It floated there, alone, the most prominent planet with life in the entire Sol System. Ten years ago, to its inhabitants, this beautiful blue sphere, with its vista of deep blue seas, punctuated by varying hues of green, brown, and white, was the only source of life they believed existed in the known Universe. It was a single, unequivocal fact they had held close to their hearts for millennia.
And yet, times had changed.
The formerly insignificant blue marble had found itself the centre of the hustle of bustle of a large portion of the galaxy. Even now, this far out in space, where the planet could only be seen at a distance, spacecraft of merchant, pleasure, and business ilk made their way towards the planet known as Earth. The vessels were all of different make; a multitude sleek in design, polished steel that reflected the light that bounced off their metal surfaces. Still others were built larger, crafted from material not metal yet not stone, and bore brighter designs — the pleasure ships, no doubt — while even more still were built for function rather than form, barely appearing among the mass of ships that approached Earth in almost a zombie-like fashion.
This was business as normal, however. With Earth as a central trade-hub, due to Capsule Corporation lending their technological advances to the Galactic Patrol and other nations, the Solar System rarely saw a moment where traffic died down. However, among this thrall of normalcy, an irregularity, unaided by technological propulsion, floated above the planet.
The entity was humanoid, but had insectoid traits in a manner that seemed unevenly distributed. His face was stark white, with purple markings along the side. His eyes were narrow, with pink irises, and he possessed a light green exoskeleton, with dark spots breaking up this uniformity with increasing frequency as one examined his body. His shoulder, chest, torso, and legs all possess dark black armor, with his feet a yellow hue. At his side floated a figure, cloaked by the cover of darkness, yet obviously feminine in shape. The duo observed the planet with differing emotions, and it was the female figure who broke the 'silence'.
So this is Earth, she directed her thoughts into her companion's mind. In the vacuum of space, where sound could not exist, the only viable method of communication was telepathy. It is as beautiful of a planet as I've heard...and perhaps a fitting place for the residence of the nascent Super Saiyan God. Her shadowy-form turned its flickering head to her partner, the man known to the world below as "Cell". This is also your home planet, is it not? Are you truly comfortable simply destroying it? Most people have reservations laying waste to the place they called home.
You clearly didn't do enough research before you dragged my soul from that vile Hell,
replied Cell, his thought patterns vicious. I have no fondness for this planet, or any sort of sentimentality. I would have destroyed my own creator if he stood in my way. The Bio-Android clenched a pale white fist, and the electrical pulse of ki crackled through it, though the familiar sound was void in this space. In my last stand against Son Gohan, I was going to wipe this entire Solar System out of the memory of the Universe...before he and that damned Vegeta managed to kill me, in spite of my Completion!
If your goal remains the same, why not simply destroy this world from orbit?
The woman offered, suggesting the most practical solution. I do not much value time wasted on futile efforts; if one is to utilise their time, it is best spent productively. Besides, you and the others are my children and loyal followers, are you not? You who have shared in a part of me. I will be most displeased if you waste my generous gifts, Cell.
Her tone carried not only through the Bio-Android's mind, but bored into the depths of his soul — the very same soul that she had whisked from the torture it endured in the very abyss of Hell. Truth be told, she made him uncomfortable, incredibly so, yet he dared not voice the fact. I don't recall ever pledging loyalty to you, Cell replied icily. Nor do I consider your ragtag group of followers to be any sort of family of mine. Besides, he cast a sickened glance at the planet beneath him. There won't be any point to my revenge if I simply destroy the planet now; no, anyone can do that. I want Son Gohan to see what he has wrought...I want to watch his face writhe in horror as he sees his precious planet laid to waste my by own hand. Only then will I be satisfied!
The woman heaved a soundless sigh, yet the slightest hint of amusement crossed her face all the same. So you would bite the hand that feeds you? Very well. Whichever path you take, it will benefit me the same. Whether you swear fealty to me after you've concluded your business...or die at the hands of the Super Saiyan God. Regardless, I will have achieved my momentary goal. So I wish you luck, Cell. Your brothers, sisters, and I shall be awaiting for your victorious return...
Her form faded into absolute nothingness, leaving Cell alone above the planet Earth. His pale hand created vibrant illumination in the form of yellow ki, the Android raising the sphere above his head.
Let the fireworks begin!
