Bulma insisted. "We won't get too close to the action. I'm not that crazy, you know…"

"Bull sh-" Yajirobe mumbled under his breath.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Bulma yelled back.

Yajirobe's mumbling continued but it was completely incoherent. He held up his scarf and began ringing out the urine from it with a grimace.

Charisma sighed, shaking her head. "Well...knowing you, there's no way I can talk you out of it. In any case, I can tell you where to go to find them."

"NO WAY!" cried Yajirobe, coming in between the two women. "We'll be dead meat if we go!"

"Yes way," said Bulma as she walked towards the entrance to the plane. "Vegeta wouldn't let anything happen to his little boy, now, would he? We'll be fine."

"No, we won't!" Yajirobe protested.

"Well, if you don't want to come, then you're more than welcome to stay here," Bulma responded. "Good luck getting down from this cliff though if you can't fly…" she added mockingly.

Yajirobe growled before trudging over to the plane in defeat. Bulma stepped into the plane and took the seat on the right, with Charisma sliding into the seat to Bulma's left.

"Why me?" the tubby man mumbled as he stood by the opened plane canopy.

"Come on and get in!" The girls both shouted at the same time.

"All right!" he exclaimed. "But listen here! One peek and then we're out of there!"

"All right, all right!" sneered Bulma. "Get in already and let's go!'

He complied and sat on the left side next to Charisma and closed the door. There was barely enough space for all of them in that tiny machine. Bulma handed Trunks over to Charisma and they all fastened their seat belts.

The plane ride was mostly silent with the occasional bickering between Bulma and Yajirobe. Charisma stared down sweetly at baby Trunks who now had fallen asleep in her arms during the ride. Although Trunks was now about a year old, she was still mind blown by the fact that she was able to meet him as a baby. It made her wonder where her current timeline baby self could be, but she figured it would be for the best to not make contact.

The tingle in Charisma's stomach became uncomfortably strong. A small gasp escaped her lips and she carefully shifted in her seat. She looked up from the sleeping baby and stared straight ahead at the barren land. "We're getting close," she said, breaking the silence.

"What the…" Bulma mumbled.

"What is that?" Charisma asked. A giant dust cloud emerged from over the horizon in the distance. It looked as if a huge explosion had just happened.

"Would you look at the size of that?" Bulma said. "We don't want to get caught in that smoke. We'd better go low." She proceeded to turn the plane and lower it a bit.

"Bulma!" Yajirobe protested. "Let's just get the hell out of here! Please!"

"You coward," she scolded. "We're almost there! Why would I turn back now?!"

"No!" he shouted. "Turn around! It's not too late!" He reached over to the steering wheel and began trying to move it himself, just about squishing Charisma who was sitting in between them. The plane began to shake around from left to right.

"Will you relax?!" Charisma yelled, cradling the baby Trunks in her arms protectively. "You're gonna wake up the baby!"

"Let go! We're going over there, and that's FINAL!" Bulma shouted at Yajirobe.

"But we could get killed!" he retorted.

Baby Trunks finally woke up at all the commotion and began crying loudly. At last, Yajirobe let go of the wheel and the plane began flying smoothly again. "Now look at what you did!" Charisma turned to Yajirobe. "You woke up the baby! I told you to calm down!"

"Big mouth!" joined Bulma. "You woke him up with that big, burly voice of yours!"

"Say what?!" he demanded.

Charisma handed the baby over to Yajirobe. "Now why don't you try to calm him down?!"

"Why me?!"

"You woke him up!"

Yajirobe grabbed on to him and desperately tried to make the baby hush, but it wasn't working. After about 10 minutes, Trunks had settled down and was sleeping soundly in Yajirobe's arms. The plane ride continued in silence, mostly since no one wanted to risk waking the baby again.

"...the fighting is getting intense," Charisma said. "I can feel it…"

"Shoot!" lamented Bulma. "We're gonna miss all the action!"

"I think that's the least of our worries," Charisma replied, looking over at Bulma.

