"Now I rightfully rule the universe, as I was always meant to!" Vegeta smirked complacently, sitting upon his stone-carved throne. "But wait... Kakarot..." He realized. For all the trouble he had caused, for all the people he killed, Kakarot was yet to have appeared. Every time the world was in peril, there was that do-gooder, Kakarot. But now, when the earth was in the most danger it had faced since Vegeta first came to earth with Nappa, when Vegeta expected his most worthy rival to appear, he was nowhere to be found, or even sensed.

"Where is he hiding...?" He mused. He closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to sense the low-level's energy. Without even opening his eyes, he threw his fist straight forward, hitting someone in the face. He opened his eyes to see Android 21 standing back up, gathering the dragon balls that had been strewn across the ground. "And what are you here for?" Vegeta demanded.

"You are the one who killed Android 23, better known as King Vegeta I." 21 stated.

"Yes? And what is a scrap of junk like you going to do about it?" Vegeta retorted. "Let me guess; you're here to avenge your fallen comrade? You didn't stand a chance against me last time, and if you plan to take me on now, you're only going to die, Android!"

"I've come to join you." said 21, placing his katana on the ground at the saiyan king's feet and kneeling before him. "Because my leader has fallen at your hands, I ask that you allow me to be your follower." Vegeta simply smirked with amusement.

"My follower, you say?" He smirked condescendingly. "And why should I trust you to follow me?"

"Because I am inferior." 21 answered simply. "And I'm not fit to lead even my own life."

"I see..." said Vegeta. Now that he remembered, 21 never seemed to act unless one of the others in his little band did first. It was impossible for someone like this to betray him. "Put down the dragon balls." He ordered.

Without even a second's hesitation, 21 placed all five of the magic orbs he carried at Vegeta's feet. "I have gathered the dragon balls for you to use as you see fit, King Vegeta II." He bowed.

"You're two short." Vegeta scoffed.

"Yes, but I do know where the other two are." 21 amended. "They are in the hands of Son Gohan, who..."

"Was he a kid or an adult?" Vegeta cut him off.

"Son Gohan is only a child, of course." 21 blinked, slightly confused. "Why...?"

"Perfect." Vegeta grinned. "Then I can erase that halfbreed from existence and attain immortality in once place. Where is he now?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but I can find him." 21 answered, showing his king the dragon radar. "Would you like for me to retrieve them for you?"

"Yes. I have other matters to deal with myself." said Vegeta coldly. He took off without another word to his new servant.

"I'm here, Mr. Piccolo." Gohan panted, collapsing from exhaustion on the floor of the Lookout.

"Where's the android who attacked you?" Piccolo asked warily.

"I... don't know..." said Gohan, confused. "I thought he was chasing me...?"

"Never mind then. Do you know where your future self is?"

"Still with Toni, I think..." Gohan answered, ever more confused by the namekian's questions. "Wait, why?"

"Because I think I might know how to defeat the androids once and for all, but I need the Future Gohan to do it." Piccolo explained. "I was planning to use Shenlong to help us, but it seems as though that's out of the question at the moment, so we'll have to resort to something more... unusual. I'll explain later." He added to Gohan's inquiring expression.

"There seems to be little time to rest, Son Gohan." said Kami, observing the world below. "21 seems to be on his approach."

"No..." Gohan breathed, still tired from his flight to the lookout.

"Perfect." Piccolo smiled, tossing off his turban and cape, both making a loud crash as they hit the floor. "Just as I hoped he would."

"Huh?" Gohan blinked. Why was Piccolo so confident about fighting someone like 21?

"We already know that three of the androids have been killed." Piccolo explained. "Kami has a way of keeping almost too good of an eye on earth's people."

"Android 19 had fallen early on at the hands of Vegeta, and quite recently, 23 has also been killed by him," Kami added. "And before that, Tenshinhan had bested 22, or Tao, at the expense of his own life."

"Leaving only two left to worry about." Piccolo concluded. He had remembered the remorseful look and soft actions of 24 at the initial destruction the androids had caused. Now that there was no one left to hold him down, he was as good as free. "The first and most important of which being 21."

"Two?" Gohan repeated. "But Toni isn't..."

"You don't know that, Gohan!" Piccolo snapped. "She may have converted, but there's far more to her than we think! You and I both know that."

Gohan knew that Android 20, who went by Toni, was nothing short of a mystery compared to the other androids, but he had a hard time believing that she could still be a threat, or that she ever was one to begin with.

"21 has been following you ever since you left Mt. Paozu." said Piccolo. "Don't you wonder why that is?" Gohan thought about this matter, rather perplexed.

