"Where are we going on vacation to, Mommy?" a lovely young girl ran out in front of her mother, pressing her hands together and pumping her knees in excitement to hear her mother share their plans for the coming summer. Besides the mother and daughter going on a stroll on the eastern edge of the North City, bordering the immense mountain range of the northern side of the continent, ran a tiny beagle puppy. The pup was too small for its barks to be loud, but, as was evident from its vigor, the pup wanted to be heard as well.
"Let's see now…" the mother put her hands around her waist, looking up at the bright blue sky with puffy white clouds drifting across. "You're really putting me on the spot here, Honi-chan. There aren't many pleasant locations around North City to visit. Where do you want to go this year?"
"Capsule Park!" the kid barked out, showing the little family pup how to do it just right.
"Oh, my… Again with Capsule Park? It seems like we're going there throughout the year," the mother sounded worried about how stale their family's vacation habits were becoming.
"They're opening a new one in North City! They said so on the TV!" the girl made a sad and begging look, making the curious beagle prancing around her turn its head to the side and commit that look to memory to be used at a later time for some treats. "Where else can we even go?"
"Well, let's see… We could go to East City. It's expanded all the way to the coastline and I've heard they've established beautiful resort locations all across the city. We could travel across the Diablo Desert and see the various landmarks there. It's hot, but it's adventurous and there are plenty of natural wonders and historic ruins to see. We could go on a cruise across the Archipelago, discovering the countless distinct island cultures and trying out all the different foods. I've read good things about the western peninsula and its many temples and picturesque spiritual sites too. What do you think? Did any of those strike your fancy, young lady?" the mother wondered, leaning over her young kid who just twirled left and right to make her white dress spin around and make her look like a little flower, but the girl failed to build up anywhere near enough momentum for that.
"Mmm… No! I wanna go to Capsule Park!" the kid exclaimed before erupting into a peal of laughter.
"Oh, boy… What am I going to do with you?" the mother shook her head, bit by bit, transitioning to a rich smirk and then bursting with cheers herself. While the mother wouldn't like to admit it to herself, just going to the newly opened local Capsule Park sounded the easiest. As tough as it was to admit, traveling through the Diablo Desert and reserving water or scaling the mountains, canoeing through the mountainous rivers, or visiting small settlements and villages on the way to the next landmark sounded like too much hassle. It was something she would have signed up in a heartbeat back during her more adventurous days of youth, but not with a child to look out for. Risking ruining her one vacation a year would have been too perilous.
There were few surprises to be had in Capsule Park, but it was like a guarantee of canned, family-friendly good time. The worst it could be was lukewarm. In the woman's heart, this was worth sacrificing any odds for a truly sublime time and settling for carefully curated amusement park activities for the week.
The beagle started whining. It wasn't a noise that either of the two family members heard from the little guy, which prompted the two to turn to where the little puppy ran off to, making the mother blank out in shock while her daughter smiled at the sight of a pale white skinned girl with well-maintained, picturesque doll hair and an antique western frilly dress. The pale-faced lady with striking and cold, remarkably outlined eyes held the pup clutched in her hands and, no matter how much the dog struggled, it didn't seem to be any closer to budging free from the cold, adamantine grip of the doll-like girl.
"You're so pretty! Mom, can you buy a dress like that for me!?" the little girl turned to her mother with starlit, hopeful eyes before identifying a bit of restraint and even fear in her mother's eyes. Confused as to why her mother would be afraid of this girl who barely looked older than her daughter, the girl tried approaching the pale doll, only for a piercing gaze to chill her to the bone, stunning the little girl in place.
"This dog is cute. I'll be keeping it as my pet," Super Android One-Nine declared. After stuffing it under her armpit, the dog lashed out and bit One-Nine in the forearm, failing to bite through the skin and making the dog whine out in pain as it chipped its fangs at the impenetrable frame of the Super Class Artificial Human.
"W-Wait… You can't keep Waxine. She's ours!" the girl objected. There was no malice or aggression in her voice. Quite the contrary, the girl seemed to address this curious, pale-faced doll, almost like she was acting silly and behaving possessively out of ignorance.
"Honi-chan, stay back from that girl," the mother warned her daughter, trying to grab the collar of her daughter's dress and pull her back from further aggravating this strange creature who could have just as easily been a malevolent spirit, a demon, a leftover Artificial Human, an alien, or whatever else plagued their world every year since the mother herself was just a little girl her daughter's age.