Earth, Mount Paozu, East District 469
From the gentle streams that MountPaozu, soft melodies could be heard from the ebb and flow of waters. The whistling rush air through the leaves of thick tree canopies added to the sound, and created an almost ethereal choir from nature itself. The scene itself was idyllic, but the silence was shattered immediately by the form of a young, blonde child bursting gleefully out of one of the crystalline rivers. Her normally spiked hair dropped under the weight of water, and her attire consisted of a white tank-top and purple pants, tied to her waist by light string. The young girl was barefoot, needing no footwear as she continued to enjoy leisure time within the waters of Mount Paozu.
Her antics were causing small rushes of water to flood the bank of the river, where her grandmother and great-grandmother were spending an otherwise relaxing time. The water gushed from its source and drenched the grass and soil, before receding back into the river from whence it came.
"Pen, be careful!" chided Chi-Chi, who was holding her youngest child away from the sloshing waters. "If you're too careless, your auntie is going to catch a cold!" Amidst her warnings, Gine laughed at Pen's energetic behaviour and her daughter-in-law's frantic worry, and found herself shaking her head.
Chi-Chi, who rarely grew irate with her new companion, flashed Gine a disapproving look, making it clear that she thought condoning Pen's carelessness wasn't a proper upbringing. "The little one may be only half-Saiyan, but she'll be a bit more hardy than that," Gine tried to reassure her new friend. "Saiyan babies hardly get sick — even as adults, we don't often fall ill — and they're sturdier than the infants you'll find on most worlds. I think she'll be fine if Pen gets too rambunctious."
The physically older of the two women felt her face work; she was trying to find a hole to punch into Gine's argument, but couldn't. It was true that her children all developed quickly and more efficiently than one would expect of regular human children; Gohan and Goten had all been able to fully hold up their heads when they were barely three months old, and Gojō had been no different.
Peaceful minutes idled into an hour, the foursome spending this time merely in blissful tranquility. Whilst Pan continued to beating against the water with playful fervor, Gojō was passed between her mother and grandmother, the ten-month old Saiyan-half gazing at the both of them with wide-eyed curiosity. Her tail — a trait that only one of her brothers had inherited, yet it was passed onto her all the same — batted against the air. The child giggled when her grandmother held her aloft, all of her limbs scrambling as she tried to move on her own.
"She certainly doesn't like to stay still," Gine remarked, attempting to keep the young child from flying free. So small but so strong...! Saiyan babies could inherit part of the strength of their parents — something that the Saiyan royal family had liked to boast was inherently their trait, however, it was present in Saiyans from the lowest rung of the ladder to those in the Vegeta family — and Gojō's great strength for a ten-month old Saiyan baby had to have come from Kakarrot.
"You're telling me," replied Chi-Chi. "Goten and Gohan weren't nearly this energetic as babies!" She sounded slightly ragged, but she smiled at her cooing daughter all the same. "Then again, when Gohan was a baby, Gokū was alive, and when Goten was a baby, Gohan was there to help pick up the slack." These were fond memories that brought both happiness to Chi-Chi while dispiriting her at the same time. This was certainly part of the reason she'd wanted another child — a little piece of Gokū to be there now that Goten and Gohan were moving on with their lives.
"Kakarrot was a sweetie when he was born," Gine remembered fondly. "A head full of hair like his father's, and he hardly ever cried. Not at all like his brother, who was rather rambunctious. Even in the incubation pod, he was a quiet baby...the one and only time he cried was when Bardock and I sent him away." Her blissful expression turned dark, remembering the day that the Saiyans had fought for their lives. It had been preceded the abandonment of their youngest son to a wayward planet in the hope that he would grow up safe.
Her black eyes wandered over to her great-granddaughter, who was still turning the once quiet river into a chaotic whirlpool, and then to her granddaughter, who was still fighting against her hold and vying for the grass. The strength of Gohan, and just how much Goten looked like Kakarrot was enough to fight away the sadness. Kakarrot and Raditz may have died, regardless of her and Bardock's attempts to save their children, and there was no fixing that now.
But the sight of her new family made her realise it had still led to something worthwhile in the end.
Yet all good things were only ephemeral. Misery and misfortune had its ways of finding itself interwoven into happiness and bliss; this fact held true, especially in peaceful times. Despite the best efforts of even the most powerful individuals to preserve peace...it did not last. The morning sky, painted with soft oranges and light blues, interrupted only by the occasional streak of white cloud, exploded in a fiery blaze of orange light. It filled the sky, akin to that of a giant sun, bathing the planet in ominous illumination.
The impossible sight of the sky burning caused Gine's blood to run cold. Time passed differently in the afterlife; Freeza's final assault on the Saiyans was sill firmly in Gine's mind. And now she was seeing it here. But the sheer scale of the sphere of ki that she could see now put Freeza's annihilation of her species to shame. "It...can't be..." The words strained in her throat, the Saiyan woman only able to stare at the sky in horror.
