Meanwhile, with the androids...

...

"So, I've been thinking about it..." 18 said casually, looking out the window momentarily before glancing back at her brother. "What do we do after we kill Goku?"

"Whatever the hell we want." 17 answered, knowing now that Dr. Gero was gone, they didn't have to take orders from anybody. "Who's gonna stop us?"

"Not Goku." 16 chimed in, surprising both 17 and 18 as it was the first time he had spoken in hours.

"Exactly." 17 said with a smirk, concentrating on the road before wondering how far they had left to go. "Speaking of which 16, what's our ETA?"

"We are currently two thousand five hundred fourty four miles..."

"Oh my god..." 18 sighed, losing interest quickly as she glared at her twin brother.

"Hey come on sis, it ain't so bad... Let's turn on our good old friend the radio..."

It only took about thirty seconds of play time for the twangy country song to make the blonde woman nearly lose her mind as she thought she had never heard something as terrible as this before...

"Oh that is ten pounds of nope in a five pound bag." 18 commented seriously, a mischevious look creeping across her face as she suddenly got an idea.

"Right, right... Sorry... I forgot we were out in the sticks..." 17 chuckled, amused by his sister's dislike of said music.

"You know what? I think I know the first thing we're gonna do..."

...

Inside the temple...

...

Kaito led the way down the quiet halls of the abandoned shrine, both of them coming to a large room at the end of the walkway before they made their way towards a large sliding door. The silver haired swordsman slid the paper doors open, revealing a beautiful courtyard filled with flowers, trees and a tiny stream as Luna held her breath, seeing two figures up ahead...

Before Kaito could say anything, she was off, running across the grass towards the people ahead as she saw them both turning to greet her.

"Akari!" Luna cried happily, running towards the blonde woman before picking her up and swinging her around excitedly. "I've missed you so much!"

"Hehhehe! Woah, Luna!" Akari laughed, hugging her once more as her friend set her down. "You sure have changed since I last saw you..." She commented, looking at her more closely as she noticed the subtle differences other people might not. "Wow... Has it really been eight years?"

Luna nodded, surprised herself at how much time had passed. "Akari... I thought you and Kaito... I thought you were both dead..."

"We could say the same about you! But it's okay now..." The blonde woman smiled, her crimson eyes lighting up as she chuckled, looking over at the older Acaiian who was smiling at them gently.

"Princess Luna." Ryuuto said formally, nodding his head once as she almost jumped, forgetting he was even there.

"Ryuuto! Master Ryuuto..." Luna correcting herself before bowing quickly. "I'm so glad to see you all here..." She said happily, smiling genuinely as she looked at her teacher. "Kaito told me how you all escaped... I- I just still can't believe you're all alright!"

"It truly is a miracle that we are alive when so many have perished..." Ryuuto agreed, smiling wearily as he knew they had more important matters to discuss. "But we must focus on the present young Empress..."

The smile faded from Luna's face as she knew there was a reason they had been seeking her out all this time. Despite wanting to reunite with their long lost friend and planet's heir, there was a task that only someone with her family's abilities could complete...

"You know of the legends of our people..." Ryuuto stated, sighing as he took a seat on a nearby stone as Kaito and Akari listened close by. "I fear that a great evil is about to be unleashed upon this planet..." He said, his tone unreadable as Luna thought about what few things in the universe could scare someone as powerful as her teacher. "And I fear that we are the reason it has been brought here..."

...

Up on The Lookout...

...

Piccolo frowned, gritting his teeth as he wondered how much longer the old man would drag this out. It felt like he had been here for hours. And every minute that passed, more innocent people were suffering down below...

Kami gasped suddenly, getting Mr. Popo's and Piccolo's attention as he walked towards the edge of the lookout, a grim expression on his face.

"What is it?" Piccolo asked, not liking the ominous silence hanging in the air. "Tell me what's happening down there!"

"Yes, please tell us." Mr. Popo chimed in, curious as well as they both waited for the Guardian of the Earth to speak.

"It's... Awful..." Kami stammered, struggling to find the words to describe the horrors going on down below. "Even worse than I feared..."

"What?! What do you mean?!" Piccolo asked, tired of being left out the loop. "You're not making any sense... Explain yourself!" He ordered, frowning as the older Namekian continued to stare down through the clouds in silence.

"You old fool!" Piccolo shouted, "You actually enjoy keeping me in suspense like this, don't you?" He said sarcastically, wondering how the 'Guardian of Earth' could let these supposed atrocities continue...

"I want you to tell me exactly what's going on down there... Start talking!"

"..."

"Well?"

"No... I won't." Kami answered, his tone calm as he knew what had to be done.

