Thoughts
Computer Speech/Robotic Speech
"Speech"
Disclaimer: DC and the Dragonball Franchise belong to their respective owners; I own nothing.
Chapter 76: Vestiges V
January 18th
Age 764 (2014), Washington, D.C, Hall of Justice
"Are you sure that's all of them?" Batman asked as he turned to the Flash. The speedster nodded and sighed.
"Yes, Batman. I counted three times. All of Frieza's soldiers are dead," No matter how many times Barry said the words, Bruce refused to accept them. Batman was notoriously skeptical of everything and everyone, and while his doubt was warranted in this instance, it was becoming tiresome.
"I concur with the Flash's assessment. I sense no psionic presences but our own," the Martian Manhunter said as he examined his surroundings. All of Frieza's soldiers had perished, even the ones who had tried to rip off their Scouters seconds before they'd detonated.
Batman frowned. "I needed at least one of them alive. Without any survivors, an interrogation is impossible, and any hopes of gathering intel on Frieza have been dashed."
"Well, look on the bright side; at least we're all still alive," The Flash pointed out. He'd whisked Batman to safety before any of the explosions had gone off.
"Yes, that is something to be grateful for," J'onn agreed. The Martian had gone intangible when he'd realized something was wrong with the Frieza Force's Scouters. "And also, the Hall of Justice is still standing; our enemies failed their mission." The Justice League's headquarters was miraculously still intact, though it had suffered heavy damage that would likely require Bruce's deep pocketbooks to fix.
"I doubt that was their actual mission, J'onn," Bruce shook his head. Countless body parts lined the ground. Some Frieza Force soldiers had been totally vaporized by the bombs in their Scouters, but many hadn't been so fortunate and had suffered excruciating deaths. Everywhere Bruce looked, there were remnants of Frieza's troops. There was an arm here, a leg there, shattered pieces of teeth so small they looked like mints, and bits of brain matter strewn all across the ground. Bruce had slid and nearly slipped due to the amount of blood under his heels, and the water fountain in front of the Hall of Justice had been doused with so much blood it had changed color.
"So what do you think their actual goal was?" The Flash asked. Things seemed pretty cut and dry to him; after all, J'onn had read their attackers' minds prior to their assault.
"They were seeking the highest power levels on the planet, but that was only a portion of their mission. Frieza isn't aware of Goku's absence on Earth, and there's no reason why he would know that information; we've kept it out of the public eye. To his knowledge, Goku is somewhere on this planet, but he doesn't know where specifically. From what we learned from Gohan's memories months ago, Frieza can't sense Ki, so he has no way of locating Goku on his own. He likely dispatched his troops in hopes of finding Goku. The Saiyan who defeated him would have to be the highest power level on our planet, at least in Frieza's mind." Batman theorized.
J'onn placed a hand on his chin. "That all makes sense, and based on what we know about Frieza's personality, he likely killed his soldiers because they failed to locate Goku."
"So we were just collateral in Frieza's search for Goku? I feel slightly offended," The Flash quipped. "But since we've settled things on our end, shouldn't we go help our friends in need? J'onn mentioned that Argus would likely be under attack by the Frieza Force, too, and I'm sure they could use our help right about now."
"No. It would be a waste of time, theirs and ours," Batman rebuffed. "Argus is comprised of several Metahumans; they should be able to handle whatever was thrown their way, or they're not worth all the money the government keeps giving them. On top of that, the invaders who attacked Argus are probably dead by now. Frieza likely slaughtered his other troops as well."
"Your logic is sound, Batman, but I still agree with the Flash. We should help those in need if we can," J'onn argued.
"But at what cost? While we waste time providing unnecessary assistance, Frieza will be doing God knows what to our planet. Has anyone from Argus even called for help?" Batman asked. He'd left his communicator bracelet in the Hall of Justice when he'd changed his outfit.
J'onn checked his bracelet, and surprisingly there were no messages from Argus. "No. Steve, Chi-Chi, or any other agent hasn't contacted us."
"Well, that settles it then; our main priority is Frieza now. After we locate him and devise a plan to take him down, we can deal with everything else that's been going on."
