A year passed. Torta continued to push himself further and further with his training, now motivated by a desire to surpass Regal. He and Puttee had visited her and the Grand Elder twice since their first meeting, using the Dragon Radar, as Puttee named it, to follow them to their ever-changing location by the signal the Dragon Balls gave off. Each time, Regal had proven herself true to her word, having improved significantly—and evenly—with Torta.
One morning, in the spring, Torta was training with a magnetic pad Puttee invented for him. It generated a powerful magnetic field, pulling the steel bracelets, anklets, and rings Torta wore on his body towards the ground, producing some intense resistance training. Torta was grateful to have such great friends in his life, allowing him to keep chasing his dream.
Torta did worry some about Puttee these days, though. She had been holed up in her workshop for months now. He would see her on occasion, and all she would say was that she was working on some blueprints she had been sitting on for a few years. Torta knew it was likely something more, though, as the news had been covering growing political tensions from Silico’s apparent military buildup.
Puttee cried out excitedly. Torta smiled, figuring it meant she had found success in her endeavor. He could hear her voice from where he was training, presumably from audio notes, like usual. After a moment, though, he could swear there was a second voice, and they were talking. Torta spent thirty seconds struggling to walk to the other end of the magnetic pad to turn it off, wondered if he was pushing himself too hard, and removed the steel rings from his body. He then went over to Puttee’s and knocked.
There was more talking for a moment, and Torta was sure there was someone else in the house. Puttee opened up, looking very tired but happier than ever. Torta began to speak. “Hey, come in!” Puttee interrupted him. “I got someone real important for you to meet!” Though confused, Torta followed her inside.
Puttee opened the door to her workshop. Sitting on the work bench was another young black woman, around their age, maybe a year or two younger by appearance. Her curly hair was long, and she wore a light blue summer dress with boots. She looked like she could be Puttee’s family.
“Torta, meet Gaita,” Puttee said as introduction.
Gaita stared at Torta for a moment. “It’s nice to meet you, Torta,” Gaita said.
“Hi, Gaita,” Torta said, his head not wrapping itself around this situation. He would have noticed if Puttee had gotten a visitor. He turned to Puttee. “Um, where is Gaita from exactly?”
Puttee smiled wide. “From this workshop!” Puttee said. “Gaita is a one-of-a-kind, infinitely amazing Android of my own design! She’s fully mechanical, artificially intelligent, and authentically charming!”
“It’s true,” said Gaita. She then demurred. “I mean, my being an Android. I don’t like being bragged on like that, but I am very happy that my mother activated me.”
“Oh, no!” Puttee cried. “Never call me mother! I am not a mother! I…I guess I actually haven’t thought about having kids before, but still. I made you to be roughly my equivalent in age. If anything, we’re sisters!”
“I’m very happy my sister activated me,” Gaita said. “And right away, I get to meet a second person! It’s a very happy occasion!”
Torta was dumbfounded. He was not quite sure if Gaita could really be robotic, given how lifelike she appeared. There was no denying the lack of chi coming from Gaita, though; every living thing gives it off, and he felt none from her. Torta tried speaking, but was unsure what he should say or ask, or to whom.
“Now that Torta is here, why don’t we all have lunch?” Puttee suggested. “We can all get to know each other!”
“What a lovely idea!” said Gaita, her face brightening.
“Ok,” said Torta, not sure what better option there was. The group went to the upstairs patio to eat in the shade.
They all hit it off. Torta found that Gaita was a lot like Puttee, probably by design, but she was much humbler than her excitable, smug sister. It was her first day alive, after all. He was also amused to see Gaita eating, even though she didn’t have to.
“So, what do you do?” Gaita asked Torta.
“I’m a martial artist,” Torta said.
“Oh, really?” Gaita said with great curiosity. “That’s amazing! What style do you practice?”
“You like fighting?” Torta asked, a bit surprised.
“As I would expect,” Puttee said. Torta and Gaita both turned to Puttee. “I designed Gaita to be a combat-ready Android, programmed with all kinds of killer, professional fightin’ moves.” Torta was surprised by this, given Puttee’s typical inclinations.
“Is that what I’m meant to do, then?” Gaita asked.
“You aren’t ‘meant’ to do anything,” said Puttee, almost sounding like a wisewoman. “I’ll be happy no matter what you make of your life, so please, choose happiness for yourself. I just thought martial arts could be a fun starting place for you. Gives you a common hobby with Torta, your first other friend, for starters.”
Torta, Puttee, and Gaita finished their meals. “Do you want to spar?” Torta asked Gaita.
“I would love to!” Gaita said. The trio got up and rushed down the stairs, Puttee left in the dust.
Just as they exited the front door, Torta turned to Gaita again. “Oh, do you want to change first? That’s a nice dress you’re wearing.”
Gaita was confused. “I’m not going to ruin it.”
Torta was unsure if that was inexperience or confidence. It made him more excited as they made their way into the adjoining yard.
The two fighters squared off. Gaita’s stance looked soft, not yet forged into battle-ready steel. She took the first move, and as expected, she seemed sloppy. Torta easily dodged around her attacks, growing ever more confident that for all her knowledge, Puttee couldn’t make a machine with real fighting ability. Martial arts skills required time and intent to hone.
