Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Alternate Timelines Indeed ❯ Part 4 ( Chapter 4 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Arigatomina 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 07.07.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.1K | Visits: 531 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 07.07.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.1K | Visits: 531 | Status: Work In Progress
Author's Notes: I am a GW writer, and that is the series I know the best. My knowledge of DBZ and its characters is minimal, so the representations may be questionable. However, I do not consider this out of character, it is my interpretation of the characters from the series I've seen (though, I've also seen the Boo saga and my version of Vegeta may shadow that later).
Category: Yaoi, Gundam Wing / Dragon Ball Z crossover fic
Warnings: none at moment
Pairings: will be Trunksx2, 1x2, Piccolox4, 3x4
Title: Alternate Timelines Indeed
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina@hotmail.com
Complete Archive: www.geocities.com/arigatomina
Part 4
"I have to go back now." Nodding, Piccolo turned toward the door.
"Are you going to wait for Goku?" Trunks asked.
"Yes. I only came so I could see what had landed on the earth. Now I will wait for Goku and Gohan to get out, they're our only chance now." Without another word, he left the room.
Glancing at Vegeta who'd come back after his abrupt exit, Bulma raised her eyebrows when he pulled his shirt over his head and stalked after the Namek. "What are you doing, Vegeta?"
"Know this," the saiyan ground out, staring at her and Trunks who moved to stand beside her. "I don't care about this planet or the people, but I *will* kill Cell."
"Trunks, wait!" Catching the boy when he made to follow his father, Bulma smiled. "I know you'll go to, but let me cut your hair first. It could get in the way."
Wincing when his father snorted, Trunks gave her a weak nod. "Thanks."
* * *
"Where did they go, Miss Chee-Chee?" Taking a sip of his tea, Quatre looked at the black-haired woman. "Where *is* Goku?"
"Oh, my husband and son are training right now in the hyperbolic time chamber." Seeing the blonde boy's confusion, she smiled proudly. "It's a room where they can spend an entire year while in the real world only a day has passed. They're very brave to be able to do that. Imagine, spending an entire year away from your mother, my poor Gohan."
Smiling to keep her from noticing Duo's raised eyebrow Quatre nodded. "I'm sure he misses you very much."
"Yes, my poor boy. It's all his father's idea you know. Taking him off to train when he could be studying. Goku just doesn't understand the importance of education."
She frowned slightly and Duo poked Quatre's shoulder as he recognized the beginnings of a rant. He'd spent enough time around Wufei to know the signs. Smiling again, Quatre leaned forward over the table. "Education is very important. I suppose your husband is simply worried about Cell."
"Yes." Staring at Quatre, she leaned forward then gave him a brilliant smile. "You're such a polite boy. Gohan would do well to have friends like you to get his mind off fighting. He's a very smart boy."
"Krillin! Stop right there!"
Quatre jerked back as the woman's eyes narrowed and she turned to glare at the three men standing across the room. Following her gaze, he saw Krillin halt, hands curled into fists. Wondering what he'd missed, he glanced up at Duo who was leaning against the wall, but the boy shrugged.
"You know good and well you don't stand a chance against Cell. I for one forbid you from going." Frowning, the old man put a hand on the short earthling's shoulder. "If you're set on fighting him, join his tournament. Otherwise I suggest you wait for Goku to get out."
Catching Quatre's eye, Duo nodded toward the men then sidled back farther along the wall. With no one watching him, he made his way across the room. It wasn't that he felt he had to sneak, but everyone was on edge and he didn't want to have a long, drawn out explanation of why he needed to talk to Bulma. Heero would have snorted at the thought of him not wanting to talk, but there were times when talking was more trouble than it was worth. Slipping through the door, he made his way down the dark steps and stopped outside metal doors as he looked through the glass. She was there with the man he'd found to be her father, but it looked as if they were operating on someone. A very large someone. Waiting until both had paused and were talking, he tapped lightly on the door.
