Acceptance

by Darkly-Shaded-Shadow

Set in the Future Time Line, Cell emerges to a bleak and broken world, ravished by the androids. However, they have since been destroyed, and he struggles to accept this fact. Lost, without purpose, he hunts and feeds relentlessly, only he finds himself drawn to a dying woman who has no fear of him. This story is for mature people. It has some dark and adult themes.

8. VIII

Rowan felt much better. She had been surprisingly tired and had collapsed on the comfortable bed and fallen asleep almost instantly. She had woken hours later and showered. Fresh clothes had been laid out for her, although it was a long white robe with a small red vest and sash. There was also a long white cloak, made of a heavy but very soft fabric she couldn't place, but she enjoyed the feel of it as she wrapped it around her body.

Mr Popo had been in the kitchen when she had entered, and he had been all too happy to make her some breakfast. Chicken rice with a creamy sauce and vegetables, it had been an incredibly satisfying meal. Mr Popo wasn't much of a talker, but his friendly aura and warm attitude made her feel comfortable around him.

Now she sat on a simple wooden chair at a plain desk with a small computer. It was very aged and outdated, but it was serviceable. The Wi-Fi connection was weak though, making it frustrating to stream the live broadcast of Cell's arena.

It was night at the arena, the dark kind of night before dawn. It was difficult to see, but Cell was standing in his usual pose in the centre of the arena. He was more visible as a shadow against the white tiles, with the glinting reflection of faint light on his shelled armour. The image of him was strangely comforting and Rowan was glad that he wasn't off doing something stupid. She had seen that fury and that pain in him, and she had been worried.

Rowan had also seen replays of the images of her and Cell in the arena from a couple of days ago. She had been shocked at the sight, not realizing how terrible it looked. Cell had grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, and the media had been reporting her as some sort of an unknown victim to the tyrant. Making matters worse however, she had seen the greying man she had helped save in the city talking on the TV, explaining about what he had witnessed. It had started a minor media frenzy, and she had become an object of gossip.

Rowan was a little glad that she was up on the lookout, out of sight of people. She didn't know what image she hated more, being portrayed as a victim, or being portrayed as traitor. She hung her head at the thought and stared at her hands.

'Am I a traitor?' She thought to herself. 'I did risk everything for a few minutes of pleasure. Maybe I am a traitor. But… I don't want him to hurt people. And I can't seem to stop myself.' She dropped her head loudly to the wooden desk, feeling the table shake at the impact. It was quiet at the look out. It was evening here and the only people left on the lookout were Mr Popo, Dande and Piccolo. Piccolo had made a point of ignoring her when she had wandered outside earlier. She didn't feel threatened, knowing he would respect Goku's honour when he had promised Cell. But she also didn't feel comfortable either, and she had turned, heading back inside to leave him to his lonely musings.

Rowan closed her eyes, thinking and feeling both ashamed and proud as she thought of everything that had happened.

She almost screamed as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She started, leaping to her feet, her heart racing. The strange man that had startled her jumped back, wide eyed.

"Oh my god, don't DO that! You scared me half to death!" Rowan yelled as she tried to catch her breath. The man was strange. He was a little shorter than she was, with warm white skin, tinted just slightly, red. His ears were pointed and his head was closely shaved and white-silver.

"I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to startle you." He said in a surprisingly deep voice. He smiled suddenly trying to look friendly. His canine teeth were slightly longer than usual and she was drawn to the two, long and thin antennae that sprouted from his temples.

"Sorry for yelling, you just scared me." Rowan regained her composure, standing back up straight and collecting herself. The man waved the incident off. His gentle mannerisms were surprisingly infectious and she couldn't help but smile.

"I don't think we've met before. You must be another Z warrior. My name is Rowan." Rowan held her hand out to the man and his grin turned into a small smile as he looked at her. Slowly he took her hand in his own. His nails were long and clear, but his thumb sported a hollowed claw. Rowan looked at it for a moment, before it suddenly jabbed the back of her hand, causing a squirt of blood. Rowan yelped and jerked her hand free.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Rowan. My name is Quill. And no, I'm not one of the Warriors of Earth." The man said with a hard smile.

"Hey that hurt!" She protested angrily. Quill held his blood filled claw up as one of his long antennae arched over his head, gently touching the claw.

