Chapter 115 - Shades of Black
Silence filled the cavern after the Android's proclamation. Man and robot stared at each other. Perhaps due to his injuries, but the statement took a moment to process. Once it did, almost instinctively, Trunks' hand flew towards his sword on his back - only for the limb to grasp air instead. Alarmed, the young man felt on his body for the strap that usually connected the scabbard to him, and found himself draped instead in a multitude of bandages.
"ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴ, ɪɴ ᴀᴅᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɢᴀʀᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ, ᴀʀᴇ ᴄᴀꜱᴛ ᴀꜱɪᴅᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏʀɴᴇʀ." No. 16 said, helpfully gesturing towards the far side of their shared cavern, where, indeed, Trunks clothing and weapon lay huddled in a small section.
Trunks, in response, tried to move for it, but found pain searing through his body at the attempt. "Tch...damn it..."
"ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴀᴅᴠɪꜱᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇꜱᴛ,," said No. 16. "ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀʟ ɪᴅᴇᴀ ᴏꜰ ᴡʜᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ, ᴛʀᴜɴᴋꜱ, ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴀᴍ Qᴜɪᴛᴇ ᴀᴡᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴡɪꜱʜ ꜰᴏʀ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ ᴍᴇ. ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴀᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇɴᴇᴍʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ɪɴ ɴᴏ ꜰɪᴛ ꜱᴛᴀᴛᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴏᴠᴇ."
Naturally, the Saiyan-half did not need to be told this. His whole body was screaming at him for even having the audacity to try and make it move. Still, he refused to move.
"ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴡɪꜱʜ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟʏ, ᴛʀᴜɴᴋꜱ, ᴛʜᴇɴ ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴜꜱᴇ ꜰᴏʀᴄᴇ," said No. 16.
"You think you can make me-"
"Oh stop your whinging," groaned a female voice. Trunks didn't recognise it, and frantically turned for the source of the noise. It was the sound of boots on rock which caught his attention next, the young man entirely unable to feel for ki to determine where the voice originated. In the mouth of their cave stood a woman - no, a girl? - with long, teal hair, dark blue eyes, and an irritated expression. She walked further into the cave, which gave Trunks an even clearer view of her features. Now he saw her, she was clearly a woman; very short, but her body structure told him that he wasn't being told off by a child. Her teal hair was tied on either end in twintails, she wore a bright white labcoat over a simple sleeveless shirt and skirt, and was holding a varied assortment of plants. "I don't know why we even bothered going all that way to get you if you're just going to whine about it."
"I...wait...what...?" Trunks was stumbling over his words now. He was being told off by a diminutive scientist, who forcibly reminded him very much of his own mother, and he was in the company of an Android he knew to be created by the late Dr. Gero. "Who are you?" It wasn't meant to come off as rude, but Trunks was unable to suppress it in every syllable.
The woman, if she was bothered, did not show it. Walking over to Trunks bedside, she pushed him down personally, before continuing to walk past him. "My name is Dochi. You could consider me something of a doctor, though I've never been able to attend a university, so I'm not exactly a doctorate holder..." She frowned, as if daring him to call her a quack. Trunks did not, which seemed to soften the woman towards him somewhat. "You're currently my patient, so I would appreciate it if you'd lie down and not re-open your wounds. It was all I could do to shut them."
Slowly, she walked over towards the far side of the cave, where No. 16 had confided in Trunks his effects were stored. Running her hand along the surface, a thin line rose up from the base, higher, turning, and descending again. It gave the illusion of a closed door through which a vast amount of light was peeking. A rush of air quickly followed, causing Dochi's hair, coat, and skirt to billow backwards in equal measure. The illusion of a door gave way to the real thing, as the solid mass of rock began to rumble and recede inward. Revealed in its place was a hallway, lit by floating orbs, as opposed to any sort of electricity, leading to who knows where.
"What's..in there?"
"My laboratory," shrugged Dochi. "It's also where I was created. I am Android, like our friend Gevo over there."
"Another Android?! Wait...Gevo?"
"ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪꜱ ᴍʏ ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅᴀʀʏ ᴅᴇꜱɪɢɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ," interjected No. 16, who had been silent up until this point, seemingly preferring to let Dochi do the talking. "ɪ ᴀᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴅʀ. ɢᴇʀᴏ'ꜱ ᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴛꜱ ʙᴇꜱɪᴅᴇꜱ ʜɪᴍꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴜꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ʙɪɴᴏᴍɪᴀʟ ɴᴏᴍᴇɴᴄʟᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴅᴇꜱɪɢɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ꜱʏꜱᴛᴇᴍ. ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴛʏ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ʜᴇ ʙᴀꜱᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴏɴ."