"Big deal," grumbled Yajirobe. "You're crazy, Bulma. I've been on the front lines, and it isn't pretty. We're not talking about a TV show here. This is the real thing!"

All of a sudden, someone or something flew past at full speed like a missile above the plane, startling everyone and even causing the plane to shake a little.

"Who's that?!" asked Yajirobe.

Charisma's eyes widened. "It's that boy! The boy from the future!"

"Cool!" cheered Bulma. "He's back!"

Baby Trunks suddenly stirred and began crying loudly again. "Great!" Yajirobe pronounced. "Now look what you've done! Hurry up, man!"

"Now you're talking, Yajirobe!" Bulma jovially declared. "That's the spirit! With the turbos, we can make it there in half the time!"

"No wait!" he cried, to no avail. "That's not what I meant!"

In what seemed like no time at all, the plane was flying over a huge crater that was still smoking in some parts. It was clear that some of the battles had taken place there. The others were just a few short minutes away. Sure enough, the plane came upon the area where Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan, Tien, and Krillin were now standing.

"Hello!" Bulma waved to her friends as she flew above them.

"Oh no!" screamed Yajirobe. "The Android is still there! I told you we shouldn't have come!"

Charisma studied the white haired and tattered looking person on the ground. "That's definitely the one I saw back in the city…"

Bulma caught sight of the white-haired man and her eyes widened curiously. "Dr. Gero?"

The boy from the future was down there, too, and turned to look up and shout at them as he waved his arms wildly. It wasn't clear what he was saying to their ears, but he looked alarmed, to say the least.

The old Android began laughing maniacally and unleashed a series of blasts that stunned everyone. The blasts reached up toward the sky, and demolished the plane, tossing it around in the atmosphere violently, before it disappeared into a violet light.

...

Charisma's tightly shut eyes trembled as they slowly fluttered open. She found herself lying on the ground face down but in one piece and barely even bruised. She couldn't remember quite what had happened except for the violet light that blinded her as she sat in the plane. The cries of Bulma's baby caused her to snap out of her daze and she sat up immediately.

She found herself staring at the back of the boy from the future. '…it's him…' she thought as her heart stopped. '...Did he save us?'

Future boy was looking down at Bulma, who had begun to wake up, and was holding baby Trunks in his arms.

Bulma squealed as she sat up. "…I'm alive…" she gasped and began tossing her head around furiously. "Where's my baby?!" she turned to find him crying, safely in the arms of the stranger. "Oh, there you are!" she sighed. She looked up at the boy. "Thank you! You saved Trunks."

The boy gasped and froze for a minute before looking up at the sky. He glared heatedly at Super Saiyan Vegeta, who was up above, angrily yelling about how the Android escaped.

"Are you two alright?" Krillin asked as he hurried over.

"We're fine," said Charisma as she stood up and dusted herself off. "A little shaken up, but I'm fine."

"That's a relief," said Krillin. "What in the world are you two even doing here? It's dangerous!"

"…So…" said Bulma, completely ignoring his question. "That funny looking man with the mustache is one of the Androids, huh?"

"Yeah," Krillin confirmed. "Sure was…"

"Well, I think that android was Dr. Gero," Bulma explained. "I've seen his picture before, in one of my dad's science magazines." Bulma looked up to the sky thoughtfully. "Of course, it seems that he's changed a lot since then."

Krillin looked up and bellowed to the others who were still up in the air. "Hey! Bulma says the Android is really Dr. Gero!"

"Dr. Gero!" grumbled Vegeta, landing on the ground in front of the group. "How could you possibly know something like that?!"

"I know what I saw, Vegeta!" Bulma yelled defensively. A brief silence fell upon the group until she spoke up again. "After all the modifications he's done to himself, it's hard to believe he was ever human. It's really amazing what he's done. Too bad I hear he's such a jerk."

"You told us a pack of lies!" Vegeta yelled at the future boy angrily.

