He would have followed the child if Jadeite hadn't marched right up to him, grabbed him by the throat and roughly hauled him up to her eye level. She glared at him angrily and then snarled in his face, "Curse it all to heck and back several times, Goku, you really should think before you act! There was a reason for Cell's actions back there! Didn't you take the time to notice that he wasn't fighting back? Now, you better listen up or else I'll hurt you or something! Cell lost his memory when Gohan beat him that time so long ago! He didn't remember anything. Techniques, powers, abilities, goals, past deeds…all of it was completely gone! I had to teach him how to fly all over again!" Goku repeated, "He lost his memory?" Jadeite replied, "You better believe it, dude. Even his personality has changed." The Saiyan asked, "How exactly has he changed?" The female hybrid stepped closer and answered, "He's very kind and gentle, for one thing. It's really hard to believe that this same hybrid once tried to destroy the Earth. He's a nice fellow, and he means well. You know how he was one heck of a butt-kicker? Well, he's lost that. I mean, he's lost the instinct for battle. If I didn't know any better, in that I knew that he had acquired a true peace-lover's spirit, I'd swear that he didn't have the nerve to fight. But he's kept the capability in one respect. He's very protective of his family." Goku had started to look severely constipated about halfway through her speech. He repeated, "His family? Cell has a family? The one who killed me and so many others now has a wife and kids?" Jadeite replied, "Darn straight he does. You see all those hybrids standing right over there? They're all his sons. And as for his wife…well, you're looking at her." Her eyes narrowed warily and she sneered at him sarcastically, "I hope you don't mind if I keep a close watch on you from now on so you don't go postal on my husband again." Goku quickly agreed to leave Cell alone from then on, not wanting to be pounded into pudding by a large group of angry hybrids. But he still had some questions. He asked, "Cell had seven little duplicates of himself when he killed me. Are those kids around here somewhere?" Jadeite replied, "You better believe they're all here. Hey over there, guys! Kunzite! Malachite! Zoisite! Nephrite! Calcite! Tanzanite! Morganite!" Seven tall, handsome adult hybrids stepped forward. Jadeite gestured toward them and said, "Here they are. The little children grew up, Goku." The Saiyan cut in, "Speaking of children…"
He abruptly lost interest in her, turning away from her and walking off. He wandered into the milling crowd of feline Saiyans, searching for something. After pushing through the crowd, he found what he was looking for. King Cold cradled little Freezer in his arms while Snowfall lovingly gazed down at their young son. Goku let his expression harden as he walked closer and looked at the little kitten as he slept in his father's loving arms.
King Cold saw him and cast a glare in his direction. He remembered what the Saiyan had done to his son in his previous life. The kitten had been born with mysterious markings on his skin, which were mostly hidden by his fur. King Cold knew that those markings were in the same places where his son had been cut after being tricked in battle against Goku. He had been cleaved across the chest and left arm and in several places along his tail. The kitten still had nightmares about it sometimes. And he was having one now…
Frieza hid his desperation and his stark terror behind a wall of burning rage as he darted across the sky. The Super Saiyan evaded his every attack with the greatest of ease, yet he didn't strike back. Was this impudent little creature mocking him? Fool! No one taunts me and lives! Frieza's rage doubled and he tripled the fury of his attack. Screaming scathing obscenities and challenges, he formed a cutting disk and sent it right at his foe. He avoided it with ease, but it chased him across the sky. Try getting away from THAT, you stupid monkey. Frieza looked around at all the volcanic geysers as they spewed molten lava high into the air. The planet would explode soon and he didn't want to be on it when it did. He was running out of time to firmly defeat the Super Saiyan and flee from the area. I'm severely running out of time here. Looks like I have to kick this battle up a notch or three. Here's another cutting disk for you to play with, monkey boy! The Super Saiyan then had two deadly cutting disks hot on his trail, and yet he didn't look frightened in the least. He didn't even seem to care about the cutting disks. What a stupid monkey! He doesn't even know when to give up or be scared! But the Super Saiyan appeared to have a plan in mind as he abruptly changed the direction of his flight. What the- He's flying right AT me! There was a blur of bright golden light, a loud rush of air, and then suddenly the Super Saiyan was hovering in place right behind him. Right PAST me… Frieza just stared at him, confused. What's he trying to pull? Then he heard a queer hissing whistle from behind him. It can't be… He whirled in place and saw the two cutting disks he'd made still diligently chasing the Super Saiyan…but HE was in their way! There was no time for him to react to that knowledge, to even try to get clear of them, as both the cutting disks swept through the air and through him as well. THE PAIN! A huge swath of fiery pain cut through his abdomen, and through his left arm just below the shoulder. He was barely aware of it when he hit the ground, grimacing and moaning in sheer pain as he tried to figure out just how badly he was hurt. I can't feel my left arm or anything below my waist. He felt a presence nearby and a voice spoke to him. "You're beaten, Frieza. Goodbye." It took all his strength just to open his eyes. Straining to look up, he could just barely see the Super Saiyan standing over him. Vainly fighting for air, feeling his life ebbing away with each passing second, Frieza knew that this was the end for him. "…Help…me…" He just barely heard a soft, weak, gurgling voice struggling to choke out a desperate plea for help. "…Please… You can't…just leave me…like this…" Someone out there was begging for mercy. That voice sounds very familiar to me for some strange reason. Why in the heck can't I identify it? He tried to think. Come on, Frieza! Think! You know this voice! Just ignore the pain and think! The pain was just too great for him to even try to think about anything. "…Mercy…" It clouded his mind and made it almost impossible to think. A second voice said, "Did you show mercy to Krillin or Piccolo? Did you show mercy to the untold thousands who owe their untimely deaths to you? Those who don't give any mercy don't get it in return." That weak voice I keep hearing… That can't be…me? That fact really knocked him for a loop. Maybe the terrible pain drove me nuts. He just couldn't believe what he was doing. "…Forgive…me…" All was silent. Frieza began to fear that the Super Saiyan had indeed left him for dead. He feared dying, but his greatest fear by far was dying alone. Then he felt a surprisingly gentle touch on his violently heaving back. He just barely managed to open his eyes and look up at the Super Saiyan, who had knelt and placed a hand on his back. A bright yet pale whitish light forced Frieza to close his eyes. It's warm… What in the heck was the Super Saiyan going to do to him now? His dark, whirling, frantic thoughts slowly became clearer. The pain is lessening… His weak, labored breathing gradually slowed and evened out as what little remained of his tortured body relaxed. I can breathe again… Suddenly, the possibility of untimely death felt just a little bit farther away. All of a sudden I don't feel so weak… Was that what the Super Saiyan had done? Stronger, he raised his head and looked at the Super Saiyan, who looked at him. Seeing the confusion in his adversary's eyes, the Super Saiyan said, "I just gave you some of my own life energy. I suggest you use it to escape." Frieza looked down at himself. There was nothing left of him below his waist, and his left arm was gone below the shoulder. His composure slipped at the sight and for a short moment he gave the Super Saiyan a look of pure anguish. I can't return to my father looking like this. I can't let him see my shame. Then he recovered his cold, angry composure. "I don't want to live like this…" he whispered. No, I will die in battle! Then he screamed it at the Super Saiyan, who was just starting to fly away, "I DON"T WANT TO LIVE LIKE THIS!" The Super Saiyan quickly turned to face him as Frieza screamed, "Curse you, monkey! I don't WANT to escape OR survive! Why didn't you kill me? I wanted you to kill me!" With that, he gathered the small amount of life energy the Super Saiyan had given him along with what remained of his own and threw it at the Super Saiyan. My last act… The last thing he saw was the Super Saiyan deflecting the energy.
He had no idea how long he floated in the debris field that was all that remained of the dead planet. I'm so glad I can breathe in space… Consciousness came and went. He noticed that his periods of consciousness were shortening and he was weakening rapidly. Father… His mind was wandering aimlessly. It wouldn't be too long now. He imagined the faces of his father, his mother and his older brother. He would never see them again. I want to die…but I also want to live. God, am I going to die completely confused? In his slowly dimming mind, he said his final farewells to them all, and to his sadly truncated life. God… The dim thoughts that sluggishly oozed their way through his dying mind were utterly alien to him. If there is a God… He was doing something that he had never thought that he would ever end up doing. Please… The great and terrible Frieza, lord of all destruction, the master of the universe, was actually praying. If you would listen to one such as me… If he hadn't been dying in extreme agony, he would have been embarrassed to show weakness. If you would feel anything but hatred toward me after the things I have done… But he didn't really care at that point. Then help me… It was getting harder to breathe as what remained of his strength slowly diminished to ridiculously low levels. Help me… Soon he would be too weak to even breathe. Don't let it end this way… This wasn't the proper way for a powerful warlord like him to meet his end. Not like this… He was supposed to meet his death in battle, showing the Universe as a whole the true power that he possessed. I don't want to die like this… He had no hope; yet he continued to pray because it was something to do to keep his mind off the pain. Stop the pain… Stark terror burned at the very heart of his deep black despair. Please… He really didn't want to die. Please don't let me die this way… He wanted to continue to live, but he didn't see how he could survive this. God… Was this the end?
