Cell Saga - Part 10: Destroyer of Worlds

As Goku felt his body being sucked through the narrow, otherwordly void known as hyperspace, he recalled that this was his second time going to Namek to save it from Slug. Last time, in the future, he had locked on to Dende's energy signature thinking it was Piccolo's. To him, his trip to the future had only been a few weeks ago...but it seemed like a different lifetime.

This time, as he searched for the same energy signature, it had taken a little longer. Namek was still in the same place, but the boy's energy was much weaker than he remembered. But he found it nonetheless...and an instant later, they were there.

The guardian of Earth kept his eyes closed, letting the smooth Namek breeze blow against his skin. For so long, now, Kami had dreamt of returning to a world he had never known. The air he felt was kind and soft; it felt more natural than the air of Earth. Was it really so different? Or was his old body simply rejoicing that he had finally returned home?

Kami opened his eyes slowly. He was at the center of a small village with several domed dwellings lining the perimeter. He was surrounded by...his people: beings identical to himself and Piccolo, but with greater diversity than he could have ever imagined. At the moment, though, their faces showed worry marked with surprise.

"Goku!" shouted Elder Moori, looking up suddenly. "I must say, are we ever glad to see you!"

The Saiyan smiled at the Namekian Elder. "Yeah, I'm sure you are. We actually already know all about your situation. Don't worry one bit...we're here to help."

Moori's eyes widened for a moment, but then he relaxed and smiled. "Well, I'm not surprised in the least. You truly are the greatest hero of our time, Goku!" He turned to the two Namekians who stood behind Goku. "I see you've brought company!"

The other Namekians began coming closer, their confusion tempered by Moori's glad tone. "It is good to see you again, mighty Piccolo," the elder continued before turning to face his people. "Many of you will recall that Piccolo fused with our very own Nail to fight against Frieza. He is the one responsible for the protection now afforded our planet." The murmuring in the crowd turned to applause as the people understood; they had all recalled Piccolo's actions when Slug's attempts to terra-freeze Namek had failed. After a few moments of this, Moori turned to Kami.

"It is good to finally meet you, Guardian of Earth," he said. Kami, unsure exactly how real Namekians greet each other, simply smiled and extended his hand. The Namekian elder accepted the handshake with a smile. In that brief moment, the two old men shared the conversation of a lifetime. Moori saw Kami's long history as the protector of Earth, his struggle against King Piccolo, his time spent training Goku, and more. Kami saw the history of Namek, from Moori's birth and the repopulation of Namek by Elder Guru up through the struggle with Frieza and everything that had happened since. In a flash, the memories passed, making both men old friends. The first to let go, Moori spoke again. "Tell me, Kami of the Earth, is Namek all that you had ever dreamed?"

Kami turned slowly and walked away from the group, feeling the blue grass beneath his feet. He stopped a few steps from the bank of a brook where Namek's green water flowed gently. Everything was right before him, just as he had always imagined. It was serenity, true, gentle peace. To some, it might have seemed dull or bland, but to Kami it was simply...home.

"It is everything, Moori. Thank you." Kami turned back to the group, raising his voice. "Now, on to more pressing matters. As Goku said, we have come to put an end to Slug." His voice was growing more forceful now, regaining its youthful vigor. "In this, Namek's darkest hour, it will not be an off-worlder who comes to its aid, but one of its own children. You will be saved by...the lost son of Namek."

Murmurs immediately rose up among the gathered Namekians. All were well aware of the story: the lost son of Namek was the only Old Namekian other than Elder Guru to survive the catastrophe brought about by Slug. Was this old man really him? Was he old enough to be the son of Katas?

But Moori's smile immediately put everyone at ease. "Wonderful! It is fitting that the cruel, prideful Super Namek who now threatens our planet will be stopped by the greatest Namekian warrior, the son of Katas."

Kami turned to Piccolo. "There is one last thing I must do."

Piccolo knew what he was getting at. On Earth, when Kami said the dragon balls wouldn't necessarily be lost, it had been immediately obvious to him: Kami intended to find a new Guardian for Earth from the Namekians here.

"People of Namek!" began Kami, raising his voice again boldly. "I speak as one of you, for you are all truly my own race. In order to purge this threat to our home, to make Namek as free as it deserves to be, I must join my body with my other half. Only then will I have the power to defeat Slug. He is the one who you know as the brave and selfless Piccolo, the warrior responsible for the spell that now protects this sacred planet. He and I were once a single being, the only survivor of the Great Cataclysm other than your former Grand Elder. The evil Lord Slug is the brother of Katas...and as the son of Katas, defeating him is my responsibility."

There was gladness on the faces of the Namekian people. They treasured their traditions and teachings, and so the value of the Son of Katas confronting his evil uncle was not lost on them. Though each would have been entirely satisfied to see Goku save them, they were firm believers in the balance of the universe. An Evil Namek was an imbalance that could only be truly rectified by righteous power from Namek itself. Not only would the returned son of Katas restore honor to their people, but he would end the cycle begun when Slug first fell centuries before.

A few, the oldest in the crowd other than Moori, even felt their eyes beginning to water. They were glad and amazed, not only to see the son of Katas return as their protector, but to see Slug brought to his end. Only minutes before, most had been considering the consequences of surrender to Slug's army; now, victory was all but assured.

Kami continued. "To join with my other half and fulfill my destiny is a great honor, one I do not take lightly. But its glory is tempered with sadness. Piccolo is already fused with your own warrior Nail; once I join them, I will lose my abilities as a member of the Dragon Clan. I will no longer be able to serve as the true Guardian of Earth. Although Namek is the true home of every member of our race, my time as Earth's protector has taught me many things. Earth of great value to me."

Goku, too, understood. He had wondered what would happen to the dragon balls when Kami fused with Piccolo...now he knew.

The old Namekian smiled warmly. "Though I will no longer be able to serve as Earth's Guardian, I cannot leave it unprotected. I would that another one of my brothers rise up to succeed me in my duties...one among the Dragon Clan who might take up the mantle of Guardian and obtain control over the dragon balls of Earth. And so I ask you all now: is there any among you who feels called to this task?"

