Puttee watched with wracked nerves from the ship as Gaita infiltrated another Saiyan vessel during a Demon Clan raid. The sneaking around was a strategy proposed by Gaita herself, taking advantage of her lack of chi. It was better to avoid prolonged and risky battles, but Puttee knew the real goal was to keep her from worrying. Gaita hadn’t come across any particularly powerful opponents; she simply made it her job to allay Puttee’s fears. Of course, as Puttee sat on the ship, listening to the radio and watching video from Gaita’s eyes as she stealthily crawled through a battlefield, she was just as afraid of Gaita being discovered as she was that they’d run into another Cavassa situation.
As Gaita moved along, she could hear the ragged breaths of her sister. Before they started flying around on their own, Gaita hadn’t been in a position to pay so close attention to Puttee as she moved, and took her seemingly placid, confident demeanor for granted; it fit Puttee’s image that she had such trust in her friend’s abilities. She since learned that it was a cover. Gaita knew that sneaking around like this didn’t do as much to alleviate Puttee’s nerves as she hoped, but she had to do something. This time, Gaita promised herself she’d successfully sneak out with a ball; the relief would be worth something.
Unfortunately, that promise was broken when a soldier spotted her. “Who’s that?!” the Saiyan asked, pointing. This was a common ending to her infiltration missions; the chaos of battle and a lot of people looking everywhere for a small object made it easy for Gaita to be spotted. Two Saiyans and a Demon Clan soldier broke away from the battle to attack Gaita.
Sighing, Gaita said, “Don’t worry, Puttee,” as she jumped off the wall of the ship. The enemy soldiers rushed her. None were of particular note in power, and their lack of coordination made it easy for Gaita to evade them and absorb almost all their energy, each. These encounters were still worth something, at least. The soldiers fell with only a flicker of life left, as Gaita felt ghoulish killing people that way.
She looked up and saw the Demon Clan commander grabbing the indigo six-star ball away from the Saiyan commander. “Put your helmets on!” she yelled as she put her own on. All the Demon Clan soldiers heeded the command, as did as many of the Saiyans as could get past their surprise. The Demon Clan officer raised her hand up blew a hole in the Saiyan ship, causing a burst of explosive decompression that tore the ship to pieces.
Gaita was slung out into the void, same as everyone else. “Well, darn!” she said, stabilizing her position and looking around.
“Look towards the fourth planet of this system!” Puttee called over the radio. Gaita turned in that direction, and saw the Demon Clan retreating to their ship. She gave chase, firing a couple Hessians to take out a couple more mutant Namekians. Unfortunately, the commander and her remaining troop reached their ship and quickly took off. Despite her best efforts, Gaita was not yet fast enough to keep up with a spaceship.
“Crap!” Gaita said. “Scooped again!”
“It’s ok,” said Puttee, her voice still shaky. “Come on back, I have their trajectory.”
Gaita returned to the ship. Though the loss was disappointing, this encounter was typical of all the other failed raids since she started working to get her second ball. It had been two months since Gaita defeated Cavassa, and she had been doing raids like this the entire time. She and Puttee switched off between chasing three different signals in an attempt to get another, and were always unsuccessful. Gaita climbed into the airlock. “I’m sorry,” she said as she entered.
“It’s fine,” said Puttee, who had calmed down some. “We have a ball, so we have a shot. This is just insurance.” For Gaita, losing raids was disheartening, but Puttee always telling her to keep her chin up was worse. All the hardest work fell on Puttee these past two months. She was the one charting their course, working on Gaita’s upgrades, and making plans to turn Gaita into a living machine. All Gaita had to do was run into battle, which only made Puttee fear for her safety. She didn’t even feel like a weapon or a shield anymore.
“I know,” said Gaita. “We’ll keep looking. And you know I’ll always come back, right? We’ll get home, one way or another. With our friends, and even Spats.”
“That’s the dream, right? Sounds like a plan.”
Gaita sighed. “Take the night off. I’ll watch the ship.”
“Ok…” Puttee yawned and stretched. “We’re on course.” She got up and went to the sleeping quarters while Gaita took her place at the con. Puttee stopped at the threshold. “I do trust you, you know?”
