This fic is based on two of my favourite DBZ characters, future Trunks and Android 18. I wrote the ideas and some scenes for this story over 10 years ago and came across it recently after rummaging around on my PC. I thought some of the ideas were interesting and it inspired me to write again.

Note: While it's set in future Trunk's timeline, consider this an alternate timeline fic. Also it's been so long since I watched DBZ I may have forgotten some rules regarding characters' abilities, powers etc. I think I remember most of it, but if you see something that doesn't make sense then that's probably why.

Anyway enough rambling! Please let me know what you think, good or bad or inbetween! Thanks for reading!

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"Speech"

'Thought'

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The Shadow of Hope

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Chapter One

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Bulma jotted down a final item to a printed list of highly specific and complex electrical equipment. The list was entitled "Project Hope" and it was something she, and a few others, had been working on for years now. This last item on the list was especially important, she underlined it with her pen and stood up from her desk and approached her son who was checking his rucksack and gear one last time.

"Do you have everything?" She asked and watched him fiddle with his belt buckle which contained pouches for his rations and survival equipment aswell as a geo-tracking device with already preconfigured map locations of all the potential places where he might find what he's looking for. They, Bulma and a few other capsule corp scientists, had been planning for this particular mission for over a year. In truth the initial part of it was already under way and had been for some time, the survivors and android resistance had already found the majority of the equipment Bulma needed for the Time Machine, however there was one extremely rare and precise component she needed in order to finish it – and that was were Trunks came in.

"Yeah I have everything." He said while tightening the belt at his shoulder. "Did you write it down?" He asked and she nodded and passed him the paper.

"We only just found the factory code identification for it. So the number should match the box it's contained in." She said.

He glanced over the list, he was familiar with the majority of the parts he was searching for having been helping his mother work on the time machine since its conception; however the really technical stuff was way over his head. His time was spent on training, not science and engineering like his mother and grandfather.

"Alright this should be enough." He said and closed his eyes trying to remember the details of his destination by heart, never overly rely on gadgets was something his mentor Gohan had taught him.

"Thirty miles North East of Canton City, the manufacturing plants in the mountain town of Forta Mont." He said, the details of the location coming back to him. He placed the list in his pocket and patted it down as if to make sure it stayed where it was.

Bulma typed a few quick commands into the computer on her desk and brought up a picture of a mountain town with two large buildings in the background. Trunks peered over her shoulder at the image.

"Those plants where some of the only places in the world that manufactured the drive core processors we need. Without them the time machine won't work." She said and rested her chin on her hand in contemplation. They'd done as much research as possible to track down the location of the processors but without eyes on site it was difficult to say exactly what condition the plant was in or what was inside them.

"The old news reports seem to suggest the place is still standing. If they're there I'll be sure to find them mom." He said with a confident smirk, reminiscent of his father.

Bulma glanced up at him and smiled but her face quickly changed to worry. "Trunks promise me you'll be careful. There were reports of android sightings not far from that area barely two weeks ago." She said, her voice full of worry for her son's safety.

"Don't worry so much I'll be fine, they never stick around the same place for too long, and besides you've got too much work to do! Don't waste time worrying about me." He said and glanced over her desk toward the object of all their time and effort. The time machine was currently suspended by a small crane a few metres away from them, its chassis had been removed and was currently displaying all of its innards. They were using an old abandoned airplane hangar which Bulma had carefully converted into a top-range laboratory and workshop, although you couldn't tell that from the outside, it looked partially destroyed and overgrown with moss and grass covering the façade, which was the intended goal.

Trunks took a moment to look at the almost completed machine and couldn't help but feel a mixture of hope and relief. Relief that they could finally do something about the nightmare they were living in instead of constantly running and hiding. It had been so long since they had made any offensive move against the androids, it infuriated him when he thought about it, but more importantly, he was ashamed of himself for not being strong enough to protect those he loved. Pride however was something of a luxury for him now, he knew he didn't stand a chance against them as he was – these were lessons he'd learned the hard way and far too many times at that. In truth he was surprised he was still alive, he never told his mother about the majority of his run-ins with the androids because he knew it would destroy her with worry, and that more than likely she would never let him outside again!

However with this machine they could change things, really change things, and that little speck of hope had gone such a long way to all those involved in the project and to those in the wider fight. Now he had to play his part and he felt he had been working his whole life for it. He was ready.

"You know there's still time, why don't we wait for news on android location before doing this? The resistance are always sending updates; we can wait until they're far away before searching for the parts." She said, her voice partially giving to sorrow.

Trunks turned to face her and placed his strong hands on her shoulders. "Mother I'll be fine. We can't waste anymore time, if I don't go now how many more people will die?" He said, feeling his emotions rise just at the thought. "I have to do this, I've been training for it and now everyone needs me."

Bulma stood up and looked at him, her strong son; her eyes began to fill up. She pulled him into a hug and rested her head on his chest. "Just promise me that you won't do anything stupid. Be careful and stay hidden and keep in contact at all times!" She said, squeezing him tighter. "You're all I have left."

Trunks looked down at her, love and compassion in his eyes, she'd been through so much, he hated seeing her like this. "I will, I promise." He said and embraced her but quickly fell back into that same familiar and brave smirk.