Silence fell among the crowd. Leave their home? Move away to a strange planet, one they knew nothing about? Say goodbye to everyone they knew and just...vanish? It was a daunting thought for even the bravest among them. But from the midst of them, one small boy stepped out.

"I will!" Dende said, his voice high and youthful but firm. Both Goku and Piccolo, recognizing his voice, smiled immediately. This small boy had bravery surpassing that of grown men...truly, he would make a fine guardian.

Moori, stepping forward, indicated that he felt the same way. "You will not find a more worthy candidate than our Dende. He is already one of the most skilled of the Dragon Clan."

"You are brave to volunteer," Piccolo said kindly, resting his large hand on the boy's shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Dende nodded despite his nervousness. To fill the shoes of the son of Katas was a great honor, but also a great challenge—almost as scary as the thought of trying to take on Frieza alone. But he had already risked his life many times to save his friends Gohan and Krillin. He knew he would do his very best.

With a kind smile, Kami knelt before the young boy. "Very well. Are you ready?"

Dende's eyes widened, but he nodded again. "Yes, I am."

The elderly Namek took both of the boy's hands in his own and closed his eyes. A moment later, golden-white light began to glow around them both.

"I, Kami, the Guardian of Earth and the keeper of the Mighty Shenron, now grant you immediate and permanent control over the Eternal Dragon of Earth and all seven Dragon Balls of legend. May you judge the Earth in wisdom and may the power of the Dragon guide you. May you serve each other well."

Dende's eyes were tightly closed too, his body shaking a little. The rest of the Namekians watched with amazement.

"And now," Kami continued, "I bestow upon you all my own wisdom and all the knowledge I gleaned as the guardian of Earth. May this experience, though it be at times meager or clouded by my own failings, benefit you greatly as you serve the Earth, always placing the interests of its people first."

The boy felt the rush of images filling his head, but as they began to blur together his thoughts were filled with something deeper: understanding. Immediately he knew not only all of Kami's past experiences, but the precise chain of events that had led them here. He understood the threat posed to Earth by the evil Cell, and an unconscious pang of concern rose up within him immediately. He understood why Piccolo and Kami had come...if the Earth fell, the son of Katas would be the only one left to protect Namek. But he also understood what Kami firmly and deeply believed: that Goku would be able to protect Earth no matter what. Finally opening his eyes, he turned to the Saiyan...and felt a sudden confidence. He could do this.

"Thank you, Kami," he said. "I will do my very best to look after the Earth, putting all your gifts to use. Thanks to warriors like Goku, I have no doubt that we will be able to stop Cell!"

Kami smiled, standing again. It felt strange, incomplete, to be separate from Shenron. Now, he realized what he had only guessed before...that his need to be whole had been filled with the Dragon and the guardianship of Earth. Now, he was finally free...free to be the hero Namek deserved.

"Piccolo, it is time."


"There ya go, C. You're all set," Bulma said with a smile. More than anything, she felt like heaving a sigh of relief. Maybe now the droid would stop pestering her.

"Statement: Sensors reveal I am functioning at 90,001% capacity.
"Conclusion: This new power core is quite satisfactory."

"Yeah, well just chill out for a while, C, will you? Oniya and I have still got a lot of work to do."

"Statement: Your wish is my command, woman. If my circuits were capable of experiencing anything akin to gratitude, it would be undeniably yours. At present, I am most eager to test out my new skills and abilities; I assure you that you will not be further disturbed."

"Naturally, you are. Just try and be responsible with this new power, ok?" Bulma said. "Just because we've made you awesome doesn't mean you can go take on Cell or anything. Seriously, I know you would do something like that, so don't even think about it."

C47 cocked his arms and legs and twisted them from side to side. He had been cooped up in that room for so long that even a droid would need to stretch.

As he left the cargo hold, the droid could be heard mumbling. "Resignation: As you wish, oh bossy woman."

But she was still busy working with Oniya on her latest project. With all the new parts they had acquired, the question of Android 16's fate had been greatly complicated. It was now possible for them to rebuild him another android body, if they wanted to. It wouldn't have been as powerful as the masterpiece Gero had made, but nonetheless it would allow him to continue his existence.

Oniya, however, had another idea. It had come to her when she was running through all of his programs: 16 was nothing short of a supercomputer. His AI processor was more advanced than anything she had ever seen, and it had piqued her interest. If his processor were given an alternate function, like the management of an extremely complex spaceship, the vessel would become practically self-sustaining. There were plenty of onboard AI in the Empire, but none of them could match the abilities of a real pilot. Until now, at least. 16 was...different.

"All right, Oniya," Bulma said, holding a tablet in her hand. "Are you sure you want to do this? Aren't you worried that 16 might take over the ship and disobey your orders?"

"That was my first concern. To guard against this, I've placed hardwired firewalls in the system that will allow either of us or Lord Vegeta to override 16 biometrically. I've also modified his programming; as it turns out, it's a lot easier to simply go in and delete things than it is to write them. I got rid of all the programming to destroy Kakar-err, Goku, and I deleted all of Gero's latent demands."

"Nice!" Bulma said. "I'm more of a hands-on type of scientist. That programming stuff is way more your style."

Oniya smiled at the compliment. "Gero may have been evil, but he was brilliant. However, he was also a little lacking in common sense. Even though his AI programming was incredibly complex, he left all of his subroutines open to modification. So it wasn't hard for me to alter them."

The ship's central computer was located in a central hub in a small room behind the main bridge. Luckily, the Asari commander had designed the ship with herself in mind; everything was right where she wanted it to be. 16's head was wired directly into the side of the tall terminal.

The download of his intel was something 16 had been very pleased with. When presented with the prospect of having his consciousness transferred to the ship, Oniya had been sure to mention how it would give him ample opportunities to explore the universe. Plus, she had promised to eventually make him another droid body that would allow him mobility when he chose it.

In the end, 16 didn't need much convincing. He was simply happy that they didn't intend to let him die. When the download was complete, Oniya decided to do a test run, just to make sure 16 was able to control the ship's functions. They made a quick run out into space, making a loop out to the edge of the solar system before returning.

