Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

             I couldn’t believe it. It was prettier than I imagined. The bustling city life played out in front of me as I admired from afar, the sun warming my back. I had only seen South City in pictures from my father. I had never actually seen it with my own eyes…until now. I would’ve looked incredibly out of place if I had been standing on the street, gawking like I was now. But standing atop one of the tall buildings, I was able to take in the scenery, the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

            The sounds of the streets below seemed to reverberate off the windows, bouncing up into the blue sky and penetrating through the wind whistling through my ears. The wind was slightly more aggressive up here, but I didn’t mind. I breathed deeply, the faint smell of exhaust and salt mixed with the crisp gusts of air. I preferred that to smoke and decay. I felt clear headed for the first time since I had arrived here. It’s a good thing, too, because I had work to do.

            Snapping out of my trance, I focused in on a few unknown energy signals. They seemed to lead me to the middle of the city. The only problem was, once I started getting closer to their location, their energies seemed to be moving away from me. The number of energies I detected was…off. I couldn’t tell who was who, but I could count, and there were a few energies missing from the total number that I was told showed up to protect the city.

            My fists clenched. Shit, was I too late? I started to fly through the city, and my awe turned to horror as I discovered a faint smoky aura around a few areas in the city. They must’ve already started their attack. I flew in closer, observing cautiously out of view, but there seemed to be no more damage or violence happening. Sirens blared out from the streets. The police and the firefighters were diminishing the rest of the flames. Good, that means they moved the fight elsewhere. I focused on the Z fighters’ energies again; they had stopped moving…and there seemed to be a few extra energies this time. They must’ve moved the fight to a different location to stop anymore civilian casualties. I could’ve sworn there was an extra person in the mix, but I shrugged it off. One extra was better than one less.

             I took one last sweep of the destroyed area. I still heard some commotion, but no screams of terror rose to meet me. I heard a baby crying, and peering down, I could see a man holding a swaddled baby, just off the side of a smoking building. He was holding the baby close, rocking it as it cried out, paramedics now making their way towards them. A group of guys in ties and dress pants seemed to be discussing the sudden disturbance. No one seemed to be in immediate danger. Satisfied, I flew out of the city to try to find the others and help them as fast as possible. I pinpointed one energy that I recognized: Gohan. While flying towards them, I realized again, some were missing. There were two less energies than before. My eyebrows pinched together in worry. Could the androids have killed two of them already?

             I touched down close by to where they were, and I soon discovered the fact that two of them being MIA wasn’t the only concerning thing I’d find. They were fighting two figures I had never seen before. One was very plump, with an almost painted white face, and goofy looking clothes on. The other was an older looking man, with a tall black hat and baggy clothes. His face seemed sunken, like his skin didn’t fit his face. What the hell?...

            One guy was fighting the plump looking one, his hair was blonde, and a gold aura was around him. He….looked like a Super Saiyan. I broke out into a smile, excited to finally see the legend at work. Bulma and Gohan would always tell me stories about everyone, especially Goku. He was highly regarded as the Earth’s strongest fighter. He was fairly accomplished and they had nothing but good things to say about his character, as well. My smile faltered when I remembered he succumbed to that heart virus before this all even began. To top it off, Bulma had said Goku always wore an orange Gi. This guy was wearing a blue suit and armor.

             I surveyed the watch party around him. There were two bald guys, one small and one tall, and a younger looking kid with black hair wearing a similar outfit to what the green alien looking guy was wearing. One of them had to be Gohan. From the energy I was sensing, Gohan wasn’t the one fighting. The only other Saiyan I knew of was Trunks’ father, Vegeta. He must be the one fighting right now. From what I remember Bulma telling me, Piccolo was the green alien. I think she called him a Namekian? I couldn’t pinpoint anyone else. I watched from a distance as the group looked down into a small crater. Suddenly, the plump guy came scrambling out, and as it fled in terror, Vegeta finalized its demise. With one big blinding blast, all that was left behind was the head, sparks flying out from its detached neck.

            My mouth went slack, almost letting out a gasp. So it was an android after all. But…it looked nothing like the androids in my time. The androids in my time were younger. Did I put in the wrong coordinates by mistake? No, there’s no way. Bulma input them herself, and I know she wouldn’t have made such a major error. If the time machine did put me back to the exact time the androids were supposed to appear, then…did my arrival mess things up in the past?

            I pulled back, flattening myself against the rocks as the nerves set in. What in the world is going on? These androids weren’t at all what I expected. I thought they would be in a heated battle between Androids 17 and 18. I had prepared myself for seeing a few deaths or a whole city already in ruin. But I was not prepared to find more androids to take out. This is really bad.

            When I looked back, they were gone. I could feel the super saiyan’s power level clearly, but everyone else’s was smaller. I guess I should follow behind them; they may need help. But I hung back, waiting for the right moment to come forward. I could feel power levels rising and falling back to normal, but none disappeared. That’s when I felt a different power level. A familiar one, coming straight towards me. I pressed myself into the rocks again as the person flew past. I peeked over the stones to see someone standing next to the Android’s head. The wind played with the stranger’s lavender hair, and suddenly I was overwhelmed with a sense of relief and joy.

            Trunks.

            As much as I wanted to see him, I still hesitated. I recognized just how much more complicated this could make things. Having not one, but two time travelers changing the course of the past could mean drastic changes, for better or worse. I finally decided if things go sour, they might need an ally. I took a deep breath before flying down to meet him. He picked up on my energy immediately; he tensed as he caught me approaching. His hand reached up to his sword, but he hesitated upon seeing me. He seemed perplexed and a little on edge. Rightfully so.

            “Trunks, I’m glad to see you. I have no idea what’s going on here, everything seems messed up,” I spewed, landing just a few feet from him. His eyes widened and he stepped back.

            “How do you know my name? Who are you?” It was my turn to be taken aback. He…didn’t know who I was? How could that be? He taught me everything he knew before he…

            Wait a minute…how is it he’s here if he…? Oh no…

            “I…umm…well…”I stumbled, the sudden realization that he shouldn’t be here right now if he was already dead was raising all kinds of alarms in my head. No wonder he was so on-edge. I just thought it was because of the whole android situation. Traveling back in time meant that there was no way he should be standing here. I should be the only one here right now. Unless our so called “time machines” weren’t really time machines at all.

            “It’s hard to explain, but you’re from the future, right?” I asked just to confirm he indeed was the same guy who endured the same future as me.

            Hesitantly, he nodded. “Uh…yeah…”

            “How far into the future did you come from?”

            “17 years from now.”

            I gulped, knowing now that the possibility of a completely different theory being correct was increasing every second this encounter continued. I kept my composure as I confessed, “I am, too.”

            His eyes went even wider and he had to take a couple steps back in disbelief. “But…how is that possible?…I…Are you sure?”

            I nodded. “I came here in a time machine from 17 years in the future. I…I knew you in my world. Judging from your expression, you have no idea who I am. Which means…I don’t exist in your world.” Somehow we were in the same place at the same time. My heart was pounding. How could we have messed with the past this much? “You have the time machine with you?” I asked quietly. He pulled out his case of capsules and inside was the same one I had. I showed him mine and his eyes were glued to the case.

            “How…how is this possible? How is any of this possible?” At his remark, a blast came from a different direction. Our heads snapped to attention; a cloud of dust and debris was spiraling up in the distance. “I have no idea what’s going on, but I think we need to hash this out later,” I quickly said. “They might need us.”

            Suddenly, Trunks’ face dropped all the surprise he held, turning serious and solemn. He must’ve realized what I have. If they aren’t fighting the androids from the future right now, then the androids we expect could still be out there, waiting to strike. I hope we’re both wrong.

            Just before Trunks and I took off, I blurted out, “Oh by the way, I’m Haven.”

Chapter Text

           Trunks and I flew silently side by side, focusing on the energy signals in the distance. They must be fighting that older looking guy I saw earlier. Were they fighting him in the mountains? Was he just as powerful as the other androids? Where are the other androids from our time? Did Trunks even have the same androids that I did? And how is he still alive if he’s been dead for a couple of years now? None of this made sense. I wasn’t a scientist, so I had no idea how any of this time travel stuff worked, but something was up if two time travelers supposedly from the same timeline were here simultaneously, especially if one was supposed to be dead and the other basically non-existent.

            I peered over at Trunks. Maybe he had some answers to what was going on. “Hey,” I started, trying to get his attention. He didn’t look at me. My eyebrow arched at that. Was he ignoring me, or lost in thought? “Hey, Earth to Trunks,” I tried again. This time, he looked at me.

            “Sorry, what is it?”

            “Was that android back there the one from your world?”

            He shook his head. “No, that’s why I’m so confused. In my world, the androids look like two teens. I’ve never seen the android that was back there.”

            I nodded. “Those are the androids from my world, too. I don’t know how the timeline could be so vastly different this time around. Do you have any ideas?”

            “Well…” he seemed to be thinking out loud. “Maybe this is just the first generation of androids, and the androids we know are still on their way. That’s considering if nothing has changed, but if my warning did change the past, I know that it didn’t change anything in the future. So, if I changed the course of the timeline, then this might just be a parallel universe. Then that means every time you go into the past, you create another parallel universe.” I tried to absorb as much of that information as possible. So this version of him was able to go back in time to warn them 3 years before this all happened, just like my version of him was supposed to do.

            “That’s troubling, but explains why you’re here at the same time as me.”

            He narrowed his eyes at me. “I don’t understand.”

            “Trunks, in my timeline, you were there. The Z fighters existed, but I never met them. The only people I met were you and Gohan. I had heard stories from you, Gohan, and Bulma about them, but I was only a baby when it all went down. You had told me it was the same for you. Yet, somehow, in your timeline, I either never existed or I was a victim of the attacks. You’re sure you’ve never seen me before?”

            “I’m sorry, I think I would recognize you if I did,” he responded sadly. He sounded sympathetic, and hearing the sincerity sent a warmth through me. He acted and talked exactly the way Trunks did in my timeline, so nothing, other than my own existence, changed much between our timelines. This added more questions as to the circumstances of my birth. I never knew my birth mother, so the mystery of how I came to be was just met with more questions as to how I was only present in my time and not his as well. Who was my mother? If she was a Saiyan, why did she come to Earth? How did she make it off the planet before it exploded? Did the other Saiyans not know she was still alive? And who or what split the timeline so bad the future somehow had 2 versions of the same disaster? Nothing made any sense.