Gaita giggled, catching Torta off-guard with how similar it was to Puttee’s giggle. In that moment, Gaita suddenly sharpened, hitting Torta across the yard. She landed and charged in, much faster and much stronger than before. Her every strike was precise and elegant, and Torta found himself going all-out to keep up with her.
The Android backed Torta against his house. Looking to get distance, Torta placed his hands together like praying, charged energy into them, and then thrust them forward, firing two energy bombs while yelling, “Double Stack!”
Gaita dodged both projectiles, smiling and floating in the air. “Congrats on being made able to fly,” Torta said.
“Oh, thanks, but the credit should go to my sister,” Gaita said, distracting her from the return of the Double Stack, flying at her from behind. Hearing their contrail just in time, she turned to deflect them. When she faced Torta again, he was hovering in the air above her, charging a BLT. In response, she raised her arms up, her right hand bracing her left wrist, and charged up an energy blast of her own. Torta fired his BLT, and Gaita fired her own beam. The two beams clashed, and neither moved an inch.
After a moment, they relented this beam struggle. Torta descended, so Gaita followed. “That was awesome!” Torta said. “Were you going all-out there?”
Gaita rolled the numbers a moment. “I’d say so, yes,” Gaita said. Torta was astounded; with his year of training, he had probably gotten three or four time stronger than he was before, and Gaita was created at that level.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Torta noticed that Gaita looked just fine, her dress as spotless as promised. “Did that fight run down your, uh, batteries?”
“That’s the amazing part!” Puttee interjected. “She was made with my most prized invention, the infinite energy generator! She’ll never run out of power!” Torta’s jaw dropped.
The three of them talked through the night. It was like all the curiosity Puttee had for science, Gaita had for fighting. Torta was impressed with how fully formed her opinions seemed, what with her being only a day old.
“So, what do you want to name that energy beam you did?” Torta asked.
“Does it need a name?” Gaita asked.
“Names are fun! It makes you feel like you left a fingerprint on the fight, when you name your attacks.”
“Yeah, do it!” Puttee said. “What you gonna name it?”
“Hm…” Gaita hummed. “Chelsea.”
Torta and Puttee laughed, to Gaita’s confusion. “You’re not naming a baby,” Puttee said.
Gaita was embarrassed. “It’s not named after a person!” Gaita insisted. “I like boots, is all!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Puttee said. “Anyway, does anyone want to go see Regal and the Grand Elder tomorrow? It’d be nice to expand Gaita’s horizons beyond this island. I’d love to head out in the morning!”
“That sounds wonderful!” Gaita said.
“Yeah, I’d like to see Regal,” said Torta, wondering why it had to be tomorrow.
By the next morning, the group had geared up appropriately for the trip. Puttee checked the Dragon Radar, and found that the Namekians had moved into the cold forests at the base of the Thunder Mountains, near northern Silico.
Gaita went back into the house, having forgotten something. “Hey,” Torta asked Puttee, getting serious. “How much do you miss your family?”
“As much as anyone would,” Puttee said, walking away to do more engine checks. Torta figured it had to be quite a bit if she built a mechanical sibling.
Far in the north, the Thunder Mountains towering overhead, the Grand Elder and Regal sat in meditation. For the Grand Elder, it was deep and contemplative, while for Regal, it was intense and trying. Not that the difference could be seen on the surface.
The Elder’s brow furrowed. She opened her eyes and pulled Regal from her focus. The warrior appeared tired and ragged. “You should take your training more patiently,” her Grand Elder told her.
Regal grunted dismissively. “What’s the problem?” she asked.
“Well, after communing with the spirits of this land, I have found that our concerns were well-founded. Anger and fervor among the people here is growing, fanned by political leaders looking for war. We may not be able to stay here long.”
Regal looked over the land before them. “Yes, even here, the air is thick with tension. I’ll keep you safe, no matter what.”
“It may not be so simple. Let us go.” The two got up and headed out of the mountains.
Up ahead, the two Namekians saw two humans, dressed in casual military garb. They were nearly identical. They carried large, elaborate guns. Regal recalled hearing that this country, Silico, was the most technologically advanced on the planet; their soldiers’ arms reflected that. However, something was rather unusual, and it became clearer the closer she got to them: They had no chi.
“Stop!” one of the soldiers called out to them. The Namekians pulled their hoods tighter.
“We would be happy to turn around,” the Grand Elder said, “if that would be best.”
The soldiers examined them coldly, not even a word. Regal knew something was terribly wrong.
The soldiers raised their guns. “Give up the Dragon Balls!” one of them demanded.
Both Namekians were shocked by this knowledge. Regal swiftly broke their meager guns and pushed them back with a kiai, leading the Grand Elder in the other direction. They’d disappear in the forest before backup arrived. Instead, the soldiers flew down in front of them, charging energy in their hands. Despite everything about them, Regal knew she had to treat them like skilled martial artists. She quickly hit the soldiers with eye beams, calling out “Uriel!” She turned to her comrade. “Grand Elder, please, get to safety!”
The Silico soldiers got up, but appeared hurt. Despite this, they continued the attack without hesitation. Regal found their power, though without feeling, to be much lower than her own, and was eventually able to corner them against a rock. She placed a hand on each of their faces and calmly said, “Daniel.” Their heads were vaporized by the burning fireballs of chi Regal generated.