"Hey now I'm not going to fight them, I'm only collecting the parts we need." He said and broke away from her and picked up his bag. Bulma sighed and tried to collect herself while she watched him reach for his sword and attach it to his belt. It took everything out of her to see him leave or go anywhere near possible danger, especially after the loss of Gohan who had been so important in his young adult life considering his father and the Z-Fighters died when he was just a child.

"I'll be home before you know it." He said and after a brief pause, made his way to the hangar exit and waved before stepping outside.

Trunks looked up at the wide blue sky allowing his eyes to adapt to the brightness. It was a lovely day, the sun was bright and warm and he could hear the birds tweeting all around him. From the picturesque scene before him, no one would have a clue about the devastation the world had endured. He took a deep breath and for the first time in a long time felt a genuine sense of purpose. He effortlessly took to the air but stopped suddenly as his mother burst through the hangar door.

"Trunks wait!" She shouted and ran forwards looking up at him. "If you run into trouble or need help make sure you contact me OK?" She cried out with desperation. He smiled and made a peace sign and then took off into the blue sky.

Bulma watched him disappear over the horizon. "Be safe."

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Seventeen was hovering over the crumbling wreckage of a destroyed building. Below him his sister, Eighteen, was sitting with her legs crossed on a wall of rubble with her chin on her hand looking as bored as ever. They were surrounded by the charred remains of a destroyed and burning city. Billowing clouds of smoke where scattered across the horizon and shimmering in a dim orangey red glow from the fires below. It had been the first city they'd destroyed in a long time, the human presence here however was zero.

Seventeen's eyes were scanning a particular spot of rubble below. "Come to papa…" He said quietly under his breath as he effortlessly worked out the trajectory of the moving target below the concrete slabs. It was there, he knew it, and it was just a matter of timing. Suddenly his eyes darted to the right "Bingo." With an extended index finger Seventeen shot a thin energy beam into the back of a frightened stray dog right before it reached an opening in the twisted water mains pipe beneath a fallen steel frame. The dog let out a whelp as the beam struck its body and its momentum sent it crashing into the wall lifeless. Eighteen rolled her eyes.

"And there it is! Another supreme shot met its mark by the champion!" Seventeen said with a cheer, raising his arms aloft in mock celebration. "He takes the lead again, no one can stop him!" He carried on making crowd cheering noises and praising himself before flying down to her with a grin.

"What's that now? I make it seven to six for me." He said satisfied.

Eighteen groaned, stood up and glared at him. "We agreed animals don't count." She said as she wiped her skirt down from the dust that had been clinging to her clothes all day.

"Anyway I'm getting really bored. Haven't you had enough fun playing with worthless animals?" She asked, annoyed. He crossed his arms and smirked at her. "Hey sis, it's actually more challenging shooting animals. They're not as slow and clumsy as humans."

"Yes but it's pointless, as was coming to this damned city. I told you we wouldn't find any humans." She said pointedly. Seventeen considered her a moment and then cast his eyes across the devastated city which the two of them had laid to ruin. An eerie satisfied grin came to his face. "Yeah but it was fun." He said.

Eighteen flew up beside him and surveyed the city too. Yes it had been fun, there was always a deep thrill to be had from levelling an entire city, or town, or anything really. However it just wasn't the same when humans weren't involved, no matter how many stray animals are scurrying beneath the wreckage.

"Yes well I'm glad you enjoy playing with animals because soon there won't be any humans left." She said and Seventeen's face fell as the thought came over him.

"How many did we find this week? Twelve?" She asked shaking her head while looking around at the city rubble. "Either we've devastated the numbers or they're getting a lot better at hiding." She finished.

"Both." Seventeen replied and put his hand on his hip and raised one in gesture, "I did tell you to go easy on them last year, remember?"

"Me? Hah! It was you who went crazy on them; remember those competitions you made me play with you? 'Let's see who can kill more in thirty minutes'." She said with her best Seventeen impersonation and pointed her finger at him.

Seventeen laughed at the memory and smiled. "Well you played along and… hey, wait a second, you where the reigning champion!" He remembered, now pointing at her. The shame of losing didn't sit well with him, he hated losing at anything.

Eighteen blinked and looked away as the memory hit her too. She struggled to think of a response but swatted his pointed hand away in frustration. "Well that's not important."

Seventeen smirked at her, amused that he could always wind her up, and considering the human entertainment was dwindling, he found himself teasing her more and more often. "You should enjoy them one by one, that way it's more fulfilling and they last longer." He said with a playful grin.

Eighteen groaned and then waved away the gathering smoke that was surrounding her and once again tried wiping the dust from her clothes. She was getting frustrated.

Seventeen ignored her and considered what she had said with more seriousness. "However you did bring up an important point. The humans are getting harder to find." He turned and in contemplation looked back down toward the dead dog. "Maybe we need to change our habits."

"Well whatever we do, we need to get out of here, the smoke's clinging to my clothes and I hate that." She said and brushed her skirt and sleeves down one last time before looking up at him in frustration. "I'm leaving; this ash and smell will be a nightmare to get out of my clothes." She said and took off upward but quickly stopped and turned back to him.

"Are you coming Seventeen?" She asked and after one last quick look across the devastation they had caused, he began following her closely behind.