"I do apologize. It's much easier to get an accurate assessment of the situation this way." Rowan just stared as the blood was drained from Quill's claw. His face turned thoughtful as his antennae curled back behind his ear.

"This is interesting." He murmured.

"What is? Look, I'm really confused. If you aren't one of the Warriors, who are you? What do you want?" Rowan took a step back away from the strange man as he broke into another grin.

"You don't need to fear me Rowan. I know we haven't been introduced before, but your mother, my sister, was quite adamant that you grow up to live a normal life. She cut off contact with our people when she fled to Earth." Rowan stared for a moment, letting the information sink in.

"My mothers'… Brother? You're… My Uncle?" Quill grinned and nodded.

"Quite! It's fantastic to finally meet you in person." Quill looked around quickly before he suddenly dropped down, easing into a cross-legged sit. He gestured for her to sit in front of him. She was hesitant, but slowly, she sat down, still staring.

"My mom… She didn't look that much like you." Rowan said quietly. She didn't remember a lot about her mother, but she had the photo she kept on her bedside table. Her mother had long silver hair, slightly pointed ears and grey-silver eyes, but her skin had been warm and full of colour and she definitely didn't have the long tentacles above her ears. Her nose and chin had been strong of feature and her jaw had a gentle slope. This man was almost the opposite with a strong jaw and small nose and larger eyes.

"She definitely didn't have the claws or the tentacles." Rowan added as she stared at Quill. Quill laughed at this, an infectious and genuine sound.

"Of course not! She was female! Only males have the sensory organs." Quills antennae wiggled up over his head in a sort of friendly manner as he said this, before they tucked back again.

"Oh." Rowan felt her face flush in embarrassment as Quill laughed at her again. He finally stopped and stared at her with a bright smile and he sighed happily.

"I promised Thornya that I wouldn't interfere with you. I wouldn't come looking for you, or teach you about our heritage, not unless you asked for it." He said after a while. Rowan's eyes widened.

"Then… how did you find me? And why did you come if you promised you wouldn't?" Quill frowned at this and his eyes hardened.

"Your… Father, saw you on the television. He contacted me. I can only assume that Thornya had left some sort of instruction in case of emergency. It was the first time he's ever reached out to me, and he only did it because Cell was apparently holding you as his prisoner." Rowans' face fell into a scowl as she thought of her father but she remained silent. She felt her eyes sting with tears but she refused to let them fall.

"Rowan, I need you to ask me to teach you about our heritage, to show you what you are capable of. I can't break my vow to my sister." Quill said softly. Rowan dried the corner of her eyes on the back of her sleeve and nodded.

"Okay. Quill, will you please teach me." She said rather formerly. Quill's face broke into an almost malicious grin and he nodded.

"Of course!"

\/\*/\/

Warmth. The comfort of the artificial womb in which it grew, was the first thing it ever knew. It was assuring, feeling the gentle tickle as small aeration bubbles occasionally brushed against its skin. It twitched in response, unable to see yet. But it could feel. And it could hear. Muffled sounds, beeps, clicks, the heavy hum of the machine that supplied it with life, but those sounds were outside. Outside the plexiglass tube where it grew. Its body was tiny, barely functioning, but every moment that passed, it grew a little stronger and a little more aware.

As time passed, it became aware of its own body. It could feel the little pulses it sent to its tiny little toes, felt them twitch in response. It could feel its own tiny little heart beating inside its chest, and somehow, it knew that the rapid little tha-thump was the sound of life.

There was a voice that the computer began to play. It was a deep voice, gruff and without feeling. It was still too small, it didn't understand. The voice played over and over, drowned and muffled. The little tiny being tried to listen, tried to hear what it was saying.

"Your name is Cell. You were created to kill…"

The rest was cut off as the entire world shook violently. Small rocks and debris rained down from the rocky ceiling, and a dusty haze filled the air outside the tank. The little creature could barely see, its eyes were under-developed, its body, far from finished. Its natural instincts kicked in, and it's little tiny toes wiggled in a reaction to the apparent danger, not that it did any good.

The computer roared into a new life, gauges flicking from green to red as warning lights turned the gentle green liquid into harsh shades of flashing red. An alarm screamed but it was drowned out by the thunderous roar overhead.

Finally the shaking stopped, the rain of dust ceased and the little creature stopped being sloshed around inside the tank. But the computer continued to flash. One of the mechanical arms whirled into life as it began to rewire the console at the base of the tank. Within moments, the task was completed, and there was a new buzz of activity beneath the tank. The little creature could not see but it could hear, and it could feel.

