"17... And... 18...?" Luna mumbled as Android 20's words played over and over again in her mind. "No... No way..."

Everyone else looked just as shocked as the white haired man began laughing insanely.

Before anyone could move, he launched the ki in his hand in multiple directions, blowing up a good portion of the surrounding landscape while giving himself the cover he needed to make his get away. Everyone covered their eyes as dust and debris flew through the air, Luna panicking as she heard Bulma and Yajirobe screaming as their ship headed towards the ground.

"Rrgh... He's asking for it..." Piccolo grumbled, pulling his hands away from his face as he looked around now that most of the smoke had cleared. Everyone seemed to be alright he noticed as he saw Luna not too far away, holding baby Trunks in her arms as Bulma sat next to her wide eyed.

"Oh wow... Pretty sure I was about to be a wish there..." The blue haired woman mumbled, jumping suddenly before looking around in a panic. "W-where's my baby?!"

"Right here!" Luna said happily, handing a crying Trunks to her as the other woman sighed in relief.

"There you are! Oh, thank you..." She breathed, rocking the baby back and forth as he finally started to calm down. "Aw... Don't worry Trunky..." Bulma cooed, smiling down at the baby sweetly before continuing. "That was just an explosion... You'll get used to those... Those happen a lot around mommy..."

Luna nearly facepalmed before sighing, glad her friend and son were alright. She heard a few rocks moving behind them as she sensed Yajirobe was fine as well. I knew he'd be okay... She thought with a smirk, glancing over at Vegeta before sending him a nasty glare. He didn't even try to save them... She thought angrily, noticing that future Trunks seemed to be just as irritated.

Luna watched him glare at his father, getting angrier and angrier as the Saiyan above him paid no attention to any of them.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me! He got away again?!" Vegeta shouted, looking around at the terrain below him. "Blast it! Rrgh... Where'd he go?!"

Trunks growled, reaching the end of his patience as he jumped up before flying in front of the older man.

"Hey! Why didn't you try to save them Vegeta?" Trunks asked in a harsh tone, glaring at his father as he waited for his response.

"Who?"

"Who?!" Trunks repeated in shock before spelling it out for him. "Bulma and your son!"

"Oh, them..." Vegeta said boredly, having better things to do than explain his actions to some brat. "I have more important things to worry about than that foolish woman and her blasted child!" He finished seriously, staring back at the lavender haired boy as Luna listened in with a frown on her face.

"Now, out of my way!" Vegeta hissed, blasting past Trunks as he flew around him without another word.

I know I would have spotted that infernal android if he had taken to the air... Vegeta reasoned, looking around in the canyon below him for any signs of the machine. He must be sticking close to the ground... Using the narrow canyons to conceal his escape... He deduced, smirking as he decided what his next move needed to be. That means he's on foot! And if he's on foot, he can't have gotten very far...

"Sooo... That funny looking old guy with the mustache was one of the androids?" Bulma asked suddenly, getting everyone's attention as Trunks whined in her arms. "Huh? Oh, there there now..."

"Yeah, sure was Bulma..." Krillin mumbled, wondering what the blue haired woman was getting at.

"Time to turn that frown upside down!" The scientist cheered, making a silly face at baby Trunks before continuing. "Well, I think that android was Dr. Gero... Yes, he was! He was Dr. Gero~" Bulma cooed, finishing the last part of her sentence in baby talk as she tried to make Trunks stop crying. "I've seen his picture before in one of my dad's science magazines..." She went on, everyone listening to her words intently. "Of course, it looks like he's changed a lot since then..."

"So... Android 20 is really Dr. Gero?" Luna questioned, playing with her hair absentmindedly as Bulma nodded.

"Dr. Gero?" Trunks repeated, the name sounding unfamiliar to him as Piccolo and the others stared at the blue haired woman in shock.

"What?!"

"Dr. Gero?! How could you possibly know a thing like that?" Vegeta asked harshly, landing back near all of them once more before glaring at the woman across from him as he waited to hear what she had to say.

"I know what I saw Vegeta!" Bulma said angrily, glaring right back at him as she explained it again. "It was a picture of that old guy in one of my dad's science magazines and underneath it, in big bold letters, it said, 'Dr. Gero'!" She finished dramatically, sighing in annoyance as Trunks frowned, trying to make sense of what all of this meant.