"What if everyone at Argus died, though? That could be the reason why we haven't heard from them." The Flash pondered. He shuddered at the thought, but it was a grim possibility.
"If you seriously believe that, run over to Argus and check. Their headquarters is on the other side of town. If you leave now, you can be back before J'onn and I even realize you're gone."
Barry's lips fluttered open to make a retort, but he quickly clamped his mouth shut; Bruce was right. The scarlet speedster was about to dash away when J'onn suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back.
"I'm receiving a message from Diana," J'onn announced. She hadn't contacted him this way in months, but their telepathic link was as strong as ever. "Frieza's soldiers attacked Gohan and Diana, but his warriors were killed by the bombs in their Scouters. Gohan and Diana, fortunately, survived the unexpected explosions without any scars or injuries, and Gohan says that he's located Frieza's Ki." J'onn's eyes ballooned, and he, Batman, and the Flash all shared a look.
"What are we waiting for then?" Bruce asked. "Contact the rest of the League and let them know; we're going after Frieza!"
January 18th
Age 764 (2014), The United States, Chihuahuan Desert
"Looks like Frieza did us a favor," Piccolo chuckled as he regenerated an arm. It had gotten blown off during one of the explosions from Frieza's Scouters. The damage to his body would've been worse, but the Namekian had fled the scene after the initial detonation.
"I wouldn't phrase it like that, Piccolo," Superman scowled as he evaluated the aftermath; all of Frieza's soldiers were dead, even the ones he'd frozen and laid on the ground. "What could possess someone to be so evil?" Clark just couldn't understand it. Frieza had trained and armed all these warriors just to kill them? What purpose did it serve?
"Don't try and make sense of it, Superman; Frieza's a maniac. Based on what I heard before all the Scouters exploded, Frieza wasn't pleased with his troops' performance." The invading soldiers' pleas still haunted Piccolo's mind.
"So Frieza killed them all because they disappointed him?" Clark asked in disbelief. He'd dealt with villains who regularly killed their henchmen on a whim, but not on this grand a scale. Frieza had massacred hundreds of his own warriors.
"Frieza blew up Namek because he couldn't handle losing to Goku; nothing he does should surprise you," Piccolo brusquely said as he adjusted his cape. It was slightly burnt and covered in ash, but the Namekian refused to discard it. "The question now is, what else is Frieza planning?"
"I'm not sure, but it can't be anything good," Superman replied. He and Piccolo stood in the desert, surrounded by craters. Clark had tried so hard to avoid killing, but it had all been for naught. There were barely any remnants of the Frieza Force; the only indication they had ever been present was the damage their explosions had caused to the landscape.
"I highly doubt we're the only ones whom Frieza's soldiers attacked. He's a lunatic, but there's a method to his madness. Knowing him, he likely sent soldiers after our allies as well," Piccolo said with a frown. "I need to check up on Gohan." He prepared for lift-off, but Superman placed a palm on his chest, halting him.
"I understand your concern, but you don't need to fly all the way to Chikyu to do that. I can contact Diana," Superman rolled his sleeve and pointed to the silver bracelet on his wrist. "She's likely with Gohan, and she'll be able to tell us if anything happened to them."
"Then what are you waiting for? Do it," Piccolo commanded with a grunt.
"Give me one second," Clark replied as he turned his communicator bracelet on. He always shut it off during training sessions with Piccolo. It flickered to life, and Clark's eyes expanded as he saw numerous messages. "Whoa, I definitely should've left this on. J'onn tried to contact me earlier."
"The Justice League was attacked too?" Piccolo's words were more of a statement than a question; he already knew the answer. Superman nodded.
"Yeah, the Hall of Justice was attacked by Frieza's soldiers. The League called me to warn me and request my assistance, but I had my – "
"Superman!"
Clark froze as a loud booming voice pierced his mind. It disoriented the Kryptonian, but after a moment, Superman realized who it was. "J'onn?" The man of steel asked out loud, confused. Piccolo glanced around but didn't spot the Martian anywhere.
"We have much to discuss, Kal-El, but Gohan has located Frieza. Batman, I, and the Flash are on our way to meet Diana and Gohan, and from there, we'll launch our attack against Frieza. We need you and Piccolo to join us."
