Gero was in no better of a mood the following morning, and yet, he felt different all the same. He could not say why: tears threatened to gather in his eyes if he so much as thought about Gevo, and he could not bear to go back down into the sub-basement where Android Sixteen still resided. Yet, something felt different about him, as if some fundamental aspect of his very soul has broken or fractured in some way.
Whatever the truth was, Gero absolutely hated it, and hated feeling the way he did. So he did what he'd always done whenever his emotions threatened to get the better of him: return to work.
He was in the middle of analyzing the data his Androids had retrieved from Doctor Wheelo's base when Vomi strode back into the main lab. Gero spared her a single glance, noticing the bags under her eyes, and the slightly haggard look on her face.
Had she had just as bad and sleepless of a night as he had?
Vomi greeted him with a wordless nod, though Gero soon found his attention diverted to the two cups of steaming coffee he now saw were in her hands. She reached over, offering one to Gero, who took it after a belated pause.
He drank a grateful sip, already feeling better as the caffeine started to course its way through his system. Vomi, meanwhile, absently slipped her free hand into the pocket of her lab coat, bringing it back out a moment later and up to her mouth, before she audibly swallowed something.
Perhaps some sort of energizer pill, or some such thing? Gero certainly wouldn't blame her, if that was the case.
The two of them stood in silence for a good few minutes, both taking idle sips of their coffee while Gero browsed through Wheelo's recovered research. As he did so, he eyed his ex-wife out of the corner of his eye.
"So," Vomi casually spoke up, matching his stare. "Are we going to talk about what happened last night?"
"...No," Gero answered gruffly, looking away from her with a grimace.
Vomi made a noncommittal noise in response, though mercifully she didn't press him any further. Instead she took another swig from her coffee cup and said,
"You said you had a bio-lab for me, didn't you? I'd like to see it."
Grateful for the change in topic, Gero nodded and gestured for her to follow him. It was a quick jaunt to the space he'd set aside for Vomi, and Gero gave a more detailed overview of the equipment on hand as they arrived.
"...You also have plenty of equipment here to help conduct tests and experiments, rest assured. My supercomputer has the DNA of countless species of animals and plants on file, and of course there are plenty of human test subjects to choose from: I have the DNA of most of Earth's greatest fighters on file," he explained, stroking his mustache with one hand before he gestured to a large glass tube in the center of the lab.
"You'll even have a cloning chamber to work with, as well. Though I myself have yet to…produce any viablecloning subjects, I can verify that the process as a whole works in theory. Though I do not plan on just using this chamber to clone organics. In fact, I—!"
"Gero," Vomi interjected, a hint of warning to her tone. "Stop. I want you to listen to me verycarefully here, and answer me in total honesty. Just what do you expect me to do with this equipment?"
"Pardon?" he asked, blinking in surprise at her sudden tone shift.
Vomi gave him a withering glare in response, her arms crossed as she testily said, "Gero, you have equipment here meant for cloning, including human cloning at that, which raises all sorts of ethical and moral concerns for me. So I want you to be explicitly clear on what you expectme to contribute here: because if you think you can just order me to make you a clone army, then I want you to say it, right here and right now."
Gero blinked rapidly, his brows raising in surprise. Thatwas her concern, of all things?
Well, to be fair, he could see why Vomi might be worried about such a thing. Ethics of cloning aside, it did seem like a valid way to make a quick-grown army, potentially even a faster process than making more of his Androids. He had the DNA of Goku, Yamcha, Tien, Krillin, and Piccolo all on file as well, which meant that he could, in theory, make flash clones of them. Though how well these clones measured up to the originals, he wasn't quite sure.
Still, from what little he knew of the FighterZ video game, he knew that clones of the Z Warriors had been the main enemies of that particular game, created and used by Android Twenty One as both henchmen and a food source. So the flash clones must have had some power behind them, when it came to fighting the originals. But again, that was decades down the line, and potentially done by an Android of his that may not have even been the original Vomi.
There was no telling how Majin DNA may have played into events as well. Perhaps that particular DNA had been used as a stabilizing factor in making the flash clones? It was an intriguing theory, though he had no way of testing it for another ten to twenty years, depending on if Babidi still came to Earth. Given what he knew of Majin Buu's properties, it was possible he might be able to synthesize something akin to him, potentially by combining together several different samples. Perhaps if he experimented with Namekian, Saiyan, and Frost Demon DNA…ah, but the latter would require him to get a sample from Freeza or his father. Or potentially Cooler, if he existed in this worldline. Hrm.