The gentle stream of bubbles from below began to rush faster and stronger. Very quickly, the bubbles became a torrent of heat and energy. It was almost too much to bear, and the little creature shut its eyes tight, balling its body up protectively as the torrent raged harder.

Power surged through its body, and it felt everything shifting, moving, changing. Its legs grew stronger, thicker and longer as its body grew rapidly. The computer was pumping it full of energy, triggering a rapid growth. Within minutes, the little creature had grown from something the size of tennis ball to suddenly being cramped up against the edges of the glass, and still it grew. It couldn't keep up with the changes in its body, but it became more aware, more alert and hungrier.

Unable to contain the creature's body, the glass cracked under the strain and with a twitch of its legs, the glass shattered. Liquid and shards of glass erupted out across the laboratory floor, and the not-so-little creature crashed on the cold and hard floor.

The computer beeped and the alarms wailed for several moments as the creature lay stunned on the floor. The warmth and comfort of the artificial womb were gone. Cold harsh air chilled the creatures' new skin, and its lungs screamed for air. It heaved, sucking in the icy air, feeling it burn its tender new throat as it rushed into its new lungs. But it was relief. It could breathe. The alarms finally stopped and quite suddenly, the computer switched off. The world was suddenly silent and dark. Only the ambient lights on the far wall illuminated this new world.

Slowly the creature tried to move. It could wiggle its legs and it tried to get its feet underneath it, but its body was huge and awkward and its legs were short and stubby. Every failed attempt made it learn. And it learned fast. It managed to use its momentum to roll onto its belly, pulling its feet under it. One of its feet scrapped across a shard of glass and the creature hissed in pain.

It was its first experience of pain and as it looked down at the small cut, oozing purple liquid, it decided it did not like pain. It smelt the strong metallic tang of its own blood and gently it licked the wound. The taste was sharp and potent, but not unpleasant. The wound healed almost instantly and the pain stopped. The little creature licked the rest of the blood off its skin before it finally took in its surroundings.

It did not mind the dark or the silence. It was not afraid. But it was curious. It took several tentative steps, wobbling and uncertain at first. But it quickly learned how to move around with its awkward body. It smelt the amniotic fluid that covered the floor, a reassuring smell. It could also smell burning, charred metal and dust.

A strange sensation inside its body gave the creature pause. It felt… hungry. It didn't quite understand what this was, but it was an unpleasant sensation, one that made it think that it needed to get out of this room. Its curiosity was more urgent now as it inspected the room. It categorised things as important or not important. Important was relevant to its survival. The amniotic fluid on the floor was important; it had given it life and food. It licked the fluid from the floor, but it tasted vile and wrong and it snarled in anger. It was no longer important.

It examined the now lifeless computer consoles. It nudged some of the dials and buttons with its beaked mouth but nothing happened. Not important. It inspected some of the other contraptions around the room but few things gave it more than a moment's pause. Eventually it found a slightly raised circular platform with a metal railing around one side of it. It slowly stepped onto it, and felt it vibrate and the lights on the small console on the railing light up. This made it hesitate, but eventually, curiosity forced it to completely step onto the platform.

Unfortunately, the little console was out of reach on the railing. It took several moments before the little creature managed to step up on its hind legs, propping its awkward bulk up on the railing. It nudged the buttons with its mouth and the small elevator rewarded its efforts by suddenly lifting it up.

A protective hatch opened up over the top as the elevator went up. Debris rained down through the opened hatch and the creature hunkered down as the debris bounced harmlessly off of its thick-skinned back. The elevator shuddered to a stop and the creature finally looked around. It was dark and the wind was cool. Whatever had existed here before was gone. Huge piles of rocks, debris and twisted metal made up the landscape. The creature stepped off the platform and cautiously made its way around the piles. It smelt of burning and the smell set the creature on edge.

Eventually, after deciding that there was nothing for it here, the creature made its way down the rocky sloped path and into a forested area. The forest was a whole new world to it, and everything needed to be examined. Leaves on the small bushes smelt like life and it cautiously grabbed one in its mouth and chewed. The taste was not appealing and it dismissed it as not important. The dirt beneath its feet smelt strongly of organic matter, decomposing leaves and dirt. A tiny insect scuttling over a leaf caught its attention and it watched it moving for a moment before it quickly snatched it into its mouth. It crunched satisfyingly and the taste was better than the leaf but not by much.