Meanwhile, Bulma slept in Vegeta's quarters, completely exhausted. She had been sure she was nearing a breakthrough in her plan for Krillin's recovery, but she had gone too long without resting for her mind to be sharp. She promised herself that when she awoke, she'd get everything put together right away.


"Magnificent."

At a distance of 215 parsecs from Earth, Cell hovered motionless in the void of space, his voice inaudible against the vacuum. Initially, he had flown without aim or purpose, simply cleaving through hyperspace for the sheer joy of feeling his perfection. But something had caught his attention as he flew...a blue-white supergiant star, tucked neatly inside a diffuse nebula.

When it came to taking a grand tour of space, he decided, this newfound ability was far superior to Goku's instant travel. It allowed him to see everything as he passed, to ponder his place in the wheeling, whirling tapestry of the universe. It was this ability that had allowed the star to catch his eye.

Its name was Omega Cassiopeiae...a nugget of information buried somewhere within the memories he had inherited from one of the frost demons. Even here, more than a million miles distant from its flaming surface, the light was brilliantly blinding. The star was six times heavier than Earth's sun but over two thousand times more powerful. The intensity of its rays caused his pale green exoskeleton to glow vibrantly, light passing through his entire body.

Cell stared directly into the inferno, allowing his regeneration to restore his retinas even as the blue rays burned deeply. Truly, no mere mortal could stand where he now stood, see what he now saw. Looking down, he saw the light of Omega reflecting off his hands and body...against the blackness of space below him, he seemed to be the source of the light. Here he glowed brightly enough to burn out the eyes of any human. But it wasn't enough.

He laughed. "I simply never considered the true vastness of my potential. Gero never had the faintest idea of what he was creating. Even now, I feel that this is only the beginning, an atom of energy in the universe of my power."

The bio-android extended one hand toward the vast sphere of fire. It blazed with such heat an intensity that even a Super Saiyan would have been destroyed—yes, even one of the frost demons would have been incinerated. Yet he, the one truly surpassing force in the universe, was unharmed. Slowly, the blue glow emanating from his body began to fade as he pushed his aura out around himself.

"Hah! Yes, just as I expected."

His aura morphed, then expanded outward as he pushed his energy away from his body. A moment later, a vast purple shield lit with yellow sparks flickered into view around him.

"Now...let me dare."

Slowly, Cell stopped holding himself in one place, allowing the star to pull him toward its surface. The gravity was immense, enough to crush planets...but his face showed amusement, as if coming face-to-face with death was just a game. He picked up speed, falling faster and faster toward the star with arms outstretched.

His shield itself was now white hot, and had compressed down to a tenth of its former size. But Cell, ever confident, continued to allow the gravity to pull him down. Tendrils of white-hot plasma a thousand miles long writhed around him...but his shield flicked them away as if they were nothing but stems of grass. The star was daring him to keep coming, welcoming the challenge to its power. Which would prove mightier?

"How easily these flames would swallow up an entire solar system," he thought. "And yet, even they must bow in submission before the might of true perfection."

Suddenly, Cell could hear again. The roar of the stellar wind was deafening as he plunged through the corona. As he entered the chromosphere, temperatures soared to over 30,000 K...but not a single drop of sweat showed on his brow. He was fully immersed in the heart of the star now, his perfect barrier compressed to mere inches from his body by the overwhelming pressure.

At the base of the convection zone, Cell stood unmoving. Below him, the star was as dense and smooth as solid gold...above him, walls of flame reached out for thousands of miles.

Slowly, he took a step forward, the density of the star yielding to the might of his aura. "Truly, I have exceeded all that Gero could have ever possibly dreamed." His words were quiet against the roar of the blue inferno.

Cell had secretly wondered just how far he could push himself. But this...to walk unharmed within the most fiery violent furnace the universe could afford...was something no one else could do. Was he a god? No, he was more than a god, greater than the mightiest of the gods. The cosmos would kneel before his might.

It was true: no corner of the universe was beyond his reach.

As if to prove it, Cell closed his eyes and reached out with his mind, sensing all the way through the stellar furnace and the nebulae and the star cluster and the blackness of space...to Earth. In an instant, he could feel the energy of the Earthlings as they went about their daily lives, totally unaware of the being that was watching over them.

But he didn't stop there. He continued pushing into the depths of his mind, sensing not only their energies but beyond, to their words and thoughts and dreams. He could feel them all, even that lecturing mother and that old southern gentleman.

Suddenly, his own consciousness was flooded with the hopes and fears and ambitions of the billions of Earth's inhabitants. There was peace there...compassion, bravery, longing...love. The rush of emotion took him completely by surprise, shocking him out of his relaxed meditation. Before he knew it, a single sympathetic tear welled up in his eye.

"What's this?!" He was dumbfounded, amazed. How could he, the most perfect self-sufficient being the universe had ever seen, be in any way affected by the fickle emotions of a powerless species?

His rage began to smolder, shooting up as if fueled the roaring inferno of the star itself. Cell clenched his fists and ground his teeth in anger.

"I NEED NOTHING! I HAVE ALL THAT I COULD EVER DESIRE WITHIN ME!"

Cell's energy suddenly exploded as he powered up to unimaginable heights. Though the heat around him was intense, the blue plasma around him burned even hotter from the power of his aura. He burst outward in a fury, pushing himself to the limits of his energy. This power was his; it belonged to him now! He had overcome the star, survived where no one else possibly could.

Cell erupted out of the body of Omega, immediately opening a wide slipstream trail. A thousand times faster than light, he cut a path toward the edge of the local nebula and made a wide arc back toward the blue giant. He was gaining speed, gaining anger, gaining pure unadulterated power.

"NOW YOU SHALL FALL BEFORE THE MIGHT OF PERFECTION!"

Cell extended his fists forward, pouring every drop of his power into his flight. His aura, formerly golden like that of the Super Saiyans, was now pure blue like the star he was bearing down on. He saw the haze of space around him speeding by, asteroids and planets rushing past in faint streaks. Before him, looming ominously in the center of his vision, was Omega Cassiopeiae. Cell clenched his teeth and boldly dove straight toward its center.

He needed no energy attack...he needed nothing but his own overwhelming might. The star seemed to tremble before him, as if consumed with fear. He was solely driven by rage and pride, but his mind was clear; the feat he was attempting required unimaginable precision.