Well, whatever the case, he doubted the artificial DNA would compare to the actual thing, likely making such an experiment pointless. And even if it did work…Gero was uncertain the results would be worth it.
While his knowledge of FighterZ was spotty, he didknow that Android Twenty One was a bioandroid like Cell; and much like Cell, she had the DNA of other warriors coded within her, with the added DNA of Majin Buu truly taking her into a higher tier, making her a thousand times more powerful than any of his other creations. Though Gero also knew that Twenty One's incredible power had come with severe drawbacks: namely an insatiable hunger that had split Twenty One into two distinct personas. Such hunger would make her impossible to control, let alone reason with, and he had very little doubt that any other experiments given Majin DNA would turn out similarly. Majin DNA seemed far too unwieldy and unstable to use, given those facts.
Regardless, there was no changing the state of cloning as it stood in the present day. He would hem and haw about the potentials of the future all day long, but it wouldn't do Gero any good here and now. And the sad reality was, despite its tantalizing possibilities, cloning was nowhere near as viable a field of science as making his Androids was.
"A clone army? Don't be absurd. Commander Red may have demanded that of us back in the day, but that project was more of a pipe dream than anything else," Gero dismissed, rolling his eyes. "The field is still in its infancy, and I've made no breakthroughs whatsoever in advancing it. Perhaps I couldhave, if I deigned to focus on it, but I've been occupied with building my Androids more than anything else."
Besides that, he was an engineer at heart, not a bloody biologist. Even his magnum opus, Cell, had only been possible in part due to Vomi's prior research into the field of biology. And it had still taken his supercomputer years to actually create Cell in the future that could have been.
"Perhaps decades into the future, the both of us together will be able to crack the main issues that prevent mass cloning from being a feasible strategy," he continued, stroking his mustache thoughtfully. "But as it is right now? Cloning is an imperfect process, and certainly not an ideal path to follow in the upcoming fight against the Saiyans. Besides, even if our clones survive the gestation process, they won't be liable to live longer than three weeks at the most. I doubt any such clones would hold up in a training match, let alone an actual fight."
Vomi paused, regarding him with a disbelieving stare before she abruptly pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Oh, so that'syour objection," she groused, shaking her head. "It just isn't practical. Ugh. And here I thought that…"
She trailed off, giving a disgusted sigh before sending another glower his way.
"What?!" he yelped defensively, glaring back at her.
"Nothing. At least you realize it's impossible now," Vomi hissed, before giving a scoff. "It would have been nice if you'd said as much back in the day. Commander Red would have believed you. As it was, he thought Iwas just dragging my feet!"
"Ah," Gero said, looking off to the side.
He'd been the darling of the Red Ribbon Army's scientific department, so to speak. Whatever he personally thought of the man, Commander Red had seen Gero as a valuable asset and the greatest mind inside the RRA. After all, Gero had helped build or otherwise pioneer a great deal of the cutting edge tech the Army had employed. Red had been especially pleased with Major Metallitron, the mechanoid Gero had built as both a prototype and proof of concept for his precious Android Project.
Vomi, on the other hand…well, she had been the redheaded stepchild of the organization, to put it one way.
Perhaps he'd been sexist, or perhaps Red was just a hard man to please. Whatever the case, he had always come down hard on Vomi and her department. Due to a variety of reasons, the Biological Research arm of the RRA had always lagged behind the other major branches, and Red had often taken his frustrations on that upon Vomi.
At the time, Gero had been content to ignore that. He'd been focused on building his Androids, after all, and little else had mattered to him. But now, looking back on it…
God, what a fool he'd been. He'd just watched Red heap tons of abuse upon Vomi, and done nothing to protect her or shield her from it. What the hell was wrong with him?! They'd still been married, at that point! Whyhadn't he—
Well. It didn't matter now, Gero supposed. It was just yet another idiotic mistake he could chalk up to his foolish past self.
"I apologize," Gero muttered stiffly, still looking away from Vomi.
"...What?" she questioned, her tone suddenly small and unsure.
"I said I'm…sorry," he repeated, finally looking back at her. Staring her right in the eyes he added, "I was, well, I suppose there's no excuse for my behavior back then. I was just so…blind and arrogant, so trapped within my own work. I should have been there for you, I should have stood up for you, I…well. I should have done a lot of things differently back then."
