-Four Weeks Later-
Eighteen nimbly stepped to the side as she avoided a large, stumbling man she'd predicted had been unaware of her presence.
She was right.
"Oh, sorry 'bout that, lass! Didn't spot ya-"
She was already several steps away, continuing down the road. Frowning, she continued to pay the robust man no mind.
Growing annoyed, she drew back yet another strand of hair that had managed to fall in front of her face. Her spectacles didn't help in the matter as they slid down due to the moisture in the air.
She'd taken to donning her disguise more and more over the past several days.
It was the only way she went out anymore.
Today she'd chosen some simple black tights and a grey sweatshirt with the bold word 'JUMP!' written in blue on her chest. Her shoes, a pair of matching blue sneakers, slapped as they met with the puddles lying unavoidable across the road.
Stupid rain clouds.
She scowled, her brown eyes narrowing as she squinted up at the grey sky. She could feel the dampness in the air all around her. She frowned when she felt something wet hit her cheek.
It just stopped raining! Is it seriously about to rain again?!
Another drop struck her shoulder, confirming her suspicion just before two more splashed against her tights.
Fuck!
The woman began to dart forward, aware of the few humans walking some distance behind her. She felt so sluggish having to run at the speed a typical woman her age could run.
She could feel the patter starting to come down harder now, hundreds of tiny droplets falling down and meeting with the fabric of her sweatshirt.
She'd decided against bringing an umbrella with her due to the fact that she hadn't planned to go far—just to the corner store and right back!
Eighteen rounded the corner a moment later, the glow of the convenience store's sign bathing her in a bright, neon green light as she stepped inside.
"Videl?"
Eighteen let out a slow sigh as her shoulders slumped, her eyes resigned into a position that read 'this might as well happen'.
She knew exactly what he was going to say.
"Videl? That you?"
Stepping out from a room in the back was a rather hairy looking individual. Eighteen had been able to decipher that the man was somewhere in his late fifties, early sixties. His understanding of the language was rough at best, and had an accent that she couldn't place for the life of her. Although, one fact he'd made abundantly clear about his personality, was that he seemed to only have one volume output.
Loud.
"Videl! I know that you because you not answer- Oh! Videl!" His eyes lit up as they landed on her very annoyed looking expression.
"Hello, Joe." She responded in her typical flat tone that she used for people interactions. She knew that his real name was probably not Joe, but he introduced himself as Joe for everyone who entered. She figured it was just easier to say 'Joe' than try and teach foreigners how to pronounce his real name.
"I knew you not have umbrella today!" He bellowed, wagging a sausage of a finger her direction.
"Didn't think I'd need it." She responded coldly as she usually did when interacting with the man.
"Didn't think!" He repeated nodding his head. "That true!"
Eighteen rolled her eyes as she raised a finger towards the wall of tobacco products. She'd taken to smoking as of late. Not out any deep rooted desire to smoke, but simply because it gave her something to do. She didn't like to drink alone—too depressing—and she didn't really feel like taking any heavy drugs to pass the time. She figured this was a better alternative.
It gave her an errand to run every week as least.
"I'll have the-"
She watched as the man retrieved seemingly from the air itself a pack of familiar red and white cigarettes. He smirked, raising his eyebrows as he offered it to her.
"...Yeah, that." She responded with a bemused smirk. The man knew her routine. Clever. She handed him the zeni a moment later, having remembered what the price would be.
Eighteen blinked as a flash of lightning cut across the rapidly darkening skies. Her cold eyes shifted, peering out at the heavy rain coming down in torrents.
She frowned, allowing a defeated sigh to escape her lips.
"Hey… you got any umbrellas by chance?" She asked, looking questioningly at the bearded man.
"Hm!" He grunted as he reached over the counter, grabbing one wrapped in plastic resting at the corner.
"Now, you going to remember umbrella next time?!" He ordered as he aimed the end of the red device towards her chest.
She rolled her eyes as she took it from the man. She couldn't understand why he seemed so intent on acting like her dad every time she came in. She'd always tried to keep her interactions with people relatively short before they started to annoy her. Despite her best efforts, however, this guy seemed determined to bother her just as much as he could get away with.
And by bother, she meant that he liked to talk her ear off.
"How much do I owe you?"
He waved a dismissive hand. "Eh, just take it."
She raised an eyebrow. "Thanks."
Another crack of thunder rippled through the small convenience store. She turned her head back towards the glass door, staring with a frown as she watched the rain grow harsher.
It sounded like a stampede of bison racing by as it hammered down on the pavement.
"You should wait till rain passes!" He bellowed gruffly.
Eighteen drew closer to the glass, peering upward at the darkened sky. She could feel the cold radiating from the window pane and see the harsh wind rolling debris and litter down the road.
It's going to be freezing out there.
She took a nervous glance down at her outfit. The tights had already been partially soaked from the light downpour she'd been caught in earlier, although she supposed they were only damp now. Her sweatshirt was doing better… but she knew it wouldn't last more than a minute in that kind of weather.
Her half lidded eyes glanced down at the umbrella gripped within her fingers. She studied it for a short time, frowning as she concluded that there wasn't a chance in hell this little piece of plastic and cheap fabric was going to keep her dry.