            Trunks and I snapped to attention when we saw the little silhouettes of people floating in the air. We both quickened our pace, wasting little time to make it to the spot. When we got there, Trunks and I had stopped outside the ring of people surrounding the older, sagging looking man I had seen earlier. His cap was gone now, only a dome with his brain showing on his head. The rest of him looked the same as it did when they were fighting the big one. Well, except for the missing hand.

            “Trunks,” the short, bald one called out in a friendly tone. Trunks didn’t respond, he was gawking at the old man standing before him.

            “I see it, but I don’t believe it,” Trunks muttered loudly, staring down at the man backed against the rocks below. He looked irritated and…frightened? Who would’ve guessed an android could feel fear. “Yeah, even though I’ve never seen him before, I can tell he’s one of Dr. Gero’s creations.”

            “Say what?” Vegeta said, bewildered. “What do you mean ‘you’ve never seen him before’? Isn’t he one of the androids you warned us about?!”

            “No, he’s completely different from the ones we know of,” I responded instinctively. As soon as I spoke, I knew I would be bombarded with questions. I’ve never met them before, and they’ve never met me. Well…this is going to be awkward….

            “And who the hell are you?! Where did you come from?” Vegeta spat at me. I felt the anger boil in me. Oooooh boy did this guy rub me the wrong way.

            “I’ll explain later, but she’s with me,” Trunks quickly answered. I was taken aback by how fast he covered for me, but also, grateful. He just met me not two minutes ago, he didn’t have to do that. I felt a blush creeping up my neck, but locking eyes with the android below us, the heat made a hasty retreat back to my chest. I felt that Saiyan urge to fight, something that didn’t come very often, but something in my gut was saying to take this guy down.

            “Wha-what did he say?” the short bald one stammered. “Those weren’t the androids?”

            “It can’t be!” The taller bald guy exclaimed. Trunks just stared down at the old android, narrowing his eyes at him.

            “No! Nonsense! If that’s not the android you warned us about, then who is it?!” The Saiyan asshole started yelling. I clenched my teeth.

            “We don’t know, we’re just as clueless as you,” I answered, and I tensed as he huffed at me.

            “Hey, cut the kids some slack, would ya?” The short bald guy piped up. “So what some of the things he told us changed. Maybe this did too. We found two androids, just like he said we would. Does it really matter that they don’t look the same?”

            “I hope you’re right,” the taller bald guy responded.

            “For your sake, I hope you’re right as well,” I agreed.

            The sound of an aircraft approached us, and I could see the capsule corporation logo on the side. Who was flying the ship? As they flew closer, the short bald guy pointed it out and said, “Hey, Gohan, look! It’s Bulma and Yajirobe.” So the young kid was Gohan after all. I squinted to see better into the plane. Like a snapshot, it all became clear: Bulma was flying the plane, with Yajirobe in the passenger seat holding an infant with lavender hair…

            My eyes widened. No way….was that….baby Trunks? I wasn’t listening to what was going on, stunned by the boldness of her. Why would she put herself in harm’s way like this…with her son on board?! Something switched inside of me and I yelled out “Bulma, get out of here!” My statement must’ve caught everyone off guard, which gave the old man a chance to distract us….he yelled out about unleashing android 17 and 18, then blasted Bulma’s plane. I sprang into action, wanting to make sure both Trunks and Bulma were safe. I had reached out for Bulma, but I sensed Trunks’ energy zip away with her when I got to her, and instead I caught a glimpse of the baby. I reached out and caught him, shielding his little body from the explosion. Poor little guy.

            When the smoke had cleared, I saw Bulma and Trunks safe on the ground, he was making sure she was okay. She started frantically looking around before I heard her yell about her baby. I ran over with the crying kid in my arms. Her eyes lit up as she saw he was okay. She held him in her arms. “Thank you! My baby….Trunks.” Future Trunks looked surprised. I smiled down at the little fellow. He was so small. Bulma’s lucky he grew up to be what stood before her. He was a great mentor, a great friend, incredibly smart, determined, and generous. Unlike the douchebag that was currently yelling about the android, how we lost him, etc. Trunks stared daggers at him. He seemed upset with Vegeta, and hell, I would be too; he didn’t even try to save his wife and child.

            “Trunks,” I started as I tried to put a hand on his shoulder to hold him back, but he was already flying up to confront him. I sighed. I understood his wish to save everyone from such a terrible fate, but Vegeta was just another brand of stubborn. You couldn’t tell him what to do, and you sure as hell couldn’t tell him he wasn’t strong enough to handle the big threat that destroyed him once before in the future.

            “Wait, did you just call him…” Bulma pointed up at Trunks, who was staring off in the direction Vegeta flew off to. I inwardly cringed. Oh boy, the explanation I’m going to have to give is going to be a dozy.

            “Yes, the stranger from the future you met about 3 years ago is the same baby you’re holding in your hands right now. Trunks grows up to be the boy you see up there.” This time, it was my turn to point up at him. “He grew up to be an amazing fighter, and an even better friend. You should be proud.”

            She paused, looked at her baby, then up at Trunks, then back at the baby. I held my breath, waiting for her response. I exhaled in relief when I saw her smile. “Well, he grew up to be a handsome young man. Thank God, he didn’t take after Vegeta.” I almost laughed at that, but her eyes locking with mine made my breath hitch. I knew I didn’t have much time before the questions began. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before. What’s your name?”

            “I’m Haven. I’m a friend of Trunks.” Bulma seemed satisfied with that, which means she must understand I’m also from the future. The hard part was going to be later, when I have to tell everyone I’m not exactly from HIS future. I inwardly smiled at how fast she accepted the information I had given. It took me back to the time Trunks took me to his mom when I had sustained a substantial amount of injuries, asking if I could stay with them while I healed. I, of course, was embarrassed that he was fretting so much over me. I had cuts and scrapes and large, dark bruises over me, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. She had looked me up and down, then smiled and declared, “Of course! Any friend of Trunks’ is a friend of mine.” I’m sure she hasn’t changed that mindset. The trust she had in her son was admirable.

            Gohan and the small bald guy came running over to Bulma to make sure her and the baby were okay. I felt it best to let them have some time, and save me from all the questions until we found him and the other androids. I flew up to meet Trunks. I gave him a small sad smile, he returned the gesture. “You okay?”

            “Yeah. Fine.” He was lying, but I didn’t push any further. His father was a touchy subject, even back in the future. Well, my future. It must be hard to have this image of who he was or might be like, only for him to be a complete ass. And it didn’t seem like he was a very hands-on kind of father either, like my own dad.

            “HEY! BULMA SAYS THE ANDROID IS REALLY DR. GERO!” The short guy called out. Trunks and I looked at each other before touching down to meet up with them. The group converged, some arguments were had, aka Bulma and Vegeta for the most part, until Bulma admitted, “Well, it was an easy mistake, Vegeta.” At the word mistake, he seemed to tense, like he was going to explode at her for thinking he, of all people, could make a mistake. “With all the modifications Dr. Gero made to himself, it’s hard to tell he was ever human. It’s really amazing what he’s done. Too bad I read he’s such jerk.” I rolled my eyes. Yeah, too bad.

            “You told us a pack of lies!” Vegeta yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Trunks. He didn’t move, didn’t speak. He took the verbal abuse, not even fazed anymore at his father’s attitude, choosing to side-eye him as he spoke. I, on the other hand, was struggling to keep my composure. “Curse you, boy! You said Dr. Gero was destroyed by the androids he created. You didn’t say he turned himself into one.”

            “Well maybe if you’d use your head for once, you’d recall he hasn’t activated the androids yet,” I snapped, done with his attitude towards Trunks. He may have been a Saiyan Prince, but he wasn’t anymore and he had no right to talk to his son that way. “Once he does, that part could still be fulfilled, but if we hurry the hell up, we can find him before that, and dispose of them all in one go! Besides, who the hell are you to talk to the guy who gave you the heads up in the first place, he probably saved your sorry ass!”

            “Why you-“ Vegeta growled at me, but Piccolo stepped in.

            “No, she’s right. We need to find him, soon. Or we could be facing the same future we were warned about.” The rest of the group nodded in agreement. I gave Piccolo a nod in appreciation. He gave me a smirk back, as if to say “way to go, kid”. I heard Vegeta grumbling, but I didn’t care. He needed to be put in his place. “While we’re at it, maybe you should tell us what the androids look like, so this mistake doesn’t happen again.”

            Trunks seemed to snap out of a trance, nodding. “Right.” He described them in detail, all of it accurate to the androids I knew and grew to despise and fear. I slipped into a memory, back when Trunks was teaching me how to fight. Our sparring sessions were always exciting for me, and once or twice, I was able to best him, but, for the most part, he would usually beat me. I shook my head. That part of my life was over. It’s time to put that training to the test.

            “Hey, how come Goku isn’t here right now?” My attention went immediately back to the present. He was supposed to be dead…oh wait, but if Trunks was able to warn them, then he was able to give him the medicine, right? So then he’s still alive! If that was the case, then…

            “Well, he came down with that weird heart virus, so Yamcha flew him out of here. He went home to get the antidote you gave him. I thought you knew.”

            I blinked a few times, realizing the two that were missing before were accounted for. Relief would have been bliss, but too much was wrong with this whole thing. I looked to Trunks, who was lost in thought. So he was able to warn them and give him the medicine, yet, he was still in limbo? Shouldn’t he have recovered by now? Or am I overestimating the effectiveness of the medicine? Could this have been in vain? I brushed that thought aside. He has the medicine, and hopefully he took it in time. That should put him back on the roster. While we waited for him to join us in the fray, we had androids to deal with, sooner rather than later.

            I backed away from the group for a little, wondering where Dr. Gero could’ve gone. If we didn’t hurry up, those androids wouldn’t hesitate to kick us into our graves. They’ve killed most everyone here in my world, and they sure as hell could do it again, unless someone stopped them from being activated in the first place. I heard shouting, and I watched as Trunks seemed to be stopping Vegeta from doing something stupid, probably from flying off. That, of course, didn’t stop him, but Trunks still tried. He flew in front of him, his arms outstretched. “Listen, don’t go,” Trunks was practically pleading with him. “You won’t be able to handle the androids by yourself. We have to wait for Goku.”

