Chapter 4

"She's convinced she could hold back a glacier

But she couldn't keep baby alive

Doubting if there's

A woman in there somewhere."

-Tori Amos, "Spark"

Most days, the girls' physical training would end at 9:00 p.m., then the two worn girls would drag themselves to Bulma's lab, where they would perfect the virus. Usually, Miura would be seen hunched over the computer screen, typing in the miles of code that the virus required. Montana could be seen gene splicing and trying to figure out hoe to enter the virus into human DNA. Bulma was preoccupied building their dimensional time machine, so she never really noticed what was going on in the lab.

Montana leaned back in her chair and stretched; the three hours she had been leaning over the microscope had taken its toll on her back.

"Hey, Mi,'" she called, pulling her dark blue hair into a messy ponytail. "How 'bout a break. We've been going nonstop today."

Miura looked up from the monitor, its glow making her look sickly pale. "That had got to be the best idea you've had yet."

"Well, except the virus," Montana bantered back, "That was a pretty good idea if I do say so myself."

"Excuse me, WHO's idea was that?"

The two girls left the lab, arguing playfully, and proceeded to the kitchen.

"I'm thirsty. You thirsty?"

"Na. I'm goin' for a walk. I'll see you in ten, Mi'"

Montana left the indigo-haired girl to her drink, and went outside. She decided that the best place for some peace would be the gardens.

Stepping inside of them, she was taken aback by how lush the foliage was. The trees and bushes were perfectly trimmed; there where hundreds of sweet-smelling flowers in reds, blues, and pinks. She walked down the cobblestone path, letting the cool September breeze wash over her body, relieving any tension she had in her body.

As she went deeper into the gardens, she saw a figure sitting on one of the many wicker benches. Upon nearing the figure, Montana recognized it as Juuhachi.

"Konichiwa, Juuhacha-san," she greeted politely. "What on Earth are you doing here at 1:00 in the morning?"

Juuhachi looked at her as if she had grown a third eye. "Bulma's throwing a party, which my husband and daughter dragged me to."

Suprised, Montana sat down by the Jinzonoengin and laughed.

"That explains why Bulma hasn't been around much today," reasoned Montana. "We would have heard the party, but Miura had her friggin' radio turned up to blasting."

Juuhachi suddenly turned to the young Saiya-jin and asked,

"Can I see what you've come up with so far? I may be able to help."

"Sure! We need all the help we can get."

As the two women headed off to the lab, all Montana could think of was what a lousy excuse to get out of going to a party.

***

Miura rummaged through the Brief's refrigerator in search of something to drink. She heard Montana leave, then spotted was she was looking for. It was in the far corner on the last shelf, buried under some week-old lasagna. The last can of Root Beer.

She pulled it out of the heap and set it on the table. As she turned to find a glass, she heard footsteps enter the room. She spun around, her Saiya-jin instincts taking over. What she saw was not what she was expecting. Standing before her was a tuxedo-clad Trunks. Miura self consciencly smoothed out her wrinkled cargo pants and white tank top.

"Where are you going in that get-up?" she laughed lightly as she poured her drink into the glass, making sure to hide the can.

"Mom's throwing a party, and they're usually formal," he responded as he headed for the fridge. "Why aren't you there?"

"Busy in the lab." She sat at the table and enjoyed the coldness of her drink. Trunks' head popped up out of the refrigerator and gave Miura a death glare.

"That's the last of the Root Beer, isn't it?"

Her eyes widened in innocence and she said in her sweetest voice,

"This? Oh, no, this is a Coke."

He stalked over and grabbed the glass out of her hand and smelled it.

"This is NOT Coke. And besides, I watched you pour it."

Miura quickly stood from the table and began edging towards the door.

"Heh heh, well, silly me." She gave him a traditional dumb look and her sweetest smile. She made a run for it then, but Trunks was so fast for her. He fazed out and appeared right beside her as she ran out of the kitchen and tripped her. Miura landed face first on the floor, while Trunks gloated over her.

"No one drinks my Root Beer and gets away with it."

"God damnit, Tunks-kun, that hurt!" she cried, rubbing her shoulder. "The least you could do is help me up."

He grabbed her outstretched hand, but instead of helping her up, she pulled him down in a heap on the floor beside her.