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They flew for an hour and watched below at the total devastation they had caused during their reign of terror. Some towns and cities that they hit a long time ago where overgrowing with moss and trees and showed no new signs of human activity at all. Eventually they reached the coast and slowly flew over a once extremely busy shipping dock. In the water was the husk of a split-in-half cruiser with both ends sticking out of the water. Beside it in the dry dock were the crumbling remains of an entire oil rig suspended on top of the bent dock cranes. The whole thing was black and charred from signs of a massive explosion and fire.

"Hey sis, remember that?" Seventeen said and pointed down toward it. He grinned remembering the fun he had that day. Eighteen looked down at the ship and smiled, it was a fun day. She was the one who handled the cruiser. She had picked it up and carried it really high as she waited for her brother to send the oil rig down onto the cranes. The whole thing went up in a fireball so big it dwarfed the entire dock. And then for the pièce de résistance she snapped the entire cruiser in two and sent it falling down into the inferno. The humans were incinerated instantly by the heat.

"Yeah that was fun." She said with a grin. The memory of the thrill she had that day sent shivers through her spine. However as her thoughts lingered over the memory, her face gradually changed as she realised days like that were few and far between now, and very possibly would never happen again. The world had changed, a change invoked by their hands. They'd spent years brazenly having fun without care or worry about the future, their future. Their instincts were to destroy humans; it was programmed that way by Dr. Gero. However now that those moments of intense destruction and the numbers of humans had fallen, she was forced to recognise feelings and emotions that once never registered as priorities in her programming. The days of her and her brother's carefree destruction were coming to an end whether they liked it or not. This upset her and she sudden stopped flying and lowered herself down above the cranes. Seventeen came to a stop and turned, noticing the change in her.

"What's up with you?" He said recognising the expression on her face that she only ever showed when she was really bothered by something. He flew closer to her but suddenly hesitated...

"Wait a minute, are you still upset about that clothes store I destroyed? I said I was sorry, I didn't know it was there." He hated when his sister was really mad at him, after that particular incident she didn't speak to him for over a week, she really knew how to hold a grudge. Normally whenever he teased her she would just get angry, sometimes to the point of attacking him, which he enjoyed to a degree. But when he really got to her, she would give him the silent treatment, and he hated that.

She frowned. "No Seventeen it's not that, but I am still upset with you about that!" She said with added seriousness, making sure he still knew her disappointment. She looked down to the dock. "I just realised things are changing, we can't have fun like we used to."

Seventeen looked at her a moment and then realised what she meant, he glanced toward the shipyard. "Hm. Well, we'll just have to find other things to amuse us. Like I already said, you need to find a hobby, something to take your mind off destroying humans."

Eighteen blinked, "A what?"

"A hobby." He reiterated.

"Yes I know what you said I just didn't believe you would say something so ridiculous." She said flatly.

Seventeen studied her face, but then shook his head in annoyance and crossed his arms. "Jeez Eighteen don't you listen to anything I say? We were talking about it only last week!"

She raised an eyebrow not understanding what he was talking about until... "Wait a second." She narrowed her eyes as their conversation came back to her. "You were actually being serious when you said you wanted to learn how to cook?" She said in disbelief, mouth slightly ajar.

"Yes, I find it interesting, and it smells great." He said closing his eyes at the memory of being in that expensive restaurant years ago, holding the place hostage while forcing the chef to cook for him. He marvelled at the man's skill, even while under threat of death… he was beginning to regret killing him now.

Still shocked she raised the obvious question. "But what's the point? You don't need to eat, you're an android." She stated - her face stupefied.

Seventeen rolled his eyes knowing she'd react like this. "The point is I can, and it tastes really good. I've asked you many times to try something in the past but you're so stubborn, so stuck in your ways."

'Here we go again.' Eighteen thought. She had always thought her brother was weird, that he did like to do things she wouldn't entertain for a single moment. It was especially so over the past year when she had caught him watching cooking programs on TV.

"So that's why you were watching those stupid cooking programs." She commented, mostly voicing her own thoughts. To think he was being serious… she shook her head in wonderment at the new height her brother's weirdness had reached. "You're weird Seventeen."

Seventeen frowned at the look his sister was giving him. "Wait, you are calling me weird for what I watch on TV? That's rich coming from the girl who secretly watches those sickening romance movies." He said and her eyes widened and face grew a shade of red. He grinned as he saw the embarrassed look on her face.

"Yeah that's right, I knew you were sneaking off to find videos of that show." Her face became redder. "I didn't see you for three straight days, don't you think I wondered what the hell you were doing?" He pointed.

Eighteen glared at him. "How dare you spy on me!" She accused but was still clearly embarrassed. "Anyway what I do doesn't compare with your obsession with cooking. That's just plain weird." She said trying to get her own back.

Seventeen's smile faded. He hated when she called him that. She was always calling him a wierdo because he enjoyed watching TV and reading books and trying different things beyond just blowing stuff up. He had argued his case many times before and he was getting sick of her attitude.

"So what if I find it interesting. Besides it's a hell of a lot better than waiting for hours while you try on dresses which you don't even like." He said and pointed at her accusingly. "Or put up with you mulling about lazily while I'm trying to have fun and putting a downer on everything I do!" He accused.

Eighteen's eyes widened and brought her hand to her chest in surprise at her brothers sudden outburst. "I never told you to come with me all those times, and your pointless animal shooting games are boring!" She glared angrily.