"Well, for the dragon balls, right?" He answered.

"He didn't know what they were until you said their name out loud. From all appearances, they seem interested in whoever has the highest power levels."

"But I thought their only objective was to kill dad? And wouldn't they be more opt to attack Vegeta than me?"

"I thought the same thing, but that doesn't seem to be entirely true." said Piccolo. "And you showed 21 your hidden powers when you fought previously, didn't you?" Gohan thought back to when he first fought the sword-wielding android.

"No, I didn't." Gohan shook his head. "But how could he have...?" He broke off, looking very alarmed. "Those trackers!"

"What?"

"When I fought 21 just a while ago, he said that every fighter of a notable power level has been watched by these... trackers that have fed every bit of information on those fighters to him." Gohan explained.

"Meaning every battle we've ever fought, every strategy we've used, he knows every single one of them." Piccolo grunted.

"And he told me they transmit more than just battle information." Gohan continued. "They also collect ki and DNA, and transmit it to Gero's supercomputer. They've already gathered data on everyone, I think. But, what use would things like our DNA be? What could they get from it?"

"Something nasty, I'm sure." said Piccolo.

"There's no need for either of you to know the purpose." 21 burst through the bottom of the lookout, creating a massive hole through it to the topside, where Piccolo and Gohan stood ready to fight. "Because soon enough, you'll both be dead, and the dragon balls you carry will belong to my new master."

"New master?" Gohan repeated, drawing his blade.

"King Vegeta II." 21 nodded, drawing his own weapon. "He's ordered me to reclaim the remaining dragon balls."

"Why would you take orders from Vegeta?" Piccolo asked.

"Because he was the one who killed my previous superior, the first King Vegeta." 21 answered simply. "So, with no others to lead me, who better than the successor to the Saiyan Throne. Now, Namek, give me the dragon balls and the boy, and I'll spare your life!"

"Go ahead." Piccolo grunted, stepping in front of Gohan and walking closer to 21, a smirk on his face. "Kill me. See how your new king will react when his hope of immortality is lost."

"Are you really so careless with your own life?" 21 sneered.

"Mr. Piccolo?" Gohan gasped. He couldn't be serious. What would Piccolo have to gain from letting himself, Kami, and the dragon balls die? Then it hit him. This was his plan all along! He planned on 21 joining up with Vegeta, he knew how furious Vegeta would be at losing his wish, and he was counting on him killing 21 as a result! "No! Piccolo!" He screamed. He couldn't do this! There had to be a better way...

"How pathetic." 21 frowned. "This is it? A namek with a death wish and a weak child?" with one swift stroke, he severed Piccolo's head from his neck, Gohan feeling as though that sword had penetrated his chest as he watched the body of the namek he looked up to so much fall to the ground, his head hitting the ground with a sickening clunk, the lookout's floor drenched violet with his blood.

"You...!" Gohan growled angrily, eyes flooding with tears. "You want the dragon balls? HAVE THEM!" He hurled the magic spheres, now smooth, spherical rocks, at 21, who caught them in his free hand.

"How...?" the android muttered, blinking at the rocks. "Are these the dragon balls?" He remembered what the namekian had said, and understood now that it was no empty taunt.

"I will never forgive you!" Gohan growled, charging at 21, never desiring to kill another life form as much as he did now. "I won't...!"

"It's pathetic that the namek willingly gave his own life, and even more so that you mourn for him." 21 scoffed. "Those who choose to give their lives up never deserved to live."

"Shut up!" Gohan snapped, 21 blown off his feet as the boy's long hair suddenly flashed bright gold, before returning to its normal black.

"What was that?" 21 thought. He cycled through his database, but found nothing to do with this strange surge of power.

He was caught off-guard as Gohan charged him, barely evading his attack, the side of his face slashed. Gohan gave him an onslaught of fast, almost impossible to even see attacks, most of which he found himself unable to block or evade, dozens of small cuts and gashes springing up almost randomly across his body.

"Where the hell is he getting this power from? He's never shown this kind of strength before!"

Gohan brought his sword straight down onto 21's head, who blocked the attack with his own weapon, but Gohan struck again, and again, and again in the same place, until both blades were shattered by his force. The infuriated demi-saiyan threw the hilt at 21, the jagged remains of the blade attached impaling him through the chest. He then struck 21, who blocked his punch effortlessly.