            “Listen, I will only say this once,” Vegeta growled back. “I do NOT have to wait for Kakarot. I am a Super Saiyan now, and I’m a lot stronger than that pathetic fool can ever dream of becoming. Now OUT of my WAY.” With that, he flew off, leaving the rest of us behind.

            “Man, he’s such a jerk!” The tall bald guy said.

            “I must admit, now that Vegeta’s become a Super Saiyan, he may actually be stronger than Goku,” Piccolo stated. “Perhaps he does have a chance of beating the androids single-handedly.”

            “No, I’m afraid he doesn’t have a chance,” Trunks countered softly. “And I know that, because in my world, these two androids have already killed Vegeta. Well I won’t let it happen again. I won’t let my father die!”

            “Trunks, wait!” I called to him. It was too late, he was flying after Vegeta, his determination to save his father rang in the wake of his departure. I hesitated to fly after him. He might need to do this by himself. After all, it was his father. Their family affairs were none of my business; but they were both going after the androids and Dr. Gero, something that was very much my business.

            I felt eyes on my back, and I tensed at the realization that he left me with Bulma and the rest of the fighters that I had never met before. I turned and all of them were staring at me quizzically. I blushed. “I guess now’s a good a time as ever to introduce myself. I’m Haven, I’m a friend of Trunks’. I’m here to help as much as I can.”

            “Good, we need all the help we can get,” Piccolo responded.

            “Uh, it’s nice to meet you, Haven. I’m Krillin,” the small bald guy said, then he gestured to Gohan, “this is Gohan, the green guy is Piccolo-“ Piccolo didn’t respond to that. “-and that-“ he pointed to the tall bald guy, “-is Tien.” Tien gave me a nod and I returned the gesture.

            Piccolo thought it would be best to bring Bulma back home while we searched for the lab. Gohan agreed, as he wanted to check up on his dad. Before we parted ways, I gave Gohan a nod, out of respect. I hadn’t realized how young he was, practically forced to defend the Earth alongside everyone else. “Be careful out there,” I told him. He nodded. “You too.” I exchanged focused glances between Krillin, Tien, and Piccolo. “We should get going on finding Dr. Gero,” Piccolo stated, and we all nodded. “We better move fast.” We all set out to catch up with Vegeta and Trunks. If Vegeta found it first, we’d all be in big trouble.

Chapter Text

            The wind whistled through my hair as I flew side by side with Tien, Krillin, and Piccolo in search of Dr. Gero’s hidden lab. I hadn’t noticed how long we were flying; I was so lost in my own head. The Trunks from my world was dead, but somehow another version of him was here with us. And none of the events seem to match up to what we know about our worlds’ past. Dr. Gero was an android, and the two androids that touched down in South City weren’t the same androids that terrorized our world? And Goku is out of commission until the antidote cures him or….he kicks the bucket.

            I swallowed hard. Please, please let that antidote work.

            “Tien, can you see it yet?” Piccolo called to him.

            “Not yet, but we should be getting really close!” He responded. After a few moments of silence, Krillin pointed out North City. We quickened our pace, wanting to find the lab before Vegeta or Dr. Gero. After searching for what felt like hours, our hopes of finding the lab dwindled. We decided to split up to search the mountains faster. Krillin split the sensu beans between Piccolo, Tien and himself. He offered me one, but I declined. It was their sensu beans, it didn’t feel right to take one from them. We agreed on raising our power levels to alert each other if we found the lab.

            Plan in motion, I flew between the rocks, trying to scout out a secret entrance somewhere. A big gust of wind picked up, blowing open my jacket and sending goosebumps cascading down my arms. I couldn’t find a single trace of any entrance or human interaction. I crossed paths with Piccolo once and Tien twice. I could see Piccolo in the distance again when I felt Krillin’s energy spike. I saw Piccolo snap to attention and we both sped over to where Krillin was. I hope we got there before Dr. Gero, so we could stop this before it even begins.

            “See, there it is! That opening in the mouth is the entrance!” Krillin explained.

            “Right! Way to go Krillin!” Tien cheered.

            “Gee, thanks…” Krillin said less enthusiastically than Tien.

            “You can pat each other on the back later,” Piccolo said, smirking.

            “Yeah, we have work to do,” I told them and we all powered up, starting to barrel down towards the lab when Krillin stopped us and told us Dr. Gero had beat him to the lab. I gritted my teeth, ignoring their yelling targeting Krillin, and charging straight towards the door. I braced with my shoulder, but the door was much heavier than I expected and I nearly bounced off. I hissed, my shoulder stinging from the impact. Krillin and Tien banged and pushed on the door a couple of seconds before Piccolo told them to step aside. I started charging up a blast until I heard that cocky voice behind me.

            “Oh, I see you found it,” Vegeta stated with such a superiority complex that I had to force myself not to cringe. The only reason I didn’t turn my blast on him was the fact that Trunks stood immediately behind him. My first reaction was shock that they somehow snuck up on me without alerting me, my second was to ignore it and go back to charging up an attack. I chose the latter.

            “Yes, break the doors down, just don’t hit the androids in the process. I still need my showdown,” Vegeta’s voice oozed with primal enjoyment. It made me sick. I grimaced.

            “Don’t listen to him! He doesn’t know what he’s saying!” Trunks yelled over the sound of the wind and my energy blast powering up in my hand. I clenched my teeth together, letting the blast fizzle out before I whipped back around to the two of them. “I don’t need both of you on my back when I know what needs to be done! Now shut up and step back, or get blasted to dust with the rest of this place!” That gold aura surrounded me, and I know my eyes were green, but all I saw was red. Trunks’ eyes widened, and a collective gasp sounded around me.

            I didn’t have the time to find out what exactly that meant, but I felt a pang of guilt for yelling at Trunks. I had never talked to him like that before, not even in my own world; but, come on, it took me how long to find this damn lab and then those two showed up arguing like a bunch of children?! I’d had enough, we needed to focus.

            Vegeta’s tall stance didn’t change, but his face did. He growled, “You’re a Saiyan?! How?! Dammit girl!” He grabbed my arm as I wound it back to blast the door and the rest of the lab. The energy ball fizzled once more and I yanked my arm out of his grip. Or I tried to. He was now a Super Saiyan as well, clamping onto my arm as tightly as he could to get me to answer him and to stop me from destroying the place.

            “I don’t have time for your games, Vegeta!” I attempted to free myself one more time, but he gripped my arm tighter.

            “Oh no you don’t! Don’t you dare take this away from me!”

            “Let go, douchebag!”

            “Not a chance, you pathetic child! Not until you tell me what’s going on!”

            In response, I held out my other hand to blast the door and Vegeta snatched my wrist, pulling it so both arms were trapped in front of me. Now, I was forced to be face to face with the guy who made me so mad that I was surprised steam wasn’t coming out of my ears.

            “Vegeta, she’s just trying to h-help!” Krillin stammered, no doubt afraid of the big bad prince. Staring him down, I knew he wasn’t going to listen to reason, and I’d just have to suffer at his hands until he got bored. I couldn’t overpower him. I was slightly taller than him, but he had me on muscle mass. He could break my arm if he wanted to.

            “Let her go! This is not the time to be arguing!” Trunks scolded Vegeta, and I had to fight the smirk that was twitching at the corner of my mouth. Vegeta’s scowl deepened, but he didn’t loosen his grip.

            “The androids will activate any minute. If you guys want the chance to save the Earth, then someone fucking do something!” I yelled. Dr. Gero must hear us now, we weren’t exactly being quiet. “Hurry!”

            “Fine then I’ll do it!” Piccolo exclaimed when no one else took the chance, charging his own energy blast. He stopped as shouting came from the other side of the door. We all froze, listening to Dr. Gero yell at…Android 17. My eyes widened. They’ve already been activated. The guys around me started to panic and I was frozen to the spot. Now that they were activated, there wasn’t any hope of stopping them from ravaging the entire world. Unless we pulled off a miracle. Trunks and I both couldn’t stop the androids in our worlds, and the rest of the guys get killed off one by one. Gohan was the only survivor. Our only hope is that Goku really is as strong as Bulma says and can turn the tides of the coming devastation.

            I felt Vegeta tug, and, caught off guard, he was able to actually fling me back, up and over his head. I caught myself mid-air and Trunks glared daggers at Vegeta, who’s arm was outstretched to blast down the door, and only the door. At least I was trying to destroy the lab, he just wanted a grand entrance to his showdown. Trunks started yelling at Vegeta, that he didn’t know what he was getting himself into. It fell on deaf ears.

            Vegeta’s blue energy blast knocked the door completely off its hinges. When the dust settled, Dr. Gero came into view, his face twisted into fear and anger. Then, the curtain of black hair and the orange bandana.

            Android 17.

            My heart stopped as cold, blue eyes emerged from the cloud, the blonde hair framing her face gently swaying with the breeze of the mountains.

            Android 18.

            My body shuddered with rage, fear, and guilt. If Vegeta hadn’t gotten in the way, I could have at least gotten a surprise attack in. Then we would have had the advantage. Instead, I let my frustration and anger get in the way. Dammit, how could I let this happen?!

            Android 17 peered over his shoulder, his eyes piercing us like icicles. Vegeta’s mocking was drowned out by my own desperate inner monologue. I clenched my fists at my side. Dammit, dammit, dammit! How the hell were we supposed to beat them now?! If we had blasted them while they were still in their capsules, we might have been able to prevent the tragedies we had to face. Android 17 and 18 stared at us all, their ice blue eyes never blinking. They both held a smug look on their face, like they already knew they could kill each and every one of us without lifting so much as a finger.

            I couldn’t hear what anyone else was saying around me. Everything was muffled over the sound of the blood pumping in my ears and my teeth grinding against each other. All I could feel now was fear and anger. The voices around me started to become clearer the longer we stood there; hardly anyone moved a muscle. The first voice I heard clearly was Dr. Gero, screaming at Android 17 and 18 to destroy us. Android 17’s response sent chills down my spine.