All the prior anger and bitterness drained completely from Vomi's expression. A mixture of incredulousness and hurt lingered in its place, his genuine apology once more taking her aback. When he saw the sparkling of tears gathering at her eyes, Gero finally looked away, his mouth twisting into a helpless grimace.
Gero curled his hand into a fist, clenching it as hard as he could to stop the tremors of rage that threatened to rock his body. Not for the first time, he was reminded about what an utter, gods damned fool his past self had been. No, not just a fool, but a monster. After all, only a monster would have been content to let his own wife get abused like that.
"Why…"
Vomi trailed off, looking at him as if she didn't even recognize the person in front of her.
A long, tense silence fell between them. Gero didn't dare breathe a word, certain that if he talked now, he'd start screaming profanities, and wouldn't stop until he'd completely, verbally eviscerated the man he had been.
Thankfully, it was not he who ended up breaking the silence.
"What," Vomi said, swallowing thickly. "What do you expect me to do then, if not furthering cloning research?"
Gero let out a shaky sigh, immensely relieved at the change in topic. He cleared his throat, looking off to the side as he started to explain.
"Truth be told, I am far more interested in creating Biowarriors," he said. "Artificially created biological lifeforms, that is. More or less what my Mechanoids are, but of flesh and blood instead of machinery and oil. Such creations, in theory, would be capable of strengthening themselves far easier than most of my Mechanoids, given their biological nature. Though their potential isn't as varied or expansive as a cyborg would be, in my humble opinion."
Vomi tapped her chin, a thoughtful look flashing over her face. After a moment she said, "I still have my reservations about this line of scientific experiments, but as long as they're not full-out clones of real people…but, is such a thing possible? Creating sentient life is complex and incredibly difficult, to say the least. It's not nearly as simple as your machines, Gero."
"It's not that simple," he muttered mulishly, shooting her a cross look.
Gero cleared his throat a moment later, speaking louder as he said, "That is, yes, I do believe it is verypossible. Doctor Wheelo managed it, and given we have access to his research, I think we'll be able to build off of what he pioneered."
"Wheelo?" Vomi questioned, giving him a surprised stare, before a look of remembrance dawned over her features. "Right, you hadmentioned this. Yes, having Wheelo's research into the matter certainly would give me a leg up in advancing this field. I won't deny that. Can you show me this research you found?"
Gero nodded, moving over to a computer console he'd set up in that area of the lab. After a few moments, he pulled up everything his Androids had found from Wheelo's trashed lair, and stepped back to let his ex-wife pour over it. She studied it all intently for a good ten minutes, parsing her way through the gathered records with lightning speed.
"Now thisis revolutionary," Vomi finally said, a hint of awe in her tone. "The stories we grew up with regarding Doctor Wheelo's genius weren't an exaggeration, that's for sure. Still, these records aren't complete. It's like trying to assemble a puzzle, but only having half of the pieces."
"Yes, my Mechanoids were only able to retrieve so much. Doctor Wheelo is, regrettably, quite dead now, and his main laboratory was left in ruins," Gero admitted, a frown marring his face. "Associates of mine were given the coordinates of his base, so perhaps we might be able to find more of his research once they've recovered and cataloged everything. Still, I'm confident that you can figure out the missing pieces here."
Indeed, given what he knew of at least one potential future, he was confident that Vomi would be able to get very far indeed with her research and experimentation. Though how much of a difference it would make against the Saiyans, that he was less certain of.
He hadmanaged to salvage the blue-prints, so to speak, of Wheelo's Bio-Men, the blue-skinned carbon copies of the Saibamen—which, incidentally, he now knew wasn't justa confusing metafictional piece of trivia, but a genuine piece of fact in this reality, because the Bio-Men werebased upon Saibamen samples Wheelo had obtained. Where and how Wheelo had gotten those, though, he did not know: the records he had salvaged did not say. It was a curious mystery, to say the least, but one Gero was willing to let die for now, given he had bigger fish to fry.
Regardless, being able to recreate the Bio-Men was a good boon here. The Bio-Men were created to be relatively simplistic in their intelligence, capable of following commands from their masters, but not built for complex, independent thought beyond that. They probably wouldn't make a dent against Vegeta and Nappa, but still, they'd serve as useful cannon fodder, and potential sparring partners for his Androids.
Perhaps they'd make for good guards for his secondary labs, as well? Hm, yes, that was a good idea actually. Gero was confident in the security system he had at work already, but still, having some organic muscle around to protect his labs would be good as well. Perhaps he should look into that later…
Alas, Gero had been less successful in salvaging genetic blueprints of Wheelo's so-called 'Brutal Warriors' line of Biowarriors, which was endlessly annoying. Still, having this much was a good start for this wing of their research.
