AN: Hello again! This must be a record time for me to be putting up the next chapter for this story. It's late at night (actually, early in the morning), and I've been staring at the computer screen all night, so I won't say much. Just read and review, as always!
ChickFlick Chapter 22
Videl turned to her two friends. With a voice choked with anguish and a haunted look in her eyes, she spoke:
" You can't expect me to stay here and watch him do that. You CAN'T."
Eighteen and Chichi looked at each other seriously. Then Chichi turned to Videl and said simply,
"Go get him."
She zoomed off like she'd been shot out of a canon.
* * * * *
"How dare you?" she glared at Cell. She was trembling with the need to be beside her daughter as Pan weakly managed to keep her head above the water. But Videl held herself rigidly in place, facing her enemy. She did not even dare to turn her head away for a second. Cell looked amused.
"How dare I? Well, it's really quite easy. It goes like this." He disappeared before her very eyes and phased back into view behind her back. She spun in mid air, but not quickly enough to protect herself from Cell's two-handed attack. Just before she hit the opposite wall, he appeared again in front of her and smashed her backwards once more. This continued for some time until Cell allowed her to make contact with the wall and slide down into the water with a splash. Videl weakly spat out a mouthful of water with much coughing and spluttering. The water level was almost up to her armpits already and rising all the time.
Hauling herself back into the air, she concentrated for a second. Her arms started to glow brightly; they seemed to be made of pure energy. The room watched breathlessly as she renewed her attack. Her movements seemed to be an incandescent blur of blazing white energy. Suddenly the movement stopped. The two hovered just below the hanging cage, caught in an arm wrestle of immense power. Their faces were only inches apart as they struggled against each other. Cell spoke to her quickly and quietly.
"I could give you the power that would stop you ever being defeated again. I'm sure I will have some left over after I've finished here." He pointed invitingly up at the cage and the red bubble of energy above them. Videl grit her teeth. What she wouldn't give for the power to defeat him... but a feeling of revulsion swept through her at the mere thought of stealing energy from the people she loved.
"You," she said, "are nothing more than a cold-blooded monster. I would rather die than take that power."
Cell was becoming angry.
"Then you shall HAVE death!" he raged, throwing her across the room like a rag doll. He rained down energy on her in a deadly downpour, and she screamed until she could scream no more.
* * * * *
A few metres away from her fallen mother, Pan floated face-up in the water, her mind wandering around the edge of unconsciousness. It seemed to have become detached from her body somehow, floating around up near the dripping roof. Her mind looked on from above placidly for a few seconds before she realised what she was seeing. 'It was just a dream', she had told herself many nights ago; it seemed like forever to her now. She fought to hold back her tears as her nightmare became reality.
* * * * *
Eighteen looked at Chichi, trying not to panic. She tightened her hands into fists and found her courage.
"I have to try," she said desperately to the other woman.
"I know," said Chichi softly. "I know." She put a hand on Eighteen's arm, since she could not find any more words. Eighteen nodded and moved forward to take her place in the battle.
* * * * *
"Aha." Cell smiled greedily as she flew forward. Eighteen shuddered under his gaze. His smile widened to a grin. "I find this quite entertaining... don't you?"
SMASH.
She caught his fist inches away from her face. Her muscles were straining with the effort of holding him back.
"Shut... UP." She growled. And then they were off.
Cell and Eighteen shared a peculiar understanding with each other. They had quite literally been a part of one another from the first days that Dr Gero had created them. Their battle was psychological as well as physical. Cell seemed to sense her thoughts somehow.
"You know, my dear, we are supposed to be on the same side." He taunted her, dodging her flickering fists and kicks.
"Never!" she snarled at him in pure hatred.
Eighteen tried not to despair as she felt her attacks losing power and her reflexes slowing. She raised her arms and began to power up a huge blast of energy.
"I wouldn't, if I were you." Cell interceded smoothly, appearing in front of her and pinning her arms to the wall. "Of course, if you want a few million rocks on all our heads, go right ahead. Be my guest." She froze. He bent forward and whispered silkily into her ear. "I know what you want. You want the power to destroy me. Remember how it was when we were united. Remember the power that you tasted when we were one. You want to be absorbed into that power again. You want to join me!"