However, this revealed more secrets. The soldiers had metal and circuitry instead of flesh within their bodies. Regal cursed, wondering how many of these automatons are lurking out there. If they were like robot armies on other worlds, they could have communicated and revealed the Grand Elder’s location.
“Regal!” the Grand Elder called out in fear, as if to answer these suspicions. She emerged from the woods, four more soldiers in pursuit. Regal was infuriated and charged in, making quick work of the soldiers.
Puttee, Torta, and Gaita got loaded into the van-plane that Puttee took to calling the vane and headed northeast. Soon, they would arrive at the southern end of Silico. Puttee was happy with the upgrades she had done on the vane, with the new speeds it could reach. Gaita stared out the window the entire time, marveling at the scenery and cities they passed. Torta was happy for Gaita, but started to get nervous as they entered Silico and moved away from the windows.
An instrument beeped from the dash, and Puttee dropped her smile in an instant. She flipped a switch, and the radio turned to a strange channel.
“What’s going on?” Torta asked.
“Shut it,” Puttee shushed. Over the radio, they heard people talking about “finding the objective sooner than expected” and “preparing for operations.”
“What’s going on?” Torta asked more forcefully.
“So, there is another reason I wanted to see the Namekians so soon,” Puttee said. “I’ve been listening in on Silico military and intelligence frequencies for the past year. Turns out the Silico government had spybots watching our first contact with Regal and the Grand Elder! So now the king wants the Dragon Balls, for some nefarious end. I figured we should go help them, but I honestly thought we’d have more time to get there.”
Torta was stunned. “What?! How could you keep that a secret?!”
Gaita was shocked, though subdued.
Puttee just hit the gas harder, driving up through the middle of Silico off-road. “Look, I’m sorry, and sorry in advance for some other stuff later. Right now, we likely have enemies in-bound, so stay sharp. The military is going to launch a new weapon.”
Gaita looked to her sister, contemplating what this all meant, as Torta kept running through how bad the situation was. She didn’t have any experience with, well, anything, and wasn’t sure if she was feeling betrayal or disappointment. She was sure Puttee had her reasons. She was sure she wanted to believe that.
Soon, three soldiers were seen flying up behind the vane. Torta and Gaita were shocked to see this; Knuckle soldiers couldn’t fly, and they were the ones who practiced chi control, unlike the technologically sophisticated Silico military. Torta focused, and was equally surprised not to feel a single ounce of chi from any of them.
Torta turned to Puttee once again. “Can you please stop them?” Puttee asked, looking guilty. Gritting his teeth, Torta opened the back door and flew out. Gaita ran after him.
The soldiers quickly converged on Torta. “Target acquired!” one said. Gaita was about to intervene, but then saw another group fly after the vane.
“Sorry, Torta!” Gaita said, rushing to protect Puttee.
Torta initially had issues with the teamwork from these triplet soldiers, but found that they were far weaker than him. With a burst of power, he overwhelmed them. Charging energy into his pointer and middle fingers, he asked the soldiers, “Do you want any Sliders?” and fired concentrated energy beams through their heads. As expected, he found them to be Androids, not humans. He chased after his friends.
When he arrived, he found Gaita easily dominating the fight, but not ending it. “You have to destroy them!” Torta told her. “They’ll just keep coming after Puttee otherwise!” Gaita still held back, so Torta intervened, ripping through the group one at a time. Gaita was aghast, seeing the Android parts falling to the ground below. The two got back in the vane.
“You need to tell me what’s going on!” Torta demanded of Puttee.
Puttee was quieter, more serious. “I made the infinite energy generator before I left home,” she explained. “I wanted to help the world, but the designs got to the military, and they wanted to make perfect soldiers, drones with unlimited power. So, I stole the designs and destroyed all the copies, and I ran away, to the Unaffiliated Islands. I didn’t know what else to do. I guess the Silico military finally figured out how to recreate the designs, and now they’re going after the Dragon Balls with them. To take over the world.”
Though he believed his friend, Torta couldn’t stop feeling so angry that Puttee would keep such a huge secret from him, and try to spring the “solution” to this mess in one day without saying anything. He was about to unload some of this on Puttee, but Gaita stopped him from venting his anger, tears down her face. “Look!” she said, pointing at the tears coming from Puttee’s eyes.
Torta had only seen Puttee cry once. “Ok, what’s the plan?”
“So, it’s pretty simple,” said Puttee, straightening back up. “The goal of the first wave here is to secure the Dragon Balls and capture us, as the only free agents who know about them. That means our goal is simple: We go meet up with Regal and the Grand Elder, and then go shut down the Android army’s control station. They’re not full AI, like Gaita; they’re walking guns.”
“Sounds good,” Torta said. “How far are we?”
Gaita began to realize why she was there, and why she had been activated the previous day. She looked down at her hands.
Regal and the Grand Elder had managed to make it into a cave, where Regal could simply defend the entrance. For over an hour, Regal had been fighting with wave after wave of these robotic devils, with no end in sight. Though she started out the fight somewhat confident that she would be able to do away with these inferior fighters, they were smart enough not to attack en masse, saving their forces for a battle of attrition, one they could surely win. Regal was already running on reserves, but their numbers seemed endless.