"I disagree with your assessment," Super Artificial Human One-Nine proclaimed, smiling and making her cutesy look feel even more malevolent as the devil that smiled as they froze you solid to the bone was far more terrifying than one that scowled. "I have chosen her as mine. You don't have the power to stop me from claiming it as mine. Our family does not have a pet, only a handful of butlers who, I'm afraid, might have gotten themselves killed. Yours, however, lives on Earth and can easily get another one."
"Give Waxine back!" the girl insisted, pressing her arms to her side and sticking out her tongue.
"Why would you say that when you know I will disintegrate you?" Super One-Nine tilted the right corner of her lip in befuddlement at the hardiness of this stubborn Earthling brat. "Then again, you're a cute little thing. You'd be much more useful to me as a dolly than as a pile of ash on the pavement."
As Super Artificial Human One-Nine tilted her index finger and pointed it at the spacing out and stunned little girl in front of her, making it sparkle with pink light at the tip of her fingernail, the mother screamed out in horror. Lacking any way to protect her child or pull her away from harm, the woman wrapped her arms around her girl, screaming out her name and cradling her in the mother's embrace as she offered her own exposed back as an alternative target.
While this defense should have never worked, strangely enough, the sparkly pink shimmer at the tip of Super One-Nine's finger dissolved into tiny pink static that passed up the pale Android's arm and vanished, absorbed into her skin. The Super Artificial Human even went as far as to pull her hand away from aiming at the woman and her child.
"That's strange. Your kid was misbehaving so, instead of only taking your puppy, I was going to take her too. As my doll, of course. Why would you put yourself in harm's way when you're useless to me? You're too drab and basic to be my cute doll. My dollhouse doesn't need any extras," Super One-Nine lowered her hand and leaned her head off to the left, leaving the hurting and chip-toothed puppy whining helplessly under her armpit.
"P-Please… Don't hurt Honi-chan, take the dog if you want to, just… Spare my daughter, please…" the crying mother begged the confused Artificial Human, crawling on her knees and pleading to One-Nine.
"I see," Super One-Nine pressed her index to her chin and looked away, pondering to herself while she leaned down in an elegant, almost bowing manner and let the puppy bolt back to the girl. "You'd do anything to protect your child. That must be how my mother felt when she sent me away too. I'm… Sorry."
Running out from behind her mother who could hardly believe the fact that this supernatural creature was sparing her and her daughter's lives, young Honi strut out with Waxine in her hands and kicked Super One-Nine in the shin, making the Super Artificial Human look down while the whimpering girl sniffled and gasped in pain of kicking an immovable and hardy object.
"That's what you get for hurting Waxine and making my mom cry!" Honi exclaimed with eyes filled with tears yet unwavering with determination to give this rude pale girl a piece of her mind.
While Super Artificial Human One-Nine looked down and pondered on this encounter with an ordinary North City family, Honi's mother grabbed her daughter, who still clutched to Waxine the beagle, and ran off to the nearest block corner where she could vanish from the Android's field of view and make a run for the nearest monorail that would take them as far away as possible.
"Hmm… That girl was so fierce. She fought fiercely to protect her family. Perhaps I was wrong for looking to expand my family by adopting a pet. I should be more worried about protecting the family I already have," Super One-Nine reflected to herself before her radar system picked up some readings. The pale-faced Artificial Human turned to face a woman in a suit with black and spiky hair she held in a ponytail.
"So, it's you," Chayote summed it up, cracking and rolling her knuckles. "I figured that I'd run into one of you if I followed the screaming and screeching cars."
"Chayote, you've grown weak, or is it just that I have become much stronger?" Super Android One-Nine teased the Saiyan who flung her drifting into space when One-Nine tried taking control over her life and becoming more than just an expendable security guard for Dr. Puri's lab.
"As much as I want to teach you a lesson about how much better I can restrain my power now, compared to before, I'm obliged to ask you nicely to come with me at least once," Chayote sighed, cracking her neck to the left and doing some basic warm-up before her opponent would make her cut loose. "I'd rather avoid losing control and wrecking North City."
"Oh, I thought you came here to destroy me," Super One-Nine replied, looking a bit stunned by Chayote's request. "After all, I'm not supposed to be here, on your planet, am I?"