"We're on our way."
January 18th
Age 764 (2014), Chikyu, Kame House
Tien awoke with a startle. He was sore, incredibly sore, and soaked from head to toe. His neck ached when he lifted it and scanned the area. He was floating in the middle of the ocean, but how? The last thing he remembered was fighting Shisami, but the alien had suddenly…..
"Chiaotzu!" Tien shouted as the memories came rushing back to him. Shisami's Scouter had unexpectedly exploded. Tien had tried to warn Chiaotzu before the moment of disaster, but it had already been too late. Tien summoned his Ki and frantically rose from the waters. He couldn't sense his friend's Ki signature nearby, and as he surveyed the waters, there was no sign of the mime-like warrior.
No! Chiaotzu can't be dead! He survived! I know he did! I just have to…..
Tien's thoughts trailed as he noticed something stirring in the waters. He initially pondered descending to the sea but ultimately decided against it in case Shisami had somehow miraculously survived exploding. Tien gathered Ki in his fists, just to be safe, but dissipated the energy when he realized what, or rather who, was the source of the disturbance down below.
"Chiaotzu!" Tien exclaimed as he watched his best friend emerge from the depths of the ocean in a Ki bubble. Tien swooped down to greet him, and the pair exchanged smiles as their eyes made contact.
"How did you –"
"I sensed something was up around the same time you did," Chiaotzu said, cutting Tien off before he could even pose his question. "I telekinetically pushed you out of the way and shielded myself with Ki seconds before Shisami exploded."
Tien grinned. "And here I was all concerned for nothing; you did good."
"Shisami is dead right?" Chiaotzu asked, worryingly scanning the perimeter.
"As far as I can tell, yes," Tien answered with a nod. Shisami's energy signature had completely vanished, and if any pieces of his body had survived the explosion, they were likely sinking toward the bottom of the ocean by now.
"Good. He was a pain in the ass," Chiaotzu said, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. "I know you wanted to interrogate him, but I'm glad he's out of the picture."
Tien found it hard to disagree. "You're right. I wanted to pick his brain and uncover what the hell is really going on, but now we're left with even more questions. That Scouter didn't explode on its own, and I highly doubt it was a malfunction; something fishy is going on here."
"You think Frieza did it?" Chiaotzu questioned.
"I can't say for certain, but I wouldn't put it past him; he's a monster." Tien balled his fist. "He's here on Earth somewhere. I don't know why we weren't able to sense him. He slipped past our defenses and launched this attack. There's no telling who else the Frieza Force has targeted."
"Oh no," Chiaotzu gulped and took a step back as a frightening thought crossed his mind.
"What is it?" Tien asked, noticing his comrade unusually unnerved.
"If Shisami's Scouter exploded, the other ones at the Kami House likely did too."
Tien's eyes jolted wide open. "We have to get back immediately. Krillin, Master Roshi, and Launch could seriously be injured or worse!"
"There's no time to spare then!"
Chiaotzu and Tien rocketed toward the Kami House and landed on its warm beach in the blink of an eye. Thick plumes of smoke were spiraling toward the sky, a fire was raging, and what was left of the Kame House was seconds away from being consumed by the potent flames. Tien and Chiaotzu covered their mouths as they approached the crumbling house, waves of heat beating against their faces. They were desperate to locate their friends and threw all caution into the wind. Tien nearly hurdled into the flames, but the familiar sound of Krillin's voice stopped him before he made a foolish mistake.
"We're safe; I got everyone out in the nick of time," Krillin said as he emerged from behind the Kami House. Master Roshi and Launch were beside him, safe and unharmed.
"Krillin here," Master Roshi slapped his former student on the back, "thought it would be best for us to head outside once you left. Being cramped in the Kami House put us at a tactical disadvantage. Out in the open, we can at least see who might attack us. I'm sure glad he had that idea; you'd be talking to us from the Otherworld if he hadn't."
Tien closed his eyes and breathed a deep sigh of relief. When he reopened them, Launch, who'd returned to her blonde-haired personality, was berating Chiaotzu for abandoning her.
