Detour

"Hm..."

Andrien was surprised by that but at the same time not but he wasn't entirely sure why. Even with Gina who liked to fight and everything else, she had her own code and would avoid it if she had a reason to. It was very rare for people for one aspect of a person to be all there was to them so that was the unsurpised part.

Except for seemingly some of the goons back in his birth place, he'd pity them if he was able to. "Do you know what kind of dinosaurs those things were?" He supposed it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things but Andrien being himself was curious of that sort of thing.

Cotto nods, but doesn't look back "Procompsognathus. They are scavengers who travel in packs for safety. Their saliva can induced paralysis and while One isn't all that big of a threat, dozens can take down a raptor of they all attack at once." he explains.

It sounded like they could be a threat if caught off guard if their saliva could paralyze someone, though given what was said and their behavior they were more timid then the raptors. He didn't see them attacking larger creatures(mainly themselves) unlesss they got desperate. In shows and games, they portrayed predators as dangerously reckless when in truth even a apex carnivore would ignore a weaker creature if it meant injury since one could lead to death.

"Huh. News to me." Gina said. "Where did you learn this stuff from anyway?"

Cotto shrugs as rain starts to fall "The Chozo database has many interesting facts about the many different planets they had visited through out the eons." he explains as he looks around to get his barrings "We're about a day's walk to our prey's hunting arounds. I'll explain what it is we'll be hunting along the way."

"We're listening then." They had a bit of Ki to themselves along with their physical strength so they weren't in As dire straights. Even so Andrien's experiences never let take it too lightly as far as potential danger was concerned.

Cotto explains to them the creature's name, it's general design, how big it is, what it generally eats, the fact that it's the biggest land predator on Earth, and what they could generally expect when it comes to fighting it.

Bu the time he was finished, the rain was falling more steadily "The rain will make tracking harder. For them and for us, so keep your guard up." he says.

Gina was about to ask if the prints make it easier but quickly dimissed it as she realized soon after it just more or less wash them away. It was kind of annoying but it added to the challenge of the whole thing which for her, she was all for.

Between the three of them, she was confident.

The rain actually felt pretty good, considering the tropical nature of their environment. And it also helped mask their approach, as the three of them made their way towards the hunting grounds of the Spinosaurus.

They didn't encounter too make dinos along the way, as they tended to avoid the Spinos hunting grounds. Which was good for them, as they made great time getting there.

Cotto stops and motions for the others to do so as well "We're here." he says in a low tone, barely audiable over the rain "Remember, this Isn't a simulation. If you move wrong here, you Can die. Get ready. We wait for our prey now."

For Andrien, considering his background that didn't bother them really at all; he wasn't doing anything against his will or being dropped with others to figure stuff out. Cotto might be considered rough around the edges, but he did care in their own way and he apperciated it.

Gina? One didn't need to read minds to know what she thought of the whole thing.

Speaking of, she nodded and checked to make sure her bow and arrows were in working order for their target to show up. "Almost like fishing but more active." The waiting part at least, but normally she'd just get big fish with her bare hands. However, the slower and harder way had merit in her mind because it taught the important life lesson of patience.

...Okay, okay, she didn't always succeed in that but she did try.

As the three of them were waiting, Cotto takes off his pack, gets his weapons ready, then starts tossing the T-Rex jerkey all over the place "It'll make it harder for our prey to track up if it smells food." he mumbles.

Soon after Cotto finished, the puddles of rain water start to viberate with impact tremors. Whatever was causing them, was getting closer "Spread out and get ready. It's coming this way." he says as he knocks his bow.

Through the trees, something moving, can be seen and it was almost twice the size of a T-Rex. It was, the Spinosaurus! It had arrived...

Both Gina and Andrien did so, getting in position and not out in the open since the creature was obviously quite big, it made more sense to attack as a group then being careless about it. So to that end neither Gina or Andrien attacked until Cotto was ready.

It was a fearsome and beautiful predator in its own right, shame they were going to destroy it.

Cotto didn't think it was a shame. In fact, he has rarely been more excited to see such a fearsome beast. The Saiyan in him relished the up coming challenge. He takes aim and nods to the others.

* *

The Hunt had gone well. They were victorious! Cotto's wounds from the raptor attack had reopened, so he was going to get that taken care of, but first...

He looks over to his students "You both did great out there. Way to pick up your master's slack." he says. During the Hunt, his Saiyan pride for the better of him and he went to challenge the Spino hand to hand, and had gotten knocked around pretty bad.

After the Hunt and collection of their trophies, they exited the training area, keeping everything they had gotten there, including injuries "The next time you two are on Vegeta, I shall have another adventure ready." he says, the fire in his eyes never going out.

Though Andrien and Gina hadn't gotten banged up like Cotto ,they hadn't gotten out scott free as they had to help more once things went south. Luckily it wasn't anything a rest wouldn't fix but they feel it for later.