Blinking as she spotted him, Bulma left her father with android sixteen and walked to the door. She opened it with a smile. "Duo. How is your head?"
Giving her an abashed smile, he shrugged. "I'm fine. Listen, I know they said you were busy but I really wanted to ask you something." Glancing over as the figure on the table didn't move, he grimaced. "Are you operating?"
"Him? Oh, he's an android." Laughing when Duo blanched, she shook her head. "He's okay I guess. He says he's on our side so we're trying to fix him up. But we have time, what can I do for you, Duo?"
"Well, I feel bad about asking now when you guys have so many problems but it's pretty important to us that we get to our shuttle. If you could lend us some sort of transportation, we would be very appreciative." Smiling as he wondered what Quatre would think about his people skills, he managed to keep his impatience from showing. "I'm sure we could figure out how to pilot whatever you could lend us."
"It's awfully dangerous," Bulma said hesitantly as she eyed her father. "Cell is wrecking havoc everywhere. I probably shouldn't let you go alone. But..." She smiled suddenly. "Dad, you can finish this, can't you?"
"Of course," the man said, watching her with a tolerant expression. "You've mapped out what you want done well enough."
"Great. In that case, Duo, we can go see your shuttle."
"Um, you don't have to go," Duo said quickly, "Really, we'd be fine. There's no reason for you to risk yourself."
"Don't be silly. I take risks all the time, right Dad?" Grinning when he nodded solemnly, she turned and folded her arms over her chest. "You go with me or not at all. Don't worry, Duo."
"What about him?" Duo asked, pointing to where Trunks was sleeping in a crib to the side of the room.
"Oh, he can go. I usually take him with me everywhere. Well, come on, let's get out of here before any of the others decides to come back. I hate it when they gripe at me about risks." Grabbing the baby, she brushed by Duo and he turned quickly to follow.
* * *
"Ow! Is he supposed to be so strong?" Glaring daggers at the grinning baby in his lap, Duo raised an aggrieved eyebrow at Bulma as his braid was tugged again.
"Of course," Bulma said proudly, including Quatre in her smile as she piloted the small shuttle. "He's half saiyan, after all."
"What is a saiyan?" Quatre asked, wincing when the lavender-haired baby began to chew on the tip of Duo's braid. He could imagine how hard it was for the American to put up with such treatment of his most prized possession.
"Oh, they're from a different planet," Bulma imparted as she angled the shuttle downward to avoid a flock of geese, and nearly throwing Quatre forward as the boy gripped the seats tightly. "Goku and Vegeta are the only saiyans left. Gohan, Goku and Chee-chee's son and my little Trunks here are half saiyans. I guess they're not as strong as their fathers because, as Vegeta likes to say, they're diluted. But Gohan is really strong and so is Trunks so maybe their human side isn't such a bad thing, neh?"
"Well, he has strong lungs!" Duo said loudly as the baby started to wail when he pulled the braid away. Groaning, he shoved the tip back in its mouth and leaned against the seat. //A chew toy. That's just great.// It worked though, and he felt an urge to cry as the half-saiyan drooled and gummed his hair in an enthusiastic manner. "Are we almost there?"
Grinning when she glanced at the baby, Bulma ruffled his head, mussing his little hat, "He's so cute. Yeah, we're about there, it'll just be a little while."
When they landed, Duo quickly gave the baby to his mother, wincing when it wailed but holding firm. Bulma smiled and waved him toward the shuttle as she made baby noises and cheered her son up. With Quatre right beside him, Duo headed toward the back of the craft, letting out a very relieved sigh as he found it intact. They headed for the front, and paused when they found the door ripped off. "They weren't kidding about their strength," Duo said as he climbed in. "Think the door locks still work?"
"They should," Quatre said quickly, sliding into the pilot's seat as his fingers flew over the panel. "We've got power! I'm opening the lock."
"Great!" Duo called from the back, waiting impatiently as the doors slowly slid open. "They're fine!"