She sighed.
"Yeah, alright. I guess I'm hanging around here for awhile…"
"It not so bad! Should be clear soon!"
Yeah, I sure hope so for my sanity.
She pulled out her phone a moment later, hoping that her checking her texts would send him a clear enough message that she did not want to chat with him.
"You know, you look the same age as my son!" He beamed. "Handsome young man! I should introduce you two!"
She should have known that he wouldn't pick up on her social cue.
Her brow furrowed. Did he just say 'son'?
Ohhh, so that's why he likes to bug me so much!
He thought she was pretty and wanted to help his son out. She supposed that it was a compliment more than anything. She felt the corner of her lips rise ever so slightly.
"He come in some time! Never when you here though." He frowned. "You should come more often!"
"Hmm, you know, it makes way too much sense that you're a dad." She responded coyly.
"What that mean?" He raised an eyebrow.
C'mon man, you've got a total dad-bod going on.
"Hmm, you just have this sort of, 'dad' vibe going on."
The man's eyebrows knit together in thought before nodding, "That make sense. I'm going in back for second. Make sure no one take anything!" He announced as he disappeared into the back room.
Eighteen frowned looking around.
There was no one else here!
She raised an eyebrow as she realized that the shop owner trusted her not to steal anything or do anything wrong while he was gone.
She snorted at the irony before looking back down to her phone.
She didn't have many messages. She didn't have that many people to talk to.
She hadn't gotten any calls or messages from Seventeen. She'd gone back to the house a few days after the incident just to check on him, but his cleared out room told her that he'd moved on already. She knew that he could be anywhere now and she had no way to track him down.
The girl's shoulders sagged as her gaze grew far away.
...I hope he's doing alright…
She missed him. She didn't know she would so much since they were adults—they went off on their own all the time. She just didn't realize how different it would feel when she came back to an empty house. She'd never expected absolute silence to be so loud before. She kept expecting to hear his noise from across the house like normal, and to get the opportunity to tell him to shut up like she would normally do.
She grinned.
I miss telling my brother to shut it.
Slowly, that grin fell away as she was reminded that she wasn't going home to a mouthy twin brother. She wasn't going to get the chance to snip at him and trade jabs with the Android like she'd grown so accustomed to.
She was going to go home, by herself, and be alone.
Well gee, isn't that just depressing.
She scowled, idly scrolling through the last conversation she'd had with her brother before things turned south. After a few seconds she concluded that it was just some dumb conversation about giraffes, including a drawing of the animal using its massive neck like the blades on a hellicopter to take flight.
She'd wanted it to be something significant, something that conveyed something more powerful than a stupid joke, but she supposed that not many people get to choose what their last conversation with a person will be.
She frowned. Last conversation?
It's not like I'm never going to see him again… right?
A part of herself was sure that Seventeen wouldn't hold his grudge forever—that eventually, he'd learn to forgive her. Another part of herself… was less than certain.
She decided to exit from the conversation chain, the thoughts being too depressing for her taste.
She paused when she saw a familiar name pop up.
Gohan…
The last time he'd texted had been just under two weeks ago. She scrolled through the few texts he had sent in that time, rereading them as she listened to the sky wage war with the ground far below the roaring clouds. Her eyes lingered on his final message.
'Hey Videl, hope things are okay. Haven't heard from you in awhile. How's your flying coming along? Probably well considering how talented you are. Text me back if you have any problems!'
It was a simple message, and one she knew was his last attempt at keeping contact with her. She'd decided in the end not to answer him back. It didn't feel right to. How could she continue to respond and talk to the man responsible for crippling her only family in this world? Not only that, but he was quite literally the only threat to her on this green and brown mudball. He was the one man in the world who could and would destroy her given the opportunity.
She still remembered those moments when she'd questioned if she was about to die. She still remembered how her arm had bent back in a way it shouldn't, the heel of his boot pushing against the back of her head in a painful fashion.
It had terrified her.
There was no way she was going to risk all that again. Purposely placing herself around Gohan regularly could only end badly in her mind. He would accidentally pull her wig, or she would slip up in her act and give herself away. Either way, she could only see their interactions ending with a conflict that she knew now for certain she would not win.
Besides, it wasn't like she had a proper reason to hang out with the young man anymore. She'd only hung around for as long as she did waiting for the right time to ask him her question about how to convince Seventeen. Then, the problem kind of solved itself. Seventeen physically couldn't risk acting out again, so what was the point of convincing him now?
Not like he'd listen now even if I tried…
The way she saw it, there was no way she could slice it that would make sense for her to continue speaking with Gohan.
Besides, it wasn't like she actually enjoyed hanging out with the one-armed wonder. He'd been a means to an end, nothing more.
"..."
Eighteen slowly stretched out her senses, narrowing her eyes as she let her mind take in the many colorful energies all around her. She could feel everyone, know where everyone was with this one little skill. She could feel Joe in the back, his signature was in a calm state, likely due to him working on some boring task involving store supplies she assumed.
Gradually, she stretched out her senses enough to find Gohan's energy signature again. She liked to check on his whereabouts every now and then, just to make sure that he wasn't too close at any given time. She let her ki focus on his for a time, taking a moment to acknowledge how peaceful it felt in that moment. It felt like he was back at his apartment right now, likely relaxing in some way, waiting out the storm just like she was.
