The Time War Chronicles Part 3: …And My Fear Is Great
This time they found themselves standing all together on a lush green plateau rather than a barren wasteland. Jadeite looked around and once again swore in angry disappointment. They still weren't back home yet. There was no sign whatsoever of there ever having been any form of activity there. There was no sign of an arena ever having existed at any point. She mused, "We always make sure to jump into a timeline where Cell exists in his final form, but there is no arena here. I don't think there ever was an arena here. He's obviously still alive at this particular moment in time, but he never held his tournament. Why in the world is that?" Shade quietly walked up beside her and then said, "I've just been feeling around for energy levels all over the whole planet. You are so not going to believe this. This planet holds the energy levels of the whole crew, but I can't feel an energy level anywhere near the level that Cell's supposed to be on. It's not anywhere." Jadeite looked him in the face and replied, "Shade, you're right. I don't believe it." She paused for a long moment to think, then said, "Ditch trying to sense his strength and try to nail down which energy level on the planet is his." Shade closed his eyes, then said, "I finally found a match for his harmonic level, but it's far too weak to be his." Jadeite's voice grew sharp and hard as she snapped around to face him. She commanded, "Shade, tell me where it is." He replied, "That'll be a bit harder, Jadeite. A level this low is very hard to localize. I'll give it a try, though." He closed his eyes again and bowed his head, then said in a strange, distant-sounding voice, "I can feel it… But where is it?" A few more moments of focused sensing allowed him to answer his own previous question. "Deep within the earth… Underground… It's in America… Guarded government facility… Top secret…" His eyes snapped open and he exclaimed, "Under the Pentagon! Jadeite, I think he's trapped!" Her eyes went wide in shock, then narrowed in anger. She said coldly, "Then we'll just have to go and free him. Come along with me right now!"
The huge swarm of Mews, 'Twos and hybrids took to the air and flew toward America at top speed. As they flew onward, Jadeite began to make plans for how they would set Cell free. Her only current idea was an all-out assault on the Pentagon, but shrewd secrecy would probably be much more necessary than any form of brute force. Lacking any other ideas of what to do, she decided to use her psychic power to try to see what sort of situation Cell was in. It didn't show on her face, but she silently sent her awareness out in a focused beam that soon reached its target. Then she lost control of the link she had just made. The thoughts and feelings of her target were just too powerful for her to handle, and so they overwhelmed her own thoughts and feelings. It was all that she could hope to do to let out a wordless cry for help before the warring thoughts shut her mind down.
Cell heard a bloodcurdling scream and turned just in time to see Jadeite falling from the sky. He wasted no time in diving down and catching her in his arms. Calling out for the others to stop, he quickly descended to the ground and laid her down. Shade landed next to him almost instantly. Cell said, "Shade, I can't get her to wake up. What could have happened to her?" Shade replied, "The moment she cried out, I felt a massive psychic backwash. Only one thing could have caused that. She must have made a psychic link and then lost control of it. The trauma is in her mind, so there's no telling when she'll wake up. Or if she'll wake up." Cell softly murmured her name. Almost as if she were responding to his feelings, Jadeite stirred slightly and then let out a soft moan. Shade leaned over her. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared straight through him, not really seeing him at all. When she finally saw him, it was plain that she didn't recognize him at all. She bolted upward with a terrified scream and quickly scrambled away from him. He reassured her in a soft voice, "It's okay, Jadeite." She gave him a confused look and said, "W-who…who's Jadeite?" Cell speculated, "Amnesia?" Shade just shrugged in reply, then asked, "What is your name?" She looked away and replied, "I…don't have one." Then she saw Cell. "You," she breathed. Her eyes got very big and then she cautiously edged closer to him. She whispered softly, "You are…him…" Shade quickly sent him a psychic command to hold still as the amnesia-ridden Jadeite edged in a bit closer to him. She looked him over and said in a low voice, "It is nothing, Father, do you hear? You cannot win this way… You will fail. Fail…yes…" Cell suppressed the urge to shudder as she slowly reached out and laid a hand on his face. "Yes," she hissed in a low voice, "White… Smooth…" She stepped a little bit closer and sang to him in a soft, quavering voice, "Where are his bones, my brother's bones…" Then she asked in a throaty growl, "What have you done with them…Father…?" Feeling a sudden surge of sheer inspiration, Cell reached out to her and then asked her, "What is it, half-Saiyan?" Jadeite shied away from him and snarled, "All Saiyan! I am nothing of yours!" She shook her fist at him and screamed accusingly, many years of pain and suffering all too evident in her shrill voice, "Child killer! Soul-destroying hatred feeder! I am all Saiyan!" Her face crumpled in pained anguish as she reached out to him imploringly and mewled in a soft voice, "No… no… I am…your son! I am a hybrid!" She slowly wandered away from him, whispering, "The otherworldliness…does not cancel out the humanity… The game… My game…is finished!" Then she turned and made an expansive gesture, indicating the whole world in its entirety. "Look," she mewled, "See what we created for you, my brother and I… Your very own kingdom built in the ashes of the Earth! No army can match the work of a hybrid when he sets his heart to it… Hear…? His heart! No man will ever see all this but you, Father…" She then pointed toward Shade. "…And 17 there! It is yours! Yours!" Tottering, she walked closer to him and made a second imploring gesture, her face mere inches from his, and said, "Now… Give it back to me… My mind! M-my self! For pity's sake, end your game!" She limply dropped to the ground, all but kissing his feet, crying, "I am your son!" Crying hysterically and shivering like a puppy someone had kicked; she curled into a ball at Cell's feet and went into a catatonic state.
Shade stepped closer and said, "That wasn't Jadeite. I think she swapped minds with the Cell of this timeline. And… If ever the people of the world wished revenge on him, that wish was granted long ago. He has been a prisoner for who knows how long. I can tell…" Cell wondered softly, "She…he takes me for Doctor Gero, my creator. I honestly didn't think he could be any more of a black-spirited pain-giver than he already was." Shade looked over at him and asked, "What can that cruel man possibly have done to him, Cell? Were he not occupying Jadeite's body, she would not hesitate to heal his tortured soul."
A soft moan came from the motionless body at Cell's feet. Jadeite sat up, looked up at them and exclaimed, "Oh! I'm back!" Cell knelt beside her and asked, "What happened to you, Jadeite?" She appeared to be in a state of shock as she shivered and stared into the distance, making small wordless sounds of grief and pain. Her voice was soft and distant as she hesitantly replied; "It was…so strange… One moment…I was here, then…the next…I was…somewhere else… Imprisoned… The cage was small…white… There was only one little door… And a small mattress…on the floor…for me to sleep on… Most of my time…was spent…cringing fearfully…and praying that…the door would not open… But…it did… God help me, it did… And then…he came…" She choked on the last couple of whispered words. Then her slender hand came up to touch her throat and she continued, "I wore…a collar…like a dog… For the life of me, I couldn't use my powers! The collar…it suppressed…my powers… I couldn't stop him… He came in…and he told me…that I…would suffer…for what…I had done… And then…it started… The pain… I thought…for sure…that I was…going to die… Why did he…do all of this…to me?" Feeling that she had explained enough of the situation to them, Jadeite finally succumbed to the anguish she felt. She curled around herself, bowed her head low and began to cry softly, shedding the unwept tears of a frighteningly lonely, painful life that wasn't hers. Shade looked at her and said, "This is terrible, Cell. What on Earth could that horrible man have done to her in such a short time to traumatize her so badly?" Cell just shrugged as he knelt by Jadeite and touched her shoulder. Recognizing her love even through the turmoil that boiled within her mind, she dove straight into his arms and spent the next few minutes sobbing helplessly as he held her. As she did so, she used her powers and answered Shade's rhetorical question. Her mind opened up to the two of them and she showed them agony beyond any and all imagining. She showed them tortures that had been designed specifically for a hybrid, took them to new depths of pain and suffering and finally topped it all off with the wild, raging, hopeless despair of a lifelong captive.
When she finished, Shade was throwing up and Cell was trying to crawl under a rock. Given a little bit of time to recover from the things that she had just shown to them, things quickly got back to some semblance of normality. Now Shade and Cell knew exactly why she was so determined to rescue the Cell of their current dimension. So they were in on it all the way, being just as determined to rescue him as she was. They quickly began to conspire together, trying to plan what they would do to rescue him. It only took a little while for them to decide on an attack strategy. They would mount an attack on the Pentagon and take over the place floor by floor until they found where Cell was hidden.
Soon they stood all together on the grass by the entrance to the Pentagon. Jadeite and Cell nodded to each other, walked up to the double reinforced steel doors and worked together to pry them open. Even though their strength was prodigious, getting those doors to open up took almost all of their strength. When the doors were finally opened, an alarm shrieked out, momentarily deafening the lot of them. Lights flashed. The response to the alarm was almost instantaneous. Dozens of heavily armed soldiers charged onto the scene and took aim at the lot of them. Jadeite quickly looked over her shoulder at the group of gathered 'Twos and then called out to them, "Shields up!" Great glowing balls of blue light blue energy enveloped each individual 'Two. The crew raised their energy levels and flared their auras, thereby guaranteeing at least a little bit of protection. Then she stepped forward and shouted, "Be ready! I'm going to force my way through! At least a few of you had better stay and watch the exit! I'm going to try to do this solo! Zoisite! Malachite! You two take some folks along with you and go down the first left-hand hallway you come to! Tanzanite! Morganite! Do the same, but go to the right! Kunzite! You, Calcite and Nephrite watch our backs! Everyone else keep an eye out for anything suspicious!" She charged at the soldiers as her friends split up down adjacent corridors, using her superior speed to her advantage, and began to clobber them as fast as she could. They outnumbered her by far and things got hairy when they all ganged up on her. This is worse than I thought! She soon found herself pinned down by the weight of dozens of human bodies. I was wrong to think I could do it alone. Struggling frantically, she fought to break free but couldn't. If only I could use the Staff of Ra! But I can't in this dark place. There's no sunlight. They were savagely beating on her, trying to weaken her enough so they could take her prisoner. I wish Cell had taught me how to use energy blasts! It looked like her quest was going to be over before it could even really begin. This is just perfect. Consciousness began to slowly slip away. This is the first casualty on our side in all of our battles, and it has to be me. Darkness was closing in on her from all sides. This is just my luck. Jeez, it seems like I'm always the one who ends up suffering.
There was a great shout from the side, a sudden bright flash of light and a loud crash. The soldiers who had held her pinned were now retreating as fast as they could. Jadeite stood back up again and looked at her rescuers. "Cell! Shade! Mewtwo!" She ran straight into Cell's arms and just held him tight. She whispered to him softly, "I knew you'd come." Mewtwo nodded and said, (Yes… That's right… We felt the same.) Shade then cut in; "We couldn't just abandon you, even though you told us to do that. We are meant to fight together." Cell interrupted, "That's right. We have to fight together." Mewtwo finished, (And as our power increases, even the impossible becomes possible. We must join our powers to fight together!) The drama of the moment died away into nothingness as Shade got right down to business and said simply, "Send out the signal!" Jadeite slipped out of Cell's arms and then stood up tall on her own. She stretched her slender hands toward the sky and focused her powers. Her thoughts rolled through the corridors of the Pentagon to reach the other 'Twos and hybrids. Each and every one of them stopped what they were doing when they heard Jadeite's call. They stretched their hands toward the sky and sent out their power. Far away, the stupendous transformation that had occurred in the battle against the Great Destroyer repeated itself. A bright flash of light dazzled Cell, Shade and Mewtwo. When they could see again, they saw that Jadeite had become Eternal Jadeite.