"No one trips me and gets away with it!" she grinned evilly at him. Trunks opened his mouth to respond, when he was interrupted by another voice.

"Hey, Mi'! Get off the floor with Trunks and come help me in the lab." Both blushed heavily and got up.

"Gotta go, duty calls," she said. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and nodded.

"Another time, then. This isn't over, by the way!"

Miura looked over her shoulder and smirked at him. "Promise?" Trunks blushed a deeper red as she turned and entered the laboratory.

"Oh, konichiwa, Juuhachi-san, I didn't know you were here."

The blonde gave a friendly smile, then turned towards the table were the virus lay, along with other various tools and equipment.

"So, do you think this will destroy the androids in the other timeline?" Juuhachi asked, picking up the container that held the lethal killer.

"We hope so," Montana said, going over to the microscope and peering in. She did a double take, then called Miura over.

"Are the cells supposed to do that?"

"I don't think so."(A la Eric the Viking)

Just then, the door flew open and Bulma ran in. "What are you still doing here? There's a party going on outside!" Bulma turned to see Juuhachi, who was trying to hide behind one of the lab desks in fear of going back to the party.

"Juuhachi? Why are you here? Well, it doesn't matter, you're the one I was looking for anyway."

The two girls looked at each other in confusion, then at Bulma, who was babbling on at poor Juuhachi.

"The test you took came back positive. Juu-kun, you're pregnant."

The room fell silent as the news sink in. Juuhachi's face registered shock as the container slid from her shaking hands and crashed onto her feet.

Both Montana and Miura gasped in horror as they saw the virus wrap its tentacles around the android's slim body.

The Jinzounengen cried out in fear, her blue eyes focused on Miura, who was trying to pry the virus off before it was absorbed.

Montana held Bulma back while Miura worked. By then, everyone had run from the party to the lab, drawn by Juuhachi's scream, and it was all she could do to keep them out.

"Montana!" Miura cried, desperately fighting off the metallic appendages. They had already absorbs her legs and midriff.

"Hurry!" Juuhachi cried.

"I'm trying!" Miura yelled back.

"Help me!"

Suddenly, the virus enveloped her and the only thing Miura saw was Juuhachi's pleading eyes before it covered her face.

"We need to get her to the medical wing, stat!" Miura picked up the android's limp body as Montana pushed the crowd out of the way.

Everyone ran silently after the two frantic scientists as they headed towards the medical wing.

Once there, Miura set the now convulsing Juuhachi on the bed, then connected her to the laptop.

"Montana, hook up an IV with saline and %14 plasma in it."

"What happened to her?" Krelin asked, worriedly standing by his wife's side.

"She dropped the virus and it absorbed into her system," Montana explained.

After a few moments, Juuhachi's convulsions ceased and she lay still.

"She's not...is she?" Maron asked, holding her mother's hand and trying to hold back her tears.

"NO!" Miura exclaimed, watching her computer monitor intensely. "In fact, I don't believe the virus is capable of this! Its almost scientifically impossible, I never would have thought-"

"What happened?!?!" interrupted Montana.

"The virus completely annihilated the computer systems, but her physical self is fine. She is entirely human."

Everyone looked from Miura to Montana, then to Juuhachi, who was sleeping peacefully.

"Oh, yeah," Miura said, glancing back at the screen, "The baby's fine, too."

"What baby?" Krelin stuttered out. There were shouts and cries of congratulations, as well as many slaps on the back as Montana ushered them out of the room.

"What happened to me?" a weak voiced Juuhachi asked from her bed, waking up.

"You absorbed the virus." Montana answered.

"Then shouldn't I be dead?"

"No."

"You guys have more work to do then, I'd say."

Miura stood from her perch beside the bed and said, "The virus has an interesting side effect that we had no idea about. You are completely human, there isn't a computer chip in you." First, the blonde woman smiled broadly, as if it was the best news she had ever heard. In fact, she was beaming. But then, Juuhachi's face contorted as she began to remember everything she had done in her past, and she did something she hadn't done since she was a small child. She cried. Only silently she suffered the tears brought on by a brutal past.

Tactfully, the two girls left the room.

"What do you say we go and join that party?" Montana asked of Miura, after they had left hearing range of the room.