The Grand Elder watched on in silent fear. Regal’s mother, Melodica, had been the greatest warrior of Namek and protected the Grand Elder, same as Regal did now. As they were escaping Namek, Melodica realized she would have to hold the Demon Clan off and birthed Regal for the Grand Elder to take as a replacement bodyguard. The Grand Elder had been sad that Melodica’s life had become nothing but battle and duty, which was now the only life Regal had known. She didn’t want Regal to die only knowing these things.
With a powerful will, the Grand Elder once again called out to her human allies, hoping to reach them about their current situation. She had been trying for the past hour, and knew that with the distance between them, it was unlikely to succeed.
The trio had been flying across the country in the vane for over an hour, and even with its increased speed, were still an hour away from the Namekians. Torta was trailing behind the vane, fighting off Android footsoldiers and losing strength with each passing second. Gaita was trying to help, but was still not comfortable with the carnage of this massive assault. Moreover, Puttee’s plan troubled her.
Torta, running out of breath, looked over to Gaita. He saw a scared, good-hearted young woman struggling with the brutality of combat, a young woman he still needed to rely on in combat. He flew closer to her. “I don’t like destroying these drones, either,” he said. “They look human. I don’t enjoy killing people. But if we don’t do this, they’ll keep coming after us forever. I’m so sorry this is what your second day of life amounts to.”
Gaita looked to him and nearly opened up about her concerns, but saw that he was barely holding on, physically and emotionally. She clenched her jaw and blasted through a drone. “I’ll handle this for now,” she said. She grabbed Torta and tossed him against the back door of the vane. He looked back as he opened the door and saw her ripping through the squadron with a pained look.
“Why are these military Androids so weak by comparison to Gaita?” Torta asked Puttee once inside.
“They were probably only able to reproduce older blueprints,” Puttee said. “I’ve been sitting on these plans for six years, and I made improvements. Plus, they rushed things. I really thought they were going to wait longer and make stronger models. The king must assume the Dragon Balls make world domination easy, so why bother making a truly invincible army? But we shouldn’t assume they won’t have stronger models.”
“True,” Torta concurred. He glanced over at Puttee and saw her puffy eyes, cried dry. “Thanks for doing what you can to help here. It’s just rotten luck our alien friends were discovered on the same day. Can’t predict something like that.”
“I know. Thanks.” Her mood didn’t seem to change.
Puttee and Torta heard a voice. At first it was faint, but it grew in strength, and it became as clear as it was familiar. “Please!” the Grand Elder cried. “Come help us! Regal has been fighting an endless army of robots for an hour now, and she’s running out of strength! I fear she will die before the sun goes down!”
“This is Puttee!” Puttee said, not sure how telepathy worked. “We’re already on our way! Should be one more hour!”
“Thank you!” The Grand Elder’s voice faded.
Regal continued to struggle against the onslaught of Androids. While at the beginning, she was rending through them with ease, she was now struggling to do away with a group of three, and she could see them landing and taking up formation in the fields in front of her. Inside, her heart screamed in despair that she was failing at her purpose in life. At the least, the resulting rage kept her moving.
Puttee had to park the vane for refueling. Gaita had been struggling to keep up with the sheer numbers of enemies for a while, and now had to protect a vulnerable, stationary target. Torta stepped out to help, having rested up some, but Gaita did everything she could to lighten his load. She was sure that Torta hadn’t figured out the real plan yet. He focused on protecting the fuel pump itself.
As soon as they could, they got back on the road. A little over half an hour later, the vane shot over the hill that looked down into the cave the Grand Elder was huddled in. Regal stood in front of it, but nearly was not; she was clearly at her last dregs of strength. While Gaita continued to defend their rear, Torta blasted a hole through the platoon that had so neatly lined up in front of the cave, and Puttee drove through it.
Torta quickly snatched Regal out of the death trap and into the vane. Gaita landed on top to blast away soldiers as the Grand Elder got in behind her. “Thank you so much!” The Grand Elder said to Puttee.
“Sorry I couldn’t make it sooner,” Puttee said. Gaita forcefully cleared a path for Puttee to drive them out through, heading towards the capital. Regal’s breath was nearly gone. Torta poured water into her mouth and hoped she would respond. “Where are the Dragon Balls?” Puttee asked.
“I ate them for safety,” the Grand Elder said. “They’re safely stored in my stomach. Who is that newcomer clearing our path out front?”
“She’s Gaita, my sister,” Puttee said. “She’s an Android, like all those drones attacking you, except I gave her a soul.” Puttee explained the rest of her history to the Grand Elder once more.
The radio reported about the casualties caused by the Silico army across the world.
Regal sat up a moment later, to everyone’s relief. “It’s so good to see you up!” the Grand Elder said.
“Right now, we’re—” Torta said.
“I heard the conversation as I slept,” Regal said. “How does a politician’s daughter end up in that situation in the first place? It’s not like a child could sneak into the military R&D labs to steal designs as she ran away.”
Puttee was reluctant to answer, though expecting the question. “My dad isn’t a politician. He’s the head scientist for the Silico military. When he stole my generator designs to make Androids, it really made me realize what being in this family means, and that’s why I ran.” She sniffed hard.