Then he felt it. Something strangely familiar was coming his way. He opened his eyes, by far the most demanding effort he could ever remember in his entire life, and looked off to the side. A relatively large round blue and white spaceship was coming his way. I must be hallucinating. That can't be…Father's ship? He was so engrossed in looking at it that he failed to notice that it had become nearly impossible for him to breathe. I can feel his power. Father's here! He's come for me! Frieza almost didn't notice it when he stopped breathing. But he knew that the peaceful darkness that lurked at the edges of his awareness meant certain death. Too late… Father came…too late… NO! Help me, Father! He forced himself to draw in full, deep breaths despite the weakness and the terrible pain, tenaciously clinging to life through sheer willpower. Look at me, Father. I'm holding on. Father, can you see me now? Are you proud of me, Father? Are you proud of your second child? He struggled to remain conscious, feeling his erratic heartbeat weakening and slowing with each passing second. Please hurry, Father. I can't hold on much longer. Everything slipped away into a bottomless void. It was over. So this is how it ends… He was sure of it. Fatally weakened by blood loss… There would be no coming back. And suffocated in outer space … He was surely doomed.
He first felt he was lying in soft white light. Am I dead now or was it all just a dream? The soft white light became a harsh glare as reality fairly slapped him in the face. Man, what a hangover this is. I think I've been hitting the old wine bottle a little too hard as of late. He sat up and put his hand to his head. No, it wasn't a dream. I wouldn't feel this awful if it was a dream. A strange, buzzing voice emitted a low, wordless moan. What the heck was that strange sound that I just heard? Frieza then realized something major. Wait just a darn minute. I'm sitting up. How can I be sitting up if I don't have anything below my waist except air? He slowly opened his eyes and looked around, disoriented and confused. He was lying in his father's ship, in the emergency room. He tried to speak, but instead that strange buzzing sound came again, "What happened to me?" He jumped in shock and then put a hand to his throat, confused and startled. He looked down at himself. Holy cow! When did I get turned into a cyborg? A strange sort of sixth sense alerted him to a familiar presence nearby. He looked up and saw the tall, strong changeling with horns and a cape staring down at him. Father. Frieza composed himself, pushing away his horror and shock. Putting on his customary evil smirk, he turned to face a nearby henchman and ordered sharply, "Set a course for Earth." King Cold interrupted, "Why do you want to go to that backwater dump?" He replied, "I would like to blow it up." Hiding his relief at seeing his injured son acting normal, his father gruffly seconded his order and the ship began to head for Earth.
It took a couple weeks to get there. Why did you do this to me, Father? Frieza spent most of that time sulking pensively and contemplating his new semi-cybernetic condition. I don't want to be like this… He morosely practiced with his new abilities and found that he could achieve power levels far higher than he ever had been able to reach before. But that new discovery was soured and turned to an insult by the unshakable knowledge that it had just been given to him. I would have much rather reached that level on my own as myself the way I originally was, instead of becoming this…this mechanized freak! There were times when he wished that he had died instead of being rescued and rebuilt by King Cold and his henchmen. I deserve to die. I don't want to be like this…
Frieza challenged the lavender-haired Super Saiyan to a solo fight for a secret reason. He knew that he would lose, but he wanted to die. I don't want to be like this! And he purposely left himself open for the killing blow. It must have confused the Super Saiyan when he smiled as the sword penetrated his vitals. As he fell, he heard King Cold cry his name. Humph. Didn't think you cared, Father. The Super Saiyan then turned to face Frieza's father. That simple movement terrified him to no end. No! I didn't want this! He feebly grabbed the Super Saiyan's ankle and gasped, "…Please…don't hurt…my father…" The Super Saiyan kicked him away. He then heard a snarl of animalistic rage from his father. "HOW DARE YOU TREAT MY SON THAT WAY!" Groaning from the exertion and the pain it caused him, Frieza turned to face his father. King Cold's horns glittered in the bright noon sunlight as he charged the Super Saiyan full on. In that single short moment, there was no such thing as right and wrong, or good and evil. There was only a father protecting his fallen son. The moment ended with a silver streak through the air as the Super Saiyan used his sword. No! Frieza gave a strangled cry of horror as a plume of dark blood sprayed from the gash in his father's throat. Father, no! King Cold emitted a hideous sound that would haunt the Super Saiyan for the rest of his life as he stared at his murderer in pure shock, clutched at his torn throat, then collapsed and breathed his last.
An equally awful sound came from behind. Father… The Super Saiyan turned and saw that Frieza was standing. He had a look of agony on his face as he staggered closer. His arms were crossed over the wound in his chest. The air reeked of charring blood as sparking circuitry seared the blood that flowed over it. The Super Saiyan moved to strike, but stopped. Frieza was doomed, dying on his feet as he tried to reach his father. The Super Saiyan watched with pure pity as Frieza collapsed and died by his father's side.
Little Freezer abruptly awakened in his father's arms with a high, terrified squeal. Goku hopped backward as the kitten started crying hysterically and asked frankly, "What was that?" King Cold glared at Goku and replied coldly, "A nightmare…about you." Snowfall stepped in and said, "Goku, I hope that you will become friends with my son. He needs guidance and he needs to stop being afraid of you." Goku blinked once and replied, "But he's…" Snowfall cut in, "I know. This is his second life, but his first real childhood. The first Frieza wasn't born evil. I'm truly sorry to say that we both had a part to play in that. I don't want it to happen ever again. I haven't even told him what he really is yet. I fear what'll happen once he finds out that he too is a Saiyan." That last bit of information convinced Goku. The Saiyan asked, "What was up with that wild transformation?" King Cold replied, "Oh, you mean the technique that can only be used by the Winter Force? We call it Ultimate Transformation and we can do it because all of us were of the same species as Frieza in our past lives." Goku asked again, "The word in the afterlife was that Frieza had an older brother. Is that true?" Snowfall nodded and answered, "It's true. His name is Cooler, he's still alive, and I'm willing to bet that he took over King Cold's empire after he was killed." King Cold interrupted, "Not only that, but he's older and stronger than we are in our present forms. We'd have to pull off a group Ultimate Transformation just to match up against him. I'm so glad that he's not here right now."
Suddenly having a flash of insight, Goku said, "So that's who that is!" Snowfall asked, "Who do you mean?" Goku explained, "As you know, I spent a bit of time being dead. The afterlife was totally abuzz with news when I left to return to life. The air was fairly crackling, ringing with the same five words over and over again. Cooler is coming to Earth. Until now, I didn't know what that meant, or what we were up against. But now I know. Brother of Frieza…firstborn son of King Cold…heir to a vast empire… He's coming." Snowfall turned away with a small gasp. She whispered, "I'm going to have to fight my son…" Then she repeated herself, only she screamed it the second time around.
Practical as always, King Cold walked up to Jadeite and told her about the threat that was rapidly approaching. Knowing for a fact that there wasn't really all that much time for them to get ready for the oncoming threat, Jadeite quickly made a snap decision, "We have to finish rescuing the Saiyans first, so our forces will be stronger. The Winter Force will be the front vanguard when we do face him, seeing as how they can all transform." She turned away from him, floated up to hover over everyone's heads and called down to all of them, "Okay now, folks! Listen to me now! Our timetable has just gotten severely stepped up and we have to hurry it up to the tenth degree! Everybody got that? We have no time to waste so I'm only going to say this to you guys just this once and not again! Here's our new game plan as I see it, so everyone listen up and don't forget what I'm going to say to you next! Whenever we reach a new Team Rocket base, Mewtwo and Shade will link their minds together as one to teach the Saiyans hidden within how to make a very powerful group psychic shield. When they know how to do that and when they do so, we will all use our powers to their utmost limit and blow up the whole base all around them!" If Vegeta had found the prospect of a major siege enticing, then he just couldn't resist the prospect of a full-scale kamikaze assault of truly epic proportions. He, for one, couldn't wait to get started, so he got all the other Saiyans to start cheering too.
The next nine days passed by in a wild, insane blur of roaring fire, violent fighting and huge explosions. Pushing their powers to the very limit, the rapidly growing Saiyan posse hit a new Team Rocket base every day. Krillin had been shell-shocked right from day one. Tien just plain couldn't believe what he was doing. 18 seemed to be having a grand old time. Just like the old days with 16 and 17, she thought with a wistful smile. Gohan was just happy to have his dad back. Goku spent most of his time thinking about the threat that was rapidly approaching. Piccolo vehemently wished that he were somewhere else. Trunks hated every single minute of it. Yamcha just felt like screaming. Vegeta was like a kid in a candy shop, loving every moment of it. Cell was practically driven to distraction by all the violence. Jadeite just wanted to get it over with. Snowfall and King Cold were both truly dreading the thought of having to fight against their oldest son.
Finally the day came when they would face off against the fearsome Cooler, the new ruler of his father's empire. Thousands of Saiyans flew over to the plateau where Gohan and Cell had first fought. This time, Jadeite allowed the Mews to join them. Vegeta first thought the Mews were ridiculous, but a quick demonstration of the power possessed by a typical Mew laid his doubts to rest in a hurry. When Jadeite felt the high energy level approaching from the sky, she got all the Saiyans to merge their energy levels to create one colossal reading. That would undoubtedly draw the new invader in for a closer look.