"Well, it was an easy mistake Vegeta..." Bulma went on, enjoying the irritated look on the Saiyan's face as she spoke. "With all the modifications Dr. Gero made to himself, it's hard to tell he was ever human... It's really amazing what he's done..." She commented, impressed with the man's use of technology before remembering one other thing she had come across in her readings. "Too bad I read he's such a jerk..."

"Rrgh... You told us a pack of lies!" Vegeta shouted, pointing right at Trunks as he stared back in surprise. "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 as I know it must have shifted when I traveled here from the future..." Trunks mumbled, getting Bulma's attention as she listened in. "Oh man... I was afraid that this might happen..." The lavender haired boy admitted, looking a bit flustered as he went on. "But... But it was a calculated risk that I had to take..."

"Dr. Gero mentioned two more androids on the way..." Piccolo noted, looking at the purple haired boy seriously before continuing. "They could be the ones you told us about the last time you were here... 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..."

Trunks nodded, looking at them all seriously before speaking. "The androids that I know were created by Dr. Gero for sure... But unlike the clumsy androids you met today, these two are sleek and graceful... Android 18 is designed to look like a beautiful young girl... Android 17 is a young boy who wears a red scarf and has long dark hair..." He explained, a chill going down his spine as he remembering what terror the two of them had caused. "But they both have the same cruel, lifeless eyes... Yes, it's their eyes that will haunt you the most..." He mumbled, shaking his head as he tried to stay focused.

"Man, these things sound pretty mean..." Krillin commented, not looking forward to finding and fighting these monsters.

"Well that's one way of putting it..." Trunks replied, wanting all of them to know how horrible these machines really were. "These androids are ruthless... They seek only to hurt and destroy..."

"Do they absorb energy like the first two?" Luna questioned, looking at the Saiyan across from her as he glanced at her in surprise before frowning.

"No... These two don't need to..." He answered lowly, all of them listening quietly as he continued. "Their energy... It lasts... Forever."

"What!" Vegeta shouted, clenching his fists as he didn't believe what he was hearing. "That's preposterous! They have to run out of energy sometime!"

"No way..." Luna mumbled, not believing it either as she wondered how they could possibly defeat an enemy like that. "Limitless energy... Are you sure?"

Trunks just frowned, looking at the ground intensely as the baby version of himself starting crying once more.

"Oh, it's alright..." Bulma cooed, rocking him again as he began to settle down.

"Hey... How come Goku isn't here right now?" Trunks asked suddenly, looking towards Krillin and Gohan as their expressions turned serious.

"Well, he came down with that weird heart virus..." Krillin explained, hoping his friend was doing alright. "He went home to get the antidote that you gave him. I thought you knew..."

"I can't believe history has slipped this much..." The lavender haired Saiyan admitted, looking rather confused as he thought about what else might have changed...

...

Meanwhile, at the Son house...

...

"Rrghahh... Ahh!" Goku shouted, clutching at his chest as he tossed and turned on his bed, the virus taking a nasty toll on his body as he fought to survive.

"Oh Goku..." Chi Chi cried, sobbing quietly as she watched her husband struggling to hang on. "Please don't give up..."

"Man... I hope we didn't give him the antidote too late..." Yamcha said to himself, watching as his friend thrashed around in his sleep. "You've got to fight it Goku!" He said seriously, looking over at Chi Chi with worry as she continued to cry.

"N-no, please... Goku..."

...

Back with the rest of the Z Fighters...

...

"Ugh! How dare you Vegeta!" Bulma screamed, pulling Trunks back quickly as she glared at the spiky haired man. "Every time you stick your geeky little face in front of Trunks, you make him cry!" She shouted, frowning at the Saiyan as Luna and Krillin chuckled at the irritated expression on his face. "It's alright... Your daddy's not going to scare you with that ugly mug of his..." Bulma said playfully, lifting baby Trunks up and down as she tried to make him happy.

"Bulma will you forget about the child for one minute?!" Vegeta growled, looking at her seriously before continuing. "Do you know where Dr. Gero's lab is?"

"What? What lab?"

