As Rainbow, Applejack, Krillin, and Trunks flew towards the location of Dr. Gero's hidden laboratory, which they remembered the location of thanks to their earlier visit, Trunks thought about what he and the others had seen back in Gingertown. He had known that Dr. Gero had created a number of Androids, thanks to what his mother had told him before he had gone back in time to kill Frieza, but the creature that called itself Cell, and was apparently another of Dr. Gero's creations, made him worry about what else he might have missed. Piccolo had told them that Cell had the cells of Goku, his father Vegeta, Piccolo himself, and both Frieza and his father, but there was no telling what the doctor's computer had done with the few cells it had grabbed... those that belonged to Rainbow and Applejack.
Trunks had to admit that the possibility of another Android, made from the synthesized cells of both of the pony girls and given every possible move Dr. Gero's machines had observed over the years, made him fear for the safety of this planet, while at the same time fearing for his own timeline. Now that he knew about Cell's existence he could go back to his future, destroy the evil Androids that had killed a large percentage of the people in his time, and then find and destroy the future Cell when he showed himself. It sounded simple, he realized that, but at the same time he worried about the existence of another Android that was created from Rainbow and Applejack's cells... and it appeared that everyone else had been thinking the same time before they departed from the ruins of Gingertown.
His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed that Krillin was pulling back towards him, as he had allowed the girls to get ahead so they could talk and possibly scout out the area in front of them, in case there was anything else that might be a surprise for them.
"Something on your mind Krillin?" Trunks asked, knowing that Krillin had to be thinking about how useless he was in the face of such powerful foes, while at the same time trying to come up with a way to make himself useful.
"I'm worried." Krillin admitted, though his tone made it impossible to tell whether he was referring to the two Androids that they had been training to fight, the arrival of Cell, or the possibility that Rainbow and Applejack's cells had been used to make one more Android, "Android 17 and Android 18 were able to fight on par with both Rainbow and Applejack, while at the same time Cell was able to outsmart Piccolo, when he was merged with Kami and was empowered by both his knowledge and his strength. And then there's the possibility that Dr. Gero's computer might have acquired the cells of both Rainbow and Applejack, which means that we might have another Android running around the area... one that could be much stronger than anything we have seen so far."
"Krillin, I doubt even a computer could create something from Rainbow and Applejack's cells," Trunks said, trying to calm the man down, because he didn't want to admit that there was a slim possibility that they would be destroying more than this ear's version of Cell, "Let's just head to the laboratory, see if we can't find the hidden section that has to be there, and then take out this timeline's version of Cell, while at the same time grabbing anything that might help us deal with the Cell that the others are hunting down."
"You know, I have been this worried or scared since Namek," Krillin commented, though at this point he was talking to distract himself from what was happening in the world around them, "While we were there the Grand Elder, the oldest Namekian, helped Gohan and I by releasing our hidden potential, which helped us in our fight against one of the members of the Ginyu Force. Of course both Rainbow and Applejack got the power up as well, though when they got it I commented that it felt like they had been trained by a god... which is why I'm worried. Their power, bound together in the form of another Android, would be disastrous for all of us, especially since we have no idea how much strength could be packed into such a creature."
Trunks was sure that Krillin was overthinking the entire situation, especially since they had more important matters to deal with, but he found it interesting that the man believed that the girls had been trained by a god. He knew, from the stories he had heard after his arrival, that Chronoa was the mother of Rainbow and Applejack, which meant that they were raised by someone important, while at the same time he knew that none of them knew who their father was, because neither of the girls would share that information with anyone. Just thinking about them also made him wonder if the girls had bothered to learn or develop any new techniques over the last three years, but if their battle with Androids 17 and 18 was anything to go by they had only learned to increase their Kaio-Ken multiples.
Still, Trunks knew that some of the Z Warriors had learned new techniques or had empowered themselves to make their existing techniques more powerful, but it really made him wonder what else the girls had learned... while at the same time wondering what conditions they were waiting for if they had any additional moves. For instance Rainbow only used the lance against enemies she was angry at, if the stories he had heard were true, or against powerful opponents that were distracted by someone else, based on the battle with Frieza he had heard about. Applejack, from what he could determine, had no ultimate technique to speak of, though if she had one in her arsenal she was keeping it a secret, which was likely the best call based on what they had learned from Cell.