Torta patted her back. “I get it. It’s hard to be mad at a kid in that situation, and it’s hard to be mad at you for not wanting to talk about it.”
“Thanks.”
They continued on towards the capital, managing to stay ahead of their enemies. The radio did most of the talking as they went.
“Want something to eat?” Torta asked Regal.
“No, Namekians don’t have to eat,” Regal said. “We only need water.”
“Oh,” said Torta in surprise, looking down at Regal’s foot. Part of it was blown off. “Oh, crap!” He pointed it out to Regal.
“Oh, I hadn’t noticed,” Regal said. “Relax.” With a grunt, Regal forced a regenerated foot to suddenly sprout from her stump. Torta was even more shocked. “Could I get more water?”
Once the group arrived at the outskirts of the capital, Puttee turned to the east and raced for the army headquarters. “Are we sure this is where the control system will be located?” the Grand Elder asked.
“It’s our best shot, yeah,” said Puttee.
Torta could feel a familiar chi approaching them from above.
The group arrived at the entrance of the Grand Silico Military Headquarters, a sizable old castle with a sprawling basement complex. Puttee headed right for the front gates, planning to smash through it. As Gaita continued to guard their rear, Regal and Torta blasted a hole through the perimeter defense forces, hoping to get in fast.
Before they could make it, though, Torta and Regal’s blasts were halted and the vane caught in its tracks by three mysterious figures. These men wore casual attire and the haughty expression of the arrogant. One had long blond hair, another a black crew cut, and the third messy red hair. Torta and Regal exchanged glances to confirm what they both knew: These three were Androids as well.
For a moment, the drones defending the castle stopped attacking, and a voice sparked up on the radio. “Stand down and surrender immediately, you ingrates!” said a man over the speakers. “I don’t want to hurt those of you in the…vehicle, whatever you call that monstrosity. I just want the aliens and their cargo.”
Puttee had a pained look on her face. “Who is this?” Torta asked.
“This is my father, Sock,” Puttee said.
“Indeed, as if that matters,” Sock said. “The Androids you see in front of you are improved models, not unlike the one Puttee made. The blond is Android A, the crew cut B, and the redhead C. I am so saddened that the king ordered this strike before I could make more in their series, but alack, the royals are so impatient, as you know too well, Puttee.” Puttee shivered. “Maybe if my daughter hadn’t run away to play house, I could have made even better models. At any rate, there’s no way for you to defeat these Androids, with their increased power and unlimited stamina. You louts are already on your last legs of strength!”
The transmission ended. “What do you all want to do now?” Puttee asked.
“Not surrender,” Torta said. “Like I’d ever do that.”
“The one sane thing he’s ever said,” Regal agreed. “I cannot hand over the Grand Elder or the Dragon Balls, especially to a would-be despot.”
“Thanks,” said Puttee. “But looking at the front gates ahead of us, I’m not sure we can win now. They still have so many drones, and those three with codenames, and there’s only three of us.”
Torta was confused about the issue. “What about Gaita—”
As if to answer Puttee’s concern for numbers, the familiar chi Torta had felt landed in front of the castle, a transport plane streaming high above them. Greyearl and Svenex looked over at the adventurers in the vane, and around at their predicament.
“Svenex!” Torta called out happily. “You here to help?”
“You idiot!” Svenex roared. “You brought all the biggest targets of the enemy operations to their front door, right when I’m supposed to infiltrate the base?!”
“Help them,” said Greyearl. “I get your anger, but we’re in the middle of a firefight. I’ll help protect the Grand Elder; your friend needs your help.”
Svenex gritted her teeth. “Ok.”
“It, uh, doesn’t look like they’re surrendering,” Android A remarked.
“True, true,” Android B said.
“Let’s just thrash them all already!” said Android C.
Regal leaned over to Torta. “From my experience,” she said, “they’ll go for a battle of attrition, with their stamina and numbers. Our best bet is to wipe them out as fast as possible with overwhelming force.”
“Agreed,” said Torta. “That’s what my trip here taught me, too.”
Before any of the fighters could make their first move, Puttee jumped out of the vane and ran for the castle. A group of drones charged her, prompting Gaita to blast them away. Android A, B, and C charged at the Grand Elder in the vane. Torta engaged with Android A, Regal with B, and Svenex with C.
Puttee ran through the once-familiar halls of that castle, heading straight for the elevator to the basement. She figured the control system for the Android drones was disconnected from the other networks, behind some reinforced wall, had backups, and was encrypted so tightly it would take hours to get through. It’s what she would do, because it’s what her father taught her. She clenched her fists. She thought she was ready for this confrontation, years in the making.
Just as Regal advised, Torta pushed himself to the limit right as the fight started. He looked over to see Svenex got the message, as well, and was happy to see she had improved dramatically since he last saw her. Android A focused on defense, keeping Torta at bay and letting him gas himself out. That said, A knew he was at a disadvantage in power, and it was a struggle. Torta could tell the same about their strength difference, and was relieved. Once he found his opening, he charged up a massive BLT and fired it right at Android A’s head, hoping to blow him away in an instant.