There was a queer whistling hiss from high overhead. Everyone looked upward at the round blue and white spaceship that was slowly descending. No one moved or even made a sound as it landed and opened up. Several large squads of soldiers marched out and lined up facing the crowd of Saiyans, Mews and hybrids. Then the one they had all waited for finally came out. The Saiyans looked at the tall, strong indigo-skinned creature with the four-pronged crest and knew that they were looking upon Cooler. He called out, his voice as deep and smooth as an orchestral symphony, "Which of you pathetic freaks is in charge here?" "I am," a voice said from high above. People on both sides looked up to see Jadeite hovering overhead. She narrowed her coral eyes at Cooler with a sneer and said, "We are the protectors of this world. Born and reborn, we are the very best that this world has to offer. There is a whole new breed of Saiyan, and there are also genetically engineered hybrids. Saiyans are monkeys no longer. Saiyans are now cats. Hybrids like me are organic weapons, and we live to kill. You stand no chance against us, weakling. Leave this world now…or you will surely face the fate of all the previous challengers." That got Cooler really angry. He snarled, "You dare call me a weakling? Attack, men!" The Saiyans and hybrids prepared for battle, but Jadeite simply said, "Stop! These geeks are mine." Then she turned her attention back toward the many squads of soldiers who were now moving in to kill her. There were well over a hundred soldiers carrying lots of high-powered weapons, but Jadeite wasn't scared of them in the least. She just waited silently with a huge smirk plastered all over her milk-white face until Cooler ordered his men to open fire on her. Even as they took aim at her, she didn't even do so much as move a single muscle. Just before they were going to fire, she put a hand to the metallic trefoil adorning her brow and promptly disappeared. There was a long moment of pure confusion in the ranks of Cooler's men, but then a green and black blur came right out of nowhere and struck a good dozen of them down. The green and black blur sped all across the sky in wild, erratic patterns, every so often pausing just barely long enough for those who were watching the fight to just barely glimpse Jadeite's dark silhouette. Only a few short seconds later, the ground was littered with downed soldiers and Jadeite stood in the middle of it all, facing Cooler with a big, satisfied smirk plastered all over her pretty face. She then got serious and said to him softly, "Why are you here, anyway?" He just roared at her, "I need explain nothing to you, freak!" But, being a powerful psychic creature by nature, she already knew the answer to that question. She said in a quiet voice, "Your father and your younger brother died here on this planet, didn't they. You came here for revenge, didn't you." Cooler's composure broke for a short moment and he asked her, "How in the heck did you know that?" There was a short pause full of poignant meaning. "I have my ways of knowing these things," Jadeite just replied cryptically, "And death is only the beginning of the journey that is life, child. If you really think otherwise, then I guess maybe you're even more of a stupid little fool than I originally thought you were."
That ticked him off, but Jadeite cut off whatever reaction he would have had by shouting, "Winter Force, assemble!" A lone oddly colored Saiyan jumped forward, posed in the manner of a spastic ballerina and shouted, "Frost!" A second Saiyan jumped forward, struck up a semi-tasteful complementary pose and shouted, "Ice!" A third Saiyan jumped into view and skipped across the scene like a stereotypical schoolgirl out picking flowers, posed and shouted, "Snowfall!" A tall, vibrantly colored male gracefully sashayed into visibility and said to him flatly, using the well-known, super-suave James Bond style, "Cold. King Cold." Flipping into visibility, spinning in midair and finishing by posing like a gymnast, a fifth shouted, "Mist!" A sixth capered threateningly and shouted, "Rain!" A seventh skidded across the view in a cheerleading pose, then took up her position with a rapid series of back-flips and shouted, "Subzero!" An eighth struck up a wacky little disco pose and shouted out, "Blizzard!" A ninth jumped in over the others' heads and then shouted, "Storm!" A little kitten finally skittered into view and lisped, "Freezer!" Then, they said loudly, all together, "Together, we are…the Winter Force!" Cooler remarked, "And just who are these nut cases?" Jadeite narrowed her eyes at him and then said to him coldly, "You should know them, Cooler. You should know them very well…" Before he could react to the fact that she knew his name without him telling her, she turned to face the ten Saiyans and commanded loudly, "Winter Force, prepare to use Ultimate Transformation!" That really startled Cooler. Ultimate Transformation was supposed to be a secret technique that was entirely unique to his species. The Saiyans all closed their eyes and they appeared to be concentrating, preparing for something major.
"Now," Jadeite ordered. Cooler watched in awe as inner energy traced bright white lines down furry bodies. Then the changes began. Legs lengthened, tails slimmed down, faces became more human in appearance and configuration, paws became hands and strength increased along with height. When the light finally died away and he could see them again, ten changelings stood together in place of ten feline Saiyans, and Cooler could recognize them all. His parents, his brother, his aunt and uncle, his cousin, and even his grandparents were there! King Cold had his arms crossed over his broad chest as he gave Cooler a glare that would have flattened several continents if looks could kill. Snowfall had her hands folded against her chest as she just regarded her eldest son sadly. Frieza winked and gave a mischievous grin as if to say, It's me. Storm and Rain stood side by side as they gave him a concerned look, but his cousin Mist just looked happy to see him. His paternal grandparents Frost and Ice were side by side looking very proud and happy to be there, as were his maternal grandparents Blizzard and Subzero. The strange thing was, they were all quite a bit younger than he was, even his grandparents! Was this the side effect of reincarnation? He had never been able to imagine his grandparents in their prime, or his parents as young adults. Jadeite purred, "There. Now do you see? Death is only the beginning." Then she walked away, leaving the changelings to contemplate that.
The crowd parted before her as she made her way to where Cell stood. She looked him in the eyes…and then leapt into his arms. He felt her emotional turmoil and said urgently, "Jadeite… Jadeite, what's wrong?" She gave him a distant look, smiled and said, "Did you know? When I was with you, for the first time…" She relaxed in his arms and embraced him. "…I found myself." She then entwined her arms around his neck and pulled him right into a kiss. She spoke the next few sentences solely with her thoughts. (Now… I am filled with power… We become one…and we soar.) A bright halo appeared around them. All those who looked on had to shield their eyes. (We can trust each other completely. The limitless power of two as one.) Jadeite nestled against Cell's chest, as the halo around them grew stronger and stronger. She suddenly pulled back, whispering, "I feel a warmth…" A ball of light emerged from the center of her body. "…In my chest…" She gazed at it with awe as another one emerged from Cell's chest and merged with hers. "…Like a newborn light…" A human form began to take shape at the very heart of the ball of light that had sprung from the both of them. A black-haired young man with an orange bandanna, a dark black shirt, brownish pants and red tennis shoes lay in the ball of light, curled up into a fetal position. Big pale icy blue eyes slowly opened. A smooth, velvety voice said, "Cell. Jadeite." The light died away as he drifted to the ground and then stood up. "I came for my sister, 18." Looking over her shoulder at Cooler, he then said forcefully, "I will fight alongside you!" Jadeite thought, That's 17. A voice shouted out his name as 18 sprinted over and practically tackled him in her joy. He staggered momentarily under her overjoyed assault and said, "It's okay, little rat. I'm here now and I won't go away ever again." She just whispered to him softly, her voice breaking, "You… God, you don't know how much I've longed to hear you call me that again…"
Jadeite, being a powerful psychic by nature, could sense their emotions. And she could sense something else hidden within their minds… "Hey," she interrupted, "Do you two remember anything from before you became androids?" The response was unanimous and negative. She asked again, "Do you want to? Do you want to know who you are beyond the cold, impersonal number that is now all that you are?" This time the answer was positive. "Then come to me," Jadeite said, "And allow me to do my thing." They did.
Jadeite instructed, "Come closer and join hands with me. Just relax and think nice, calm thoughts." 17 and 18 formed a circle with Jadeite and closed their eyes. She spoke a few words, paused as the androids repeated her words, and then said some more. "I stand and feel the rhythm of my heart, and by its mystic sound I wake my soul. There is a voice within. Again and again it sounds. Come, revelation, come and heal my sundered spirit. Awaken! Awaken the self within myself. The time has come. Let the rebirth begin." A pale blue light began to glow from within Jadeite's body. It passed to 17 and 18 and then it began to grow stronger. Soon all three of them burned like stars given human form.
18 began to speak in a strange voice. "My name is Crystal Marie Northbound. I am a street rat, living in the New York alleys with my older brother." Then 17 began to speak. His voice sounded equally strange. "My name is Jet Andrew Northbound. I am a street rat, living in the New York alleys with my younger sister." The psychic communion ended, and the two androids stepped back, trying to make sense of the information that had just come into their minds. 18 said, "Crystal… My name is Crystal. I used to be a street rat. So that's where you got the idea of calling me a little rat!" 17 proclaimed, "I… I have a name. I'm… I'm Jet! Not 17! I am Jet Andrew Northbound, and as of today I am my own man! I always wondered why I used to call you a little rat. Now I know." 18 walked up to her brother and said, "We belong to ourselves now. No one, including the man who made us what we are can tell us what to do. And I think that's very cool. Don't you?" She took her brother's hand and stepped closer to the crowd of milling Saiyans. After getting everyone's attention, she shouted, "As of now, 17 and 18 are dead! They have faded away like the shadows they are! And in their place, here we stand! I am Crystal Marie Northbound!" 17 cut in with a dramatic flourish; "And I am Jet Andrew Northbound!" Then they said, standing side by side, "Together, we are Crystal and Jet!" Almost as an afterthought, 18 added, "Keep calling us by our numbers…for now."
