"Ugh, how hard can it be to get seven kids to leave an island?" Poppy grumbled, clenching her fists. Mr. Popo standing behind her smiling.
"They are a rowdy bunch aren't they?" he said, holding Mita in his arms, "Almost wild."
"Yeah, I can see why 18 and her brother call them gremlins." She looked down at Thistle, who was the only one who was co-operating. She looked back up at the one with the ego, the only one who kept 'Cell Junior' as his name.
"Junior, you and your brothers need to come with me." Poppy repeated for the fifth time.
"We have to watch the island," Junior said, pouting up at her.
"Cell Junior, as your mother I'm telling you you need to come with me to the lookout so you don't get hurt!"
"17 gave us a job and I wanna do it."
This was going nowhere fast. Just a circle back around to the same thing. Thistle tugged on her leggings, looking up at her. "Mom, why do we gotta go?"
"Someone very dangerous is here and I want you guys to be safe." She was not sure if she could explain to them the situation properly, "Mr. Popo and I are here to take you guys somewhere safe."
Junior looked offended, looking like a tiny version of his father. "We are not weak. We can fight anyone and win."
The others all joined in with agreements, their wings twitching. Poppy could not deny they were strong, any child of Cell, either through cellular mitosis or a more traditional sense, was destined to be strong.
Ugh, damned kids were so stubborn. "This guy is stronger!"
"Dad!" Mita suddenly called out, happy.
Poppy looked around quickly and sure enough, Cell was standing a ways off, observing them. The Juniors all swarmed around him, chattering at him a mile a minute. Cell grinned down at them a moment, before locking eyes with her.
He made his way past them, smiling at her. "What are you doing way out here all alone?" he asked, sounding amused.
"I came here to get the Juniors…" Poppy said, "And I'm not alone, Mr. Popo is here with me."
Cell stopped in front of her, looking down at her with a grin still on his face. Slowly he reached out, touching her cheek, pressing on it and making her turn her head, his fingers slid up to her ear, over her piercings. He made a thoughtful sound, his hand then moving to touch her pastel purple hair.
Poppy suddenly got a bit uneasy. He was observing her like he had never seen her before…
Her pulse quickened, her hands balling into fists. She reached up, slapping his hand away from her hair. "What was the name I told you when you first asked for mine?"
His grin spread into a sneer, showing his perfectly white teeth.
Poppy took that as the signal to run. She backed away, tripping over her boots, eyes widening as 'Cell' held up his hand and prepared a ki blast. She got back onto her feet taking Mita and hiding behind Mr. Popo, squeezing her eyes shut as Cell fired.
Mr. Popo opened his mouth, inhaling and sucking the blast up. He held his chest a moment, burping up some smoke. As he looked up, Cell backhanded him, sending him to the dirt with a grunt.
The Juniors all looked shocked, their eyes wide. Mita was just as shocked. "Dad, why did you hit Mr. Popo?"
"That's not your daddy. That's the Other Cell everyone was talking about," Poppy said, looking down as Thistle got in between her and Cell. The other Juniors joined him, all of their wings spread.
Cell scoffed. "Even my other's spawn seem to be enamored with you. What makes you so interesting, hmm?"
Poppy didn't have an answer, slowly backing away. He looked just like her Cell. Every detail except for his eyes. How cold they were.
"Now boys, 'mommy and daddy' need to talk a little." Cell lifted his hands, swiping them to the side. The juniors all yelped as they were knocked aside by Cell's telekinesis, then blasted away with his Kiai.
"Now I think you should run, my dear. I've not had the pleasure of chasing a human in many years."
Poppy clutched Mita tighter, turning and running as fast as she could.
He had to admit she was not what he had expected. The hair, the piercings, the fashion… Certainly unique, but she was as unimpressive as one could get. She wasn't smart like Bulma, or strong and ageless like 18. Even Chi-Chi had been more impressive than her, facing him head on when he came to claim her life. The girl was weak in every single aspect.
Cell had expected too much from the 'him' in this timeline. At least Vegeta, Goku, and Gohan were going to give him an assured fun time, and then Frieza himself… Cell always wanted to fight him.
Majin Buu was here too, from what he could sense. What fun indeed!
Still he wanted to give this pathetic version of himself a bit of a chance. So why not spur him into action. It worked with Gohan after all.
It was more than generous.
He could feel her. She couldn't control her ki, but the child was hidden. He had training then. At least this timline's Cell was intelligent enough to train his spawn.