With a relieved smile, Quatre ran a check on the system. They'd had serious problems with their radar system as they'd headed toward the rendezvous point where they were to meet up with the others. It hadn't been caught until they found themselves in an unknown area. Unfortunately, as soon as they'd found out their system had a glitch, they'd been caught by something. There had barely been enough time to send out a distress call before the extraneous systems had shut down, all power routing to life-support. Checking the systems revealed the glitch, but he still didn't know what to do about it. "Duo? I'm at a loss."
"Gotcha." Moving to the front, he put a hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled lightly. "Go check on your friend while I see if I can't figure this out. He looks fine, but I know you want to see for yourself."
"Thanks, Duo."
* * *
"What?! Where did they go?" Glaring, Trunks folded his arms over his chest as he looked at his grandfather. "Don't they know it's dangerous with Cell out there?"
"Well, Bulma went with them. I think they were going to their shuttle." Shrugging, the man gave a helpless smile. "You know I can't talk any sense into that woman."
"I am sensing two power levels." Jerking, both looked to Sixteen whose eyes snapped open as he looked at them, not sitting up. "I have no records of this type of power, and I cannot rank it on my scale."
"Where?"
Turning his head to look at the half-saiyan, Sixteen blinked. "Near the location your friends went to."
"Trunks! You don't know what it is..." Frowning when the young man was gone before he'd finished speaking, he glared at the android. "Just like his mother."
* * *
"What technology! I'd love to take those apart." Waving her hands when the two suits turned green glowing eyes on her, Bulma grinned. "Don't worry, I wouldn't do that. I might not be able to get them back together again. But really, they're so big."
Opening Sandrock's hatch, Quatre knelt so he could look down at her. "Is there some place we could keep them till we can fix our shuttle? These suits are very important to us and we can't just leave them here."
"Quatre, we can hide them in the ocean, I do it all the time."
Looking up, the blonde boy shook his head. "Where? It would have to be near land unless we can get some diving equipment."
"Hey, it's not a problem," Bulma called, her eyes still moving over the two suits as if she couldn't wait to get her hands on them. "Let's just bring them back to my place. They're not *that* big. You can leave them in the hangar where I keep my shuttles."
"You won't try taking them apart, will you?" Duo asked, his tone humorous yet a bit wary.
"Of course not, but I would like to study them if it's okay with you."
"That's fine," Quatre said quickly. "Do you have any trucks big enough to carry them? We can walk them to the inland if you can get some transportation. I know you don't want to attract attention, and our suits aren't equipped to fly."
"Yeah, too bad we don't have Wing Zero," Duo muttered, "but we don't."
"Duo..."
"I know." Glaring, he sighed and looked to Bulma on the screen. Then he flinched as a beeping went up. "Quatre! Radar!"
Jumping back into the cockpit, Quatre looked anxiously to Bulma. "Something's coming fast."
"Is it Cell?!" Holding the baby tightly to her, she turned and ran to her shuttle as the two suits moved to stand in front of it. As impressive as the suits were, she knew that not even a tank had stood a chance against the android.
"I'm not reading any metals, it can't be an android."
Shaking her head as she switched to their radio frequency, Bulma stared at the sky anxiously. "Cell isn't made of metal! He's an android with living flesh, not a robot."
"It's getting closer," Quatre called, pulling his blades as he shouted to Bulma. "Get out of here! If nothing else we can stall him while you get some distance, do you have anyone you can call?!"
"Yes." Starting the engines, she lifted the shuttle quickly, snapping her harness in place as she phoned the others.
"Two miles and closing, eighty knots."
Nodding, Duo crouched forward over the controls, eyes glinting as he grinned. "Never fought an android before, eh Quatre?"
"Hey you two! Dad says it's okay," Bulma called, hovering above them. "It must be Trunks!"
"Are you sure?!" Duo demanded as the moving blip got closer on the screen. "Are you absolutely positive?!"
"Well, no...but..."
"Then get the hell out of here!"