"Heh, looking forward to it. Been on adventures in the wild but this sort of thing is a first for me." Gina meant that, of course she planned on doing A Lot of training so when she came back to challenge Cotto to be his mate, even if she lost it still should be fun. In the mean time she had something to talk to Andrien about when they hit the farm.

Andrien didn't mind, he did enjoy his time out there. "I'll be there when it happens. What are you going to do now?" He assumed he was going to check his wounds obviously but other then that who was to say.

Cotto nods "I'm going to talk to Lee, explain where I was for a few days, then tend to my wounds." he says as he waves as he starts off "You two take care of yourselves and remember to keep training. Never let yourselves be satisfied with your current power level." he says as he heads out.

Andrien got to thinking perhaps Cotto had a point. Sure he wasn't like Gina where fighting was second nature but there was no need to slack off too much it became a determent. If he did, it would defeat the purpose of going to get trained by Cotto in the first place. Not to mention if some clown came along he would want to be able to protect his own. They had supposedly 'enhanced' people like him so maybe the power was there even if they had written off his lot.

Once they got to their temporary home, Gina seemed more pensive and serious then usual and she did say she wanted to talk to him in private so he'd have to see. "What's on your mind?"

"Remember what Cotto said about finding a mate, and what I said earlier?" Gina asked. "I want you to reconsider me helping you. I know I act forward but in this case I think it works to your advantage, plus I can pick up things with my Ki sense you can't and I'm good at reading body langauge. You're like family to me so I take this stuff seriously, just trust me, okay?"

Out of all things, Andrien didn't expect that however he did trust Gina in this case and she never joked about things like this when she got in that mood. So after some thought, he agreed. "Kind of like what you say, life's about learning right?"

Gina nodded happily. "Exactly, that's the spirit! Anyway I'm gonna crash out since its been a ordeal make sure you're rested to."

She left to go to her room after showering but for better or worse tomorrow would be interesting, if nothing else.

* *

Around the next day, Gina was up before Andrien was but he followed soon after. For Gina it was exciting in its own way to play match maker. It wasn't like back at home with the arranged marriage because of course Andrien had a choice, and secondly she actually gave a damn unlike her parents.

That stuff is in the past. Forget about it.

After eating breakfast and getting cleaned up, Gina decided to see what was what far as the women working on the farm. She knew the body type Andrien liked which was long legs and a large chest, which was pretty typical really and as someone who was bi she could appreciate it. More importantly then looks though, she'd extend her Ki sense to get a general feel of someone, along with their body langauge to get a good educated guess who would make a good long time partner for her brother.

It wasn't perfect as those two could only tell you so much, but it was better then nothing. Once she found something she liked, she'd approach them once they were taking a break. To her limited knowledge, both the royal family, some of the higher ups and other families did something similar so it wasn't out of the ordinary really.

Most of the Saiyans thay Gina approached were fairly weak. Their power levels easily in the hundreds. That's how it was with Saiyans. If you were weak, you were made to do remedial tasks, while anyone with a power level over 1000, were warriors and praised for their strength by those weaker.

Most of the Saiyan farmers wouldn't give Andrien the time of day, because of his unnatural birth. They made no effort to hide their disdain for him.

"Pay them no mind." says a Young Woman, in a flat tone, who was standing there, watching the workers. there was a Young Girl standing close by her side.

The Saiyan woman looks over to Andrien and Gina "Hello. I'm Key, the observer of these fields for the day." she nods to the girl behind her "This is my little sister, Arlic. She is observing as well." she says.

While Key was fairly strong, stronger than both Gina and Andrien put together, her sister had a Very weak power level.

Arlic looks up to Andrien "You're like us, aren't you?" she asks "Do you still have to take the injections?" she asks, eluding to the fact that both Key and Arlic were genetic freaks like Andrien was.

It wasn't going as well as Gina had hoped, but Andrien wasn't really all that surprised by the reactions that he had gotten. Most Sayains really did not seem to like artificially created beings based off the original thing, sort of ironic in the sense Alusarians were artificially made to begin with, at least the very first ones about.

While it might of been somewhat expected, it did string slightly even if he didn't show it since it wasn't something he could exactly change. Gina was becoming more agitated as things went on, so it was a extra incentive to stop things.

Before anything else, a young woman introduced himself along with a younger girl which was their younger sister. The later one didn't look like a typical Sayain, and it became apparent as to why with the last comment.

"Ugh. They really pissed me off, but sorry on tangent." Gina shook her head. "Anyway, name's Gina nice to meet you two."

"Andrien..and no. At least not anymore." Andrien corrected himself. "Were you two artificially created to like me?" That perk his interest a bit since it wasn't something you saw everyday, Key was rather attractive too. Though just because they were created didn't mean they were one hundred the same in the method but that didn't matter to him.

Key nods "Yes. Though, unlike you, we weren't based on an existing specimen, but grown by recombining DNA, or so I've been told." she says.

"We were made to be the perfect warrior. Powerful, obedient, expendable..." Arlic says "When it turned out that we were flawed, we were left to die without our injections. But Lee saved, uh, us..." she mumbles the last part.