"You go ahead. I'm going to bed."

"Party-pooper."

"Hey, don't complain to me when Vegeta kills you in your sleep during training tomorrow."

"Ha ha ha."

Montana playfully smacked the younger girl in the back of the head, then they went to their seperate rooms.

Turning the doorknob to her bedroom, Miura yawned. As she entered the room, she felt a presence behind her, and she whirled around to face whatever danger might appear. Out of the shadows behind her door, she saw an outline emerge and walked towards her.

"Who's there?" she demanded, now wide awake and pumped with adrenaline. The figure spoke.

"Why, Miura? Don't tell me you don't recognize my ki?"

Recognizing the voice, Miura relaxed out of her fighting stance and fell backwards onto her bed.

"God damnit, Trunks-kun! You're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days!" He smirked and sat in a chair across the room.

"I told you it wasn't over."

"What do you want?"

He stood, and made his way over to the bed.

"I want you to go to the party downstairs."

Miura sat up. "Are you nuts? I have to get up at 5 a.m. tomorrow to train nonstop, then I have a million things to do in the lab, not to mention I'm dead on my feet tonight and I-"

She was cut off by Trunks' finger on her lips.

"Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but then thought the better of it. She got an evil gleam in her eye and she rose from her bed.

"I'll go to the party on one condition."

"What's that?"

She grinned. "Teach me any attack that I want tomorrow."

He thought about it for a while, then nodded.

"Your terms are agreeable."

Her grin grew into a smirk. "Good. Now out. I have to change."

Trunks' eyes grew wider as she pushed him out the door. "What, you're not gonna let me stay and watch?" he yelled from the other side. Miura blushed and yelled back,

"Only if you say please!" There was silence outside, which indicated that he had left and gone downstairs to wait.

Going into her closet, she found something in there that she hadn't put there. Bulma must have stocked it for her when she wasn't looking. A long, black velvet dress complete with gloves and shoes. Giggling, she changed out of her sweats and into the formal attire. She pulled her hair out of its usual pony tail and let it fall down over her shoulders. Brushing the long, violet locks, she felt another pair of hands assisting her.

"So, you decided to go to the party after all." Montana was seated opposite her, in a short, hooker-red dress and the pendant she always wore.

"I had some...persuasion."

"So I heard."

Miura gasped. "You were here the whole time? I didn't even sense your ki!"

Montana smirked, "A little trick I picked up from Vegeta. I'll teach you if you want."

The younger girl nodded, then they both left the room and went downstairs to the party. Mostly everyone had gone home; the only ones remaining were the Sons and Krelin's family. The girls socialized and mingled with them until late. Well, Montana socialized, while Miura was caught up in playing with a five year old Pan.

Pan walked up to the purple haired warrior as she was leaving and looked up at him with big adoring eyes.

"Trunks-kun, I have to tell you something!" she insisted, tugging on his pants leg.

"Yes, what is it?" he asked, leaning down to her level.

Seeing the serious look on her face, he figured it was something important. She whispered to him,

"You smell like old socks!!" She smiled cutely, then ran for the air car, where her parents were waiting for her. As she got in, she looked back into the open house and gave Miura a thumbs up sign. Trunks looked confused and befuddled as to what just happened.

Miura rose from her seat on the couch and went outside to wave good-bye to her little friend. Standing beside Trunks, she grinned cockily.

"Well, I think this has been a very productive night," she stated, stretching her arms over her head. He gave her a sidelong glance, then punched her playfully in the stomach.

"Yeah, turning toddlers against me is, I'm sure, a very time consuming task."

"It is. Do you know it took me three hours just for her to say something bad about you. She worships the ground you walk on. Its quite cute."

"I bet." He looked at her then, in a new light. He just realized that he had never seen her with her hair down before. Or with make-up. Or out of her jeans. He had to admit, he liked the change.

"You look nice tonight," he commented. Miura looked at him and raised her eyebrow.

"What do you want?" she asked, immediately suspicious. "Oh wait, never mind," she trailed off, thinking back on all her past experiences with men.

"What?" he asked as she lightly punched him back.

"Nothin'.Well, goodnight," Miura took her leave of him and went to bed, in preparation of the next days events.