What if Dr. Gero turned Good?

Chapter 3: Past Peculiarities

    It had been a few days since Gero joined Capsule Corp. Goku was informed of the situation, and although it felt weird having the old man on board, however he figured it was better to have Gero as an ally as opposed to an antagonist. Gero was looking through his old lab for the last time, making sure nothing important was left behind. As he walked to the front door, he looked at the pods containing 17 and 18, then looked at the floor and walls, lined with explosives.

             "I am sorry 17... 18... I didn't want any of this for you two..." he said, talking to no person in particular. As he walked outside, he used his recently replaced left hand to pull out a small detonator. As he put his thumb on the button, not pushing down yet as he began to feel something he was feeling more and more recently...

    Remorse. But, Gero came to a realization at that moment. If he let them live and go out to live 'normal' lives, they could just destroy the city. He made them to be super weapons in disguise, but their added sass would prove to be a huge problem. He knew he was lucky to have shut them down when he did. So, with a heavy heart, he pushed the button, feeling the explosion breeze through his hair as he closed his eyes and floated there in silence for a moment before turning around.

    Sure enough, the cave and lab inside were completely in ruins, flames angrily swaying and flaring inside. He did not dare go inside to actually see the damage, knowing those explosives were much more powerful than they looked. They were part of the arms race that Gero helped with and learned about. After all it was how he made the other androids so much more powerful. They were even stronger as he dug into the models meant to destroy a certain monkey child way back in the day to ensure the androids couldn't have survived this attack. Gero soon began his flight back to Capsule Corp, flying slower than usual so he had more time to think about what he could do to have his wrongdoings undone.

    When Dr Gero arrived at the lab again, he took a deep breath and entered, headed directly to his personal laboratory, having been greeted by the other scientists in the room, he simply waved to each of them as a response before closing the door. Android 16 was powered off, his head plugged into a supercomputer, which was feeding his neural functions with new information and goals. No longer would he have the urge to fight Son Goku outside of sparring matches. He would act more as a Bodyguard and a Helper.

              Dr Gero sighed, right before something began nudging his leg. He looked down and saw his Larval Creation, named Cell. He had originally created Cell to act as the ultimate weapon, utilizing the DNA from Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Frieza, and King Cold, he wanted to create the ultimate weapon against the Dragon Team. Instead, Cell is now treated like the most bizarre looking puppy on the planet, as he pet the top of Cell's head. Gero couldn't help but smile down at the creature.

    Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Cell scaredly ran underneath the elevated sleeping pod Gero made for himself. Gero opened the door, revealing Bulma from the other side. "Oh! Good to see you Bulma!" Dr Gero exclaimed, and Bulma smiled at him. Admittedly it was really awkward to her seeing a friendly Dr Gero, but it was growing on her.

    "Hey Gero! I was going to have some coffee, and wanted to know if you felt like coming. It could allow us to get to know each other better!" Bulma offered, and Dr Gero looked toward Android 16. The supercomputer read the downloads were at 21 percent. Gero looked back to Bulma.

    "Sounds like a good time! I have plenty of time on my hands right now" Gero responded, following Bulma. Bulma let Gero into her living quarters, and she started preparing their coffee. Gero began drinking, and the two began to talk, Baby Trunks occasionally putting in his two cents by babbling incoherently at the adults, causing both to chuckle at his antics. Eventually, Bulma put the boy to bed, before coming back to the room.

            "So... I know this might be a tough question to be asked, and please let me know if it's too much but... why did you keep Android 16, but not 17 or 18?" She asked, and Gero looked away from her for a moment, trying to find the words to convey his reasons. She was about to try to change the subject when Gero spoke.

           "Well... It will take me a bit to explain, if you have the time to hear it that is..." Gero explained, and Bulma curiously listened to his every word, as his perspective of the world would soon be revealed... "45 years ago..." he began...

    Dr Gero was made the happiest man on earth 45 years ago. His wife, Hikiru Gero, gave birth to a handsome little baby boy, named Otama. Young Otama was always a little scholar, being always surrounded by scientific research, machines and the like. Otama would always be trying to help his father with his research and, when he was old enough, he would become one of Gero's most trusted lab assistants. Otama was even willing to be experimented on. This made him very strangely resilient due to the constant experimentation.

    28 years later, and the family of three had made a major breakthrough in Project A's success. They managed to create an Infinite Energy generator small enough to fit within a human body, and now all that was left was to create the first Android to utilize the invention.

            Unfortunately, however, That was the day Dr Gero found his first test subject. When the entirety of the Red Ribbon army came crashing down to dust, debris, death, and destruction, Gero found a single hand sticking out from underneath a large pile of rubble. When Gero moved the pieces aside, he found the mangled and blood-soaked remains of his son.

            Gero brought the corpse to a secret lab, hidden within a cave alongside a mountain, created for personal experiments in case the RR decided they no longer needed him for his inventions. There, Gero began working on a new vessel for Otama's mind to pilot. Days turned to weeks, then months, then years of working and operating on him. Otama's previous body was beyond physical repair, but much like himself, he was able to make a nearly completely robotic body to replace it. Otama's neural functions suffered greatly, however. He became unable to express emotion, and if it weren't for the computer chip within him, his memory would be shot as well.

           Gero began to tear up as he got to this part. Bulma was very surprised by his breakdown. Gero wiped his eyes and shook his head. "To this day I wonder why Otama was the one that was taken, instead of me... I'm a feeble old man without my cybernetics, but Otama had his whole life ahead of him, and it was taken away in an instant..." Gero said before beginning to calm down. "...I'm sorry for laying that on you so heavily Bulma, it is not your burden..."

           "No... I could tell you needed to talk about it. So, why is six... er... Otama plugged into that computer?"

           "I want him to become an asset to you all, while I stay behind to better my own mind and body. I am still in no condition to fight people. I had to learn that the hard way... So, until then, Otama will be fighting alongside them" he explained, and Bulma smiled warmly at him. She raised her coffee mug.

            "Well, then a toast! To new beginnings!" She exclaimed, and the two clanked their mugs together and finished their coffee break. Soon, they each headed back to the lab, Gero having known the computer should have gone through at least 60 percent by now...

            Back at the lab, a metal hand reaches up from the rubble and pulls a body out with it. A somewhat melted, half metal body began to leave the mutilated lab. It had black hair, and a bunch of fake skin was either meting, burnt, or hanging off of him. The blonde one followed shortly behind, and step by step they walked towards the forest, with new plans in mind. Kill Doctor Gero.