Were he to build up this much speed with the thrust of his ki alone, it would have taken him a thousand laps around the observable universe. But his warp flight made that unnecessary. An instant before he pierced the surface of the blue giant, he dropped out of his slipstream, slowing to just below the speed of light. Then he struck.

At just one hundred billion trillion trillionth less than lightspeed, his mass increased to greater than that of a gas giant. His kinetic energy was transferred to the foundations of Omega in an instant; the center of the star collapsed as if he was punching a hole through a donut. As he breached the other side, he pulled hyperspace back around him and shot out again into space, his body super-radiated with the light of the core. He was glowing with unimaginable energy, enough to incinerate moons or boil oceans. This was the kind of power he had dreamed of.

Cell finally stopped, turning to look behind him. The sight caught up with him only moments later; he saw the center of the star burst outward and then watched as the ring of stellar plasma began to implode, pregnant with his energy. Six seconds after his initial impact, the stellar core exploded in the most massive hypernova the universe would ever see.

His rage sated, he paused. He hadn't specifically come there to destroy the star, but it had fallen to pieces like paper before his furious wrath nonetheless. Curious, he wondered what other effects his sudden outburst would have. Was this system inhabited?

Sure enough, he felt the energy of nearly a billion sentient beings only a few million miles away. Cell was mildly amused to think that the inhabitants of this planet had no knowledge of their impending doom; though they had done nothing to provoke him, they too would fall prey to his perfect anger. After wheeling around the expanding supernova at warp speed, his eyes fell on the planet, more than forty times more distant from Omega than Earth was from its sun. By his estimate, it would take six hours before the light from the explosion would reach them and nearly a day before the hypernova would expand enough to swallow the planet completely.

Six hours was plenty of time to land on the planet.


As he dropped out of hyperspace and entered the planet's atmosphere, Cell found it remarkable how unattractive the planet looked. Its surface was mostly grey and brown with blotches of red. Coming closer to the surface, he realized that the sky was more green than blue, and the sparse vegetation was deep purple. It was almost like looking at a barren area of Earth with the hues inverted.

But he wasn't here to sight-see...not exactly. He wanted to learn something about the inhabitants who were about to become the casualties of his anger. There were already notable contrasts with earth; below him he could see beetles as large as trucks being ridden by the planet's sentient life forms. The inhabitants all looked up as he screamed over their heads, the sonic booms in his wake deafening.

His course took him directly toward the highest concentration of power levels, which he assumed was a local capitol of some kind.

Sure enough, he rapidly approached a sprawling complex filled with life. It seemed like a highly artistic culture, with beautiful hand-carved statues hundreds of feet tall, carefully depicting the inhabitants. They were a bipedal humanoid species, probably mammalian. The eyes were wide and bulbous, but their faces comprised large prehensile snouts. Cell chuckled at their odd appearance; they looked like human anteaters.

Still mildly amused, he slowed and dropped straight through the dome at the center of the complex with an alarming crash.

Several hundred of the aliens, apparently a council or parliament of some kind, leapt to their feet in sudden surprise. Their voices echoed around the chamber.

The green bio-android landed at the center of the chamber, on an elevated stage between what appeared to be the four leaders of the council. These green-skinned aliens were lavishly dressed, wearing robes ornamented with intricate needlework and dazzling patterns..

"Greetings," he began with an affected charm. "My name is Cell, and I...am from a galaxy far, far away."

The four in front of him froze when they heard him speak, apparently too startled to respond. Perhaps they didn't understand him, or maybe they simply weren't used to seeing 6-foot-tall insects crash through their ceiling and address them.

Alien guards immediately came running, each holding a sharp spear with a tip surrounded by crackling energy. Their body armor looked strong enough to withstand light blaster fire...Cell couldn't help chuckling at the thought of how useless their defenses would be against his might, let alone the hypernova that would swallow them up in mere hours.

"Pardon my curiosity, but I must now inquire—does your species understand common galactic?" Cell gestured to his mouth, hoping they would know what he was asking even if they didn't speak his language.

The guards surrounded him now, each spear held tightly by strong hands and pointed directly at him. Their six-inch snouts masked whatever emotion they were feeling; Cell found it difficult to tell whether they were afraid or excited.

'Clearly, they aren't able to understand me,' he concluded with frustration. But then an idea hit him.

The green bio-android raised his hands submissively and dropped to his knees. He watched the guards closely, taking care not to frighten them with any quick movements. Immediately, the tallest of the aliens stepped forward and grabbed his wrist, slapping a pair energy binders on him.

'Ah, much better!' Cell thought exultantly. In that brief instant of contact, he had driven deep into the alien's mind, dredging out his name (Shuzz), his rank (Commandant), his memories, and every nuance of the language. In the momentary telepathic contact, Cell also provided the alien with an understanding of his own language.

"Ah, so you weren't able to understand me after all," Cell said, standing and turning back toward Shuzz. Immediately, the guards tightened their grip on their spears, ready to run Cell through...but Commandant Shuzz was frozen in disbelief.

"What?! That's impossible—it can talk!" The guard's stammering came out in the same weird series of hums, squeals, and hiccups Cell had heard from the aliens before. Only now, he was completely able to understand, possessing perfect knowledge of the language, grammar, and idioms.

"Why, yes," responded the android casually.

Immediately, the entire room was in an uproar. One of the four high-ranking aliens stood and raised her hand to call for silence.

"Commandant Shuzz, what did that creature just do to you? You said it spoke, yet we all heard very clearly: it was merely the same gibberish as before. Explain your outburst!"

"My Queen, I swear I heard the hirkleh say it understood us."

Cell's brows narrowed. Hirkleh, he realized, was their word for "insect".

"You're losing your mind, Shuzz! Now get this thing out of our sight. I want it on my dinner-table in two hours!"

Cell was waiting patiently, wondering how he could program every single mind in the room to understand him without having to make physical contact with each. But at the sudden mention of being eaten, his interest was piqued.

