The Cell

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Vegeta let himself fall into a sitting position and attempted to catch his breath, carefully checking his surroundings in case something, or better yet someone, was trying to creep upon him. He could have sworn he had been running for ages, but the monster after him did not seem to have been affected by it at all.

The Saiyan desperately tried to get up again, he could not afford to spend too much time as a literally sitting target, but he quickly swayed as spots started to dance in his vision. How long had it been since he'd had a rest? Eaten something? Too long for sure, but stopping would mean death. He forced his body to cooperate and walked away, leaning heavily on the rocky surface of the mountain chain he was onto. He'd originally thought it would be a great place to hide and try to lose his pursuer, but it appeared the bastard was just too cunning for that; also, if previous experiences were any indication, he could pinpoint energies much more accurately than Vegeta ever could.

By his estimate, he walked another couple of miles before finally collapsing in a cave. He could simply not move anymore, he'd gone over a week without eating or sleeping, his body needed rest or he might as well die. Half an hour maximum, he sternly told his biologic clock and blinked asleep the next moment. As his body curled protectively into a ball, a shadow fell upon him. Two green, black-spotted arms easily picked him up, while a dark nail playfully tickled him under his nose; the Prince huffed angrily, but exhaustion prevented him from waking up fully. "Ssshhh", a warm voice calmed his struggling brain. "Have a good sleep, sweet Prince. I'll be here when you wake up." Vegeta mumbled something and quietened down, burrowing into the chest of his captor as the tall creature flew them away.

Lord Freeza was not having a good day. Nor had he had a good week so far. Or a good month, at that. He would freely admit that he had not had a good… oh, about three years. Not ever since he lost a big chunk of his army (along with his senior officers and Elite Force) on Namek, was beaten up by a should-have-been legend and had half his body parts replaced with robotic limbs. Then his father expressly forbade him from getting his rightful revenge on Earth, preferring to go away after the arrival of yet another Super Saiyan (he was never going to forgive him for that, never) and now, now he was shut away in some kind of test tube, arms and legs shackled and a greenish liquid preventing him from transforming and freeing himself. It was also supposed to make him fall asleep, apparently, but the bastard that had put him there cheerfully informed him that it might take a while due to his special Arcosian DNA. He spared a glance at the four tubes lined up before him: chained inside, Goku, his half-breed son, the Namekian and the violet-haired boy he'd met on Earth were sleeping peacefully. He inaudibly gulped and felt more than see his father, laying in the glass contraption beside him, strain his shackles in an effort to transform. Freeza fell down against his chains, knowing all too well that they stood no chance of unlocking their other forms, they'd been trying for days. No, they had to find another way to break free while they were still awake but, for the life of him, he could not figure out one. The chains were unbreakable and sucked in his ki whenever he tried to summon it; they also prevented him from getting close enough to the glass to smash it… admitting it could be done. And he could feel sleep creeping upon him.

The door to the laboratory creaked open and, although a little distorted by the liquid inside his cage, he could make out the tall figure of his captor cheerfully walking in while holding someone to his chest. He stopped before Freeza and King Cold's tubes, greeting them with an admired: "Still awake? It's been days! Arcosian cells really are something…" Freeza, however, was not really paying attention to the monster's ramblings but staring at the young man resting in his arms; the flame-shaped hairdo was too peculiar not to be immediately recognized. Noticing his gaze, the creature chuckled and delicately tilted the Saiyan's head to the side, so that the Arcosian could fully see his face. "Prince Vegeta!", he happily announced. "Now the family is truly reunited!" He brought the Prince to the empty tube beside the tyrant's, carefully deposited him inside and started to chain him up like the others, chatting all the while. "I had to hunt him down for a week before he finally fainted from exhaustion. I would have tried a more direct approach but, from what Goku and Gohan remembered about him, I was a bit worried he would end up injuring himself too much before being captured and I couldn't have that. Although, I have to wonder… They had this mental image of a wild beast, but to me he looks absolutely lovely, I'd dare say adorable! I mean, look at him!" He pressed a button on the tube's side; the shackles were drawn taut, straightening Vegeta's body as if he was a marionette pulled upward by its strings. "All short, and lean, and delicate. Surely he is more of a dancer than a warrior. Oh…" He stopped and observed better the man's upturned face. "I think I have his nose!" He threw the glass door of the prison shut and Vegeta woke up with a jump. He groggily took in the room, drowsiness disappearing the more he saw; his eyes rested on Goku's sleeping form, running quickly over his companions, darted to King Cold, stopped on Freeza for a longer moment and finally halted on the green creature that was smiling warmly at him.