Jadeite stepped away from Cell and the two androids, looking up at the sky. Her slender white hands came up to touch her head as a fleeting look of pain crossed her pretty face and was quickly hidden. A soft, almost inaudible moan escaped her throat before being stifled. Her right hand slowly came down to press against her chest…and she collapsed. Cell was beside her in less than an instant. She was crouched down low on hands and knees, harshly gasping for air, her milk-white face contorted in purest agony. Just barely managing to look up and see Cell standing over her with a worried, frightened look on his face, she whispered, "It's the same attack as always… I'll be all right… I think…" Cell asked her in an urgent tone, "You've had this happen to you before?" She just barely managed to nod to him as she mewled, "It hurts… And this time…it's not going away…" She looked up at him once again, and the sheer pain on her face tore at his heart. "You should…stay away from me…from now on… Soon…I won't be myself anymore…" That statement alarmed him to no end. He held her tighter and then fairly shouted at her, "What do you mean by that?" She gave a sharp little cry of pain, stiffening momentarily, then collapsed completely. Even though Cell held her to him, she still curled up into a fetal position, mewing wordlessly. Her next few words were spoken solely with her thoughts. (The attacks are getting more frequent…) She suddenly convulsed in his arms with a shrill little squeal of the purest agony. (I hear someone calling in my head…) Her body twisted and writhed for a moment. (It's like someone inside of me is talking.) She then tore away from Cell, throwing her entire body backward as far as she could, frantically motioning him away from her as if his very life depended on it. She shook her head, silently warning him away. (It was like this at Ayers Rock…) Not about to be pushed away so easily, he came up to her again. (Then my mind seemed to fade…) She didn't push him away this time, being too weak to do so. (And I can't remember after that…) He could feel her pain and stark terror as if it were his own, and he was terrified for her. (It's strange… I'm scared… My body has been so strange…) The attack seemed to worsen beyond the great agony that she had already felt if such a thing were even possible. (I never used to have these attacks. I didn't feel so uncertain all the time…) Her breathing grew more labored by the moment. (I wonder… How much longer will my body last?) He held her tightly in his arms, sharing in her stark terror and also frantically praying for her safety. (Hurts… In my head…in my body… Feels like I'm burning!) Her tightly closed eyes glittered. She had started crying. (There's someone trying to get out… Someone's trying to possess me!) She screamed in utter agony as another wave of searing pain washed over her limp, prone form. Convulsing suddenly, she nearly fell out of Cell's embrace. (My head hurts! Going to split in two…feel like throwing up… It hurts…) She sobbed hysterically as the attack worsened beyond the awful pain that had already hit her. (It feels like something is trying to get out of me… I can't let it out. I mustn't!) As Cell gently stroked her spasmodically shuddering back, she finally lost the battle that she had been fighting for so long. With a soft little whimper of fear and pain, she went totally limp in his arms and just plain lay still. Cell whispered her name with a soft little sob.
As Cell tried in vain to revive her, Shade sensed something. He shouted, "Cell! Get back! She's-" Jadeite's body gave a slight twitch. Cell could feel a mysterious power building in the air all around the three of them. Suddenly Jadeite's head jerked up and her eyes snapped open. Her milk-white face was totally blank and expressionless, but the truly disturbing thing was how much her eyes had changed. They were open wide and they burned a frightful, demonic, sulfuric yellow. Cell was frozen in place momentarily, but even that short moment was far too long. Jadeite's eyes flashed and a demon wind came from out of nowhere and flung Cell away with the force of a truly gigantic hurricane.
Then she turned her attention to Shade, Mewtwo and the seven original hybrid children and a second demon wind swept them back as well. Her body flashed as well. Her deep green armor darkened to become an ashen gray and she rose to her feet. She held out her hand and unnatural electricity crawled along it. She giggled, and her little laugh was a truly frightful sound. Her pretty face twisted in a hideous grin of purest malice that was totally alien to everyone who had the misfortune of seeing it. When she spoke, her voice was low, husky and utterly terrifying to all that were there to hear her speak. "I live! I live! The time has come. Doctor Gero-Master-I have awakened!" She giggled again, and that little giggle quickly rose to become a roaring, insane cackle. It became obvious that she had gone totally mad. Then she said in a solemn voice, "Let the destruction begin." Tilting her head back and looking up to the clear blue heavens, she spread her glossy black wings and quickly took off straight up into the sky, laughing all the way.
Cell dropped to his knees. "Jadeite," he whispered sadly, "How could this happen to us?" Shade walked up behind him and sighed, "This is what I felt. In acquiring your DNA, she also acquired the programming that your creator originally gave you. Those attacks were signs of that programming trying to surface. Now it has taken control." Cell looked up at him, completely perplexed by his words, and said, "I was programmed too? What is the purpose of that programming?" Shade narrowed his eyes and replied, "You already heard it from her: Destruction." Cell fairly reeled under the impact of that revelation and gasped, "Do you mean that she…" Shade nodded to him solemnly and replied in a voice that was barely more than a whisper, "You got it right, Cell. She is now what you were originally meant to become. She is the living weapon you never became. She is pure evil. Jadeite will now begin to indiscriminately slaughter everyone she comes across." The woman Cell loved with all his heart and soul had become a crazed, monstrous killer, and he just couldn't handle that change. Shade had to catch him as he fainted right then and there. He felt Cell's pain, since Jadeite was his sister. And it didn't help the situation that Shade was also psychic and could sense every thought that passed through Cell's mind.
As it turned out, Cooler had decided to mend his ways and end his evil. To seal the promise with his reincarnated family, he blew up the spaceship he had arrived in. Feeling alone and shut away from his family, he decided that he could no longer bear to live his life. Swearing to return someday, Cooler made a last request that someone carry on his legacy. Then he formed a laser blast, brought it around and ended his life right on the spot. The Winter Force had no time to mourn his loss. A new threat had emerged, taking on the form of their leader. Lost and aimless, not knowing what to do next, they all linked hands and disappeared as Goku used Instant Transmission to take them to the Pentagon.
A few days passed in a massive blur of confusion and sorrow. Cell was completely traumatized, silently wandering the halls in a lifeless daze. News reports began to come in, telling of mass disappearances, entire cities emptied of all of their residents…and of a great gray creature that reminded many of them of the terror that had been known to all as Cell. That had been almost two years ago, and the time of trial appeared to have come again. Then the fateful hour came at last, ushered in by a strange occurrence broadcasted live over the TV. Krillin, Yamcha, Goku, Gohan, Tien, Piccolo, Vegeta and Trunks were all simultaneously struck with a definite case of having to watch the past repeat itself when a horrific explosion interrupted a news program. A tall gray creature blew a huge hole in a nearby wall and then leapt into full view of the cameras with a savage cry. The cameramen scurried around like terrified ants to obey its gruffly barked orders for them to film it pronto. A close-up revealed a harshly beautiful and undeniably feminine face. For the very first time since that terrible day, Cell actually spoke. "Jadeite," he whispered softly. Almost as if in response to his soft voice, the visage shown on the TV smiled wickedly. "I am Jade Falcon," she said in a deceptively sweet, melodious voice, "And I have come to deliver a challenge to all of you. I will be holding a competition in precisely ten days, and I am inviting all the world's strongest fighters to attend it. One by one, they will all face off against me. This one is for all the marbles, so to speak, for if nobody can defeat me in one-on-one battle, the entire Earth is doomed to swift, utter annihilation that will be delivered by my hand. I'll be awaiting your eventual arrival on the very same plateau where the Cell Games were originally held. You have ten full days and no more or less than that amount of time, to train and prepare yourselves for…the Jade Crescent Tournament. Good luck. You'll need it. And here's a sample of what you'll be going up against on that day." She turned toward the hole she'd made in the wall as she'd entered, pointed at the huge vista that was visible through the hole, and made a single simple gesture. There was a loud roar, a huge flash of light, and the vista turned into a smoking wasteland filled with death. She smirked, then leapt out through the hole and flew away.
Vegeta snarled, "Why, the nerve of that freakish monstrosity! Once was enough for that whole contest idea!" Piccolo cut in gruffly; "We have no choice in the matter, guys. We have to face Jade Falcon, as she now calls herself…and destroy her." Shade stifled the urge to intercede. This creature was no longer his older sister. He straightened up, proud and tall, and stormed out of the room with an angry huff that would have done Vegeta proud. No one would ever know that he had gone into the storeroom and cried. When he emerged, everyone was planning what to do. Cell had broken down and was sobbing his heart out, huddled in the corner between the sofa and the wall. No one had noticed him. They were all too busy planning strategies for fighting Jade Falcon to notice how Cell's psyche had shattered. But Shade had decided to leave the strategic planning to those who knew what they were doing. He joined Cell in the corner and linked his mind to the thoughts of the traumatized hybrid. Images of his beloved Jadeite were dancing around in his mind, along with images of the terrible creature that she had become. He wondered whether he would have to fight her, and he was panicking at the thought of having to kill her. He wondered whether or not Jadeite's soul still remained within the body of the wicked Jade Falcon. Shade knew for a fact that he still loved her with all his heart, and he truly empathized with the hybrid for it. Whether she was Jade Falcon or Jadeite, she was still his older sister and he still loved her. In that matter, he and Cell were united as one.
They had only ten days to train for Jade Falcon's tournament, and the ten days began the moment Jade Falcon left the TV studio. Everyone seemed to go completely insane and train as if the continued existence of the Universe rested solely upon their efforts. Cell wandered around like a ghost of himself, responding to no one and noticing absolutely nothing. Goku, Gohan and even Vegeta tried to speak to him, to talk him into training for the tournament along with them, but it was as if they were in a universe parallel from the one he was in. He didn't seem to see them or hear them. The only one out of all of them who could tell them just what was going on in Cell's seemingly barren mind was Shade. He knew what was happening. Cell had retreated into the strongest case of schizophrenic catatonia Shade had ever seen in his entire life. But the Super Saiyan had an advantage. With his strong, advanced psychic powers, Shade could follow Cell's psyche to wherever it had retreated to and communicate with him. He was the only one who could do so.