Chi-Chi's gaze lifted towards the sky, and her expression nearly mimicked Gine's. "What is that?!"
Gine's expression turned dark. "That's someone's kikōdan...and there looks to be enough ki in that sphere to reduce us all to dust in an instant..!"
The Capital, Earth
The size of the sphere made it visible around more than half the globe. In the former Western Capital, the smoldering sphere's light reflected off of the the metallic highways and buildings of the reformed city. Both on the street and in the air, citizens stopped to gawk at the miniature sun that was now far too close to the planet for anyone's comfort. Ten years ago, the Earthlings wouldn't have had an answer for this.
But now, the vast multitudes below knew what this sphere was and what its signified.
They were all in very real danger.
Within Capsule Tower, everyone was running frantic. With their current company president — Trunks — on an extended sabbatical, and their previous president, Bulma, nowhere to be found, responsibility had fallen on Dr. Brief. The man was getting on his years, but his mind, the pride of his family, remained sharp. Leaning on a cane, the old man clicked around the office of the highest floor of Capsule Tower, gazing at the truly massive sphere of ki.
"This is a pickle..." the old man muttered. "These sorts of problems certainly have a way of appearing, whether or not we want them to. Always at the worst times, too." At his beck and call were not employees, but constructs of MatterWaves, who made up the majority of the Capsule Tower workforce where human hands were simply not required. Dr. Brief rapped his cane against the polished floor of his grandson's office. The glowing humanoids looked toward him, awaiting instructions.
"Activate the MatterWave Emitting Circumference Caster!" Following his orders, the MatterWave attendees brought up a MatterWave menu, connected to the MatterWave Emitting Circumference Caster — shortened often to M.E.C.C. — and the result was nearly instantaneous. It was a worldwide effect.
It felt like Christmas was coming early for every city across the globe. For what was already a majestic landscape dotting every habitable spot of civilization of the trans-futuristic planet of Earth was now in the midst of lighting up to a degree near ten fold in luminescence. The massive generators that acted like pylons cast a ray of pale particles straight upwards, bending like an umbrella and covering each respective city in a octagonal field of protective shield. No matter the size of living space, the pyre of hard light construct covered the skyline of every citizen within its city limits and bathed the already sparkling infrastructure in a luminous, almost star-light glow.
Each individual spot of Earthling residence created a chain reaction of sparking glows all across the planet, creating a majestic view from those orbiting the atmosphere. It proved that, for a young planet in the Milky Way galactic theater, progress has moved ever-so forward and swiftly to the fore. Alien visitor and Earthling citizen alike would marvel at the spectacle of Capsule Corp's newest technical marvel that'd assure safety as well as security for the seemingly constant targeting of its people from intergalactic ne'er-do-wells.
Within the confines of these barriers, the citizens marveled; these barriers were the pride of Capsule Tower's technology, constructed by the company after Beerus' assault on their planet in an attempt to protect the citizens. The incredible defence wasn't without its flaws, however. Any individuals who were not within the confines of the barrier were locked out, unable to make their way back in — a grim decision made with the intention of preserving as many lives as possible.
High in the sky, as if in response to the activation of the barriers, the sphere of ki ruptured, vast fissures of light splitting the sphere apart. It broke into a multitude of different orbs, each and every one of them aloft in the sky, giving the appearance straight out of a legend — hundreds of suns strung through the sky.
The dread in the hearts of the citizens only increases as these "suns" began to fall towards the Earth. Balls of flaming retribution burned through the atmosphere as they careened downward. Many of the ships that had entered Earth's atmosphere, and were heading towards the Western Capital, were the first to be struck — the metal casings of these ships fractured before subsequently exploding in a burst of flames, those contained within dying in a searing, painful death.
Earth quickly became a series of explosions; the miniature suns collided around the world with the various settlements and their protective barrier encasing. The various detonations on ground level mixed in sound with the airborne discharging from the destroyed spaceships, creating a deafening cacophony. The rumbling of the eruptions from the scaled-down "suns" created massive shockwaves; nearby trees found themselves uprooted, water churned, and the ground cracked, even those close to the barriers.
