Chapter 15: Cell’s Creations

            Gohan and Vegeta needed no further persuasion as the scream died out. They shot forward and threw everything they had at that piece of rock. They threw ki blasts and punches at the rock, using every ounce of their strength. They stopped only when a maniacal laugh came from within.

            “You two will never get in here! This lab has shields around it that could ward off even me, if I didn’t know what I was doing! But I guess there’s no harm in letting you in now…it’s finished.” Cell laughed like a lunatic as he finished this statement.

            “What are you talking about?” Gohan screamed, his rage overwhelming him and his temper rising.

            “Why don’t you come in and see, Saiyans?” Cell chuckled.         

            The rock door swung open, allowing them entrance to a huge lab, filled with so many devices that Bulma would have screamed.

            “I’d like you to meet Androids #22, #23, and #24…they should be very pleased to meet you, especially since I wiped out their original memory and placed in one of my own creations. The only thing they know how to do now is kill everyone but Gohan. Then I will absorb them and kill Gohan myself,” Cell explained.

            “Why are you doing this? Why did you even attack us in the first place?” Gohan growled.

            “You don’t know? I was programmed to do this. My creator, Dr. Gero, needed a way to wreak his revenge on Goku for destroying the Red Ribbon Army as a child, so he created a series of androids. They were all just toys compared to me. I was his ultimate project. He had designed me to kill and do nothing else. When I was fully generated, then I could absorb Androids #17 and #18, and I would evolve in the process. I started out in a larval type stage, growing inside of an incubator. Then I went through a four-year rest period so my strength to reach its full potential. Then, I absorbed #17 and became more complex. This was my form that you first saw me in, Gohan. Then, when I absorbed #18, I became this: my so-called ‘perfect stage.’ It’s pathetic!”

            “I agree with that,” Vegeta sneered.

            Cell’s smirk faded and he shot a ki blast through Vegeta’s arm, being careful not to kill him (it wouldn’t be fun to kill him quickly, would it?).

            “Not so cocky now, are you Vegeta? You call yourself a Prince? Your race is gone! You are the Prince of a bunch of half-breeds! What kind of Prince is that?” Cell mocked, his disgusting smirk rising once again to his evil countenance.

            Vegeta growled and shot a glare in Cell’s direction, holding his arm to keep the blood from flowing.

            “You are a weakling! You have no pride within you…you wouldn’t even face Gohan! You had to conceal yourself before you could touch these brats, and then you had to knock them out!” Vegeta laughed. “You are no android…even androids have some pride! You are a weakling, that’s what you are! You were so afraid of Gohan that you had to hide yourself and sneak around! More than that, you had to have security to protect you! You are pathetic, you stupid little—“

            Vegeta was cut off by the fresh hole that had just been created in his chest. He fell to the ground, blood covering him, and was dead before he hit.

            Gohan watched as the Saiyan Prince fell. He snapped his head back to glare at Cell, his every thought, his every breath, was a promise of death to the android.

            “I swear to you, Cell, before this is over you will be dead at my feet…just like last time, only this time around I won’t leave anything there…not even ashes,” Gohan promised.

            “I’m sure,” Cell laughed, “but my only wonder is this: why haven’t you tried to save you daughter and her friends? You’re letting them be turned into androids! What kind of person are you?”

            “At least I’m better than you! He was right! You have no pride whatsoever, and for that you are weak!” Gohan shouted, putting his hand up and shooting a ki blast at the pod in which Pan was held. Two more followed, breaking out both Bra and Trunks.

            “NO! They aren’t done yet!” Cell screamed, powering up for a fight with Gohan.

            “That doesn’t matter! We can both play games here: it would seem that the scales are now tipped in my favor. How does it feel?” Gohan said.

            “What do you mean?” Cell demanded.

            Gohan said nothing but smirked. He picked something up off of the table and threw it on the ground. White smoke surrounded them.

            “Guess what I found? You aren’t so smart, Cell, you left another one of those vials on the table here!” Gohan laughed, and went in to pick up Pan, Bra, and Trunks.

            “NO!” Cell screamed, but Gohan was already out of the lab and headed home.

