Chapter 4
The small boy's eyes slowly opened as he bagan to stir. Sitting up, he realised he wasn't home. He looked down and noticed he was on a really torn mattress. Then, looking around, he noticed he was in a small hut like room, constructed from wood. It looked similar to the treehouse he and Lauren had back home, except he knew he wasn't in a tree.
"Where am I?" James wondered out loud, standing up. Outside, he could feel huge ki's and heard lots of explosions.
"Everyone! The boy's awake!" Said a dull English accent. James looked up and gasped as he saw a ten foot, pale purple figure walking in the entrance which was just a hole in the wall. Suddenly two more figures appeared.
"Excellent, and what about the girl?" A silky voice demanded, it belonged to a dark haired man who looked a lot like android 18.
"Uh about that 17..." The grasshopper like android started but the man turned on him.
"Please don't tell me you forgot to get the girl." Android 17 growled, causing Cell to back up slightly.
"He didn't forget, we got caught. I'll go back for her, just keep the boy quiet until I get back and make sure he doesn't release any ki. We can't let them know we're doing this." Radditz ordered, before leaving the room. James blinked. He could have sworn that Radditz had been wearing the son family orange gi...
No sooner had he left that a couple of strong and very familiar ki signatures could be felt.
"Hey! That's my mom and dad!" James yelled, running towards the door, only to be grabbed back by the pale man.
"No! They are not your parents. They may look like them but they are not. You have to trust us!" He cried.
"You've just kidnapped me! Why the hell should I trust you?" James demanded, struggling all the while.
"Hide! They're coming!" Cell hissed. 17 lifted a mat and pulled open a cellar door and dove in, one by one - with King Kold throwing James to Cell - they all jumped in and closed the door.
"Darling, I know I sense them here. I can sense Kolds rotten ki anywhere." A cold voice suddenly spoke up. James recognised it immediatly as his mothers and desperatly tried to get to her. He lifted the door slightly and spotted her, but frowned as he realised Cell and the others were right: she wasn't his mother.
The blonde woman had a short ponytail that ended in three spikes and was in what looked like his Grandpa Vegeta's blue saiyan armour, except her top went to above her stomach and around her waist were two daggers.
Her partner who looked similar to his father had gelled back his lavander hair with the exception of three short bangs that went just above his eyebrows. The man also wore a similar armour to his Grandpa Vegeta except at the end was the three arches he'd seen on pictures of his grandpa Radditz. He had a red cape coming down from two gold shoulder pads and around his shoulder was a sword, identical to his fathers.
"Emi, there is no one here. Come on, Gohan told us to report to him after robbing that stupid bank and we haven't even got there yet." The lavander haired man scolded. The blonde scowled at him before taking a quick look around the area.
"Screw Gohan Trunks, he's just a snivelling worm anyway. Why should I allow him to order me around?" She snapped folding her arms stubbornly.
"Because he's the right hand man of King Vegeta and I don't even wanna think of what could happen if you disobey him." Her partner argued, and James couldn't help but notice that he shivered when saying Vegeta's name.
James frowned. His dad was never scared of his Grandpa no matter how much he yelled and demanded his parents meet him in the gravity room. All they'd do was roll their eyes, smirk and tell their partner they'd see them in a few hours.
"You should be his right hand man Trunks! You are technically his son. I mean what's so special about Kakarot's brat, he couldn't even get into a proper stance even if a nailed a tutorial to that fat head of his. I could have that weasel down on the floor in seconds if I wanted to. I don't see what Prince Vegeta would want with that snivelling saiyan anyway." Emi complained as the pair took off.
Meanwhile - out at Mount Potaz - Lauren had been kept under the watchful care of Jake and Alex. Daisy had gone over to keep Goro and Chico - Goten and Marron's 8 year old twins company whilst Mirai Trunks was now over at ChiChi's with Goten and Gohan, discussing the current events. His 10 year old son Fry, who wanted to come and help find his cousins was kept home.
"But that cave was empty wasn't it? So it can't be Cell." Goten was saying.
"So then where's my son? No, Zara said she saw Cell in Lauren's mind and all this mess was coming from that cave. It's one thing for Lauren to make this up but I know that Zara wouldn't. As bizarre as all this is right now, that cave is our only guide. It must be some kind of time rip." Mirai Trunks pondered, rubbing his temples.
"What? Going back to the Cell Games? I don't think so as Radditz was dead well before Cell even walked the Earth. And I don't like the way that Radditz acted. Was it me or did he look happy? That creeped me out a bit." Gohan asked.
Meanwhile over at at the house next door, Jake and Alex were battling it out over a game of poker whilst Lauren was watching the TV. Suddenly Lauren looked up when she felt a familiar ki. Jumping quietly off the couch, Lauren glanced at her elder twin siblings before going towards the door.
"Where do you think your off too?" Jake asked, not even looking up from his cards, Lauren froze on the spot.
"Uh, left something in the back garden." She lied, Alex smirked as she glanced over at her sister.
"Nice try Lauren, that's the front door, the back garden is the other way. Now come away from it please." She said.
"I can't!" Lauren yelled before flinging the door open and running out. Jake and Alex dropped their cards and took off after their sister only to find her at the gate tears streaming down her face.
"Look Lauren, I know you miss James but its important that you keep safe right now." Alex sighed, bending down and pulling her sister into a hug.
"But, I just sensed him!" Lauren sniffed.
"What? Where?" Jake asked, frowning down at his sister, Lauren just pointed at a direction opposite the house.