Flinching at the order, Bulma frowned but turned the shuttle, firing the engines as she flew in the opposite direction. //Boys. They have to be so macho.//
* * *
Flying fast, Trunks fumed as he couldn't sense the powers the android had spoken of. Wondering if Sixteen could have been wrong, he flew in high with the sun at his back. His eyes narrowed when he caught a glint and recognized Bulma's shuttle as it flew away from him. Then he halted as he caught sight of the two gundams, his mouth falling open at the strange human-like machines.
* * *
"Duo, do you see?"
"Got it." Not moving, he looked at the figure on the screen. "Get a hold of Bulma and send her the image. This isn't that green thing we saw on the television." Watching the figure glowing with a yellow fire, he waited impatiently.
"She says it's Trunks!"
"No way..." Frowning as he watched the blonde figure, Duo gritted his teeth for a moment before cursing. "If she says so. She'd know her own son." Powering down, he hit the release, then moved to stand on the platform before the cockpit, his eyes bright as he looked up. //They can fly...that's so *cool*.// "Get Bulma back here," he called, turning toward Sandrock. "Guess she was right."
"She's already on her way." Turning, Quatre powered down as well.
"Figures." Blinking when the figure suddenly flew to them, Duo frowned at the blonde hair as he recognized Trunks. The boy came to a halt before them, seeming to stand in midair. "Nice hair, Trunks."
His eyes flew from Duo to the black and white suit, then upward as Bulma brought her shuttle down behind the suits. The woman jumped out with a wide smile but he did nothing to hide his glare. "What are you doing out here? It's dangerous." Landing, he changed back as she smiled and came to a stop beside him. "Why didn't you have someone go with you?"
"Relax Trunks, we're fine. Besides, look at these machines, aren't they great?"
"Sure," Trunks said quickly, unable to argue with her. "What are they?"
"Gundams," Duo said proudly as he gripped the cable that lowered him to the ground. Grinning, he walked to them. "These are the suits we fight with, mine's Death Scythe here, pretty cool, huh?"
"Yeah," Trunks nodded, staring up at the black suit uncertainly as he eyed the long staff that had sported a glowing scythe when he'd arrived. "They must be the energies Sixteen sensed."
"He could sense them?" Bulma demanded, squeezing baby Trunks as she moved closer, eyes wide. "But they're just machines." Her eyes seemed to glow with a slightly maniacal light that Trunks recognized as her inventor's spirit taking charge and he took a quick step back. "I have to check this."
"Can't it wait?"
Glaring at Trunks, she shoved the now squalling baby at Duo and turned on her heel. "No! If *he* can sense them, Cell can too!" Running, she entered her shuttle and emerged with a small pad of some sorts held triumphantly in her hand. "If he sensed them I'll bet he's going crazy wondering what they are."
"Oh." Wincing when his younger self let out an indignant wail, he glanced at Duo who blushed lightly before shoving his braid into the chubby baby's hands. The tip was promptly inserted into its mouth.
Uncomfortable, Duo glared. "You weren't a very well behaved kid, were you."
Flushing, Trunks looked at the baby who was making happy noises as he chewed on the hair. "Sorry."
"Yeah. Well, if he starts coughing up hairballs, don't blame me. It's either this or let him pull my hair out." Managing an embarrassed grin, he looked up at Quatre who was sitting on the edge of the platform. "Hey Quatre, wanna babysit? As many sister as you have it should be natural, right?"
"I've never held a baby," Quatre said quickly, hands up as he shook his head. "My sisters are all older than me and I've never met any of their children."
"Figures." Hefting the heavy kid higher, Duo watched as Bulma stood at the base of his Gundam running her hands over it as she stared at the thing she was holding. "Anything?"
"No." Walking to Sandrock, she checked her instrument again. "Is this thing on?"
"Sandrock," Quatre said, standing. "Hold on a second." Entering the cockpit, he powered the Gundam with a low hum. Clicking visuals on, he watched them.
"That's it! I'm reading *something* but I'm not sure where it rates."
