Counterpart to Evil

Chapter one

Awake

His very first memory was of the sound of water dripping. Before his eyes could even see it seemed to him that he was somewhere warm, somewhere musty, and somewhere wet. The dripping noise was constant, always he heard the steady "drip........drip......drip......." of water falling into water. He heard it, but he didn't know what the sound meant. His still forming brain couldn't yet translate sounds into images or even words.

One day there was another sound mixing with the familiar sound of the dripping. It was a voice and it was talking to him. The words "kill" and "destroy" and "Goku" still meant nothing to him at first, but as the words were repeated day in and day out they began to stick in his head. *What do these words mean?* was his first conscious thought. His mind was now advanced enough for him to think and wonder and dream. He began to feel. He grew aware that his legs were drawn up to his chest and his arms hugged them tightly. He grew aware that he was floating in.......something. Thicker than water and warm. And, he began to wonder *who am I?*

"You are Cell," the voice outside said. "You will destroy Son Goku. You will kill Son Goku. You are Cell. Know your name and remember it. You are Cell, and you will be the strongest fighter in all of the universe. And I am your master, your creator. I am Dr. Gero, your GOD!"

His eyes opened. His newborn vision blurred as dim light penetrated his clear green irises. Shadowy images began to make themselves clearer. A large computer console, several television screens, a surgical cart. The being called "Cell" was fully awake for the first time.

He blinked, then squinted, working his facial muscles. It was painful; they hadn't been used much before. Then he raised his arms up, stretching the ligaments and moving the joints in his shoulders and elbows. Enjoying the sensation of movement, the "creature" stretched his legs and arched his back.

It was while he was going through these motions that the "creature" noticed that he was not lying flat, but floating upright in some sort of clear liquid. The voice of Dr. Gero still echoed through the fluid, and the dripping sound he had grown so accustomed to could now be seen as a leaking faucet from a sink in one corner. The creature lowered his arms at last and

stared curiously at his hands. He moved each of the ten fingers one at a time, feeling the bones move beneath the peach-colored flesh and hardened muscle. Gingerly, he touched the tips of his fingers to the side of his face. He traced the curve of his jaw line and as he moved his hand back up again it bumped into something soft. Hair, and lots of it. He pulled his fingers through the silky strands and examined them. The knee length hair cascaded around him, gold colored and shimmering in the fluid he was suspended in. The "creature" knitted his eyebrows in confusion.

*What am I?* he thought.

"You are Cell. You will destroy Son Goku. You will kill Son Goku. You are Cell." The voice still played over and over again.

*I am......Cell?* the creature thought to himself. *Who is.......Son Goku?* And suddenly he knew. The moment "Cell" searched for an answer to that question, and image pierced his mind. The image of a dark haired man, eyes glaring, in an orange and dark blue type of uniform. The man's eyes were brought back to his side and he was saying something. What was it? "Cell" could just make out the words.

"Ka......"

Without thinking, the creature brought his arms back as far as space would allow and his mouth moved in syncopation with the strange man in his head.*Ka......*

"Me..."

Now the man's body was beginning to pulse with energy, and "Cell's" did as well. *Me...*

"Ha......."

The energy flow grew stronger; it could be felt streaming through every vein and artery. *Ha....*

"Me...."

*Me....*

A brief pause as more energy gathered, until the creature called Cell felt he would burst under the strain of his own energy. Then all at once, his arms flung forward in a mimic of the vision he was having. The spiked-haired man in the vision shouted "Ha!" and the creature echoed him.

Energy burst from "Cell's" arms, a brilliant gold light shattering the glass that contained him. The liquid gushed from the tube and out onto the floor, bringing the creature with it. He landed hard upon the floor, sending a shock through his body and momentarily stunning him. The vision was gone. It was gone and it had left behind a craving. "Cell" had tasted enormous power, and he wanted more. But how......

Well, first things were first. He was now free from that tiny prison and in an alien environment. The warmth he had felt while in the growing tube was gone. In its place was a chill, dry feeling and the sensation of air moving all around him. He coughed as his first breath of oxygen slid into his lungs. It was a strange and somewhat unpleasant feeling.

Beneath him the metal floor was also cold. Curious he slid his hands over the smooth surface of the floor. It was slick from the liquid that was pooling around him and dripping from his body. "Strange....." He gasped at the sound of his own voice, then smirked at his childishness.

"Get up..." he muttered to himself. "Stand up..." Coaching himself along, "Cell" stood, swaying slightly. There was glass all around him, so carefully he tested his walking. It was wobbly at first, but soon he got the hang of it and was parading around the room. Silently, he walked over to the faucet. That damned dripping was driving him nearly insane. He gripped the sides of the sink and pulled slightly. The entire thing ripped off and sent a torrent of water spraying at the surprised creature. He dropped the sink and shrugged. Sure, it was spraying water but at least it wasn't dripping anymore. The thought was so comical that he nearly laughed. But at that precise moment the door to the room banged open.



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A/N: Alright, I know that some of you are probably quite confused. You're probably asking yourself "Why does she keep putting Cell's name in quotation marks?" "Why did she describe Cell incorrectly?" "Isn't Cell supposed to be green?" "Why does Cell have hair?" "Why does he have green eyes?" "Why is he peach colored?!"

The answers, my friends, will be explained in the next chapter. Now, before I start getting 50 thousand reviews about how I did this "wrong" I just want to say that this is an Alternate Universe. It can get kind of complex so I'll just say this: The person in this chapter IS NOT the same Cell we all know and love (hate *cough*). Oi.......I'm just going to confuse you more so all I have to say is to read the next chapter and if you're really confused let me know and I'll explain more.

Second A/N: I forgot to mention that I'm going to be discontinuing one of my other fics, "Battle Lost." I'm at a total dead end for that story. I have so many ideas for it, but I never get around to writing the way I want it. I'd really like to pass the story on to somebody else to continue because I'd love to see it finished (just not by me. Friggin' brain 'o mine is not working with me for it.) If anyone is interested in continuing that story please either e-mail me (silent_juuhachigou@yahoo.com) or leave it in a review. Thanks!

Third A/N: Oi......me again. Can anyone draw? I'm thinking about starting a website and would love some fanart to accompany my stories and I can't draw for peanuts. Again, if anyone's interested let me know via e-mail or review.



Fourth A/N: If you're looking for a great and well constructed story, check out " Redemption" by my friend "tree-hugger." She has a knack for words and emotional scenes. The story also has a very original plot, in my opinion. .......Cripes I think my author's note is longer than my chapter. Oh well. ^_^