After an especially long mental communion with the effectively catatonic Cell, Shade sought out Goku, Gohan and Vegeta to report what he had learned. Barely pausing for a greeting, he said, "I know exactly what's wrong with Cell. He's retreated into the depths of his mind and created a mental barrier between himself and the rest of the world at large. Actually, he's retreated so far into the depths of himself that he's passed far beyond where even his memories can reach. Considering the fact that his memories of Jadeite are inextricably linked with his memories of his whole life, he's slipped into total amnesia again. But this time around it's a whole lot worse. He's completely withdrawn himself from reality. Well, not completely. He's kept just a single thin thread of awareness as a connection to the outside world. In this condition, he walks around without knowing where he's going or why. He knows there is something he has to do, but he's forgotten what it is. And he misses Jadeite, but he doesn't even remember her." Goku asked, "Is there a way to get him to return to reality?" Gohan stated flatly, "Jade Falcon." Vegeta snapped, "Stop babbling and make some sense, boy!" He repeated, just a little bit louder, "Jade Falcon!" Skimming through Gohan's thoughts, Shade exclaimed, "Yeah! That just might work!" Vegeta growled in an impatient voice, "You mind letting the rest of us in on it, then?" Shade quickly explained to the two Saiyans, "Jade Falcon may not have complete control. Some small part of Jadeite might remain deep inside her body. If Cell can awaken that part within her…" Goku crowed, "Then she might revert from Jade Falcon back to Jadeite! Yes! You have to tell him that, Shade! If he hears that there may still be a chance, he may decide to return to reality!" Vegeta seconded, "Yeah, kid. Tell him that. It seems to me like we'll need all the help we can get to defeat Jade Falcon."
He abruptly lost interest in her, turning away from her and walking off. He wandered into the milling crowd of feline Saiyans, searching for something. After pushing through the crowd, he found what he was looking for. King Cold cradled little Freezer in his arms while Snowfall lovingly gazed down at their young son. Goku let his expression harden as he walked closer and looked at the little kitten as he slept in his father's loving arms.
King Cold saw him and cast a glare in his direction. He remembered what the Saiyan had done to his son in his previous life. The kitten had been born with mysterious markings on his skin, which were mostly hidden by his fur. King Cold knew that those markings were in the same places where his son had been cut after being tricked in battle against Goku. He had been cleaved across the chest and left arm and in several places along his tail. The kitten still had nightmares about it sometimes. And he was having one now…
Frieza hid his desperation and his stark terror behind a wall of burning rage as he darted across the sky. The Super Saiyan evaded his every attack with the greatest of ease, yet he didn't strike back. Was this impudent little creature mocking him? Fool! No one taunts me and lives! Frieza's rage doubled and he tripled the fury of his attack. Screaming scathing obscenities and challenges, he formed a cutting disk and sent it right at his foe. He avoided it with ease, but it chased him across the sky. Try getting away from THAT, you stupid monkey. Frieza looked around at all the volcanic geysers as they spewed molten lava high into the air. The planet would explode soon and he didn't want to be on it when it did. He was running out of time to firmly defeat the Super Saiyan and flee from the area. I'm severely running out of time here. Looks like I have to kick this battle up a notch or three. Here's another cutting disk for you to play with, monkey boy! The Super Saiyan then had two deadly cutting disks hot on his trail, and yet he didn't look frightened in the least. He didn't even seem to care about the cutting disks. What a stupid monkey! He doesn't even know when to give up or be scared! But the Super Saiyan appeared to have a plan in mind as he abruptly changed the direction of his flight. What the- He's flying right AT me! There was a blur of bright golden light, a loud rush of air, and then suddenly the Super Saiyan was hovering in place right behind him. Right PAST me… Frieza just stared at him, confused. What's he trying to pull? Then he heard a queer hissing whistle from behind him. It can't be… He whirled in place and saw the two cutting disks he'd made still diligently chasing the Super Saiyan…but HE was in their way! There was no time for him to react to that knowledge, to even try to get clear of them, as both the cutting disks swept through the air and through him as well. THE PAIN! A huge swath of fiery pain cut through his abdomen, and through his left arm just below the shoulder. He was barely aware of it when he hit the ground, grimacing and moaning in sheer pain as he tried to figure out just how badly he was hurt. I can't feel my left arm or anything below my waist. He felt a presence nearby and a voice spoke to him. "You're beaten, Frieza. Goodbye." It took all his strength just to open his eyes. Straining to look up, he could just barely see the Super Saiyan standing over him. Vainly fighting for air, feeling his life ebbing away with each passing second, Frieza knew that this was the end for him. "…Help…me…" He just barely heard a soft, weak, gurgling voice struggling to choke out a desperate plea for help. "…Please… You can't…just leave me…like this…" Someone out there was begging for mercy. That voice sounds very familiar to me for some strange reason. Why in the heck can't I identify it? He tried to think. Come on, Frieza! Think! You know this voice! Just ignore the pain and think! The pain was just too great for him to even try to think about anything. "…Mercy…" It clouded his mind and made it almost impossible to think. A second voice said, "Did you show mercy to Krillin or Piccolo? Did you show mercy to the untold thousands who owe their untimely deaths to you? Those who don't give any mercy don't get it in return." That weak voice I keep hearing… That can't be…me? That fact really knocked him for a loop. Maybe the terrible pain drove me nuts. He just couldn't believe what he was doing. "…Forgive…me…" All was silent. Frieza began to fear that the Super Saiyan had indeed left him for dead. He feared dying, but his greatest fear by far was dying alone. Then he felt a surprisingly gentle touch on his violently heaving back. He just barely managed to open his eyes and look up at the Super Saiyan, who had knelt and placed a hand on his back. A bright yet pale whitish light forced Frieza to close his eyes. It's warm… What in the heck was the Super Saiyan going to do to him now? His dark, whirling, frantic thoughts slowly became clearer. The pain is lessening… His weak, labored breathing gradually slowed and evened out as what little remained of his tortured body relaxed. I can breathe again… Suddenly, the possibility of untimely death felt just a little bit farther away. All of a sudden I don't feel so weak… Was that what the Super Saiyan had done? Stronger, he raised his head and looked at the Super Saiyan, who looked at him. Seeing the confusion in his adversary's eyes, the Super Saiyan said, "I just gave you some of my own life energy. I suggest you use it to escape." Frieza looked down at himself. There was nothing left of him below his waist, and his left arm was gone below the shoulder. His composure slipped at the sight and for a short moment he gave the Super Saiyan a look of pure anguish. I can't return to my father looking like this. I can't let him see my shame. Then he recovered his cold, angry composure. "I don't want to live like this…" he whispered. No, I will die in battle! Then he screamed it at the Super Saiyan, who was just starting to fly away, "I DON"T WANT TO LIVE LIKE THIS!" The Super Saiyan quickly turned to face him as Frieza screamed, "Curse you, monkey! I don't WANT to escape OR survive! Why didn't you kill me? I wanted you to kill me!" With that, he gathered the small amount of life energy the Super Saiyan had given him along with what remained of his own and threw it at the Super Saiyan. My last act… The last thing he saw was the Super Saiyan deflecting the energy.
He had no idea how long he floated in the debris field that was all that remained of the dead planet. I'm so glad I can breathe in space… Consciousness came and went. He noticed that his periods of consciousness were shortening and he was weakening rapidly. Father… His mind was wandering aimlessly. It wouldn't be too long now. He imagined the faces of his father, his mother and his older brother. He would never see them again. I want to die…but I also want to live. God, am I going to die completely confused? In his slowly dimming mind, he said his final farewells to them all, and to his sadly truncated life. God… The dim thoughts that sluggishly oozed their way through his dying mind were utterly alien to him. If there is a God… He was doing something that he had never thought that he would ever end up doing. Please… The great and terrible Frieza, lord of all destruction, the master of the universe, was actually praying. If you would listen to one such as me… If he hadn't been dying in extreme agony, he would have been embarrassed to show weakness. If you would feel anything but hatred toward me after the things I have done… But he didn't really care at that point. Then help me… It was getting harder to breathe as what remained of his strength slowly diminished to ridiculously low levels. Help me… Soon he would be too weak to even breathe. Don't let it end this way… This wasn't the proper way for a powerful warlord like him to meet his end. Not like this… He was supposed to meet his death in battle, showing the Universe as a whole the true power that he possessed. I don't want to die like this… He had no hope; yet he continued to pray because it was something to do to keep his mind off the pain. Stop the pain… Stark terror burned at the very heart of his deep black despair. Please… He really didn't want to die. Please don't let me die this way… He wanted to continue to live, but he didn't see how he could survive this. God… Was this the end?
Then he felt it. Something strangely familiar was coming his way. He opened his eyes, by far the most demanding effort he could ever remember in his entire life, and looked off to the side. A relatively large round blue and white spaceship was coming his way. I must be hallucinating. That can't be…Father's ship? He was so engrossed in looking at it that he failed to notice that it had become nearly impossible for him to breathe. I can feel his power. Father's here! He's come for me! Frieza almost didn't notice it when he stopped breathing. But he knew that the peaceful darkness that lurked at the edges of his awareness meant certain death. Too late… Father came…too late… NO! Help me, Father! He forced himself to draw in full, deep breaths despite the weakness and the terrible pain, tenaciously clinging to life through sheer willpower. Look at me, Father. I'm holding on. Father, can you see me now? Are you proud of me, Father? Are you proud of your second child? He struggled to remain conscious, feeling his erratic heartbeat weakening and slowing with each passing second. Please hurry, Father. I can't hold on much longer. Everything slipped away into a bottomless void. It was over. So this is how it ends… He was sure of it. Fatally weakened by blood loss… There would be no coming back. And suffocated in outer space … He was surely doomed.