            “Be quiet, old man. We will deal with them when we are ready.”

            His voice was monotone, cool, calculated, the farthest opposite of Dr. Gero, who looked ready to blow a gasket for his defiance. “WHAT DID YOU SAY?!” He yelled at 17, who just smirked at the reaction he received. I heard him continue to yell about a controller, and that’s when I saw what he was rambling about. He had built a remote control for the androids, and they had smashed it to bits before we even got here. Android 18 circled around to an unopened capsule, making sure to catch the remnants of the controller under her boots. It crumbled beneath her foot, as she started to speak. “Yes, that’s too bad, isn’t it.” She leaned over to take a peek into the glass window of the capsule. “Planning to use it for spare parts? He’s kind of lacking in the looks department, isn’t he?” she commented as she stared down at whatever was in the capsule. “I’d like to see what other modifications you’ve made to him, doctor.”

            My blood ran cold hearing her words. Other…modifications? Does that mean there’s…another one in there? My suspicions were confirmed when Dr. Gero yelled out, “YOU STAY AWAY FROM THERE. DO NOT OPEN THAT CHAMBER. I ORDER YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM ANDROID 16.” My jaw dropped and my body shook in terror. I couldn’t even turn my head to look at Trunks to see if he was just as shocked as I was. There was one word running through my head, over and over again, practically ricocheting around in my skull: No.

            No no no no NO NO NO.

            “Go on,” Android 17 egged on 18. “I think it is time to wake up our sleeping friend.” If my body could go any colder, I think I’d be dead by now. All my hairs were standing on end, like a cat. “Right,” Android 18 leered. I felt sick to my stomach.

            “NO, do not listen to him! I have not completed his programming yet. Sixteen is just a prototype, he may malfunction!” That is just what we need, another murder crazed machine to deal with. My heart began pounding at the idea of 3 monsters destroying the planet. I saw their mouths moving, but the intense sound of my blood pumping and throbbing in my head again muffled every sound that entered my ears. I watched, helplessly, paralyzed inside of myself, as Android 18 circled the capsule, both her and 17 taunting Dr. Gero with setting him free. Dr. Gero attempted to stop Android 18 from touching the capsule, grabbing her arm and trying to yank her back. Her face scrunched in annoyance and displeasure. She flung him back, and he landed on his butt, still yelling about how dangerous it was to release Android 16. Android 18 pressed a button on the capsule, and a small panel popped open.

            “FOR THE LAST TIME DO NOT RELEASE HIM!”

            Faster than I could process, Android 17 thrust his arms through Dr. Gero’s back, his hand sticking out of his chest. We all froze, mouths agape at what we witnessed. Of course I knew that they would kill him and that’s why no one could stop them, because the remote to deactivate them was destroyed and the hope to build a replacement died with him. But witnessing it in person versus hearing it in stories is….so much more intense.

            “What-what have you done?!” Dr. Gero coughed out. “How…dare you! Don’t you know I gave you life?! And I can take it away!-“

            Irony rang in the silence after Android 17 decapitated Dr. Gero with a swift, sharp kick of his foot. His head clanked against the ground as it bounded to a halt at Krillin’s feet. I could see Krillin shaking, his eyes wide in fear and shock. Dr. Gero’s face crumpled into an angry expression. “That does it! Now I am mad!” Those were the last words he uttered before 17 leapt over and crushed his head under his sneakers, the crackling of metal and glass permanently etched into my brain, as was the smirk 17 gave us all as he twisted his foot into the scrap of metal left behind. He turned back to 18, giving her the order to activate 16.

            “NO!” Something inside of me surged. I didn’t recognize it in the moment, but my Saiyan urge to fight was far overpowered by my human survival instinct. The golden aura jolted to life around me, encasing me in its light. I powered up a blast, as powerful as I could make it while still maintaining the element of surprise, and hoped no one got caught in the crossfires. The next thing I knew, I had moved out of the blast zone and was admiring my work.

            This ought to stop them, I thought, focused on the cloud of dirt and debris that blast kicked up. Trunks was hovering a few feet behind me. “Quick thinking, Haven. But…”

            “HEY HAVEN, HOW ABOUT MORE OF A WARNING NEXT TIME!” Krillin yelled to us, finishing Trunks’ thought.

            I blushed. I could have given them a warning, but I was afraid of tipping the androids off. And I…kind of forgot they were there for a second. I was so focused on Dr. Gero and the androids, I forgot for a moment that I wasn’t the only one there that needed to escape. A blast like that could have killed them, which was the exact opposite of what we were trying to do here. Maybe I should’ve said something instead of just acting on pure instinct.

            “What did you go and do that for?!” Vegeta grumbled. I clenched my jaw. I wouldn’t have minded if my blast had gotten him in the process. He didn’t sound happy. Of course Vegeta wasn’t happy. He wouldn’t be happy until he was ripped apart by those androids…again.

            “What’s wrong?” Trunks asked, picking up on Vegeta’s less than angry reaction. It dawned on me that Vegeta, indeed, wasn’t angry, just annoyed. That wasn’t a good sign.

            “Look over there,” Vegeta gestured to the left hand side of the cloud.

            “There’s no way, I gave it everything I had,” I breathed in disbelief, my voice shaking. The cloud dissipated, revealing just how right Vegeta was. They were unscathed, and holding 16’s capsule out of harm’s way. “Looks like you spoke too soon,” Vegeta taunted me. If I wasn’t still face to face with the ultimate dark cloud over this world’s future, then I would have given Vegeta a piece of my mind. “That’s too bad. By doing that, you just showed them how weak you are.” I couldn’t help it, I could feel everything boiling over inside of me.

            “Oh yeah?! I’d like to see you do better, Mr. Prince of the Apes!” I was fuming. He really ticked me off. He growled at me, uncrossing his arms and turning to give me a full scowl. “Just you wait, you pretentious brat-“ but the sound of the capsule hitting the ground stole both of our attentions back on the androids. The capsule door slid open, and we all held our breath, waiting for the android to surface. Two giant hands gripped the sides of the capsule, and a hulking figure pulled itself out. When he stood, my heart stopped. He was nearly as tall as the two of them put together. He wore a green suit that looked like armor, and green boots to match. The rest of his outfit was black. He had a ginger mohawk, the same piercing blue eyes as the other two, and a hoop earring in each lobe.

            We all were still, not speaking, not moving, just watching…waiting for the inevitable. Their lips moved, but I heard no words, they were too far away. My breath hitched in my chest as all three of them rose up off the rocks they stood on. That’s when they took flight, and I froze in anticipation, waiting for them to charge us.

             Instead, confusion settled in as they took off in the opposite direction. Flying away to Kami knows where, leaving us all to wonder…what the hell is going on here?

Chapter Text

            “Hey, they’re leaving! Good riddance, we’re safe,” Krillin sighed that last part out. If only that was the truth. I knew better. They’d come back. They’re probably going to go out for a little murder spree, as a “test run” or “warm up” before the “real fun” started—which was killing us. We were like a toy to them. As long as they were alive, we were anything but safe.

            “But…where do you think they’re going? Should we follow them?” Tien asked uncertainly.

            “If they’re going that way, they’re not going to South City, that’s the other direction,” Piccolo said. At least there’s one place we can cross off. I saw a lightbulb go off in Krillin’s head, and he shouted, “Wait, I know where they’re going! They’re going to find Goku! Dr. Gero must’ve given them orders to kill Goku for destroying the Red Ribbon army!” I pondered that for a moment. That did make sense, but something didn’t seem right.

            “The whole thing with the androids is they’re going against Dr. Gero. Do you think they’d still follow his orders after they killed him?” I posed the question to the group and they all took my words in. All except…well…you know who.

            “I don’t care where they went, I’ll track them down myself,” Vegeta’s arrogance and anger permeated the air. “They’re cowards. They left because they were afraid of me. And they should be.”

            “They barely paid you any attention,” I grumbled loud enough for him to hear. Trunks side eyed me and I shrugged as Vegeta stopped powering up to glare at me.

            “I don’t remember asking for any comments from the peanut gallery here,” Vegeta retorted and I growled at him. He huffed out an amused laugh. “Came all the way from the future and you couldn’t even stop me from blasting open that door?” My jaw clenched. Ohhhhhh he’s so close to getting a fist in his face.

            Vegeta took that time to power up into his Super Saiyan form. “I’ll show you what a true Saiyan warrior can do.” Trunks appeared in his way, pleading, once again, to stop his nonsense. “We need to wait for Goku,” he told him.

            “You think I’m going to wait for Kakarot? Ha, he’s history. Now get out of my way and let me finish those androids without Kakarot.”

            “You can’t!” Trunks yelled at him. “If you face the androids alone, they’ll kill you! You must listen to me, stay here!” Vegeta wound his arm back and my jaw dropped as he punched Trunks, hard, right in the stomach. Trunks folded, the wind knocked out of his lungs. “Now stay out of my way!” Vegeta shouted at him, before starting to fly off. I powered up to Super Saiyan myself, fighting mad for what Vegeta did. How could he do that to his own son?! Trunks was trying to help him, save him even, and this is the thanks he gets?  

            I tried to rush past Trunks, but even with him curled up in pain, he still reached out his hand and grabbed the hem of my jacket. I turned my head to look at him, fury in my face as I met his eyes. He was silently pleading with me through the pain. I exhaled deeply through my nose, letting my Super Saiyan form go. “Fine,” I said softly. I slowly turned my whole body to him. “I won’t. Only because you asked me not to.” I didn’t ask if he was okay. I didn’t need to. His face said everything. Don’t worry about me. Go after him. Save him from himself. So I did. I locked onto his energy and blasted after him. Trunks was counting on me, after all.

Chapter Text

            I wanted to punch him. I wanted to punch him so hard in his stupid face. I wanted to see the shock when my knuckles made contact with his nose. I wanted to give him hell for hitting Trunks like that. But I promised Trunks I wouldn’t, and true to my word, I just followed Vegeta as close as I could without tipping him off. He was barreling through every crag and rock formation in his way, leaving a mess of jagged stone piles and dust in his wake.