The creature moved on. It discovered some wild strawberries growing in an open patch of forest. The smell was strange and the creature, ever curious, tried one. The taste was a huge shock to the system. Sour but sweet, and very powerful. The creature decided the berries were a much better alternative to the leaves and he spent several moments munching on all the red ones it could find. It decided it did not like the bitter taste of the green ones.

Unfortunately the berries were very unsatisfying. It devoured all of them within minutes but was even hungrier than before. It grunted angrily as it set off into the dark forest again.

It discovered a stream cutting through the forest floor and this tempted its curiosity again. It watched the water for a while before it dared a closer examination. It was icy cold against its skin, but it tasted refreshing. It drank its fill for several moments.

Sudden sounds snapped its head up and it watched as a huge deer emerged from the underbrush. The deer regarded the creature for a while, sniffing the air before it decided that the creature was not a carnivore threat and it lowered its head to the water, drinking. The creature stared at it intently, felt something shifting inside of it. It wanted… no... It needed that deer. Everything inside of the creature became intently focused on the animal, desire and hunger fuelled it to action.

Slowly the creature ambled a little closer. The deer looked up again, staring intently. The creature froze, observing. The deer snorted and turned away from the water, heading slowly back into the forest. The creature snapped its beak in frustration and broke into a run after the deer. The deer panicked and it leaped away, so much faster than the creature on its tiny stubby legs.

The creature roared in frustration. It wanted that deer! It could smell it and it smelt like food. Real food. The creature's anger shifted something inside of it, and it stopped suddenly, frozen as its body reacted. It needed to be stronger, faster and better equipped to hunt the food it needed.

So it changed. The creature's body fell to the floor as it changed inside. The creature suddenly felt like its skin wasn't its skin and it needed to get out. It squirmed and the spine of its outer shell split open with a loud crack. The creature gasped for air as it clawed its way free, falling to the ground with a howl of surprise and shock.

It did not know how it had done that, but it stared intently at its old body, now nothing more than a husk. It looked down at its new body. It was on all fours, but that didn't feel right. Its limbs were much longer now, and its arms now had very flexible clawed hands instead of stubby little toes. It sat on its knees as it lifted its hands to its face, inspecting them carefully. Its tail lashed out behind it.

It looked back over its shoulder; saw the long, thick tail twisting out behind it. As it looked it became aware of it and it slowly lifted it and moved it. The long pointed stinger on the tip made its stomach growl in hunger.

The creature slowly tried to stand on its legs, but it fell back to its knees. It needed to learn how to balance on two legs. It took several moments, and eventually it used a tree to hold itself steady. Its toes were long and grasping and they dug into the ground for extra balance as its tail lashed out behind it, trying to steady it.

Slowly it learned how to walk on its new body. It was much taller now, and the branches of the trees became an obstacle course. But it learnt fast. Within minutes it was moving rapidly through the forest, leaning forward with its arms tucked to its chest as its tail and wings offered balance.

Its new eye sight was far more focused and it could see distant movement with surprisingly acuteness. Its hearing had improved as well and it became aware of the movement of the small animals and birds in the tree branches overhead.

It stopped suddenly as something caught its attention. It lowered itself to the ground, instinctively hiding as it watched. It saw the deer up ahead, underneath some large trees, head lowered as it foraged on the forest floor.

The creature's eyes narrowed as it focused. Slowly it moved forward, its feet cushioning its approach, making it almost silent. The deer's ears pricked up and it turned towards the creature, but it was far too slow. The creature charged, throwing its full weight against the deer, its clawed feet and hands digging into the flesh of the deer's side. The momentum tore the deer from its feet and it crashed to its side with the creature on top of it. The creature's fangs tore into the flesh of the deer's throat.

Hot blood poured into its mouth, salty and sweet. The deer screamed and kicked out. Instinct drove the creature as its long tail arched over its head and drove deep into the side of the deer.

The creature, known as Cell, enjoyed its first real meal as it absorbed the life energy of the deer. Within seconds there was nothing left, except a smear of blood on Cell's face and claws. The deer's' knowledge added to his own. He became aware of the trails through the forest, the best grazing spots, what leaves were edible, which weren't, the turn of the seasons and were the humans were.

Humans.

Your name is Cell. You were created to kill.