"Never mind that now, your mother hates Cell as much as we do, if not more. Right now, I consider her a shaky ally. We want to bring you with us so we can coordinate our attack on Cell together," Chayote explained.
"In that case, I must request that you take me with you," Super One-Nine neatly pressed her hands to her lap and bowed elegantly, as was proper to a dapper young lady. "In addition, I would like to request your help with protecting my family from Cell. It won't stop until it ruins it and all of us are totaled."
The last thing Chayote expected was to take off with Super Artificial Human One-Nine without a fight. The last time they fought, things got pretty rough, and Chayote wouldn't have risked cutting loose with all of her power in a densely populated city, so this clash would have been troublesome to her. While One-Nine showed little emotion when she spoke, she wasn't someone who would have bothered lying to Chayote, or so the Saiyan thought.
Chayote only hoped that Kakarot would have a similarly simple time with Artificial Human No. 16.
One by one, all the supercomputers in the long-abandoned laboratory hosting frozen and degraded Artificial Human projects and massive storage units of research accumulated over decades upon decades of Dr. Gero's and Dr. Puri's work failed Super No. 16. Some of them turned on, but offered nothing but a blank white screen, whereas others hummed and swirled some dust around but failed to boot up.
The look of desperation on Super No. 16's face became unavoidable. Of humanoid features, the Super Android had only his mouth and the upper parts of his chin sticking out from the mechanical parts wrapping his whole body in a metallic, heavily armored carapace. What little humanity Super No. 16 displayed was desperate and worked up. Exclaiming in frustration, the Super Android slammed his hammering fists down, crushing the failing supercomputer network to bits of scrap.
Vehement and panting, Super Artificial Human No. 16 found himself alone in total darkness, surrounded only by trails of black smoke with no way of confirming his mother's current location or status. He was the man of the family. It was his role to protect his little sister and his mother, and he failed at that task. Even if he were to fall against Cell, Super No. 16 would have gladly given up his life as long as Super One-Nine and Ultimate No. 21 were safe.
With a stuttering plastic hum, occasionally interrupted by metallic clangs and jitters as the door malfunctioned, the mechanical gate to the mountainside laboratory opened, revealing a massive, broad-shouldered, and block-headed shadow obscuring the light from outside. The appearance of this thick, vaguely humanoid shape seemed to snap the Super Android from his fury. As if fleeing from the intimidating streak of crimson light, Super Artificial Human No. 8 withdrew from the mountain edge that led inside the hidden laboratory. Super No. 16 hovered out immediately after the Super Android that confronted him.
"You're an Artificial Human. I have no records of your model. How is that possible?" Super Artificial Human No. 16 inquired while running diagnostics of what his analytical systems could make of this strange and bulky Artificial Human.
"I was once your predecessor, Artificial Human No. 8," Super Artificial Human No. 8 said, humoring the other Super Android with an honest response.
"That's odd, the records I have access to note that all Artificial Human models from the old production line up to No. 15 were destroyed. I was the first model successful enough not to be scrapped and even then I was kept inactive and only meant as a reference for future models," Super Artificial Human No. 16 stated with a strict tone of voice, almost like reading back a boring text report.
"It's ironic that you do not identify Artificial Human No. 8 since he is the earliest prototype of a model that was meant to replicate Gebo-kun," an elderly masculine voice came from a hovercar down below. Super Artificial Human No. 8 looked down at an old and fragile-looking man in a lab coat, puffy gray hair, and round glasses.
"Dr. Flappe. It's bold of you to show your face to me, knowing that my mother wanted to have you killed," Super Android No. 16 said. Even though the lumbering metallic giant showed no indication of violent intent because only his mouth peeked through the metallic helmet of Super Android 16, it was impossible to tell if the gentle giant was kidding or not.
"We both know far too well that you don't care about that. Besides, even if you followed your old programming, you were de-activated before Dr. Puri and I had our differences so you would have no such orders," Dr. Flappe waved his hand in dismissal of Super No. 16's warnings while pulling on some kind of handle on the front of his car, making the hovercar's trunk pop open and a cumbersome machine to appear. Dr. Flappe approached it with a cardboard cup as the rumbling machine spat out some coffee into it and the scientist pressed against the side of the hovercar to sip on his beverage.
"You seem incredibly well-informed about my programming, and yet I have no clue about your intentions. Do you wish to destroy me? Because, if you do, I'll have you know that I have no intention of permitting my destruction. I have a family to protect," Super No. 16 reported in a very matter-of-fact manner.