Vomi studied the files for another few minutes, before pulling away from the computer console. Gero could detect a keen sense of curiosity and excitement pulsing from her, though Vomi did her best to maintain a neutral and disaffected aura.
"Alright, I think I can do this. Certainly, it shouldn't be too hard to make new copies of Wheelo's Bio-Men. But I can't promise you anything beyond that, Gero. Not until I've had more time to analyze this data," she warned him.
"Of course," he replied in a demure tone. "I'd expect nothing less. Once you have had time to properly digest these records, we can discuss this some more. I have some ideas for potential Biomechanical warriors we could create, but we'll have to see just how feasible such projects will be."
Vomi nodded at that, the wheels turning in her head as she seemed to mull over her own ideas for the project. Before Gero could question her, however, a soft chime started to sound throughout the lab.
"Priority message incoming for Doctor Gero,"the feminine voice of his Supercomputer dutifully informed him.
A message? Strange, he wasn't expecting anything. Who could be messaging him now?
Brows furrowed in puzzlement, Gero turned and left that wing of the laboratory, leaving Vomi behind as she went back to studying Wheelo's data.
He walked up to his main computer console soon thereafter, typing away at the keyboard as he pulled up the electronic video message he'd been sent. His surprise only grew further as the familiar visage of a short man nearing middle age appeared on his screen.
He was dressed in a fancy magenta-colored suit with a black undershirt visible, and a gold chain necklace around his collar. His black hair was slicked back with some sort of gel, while a pencil thin mustache framed his lips. The man had a lit cigar in one hand, and took a long drag from it as he stared into the camera.
Gero stared for a long moment at Magenta, his lips curling into a grimace at the sight of his unwelcome benefactor. It made him immensely glad Magenta had sent him a recorded message, and hadn't tried to call him instead.
Regardless, he played out the man's message.
"Gero,"Magenta began, an arrogant smirk tugging at his lips. "Sorry for the short notice, but something's come up, and we need to meet as soon as possible. So come down to the corporate headquarters ASAP, no excuses. Let Carmine know as soon as you're on your way."
With that, the video cut off, freezing on the still image of Magenta's smug smile.
Gero blinked rapidly, a flux of emotions swirling within him. A potent mixture of confusion and fury became the strongest of those feelings, and Gero wished he had access to the Force then and there. Oh, what he wouldn't giveto be able to Force Choke Magenta over the computer…
But, still. Magenta wanted to meet with him? Now? But why? Gero did have scheduled check-ins with Magenta, meetings to assuage his benefactor and keep the money rolling in. But they typically only met twice a year, and it would be a few months until their next scheduled appointment. So what was different now?
Perhaps he had some sort of update about the excavation of Wheelo's ruined laboratory? Gero couldn't think of what else he'd want to meet over.
Briefly, he mulled over the idea of just blowing Magenta off. Before he'd gained access to his meta memories, he'd never had a particular fondness for Red's son, and now, he liked him even less. Of course, Magenta was every bit as ego-centric as his father, and copied his leadership style too. Red had never truly earned the love and loyalty of his forces, no matter what the man himself might have thought. Most of the RRA had been there because of his money, or their belief in the cause, versus personal loyalty to the man behindthe cause. Gero himself had never had any sense of fealty toward Red, and even now, he was only 'loyal' to Magenta and the RPC because of Magenta's funding of his research.
But it was because of that funding that he knew he couldn't just ignore his benefactor. If Magenta chose to cut off his funding at any moment, it would seriously screw him over. Gero intellectually knew he could continue his research without Magenta, but…how would he pay for all his necessities? The power bill for all of his labs, his supply of spare parts, the funding needed to maintain his cutting edge equipment…without Magenta's donations, Gero would be overwhelmed by all the logistical concerns that he didn't have to worry about normally. Perhaps in time he'd be able to overcome that limitation, but it would still cripple him in the short term, especially when it came to the fight against the Saiyans.
Besides that, he'd still need to find a new source of income, and doing thatwould be easier said than done, given he was legally dead. And if he were to pop out of the shadows, then without Magenta's protection, the World Government would come after him.
So it was with a growl and a grimace that Gero knew he couldn't put this off. He exited out of the video message, and paused only to send a text memo to Carmine's cellular device that he was on his way. Once that was done he strolled back over to the operation bay of his lab, moving over to Android Thirteen's stasis pod. After some fiddling with the device, it hissed open, and Thirteen climbed out of his pod.