Trunks sat, flabbergasted. Another Android. Discovering No. 16 in the past had been bad enough, much less Cell. Yet now there was another Android in his time besides No. 16, who to all appearances, was as complex, if not more? This would explain why he did not feel her ki when she had arrived in the mouth of their cave, and why he didn't feel it now. Even if Trunks could accept these Androids meant him no ill will - a hard, but seemingly necessarily pill to swallow - the harder thing was sensing nothing. To stretch out his senses, and see only a void in their place, when he knew he was speaking to sentient entities, made him feel startlingly vulnerable.
"I am going to synthesise these," said Dochi. Trunks did not know what 'these' were, though he assumed she referred to the plants in her arms. "It was all I could do to close your wounds, as I've said, but these herbs are found specially in this area, and promote rapid healing even in Earthlings. What they may do for a Saiyan should be well worth an observation. I will leave you in the company of Gevo, young Trunks. Please behave." With that, she slipped into the doorway, which rumbled again and rose upwards, sealing off the entrance to her lab and disguising it startlingly well.
"ᴅᴏᴄʜɪ ɪꜱ ᴘᴀʀᴛɪᴄᴜʟᴀʀʟʏ ꜱᴋɪʟʟᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇᴅᴜʀᴇꜱ," No. 16 said, breaking through the awkward silence which threatened to creep up. "ʜᴇʀ ᴍɪɴɪꜱᴛʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴇʟᴘ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴠᴇʀ ꜱʜᴏʀᴛʟʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀʙᴇʀʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴄᴀʟʟꜱ ɪᴛꜱᴇʟꜰ ꜱᴏɴ ɢᴏᴋŪ."
"You know about Black?" Trunks' eyes blinked rapidly, confused. How long had this timeline's version of No. 16 been active? Who was this Dochi woman, who claimed to be another Android?
"ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀᴡᴀʀᴇ ᴏꜰ ʜɪᴍ, ʏᴇꜱ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀʟʟ ʜɪᴍ 'ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ'? ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴏɴɪᴋᴇʀ ɪꜱ ᴀᴅᴇQᴜᴀᴛᴇ". No. 16 gazed out of the cave opening, his mechanical eyes unblinking. "ʜᴇ ʜᴀꜱ ʟᴀɪᴅ ᴡᴀꜱᴛᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴘʟᴀɴᴇᴛ. ᴅᴏᴄʜɪ ɪꜱ ꜰᴏɴᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ - ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇꜱ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪʟᴅʟɪꜰᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴀɴ ᴇxᴛᴇɴᴛ, ɪᴛꜱ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ."
"What do you think of this world?" Trunks probed. The No. 16 of the past had developed a conscience throughout his time adventuring with Nos. 17 and 18, unbeknownst to the late Dr. Gero. That timeline's No. 16 sacrificed himself to save them all, and was instrumental in Gohan awakening his true power and defeating Cell to prevent a cataclysm for the universe. Trunks didn't know what this No. 16 would be like, and whether or not he should dismantle him right here and now.
"ɪ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ," replied No. 16. "ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ɪɴᴀᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴍᴀɴʏ ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ. ᴅᴏᴄʜɪ ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴍʏ ꜱᴛᴀꜱɪꜱ ᴄᴀᴘꜱᴜʟᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ." A sharp gust rushed through the cave, leading Trunks to shudder; No. 16, being a machine, did not react, though his mohawk ruffled in the wind. "ᴍʏ ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ɪꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇꜱᴛʀᴏʏ ꜱᴏɴ ɢᴏᴋŪ. ꜱᴏɴ ɢᴏᴋŪ ɪꜱ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴄʜɪ ɪꜱ...ᴅɪꜰꜰᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴅʀ. ɢᴇʀᴏ'ꜱ ᴀʀᴛɪꜰɪᴄɪᴀʟ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ᴛᴇᴍᴘʟᴀᴛᴇ. ꜱʜᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴋᴇ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇʟᴘɪɴɢ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ...ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪꜱ ʜᴇʀ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ.
ꜰᴏʀ ɴᴏᴡ, ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴀꜱꜱɪꜱᴛ ʜᴇʀ. ᴡᴇ ᴀɴᴅʀᴏɪᴅꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴄᴀᴘᴀʙʟᴇ ᴏꜰ ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄɪɴɢ ɴᴇᴡ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ, ᴍᴜᴄʜ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴꜱ. ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜱᴏɴ ɢᴏᴋŪ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ."