Cell's face broke into a grin as he recalled the only words he could remember.

"Ceelllllll." He hissed happily. His camouflaged skin hid him perfectly in the forest and he headed for where the human camps were. He was starving.

By the time dawn broke, Cell had wiped out an entire camp site. Every human he consumed added to his internal knowledge. He categorised information as important or not important. Locations of cities were important. What people did with their lives was not important. Memories were not important. Only what he could use.

He delighted in the screams of people as he hunted them. He felt elated, powerful and unstoppable. Every human he found, he drove his tail into their weak bodies and sucked their life force out. Their faces twisted in fear, images that burned into Cell's memories as their clothes littered the ground. He turned populated areas into ghost towns. Nothing could stop him.

Until he met him. He had been hunting people inside a populated city, relishing the hunt, when he was interrupted. Stunned by the appearance of another version of himself. He had been curious, but the other Cell was different. Not right. Cell decided that there could only be one Cell and he had attacked. This new Cell was strange, he didn't fight like a hunter. He punched and kicked and his movements were very restrained and precise. Cell learned quickly, adapting to the strange style. He read the movements and dodged the powerful strikes. He was cunning and alert and he was enjoying his first real challenge immensely.

Suddenly, the new Cell had knocked him back and taken shelter, hiding. Cell was angry and he wanted to finish the fight, but then Piccolo had appeared. Cell's first encounter with Piccolo had not been a pleasant one. The tall green Namekian had been a complete mystery to Cell. He knew nothing of the alien, but he quickly learned that the alien was not like the humans or like the other Cell. Piccolo could fight back, and he could hurt Cell, badly. Cell tried to absorb the alien, steal his life force, but that failed. Piccolo became increasingly angry when Cell wouldn't answer his questions and he tired of their fight. He was going to kill Cell.

Cell barely managed to escape. He was aware that he 'knew' things that he couldn't understand. The knowledge came to him when he needed it. He did not know how to fight, but with every punch and kick that Piccolo threw at him, he learned and adapted. But when he felt like he was threatened, the knowledge of fighting techniques surfaced in his mind. Focus the energy outwards, only light energy, not heat.

He performed his first solar flare, and managed to escape Piccolo. He kept himself hidden, hunkering down to the ground as his body camouflaged in the forest outside the town. His energy hunkered down with him, naturally supressing it as he hid. Cell was more careful after that.

He began to attack populated areas in blitz attacks, feasting as quickly as he could before fleeing. Piccolo was a threat he could not defeat yet. Every experience gave him new knowledge. Cell adapted and learned at an astonishing rate. But he still ran on instinct and urge. The urge to hunt, to feed was a powerful driving force for him and he did not even try to struggle against it. He enjoyed the hunt.

You were created to kill.

So he killed. And killed. And killed…

\/\*/\/

Cell's eyes opened slowly and he shook the memories of Other Cell from his system. He was standing in his arena, arms folded across his chest. Morning broke in a brilliant array of colours, painting the clouds in pinks and golds. It would have been beautiful, but he was not in the mood to appreciate natural wonders. He was angry, seething internally. He had spent hours trying to come up with the best plan of action. Unfortunately, nothing would work. He couldn't even tell where Rowan was.

Kami's' lookout was masterfully positioned, somewhere high up in the atmosphere, a rather spectacular formation that masked chi from the people below. He couldn't get a clear lock on Rowan, and only knew the general area she was in. Flying towards it would alert anyone on the lookout to his intention and that would end in unnecessary confrontation and wouldn't help.

He was starting to accept that he simply wouldn't see Rowan until after the tournament. Something he was disgruntled about, and only made him all the more impatient. A small thought crept into the back of his head, that it wasn't such a bad thing. Rowan was like a drug, and he didn't need such a distraction. Even if he wanted it.

Cell was aware of the dozens' of life force signatures scattered in the area around his arena. People were curious. He paid them little mind. They were nothing to him unless they dared to step foot in his arena. Then they would find him to be a most unwelcoming host. But for now, they were keeping their distance.

His agitation was getting worse. He was finding it increasingly difficult to stand still and it was almost impossible to focus his mind and meditate. Finally, he relented. He couldn't stay where he was. He needed to do something to distract himself. His wings opened and within seconds, he was little more than a golden spec way up in the sky.