Instead, the blast was repelled by a strange field of light around Android A. Regal and Svenex noticed as well and were shocked. Android A laughed. “You fools!” he said. “Me and the other two here were made with forcefield technology! Impenetrable shields! You can’t beat us! We can run down your strength any way we want, even if you’re stronger than us now, and kill you at our pleasure!” Android B and Android C flashed their own forcefields to drive the point home.
Greyearl stood by the Grand Elder, defending her from the drones that made it past Gaita. “Where are the Dragon Balls?” he asked.
“I ate them, as a precaution,” the Grand Elder said.
Greyearl smirked at her resourcefulness. He looked up at Gaita, swamped in wave after wave of lesser creations to keep her, the biggest threat, occupied with a challenge only she was suited for. The look on her face betrayed pain and grief.
“You ok up there?” Greyearl asked her.
“Fine!” said Gaita, forcing the words out. “This moment here, this is what I was made for. So I have to be fine with it!” She fired out another big blast. “I’ll be talking to my sister about this when we’re done.”
“Pretty cruel for Puttee to make a soldier without the stomach for war,” Greyearl remarked.
“I don’t think so,” said the Grand Elder. “A gentle heart has a deeper power than you realize. I’m glad to see how Gaita has turned out.”
Greyearl gave her a quizzical look, unconvinced.
Torta, Regal, and Svenex had to set aside their initial strategy with the reveal of the forcefields, which the Androids didn’t shy away from using. Torta tried to conserve his strength, but going easy only prolonged the fight and made it more likely A would kill him. Regal twice attempted to outmaneuver Android B’s forcefield, but found him just quick enough to put up his defense in time. Svenex looked to disable her opponent one joint at a time, but Android C picked up on the tactic fast enough and became much more elusive.
Deep inside the castle, under the southwest corner, Puttee found her father’s lab, a place she was once excited to visit and work in. Entering it now made her skin crawl, a place of death and terror made to look like wonder. It was a place where her father took some of the best work of her young life and turned it into killing tools. Seated in the back, under the glow of a massive computer bank, was a large and imperious man.
Sock turned and faced his daughter with a smile, snapping his suspenders. “Congratulations!” he offered. “That Android you made out there, with just scrap, has outstanding battle power! Such a wonderful soldier!”
“Gaita is not a soldier!” Puttee retorted. “I don’t make weapons of war. Just end all this bloodshed! Now!”
He laughed at her command. “Why? All I want to do is share the amazing technology of Silico with the world, on our terms. Those barbarians in Knuckle have caused this country so much pain, they have to be taught a lesson first! Instead of me stopping this righteous war, how about you come home, my prodigal daughter! This, and everything in Silico, is your birthright.”
“Never!”
Torta kicked Android A closer to Regal and Android B. Torta tried indicated to Regal to attack A, but Regal didn’t get it. Torta had to take the initiative.
With a burst of power to get away from the returning Android A, Torta charged and fired a massive blast at Android B, who deployed his forcefield to block it. Once it went down, Torta kept up the pressure, going all out to pummel B. Regal realized what he was trying and slipped in behind B. While B was occupied with the overwhelming force of Torta, Regal calmly said “Uriel” and fired a powerful energy wave through Android B’s head.
“See?” Torta said. “There’s more than one way to beat an Android!”
Androids A and C were shocked. “B, that idiot!” C cursed. “How could he forget about his enemy just because another gnat appeared in front of him?”
Svenex knocked C towards A and smiled. “Looks like the tables have turned,” she said. “Now who has no hope of winning?”
C growled. “A, don’t worry about me!” he said. “I can handle two at once, no problem! I’m not gonna be like that idiot B!”
“Let’s test that theory,” Regal said with a smile. Torta tackled A far away from C, while Regal and Svenex converged on him.
True to his word, Android C was much more vigilant in regards to the teamwork Regal and Svenex improvised. A simple runaround wasn’t going to cut it. Regal grabbed Android C’s arms and held them in place. “Do it now!” she said.
Svenex charged in for a death blow. However, Android C deployed the forcefield, repelling both his assailants at once. C scoffed at them. “Did you really think forcefields were only good for energy attacks?”
The two warriors continued their attack, looking for an opening to exploit. At least they had stopped Android C from taking the offensive, but a lack of injuries on their part wasn’t going to make up for their depleting stamina. As the two of them attacked from each side, Android C deployed the forcefield again, deflecting them.
Android A flew past, knocked away by Torta. “Don’t get soft, A!” Android C called out.
“You know,” Regal said, “I might as well go help Torta with fighting A if you’re going to be like this. Let’s go, Svenex.”
Svenex nodded, and the two prepared to charge at A. Not wanting to leave his comrade in a lurch, Android C dropped the forcefield and charged up energy spheres to strike his opponents. Torta rushed up from below, thrusting his uppercut through Android C’s chest.
“Thanks,” Regal said.
“Just one more now!” said Torta. “He’ll be the toughest.”
A flew back towards the heroes, looking annoyed.
“Hey, blondie,” Svenex said. “Hiding behind your forcefield isn’t going to help. We’ll just go to the castle and destroy your control center. If you go after the Grand Elder, you’ll just be inviting a superior Android to fight you while we take her place against the horde. Your only move is to keep all of us occupied, just so we’re clear. Think you’re up to it?”