Trunks allowed these words to settle around him. There was something in No. 16's words that struck a chord with him. He was relieved to hear that this No. 16 was as kind hearted as the one from his timeline. Perhaps there was something in Dr. Gero's programming which made him docile? Kind, even? Was he...fond of this model? The lavender-haired Saiyan frowned deeply. Imagining Dr. Gero fond of anything only caused his head to hurt, as it felt impossible. This was the man who tore his entire world apart just to murder Gokū.
Gokū.
ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜱᴏɴ ɢᴏᴋŪ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ.
"You said your directive is to kill Gokū, right?" asked Trunks. "Then why not help me kill Black? He looks identical to Gokū...he even feels, sounds, and talks like him. I'm not sure what happened, but it really does feel like he's G-"
"ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴅɪᴠɪᴅᴜᴀʟ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇꜰᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴀꜱ 'ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ' ɪꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ꜱᴏɴ ɢᴏᴋŪ."
No. 16's mechanical timbre cut across Trunk's statement like a hot knife through butter.
"He's...not?" Trunks shook his head. "But he calls himself Gokū. He can use all of his techniques, he even seems to share his memories!"
"ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴅɪᴠɪᴅᴜᴀʟ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇꜰᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴀꜱ 'ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ' ɪꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ꜱᴏɴ ɢᴏᴋŪ," repeated No. 16. "ʜɪꜱ ᴋɪ ꜱɪɢɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ɪꜱ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴀ ᴘᴀʀᴛɪᴀʟ ᴍᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴏɴ ɢᴏᴋŪ. ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴄɪꜱᴇ, ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴅɪᴠɪᴅᴜᴀʟ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇꜰᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴀꜱ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ɪꜱ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴀ 33.33% ᴍᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴏɴ ɢᴏᴋŪ ɪɴ ᴋɪ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴏɴ. ʙɪᴏʟᴏɢɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ, ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ɪꜱ ᴀ 100% ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄ ᴍᴀᴛᴄʜ. ʜɪꜱ ʙʀᴀɪɴᴡᴀᴠᴇꜱ, ᴀᴅᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟʟʏ, ᴀʀᴇ ᴀ 0.5% ᴍᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴏɴ ɢᴏᴋŪ."
Relief. Cool, glorious relief washed over Trunks. He did not know why he believed No. 16 unconditionally, but he did not think No. 16 was able to lie for the sake of personal gain. If Black truly was Gokū, Trunks and the Android would not be having this conversation. He likely would have tried to fulfill his directive and been destroyed by the effigy imitating Gokū.
So...whoever this man in, he isn'tGokū. Trunks felt himself smile in spite of himself. He might have Gokū's face, and techniques, but he's someone else entirely. I'm not fighting Gokū. We can kill him without worrying about killing Gokū. Trunks leaned back on his makeshift bedding, and allowed his exhaustion to take him over. He finally felt like he could rest for a moment, even here, in the company of this set of Androids.
He had hope again.
Am I dead...?
These thoughts ran through Mai's head. Everything was dark. The last thing she remembered clearly was the face of Son Gohan, a flash of energy, Bulma's scream mingling with the scream of many others, and then nothing. And now, everything was black. She couldn't move. But she could breathe.
So she couldn't be dead, right?
Do the dead need to breathe?
It was remarkable how slow she was to panic. Still unsure of whether she was alive or dead, taking short, shallow breaths of musty air, her vision entirely covered over in black, Mai could only lay there. Or was she laying? If she tried to imagine, she was certainly aligned horizontally on her back. As sensation returned to her slowly, Mai could feel she was pressed in from all sides as well. This was why she couldn't move.
Mai was buried alive under a mountain of rubble. When this realisation hit, it was at that moment where panic finally began to crack and nibble away at her calm. She was completely, fully alive, and she was aware now that rocks and rubble pressed in on all sides.
Think...think... Mai tried to turn her brain on into overdrive, if only to fight the panic. She couldn't move, but aside from that, she felt fine. There was no searing pain that would accompany severe injuries - or worse, sudden amputations. She could at least surmise she'd been lucky in that regard. She also had air, however faint it was. Her breathing was shallow, the air caked with dust, but it seemed to come from somewhere.
If I could just reach the Hoi-Poi Capsules... Contained within one was a pressure explosive- it contained no fuse, merely emitting a powerful shockwave. It might give her some of the injuries she was lacking this close, but it would free her. She couldn't. Mai was wedged far too tightly beneath the rubble to so much as jostle it, much less reach into a pocket for a case of Capsules. The seconds ticked by, with Mai entirely unsure of how long she had been here.