"Look old man, I have no intention of asking you again... Now I need to know what's happening on Earth!" Piccolo growled, hoping things down there were'nt too terrible. The sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can make sure those androids don't hurt anybody else... Piccolo thought, hoping Gohan and Luna were doing alright...

"Yes... But telling you is pointless now..."

"What?! Why?"

"Because when you and I become one you will know for yourself everything that's happened." Kami answered, looking away for a moment as Piccolo's eyes widened.

"N-no... Kami..." Mr. Popo mumbled, not wanting his long time friend to go.

"Huh, so you've finally come to your senses?" Piccolo smirked, crossing his arms as he was glad the wait was finally over. "I was beginning to wonder how much longer I'd have to wait."

"We must hurry... Before there are any more victims on Earth..." Kami said seriously, stepping in front of Piccolo as the two of them stared at each other.

"I'm ready, but let's get one thing straight!" Piccolo said quickly, not wanting there to be any misunderstandings. "When we combine we use my body, understand?"

"Agreed." Kami said evenly, knowing it would be foolish to do anything else. "It will be so. Your body is much younger and more powerful... I understand."

Piccolo smirked, happy the old man was actually being so compliant for once as he realized this would be the last time he would have to worry about them disagreeing on anything.

"Our union will make you more powerful Piccolo..." Kami went on, knowing he had little time to say his last words. "And you will obtain my vast knowledge... I hope you will use these new powers wisely..." He warned, looking at his other half seriously as he knew he was making the right choice...

A strange wind began to blow as Mr. Popo watched as Kami and Piccolo stared at each other for a moment, the silence almost deafening as he waited what would happen next.

"Well, I'm sure you're already familiar with the technique..." Kami said, raising an eyebrow at Piccolo as the other Namekian merely smirked, placing a hand on the other man's chest while Mr. Popo gasped.

"No Kami! No!"

"There's nothing to worry about Mr. Popo..." Kami answered, smiling happily as he thought about all that had changed within the other half of himself. "Alone I can do little to help those on Earth... The time is right. Piccolo has changed... The evil that once filled his entire being has greatly diminished. And when we unite, I trust he will use our combined strength in the service of good. I thank you for all you've done Mr. Popo..." Kami finished, nodding respectfully at his long time friend before glancing back at Piccolo.

Piccolo nearly jumped back instinctively as The Guardian of Earth powered up with a yell, gathering every ounce of his life energy as he prepared to transfer it to another...

The Lookout was bathed in a white glow as Kami pushed his powers even farther, both Piccolo and Mr. Popo watching in awe as the other Namekian slowly began to fade away. In an instant it was over, the bright burst of light fading as well as Mr. Popo looked over at Piccolo in shock.

Where Piccolo and Kami had both stood only seconds ago, there was now only one. White hot energy crackled around the green fighter as a silver aura could be seen as well, the super powered Namekian's cape swaying in the wind as he seemed to be a bit lost in thought.

Suddenly a frown swept across his face, his eyes narrowing as he now knew everything that had transpired while he had been away. There isn't much time... He thought, clenching his fists as he walked towards the edge of The Lookout.

"Goodbye Kami... I'll miss you..." Mr. Popo mumbled, nodding his head once as he paid his final respects to his good friend. "Please be careful..."

"No longer am I Kami or Piccolo. I am the Namek who has long since forgotten his name..." The warrior in front of him stated, coming to a stop at the edge of the lookout before glancing back with an uncharacteristically kind expression. "I... Must go..."

...

Meanwhile, back with the rest of the Z Fighters...

...

Trunks and Gohan had decided to check out Bulma's lead while everyone else made their way over to Kame House, both Saiyans flying towards Ginger Town.

"Alright... We should be getting close to the site..." Trunks commented, glancing at his watch as he scanned the moutains below them.

"Um, Mr. Trunks?"

"What's up?"

"If you don't mind me asking, you know me in the future, right?" Gohan questioned, glancing over at the lavender haired Saiyan curiously.

"Yeah, actually, you were my mentor..."

"Oh, wow! What is adult me like?" Gohan inquired, excited to hear about how he turned out in a different timeline.

"Well I suppose you take a lot after your father..."

The smile vanished from Gohan's face as he instantly became more serious. "In what reguard?"

"You're the strongest, bravest warrior on the planet." The other Saiyan explained, grinning for a moment while thinking back on the time he had spent with the older version of him.

"Oh, okay good." Gohan sighed, smiling again as he noticed Trunks wasn't looking directly at him. "By the way... Why do you keep staring at my arm?"

"Oh! Uh... Hey! What's that?" Trunks stammered, trying to change the subject as he spotted a dilapidated looking vehicle up ahead. Both fighters landed on the ground near the ship, looking it over in silence for a moment before Trunks spoke up.