“I do.” That’s what made it worse for Gaita. She couldn’t take the fear out of the world.
Two days later, Puttee and Gaita had chased the Demon Clan ship towards a planet, where it made a crash landing; apparently, it had been damaged in the past. The planet they approached was much more prominent than usual. It was the bustling technological hub of Plant, which had become an economic powerhouse and was recently developing robust military power. Looking over the planet, Puttee started getting excited for a change. “Look!” she said. “There’s so many amazing gadgets down there!”
Gaita smiled. “It’ll be a nice little vacation while we’re down there!” she said.
The Demon Clan landed outside a large metropolis, where a lot of emergency response started gathering. Puttee put the ship down on the other side, in a secluded park. “We’ll fly the rest of the way,” Puttee said. “As we go, we can scope out all the tech!”
Gaita giggled. As the two walked towards the city proper, Gaita was wowed as much as Puttee was. All throughout the city, robots of varying size and shape flew around freely, performing all sorts of tasks. The robots would also walked right through the metal of the buildings and streets, as if it were liquid. Puttee started to squeal audibly in excitement.
“Who are you folk?” asked a passing elderly woman on the street. She was one of the natives, a Tuffle. “You look like tourists.”
“We are!” said Puttee. “I’ve never heard of the technology used with these robots. Do you know anything about it?”
“These aren’t robots,” said the woman. “These are Machine Mutants, technorganic creations of our greatest minds. With the barbaric Saiyans and Demon Clan fighting everywhere and threatening to take over every planet they can, we needed a real fighting force. These Machine Mutants will keep us safe, and revolutionize society while they’re at it! We’re adding Machine Mutant technology to every part of Plant.”
“Thank you!” said Puttee, shaking the woman’s hand way too hard. She then grabbed Gaita’s hand and ran off with growing joy. “This planet is amazing! Oh, wow, we HAVE to get a bunch of stuff here!”
Gaita felt her world expanding. “Do you think you’ll find the secret to making me a living machine here?” she asked.
“Who knows? In any case, we’ll get one heck of an upgrade!”
Gaita threw her sister on her back and flew off towards the signal. She pushed all the implications of Machine Mutant technology out of her mind, above her head as it was, and focused on the Demon Clan battle ahead of her. As she approached, the crowds thickened, and there were increasingly strict security measures in place. It appeared as if the entire area was put under lockdown by the military. There were signs of battle at the Demon Clan ship.
A drum-shaped Machine Mutant guard blocked Gaita’s path, causing her to make a sudden stop. “The area you are headed for is under siege by the Demon Clan,” the guard said in a monotone voice. “Our troops are engaging. All civilians must remain free of the area.”
Gaita tried explaining. “Oh, well, we aren’t—”
The guard scanned the two Earthlings. “Do you have your tourist passes?” he asked, his eye turning red.
“Ignore him,” Puttee said, having dealt with these types a lot. “Go around.” Though unsure, Gaita did as Puttee suggested. The guard tried following, but Gaita was much faster. More guards tried intercepting them, so Gaita had to weave around them all. Puttee sighed. “I hope it’s not what it looks like.”
Once she reached the site of the Dragon Ball signal, the guards stopped chasing. Gaita wanted to ask her sister about what she meant, but she saw the battle underway below her. Machine Mutants were clashing with mutant Namekians, and the Demon Clan commander was standing by, watching without worry. It was clear that the Demon Clan was on the winning side. Gaita knew that if the Machine Mutants couldn’t handle the footsoldiers, they couldn’t handle her.
Puttee picked out a spot in the crowd and pointed. “Go ahead and drop me off there,” she said. “You get that ball. This is your forte, this time!”
Gaita cringed and set Puttee down, not liking the sound in her voice when she forced optimism like that. “I can easily handle these guys,” she told her sister. “I won’t even have to touch my reserve energy.” Puttee smiled and clapped her on the back. Charging in swiftly, Gaita knocked back several soldiers at once. This made her an enemy of everyone present, with the Demon Clan and Machine Mutants both pointing arms at her. She ignored this and stayed focused on the Demon Clan in front of her, easily tearing through the saurian soldiers.