He continued to power up, the atmosphere thinning and freezing. It was surprisingly refreshing on Cell's exposed face. He braced himself for the transition as he left the atmosphere completely, the bright blue sunny sky giving way to the vast empty black of space, dotted with the brilliant stars, so clear and visible now he was away from the planet. The sun was brilliant to his left. He couldn't stare at it, so he turned away, and blasted into the darker depths.

It took him several minutes to reach the asteroid belt, which was a good 200 million kilometres away. At least in space, away from the planet, he could truly let his energy out. It felt good to unleash his power as he obliterated the giant chunks of rocks. He held nothing back, venting his anger and frustration without consequence.

Rowan fidgeted. She was sitting cross legged on the white tiles in the outside plaza of the Look-Out. She was aware that she was being watched by Piccolo intently as he stood on the edge, wearing his usual scowl of disapproval. Mr Popo and Dande were sitting at a small table, making small talk and failing to hide their curiosity at what Rowan and this strange new alien, Quill were doing.

Quill was seated directly opposite Rowan, sitting calm and peaceful, not moving a muscle. Rowan couldn't help it. It was hard for her to focus on her own mind when she was far too aware of other people.

"You need to calm your mind, Rowan." Quill reprimanded her again. Rowan sighed and gave up.

"I'm trying. It's not easy." Quill frowned and opened his eyes, looking straight at her.

"Perhaps we can try a different tactic then. It's not ideal, but it will help in this situation." Rowan made a small 'o' with her mouth as Quill shifted closer, until their knees were touching. His long, thin antennae arched over his head with a little wiggle.

"Er…" Rowan stared at them, feeling apprehensive.

"Don't worry. This will be a little strange, but I'll explain everything as we go along. Just try to relax." Rowan did as she was told and watched as the antennae tips slowly reached out to her temples. They were quite warm, and she felt the spark of energy as they touched her skin.

Suddenly her senses all shut down and everything went black. But she wasn't unconscious, she was aware of herself, but nothing else. She stood up suddenly and looked around. There was nothing, absolute nothingness in every direction. Quill wasn't sitting in front of her touching her temples with his antennae. He was simply not there. She tried moving a few steps but it was strange walking on nothing and she began to panic.

"Rowan, are you Okay?" Rowan whirled around at the sudden sound of Quills' voice. He was standing a few feet from her. Only he looked surreal, not quite right. Like he was a little fuzzy around the edges.

"Quill, what's going on? Where are we?"

"We're inside your head. I had to block your senses in order to force you into this state. I'd rather if you could do it on your own, but we are short on time and I have a lot to show you." Rowan stared at him dumbfounded.

"Inside… My head?" Quill nodded.

"Have you ever heard of mental maps before, Rowan?" Quill asked. Rowan shook her head in response, frowning. Quill shrugged. "No matter. I'll try to explain. A mental map is basically what you call the place that comprises most of your conscious mind. Everyone has one, and everyone's map is unique to them. It is usually represented as a place that is very special to them. The best way to describe it is that a mental map is like the base of operations to a person's mind. It has places for memories, information and data recollection and thought processes."

"I'm going to give you control of your senses back. Hopefully you can maintain your control over your current conscious state and we can see what your mental map is like."

"I have no idea what you're talking about to be honest." Rowan said, feeling quite small as she took in what Quill was telling her. Quill laughed and nodded.

"It's going to be a bit of a challenge to tell you. It's better to just show you. Most people can't see their own mental maps, as they don't go inside their own heads. People who can however, find that their minds can do rather remarkable things." Rowan nodded but she still felt confused.

Quill's face turned neutral for a moment and she felt his control over her ease. The black eased and gave way to brilliant light that blinded her for a moment before it began to come into focus. It was a huge grassy field with gentle rolling hills and a winding pathway through the middle of it. There were huge oak trees and a sand pit with a play set in the middle. Shady towering shapes in the distance indicated a city-scape.

"Oh, I remember this place! It's the park that was down the road from my old school! I used to come here all the time when I was a kid!" Rowan ran at the big grassy hill and laughing like a maniac, she threw herself down the side, rolling and tumbling while giggling. Quill watched her with a smile.

"Interesting choice for a mental map!" He called out as she came running back to him, covered with little blades of grass and her hair flying wildly behind her.

"I loved this place! I think it got turned into a housing estate though." Rowan said a little sadly. Quill nodded and looked around before he exclaimed.