It didn't take the group very long to reach the mountains that rested all around Metro North, though it did take them some time to research the surrounding area for the laboratory that Android 17 and Android 18, as well Android 16, had been sleeping in until Dr. Gero woke them up. As they looked around Krillin commented that this search would have been a lot faster if someone, it didn't matter who, had blown a hole in the mountain where the laboratory was resting, so they could remember where it was without really wasting time searching for it. Neither Rainbow or Applejack seemed phased by the fact it was taking some time, because when they were in the immediate area of the laboratory Applejack turned and spotted the metallic doors that had been knocked down earlier.
Once she had rediscovered the location of the laboratory she summoned her energy and allowed it to radiate from her body for a few seconds, though after a few seconds Rainbow and the others gathered around her, to which they flew down towards the laboratory... though once they were inside the hidden building Krillin had them stop for a few seconds to put the fallen doors back up, where he could relax after the flight through the cold air.
"You know, we might not like Dr. Gero all that much, but at least he installed a heater in this place," Krillin commented, stretching his arms for a few seconds, because he was glad to get the chill out of his bones before he started searching the laboratory, "So, do you guys really think that there's another laboratory hidden underneath this one?"
"Well, this is the only laboratory we know about," Trunks replied, to which he sat down at the computer and opened the files, hoping that there was a map or something for him to use so they could discover where the other part of the laboratory was located, "The computer that is currently making Cell is either hidden inside this laboratory, on another level mind you, or its hidden somewhere else around the world... though personally I'm hoping for it to be in this laboratory, so we don't waste our time searching for another lab."
"You know, I can understand that this is a small lab and all," Rainbow commented, causing Trunks and Krillin to look her way, to which they discovered that she and her sister were standing next to a ladder, one that went deeper into the ground, "but something tells me Dr. Gero should have done a much better job of hiding this ladder, because we found it in a matter of seconds. So, who's ready to go see what the doctor's computer is up to and kill the version of Cell that's currently being made down there?"
Trunks found it a little odd that the ladder leading to the secret laboratory would be so easily found out, but at the same time he knew that Dr. Gero might have intentionally done it because he believed that no one would be able to find the lab itself. He and Krillin nodded before all four of them jumped down into the hole that had been uncovered, to which they carefully moved down the shaft until they reached a tunnel, where at the end of it they discovered that there was another set of metallic doors waiting for them. The four of them walked towards the doors for a few seconds, though when they reached them Trunks pushed opened the doors and revealed the hidden section of the laboratory that they had been searching for.
A few seconds later, and after running his hands over the wall, Trunks flipped the switch that he discovered and turned on all the lights that were in the laboratory, where they discovered what was waiting for them. What they found was a strange looking computer, a container that was filled with some sort of light green liquid, and some other odds and ends that Dr. Gero had built down here.
"So this is the computer that built Cell," Krillin commented, already feeling the urge to ignite his ki and just obliterate the entirety of the laboratory, both the upper section and the section they were in at the moment, "and its the same computer that's got to building this era's version of Cell."
"And I think I might have found Cell," Trunks said, to which he looked at the container that was resting near the computer, while at the same time drawing everyone else to what he had discovered.
What the group found inside the container was a small creature, whose skin happened to be the same color as Cell's exoskeleton, that was merely floating in the middle of the container, oblivious to the world around it. It was hard to imagine that such a small thing could become a monster like Cell, though at the same time they all knew that looks could be deceiving, because most opponents underestimated Rainbow and Applejack until they fought them. Other than Cell and the computer that created him, and a desk that appeared to have some papers resting on it, the group determined that there had to be nothing more to the area... much less anything else for them to worry about.
"Okay, we should be able to wrap this up with some ease," Krillin commented, to which the others could hear that he was glad that there was nothing else for them to worry about, much less any crazy creations that could possess the cells of both Rainbow and Applejack.
"Its hard to imagine that everything Cell has done so far has been under instructions that were installed by this computer," Trunks said, turning to look at the machine for a few seconds, to which he pulled something out and stuck it into a waiting port, "My mother, the future version of her I mean, gave me this so I could copy Dr. Gero's files off his computers, if they survived the destruction of his laboratory, but now we should be able to get more than enough information on both the Androids and Cell."