'Hmm, yes. Very curious indeed,' he thought. 'This species eats insects, to which I obviously share share some similarities in appearance.' Cell liked to think his perfect form looked more humanoid than previous transformations, but nonetheless it was interesting that they believed him to be a bug. Cell recalled seeing giant beetles before, when he was flying over the planet. There seemed to be many large nonsentient insect-like species on this island, which apparently served as both transportation and a food source. 'Well, well. It really couldn't be any more perfect.'

"Greetings to all!" Cell suddenly announced, using his best imitation of the alien dialect. There was a sudden hush amongst the crowd. Everyone in the room froze, staring at him in disbelief. Apparently his translation had been successful, and the natural acoustics of the room amplified his voice so all could hear.

At his words, however, the Queen showed obvious disgust. She nodded to Commandant Shuzz, who took his position with his spear once again, then reluctantly stepped forward towards Cell.

"Tell me, hirkleh, is this a trick or are you somehow capable of sentient reasoning?" Her voice, while more delicate and controlled than that of Shuzz, was also sharper and more demanding.

Cell put on his most charming smile. "I am more capable than you know."

At his words, he felt the crackling energy of each spear press against his armored torso even harder. His answer had clearly been perceived as disrespectful, a mistake he immediately tried to rectify.

"What I mean to say is, I am capable of both thought and speech. Before, I was simply testing to see if you understood my own language. I have since realized that you do not, which is why I replicated your own dialect by analyzing the mind of Commander Shuzz. Now we may converse as you see fit."

Cell tried his hardest to make each word as unthreatening as possible. After all, if he was going to act out his little test, he would need them to feel like they were in complete control.

The Queen moved toward him, eyeing Cell from top to bottom. She was about to speak again when she was interrupted from behind. Another of the four leaders had stood, this one dressed in equally breathtaking garments.

"Who are you? Where do you hail from, creature? Do you come from Kubindi, or are you from beyond the stars?" The voice was female as well, and just as commanding.

Cell smiled. "A fair question. I must answer in the form of an apology. First, my name is Cell, and you are correct in assuming I am not from this planet—Kubindi, as you call it. I was not even aware of its existence until a few hours ago. You see, I was in command of a shipping vessel traveling through this sector, but my crew mutinied. I apologize for the haste and rudeness of my entrance, but I was thrown off my own ship like trash, only to crash here, in this glorious structure. You have my deepest apologies for any distress my sudden appearance caused. I now humbly beg you for your assistance, anything you can provide. Shelter, food."

The room was silent for a moment, all seeming to consider his story and weigh the likelihood of it being true. After what seemed like a full minute of quiet deliberation, the Queen waved her hand to the commandant. Immediately the spears lifted from Cell and the guards stepped back.

"If what you say is true, you were able to survive quite a fall. I presume your exoskeleton and wings explain how you survived being thrown off your own ship from space."

Cell nodded. "Indeed."

The Queen walked right up to him, almost sniffing his body. "And all you desire is food and shelter?"

"Correct," the android said.

The Queen turned back, taking her seat once again. She paused briefly, but the entire crowd was growing impatient. Everyone was on the edge of their seats. Cell, too, was a little excited, almost too enthralled with his little experiment. Would these creatures show him mercy? If they did, it wouldn't change their fate one bit. If they didn't, well, it certainly wouldn't change their fate for the better.

"Well, what is your verdict? Will you help a soul in need?" Cell said, adding a plaintive hint of sadness into his voice.

Suddenly, the Queen licked the edge of her snout. There was a sudden chill in the air. "Do you hear that, my people? The FOOD wants us to give it food!"

There was a huge uproar of shouts and laughter, as everyone stood to their feet and threw their fists into the air. Instantly, the guards were back around him, spears ready. They stepped towards him carefully, intending to drive him down a ramp and into a cage. The tribe would eat well tonight.

Cell shook his head, almost sad the game was over. At least it had been entertaining.

"I'm sorry," he shouted. "Wrong answer!"

Cell pulled his fists apart, breaking through the energy bonds like they were nothing. Then, with his lightest kiai, he flung every guard off the round central podium, each one immediately crushed on impact against the walls of the chamber. The four leaders were lucky enough to avoid the direct impact, braced by their seats. Yet they each began to panic, seeing Cell effortlessly tear through their guards and begin to walk toward them.

"What are you? What did you do?" the Queen yelled. Already, another group of guards, this one armed not with spears but with blaster guns, was on its way.

"Me? Why, I am the perfect being. I am a god, and I have been sent to judge you. Unfortunately, you have failed my test." Cell chuckled at his lie. He was making it up as he went along, but it all came so naturally.

"No! Impossible!" the Queen yelled. "You cannot be Ku'Bakai! Guards, kill him now!"

Hundreds of red laser blasts flew at Cell from every direction, throwing up a dark red dust cloud. The barrage of blasts paid no attention to sparing his flesh for a later meal anymore. No, they were afraid. They believed him. When the smoke cleared, the truth was all but sealed in their minds.

"I told you, I am your judgment," Cell said, laughing louder now. "You cannot escape the wrath of god!"

In the knowledge he had absorbed from Commandant Shuzz, he had learned that their name for Omega Cassiopeia was Ku'Bakai. Apparently that was also the name of their deity. How appropriate...that he was now taking the role of their god after destroying the very object they worshiped.

Cell gracefully lifted himself into the air, hovering a few feet above them. Then, concentrating, he pulled forth his energy to create something new. Rather than his normal aura, he heated his body, releasing blue-white rays as if he himself were Omega. Cell glowed, his light unapproachable and blinding.

The panic in the room suddenly turned to pure terror. Aliens everywhere began to bow before him, some even rending their clothes. Others merely jumped from balconies, plunging to their deaths. They didn't even deem themselves worthy to be in the presence of their god. The Queen, her eyes alive with pure fear, fell to her knees.

Cell's appearance was like a star itself, a light from which men hide their eyes. All trembled before him, repenting and begging. The sadistic android could hear cries for mercy from all around him, yet he did nothing but laugh, only terrifying them further.

"It is too late, my people," Cell said, his words twisted for his own enjoyment. "The light of Ku'Bakai will shine on you no more! I chose to come to you in this form, to offer you one chance for survival if you would help the lowliest of creatures. But your greed and stubbornness has doomed you all!" He couldn't help laughing, now; playing the part of god was all too easy.