She wondered if he was staring out of a window too, watching the rain fall as he too waited for it to end.
Wonder what he's up to nowadays…
He definitely still felt strong. She'd sensed him training with Trunks a few times now over the past several weeks, so she knew that he definitely wasn't getting weaker any time soon. Sometimes she would follow the fight in her head just to pass the time. She'd try and picture what their movements would be as she interpreted their Ki.
It was good for a little bit of fun.
Wait… what's that?
Eighteen frowned as suddenly her attention was pulled away from Gohan and brought back to just outside the small shop.
She felt someone, an energy rushing towards the front door in a full sprint.
She took a couple steps back just before a man in all black burst through the door, sending a splatter of rain across the dirty looking tile.
Eighteen studied the man as his gaze eventually noticed her standing next to the counter.
Their eyes locked, and Eighteen noticed his eyes widened in surprise… for some reason.
He looked relatively young; mid twenties, perhaps, with a decent build. His coat was large, with a hood that covered part of his face as she studied him.
"Uh, hey," he said dumbly.
"Hey."
He looked over towards the counter with furrowed brows before turning back to her. "You know where Joe went?"
Eighteen's eyebrow arched. He knew Joe?
Could this be his son?
She began to study his face more. She supposed his complexion wasn't too far off from Joe's, although she knew he could have also taken after his mom.
Either way, it wasn't like it was any of her business anyway.
"He's in the back." She gestured with a thumb.
"Oh." The man's eyes shifted towards the door left ajar leading to whatever lay in the back room. "Thanks." He nodded before casually walking around the counter and disappearing within. She watched him as he stepped, her eyes narrowing to slits as she continued to study him.
Why is his energy acting like that?
It was so odd. She'd noticed it when he ran in still dripping wet from outside. It was spiking. Well, as much as a normal human's energy could spike. It felt like Gohan's or Trunks' when they were fighting, adrenaline rushing through them as they traded blows at lightning speeds.
What does this guy have to be so tense about?
He'd been just having a casual conversation, why was his energy acting like he was fighting for his life?
Odd.
She shrugged as she turned to examine the skies again. It wasn't like it mattered to her.
Her brows raised as she noticed the rain finally dying down. It was still pouring, but not so much she didn't believe her recently acquired umbrella couldn't handle.
Thanks, Joe.
She thought to herself as she stepped out of the store, popping open the red parasol-like device and quietly making the journey back. She continued to expand her senses, hoping to see if Gohan or Trunks had gone anywhere since she'd last checked.
...Wonder if Gohan really was waiting for the rain to stop.
Eighteen blinked before her head whipped back towards the convenience store, her brows knitted together.
Now she could sense that guy and Joe's energy spiking.
...The Hell?
Should she go back? Was there something wrong?
...Maybe that guy wasn't Joe's son…
She stood stiff as her eyes continued to hold on the glass door shrouded in neon light.
She frowned.
It wasn't like it was her responsibility to do something. Besides, why should she involve herself in the matters of some petty humans? It's not like they mattered, anyway. If Joe was too weak to protect himself from whatever that guy wanted from him, then that was his fault.
No skin off her back.
Nope.
Not one bit.
"..."
Eighteen's eyes lingered on the parasol handle gripped firmly in her fingers.
The one Joe… gave her...
She let out a sigh that slowly transitioned to an annoyed growl, before beginning to stomp her way back towards the convenience store.
-Joe-
This is bad, very bad.
He knew who the man was the moment he'd laid eyes on him. He knew why he was here, and how to make him go away.
The only problem was that he was early.
"How ya been, Joe?" The man spoke casually, almost as if he were addressing a friend.
Joe's eyes narrowed to slits.
"You two days earlier Jack." Joe knew it wasn't his real name, but it was the alias he seemed to go by whenever he ran his 'business'.
"Oh, I'm quite aware that I'm early, Joe," the man said with a devious looking grin on his face. "You see, the problem is that I ain't gonna be in town for the next couple of weeks… so I'm gonna need your 'rent' early, I'm afraid."
Rent, what a stupid name to call it.
Call it what it really is.
A shakedown, a 'protection' so that he and his lackeys didn't come back and destroy his store… or worse.
Joe felt a nervous trickle of sweat working its way down the center of his back.
"I don't have it now."
He swallowed. It was the unfortunate truth. He knew that his store rarely made a profit margin between the regular shake downs, robberies, and other catastrophes that regularly cut into his bills. He'd even considered quitting at times, shutting down the shop and starting anew.
But this was his store. It had taken him years just to earn this, and even if it wasn't much, it was still his.
It was just unfortunate that this was happening now.
"...Joe, Joe, Joe…" The man shook his head, the smile slowly slipping from his face as he leaned against the wall. His hand gripped tightly around something within his coat pocket. "You know that my policies are very strict. I can't have one of my most valued customers slipping on his payments can I?"
"You here two days early." He growled in response.
Jack smiled wide.