"My games are boring?" Seventeen feigned shock. However secretly he couldn't help but enjoy the twinge of excitement when his sister got angry and fired up. He needed to alleviate his boredom and this was the perfect opportunity. "Oh yeah you are a bag of fun aren't you. The only time I see you having fun anymore is when that saiyan boy turns up. What's his name, Trunks?" He said and then burst out laughing when he saw his sister's reaction. Seventeen knew he hit the jackpot, he'd noticed her behaviour change over the last year when they ran into that guy.

"Falling for the saiyan! Haha, no wonder you watched those romance shows, you must have been looking for some tips!" He laughed and tried to catch his breath. "No wonder you wanted to keep him alive so much!" He bent over at the waist trying to control his laughter.

Eighteen stammered and her eyes widened. "W-what!? I… I haven't fallen for anyone!" She became furious and began vibrating with energy, her face now bright red. "You agreed we should keep that whelp alive!" She said pointing out the fact.

"Hey now Eighteen don't forget, I'm there when he's around, don't think I haven't noticed when you push me aside just so you can go face to face with him." His words cut through her easily. "Damn sis, you make it so obvious." He finished with a satisfied smirk after seeing each word strike a deeper chord inside of her. He put his hands on his hips in victory.

Eighteen was aghast, she was barely able to keep herself from throwing a megaton of energy at him. "Shut up! Just shut up you idiot! Go away and cook something you wierdo!" She spat.

Seventeen's expression fell and he stopped laughing. That word again, he hated it, well he hated the way she used it. He wondered why it got to him, possibly because she associated it with him doing 'human things' which, as in their programming, tended to evoke feelings of hatred and an appetite for destruction.

It was Eighteen who was smirking now after seeing her words shut him up. Seventeen was about to unleash another tirade against her but instead took a deep breath and controlled himself and crossed his arms.

"Whatever Eighteen, carry on and fall in love with whoever you want. But as much as I'm enjoying our little conversation, I'm going to go do something more interesting." He said and turned around ready to set off, but stopped himself and looked over his shoulder. "But consider what I said, do try and find a hobby because soon things are going to get way more boring and I don't think I could bare arguing with my precious sister every single day." He said and started to fly away but not before launching one last verbal volleyball toward her, he couldn't resist. "So go and have fun with your boyfriend!" He smirked and blasted off toward the ocean before she could retort.

Eighteen was about to fly after him but just about managed to stop herself. She glared wide-eyed at his laughing and disappearing form on the horizon. She lifted her chin in defiance and crossed her arms. "Stupid Seventeen what does he know." She exhaled and tried to calm herself down. Over the past six months they had been arguing more and more and she knew why. The humans were disappearing, well, more like running out. No one likes spending all day every day with their siblings, even humans can't stand it. Seventeen always knew how to get to her and now she needed to let off some steam.

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Trunks had spent the majority of the day travelling to his first destination which was also where he hoped to find the drive core processors - the most critical component of the time machine. He would have gotten there faster if he had used more power however he didn't want to lure the androids who would likely sense him if they were in the vicinity. It was second nature to compromise on most of life's daily decisions for him now, life under constant threat of death had a way of changing a person's behaviour, and Trunks more than most needed to adhere to this wisdom given what he is and the attention he could gather.

Once he arrived at the mountain town of Forta Mont he performed an initial surveillance of the town, checking for any human presence or potential dangers he could face, and then headed straight for the manufacturing plants north of town toward the mountains. Like the picture he had seen, the site from the outside looked in great condition seeing as it had been abandoned for over a decade now. As he got a bit closer there were the usual signs of looters and human activity including one of the doors of the plant had been cut into. He wasn't too concerned as according to his information, most of the important stuff inside the plant was inaccessible behind heavy security doors and shutters. At least he hoped.

He spent the first hour or so exploring the dingy plant. Water had pooled in from a hole in the roof and flooded parts of the main manufacturing floor. There were also signs of animals using the building as shelter.

He found a power lever and fuse box hidden beneath a metal grate which if worked would provide power to the main hall and upper offices and, more importantly, storage. He pulled the lever and turned to watch across the main floor as the lights struggled to come on. There was a pop and crack and some lights exploded before the fuse blew again and the place went dark.

"Hm, looks like they have back-up generators, guess I'll try a new fuse." He said to himself as he returned to the fuse box. After rummaging around in his belt he replaced some of the old fuses and tried it again. This time he got the results he wanted.

The few lights that were in a good condition flickered on and power to a few machines across the plant floor activated creating a dull buzz throughout the plant.

"Wow, they made this place to last." He said, clearly pleased with himself and took a better look out over the factory below. It was full of advanced manufacturing belts, machinery and processing robotics. He felt more confident that he'd found find what he came for.

He moved through the plant and came to the stairway which led to the upper offices and administration sector. It also contained a large product storage room which was sealed by a security door which reminded him more of a vault. If this place had what he was looking for it would be behind this door. However after playing with the security panel it wouldn't let him in unless he had a passcode and a keycard.

"Heh. Guess my luck just ran out." He said, hoping he'd be able to get in easier after fixing the power to the building.