She stepped forward, turned back to face the three of them and said sharply, her voice full of determination; "We have to find the Cell of this dimension!" Her next thoughts echoed in their minds like distant thunder. No matter what the odds are, I'll never lose hope! Cell, Shade and Mewtwo could only follow along behind her as she started down the hallway. They systematically swept the main floor room by room. "There's no one here," Cell called from the threshold of yet another empty room. "Or here," Shade amended from a second threshold. Mewtwo wondered, (Where did they go?) Shade cut in frankly; "We're lucky the soldiers aren't here." Cell turned to him and replied in a confused tone, "But we haven't even seen a scientist or a technician. Could this be a trap?" Mewtwo turned to Eternal Jadeite and said, (I've been trying to sense where in this building the Cell of this dimension is. But I can't get a fix on the structure of this building or our coordinates. The power levels of all the 'Twos and hybrids are affecting each other and that's throwing the readings into chaos.) Shade, who had miraculously found a map of the building, stepped forward and said, "Let's go to the basement. The laboratories are all clustered down there. Maybe we'll find a sign of where to look." Cell nodded to him and then cut in; "Here's the plan. The others will head down from the main floor, searching each as they go. The four of us will go to the basement. Let's go!" Cell, Shade, Mewtwo and Eternal Jadeite piled into the nearest elevator and thusly headed for the basement.
Shade leaned up against the wall and tried to keep his cool. Mewtwo loitered agitatedly. Cell paced back and forth, his apprehension evident to everyone else. Eternal Jadeite looked around at the elevator walls, sensing something wrong. We keep going faster… She felt the rough, irregular rumbling of the elevator's mechanism and had a bad feeling about the near future. This is strange. She could tell that something big was coming up. The elevator was going much too fast. No normal elevator went that fast. The trip was taking way too long. It's almost as if we're heading into a bottomless pit. She turned to the side and said, "I wonder if the others are all right." Shade laughed tensely and said, "Would you rather be with them? I'm sure they're all right." Eternal Jadeite asked, "Aren't you three scared?" She blushed a bit, giggled nervously, then said in a rush, "I'm terrified! Things like invading a military installation and being stuck in the elevator that won't stop are just what set me off!" She became serious and brought her hands to her face, then continued in a low, sad voice; "I start feeling like I'm alone. I'm scared. I just keep getting these bad feelings." Cell turned toward her and said, "You can't call this lonely. Loneliness is more infinite in its scope. Like when that man took me in after the white squall…" Eternal Jadeite turned to face him and asked, "Tell me… What was it like there?" Cell looked away from her momentarily, studying the elevator wall as if it had suddenly become something of great interest to him. Then he said softly, "It was a sad place. There was no one there. I was completely alone. There was no one to help me with the emotional turmoil I felt. It was a lonely place. But no matter how lonely I got…" He turned back to her and smiled. Then he continued, "I could think of my home far away and remember you. For me, that was a ray of light. With that ray of light came strength. There was nothing I couldn't do. That light would always lead me. It told me: It's all right. Don't give up." Shade then stopped leaning up against the wall and looked around at the elevator walls nervously. He remarked softly, "So long…" He paused for a long moment and then said, "This is taking too long." Mewtwo's face contorted in an expression of genuine worry as he swiftly interrupted; (I'm worried about all the others.)
Right then, the unthinkable happened. They heard a loud metallic screeching sound, as if metal was being scraped against metal. The sound deafened the lot of them. The elevator suddenly stopped, throwing the lot of them straight down to the floor. Then the floor they had all just landed on dropped away into a terrifying abyss. Screaming in stark terror, the four of them fell away into the deep darkness that now yawned below them. Cell cried, reaching out to her, "Jadeite!" She screamed out in response, "Shade! Mewtwo! Cell!"
Eternal Jadeite had no idea of how long she had been falling, or how far she had already fallen. It's totally dark! She couldn't see a thing. I'm scared. She thought of the ones she had been with, and wondered about what had happened to them after they entered the deep darkness. I'm too scared to speak! The faces of Cell, Mewtwo and Shade flashed through her frightened mind. Where is everybody? She thought of the Magnificent Seven. Kunzite! Nephrite! Calcite! Zoisite! Malachite! Morganite! Tanzanite! Their smiling faces flashed through her mind as well, and their images were accompanied by a growing fear. If I knew I'd be this worried, I never would have had us split up. She thought of Cell again, but this time the image that came to her mind was completely tainted with worry. Cell! I can't do anything alone. What should I do? I'm alone in this darkness! What can I do? The thought of how alone she now was sparked the memory of what had happened between them in the moment before the four of them were dumped out of the elevator. She remembered Cell's earlier words. 'It was a ray of light… With that ray of light came strength. There was nothing I couldn't do. That light would always lead me. It told me 'It's all right. Don't give up.' It was almost as though she could see the ray of light that he had spoken of and she felt a renewed strength. Always… She looked up at the light. Everyone shows me the light and leads the way… Feeling warmth inside her, she curled up into a fetal position. Whenever I feel crushed, I always remember… Memories of past battles and past victories flooded through her mind. I have that light in my heart. She thought of all of the 'Twos, her hybrid sons, the sweet little Mews and the brave crew. It's everyone's hearts joined as one. She then reached out to the shining ray of light and summoned its power, recognizing it for what it truly was. It was the embodiment of hope itself. I just have to believe that in one moment that light will shine forth. Her fear died away into nothingness, and its passing fully restored her power. I am Eternal Jadeite! I glow with the power that everyone gave me! She felt the Moon Star Wand's presence in her hand and knew what came next with a pure instinctual certainty. I will be the light to pierce this night! I won't give in to any darkness or fear! She used her power to create a bubble of pure light around herself. It also enveloped Cell, Shade and Mewtwo. They opened their eyes and looked around. The darkness was completely gone. All was light. They turned to Eternal Jadeite. Cell asked, "Did you do this?" She just nodded to them.
They ever so gently touched down on the floor of the elevator shaft. "Well," Eternal Jadeite quipped tensely, "At least we're at the bottom." Its purpose fulfilled, the bubble of light was sucked back into the Moon Star Wand. Knowing that they still needed light, Eternal Jadeite allowed the scepter to glow brightly. She illuminated things for the others as they searched the walls for the sliding door that would let them out of the elevator shaft. Eventually Cell cried out, "I found it! Hey, Jadeite, help me pry it open!" Eternal Jadeite put the Moon Star Wand in the crook of her elbow and went to help Cell pry the door open. The door opened much more easily than had the steel doors that initially barred their entrance to the Pentagon. The metal warped and tore beneath their hands as it was eventually forced to yield to their superior strength. Then the door slowly opened.
A man with sandy brown hair, blue-gold glasses and a long white lab coat stood before them, an odd smile plastered all over his face. Eternal Jadeite immediately recognized him as the man who had tortured her in her vision. "Welcome to my laboratory," he said in a low voice that carried an undeniable sense of threatening menace. Great dark shapes loomed behind him, evil-looking coral eyes glowing. A low growling sound filled the air as an undertone to the menacing words that he spoke next; "We've been waiting for you." He laughed at them evilly and said, "My darling Destroyers are ready for their dinner." Then he screamed, "They will feast upon your living flesh before this battle ends!" The low growling became a series of savage roars as a group of ugly creatures that looked like hideously twisted caricatures of Cell charged forward to attack them. Shade quickly stepped forward and did The Wave. Several of the creatures were immediately destroyed. Mewtwo then came forward, tossing out energy balls like there was no tomorrow. More of the creatures were destroyed. Inhuman shrieks were heard as the man laughed out loud and said, "I'm not done yet! I can make as many Destroyers as I want!" More savage roars were heard as another posse of Destroyers stepped into the open behind the man. Eternal Jadeite screamed out, "Enough already!" She took a small step forward, then clenched her fists tightly and demanded loudly, "We don't want to fight with you! Where's Cell?" The man sneered and repeated, "Cell? My former creation?" He then cackled insanely and said, "Right now he would be in his cage, 'enjoying' the poisonous gases I just pumped in!" Shocked, Eternal Jadeite echoed, "Poisonous gases?" The man laughed at her expression of horror and said in reply, "Exactly. He should be beginning to feel their effects about…now." Finally getting the desired results from his continuous scans, Mewtwo shouted, (He's directly ahead!) The man then said, meanwhile taking off his lab coat and unbuttoning the shirt beneath, "Too bad. This is where you will die!" Diseased-looking yellowish flames danced around his body and nauseating wet crackling noises were heard as his body began to change. He said gleefully, "You will be my first victims!" The change quickly completed itself and a different-looking grotesque mockery of Cell stood there. He roared in a voice that sounded like people banging rocks together, "I am the Devourer!" The four gaped at him. Cell cried in shock, "Destroyer!" The obscene monstrosity gave an unnatural shriek and replied, "I am not a Destroyer! I am a super being! A union of hybrid and human!" He then lunged forward with a loud roar and snarled, "Die!" The four just barely managed to dodge his first fearsome strike. Eternal Jadeite was separated from the rest of them. She swung the Moon Star Wand toward him. She paused for a second, thinking, Just a few moments ago he was a man! That moment's pause was far too long. A second strike just barely missed hitting her, its closeness knocking her down to the floor. Cell quickly moved in from off to the side, preparing to do The Wave. He cast a quick glance her way and cried out to her in a frantic voice, "He's not a human! He's a Destroyer! The enemy!" Then he released The Wave. The Devourer merely swung around and struck Cell, knocking him down to the ground with a cry of pain. Eternal Jadeite saw it happen and cried, "Cell!" Wasting no more time on anything, she swung the Moon Star Wand toward the monstrosity once again and cried out, "White spiral twister!" The bright white beam of pure cleansing energy struck the Devourer full on and, with a hideous scream, it just dissolved away into nothingness.
Eternal Jadeite had to resist the urge to relax after finishing that. She knew for a fact that the Cell of this dimension was in grave danger of losing his life at that very moment. Holding the Moon Star Wand tightly in one hand and forgetting that she even had it, she charged forward at a flat-out sprint. A few short seconds later, she practically crashed face first into the reinforced glass that lay straight ahead of her. Pulling to a fast stop, she looked in. It was the same small room that she had seen in her earlier vision. Sickly yellowish-colored mists swirled around within the room, making everything inside the room look very dim and hazy. She could just barely manage to see a dark form in the far corner. Cell lay crumpled on the ground, clutching at his throat and coughing feebly, his face contorted in extreme pain. Getting right down to business, Eternal Jadeite swiftly punched the glass with all of her strength. It didn't even do so much as budge under her strike. She tried punching the glass a few more times with no results whatsoever. She promptly began to panic. She was quickly running out of time to save Cell's life! Losing her cool in a major way, she swiftly brought the Moon Star Wand around and pointed it right at the glass. Not bothering to choose any form of strategy or any type of attack, she just let out a wordless, feral scream of fear, anger and desperation. An almost invisible shockwave erupted from the scepter. Then the glass exploded. She would have charged straight into the room right after she did that, but she knew that she had to do something about the poisonous gases first. Switching into a blast of plasma fire, she simply let loose right into the room and hoped for the best. The best was indeed what she got, for the poisonous gases spontaneously combusted and were incinerated, leaving everything else in the room completely untouched. Now that the poisonous gases were all gone, there was nothing stopping her from going right in. She barely even paused after incinerating all of the poisonous gases, allowing the same movement that had made her release her power into the room to carry her past the shattered glass. Spreading her shining white wings wide at the very top of her leap, she swiftly glided over to where Cell had fallen.
Cell stirred slightly where he lay, hearing the sound of something strange cutting through the air and then feeling a presence beside him. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at her. He made as if to speak to her, but succumbed to a harsh fit of coughing instead. It was a few relatively long minutes before he could manage to speak. His voice was a low, harsh rasp as he whispered feebly, "W-where is…he?" Eternal Jadeite's face twisted in rage and she hissed in a voice positively dripping with hatred, "Don't worry about that dishonorable snake. He will not hurt you ever again." She gave him access to her most recent memories and thusly showed him exactly what had become of the man who had tortured him so many times. Knowing that he was finally free of the terror that had made up his life, Cell laughed weakly, then started coughing again. He smiled up at her and whispered, "Thank you for releasing me… Too bad…it's too late…" She shook her head and took him in her arms. She whispered to him comfortingly, "Let it begin here. I will drive the poison from your body." Shifting ever so slightly, he said, "But…I…" Shaking her head once again, she said softly, "Hush, now. No more words." He promptly shut up. Just before she got started, she warned, "This may hurt a bit. Make sure you hold still."