The Machine Mutants watched her with suspicion and itchy trigger fingers. One of the Machine Mutant soldiers moved in to attack Gaita. “Stop!” said the commander. He was humanoid, with a design aesthetic similar to a classic car, in powder blue. “Stand down now!”
“But Commander Soz,” said the soldier, “all outsiders to Plant are a threat and should be put down on sight.”
“Belay that nonsense,” said Soz. “This outsider is clearly helping us beat back the Demon Clan we were just struggling with.” Puttee listened intently to this chatter, and noted the dynamic of Soz.
The Demon Clan commander approached Gaita as she took down the last Demon Clan footsoldier. “Well, I guess you’re more than a failed ninja,” she laughed. “Didn’t think I’d see you after you failed on the Saiyan ship. I guess I have to fight you myself. The name’s Chiton. You should feel honored I’m taking the time with you!” Gaita smiled; perhaps Cavassa would have been worried about Chiton, but Gaita no longer did. The two made their moves, clashing intensely.
In the skies above, a series of small ships descended. The Machine Mutant army took note. “A few dozen Saiyan vessels,” reported a soldier. “Fast attack ships. Though one at the back looks like a different make.” That unusual ship in the rear stopped, and out from it came a single being. Soon, the Saiyan ships each released several soldiers, such that dozens of Saiyans now flew down.
“Stop those Saiyans!” Soz ordered his men. “We can’t handle them and Chiton at once!” A battle in the skies began thus, as Machine Mutant soldiers led by Soz shot into the sky to intercept Saiyan warriors. The lone figure from the unknown ship was swarmed with a group of Saiyans, as well. Another, smaller group of Saiyans swooped down towards the Demon Clan ship.
Chiton and Gaita saw this and disengaged their battle to stop the Saiyans. Both charged energy blasts to snipe the enemies. They proved good enough to dodge, and so a handful started fighting with Gaita and Chiton. Though the Saiyans were not an overwhelming force, they were enough to hold back the two warriors while one of their fellows grabbed the ball and flew back out. The other Saiyans fighting with Gaita and Chiton followed in retreat back to their ship. Gaita knocked Chiton down and fired several Hessians at the Saiyan with the ball, but he was guarded by more allies, appearing out of even more ships.
With the Saiyans successful in their suicide run, they made their way off world. Chiton went to pursue them, so Gaita took the opportunity to fire a Chelsea through her chest. The Demon Clan officer fell to the ground unceremoniously. Gaita looked back up at the retreating Saiyans. “I was almost there!” she grumbled.
“Your complaints are invalid,” said a familiar voice. “You still have one Dragon Ball.” Turning with surprise, Gaita saw Spats, floating down with a smirk on her face. Puttee rushed over, tears in her eyes. The two sisters embraced.
“Oh my god I missed you so much you jerk I’m just so happy to see you again!” Puttee told Spats.
Spats rolled her teary eyes. “I know,” she said. “Same here.” She looked Gaita’s way and offered a hand. “I’m sorry for everything I’ve done to you and all the trouble I’ve caused.”
Though still holding some reservations, Gaita took Spats’s hand.
Machine Mutant soldiers surrounded the Earthlings. “Surrender now!” said one soldier. “You are unlawfully occupying our land, and we will kill you if you do not surrender!” Spats glared at them with eyes that could kill, and Puttee’s heart sank, her concerns confirmed.
“Stand down, men!” Soz ordered.
“But sir—”
“STAND DOWN! I’ll take all responsibility with the higher ups. You will not be harming a single hair on the people who just repelled a Demon Clan and Saiyan attack for us.”
“If it helps,” Spats offered, “we’ll be gone in an hour or so.”
Soz nodded.
Before Gaita could say anything more to Spats, Spats took to the air. “Come on, let’s go somewhere more private.” She flew off and away. Puttee climbed on Gaita’s back, so she took off after Spats.
They flew far away from the sprawling metropolis until they got to a clearing by a river. “Plant technology is incredibly impressive!” said Spats once they landed. “It’s too bad they’re being used like the Silico Androids, for pure military power and control.”