            He’s just as bad as the damn androids, I thought to myself. How on Earth did Trunks come from such an arrogant dick bag like Vegeta? They were nothing alike! I thought of Bulma and Gohan and realized that when Vegeta died, the two of them had to raise Trunks. That’s why he was the polar opposite of Vegeta. Well, Vegeta didn’t seem like the parental type anyways, considering how little consideration he gave his infant son and Bulma not too long ago.

            Vegeta began to slow and I saw the androids standing in the middle of the freeway on the mountainside. Vegeta, ever the one for theatrics, slowly lowered himself until his feet lightly touched the ground. He was still in his Super Saiyan form, and I quietly tried to touch down behind him. I must’ve been unsuccessful, because I heard him scoff.

            “You’re an annoying pest, you know that?” he said, not even looking back at me. “Following me like a lost puppy.”

            “Trust me, it’s not my idea of a good time. I’m doing someone a favor,” I spat.

            He laughed. “Oh, I see. So my son sent his bitch to keep an eye on me, is that it?”

            I growled. “Maybe if you didn’t have such a problem listening and following directions, you wouldn’t need a chaperone.”

            He scoffed again, but did not say anything else to me. I was hesitant to do, well, anything, really. If I attacked Vegeta, he’d overpower me, easily. If I attacked the androids, they’d overpower me, but more easily than him. Either way, I was screwed. The only chance we had now, was if I helped Vegeta fight them. I wanted to gag at the prospect. Partly because I hated him and the last thing I wanted was to help him with anything. The other part was because I didn’t want to get my ass kicked by the androids for the 100^th time.

            “I didn’t think you’d be this easy to find,” Vegeta taunted. “Run out of gas?”

            Android 17 stared at him. “There’s something different about you. What happened?”

            He gave a half chuckle. “I’m showing my true form. I’m the most powerful being on this planet, and you’re not welcome here.” Well, two of those three statements were true, so I couldn’t really say much.

            “Hm, bold of you to come here without your other friends,” Android 18 stated. Her eyes shifted to me. “If you wanted a level playing field, you should have brought them all, not just the two of you.”

            “Oh, she won’t be fighting,” Vegeta smirked. “And don’t worry, I came prepared.”

            “If you throw even one punch Vegeta, you force my hand,” I warned him.

            He growled. “You and my nosy son need to leave me alone. Stay out of my way.”

            “Fat chance,” I bit out.

            “Tell me, are all you Saiyans so full of yourselves? Is Goku like you? Is this the way you try to hide your incompetence?” His words even cut me, so I know Vegeta must be seething. As offended as I was about the remark on my heritage, it was diminished by the sweet sound of him grinding his teeth at the androids mockery. It felt good to hear that after having him call me a bitch. “We androids will always be superior to your kind.”

            “You take that back! You’ll regret saying that! You’re nothing but a machine made of tin. You’re just a bunch of toys created by a crazy old man. Don’t forget that toys can be broken.”

            “He talks too much,” Android 18 rolled her eyes. I had to bite back a laugh.

            “What was that?!” Vegeta shrieked.

            “I believe she said you talk too much,” I repeated with satisfaction in my voice. He tensed even more.

            “Shut up you pathetic fool,” he shouted back at me.

            “16, let’s see what you got,” Android 18 nudged him. “Destroy him.”

            “I refuse,” Android 16 responded. I was caught off guard. Did he…just say no?

            “So, the big guy’s not so dumb, huh?” Vegeta smirked.

            “He refuses? Who does he think he is?” Android 17 asked, bewildered. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who didn’t expect that kind of defiance.

            “Never mind him,” Android 18 waved him off, not even fazed by his refusal. “I’ll handle this.” She brushed a lock of her blonde hair out of her face. “You ready, little man?”

            “So it’s ladies first, is it? Fine with me, but don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

            “Well if it’s ladies first, then I get a turn before you,” I quipped, taking a fighting stance in front of him. I understood what I had to do to keep Vegeta safe, and that meant putting myself on the line. As much as I hated his guts, I always keep my word. If it meant fighting the androids myself, I was ready to try to hold them off until the rest of the guys found us. I just hoped they were on their way.

            He growled loudly. “I told you to stay out of my way, girl.”

            “Yeah, and I don’t take orders from a man-child,” I retorted. I powered up to Super Saiyan as well, knowing I’ll need the power boost. Android 18 smirked at me. “That’s a cute little trick. Too bad a hair transformation won’t be enough.” I narrowed my eyes at her, every muscle brimming with anticipation. She leaned forward to launch herself at me, and I braced myself. They packed a wallop in my time, I’m sure not much has changed there.

            I was able to block the first few punches, even catch her fist at one point. I shoved her back, and the soles of her boots ripped up pavement in tracks, slowing her momentum. She stood perfectly straight, unaffected. We dodged each other’s blows, she landed the first punch, in my jaw. My neck snapped back, but I quickly recovered and returned the hit. Her head also snapped back, but just as quickly recovered. I felt us picking up speed, our fists extending faster, our reflexes kicking into high gear. Then, I felt someone grab my arm. 18 was going for a kick to my side, but my body quickly flung out of the way as someone tossed me into the cliffside. A small rockslide came down over me, my body snuggly embedded in the crater I created. My blood was boiling as Vegeta stood face to face with 18.

            He couldn’t even fucking wait his turn to get his ass kicked.

            “Just you wait, Vegeta, if she doesn’t kill you, I’ll do it myself!” I seethed, breaking free from the mountainside.

            “In your dreams, pipsqueak,” Vegeta yelled, not even looking back at me. I let out a small hmph and sat on the top of the cliff, overlooking the road to watch the battle. Fine, if he wanted to get his ass handed to him, then so be it. I knew I was supposed to stop Vegeta, protect him, put myself on the line to keep him safe, but I wasn’t about to get thrown around like a ragdoll all day by him just to stop his sorry ass from learning a lesson. I still intended on keeping my word; I’ll be damned if I let them kill him. If things start to go horribly wrong, I’ll cut in, but until then, he can deal with the consequences.

            Vegeta seemed like he was evenly matched with her, but I knew better. I had felt it when we were fighting. She was too calm, too nonchalant when she was attacking me. She wasn’t fighting with her full power. She was holding back, toying with me. Well, now she can play with Vegeta. And play she did.

            She gave him a smirk, then blasted off and away from us. Vegeta, always eager to fight, flew off after her. Wherever they’re going, I just hope they play nice. Who am I kidding, it’s Vegeta and an android, of course they aren’t going to play nice. Those two were like natural disasters, set out to destroy anything and anyone in their path. I shook my head. I just hope they kill each other instead of other civilians. I started to think about Trunks, how upset he’d be if his efforts to change the past were all in vain, especially to save his father. I started to get up, worried that if I didn’t find them, she’d actually kill him out there, but I felt another cold stare locked on me.

            I gave my best poker face as I stared Android 17 in the eyes. He gave a smirk. “Well now, looks like it’s just you, me, and 16.” My heart raced to the beat of panic, but I couldn’t let him know how much I feared him. Showing fear was showing weakness. And I usually wouldn’t give a damn about it, but every advantage counted when it came down to life or death. I crossed my arms over my chest. 17 didn’t move, he just stared. “I know you speak, I heard you talking with Vegeta and 18.”

            “I wouldn’t call it talking,” I remarked back.

            “Talking, arguing, whatever,” he answered. “Why do you keep him around if you hate him so much?”

            “Temporary alliance,” was all I said to him. It was partly the truth. We were on the same side now, but when this was all done and over with, I was ready to knock his head into a concrete wall. If we both survived this mess.

            He nodded. “I see.” His eyes shifted as he declared, “They’ve come back.” I peered down and saw the two of them, facing off again on the empty street. They both held a pompous aura and expression on their face. 18 tucked strands of her blonde hair behind her ear, staring Vegeta down with a small smirk on her face. They both stood there, trading insults and witty lines back and forth, when I saw a giant tractor trailer grind to a screeching halt behind 18. Not that it would have done any damage to either of them if he had just sped through them both.

            I could hear the driver yelling at them to move, laying on his horn as they continued to stand there. Vegeta’s arm was outstretched, ready to blast her. I heard him say, “Any last words?”

            “Take your best shot,” she replied, that damn smirk stretching wider. My eyes widened. He was actually going to fire a shot, with the truck right behind her. Does he have no consideration for human life?! I had no time to think, it was either push Vegeta out of the way and hope it moved the blast enough to not hurt the truck driver, or move the truck elsewhere. I shot underneath the truck and lifted it up and off the road, just as 18 disappeared from out of the blast’s range. The beam shot just under my feet, then rocketed past and hit another mountain range nearby. I carefully lowered the truck onto a lower stretch of road, then quickly resumed my position on the cliff.

            18 and Vegeta were too busy exchanging taunts to notice or even care, but someone else had seen my little act of heroism, and he wasn’t happy about it. 17 frowned up at me.  “Would have liked if someone didn’t get in the way of my fun, but he did destroy an entire mountain, so I guess that’ll have to do.” I scowled at him. Of course he thought that truck exploding and killing the guy inside was fun. What else would androids find so thrilling? It made me sick.

            “Face it, I’m a lot stronger than you’ll ever be,” 18 smirked at Vegeta. Loathing crowded my chest. I hated how smug she was; I hated even more that she was right. Vegeta, unfazed by her words, still stood tall with pride. “I doubt it. You’re so weak I won’t have to even break a sweat!”

            “For your information, I’ve been taking it easy on you. I know how fragile you flesh and blood types can be.” I narrowed my eyes at her, even though she wouldn’t see my reaction to that statement. I knew she was just trying to say that we couldn’t withstand her true power, but she was unaware of how it didn’t apply to us. The human body was, indeed, fragile, but she didn’t know just how much a Saiyan’s body was willing to bend to survive. I wasn’t as powerful as I was now back when I first met Trunks in my time. Training in a hell-bound world really tested your limits. Even with all that experience, I still felt like I hadn’t done enough. I still felt so weak, despite the fact that I knew I wasn’t helpless. In fact, I was pretty capable…when it didn’t come to the androids.