Eternal Jadeite quickly slipped into a trance state, sending her full psychic awareness into his body. In less than half of an instant, she raced through his bloodstream, flashed along his synapses and was a part of everything that was happening within him. She felt the poison's detrimental effect as it was taking place within him and then she got right down to work on correcting that. Her psychic presence within his body became like a potent acid; quickly scouring his body until there was no more of the poison left. Once she had finished eradicating every trace of the poison, she promptly started to repair the damage that it had already caused within him. Upon finishing up the job, she returned to herself.
Cell sat up and looked at her once again, completely confused by her utterly strange, semi-human appearance. Pausing for a long moment to shake off his disorientation, he asked her, "What are you?" She smiled at him, glad that she had succeeded in removing the poison from his body. Answering his question, she replied, "In this form, I'm called Eternal Jadeite. I'm a hybrid like you." He exclaimed, "Like me? But how can this be? I'm the only one! And you're not like me!" He shook his head, denying the similarity to him that she professed to have. "You have hair…just like a human!" He grabbed her long silver hair and tugged on it. She yelped in pain. "Your wings are white!" He gently touched her shimmery wing. "Your armor certainly isn't green like mine is!" He lightly traced the platinum-hued filigree on her forearm. "And what's up with this star here?" She flinched as he pointed to the eight-point star on her forehead. He withdrew when she drew back and replied, "This isn't my true form. Rather, I assume this form for dangerous battles, like the one against that bad man." After a moment's pause to think a little bit, he asked, "The things you showed to me before… What was up with all those energy beams that I saw you using?" She relaxed slightly and then replied, "That power is the birthright of the hybrid race…but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" He shook his head and, at a loss for words, simply pointed to the collar around his neck. Eternal Jadeite nodded curtly and then said, "Right you are. I know that thing's locked onto you in such a way that it is almost impossible to remove, but I don't have to take it off of you in order to get rid of it. All right, now I need you to hold still once again." She reached out and touched the collar lightly. Focusing her full power, she quickly disintegrated it.
Cell gasped in pure shocked awe and writhed momentarily as the collar quickly dissolved away into nothingness. A wild, searing heat then filled his entire body from top to bottom and side to side. His thoughts blazed through his mind like burning comets. Liquid fire flowed through his veins. His breath came quick and harsh as he reeled under the impact of more sensations than he had names for. His heart raced twice as fast as normal and he thought for sure that he would pass out. Energy crackled along his whole body and he felt the power surging within every fiber of his being. The wild frenzy of exquisite sensation slowly died down to a more bearable level as the great surge of awesome power that Eternal Jadeite had released within him finally calmed. The searing heat left his body and he felt something close to normal. They both stood up. Eternal Jadeite looked toward where Shade and Mewtwo stood together with her Cell and said, "I guess it's all over now. All we have to do is leave this joint. I'll go back to normal now." There was a flash of pale white light and Cell saw that she had changed to become a lot more like him. Her wings were black and her armor was green, and she had a high double crest like him. Strangely, the light didn't die away. He heard her voice echo as she said without her mouth moving, "Something's very wrong here." The hybrid became a lithe white-furred feline with wings. The winged feline became a smallish human female. The light died away as Laura collapsed. Shade was beside her in an instant. She sat up and said, "What? I'm a human? Ah, nuts!" She freaked out momentarily, then calmed down, saying, "I don't need my powers right now. All we have to do is leave." After a few seconds, she stood up, gestured toward Shade, Mewtwo and the two Cells and ordered, "Let's go!"
Since they had been dumped out of the elevator before it had reached the bottom, it was completely useless to them. They had to take the stairs to get to the main floor. Laura led them along at a half-run down a longish hallway, heading for the nearest staircase. Her hybrid sons and the 'Twos were waiting for them at the top of the stairs. She skidded to a halt and nearly ran into something at the sound of an inhuman shriek from behind her. For a short moment, a cry of terror and agony mingled with the unnatural screech. Laura abruptly turned…and saw both Shade and Mewtwo blasting a rogue Destroyer that had jumped her Cell. The one she had rescued was practically cowering against the far wall. For a moment, she thought, I don't blame him. He, after all, had lived a life of stark terror and wrenching pain until less than two minutes ago. Fear was all that he really knew.
The lone Destroyer disintegrated under Shade and Mewtwo's combined assault, revealing what it had done to Cell. The unfortunate hybrid was down on the ground, lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling. But the most horrifying thing of all was that his entire throat was gone. In its place was a huge bloody wound. He was still breathing, or at least trying to breathe, albeit barely. His limbs twitched feebly and rich arterial blood sprayed from the grievous wound the Destroyer had dealt to his throat. Thick streams of blood frothed from both his nose and his mouth. He choked and then coughed weakly, spraying more blood as his tortured body feebly convulsed. Laura practically threw herself to the ground and landed by his side. She tried to heal him and failed miserably. Desperate, she exhorted, "You have power, remember, remember the power…" She went on like that for a few seconds. Then she heard the chorus of inhuman shrieks that rang in the hallway. A group of five Destroyers quickly leapt out of various hiding places to stand between the five of them and the stairway that was their one and only safe path out of the building.
Laura turned away from Cell, not knowing what else she could do to help him out. She then looked at the Destroyers and seemed to go completely mad at the sight of them. Her big blue eyes went wide. Her pretty face twisted in a ferocious snarl. Her breath came quickly and harshly. Each inhalation was a sharp hiss through tightly clenched teeth and each exhalation was a low, raspy growl. She slowly stood back up. Right behind her, completely unnoticed, Cell was beginning to heal. Too weak to do anything save watch her, he looked at her as she trembled with the sheer rage that she felt. He couldn't call out to her. He couldn't even move. It was all he could do just to open his eyes and keep them open. His strength was returning, but it was returning too slowly for him. She hissed and growled in a feral fashion and her small hands curled into fists as she stepped forward. Shade touched her shoulder and she reacted violently to the touch, whirling momentarily and snarling in his face, "Back off, creep!" Then she practically threw Mewtwo over her shoulder. He used his psychic powers to catch himself in midair and landed beside Shade. He turned to the flustered 'Three and said, (What's going on here?) Shade replied, "I've only seen her like this once before in my entire life, and I nearly died because of it. She had mental problems when we were kids, including severe emotional instability and a volatile temper the likes of which I have yet to encounter again. Do you remember the Cell Games that she took part in a while back? This seems like that all over again. But she seems different this time around…more like the evil version of Cell than my sister."
Laura dropped down into a ready position that practically had her down on all fours and regarded the five Destroyers before her with an expression of the purest hatred. Her eyes narrowed and she bared her teeth as she slowly tilted her head downward. Then her head snapped backward as she emitted a sound that no one had previously known the human throat was even capable of producing. She released a bizarre shriek that sounded like nothing ever heard before on Earth as she ran forward to leap at the five Destroyers.
Shade and Mewtwo stood together as they watched Laura attacking the five Destroyers. She dodged their attempts to hit her and hit them back with great force. Mewtwo gulped hastily at the sight of the expression on her face. She wore a look of insane ecstasy. The pair of 'Twos then felt a presence behind them. A rough, uncertain voice choked through a throat full of blood, "What…happened…?" Shade turned around and saw Cell standing behind them, leaning heavily against the nearest wall, barely able to remain standing. The wound on his throat was mostly gone. Where his throat had been torn out there was now just a deep bloody gash. He looked calm, but Shade could tell his pain from the careful stiffness in his movements. He coughed harshly and then repeated, "What happened?" That really got Shade moving. He was beside Cell in an instant, saying, "You shouldn't be standing up just yet. For goodness sakes, I swear you have no common sense." Just shrugging Shade's comments off, Cell repeated a third time, "What happened?" Shade told him about what was going on. Then they both watched Laura's fight again. She appeared to be enjoying herself immensely, since she was teasing the five Destroyers and almost letting them get to her, but deftly dodging at the very last possible moment. Shade heard her wild, insane laughter and said in an uncertain voice, "She's not the Laura I knew, now. It's terrifying. I wonder…is this the true Laura? Is this violent behavior her true colors? I've seen her being nice… I've seen her being nasty… But I wonder which of these is her true self. Is Laura nice with nasty tendencies, or the other way around?" The stress and strain of valiantly trying to remain standing even despite his grave injury quickly drained the wounded Cell's meager reserves of strength and he collapsed, just barely managing to catch himself before he would have hit the floor with his face. He tried to get back up again, but he soon found that all he could do was force himself into a low crouch. Shade saw this happening and quickly knelt down beside him. Unwilling to acknowledge that he was still very weak, Cell just asked the 'Three, "Her true self? What do you mean by that?" Shade shook his head, looked away and replied in a low voice, "You're not going to believe this. All that you thought you knew about her… Her altruism, her righteousness, her mercy, her wry wit, her kind gentleness… All of these are traits that she had to work hard to acquire. She was originally very different from the woman you know. She was something much darker…" He trailed off uncertainly, unable to meet Cell's gaze. The injured hybrid asked, "What do you mean, she was something much darker?" Shade replied, "In all her time with you, Laura never spoke of her past. Had she told you, this is what you would have learned about her. She went insane at the age of nine. She split her undying anger away from the rest of her young mind and made a whole new identity out of it. Supposedly she reintegrated it into her when she reached adulthood, but now I'm not so sure that she did. What if she's not whole now? Which of the two forces is really her real self? What is in control of her now? Her…or her anger?"
Off to the side, Mewtwo suddenly gave a strangled psychic cry of horror and pure disgust. (My God! Look what she's doing now!) Shade and Cell both turned and looked, and they were unanimously shocked by what they now saw. Laura had stopped teasing the Destroyers. Now she was truly fighting them. They looked on in awe as she beat all five Destroyers clear into the floor. Then she began to get really nasty. The four watchers turned away from her, unable to stomach what happened next. Shade was screaming incoherently. Mewtwo was throwing up all over the floor. The injured Cell had dropped back down to the ground and assumed the standard 'duck-and-cover' position. The other Cell was cowering more than ever. The wet tearing sounds they now heard were hideous.
The gruesome sounds finally ceased and the four heard nothing except heavy breathing. After a few seconds of that, they finally dared to look. What they saw alarmed them. Laura stood as still as a statue in the middle of unimaginable carnage. The entire floor was stained a vile purplish hue within a twelve-foot radius of where she currently stood. The five Destroyers were still there, but they were barely recognizable as having been such. Laura had literally torn them apart. As they all watched Laura returned to herself, surveyed the carnage, then swiftly turned around and vomited violently in the corner. She turned to face them, way too shell-shocked to notice Cell staring at her, quite alive. She said in a quivering voice, "Guys, what happened here?" Shade stepped forward, gestured for her to look downward and replied, "You happened." She looked downward, saw the blood that drenched her entire body and screamed at the sight of it. Then she fainted.
Behind the two staring 'Twos, Cell saw this and got fed up with waiting for his healing to finish itself up on its own. Since the regeneration process is turning out to be way too slow, I'll hurry it along…using my own innate power as fuel! He closed his eyes and concentrated on the task that he had set before himself. Shade and Mewtwo were both tossed head over heels as a wave of energy suddenly exploded forth from Cell's body. The two of them turned around as one to see Cell rise to his feet with no hint of even the slightest weakness as he burned at the very heart of a huge crackling golden aura. His milk-white face was completely expressionless, but his coral eyes blazed with sheer determination. The only evidence left of his previously life-threatening injury was a wide smear of drying purplish blood across the pale, unmarked flesh of his throat. He didn't really seem to notice either of them as he silently strode forward, brushed past the both of them without even so much as a word and quietly walked in closer to the fallen Laura. He knelt and scooped her up in his arms, then turned to face the pair of 'Twos as the golden aura surrounding him died away into nothingness. "Gather around me," he said, "I'm going to try to use Instant Transmission to get us all out of here before anything else happens. Mewtwo, I want you to call the others once we're all on the surface." Shade laid a hand on Cell's shoulder and grabbed Mewtwo by the tail. Mewtwo used his telekinesis to float the other Cell a little bit closer, whereupon he laid a hand on Mewtwo's shoulder.