Cell glanced over to the right, holding out his hand, with a kiai he blasted the bolder into rubble, the woman screaming in shock and shielding her face with her hands. The child was not there. She had hidden him then.
He approached her, smiling down at her, motioning with his finger for her to stand. She did so, shaking like a leaf.
Cell stepped up to her, too close, making her shrink back and away from him. He lifted his hand, touching the flesh of her neck. He locked eyes with her's.
As his fingers closed over her neck, the woman looked up at him with a glare. Cell grinned down at her. "How romantic that the last thing you will see is the face of the man you love."
The woman tilted her head back defiantly. "You are not my Cell. My Cell is perfect. You are anything but."
Cell's lips curled downward, his hand clamping around her neck. She made a choking sound, her hands grabbing his wrist.
"The very fact that I am not tied down to a weak pathetic human being, is proof enough that the one who is perfect is me." Cell squeezed tighter, lifting her up by her neck. She kicked at him, her kicks not even making him itch. She was as weak as a human could get.
"I did miss humans, though. The way they beg, the things they offer to live. They tossed money, friends, even their children at my feet just for a chance for them to be spared, Seeing how far they would fall to just live a minute more was always entertaining."
Cell tilted his head down a moment, before looking back up at her, his grip lessening to let her get some air into her. "What was your name again?"
She wheezed, both of her feet on his chest and pushing against it. "Go suck a dick you-"
Cell cut her air off again. "Oh, a vulgar one. Never mind then." He kept the steady pressure, lost in thought, "Poppy. That was it. Did you know poppy's are used to make opium? It's a very addictive drug."
Her face was getting red, but she was still kicking at his chest, her painted nails trying to dig into the skin of his hand.
"Maybe that's why. Maybe he succumbed to some sort of addiction. Or perhaps he was attracted to you because poppies are often a symbol of death." Cell laughed, "I know it sounds silly, but why else would I fall so low?" His other hand reached up and ran his thumb over her lips.
"But he did lose to Gohan, so maybe he was always doomed to be weak." Cell leaned in as her struggling went sluggish. "Now where is the boy? Tell me and I will save you for last."
She pulled a hand away from his wrist, eyes barely able to stay open. She did not point to anything. Instead she stuck up her middle finger to him, doing her best to cast him a glare.
"Ah… Then you are one of the good mothers." Cell leaned in the rest of the way, leaving a kiss on the corner of her mouth, just to see what the fuss was. However he got nothing from it. How dull.
He clenched his fist, her neck making a crunching sound. He dropped her, whipping his hand off on his side. "Now to kill 'my' progeny-"
There was a scream and Cell turned, a little blurr of green ramming into his chest, causing him a bit of pain.
There he was.
Mita was glowing, his face contorted in fury. "You hurt my mom!"
Cell got up slowly, dusting himself off.
"You look like my dad but you are not like him at all." Mita yelled, tears were running down his face. The child was impressive, but his very existence was everything he hated.
Flawed. Imperfect. Worthless.
Cell glanced as Goku and his friends all arrived, his weaker imperfect self locking eyes with him.
"Get out of my way!" 18 shoved her way through the group, "You! You… You disgusting... What did you do to her!?"
"18! My my I have not seen you in years. You look well. Better than her. Her neck crumpled like tissue." Cell laughed, lifting his hand and catching 18's fist as she launched at him. He did not have time to get the other fist that planted in his jaw, sending him flying backwards a few feet.
18 leapt onto him, her fists rapidly beating onto his chest. Now this was a reaction! How entertaining. Everyone in this time line would give him a show for sure. He extended his tail, sending it through the ground to get her from behind.
"18! Look out! Get away from him!" Krillin yelled, the woman darting away faster then Cell could see. The look on her face was terrified, like she was reliving a trauma.
"What is wrong 18? Wasn't it fun being inside of me?"
18 fired a ki blast, trying to distract him as Krillin rushed forward, scooping Poppy and the crying child up, and darting out of the fray as quickly as he could. Cell sat up and lifted his hand, ready to blast him, but 18 screamed loudly.
"Don't even think about hurting my husband! I've been wanting to smash your face in for years and I will!" She kicked him in the side of his head, sending him into the ground, "You killed 16, you absorbed me and my brother, and then you killed my best friend! I'll destroy you!
Cell lifted his head. His eyes locking with himself yet again. And the look on his face was utterly perfect.