Despite the multitude of the cities and towns being protected by the M.E.C.C., the vast openness of nature found itself without the luxury of Capsule Tower's barriers. This is where Gine, Pen, Chi-Chi, and Gojō found themselves as fire rained down. To Gine, this was a nightmare revisited. The memories of the technique which Freeza had used to wipe the Saiyan race from the face of the Universe burned fresh in her mind — as did the sensation of her first death. When the gargantuan orb appeared in the sky, these feelings and more had come rushing back. As it split in two, however, it became clear to Gine that they weren't interested in destroying the Earth, at least not yet.
Yet they were causing destruction on a hitherto unseen scale in Gine's mind. The Saiyan widow's black eyes flashed orange, the falling spheres filling their sight. Her daughter-in-law and granddaughters were here behind her.
This was enough to spur Gine into action. She was no fighter; in fact, she heavily disliked causing harm to others, and had often been a liability on the battlefield. Her placement in Bardock's Elite hadn't been due to her merit as a fighter...but she had picked up some tricks after being rescued by her mate for the umpteenth time. Planting her feet firmly on the grass, Gine focused her ki and propelled it forward. It spread out in a wave, before enasing the Saiyan and her family within a translucent blue sphere of ki.
"W-What is this?" Chi-Chi was clutching Gojō close to her chest, vainly attempting to shield her youngest with her own body.
Pen, who had been ready to fling herself towards the blazing spheres, gazed wide-eyed at her great-grandmother's display of control.
"It's a barrier," Gine explained in response to Chi-Chi's question. "I'm not a fighter — never have been — but I was able to develop adequate defensive skills with my ki. It's what kept me on my mate's elite team for so long...before he realised that I really wasn't cut out for the battlefield, and we made the joint decision that I retire to Vegeta. If I can use these skills to protect you three...!"
The sound of explosions was deafened by their encasing, yet still audible as the spheres collided with Gine's barrier, exploding on impact. They were proving to be volatile bombs — indeed, this may be the only reason the M.E.C.C. was holding its ground as it was — yet Gine's barrier was beginning to crack and give way under the bombardment. Though she kept her ki output steady, the incoming attacks were proving to be far too effective; before her barrier could regenerate from proper application of ki, the incessant bombardment was battering away, threatening to shatter it.
When her barrier gave way, it would mean the death of herself and the precious three behind her. My family has given me a new chance with those Dragon Balls...a chance to live again...and a chance to love again...I can't risk losing everything important to me for the second time! Within the depth of her onyx eyes, light began to shine. A tincture of emerald bled through the inky black; her hair, formerly black and reaching her shoulders, began to flash golden, attaining a rigidity familiar to recent opponents of the Saiyans. "Earth is my home now too!" With a guttural shout, Gine felt something inside her brain snap; ki flooded her body, localising itself in the small of her back. A brilliant golden flame erupted from the soles of her feet, enveloping her body, the woman's hair dying itself vivid gold, and her eyes glowing bright green.
The ki that flooded her body pushed outward, reinvigorating her barrier. Gine widened the position of her arms, releasing a pulse of yellow ki. The circumference of the barrier increased drastically, covering more ground as it served to protect her beloved family. "I won't let it crack..." Gine declared, her voice cracking under the strain of her first Super Saiyan transformation.
"I suppose that after endless battles...I have the fickle urge to save something now.
Especially if it's my low-level warrior son."
Bardock had given everything to protect their youngest son, and Kakarrot now had a legacy that needed to be protected. Gine would stake everything to protect that legacy; to protect those close to her heart, the people who existed because the man she loved had saved the son that they loved. "My family...we protect our own..."
Watching the back of her great-grandmother as the woman struggled to maintain their barrier, Pen walked boldly over to Gine — despite Chi-Chi's protests that she stay close to her — and placed a hand at the woman's thigh.
"I can help too!" said the little blond child, her face determined. Her small palm began to glow with the power of her ki, and she transferred as much as she could to Gine. Pen couldn't create barriers, but her mother had taught her enough about ki flow to transfer it to someone else.
The euphoric rush of fresh power nearly floored Gine. The ki coming from such a small child was staggering; it shouldn't be this intense, yet Gine was astounded by the strength of Pen's energy. Trying to steady herself against the stress of the Super Saiyan form and the influx of ki, Gine focused and spread as much of it through her barrier as it could. It completely stabilised; no more did it crack or threaten to give away underneath the force of the impacting bombs.
It was only then that they noticed the explosive sounds begin to lessen gradually, and the impact to the barrier followed suit. When Gine was absolutely sure that the threat was past, she relaxed, allowing the barrier to slip and fade away. With the release of ki came the release of her transformation; her hair and eyes returned to their black colouration, Gine slumping to her knees in complete and utter exhaustion.