Would she stay here until she died?
Would she starve to death?
Or worse, would the slim opening providing her air close off, and she suffocate instead? Sweat beaded down her face. Mai couldn't believe she was going to die here. Where was Trunks? He'd been away with Gohan, so at least he hadn't been caught up in that man's attack on the Western Capital.
Trunks...
The image of his face flooded Mai's mind, and tears welled in her eyes. Was she really going to die here, without Trunks knowing where she was? Without repaying him and his family for all the kindness they'd shown her, after she'd lost Pilaf and Shū. Mai's thoughts were becoming so preoccupied, she was unaware of the sound of shifting rock. Or perhaps she had begun to vocalise her own worries, and her hoarse voice was drowning out the sound. Regardless, the rustling of moving rubble picked up the pace, until beams of light pierced the darkness enveloping Mai.
Her vision was filled with white, stinging her tear-filled eyes. Air, still acid, yet fresher than the air from her makeshift prison, filled her lungs. The black-haired woman took long, grateful gasps, fighting the urge to rub her eyes with her grime-covered gloves. "T-Trunks?!"
"I'm probably not who you were expectin' then," a reply came grumbling back.
Mai's vision slowly began to adjust to the new lighting, everything coming back into proper focus. The portly figure of Yajirobe sat across from her, a sizeable pile of ruined concrete resting next to him. He looked exhausted, yet he wasn't severely injured either. The rōnin was also wearing a very grumpy expression.
"It sounds like you were havin' a nice dream down there," said Yajirobe.
"Not a dream..." replied Mai, flushing. "Just...regretting." Shaking her head, she let the tears fall from the force. Looking around, Mai took in their surroundings. This should have been the bunker, but it appeared to have been utterly bombed. Scorch marks caked the area, and she could see the charred remains of multiple bodies. While she didn't know any of them personally, she would have at least been able to recognise corpses. The monster...! Mai felt fury and grief spike through her body in equal measure.
Then it hit her.
"Y-You're Yajirobe, right? Bulma's friend?"
"In a manner of speaking." replied Yajirobe gruffly.
"Where is Bulma?"
Yajirobe looked over the entirety of the ruined bunker. "If I had to guess...she's one o' these." Yajirobe frowned. "When that crazy bastard came through here and sent all of that energy flyin', she..." Yajirobe tried to remember, as everything had been a blur. He remembered Bulma reaching for some sort of Capsule, and creating a shield for himself and Mai. He hadn't been able to see if she protected herself, or that auburn haired woman who had been with her. "I hope she's not...but she used all her time to save us. I don't think she an' that other chick were making it out of this."
Mai sat, stock-still. Bulma had saved them, not once, but twice. What was she going to tell Trunks now?
"What...what do we do now?" Mai asked, her voice hollow. Whoever that had been, it wasn't Black. Or rather, it was, but it wasn't. Earth could barely deal with one, much less a second. She felt hopeless.
"'We'?" inquired Yajirobe. "There's no 'we' in this, lady. I was able to save you 'cos I heard your voice. But I ain't fightin' no crazy look-alike of Son, much less a second one. I don't have a death wish."
Mai couldn't blame him. Standing up, she dusted herself off. She looked miserably at the charred bodies. This bunker was supposed to have been a safe place. They had promised them security and fortitude against Black's threat. Until today, they had been able to ensure that. Slowly, she stifled a rising sob. "...The first thing we should do is clear out the bodies. We can't leave them here, even if they're not recognisable. You can help me with that much, right?"
The rōnin nodded, huffing gruffly but not disagreeing.
A/N: Hey, everyone, I'm back! Sorry for the delay, I've been juggling both work. my other stories, and a new passion I've taken off with - art. Most of my time is dedicated to work, study, and art practise now. It won't stop me from putting out work, but it is serving as a bit of an obstacle. I used to do a lot of writing at work, but now I practise art there. I'll work on trying to balance that around for now, but until then, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I enjoy being able to put out these slower, non-action chapters, especially as writing battles isn't my favourite thing. So, you all have met an OC based off the character Hermit from Eden's Zero; her name, Dochi, is a pun on chihedo (血反吐), or bloody vomit. While she's not directly related to Gero, I wanted to carry that pun association over. 16 is never a character I've had a chance to write for, so as simple as this was, it was nice. I hope to have a new chapter up more sooner than later! I appreciate your patience! So, until then, see you all in the next chapter of The Erased Chronicles!