            “Oh really? Well don’t do me any favors!” Vegeta’s cocky smirk stretched further up his cheek. “Because I guarantee you, I won’t be showing you any mercy!” After his bold declaration, I had to hold my breath. I knew what was coming. She would take that as a cue to stop toying with him and really break his spirits—show him just how fragile he was compared to her. As much as I would love to see him get what’s coming to him, I had to be ready to jump into the fray just in case things got out of hand.

            “Hm, well okay,” was all 18 said. Vegeta only had enough time to fully face her direction before she set upon him, catching him off guard. The sound of skulls cracking together sent a massive shiver throughout my body, and I cringed, hard. That has got to hurt. He was set back a couple of feet and 18 jumped back to where she had stood just moments before. Vegeta’s jaw was clenched as blood trickled from the spot their heads made contact with each other.

            My own jaw was set as I observed Vegeta’s pride slowly falter before my eyes. The golden aura around him brightened as he lunged forward, infuriated for making a fool of him. He went in for a blow to her abdomen, but as he made contact, they both froze. At first, I heard nothing; neither of them moved. Then, the sound of Vegeta coughing up blood made me jump to my feet. I could only watch in horror as 18 removed her knee from his stomach, and stopped him from falling forward on his face with a single finger on his chin.

            “Tell me Vegeta, I’m curious…” she started, gingerly pushing him upright, back on his feet. “…what is it like to feel this kind of pain?” Her next move was to slap him into the mountainside, and I felt him break through the rock almost a couple of yards below my own feet. The vibrations sent another wave of fear through me, but I couldn’t wait around any longer for her to kill him. I flew down to the road so I was just 10 feet from her.

            “Alright, that’s enough. Let’s continue where we left off,” I asserted, powering up into Super Saiyan form again. She didn’t look at me, but I heard Android 17 make a small noise. That’s when I heard it; someone was coming. I didn’t take my eyes off of 18, knowing she’d use it as a distraction. They landed, and now that they were so close, I recognized the energies as Trunks, Piccolo, Krillin, and Tien. They placed themselves between 18 and 17, and I saw 18 turn to face me, but her eyes were looking back at the guys. My eyes flicked to them for a second, and Trunks was eyeing the fresh hole in the cliff next to us.

            “You okay in there Vegeta?” Trunks called to him.

            “Of course I am,” Vegeta weakly called back. “Why wouldn’t I be?” The denial was strong, but it couldn’t cover up the fact that Vegeta sounded hurt, and it wasn’t just the blow to his ego. That punch to his gut was enough to take the wind out of you, but then to be thrown into the mountainside like that? I didn’t care how tough you thought you were, you weren’t coming out unscathed. I heard him grunt, then the glow illuminated inside of the hole as he stepped out from it, glaring at 18. Trunks’ face lit up at the sight of his father, who was in better condition than I had imagined, but still not unmarked from his fight.

            “You’re all right!” Trunks exclaimed, and my heart clenched at the child-like amazement and relief in his face. He was so worried his future would play out again in front of his own eyes, and to see it hadn’t reached that pinnacle just yet…he was over the moon. Of course, Vegeta had to go and ruin the moment.

            He chuckled in pure ego. “Of course! That was just a lucky punch.” Then he frowned. “What are you doing here? I told you I don’t need your help and I don’t want it either!”

            I didn’t dare look at him, but he tried to step past me. I stepped back in front of him. “You had your chance. It’s my turn now.”

            He scoffed at me. “This isn’t a playground, girl. I don’t take turns, and I don’t take orders from anyone.”

            “Funny, cause you seemed to be fine playing tag with our friend here,” I bit back at him, referring to the chase he went on just minutes before. I could hear him grinding his teeth and I would have loved to have an instant replay button just to see his face when I said it.

            “You think you’re so funny, don’t you,” he hissed out.

            “Uh-oh, there’s another android approaching at 12 o’clock!” Tien declared to the group. Krillin whimpered a little at the idea of being flanked on either side. Of course, I didn’t need to hear his announcement, I could see 17 walking up the road from where I was. I didn’t pay Tien any mind, but, instead, I answered Vegeta.

            “For the record, yes, I do think I’m hilarious. I think you’re funnier, though, with that macho attitude and raging superiority complex. You’re a riot. Of course, delusions only get you so far.”

            “Haven-“ Trunks started to scold me, but I cut my eyes to him and he physically winced. I softened my gaze as I realized he was just trying to ease the situation and lead the rest of the group out of harm’s way as much as possible. I nodded to him, letting him know that I’ll stop and he can take the reins. Trunks looked back at 17 walking up, then called out, “It’s time to get out of here. We should leave now and come back when Goku is better. Then we’ll fight them.”

            “What is wrong with you?!” Vegeta shrieked. My face hardened again as I held back every damn insult and thought that wanted to come spewing out at Vegeta. I locked my eyes back on 18, who was just listening patiently. “Run away? I’m staying!”

            “You should listen to your friend,” 18 smirked. “He’s the one who will have to clean you off the highway.” Questions began piling up in my mind. Why were they so willing to let us go? Why didn’t they want to kill every single one of us, right now, on this stretch of highway? If we left right now, they would just go off and do…what exactly? Was Krillin right and they were looking for Goku? Or were they going to wipe out the next town for funsies? I was so confused as to why they were acting so strange. How is it all so different this time around?

            “Are you kidding me? You want me to leave now, when we’re just getting to know each other? You should be so lucky. I fight alone. I don’t need the help of anyone and that includes these Earthlings, the Namek, and most of all, Kakarot! I am the most powerful Saiyan who has ever lived! I fear no one! Especially not this android!”

            17 started clapping as he came to a stop 10 feet from Tien and Krillin. “A beautiful speech.” Well, at least he had a sense of humor. I would have laughed if it were anyone else that said it, but I was busy glaring down both the androids and stopping myself from grinding my own teeth at his monologue.

            Vegeta spat out some blood before he snapped, “Stay out of this one, android! I’ll deal with you soon enough. Once I’ve finished with her.”

            “Why don’t you go fight 17, he seems to be better suited for you. At least it won’t be as embarrassing as losing to a girl,” I quipped, not taking my eyes off 18. She smirked at my comment, and, for a brief moment, I felt an understanding between us. It was a flicker of a second, and I felt gross once I snapped out of it. She’s an android, and she destroyed my home, my future, killed my family and friends. She didn’t deserve to live. Not when I knew the outcome.

            “Why haven’t you taken a swing yet, then? Go on, if you’re going to make jabs at me, then show me how much better you can do.” My heart stopped. He called me out on my biggest bluff. Of course I was no match for her. He wasn’t either, but he was closer to putting up a decent fight than me.

            “Alright children, that’s enough,” 17 cooly addressed us. “Fine, if that’s what you want, I’ll make you a deal, Vegeta. I’ll stay out of your fight with 18. But if one of your group intervenes, then you force me to step in.” I took a deep breath, knowing full well Vegeta would agree, and I needed to prepare to take on the role of spectator. This was what Vegeta wanted, and with everyone else present and unwilling to tell Vegeta no, then I guess I didn’t have much of a choice. I had to let it play out. Once I stepped in, so would 17, then we would all surely be dead, faster than watching Vegeta get his ass kicked.

            Just as I thought, Vegeta agreed, to the unanimous dismay of the group. We stood on that stretch of pavement, observing as Vegeta tossed 18 around for a couple of seconds. The dust cloud they picked up from their fight obscured our view, but I wasn’t necessarily missing anything. I could feel Vegeta’s energy signal. The guys were shouting encouraging things to Vegeta, and I just stood there, taking it all in.

            They still rooted for him, despite his completely unlikeable persona. Was it only because he was fighting on our side? Or was it because of Trunks, who was intensely observing beside me? I wasn’t sure what it was, but I was also silently rooting for him. Not just for Trunks’ sake. I really hated him, so much, but it took guts to stare in the face of someone who killed you once before and still stand tall as you fought to change the outcome. There is one thing I wouldn’t call Vegeta: a coward.

            Piccolo spoke up that the fight might not be much longer. Trunks and I listened in horror that 18 was just tiring Vegeta out, weakening him until it was easier for her to land a blow and really show him what an android could do. Just as I suspected, 17 made this deal because he knew 18 could overpower Vegeta, and when she did, no one could help him out of it. Unless we wanted 17 in the mix as well. But if no one stepped up, Vegeta could very well die, right here, buried beside the roadway.

            Android 18 really knew how to break a man’s spirits.

            As she proceeded to throw him about like a ragdoll, Vegeta’s yell of agony pierced the battlefield. Then something made us snap: the snap of the Saiyan’s arm as 18’s foot followed through against his elbow. The sight of it bending and snapping out farther than normal sent Trunks and I into a frenzy. Trunks to save his father. Me to protect them both. We both charged forward, Trunks’ sword drawn as we descended onto 18.

            It all happened so fast.

            Trunks swung his sword down at 18 and I put my back to them to catch 17 as he came to disarm us. I deflected his first hit, but the second flew past me, which sent Trunks into the ground. For the split second I turned to see how badly I screwed up, my heart sank as I saw Trunks’ sword, the one Gohan had passed down to him. It was shattered towards the tip.

            My guilt barely settled in my chest before I got a swift kick to it by 17. I flew into the nearest rock crag and promptly landed on my back in the dirt. The wind knocked out of me and I needed a minute to properly breathe again. How could he subdue me with one single hit? Something wasn’t right. When I sat back up, with some slight difficulty, I saw all the Z fighters on the ground, 18 stomping out the light from Vegeta…literally. I got up, charging in to defend the guys, but I was quickly thrown to the side, coming to a screeching halt beside Trunks. My own glow faded, and I grimaced as the pain took over my entire body. I heard them leave, abandoning the lot of us.

            Yet again, they stumped me. How were they so fast? And strong? I know when 18 was fighting me, she was toying with me, but I didn’t realize they were this strong. And if they knew that, why not finish us off? We were all vulnerable, unable to fight. They could have easily taken our lives. Why didn’t they? What is going on here?

            I slowly opened my eyes to see Trunks laying there, motionless. I forced myself to get up on my knees, pulling myself closer to Trunks. I laid a hand on his back, then shook him. I felt him breathe beneath my hand as I shook him awake. He grunted and groaned before he turned over and opened his eyes. Relief flooded through me. He was going to be okay.

