Trunks stopped dead, his eyes fixed on Android 16 as he stepped out of the hibernation pod.
"Gohan, is he the Android you said was even more dangerous than Android 17 and Android 18?"
Trunks sensed no danger from Android 16, but he remained cautious. He knew better than to underestimate him.
After all, Android 17 and Android 18 had once looked harmless too. In reality, they were monsters.
The Android before him might be the same kind of monster.
"Gohan, let me kill him."
As Trunks spoke, his energy surged. A gale tore through the laboratory, whipping their clothes and threatening to rip the roof off.
"Trunks, don't attack yet," Son Gohan said quickly.
Another second, and Trunks would have lunged for the kill.
Trunks did not understand why Son Gohan had stopped him, but he obeyed and forced his violent energy back down.
Android 16 stood motionless. He studied Trunks warily, then turned to Son Gohan.
After a few seconds of silence, he asked in a deep voice, "Are you Son Gohan?"
"Yes, I am." Son Gohan nodded and studied him with curiosity.
Another brief silence followed.
Then Android 16 said, "You're different from what my records say."
"Of course I am," Son Gohan said. "I'm over twenty now. I was only nine when Dr. Gero died, so your database probably only has information about me as a child."
At the news of Dr. Gero's death, Android 16's pupils visibly contracted. He soon regained his composure.
"So the doctor is dead. That's unfortunate."
"Who is he?" He looked at Trunks.
Trunks did not exist in Android 16's database. Its information was badly outdated.
"That's Trunks," Son Gohan said. "Vegeta's son."
Then he asked, "Android 16, now that Dr. Gero is dead, do you still intend to fight us? What do you plan to do next?"
Android 16 shook his head. "No. I don't like fighting."
He thought for a moment, then said, "I don't know what I'll do. Perhaps I'll wander for a while, then settle in the mountains and protect the small animals."
Son Gohan nodded. "That sounds good. I know you love peace and nature. So if Earth ever faces a crisis, will you help defend it and protect our home, as long as you're able?"
Android 16 looked at Son Gohan carefully, then answered, "I will."
His expression remained as impassive as ever.
He was a man of few words.
Android 16 nodded. "All right. Can I leave now?"
Son Gohan stepped aside to let him pass. "You can. But Android 16, there's a powerful bomb inside you. If you want it removed, come find me or Trunks. We'll take you to Bulma. She can remove it for you."
"All right. I understand."
Android 16 agreed, then strode out of the laboratory.
Trunks watched him leave, utterly baffled.
"What was that about, Gohan?" he asked.
"He isn't the one we're looking for," Son Gohan explained. "Android 16 is powerful, but he isn't aggressive. He won't harm Earth. There's a benefit to letting him live."
"Oh." Trunks sounded unconvinced. "But how do you know he isn't aggressive? Android 17 and Android 18 didn't look vicious either, and they turned out to be demons."
"I can't explain that to you," Son Gohan said. "But if something does go wrong, I'll destroy him myself."
"All right. If you're busy, Gohan, I can do it instead. But we've searched the whole laboratory, and we still haven't found that intelligent computer you said was making another Android."
Son Gohan pointed at the floor beneath their feet and smiled. "Who said we've searched the whole laboratory? There's a secret facility below us."
"What?!" Trunks stared in shock.
"Watch." Son Gohan grinned and stamped his right foot.
Boom!
Crack, crack, crack!
The floor burst apart beneath him, leaving a huge black hole.
"There really is something down there," Trunks said in surprise.
"Come on. Let's take a look." Son Gohan jumped into the dark opening first.
Trunks followed close behind.
Two seconds later, both of them landed on solid ground in the basement.
The basement was so dimly lit that they could barely see their surroundings.
Trunks felt around until he found the light switch. Click. The lights came on.
The once-dark basement lit up at once.
At last, they could see its layout and size.
Compared with the spacious laboratory, the basement was several times smaller.
Its layout was simple, too.
In the center stood an enormous intelligent computer, three meters tall and five meters wide. Its screen glowed faintly, showing that it was still running on its own.
Beside it stood a machine half as tall as a person, topped by an inverted cylindrical glass vessel.
An energy conduit as thick as a thigh connected the computer to the machine.
The glass vessel was filled with glowing green nutrient fluid.
Tiny bubbles continually formed at the bottom and drifted to the top of the vessel.
And in the very center of the fluid, a hideously ugly embryo was growing.
It was Cell.
Cell had already grown to the size of an arm. Though he was curled up, they could see his heart beating powerfully.
Trunks pressed his palm against the glass.
Cell's eyelids twitched, as though he might wake at any moment.
"This is it, right, Gohan? This ugly thing?" Trunks asked.
Son Gohan nodded. "Yes. That's him."
"Why does he feel familiar?" Trunks asked.
"Maybe because he has some of my cells," Son Gohan said.
"What? How does this monster have your cells?"
"Dr. Gero used Machine Bees to collect cells from many powerful fighters. He combined those cells to create this monster."
"As far as I know, he has cells from me, my father, and your father."
"Dr. Gero collected cells from many of our elders. Cell even has cells from Frieza and King Cold."
"He really is a monster," Trunks said, stunned.
"Trunks, stand back. I'll kill him," Son Gohan said.
"Okay." Trunks moved aside at once.
Son Gohan raised his hand and spread his fingers. A Ki Blast shattered the glass vessel holding Cell's embryo.
Boom!
The vessel exploded, spraying green nutrient fluid everywhere.
Deprived of the fluid, Cell's embryo rolled across the floor and began to tremble, making little squeaking sounds.
He looked like a hairless mouse struggling in its death throes.
Without hesitation, Son Gohan stamped on him, crushing him into a puddle of pulp.
Then he raised his hand and sent a burst of energy into the remains.
After a brief crackle, only a black scorch mark remained on the floor.
Cell's embryo had been reduced to ash.
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