"Ah, that's what we want!" He pointed to a huge oak tree. Underneath it was a small domed house. It was her capsule house. Rowan stared at it for a moment before she followed Quill who had begun to walk towards it.

"Odd. Why is my house here?" Quill looked back over his shoulder with a wide smile.

"You need a place of operations! This is just your outside. I'll explain more later. Come on, I need you to let me inside." Quill stopped outside the door and waited for Rowan to catch up. She put her hand on the door handle and felt strangely apprehensive.

"What's inside?" She asked hesitantly. Quill grinned.

"Everything that is a part of you! Your memories, your thoughts, your subconscious as well as everything you've ever learned. Everything that makes you, you, is behind that door." Rowan felt hesitant, but she was curious. She opened the door and stepped inside.

It was her room, but larger, and filled with giant piles of mess. She stared around for a few moments before she knelt down and picked up the first thing she saw. It was an apple. As she touched it, the room transformed into the orchard where she had thrown the apple at Cell. She could see him clear as day. The trees were fuzzy and blurry, but everything about him was clear as he caught the apple and then bit into it.

She dropped the apple and the vision disappeared.

"Tsk tsk, I don't think much of your housekeeping skills Rowan. This place is a mess." Quill complained, ignoring what had just happened. Rowan was still reeling from the memory.

"What… Just happened?" She asked, wide-eyed and a little taken-aback.

"Everything in these piles is a memory, or piece of information. Basically, it's what you know. You need to clean it up, sort them into rooms and categories. The more organized your main room is, the far better it is for you. You'll find it a lot easier to remember information and memories when you have it all sorted out and you don't have to dig for it. You'll also find that it will be a lot easier to store information when you have this place cleaned up." Quill didn't touch anything, although he did look around.

"How? I mean, how do I clean this up? If I touch anything, it'll trigger a memory." Quill chuckled again.

"This is inside your mind. You don't have to touch anything. Just will it to where it needs to go. First though, you need to organize the rooms where you're going to store everything. It will take a fair bit of time." Rowan nodded and took a deep breath. It was a huge task.

As she began to understand how her mind worked, it became easier and faster. She organized her mental rooms into categories. She found she could even add sub- rooms inside rooms. Quill watched her. She wasn't even aware that as she sorted through her mind, that things took on unique looks. The walls of her house in reality were a bland colour, but in here it became a light purple colour with hundreds of picture frames and posters on the walls. Each, represented something special to her, things that she considered to be precious as she sorted through her collection.

Finally, the room was clean. Quill sat himself on the incredibly comfortable couch as Rowan looked at the posters on the wall. Cell was a very large poster at eye height. The small bug-like Seru was on the right side in another large poster. Underneath that was Seru, the evolved form. On the right side of the Perfect-form Cell was the monster. She was tempted to tear up that poster, but she knew she couldn't, as he was as much a part of Cell as Seru was.

Quill watched her as she stared at the pictures.

"So, the blood wasn't lying. There is more than one Cell." Rowan looked back at him.

"Was. There were two Cells. But they sort of merged. Now there's only him." Quill frowned.

"And you've given yourself to all 3?" She felt her cheeks burn at the question and she turned away from Quill, looking at Cell's face.

"I gave myself to Seru so he could stop the Other Cell. But Other Cell found me before Seru found him." She said quietly. "Seru was my best friend. He stayed with me for four years while his body was maturing. I don't deny that I loved him dearly."

"What about the new Cell?" Rowan lowered her head.

"I don't know. I see so much of Seru in him, and he treats me well. I know he won't hurt me, but… I also know he wants to hurt others. He does such terrible things to people. Even if I do love him, he's done so much to make others suffer." Quill stood up slowly and stretched.

"Right-o. Well, now that I know that you two do share a bond, the trick now, is to find where it is in here." Rowan whirled around, locking her eyes with Quill as he pushed a kink out of his back.

"Bond?" She asked. He smiled.

"You're a Tecktarian. We bond for life to those we share ourselves with. The stronger the bond between two people, the stronger the connection. I've no doubt at all that you have a strong connection with Cell, and his two counterparts. So I've absolutely no doubt, that you have a bond with him, which should be visible in your mind somewhere." Rowan stared at him blankly as the information sank in.

"Bond… for life?" Quill squirmed under her gaze and was reluctant to reply, but eventually he sighed.