Android A shivered with fear.
“Please, dad!” Puttee pleaded. “There’s no need to balance the scales! It’s all war, it’s all blood! You could do so much more for the world if you left this place and offered your talents to everyone! You have the power to end so much suffering!”
“The words of a child,” Sock scoffed. “You have no idea what this war has been like. Everything, it’s taken everything. My wife. Your mother! So I’ll take everything from them! And with the Dragon Balls, I can end the insolence of all the lesser nations in one fell swoop. It pains me so to see your mind polluted by that Knuckle barbarian you call a friend.”
Outside, Android A was feeling cocky. He had learned a lot from the battle his allies lost, and even with three more powerful opponents, he was able to keep from being destroyed. It wasn’t unthinkable for him that he would soon have the advantage again, as the heroes’ movements became more sluggish.
“Come on!” Regal called out to her allies. “We have to keep pushing!”
“You think we aren’t?” asked Svenex.
“You know what she means,” Torta said. Svenex sighed.
With a burst of speed, they overwhelmed Android A’s senses, and soon he lost track of where everyone was. From behind, he heard a blast coming at him, and he deployed his forcefield to block it. As it fizzled out, Svenex sighed, holding her arm out to her side, her elbow close to her ribs. “Darn,” she said. “That was my best Sidearm to date!”
Android A chuckled at the ploy. “Every large chi blast is like jumping towards the jaws of defeat for you meat sacks!” he laughed. Torta and Regal fired a barrage of blasts at the forcefield while Svenex flew down to the castle. “No cheating now!” With a swift dodge, Android A dropped his forcefield and flew below to go after Svenex. She turned and assaulted him with a barrage of attacks.
Her last strike was a double ear clap, to scramble his sensors. With his hearing temporarily disabled, he didn’t notice in time as a focused energy beam hit him from far away, piercing his neck. As he powered down, he turned and saw Gaita far below, surrounded by scrapped Android drones. Her fingers were pointed at him, her lips read, “Hessian.”
The heroes cheered the defeat of the three upgraded Androids. “I’ll go switch places with Gaita now,” Regal said.
“You can’t!” Torta said. “You’re too tired out!”
“I have to,” said Regal. “My mission is with the Grand Elder, just as you, Gaita, and Svenex have your missions in the castle. If Gaita goes with you, you can end it faster, and then I won’t die against those mass-produced dolls.”
“Still—”
“She’s right,” Svenex said. “Gaita deserves to end this on her terms.”
“Yeah…ok, we’ll make it fast, then,” Torta said.
They all flew down to their posts, Torta and Svenex to the castle entrance and Regal to Gaita’s current post atop the vane. Gaita looked to Regal with warmth. “Are you here…?” she asked.
“Go help your sister,” Regal commanded.
“Thanks…” Gaita said, mentally exhausted. She followed Torta and Svenex.
Deep inside the castle’s bowels, Sock had restrained Puttee in a chair. “You will rejoin this family, whether you want to or not!” he yelled.
“Come on,” Puttee said. “You could help to make treatments for all kinds of injuries and muscular disorders that are currently untreatable! You could make all water drinkable!”
“Why do you keep insisting on this fantasy? I’ve told you so many times now, I’ll never give up the mission!”
A crash was heard above, and Puttee smiled. “Because keeping you focused on me instead of the security monitors is my only tactical advantage!”
Torta, Svenex, and Gaita arrived in the lab, much to Sock’s shock. Svenex pointed her Trigger Finger at Sock. “Surrender!” she commanded. “End the attack, now!” Torta ripped Puttee’s restraints off.
“I’ll never surrender!” Sock yelled.
Gaita approached Sock. He was taken aback. Seeing her up close, he was surprised how much she looked like a child of his. “Please, surrender,” Gaita asked. “For your daughter’s sake.”
Sock laughed. “Is that supposed to mean you?”
“I don’t take you for a father. I only have my sister, and I know she wants you to live through this.”
Never one to give in, Sock reached for the button that would release his prototype models. Gaita destroyed the computer panel. She then looked around the room and blew up all the computer banks available.
“The control system will be behind the east wall, where he always kept the most important data,” Puttee told Gaita.
Gaita fired through its reinforced steel and concrete to destroy the computers responsible for giving the drones their orders. She then turned back to Sock. “Please, come peacefully,” she pleaded.
Seeing no other option to live through the day, Sock glanced at Puttee. “I surrender,” he said with a gulp. Svenex approached him and put cuffs on his hands.
“I guess this is congratulations,” said Torta to Puttee and Gaita.
Puttee sighed. “Best I could have hoped for.”
When the five got out to the surface, they found Greyearl holding a Trigger Finger to the Grand Elder’s head, a severely weakened Regal lying unconscious beside them. The heroes were shocked.
“Thanks for finishing the job,” said Greyearl to Svenex. “All we have to do now is get the Dragon Balls under Knuckle authority, and the mission is complete.”
“What?!” Svenex protested. “No! Now you’re acting like the enemy!”
“Look, I don’t want to do this, either,” Greyearl said. “We joined up to serve our country, for the greater good. That means always following your orders, no matter what.”
Svenex gritted her teeth. “Ok, I’ll do it,” she said. Torta, Puttee, and Gaita were shocked to hear her say it. Svenex dragged an unconscious Sock to Greyearl.