"If you ever do that again, I'll kill you myself!" The bipolar woman produced a firearm from seemingly thin air and began shooting indiscriminately, forcing everyone around her to scamper out of harm's way. Tien blurred in front of her and grabbed the gun before she could do any further damage.
"That's enough, Launch; we have serious matters to attend to." Tien snapped the gun in half, but Launch surprisingly didn't make a fuss about it.
"If it had been anyone but you, they'd be six feet under," She poked Tien in the chest and liked what she felt. "You're even sexier when you get stoic and businesslike."
Tien turned bright red. Launch always knew how to get him out of his element. He was at a loss for words but was fortunately saved by a voice that telepathically entered his mind.
"Tien, Krillin, Master Roshi, Chiaotzu, can you hear me?"
The four warriors in question glanced at each other, perturbed by the voice in their collective heads. The voice was gruff, baritone, and sounded reminiscent of an all too familiar Namekian.
"If you can't tell by now, this is Piccolo." The Namekian announced. "Gohan has located Frieza. The Justice League and I are convening at Mount Paozu before we launch our attack. Show up or don't; I don't particularly care, but Justice League thought it was best to give you a heads-up. It begrudges me to admit this, but we'll probably need all hands on deck for this task."
January 18th
Age 764 (2014), Chikyu
"Come back here, you coward!" Vegeta screamed as he raced through the skies. A white aura crackled around him as he hunted his prey, fury blazing in his eyes.
"Calm down, Vegeta; it doesn't have to be this way!" Yamcha pleaded, taking a wary look over his shoulders. The prince of all Saiyans was unrelenting, unyielding, and inexorable in his pursuit.
"You cheated me twice; you have to pay!" Vegeta yelled, accelerating even faster. Yamcha attempted several evasive maneuvers, dipping in and out of clouds, but Vegeta never once lost sight of him. The Earthling's speed was impressive, Vegeta had to admit, but he'd eventually run out of gas, and once Yamcha did, there'd be hell to pay.
"Frieza's troops are dead; they blew up! There's no reason for us to fight. Use your brain for once in your life!"
"Yes, Frieza's troops exploded, and I was robbed of my revenge! I could have killed them all in West City! They should've died at my hands, but you had to foolishly interfere and remove me from the battle!"
"You were destroying the city, Vegeta! If I hadn't acted, everything would've been lost."
"And? So? I don't care about this planet, much less one insignificant city. You got in the way of my plans, and for that, you have to pay!"
"Oh, for the love of Kami, get over your – " Yamcha started to say, but he never got the opportunity to finish his sentence. He choked on his words as Vegeta abruptly appeared in front of him. The prince grabbed him by the throat and began squeezing it.
"Bulma's not here to save you this time," Vegeta's face had a sick grin as his grip tightened around Yamcha's neck. The Lone Wolf mustered the strength for a punch, but Vegeta caught it with his free hand before it even got close enough to be a threat.
"If I kill you, I'd be doing you a favor. Sure, Bulma might miss you, but a pathetic weakling like you is better off dead. I could blame your death on one of Frieza's soldiers, and no one would be none the wiser."
"But….if….you….did….that….you'd….never….find….Frieza," Yamcha wheezed with fading breath. He was light-headed, and the world around him was starting to grow dim.
"Find Frieza?" Vegeta repeated the words. "What do you mean?" The perturbed Saiyan loosened his grip.
Yamcha took a deep breath and inhaled as much oxygen as he could before speaking again. "I know where he is."
"Oh really? How oddly convenient, but I'm not surprised at the lengths you'd go to prolong your pitiful existence." Vegeta raised his free hand, tightened it into a fist, and looked poised to strike again, but Yamcha stopped him dead in his tracks.
"Solar Flare!"
A scathing white light irradiated the heavens. Vegeta reacted instantly, slamming his eyes shut as soon as the words left Yamcha's lips, but he was still nanoseconds too slow. His eyes burned as the light consumed his vision, momentarily blinding him. Yamcha slipped out of his grasp as the prince's hands sprang up to rub his eyes. Vegeta was stunned and writhed in the sky, hurling curses and threats as he languished in agony. Yamcha enjoyed the sight but couldn't soak it in for too long; this was his chance to act, and the Lone Wolf didn't hesitate.