"No," Super No. 8 shook his head. The green-colored Frankenstein's monster with stitched-together patches of flesh and muscle stared at the wholly metallic Super Artificial Human No. 16 while its sleeveless fur coat rustled at the demand of the chilly mountainside winds. "You might want to know that I am more like you than you can tell just yet. That's because, like you, I inherited the qualities of Dr. Gero's son, Gebo."
"I am not Gebo. I am Super Artificial Human No. 16," Super No. 16 reported as if correcting a fundamental mistake. "Neither are you. My systems report a 0% genetic compatibility with Gebo's DNA in your whole body. Your skin is the same as mine–an organic genetically modified living tissue outer sheath."
"Yes, however, both of us are built bulky and physically strong, quick to make friends, and have no inherent enemies. Both of us love nature and refuse to fight unless something we love is put at stake," Super Artificial Human No. 8 pointed out, matching Super No. 16's cold disposition.
"Are you suggesting that we should work together because of our similarities?" Super Artificial Human No. 16 bent his head off to the side.
"Not quite," Super Artificial Human No. 8 shook his cumbersome, blocky head. "Our goals are too different, however, neither of us can accomplish them by their lonesome. I am too reserved and outdated to protect Dr. Flappe and Jingle Village effectively. I can only serve as a lug and an expendable guard dog. Just like me, you cannot defeat Cell on your own, even if Dr. Puri allowed your clash to reach a natural conclusion."
"Your conclusions are logical. What are your propositions?" Super No. 16 stated bluntly.
"Dr. Flappe suggested that if I wish for more power, I should merge with more Artificial Human parts and class-up, just like when I became a Super Class Artificial Human," Super Artificial Human No. 8 said. "However, I do not wish for Gebo's peaceful nature that I have inherited and carried on to vanish. For that to happen, my best odds are to assimilate another Artificial Human that is more like me. To become a Super Android, it only took me merging with one Artificial Human, however, to become an Ultimate Class, I'd have to merge with another Super Class or its equivalent in Artificial Humans. That means that there's a higher chance of my personality dulling out and getting lost along the way."
"So you have come here to destroy me…" Super Artificial Human No. 16 put up his right arm and turned his wrist rocket left and right with his other arm, locking and loading his shooting arm and preparing for combat.
"Not quite, I would have never agreed to those terms, but Dr. Flappe suggested that the destruction of another Artificial Human is not necessary. If Artificial Humans are compatible enough, in other words, if they're two versions of the same model, they can merge with both Artificial Humans still active," Super Android 8 replied, refusing to put up his dukes and show signs of aggression.
"It's strange that a model as intelligent as you should be still doesn't understand where Eighter is getting to," Dr. Flappe sighed after putting his half-drunk cup of coffee into the hovercar cup holder and pulling out a piece of wrapped candy from the baggy pocket of his lab coat. The scientist unwrapped it and placed the round sweet in his mouth, rolling it around with his tongue while sucking it. "Though perhaps Dr. Puri kept you dull on purpose, only building up your muscle so that you didn't grow too smart and overthrow her authority over the little family she's built?"
"If both of us remain as we are, Super Artificial Human No. 16, then no one will fulfill our goal. Both Dr. Puri and Dr. Flappe will be in danger of dying. But if one of us becomes an Ultimate Class Artificial Human, at least one of our loved ones will be safe. I am not a gambling machine, but 50% feel like much better odds than 0% to me."
"You've miscalculated, Super Artificial Human No. 8," Super No. 16 adopted a wrestling-style fighting stance. "The odds of you defeating me aren't 50%. They're closer to 7%."
"Even so, senpai… Let's fight it out to determine which one of us shall become an Ultimate Class Android and which one will supply the other the parts. For the sake of Dr. Flappe's survival, I'm giving it my all!" Super Artificial Human No. 8 finally put his clobbering dukes up, entering a stiff boxing-style stance.
"I see, so your goal is a test of strength, not a fight to our mutual destruction? However, I too am no gambling machine, Super Artificial Human No. 8. I say so because this fight isn't gambling to me. It is confirming the inevitable," Super Artificial Human No. 16 launched himself at Super No. 8 at the same time as the cumbersome Frankenstein's monster dashed at his more modern counterpart with a wound-back fist.
The fight to determine the conduit and the basis for a new Ultimate Class Android had begun.