"Did you really think I would be helpless without my sword?" He sneered, kicking Gohan onto his back. "No, I didn't carry that sword to protect myself from others' attacks. I carried it to protect them from my own power. Those damned Red Ribbon scientists. They did everything they could think of to test me, to hold me down, to keep me from surviving. Those blades I carried were imbued with energy that suppressed my power. And destroying them was a big mistake." He shot skyward, charging ki into his hands. He thrust them downward at the lookout, and though nothing visibly fired from his hands, the entire lookout was obliterated, along with everyone and everything inside.

""At least I've eliminated the halfbreed. If he survived the blast, he couldn't survive the fall. But I can't return to King Vegeta. What can I do now?" He thought, knowing the consequences of his failure. He returned to the remnants of Dr. Gero's laboratory, knowing no other place to turn.

"I feel something... strange about this place..." 24 mused as he traversed the mountain side, not sure what it was that led him here. He was certain that 23 must have been destroyed by now at the hands of his son, and knew the only reason he was ordered to leave the vicinity of the battle was to be preserved, so that whoever else would lead the android troupe could make use of him, but since most if not all of the androids were already gone or about to be, 24 knew it was useless to stay among them, leaving him once more without a home.

He heard voices up ahead, and curiously followed them to find a small house situated comfortably near the top of the mountain. Three fighters, all donned in bright orange, took defensive stances as he approached, no doubt aware of who and what he was.

"I am not here to harm you." 24 stated aloud as he drew closer.

"You're..." Mirai of the group said.

"I am Android 24, yes. But I didn't come to kill Son Goku, if that's what you believe."

"I have a hard time believing that." Krillin scoffed.

"I don't know where the other androids are, nor do I wish to further their goals." said 24. "I don't know what brought me here, but I somehow feel belonging in this place."

"Belonging?" Yamcha blinked.

"I have been a subject of Dr. Gero's for many years, and ever since then, I have never once had a place where I belonged, where I could call a home. But somehow I feel as though this may be where I belong." 24 explained.

"Do you think we can trust him?" Yamcha asked in a low whisper to his partners.

"He seems okay, and Piccolo told me he thinks so too." Mirai nodded.

"Alright, but if he even looks at Goku wrong..." Krillin started.

"Son Goku is here?" 24 interjected. "Don't worry, I have no interest in harming him." He added to Krillin's shocked expression. "I will even protect him, should my comrades still seek his death."

"Alright then. Stand down, guys." said Mirai.

"Thank you." 24 smiled. "Do any of you know about the other androids' whereabouts?"

"I was actually hoping you could tell us." Mirai answered. "Yamcha told me that Tenshinhan's ki just vanished several hours ago, and it Vegeta seemed to be fighting not too long ago, but he's still present."

"So 23 has fallen, as I thought..." said 24. "And what of 20 and 21?"

"I can't sense androids' ki, so I don't know where the others are," Mirai replied. "But I do know that Toni, or 20, is gone. She said she wanted to 'find herself.' And I have no idea about 21."

"Wait!" Krillin gasped, concentrating. "Piccolo's and Gohan's ki, they're both gone!"

"And that means...!" Yamcha grunted, knowing that Kami and the dragon balls were gone too now.

"Should we go after him?" Krillin wondered.

"No. All we can do is wait. Let him come to use." Mirai shook his head. "We'll be ready for him when he finds us."

"I was wondering when you would run away to this place." Vegeta said, stone-faced as 21 set foot in Dr. Gero's laboratory. "Would you mind explaining THIS?" He threw a perfectly rounded stone at the android, who caught it, recognizing it instantly as an inert dragon ball.

"I didn't know their existence was linked to the namek." He answered.

"Unacceptable." Vegeta snapped. "whether or not you knew, you've still failed, and failure, especially failure of this level is intolerable. The Dragon Balls were essential to my plans, and you've gotten in my way long enough."

"Wait! I've killed the halfbreed as you've requested." 21 ammended.

"He was just a minor nuisance." Vegeta scoffed. "If you think that killing him was an impressive or important feat, you're sadly mistaken."

"Then... I understand." 21 conceded, knelling to the saiyan king. "Take my life, if you must." He had failed to survive, and now, like those thousands before him, his death was at hand.

Vegeta drove his fist through 21's chest, who made no indication of pain as this happened, and with a powerful blast through his torso, Android 21 fell to the ground, unmistakably dead.

"Now all that stands in my way is Kakarot." Vegeta smirked, flying off to continue his search for his greatest enemy.

Soon after Vegeta left the facility, a new figure walked among the wreckage. Upon finding 21's body, he announced over a communicator,

"Subject 21 located. Recovering for storage."

To Be Continued...

Sorry to keep you all waiting for so long ^^ Hope the next update comes sooner than this did.