"Well, I won't be able to collect it in two days." The younger man pushed himself off the wall, the smile melting from his features as he approached the older man. Jack waited until he was standing inches away from the old store owner before he hissed the rest of his message. "So, I'm collecting it now. But since it seems you 'don't have it'." he mocked, "It looks like I'll have to give you yet another reminder of why it's so important to meet these deadlines."
Joe watched with a tired expression as the man pulled his hands out of his coat, his fingers curled into fists. The old man knew the real reason this was happening. He doubted Jack was actually going anywhere at all in the next couple days; he just enjoyed the power trip of beating up an old man because he could. The 'trip' was just an excuse for him to get the chance. Joe knew there wasn't a chance in hell that this idiot was actually the head of whatever gang he was a part of. He was probably the bottom of the food chain there, but here?
Here he could be number one. The strongest. The one on top.
Just another monster.
Another person who found pleasure in tearing everyone down.
Joe hated people like him.
The old man watched as Jack's arm began to pull back-
Click.
Joe's eyes nit together as suddenly the lights all went out, shrouding them in a complete darkness.
Was that the breaker?
"Hey, what the hell is-"
The old man jumped as he heard a sudden, violent, snapping noise right in front of him.
The room filled with screams.
"FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!"
It sounded like Jack was on the ground now, scooting away as he shambled around in the dark.
"M-my fucking arm!" He screamed. It sounded that the young man was on the brink of crying.
His arm?
Joe took a wary step back, rapidly blinking as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the lack of light.
What the hell is going on?!
The old man paused as he noticed movement somewhere to his left, although in the darkness he couldn't hope to distinguish who or what it was.
"H-hello?" he let out in a nervous squeak. Was someone else there?
"F-fuck, man! It's fucking broken!" Jack stammered. Joe could picture the man clutching his arm right now in pain.
The old man took another cautious step back.
And felt a hand place itself on the center of his back.
The old man froze immediately. He didn't know who or what this thing was behind him, but he knew that Jack's arm likely hadn't broken itself.
Joe felt his body begin to tremble. He knew there were people out there who could break other's bones like they were nothing. The golden warrior, the androids, even King Piccolo all those years ago.
Was the being behind him like those people?
Am I about to die?
"Calm," the voice suddenly said as if they could feel his terror, which he figured they likely could, considering how much he was trembling. "I won't hurt you."
The voice sounded… vaguely familiar, although it was clear whoever it was was definitely trying to mask how they actually spoke with a low, smokey tone.
"H-hey! Who's that!" Jack's nervous voice called out across the room. "You- you brought someone else?"
Joe's eyes were beginning to adjust somewhat to the low light. He could make out the vague shape of Jack now, across the room and slumped against the wall. His eyes bulged when he eventually saw the younger man's arm.
It looked like it had been folded back at the middle of his forearm.
Suddenly, Joe was glad that he couldn't see very much detail.
"I-I told you what would happen if you tried some shit!" Jack's terrified voice began to bleed with anger. The man began to scramble with his other hand, digging into his pocket as he pulled out the object he'd been holding before.
Joe didn't know much about guns, but he knew a pistol when he saw one.
A second later, he was staring down its barrel.
He closed his eyes, knowing that there was nowhere to go in this cramped space. He wished he had time to say something, to stop it and try to explain that whoever was behind him was definitely not a part of his plans. He wished he could have changed a number of things to prevent this exact moment from ever happening.
No time for it now.
He flinched as he heard the gun fire off three shots, and then frowned when he realized that none of them had struck him.
"W-what? W-who are you?" Jack said in a tone that told Joe that he was absolutely petrified.
...What?
He opened his eyes.
He couldn't understand what he was seeing.
He could see a smaller figure leaning over the trembling man, the gun now in their hand. Joe's eyes narrowed to slits as he tried to make out any features to this mysterious… savior?
Were they saving him right now?
He couldn't make out anything specific about them except for their size, they were definitely small, possibly female?
He didn't dare get closer to get a better look.
He watched quietly as the figure slowly raised the gun until the barrel was pressed flush with the side of their head.
He felt his tremble return as they pulled back the trigger seven more times, the room exploding with sound before the gun clicked empty. A second later, the weapon crumpled in their hand like it was an empty aluminum can before clattering to the ground uselessly.
"Now, I want you to send a message to whoever you need to that Joe's shop," They gestured a finger over their shoulder, "is now a part of my territory. That is, unless you would like to challenge me for it?"
The old man felt like his skin was going to crawl from the way this mysterious figure spoke. It felt like he was listening to a serial killer. Whoever they were, they definitely knew how to sound terrifying.
"N-no, no!" The vague shape of Jack's head shook left and right frantically, it sounded like he was outright crying now.
"Good."
The old shop keep felt a rush of wind as the figure moved past him in an instant. A few seconds later, the lights all cut on.
Joe and Jack stared at each other for a short time. He could see tears and snot running down the young man's face.
He tried to avert his eyes from the now dangling arm.
A few seconds later, the young man scrambled to his feet, shooting Joe one last terrified glance before rushing out of the store as fast as his feet could carry him.
Joe stood still, staring at the spot Jack had just been sitting before turning to look all around him just in case he wasn't actually alone this time.
It seemed he was.
The old man frowned, returning his gaze to the spot across the room. Eventually, he cupped his hands over his mouth and called out in a confused tone, "Thank you!"