"Could Cell pick it up?" Trunks asked, his attention caught by the green glow in the Gundam's eyes.
"Maybe. Hey, Quatre! Better shut it down." Grinning when he did so, she turned to Trunks. "We've got something here. Now we just have to get them back to the lab."
* * *
TBC
Category: Yaoi, Gundam Wing / Dragon Ball Z crossover fic
Warnings: none at moment
Pairings: will be Trunksx2, 1x2, Piccolox4, 3x4
Title: Alternate Timelines Indeed
Author: Arigatomina
Email: arigatoumina@hotmail.com
Complete Archive: www.geocities.com/arigatomina
Part 4
"I have to go back now." Nodding, Piccolo turned toward the door.
"Are you going to wait for Goku?" Trunks asked.
"Yes. I only came so I could see what had landed on the earth. Now I will wait for Goku and Gohan to get out, they're our only chance now." Without another word, he left the room.
Glancing at Vegeta who'd come back after his abrupt exit, Bulma raised her eyebrows when he pulled his shirt over his head and stalked after the Namek. "What are you doing, Vegeta?"
"Know this," the saiyan ground out, staring at her and Trunks who moved to stand beside her. "I don't care about this planet or the people, but I *will* kill Cell."
"Trunks, wait!" Catching the boy when he made to follow his father, Bulma smiled. "I know you'll go to, but let me cut your hair first. It could get in the way."
Wincing when his father snorted, Trunks gave her a weak nod. "Thanks."
* * *
"Where did they go, Miss Chee-Chee?" Taking a sip of his tea, Quatre looked at the black-haired woman. "Where *is* Goku?"
"Oh, my husband and son are training right now in the hyperbolic time chamber." Seeing the blonde boy's confusion, she smiled proudly. "It's a room where they can spend an entire year while in the real world only a day has passed. They're very brave to be able to do that. Imagine, spending an entire year away from your mother, my poor Gohan."
Smiling to keep her from noticing Duo's raised eyebrow Quatre nodded. "I'm sure he misses you very much."
"Yes, my poor boy. It's all his father's idea you know. Taking him off to train when he could be studying. Goku just doesn't understand the importance of education."
She frowned slightly and Duo poked Quatre's shoulder as he recognized the beginnings of a rant. He'd spent enough time around Wufei to know the signs. Smiling again, Quatre leaned forward over the table. "Education is very important. I suppose your husband is simply worried about Cell."
"Yes." Staring at Quatre, she leaned forward then gave him a brilliant smile. "You're such a polite boy. Gohan would do well to have friends like you to get his mind off fighting. He's a very smart boy."
"Krillin! Stop right there!"
Quatre jerked back as the woman's eyes narrowed and she turned to glare at the three men standing across the room. Following her gaze, he saw Krillin halt, hands curled into fists. Wondering what he'd missed, he glanced up at Duo who was leaning against the wall, but the boy shrugged.
"You know good and well you don't stand a chance against Cell. I for one forbid you from going." Frowning, the old man put a hand on the short earthling's shoulder. "If you're set on fighting him, join his tournament. Otherwise I suggest you wait for Goku to get out."
Catching Quatre's eye, Duo nodded toward the men then sidled back farther along the wall. With no one watching him, he made his way across the room. It wasn't that he felt he had to sneak, but everyone was on edge and he didn't want to have a long, drawn out explanation of why he needed to talk to Bulma. Heero would have snorted at the thought of him not wanting to talk, but there were times when talking was more trouble than it was worth. Slipping through the door, he made his way down the dark steps and stopped outside metal doors as he looked through the glass. She was there with the man he'd found to be her father, but it looked as if they were operating on someone. A very large someone. Waiting until both had paused and were talking, he tapped lightly on the door.
Blinking as she spotted him, Bulma left her father with android sixteen and walked to the door. She opened it with a smile. "Duo. How is your head?"
Giving her an abashed smile, he shrugged. "I'm fine. Listen, I know they said you were busy but I really wanted to ask you something." Glancing over as the figure on the table didn't move, he grimaced. "Are you operating?"
