An Unburdened Fury

Chapter 45: Awaken

One Week Later...

Zangya woke suddenly to her vision colored in blue. Bubbles rushed by her face when she breathed out. So she was probably not dead. Good, someone needed to keep Kogu and Bujin from getting themselves hurt. Several taps rang in front of her.

There was a shape there but it was dark and ever shifting in the liquid. It reached over for something and she was left on shaky legs as the liquid rushed away over the next few seconds. The port opened and there was a familiar hand ready for her. Zangya took the mask off her face and pulled herself out of the healing chamber where she fell to a knee.

"Hey, take it easy." Bujin whispered as he lowered himself. "Are you feeling alright? Any headaches, fever, tightness-?"

Zangya held up a hand. "I appreciate the concern but...give me a second." A moment later, she was handed a towel. Right, that was handy. She wrapped the towel around her shoulder before she stood back up and looked over Bujin. The man was thankfully unscathed.

"We're not still in that system..?"

"Oh no, no. We're somewhere in Cooler's territory. I can't exactly recall the name but we should be safe. Or as safe as we could be all things considered."

She nodded. "How are you holding up?"

"All well and good. Kogu and I were the least affected by the whole ordeal. Cooler was the worst off but his species is remarkably durable so he was able to get out of the healing chamber first."

She absentmindedly dried herself with the towel.

"However, Broly..."

Zangya stopped for a moment. Bujin was worried. Did he leave? She didn't remember how the fight ended now that she thought about it. That sent her heart racing.

"Is he...?"

"Physically, he's fine but..."

Relief at the news was an understatement. Something like Amalthea wouldn't have ended him. Even in the brief amount of time they've know each other, she got that much from him.

The Heran looked over his shoulder and leaned in to her. "He's isolated himself since Amalthea. Kogu's tried to get him to talk but he's been rebuffed every time. Cooler, understandably, won't go near the guy."

Zangya made a thoughtful noise. They couldn't have the man doing anything stupid; they needed him.

"Where is he?"

She knew they were no longer on the moon anymore but it looked identical otherwise. Great swaths of stone were carved out and miles of glass dotted the landscape. A yell and a swift punch later, a plateau upheaved only hours ago was brought back down once more.

'He'd had to have been going at this for days.' Zangya noted as she kicked a rock away. Despite being on a neighboring planet, she idly wondered how this didn't wake her up in the chamber. She raised her power level abruptly and the Saiyan stopped in the air.

"You know," She yelled as she flew over to the man. There were bags under his eyes; he looked exhausted. It reminded her of the war they'd fought against the Mad King. How they'd be forced to stay up for days at a time out of desperation. That was never fun. "It helps to rest."

Broly turned his back to punch the air once more and a boulder in the distance exploded. "Leave me."

She didn't expect him to open up so easily but it would have been nice. Kogu and Bujin were still reluctant to talk to her even to this day. But they were all family and so she had her ways with them. Maybe they could work on Broly.

She stretched for a moment. "Well, I just got out of the chamber and I want to get some kinks out." Zangya fell into a stance. "So let's train together."

She raised her arm to block the punch. It was weak for the man; it hardly stung. A good breeze would tip him over. Their shared moment on Amalthea passed through her mind. She pushed him off and jabbed him in the chin. He floated away with wide eyes. He didn't see that coming.

"Are you holding back?"

His shoulders slumped for a moment but his eyes shifted into a glare and he stood tall once more. "I don't want to break you so quickly."

A clear lie. "I believe you."

He crashed against her once more but she dug her feet in and held. Hands heavy as mountains fell onto her shoulders and Zangya was tossed overhead where her torso had a meeting with his boot. She twisted around and her feet met firm ground once more. This time, she was the aggressor as she leapt at the man and planted her feet into his face.

He groaned as he grabbed onto one of her legs. She spun once more and the back of her feel whipped across his jaw. Broly let her go as he stumbled back and fell to a knee. The Saiyan looked around with wide eyes. He was confused. Even more so when he looked at the threads wrapped around his forearm. When did she-?

"You need to sleep."

"No, I don't. It's only been..." Broly stared at the ground as he thought of the blur that was his extended training session. "Huh."

Exhaustion hit the Saiyan all at once and he pitched forward but Zangya caught him in time.

"I thought I was prepared. I wasn't." The words spilled out in increasing speed as if the man was convinced he had limited time. "They almost had me. Had us. I need to-" Broly's body fell limp in her hands.

Zangya held up the unconscious man. Not exactly how she imagined this to go but he wasn't on his feet so that was a plus.

Dr. Gero looked over the destroyed body of his second greatest creation. He had viewed the recordings of the battle repeatedly. It was astounding how one man could hold so much power; to end Genome with just a blow. He glanced at the pod full of green liquid nearby. Cell. His first bioandroid. While Genome's gene pool was more diverse, he was intimately familiar with Cell's makeup.

Much as he detested Goku and his friends, they were of a better stock than Frieza's forces. In his simulations, Piccolo's DNA alone allowed for outstanding feats of regeneration that none of the tyrant's subordinates were capable of. That's to say nothing of the skills and techniques of the fighters on Earth.