"Since then, we've lived here and endured the ridicule that you are being subjected to right now. But we've learned to live with it." Key says, dead panned "The secret is to remember that you are the only you there is ever going to be." she says.

"Plus, you are stronger than many of those who would belittle you and can kick their faces in if they annoy you." Arlic says.

It wasn't anything Andrien hadn't head before but it did mean a lot coming from those a bit similar to himself so they could relate a bit better. Today, at least on the goal may have been a bust though at least there was some good that came from it. He did wonder if Key was like a typical Sayain in the sense of finding a mate because if so, not a chance at his current level assuming she'd even be interested.

One thing he Had noticed(beside her figure that is) was her tone was flat. Not someone who was being cold, just like the emotions  were muted. Didn't bother him though if so, maybe it had to do with how she was made.

"Thank you, I mean that." He wasn't one to typically knock someone around just because they got on his nerves..Gina on the other hand was a fire cracker to begin with. "What did you mean by you were observing for the day? Just making sure they do what they're suppose to do?"

Gina surprisingly didn't say much for now, she was kind of letting her little brother have his moment for the day. Sides, she'd have plenty of time and then some to talk with a entire day ahead of her. She had felt kind of bad she pushed them on it when he had been reluctant and got That reaction, but at least he got some potential friends he could relate to. Maybe a mate if he was really lucky

Key nods "That's correct. With Saiyans, at least, one needs to keep an eye on them in case fights were to break out." she saysn since it was in their nature to fight, that was understandable.

Arlic, however, was looking at Andrien, and not the fields. But it wasn't the curious look of a child or even a sister. Insteadn it was an analytical look of someone trying to figure out what makes Andrien tick. Hidden behind this child's eyes, was the look of a person wise well beyond their years.

Andrien if he noticed something was brewing in Arlic's head din't say anything about it or draw attention to it. The answer Key gave made sense why there would be someone to observe to make sure the Sayains didn't slack too much by getting into fights. So they would send someone with a cooler head.

"So basically you're here to make sure they do their job, makes sense to me." If he had to guess likely the royal family had a say of who to send, Vegeta was too big for them to micromanage Everything but farming was important enough he could see it being a priority. "I noticed your tone is a bit more subdued the normal, did they alter with your emotions like some others? You don't have to answer if its touchy, we just met after all."

Overall, he was just happy to meet others like himself because for a long time he thought he was the only one left. He did want to get to know Key so if nothing else so hopefully he didn't screw it up.

It was Arlic who answered "Remember when I said that we were made to be the perfect soldier? That meant that we were suppose to view every engagement and battle with an objective mind, free from emotional distractions." she explains as she nods to Keyn who stares on, passively.

"When they found out that the source of a Saiyan's power comes from their unbridled fury, they scrapped that branch of the project." Arlic continues "Just like when they tried to make Saiyan's smarter, so they could anticipate their opponents moves, they found out that their smarts cost them strength, and scrapped That project." she says "And that's how me and my sister first met." she finishes.

"Now that you know bout us, what's your story?" Key asks.

Andrien wasn't normally the type to give a lot about that aspect of his past but he did believe in being fair, so if they answered and were truthful it was only fair he'd respond in kind.

"You were created to be ultimate warriors, but we're sort of I guess you can say the left overs. There were clones, as well as projects they thought useless from the early get go. Originally, there was suppose a enhanced clone project, something that could be made cheap but powerful but it didn't work as they wanted. So it was cancelled which means you had Alusarians and a few others they made they could be put to use. If they weren't as powerful as intended, they could be used for canon fodder or grunt work A lot of us didn't even have names until we gave each other some."

After some hesitation and some mulling it over he rolled up his sleeve to show a number to show his point before moving it back up.

"To be honest, they never expected much of anything from us  or be a threat long term but that worked to our advantage. There was a planned break out and we managed a escape, a lot didn't make it though. I was kind of just keeping a low profile until I ended up in Acor where I've been staying ever since."

Arlic looks at the number code "We had ours removed. We don't need some random series of numbers to tell us who, or what, we are." she says.

"Why haven't you had your number removed yet, if I may ask?" Key asks "It seems like it would only serve to bring up unpleasant memories." she says.

Arlic nods slowly "like... watching your siblings... slowly die... because they 'had no use'..." she says in a very low tone that was almost a whisper.

Andrien was silent for a moment after that, it was a good question but it was..kind of muddy waters. "..I've been on the fence about removing it. It's not so much because I enjoyed my 'home' but because its the only physical reminder that the people I cared about actually existed and not just in my head. There were some good memories too, when the more lenient were in charge of things on my end."

"A lot of people do things or keep things and they're not completely sure why. I think for me its one of those things, because while what I said is true, I think there may be more to it. Not sure if any of that made sense." He did hear Arlic at the end, seemed pretty similar which wasn't really a surprise.

Honestly, if he had the power to, he'd have a whole place where all the experiments like the artificial Alusarians, Sayains, clones etc could all live off the radar. That is if they wanted to, of course.