With a grand gesture, he launched an invisible energy blast that ripped the ceiling of the chamber away. "BEHOLD!"

He had timed his grand entrance perfectly. As everyone raised their eyes to the sky, the sun suddenly winked out...then exploded in a brilliant light, nearly blinding everyone. The first wave of gamma rays from the hypernova began raining down on them, causing the pitiful creatures to fall to their knees in pain and terror. Death was falling from the heavens.

The cries of terror were even greater than before. Cell merely chuckled as he looked around at the suffering. 'Hmph,' he thought. 'Call it overcompensation for those damn emotions I was feeling earlier, but I did enjoy this.'

He suddenly felt a pair of hands on his feet. The Queen herself was face first on the ground before him. He could hear her sobs of regret, the pathetic squeals of her trembling voice no longer authoritative and cold, but humble and plaintive.

"Please, oh great and mighty Ku'bakai, you alone have the power to save us from this doom. PLEASE! I BEG YOU!"

Cell looked down at her and almost felt a twinge of sympathy. She was so pathetic...but then, so was everyone else. Nothing in the universe could compare to him now. And if anything, this experience had taught him that once he had his way with the Earth, there would be plenty of other planets to go and enjoy as well.

"HAVE MERCY!" she wept. "Have I not always prayed to you, served you and kept your ways? If only you had showed us it was you from the beginning, we surely would have treated you with the utmost honor and respect! Give us another chance, you must!"

At her final pleas, Cell broke out with the loudest laughter he had ever felt. He lifted his head high, letting his own voice overpower all the screams of fear in the room; the Queen stared at him in shock and fear. He looked down.

"I'll let you in on a secret, your majesty. I am not your Ku'bakai...no, I destroyed your god. I am something else, something greater: I am Cell, the ultimate, perfect being, and your destruction was nothing more than my whim! There was nothing you could have done to preserve yourself from me!"

Her trembling face provided Cell with the most indescribable satisfaction he had ever felt. She began to stammer in disbelief...but he was already lifting off the ground, away from the alien hands that grasped at him desperately.

"Enjoy your last few moments alive, majesty," Cell said.

Leaving the Kubaz race to its fate, he accelerated through their atmosphere in a glowing trail of golden energy. The bright yellow clashed brilliantly with the blinding blue rays of the Omega hypernova. Then, just as Cell pierced the outer linings of Kubindi's atmosphere, he tore into hyperspace and disappeared.


"Is everything ok, Goku?" Dende whispered, seeing the Saiyan of Earth stare numbly into the heavens. The two were gathered in a circle around Piccolo and Kami along with the rest of the Namekians, meditating quietly.

"Yes, Dende," he said quietly. "Nothing to worry about."

But Goku was lying. The others may not have sensed anything, being too distracted by the ritual or simply not attuned to the universe...but to him, the feeling was unmistakable. The Saiyan had followed Cell's energy signature since the bio-android left Earth. Though Cell was now nearly a thousand light years away, it was definitely him; no one else had that same combination of all the Z Fighters' ki.

Worst of all, Cell's power was simply mind-boggling. Goku had felt his stomach turn; he never could have imagined that absorbing 18 would make the villain so powerful. They were in way over their heads, that much was certain. How had Cell managed to get so far from Earth? Surely he didn't have a spaceship. Did he somehow know Instant Transmission? If so, that would make the upcoming battle even more daunting. If not...well, there were a lot of unanswered questions, that much was sure.

But, for the moment, he had other concerns. Something sacred was about to take place.

No one present could remember a time when the fusion of two Namekian heroes had been undertaken with such gravity. Not only was this the joining of two truly heroic individuals, but it was the union of a divided soul, a soul that had been purged of all evil and was now melding back together into one. The villagers knelt in respect for what was about to take place.

"Place your hand on my chest, Piccolo," Kami said.

Silence filled all those gathered around. Before the two fused, everyone in the village had meditated quietly. It was a tradition the two might have overlooked had they not been among the Namekians themselves. In fact, Kami didn't even know of it until exchanging thoughts with Moori. The process cleared their minds, purging their souls of all fear and doubt. It allowed the fusion of body and soul to be seamless, like two streams converging into one as a natural flow of water.

While Piccolo wasn't happy with the idea that they would need to wait a few hours before taking on Slug, he realized this was important. Plus, he knew that with Goku there, they were in little danger of being ambushed by the evil Super Namek.

He extended his hand slowly, placing it on the center of Kami's white robe. Already, he felt uncomfortable being so close to the elderly Namek, but it would soon be over.

Slowly, Kami began to glow white. Yet his face was relaxed, calm. Being on Namek, being home for the first time...he could imagine no better way for his own life to end. This was the natural way of things...this was right.

Kami's body burned whiter and brighter with each passing second as everyone watched in awe. Just before the light became too bright to watch, his form began dissolving and flowing forward into Piccolo. Then he was gone, never to be seen again.

Piccolo felt a sudden flow of energy rush through his veins. He could feel the power gushing through him, amazing and overwhelming and somehow humbling. It was far more power than he could have ever imagined having. Not only was his power surging, but he felt his mind beginning to change, as if long-forgotten and fractured knowledge was suddenly becoming complete. He felt calm, relaxed, and less angry than ever before. It was freeing.

Along with the sudden fluctuations in his ki, Piccolo also felt the inner workings of his mind begin to warp. He didn't feel Kami necessarily, just a rush of memories and wisdom. He felt calmed, relaxed, and less angry than he had ever felt. It was a uniquely indescribably freeing feeling.

When he opened his eyes, Kami was gone; his hand was still held out in front of him. He looked at his arm, seeing no difference. He twisted it from side to side, flexing his bicep and clenching his fist. He felt like a whole new man. White lightning was swirling around him, scorching the ground and shooting up into the sky. His body was thicker, denser. He felt completely indestructible.

"Wow!" Goku said, breaking the awed silence. "Your power is amazing, Piccolo! Or, Kami? Uh, what are you going to go by now? Oh, I know...Kamiccolo!"

The Nameless Namek stood, even taller than before. He was the largest of all his brothers, and now, he was also the strongest Namekian to have ever lived.