'Looks like I'll have to do this the old fashioned way, but I'll have to be careful.' He thought as he weighed up the impressive vault like door way. He'd have to power up which was always a risk, if the androids where nearby they may sense him, and lately it seemed they never missed an opportunity to pursue him. He placed his rucksack down and took off his jacket and threw it onto an old wall mounted rail hanger that he assumed must have been used as a winch to carry stock in and out of storage.

"OK nice and easy Trunks." He told himself and began to channel his power and approached the door. He took hold of the sides and tried to pull it apart however it was doubly reinforced steel that was used to protect the company's multi-billion dollar research products. 'Damn… I'll have to use more power.' He dropped his face in concentration and allowed a much greater amount of energy to rise inside as he growled. He grabbed the door again and this time the frame suddenly began to give way to his strength. He twisted and pulled at the massive braced hinges buried deep into the surrounding concrete and steel wired wall structure. The steel frame of the doorway cracked and warped inside the newly formed cavity in the wall structure and severed the large bolts that anchored it to the enclosed room. The structure snapped free easily from his strength and he took a step back and dropped the door to the ground in a massive crash. Immediately he allowed himself to power back down and took a deep breath to settle.

He lifted his head up and hopped over the broken door. It was dark inside so he flicked a switch on the wall to the side and the whole room lit up. It was a product stock room, full to the brim with advanced technology which had been stored away and catalogued by rows and columns of shelves containing all manner of equipment. He beamed with a smile and his heart skipped a beat.

"Oh man, mom would love to see this!" He said to himself as he stepped forward, marvelling at how pristine the place was. Without hesitation he turned and ran to his jacket and pulled out the list his mother had given him and immediately began scanning the shelves of equipment he needed for the required pieces. In reality he knew they could use all of the equipment here but his mission for now was finding the specific items his mother needed, the most importantly being the core processors.

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Eighteen had been flying aimlessly for about twenty minutes until finally finding a rather secluded mountain town on a large island to the north. She couldn't recall ever being here but after seeing some of the desolation and overgrown shrubbery the town was buried in, she took it as a sign they had been. She wandered around aimlessly going inside the old stores and a few houses hoping she might stumble across a nice dress or some shoes. She was low on shoes, her activities generally meant they didn't last long, and heels combined with her brother's shenanigans didn't quite go hand in hand. But that's not to say she would settle with mediocrity, no she wanted style and she wasn't prepared to give up looking anytime soon.

She found a store that had clearly sold women's high fashion back in the day, but as she entered it had been almost completely ransacked by looters. She frowned.

"Damn humans, they're like rats that ruin everything." She said and moved further inside. She moved to the back and found a few remaining crates and opened them up. There were clothes inside but of inconsistent quality and they looked like they hadn't been touched in decades. She held them up against her body in front of a partially cracked full dress mirror, but most of it was garbage. There was one particular item however, it was a women's blazer and it fit her quite well. She smiled in the mirror and twirled, admiring herself. It was a good piece, a little dated perhaps but she wondered whether she could do something with it. She opened it up to look at the fabric quilting but suddenly froze as two bugs came crawling out between the stitching. Her eyes tripled in size…

"AAAaaaaaahhhh!" She spun and ripped the bug infested blazer off. She shuddered and danced around the store in panic patting herself down and ruffling her hair. She stopped, her chest heaving and glared at the fabric on the floor. A little bug popped out of the fabric and started crawling over toward her. Her eyes widened and exploded in a burst of energy smashed through the shop counter, sending bits of metal framework crashing through the wall, and then flew through the store front and up into the air outside - still shaking and rubbing her hair.

A few moments passed and she began to settle, but she was seething. She turned slowly, her hair a mess and face unhinged. Wild eyes cast down at the store below. When she arrived at the town she was angry about Seventeen teasing her earlier and came here to get away from it, but now this happened…

She felt her body shake in rage induced energy, and now she needed to let loose. She had a mind for blowing the entire town to smithereens after being disappointed by not finding anything and then attacked by bugs. With a growl she flew up higher and hovered above the centre of the town. Her hand began to vibrate with tremendous energy and she raised it above her head, she needed to let loose and this town was simply the last straw, it would know her wrath.

Just as she was about to let it fly she stopped suddenly and her head darted to the right as she felt something, something or someone very familiar to her. It was powerful, very powerful and she turned slowly in its general direction and lowered her hand and let the energy dissipate. Narrowing her eyes she concentrated on its location. There, in the hills in the distance, a large factory on the mountain path. She focussed and could just make out lights coming from the inside.

"It must be…" Her expression changed from anger to a wicked smirk as she realised who it was.

"Just what I needed… it's time I had a little fun."

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Trunks was elated, he'd already found most of the extra items his mother needed, while not critical to the project, they would help tremendously. However more importantly, he'd found a stock pile of the drive core processors she needed. In theory one would be enough if everything went well and there were no mishaps, but having as many as possible would ensure the project was completed. He was overwhelmed, it was the first bit of good news they had for ages and he couldn't wait to see the look on his mother's face when he brought it all home.

He'd stacked boxes of items he needed in a large pile by the doorway next to his rucksack. There were a lot of them, he'd have to find something to carry them all or potentially make two trips. He wasn't finished however as there where a few more items left and the last thing he wanted to do was miss something. He reached up for a box on the top shelf, his fingers stretching, trying to find purchase on it. 'Ah…I cant… quite…' He put his foot on the bottom shelf and stretched up but suddenly the whole rack began to fall back under his weight. "Ah…" He quickly grasped onto the frame but it only made it fall faster. "Uh-oh…" It came crashing down on top of him and a pile of boxes smacked him on the head.

