~*****~

Mars was silent, his gaze staring out ahead of us. "This isn't looking good..." I murmur to myself. "Goku, why didn't you take the medicine?" We kept flying, until a familiar power level caused the two of us to perk up. "That's--" I exclaim to myself. Mars begins cooing in curiosity, his gaze turning towards me. "That's... Your dad..." I hum softly as I start picking up the pace. "He did it..." Pride swelled within me. "That's your daddy, Mars," I hum as I let Mars hold on my hands. Mars coos again. "He's done it... he's a Super Saiyan now..."

A familiar being shoots by me, sparing me a confused glance before continuing on his way. The one from the future. I'd given a short gasp as I finally connect the dots. Mars squeals again. Once everyone came into view, my gaze settled onto the android they were surrounding. I hummed in confusion.

"Doctor... Gero?" I mutter. He flings his arm out and a wave of energy flies towards us. Kicking upwards, I try desperately to avoid the blast. Just when I think I've failed, a pair of warm arms wraps around me and tugs me out of the way in time. Mars is wailing violently in his harness, tugging at it desperately to curl into my arms. I peer up at the future man in obvious adoration. "Mars... You're my Mars, aren't you?"

"Impossible! The Android! He vanished!" I ignore Vegeta's bellows as I reach up and cup Future Mars' face. "Blast it! Where'd he go?!"

Future Mars gazes up at his father with an angry scowl. "Mara!" Gohan exclaimed as I let Mars out of his harness and let him cuddle into my chest.

"Are you all right?" Krillen calls worriedly.

"We're okay!" I retort calmly. "He saved us."

Future Mars just continued to glare at his father. "You'll never get away from me, Android!" Vegeta continued to bellow.

"Excuse me," Future Mars hums, and lowers me to the ground. I gaze off after him, a delighted smile covering my lips. "Hey! Why didn't you try to save them, Vegeta?!" Future Mars bellows at his father.

"Who?" Vegeta asked irritably.

"Who?!" Future Mars barked. "Mara and your son!"

"She's not some frail woman, she can take care of herself!" Vegeta snapped back at him. "I have more important things to worry about! Now get out of my way!"

"So, that one with the mustache was one of the androids?" I ask curiously.

"Yeah, sure was, Mara." Krillen nodded as I took a seat on a rock with Mars in my lap.

He was still whining unhappily. "Don't worry, Mars," I hum affectionately. "Mommy's here..." I coo. "That Android looked just like Dr. Gero." I explain. "Didn't he?" I ask as I lift up Mars. The infant just whimpered. "He was Dr. Gero, all right." I nod. "I've seen his picture in this science magazine I read a while back." I hum. "But he's changed a lot since I've seen it. Speaking of change, we're changing you, mister." I hum to the infant. "Wanna give me a hand, Gohan?"

Gohan flushed. "U-Uh... Sure." Gohan nodded politely and approached me as I popped open a capsule. Various baby supplies appeared on the boulder besides us.

"Hey! Mara says the Android is really Dr. Gero!" Krillen exclaims.

Everyone gathered around me as I cleaned up Mars. "Dr. Gero?! How could you possibly know a thing like that?!" Vegeta barked.

"First off, you don't have the right to speak to me like that, Vegeta!" I snap at him, my eyes slicing into a glare. "Secondly, he was in the Red Ribbon Army! I think I'd know Dr. Gero if I saw him!" I toss the dirty diaper over to the side, away from all of us and readjust Mars onesie. "It was an easy mistake, Vegeta." I hum irritably.

"What?!" Vegeta growled.

"With all the modifications Dr. Gero's made on himself, it's hard to tell he was ever human. It's actually impressive, we'll what he did to himself." I hum. "He coulda been a great scientist, had he not used it for evil."

"You told us a pack of lies!" Vegeta barked to Future Mars. "Curse you, boy! You said Dr. Gero was destroyed by the Androids he created! You didn't tell us he'd turned himself into one!"

"The timeline I know must have shifted when I traveled here from the future! Oh man," Future Mars complained. "I was afraid this might happen, but... But it was a calculated risk that I had to take!"

"Dr. Gero mentioned two other androids on the way. They could be the ones you told us about the last time you were here," Piccolo mentioned. "But this time, I think it would be a good idea for you to tell us what they look like! We don't want to make the same mistake twice!"

"These androids that I know were created by Dr. Gero, to be sure. But unlike the clumsy androids you met today, these two are sleek and graceful. Android Eighteen is designed to look like a beautiful young girl. Android Seventeen is a young boy who wears a red scarf, and has long dark hair. But they both have the same cruel, lifeless eyes. Yes, it's their eyes that will haunt me the most..." Future Mars explains.