"Thirteen, you are to come with me," he gruffly ordered. "I have a meeting to attend, and you shall act as my bodyguard whilst I am away."
It was, no doubt, an overreaction caused by paranoia on his part. He seriously doubted that Magenta was going to try and liquidate him: after all, he and his research were the key to Magenta's goal of reestablishing the Red Ribbon Army. Still, it couldn't hurt to bring some protection along, just in case. Besides that, he could also use this as an opportunity to show Thirteen off, and give Magenta some clear signs of his current progress.
Maybe if he was lucky, Thirteen would help earn him some extra money the next time Magenta sent over his paycheck.
"Of course Doctor," Thirteen obliged, taking a confident and relaxed stance.
His attitude irritated Gero some, but he couldn't blame his Mechanoid. It wasn't like Magenta would have anything that could seriously threaten him, not while he had Thirteen around.
With that done, he moved back to Vomi next. Once she was in earshot, he called out,
"Something's come up, and I have to go to a meeting on short notice. I'll try to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, feel free to use the lab as you'd like."
He saw Vomi's head briefly peek up from her computer monitor, her tangled red hair shaking slightly as she gave him a hurried nod, right before going back to what she was looking at.
Gero didn't bother to stop the smile that flickered over his lips. It was just like Vomi to lose herself into her research. Some things never changed, it seemed.
After that, he went down to the garage with Thirteen, climbing into his car while his Android took the passenger seat. One turn of the key later, and they were off, his flying vehicle swiftly exiting the opening garage doors.
"You know Doctor," Thirteen began, his distinctive Southern drawl drawing a flash of annoyance from Gero. "I had an interestin' idea occur to me just recently, and I reckon' you'd want to hear it."
"Oh?" he questioned, shooting Thirteen a skeptical look. He wasn't sure if any idea professed by his Mechanoid would be worthwhile, but his curiosity was piqued all the same.
"Yes. Your orders are to help Son Goku and his allies during the eventual Saiyan Invasion, and stop the Saiyans no matter the cost. However, we also have prime directives to kill Son Goku and his allies at the earliest possible convenience," Thirteen pointed out, leaning back in his seat. "Which got me to thinkin'. Let's say that at least one of us Androids is still kickin' after we dust those alien invaders; would the best, most opportune moment to strike at Son Goku not be right then and there? He'd no doubt be severely weakened in the aftermath of the fight, with most, if not all, of his allies dead at that point. Seems to me he'd be easy pickins'."
Gero tilted his head, giving the idea some serious thought. It wasn't a bad plan per say: assuming Goku still did most of the heavy-lifting in defeating Vegeta, he'd be virtually powerless in the aftermath. And while it was possible that some of that burden would be alleviated by his Androids, Goku would still undoubtedly be exhausted from the fight. Meanwhile, his Mechanoids would be ready to ambush him right away. Even if Goku were theoretically stronger than Thirteen and the others due to his training from King Kai, he'd be in too weak of a state to properly resist Thirteen and the others.
Assuming his Androids survived the battle intact, of course. And that was a big 'if'.
That aside, however, Gero knew he couldn't go through with the plan. No matter how tempting it was…
"Negative, Thirteen. We cannot afford to let Son Goku die after defeating the Saiyans," he said, shaking his head. "The events of that battle will inevitably see Freeza and his minions descend upon Planet Namek, and Freeza cannot be allowed to gain immortality. Much as it pains me to say it, Son Goku is our best chance at killing Freeza before he can accomplish his goals. Thus he must be allowed to live."
Thirteen stared at him for a few moments in response, before giving him a curt nod. "As you say, Doctor. Just thought I'd bring up the idea, that's all."
Gero grunted and turned his attention back to the expansive sky before him as he piloted his hover-car. His absolute concentration on that task, however, ensured that he missed the dark glower Thirteen sent his way. For that matter, he also missed how the Android's hands curled into fists at his side, as if suppressing a jolt of anger.
Thirteen didn't say anything else for the entirety of the car ride.
An hour later, they arrived at South City and Gero flew them to the corporate headquarters of Red Pharmaceuticals. By the time they arrived, a familiar figure was already walking out of the main entrance to come greet them.
"Doctor Gero," Carmine, Magenta's right-hand man, greeted him cordially. "It's good to see you again."