-Eighteen-
The woman hummed as she continued to casually stride down the street, the red umbrella now twirling in her hand as she wore a very slight grin.
That… was kinda fun.
She had to admit, she missed getting the chance to push around and break these puny humans. It felt good to be like her old self again… if only just a little.
Her eyes began to slowly wander as she started to look down roads that were not necessarily on her route home.
Her senses stretch out a little more.
I wonder if there are any other stressed out energy signatures around…
-Seventeen-
Ugh, this is so bothersome!
He absolutely hated having to be careful with such weak pieces of life. His gaze fell on the group of trembling co-workers huddled in the corner staring back at him with wide, terror filled eyes. They were each wearing a lab coat, some had goggles on, and he figured they had likely been hard at work before he crashed through the ceiling.
He was standing, bored, in the center of what he could only distinguish as some type of lab. He could see some very sophisticated looking tools as well as machinery for mechanisms so odd he could only barely venture a guess as to what they were actually intended to do.
But that was only an indication to the Android that he was actually in the right spot this time.
"S-so, what can I-I do for you, sir?"
Seventeen lazily turned his head until he was glaring at the man this entire operation was centered on.
Dr. Challenger, a man who appeared to be in his early seventies at least, based on his silver head of hair and the burly mustache that nearly completely engulfed his upper lip. His eyes were narrow slits from constantly squinting behind large spectacles. His relatively thin limbs trembling in fright. He was sitting on a swivel chair before a desk littered with scattered papers and strange looking diagrams that appeared to Seventeen as vaguely robotic in nature.
"Well doc, I have a slight problem."
Seventeen had chosen to wear a hoodie to this engagement solely because it allowed him to tuck the loose sleeve meant for his right arm into the pocket. He'd questioned if it made him childish for that mattering to him. In the end, he supposed it didn't really make a difference one way or another.
He struggled for a moment to pull the hoodie over his head, one arm pushing awkwardly at one side until the piece of clothing was tossed away.
He'd worn a short sleeve white T-shirt specifically because it had allowed for easy access to his wound.
Seventeen glared at the injury, scowling before turning his eyes back to the doctor.
"So, see this?" He gestured at the loose cabling and machinery partially sticking out of his shoulder. "It's supposed to look like this." He motioned with his chin towards his left side. His blue eyes narrowed to slits. "Get the picture?"
The elderly man swallowed. Seventeen could see droplets of sweat forming around his forehead and neck.
Good, he's squeamish. This should be a piece of cake.
The Android smirked as he watched the man try to rapidly compose himself.
"A-and if I c-choose not to?"
Seventeen spotted a flicker of defiance in the man's tone. His lips curled up into a smirk as he let his head hang to the side.
"I mean..." His grin twisted into a sickening snarl, his hand raising towards the group of people huddled in the corner of the room by his own commands. "If you need me to explain..."
Golden energy began to fill within the Androids palm as cries of terror and fear flooded the room.
"No! No, I understand completely! I don't need any further explaining!" The man rose to his feet, his eyes wide with panic as his jaw trembled in fear.
Seventeen's harsh gaze eased, his smile returning to its typical boyish charm—or so he liked to think.
"Wonderful news Doc, glad to hear it. Now, I know this goes without saying, but understand that I don't need to blink if I don't want to. I'll be watching you very closely, and if I get even the slightest feeling like you're doing something… tricky," he snarled, "know that I will tear all of your limbs off one by one, saving your head for last, and trust me, you'll be alive through all of it. I know, I've practiced that trick a lot."
Dr. Challenger let out a shaky breath as he nodded his head very slowly up and down.
"But I request that you let my colleagues go before we can go any further. They are wholly unnecessary to my fixing your arm. That is my only condition."
Seventeen raised an eyebrow, "I don't think you're in any position to start making demands, Mr. Mustache." His hand slowly began to raise, realigning with the group as he locked eyes with the doctor. "Should I pick off one or two of your co-workers to get the message across?"
"If you kill any one of them then I will have no reason to believe you'll spare any of us!" Dr. Challenger stammered in a frantic string of words, desperation laced with his defiance. "I will have no belief that you will honor our deal, or that I will have my life at the end. Thus, I will have no reason to fix your arm."
Seventeen growled as the man met his stare, defiantly glaring back at him.
"What the fuck did you just say to me?" He snarled before his hand shot out, snatching the doctor by his throat before raising him into the air in one violent, jerking motion. In an instant Seventeen saw that noncompliant look drain from the man's features only to be replaced by an expression of sheer pain and terror. His face strained as his lips parted for air, making desperate gagging noises as his legs kicked out helplessly just above the white tiles.
The Android smirked as he continued to hold the man there, watching as the doctor clawed at his fingers like he had any chance of breaking them free.
He enjoyed watching the man struggle, watching an individual who thought they were strong be reminded of just how weak and stupid they really are was so satisfying to watch. To Seventeen, it scratched the same itch as watching videos of rude assholes online getting their ass kicked, but on a much deeper, personal level.
It was almost therapeutic, he felt, getting the chance to put the weak in their place.
The only problem was that he happened to actually need this guy alive. Otherwise, he felt it would be fitting to let the doctor dangle there until he slowly stopped trying to fight back and he just became a limp corpse that he could then throw at the others.