"Who are you?", he growled in a low voice. The monster beamed at him. "I don't really have a name", he confided conspiratorially, "But I generally go by Cell." Vegeta was silent for another second and then quietly asked: "And what are you?" Cell mockingly flinched at the question. "That is rather hurtful, my dear Prince! You do have a cutting tongue after all." Freeza rolled his eyes at that. You have no idea…

"If you must know, I am a bio-mechanic android created by human Dr Gero with the sole mission of destroying Son Goku. Oh, I am also the Perfect Being obviously, as my DNA is made up by the cells of the strongest warriors in the universe". His eyes caressed the tubes in the room. "All of you!"

Freeza felt like retching: his cells were used to make that… thing? How?! As if sensing his thoughts, Cell fixed his gaze on him. "Don't be like that, Lord Freeza. Where do you think my lovely pale complexion and violet strips come from? Oh, by the way", he turned back to the Vegeta. "Don't you think I have your nose?" The Prince ignored his statement, preferring to ask another, more urgent question. "Why are we here?" Cell's grin became even wider at that. "Well, on Earth I fought against Goku, Gohan, Trunks and Piccolo, defeated them all but, before I could kill them, a burning concern invaded my mind: what then? I love fighting, how could I not, I am the Perfect Warrior, but if I did away with them all, what was left for me to do? No one else in this universe is at my level and, while none of them (or you) are either at the moment, you all have the ability to grow stronger after a duel. I left them alive and retired to think on it and finally had a brilliant idea: they would be my sparring partners! But why stop at them, when I knew you, Lord Freeza and King Cold were lurking around as well? I just had to locate your ki! I used Dr Gero's lab and produced the beautiful jewel you are resting into. The tube can resist to most shocks, while the chains absorb your energy; the chemicals inside keep the body fit and nurtured and repair damaged tissues – ah yes, Lord Freeza, with a little luck you will be soon whole again. I also added a little something to make you sleep peacefully; it wouldn't do to let you get bored while inside, would it? This way, you will always be in peak condition and we can fight forever" The final word was uttered in a manic tone, Cell's violet eyes sparkling with a sick inner fire. Vegeta recognized it, for it was the same flame that erupted in all the present whenever they were battling a fierce opponent; he'd never feared it before.

Cell licked his lips, studying the Saiyan almost wantonly. "Have you already reached the Super Saiyan level, Vegeta?", he asked in husky voice. The Prince stared at Goku, the rival he'd hoped to settle the score with, and the monster beamed. "Excellent! What about the Augmented Form?" The Saiyan snorted before being able to stop himself and Cell grinned smugly. "I know what you mean. And… the Second Form?" Vegeta's eyes widened and snapped back to the android, who made a cooing sound and raised his knuckles to caress the glass at the height of the Prince's cheek. "Don't you fret, even Goku hasn't unlocked it yet. Gohan did, but it was a bit of an accident, take it from me. You will get there soon, I am sure of it", he consoled him.

In the meantime, Freeza was fuming with rage. His father had finally given up and was deeply asleep and he could feel his own strength leaving him; why was the stupid monkey making conversation instead of trying to… "Oh please, stop glaring at him!" A reproachful voice interrupted his train of thought and he turned his head to find Cell staring at him with an annoyed expression. "He is exhausted!", the android mouthed at him. "Poor Vegeta has run non-stop for a week without eating or sleeping, haven't you my dear? He's been keeping me talking in the hope of regaining some energy to escape, but is unfortunately too tired to do much of anything. Isn't that right?" He turned back to the Prince, who had his mouth open in a horrified expression. "Don't you worry your pretty little head, I have just the thing to make you all better." He pushed another button and the tube started filling with a greenish liquid; immediately, Vegeta started to struggle, trying to break free of his chains. "Please Vegeta, stop it! You will only make it worse for yourself, the liquid will heal you, not hurt you! Vegeta…" The Saiyan was not listening, still pulling madly at the shackles, much like all the others had before him. "Vegeta stop! Look at me!" Almost without realizing he was doing it, the Prince met Cell's eyes. "It won't hurt!", the android said with conviction. "I would never hurt you!" His eyes dripped with honesty, in the same way Goku's did when he'd promised Vegeta he would let him go unharmed if he left Earth and in the same way they still did while he was smashing him to the ground with his Kaio Ken raging around him. Goku would never hurt anyone, as long as they were doing what he asked. The liquid filled the tube and submerged him completely; Cell's smile, distorted through the green substance, was pure evil. "Good night, sweet Prince", the android murmured and Vegeta's eyes fell shut.

Freeza sighed defeatedly, staring at his former's ward lifeless form, hair floating in the water like a black flame. His eyes were burning, a tremendous sleepiness threatening to claim him at any second. Cell stepped in front of him, still smiling sweetly. "Go on, your Lordship. No sense in fighting it! Think of how good it will feel to be whole again. And now, he will always be here for you." He did not need to ask how he knew, after all the bastard had his cells. Both their cells. Before a scathing remark could be created in his mind, sleep claimed him as well.

Cell studied his little empire, his family with a content grin and settled himself for a long wait; he had all the time in the world. He sighed happily. It felt good to be home…

Thank you for reading, I would love to know your thoughts on this.