The man was dressed the same as he always was, to Gero's distaste. His raven black hair was still styled in that ridiculous looking pompadour, while Carmine was clad in a garishly red business suit that clung to his tall, muscular frame. A pair of dark glasses completed his look, and Carmine adjusted them as he glanced over at Android Thirteen.
"Carmine," Gero gruffly acknowledged in return. Gesturing to Thirteen he said, "This is one of my Mechanoids. I thought I might bring him over for Magenta to inspect, as a way to show how my research has gone thus far."
Carmine raised an eyebrow, giving Thirteen a more speculative look before he stared back at him. He nodded and gestured for them to follow, as he turned to head back inside.
Gero and Thirteen trailed after him, Gero inspecting the sterile halls of Red Pharmaceuticals the entire time. The place hadn't changed that much since his last visit, though this was the first time he'd been here since the arrival of his new memories.
It didn't take Carmine long to escort them to Magenta's office, the entire space large and expansive, with a splendid view of the cityscape visible from the office's main window. Gero's attention was more on the mahogany desk that his unwanted benefactor sat behind, however.
Magenta offered him a smile as he walked up, and waved toward a pair of seats placed in front of his desk. "Please, take a load off, Gero! So good to see ya again! I see you've brought a friend this time, too."
Gero nodded idly and took a seat, resisting the urge to give a soft sigh as his back sank against the plush material of the chair. Thirteen took a seat beside him, beating a perturbed looking Carmine to the punch. The incredibly tall man glowered at Thirteen, before moving to stiffly stand at Magenta's side.
"Yes, this is Android Thirteen," Gero introduced, gesturing to his creation. "I wanted to bring him along to show how my progress has been with the Android Project. Although, I had hoped to do that at our regularly scheduled meeting…"
"Yes, yes, sorry about that," Magenta said, not sounding all that apologetic. "Still, I wanted you to be here in person when we talked about this."
Magenta paused, his eyes blatantly inspecting the Android next to him. "Hm, Android Thirteen, huh? I thought you said he was one of your failed products."
"I revisited his line, and have since ironed out the previous errors present within him," Gero tersely explained. "Now, mind telling me what this is all about? I do not appreciate being ordered here like a lapdog."
Magenta smiled at that, and reached inside of his desk. Gero tensed for a moment, almost certain he was about to pull out a gun. But instead he pulled out a glass of champagne, and set a pair of glasses on the desk shortly thereafter.
"We're celebrating, Gero!" he declared, giving a victorious laugh. "Why else would I bring you here so suddenly? You see, my boys finished excavating everything you said was at Wheelo's lab in the Tsurumai-Tsurubi Mountains. Got my personal scientists analyzing things now, and if half of what they've found so far holds up, we're sitting on a fucking goldmine! This is everything we've neededfor the revitalization of the Red Ribbon Army!"
Gero blinked rapidly, not expecting a response like that. While he digested Magenta's words, the shorter man opened the bottle of champagne, pouring into both glasses before sliding one of them over his way.
He mindlessly took it from Magenta, not about to turn down free booze. Gero took a small sip from the champagne, enjoying its smooth flavor.
"Wheelo's records were that much of a good find?" he asked at last.
"Of course! Granted, some of the stuff was damaged or degraded due to whatever the hell happened up there. Still, with what we've got? It's jumped forward the RRA's Bioweapons division by decades,Gero! The DNA blueprints for those Bio-Men alone are gonna do wonders for making a new class of foot soldier for the Army, and then there's all the experimental stuff that Wheelo was working on. My scientists are still parsing through all of his research there; and of course, I'll be sending over what we found to you soon enough," Magenta declared.
Gero gave a noncommittal hum, buying himself some time to think. Of all the potential consequences that could have come about from giving Magenta the location of Wheelo's lab, accidentally strengthening the power of Magenta's Red Ribbon Army wasn't something he had considered. In hindsight though, he really should have seen this coming. He and Magenta did have different priorities, after all, and Magenta would naturally have his own plans and ideas on how to use Wheelo's research.
Hmph, now this was a complication that he really didn't want to deal with…
"Now, my question for you, Gero: what can youdo with this research?" Magenta pressed, adopting a more serious look. "You're smarter than most of my eggheads combined, so I want your expert opinion on this stuff."
Gero couldn't help but sit up straighter at that, a flare of pride bursting through at Magenta's flattering words. He cleared his throat a second later, closing his eyes as he mulled over the matter.