            “Haven? You okay?”

            I nodded. “How about you?” I forced out. It hurt to talk, my voice coming out hoarse. He nodded in response. I saw Piccolo slowly rising to his feet on his own, and Krillin came running over to the nearest downed person: Tien. Krillin and I exchanged nods, and his focus returned to Tien. Krillin gave him a sensu bean and Tien was back to normal in no time. Krillin came over to Trunks and me as I was helping him to his feet. He told me Vegeta might need the last two sensu beans, considering he was in the worst condition out of the lot of us.

            “I agree, he took one hell of a beating,” I said.

            Krillin seemed to hesitate before he asked, “Could you maybe give it to him? I…uh…don’t want to be the one to face him when he first wakes up.” He dumped the two sensu beans in my hand and I froze.

            “You’re asking me?!” I questioned incredulously. “Why not Trunks? That’s his father.” Trunks’ eyes widened and I raised my eyebrow at him. “What?” Then it dawned on me. “Oh, shit…you were trying to keep it under wraps, weren’t you?”

            “Don’t worry about it Trunks, we all know about Bulma and Vegeta and that you’re their son.” Trunks relaxed at that. “And…well…uh…to tell you the truth Haven, you seem to be the only one who can stand toe to toe with him,” Krillin admitted. I swallowed my frustration. Turning to Trunks, I told him, “It’s really not my place to do so.” I dumped the beans in his hand. “Take care of your dad.” Trunks held my gaze for a second, gratitude in his eyes. Of course, Vegeta was confused and pissed when he woke up.

            When we converged to discuss the androids, questions I had asked myself were brought up and it helped validate my thoughts. I’m glad someone else was wondering the same things as me. Vegeta stood off to the side, the tension on him building until he was so angry, he flew off on his own. Trunks went to follow, and calling out his name was on the tip of my tongue, but Piccolo stopped him before I could.

            “Leave him alone. Vegeta’s ego has been out of control since he turned Super Saiyan. Honestly, the thing those androids hurt the most was his pride. He’s very ashamed of his defeat.” I could see Trunks letting go of his urge to go after Vegeta, and I gave him a half-smile, telling him it would be okay.

            “I know how he feels,” Tien nodded. “We all worked so hard, but they were still stronger than all of us put together.”

            “No, Tien, I’m sorry,” Krillin started to apologize. “I should have been fighting alongside you guys, but I was just too scared.” The honesty was refreshing. It wasn’t easy for someone to admit to being scared, or hurt, or upset.

            “Don’t sweat it, Krillin. Trunks and Haven were Super Saiyans and both were nearly taken out with a single blow each. Even if you had joined us, we would not have won today.”

            “Trunks, you were able to take out Frieza single handedly. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. But those androids tossed you aside as if you were nothing!” Trunks shifted his gaze to his feet, and I lowered my head, knowing we were both bested. “Goku is strong, but honestly, I don’t see how Goku can be that much stronger than Trunks or Vegeta. And if that’s the case, we’re done for!”

            “I don’t get it,” Trunks confided. “It’s strange…these androids are much stronger than the ones I fought in my time.” I snapped to attention at the revelation.

            “Yours too?” I asked.

            Krillin and Tien both exchanged bewildered glances. Piccolo stepped forward. “Wait, Trunks, Haven, what do you mean?”

            Trunks looked to me and I gestured for him to go ahead. “The androids were stronger than me, but not by this much. The kind of strength these new androids have is off the charts!”

            “Then we really are out of luck,” Tien asserted. “What should we do?”

            “Are we just going to skip over the fact that Haven asked ‘yours too’ in response to the androids thing?” Krillin asked quietly and I avoided eye contact with him as I interjected. “We need to make sure Goku will be okay. We should find him, before the androids do, and move him to someplace safe. They’ll find his house sooner or later. Whether they have that information or not, I’m not quite sure, but we need to put a buffer in their plans.”

            “I was just about to suggest the same thing,” Piccolo responded. “You four should go.”

            “So what about you Piccolo? What will you be doing?” Krillin inquired.

            “I don’t know,” Piccolo replied, but we could see he was lying. He had this look in his eye. He was plotting something.

            “Hey, we’re buddies, aren’t we? I know you have a plan, so tell me what you’re scheming.”

            “Listen to me,” Piccolo began, but he suddenly tensed and his eyes turned angry. “Stop asking questions, it’s none of your concern!” We were all caught off guard by his tone shift, but then he pulled his arm back and a ball of energy manifested in his hand. “This is something that I have to do alone!” I saw him let it go, right between Krillin and Tien and come barreling towards Trunks and I. The power of the shot made me believe this wasn’t a malicious attack, but it would still hurt when it hit. I narrowed my eyes, stepping up to the plate and redirecting the ball with my hand, my arm sweeping up and over my head so it flew out towards the open landscape. The wind picked up just then as Piccolo shot up into the sky and hovered there.

            I kept my narrowed gaze on him. What was he thinking, setting off a blast like that?

            “Piccolo! What do you think you’re doing?!” Krillin yelled to him.

            “I’m leaving, and anyone who tries to follow me will be sorry! Just find Goku and forget about me!” With that, he took off. We all stood there, bewildered by Piccolo’s change in demeanor when Krillin surprised us even further. He wasn’t worried, and he explained Piccolo was flying to Kami’s lookout to fuse back with Kami. It was a bit of information I hadn’t heard before about pre-android times. Kami and Piccolo used to be one being? And they split into “good” and “bad” but now bad is good and good is still good? And I thought the whole time-travel thing was confusing. This timeline was getting more and more bizarre by the second.

            We all decided to fly to Goku’s house. If they really are after Goku, then we needed to put a buffer between them and him. On the way over, I couldn’t stop thinking about everything that’s happened so far. Although I was thankful we weren’t still tangled up with the androids, I was puzzled. Since when did they want to not kill everyone on the planet? And what was Android 16’s deal? He refused to fight me and Vegeta back there, so what was he programmed to do? He was intimidating, what with his size and the same emotionless eyes as the others. The fact that he rarely spoke added to it.

            “Hey Trunks, tell me something,” I heard Krillin start. “That medicine you gave Goku, how long will it take before it makes him well?”

            “In Goku’s case, I’d say about ten days or so,” Trunks responded.

            “Ten days, huh? We should be able to hide him somewhere safe for ten days.”

            “Yeah, no problem!” Tien confirmed.

            “Of course, there’s no guarantee we’ll be able to beat those androids once Goku gets well. But as long as we can manage to stay a couple of steps ahead of them, we might just have a chance!”

            Trunks nodded at that and I narrowed my eyes as I thought to myself. If we play our cards right, we might have a shot at this. Maybe we could move Goku somewhere safer and distract the androids until he recovers. Tien let us know that he was going to go get Chiaotzu and train in the meantime. We told him he could meet up with us later. Tien parted ways with us and we continued to Goku’s house. We flew side by side, Krillin between Trunks and me. I stole a glance at Trunks, and his eyebrows were furrowed in tense thought. No doubt, he was probably mulling over the many variations between his time and this one.

            “I don’t know why the future I predicted changed so much…” Trunks began thinking out loud. “The androids I fought weren’t as powerful, and there were only two of them! I don’t get it!”

            “I know, I don’t understand it either,” I told him.

            “Well, it doesn’t matter now,” Krillin said. “If we don’t get out of this mess soon, we’re all going to be history.” My jaw clenched. He was right. If we focused on the details and how things changed, we might not be able to make the changes we wanted to in the first place: saving the world from certain doom. Despite the silence, I could feel Krillin keeping an eye on me every now and then. I knew what was on his mind, what he wanted to ask, but I stayed silent. I was dreading that conversation. How were they going to understand when I could barely wrap my own head around it? I looked to Trunks and he gave me a sympathetic smile. I silently smiled in appreciation. If not for him, I’d be going insane right now.

            If we can just get to Goku and move him someplace safe. I sent up a silent prayer that we could find him before the androids did. If they somehow beat us to it, all hope would be lost.

Chapter Text

            We touched down in front of Goku’s house not 10 minutes later. The house was isolated in a beautiful part of the countryside. The house itself wasn’t anything fancy. It was quite cute! I tried to take in as much of the landscape as possible. There was no telling when this would all be taken away. The slight smile on my face melted as I realized this is the way it should have been. If only they had never shown up.

            Trunks began to walk up to the door when Krillin stammered, “Hold it, T-Trunks, just one question.” Trunks turned to him, waiting to hear his question. I also looked to Krillin, and he seemed flustered as he asked, “The androids…are they…uh…are they really as terrible as you say they are?”

            “Yes,” Trunks and I responded at the same time, our faces reflecting the same seriousness and annoyance. “They’re ruthless and cold-blooded,” Trunks continued. “I’ve told you that already. Why do you ask?”

            Krillin stuttered as he spoke. “Oh, uh, nothing, it’s just that…uh…I was just hoping we all wouldn’t have to fight them. You know?” I raised an eyebrow. Was Krillin okay? Did he get knocked in the head too hard when we were fighting the androids? Wait no, he said he was too scared to jump into the frenzy we created…

            “Well, hoping doesn’t get us anywhere, I’m afraid,” Trunks replied.

            “I know that, it’s just…oh never mind,” Krillin sighed as he approached the front door.

            I gave Trunks a look and he shrugged, not really knowing what was up, either. Krillin was acting strange, and I had no idea why. Did something happen that we aren’t aware of?

            Krillin knocked twice on the door and there was a single second’s pause before the door was flung open, knocking Krillin in the head. He stumbled back, holding his head as a woman with dark hair yelled, “Oh Gohan!” Her face fell when she saw who it was and she said, “Oh, it’s you, Krillin.” Her tone was so unenthusiastic, I almost laughed, but I was too caught off guard. Krillin greeted back in a pained voice, “Nice to see you too, ChiChi.”

            I could practically see the knot forming on his head. He looked back at us and whispered, “Well, say hello.” Trunks and I both stiffened as we realized we were just gawking at the absurdity we just witnessed. We both bowed to her with a greeting, and my cheeks felt hot. It was embarrassing that my manners had gone out the window, especially since I had never met ChiChi before.

