"Yep! This is definitely an android!" Bulma said as she began checking over what was left of the creature's body. Ryoko had returned the box of capsules to a completely shocked, but otherwise unhurt shop owner. She then grabbed the android, and took it back with her to Capsule Corp. Trunks, Ryoko, and Vegeta now stood around Bulma, watching her pick and prod at it. "So, what do you think?" Ryoko asked her. "Well, it sure is strange to be seeing one of these again..." The last android the gang had run into was Cell, and that was almost 11 years ago. Ryoko had just arrived on Earth, and was the first to reach Super Saiyan 2, when she destroyed Cell. "Dr. Whats-his-name built the androids, didn't he? Didn't you guys kill him?" "That's Dr. Gero," Bulma corrected her. "And yeah, they did. Well, actually, 17 and 18 killed him." "How nice of them," Ryoko snickered. "Yeah, well, then how is there another one?" Vegeta asked her. "Well, I could have easily downloaded it's memory files and used those to track where it came from, but somebody blew its head completely off..." "Hey!! How woulda I have known...?" "...sigh.. Well, I can still take this thing apart. Hopefully the manufacturer left a logo or code or something I can use to trace."
She began taking it apart, closely examining every piece. It looked similar to Cell, having the reptile-like skin Cell possessed in his first form. It didn't have a tail, but it had long claws and a lot of sharp teeth. Besides the tough scales, most of its body had a thick metal-like coating for extra protection. The arm that the android used to choke Ryoko earlier was now barely connected, and fell to the floor. Ryoko bent over to pick it up, and noticed a piece of its coating coming off. She pulled the piece off, and underneath, saw red bow-shaped marking. "What's R R?" she asked, while suddenly standing straight up again. "WHAT?!! Let me see that!! Here, give it to me!" Bulma shouted. Ryoko handed it over to her. "It... can't be...," Trunks began to mutter. He looked as if he had seen a ghost; a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. "R R stands for... Red Ribbon..." Bulma answered. "As in, the old Red Ribbon Army..." "Hey! But wait! Weren't they the ones that that Dr. ... uh..Gero, worked for?" "Yes. But, Goku destroyed the entire army a long time ago. He didn't finish Gero, but his androids, 17 and 18 betrayed and killed him. They then woke up 16, and Cell had come from the future...17 and 16 were destroyed, so was Cell...and 18's human now. That's the last of them. How can there be another android? 11 years later; was it just hiding out until now..?" "I don't think so," Ryoko replied. "The thief said he was taking the capsules to his 'master'. Plus, he looks awfully new to me. Technology has advanced a lot in these past 11 years, especially since I've been around...(heh). That means there's some kind of motive behind this, and whatever it is, there's someone behind it who's obviously still alive." They all looked cautiously down at the android. Oil dripped from its now open parts. Suddenly, Ryan and Chibi Trunks ran in, Minagi was behind, chasing the two. The two boys stopped, but she continued to growl, until she noticed she was the only one making a sound, and that everyone was now staring at her. "What?!!"
"Oh! What is that?" The boys stood by the android, and stared, completely fascinated. "Where's its head?" Ryan asked. "Your mom blew it off," Bulma said. "It's.. it's.. what is it?" Trunks wondered. "It's an android.." Ryoko stated plainly. "Sorry to ruin your fun, you three, but we're really busy right now. Run along for now. Go on." "Hey!! But!....Dad?" Trunks looked up at his father Vegeta. "......Listen to Ryoko, son." The three began to mope and sulk as they slowly began to trudge out of the room. "I hate to be so hard on them..." Ryoko sighed. "But they have to learn that's it's not all fun and games." "Look who's talking...miss hypocrite..." Bulma laughed. "Alright. Well, all I can do is try and get as much information on the Red Ribbon as possible, and we'll go from there."
Ryoko knelt down next to her bike, and began to replace the totalled shocks. She had her motorcycle for a while now; it had become her favorite mode of transportation. Her last escapade with it didn't go so well, for the bike that is. She sure had a habit of being hard on her 'toys'. Its tire blew out while she was riding it, and the bike began to skid, until it turned over on its side. Sparks shot out as the metal frame slid against the asphalt with Ryoko crouching on top of it, until it finally came to a stop. She was always looking for ways to improve upon it. "Hand me that wrench...," she was saying to Trunks, who was standing and watching her. "You know, you should be a little easier on your stuff. You seem to spend more time fixing that bike than actually riding it. It's the same for your ATV too..." He scolded her as he handed a wrench over to her. She seemed to be angered a bit by that remark, and quickly snatched it from him. "So what? At least I...." "Come over here, you two!" Bulma interrupted her. "Well, I searched through every data base I have access to. Didn't get as much info as I had hoped though. But we can still use it. His name is Will Red, the new commander that is. He's the great nephew of the original Commander Red. Somehow, he was able to secretly resurrect the company. Doesn't say where he lives, or where the Headquarters can be found. But I did enter a search on his name. Didn't get too much notable information... but I think we may be able to get some information out of him personally." "How?" Vegeta asked. "Well, his records show that he's a loyal customer to the 'exotic dance club' in the heart of this city." "Hmph... probably another dirty old man... should'a figured..." Ryoko mumbled to herself. "He goes every Friday night, pretty set schedule." "What does this have to do with anything?" Trunks asked.