            Gohan landed on Capsule Corp. property and ran into the house.

            “BULMA!” he screamed, hoping that she was home.

            Dende, where is she? He screamed mentally.

            “Gohan, is that you? What’s going on?” Bulma said, running out of her lab.

            “We need to get these three healed. I’ll explain in a second. We need to get everyone in the hideout!” Gohan yelled, heading toward the hideout’s door.

            “Videl is still here, so how do we get the rest of Chikyuu down here?” Bulma shouted, following Gohan through the door.

            “We don’t. We’ll have to use the dragonballs to do anything. The only people we can put down here are whoever is in this house. There’s no time for anything else…Cell is back and he’s after me. Get everyone down here and help these guys. Hide the dragon radar and if anything goes wrong, get Videl to contact me through our bond. If Cell wins, I want you to take your ship and go to the new Namek. Use their dragonballs if you have to, but just make sure Cell doesn’t follow you. I have to go,” Gohan said.

            “Wait, Gohan, what happened to these three?” Bulma asked.

            Gohan sighed. “They were taken by Cell during the party. He took them to Dr. Gero’s lab, where he tried to turn them into androids. If I were any later, they would be trying to kill us now. I don’t know how far it got but he said he erased their memories and they have new ones…I don’t know what they are but they are going to kill me if it’s true. Just try and heal them. I’ll come back.”

            “I’ll send Krillin out to get the dragonballs. He can get it….Where is Vegeta?”

            Gohan stopped. He turned his head around slowly, his eyes reflecting such sadness…

            “Gohan? What happened to him?” Bulma asked, her voice cracking.

            “Bulma, I’m so sorry. Vegeta stood up to him and he was killed. I’m so sorry,” Gohan said, hanging his head forward and walking out of the hideout.

            Bulma steadied herself on a table and let her tears flow freely.

            No…she thought, covering her eyes with her hands and crying. She regained herself after a moment and stood up straight.

            “KRILLIN! IF YOU WANT TO LIVE GET YOUR ASS INTO THE HIDEOUT!” Bulma screamed onto the intercom.

            “Whoa, Bulma, what’s up?” he said, running down into the hideout after a minute or two.

            “Get everyone into the hideout now. Cell is back, Vegeta is dead, Gohan went to fight Cell, these three are hurt, and everyone’s in danger. Get everyone in the house down here now. Don’t bother with anyone else. Get everyone down here, especially Videl. Then go find the dragonballs as fast as you can. This is important, Krillin, now go!” Bulma explained, shoving the dragon radar into his hands and turning to Pan, Trunks, and Bra.

            Krillin knew Bulma’s temper all-too-well. He didn’t need to be told twice and ran out of the hideout and back into Capsule Corp.

            Gohan walked sadly out of the hideout, leaving a devastated Bulma to grieve and take care of Pan, Bra, and Trunks. He stopped for just a second to try and sense where Cell was, but he was hidden. Gohan decided to hover in the air for a while so he could keep a watch on Capsule Corp. before he went to look for Cell.

            He floated up for a little while and stopped just as Capsule Corp. started to become blurry. If anyone were going to go in and out of Capsule Corp., he would see who it was. If Cell came, he would be spotted and killed within a minute. Gohan would make sure of it.

            Krillin gathered everyone and hurried them into the hideout, giving very little explanation. As soon as they were safely in, he closed the door behind him and took to flight, turning the dragon radar on and clicking it so he could see where the dragonballs were.

            “Come on, where are they?” Krillin whispered to himself, clicking the radar one more time.

            The screen flashed and a little yellow dot flashed. Krillin laughed happily, and shot off in that direction, dead set on getting the seven dragonballs.

            He flew for a couple minutes and then landed on an island where the dragonball should be.

            Videl was sitting next to her daughter, her heart heavy with grief. Her daughter had been mutilated by some monster, her husband had gone off to Dende-knows-where, and she was left with only a very small amount of information. She sat quietly, ignoring Bulma, who was going about trying to do something for Pan, Trunks, and Bra. She looked around at the people she called her friends. They were all so brave and strong…but nothing compared to Gohan. She hoped this fact would save him…she wouldn’t be able to live without him.