Eighteen thrashed helplessly in his grasp even as that longing set fire to her unwilling veins. "It's not true," she whimpered. "It's not true..."
"You will never have another chance for the ultimate power."
Eighteen closed her eyes and Krillin's sweet face was there, floating in the darkness of her mind. She drew in a deep breath and opened her eyes once more. When she spoke again, her voice was suddenly strong.
"You are wrong. I have the ultimate power here in my heart. You have never understood it, and you never will."
She almost thought she saw a look of sorrow pass over his face for a fleeting second, but then his eyes hardened. In a voice that seemed chillingly familiar, he spoke with his eyes just inches from hers.
"Eighteen... what have you done?"
In a huge jolt inside of her, she felt like all of the air had been knocked out of her body. She felt numb, empty, even as he cut her down.
* * * * *
Chichi closed her eyes as she heard the sounds of Cell's final attack on Eighteen. Her heart lurched until she checked; they were all still alive. Barely. She had not lost anyone yet. She watched as Cell slowly turned to face her.
"Lucky last," he drawled. "But I'm getting impatient. I want to finish this."
"So do I." She replied evenly, moving into a fighting stance. Her mind was telling her it was hopeless. She was not really any stronger than the others, and they had all fallen. She didn't stand a chance.
Keeping a strong hold on herself, she pushed those thoughts away. She couldn't give up. She WOULDN'T give up. She began to raise her power level, and a breeze began in the still air of the cavern that turned the surface of the water into small waves. She was careful to keep the energy under control in the enclosed space. She contemplated just blowing away the whole lake, but she did not want to damage the machines that held the precious life force of Goku and the others.
Just before she engaged the fight with Cell, she looked up at them. Her heart constricted painfully at the sight of them, the strongest men in the world made powerless. Then she turned her focus fully back to Cell, concentrating her mind on this one thought and blocking out everything else; HE was the cause of it all. The pain and the suffering... HE was at fault. And without further hesitation, she attacked.
'It's not fair...' she thought, as she dodged blows from her opponent and tried to land some of her own, 'I worked so hard. We all did. But it just isn't enough...' Deciding that she wasn't getting very far in hand to hand combat, she pulled back a little and quickly fired a beam of blue light towards Cell. He shot out a beam of his own, green in colour, and the two energies battled against each other, seeming to be evenly matched.
Eventually though, as Chichi knew it would, her energy began to waver. She kept up the beam for as long as she could, but she knew she was just stalling for time. The green energy came closer and closer to her as her own energy beam diminished. It finally came upon her and she was thrown across the room, coming to a crashing halt on one of the machines that lined the walls. She drew in huge, gasping breaths of air. On muscles that shook from near-exhaustion, she raised herself to her hands and knees, but she could go no further.
Cell's clawed feet lowered themselves slowly and delicately onto the machine right in front of her. His voice belied the fact that he was savouring this moment.
"And so it all ends here." He said slowly, expansively. His arms were crossed and there was a foul light in his eyes as he looked down upon the woman at his feet. "All of your work, all of your planning, it has all come to nothing." He spoke to the others in the room as well now - he knew they were listening, though none of them had the strength to move.
With supreme effort of will, Chichi raised her drooping head and looked up to his cruel face. His eyes lit up as they met with hers, and he opened his mouth as if to speak again, but she cut him off before he could begin.
"I do not want to hear your offer, whatever it may be. I think I know what you would ask of me, but I do not desire power." And here everyone in the room was amazed to hear a quiet chuckle escape her lips. "You don't understand us very well, Cell. You understand our weaknesses, our flaws and fears. You knew about these and you exploited them. But you will never understand our greatest strength." She lifted her chin.
"Look around you. These people share a bond so deep that you will never comprehend it."
"I don't need to. Nor do I want to." He responded flatly. "In a very short time I will have their power. And what good will their friendship be THEN?" His mouth twisted bitterly. "You reject my offer of power, then?" he asked. His question was met with a stony silence.
"Then you are a fool. Power is everything. There is nothing else - no matter what you think."
His final blow was triumphant and her spirit finally broke as she landed. NOTHING. He was right. It had all come to nothing.
"I'm sorry..." she whispered to the darkness that she was falling into.
"I tried..."