"That way." She mumbled, suddenly Alex felt a pang of her brother's ki too.
"It's near Mom, maybe she's found him." She cried.
"Hold it Al, it could also be a trick. Dad told us not to leave the house, you know he'll kill us if we brought Lauren with us." Jake said sternly looking at his twin.
"Yeah which is why your staying at home with her." Alex declared.
"What?" Jake and Lauren cried in unison.
"Mom might be in trouble Jake, I wanna go help her." Alex stated seriously.
"If you think you're leaving me behind then your sadly mistaken!" Lauren yelled, Alex frowned down at her sister.
"Lauren, this isn't a game. And the last thing we want is you strolling around that cave and getting yourself kidnapped. You'd be safer staying here with Jake." She sighed.
"I wanna help!" Lauren growled, not backing down. Alex looked at her twin helplessly who nodded and scooped her up.
"If you run into trouble, call me got it?" He demanded as Lauren automatically began squirming to get down.
"Got it. I'll be in touch." Alex replied, taking off towards the direction of the cave, Jake inwardly groaned as he heard his grandparents door swing open. Turning around he spotted his father and Gohan making their way towards him.
"Alright, where's she gone to?" Mirai Trunks demanded watching Jake struggle with Lauren.
"They felt James's ki and Alex went to check it out and to make sure Mom hasn't ran into any trouble up at the cave." He explained, Gohan frowned at the answer whilst Mirai Trunks took his daughter off his son.
"They felt his Ki? How is that possible, we haven't felt anything." Gohan pondered.
"Dad! Let me go! I wanna go help James." Lauren yelled, Mirai Trunks sighed as he shook his head and brought her up into a comforting hug. He knew she was really worried about her twin right now, but she wasn't about to be next on the kidnapped list.
"Well I haven't felt it either, it was just the girls. Should I go after Alex?" Jake asked, Mirai Trunks shook his head.
"No, we will. We need you to stay here incase Cell or Radditz show up. Will you be able to handle everything?" He asked.
"Yeah I'll be fine. Besides Uncle 'ten will be next door if I need him right?" Jake replied, both Mirai Trunks and Gohan nodded at this.
"Right, now Lauren, I need you to do me a big favour and stay with Jake alright? Don't worry, we'll find James. But right now it's important that you stay safe you got that?" Mirai Trunks asked, holding Lauren out at arms length so that he could look at her whilst he was talking to her.
"But Dad, I wanna help!" She whined, Mirai Trunks just sighed at her.
"And you can, later. But right now I need you safe with your brother alright?" He bargained, Lauren nodded her head reluctantly.
"Alright." She replied, clearly not happy. Nodding himself, Mirai Trunks handed Lauren back over to Jake then uncapsuled his sword and attached it to his back.
"Keep her safe Jake. I'm counting on you. I'll be in touch with you as soon as I know anything." He said before he and Gohan took off. Jake sighed as he looked at his sister.
"Come on, let's go back inside." He said, before making his way indoors again.
Meanwhile up on the cave, Emily was sat against a tree, trying to work out what was going on and more importanly where her little boy was. She was startled when she suddenly spotted a visitor by the cave entrance.
"Thought you could do with the company." The low voice said, it was Zara. She moved out from the entrance and joined the blonde by the tree.
"Thanks. It has gone annoyingly quiet up here lately. That is typical of Radditz though, to cower in the dark." Emily sighed, hurt clearly in her voice. Zara place a hand on the older woman's shoulder.
"We will find James. He's a tough kid, I'm sure he'll be fine. I mean come on, both he and Lauren can go super already." She said.
"Even if we're too late we can always wish him back with the dragonballs. But I don't even know that. I can't imagine how scared he must be right now. I mean what could Radditz want with James and Lauren anyway. Why can't he just leave me and my family alone!" Emily half yelled, before Zara could reply, a lavendar blur appeared next to them.
"Where is he?" Alex demanded, Emily blinked at her daughter, whilst Zara stared at her old pupil with curiosity.
"Who?" Emily asked.
"James. Both Lauren and I have just sensed his ki, couldn't you feel it?" Alex replied, both women shook their heads.
"No, and I haven't left this place. Are you sure?" Emily asked, suddenly the mouth of the cave lit up and Radditz sauntered out, grinning at the three of them.
"Ooh you are a clever girl Alex to even pick up on that. I just hope the other you didn't. It must be a twin thing. Now that I only have one of you two to deal with I think I'll get what I came here for. Bye for now." He laughed and pressed a button on what looked like a long watch then suddenly he disappeared.
"Oh no you don't! You stay away from my sister!" Alex yelled, bringing two fingers to her forehead but before she could disappear, Radditz had come back this time with a wailing lauren in his arm, in her super saiyan form trying to her best to get loose but with no avail. Before anyone had time to react, he ran back into the cave. Zara narrowed her eyes and dived in after him and to everyone elses suprise, another familar voice could be heard.
"What's my treacherous father doing now. Hey, who's the brat? Get your filthy hands off me! Trunks!" The cave suddenly glowed stronger, so bright that Emily and Alex had to shield their eyes as another figure got thrown out. Emily started to panic as the light of the cave disappeared but nothing could prepare her for their new visitor. She gasped at the woman who appeared almost identical to her, the other blonde simply jumped up and brushed the dirt off her pants.
"Now what did that stupid oaf do to me?" She mumbled before staring into the eyes of the other Emily. Two Emily's face to face, their near identical faces conveying the shock they felt. And now - to make matters worse - not only was James missing, but Lauren and now Zara as well.