"Man, these things sound pretty mean!" Krillen exclaimed.

"Well, that's one way of putting it. These Androids are ruthless! They seek only to hurt and destroy!"

"Do they absorb energy like the first two?" Piccolo asks.

Future Mars shook his head. "No. These two don't need to. Their energy, it lasts.... forever..."

"What?!" Vegeta barked again. "That's preposterous! They have to run out of energy sometime!"

Mars began grumbling irritably at his father, his small hands clutching at my shirt as if he were trying to protect me. "Hey, how come Goku isn't here right now?" Future Mars asks Krillen.

"Well, he came down with that weird heart virus. He went home for the antidote that you gave him." Krillen explained. "I thought you knew!"

"I can't believe history has slipped this much!" Future Mars exclaims.

"Mara--" Vegeta took a step towards me.

Mars began wailing angrily, swinging his chubby arms and legs at Vegeta. "Can you not irritate the baby, please?" I ask irritably. I began bouncing Mars gingerly. "Don't worry, your dad's got an ugly mug, but that doesn't mean he's trying to hurt mommy." I hum affectionately while pressing soft kisses to his head.

He seemingly calms down and keeps an irritated glare on his father. "Mara, will you forget about Mars for one minute?!" Vegeta asked irritably. "Do you know where Dr. Gero's lab is?!"

I flipped my hair over my shoulder and growled angrily. "Do you really think I'd sit here with that knowledge and not say a word?" I ask through my teeth. "For your information, I only read that his lab was supposedly hidden in a cave somewhere just outside North City..."

"I'll bet it's too late follow him there," Krillen mentioned. "He's probably long gone!"

"Maybe not! Nobody say him fly away, did they?!" Vegeta questioned.

"So, what are you saying?" Gohan asks.

"I'm saying that android is trying to escape on foot!" Vegeta retorted. "Which means, he probably hasn't gotten very far!"

"If that's the case, then we might just have a chance to find this lab and destroy the other two androids before Gero even gets there!" Piccolo suggested.

Vegeta turned around instantly. "I would never do anything that cowardly!" He barked. "Only one course of action can possibly satisfy me! I will fight these androids face-to-face! And I will break them with my bare hands!"

"No!" Future Mars shouts at Vegeta. "You must never underestimate the power of these androids! If you really want to destroy them, we have to do this Piccolo's way!" Vegeta ignored him and tried flying past him. Future Mars pushed in front of him again, and spread his arms out. "Listen! Don't go! You won't be able to handle the androids by yourself! We have to wait for Goku!"

"Listen, I will say this once! I do not have time to wait for Kakarot! I am a Super Saiyan now, and I'm stronger than that pathetic fool could ever dream of becoming! Now out of my way!" Vegeta once again brushed past him.

"Man, he's such a jerk." Tien hummed.

"I must admit, now that Vegeta's become a Super Saiyan, he may actually be stronger than Goku. Perhaps he does have a chance at beating the androids single-handedly." Piccolo hummed.

"No, I'm afraid he doesn't have a chance. And I know that... because in my world, these two have already killed Vegeta! Well, I won't let it happen again! I won't let my father die!" Future Mars exclaims.

"That's my boy~" I coo.

"What?!" Krillen, Gohan, and Tien bellow.

"What did you expect? I made such a handsome boy, didn't I?" I hum happily as I lift Mars up. "My little bruiser is gonna be super strong someday, isn't he?"

Mars cooed happily. "How weird-- we all met Mars two years before he was born." Krillen hums.

"I think it's time we get started searching for Dr. Gero's laboratory, you guys. We don't have long if we want to get those other two androids before he does." Piccolo stated.

"Hey, Mara," Gohan hummed. "Can you tell my dad about all this the next time you see him? Oh, and ask him to hurry and get better?"

"Actually, Gohan, you should probably go with Mara to make sure they get back safely." Piccolo states.

Gohan bit his lip tenderly before nodding. "Okay." I giggle and rub at his hair tenderly.

~*****~

Mars was laughing happily as Gohan played with him in the back of the plane. "He sure likes you, Gohan."

"Yeah!" Gohan laugh. "Mars sure has a tight grip for such a little guy!"

I laugh. "You should've seen him the first time Vegeta tried to pick him up. I'd never though an infant could sucker punch a well seasoned fighter, too."

Gohan laughed. "Hey, Mara? Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure thing." I hum.