He first felt he was lying in soft white light. Am I dead now or was it all just a dream? The soft white light became a harsh glare as reality fairly slapped him in the face. Man, what a hangover this is. I think I've been hitting the old wine bottle a little too hard as of late. He sat up and put his hand to his head. No, it wasn't a dream. I wouldn't feel this awful if it was a dream. A strange, buzzing voice emitted a low, wordless moan. What the heck was that strange sound that I just heard? Frieza then realized something major. Wait just a darn minute. I'm sitting up. How can I be sitting up if I don't have anything below my waist except air? He slowly opened his eyes and looked around, disoriented and confused. He was lying in his father's ship, in the emergency room. He tried to speak, but instead that strange buzzing sound came again, "What happened to me?" He jumped in shock and then put a hand to his throat, confused and startled. He looked down at himself. Holy cow! When did I get turned into a cyborg? A strange sort of sixth sense alerted him to a familiar presence nearby. He looked up and saw the tall, strong changeling with horns and a cape staring down at him. Father. Frieza composed himself, pushing away his horror and shock. Putting on his customary evil smirk, he turned to face a nearby henchman and ordered sharply, "Set a course for Earth." King Cold interrupted, "Why do you want to go to that backwater dump?" He replied, "I would like to blow it up." Hiding his relief at seeing his injured son acting normal, his father gruffly seconded his order and the ship began to head for Earth.
It took a couple weeks to get there. Why did you do this to me, Father? Frieza spent most of that time sulking pensively and contemplating his new semi-cybernetic condition. I don't want to be like this… He morosely practiced with his new abilities and found that he could achieve power levels far higher than he ever had been able to reach before. But that new discovery was soured and turned to an insult by the unshakable knowledge that it had just been given to him. I would have much rather reached that level on my own as myself the way I originally was, instead of becoming this…this mechanized freak! There were times when he wished that he had died instead of being rescued and rebuilt by King Cold and his henchmen. I deserve to die. I don't want to be like this…
Frieza challenged the lavender-haired Super Saiyan to a solo fight for a secret reason. He knew that he would lose, but he wanted to die. I don't want to be like this! And he purposely left himself open for the killing blow. It must have confused the Super Saiyan when he smiled as the sword penetrated his vitals. As he fell, he heard King Cold cry his name. Humph. Didn't think you cared, Father. The Super Saiyan then turned to face Frieza's father. That simple movement terrified him to no end. No! I didn't want this! He feebly grabbed the Super Saiyan's ankle and gasped, "…Please…don't hurt…my father…" The Super Saiyan kicked him away. He then heard a snarl of animalistic rage from his father. "HOW DARE YOU TREAT MY SON THAT WAY!" Groaning from the exertion and the pain it caused him, Frieza turned to face his father. King Cold's horns glittered in the bright noon sunlight as he charged the Super Saiyan full on. In that single short moment, there was no such thing as right and wrong, or good and evil. There was only a father protecting his fallen son. The moment ended with a silver streak through the air as the Super Saiyan used his sword. No! Frieza gave a strangled cry of horror as a plume of dark blood sprayed from the gash in his father's throat. Father, no! King Cold emitted a hideous sound that would haunt the Super Saiyan for the rest of his life as he stared at his murderer in pure shock, clutched at his torn throat, then collapsed and breathed his last.
An equally awful sound came from behind. Father… The Super Saiyan turned and saw that Frieza was standing. He had a look of agony on his face as he staggered closer. His arms were crossed over the wound in his chest. The air reeked of charring blood as sparking circuitry seared the blood that flowed over it. The Super Saiyan moved to strike, but stopped. Frieza was doomed, dying on his feet as he tried to reach his father. The Super Saiyan watched with pure pity as Frieza collapsed and died by his father's side.
Little Freezer abruptly awakened in his father's arms with a high, terrified squeal. Goku hopped backward as the kitten started crying hysterically and asked frankly, "What was that?" King Cold glared at Goku and replied coldly, "A nightmare…about you." Snowfall stepped in and said, "Goku, I hope that you will become friends with my son. He needs guidance and he needs to stop being afraid of you." Goku blinked once and replied, "But he's…" Snowfall cut in, "I know. This is his second life, but his first real childhood. The first Frieza wasn't born evil. I'm truly sorry to say that we both had a part to play in that. I don't want it to happen ever again. I haven't even told him what he really is yet. I fear what'll happen once he finds out that he too is a Saiyan." That last bit of information convinced Goku. The Saiyan asked, "What was up with that wild transformation?" King Cold replied, "Oh, you mean the technique that can only be used by the Winter Force? We call it Ultimate Transformation and we can do it because all of us were of the same species as Frieza in our past lives." Goku asked again, "The word in the afterlife was that Frieza had an older brother. Is that true?" Snowfall nodded and answered, "It's true. His name is Cooler, he's still alive, and I'm willing to bet that he took over King Cold's empire after he was killed." King Cold interrupted, "Not only that, but he's older and stronger than we are in our present forms. We'd have to pull off a group Ultimate Transformation just to match up against him. I'm so glad that he's not here right now."
Suddenly having a flash of insight, Goku said, "So that's who that is!" Snowfall asked, "Who do you mean?" Goku explained, "As you know, I spent a bit of time being dead. The afterlife was totally abuzz with news when I left to return to life. The air was fairly crackling, ringing with the same five words over and over again. Cooler is coming to Earth. Until now, I didn't know what that meant, or what we were up against. But now I know. Brother of Frieza…firstborn son of King Cold…heir to a vast empire… He's coming." Snowfall turned away with a small gasp. She whispered, "I'm going to have to fight my son…" Then she repeated herself, only she screamed it the second time around.
Practical as always, King Cold walked up to Jadeite and told her about the threat that was rapidly approaching. Knowing for a fact that there wasn't really all that much time for them to get ready for the oncoming threat, Jadeite quickly made a snap decision, "We have to finish rescuing the Saiyans first, so our forces will be stronger. The Winter Force will be the front vanguard when we do face him, seeing as how they can all transform." She turned away from him, floated up to hover over everyone's heads and called down to all of them, "Okay now, folks! Listen to me now! Our timetable has just gotten severely stepped up and we have to hurry it up to the tenth degree! Everybody got that? We have no time to waste so I'm only going to say this to you guys just this once and not again! Here's our new game plan as I see it, so everyone listen up and don't forget what I'm going to say to you next! Whenever we reach a new Team Rocket base, Mewtwo and Shade will link their minds together as one to teach the Saiyans hidden within how to make a very powerful group psychic shield. When they know how to do that and when they do so, we will all use our powers to their utmost limit and blow up the whole base all around them!" If Vegeta had found the prospect of a major siege enticing, then he just couldn't resist the prospect of a full-scale kamikaze assault of truly epic proportions. He, for one, couldn't wait to get started, so he got all the other Saiyans to start cheering too.
The next nine days passed by in a wild, insane blur of roaring fire, violent fighting and huge explosions. Pushing their powers to the very limit, the rapidly growing Saiyan posse hit a new Team Rocket base every day. Krillin had been shell-shocked right from day one. Tien just plain couldn't believe what he was doing. 18 seemed to be having a grand old time. Just like the old days with 16 and 17, she thought with a wistful smile. Gohan was just happy to have his dad back. Goku spent most of his time thinking about the threat that was rapidly approaching. Piccolo vehemently wished that he were somewhere else. Trunks hated every single minute of it. Yamcha just felt like screaming. Vegeta was like a kid in a candy shop, loving every moment of it. Cell was practically driven to distraction by all the violence. Jadeite just wanted to get it over with. Snowfall and King Cold were both truly dreading the thought of having to fight against their oldest son.
Finally the day came when they would face off against the fearsome Cooler, the new ruler of his father's empire. Thousands of Saiyans flew over to the plateau where Gohan and Cell had first fought. This time, Jadeite allowed the Mews to join them. Vegeta first thought the Mews were ridiculous, but a quick demonstration of the power possessed by a typical Mew laid his doubts to rest in a hurry. When Jadeite felt the high energy level approaching from the sky, she got all the Saiyans to merge their energy levels to create one colossal reading. That would undoubtedly draw the new invader in for a closer look.
There was a queer whistling hiss from high overhead. Everyone looked upward at the round blue and white spaceship that was slowly descending. No one moved or even made a sound as it landed and opened up. Several large squads of soldiers marched out and lined up facing the crowd of Saiyans, Mews and hybrids. Then the one they had all waited for finally came out. The Saiyans looked at the tall, strong indigo-skinned creature with the four-pronged crest and knew that they were looking upon Cooler. He called out, his voice as deep and smooth as an orchestral symphony, "Which of you pathetic freaks is in charge here?" "I am," a voice said from high above. People on both sides looked up to see Jadeite hovering overhead. She narrowed her coral eyes at Cooler with a sneer and said, "We are the protectors of this world. Born and reborn, we are the very best that this world has to offer. There is a whole new breed of Saiyan, and there are also genetically engineered hybrids. Saiyans are monkeys no longer. Saiyans are now cats. Hybrids like me are organic weapons, and we live to kill. You stand no chance against us, weakling. Leave this world now…or you will surely face the fate of all the previous challengers." That got Cooler really angry. He snarled, "You dare call me a weakling? Attack, men!" The Saiyans and hybrids prepared for battle, but Jadeite simply said, "Stop! These geeks are mine." Then she turned her attention back toward the many squads of soldiers who were now moving in to kill her. There were well over a hundred soldiers carrying lots of high-powered weapons, but Jadeite wasn't scared of them in the least. She just waited silently with a huge smirk plastered all over her milk-white face until Cooler ordered his men to open fire on her. Even as they took aim at her, she didn't even do so much as move a single muscle. Just before they were going to fire, she put a hand to the metallic trefoil adorning her brow and promptly disappeared. There was a long moment of pure confusion in the ranks of Cooler's men, but then a green and black blur came right out of nowhere and struck a good dozen of them down. The green and black blur sped all across the sky in wild, erratic patterns, every so often pausing just barely long enough for those who were watching the fight to just barely glimpse Jadeite's dark silhouette. Only a few short seconds later, the ground was littered with downed soldiers and Jadeite stood in the middle of it all, facing Cooler with a big, satisfied smirk plastered all over her pretty face. She then got serious and said to him softly, "Why are you here, anyway?" He just roared at her, "I need explain nothing to you, freak!" But, being a powerful psychic creature by nature, she already knew the answer to that question. She said in a quiet voice, "Your father and your younger brother died here on this planet, didn't they. You came here for revenge, didn't you." Cooler's composure broke for a short moment and he asked her, "How in the heck did you know that?" There was a short pause full of poignant meaning. "I have my ways of knowing these things," Jadeite just replied cryptically, "And death is only the beginning of the journey that is life, child. If you really think otherwise, then I guess maybe you're even more of a stupid little fool than I originally thought you were."
