"I think we can keep the Cyborgs occupied and harmless for a while." Krillin realized something he'd missed after his talk with Sixteen, Seventeen and Eighteen before they took off. The others listened in, curious.

"Trunks, they're wreaking havoc in your world, right? Since they woke up?"

Trunks didn't like the light voice in which the monk spoke that observation. "Yes." she confirmed coolly.

"And they were made to kill Goku, correct?" He asked the others. "That's why they exist, right?" Piccolo and Tenshinhan confirmed the obvious observation with a pointed frown. "And in your world, Goku died before they arrived, right? But he's alive in ours. So that's how different the situation is for them , right?"

The teenager was seeing red from the idiocy of the statements that they all knew, she bit back a growl. "What's your p-"

And then she realized what Krillin was trying to say. She stared wide-eyed, and took out her hands from her pockets, to hit her left palm with her right fist in realization, continuing Krillin's trail of thought. "They're still obeying their programming! As long as Son-san is alive, they'll search for him to fulfill that goal first and foremost, and ignore everything else. That's why they've not rampaged!"

Goku's death was probably what explained the difference in behavior between the Cyborgs of her world, and those in this world. The observation might have not been accurate, but it was the best they could come up with considering the data they had.

"Those in my world don't have an objective, their initial programming crashed because Son-san was already dead by the time they were activated."

Krillin made a thumbs up gesture towards Trunks, as a 'that's it' gesture, brighter than ever.

"That's why they didn't kill us," Piccolo added.

"I never thought I'd be happy to be 'half-time entertainment'," Tenshinhan loathed the observation, but the other option, personalized by the existence of the hardened teenager who is the sole survivor of them all in another timeline, looked much worse.

Trunks smiled wide at the flicker of hope. "Krillin-san, you're a genius."

It gave them all time and relief, at least from that peculiar problem. Driving through the whole continent to go from the northern mountains to Mount Paozu would take them days. Probably enough for Goku to recover.

"We're still no match for them, even with Son," Piccolo had to be the harbinger of bad news. Some morose ambiance dawned on the gang once more, while Kami went back to look at the world, looking for any clues about the rogue creature.

Chaozu remembered something, however, and shared a short silent conversation with Tenshinhan. The three-eyed man looked in disbelief at his friend, mouth agape at the idea spoken into his mind by the other telepath, then he looked at Piccolo and Kami further away. Neither of them had thought about it either. He turned to the others.

"Guys. We're going to use the Mafuba."

There was a moment of silence as the words registered for everyone. Yamcha, Krillin and Piccolo knew what that was about, and Yamcha and Krillin started cheering, exclaiming it was such a good idea, kicking themselves for not thinking about it. Piccolo didn't react, but a slight smile on his face showed the idea was worth trying, or at least thinking about. Chaozu looked on, they would all be none the wiser that it had been his idea, even if the prospect of Tenshinhan using the technique worried him.

Trunks, however, had no idea what any of that was all about, and her questioning looks were lost in the wave of sudden enthusiasm.

"What is the Mafuba?" She had to ask, impatient at the prospect of a solution, since the men didn't seem to elaborate.

"It's a containment technique." Chaozu approached levitating, while the others chatted about how to separate and distract the Cyborgs for it to work. "It traps an enemy into a container; it was used to lock away Piccolo Daimao long ago. It requires life energy to use, killing the user, but Ten-san survived his attempt against Piccolo-san a few years ago, so perhaps strong enough warriors can survive it."

If it was energy draining, Trunks was happy to give hers.

"Any drawbacks?"

"If the target knows what's coming, it can be countered. The user is also vulnerable during the technique, and afterwards, if the technique doesn't kill them."

Trunks pondered, this was in the realm of feasibility for her, but she needed to know more. So she and Chaozu approached the others to get into the conversation. It became clear that Tenshinhan was ready to risk his life with the technique if necessary, and Trunks said she was happy to serve as a distraction to separate the three Cyborgs. She ventured a guess that Vegeta would also fight, leaving one Cyborg alone (that is, if they did this before Goku recovered). The question whether it would work on Cyborgs was to be tested, too, and Trunks eventually asked whether it was a technique she could learn, even if she was more useful on the front-lines, at least until Goku was back on his feet. They could devise a more precise plan once they had a clearer time-frame. Tenshinhan agreed to teach her at some point after she'd be done with the Time Machine analysis, better have more options; his assessment being that the teenager was strong enough to survive the technique.

With nothing else to discuss, they bid their farewells and flew away in just about different directions. A voice called out to her, however.

"Trunks!"

"Yes, Yamcha-san?" She slowed down when called so the other could catch up.

"Got a minute?"

"Of course, how can I be of use?" Trunks came to a halt and they stayed in the air, facing each other.

"About your father, he's not exactly a good guy. Are you truly ok? We felt your fight, you know." The bandit was worried. Even if his relationship with Bulma had ended, he still cared deeply for her, and by extension, for her kid, and that kid's future counterpart. And he didn't trust Vegeta. Trunks couldn't keep herself from showing a polite smile, moved by this stranger's care for her well-being.

"I appreciate your concern, but I have seen worse. I put myself in that situation willingly."

"That doesn't make it right, he's your father.."

" He isn't. The Vegeta that fathered me is a dead man. Vegeta-san isn't that person."

"Really? So Bulma's not your mom?"

"Yamcha-san." Her voice was as cold as her gaze just for an instant, an instant long enough for Yamcha to recognize the predatory nature of Vegeta's stare. "Meeting Vegeta-san as well as Bulma-san is something that I spent months preparing mental walls for. Separating Bulma-san from the Bulma that is my mother is a constant strain. And so is separating Vegeta-san from a father I never met, whose image is distorted by the stories I heard from a grieving, sleepless mother or from a mentor who barely knew, let alone understood the man."

"Then why fight him when he could kill you? Don't throw your life away for such a prick." Yamcha tried to be stern, but the intimidation aura the other had inherited from both parents only distorted his voice into a genuine question.

Trunks had a slow blink and then she shook her head, softening. "I still selfishly wish to understand the kind of man Vegeta was, and for that, I must speak his language. Violence is how he communicates naturally, so violence is what I shall use."

"Was jumping at the cyborgs when he was fighting the Cyborg part of your plans?" Yamcha had been told by Tenshinhan and Piccolo about their encounter with Seventeen, caused by Trunks' jumping in Vegeta's fight with Eighteen. Trunks got red in the face and looked to the side.

"No- I am still a hot-blooded Saiyan, impulse control isn't.. exactly my forte, and everyone using 'father' and 'mother' about them hasn't exactly helped my ability to keep distant.." She frowned at her own lack of control and crossed her arms as a sign of self-guard. "Just because I consciously know Vegeta-san isn't my father, doesn't mean I will let him die all over again." She took an instant to match the other's eyes again, and added in a sigh: "Nor anyone else."

"Drop the walls, then. Bulma's already been calling you her 'big Trunks'."

"It is precisely because of such stubbornness that I cannot let my guard down, Yamcha-san," she whispered with closed eyes, and she darted off without a warning, unwilling to let pain show. I cannot get attached to this world, else leaving will be too hard.

By the time she arrived at Capsule Corp, it was well in the middle of the night. She got back in the compound through the window she let open without a sound. A quick ki scan later confirmed Vegeta was nowhere to be found, as expected. She decided she'd shower in the morning and just dropped in bed for a couple of hours before going back to the lab and checking on the computer's progress with the data.