* * * * *
AN: Well that was a cheerful ending... but just you wait til the next chapter. The big one is coming up! *rubs hands together in anticipation* ;)
ChickFlick Chapter 22
Videl turned to her two friends. With a voice choked with anguish and a haunted look in her eyes, she spoke:
" You can't expect me to stay here and watch him do that. You CAN'T."
Eighteen and Chichi looked at each other seriously. Then Chichi turned to Videl and said simply,
"Go get him."
She zoomed off like she'd been shot out of a canon.
* * * * *
"How dare you?" she glared at Cell. She was trembling with the need to be beside her daughter as Pan weakly managed to keep her head above the water. But Videl held herself rigidly in place, facing her enemy. She did not even dare to turn her head away for a second. Cell looked amused.
"How dare I? Well, it's really quite easy. It goes like this." He disappeared before her very eyes and phased back into view behind her back. She spun in mid air, but not quickly enough to protect herself from Cell's two-handed attack. Just before she hit the opposite wall, he appeared again in front of her and smashed her backwards once more. This continued for some time until Cell allowed her to make contact with the wall and slide down into the water with a splash. Videl weakly spat out a mouthful of water with much coughing and spluttering. The water level was almost up to her armpits already and rising all the time.
Hauling herself back into the air, she concentrated for a second. Her arms started to glow brightly; they seemed to be made of pure energy. The room watched breathlessly as she renewed her attack. Her movements seemed to be an incandescent blur of blazing white energy. Suddenly the movement stopped. The two hovered just below the hanging cage, caught in an arm wrestle of immense power. Their faces were only inches apart as they struggled against each other. Cell spoke to her quickly and quietly.
"I could give you the power that would stop you ever being defeated again. I'm sure I will have some left over after I've finished here." He pointed invitingly up at the cage and the red bubble of energy above them. Videl grit her teeth. What she wouldn't give for the power to defeat him... but a feeling of revulsion swept through her at the mere thought of stealing energy from the people she loved.
"You," she said, "are nothing more than a cold-blooded monster. I would rather die than take that power."
Cell was becoming angry.
"Then you shall HAVE death!" he raged, throwing her across the room like a rag doll. He rained down energy on her in a deadly downpour, and she screamed until she could scream no more.
* * * * *
A few metres away from her fallen mother, Pan floated face-up in the water, her mind wandering around the edge of unconsciousness. It seemed to have become detached from her body somehow, floating around up near the dripping roof. Her mind looked on from above placidly for a few seconds before she realised what she was seeing. 'It was just a dream', she had told herself many nights ago; it seemed like forever to her now. She fought to hold back her tears as her nightmare became reality.
* * * * *
Eighteen looked at Chichi, trying not to panic. She tightened her hands into fists and found her courage.
"I have to try," she said desperately to the other woman.
"I know," said Chichi softly. "I know." She put a hand on Eighteen's arm, since she could not find any more words. Eighteen nodded and moved forward to take her place in the battle.
* * * * *
"Aha." Cell smiled greedily as she flew forward. Eighteen shuddered under his gaze. His smile widened to a grin. "I find this quite entertaining... don't you?"
SMASH.
She caught his fist inches away from her face. Her muscles were straining with the effort of holding him back.
"Shut... UP." She growled. And then they were off.
Cell and Eighteen shared a peculiar understanding with each other. They had quite literally been a part of one another from the first days that Dr Gero had created them. Their battle was psychological as well as physical. Cell seemed to sense her thoughts somehow.
"You know, my dear, we are supposed to be on the same side." He taunted her, dodging her flickering fists and kicks.
"Never!" she snarled at him in pure hatred.
Eighteen tried not to despair as she felt her attacks losing power and her reflexes slowing. She raised her arms and began to power up a huge blast of energy.
"I wouldn't, if I were you." Cell interceded smoothly, appearing in front of her and pinning her arms to the wall. "Of course, if you want a few million rocks on all our heads, go right ahead. Be my guest." She froze. He bent forward and whispered silkily into her ear. "I know what you want. You want the power to destroy me. Remember how it was when we were united. Remember the power that you tasted when we were one. You want to be absorbed into that power again. You want to join me!"
Eighteen thrashed helplessly in his grasp even as that longing set fire to her unwilling veins. "It's not true," she whimpered. "It's not true..."