Yamcha blasted off in the opposite direction of Vegeta, speeding away as fast as his body would allow. He had to put as much distance between himself and the Saiyan as he possibly could. Was Vegeta intent on actually killing him, or was it merely a bluff? He didn't know, but he damn sure wouldn't be stupid enough to stick around and find out. He'd tried to avoid conflict with Vegeta, but the pompous prince had made that impossible.
Vegeta will recover in less than a minute, which doesn't give me much time to head to Mount Paozu. Ideally, I would've preferred that we head there together, but he didn't even give me the chance to tell him. He choked me seconds after Piccolo telepathically informed me of the news. We're all going to team up and fight Frieza, but even then, I don't know if we'll stand a chance. I'll probably regret this decision later, but I won't hide my Ki so Vegeta can follow me just in case things do get dicey.
January 18th
Age 764 (2014), Washington, Argus Headquarters
"The casualties were minimal."
Steve Trevor let out an immense sigh of relief. He ran a hand through his sweaty, sandy blonde hair and thanked his lucky stars; his Argus agents had withstood the onslaught, at least momentarily. When the explosions had begun, Steve had feared for the worst. Argus was comprised of several Metahumans, but few had the power to withstand explosions, multiple ones, at nearly point-blank range. He'd gotten lucky; Chi-Chi had swooped down and created a forcefield with her Ki as soon as the first Scouter exploded, shielding him and Etta Candy from harm, but his subordinates had been left to fend for themselves.
Fire, Ice, and Dr. Light had shined brightest in the darkest of moments. Their heroics had saved countless Argus agents, while Steve, like far too often, had been powerless to affect the situation. He'd watched with concern and rage at his own ineptitude, but once the situation had calmed, his fears had proven to be unwarranted. As Chi-Chi had just informed him, only five Argus agents had died. That was a win in Chi-Chi's book, but in Steve's mind, that was still five too many. The agents would be given the best possible burials, and their families would be compensated handsomely, but five souls were now gone forever. It was another burden Steve would have to bear.
"Our base of operations is still one hundred percent intact; the force fields did their jobs," Chi-Chi announced. Steve whipped his head around to the gigantic building behind them and couldn't help but smile. Argus's massive headquarters was about the only thing that hadn't sustained damage during the attack. Multiple flickering flames had sprouted all across the Argus compound, and craters and potholes were now abundant on the ground, but the building that loomed over Chi-Chi and Steve remained unscathed.
"Remind me to give our scientists a raise."
"Their raise?" Chi-Chi arched an eyebrow. "It seems you've forgotten about mine."
The couple shared a laugh. Steve placed a hand on her shoulder and patted it; he'd needed that.
"And what about Frieza's Forces? Did they all perish during the explosions?" Steve asked Chi-Chi.
"So far as we can tell, yes," his second-in-command responded. "Etta and a few other agents are still checking the perimeter, but it appears all of Frieza's troops were wiped out."
"How? Why? It doesn't make any sense." Steve stroked his chin, befuddled.
"Don't try and make sense of it, Steve. From what I pieced together, Frieza killed his own troops. I heard several beeping noises before everything went down. The Scouters had bombs in them, and judging from the soldiers' reactions, they didn't know about it."
"So these aliens were unwitting suicide bombers?" Steve had seen a lot during his tenure with Team 7, but nothing this devious.
"Yes," Chi-Chi affirmed. "Frieza's a sick and twisted bastard. He's a galactic tyrant who blows up planets for fun. This type of stuff is child's play for a monster like him."
"We need to locate him immediately!" Steve pounded his fist into his palm. "I don't know what damage we can realistically do to him, but at the very least, we can direct the Justice League where to – "
Hold that thought, Steve.
The commander of Argus took a frightened step back. Chi-Chi's eyes narrowed, noting her boyfriend's panic, but Steve quickly waved her off. He settled himself and frowned, though the person who had invaded his mind would never see it.
"I hate when you do that, J'onn. Can you give me a heads-up next time?"
"My apologies, Steve, but this is urgent."
"What's up?"