That ticked him off, but Jadeite cut off whatever reaction he would have had by shouting, "Winter Force, assemble!" A lone oddly colored Saiyan jumped forward, posed in the manner of a spastic ballerina and shouted, "Frost!" A second Saiyan jumped forward, struck up a semi-tasteful complementary pose and shouted, "Ice!" A third Saiyan jumped into view and skipped across the scene like a stereotypical schoolgirl out picking flowers, posed and shouted, "Snowfall!" A tall, vibrantly colored male gracefully sashayed into visibility and said to him flatly, using the well-known, super-suave James Bond style, "Cold. King Cold." Flipping into visibility, spinning in midair and finishing by posing like a gymnast, a fifth shouted, "Mist!" A sixth capered threateningly and shouted, "Rain!" A seventh skidded across the view in a cheerleading pose, then took up her position with a rapid series of back-flips and shouted, "Subzero!" An eighth struck up a wacky little disco pose and shouted out, "Blizzard!" A ninth jumped in over the others' heads and then shouted, "Storm!" A little kitten finally skittered into view and lisped, "Freezer!" Then, they said loudly, all together, "Together, we are…the Winter Force!" Cooler remarked, "And just who are these nut cases?" Jadeite narrowed her eyes at him and then said to him coldly, "You should know them, Cooler. You should know them very well…" Before he could react to the fact that she knew his name without him telling her, she turned to face the ten Saiyans and commanded loudly, "Winter Force, prepare to use Ultimate Transformation!" That really startled Cooler. Ultimate Transformation was supposed to be a secret technique that was entirely unique to his species. The Saiyans all closed their eyes and they appeared to be concentrating, preparing for something major.
"Now," Jadeite ordered. Cooler watched in awe as inner energy traced bright white lines down furry bodies. Then the changes began. Legs lengthened, tails slimmed down, faces became more human in appearance and configuration, paws became hands and strength increased along with height. When the light finally died away and he could see them again, ten changelings stood together in place of ten feline Saiyans, and Cooler could recognize them all. His parents, his brother, his aunt and uncle, his cousin, and even his grandparents were there! King Cold had his arms crossed over his broad chest as he gave Cooler a glare that would have flattened several continents if looks could kill. Snowfall had her hands folded against her chest as she just regarded her eldest son sadly. Frieza winked and gave a mischievous grin as if to say, It's me. Storm and Rain stood side by side as they gave him a concerned look, but his cousin Mist just looked happy to see him. His paternal grandparents Frost and Ice were side by side looking very proud and happy to be there, as were his maternal grandparents Blizzard and Subzero. The strange thing was, they were all quite a bit younger than he was, even his grandparents! Was this the side effect of reincarnation? He had never been able to imagine his grandparents in their prime, or his parents as young adults. Jadeite purred, "There. Now do you see? Death is only the beginning." Then she walked away, leaving the changelings to contemplate that.
The crowd parted before her as she made her way to where Cell stood. She looked him in the eyes…and then leapt into his arms. He felt her emotional turmoil and said urgently, "Jadeite… Jadeite, what's wrong?" She gave him a distant look, smiled and said, "Did you know? When I was with you, for the first time…" She relaxed in his arms and embraced him. "…I found myself." She then entwined her arms around his neck and pulled him right into a kiss. She spoke the next few sentences solely with her thoughts. (Now… I am filled with power… We become one…and we soar.) A bright halo appeared around them. All those who looked on had to shield their eyes. (We can trust each other completely. The limitless power of two as one.) Jadeite nestled against Cell's chest, as the halo around them grew stronger and stronger. She suddenly pulled back, whispering, "I feel a warmth…" A ball of light emerged from the center of her body. "…In my chest…" She gazed at it with awe as another one emerged from Cell's chest and merged with hers. "…Like a newborn light…" A human form began to take shape at the very heart of the ball of light that had sprung from the both of them. A black-haired young man with an orange bandanna, a dark black shirt, brownish pants and red tennis shoes lay in the ball of light, curled up into a fetal position. Big pale icy blue eyes slowly opened. A smooth, velvety voice said, "Cell. Jadeite." The light died away as he drifted to the ground and then stood up. "I came for my sister, 18." Looking over her shoulder at Cooler, he then said forcefully, "I will fight alongside you!" Jadeite thought, That's 17. A voice shouted out his name as 18 sprinted over and practically tackled him in her joy. He staggered momentarily under her overjoyed assault and said, "It's okay, little rat. I'm here now and I won't go away ever again." She just whispered to him softly, her voice breaking, "You… God, you don't know how much I've longed to hear you call me that again…"
Jadeite, being a powerful psychic by nature, could sense their emotions. And she could sense something else hidden within their minds… "Hey," she interrupted, "Do you two remember anything from before you became androids?" The response was unanimous and negative. She asked again, "Do you want to? Do you want to know who you are beyond the cold, impersonal number that is now all that you are?" This time the answer was positive. "Then come to me," Jadeite said, "And allow me to do my thing." They did.
Jadeite instructed, "Come closer and join hands with me. Just relax and think nice, calm thoughts." 17 and 18 formed a circle with Jadeite and closed their eyes. She spoke a few words, paused as the androids repeated her words, and then said some more. "I stand and feel the rhythm of my heart, and by its mystic sound I wake my soul. There is a voice within. Again and again it sounds. Come, revelation, come and heal my sundered spirit. Awaken! Awaken the self within myself. The time has come. Let the rebirth begin." A pale blue light began to glow from within Jadeite's body. It passed to 17 and 18 and then it began to grow stronger. Soon all three of them burned like stars given human form.
18 began to speak in a strange voice. "My name is Crystal Marie Northbound. I am a street rat, living in the New York alleys with my older brother." Then 17 began to speak. His voice sounded equally strange. "My name is Jet Andrew Northbound. I am a street rat, living in the New York alleys with my younger sister." The psychic communion ended, and the two androids stepped back, trying to make sense of the information that had just come into their minds. 18 said, "Crystal… My name is Crystal. I used to be a street rat. So that's where you got the idea of calling me a little rat!" 17 proclaimed, "I… I have a name. I'm… I'm Jet! Not 17! I am Jet Andrew Northbound, and as of today I am my own man! I always wondered why I used to call you a little rat. Now I know." 18 walked up to her brother and said, "We belong to ourselves now. No one, including the man who made us what we are can tell us what to do. And I think that's very cool. Don't you?" She took her brother's hand and stepped closer to the crowd of milling Saiyans. After getting everyone's attention, she shouted, "As of now, 17 and 18 are dead! They have faded away like the shadows they are! And in their place, here we stand! I am Crystal Marie Northbound!" 17 cut in with a dramatic flourish; "And I am Jet Andrew Northbound!" Then they said, standing side by side, "Together, we are Crystal and Jet!" Almost as an afterthought, 18 added, "Keep calling us by our numbers…for now."
Jadeite stepped away from Cell and the two androids, looking up at the sky. Her slender white hands came up to touch her head as a fleeting look of pain crossed her pretty face and was quickly hidden. A soft, almost inaudible moan escaped her throat before being stifled. Her right hand slowly came down to press against her chest…and she collapsed. Cell was beside her in less than an instant. She was crouched down low on hands and knees, harshly gasping for air, her milk-white face contorted in purest agony. Just barely managing to look up and see Cell standing over her with a worried, frightened look on his face, she whispered, "It's the same attack as always… I'll be all right… I think…" Cell asked her in an urgent tone, "You've had this happen to you before?" She just barely managed to nod to him as she mewled, "It hurts… And this time…it's not going away…" She looked up at him once again, and the sheer pain on her face tore at his heart. "You should…stay away from me…from now on… Soon…I won't be myself anymore…" That statement alarmed him to no end. He held her tighter and then fairly shouted at her, "What do you mean by that?" She gave a sharp little cry of pain, stiffening momentarily, then collapsed completely. Even though Cell held her to him, she still curled up into a fetal position, mewing wordlessly. Her next few words were spoken solely with her thoughts. (The attacks are getting more frequent…) She suddenly convulsed in his arms with a shrill little squeal of the purest agony. (I hear someone calling in my head…) Her body twisted and writhed for a moment. (It's like someone inside of me is talking.) She then tore away from Cell, throwing her entire body backward as far as she could, frantically motioning him away from her as if his very life depended on it. She shook her head, silently warning him away. (It was like this at Ayers Rock…) Not about to be pushed away so easily, he came up to her again. (Then my mind seemed to fade…) She didn't push him away this time, being too weak to do so. (And I can't remember after that…) He could feel her pain and stark terror as if it were his own, and he was terrified for her. (It's strange… I'm scared… My body has been so strange…) The attack seemed to worsen beyond the great agony that she had already felt if such a thing were even possible. (I never used to have these attacks. I didn't feel so uncertain all the time…) Her breathing grew more labored by the moment. (I wonder… How much longer will my body last?) He held her tightly in his arms, sharing in her stark terror and also frantically praying for her safety. (Hurts… In my head…in my body… Feels like I'm burning!) Her tightly closed eyes glittered. She had started crying. (There's someone trying to get out… Someone's trying to possess me!) She screamed in utter agony as another wave of searing pain washed over her limp, prone form. Convulsing suddenly, she nearly fell out of Cell's embrace. (My head hurts! Going to split in two…feel like throwing up… It hurts…) She sobbed hysterically as the attack worsened beyond the awful pain that had already hit her. (It feels like something is trying to get out of me… I can't let it out. I mustn't!) As Cell gently stroked her spasmodically shuddering back, she finally lost the battle that she had been fighting for so long. With a soft little whimper of fear and pain, she went totally limp in his arms and just plain lay still. Cell whispered her name with a soft little sob.