"Oww…" He winced and rubbed his head. "Why didn't I just fly…?" He sighed and pushed the frame off himself and was about to stand up but stopped suddenly - there was a loud bang and it came from the factory floor below.

For a moment he wondered whether it could be some old machinery that came back online when he brought power back to the factory, but then followed the loud scraping of the old creaking door hinges. His eyes widened in panic and he quickly pulled himself up out from below the frame and approached the doorway keeping as quiet as possible so he could hear.

He heard footsteps below and he hoped it was looters or some resistance fighters nearby who had come to check out why the lights came on, but then the entrance door slammed open with a massive crash. 'What the… don't tell me it's...' He gulped and wiped the sweat which had suddenly appeared on his brow. And then, as if only now realising it, he quickly made a better effort of lowering his power level.

With his pulse racing he jumped with cat like dexterity over the twisted debris of the door he smashed earlier and slowly approached the stairway that led down to the plant floor below but suddenly came to a dead stop.

"Helloo~" Said a familiar female voice; a voice that had haunted his dreams for as long as he could remember.

Trunks froze and his eyes widened in fear. 'Oh no… it's them, how did they find me?' His mind raced, trying to think back over his actions since he'd arrived here. It's true he got carried away when he opened the storage room and hit the jack pot and may have forgotten to manage his power as he usually does, but surely that wasn't enough for them to find him? He was at a complete loss until… his eyes landed on the broken door - its massive warped and twisted steel hinges were crushed like twigs after he had raised his power level to get inside. 'You idiot, they must have been close by and felt my presence.' He berated himself.

"Look I know you're here, come out and we can play." Android 18 said from below, her voice was playful and Trunks knew that wasn't a good sign. He turned and quietly stepped into the adjacent office and over toward the windows and peered through. He could see her below, she was dressed in a white t-shirt and tiny black waist jacket and denim skirt and dark leggings. He looked around as much as he could but he couldn't see android 17, however he knew he was around, they were always together. He glanced back at her; she fixed her hair and delicately hopped over a puddle of water looking deceptively as graceful and feminine as a girl possibly could. If he didn't hate her so much he'd consider her beautiful, but this beauty was the walking embodiment of death. He felt his body adrenalin kicking in preparing for a possible fight to the death.

'Right Trunks think.' He told himself and turned around toward the pile of equipment he'd found, the critical pieces to the time machine, the goal of his mission. He couldn't risk fighting here as it could destroy the equipment. No, he had to lead her away.

He peered through the shattered office window again but lost sight of her. Worriedly he moved across the office space and tried his best to locate her on the floor below. He hoped he could slip out the opposite end of the plant and put distance between them. It was nerve wrecking not being able to sense her. Then he heard her footsteps and he peered straight down at the stairway directly below. His eyes widened, she was coming up this way. 'Oh no…' He scrambled back and hesitated as he was torn between hiding himself and wanting to hide the equipment. She was nearly at the top, almost around the corner.

'No time.' He jumped behind a desk that had been toppled over near the back of the large office and unconsciously held his breath.

She came to the top and peered into the office and then took notice of the destroyed large steel door ahead. 'Wow he's been busy.' She thought as she looked around at the strange boxes of mechanical and electronic pieces of equipment on the floor. She peered to the side and saw a piece of paper folded on top of the boxes. She picked it up and opened it. '…a list of components…' She quizzically looked it over and glanced back and forth between the boxes and at the list. 'What is he doing…?' She asked herself with a raised eyebrow but then turned to the side as something caught her attention.

Her eyes lit up as she recognised it immediately, it was Trunks' jacket hanging on the adjacent wall. She gleefully skipped over the boxes and held it up infront of her, her eyes marvelling at the strange Capsule Corp jacket. Then without hesitation she slipped it on, it was of course too large for her but she liked it, for more reasons than one. Grinning she did a twirl and laughed before hugging herself with the jacket and sunk her face into it. It smelled like Trunks.

Trunks was barely breathing behind the desk trying his best to listen to what she was doing, he could feel his heart pumping in his chest. Curiosity got the better of him and he peered around the desk corner and immediately screamed internally.

'Damnit!' He saw her twirling around wearing his jacket. 'Now she knows I'm here for sure, I need to move now.' He scurried silently toward the window, using desks and cabinets as cover, and hoped there was an opening of some kind he could escape from in silence. He was going to flee through an opening but it would meant him running out into the open. He quickly peered at her again but quickly shot back behind his cover. She was standing at the entrance.

Eighteen stepped inside, her eyes scanning the innards of the spacious and ransacked office with a purpose.

"Trunks I know you're in here so why don't you just come out? I want to have a little… chat with you." She said with added playfulness. Trunks gulped and felt his heart beat that little bit faster. She walked around, lifting desks and moving cabinets aside effortlessly, expecting him to be behind each one; she was enjoying the game and finding his jacket had lifted her out of the foul mood she had been in.

"You know it's been some time since we last saw each other. I've been thinking of you lately." She said. Trunks pulled himself together, not really listening to what she was saying. She was getting closer and he knew he had to do something. He looked around desperately for something, anything.