"We should take these papers with us as well," Applejack added, pointing to the blueprints that were sitting on the nearby table, which happened to have Android 17's number on the top of them, "I'm sure that Bulma and her father will want to have a look at those once we bring these to them... along with everything that's on that computer."
"Okay, this mystery just got stranger," Trunks commented, seeing a file that had a strange name on it, one that only confused him further than he already was, "We all know that this computer has been gathering cells from everyone, thanks to what Piccolo determined from his brief conversation with Cell, but this file indicates that the computer started building another Android that's similar to Cell."
"You have got to be kidding me," Krillin said, not believing what he was hearing, though at the same time he noticed that neither Rainbow or Applejack seemed phased by that information, "Okay, what does the file say about this one?"
"Quite a lot actually," Trunks replied, to which he sweated for a few seconds as he realized what the first few lines contained, before he noticed that there was a video of sorts in the file, to which he tapped on it before turning to the others, "and there's a file of some kind."
The group watched as a section of the computer opened and revealed a screen that was designed to play videos, though after a few seconds the video that Trunks had loaded started playing, where they found Dr. Gero, as a human no less, staring at them. Or rather, as Trunks mentally reflected, he was staring at whoever this video was actually intended for, be that himself, one of the trio of Androids he had woke up, or Cell himself.
"Hello, I am Dr. Gero," the recording said, to which the doctor actually waved at whatever was recording him, which had to be the computer itself, "This recording is intended for my final creation, the Bio-Android I call Gale Wind, so if anyone else is watching this I hope you would do the reasonable thing and close the video."
"Gale Wind?" Krillin asked, to which the rest of the group shrugged for a few seconds, as they were as lost as he was, "Why don't I like the sound of that?"
"Hello Gale Wind," Dr. Dero continued, which meant that he had actually paused for a few seconds for a decision to be made by whoever opened the video, "I don't know how much you know, as there is no way for me to tell if your accessing this file shortly after you woke up or if your watching it once you observed the world around you, but there are some things I feel that you should know. You were created from the cells of six great warriors; the Saiyans known as Son Goku and Vegeta, the Namekian known as Piccolo, the tyrant called Frieza, and the strange pony girls known as Rainbow and Applejack. You are no doubt wondering why you resemble the pony girls so much, though all I can offer you is that their cells were so potent that they gifted you with their form... something that I noticed when you were first being made."
That was when the screen shifted to whatever was behind Dr. Gero, where the group discovered that there was a small hidden area behind the computer, which held another container that looked like the one that this era's version of Cell was being held in. When the group spotted the container's inhabitant, however, they spotted what appeared to be a one year old version of Rainbow, or Applejack considering what the doctor had said, though the Android's skin color appeared to be teal colored. The group noticed that the hair that the Android had, which was wild and not combed into a style like Rainbow's or Applejack's hair, was dark green colored, while at the same time there was a few orange streaks that reminded them all of Cell.
"I started making you in the year that Frieza arrived on Earth," Dr. Gero continued, though at the same time he stared at the version of the Android that was there during his recording, "I could have started the process when the pony girls first arrived on Earth, but I felt the need to lay off until something else happened, which came in the form of Frieza and his father. Once I had all of the machines set up to start constructing you, so I could focus on my personal revenge, I estimated that it would take between ten to fifteen years before you would be able to awaken and start growing into your power... despite the fact that you became a one year old within a few weeks.
Your growth stalled once you reached this state, which seems to resemble what happened to your brother, the Android I have decided to call Cell, though I fear that he may not awaken, despite the efforts of this computer. Despite the time I have devoted to creating three special Androids, numbers 16, 17, and 18, I have allotted some time to make sure nothing bad happens to you. If you are listening to this than that means I succeeded in creating you and ensuring your safety, despite the threats that I might be bringing to this lab."
The group watched as the screen shifted back to Dr. Gero in full, where he looked at the original container, and the sleeping version of Cell that was contained with in, though they had to wonder what he was going to tell this Gale Wind, about her own brother.
"I don't know whether or not Cell will still be in his container when you wake up, but there is something I should tell you about him," Dr. Gero said, though the way he spoke made the group wonder if he was going to reveal a weakness or something similar to that, "you aren't like Cell, as the computer designed him to require two additional components to reach what it calls his 'Perfect Form', while at the same time you never needed a final form. The power that's coursing through your veins, from Rainbow and her sister, as well as everyone else, makes the need for such a thing irrelevant... which will no doubt annoy your brother when he finds out that you are slightly better than he is.