They were all standing together up on the surface before any of them knew it. Shade let go of Mewtwo's tail, whereupon the other 'Two turned and sent out a psychic cry to all the 'Twos and hybrids who could hear. (We're done here, everyone! Pull back! Now!) The response to his message was pretty much instantaneous. Some blasted up through the ground. Others flew out through the doors that they had so carefully guarded. Others used Instant Transmission. However they chose to make their exit didn't really matter all that much, since they were all up at the surface in an instant. Once everyone was up on the surface, they unanimously decided to just kick back and relax, except for Shade, Mewtwo and both versions of Cell. They stayed by the side of the unconscious Laura, waiting for her to awaken. A few seconds passed. A pale white light began to glow faintly from within her body. It grew in brightness until they all had to look away. When they could see again, they saw that Jadeite lay in place of the human woman who had been there previously. It didn't take all that long for her to awaken after that. Cell leaned over her as she stirred gently and slowly opened her eyes. His face was the very first thing she saw.
He helped her to sit up and she looked around in a disoriented fashion, confused by the sudden change of scenery. She looked at the dried blood still smeared across his throat and wordlessly fell into his arms, weeping over what she had done. Mewtwo stepped forward, gave Cell a sideways glance and said, (Let me. This is a moment for Saiyans.) The hybrid obediently moved backward and let the 'Two speak to Jadeite. He touched her face and she looked at him, her coral eyes full of bitter tears. (You did well,) he said to her softly, (You brought us victory.) She twitched violently at his words, and then looked away; refusing to meet his gaze, and protested weakly, "I couldn't have…" He grabbed her face in his paws and forced her to look at him. He then bellowed directly in her face, (You are a Saiyan! That is what Saiyans do!) She looked down at her slender hands, an expression of pure distress on her milk-white face, and said, "But to kill…!" He tore open the vaults of her mind, reviving her memories of the battle for New Island, her actions as Jade Falcon, the actions of Eternal Jadeite against the Great Destroyer and his hybrid servants, and, last but not least, how Eternal Jadeite had fearlessly faced the Devourer. As she wailed in anguish over the memories that he had forced upon her, he shouted, (This is nothing new! You have killed before, and you will kill again! You have nothing to regret! You just did what you had to do! There can be no guilt from doing what must be done!) She drew back away from him just a little bit, crying a bit harder at his words. It was right then that Mewtwo gave in to the feelings that he had always made sure to keep well hidden from everyone else and even from his own conscious mind. His wide violet eyes blazed a brighter blue than they ever had before and he swiftly drew back his paw. Less than an instant later, Jadeite reeled back as Mewtwo punched her straight in the face. He let out an insane psychic scream as he hit her again and again. There was a swift blur of green and black and suddenly Mewtwo was unable to continue his attacks on Jadeite. Cell had him in a strong headlock and wasn't about to let him go for any reason. Jadeite recovered from the shock of having Mewtwo attack her, stood up and walked over to him. She asked him, "Mewtwo, why did you do that?" He sneered at her and then replied, (I did it because I would have been so much happier if you had never become Jadeite!)
She understood why he thought that. Shifting into Mewthree, she asked him frankly, "Perhaps you would have preferred it if I had remained like this…?" Cell released Mewtwo, who charged up to Mewthree and practically tackled her. His entire body shook as she gently stroked his furry back. They were both mildly surprised to find that Mewtwo had the ability to cry. This was the first time that he had ever done so. He spoke to Mewthree alone at that point. (You were everything to me, Mewthree…) No one else could hear him. All that they felt and heard from Mewtwo was silence. (We were one.) Mewthree understood everything now, including why Mewtwo had attacked her mere moments before. (God, how I loved you.) He silently sobbed against her furry shoulder, pouring out every drop of pain that he had felt ever since that day so very long ago when Mewthree had initially become Jadeite and left him. Her love had meant so much to him. (Then you were ripped away from me and I was forced into this cold, lonely life.) He clung to her tightly. She had been so terribly remiss in paying attention to Mewtwo! (When that happened, I fell into deep despair. I thought I'd never feel that love again.) She whispered to him in a voice so soft that no one else could hear what she said next, "Mewtwo, I may wear the form of Jadeite most of the time, but I'm also still Mewthree. I do not need to choose between them. I can be both of them. I still love you, but I have an obligation to Cell. As Jadeite, I can't love you. Love between a 'Two and a hybrid can never be. So forgive me if it seems that I don't love you. As Jadeite, my mind is different and my instincts urge me toward Cell. But when I'm Mewthree… Cell is nothing to me then." She held him tight and they engaged in a long kiss. As they kissed, Mewthree said into Mewtwo's mind, (No matter what form I wear, this heart of mine beats only for you.)
She then stepped away from him, sending a psychic wink his way first, then turned to Cell and said, "The 'Twos need a leader far more than the hybrids need a mother. After all, there are no more children. And the situation calls for far more than what Jadeite can possibly hope to give. A hybrid cannot lead the 'Twos properly, in the way that they truly deserve to be led. A 'Three and only a 'Three can ever hope to do it correctly. There is only one other 'Three here, and that is Shade. But he doesn't have nearly enough of the life experience that is necessary for one to be able to lead others properly." She lifted off the ground, spreading her angelic white wings wide, looked at everyone who was below her and then said, "I believe that, now more than ever, this team needs Mewthree!" The air shattered into a medley of sounds as every single one of the 'Twos began to cheer at the top of their lungs, shouting out their approval of her decision as loud as they could.
She sought out Adam and Eve first of all. Looking upon the adult Eve, she voiced her approval of how the child had grown and asked her, "Do you still remember me?" Eve hugged her and replied, "Yes. I had almost forgotten. But I remember you now." Adam stepped up and said, "I took care of Eve while you were gone. I tried to do like you did, but I couldn't." Mewtwo hugged her too. He said, (I did the only thing I could think of to keep the memory of you alive. Hang around with Snowfall for a while and you'll see.)
She had pledged to be Mewthree for as long as the situation required it, and as Mewthree she remained. Night fell and she stayed with the other 'Twos. Snowfall sat by the fire that everyone had worked so hard to make and hugged her two children to her. Mewthree felt her heart shatter into a million pieces as the female 'Two began to sing a familiar song to her two sons. "When you feel all alone…" It was right then that Mewtwo came up right beside her and gently took her in his arms. He sent feelings of reassurance into her mind and said, (This is what I did. The song you sang for me and for Adam is now the first lullaby written by and for our species. As long as there are 'Twos in the world, this song will be sung and we will be remembered.) She turned toward Mewtwo, nodded and replied, "We will all be remembered, we the firstborn. Mew is already receiving that. Everyone calls her Grandmother Mew now. It fits, since she is your mother and you're effectively the father of all the 'Twos. And you deserve it more than most, being the first 'Two there ever was." Mewtwo touched her shoulder and finished, (And you shall go down in history even as I do, being the first 'Three there ever was. Don't forget that. And you shall go down doubly with Shade, since you two are my only surviving creators.)
They spent the night nestled in each other's arms, Mewtwo and Mewthree. He got her up to speed with the latest news on the state of the condition and about how things were going with the group of 'Twos. Love and romance was blossoming all around them. Amber and T.C had become mates after a long courtship, and they were expecting their firstborn child relatively soon. Shade was falling in with Ana and Eve had a pretty good thing going with Mist. Cooler had a childish crush on Rose and Freezer was drawn to Meiwa as his first love. The Mews were still breeding at a furious rate. The Magnificent Seven all had girls who had fallen for them. Kunzite had Marla. Malachite had Candy. Zoisite had Mercury. Nephrite had Samantha. The other three had fallen in with 'Twos from the group that had been rescued from the Team Rocket base at Ayers Rock. The old taboo no longer meant much of anything, since the seven hybrids were also part 'Two. They even had some 'Three DNA in them, which they had all inherited from their mother. So it was okay for them to choose mates from among the ranks of the 'Twos. And she had an idea. Since she could change between any of her forms at will, could they do it too? She, like them, was partly a hybrid and partly a 'Three. Could they also transform to become 'Twos, just as she could? Maybe they could even become 'Threes! Mewthree wondered whether or not her hypothesis was true. She decided that she would see about that in the morning. That could be helpful. The mixture of hybrid powers, Mew powers and the power held by the 'Twos could be a bad combination. If it were mostly 'Twos concentrating on the creation of a dimensional rift, and not a motley crew of hybrids and psychic felines, maybe they could get a little closer to their home dimension. First thing in the morning, she would teach the seven hybrids how to transform into 'Twos. But first she would get some sleep and just plain enjoy Mewtwo's presence.
Morning came quickly. The rising sun saw the seven hybrids standing all in a row, gazing at Mewthree as she paced back and forth in front of them. Her tail wagged from side to side as she walked while lost in thought on how she could get them to learn how to transform. Then she knew what to do. She turned to the seven hybrids and said, "You all have known the energy levels of the 'Twos. And you know that same energy level exists in you. Close your eyes and concentrate on it. Reach for that hidden energy. Don't try to look like a 'Two. Just focus on the feelings deep inside you. Feel the 'Two-ness inside you. Breathe with it. Feel its presence. Think and feel as a 'Two. Move as a 'Two. Cloak yourself in the psychic essence of a 'Two. Imagine yourself as a 'Two. Feel the power."
Their minds concentrated on the thought patterns of the 'Twos at the exclusion of all else. Then, inevitably, their bodies began to respond to it. As Mewthree and all of the others watched, they each began to glow. Soon they burned like seven suns and everyone had to turn away or risk going blind for good. When the light finally died away and they looked at the scene again, seven abnormally tall 'Threes with mottled dark green fur and bright coral-hued eyes stood in a row. Their wings were a glossy black hue, as were their shins. Their faces were milk-white and adorned with twin streaks of the deepest violet. Their three-fingered paws were as white as their faces, and their feet were yellow. Their ears were relatively long and splayed slightly, imitating the high double crest that they'd had when in their hybrid form. Between their ears, their fur was a glossy black, giving the impression of having been slicked down. Streaks of more glossy black fur branched from the tip of their breastbones and curved upward, running across their chests to cover their shoulders in a slick ebony hue. Mewthree cheered and called out, "You did it! Cool! Look at yourselves! You're 'Threes now!" They looked themselves over and chatted with each other about how different things felt now that they were in the form of a 'Three.
Mewthree turned away from them, seeking out the meek Cell of their current dimension. He was silently lurking off to the side, unwilling to mingle with the crowd. Considering the fact that he didn't even know what friendship was; it was only logical to assume that he wouldn't trust anyone. No one had ever been kind to him, so bad treatment was what he expected. He flinched and backed away from her a few steps. She spoke soft, gentle, reassuring words to him and he calmed down a bit. The storm of raw power within him had calmed slightly, but it was still more than he could handle. Feeling the fear that he felt as if it were hers, Mewthree knew that the power within him terrified him to no end. So she decided that she had to help him with it. To that end, she gently entered his mind. After sending out some soothing thoughts to calm him down, she began to give him her knowledge of how to control the powers he now possessed. As she did so, she felt his fear of his new powers begin to subside. That made her feel a little bit better about things. When she had taught him all that he needed to know about his power and how to deal with it, she broke the link and returned to herself. She led him off to the side to where they could be alone and have a one-on-one chat about stuff. They flew together to the Pentagon's roof and landed there. Settling down side by side, looking at the scenery all around them, Mewthree began to tell him what Laura had told Mewtwo all those many years ago. He had no more to fear. No one would try to hurt him anymore. Not everyone in the world wanted to hurt him. If he looked far enough for long enough, he would surely find a friend somewhere out there. The world was vast, as were the possibilities.
After finishing that conversation, Cell decided that it was time for him to go. Mewthree waved goodbye as he flew away. Once he was out of her sight, she flew down to join the others. The seven sons of Jadeite, all still in their 'Three forms, gathered around her. No matter what form she wore, she was still their mother. While she had been off talking with Cell, they had been practicing and experimenting with the power inherent in their new forms. Judging from their power levels, they were at least as strong as full-blooded 'Threes, if not more. She turned to face the others. "Okay, guys," she said, "Our work here is done. Time for another dimensional hop." As they had done twice before, each of them put their hands on the shoulders of two others and concentrated, focusing their powers on creating another dimensional rift. Then the Mews came down to sit on their shoulders, two per person, and concentrated as well. The sky split in a rift of light and they slowly rose off the ground. They entered the rift and it closed up behind them.