"This...is horrible..." Chi-Chi stammered. The entire area had been rendered desolate. The ground was charred, blackened, with trees for vast kilometres being reduced to naught but ash. There were no flames from the explosions. The intensity of the heat had simply eradicated anything that was not protected. The river, which Pen had enjoyed playing in only a short while earlier, had been dried on contact; the entire area was a wasteland.
"But...we're alive..." the widower tried to find the silver-lining. Gojō was mercifully quiet, which Chi-Chi would have found unsettling if not for the fact that neither one of her sons had ever exhibited typical infant-like behaviour. A vague, distant memory of the time when her father had allowed Goten to wander too far, and the young child found himself dangling from a cliffside...yet he was laughing gleefully as his grandfather clambered to rescue him floated into the recesses of her mind. It seemed Gojō was simply like her siblings; unflappable.
"Grandma Gine, you were awesome!" Pen finally allowed herself to express the excitement she'd been reigning in, tugging on her great-grandmother's sleeves in earnest. "You even became a Super Saiyan, just like Papa!"
Super...Saiyan? The term was indefinite within Gine's head; familiar and yet a lifetime away at the same time. She could barely focus on recalling the figure of legend, the story passed down in Saiyan families since ancient times. Gine did, however, force a smile towards her great-granddaughter; the child was truly too endearing to allow to worry. And yet the grim truth remained present. "We...we can't afford to rest here. Those spheres were volatile; none of them possessed the ability to destroy a planet. Whoever...whoever cast those down here was simply intending to destroy as much as he could..."
"What...what does that mean?" inquired Chi-Chi.
"...Someone was saying 'hello'," replied Gine darkly.
The cities of the world remained intact due to the successful efforts of the M.E.C.C. However, on a global scale, the planet had been horrifically scarred. Many areas had been reduced to molten slag, wildlife and greenery destroyed by the intensity of the detonating spheres which had rained down upon the planet. Settlements which hadn't had the luxury of the M.E.C.C. — many recent, or too far off the beaten track to connect with the main Capitals — had been eradicated completely, inhabitants and all.
Terror was beginning to settle into Earth.
Nonetheless, this was not the end. The viridescent form of the being known as Cell was descending through the clouds, his pale face surveying the planet below. Amid the destruction, he saw the clear signs of life. And yet, he couldn't be less displeased if he tried. Touching down just outside the Northern Capital, the bio-Android felt a grin creep onto his face.
"It would seem that Earth has become far more capable in my time away," he noted, observing the shimmering barrier that still encased the Capital. "Re-purposing Red Ribbon Prototypes into fully functional machinery? The work of Capsule Corporation, no doubt." Breathing in the air of his home planet, tainted and ruined in a way that could only precede destruction, Cell sighed with content.
"The lot of you may have simply been better dying in that first attack...because now Act Two begins."
Earth, Palace of God
"God..." Mr. Popo found the word escaping his throat. If he could became pale, the genie would be white as a sheet. The Palace of God has escaped the rain of fire unscathed, protected by ancient magic that proved only too convenient in a situation such as this. Yet this proved to be small consolation to the deity and his attendant, who watched in utter horror at the beautiful planet they surveyed was rent asunder by the efforts of one man. "What...what do we do?"
"It's Cell..." Dende replied, his voice threatening to break from grief. "I don't know how, but he's been revived...and now he's attacking while Gohan and the others aren't here...!" The Nameccian clenched the staff that the former God had left to him in frustration. "The Earthlings managed to survive...but Cell's touched down...!" The God of Earth had only one option. He couldn't do the fighting himself, and his abilities were limited in scope. I have to reach out to Lord Whis and let him know...Gohan and the others have got to return!
Before he could set his plan into motion, a sound that his normally keen Nameccian hearing would have picked up much sooner caught his attention. The engine of an airship. The craft was miraculously untouched by the fiery onslaught, and it landed onto the tiled floor of the Palace, opening the door with a hissing sound. Dende gaped when he saw the one who stepped out of it, a slim figure that collapsed onto the Palace's floor as soon as the door had opened.
"What happened to you?!" Dende gasped in shock. "And why...do you look like that?!"
A/N: Whew! A little later than I'd have liked, but I managed to get my chapter up and done! Hey, everyone, it's been a little over a month, I think, but the next chapter is here! I do hope you all like it well enough, it was a difficult chapter to write. I actually don't have much to say here for once. Very little happened that I need to explain, and I'm sure the chapter speaks for itself. So, I hope you all look forward to the next exciting chapter of the Erased Chronicles, and as always, thanks to Demod20 for proofing!