"The timeline must have shifted when I traveled here from the future," the boy explained. "Oh man, I was afraid that this would happen. But…it was a calculated risk that I had to take."

"Dr. Gero mentioned two more Androids on the way," said Piccolo. "They may be the ones from your future. Maybe it's best that this time you actually tell us what they look like."

The boy described the Androids in great detail. They were sleek and graceful, one looking like a beautiful young girl and the other a boy with long dark hair. Still, they both had the same cold, lifeless eyes.

"These Androids are ruthless," he concluded. "They seek only to hurt and destroy."

Charisma's eyes flattened and she looked to the ground. '…Yes…That's them, alright. And from the looks of things, it's all going to happen again…' She glanced up at the boy as discreetly as possible. Her eyes studied his distressed face and she sighed. 'I need to find a way to talk to him...alone.'

It was silent again for a while, until the boy spoke up. "Hey, why isn't Goku here right now?"

"Well," explained Krillin. "He came down with that weird heart virus and went home to take the antidote you gave him. I thought you knew."

"I can't believe history has slipped this much," the boy said. He looked like he'd been punched right in the gut.

Charisma's eyebrows furrowed. "So…" she said, mustering her strength to speak up. She swallowed at the feeling like she was going to be sick but it remained. The boy looked at her curiously. "...you're saying the timelines have diverted because you traveled here?"

"...yes...that's exactly what happened," he said. "That's the risk that comes with traveling through time…"

"Oh," Charisma looked down dejectedly. '...could it be that I caused this, too? I have to tell him...he's the only one that can help me... '

She nearly jumped out of her skin when the baby's loud cries pierced the air, followed by Bulma suddenly shrieking for no reason. "Vegeta! Every time you stick your geeky little face in front of Trunks you make him cry!" Bulma cradled her baby and looked down at him lovingly. "Don't worry. He won't scare you with that ugly mug of his anymore."

"Bulma, will you forget about the child for one minute?" Vegeta barked. "Do you know where Dr. Gero's lab is?"

"What? What lab?" She placed her finger on her chin in thought. "Well…Now that you mention it, I remember reading that Dr. Gero's lab is hidden in a cave somewhere outside of North City."

"I'll bet it's impossible to beat him there," said Krillin. "He's probably long gone by now."

"Maybe not," Vegeta smirked. "Nobody saw him fly away, did they? The Android is trying to escape on foot, so he mustn't have gone very far."

"If that's so," said Piccolo. "We might just have a chance to beat him to the lab and destroy the Androids before he has a chance to activate them."

"I would never do something so cowardly," Vegeta grinned arrogantly. "Only one course of action can satisfy me. I will fight those Androids and tear them apart with my bare hands!"

"No!" the future boy protested and stood in front of Vegeta before he could take off. "You must never underestimate the power of the Androids!"

Vegeta disregarded that statement with a smirk and nevertheless went on his way. The boy remained persistent and blocked Vegeta's path. "No! Listen to me! Don't fight them alone! We have to wait for Goku!"

"Listen!" Vegeta announced furiously. "I don't need help from Kakarot! I'm a Super Saiyan now and I'm a lot stronger than that fool could ever dream of becoming! Now out of my way!" He pushed the boy aside and flew away before anyone could stop him.

"I have to admit," Piccolo said. "Now that Vegeta is a Super Saiyan, he may be even stronger than Goku. Perhaps he does stand a chance against those Androids."

"No…" the boy said, gloomily. "He doesn't stand a chance. And I know that…because in my world, these two Androids have already killed Vegeta. Well, I won't let that happen! I won't let my father die!" In a fit of rage, the boy flew off after Vegeta.

The rest of them just stood there, looking up at where the pair had just taken off to, with confused stares. His last statement sunk into their brains slowly.

'F-father? He…called him father…' Charisma repeated in her stunned mind. 'Does…that mean…?' Charisma looked back at the baby in Bulma's arms.

Bulma sputtered frantically. "Did he say father? What did he mean by that?"