"Well, this definitely looks like my time machine... But, it also looks like it's been here for ages..."

"Ooh! A mystery!" Gohan said excitedly, happy to be able to help out. And spend some time away from his mother. "I never get to solve mysteries... Like Sherlock Holmes... Or Batman!" The tiny Saiyan continued, thinking about how their encounters with strangers usually went. "Usually we're just busy fighting people... Like Bruce Lee... Or Batman..."

"Hey!" Someone shouted from above, getting both boys attention as a small plane soared over their heads.

"Oh look, your mom's here!"

"Oh good..." Trunks mumbled, wondering what else could possibly go wrong today as he watched his mother land the plane nearby.

"Hi Trunks! I'm back... Did you miss me?" Bulma laughed, hopping out of the driver's seat before walking over.

"I guess so..." Trunks mumbled, smirking at his eccentric mother as she smiled back.

"So... Is that your time machine?" Bulma asked curiously, wondering if it was possible that she had made a mistake.

"Well it looks like mine but it can't be mine!" Trunks replied, throughly confused as he pulled out the capsule for his own time machine, clicking the top before tossing it next to the other one as it opened up with a poof of smoke. "This one here's the one I used to travel back in time with... If you'll notice, it has the word 'hope' written on the side..." Trunks explained, pointing to the side of his ship were it was located. "So unless this one has it written in the same place, we... Oh..." Trunks mumbled, wiping away a bit of moss as he revealed the same message written on the older time machine. "Crapbaskets..."

"Oh, you say that too..." Gohan said casually, blinking a few times as he wondered what all of this meant.

"Wait... Why hope?" Bulma asked, tilting her head to the side as she waited for her son to explain.

"Because you called me our last hope."

"Holy crap, that's so cheesy!" The blue haired woman chuckled, her cheeks getting a bit red as she thought about what she might be like in the future of that timeline. "What, do I have like a ton of cats too?"

"Hey... Anyone else notice the hole on the top?" Gohan asked, looking at the glass dome of the ship which was completely wrecked.

"Huh? Weird..." Bulma commented, observing the strange way the glass was melted. "Do you think whoever was piloting it was attacked?"

"Actually, I don't think so..." Gohan said seriously, narrowing his eyes as he came to a conclusion. "Considering the curvature of the melted glass, combined with the lack of any damage or glass in the cockpit... We're safe to assume that whatever shot the canopy came... From the inside!" Gohan finished with a yell, very excited about his discovery.

"And what does that tell us?" Trunks asked, waiting for the rest of his theory.

"Um... That the blast came from the inside..."

Trunks sighed, pressing a button as the top of the time machine began to open up. "Here..."

"Huh... So... Any idea what these are?" The lavender haired Saiyan commented, grabbing two strange looking items off the driver's seat.

"I think Luna kicked an alien that looked like that once..." Gohan commented, blinking his eyes a few times as he stared at the spiky purple shells.

"Hey, let me get a look at it! I wanna help too!" Bulma said, holding her hands out as Trunks handed the weird pieces to his mother. "As the daughter of the world's leading class scientist with doctorates in both bioenginering and evolutionary biology, I can only deduce... That this is a mutant coconut." Bulma said seriously, holding half of the purple shell in front of her face for a moment before continuing. "Either that or an egg."

"An egg..." Gohan mused, thinking about all the clues once more before gasping. "I know! Trunks! Whatever made that hole... Hatched from this egg!" Gohan reasoned, unable to think of anything else that made as much sense before realizing they had other problems to worry about as well. "Bulma... Listen... I think we'd better all hurry over to Master Roshi's now..."

"Master Roshi's? But why?"

"Because at any time now, those androids are probably going to show up there and try to fight my dad..." Gohan explained, frowning as he knew they didn't have much time to waste. "But he's still sick in bed... He won't be able to defend himself. I just think it's best we get over there and if he's not a hundred percent, we'll still have a chance to move him."

"Hmm... I see. But shouldn't enough of your dad's friends already be there to help him out Gohan?" Bulma questioned, wondering how two androids could out match so many skilled fighters.

"I don't think you understand..." Trunks chimed in, understanding how his mother could have no idea about the power the androids possessed. "Even with the combined strength of Piccolo, Luna, Tien, myself and my father, we're no match against those androids..."

"Wow... They're that strong, huh?" Bulma answered quietly, finally grasping the seriousness of the situation. "So how is Vegeta? Is he okay? Did he go back to Master Roshi's too?"

"He's gone off to train alone somewhere..." Trunks spat, irritated that his father could be so selfish at a time like this. "Man, he's so focused on himself that the thought of helping anyone else probably never even occured to him..."