"How come you and Vegeta had a baby?" He asks curiously.

I hum and sigh. "Well, the first thing you gotta know is, Vegeta isn't as bad as he makes himself out to be. He may be a bit rough around the edges, but he's actually very sweet when he wants to be." I hum affectionately. "I'm still gonna knock his lights out when I get the chance." I click my tongue. "How dare he just leave without a word."

"I never thought Vegeta would be nice to anyone!" Gohan exclaimed. "You must be really special to him, then!"

A flush crawls up my neck and I try not to smile to brightly. Lush comes into view. I let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks for coming with me, Gohan." I hum as I take Mars out of his carseat.

"You're welcome, Mara!" Gohan laughed as I kissed his head. "I'm gonna go see my dad, now!" Gohan hummed.

I nod. "Give your dad and Chi-Chi my love, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Gohan nodded politely and took off into the sky.

I heaved out a sigh of relief and gazed down at Mars. "Let's go take a nap." I hum.

~*****~

I gazed at the image on my computer skeptically. "And you're sure this says Lush Capsule on the side." I hum to the man on the other end.

"Yes ma'am. I was wonderin' if I could have it, bein' it's on my land an' all. It looks really worn down." He explains.

I hum and scratch at my head. "Let me get with my partner and I'll stop by to evaluate it." I explain. "Thank you for letting me know. Have a nice day, okay?"

He hums in response and I end the call. I sigh loudly and lean back in my chair. Mars is snoozing happily in the crib I have by my desk, his small arms stretched out as far as he could. I chuckle before a subtle knock echoes through the room. Lola peeks in gingerly. "There's a call for you, Ms. Mara, line 2." Lola chirps as softly as she could.

I give her a thumbs up before picking up the phone. "Hello?" I answer simply.

"Oh, hello? This is Krillen speaking," Krillen's voice echoed out. "Is that you, Mara?"

"Yeah, is everyone all right?" I ask quietly. "Talk to me, I've been so worried. I tried calling Gohan at his house to make sure he got there, but I go no answer! By the way, is, uh... Future Mars there?"

"Uh, yeah, he's sitting right behind me." Krillen hummed.

"Then put him on the line." I retort irritably.

"He can hear you on the speaker so go ahead and say whatever you need to say, Mara!" Krillen exclaimed.

"I received a call a few moments ago from a guy who lives in the middle of the country, somewhere west of here. He claims to have found some sort of weird, old abandoned vehicle and wants to keep it. But he doesn't know how to fly the thing so he phoned me and asked if I knew."

"Yeah, go on..."

"He tried to explain what kind of vehicle it was, but he didn't make any sense. I was skeptical it was a Lush Capsule product, so I asked him to send a picture of it. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it! It was a picture of the time machine Mars came in, and I've got some bad news for you: It was wrecked."

Everything was silent for a moment. "He says the time machine's right here!" Krillen exclaimed.

I hum thoughtfully. "How many time machines did we make in the future?" I ask as I gaze closer at the photo sent to me.

"H-How many? Well, we barely managed to make one..." Future Mars explains.

I hum again. "I'm sending the picture through the fax. Mars, I want you to take a good look at it." I order softly before sending it through the fax machine. Infant Mars began whimpering from his crib. I lifted him up and held out a small spoonful of baby food for him.

"Hey, Mara, listen," Krillen's voice cut through Mars' delighted hums. "This capsule... Where did you say it was?"

"I'm not sure exactly," I trail off. "But it looks like it's somewhere out in the west ten fifty area. You going?"

"Yes, I've got to check this out." Future Mars states.

"All right, then, I'm going, too." I hum. "I'll meet you there~"

"But... do you think it's safe?" Future Mars questions.

"If I can deal with Vegeta, then I think I've got a little time machine hunt handled." I explain with a laugh. "Anyway, there's no talking me out of it, so I'll just see you there." I explain before ending the call. I press the conference button. "Lola, can you watch Mars for me for a little bit?" I ask curiously.

She bursts through the door immediately "I WOULD LOVE TO!" She bellows before sweeping Mars from my arms. "Mars and I have a date with the bakery down the street! How's that sound, pumpkin? Want to share some yummy food with me?"

Mars glances at me warily before grimacing. He begins to whimper once he realizes I'm not taking him back. "I better get out of here before he throws a full tantrum." I giggle. "Thanks, Lola! Get me one of those gooey sweet rolls, will ya?"

"You got it~" Lola cooed before exiting my office with Mars still whimpering unhappily.