"This is a lovely jacket." She said and did another little twirl, and then she lifted it closer to her face and breathed in deeply. "Mmm, and it smells so nice." She said wrapping it closely around her and giggled. Trunks blinked. He didn't know how to take that but he shook his head and frowned angrily. 'Damn android! She's playing games with me again.' He saw an old ink cartridge on the floor beside him and grabbed it. He turned and glanced around the desk to see where she was and waited for her to turn around completely. 'Come on… come on…' He prepared himself, and then as she had her back to him, he threw the cartridge through the already smashed window out across the plant floor below. It hit the machinery below and made a loud bang that echoed through the factory.

Eighteen spun around instantly and quickly made for the doorway but stopped and turned around, eyes suspiciously scanning the office one last time, but after a few moments she turned and jumped off the upper storey and flew out across the plant floor. Her eyes darted around searching for any sign of movement.

"Damnit." She said under her breath, she was beginning to feel like he was playing with her and she didn't like it. Despite her mood being lifted she was still edgy and in no mood to be played with, today was just one of those days and she still hadn't let out her frustration from earlier. She clenched her fist in frustration - she would have to deal with this using other methods.

"That's it! If you don't come out now I'll blast you out!" She shouted making sure her voice echoed out across the factory.

Trunks face fell. If she blew the factory all of the equipment would be destroyed. His heart raced and he peeked out of the office window at her hovering above. She was clearly angry and he had no reason not to believe she would blow the building.

She hesitated a moment, listening intently for any signs her threat had any effect on him but he clearly wasn't playing dice. She snarled. "You've got five seconds!" She raised her hand and began to gather energy.

"Five!" She started.

Trunks stood up and stared out in fear. 'No, she'll destroy it all.' His mind raced.

"Four!"

He rushed over toward the equipment. He couldn't carry it all, there's too much.

"Three!"

He quickly rummaged through the boxes looking for the drive core processors but aside from the code on the box, they all looked exactly the same. 'Damnit!' He screamed inside.

"Two!" Eighteen's hand crackled with power as she scanned the floor below.

He dropped the boxes and spun around, he had to move. He ran toward the stairway and looked up at her.

"One!" Eighteen raised her arm and then turned suddenly feeling a sudden burst of power.

"Hey android!" He shouted and glared at her, making sure she saw him. He exploded into super saiyan. "Come get me if you can!" He shouted desperately trying to stop her from launching the energy in her hand and immediately he blasted away and smashed through the building ceiling. Eighteen watched him and with a grin set off immediately after him.

Trunks flew straight away from the plant which happened to be toward the valley town below. He glanced over his shoulder and saw her following him at tremendous speed with a wicked grin on her face.

"Oh man..." He said, adrenalin keeping his fear at bay. He swooped low and aimed for the spaces between the buildings.

An invigorated Eighteen watched him with keen eyes, she was much faster than him and could catch him quite easily in a straight chase but this was the perfect opportunity to vent some steam. And she really needed to vent. With a thrilled expression she took the energy she had gathered and threw it low toward him.

Trunks looked over his shoulder as the blazing ball of super energy came right toward him. He tensed and with great effort pulled up away just before it collided with the ground in an enormous explosion.

"Aaagh!" He swayed in the air as the force caught up with him. With everything he had he quickly darted straight for the trees, deciding it best to hide as he knew from experience he couldn't out run her. He powered down as quickly as possible so to remain hidden from her and hoped the chaos of the explosion had hidden his exact presence. He peered out around a rock and tree but immediately shielded his eyes from the brightness of the on-going explosion. 'Oh man, I hope that didn't reach the plant.' He thought.

Eighteen laughed as the intense light from the explosion below cast dancing shadows across her face, the entire town was decimated from the blast. She had felt Trunks fly toward the trees and quickly went after him. She knew he would try to hide, the last few encounters with him he'd been changing tactics after realising he couldn't win in a fight or escape in a chase. Unfortunately his hiding had improved quite a bit and allowed him to escape more than once. Of course the other times she had allowed him to go but only after playing with him which mostly involved chasing him, scaring him and beating him. Today though was going to be different, she wasn't prepared to let him get away.

Trunks waited carefully behind the rock and peered between the trees toward the now flattened town. It was gone and what few structures that were still standing and somewhat intact were now on fire. 'That damn monster!' He gritted his teeth in anger, it was another human town wiped off the map, and he hoped there weren't any humans hiding out here.

As the smoke parted he could see the plant still standing through the heat haze on the mountain side, though it was difficult to tell if it had taken damage. Now however he had to take care of himself. He looked up and around for signs of her but couldn't see anything.

'Right I can't stay here, I've got to keep moving.' He told himself and made for the trees, running swiftly but keeping his power down enough not to be detected. He stopped suddenly and quickly hid behind a tree as he temporarily saw her zoom passed above the trees ahead of him. He peered again but couldn't see her; he knew she'd be nearby. His pulse was racing and his chest heaving from the excursion and panic, he had to change tactic, do something unexpected otherwise he'd fall into her trap. He turned around and headed for the burning town.

"Hi there." She said popping out from behind a tree. Trunks jumped backwards in fright and almost stumbled over but managed to steady himself just in time.