"Rrgh..."

"Well, now that you mention it..." She said suddenly, putting one hand under her chin as she thought about what else she had stumbled upon. "I think I remember reading that Dr. Gero's lab was hidden in a cave somewhere just outside North City..."

"I'll bet it's too late to follow him there..." Krillin reasoned, figuring they would just have to live to fight another day. "He's probably long gone..."

"Maybe not..." Vegeta said with a smirk, glancing at all of them deviously before continuing. "Nobody saw him fly away, did they?"

"Hmm... So what are you saying?" Gohan asked, tilting his head to the side while looking up at the older Saiyan in confusion.

"I'm saying that android is trying to escape on foot!" Vegeta hissed, glaring down at the younger boy before making a fist. "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 realized, knowing they would have to move quickly if they wanted to beat him to it.

"Heh, I would never do anything that cowardly!" Vegeta laughed, turning around to face the taller man as he smirked. "Only one course of action can possibly satisfy me..." He explained seriously, looking around at all of them with a dark expression before continuing. "I will fight these androids face to face and I'll break them with my bare hands!"

"NO!" Trunks shouted, making Luna jump as everyone stared at him in surprise while he ran in front of Vegeta, blocking his exit. "You must never underestimate the power of these androids..." He warned, his tone grave as he hoped his father would listen to his words. "If you really want to destroy them, we have to do this Piccolo's way!"

Vegeta stared at the boy blankly for a moment, smirking as he made a sound of annoyance before blasting right past him. He had no time to waste if he wanted to catch up with this 'Dr. Gero'...

Trunks frowned, taking off quickly as he jumped in front of his father once more. "Listen, don't go!" He urged, pleading with the angry looking man as he tried his best to make him understand. "You won't be able to handle the androids by yourself! We have to wait for Goku!"

"Listen, I will only say this once..." Vegeta growled, glaring at the young Saiyan seriously before continuing. "I do not have to wait for Kakarot! I am a Super Saiyan now and I'm a lot stronger than that pathetic fool could ever dream of becoming! Now out of my way!" He shouted, flying around the young fighter again as Trunks watched him go with wide eyes.

"Tch, jeez Vegeta..." Luna mumbled, shaking her head at the Saiyan's retreating form while wondering how Bulma could deal with someone like that.

"I must admit, now that Vegeta's become a Super Saiyan, he may actually be stronger than Goku..." Piccolo stated, thinking about it seriously as Krillin stared back at him in shock. "Perhaps he does have a chance at beating the androids single-handedly..."

"No... I'm afraid he doesn't have a chance..." Trunks said, his tone dark as he looked down at the ground while landing near where everyone was standing. "And I know that... Because in my world, these two androids have already killed Vegeta!" He cursed, frowning as he knew what he had to do. "Well I won't let it happen again! I won't let my father die!" Trunks finished in a roar, blasting off quickly while heading in the direction Vegeta had gone.

Bulma blinked a few times, watching him go as she replayed the words over and over again her mind. "Father...? Did he say father?" She questioned out loud, looking down at the baby in her arms as Luna sighed, figuring it was time she knew the truth. "What did he mean by that?!"

"Bulma..." Luna said softly, floating over to where she was standing as she put her hands on the woman's shoulders. "That boy is Trunks..." She admitted, tilting her head as she watched everyone except Piccolo stare back at her in confusion. "And he is Vegeta's son... He's the boy the baby you're holding in your arms eventually grows up to be..." She explained, watching the gears in her mind slowly turning as Trunks mumbled in baby talk, making Luna giggle.

"WHAT?!" Bulma screeched, startling Luna as Krillin, Gohan and Tien wore identical expressions of shock.

"Oh man, wow!" Gohan said, watching in amusement as Bulma held Trunks up, looking at him closely before letting out a sigh.

"Gosh, who'd have guessed..." She mumbled, still in shock over the whole thing as Krillin finally spoke up.

"Now that you mention it, they do sorta look alike... But how totally weird!" The bald fighter stuttered, thinking about how strange this situation actually was. "I mean, we all met Trunks two years before he was born!"

