Chapter 4: Anarchist in the Continuum
Q never expected this from a race of warriors. He anticipated Goku to kill himself in the Borg cube by simply blowing it up. Obviously, he was smarter than he looked or acted.
"Maybe it's the fact that he was raised by humans, unlike his arrogant friend, Vegeta. Actually, even he showed some maturity by what I've seen him do. After all, he did change after Majin Buu, but then, they used that dragon to make them forget all about that. And their sons are something also. Trunks and Goten may be childish, but so were the humans from the Federation. By my standards, they were a grievously, savage child race. If Jean-Luc proved that humans can expand their minds, then these Saiyans should be able to tackle this problem, with my help of course."
"Alright, Q," Goku said, "We've passed your little game. Now let us go."
"Well," Q started, "I'm afraid I can't. As a matter of fact, I need your help."
"What?!" Vegeta shouted. "You put us through that and now you expect us to help you. You obviously have all the power you need."
"Unfortunately, we the Q cannot handle this current problem."
"What problem?" Gohan asked.
"I first need to do a background briefing so your miniscule minds will comprehend. I come from a race of omnipotent and immortal beings."
"Omnipotent? What does that mean?" Vegeta asked.
"It means god-like," Gohan answered.
"Good," Q continued, "Someone know what it means. Anyway, we have been the self-anointed guardians of the universe for centuries. We live in another plane of existence, the Q Continuum. Usually, we like our immortality and omnipotence, but there are certain members of the Continuum who are tired of life and wish to destroy themselves. I myself am all for that, but one of those individuals who was an extremist decided that the entire Continuum and its members should die."
"A genocide," Gohan said.
"Exactly. He knew that we could stop him if he tried that. Therefore, he came up with a strategy; give a mortal immunity from the Q. Being a Q himself, he could do that."
"So he created a weapon that you had no power over."
"Yes, Goku. He was an anarchist and wanted to bring utter chaos to the Continuum. He gave this power to a friend of yours, one he brought back from the dead." Q snapped his fingers and an image of a tall, green menace appeared beside him.
"Cell," Vegeta said resentfully.
"You mean that guy Gohan killed?" Goten asked.
"Yup," Trunks responded, "That's the one everyone keeps saying was killed by Mr. Satan."
"Well, we can't do anything to him now. He's already killed that anarchist Q and now wants to destroy the Q Continuum, just like it was planned."
"So what," Vegeta said shrugging, "What do I care if your silly little continuum gets destroyed, as long as Cell doesn't come here."
"Then how about this Vegeta," Q said getting hostile, "Along with the immunity, the anarchist Q granted Cell immortality and semi-omnipotence. If he destroys the Continuum, you will have no way to kill him."
"Then why do you need our help?"
"Because, the Continuum gave me the unpleasant job of cleaning up this mess. Look, I can take away his immortality but only for about an hour, at the most. That still leaves his immunity and semi-omnipotence. That's where I need your help. I need all of you to go in there and destroy him while he's mortal, hence my little test. I needed to see if you could find a way around the power of a semi-omnipotent being."
"Well, that shouldn't be that hard. I killed him while he was dead," Goku said.
"There in lies another problem."
"Another?"
"Yes. If he is allowed to regenerate, then he'll adapt to my power and become fully immune. In other words, you will need to destroy him without him coming back."
"You expect us to do that?" Trunks asked
"The fate of the universe and the Continuum depends on it. You're the only ones who have enough power to defeat Cell." Silence fell for about a minute.
"Well, I'm all for it," Goku finally said.
"What?"
"Sure, if we don't defeat Cell now, there's no way we'll be able to stop him if he destroys your Continuum."
"I'm behind you dad," Goten shouted.
"I'm with you Goten," Trunks said.
"I guess we have no choice. Then I'm in too," Gohan responded.
Goku looked towards Vegeta. "Well Vegeta?"
Vegeta stood there with his arms crossed and his usual serious face. "Count me in. After all, Cell will be stronger, and I need to make sure you're not killed Kakarott, not before I defeat you." Q smiled at the comment.
"Ok. And Vegeta's right. He is stronger. I'll teleport you to his location, and remember, you will have only an hour before he regains immortality."