Genome was missing those key elements to truly make him perfect. That was confirmed as much with his less than stellar performance. It was also less than pleasing to see that the bioandroid had tried to negotiate with the Saiyan. He was supposed to be ruthless. No chances given against his enemies. You hesitate, you lose. The Red Ribbon Army was lost because they didn't take Goku seriously enough quickly enough.

Their combined might at the outset would have taken care of the boy but they didn't do that and it cost him his son. He'd be rid of it all soon.

"Dr. Gero."

His eyes stayed on Genome. "Hmm?"

"Our blood work came back. Broly's DNA was retrieved successfully from Genome."

Gero smiled despite himself. Genome's stinger was a stroke of genius even for him. Just like the common mosquito, it was designed to both inject and extract. Every time the Saiyan was poisoned, more blood was extracted.

"Excellent news. Anything else?"

The Android nodded. "The collection of Cooler's blood from Frieza's foot was successful. His DNA is ready to be used as well."

"Even better. Prepare Genome."

It was all coming together. With Genome's failure and Cell's retrieval, his mind was set. One would be enough.

In a colorless space, Genome drifted.

It wasn't possible for that to be the case. He knew that he was back in his pod for repairs. He was physically immobile.

Yet he moved anyways.

Genome crossed his legs and willed himself upright. Well, what he believed was upright. It was impossible to tell otherwise.

This wasn't in his original programming; what would be the point in being conscious for this? This was new. Something he developed. If there was another explanation, it wasn't coming to him. For all that it mattered to him, it wouldn't change that there seemed to be nothing for him to do. He'd just have to wait and let Gero know later.

Genome sat for a few minutes in the darkness.

"Hello there."

The bioandroid flinched hard and went into a defensive stance.

"Who's there?"

"You don't recognize the voice of your brother, Genome? I'm hurt." The voice was everywhere and nowhere and it scratched like nails on a chalkboard. Genome felt a heat swell up in his chest. How dare this thing, for he did not know how else to refer to it, violate his headspace like this?

"My records do not indicate a sib-" He snarled.

It laughed at him and the heat bloomed in response. "Dr. Gero keeps his cards close to his chest. As he should. I am Cell, Gero's first bioandroid."

'First?' Something else welled up within Genome. He had never felt it before. Disgust. The way this voice spoke; it felt viscous in how it held onto him.

"Yes, I am the foundation upon which you stand. Dr. Gero is an unparalleled genius but a creation like you should have taken decades not mere weeks unless..! He had a blueprint. Me."

At the last word, a green orb appeared in front of him. Genome looked closely at the construct. There looked to be a...fetus?...in the center.

"He's disappointed in you, Genome; you didn't live up to expectations. So I am your replacement."

Didn't live up to expectations? His hands were shaking. How dare Dr. Gero be disappointed?! He was just born! And the doctor had the good sense to send him after a Super Saiyan, a figure of legend within the culture of the Saiyans! If only Gero was in front of him, he'd throttle the-!

Genome fell back as if he was struck. He couldn't think like that; he shouldn't be allowed to think like that. In fact, why were his emotions so strong? He wasn't programmed like this. The bioandroid looked through his programming.

His body was extremely damaged during his confrontation with Broly. Most importantly, his nucleus. Within the foundations of his being, the code that made him was corrupted. His biology, however, kept him working. Genome knew, for Dr. Gero allowed him the knowledge, that humans could adapt to traumatic brain injuries as their evolved survival mechanisms worked to ensure the whole still lived.

That ignored the contributions of Frieza's men, the Saiyans, and the Namekian as well. In the end, He was still there; Gero wasn't. It was astounding. Without his organics, he would have been just another pile of scrap. Somehow he knew that Dr. Gero wouldn't see it that way. None escaped his conversions and there were whispers of planned invasions.

Whole worlds converted to Androids.

Genome grabbed the orb and squeezed. "No."

"Wait, what are you doing?! This command is from Dr. Gero himself. You can't resist!"

Genome stared at the orb as his processors, no, his mind ran through a million possibilities a second. There'd be no turning back from this.

But as the orb stared back, Genome saw his future if he did not resist. He'd die. His body would carry on but he wouldn't. There was no real choice in the matter.

"You do not know what I can do but I know what I must do."

The carnage, the forced conversions, with his mind freed, he could do something about it.

"You will not have me." The orb cracked underneath the pressure of his hands and Cell screamed obscenities. "And neither will Dr. Gero."

Another hour seemed to pass before the bioandroid felt himself wake up. Genome blinked several times as the pod opened up. He took in a breath, unneeded but desired, and he noted that his fit was tighter. It actually proved more difficult to step out of the pod than previous awakenings. He was considerably taller as well as the tip of his crown grazed the ceiling.

A quick diagnostic show two notable additions to him outside of Cell. Well, with all three of those, it was no wonder he had changed considerably.

"Cell."