This time they found themselves standing all together on a lush green plateau rather than a barren wasteland. Jadeite looked around and once again swore in angry disappointment. They still weren't back home yet. There was no sign whatsoever of there ever having been any form of activity there. There was no sign of an arena ever having existed at any point. She mused, "We always make sure to jump into a timeline where Cell exists in his final form, but there is no arena here. I don't think there ever was an arena here. He's obviously still alive at this particular moment in time, but he never held his tournament. Why in the world is that?" Shade quietly walked up beside her and then said, "I've just been feeling around for energy levels all over the whole planet. You are so not going to believe this. This planet holds the energy levels of the whole crew, but I can't feel an energy level anywhere near the level that Cell's supposed to be on. It's not anywhere." Jadeite looked him in the face and replied, "Shade, you're right. I don't believe it." She paused for a long moment to think, then said, "Ditch trying to sense his strength and try to nail down which energy level on the planet is his." Shade closed his eyes, then said, "I finally found a match for his harmonic level, but it's far too weak to be his." Jadeite's voice grew sharp and hard as she snapped around to face him. She commanded, "Shade, tell me where it is." He replied, "That'll be a bit harder, Jadeite. A level this low is very hard to localize. I'll give it a try, though." He closed his eyes again and bowed his head, then said in a strange, distant-sounding voice, "I can feel it… But where is it?" A few more moments of focused sensing allowed him to answer his own previous question. "Deep within the earth… Underground… It's in America… Guarded government facility… Top secret…" His eyes snapped open and he exclaimed, "Under the Pentagon! Jadeite, I think he's trapped!" Her eyes went wide in shock, then narrowed in anger. She said coldly, "Then we'll just have to go and free him. Come along with me right now!"
The huge swarm of Mews, 'Twos and hybrids took to the air and flew toward America at top speed. As they flew onward, Jadeite began to make plans for how they would set Cell free. Her only current idea was an all-out assault on the Pentagon, but shrewd secrecy would probably be much more necessary than any form of brute force. Lacking any other ideas of what to do, she decided to use her psychic power to try to see what sort of situation Cell was in. It didn't show on her face, but she silently sent her awareness out in a focused beam that soon reached its target. Then she lost control of the link she had just made. The thoughts and feelings of her target were just too powerful for her to handle, and so they overwhelmed her own thoughts and feelings. It was all that she could hope to do to let out a wordless cry for help before the warring thoughts shut her mind down.
Cell heard a bloodcurdling scream and turned just in time to see Jadeite falling from the sky. He wasted no time in diving down and catching her in his arms. Calling out for the others to stop, he quickly descended to the ground and laid her down. Shade landed next to him almost instantly. Cell said, "Shade, I can't get her to wake up. What could have happened to her?" Shade replied, "The moment she cried out, I felt a massive psychic backwash. Only one thing could have caused that. She must have made a psychic link and then lost control of it. The trauma is in her mind, so there's no telling when she'll wake up. Or if she'll wake up." Cell softly murmured her name. Almost as if she were responding to his feelings, Jadeite stirred slightly and then let out a soft moan. Shade leaned over her. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared straight through him, not really seeing him at all. When she finally saw him, it was plain that she didn't recognize him at all. She bolted upward with a terrified scream and quickly scrambled away from him. He reassured her in a soft voice, "It's okay, Jadeite." She gave him a confused look and said, "W-who…who's Jadeite?" Cell speculated, "Amnesia?" Shade just shrugged in reply, then asked, "What is your name?" She looked away and replied, "I…don't have one." Then she saw Cell. "You," she breathed. Her eyes got very big and then she cautiously edged closer to him. She whispered softly, "You are…him…" Shade quickly sent him a psychic command to hold still as the amnesia-ridden Jadeite edged in a bit closer to him. She looked him over and said in a low voice, "It is nothing, Father, do you hear? You cannot win this way… You will fail. Fail…yes…" Cell suppressed the urge to shudder as she slowly reached out and laid a hand on his face. "Yes," she hissed in a low voice, "White… Smooth…" She stepped a little bit closer and sang to him in a soft, quavering voice, "Where are his bones, my brother's bones…" Then she asked in a throaty growl, "What have you done with them…Father…?" Feeling a sudden surge of sheer inspiration, Cell reached out to her and then asked her, "What is it, half-Saiyan?" Jadeite shied away from him and snarled, "All Saiyan! I am nothing of yours!" She shook her fist at him and screamed accusingly, many years of pain and suffering all too evident in her shrill voice, "Child killer! Soul-destroying hatred feeder! I am all Saiyan!" Her face crumpled in pained anguish as she reached out to him imploringly and mewled in a soft voice, "No… no… I am…your son! I am a hybrid!" She slowly wandered away from him, whispering, "The otherworldliness…does not cancel out the humanity… The game… My game…is finished!" Then she turned and made an expansive gesture, indicating the whole world in its entirety. "Look," she mewled, "See what we created for you, my brother and I… Your very own kingdom built in the ashes of the Earth! No army can match the work of a hybrid when he sets his heart to it… Hear…? His heart! No man will ever see all this but you, Father…" She then pointed toward Shade. "…And 17 there! It is yours! Yours!" Tottering, she walked closer to him and made a second imploring gesture, her face mere inches from his, and said, "Now… Give it back to me… My mind! M-my self! For pity's sake, end your game!" She limply dropped to the ground, all but kissing his feet, crying, "I am your son!" Crying hysterically and shivering like a puppy someone had kicked; she curled into a ball at Cell's feet and went into a catatonic state.
Shade stepped closer and said, "That wasn't Jadeite. I think she swapped minds with the Cell of this timeline. And… If ever the people of the world wished revenge on him, that wish was granted long ago. He has been a prisoner for who knows how long. I can tell…" Cell wondered softly, "She…he takes me for Doctor Gero, my creator. I honestly didn't think he could be any more of a black-spirited pain-giver than he already was." Shade looked over at him and asked, "What can that cruel man possibly have done to him, Cell? Were he not occupying Jadeite's body, she would not hesitate to heal his tortured soul."
A soft moan came from the motionless body at Cell's feet. Jadeite sat up, looked up at them and exclaimed, "Oh! I'm back!" Cell knelt beside her and asked, "What happened to you, Jadeite?" She appeared to be in a state of shock as she shivered and stared into the distance, making small wordless sounds of grief and pain. Her voice was soft and distant as she hesitantly replied; "It was…so strange… One moment…I was here, then…the next…I was…somewhere else… Imprisoned… The cage was small…white… There was only one little door… And a small mattress…on the floor…for me to sleep on… Most of my time…was spent…cringing fearfully…and praying that…the door would not open… But…it did… God help me, it did… And then…he came…" She choked on the last couple of whispered words. Then her slender hand came up to touch her throat and she continued, "I wore…a collar…like a dog… For the life of me, I couldn't use my powers! The collar…it suppressed…my powers… I couldn't stop him… He came in…and he told me…that I…would suffer…for what…I had done… And then…it started… The pain… I thought…for sure…that I was…going to die… Why did he…do all of this…to me?" Feeling that she had explained enough of the situation to them, Jadeite finally succumbed to the anguish she felt. She curled around herself, bowed her head low and began to cry softly, shedding the unwept tears of a frighteningly lonely, painful life that wasn't hers. Shade looked at her and said, "This is terrible, Cell. What on Earth could that horrible man have done to her in such a short time to traumatize her so badly?" Cell just shrugged as he knelt by Jadeite and touched her shoulder. Recognizing her love even through the turmoil that boiled within her mind, she dove straight into his arms and spent the next few minutes sobbing helplessly as he held her. As she did so, she used her powers and answered Shade's rhetorical question. Her mind opened up to the two of them and she showed them agony beyond any and all imagining. She showed them tortures that had been designed specifically for a hybrid, took them to new depths of pain and suffering and finally topped it all off with the wild, raging, hopeless despair of a lifelong captive.
When she finished, Shade was throwing up and Cell was trying to crawl under a rock. Given a little bit of time to recover from the things that she had just shown to them, things quickly got back to some semblance of normality. Now Shade and Cell knew exactly why she was so determined to rescue the Cell of their current dimension. So they were in on it all the way, being just as determined to rescue him as she was. They quickly began to conspire together, trying to plan what they would do to rescue him. It only took a little while for them to decide on an attack strategy. They would mount an attack on the Pentagon and take over the place floor by floor until they found where Cell was hidden.
Soon they stood all together on the grass by the entrance to the Pentagon. Jadeite and Cell nodded to each other, walked up to the double reinforced steel doors and worked together to pry them open. Even though their strength was prodigious, getting those doors to open up took almost all of their strength. When the doors were finally opened, an alarm shrieked out, momentarily deafening the lot of them. Lights flashed. The response to the alarm was almost instantaneous. Dozens of heavily armed soldiers charged onto the scene and took aim at the lot of them. Jadeite quickly looked over her shoulder at the group of gathered 'Twos and then called out to them, "Shields up!" Great glowing balls of blue light blue energy enveloped each individual 'Two. The crew raised their energy levels and flared their auras, thereby guaranteeing at least a little bit of protection. Then she stepped forward and shouted, "Be ready! I'm going to force my way through! At least a few of you had better stay and watch the exit! I'm going to try to do this solo! Zoisite! Malachite! You two take some folks along with you and go down the first left-hand hallway you come to! Tanzanite! Morganite! Do the same, but go to the right! Kunzite! You, Calcite and Nephrite watch our backs! Everyone else keep an eye out for anything suspicious!" She charged at the soldiers as her friends split up down adjacent corridors, using her superior speed to her advantage, and began to clobber them as fast as she could. They outnumbered her by far and things got hairy when they all ganged up on her. This is worse than I thought! She soon found herself pinned down by the weight of dozens of human bodies. I was wrong to think I could do it alone. Struggling frantically, she fought to break free but couldn't. If only I could use the Staff of Ra! But I can't in this dark place. There's no sunlight. They were savagely beating on her, trying to weaken her enough so they could take her prisoner. I wish Cell had taught me how to use energy blasts! It looked like her quest was going to be over before it could even really begin. This is just perfect. Consciousness began to slowly slip away. This is the first casualty on our side in all of our battles, and it has to be me. Darkness was closing in on her from all sides. This is just my luck. Jeez, it seems like I'm always the one who ends up suffering.
There was a great shout from the side, a sudden bright flash of light and a loud crash. The soldiers who had held her pinned were now retreating as fast as they could. Jadeite stood back up again and looked at her rescuers. "Cell! Shade! Mewtwo!" She ran straight into Cell's arms and just held him tight. She whispered to him softly, "I knew you'd come." Mewtwo nodded and said, (Yes… That's right… We felt the same.) Shade then cut in; "We couldn't just abandon you, even though you told us to do that. We are meant to fight together." Cell interrupted, "That's right. We have to fight together." Mewtwo finished, (And as our power increases, even the impossible becomes possible. We must join our powers to fight together!) The drama of the moment died away into nothingness as Shade got right down to business and said simply, "Send out the signal!" Jadeite slipped out of Cell's arms and then stood up tall on her own. She stretched her slender hands toward the sky and focused her powers. Her thoughts rolled through the corridors of the Pentagon to reach the other 'Twos and hybrids. Each and every one of them stopped what they were doing when they heard Jadeite's call. They stretched their hands toward the sky and sent out their power. Far away, the stupendous transformation that had occurred in the battle against the Great Destroyer repeated itself. A bright flash of light dazzled Cell, Shade and Mewtwo. When they could see again, they saw that Jadeite had become Eternal Jadeite.