            She was pretty, and from the split second I’ve met her, she was quite a character. A man with dark, spiked up hair and a few scars on his face peered out from behind ChiChi. “Oh, Krillin! Hey! I’m glad you made it here safe!”

            “And Goku?” Krillin asked, taking a step inside the house.

            “He’s okay, he’s sleeping right now,” the man replied and I mentally went through the list of the Z Fighters to see if I could get his name before I had to ask him. Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu, Gohan…Yamcha?

            He looked up and past Krillin to see Trunks and his face lit up. “Hey! Welcome back man!” Then his eyes went to me and I could practically see the literal question mark appear in his eyes. “Uh, hi, I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m Yamcha.” Nailed it.

            “Nice to meet you, I’m Haven,” I said politely. “I’m uh-“

            “She’s a friend of mine,” Trunks quickly explained. I sent a silent thank you his way.

            “So, wait, if you guys are here, then you defeated the androids, right?”

            Trunks and Krillin looked a little panicked for a second before Trunks lowered his head and admitted, “Not yet..”

            “I can’t explain now, but we have to evacuate this place, and transport Goku to Master Roshi’s right away!” Krillin exclaimed.

            “Huh?” Yamcha and ChiChi both looked surprised and confused.

            “We’re dealing with a group of androids that are a thousand times more powerful than any of us!”

            Dread set into Yamcha’s eyes. “You mean, we can’t stop them?!”

            We all looked between each other and ChiChi ran to get supplies to bring with us. We loaded up on a Capsule Corp aircraft so we could transport Goku in a safer, more comfortable way. I removed the blankets and pillows, and Trunks grabbed the mattress when Yamcha and Krillin lifted Goku off it. They laid everything down as ChiChi brought a large bundle of whatever she needed. I wasn’t about to ask what was in it, and I’m sure as hell the guys weren’t dumb enough to ask her that, either.

            I could sense it from the way the guys behaved around her and how she reacted to everything. She is definitely the head of the household. I gently laid the blanket over Goku, who was, for now, sleeping peacefully. It was odd, seeing the world’s mightiest hero completely inactive. It was even weirder realizing that Gohan grew up to look just like his father. I began tucking him in when Krillin asked, “Where’s Gohan?”

            “He should be getting home anytime now,” Yamcha replied.

            Right on cue, ChiChi exclaimed, “Look! Gohan’s back!” A few seconds later, he was standing right by the ramp to the aircraft. ChiChi dropped everything and fell to her knees to hug him. “You’ve come home! Oh, my baby! I’m so happy to see you!”

            Gohan, still being smothered, wriggled his head free enough to call to us, “Hey, what are you guys doing?”

            “No time to talk. On the plane, Gohan,” Krillin gestured to get inside. We all piled in and Yamcha took over as the pilot. ChiChi sat on the edge of the mattress, looking over Goku. Trunks, Gohan, and I all sat on the floor while Krillin gave Gohan the rundown of everything he missed. Trunks and I were silent, as were ChiChi and Yamcha. They were probably listening intently to the information Krillin was giving. I didn’t know if Trunks was listening, but I know I was too deep in my head to hear anything else other than my own thoughts.

            The pressure was starting to get to me now. Making one wrong move could be the end of everything we’re trying to prevent. We needed to be cautious. I already lost everyone in my time, except for Bulma. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost them all again.

            ChiChi’s sudden scream jolted me back to reality. I was ready to fight, but she pulled out a stack of books, the plane so quiet you could hear the pencil that was on top of the stack hit the floor. As Gohan started to protest, ChiChi shut him down, very quickly and sternly.

            Oh yeah, definitely the head of the house.

            “So what do we do now?” Yamcha asked.

            “Beats me, I’m all out of ideas,” Krillin sighed.

            “I’m sorry, I wish there was something I could do,” Trunks replied. “If I could, I’d go back to the past and stop Dr. Gero from activating them in the first place. But that wouldn’t help us now in this reality.”

            “Why not?” Yamcha questioned.

            “Because if he changes something in the past, it doesn’t change his future, only that timeline’s future,” I responded, not even looking up at them.

            “I’m sorry, can you explain that one more time?” Krillin requested.

            I sighed. “Let’s put it this way, you can’t change two realities at the same time, you can only change one. The medicine Trunks gave Goku means he’s alive in this reality, but in his reality, Goku is still dead. Which means you can’t change your future by changing the past. Once it’s done, it’s done. If you change the past, you change THAT reality’s future. In other words…you split the timeline.”

            “Split the timeline?” Yamcha repeated with uncertainty.

            “So you guys are saying that there’s now 2 different realities where the androids exist?!” Krillin seemed scared and Trunks and I side eyed each other, seeing if we were about to crack that open right here and now. Krillin caught it, and asked, “What’s with that look?” I lowered my voice, knowing this would, indeed, open the flood gates to all sorts of questions, the same flood of questions I was trying my best to avoid until absolutely necessary.

            “There’s actually three,” I confessed nervously.

            “THREE?!” Krillin and Yamcha both practically shrieked. I winced, knowing I had to spill everything. “What do you mean three?!” Yamcha yelled.

            “I’m sorry, I was going to wait until everyone was together so I could explain things then, but if this drives home the point that these guys are as big of a threat as we said, then here it goes: I’m not from Trunks’ time. I knew Trunks in my time, but, as far as we know, I never existed in his. I’m…not quite sure why. All I know is that I was sent to change the past when the Trunks from my time failed to reach you with his warning. We thought sending me here to help could change things in our time, but meeting this Trunks in this time, and realizing he had no idea who I was, it confirmed that there are such things as parallel universes.”

            “Wait, so let me get this straight…” Krillin closed his eyes. “Both of you are from the future, but Haven is from one timeline, and Trunks is from a completely separate timeline. There’s a version of Trunks in Haven’s timeline, but not a version of Haven in Trunks’ timeline. Yet, the result of the androids destroying the world is more or less the same?” I nodded. “So this means somewhere down the line, the timeline split, which caused Haven to exist in one but not the other…”

            They all seemed to be taking everything in, and the silence was deafening. “I’m sorry, I know it’s a lot to take in right now. Believe me, I was just as confused and shocked as you, but it’s true. And I’m sorry I didn’t say anything before. It didn’t seem important then, while we were in the thick of it all. I wish I had more to tell you, more answers to questions you may have, but I don’t have them right now. I’m still figuring things out myself.”

            Krillin was focused on my words. “Hm, that explains the comment you made earlier.”

            “So then why did you bother to come back, Trunks? You just said you couldn’t change anything,” Yamcha questioned. I pondered it for a moment as Trunks got up from beside me. Yamcha was right. He went back in time to give the warning, went back to his time to see nothing had changed, but still came back here at the exact time the androids would show up? Did he just want to see it through? I watched curiously as he walked over to the window behind me.

            “My mother…she wanted me to come back,” Trunks answered. An image of Bulma flashed in my head. Her blue hair tied up on her head, a few strands hanging loosely over her forehead and ears. “She knew there was nothing we could do to help the people of our world, but there were people here we could help. I agreed, but I had my own reasons for coming back. You see, I figured once Goku gets back on his feet and we get rid of the androids here, that I would find some weakness. I wouldn’t be able to bring back the people we lost, but I might be able to save the people who are left!”

            I weakly smiled to myself. That was just like Bulma, and just like Trunks. Bulma knew we could help change the fate of one timeline, and Trunks knew his time here could better equip him to help his own. Krillin’s face shifted to one of concern, and I realized Trunks was silent for a little too long. Krillin started to call Trunks’ name, but he didn’t react. I stood up, gently placing my hand on his shoulder and he jolted, his eyes snapping up, his whole body going tense. I jumped at his sudden movement, my hand hovering over his shoulder now. I locked eyes with him in the window reflection, lowering my hand back on his shoulder, this time to comfort him. He gave me an apologetic look before turning back to the others.

            “Sorry about that,” he apologized. “Anyway, I thought this whole plan would work out perfectly, except I didn’t account for the major differences between the timelines of my world and this world.” He sat down once again as he explained further. “I thought Goku’s heart problems would come much earlier than they did, and I only thought there were going to be 2 androids. Now there’s three.” My heart stopped when he looked directly at me. “And…I didn’t expect there to be an extra fighter from the future here. Although, that’s more of a positive than anything else. Levels the playing field a little bit.”

            “There’s still something that bugs me,” Gohan piped up for the first time since Chichi pulled out the books. “How could you have miscalculated so-“

            He was cut off as Chichi redirected him, by shifting his head back to his schoolwork. Trunks looked down as he admitted, “I don’t know. I wish I did. I guess something changes when you travel back from the future?”

            “I wouldn’t worry too much, Trunks,” ChiChi said, her voice calm, motherly. “If you hadn’t come when you did, Goku wouldn’t be alive right now. And that’s all that really matters.” She turned her gaze back down to Goku, who was still sleeping. Something stirred in my chest as she peered down at him with so much love in her eyes. Trunks might not have changed his own world’s fate yet, and this one was still in limbo, but he’s already changed this timeline for the better. I felt so much pride for him, and the rest of the guys agreed that they owed him big time for what he did. I saw Trunks look at ChiChi one last time, and his lips twitched up in a small smile.

            The smile didn’t last long as I heard a soft whimper from Goku. Is he waking up? His eyebrows were pinched together, his teeth clenched. Was it a nightmare? ChiChi got up suddenly and rummaged through her belongings. Not a moment later, Goku started screaming. Trunks and I jumped up at the same time as Goku thrashed and yelled, his eyes never opening. ChiChi ran over and gave him more of that medicine, pushing Krillin and Gohan out of the way. We all stood in tense silence as we watched his face relax and his body calm.

            “Phew…well it looks like he’s resting again,” Krillin sighed.

            “How intense, even in his dreams, he’s still fighting,” Trunks stated, still a little shocked from the outburst. Intense, indeed.

            “Well, that’s Goku for you!” Krillin exclaimed. If he had this fighting spirit even in his dreams, then I can only hope he’d be in fighting spirits once he’s awake. I sent up another silent prayer that everything would go according to our new plan. We just needed to keep him hidden and keep the androids away from him until he recovered. Once we had all hands on deck, we could end this once and for all.