Piccolo turned toward Bulma. "Bulma…that boy is Trunks. And he is Vegeta's son. He's the boy the baby you're holding in your arms eventually grows up to be."

"Whaaaaaaaat?!" Bulma squealed loudly, her eyes googling out from her head.

Charisma's jaw dropped as if the wind had been knocked out of her system. "…T-trunks…" she stuttered, barely able to get any words out. "That…that's Trunks…are you sure?!"

"There's no doubt," Piccolo replied without looking at her. "He said it himself."

Charisma felt the air leave her lungs and it was as if time itself froze. She slumped down to the ground on her knees, absolutely dumbfounded and a little lightheaded.

'This whole time…that was Trunks…of course! It all makes sense now! Aunt Bulma was the only other person capable of building a time machine. And Trunks was the one who took the trip inside of it to the past…where I am right now…so…'

Charisma's fists tightened and bottom lip trembled as she felt herself overcome with emotion. She wasn't sure exactly what she was feeling: it was a mix of happiness, relief, and even sadness all at once. She bowed her head immediately, her wavy blonde bangs cloaking her eyes.

'…after all these years…I've found him…' She smiled to herself blinking away at the tears that threatened to spill. '…and he's alive…I'm so happy that he's alive!'

Charisma blinked her eyes quickly to swallow the tears. 'I was so worried…I didn't even recognize him at all this time…so much has changed.'

Charisma pulled herself together and stood up although her legs felt a little shaky. She walked over to the edge of the cliff the gang stood on and looked up into the sky. '…Do you remember me, too, Trunks? I definitely need to speak with you now…' She looked back at the others who were now talking about what their next course of action would be. Her eyes narrowed with determination. 'I have to find a way to get close to him...I have to help them find the lab…'

"You guys," Piccolo said. "I think it's time we start searching for the lab. We don't have a lot of time to waste."

Tien, Krillin, and Gohan nodded in unison. "Right!" they said.

"I'm coming along, too," Charisma announced loudly, hurrying over to them and waving an arm in the air. Her statement drew surprised glances from everyone.

"What?" responded Krillin. "We're not going on a field trip here. This is way too dangerous for you. You should really head back home with Bulma."

Charisma put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "No way! An extra set of eyes will only help, and you guys really don't have any time to waste. Whether you agree to it or not, I'm going to help with this much. Besides..." Charisma gave Krillin the most sweet and innocent gaze she could muster. "...if it comes down to me defending myself, I know I'm more than capable of handling it. After all, you trained me yourself, Krillin-sensei."

Noticing her cute expression, Krillin's face burned brightly red as fumbled for words to say. He knew what she was trying to do, but somehow he felt powerless to even stop it. "I-I mean, I did train you well, but…" he glanced up at the Namek. "Piccolo...help?"

Piccolo grumbled and turned his back with annoyance. "...I don't care. Just don't get in our way when we find them…"

"I promise I won't!" Charisma smiled brightly up at him and nodded at Krillin. "You see? Even Piccolo trusts your skills as a sensei!"

Piccolo sweat-dropped but retained his composure and said nothing.

Krillin chuckled awkwardly and gave her a smile. "Fine, you talked me into it. But if it gets dangerous, you have to get out of there. If I tell you to go home, you'll listen to me, all right?"

Charisma nodded jovially but crossed her fingers behind her back. "Of course! Thank you!" Charisma lost her composure and embraced the short dude tightly. Krillin couldn't help but blush at being in the arms of a young woman.

"Hey, Bulma," Gohan said. "Can you tell my dad about all of this when you see him? And also, please tell him to hurry and join us when he gets better."

"I would, Gohan," she responded. "But that Android totaled my plane. I'm stranded here…"

"I think it's best if you take Bulma home, Gohan," Piccolo said. "We can handle the Androids without you."

Gohan looked down dejectedly but agreed. "Okay...just be careful…"

Piccolo turned to and nodded. "Let's go now. We really have to get moving fast!"

"Right!" the others said in unison and took to the skies.