She stepped forward, turned back to face the three of them and said sharply, her voice full of determination; "We have to find the Cell of this dimension!" Her next thoughts echoed in their minds like distant thunder. No matter what the odds are, I'll never lose hope! Cell, Shade and Mewtwo could only follow along behind her as she started down the hallway. They systematically swept the main floor room by room. "There's no one here," Cell called from the threshold of yet another empty room. "Or here," Shade amended from a second threshold. Mewtwo wondered, (Where did they go?) Shade cut in frankly; "We're lucky the soldiers aren't here." Cell turned to him and replied in a confused tone, "But we haven't even seen a scientist or a technician. Could this be a trap?" Mewtwo turned to Eternal Jadeite and said, (I've been trying to sense where in this building the Cell of this dimension is. But I can't get a fix on the structure of this building or our coordinates. The power levels of all the 'Twos and hybrids are affecting each other and that's throwing the readings into chaos.) Shade, who had miraculously found a map of the building, stepped forward and said, "Let's go to the basement. The laboratories are all clustered down there. Maybe we'll find a sign of where to look." Cell nodded to him and then cut in; "Here's the plan. The others will head down from the main floor, searching each as they go. The four of us will go to the basement. Let's go!" Cell, Shade, Mewtwo and Eternal Jadeite piled into the nearest elevator and thusly headed for the basement.
Shade leaned up against the wall and tried to keep his cool. Mewtwo loitered agitatedly. Cell paced back and forth, his apprehension evident to everyone else. Eternal Jadeite looked around at the elevator walls, sensing something wrong. We keep going faster… She felt the rough, irregular rumbling of the elevator's mechanism and had a bad feeling about the near future. This is strange. She could tell that something big was coming up. The elevator was going much too fast. No normal elevator went that fast. The trip was taking way too long. It's almost as if we're heading into a bottomless pit. She turned to the side and said, "I wonder if the others are all right." Shade laughed tensely and said, "Would you rather be with them? I'm sure they're all right." Eternal Jadeite asked, "Aren't you three scared?" She blushed a bit, giggled nervously, then said in a rush, "I'm terrified! Things like invading a military installation and being stuck in the elevator that won't stop are just what set me off!" She became serious and brought her hands to her face, then continued in a low, sad voice; "I start feeling like I'm alone. I'm scared. I just keep getting these bad feelings." Cell turned toward her and said, "You can't call this lonely. Loneliness is more infinite in its scope. Like when that man took me in after the white squall…" Eternal Jadeite turned to face him and asked, "Tell me… What was it like there?" Cell looked away from her momentarily, studying the elevator wall as if it had suddenly become something of great interest to him. Then he said softly, "It was a sad place. There was no one there. I was completely alone. There was no one to help me with the emotional turmoil I felt. It was a lonely place. But no matter how lonely I got…" He turned back to her and smiled. Then he continued, "I could think of my home far away and remember you. For me, that was a ray of light. With that ray of light came strength. There was nothing I couldn't do. That light would always lead me. It told me: It's all right. Don't give up." Shade then stopped leaning up against the wall and looked around at the elevator walls nervously. He remarked softly, "So long…" He paused for a long moment and then said, "This is taking too long." Mewtwo's face contorted in an expression of genuine worry as he swiftly interrupted; (I'm worried about all the others.)
Right then, the unthinkable happened. They heard a loud metallic screeching sound, as if metal was being scraped against metal. The sound deafened the lot of them. The elevator suddenly stopped, throwing the lot of them straight down to the floor. Then the floor they had all just landed on dropped away into a terrifying abyss. Screaming in stark terror, the four of them fell away into the deep darkness that now yawned below them. Cell cried, reaching out to her, "Jadeite!" She screamed out in response, "Shade! Mewtwo! Cell!"
Eternal Jadeite had no idea of how long she had been falling, or how far she had already fallen. It's totally dark! She couldn't see a thing. I'm scared. She thought of the ones she had been with, and wondered about what had happened to them after they entered the deep darkness. I'm too scared to speak! The faces of Cell, Mewtwo and Shade flashed through her frightened mind. Where is everybody? She thought of the Magnificent Seven. Kunzite! Nephrite! Calcite! Zoisite! Malachite! Morganite! Tanzanite! Their smiling faces flashed through her mind as well, and their images were accompanied by a growing fear. If I knew I'd be this worried, I never would have had us split up. She thought of Cell again, but this time the image that came to her mind was completely tainted with worry. Cell! I can't do anything alone. What should I do? I'm alone in this darkness! What can I do? The thought of how alone she now was sparked the memory of what had happened between them in the moment before the four of them were dumped out of the elevator. She remembered Cell's earlier words. 'It was a ray of light… With that ray of light came strength. There was nothing I couldn't do. That light would always lead me. It told me 'It's all right. Don't give up.' It was almost as though she could see the ray of light that he had spoken of and she felt a renewed strength. Always… She looked up at the light. Everyone shows me the light and leads the way… Feeling warmth inside her, she curled up into a fetal position. Whenever I feel crushed, I always remember… Memories of past battles and past victories flooded through her mind. I have that light in my heart. She thought of all of the 'Twos, her hybrid sons, the sweet little Mews and the brave crew. It's everyone's hearts joined as one. She then reached out to the shining ray of light and summoned its power, recognizing it for what it truly was. It was the embodiment of hope itself. I just have to believe that in one moment that light will shine forth. Her fear died away into nothingness, and its passing fully restored her power. I am Eternal Jadeite! I glow with the power that everyone gave me! She felt the Moon Star Wand's presence in her hand and knew what came next with a pure instinctual certainty. I will be the light to pierce this night! I won't give in to any darkness or fear! She used her power to create a bubble of pure light around herself. It also enveloped Cell, Shade and Mewtwo. They opened their eyes and looked around. The darkness was completely gone. All was light. They turned to Eternal Jadeite. Cell asked, "Did you do this?" She just nodded to them.
They ever so gently touched down on the floor of the elevator shaft. "Well," Eternal Jadeite quipped tensely, "At least we're at the bottom." Its purpose fulfilled, the bubble of light was sucked back into the Moon Star Wand. Knowing that they still needed light, Eternal Jadeite allowed the scepter to glow brightly. She illuminated things for the others as they searched the walls for the sliding door that would let them out of the elevator shaft. Eventually Cell cried out, "I found it! Hey, Jadeite, help me pry it open!" Eternal Jadeite put the Moon Star Wand in the crook of her elbow and went to help Cell pry the door open. The door opened much more easily than had the steel doors that initially barred their entrance to the Pentagon. The metal warped and tore beneath their hands as it was eventually forced to yield to their superior strength. Then the door slowly opened.
A man with sandy brown hair, blue-gold glasses and a long white lab coat stood before them, an odd smile plastered all over his face. Eternal Jadeite immediately recognized him as the man who had tortured her in her vision. "Welcome to my laboratory," he said in a low voice that carried an undeniable sense of threatening menace. Great dark shapes loomed behind him, evil-looking coral eyes glowing. A low growling sound filled the air as an undertone to the menacing words that he spoke next; "We've been waiting for you." He laughed at them evilly and said, "My darling Destroyers are ready for their dinner." Then he screamed, "They will feast upon your living flesh before this battle ends!" The low growling became a series of savage roars as a group of ugly creatures that looked like hideously twisted caricatures of Cell charged forward to attack them. Shade quickly stepped forward and did The Wave. Several of the creatures were immediately destroyed. Mewtwo then came forward, tossing out energy balls like there was no tomorrow. More of the creatures were destroyed. Inhuman shrieks were heard as the man laughed out loud and said, "I'm not done yet! I can make as many Destroyers as I want!" More savage roars were heard as another posse of Destroyers stepped into the open behind the man. Eternal Jadeite screamed out, "Enough already!" She took a small step forward, then clenched her fists tightly and demanded loudly, "We don't want to fight with you! Where's Cell?" The man sneered and repeated, "Cell? My former creation?" He then cackled insanely and said, "Right now he would be in his cage, 'enjoying' the poisonous gases I just pumped in!" Shocked, Eternal Jadeite echoed, "Poisonous gases?" The man laughed at her expression of horror and said in reply, "Exactly. He should be beginning to feel their effects about…now." Finally getting the desired results from his continuous scans, Mewtwo shouted, (He's directly ahead!) The man then said, meanwhile taking off his lab coat and unbuttoning the shirt beneath, "Too bad. This is where you will die!" Diseased-looking yellowish flames danced around his body and nauseating wet crackling noises were heard as his body began to change. He said gleefully, "You will be my first victims!" The change quickly completed itself and a different-looking grotesque mockery of Cell stood there. He roared in a voice that sounded like people banging rocks together, "I am the Devourer!" The four gaped at him. Cell cried in shock, "Destroyer!" The obscene monstrosity gave an unnatural shriek and replied, "I am not a Destroyer! I am a super being! A union of hybrid and human!" He then lunged forward with a loud roar and snarled, "Die!" The four just barely managed to dodge his first fearsome strike. Eternal Jadeite was separated from the rest of them. She swung the Moon Star Wand toward him. She paused for a second, thinking, Just a few moments ago he was a man! That moment's pause was far too long. A second strike just barely missed hitting her, its closeness knocking her down to the floor. Cell quickly moved in from off to the side, preparing to do The Wave. He cast a quick glance her way and cried out to her in a frantic voice, "He's not a human! He's a Destroyer! The enemy!" Then he released The Wave. The Devourer merely swung around and struck Cell, knocking him down to the ground with a cry of pain. Eternal Jadeite saw it happen and cried, "Cell!" Wasting no more time on anything, she swung the Moon Star Wand toward the monstrosity once again and cried out, "White spiral twister!" The bright white beam of pure cleansing energy struck the Devourer full on and, with a hideous scream, it just dissolved away into nothingness.
Eternal Jadeite had to resist the urge to relax after finishing that. She knew for a fact that the Cell of this dimension was in grave danger of losing his life at that very moment. Holding the Moon Star Wand tightly in one hand and forgetting that she even had it, she charged forward at a flat-out sprint. A few short seconds later, she practically crashed face first into the reinforced glass that lay straight ahead of her. Pulling to a fast stop, she looked in. It was the same small room that she had seen in her earlier vision. Sickly yellowish-colored mists swirled around within the room, making everything inside the room look very dim and hazy. She could just barely manage to see a dark form in the far corner. Cell lay crumpled on the ground, clutching at his throat and coughing feebly, his face contorted in extreme pain. Getting right down to business, Eternal Jadeite swiftly punched the glass with all of her strength. It didn't even do so much as budge under her strike. She tried punching the glass a few more times with no results whatsoever. She promptly began to panic. She was quickly running out of time to save Cell's life! Losing her cool in a major way, she swiftly brought the Moon Star Wand around and pointed it right at the glass. Not bothering to choose any form of strategy or any type of attack, she just let out a wordless, feral scream of fear, anger and desperation. An almost invisible shockwave erupted from the scepter. Then the glass exploded. She would have charged straight into the room right after she did that, but she knew that she had to do something about the poisonous gases first. Switching into a blast of plasma fire, she simply let loose right into the room and hoped for the best. The best was indeed what she got, for the poisonous gases spontaneously combusted and were incinerated, leaving everything else in the room completely untouched. Now that the poisonous gases were all gone, there was nothing stopping her from going right in. She barely even paused after incinerating all of the poisonous gases, allowing the same movement that had made her release her power into the room to carry her past the shattered glass. Spreading her shining white wings wide at the very top of her leap, she swiftly glided over to where Cell had fallen.
Cell stirred slightly where he lay, hearing the sound of something strange cutting through the air and then feeling a presence beside him. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at her. He made as if to speak to her, but succumbed to a harsh fit of coughing instead. It was a few relatively long minutes before he could manage to speak. His voice was a low, harsh rasp as he whispered feebly, "W-where is…he?" Eternal Jadeite's face twisted in rage and she hissed in a voice positively dripping with hatred, "Don't worry about that dishonorable snake. He will not hurt you ever again." She gave him access to her most recent memories and thusly showed him exactly what had become of the man who had tortured him so many times. Knowing that he was finally free of the terror that had made up his life, Cell laughed weakly, then started coughing again. He smiled up at her and whispered, "Thank you for releasing me… Too bad…it's too late…" She shook her head and took him in her arms. She whispered to him comfortingly, "Let it begin here. I will drive the poison from your body." Shifting ever so slightly, he said, "But…I…" Shaking her head once again, she said softly, "Hush, now. No more words." He promptly shut up. Just before she got started, she warned, "This may hurt a bit. Make sure you hold still."