"Gohan has located Frieza. We're going to make our move."
January 18th
Age 764 (2014), The Southern Ocean
"What a cowardly act!" Queen Mera sneered in disgust. "Those interlopers had no honor."
Aquaman nodded in agreement. "We defeated them fairly, but they resorted to underhanded tactics. I knew Frieza was a scoundrel and a malignant scourge upon the universe, but I would've never imagined that he'd dispatch his troops to be suicide bombers." Aquaman stood at the edge of a glacier, inspecting the damage the invaders had left behind.
"Well, from now on, put nothing past him," Meera cupped her husband's cheeks and turned his head towards her. "We survived, but the Atlanteans below us didn't. They deserve vengeance."
Mera's tone was as ice cold as the look in her emerald eyes. The fury oozing from her pores was palpitable. Arthur didn't need to be reminded of his duty as king, but his wife's words served as a reminder of the tragic loss they'd suffered. All of the soldiers that had accompanied Arthur on his reconnaissance mission today had lamentably perished. They'd died as true warriors, valiantly protecting their king and queen, and even though the sea had washed away all signs of their existence, they would never be forgotten.
Their names, faces, and military ranks were etched into Arthur's mind, and they would be properly memorialized upon his return to Atlantis. But he could not and would not rest until the party responsible for their deaths was brought to justice. Unbeknownst to Frieza, he had just become an eternal enemy of the Atlanteans. Arthur already despised the galactic despot for numerous reasons, but now it was personal. Citizens of his nation had met their untimely demise, and Aquaman swore that Frieza would feel his wrath.
"It all happened so fast. I should've – "
"- It's not your fault," Mera interjected. "There's nothing either one of us could've done. We were lulled into a false sense of security." Mera sighed as the painful string of events replayed in her mind.
Per her husband's instructions, she had used her hydrokinesis to drain their enemies' bodies of water. The plan had been successful and worked beautifully; she'd succeeded in killing multiple foes, but moments after, disaster had struck. The invaders' Scouters had all simultaneously exploded. If not for the quick thinking of Arthur's troops, she would've died. Enormous geysers of water, summoned from the sea, had shielded her and Arthur, but the explosions carried enough force to tear through them. Arthur's guards pooled their magic and other arcane arts together to lessen the impact, but at the expense of their own lives.
"How can we locate Frieza?" Mera suddenly asked. It was best not to dwell on the past; they needed to move forward.
"I'm not sure, but maybe we can ask the Justice League," It pained Aquaman to admit he needed help, but the king was willing to swallow his pride in this instance. "The assailants who attacked the Hall of Justice were likely members of the Frieza Force. I'm sure – "
"Aquaman, can you hear me?" A voice telepathically asked, interrupting Aquaman's train of thought. The Atlantean was piqued until he slowly realized who it was.
"J'onn? Is that you?"
"Yes. I apologize for being so informal, but we have much to discuss in such little time. We know where Frieza is. The time has finally arrived to confront him."
January 18th
Age 764 (2014), Switzerland
"Trunks, are you okay? You've barely said a word since we left West City," Bulma asked as she turned her attention from the steering wheel. The demi-Saiyan in question was lost in deep thought until Fury nudged him in the ribs, beckoning his attention.
"Oh….sorry, but yes, Mom, I'm fine," Trunks smiled, but even the visually impaired could see that he was only pretending.
"He's lying," Fury said bluntly. The remark earned her a glare, but she ignored it. "Trunks tends to go quiet when he's wallowing in his misery."
"Whelp, he's definitely not like Vegeta in that regard," Bulma chuckled. She pressed a few buttons on her cockpit, set the plane to autopilot, and rose from her cushioned seat. She was flying a tiny yellow plane with barely any standing room, but it was the one that Trunks had requested. He'd insisted that the trio would need to be stealthy if his deductions were indeed true. Bulma walked to the back of the plane and took a seat in the only empty chair. Fury was seated on the opposite side of her son.
"All this stuff about the future has really got you bummed, huh?" It wasn't a question that Bulma honestly expected an answer for. Since her initial encounter with the teen, he'd maintained an aura of aloofness, even after he'd admitted to being her son.