He certainly didn't want to add more work to his plate, despite Magenta's praise. Besides that, he already had his own plans for Wheelo's research, and he didn't want Magenta involved in that at all. Perhaps it'd be best to deflect, and pass the buck onto Magenta's men. Gero knew for a fact that the RRA's scientific team would be struggling just to develop most of Wheelo's work, if not improve upon it. And with the Army's R Department stuck in development hell…
Perhaps he wouldn't have to worry about Magenta's ambitions for a while yet.
"I can improve upon Wheelo's research, of course," he finally said, giving his benefactor a confident look. "That goes without question. But my expertise isn't in biology, per say. And I only have so much time to work on my projects for the Army. Right now, my priorities lie with the Android Project, as should yours. I've made great strides lately, and while further research into the Bioweapons division would be beneficial, I think it would be something better managed by a team of your own choosing."
Magenta gave a slow nod, taking a sip of his champagne as he did so. Or at least, that's what he attempted to do: what Magenta did instead was accidentally spill a bit of champagne on his suit, much to the man's displeasure.
Carmine immediately moved to dab at the stain with a handkerchief he pulled out of his pocket, but Magenta waved him off.
"That does make sense, I suppose," Magenta allowed, turning his attention back to Gero. "Doesn't hurt that you brought the trucker guy here to back up your point. How strong is he, anyway? Same level as Major Metallitron? Or stronger than that, like Android Eight?"
Gero allowed himself a haughty smirk, a heady mixture of pride and arrogance swelling within him. His voice dripping with pompous dismissal, he stated, "Stronger, Magenta. Far stronger than that. If I had to put an estimate on it…I would say that Android Thirteen, right now, is stronger than even Piccolo Junior."
"Really?" Magenta's eyes widened at that, giving Thirteen another look.
Thirteen leaned back in his chair, propping it with one foot and balancing himself like that. He crossed his arms over his bare chest, a proud smile of his own resting on his lips.
"Oh yes, Doctor Gero does not exaggerate," Thirteen drawled, before shooting Carmine a vicious smirk. "I'm stronger than anyone currently on this planet. In fact, I wager I could kill that lackey of yours in two seconds flat, and after that, take down everyone in this establishment within a minute. Maybe less, if I don't try to be flashy about it."
Carmine tensed at the blatant threat, and his hand dipped into his jacket, reaching for the gun holster hidden inside. Magenta, meanwhile, seemed far more impressed with that assessment than frightened, if the smile on his face was any indication.
"Oh? Heh, if you can build more Androids like that Gero, then maybe we won't even need Wheelo's research," Magenta replied, absently reaching for his champagne glass.
Instead he grabbed a pencil holder on his desk. Magenta paused, casting a glance at it, before moving it elsewhere, acting as if he'd meant to do that the entire time.
"Perhaps, but there's always strength in diversity," Gero advised. "And Wheelo's research may have some applications with my Mechanoids as well. I plan on branching out into Bioandroids eventually, after all."
"Right, right," Magenta frowned at that, before pointedly asking, "Speaking of, you still against getting any further test subjects for that cyborg process of yours? Could be that the twins we found were just defective. Maybe if you operated on someone else, you'd have more success."
Gero did his best to maintain a carefully blank expression at that question. While he knew the truth now of why Androids Seventeen and Eighteen were 'faulty', he wasn't about to tell Magenta the truth. That would be a one way ticket to getting some RRA lackey assigned as a Cyborg test subject, someone whose loyalty Gero would not be able to assure.
"Perhaps, but it feels too dangerous to entertain such a notion," he hedged. "Better to focus on the field of making home grown Bioandroids, as it were, versus cyborgs."
Magenta shrugged a moment later, seemingly deferring to his expertise. "If you say so. Still, while this Bioandroid stuff is a good long term project…do we need it? If you've already got a working robot who can take down even Demon King Piccolo's son, who else in this world could threaten the new Red Ribbon Army?"
Ah, now this was a dangerous path to trod as well. He still needed Goku's allies to survive long enough to defeat the Saiyans and Freeza, after all. How best to put Magenta off of this…
"Thirteen is but one Mechanoid, who could be overwhelmed and beaten if Son Goku and his allies work together. We need an entire team of Mechanoids if we've got any hope of defeating our greatest foes," he cautioned. "And thus, I need more time to create these Androids. And if I'm afforded enough time to create a perfect Bioandroid…"
He carefully refrained from mentioning anything about Fourteen or Fifteen: the more surprises he had up his sleeve, the better.
"An entire team, huh? Yeah…I can see the logic in that. Just make sure these things don't go growin' a conscious on us, yeah? Last thing we need is another Android Eight," Magenta remarked with a scowl.