            Gohan waited outside, still hovering above Capsule Corp. Cell should have been there by that time, and something was definitely up. He lowered himself a little bit and tried to sense Cell, but he just wasn’t there. It was like he had disappeared off the face of Chikyuu. He was about to give up and just go and look for him at Gero’s lab, but he thought otherwise as a voice rang in his heart.

            ::Hello again, little Saiyan. You have done well since you left me, but there are things that still need to be done::

            “Vegetasei!” Gohan cried out loud.

            ::Yes. I am contacting you through your Saiyan blood. I have a bit of advice for you::

            “Vegetasei,” Gohan said, “I have some questions for you…”

            ::Ask quickly, and keep alert. Cell may be lurking::

            “How can you contact me? In this dimension, you don’t exist anymore.”

            ::True. I am contacting you from another dimension. I know it is strange, but I cannot explain now. What’s the other question? I have a headache and they are a real bitch for mother nature::

            “When I was on Vegetasei, when my tears fell in the pool, what happened? What was the ‘but’ that you said? You wouldn’t explain and I need to know.”

            Vegetasei sighed and paused for a moment, considering how to explain it.

            ::Gohan…your tears are the tears of one who is pure of heart. When the water turns blue, it means that the person who turned it blue is destined to become the greatest warrior of all time. You turned the water blue, the color of Vegetasei’s sky, which means you are the greatest warrior to ever live. It was purple before, purple for the color of a demon’s blood. Now it’s blue…an angel’s blood. Gohan, it is hard to explain exactly why this happens, but I know that you will always be there to protect your home and your family. Goodbye, little Saiyan…I hope that one day you will be able to visit where Vegetasei once was. There may be a surprise there for you. When this ordeal is done and over with, fate will guide you to where Vegetasei once stood, proud and arrogant as the people on it. There is something there for you I think you should have. Goodbye now, Gohan…good luck…oh, yes, the advice. Your enemies aren’t always the most obvious people, little Saiyan. Look where you least expect, which may be the worst possible place::

            The connection was cut off as the last words faded from Gohan’s mind. He thought over these words…and he knew then.

            NO! he screamed mentally, and dropped to the ground with breaking force. He threw open the door to the hideout and threw himself in…only seconds too late.

            Videl held her daughter’s hand. It was cold…cold like metal. What had this monster turned Pan into? After a moment…she got her answer.

            Pan’s eyes opened. They shifted from side to side, and the breath escaping her lips was labored. Videl smiled and looked down at her daughter and noticed something strange.

            “Pan, honey?” she whispered.

            “Hello, mommy,” Pan sneered, malice lacing her voice.

            Videl looked down at Pan and saw something in her eyes. These weren’t Pan’s soft, gentle eyes. These were bordered with a sadistic and cruel glow.

            “You aren’t my daughter,” Videl gasped, stepping back and holding her breath.

            “And you…you are a dead woman,” Pan shot, jumping off the table and attacking her mother.

            Behind her, Bulma was in a similar situation with Bra. Trunks was between them, a deadly smirk and twisted hatred spreading over his features. All three lunged at the occupants of the hideout, ripping them to pieces only a little at a time. Pan tore her own mother limb from limb, laughing with cruelty at the screams filling the room. Cell had transformed the three young Saiyans into something else…the three evilest creatures to ever crawl into the universe beside himself. These were not people…they were now machines, built only to destroy and enjoy doing it.

            “Enough! Leave the human whores to die…slowly and painfully, of course. It wouldn’t be fun any other way,” Trunks called, his voice taking in a harsh quality. He pulled Pan toward him and stuck his tongue in her mouth, pressing his body against hers.

            “Let’s go, you two. Lord Cell will want us soon. We’ve dealt with these…humans,” Bra said, the word ‘human’ covered with disgust.

            “We must find Lord Cell. He will want us to deal with the other ones…there are some that are not here. Where is Gohan? He should be running in to save the day by now…” Trunks sneered, turning his head this way and that, as if searching for Gohan around corners.

            “I’m right here,” Gohan spat, disgusted by the scene behind Pan, Trunks, and Bra.