There is one other key difference between the two of you; while Cell might feel the need to kill Son Goku, as that man is the object of my rage, you are not going to have the desire to kill him installed within you. Gale Wind, you will be free to do whatever it is that you desire, be it world domination or stopping your brother from destroying the world, if that was something he wanted to do with his free time. I confess, I have no idea what your brother will do when, and if, he awakens, but you can do whatever you want with your life... I will not ask that you follow in the footsteps of myself and the other Androids that I have built.
Gale Wind, my truly perfect and final creation... all I can say is that I hope you live a long life and do whatever it is that love to do, as I'm sure that someone will have ended my life before we have the chance to properly meet..."
It sounded like there are more to the video, if only a few seconds and a few words, but the end of the file was either corrupted or Dr. Gero had said something that he deemed important enough to edit out, though everything he had said so far told the group that this Gale Wind was supposed to be the exact opposite of Cell. With the video over, and the screen returned to normal, Trunks and the others walked around the computer and found the second container that they had seen during the video, along with the sleeping form of the Android known as Gale Wind. It seemed like she was locked in stasis, similar to what had happened with Cell if they could believe what Dr. Gero had said about the Android, but even so the very sight of the two Androids made Trunks angry.
"Krillin, grab those plans that we were looking at a few minutes ago," Trunks said, though at the same time the others could tell that he was pissed, "we're going to kill both of these Androids and destroy the entirety of this laboratory, just to ensure that this computer doesn't make anything more. History has been changed enough as it is."
Krillin nodded as he collected the plans, and the item that Trunks had plugged into the computer, though that was followed by Trunks' energy gathering around his hand... but before he did anything he noticed that Rainbow was looking at them for a few seconds.
"Shouldn't we let Gale Wind live through this?" Rainbow asked, recalling what the video had said about her, and the fact that she could make her own decisions without having to fall back on any programming that the doctor or his computer might have installed in her, "I mean, she could make a great ally in the fight against Cell, especially if she has my awesome cells inside of her."
"Then we'll find the future version of her," Applejack commented, causing the group to turn towards her, "Think about it, if Cell was able to figure out how to come back in time, to this point in time, than we have to believe that Gale Wind could do the same thing. Or maybe she hitched a ride on the time machine Cell stole from the future and got separated from him when he arrived, or, and this is the more insane theory, maybe she built her own time machine and did what her brother had done. Its impossible to determine how she could come back, but I think its okay to assume that she has to be here somewhere, no doubt hunting for her brother."
"That's the thing that irritates me, that others are using the time machine," Trunks said, to which he turned to the Android that was in front of him and raised his hand towards it, "Now then, let's be done with this and get those plans to my mother, so she start the search for a weakness in either the Androids, in case they turn against us, or in Cell."
Before anyone could say anything Trunks loosed a powerful ki blast and sent it flying towards the second container, effectively obliterating this era's version of Gale Wind from existence, while at the same time causing the entire room to shake. The moment Trunks did that, and started moving towards the opening, the others opened fire on the rest of the room, sending small ki blasts into the walls and the machines, kicking up fire and smoke everywhere. As the room started filling with smoke and fire the group turned on the computer, to which they opened fire on the machine, making impossible for anyone to replicate Dr. Gero's work without the information that Trunks had copied. Once that deed was done, and he was sure that the computer was destroyed, they loosed a small ki blast at Cell's container, obliterating this era's version of the killer Android.
The moment the last objective was cleared the group charged through the tunnel, flew to the room they had been in before, and then ran outside as the entire place started filling with smoke, though Krillin turned around and threw another blast down the ladder before following everyone outside... where they watched as the laboratory and its hidden basement were engulfed in a large explosion.
"I can't believe that we were able to do this," Krillin cheered, as it was clear that he enjoyed the fact that they had destroyed Cell before he could fully mature, making their own future much safer, "and we were lucky to find the plans for Android 18, especially when we might find something to help us deal with Cell... in one way or another."
"Yes, we certainly lucked out," Trunks said, to which he looked at the plans that Krillin was carrying, before he sighed and looked at the man for a few seconds, "Krillin, you really should take those plans to my mother. She's bound to be able to help us in some way, once she has had an opportunity to study those plans in great detail."