Bulma couldn't speak as she stared at her son in shock before Piccolo decided to take control of the situation."I think it's time we started searching for Dr. Gero's laboratory you guys..." He said seriously, glancing at everyone before continuing. "We don't have long if we want to get to those other two androids before he does..."

"I'm ready." Luna said earnestly, floating over to hover next to the Namekian as she sent him a smile.

"Right! Me too!" Gohan nodded, taking a step forward as well as Piccolo knew what their next actions had to be.

"Hmm... Well Trunks, at least we know you'll grow up to be a handsome young man!" Bulma cheered, smiling down at the baby in her arms as Luna grinned, enjoying watching the two of them interact. "And think, all this time I was worried you would look like your dad!" She finished in a laugh, making Luna cover her mouth as she chuckled.

"Anyway... Gohan?" Piccolo said suddenly, staring at the young Saiyan seriously before speaking again. "I think Bulma and the baby need to go home."

"We do?" Bulma questioned, glancing back at the Namekian in surprise as he nodded.

"You do."

"Well, it would be nice to check in on my dad..." Gohan said, eager to see how his father was doing as Yajirobe made his way towards the group.

"Actually, I kinda need a ride too..." The fat samurai muttered, brushing some dust off his fighting gear as Gohan opened his mouth to object.

"But I-"

"Actually... I'd like you to take me home first." Bulma stated, looking at the young boy as he tried to say something else.

"But you-"

"Stop worrying Gohan... I'm sure Goku's fine." Piccolo said sternly, knowing that it would take a lot more than some virus to kill the Saiyan fighter...

Luna sighed, knowing he was right as she smiled at the younger boy who still seemed a bit disheartened. "Tell Goku to hurry up and get better already!" The purple haired woman teased, ruffling Gohan's hair playfully as she watched the tiny Saiyan smile back at her weakly. "We'll see you soon..." She promised, smiling at Bulma and baby Trunks one more time before taking off.

...

Somewhere in the mountains near North City...

...

Alright... Made a miscalculation... Dr. Gero thought, grimacing while dashing forward as he thought about everything that had gone wrong today. Eh, a couple miscalculations... Lost an android... And a hand... And I think my brain case is loose... He realized, frowning as he made his way towards his hideout. But there's no way they could follow me and none of them know where to find my lab... Gero thought confidently, smirking to himself until remembering the humiliation he had suffered at the hands of those blasted warriors...

When I activate 17 and 18, Piccolo and Vegeta will understand once and for all the awesome power of my creations! He vowed, narrowing his eyes as he continued dashing as fast as he could towards his secret base. He knew he was getting close, feeling rather certain that he would be able to recover from all these miscalculations until jumping in surprise as he felt a high power level approaching from behind. He dived behind a large rock quickly, waiting in silence for a couple seconds before seeing none other than the Prince of all Saiyans soaring by.

Vegeta! Gero shouted internally, his eyes widening in fear as he watched the fighter fly in the same direction he was heading. But how did he follow me this far?! The scientist wondered, sure he had been rather thorough in his escape. Hmm...? He blinked, picking up another high power level on the way.

They both followed me... He growled, cursing both fighters while glaring at Trunks as he flew after Vegeta. How did they know which way I was going?! Wait... Is- Is it possible that they are headed for my laboratory? Dr. Gero thought in a panic, shaking his head as he knew the chances were slim. No... It must be a coincidence... Yes, it has to be a coincidence! There is no way they could have secured the location of my secret lab! Unless they know a scientist... Like Wheelo or Frappe... Or any of the Briefs... He realized, his mechanical heart freezing for a second as he remembered the blue haired woman in the driver's seat of the ship he attacked. SHIT!

As if on cue, Dr. Gero's eyes widened in surprise as he ducked down again, avoiding the eyes of the rest of the Z Fighters as Piccolo, Tien, Krillin and Luna flew by... Heading in the same direction that Vegeta and Trunks had gone.

Rrgh! They ARE heading for my laboratory! Dr. Gero growled, frowning as he glared at their retreating forms. I should have never told them about 17 and 18... If they find my androids before I activate them, they will try to destroy them! No! I cannot let that happen! He thought, his jaw twitching as he rose into the air slowly before taking off. Fortunately, even Dr. Briefs does not know the precise location of my lab... I may still get there before they find it!