“Yeah, yeah,” said Puttee. “I’ll still be taking a bunch of samples and data to upgrade Gaita, but I wish this kind of technology wasn’t always used for war.”
Gaita realized what was going on and sighed sympathetically for Soz.
Spats looked back to Gaita. “So…” she said awkwardly. “You still have Bravo’s hair.”
Gaita giggled. “I’m thinking of going back to my original hair, but with a shorter cut.”
Spats sighed and bowed her head. “I want to apologize again. I really need you to understand that I mean this sincerely. I’ve been swimming through years of pain and inadequacy, and recent events have taught me how to stand strong on my own two feet. I still have anger with my sister, but it’s something we can work out; I don’t blame her for how my father ruined my life anymore. I want to be my own woman. I understand if you’re not ready yet.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” said Puttee, jumping in fast.
Gaita held up a hand, cutting Puttee off quickly. “I am still angry with what you’ve done, Spats,” she said. “I still have those feelings to work out. But that said, I’ve thought a lot about this. I know a little of what your family was like, and I thought about how it must have made you feel. And in the end, after you kept saying you’d kill me, Torta, and Regal, you spared us. That tells me you aren’t as heartless as you made yourself out to be. So I can learn to forgive you. But you gotta do a lot to make it up to me!”
Smiling, Spats offered her hand again for a handshake. Gaita said, “Oh, a hug is—”
“Wait, what’s going on?” asked Puttee, noticing that Spats’s hand was shaking.
Spats closed her hand a moment, but then let it fall open. “This is a result of me turning my Safety Off,” said Spats. “I’ve been treating it, but at the moment, it’s irreparable. I’ll likely never get full nerve function back. But I don’t have any regrets. It’s a good reminder of where I’ve been and what I need to learn.”
Gaita started crying, and her two sisters laughed.
Spats gave Gaita a more serious look. “I need to see what you’re capable of in combat,” she said. “I need to know if you can keep protecting Puttee.”
“Oh, you can just ride with us, and then you can protect me, too,” said Puttee.
“No, I can’t,” said Spats. “I have my own journey now, and I can’t make it on your ship. But I also can’t leave Puttee with an unworthy guard.”
Gaita giggled. “You’re always so dramatic, Spats.” She got up and took her stance. Spats smiled and took a stance of her own. The fight started. Gaita expected an easy bout where she could easily prove that she had become far stronger than Spats was. Instead, she found herself pushed to her limits very quickly, and it wasn’t clear if Spats was going all-out.
Spats smirked at Gaita’s surprise. “I’ve been stress-testing,” she said. “My bioengineering is made to slowly improve function over time, but I can also improve it more quickly by exposing the system to stressors. So I modified some equipment on my ship to give myself healthy stressors, to get stronger.”
Gaita was puzzled a moment. “You mean you were…training?”
Spats scoffed. “I’m a scientist, not a jock.” After trading a few more blows with Gaita, Spats flew high into the air. “I might as well skip to the easy route.” Charging up a powerful energy blast, she fired a massive energy wave at Gaita. Shocked by the volume of the blast, Gaita fired the strongest Chelsea she could, entering into a beam clash. Gaita struggled to keep up. She did everything she could to open up more from her infinite energy generator, but she was at the limit of her powers. Spats, on the other hand, kept increasing the pressure, pumping out more and more energy.
Soon, Gaita was forced to deflect the blast. “Ok, you win that round!” she admitted. Spats looked disappointed. “Can we continue hand-to-hand? I don’t want to fire off all the energy I’ve absorbed the past couple months.”
Spats looked shocked, glancing over at the smug Puttee. “But those systems aren’t compatible…”
Reaching into her reserve energy, Gaita came in at Spats with renewed spirit. The increase in strength more than made up the difference made by Spats’s “stress-testing.” Soon, Spats found herself on the defensive, barely able to keep up with the scrapyard Android. Gaita knocked Spats down into the ground, and landed elegantly nearby.