"And what will you be doing while I do that?" Krillin asked, though he was pleased that he wouldn't have to deal with Cell, especially when he knew that he wasn't going to last long in a straight up fight with the Android, or Bio-Android as he recalled Dr. Gero mentioning in his video.
"I'm going to find my father and train with him," Trunks replied, knowing that it was time to see what sort of training method his father had in mind, especially when he had refused it the last time he had made the offer, before he turned to Rainbow and Applejack, "The two of you should come along as well. I'm sure that my father will want to include you in the training as well, given the fact that the two of you are his closest friends in the entire universe."
Rainbow nodded, because she was eager to see Trunks' reaction to meeting his Saiyan grandparents, while at the same time she was excited to do something more than what they were doing at the moment. Sure, she knew that someone was going to have to tell the others about the new Bio-Android, which was going to shock them when they heard the news, but the only good thing that would come from this was that Gale Wind could potentially be on their side. She still found it odd that Dr. Gero and his computer had managed to create a creature from both her cells and her sister's cells, but the deceased doctor was apparently a genius, if they could believe what Bulma had told them, so she guessed it made sense that he could create something from their cells.
She knew that Applejack would be more concerned with finding this Gale Wind, if she was able to come back in time like her brother, and determine where her loyalties were, because having another powerful enemy, one that could potentially possess the ability to use everything she and Applejack had learned, made her smile with excitement and actually sweat a tiny bit.
"Fine, you guys can go have fun training," Krillin finally said, to which he let out a sigh and turned towards the direction of Bulma's place, which he knew would take some time to reach before he arrived at his destination, "I'll see you guys whenever you decide to fight Cell... or whenever you decide to be done with your training session. I'm going to go see Bulma and have this mess straightened out, and hopefully I don't run into Cell or this Gale Wind."
Trunks nodded and flew off in the direction of his father's energy, to which Rainbow and Applejack followed after him, as they were eager to train with their best friend again, especially after the last time they had all trained together. They knew that they needed to get stronger, which was understandable considering that the two Androids they had fought earlier had been able to fight on par with them. There was also no telling how strong Cell was getting, from all the people he was absorbing, so they wanted to be prepared for what could be ahead of them... which would eventually end in one, or all, of them fighting against the Bio-Android.
They also knew that Vegeta wasn't going to like the news that there was another Bio-Android besides Cell, though at the same time it was impossible to gauge his reaction to what they were going to tell him before they arrived... where they worried that Cell might be doing something at that exact moment.
Nicky Town, located some distance away from Gingertown, was a town that had a decent population and had an airport that ensured the town had a decent stream of visitors, allowing it to grow like all the other towns and cities that were close to its location. To most people this was a place to visit, mainly due to family members that had moved there, but to someone like Cell this was a perfect location to devour another meal. He made sure to avoid releasing his energy, as it would allow the Z Warriors to find him before he was ready to face any of them, along with a certain someone he was trying to avoid. He growled as he struck someone with his tail and drained his target of all his life energy, further empowering himself, before he pulled his stinger out and continued walking in the shadows.
He was thankful that the computer had actually created him, as his father, Dr. Gero, had become consumed by creating another Bio-Android that was supposed to be as powerful as him, while at the same time treating her with more love and care than he ever got. He hated Gale Wind, so much so that he had actually considered smashing her container the moment he discovered her sleeping form in this era, but if he had done that then he would have tipped off his father and that would have caused more changes to history than what had happened so far. At the time he had held himself back from killing this era's version of his sister, though at the same time he had been making sure he was hidden from all his enemies... and that included more than Piccolo and the Z Warriors.
Gale Wind, the version from his own future, had hitched a ride on the leg of the time machine, though he knew that he had lost her in the time stream, otherwise he was sure that she would have obliterated him the moment the machine landed. He knew that she was here, somewhere in this timeline, hunting for him so she could put a stop to his plans of absorbing both Android 17 and Android 18, which made him angry as he consumed his prey. If he could get his hands on his real targets, and acquire what he needed from them, he was sure that he could beat his sister when the time came... to which he allowed a smile to appear on his face as he continued his hunt.
His sister may be in this timeline, but she was as blind as everyone else, giving him the opportunity to acquire the power he needed to take her, and the Z Warriors, out... and then he could move onto much grander goals.