"More than you'll ever know," He grumbled in the politest possible manner. "There are so many things I want to tell you, Mom, but I can't risk damaging the timeline any further."
"I've watched enough movies and TV shows to get the gist," Bulma raised a hand and used it to imitate the zipping of her lips.
"Trunks and I disagree on that," Fury said. "He sees potential chaos and destruction, but I see opportunity. The future we come from has likely already changed. In our time, Frieza never invaded the Earth with this many troops, and he damn sure didn't kill them with bombs in their Scouters." The explosions had begun a few seconds after Bulma's plane had taken to the skies in West City, and the trio had luckily missed the brunt of it.
"I wish I could be as optimistic and carefree as you, Fury, really, I do, but one of us has to remember the mission so many people died for," Trunks snapped. It was a rare moment of rage that caught Bulma off guard, but Fury gave the comment little credence.
"I'll never forget our mission. I swore an oath to my brother, and you know how much that means to me, Trunks."
"Gohan?" Bulma asked. The duo had previously alluded to Trunks' brother, but Goku and Diana's eldest son had escaped mention until now. Trunks and Fury shared a wary look.
"We should be almost there by now," Trunks said as he abruptly stood up. He ignored his mother's question and walked toward the cockpit, leaving her and Fury behind. As he approached, the cockpit windows were surprisingly cloudy and foggy. That was odd, especially considering the weather in Geneva this time of year. He'd checked it on his AI mid-flight, but apparently, something had changed.
Trunks leaned over to one of the windows and wiped it with his jacket's sleeve. It took three or four wipes before it was completely clean, and once it was, the demi-Saiyan's jaw dropped.
"Oh no!"
A big thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 75!
A/N: I didn't plan to take a four-month hiatus, but things happen. Sorry to everyone I kept waiting. A question for my readers and reviewers: how many ongoing subplots do you think this story has?
Q/A:
neostardustdragon101: Catwoman will appear. Lapis and Lazuli appeared in chapter 18 before they were Androids. Cadmus took them after Nappa destroyed Manhattan.
Agrimika: Yes, the robotic versions of the Justice League in the previous chapter are the Androids that Amanda Waller mentioned in chapter 74. Dr. Myuu has his own agenda. The pairing options for Gohan are Starfire, Raven, Cassandra Cain, Zatanna, Videl, and another character of your choosing. Darkseid isn't aware of Broly.
Franco simplemente: Hipotéticamente, cell podría ser más fuerte que majin buu, pero todo depende de a quién absorba majin buu y majin buu tendrá una larga lista de personajes que puede absorber.
Dontus -not Donut- Powerus: You'll find out what happened to Future Goku in an upcoming chapter. Which Green Lantern are you referring to?
Kabuto S. Inferno: I took the idea of an Android Justice League from Justice League of America (2013), issue #3. Don't knock yourself too bad; the Android namedrop at the end of chapter 74 was an intentional misdirect, lol. King Cold is happy his son is alive, but he doesn't like certain changes he's seeing. Some of the changes are due to PTSD from Namek, and some are due to the Yellow Lantern Ring. King Cold didn't receive much fleshing out in canon, so I've tried to develop him a bit more in this story.
I'm always open to suggestions from my readers as long as it's something that seems logical to me. Giving Vegeta another child wasn't something I originally planned on doing, but I did leave that door open, and a lot of people asked for it, so I did it. You'll discover what Trunks' older brother is like in an upcoming chapter dedicated to the future timeline.
Jackalope89: Cassandra Cain, in this story, is around Gohan's age. You can still vote for that other option, lol.
reader2020italia: The DC characters in this story are amalgamations. I fuse aspects from various sources, such as comics, cartoons, movies, etc., into one.
scl04: The Thanagarians are on Earth to observe humans and discover what's so special about them. Also, they're after the Dragonballs. Vegeta will be highly suspicious of Fel Andar when they eventually cross paths. Yes, the robotic Justice League were the Androids Amanda Waller mentioned in chapter 74.
gotham0101: I hate the concept of "S-Cells." I'm probably just going to ignore that DBS retcon, but Trunks and Fury's strength is due in large part to their parents.