As Cell tried in vain to revive her, Shade sensed something. He shouted, "Cell! Get back! She's-" Jadeite's body gave a slight twitch. Cell could feel a mysterious power building in the air all around the three of them. Suddenly Jadeite's head jerked up and her eyes snapped open. Her milk-white face was totally blank and expressionless, but the truly disturbing thing was how much her eyes had changed. They were open wide and they burned a frightful, demonic, sulfuric yellow. Cell was frozen in place momentarily, but even that short moment was far too long. Jadeite's eyes flashed and a demon wind came from out of nowhere and flung Cell away with the force of a truly gigantic hurricane.
Then she turned her attention to Shade, Mewtwo and the seven original hybrid children and a second demon wind swept them back as well. Her body flashed as well. Her deep green armor darkened to become an ashen gray and she rose to her feet. She held out her hand and unnatural electricity crawled along it. She giggled, and her little laugh was a truly frightful sound. Her pretty face twisted in a hideous grin of purest malice that was totally alien to everyone who had the misfortune of seeing it. When she spoke, her voice was low, husky and utterly terrifying to all that were there to hear her speak. "I live! I live! The time has come. Doctor Gero-Master-I have awakened!" She giggled again, and that little giggle quickly rose to become a roaring, insane cackle. It became obvious that she had gone totally mad. Then she said in a solemn voice, "Let the destruction begin." Tilting her head back and looking up to the clear blue heavens, she spread her glossy black wings and quickly took off straight up into the sky, laughing all the way.
Cell dropped to his knees. "Jadeite," he whispered sadly, "How could this happen to us?" Shade walked up behind him and sighed, "This is what I felt. In acquiring your DNA, she also acquired the programming that your creator originally gave you. Those attacks were signs of that programming trying to surface. Now it has taken control." Cell looked up at him, completely perplexed by his words, and said, "I was programmed too? What is the purpose of that programming?" Shade narrowed his eyes and replied, "You already heard it from her: Destruction." Cell fairly reeled under the impact of that revelation and gasped, "Do you mean that she…" Shade nodded to him solemnly and replied in a voice that was barely more than a whisper, "You got it right, Cell. She is now what you were originally meant to become. She is the living weapon you never became. She is pure evil. Jadeite will now begin to indiscriminately slaughter everyone she comes across." The woman Cell loved with all his heart and soul had become a crazed, monstrous killer, and he just couldn't handle that change. Shade had to catch him as he fainted right then and there. He felt Cell's pain, since Jadeite was his sister. And it didn't help the situation that Shade was also psychic and could sense every thought that passed through Cell's mind.
As it turned out, Cooler had decided to mend his ways and end his evil. To seal the promise with his reincarnated family, he blew up the spaceship he had arrived in. Feeling alone and shut away from his family, he decided that he could no longer bear to live his life. Swearing to return someday, Cooler made a last request that someone carry on his legacy. Then he formed a laser blast, brought it around and ended his life right on the spot. The Winter Force had no time to mourn his loss. A new threat had emerged, taking on the form of their leader. Lost and aimless, not knowing what to do next, they all linked hands and disappeared as Goku used Instant Transmission to take them to the Pentagon.
A few days passed in a massive blur of confusion and sorrow. Cell was completely traumatized, silently wandering the halls in a lifeless daze. News reports began to come in, telling of mass disappearances, entire cities emptied of all of their residents…and of a great gray creature that reminded many of them of the terror that had been known to all as Cell. That had been almost two years ago, and the time of trial appeared to have come again. Then the fateful hour came at last, ushered in by a strange occurrence broadcasted live over the TV. Krillin, Yamcha, Goku, Gohan, Tien, Piccolo, Vegeta and Trunks were all simultaneously struck with a definite case of having to watch the past repeat itself when a horrific explosion interrupted a news program. A tall gray creature blew a huge hole in a nearby wall and then leapt into full view of the cameras with a savage cry. The cameramen scurried around like terrified ants to obey its gruffly barked orders for them to film it pronto. A close-up revealed a harshly beautiful and undeniably feminine face. For the very first time since that terrible day, Cell actually spoke. "Jadeite," he whispered softly. Almost as if in response to his soft voice, the visage shown on the TV smiled wickedly. "I am Jade Falcon," she said in a deceptively sweet, melodious voice, "And I have come to deliver a challenge to all of you. I will be holding a competition in precisely ten days, and I am inviting all the world's strongest fighters to attend it. One by one, they will all face off against me. This one is for all the marbles, so to speak, for if nobody can defeat me in one-on-one battle, the entire Earth is doomed to swift, utter annihilation that will be delivered by my hand. I'll be awaiting your eventual arrival on the very same plateau where the Cell Games were originally held. You have ten full days and no more or less than that amount of time, to train and prepare yourselves for…the Jade Crescent Tournament. Good luck. You'll need it. And here's a sample of what you'll be going up against on that day." She turned toward the hole she'd made in the wall as she'd entered, pointed at the huge vista that was visible through the hole, and made a single simple gesture. There was a loud roar, a huge flash of light, and the vista turned into a smoking wasteland filled with death. She smirked, then leapt out through the hole and flew away.
Vegeta snarled, "Why, the nerve of that freakish monstrosity! Once was enough for that whole contest idea!" Piccolo cut in gruffly; "We have no choice in the matter, guys. We have to face Jade Falcon, as she now calls herself…and destroy her." Shade stifled the urge to intercede. This creature was no longer his older sister. He straightened up, proud and tall, and stormed out of the room with an angry huff that would have done Vegeta proud. No one would ever know that he had gone into the storeroom and cried. When he emerged, everyone was planning what to do. Cell had broken down and was sobbing his heart out, huddled in the corner between the sofa and the wall. No one had noticed him. They were all too busy planning strategies for fighting Jade Falcon to notice how Cell's psyche had shattered. But Shade had decided to leave the strategic planning to those who knew what they were doing. He joined Cell in the corner and linked his mind to the thoughts of the traumatized hybrid. Images of his beloved Jadeite were dancing around in his mind, along with images of the terrible creature that she had become. He wondered whether he would have to fight her, and he was panicking at the thought of having to kill her. He wondered whether or not Jadeite's soul still remained within the body of the wicked Jade Falcon. Shade knew for a fact that he still loved her with all his heart, and he truly empathized with the hybrid for it. Whether she was Jade Falcon or Jadeite, she was still his older sister and he still loved her. In that matter, he and Cell were united as one.
They had only ten days to train for Jade Falcon's tournament, and the ten days began the moment Jade Falcon left the TV studio. Everyone seemed to go completely insane and train as if the continued existence of the Universe rested solely upon their efforts. Cell wandered around like a ghost of himself, responding to no one and noticing absolutely nothing. Goku, Gohan and even Vegeta tried to speak to him, to talk him into training for the tournament along with them, but it was as if they were in a universe parallel from the one he was in. He didn't seem to see them or hear them. The only one out of all of them who could tell them just what was going on in Cell's seemingly barren mind was Shade. He knew what was happening. Cell had retreated into the strongest case of schizophrenic catatonia Shade had ever seen in his entire life. But the Super Saiyan had an advantage. With his strong, advanced psychic powers, Shade could follow Cell's psyche to wherever it had retreated to and communicate with him. He was the only one who could do so.
After an especially long mental communion with the effectively catatonic Cell, Shade sought out Goku, Gohan and Vegeta to report what he had learned. Barely pausing for a greeting, he said, "I know exactly what's wrong with Cell. He's retreated into the depths of his mind and created a mental barrier between himself and the rest of the world at large. Actually, he's retreated so far into the depths of himself that he's passed far beyond where even his memories can reach. Considering the fact that his memories of Jadeite are inextricably linked with his memories of his whole life, he's slipped into total amnesia again. But this time around it's a whole lot worse. He's completely withdrawn himself from reality. Well, not completely. He's kept just a single thin thread of awareness as a connection to the outside world. In this condition, he walks around without knowing where he's going or why. He knows there is something he has to do, but he's forgotten what it is. And he misses Jadeite, but he doesn't even remember her." Goku asked, "Is there a way to get him to return to reality?" Gohan stated flatly, "Jade Falcon." Vegeta snapped, "Stop babbling and make some sense, boy!" He repeated, just a little bit louder, "Jade Falcon!" Skimming through Gohan's thoughts, Shade exclaimed, "Yeah! That just might work!" Vegeta growled in an impatient voice, "You mind letting the rest of us in on it, then?" Shade quickly explained to the two Saiyans, "Jade Falcon may not have complete control. Some small part of Jadeite might remain deep inside her body. If Cell can awaken that part within her…" Goku crowed, "Then she might revert from Jade Falcon back to Jadeite! Yes! You have to tell him that, Shade! If he hears that there may still be a chance, he may decide to return to reality!" Vegeta seconded, "Yeah, kid. Tell him that. It seems to me like we'll need all the help we can get to defeat Jade Falcon."