"You will never have another chance for the ultimate power."
Eighteen closed her eyes and Krillin's sweet face was there, floating in the darkness of her mind. She drew in a deep breath and opened her eyes once more. When she spoke again, her voice was suddenly strong.
"You are wrong. I have the ultimate power here in my heart. You have never understood it, and you never will."
She almost thought she saw a look of sorrow pass over his face for a fleeting second, but then his eyes hardened. In a voice that seemed chillingly familiar, he spoke with his eyes just inches from hers.
"Eighteen... what have you done?"
In a huge jolt inside of her, she felt like all of the air had been knocked out of her body. She felt numb, empty, even as he cut her down.
* * * * *
Chichi closed her eyes as she heard the sounds of Cell's final attack on Eighteen. Her heart lurched until she checked; they were all still alive. Barely. She had not lost anyone yet. She watched as Cell slowly turned to face her.
"Lucky last," he drawled. "But I'm getting impatient. I want to finish this."
"So do I." She replied evenly, moving into a fighting stance. Her mind was telling her it was hopeless. She was not really any stronger than the others, and they had all fallen. She didn't stand a chance.
Keeping a strong hold on herself, she pushed those thoughts away. She couldn't give up. She WOULDN'T give up. She began to raise her power level, and a breeze began in the still air of the cavern that turned the surface of the water into small waves. She was careful to keep the energy under control in the enclosed space. She contemplated just blowing away the whole lake, but she did not want to damage the machines that held the precious life force of Goku and the others.
Just before she engaged the fight with Cell, she looked up at them. Her heart constricted painfully at the sight of them, the strongest men in the world made powerless. Then she turned her focus fully back to Cell, concentrating her mind on this one thought and blocking out everything else; HE was the cause of it all. The pain and the suffering... HE was at fault. And without further hesitation, she attacked.
'It's not fair...' she thought, as she dodged blows from her opponent and tried to land some of her own, 'I worked so hard. We all did. But it just isn't enough...' Deciding that she wasn't getting very far in hand to hand combat, she pulled back a little and quickly fired a beam of blue light towards Cell. He shot out a beam of his own, green in colour, and the two energies battled against each other, seeming to be evenly matched.
Eventually though, as Chichi knew it would, her energy began to waver. She kept up the beam for as long as she could, but she knew she was just stalling for time. The green energy came closer and closer to her as her own energy beam diminished. It finally came upon her and she was thrown across the room, coming to a crashing halt on one of the machines that lined the walls. She drew in huge, gasping breaths of air. On muscles that shook from near-exhaustion, she raised herself to her hands and knees, but she could go no further.
Cell's clawed feet lowered themselves slowly and delicately onto the machine right in front of her. His voice belied the fact that he was savouring this moment.
"And so it all ends here." He said slowly, expansively. His arms were crossed and there was a foul light in his eyes as he looked down upon the woman at his feet. "All of your work, all of your planning, it has all come to nothing." He spoke to the others in the room as well now - he knew they were listening, though none of them had the strength to move.
With supreme effort of will, Chichi raised her drooping head and looked up to his cruel face. His eyes lit up as they met with hers, and he opened his mouth as if to speak again, but she cut him off before he could begin.
"I do not want to hear your offer, whatever it may be. I think I know what you would ask of me, but I do not desire power." And here everyone in the room was amazed to hear a quiet chuckle escape her lips. "You don't understand us very well, Cell. You understand our weaknesses, our flaws and fears. You knew about these and you exploited them. But you will never understand our greatest strength." She lifted her chin.
"Look around you. These people share a bond so deep that you will never comprehend it."
"I don't need to. Nor do I want to." He responded flatly. "In a very short time I will have their power. And what good will their friendship be THEN?" His mouth twisted bitterly. "You reject my offer of power, then?" he asked. His question was met with a stony silence.
"Then you are a fool. Power is everything. There is nothing else - no matter what you think."
His final blow was triumphant and her spirit finally broke as she landed. NOTHING. He was right. It had all come to nothing.
"I'm sorry..." she whispered to the darkness that she was falling into.
"I tried..."
* * * * *
AN: Well that was a cheerful ending... but just you wait til the next chapter. The big one is coming up! *rubs hands together in anticipation* ;)