"Well... It's the only place we can be sure of running into him...." "So, you plan on just waltzing in there and asking him where his secret headquarters is located?!" Ryoko asked smirking, her hands resting on her hips. "No, I'm not going to be the one walking in there... you are." "What?!!" "You should be able to fit in real well... just feel him up a bit. Drunk bastard'll probably spill his guts to you. I'm sure you already have a lot of experience with this sort of thing, I mean, considering the life you lead in the past..." "SHUT THE HELL UP!!!" Trunks was now restraining Ryoko, who was growling and baring her teeth. She looked like she could just kill Bulma. "Oops! Sorry about that! Touched a sore spot, did I? He he..." Bulma backed up a bit, still laughing, as Trunks struggled to hold on to the enraged Ryoko. After a few minutes, she finally calmed down, but continued to give Bulma a piercing stare, as Trunks released her. "Well, it doesn't matter anyway," he started to say. "There is no way I'm letting Ryoko into a place like that. Especially alone." "Then go with her." "I'm not going." Ryoko said. "Listen to me! I'm sorry I made fun of you before! But I'm serious about this! It's the only way we'll be able to find the base, or any other info for that matter. You all are always saving the world. How do you feel about the thought of those... things wreaking havoc all over the world?" Ryoko grit her teeth. She was right, after all. "But still... I really don't feel good about having Ryoko go in a place like that...," Trunks began to say, but was stopped by Ryoko, who suddenly stepped forward. "I'll do it," she said.
Ryoko was now clad in the most revealing outfit you could ever see. She walked back into the lab where Trunks, Bulma, and Vegeta were waiting. The two men suddenly dropped their jaws. "Well, it looks like she definitely knows how to get a good reaction," Bulma stated. Ryoko laughed.
Ryoko and Trunks sat at a table toward the back of the dimly lit club. She calmly sat and sipped at her drink, secretly reloading the blaster gun Bulma had given her, which was now wrapped up in her jacket. "If you get into some trouble, don't start transforming and everything. Remember, you'll be in a public place. If you need a weapon, at least use one that's common." Trunks was a little bit more uptight though. The thought of his wife sitting in this place wearing what she was wearing didn't seem to rest easy with him. He sat silently, surveying the nearby suitors, and glared at those who dared to look their way. He seemed to be doing a pretty good job of keeping most of them away. Ryoko set her drink down, and looked up at him. She had never really noticed before how protective of her he was. "Look. I appreciate your help, but I can handle these guys myself. I've been alone, and fine for the past 5,000 years. I can take pretty good care of myself." He looked concerned, but realized he might have hurt her pride a bit. "Is that so?"
She took it as a challenge. "Hey, next time somebody comes over, just watch me. You can do it without threats, you know." It didn't take long. An obviously very drunk man began to stagger over to their table, despite the rather muscular Trunks sitting there, who - surprise - wanted to buy Ryoko a drink. "Thank you, but I'm waiting for somebody." "Well, why don't I keep you company until they get here? It may be a long wait." "Thank you, but I have company." She nodded at Trunks, who was ignoring them. "I'm really quite pleasant to have around." He stared at her. Spare me, Ryoko thought. So much for the easy way. "No. Go away." "You don't know what you are missing." "I'll try to get over it. Leave." "Just one drink.." He started to sit across from her. Ryoko pulled the blaster she had hidden away in her jacket, and brought it out over the table where the man could see it. She pointed it at the ceiling and thumbed the power setting from 'stun' to 'kill'. He saw that too. Very quickly he said, "Ah, well, perhaps another time. I, uh... just remembered that I have other plans. You'll excuse me." He hurried away. Amazing what a little toy like a blaster would do to improve the manners of a would-be suitor. Trunks began to crack up. "Shut up! Ok! So your method's a little better! I got rid of him, didn't I?" She tucked the blaster safely away back in her jacket. He stopped laughing, and looked toward the door. A man, and two rather large followers, most likely to be bodyguards, stepped in. "He's here."
Next: Chapter 3 - "Hostages Can Be Dangerous"
Jaz - August, 2003
http://saiyananimeplanet.cjb.net
Naluchik11@Hotmail.com
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