"Him? Oh, he's an android." Laughing when Duo blanched, she shook her head. "He's okay I guess. He says he's on our side so we're trying to fix him up. But we have time, what can I do for you, Duo?"
"Well, I feel bad about asking now when you guys have so many problems but it's pretty important to us that we get to our shuttle. If you could lend us some sort of transportation, we would be very appreciative." Smiling as he wondered what Quatre would think about his people skills, he managed to keep his impatience from showing. "I'm sure we could figure out how to pilot whatever you could lend us."
"It's awfully dangerous," Bulma said hesitantly as she eyed her father. "Cell is wrecking havoc everywhere. I probably shouldn't let you go alone. But..." She smiled suddenly. "Dad, you can finish this, can't you?"
"Of course," the man said, watching her with a tolerant expression. "You've mapped out what you want done well enough."
"Great. In that case, Duo, we can go see your shuttle."
"Um, you don't have to go," Duo said quickly, "Really, we'd be fine. There's no reason for you to risk yourself."
"Don't be silly. I take risks all the time, right Dad?" Grinning when he nodded solemnly, she turned and folded her arms over her chest. "You go with me or not at all. Don't worry, Duo."
"What about him?" Duo asked, pointing to where Trunks was sleeping in a crib to the side of the room.
"Oh, he can go. I usually take him with me everywhere. Well, come on, let's get out of here before any of the others decides to come back. I hate it when they gripe at me about risks." Grabbing the baby, she brushed by Duo and he turned quickly to follow.
* * *
"Ow! Is he supposed to be so strong?" Glaring daggers at the grinning baby in his lap, Duo raised an aggrieved eyebrow at Bulma as his braid was tugged again.
"Of course," Bulma said proudly, including Quatre in her smile as she piloted the small shuttle. "He's half saiyan, after all."
"What is a saiyan?" Quatre asked, wincing when the lavender-haired baby began to chew on the tip of Duo's braid. He could imagine how hard it was for the American to put up with such treatment of his most prized possession.
"Oh, they're from a different planet," Bulma imparted as she angled the shuttle downward to avoid a flock of geese, and nearly throwing Quatre forward as the boy gripped the seats tightly. "Goku and Vegeta are the only saiyans left. Gohan, Goku and Chee-chee's son and my little Trunks here are half saiyans. I guess they're not as strong as their fathers because, as Vegeta likes to say, they're diluted. But Gohan is really strong and so is Trunks so maybe their human side isn't such a bad thing, neh?"
"Well, he has strong lungs!" Duo said loudly as the baby started to wail when he pulled the braid away. Groaning, he shoved the tip back in its mouth and leaned against the seat. //A chew toy. That's just great.// It worked though, and he felt an urge to cry as the half-saiyan drooled and gummed his hair in an enthusiastic manner. "Are we almost there?"
Grinning when she glanced at the baby, Bulma ruffled his head, mussing his little hat, "He's so cute. Yeah, we're about there, it'll just be a little while."
When they landed, Duo quickly gave the baby to his mother, wincing when it wailed but holding firm. Bulma smiled and waved him toward the shuttle as she made baby noises and cheered her son up. With Quatre right beside him, Duo headed toward the back of the craft, letting out a very relieved sigh as he found it intact. They headed for the front, and paused when they found the door ripped off. "They weren't kidding about their strength," Duo said as he climbed in. "Think the door locks still work?"
"They should," Quatre said quickly, sliding into the pilot's seat as his fingers flew over the panel. "We've got power! I'm opening the lock."
"Great!" Duo called from the back, waiting impatiently as the doors slowly slid open. "They're fine!"
With a relieved smile, Quatre ran a check on the system. They'd had serious problems with their radar system as they'd headed toward the rendezvous point where they were to meet up with the others. It hadn't been caught until they found themselves in an unknown area. Unfortunately, as soon as they'd found out their system had a glitch, they'd been caught by something. There had barely been enough time to send out a distress call before the extraneous systems had shut down, all power routing to life-support. Checking the systems revealed the glitch, but he still didn't know what to do about it. "Duo? I'm at a loss."