Eternal Jadeite quickly slipped into a trance state, sending her full psychic awareness into his body. In less than half of an instant, she raced through his bloodstream, flashed along his synapses and was a part of everything that was happening within him. She felt the poison's detrimental effect as it was taking place within him and then she got right down to work on correcting that. Her psychic presence within his body became like a potent acid; quickly scouring his body until there was no more of the poison left. Once she had finished eradicating every trace of the poison, she promptly started to repair the damage that it had already caused within him. Upon finishing up the job, she returned to herself.
Cell sat up and looked at her once again, completely confused by her utterly strange, semi-human appearance. Pausing for a long moment to shake off his disorientation, he asked her, "What are you?" She smiled at him, glad that she had succeeded in removing the poison from his body. Answering his question, she replied, "In this form, I'm called Eternal Jadeite. I'm a hybrid like you." He exclaimed, "Like me? But how can this be? I'm the only one! And you're not like me!" He shook his head, denying the similarity to him that she professed to have. "You have hair…just like a human!" He grabbed her long silver hair and tugged on it. She yelped in pain. "Your wings are white!" He gently touched her shimmery wing. "Your armor certainly isn't green like mine is!" He lightly traced the platinum-hued filigree on her forearm. "And what's up with this star here?" She flinched as he pointed to the eight-point star on her forehead. He withdrew when she drew back and replied, "This isn't my true form. Rather, I assume this form for dangerous battles, like the one against that bad man." After a moment's pause to think a little bit, he asked, "The things you showed to me before… What was up with all those energy beams that I saw you using?" She relaxed slightly and then replied, "That power is the birthright of the hybrid race…but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" He shook his head and, at a loss for words, simply pointed to the collar around his neck. Eternal Jadeite nodded curtly and then said, "Right you are. I know that thing's locked onto you in such a way that it is almost impossible to remove, but I don't have to take it off of you in order to get rid of it. All right, now I need you to hold still once again." She reached out and touched the collar lightly. Focusing her full power, she quickly disintegrated it.
Cell gasped in pure shocked awe and writhed momentarily as the collar quickly dissolved away into nothingness. A wild, searing heat then filled his entire body from top to bottom and side to side. His thoughts blazed through his mind like burning comets. Liquid fire flowed through his veins. His breath came quick and harsh as he reeled under the impact of more sensations than he had names for. His heart raced twice as fast as normal and he thought for sure that he would pass out. Energy crackled along his whole body and he felt the power surging within every fiber of his being. The wild frenzy of exquisite sensation slowly died down to a more bearable level as the great surge of awesome power that Eternal Jadeite had released within him finally calmed. The searing heat left his body and he felt something close to normal. They both stood up. Eternal Jadeite looked toward where Shade and Mewtwo stood together with her Cell and said, "I guess it's all over now. All we have to do is leave this joint. I'll go back to normal now." There was a flash of pale white light and Cell saw that she had changed to become a lot more like him. Her wings were black and her armor was green, and she had a high double crest like him. Strangely, the light didn't die away. He heard her voice echo as she said without her mouth moving, "Something's very wrong here." The hybrid became a lithe white-furred feline with wings. The winged feline became a smallish human female. The light died away as Laura collapsed. Shade was beside her in an instant. She sat up and said, "What? I'm a human? Ah, nuts!" She freaked out momentarily, then calmed down, saying, "I don't need my powers right now. All we have to do is leave." After a few seconds, she stood up, gestured toward Shade, Mewtwo and the two Cells and ordered, "Let's go!"
Since they had been dumped out of the elevator before it had reached the bottom, it was completely useless to them. They had to take the stairs to get to the main floor. Laura led them along at a half-run down a longish hallway, heading for the nearest staircase. Her hybrid sons and the 'Twos were waiting for them at the top of the stairs. She skidded to a halt and nearly ran into something at the sound of an inhuman shriek from behind her. For a short moment, a cry of terror and agony mingled with the unnatural screech. Laura abruptly turned…and saw both Shade and Mewtwo blasting a rogue Destroyer that had jumped her Cell. The one she had rescued was practically cowering against the far wall. For a moment, she thought, I don't blame him. He, after all, had lived a life of stark terror and wrenching pain until less than two minutes ago. Fear was all that he really knew.
The lone Destroyer disintegrated under Shade and Mewtwo's combined assault, revealing what it had done to Cell. The unfortunate hybrid was down on the ground, lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling. But the most horrifying thing of all was that his entire throat was gone. In its place was a huge bloody wound. He was still breathing, or at least trying to breathe, albeit barely. His limbs twitched feebly and rich arterial blood sprayed from the grievous wound the Destroyer had dealt to his throat. Thick streams of blood frothed from both his nose and his mouth. He choked and then coughed weakly, spraying more blood as his tortured body feebly convulsed. Laura practically threw herself to the ground and landed by his side. She tried to heal him and failed miserably. Desperate, she exhorted, "You have power, remember, remember the power…" She went on like that for a few seconds. Then she heard the chorus of inhuman shrieks that rang in the hallway. A group of five Destroyers quickly leapt out of various hiding places to stand between the five of them and the stairway that was their one and only safe path out of the building.
Laura turned away from Cell, not knowing what else she could do to help him out. She then looked at the Destroyers and seemed to go completely mad at the sight of them. Her big blue eyes went wide. Her pretty face twisted in a ferocious snarl. Her breath came quickly and harshly. Each inhalation was a sharp hiss through tightly clenched teeth and each exhalation was a low, raspy growl. She slowly stood back up. Right behind her, completely unnoticed, Cell was beginning to heal. Too weak to do anything save watch her, he looked at her as she trembled with the sheer rage that she felt. He couldn't call out to her. He couldn't even move. It was all he could do just to open his eyes and keep them open. His strength was returning, but it was returning too slowly for him. She hissed and growled in a feral fashion and her small hands curled into fists as she stepped forward. Shade touched her shoulder and she reacted violently to the touch, whirling momentarily and snarling in his face, "Back off, creep!" Then she practically threw Mewtwo over her shoulder. He used his psychic powers to catch himself in midair and landed beside Shade. He turned to the flustered 'Three and said, (What's going on here?) Shade replied, "I've only seen her like this once before in my entire life, and I nearly died because of it. She had mental problems when we were kids, including severe emotional instability and a volatile temper the likes of which I have yet to encounter again. Do you remember the Cell Games that she took part in a while back? This seems like that all over again. But she seems different this time around…more like the evil version of Cell than my sister."
Laura dropped down into a ready position that practically had her down on all fours and regarded the five Destroyers before her with an expression of the purest hatred. Her eyes narrowed and she bared her teeth as she slowly tilted her head downward. Then her head snapped backward as she emitted a sound that no one had previously known the human throat was even capable of producing. She released a bizarre shriek that sounded like nothing ever heard before on Earth as she ran forward to leap at the five Destroyers.
Shade and Mewtwo stood together as they watched Laura attacking the five Destroyers. She dodged their attempts to hit her and hit them back with great force. Mewtwo gulped hastily at the sight of the expression on her face. She wore a look of insane ecstasy. The pair of 'Twos then felt a presence behind them. A rough, uncertain voice choked through a throat full of blood, "What…happened…?" Shade turned around and saw Cell standing behind them, leaning heavily against the nearest wall, barely able to remain standing. The wound on his throat was mostly gone. Where his throat had been torn out there was now just a deep bloody gash. He looked calm, but Shade could tell his pain from the careful stiffness in his movements. He coughed harshly and then repeated, "What happened?" That really got Shade moving. He was beside Cell in an instant, saying, "You shouldn't be standing up just yet. For goodness sakes, I swear you have no common sense." Just shrugging Shade's comments off, Cell repeated a third time, "What happened?" Shade told him about what was going on. Then they both watched Laura's fight again. She appeared to be enjoying herself immensely, since she was teasing the five Destroyers and almost letting them get to her, but deftly dodging at the very last possible moment. Shade heard her wild, insane laughter and said in an uncertain voice, "She's not the Laura I knew, now. It's terrifying. I wonder…is this the true Laura? Is this violent behavior her true colors? I've seen her being nice… I've seen her being nasty… But I wonder which of these is her true self. Is Laura nice with nasty tendencies, or the other way around?" The stress and strain of valiantly trying to remain standing even despite his grave injury quickly drained the wounded Cell's meager reserves of strength and he collapsed, just barely managing to catch himself before he would have hit the floor with his face. He tried to get back up again, but he soon found that all he could do was force himself into a low crouch. Shade saw this happening and quickly knelt down beside him. Unwilling to acknowledge that he was still very weak, Cell just asked the 'Three, "Her true self? What do you mean by that?" Shade shook his head, looked away and replied in a low voice, "You're not going to believe this. All that you thought you knew about her… Her altruism, her righteousness, her mercy, her wry wit, her kind gentleness… All of these are traits that she had to work hard to acquire. She was originally very different from the woman you know. She was something much darker…" He trailed off uncertainly, unable to meet Cell's gaze. The injured hybrid asked, "What do you mean, she was something much darker?" Shade replied, "In all her time with you, Laura never spoke of her past. Had she told you, this is what you would have learned about her. She went insane at the age of nine. She split her undying anger away from the rest of her young mind and made a whole new identity out of it. Supposedly she reintegrated it into her when she reached adulthood, but now I'm not so sure that she did. What if she's not whole now? Which of the two forces is really her real self? What is in control of her now? Her…or her anger?"
Off to the side, Mewtwo suddenly gave a strangled psychic cry of horror and pure disgust. (My God! Look what she's doing now!) Shade and Cell both turned and looked, and they were unanimously shocked by what they now saw. Laura had stopped teasing the Destroyers. Now she was truly fighting them. They looked on in awe as she beat all five Destroyers clear into the floor. Then she began to get really nasty. The four watchers turned away from her, unable to stomach what happened next. Shade was screaming incoherently. Mewtwo was throwing up all over the floor. The injured Cell had dropped back down to the ground and assumed the standard 'duck-and-cover' position. The other Cell was cowering more than ever. The wet tearing sounds they now heard were hideous.
The gruesome sounds finally ceased and the four heard nothing except heavy breathing. After a few seconds of that, they finally dared to look. What they saw alarmed them. Laura stood as still as a statue in the middle of unimaginable carnage. The entire floor was stained a vile purplish hue within a twelve-foot radius of where she currently stood. The five Destroyers were still there, but they were barely recognizable as having been such. Laura had literally torn them apart. As they all watched Laura returned to herself, surveyed the carnage, then swiftly turned around and vomited violently in the corner. She turned to face them, way too shell-shocked to notice Cell staring at her, quite alive. She said in a quivering voice, "Guys, what happened here?" Shade stepped forward, gestured for her to look downward and replied, "You happened." She looked downward, saw the blood that drenched her entire body and screamed at the sight of it. Then she fainted.
Behind the two staring 'Twos, Cell saw this and got fed up with waiting for his healing to finish itself up on its own. Since the regeneration process is turning out to be way too slow, I'll hurry it along…using my own innate power as fuel! He closed his eyes and concentrated on the task that he had set before himself. Shade and Mewtwo were both tossed head over heels as a wave of energy suddenly exploded forth from Cell's body. The two of them turned around as one to see Cell rise to his feet with no hint of even the slightest weakness as he burned at the very heart of a huge crackling golden aura. His milk-white face was completely expressionless, but his coral eyes blazed with sheer determination. The only evidence left of his previously life-threatening injury was a wide smear of drying purplish blood across the pale, unmarked flesh of his throat. He didn't really seem to notice either of them as he silently strode forward, brushed past the both of them without even so much as a word and quietly walked in closer to the fallen Laura. He knelt and scooped her up in his arms, then turned to face the pair of 'Twos as the golden aura surrounding him died away into nothingness. "Gather around me," he said, "I'm going to try to use Instant Transmission to get us all out of here before anything else happens. Mewtwo, I want you to call the others once we're all on the surface." Shade laid a hand on Cell's shoulder and grabbed Mewtwo by the tail. Mewtwo used his telekinesis to float the other Cell a little bit closer, whereupon he laid a hand on Mewtwo's shoulder.