Either that or he'd get bored midway through the process and decide to close his hand into a fist. Whichever came first, he'd accept both options.
He watched as the elderly man's hands finally began to slow until they were only just barely hanging onto his wrist. Seventeen could see his face slipping from consciousness.
He growled, annoyed that he couldn't do what he actually wanted to do, before releasing his hold. Dr. Challenger crumpled to the ground. He took one massive breath before erupting in a fit of raspy, strained coughing forcing his entire body to shake from the effort.
"Now, I'm going to assume that 'cough, cough' means that you understand me loud and clear, correct?" His last word adopted a sinister tone.
"My conditions—" Dr. Challenger managed to cough out, pausing as he swallowed with a pained expression. Slowly, the doctor began to push himself to his hands and knees. "—remain the same."
Seventeen's eyes narrowed to slits.
Aren't doctors supposed to be smart? Like, they get a degree and everything, right?
He growled as the elderly man lifted his head, his gaze challenging his own once more.
So why is this one so dense?!
"Well, then!" He announced in a loud, animated fashion that only barely hid the boiling rage he was feeling towards the man. "Looks like we're going to need a repeat lesson!"
He took a step towards the doctor that immediately sent the old man scrambling back, his eyes full of fright.
"W-wait! The reason I'm demanding for them to leave is simply because I can't focus if my colleagues are huddled in the corner of the room whimpering and crying in fear. What more, do you mean to tell me you plan to routinely give everyone bathroom and water breaks for the weeks it takes me to complete your arm?"
Seventeen blinked. Did he just say weeks?
The Android paused, his brow knitting together as he gave it some thought. He didn't know why but he'd always figured it would only take an afternoon or two to redesign his arm. He knew Dr. Gero had always been able to complete repairs in mere hours depending on what damage had been done. Seventeen recalled an experience back in the beginning, before he'd known what Dr. Gero had actually done to him. They'd been testing their power cores, running their routine assessment when suddenly, his core had abruptly malfunctioned.
The result had been his torso being severed violently from the rest of his body.
He remembered those moments vividly, remembered not only thinking, but knowing he was going to die. He recalled looking down at himself and seeing shiny metal parts interlaced with the red bits of him he speculated were still human. Up until that point, Seventeen hadn't felt the changes that Dr. Gero had been responsible for.
Up until that point, Seventeen had still felt human.
It wasn't until he woke up several days after the event, his body impossibly grafted back together so seamlessly that he couldn't even make out a scar that he thought any different. He'd known at that moment the extent of Dr. Gero's changes, and knew for a fact that he was no longer a member of mankind.
He'd never told his sister that story. He figured she wouldn't like to hear it.
But that had been when he'd been quite literally blown apart. This was just an arm, shouldn't that be simpler?
Or perhaps that simply spoke to Dr. Gero's true genius.
I guess I should lower my standards.
It wasn't like he had a lot of options. It had already taken him weeks to finally track down this place, and he was willing to bet that he wouldn't be so lucky if he had to search again.
His head slowly turned to look at the men and women still crouched low in the corner. The old him would have blown them all away to solve the problem. Simply raise a hand, fire blast, and bam! No more distractions!
The only problem with that… was he didn't know if Dr. Challenger was being serious with refusing his request. The man was stubborn, and while Seventeen knew he could simply torture the old fool until he complied, he also didn't want the man working on his arm to do a bad job over some grudge.
Not only that, but Seventeen knew what would happen if he went on a murder spree any time soon. It annoyed him to no end not knowing how Blondie managed to track them regardless of where they were in the world. It was like he had a little life radar and whenever too many of them went out, his stupid face would show up. He knew if that did happen, then he wouldn't have a horse with a broken leg's chance to get away.
I have to be careful.
He'd even refrained from killing the guards when they'd rushed in with their little guns.
Or at least, he was pretty sure they were all still alive.
That one fatty did hit the wall pretty hard…
He supposed one or two deaths wouldn't be enough to send Blondie running. However, this many people dying absolutely would.
He counted at least twenty people in the group. While it had always been his experience that Blondie came chasing them around one hundred or so, he didn't feel particularly inclined to test that threshold any time soon.
That left two options, keep them here, or let them go.
Keeping them here would suck, since the old man was unfortunately right that he would have to keep watch over them. That meant having to eventually escort them to the restroom to let them piss and shit before they started stinking up the room with their filth.
The option of letting them go simply felt wrong on principle. His immediate instincts told him that they would flee and tell someone, but then again, who would they tell? It wasn't like they could call the police—the police would simply try to evacuate the area rather than try and engage him. The military had long since learned their lesson about engaging him and his sister. Blondie only came around when he started killing people as far as he could tell. It wasn't like any of them had the man's number he supposed.
Seventeen's cold gaze continued to study the group, watching as each and every nervous gaze flinched as his eyes fell on them.
"Leave," he finally commanded. He didn't need them here and they were going to be annoying otherwise. He didn't want to snap after several hours and kill one out of agitation, anyway.
The team of people immediately scrambled to their feet, most rushing towards the exits while others helped pick up the guards that had been knocked out and left unconscious on the floor.