"Gotcha." Moving to the front, he put a hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled lightly. "Go check on your friend while I see if I can't figure this out. He looks fine, but I know you want to see for yourself."
"Thanks, Duo."
* * *
"What?! Where did they go?" Glaring, Trunks folded his arms over his chest as he looked at his grandfather. "Don't they know it's dangerous with Cell out there?"
"Well, Bulma went with them. I think they were going to their shuttle." Shrugging, the man gave a helpless smile. "You know I can't talk any sense into that woman."
"I am sensing two power levels." Jerking, both looked to Sixteen whose eyes snapped open as he looked at them, not sitting up. "I have no records of this type of power, and I cannot rank it on my scale."
"Where?"
Turning his head to look at the half-saiyan, Sixteen blinked. "Near the location your friends went to."
"Trunks! You don't know what it is..." Frowning when the young man was gone before he'd finished speaking, he glared at the android. "Just like his mother."
* * *
"What technology! I'd love to take those apart." Waving her hands when the two suits turned green glowing eyes on her, Bulma grinned. "Don't worry, I wouldn't do that. I might not be able to get them back together again. But really, they're so big."
Opening Sandrock's hatch, Quatre knelt so he could look down at her. "Is there some place we could keep them till we can fix our shuttle? These suits are very important to us and we can't just leave them here."
"Quatre, we can hide them in the ocean, I do it all the time."
Looking up, the blonde boy shook his head. "Where? It would have to be near land unless we can get some diving equipment."
"Hey, it's not a problem," Bulma called, her eyes still moving over the two suits as if she couldn't wait to get her hands on them. "Let's just bring them back to my place. They're not *that* big. You can leave them in the hangar where I keep my shuttles."
"You won't try taking them apart, will you?" Duo asked, his tone humorous yet a bit wary.
"Of course not, but I would like to study them if it's okay with you."
"That's fine," Quatre said quickly. "Do you have any trucks big enough to carry them? We can walk them to the inland if you can get some transportation. I know you don't want to attract attention, and our suits aren't equipped to fly."
"Yeah, too bad we don't have Wing Zero," Duo muttered, "but we don't."
"Duo..."
"I know." Glaring, he sighed and looked to Bulma on the screen. Then he flinched as a beeping went up. "Quatre! Radar!"
Jumping back into the cockpit, Quatre looked anxiously to Bulma. "Something's coming fast."
"Is it Cell?!" Holding the baby tightly to her, she turned and ran to her shuttle as the two suits moved to stand in front of it. As impressive as the suits were, she knew that not even a tank had stood a chance against the android.
"I'm not reading any metals, it can't be an android."
Shaking her head as she switched to their radio frequency, Bulma stared at the sky anxiously. "Cell isn't made of metal! He's an android with living flesh, not a robot."
"It's getting closer," Quatre called, pulling his blades as he shouted to Bulma. "Get out of here! If nothing else we can stall him while you get some distance, do you have anyone you can call?!"
"Yes." Starting the engines, she lifted the shuttle quickly, snapping her harness in place as she phoned the others.
"Two miles and closing, eighty knots."
Nodding, Duo crouched forward over the controls, eyes glinting as he grinned. "Never fought an android before, eh Quatre?"
"Hey you two! Dad says it's okay," Bulma called, hovering above them. "It must be Trunks!"
"Are you sure?!" Duo demanded as the moving blip got closer on the screen. "Are you absolutely positive?!"
"Well, no...but..."
"Then get the hell out of here!"
Flinching at the order, Bulma frowned but turned the shuttle, firing the engines as she flew in the opposite direction. //Boys. They have to be so macho.//
* * *
Flying fast, Trunks fumed as he couldn't sense the powers the android had spoken of. Wondering if Sixteen could have been wrong, he flew in high with the sun at his back. His eyes narrowed when he caught a glint and recognized Bulma's shuttle as it flew away from him. Then he halted as he caught sight of the two gundams, his mouth falling open at the strange human-like machines.