"My name from...before...is of no importance now. In spite of the changes, I still prefer to go by Piccolo, all right?" His answer was more calm than Goku had expected, apparently the result of Kami's presence.

"Sure, sure," the Saiyan said with a smile. "So, are you ready?"

"Yes, Goku. Take me there immediately..." Piccolo then lifted his chin up to the heavens, whispering almost inaudibly. "Father, you shall soon have peace."


Salutations, folks. A quick word or two: the race destroyed by Cell, the Kubaz, were taken straight from the Star Wars universe. We love incorporating other sci-fi stuff here whenever applicable, and this is yet another example. They do indeed live under a blue-white supergiant. If you're interested or want to see their appearance, look them up!

Incidentally, Omega Cassiopeiae is a real star in the Cassiopeia constellation, 215 parsecs from Earth. You can see it with the naked eye if you live outside of a city; it's most visible in the northern sky just above Andromeda during the month of November. David used real measurements from the Hubble Space Telescope to estimate its luminosity, mass, temperature, radius, and habitable zone. The values given, like the energy required to blow it up, Cell's relativistic mass, and the light-transit time to the fictitious planet Kubindi are all accurate within the bounds of current research. While Cell would be unable to perform the slipstream-boosted Infinite Mass Punch attack in an ordinary fight (the slipstream FTL technique cannot be performed anywhere but in a vacuum), his feat as we described it is absolutely possible.

The Cell portion of this chapter was screened ahead of time by American Vigor, the author of Honor Trip. We wanted to consult him on Cell's behavior, while also making sure we weren't following Honor Trip's depiction too closely.

You may notice a few slight alterations to the mechanics of Namekian fusion. We felt that such an ability would have to be considered very sacred and weighty. Fusion would only be undertaken under the most desperate of circumstances. Of course, the fact that Kami and Piccolo were once one person makes it more acceptable here, but it's still a very serious undertaking. You'll also notice that Kami transferred the dragon balls to Dende directly...what difference will this make? Wait and see!

I'm also just as eager as the rest of you for Vegeta and Trunks to exit the HTC. He still doesn't know that his Lordship of the Empire has been challenged. We're looking forward to writing that part soon. Stay tuned, everyone. Also, the next chapter of BoD Abridged should be released sometime this week, so make sure you follow the story and check it out! And thank you in advance for reviewing this chapter.

Q: Do you have anyone translating to Spanish? If not, I offer my services.
A: We do not! But that's a fantastic idea, one which we would be happy to discuss with you. Send us a PM if you don't mind.

Q: I was wondering how you pictured C47 when you came up with him?
A: He was directly inspired from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. HK47, an assassin droid that joins the player's party, is one of our favorite NPC's of all time. We just had to borrow him for this story, along with a few of our own minor alterations.

Q: Hey, I was just wondering how it's possible to create a whole new timeline/universe. After all, matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed, so how is it possible?
A:
This is a really, really great question! According to Salagir and Dragonball Multiverse, there are already an infinite number of universes, and the "splits" are nothing more than a differentiation between two diverging universes. Physics, on the other hand, disagrees: a many-worlds split during a quantum event is the actual creation of an entirely new universe.

Why, then, doesn't it violate the conservation of energy? The solution is really quite interesting. Energy pushes things apart while gravity pulls them together; gravity represents a state of negative energy. It turns out that the universe's gravitational field contains so much negative energy that it exactly balances out the total amount of positive energy and mass in the universe...which means that the total energy in the universe is 0. So it only takes 0 units of energy to create an entirely new universe...conservation of energy is preserved after all!

Q: I've read that Bills will be the strongest villain (or character can't remember) in DBZ history and that would place him above Buuhan or Vegito and either way that's impressive; are you guys excited for the movie?
A: Yeah, without knowing too much about Bills it is hard for me to believe he would be able to compete with Vegetto, especially if he were to use SSj2 or SSj3. However, I do like the idea of him being an actual deity in the DBZ universe who isn't far outclassed by mortals. If he were to have no true limits, or real unlimited power, it could make him a very compelling villain. I only hope that the writers can tell a good enough story to sate the appetites of DBZ fans everywhere.

Q: Is it possible that cell once beaten by the z team in the rare chance that he doesn't go to the big doghouse in the sky (or hell in his case) will become neutral and ..well, just live his life free from Gero's influence? I know that it is too similar to honor trip so in that case what is the chance that he would be freed fully from his programming once he enters afterlife and be able to go about his days the way he chooses?
A: We definitely want to avoid any semblance of copying Honor Trip. That story is great in many ways, and offers DBZ fans some very different things from BoD. It is worth mentioning that we believe Cell has somewhat already freed himself from Gero's programming. If you'll notice in this chapter, he is able to feel true emotion, he can even be civil and charming. But he chooses, on his own, to be a god in his own eyes. We will be expanding on this, as the power of choice and evil is an important concept when dealing with androids.

Q: I would have thought Bulma would have liked to research a bio-android. Perhaps even reprogram Embryo-Cell while he still has 20 some odd years of gestation left.
A: I considered this possibility. However, in the end it was simply too dangerous. Not to mention, she has a ton on her plate right now: C47, 16, and Krillin.

Q: Did you ever consider using the levels from (can't believe I am even saying this)... Dragon Ball Z sagas?
A: Never played it. Regardless, I'm sure they wouldn't fit anything close to our own model. From everything I know, we are the only additive model for the SSj boost out there.

Q: Hopefully we get an extremely detailed, in-depth explanation of FPSSJ (Would expect no less from you guys).
A: Indeed. When the time comes, we shall incorporate and explain it as best we can.

Q: I do hope you keep most things about Broly the same from canon, obviously done in your own way, but to me it's annoying when fics change character personalities or traits without giving a real reason, and I see a lot of that with Broly.
A: I can't agree more. With Broly, it is easier to mess him up and change him from the DBZ films because a lot of the time he was simply a mindless brawler screaming Kakarott. However, in the first Broly movie he proved that he could speak and think. You might have already picked up on this, but we relate a good portion of his mental instability to the control device Paragus uses on him. And we will try to keep him in character to the highest degree possible, as is always our aim.