Gero gave a dismissive scoff, waving his hand as he said, "Please, that won't be a problem at all. My Mechanoids are made to obey my every order, no matter what."
Unnoticed by Gero, Thirteen's eyes twitched over to him, giving him a lingering stare before a carefree smile stretched over his features.
"It's as he says," Thirteen declared airily. "I'm built to follow Doctor Gero's orders, no matter what."
"Besides that," Gero continued. "That messy business is all Frappe's fault. Android Eight was his precious baby, and he convinced me to give Eight a more complex personality matrix and emotional array. Blasted charlatan. And to top it all off, the bloody bastard had the gullto fake his own death!"
Magenta paused at that, giving Gero a keen stare. "What's that, now?"
"Hm?" Gero questioned, not picking up on the tension in his benefactor's tone. "Oh, yes. This wasn't common knowledge at the time…this was maybe six months before Son Goku utterly dismantled the organization. We were working on building Android Nine at the time, and there was an incident at the main lab. Half the building was gutted in the resulting explosion, and nothing was left of Frappe but blood and torn clothes. I figured he must have been vaporized in the blast…but as it turned out, he had staged the whole thing in order to escape the Army. Bloody traitor. I reported my findings to your father, but by that point, we were already busy building a radar system to find the mythical Dragon Balls, so Red had bigger things on his mind."
Red had also found Frappe's defection rather inconvenient. Rather than risk losing face at one of his top scientists disappearing in the wind, he'd instead covered it up, with most of the Army unaware that Frappe had supposedly 'died', let alone the truth of what had actually happened'. Though Gero wasn't going to say anything that might disparage Red to his son's face.
"I see, I see…" Magenta hummed, before reaching back into his desk, pulling out a cigar. Carmine reached over, clipping the tip and lighting it for his boss.
Magenta took a puff from his now lit cigar, blowing a smoke ring as he drummed his free hand against his desk.
"Well Gero, you've given me a lot to think about," he finally said. He glanced at Thirteen, before saying, "You're free to go, but why don't you and Thirteen here head over to the Army base just outside the city on your way out? I want to put your Android here through some tests, to get an independent assessment of his power. No offense meant, of course."
Gero shrugged, not minding at all. If anything, it would be a good chance to show off the power of his creation. "So long as I can take the champagne with me."
Magenta gave a careless wave, and Gero gladly reached over to take the bottle. He nodded his head respectfully to him and Carmine, before rising out of his chair. From there, he and Thirteen swiftly left the room, leaving Magenta and Carmine alone.
A long silence lingered in the office, as Magenta continued to smoke from his cigar.
"You know about this shit with Frappe?" he finally asked, glancing at Carmine.
Carmine shook his head, saying, "It was before my time, sir. And my father was only a mere sergeant in the Red Ribbon Army, before his passing. He certainly never told me anything like that."
Magenta grumbled in response to that, before abruptly standing up from his desk. He waddled over to the expansive window behind him, stepping up onto a milk crate as he gazed upon the city in the distance.
"Well, Gero's right about one thing: he's got his own priorities with the Androids. They're our big ticket back to power, and I shouldn't do anything to overburden the man. Still, Wheelo's research is a fuckin' goldmine, be a waste not to do something with it…"
He snapped his fingers a moment later, a devilish smirk appearing on his face.
"Doesn't Baron Jaguar have a team of scientists on his payroll? Yeah, yeah, I remember him sayin' something about it during the last Board meeting. Something about building Biowarriors or some shit. Carmine, make a note to schedule a meeting with Jaguar…I think it's time he contributed a bit more to the Red Ribbon Army than just his financial backing," Magenta declared, a determined gleam shining in his eyes.
Carmine nodded, taking out a notepad and scribbling something done. "As you say, sir."
"Also," Magenta went on, taking another puff from his cigar. "That shit with Frappe…I ain't letting it slide like my old man did. Dunno what he was thinkin', but disrespect like that can't be allowed to stick."
A vicious sneer spread over his lips as he said, "I think we ought to call up Mercenary Tao: I got a new job for him. A man of his talents, should be fairly simple to kidnap one old scientist."
"Of course, sir," Carmine said, smirking as he wrote down those orders. "I'll see to it, don't you worry."
With that said, Carmine soon departed his office, moving to carry out his new orders. Magenta, meanwhile, continued to stare out into the cityscape in the distance, envisioning the glorious rise of the new Red Ribbon Army.