When she got to him, Svenex ripped Greyearl’s hand away from the Grand Elder’s head before punching him hard to the ground. “I joined up to end wars, not serve a corrupt country. You can take Sock in, make a nice collar for yourself, but I’m leading the Grand Elder and Regal out of here personally.”
“Think about what you’re doing here!” Greyearl commanded.
Svenex ripped off her uniform jacket and threw it at her boss. With a final turn, she said, “I’ll be chasing my dreams on my own now.”
Greyearl took Sock by the arm and led him to the extraction point, reeling. Svenex watched him to make sure he left. “Thank you!” the Grand Elder said.
“Don’t,” Svenex said. “I shouldn’t have ever signed up in the first place. I knew Knuckle was as bad as Silico, but it was the only place I knew to turn to.”
“Everything so far has unfolded as it had to,” said an old woman. The group turned and found Joma sitting amongst the disabled Android drones. “I’m pleased to see how today turned out.”
Regal recovered and saw Joma. “This is all your fault!” she accused Joma, without missing a beat. “If you hadn’t revealed what the Dragon Balls were, the humans would never have found out, and none of this would have happened!”
“I needed the four heroes I see before me now,” Joma said. “All of this was necessary. War with Silico was inevitable, with all their Android research, and this way reduced the casualties dramatically. Now that I’ve seen your abilities in the flesh, I’m convinced that you all are ready to meet my master, the Kami.” They were all shocked to hear mention of a deity. Joma gave them all envelopes. “You have a week before we leave.” She then walked behind a large pile of drones and disappeared.
Torta stood there, trying to wrap his head around all these developments. Seeing his trouble, Puttee turned to the Grand Elder. “Can we use the Dragon Balls to undo everything the Silico drones have done?” she asked.
“Well,” the Grand Elder said, “you could repair all the damage to the planet and cities, but the great dragon can only revive a single life at a time. We’d need a list of casualties and years of effort to revive all the dead.”
“Well, I guess we should do as much as we can, at least,” said Torta. Svenex, Puttee, and Gaita nodded.
“I’d be glad to grant that wish,” said the Grand Elder, who gestured to assure Regal it would be all right. She removed the Dragon Balls from her stomach and spoke the Namekian words to summon the dragon. The sky went dark, only clouds visible, as a golden light shot up from the glowing orbs. The light twisted and expanded until the form of a large, naga-like creature with a hulking, muscular frame stood over them.
“This is the mighty Porunga, the Dragon God,” Regal said as introduction to the humans.
Porunga looked down at the mortals. “What is your wish?” he asked. “I’ll grant any three wishes.” The Grand Elder, speaking in the Namekian tongue, asked to restore the damage caused by the Androids created by the Silico army. Porunga’s eyes glowed red, and all around buildings and roads were repaired in an instant. “Your wish is granted. Do you have any other wishes?”
“It appears not at the moment,” the Grand Elder said.
“Then fare thee well.” Porunga disappeared as golden light, and retracted into the Dragon Balls. The sky lit up once more. The Dragon Balls were simple stone spheres.
The humans were deeply impressed with the event. “Thanks for this,” said Puttee. “It means a lot to me that even a little of this could be made up to the world.”
“It is an honor to provide aid to the Earth, which has harbored me for so long,” the Grand Elder said. “But now it is time we get going. Come on, Regal, we must go. I suspect this country is not safe harbor for us anymore.”
“Agreed,” Regal said. “If you all agree to see the old woman, I’ll see you all in a week.” She and the Grand Elder left.
Torta’s head was still swimming.
“So, where are you going now?” Puttee asked Svenex.
“I don’t really know,” Svenex said, scratching her head. “I didn’t really plan that far ahead. I live in agency barracks, and I can’t exactly go get my stuff now.”
With a giggle, Puttee nudged Torta. “Well, you want to bunk with me for a bit?” Torta asked.
Svenex blushed. “Oh, no, I couldn’t impose,” she said.
“Well, you could stay with us,” said Gaita.
“Ok, I guess that’s fine,” Svenex agreed. “You probably have a neater, quieter house.” Torta stifled a laugh.
Puttee was excited, giving Svenex a hug and sticking her tongue out at Torta behind her back.
Torta rolled his eyes, trying to hide his burning jealousy. He looked over the envelope Joma gave him. It was thick, with some kind of charm inside. He wondered what kind of figure this “Kami” was supposed to be like.
The humans prepared to return to the Unaffiliated Islands. Torta turned to Puttee. “You feel like you got to settle things with your old man?”
Puttee was silent a moment. “Not really, and I probably won’t ever be able to completely. He still really believes in that old mission and the imperial crown. He made my best inventions into weapons that killed so many people. I just…that’s not going to be what I inherit.” She patted Gaita on the back. “Gaita is the Android I always wanted to make.” She turned to Gaita. “I really can’t apologize enough. I know there’s no reason for you to forgive me, but I hope I can somehow make this up to you.”
Despite what she had gone through, Gaita smiled and hugged her sister. “I can consider it, if you bust your butt.” Puttee laughed.
All original story, all original characters! Check out Dragon Ball ‘Redux’!
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Life in the Gutters 