"Hmpf... Well that sounds like Vegeta..." Bulma chuckled, both of them continuing to rant about the Saiyan Prince as Gohan noticed something up ahead..."I... I think I see something over there..." Gohan mumbled, finally getting their attention as they watched him walking towards a few bushes.

"What? What do you see?" Bulma questioned, her and Trunks following after the younger boy as he pushed a few branches aside so he could see better. "AAAH! That thing is disgusting!" She screamed, jumping back as Trunks seemed equally shocked.

In front of them all was what appeared to be a huge insect, or at least the skin or shell of one... Whatever it actually was was missing now...

"What is it? I've never seen anything like it..." The Saiyan asked, frowning as he knew whatever it was, it probably wasn't something good...

...

On the road to Goku's house...

...

"I don't understand how 16 can be so calm right now..." 18 stated, glancing back at the orange haired fighter boredly. "It's been hours since he opened his eyes, let alone said anything... You'd think that he would be excited we're on our way to Goku's house. But instead he just sits there like a rock..." She finished, growing restless as 17 sighed.

"Leave him alone 18." Her brother commented, glancing over at her for a moment before returning his attention to the road. "16 is just focused on fighting Goku... Now relax. We'll be in the next town soon and you'll finally be able to find some new clothes there..."

"Excellent!" The blonde woman said with a smirk, turning around before looking at the shredded clothes she was still wearing. "I can't wait to get out of these old rags... Think you can drive a little faster?"

"Yeah."

...

Over at Kame House...

...

Yamcha, Krillin, Oolong and Master Roshi were glued to the tv downstairs, unable to believe what they were seeing as Chi Chi tended to Goku upstairs.

"It seems we have more details on the crisis in Ginger Town." The news caster announced, shuffling the papers in front of him before speaking. "Our latest reports indicate that there are no signs of life anywhere... However, it seems the clothing of the victims has been discovered throughout the city... Wait! Our channel 8 reporter has just arrived at the scene..."

"What... Is going on?" Master Roshi said quietly, all of them continuing to watch as another reporter appeared on screen.

"Uh, I'm reporting live from downtown Ginger Town and the entire place is completely deserted..." The nervous man explained, looking around as he scanned the streets for anything. "Over fifteen thousand residents... Have suddenly disappeared..."

"Fifteen thousand..." Yamcha mumbled, wondering what had happened.

"Piles of garments lie scattered through the city, as though these people were sucked right out of their clothes!" The older man continued, everyone watching as the camera panned across a nearby field, an ominous breeze blowing by as the report went on. "There are also indications that these people may have been trying to defend themselves against someone... Or something!"

"Goodness!" Master Roshi gasped, scratching his beard as Krillin jumped up.

"This is really bad... The androids!" He realized, frowning as he thought about the citizens of Ginger Town. "They must have done this!"

"Well it looks like Goku's sound asleep..." Chi Chi said happily, coming down the stairs to tell everyone the good news. "And guys, he's looking much better... Huh?" She mumbled, seeing everyone staring at the tv while ignoring her. "What's going on?"

"Hello! Master Roshi?" Gohan shouted, knocking on the door once before opening it up. "Is anyone home?" He asked, walking inside along with Trunks as they both noticed everyone's shocked expressions.

"Uh, Krillin? What's going on?"

"Gohan... Trunks... Come on over here and have a look at what's on the news!"

"Oh the humanity!" The news caster said nervously, visably shaking as he continued to report what was going on, the sounds of people screaming in the background as he continued. "As you can hear, the city's not deserted after all!"

Suddenly the sound of gunfire could be heard as Gohan and Trunks watched with wide eyes, knowing that what they had just observed with the time machine was no coincidence...

"Now I can hear shots! It sounds like machine gun fire coming from the very core of the city! But I can't make out who's doing the shooting..." The man went on, the scene growing eerily quiet all of a sudden. "And the commotion appears to have calmed down once agaiwaAHH?!" He gasped, forgetting his lines as he stared at something behind the camera, screaming for his life as the channel suddenly cut out.

"Krillin quick! Flip it to another channel!" Yamcha shouted as Krillin pressed a button on the tv before another news report popped up, showing a similiar scene. More gunfire and screaming were all that could be heard as the camera lay at an awkawrd angle, showing a strange view of Ginger Town's main street...

...

Meanwhile, on the streets of Ginger Town...

...

Piccolo walked down the deserted streets, not sensing any traces of life as he frowned, knowing whatever had caused this violence might still be close by...

The sound of something being dragged across the ground got Piccolo's attention as he turned towards to source of the noise, his eyes widening at what he saw coming towards him out of the shadows...

Two cat like eyes glared back at him menacingly as the creature's tail swayed back and forth behind him, the strange insect like monster smirking as Piccolo narrowed his eyes.

"At last we meet... Face to face."

...

A/N: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!