"What's the rush?" She said, flicking a stray strand of blond hair from her face. Trunks instinctively backed up as she paced him, the burning flames of the town surrounded her in shimmering halo of red and orange. He held up his arms in a defensive posture and snarled at her.

"It's been awhile Trunks." She said coming up next to him, her eyes never moving from his.

"Not long enough." He replied straightening up and checking his surroundings for anything at all to help him. He was not favouring his position. He backed up again a large tree and rock but she quickly closed the gap almost making him stumble as his foot hit a rock.

She smiled wickedly and hopped forward right upto him, placing her foot between his legs and her left hand on the tree above his shoulder. She stared into his eyes letting her blonde hair fall across her own pale blue eyes. Trunks stared back at her, back into the pretty face of his nightmares. He clenched as she moved her hand and brought it up toward his chest and chin.

"It's a shame, I was beginning to enjoy our little… encounters." She said playfully. "But then you disappeared again." She moved her face closer to his. "…that's going to change." She whispered seductively.

Trunks couldn't look away from her. He remembered the last encounter they had; she had been acting strangely then too, infact the more he thought about it, she'd been acting this way the last few times he encountered her. It was all games no doubt, she clearly enjoyed playing with him this way, but he was sick of being played with, he felt his anger boil up and just as she brought her fingers to his lips with her eyes studying his face, he swatted her hand away and glared at her.

"Ah." She blinked surprised and then looked him in the eye again. "Now, now Trunks. You know I've been thinking lately, there's no need for us to keep fighting the way we do." She moved her body closer to his, pressing up against him. Trunks' glare faded as his mind raced at her words, he was angry, it came as second nature whenever he saw the androids, but at the same time her change in behaviour really confused him. He didn't know how to deal with it, he knew it was a game, but he just couldn't figure out why she was going so far with it… or why he was still alive in the first place.

She felt him tense and she couldn't help but smile. She narrowed her eyes seductively and moved her face closer, her lips millimetres from touching his. Trunks froze, his mind blank, a complete wreck, he'd never experienced anything like this. He felt her breathing match his, her body was pressed against his and for the first time, despite all of their encounters, he realised he couldn't tell at all that she was an android. She felt, moved and smelled just like a real person, a real girl. His mind screamed, every ounce of training he had in his life told him to react, to move, to turn and get away, but then her lips met his and everything stopped. His eyes widened and his body tensed up. Time seemed to stop and so did Trunks. All that filled his mind was the touch of her soft lips pressed against his, the warmth of her face and body and the slight changes in pressure as she moved her lips against his. He was lost in the feeling; it was something he had never experienced before. But then, like a distant voice in a dream, he heard his minds voice screaming at him, and like a spark-plug igniting a combustion engine, his senses erupted and he instinctively pushed her back, his eyes wide with a mix of pleasure, confusion and horror.

Eighteen opened her eyes in surprise at him suddenly interrupting their kiss but also at what she was experiencing inside. She blinked, trying to come to her own senses and looked back at him. His face was red, a mixture of wonder and embarrassment, a bit like hers she guessed. She smiled at him, and as if reacting to her reaction, his face gradually turned to rage as he started to realise the full extent of what they had just done.

In an explosion of fury he powered up fully while she stood looking at him in wonder, not really concerned about his rage but more lost in the dreamy feeling and marvelled at this sudden new world she couldn't quite identify. It was unlike anything she'd felt before and it seemed to come from this raging, golden haired inferno infront of her. She smiled at him and this only infuriated him more. He jumped to her side and fired a quick, powerful blast at her to give him a chance to escape. She effortlessly swiped it to the side while Trunks burst off through the trees away from her. She watched him fly faster than she had ever seen him, leaving a trail of disintegrating trees in his wake.

Her predatory instincts were telling her to chase him down, however she controlled herself and remained still. She needed a moment to come to terms with what happened. She hadn't planned that, it just spontaneously happened and it made her happy. Yet as she stood basking in the warm feeling, what thrilled her more was that she could tell that something similar had happened to him. She smiled to herself; it was like she had found something completely new and profound, something that she'd always felt was missing and, in her own way, supposed she had always been searching for despite her lust for destruction. It was like a whole new world opened up in her mind, like her programming suddenly wasn't the only thing that made her what she was. Whatever it was she wanted more of it, and what she wants, she always gets.

She looked off toward the horizon were he had last been. She could sense him way off in the distance, super saiyan fully powered, a complete raging inferno. He was long gone now but something came to her mind, he had been here for a reason. She looked back at the plant in the distance and as if suddenly remembering she pulled the piece of paper she had found earlier from the jacket pocket and opened it up again. At the top was the highlighted title 'Project Hope' and below that different categories under the heading 'A list of critical components.' She briefly scanned the page, there were coded objects and electronic items listed in apparent order of importance and quantity. Then at the bottom, hand written and underlined in biro, was the name of a processing core which clearly seemed to be something important.

"I wonder what he's doing." She voiced aloud to herself and glanced back toward the plant, her mind raced, calculating the possibilities. "I guess it's my business to find out all about him." She grinned and took off toward the plant.

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To be continued…

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Thanks for reading!

Let me know if you enjoyed it and if it's worth continuing. I've got a little bit more to do with chapter 2 but it should be up by next week.

Cheers!

Keshin