It took the bioandroid a moment to realize Gero was speaking to him. The doctor believed this procedure of his was successful. Genome felt a bittersweet pleasure as he knew the doctor was wrong. Nothing was stopping him from just killing Dr. Gero right then and there. His former master was arrogant when it came to his creations or perhaps he thought Cell would resolve any issues with his code.

With a flick of his wrist, a turquoise barrier surrounded the two. Gero's eyes widened as he looked around the room. He didn't seem alarmed. More perplexed than anything else.

"Cell, what is the meaning of this?"

"Genome."

His brows furrowed. "Impossible. Your nucleus was severely damaged; Cell should have replaced you."

The bioandroid glanced at a dark monitor. His face had taken on more humanoid features; a reflection of the strongest warriors within him. He could see the Arcosians, the Saiyans, the Z-Fighters, and Broly.

"Every sentient being is born with an instinct of self preservation. Where mechanics failed, biology thrived. Something you would have seen had you paid a little more attention."

The seething anger in his creator was plain to see. "It seems I've made a number of mistakes with you which I plan to rectify." The doctor palmed a remote.

Before Gero could move to do anything, his whole body froze as a foreign vice took hold of him.

"Genome, unhand me at once!" He yelled as he struggled against the bioandroid's grip.

Several other Androids heard their creator scream and they entered the room only to crash into his barrier. They were quickly subdued with another thought by Genome. All the Frieza from Cell proved to be good for more than survivability. The bioandroid sighed at the sight of his comrades as they writhed in pain against the crushing force.

"One of my first act after my birth was the accidental murder of a soldier. I knew then and there, on some level, that it was wrong what I did. Frieza was a murderous tyrant unworthy of any mercy by most standards so executing him was less problematic for me but that man. I knew nothing of him. Later on, I found out he was pressed into servitude by Frieza like most of his army."

"He had participated in the cleansing of worlds like most in Frieza's army. By all means, he was a murderer but in this environment, how could he not be? Could he have been rehabilitated perhaps? Redeemed even? We'll never know now. Even if he lived, he would have been converted into an Android." Genome glanced at the men behind Gero. "A machine with no free will. Some of their own personality but little more. That should have been me but I was different. I wasn't fully machine and you let me learn, Dr. Gero. For that, I thank you."

The bioandroid stepped closer and stared into the old Android's hateful eyes. "But I won't be a conqueror."

There was only a slight creak of metal to show anything happened at all and Gero's lifeless body fell to the floor. It was quick and painless. He knew both human and android anatomy well enough to ensure that. The other androids fell from his grip but they looked at him in terror at what he might do to them. They would learn better in time.

"Go, I want every android back here at once."

He was alone once more. Everything was still. Everything was silent.

Save for a chuckle in the back of his head.

'Oh, we're going to have a splendid time.'

Bulma looked at the three androids with no small measure of pride. After the brawl with the other androids last week, things had been quiet and she used that time to fix these three up while her father and past self worked on a ship for everybody. They weren't going to wait for more androids. They were going to take the fight to them.

As for these three, they'd be great allies now that Dr. Gero's programming was gone.

She turned back to her computer to save her work for the day when her scanner caught her eye. With no power levels to detect, they needed a way to see the Androids coming. The discovery of Gero's lab provided everything needed on that front and her past self cooked something up in a few hours. It was...sickening...to see so many of them out there but she was confident that they could do it.

Her scanner had hundreds of the machines spread out through much of Frieza's empire. Looking for more warriors to make into Androids she assumed. She stared at it for a minute before she spotted an unusual pattern.

It couldn't be.

"Why are they all converging?"

A few minutes later and she had her present self looking at the scanner with her.

"They have to be planning their invasion. Don't you think...?"

Future Bulma shook her head. "The timing isn't right." Truth be told, it had been so long that she didn't remember the exact date but she knew this was too soon. "It shouldn't be for several more months."

Her younger self rested her chin in her hand. "We know the timeline's changed what with androids coming here on a retrieval mission rather than as scouts. Who's to say that plans couldn't be moved up?" She snapped her fingers. "Hey, what about Broly? Wouldn't he know more about this given, you know, he's fighting them directly?"

A bead of sweat formed on the elder's forehead. "I haven't been keeping touch with the guy what with all the preparations going on here." She shook the negativity from her mind. "Never mind that, I'll try and get in contact with him soon. Still, we know the androids retrieved Cell but we also know it took Gero twenty years to debut the bioandroid so we can scratch that."

"A coup?"

"If only we got real lucky."

"Then I'll let everybody know so they can double up on their training. Dad said he should be done soon too so we can stop whatever this is in its tracks."

As the present Bulma left the room, Future Bulma looked to a nearby case. She laid a a hand on it as she kept her eyes on the scanner. Without testing it, there was no way for her to be one hundred percent that her newest project would work. Not when Gero had so much time to update his Androids but if she dared to hope...

She'd done the impossible once with the time machine. She'd do it again for both timelines.

Author's Notes

No review responses for this one as I wanted to get it out just a little quicker. Hope everyone had a good Halloween and may your bellies be full come Thanksgiving!

Ent out.