Ppsspp: Yes, Starfire is an option on the poll.
Thunder Dragon: Goku will return to Earth with a few new tricks up his sleeve. In a previous chapter, I answered your question about Goku's perspective on killing. I like your suggested list of teen superheroes; I had already planned to use a few of those characters. I like your idea about Cassandra Cain; I have some big plans for her.
OrangoDBZ: I appreciate the kind words; I've tried to expand the PTO's lore since much isn't known about them outside of Frieza.
CRUDEN: I wanted all my readers and reviewers to have their own suspicions and guesses about the Androids I referred to in chapter 74, but in the end, no one was going to be correct, lol.
kaffeenator666: You'll see how strong Goku is when he finally arrives on Earth. I like odd pairings, so Krillin/Donna could be a possibility in the future. This chapter should've answered some of your questions about Fury. It was a combination of things you mentioned that had Frieza acting differently.
Vault Hunter: Those scenes with Frieza in the previous chapter possibly dragged on too long, but they were tremendously fun to write. King Cold and his relationship with the Kryptonians and the Saiyans will be explained more thoroughly. Vegeta and Harley's child doesn't exist solely due to demands. My readers have requested various things over the years, some of which I've said no to, but I liked this particular idea a lot and decided to make it happen. Vegeta and Goku won't have a bunch of other kids running around; you don't have to worry about that. I'm not a fan of harems.
North: You have valid concerns and criticisms about Gohan's character; he is very mature for his age. His upbringing has been a lot different than it was in canon, and that has been reflected in his demeanor, but you'll see a more youthful childlike Gohan in upcoming chapters; he's still just a kid, after all.
TheRightPrice: Bulma and Vegeta weren't married in the future timeline of this story, but they will eventually get married in the main timeline.
Rocksteady: The Androids are about half as strong as the actual Justice League. The Green Lantern Corps' relationship with the PTO will be explained.
oscuro oscuro: Lo he mencionado antes, algunos personajes de Dragon Ball Super aparecerán en esta historia, como Kale y Cabba, por ejemplo. Quiso decir más clones robóticos o clones genéticos? Creo que estaba confundido por tu pregunta de Broly. Darkseid nunca se ha encontrado con el legendario super saiyan. Los Nuevos Dioses y su historia son un poco confusos. En New 52, se afirmó que existen fuera del multiverso, pero también hay múltiples versiones de ellos, por lo que realmente no lo entiendo. Beerus derrotaría a Superboy-Prime, en mi opinión. Majin Buu y la historia que lo rodea se explorarán con más detalle una vez que comencemos a acercarnos a ese punto de la historia. Majin Buu no ha sido mencionado todavía porque la pelea con él tuvo lugar hace mucho tiempo. Ocurrió hace millones de años y solo unos pocos personajes que han aparecido saben quién es.
Guest: If Goku Black appears in this story, he'll be nothing like the DBS version.
Phoenix Empress Sol: Zod is alive; he's in the phantom zone.
Dragonslayerajahn: Starfire is only a little older than Gohan, and Supergirl is in stasis right now; she won't start aging until she's taken out of her chamber. Supergirl and Goten won't happen.
Guest: Goku will go beyond SSJ in this story.
Jetty1: Your ideas about Doomsday are interesting. Captain Marvel probably won't show up until the Buu saga, and he'll most likely join the Justice League. Piccolo being a mentor to young heroes would be cool, but it'd take a lot of convincing for him to do it, lol. I don't have any plans for the Pilaf Gang.
Fuckmegun: You'll discover Fury's backstory in an upcoming chapter.
evolution-500: I'm a big fan of obscure comic characters like Astrild, and I like to include them in my stories if I can.
King Julius: Gohan dating someone won't actually appear in the story for a while, but I'm doing a poll now so I can gradually organically build towards that. I don't want a rehash of Goku and Diana's relationship where nothing was really shown onscreen. The Teen Titans cast will be one that I create, and I already have its members selected.
Beserkbear: I don't do harems.
Raul The Frustrated Fanboy: This story doesn't really have main characters, but I understand your point. The Themyscira story arc dragged on for far too long, but I've learned from my mistake.