They were all standing together up on the surface before any of them knew it. Shade let go of Mewtwo's tail, whereupon the other 'Two turned and sent out a psychic cry to all the 'Twos and hybrids who could hear. (We're done here, everyone! Pull back! Now!) The response to his message was pretty much instantaneous. Some blasted up through the ground. Others flew out through the doors that they had so carefully guarded. Others used Instant Transmission. However they chose to make their exit didn't really matter all that much, since they were all up at the surface in an instant. Once everyone was up on the surface, they unanimously decided to just kick back and relax, except for Shade, Mewtwo and both versions of Cell. They stayed by the side of the unconscious Laura, waiting for her to awaken. A few seconds passed. A pale white light began to glow faintly from within her body. It grew in brightness until they all had to look away. When they could see again, they saw that Jadeite lay in place of the human woman who had been there previously. It didn't take all that long for her to awaken after that. Cell leaned over her as she stirred gently and slowly opened her eyes. His face was the very first thing she saw.
He helped her to sit up and she looked around in a disoriented fashion, confused by the sudden change of scenery. She looked at the dried blood still smeared across his throat and wordlessly fell into his arms, weeping over what she had done. Mewtwo stepped forward, gave Cell a sideways glance and said, (Let me. This is a moment for Saiyans.) The hybrid obediently moved backward and let the 'Two speak to Jadeite. He touched her face and she looked at him, her coral eyes full of bitter tears. (You did well,) he said to her softly, (You brought us victory.) She twitched violently at his words, and then looked away; refusing to meet his gaze, and protested weakly, "I couldn't have…" He grabbed her face in his paws and forced her to look at him. He then bellowed directly in her face, (You are a Saiyan! That is what Saiyans do!) She looked down at her slender hands, an expression of pure distress on her milk-white face, and said, "But to kill…!" He tore open the vaults of her mind, reviving her memories of the battle for New Island, her actions as Jade Falcon, the actions of Eternal Jadeite against the Great Destroyer and his hybrid servants, and, last but not least, how Eternal Jadeite had fearlessly faced the Devourer. As she wailed in anguish over the memories that he had forced upon her, he shouted, (This is nothing new! You have killed before, and you will kill again! You have nothing to regret! You just did what you had to do! There can be no guilt from doing what must be done!) She drew back away from him just a little bit, crying a bit harder at his words. It was right then that Mewtwo gave in to the feelings that he had always made sure to keep well hidden from everyone else and even from his own conscious mind. His wide violet eyes blazed a brighter blue than they ever had before and he swiftly drew back his paw. Less than an instant later, Jadeite reeled back as Mewtwo punched her straight in the face. He let out an insane psychic scream as he hit her again and again. There was a swift blur of green and black and suddenly Mewtwo was unable to continue his attacks on Jadeite. Cell had him in a strong headlock and wasn't about to let him go for any reason. Jadeite recovered from the shock of having Mewtwo attack her, stood up and walked over to him. She asked him, "Mewtwo, why did you do that?" He sneered at her and then replied, (I did it because I would have been so much happier if you had never become Jadeite!)
She understood why he thought that. Shifting into Mewthree, she asked him frankly, "Perhaps you would have preferred it if I had remained like this…?" Cell released Mewtwo, who charged up to Mewthree and practically tackled her. His entire body shook as she gently stroked his furry back. They were both mildly surprised to find that Mewtwo had the ability to cry. This was the first time that he had ever done so. He spoke to Mewthree alone at that point. (You were everything to me, Mewthree…) No one else could hear him. All that they felt and heard from Mewtwo was silence. (We were one.) Mewthree understood everything now, including why Mewtwo had attacked her mere moments before. (God, how I loved you.) He silently sobbed against her furry shoulder, pouring out every drop of pain that he had felt ever since that day so very long ago when Mewthree had initially become Jadeite and left him. Her love had meant so much to him. (Then you were ripped away from me and I was forced into this cold, lonely life.) He clung to her tightly. She had been so terribly remiss in paying attention to Mewtwo! (When that happened, I fell into deep despair. I thought I'd never feel that love again.) She whispered to him in a voice so soft that no one else could hear what she said next, "Mewtwo, I may wear the form of Jadeite most of the time, but I'm also still Mewthree. I do not need to choose between them. I can be both of them. I still love you, but I have an obligation to Cell. As Jadeite, I can't love you. Love between a 'Two and a hybrid can never be. So forgive me if it seems that I don't love you. As Jadeite, my mind is different and my instincts urge me toward Cell. But when I'm Mewthree… Cell is nothing to me then." She held him tight and they engaged in a long kiss. As they kissed, Mewthree said into Mewtwo's mind, (No matter what form I wear, this heart of mine beats only for you.)
She then stepped away from him, sending a psychic wink his way first, then turned to Cell and said, "The 'Twos need a leader far more than the hybrids need a mother. After all, there are no more children. And the situation calls for far more than what Jadeite can possibly hope to give. A hybrid cannot lead the 'Twos properly, in the way that they truly deserve to be led. A 'Three and only a 'Three can ever hope to do it correctly. There is only one other 'Three here, and that is Shade. But he doesn't have nearly enough of the life experience that is necessary for one to be able to lead others properly." She lifted off the ground, spreading her angelic white wings wide, looked at everyone who was below her and then said, "I believe that, now more than ever, this team needs Mewthree!" The air shattered into a medley of sounds as every single one of the 'Twos began to cheer at the top of their lungs, shouting out their approval of her decision as loud as they could.
She sought out Adam and Eve first of all. Looking upon the adult Eve, she voiced her approval of how the child had grown and asked her, "Do you still remember me?" Eve hugged her and replied, "Yes. I had almost forgotten. But I remember you now." Adam stepped up and said, "I took care of Eve while you were gone. I tried to do like you did, but I couldn't." Mewtwo hugged her too. He said, (I did the only thing I could think of to keep the memory of you alive. Hang around with Snowfall for a while and you'll see.)
She had pledged to be Mewthree for as long as the situation required it, and as Mewthree she remained. Night fell and she stayed with the other 'Twos. Snowfall sat by the fire that everyone had worked so hard to make and hugged her two children to her. Mewthree felt her heart shatter into a million pieces as the female 'Two began to sing a familiar song to her two sons. "When you feel all alone…" It was right then that Mewtwo came up right beside her and gently took her in his arms. He sent feelings of reassurance into her mind and said, (This is what I did. The song you sang for me and for Adam is now the first lullaby written by and for our species. As long as there are 'Twos in the world, this song will be sung and we will be remembered.) She turned toward Mewtwo, nodded and replied, "We will all be remembered, we the firstborn. Mew is already receiving that. Everyone calls her Grandmother Mew now. It fits, since she is your mother and you're effectively the father of all the 'Twos. And you deserve it more than most, being the first 'Two there ever was." Mewtwo touched her shoulder and finished, (And you shall go down in history even as I do, being the first 'Three there ever was. Don't forget that. And you shall go down doubly with Shade, since you two are my only surviving creators.)
They spent the night nestled in each other's arms, Mewtwo and Mewthree. He got her up to speed with the latest news on the state of the condition and about how things were going with the group of 'Twos. Love and romance was blossoming all around them. Amber and T.C had become mates after a long courtship, and they were expecting their firstborn child relatively soon. Shade was falling in with Ana and Eve had a pretty good thing going with Mist. Cooler had a childish crush on Rose and Freezer was drawn to Meiwa as his first love. The Mews were still breeding at a furious rate. The Magnificent Seven all had girls who had fallen for them. Kunzite had Marla. Malachite had Candy. Zoisite had Mercury. Nephrite had Samantha. The other three had fallen in with 'Twos from the group that had been rescued from the Team Rocket base at Ayers Rock. The old taboo no longer meant much of anything, since the seven hybrids were also part 'Two. They even had some 'Three DNA in them, which they had all inherited from their mother. So it was okay for them to choose mates from among the ranks of the 'Twos. And she had an idea. Since she could change between any of her forms at will, could they do it too? She, like them, was partly a hybrid and partly a 'Three. Could they also transform to become 'Twos, just as she could? Maybe they could even become 'Threes! Mewthree wondered whether or not her hypothesis was true. She decided that she would see about that in the morning. That could be helpful. The mixture of hybrid powers, Mew powers and the power held by the 'Twos could be a bad combination. If it were mostly 'Twos concentrating on the creation of a dimensional rift, and not a motley crew of hybrids and psychic felines, maybe they could get a little closer to their home dimension. First thing in the morning, she would teach the seven hybrids how to transform into 'Twos. But first she would get some sleep and just plain enjoy Mewtwo's presence.
Morning came quickly. The rising sun saw the seven hybrids standing all in a row, gazing at Mewthree as she paced back and forth in front of them. Her tail wagged from side to side as she walked while lost in thought on how she could get them to learn how to transform. Then she knew what to do. She turned to the seven hybrids and said, "You all have known the energy levels of the 'Twos. And you know that same energy level exists in you. Close your eyes and concentrate on it. Reach for that hidden energy. Don't try to look like a 'Two. Just focus on the feelings deep inside you. Feel the 'Two-ness inside you. Breathe with it. Feel its presence. Think and feel as a 'Two. Move as a 'Two. Cloak yourself in the psychic essence of a 'Two. Imagine yourself as a 'Two. Feel the power."
Their minds concentrated on the thought patterns of the 'Twos at the exclusion of all else. Then, inevitably, their bodies began to respond to it. As Mewthree and all of the others watched, they each began to glow. Soon they burned like seven suns and everyone had to turn away or risk going blind for good. When the light finally died away and they looked at the scene again, seven abnormally tall 'Threes with mottled dark green fur and bright coral-hued eyes stood in a row. Their wings were a glossy black hue, as were their shins. Their faces were milk-white and adorned with twin streaks of the deepest violet. Their three-fingered paws were as white as their faces, and their feet were yellow. Their ears were relatively long and splayed slightly, imitating the high double crest that they'd had when in their hybrid form. Between their ears, their fur was a glossy black, giving the impression of having been slicked down. Streaks of more glossy black fur branched from the tip of their breastbones and curved upward, running across their chests to cover their shoulders in a slick ebony hue. Mewthree cheered and called out, "You did it! Cool! Look at yourselves! You're 'Threes now!" They looked themselves over and chatted with each other about how different things felt now that they were in the form of a 'Three.
Mewthree turned away from them, seeking out the meek Cell of their current dimension. He was silently lurking off to the side, unwilling to mingle with the crowd. Considering the fact that he didn't even know what friendship was; it was only logical to assume that he wouldn't trust anyone. No one had ever been kind to him, so bad treatment was what he expected. He flinched and backed away from her a few steps. She spoke soft, gentle, reassuring words to him and he calmed down a bit. The storm of raw power within him had calmed slightly, but it was still more than he could handle. Feeling the fear that he felt as if it were hers, Mewthree knew that the power within him terrified him to no end. So she decided that she had to help him with it. To that end, she gently entered his mind. After sending out some soothing thoughts to calm him down, she began to give him her knowledge of how to control the powers he now possessed. As she did so, she felt his fear of his new powers begin to subside. That made her feel a little bit better about things. When she had taught him all that he needed to know about his power and how to deal with it, she broke the link and returned to herself. She led him off to the side to where they could be alone and have a one-on-one chat about stuff. They flew together to the Pentagon's roof and landed there. Settling down side by side, looking at the scenery all around them, Mewthree began to tell him what Laura had told Mewtwo all those many years ago. He had no more to fear. No one would try to hurt him anymore. Not everyone in the world wanted to hurt him. If he looked far enough for long enough, he would surely find a friend somewhere out there. The world was vast, as were the possibilities.
After finishing that conversation, Cell decided that it was time for him to go. Mewthree waved goodbye as he flew away. Once he was out of her sight, she flew down to join the others. The seven sons of Jadeite, all still in their 'Three forms, gathered around her. No matter what form she wore, she was still their mother. While she had been off talking with Cell, they had been practicing and experimenting with the power inherent in their new forms. Judging from their power levels, they were at least as strong as full-blooded 'Threes, if not more. She turned to face the others. "Okay, guys," she said, "Our work here is done. Time for another dimensional hop." As they had done twice before, each of them put their hands on the shoulders of two others and concentrated, focusing their powers on creating another dimensional rift. Then the Mews came down to sit on their shoulders, two per person, and concentrated as well. The sky split in a rift of light and they slowly rose off the ground. They entered the rift and it closed up behind them.