Spats got up and wiped the trickle of blood from her nose, smiling. She laughed a big, raucous laugh and put a hand on Gaita’s shoulder. “I’m very impressed with your fighting abilities,” she said. “Especially with how Puttee made the infinite energy generator work in conjunction with the energy absorption batteries.”
“I mean, that’s all Puttee’s work…” Gaita demurred.
“Yes, but what impresses me more is how you held back on using your absorbed energy until it was needed. You’ve been equipped with amazing tools, but your intelligence and ability is what impresses me most. I’d be happy to leave Puttee in your care!” She hugged Gaita, her hands trembling on Gaita’s back. Gaita started to cry, feeling the warmth of a new sister in her arms.
The three sat down to catch up after the dust settled. “So, what have you been up to?” Puttee asked Spats.
“After leaving Cretaceous,” said Spats, “I landed on a world at war. I made a friend there, who was a lot like me. She also felt burdened by a family of warmongers and killers. It’s hard to put into words, but she’s the one who made me want to be better than I was. After helping her out, I started searching after Dragon Balls of my own, but I haven’t gotten one yet.”
“It’s kinda funny,” said Gaita. “It kinda sounds like you want to be a warrior, too. Just like me.”
“I’m not looking to be some fighting freak,” said Spats defensively. “I’m just looking for strength of character.”
“Hey, while I have you here,” asked Puttee, “can I get your opinion on some ideas? Gaita wants to be a living machine that can grow and adapt, like a real warrior.”
“Oh ho, that sounds like a challenge!” said Spats. Gaita didn’t fully grasp the rest of the conversation, but her heart warmed seeing the sisters converse so happily and excitedly. She did take away that their ideas would not be achievable on the fly. Her future was on Earth, if they succeeded in the stars. Gaita thought back to the many conversations she and Puttee had about Spats and her family after leaving Cretaceous. Puttee would go on and on about how Spats wasn’t anything like the first impression she gave, and that there was something worth saving in her. Gaita wasn’t able to see it then, but knew she wanted to be a part of her own family, which meant she needed to connect with Spats. Being able to see her at this time put everything in perspective, and she became happy to cheer for Spats’s journey to redemption.
Soon enough, Spats got up. “I should be heading out,” she said. “We really can’t be staying still too long, with the hunt going on. It won’t be long before the balls are gathered up in one place.”
“Please come with us!” Puttee begged.
“I want to, but I really can’t,” Spats said. “I have to get strong enough to carry my own dreams.”
“It’s easier to find that kind of strength among family,” said Gaita.
“I’m not ready for family yet,” said Spats. “Family has been…complicated for me.”
The Silico siblings took off for the metropolis once more. Once over the site of the Demon Clan ship, Spats gave her sisters one last hug. “I hope we can meet again,” Spats said. Puttee cried.
“We’ll be watching you from now on,” said Gaita.
“I know sacrificing my life isn’t enough to make up for what I did,” said Spats, “but I’ll do it anytime for you and your friends.”
“You really are so dramatic,” said Gaita. “Justice is for the living. Become a better person, and then we’ll talk.”
With a smile, Spats departed for her ship in orbit.
Puttee watched Spats reenter her ship and fly off. She looked around the Demon Clan battle site. “Ok, well, before we go,” said Puttee, “let’s grab a Machine Mutant body or two from down there. We can use it for parts.”
“You know,” said Gaita, “even after you added Bravo to me, this still feels like a really ghoulish source of parts.”
“It’s like being an organ donor! Come on, let’s just grab them before the guards show up.”
Sighing, Gaita flew down and grabbed a couple of the fallen Machine Mutants and flew off as fast as she could to their ship. “With these parts, I’ll make you stronger than Spats without using absorbed energy,” Puttee said. “You watch!”
Gaita rolled her eyes as guard units started chasing her. “I don’t want to be in the middle of your sibling rivalry.”
“One day, it’ll be yours,” Puttee said sarcastically. Gaita laughed. Once she got to the ship, she rushed them in fast. Puttee got them into the air and away from Plant, back on the Dragon Ball hunt with a little more hope.
All original story, all original characters! Check out Dragon Ball ‘Redux’!
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Life in the Gutters 