* * *
"Duo, do you see?"
"Got it." Not moving, he looked at the figure on the screen. "Get a hold of Bulma and send her the image. This isn't that green thing we saw on the television." Watching the figure glowing with a yellow fire, he waited impatiently.
"She says it's Trunks!"
"No way..." Frowning as he watched the blonde figure, Duo gritted his teeth for a moment before cursing. "If she says so. She'd know her own son." Powering down, he hit the release, then moved to stand on the platform before the cockpit, his eyes bright as he looked up. //They can fly...that's so *cool*.// "Get Bulma back here," he called, turning toward Sandrock. "Guess she was right."
"She's already on her way." Turning, Quatre powered down as well.
"Figures." Blinking when the figure suddenly flew to them, Duo frowned at the blonde hair as he recognized Trunks. The boy came to a halt before them, seeming to stand in midair. "Nice hair, Trunks."
His eyes flew from Duo to the black and white suit, then upward as Bulma brought her shuttle down behind the suits. The woman jumped out with a wide smile but he did nothing to hide his glare. "What are you doing out here? It's dangerous." Landing, he changed back as she smiled and came to a stop beside him. "Why didn't you have someone go with you?"
"Relax Trunks, we're fine. Besides, look at these machines, aren't they great?"
"Sure," Trunks said quickly, unable to argue with her. "What are they?"
"Gundams," Duo said proudly as he gripped the cable that lowered him to the ground. Grinning, he walked to them. "These are the suits we fight with, mine's Death Scythe here, pretty cool, huh?"
"Yeah," Trunks nodded, staring up at the black suit uncertainly as he eyed the long staff that had sported a glowing scythe when he'd arrived. "They must be the energies Sixteen sensed."
"He could sense them?" Bulma demanded, squeezing baby Trunks as she moved closer, eyes wide. "But they're just machines." Her eyes seemed to glow with a slightly maniacal light that Trunks recognized as her inventor's spirit taking charge and he took a quick step back. "I have to check this."
"Can't it wait?"
Glaring at Trunks, she shoved the now squalling baby at Duo and turned on her heel. "No! If *he* can sense them, Cell can too!" Running, she entered her shuttle and emerged with a small pad of some sorts held triumphantly in her hand. "If he sensed them I'll bet he's going crazy wondering what they are."
"Oh." Wincing when his younger self let out an indignant wail, he glanced at Duo who blushed lightly before shoving his braid into the chubby baby's hands. The tip was promptly inserted into its mouth.
Uncomfortable, Duo glared. "You weren't a very well behaved kid, were you."
Flushing, Trunks looked at the baby who was making happy noises as he chewed on the hair. "Sorry."
"Yeah. Well, if he starts coughing up hairballs, don't blame me. It's either this or let him pull my hair out." Managing an embarrassed grin, he looked up at Quatre who was sitting on the edge of the platform. "Hey Quatre, wanna babysit? As many sister as you have it should be natural, right?"
"I've never held a baby," Quatre said quickly, hands up as he shook his head. "My sisters are all older than me and I've never met any of their children."
"Figures." Hefting the heavy kid higher, Duo watched as Bulma stood at the base of his Gundam running her hands over it as she stared at the thing she was holding. "Anything?"
"No." Walking to Sandrock, she checked her instrument again. "Is this thing on?"
"Sandrock," Quatre said, standing. "Hold on a second." Entering the cockpit, he powered the Gundam with a low hum. Clicking visuals on, he watched them.
"That's it! I'm reading *something* but I'm not sure where it rates."
"Could Cell pick it up?" Trunks asked, his attention caught by the green glow in the Gundam's eyes.
"Maybe. Hey, Quatre! Better shut it down." Grinning when he did so, she turned to Trunks. "We've got something here. Now we just have to get them back to the lab."
* * *
TBC