Seventeen noticed one figure pause, a short girl with a mousy look about her. Her nervous gaze turned and looked in his direction before shifting past him and to Dr. Challenger.
"Thank you, Ben. You're doing a brave thing-"
"Get lost before I change my mind." Seventeen snarled as his fingers tightened into a fist.
The woman immediately flinched as her gaze fell away. A few moments later she'd fled the facility with the rest of her associates.
The room suddenly felt incredibly empty once they'd left. Seventeen realized how much it had been filled with their quiet, timid noises before and silently appreciated Dr. Challenger for suggesting they leave.
Much less annoying, now.
He nodded before turning to look back at the doctor. The old man had pulled himself back to his chair, now appearing raspy and tired. His wrinkled fingers gently massaged the slowly forming bruises around his throat.
"Well now, isn't this just swell?" Seventeen grinned sarcastically. "I'm sure you're aware that now is time to get to work right?"
Dr. Challenger nodded. "Yes, grab a chair and come sit by my desk so that I can examine the wound."
Seventeen complied, pushing a swivel chair over before positioning to the side of the desk, his right side facing the doctor before offering out what was left of his stump shoulder.
The two fell silent for a time as Dr. Challenger leaned in, inspecting the severed components and at times pushing something inside aside with a pencil.
"You can fix it, right?" Seventeen felt a nervous hitch in his voice that he wished wasn't there.
"I believe so, yes," the doctor confirmed with a nod. For some reason, the man had an extremely solemn expression on his face, like he'd already accepted he was going to die.
Seventeen frowned. That was bad, if he thought he was going to die, Seventeen knew he might act up.
"Good, if you can fix this, then I might just have a reason to keep you around for awhile."
That should give him some incentive.
It wasn't an all out lie by any means, either. Seventeen was beginning to realize something like this could quite possibly happen again in the future. It wouldn't hurt to have a mechanic to fix him up in his pocket in case it did.
The man pulled his focused gaze away from the wound for a moment to shoot the Android a brief smile. "Well then, that is certainly a relief to these old ears."
Seventeen could still detect the sadness from earlier, but it had eased to an extent. He didn't know if he should still feel worried that the man might betray him, but at this point, he didn't if there was anything he could still do to change the matter.
He let out a slow, quiet sigh.
He hated being dependent on another person's help! He'd never needed it before and to have to actively seek it out from a society he found so disgusting was… agitating, to say the very least.
As the minutes passed Seventeen's bored eyes began to wander, slowly trailing over the desk until his gaze landed on a picture frame. There were three figures within the frame; one was obviously a picture of Dr. Challenger, appearing considerably younger, by Seventeen's estimates. The other two were a similarly aged woman—his wife, Seventeen gathered from the ring on his finger—and a man roughly in his thirties posing happily beside them. It wasn't hard to distinguish it was the man's son based on the resemblance.
"Cute family," Seventeen commented, "I'll leave them alone too if you do a good job." The comment was both an incentive and a reminder that Seventeen could still find and hurt the people in the doctor's life.
Dr. Challenger's eyes shifted towards the picture, a half smile managing to pull at his lips. "Ah, yes, my wife, Emma, and son, Elijah. That picture is actually us standing outside of the police academy just after he graduated. I look forward to seeing them again at the end of the day."
"I don't remember asking." he responded snidely. Just because he knew he was going to be working with the guy for a while didn't mean he actually gave two shits about his personal life.
"Right, sorry." The doctor nodded before pausing to cast a glance towards his watch. He made a casual reach for one of his draws before noticing Seventeen's narrowed gaze on him. "At my age, I have a medication I need to take to keep me regular. You don't mind, do you?"
The Android shook his head. A moment later Dr. Challenger's hand was rummaging through the drawer before eventually producing a simple white vial. He dropped a single tablet into his palm before staring at it for a short time. Seventeen was beginning to look at him strangely before the man popped the pill into his mouth and set down the vial.
The doctor slowly eased back into his chair, sitting comfortably as Seventeen sat impatiently, waiting for the man to get back to work.
"Hey, old man, I didn't call for a break, did I? Let's get back to it," he demanded.
"You know, I heard about what happened on the News. There were reports that one of the Androids was severely damaged in the most recent attack."
Seventeen frowned.
What the hell is this guy rambling on about?
"I don't remember asking. Now, get back to-"
"I began to consider the implications of such an attack, the ramifications and what might come of this since this is the first time in history either of you have ever taken any substantial damage." Seventeen watched a smirk pull at the man's lips. "And that is certainly substantial."
"...What are you getting at, old man." Seventeen felt himself growing suspicious. There was this look of smugness to him now.
He didn't like it one bit.
"I know that the number of people in the world is far less than it once was. I am also acutely aware of the fact that there are only so many people still alive qualified to even make an attempt at repairing such an intricate mechanism. We scientists typically keep tabs on each other so that we don't miss a major advancement in the field. Now that I've actually gotten to see the damage, I am confident in my assessment that there are only two people currently alive that could even hope to fix you. One of those people is myself—" Seventeen could see his grin widening. "—and the other is Bulma Briefs, wherever she may be."
"Get to the point." Seventeen finally snapped.
With a dismissive sigh, Dr. Challenger said, "I regret to inform you that I will not be mending your arm." He let out a small cough.