Q: You mention that Mystic form is a transformation, so that logically that means that it can be improved through training the base form. DBZ seems to suggest that it is the max that a person can reach though. Your thoughts on this?
A: The Mystic form unlocked Gohan's full potential...which we feel is most likely a reference to the full power of his highest transformation. There's still room to improve with training. Besides, he would have to train to have full control over his power, too.

Q: If a physical transformation always restores to full strength, then what the chuff would have happened if Cell's duplicate somehow managed to survive Trunks's and Vegeta's assault?
A: It wouldn't have survived. Unlike Buu, Cell can only possess one physical form at one time. That is, apart from using the multi-form technique. He cannot split and regenerate into two of himself.

Q: Will Krillin get a sweet prosthetic leg reverse-engineered from android parts? Pimped-out with a muffin button?
A: Hmm, good prediction for next chapter.

Q: I don't get the chapter name reference, care to explain?
A:
I'd be happy to explain. The title is meant to reflect, first, Cell's psyche. Having realized his perfection, he now begins to undergo an existential self-analysis of sorts. He has to answer the question of what he wants to do with his perfection. He realizes that he came here alone, both to the past and to where he is now. He did it all, all he ever wanted to do, by himself. In canon, it was slightly different since Vegeta let him absorb 18. Here, he had to fight to get her. Now, Vegeta did try to allow him to have 17 as well, but Cell had to go through all of the Z fighters and all three androids to do so. The odds were stacked more highly against him, and yet he emerged even more indisputably victorious.

Also, one of my favorite songs, called "What is Left" by Demon Hunter, has those lyrics in the chorus. Check it out on youtube if you have time. The chorus says: "I came here alone, I thought you'd gone, I left you in bones at the end of the road. I came here alone, the long way home, I left you in bones at the end of the road."

Q: If you simply go that the Broly movie is against Cell Games Z-fighters, then yes, however, given that Gohan is weaker than his father in the movie they aren't the Cell Games Z-fighters. They are before the Cell-games; an alternate universe where Vegeta killed Semi-perfect Cell, or Cell was killed even earlier, possibly. In such a scenario, the Z-fighters themselves are much weaker and much slower; Broly could have lost a lot of speed in that scenario, yet still be faster than the Z-fighters.
A: Well, the only time period in which it can possibly fit is just before the Cell Games. Dragonball Multiverse has done a special chapter on this already, accounting for all the inconsistencies in the movie and fitting it into the canon DBZ timeline. I encourage you to check that out, as it is what we use for comparison.

Q: In the original Goku lied about only two people going in at a time so Vegeta would have to take Trunks with him, this way father and son had a chance to bond. Considering the two have already bonded as such, there's no reason for Goku to lie about the number of people entering the ROSAT this time around.
A: Goku very clearly said he didn't know all the rules for sure. He only knew what he had been told; he wrongly assumed that the two-person limit functioned in the same way as its two-year limit. Canon never stated that he lied about two people going in. Sure, he wanted Trunks and Vegeta to go in together, but the chamber was meant for 2 people; it can't hold enough food for more than two people in a given year. Here, in BoD, he meant no deception but merely spoke from ignorance.

Q: Will Cell's need to use so much energy to travel hinder him in battle?
A: In short, no. His interstellar flight technique is only for use in space, really. And it doesn't require THAT much energy, simply the right amount manipulated properly to partially open up a wormhole. Once you're in the slipstream, you're accelerated by vacuum energy; you only have to generate enough power to overcome the drag of being halfway in and halfway out of realspace. That's how Cell was able to accelerate to 99.9999999999999999999999999999 99999999999999995% the speed of light in this chapter.

Q: Prediction: While in space, Cell will find seven shadow dragons and defeat them all, hence proving that GT is crap and he was a better villain than any of them. Oh, and he also makes a Horcrux from each dragon, granting himself true immortality. He also may or may not run into the planet Krypton and blow it up for fun. :)
A: You win all the internets! Loved it!

Q: I was wondering if Cell actually has infinite energy like the cyborgs, because in the manga and anime he seemed to actually get tired, and it always seemed weird to me that the absorption of two cyborgs with infinite supply of energy didn't gave him the same.
A: He doesn't. The bulk of his power isn't even from 17 or 18. How he internally uses their power sources isn't really explained in canon either...but it's something we'll most likely be exploring soon!

Q: Also, concerning the USSJ form, I was wondering if there could be a USSJ2 form and USSJ3 form, even if the transformation in SSJ3 actually the same or extremely close to that of USSJ?
A: It's possible. Once we get into the Buu Saga, we'll see how the bulking-up technique of ASSj/USSj might affect Super Saiyan 2.

Q: Later in the series they have enormous power levels numbering in the billions. How do they possibly control their energy to not blow up the planet?
A: Energy attacks at higher power levels are much more powerful, but that doesn't mean they are proportionally larger. If you're 100x more powerful, you could have a blast that's only 2x as large but 50x more intense. Obviously, the fighters themselves don't get larger, so intensity is going to be more effective than sheer volume. Hope that makes sense!

Q: I'm not sure how Goku in his Ascended Super Saiyan form could surpass Ascended Super Saiyan Vegeta by such a large extend. A 50 million difference is understandable since he did fight Future #17 and #18 as well as Future Lord Slug, but I think over 150 million difference is a bit much.
A: He was healed multiple times by Dende, for one thing. He also had quite a while to train. Obviously, he still wasn't nearly as strong as Super ASSj Vegeta was in canon.

Q: Why would Cell start out stronger? Cold's max was 230 million; Cooler's max was 160 million. Cold's standard was 140 million; Cooler's standard was 80 million. Cell received DNA from Cooler's 4th form.
A: Good question. The way we see it, the Frost Demon transformations only persist in DNA if the user has learned to master them.

Q: Haven't finished reading yet, just had to stop and say the Duck Dynasty cameo...brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Perhaps the most unexpected thing I've ever read of anything ever, and I love it! Duck Dynasty in a DBZ fan fiction. I want to hug you right now. I'm going to name my first born child after whichever one of you came up with this idea, haha. Well done.
A: I was very happy to see your review. That was me, npberryhill, who added it. Duck Dynasty is one of my favorite shows ever, so I was happy that I could somehow include it also. It made me happy, happy, happy.