Seventeen was to his feet a moment later, staring down at the man with a deep, dark hatred. "Why not?!" He hissed.
"Because I think you're a pathetic, egotistical, boy of a man that deserves nothing less than whatever the golden warrior has awaiting you when he finds you again." The man was staring daggers back at the Android before letting out a few raspy coughs.
Seventeen's arm snapped out, catching the old man by his throat before pushing him back in his chair and slamming him into the floor hard.
"Do I really need to remind you of what will happen if you don't listen to me!? What I will do to you?!" He glanced back at the photo. "What I will do to your family?!" He spat in a roaring fury.
He watched in shock as the old doctor let out a dark laugh in response.
"M-my son is dead. He was a first responder during the initial attacks," he rasped in between strained breaths, before grinning back up at Seventeen.
The Android's eyes grew wide, he could see blood in the man's teeth.
"My wife passed away a few years back. I have no other family left. And as for myself-" He let out another cough that splattered Seventeen's wrist in blood, "I'm afraid I had planned for this outcome as well. I imagine Bulma Briefs has made a similar realization." He snickered.
"...You don't actually take any medication… do you?"
The doctor's grin widened.
"If I have to die in order to ensure you get everything that's coming to you, then I'll happily make that sacrifice. So, on behalf of all of humanity, I say-" He let out a string of painful sounding coughs before sniffling up and splitting a spray of crimson that splattered against Seventeen's cheek.
"Go fuck yourself."
Seventeen's fist closed a second later. He paused, staring down at the crimson mess at the end of his arm and what had once been Dr. Challenger. He rose to his feet, his shoes and knees soaked in blood as he continued to stare down at the corpse who, moments ago, had been prepared to fix his arm.
He'd said so.
He'd confirmed that he would be able to do it.
So why…
Why was he dead on the ground now? Why wasn't he fixing him like he said he would? It felt so surreal to Seventeen.
Because he knew that Dr. Challenger wasn't the only thing that had died just moments ago.
His chances of ever getting his arm back, of ever getting back the life he'd grown so accustomed to for all these years, had just splattered across the floor with this guy's head.
Seventeen noticed that his vision was beginning to wobble, before realizing it was simply his entire body trembling with absolute rage.
"FUCK!" He roared, before falling to his knees and slamming his forearm against the tiles, causing the entire structure to rumble as a massive spider web of splinters shot out in all directions.
He stared down at the red slowly pooling all around him.
This had been his only option, the only way he was getting his arm back. He'd done his research, he'd scouted out and accidentally flown to a handful of research facilities that had all been busts. This was it.
He'd needed this to work.
The man was right, the only other option was Bulma Briefs. The reason he couldn't risk trying to get in contact with her was the fact that she'd been close friends with a certain someone named Goku. Dr. Gero had made sure to fill his and his sisters heads with everything they would need to know to kill Goku once they'd been released, so Seventeen knew that Bulma likely had maintained a relationship with Goku's son, Gohan.
AKA, the asshole who blew off my arm!
She'd definitely be in close contact, and even if he did somehow find her and somehow manage to prevent her from using a phone, he bet she had a plan B just like Dr. Challenger did. Hell, he was willing to bet she had a secret button in her shoe that she could use to ping Mr. fuck-head-Blondie her exact location, or something ridiculous like that.
He was stuck.
There was nothing left for him to look for.
Seventeen felt warmth at the brims of his eyes as they shut, his head sinking low as black strands of hair floated in the crimson sea he'd made for himself.
AN:
Hey guys! It's been a little while hasn't it? I'm sorry for the wait. I had to work on a few other projects before I got the chance to work on this story again, and boy was it a blast to revisit!
Trully, this was a chapter I've been waiting to get to for a long time. Fun fact: the scene between Seventeen and Dr. Challenger has been planned since way back in the beginning when I was only just deciding to actually pick this story up (In fact, it was one of the driving factors that pushed me to pursue the story onward!) so I'm very happy that I finally got the chance to write it.
Another fun fact! Dr. Challenger is actually a character within the dragon ball series! (Technically) He's a character from a little GBA title 'Buu's Fury', in fact, my editor/beta Ben Thryss caught the reference while reading! I'm actually genuinely curious if there are any other dragon ball fans out there who recognized the character. If you wouldn't mind dropping a short review, I'd love to know lol.
Also, I will admit that this chapter was ever so slightly shorter than my standard length of chapter. This was mostly due to the fact that I felt that Seventeen's closing situation was a perfect ending point for the shifting viewpoints of this chapter.
Well that and if I posted what had been the previous chapter 13, then it would have been waaay too long.
Lol, I said that I had a blast revisiting the story, right?
The amazing cover art of this story was designed and completed by the wonderful:Upstart Psycho! If you'd like to check out their instagram where you can see all their other amazing work, please look them up saintswakeart. They appreciated the story enough that they wanted to add their touch to the tale, and I absolutely love it! Their commissions are currently open, so hit them up using the previously mentioned tags if you want more incredible artwork!
I wish you all the best during these awkward times and hope you're doing well. Hopefully, my writing helped you starve off your boredom for a decent 15-20 minutes lol.
Until next time!