"To be entirely honest, in Tecktarian society, you and Cell would be considered mated… Which is usually a for-life kind of deal. And, it's also usually something that can't be easily broken. Meaning you would find it difficult to simply find someone else at this point." Rowan frowned.

"But… Cell told me about… me in the future. The other Rowan. She slept with multiple people." Quill frowned.

"I don't pretend to know the details. It could be just because you're only a half breed, or it could have been the fact that her first time wasn't with someone she cared for, or that her first partner had even died, releasing the bond. There are a number of factors as to why she could have given herself away so freely, although regardless, I've no doubt that it was taking its toll on her."

"I see. So what does that mean for me, now?" Quill frowned as he thought.

"I hate to say it, but because you have such strong feelings towards Cell, you may not be able to willingly break the bond you do have. I don't think you'll be able to give him up. It's made worse, because you are so young still, making the bond even stronger. You're going to be drawn to him when you aren't around him, and when you are, you're going to find it hard to resist him." Rowan felt her face flush again.

"Yeah I've noticed that." Rowan mumbled. Quill laughed and shrugged.

"What's done is done. It's not a bad thing entirely anyway." Rowan studied Quills face.

"What do you mean?"

"A bond is a two way street. I'll show you, as soon as we find it. Come on, let's go back outside."

Rowan was silent as they headed outside. The warm breeze rustled the leaves in the grand oak tree and she could smell fresh-baked bread rolls and freshly cut grass. Two smells she really loved. Quill was already off around the side of the house. After a moment, Rowan followed.

"AH-HA!" Quill exclaimed loudly. Rowan rushed to join his side, and stared at the faintly glowing blue line that snaked out of the side of the house and up the trunk of the tree, stopping at a small blue sphere the size of her hand that was embedded into the trunk of the tree.

"What is that?" Rowan asked as she stared at it. It was beautiful, softly glowing a warm blue colour.

"Touch it and find out." Quill said with a grin. "Only you can touch it. It's your bond."

Rowan hesitated for a moment, but as she reached her hand out towards it, she felt only warmth and comfort. Her fingers brushed against the surface and it rippled. Instantly, she felt herself fall, just for the briefest moment.

Suddenly she was standing on white-marbled tiles. Directly behind her was a monstrous stone wall that stretched way up into the sky, higher than she could see. Embedded in the wall was the same small blue sphere she had just touched. She followed the line that rand down the wall, across the tiled floor and towards the most grand and impressive looking marble palace she had ever seen.

It was beyond fantastical and grand.

"I'm in Cell's head." She said to herself as she realized the grand white and gold architecture, so immaculately presented could only belong to the android. There was no garden or trees, but there were several white stone statues, each reminiscent of the old masters.

A giant fountain graced the base of the huge stone stair case that led to the door. Rowan regarded the fountain for a moment, taking in everything that Cell's mind offered. His tastes in art were very dignified and refined, but the fountain struck her as strange.

And then she realized why. Instead of the usual virgin holding the water pitcher over her head, it was a white-stone Rowan with her hair cascading down her bare back, immortalized in stone. She was standing on a giant lily flower with the water pitcher held out over her head. The water ran purely in a stream into the open petals of another flower that was raised out of the water, and then cascaded into the fountain below.

Rowan couldn't tear her eyes from the details in the stone. She could see the faint veins in the marble and it almost made the smooth stone skin look real. Finally, she turned away from the fountain and headed up the monstrous stairs that made her feel dwarfed and insignificant. Cell's ego was surprisingly comforting to her as she approached the mahogany doors with their intricate gold leaf engravings. They looked heavy and imposing, but they opened silently at her gentle touch.

The welcoming room was a giant open room with huge twisted stairs of white marble and gold detailing. The carpet was deep purple with more gold. Huge vine-leaf pillars supported the monstrous domed –window ceiling and the landing of the second floor. Huge doors opened up along the second floor, each door delicately carved with golden words. She couldn't read them from so far away, but she was never-the-less impressed with the grandeur of Cell's inner mind. On the bottom floor, she could see three doors. One of them was open.

She was drawn to the room, and she stopped in the open doorway. It was beautiful, but smaller than she had been expecting. There were ornate shelves in this room, stacked with books and beautiful little ornate knick-knacks and the carpet was plush under her feet. Gold-framed paintings hung on three of the walls. But the fourth wall was just a giant screen. A screen that was currently filled with images of meteorites and space.

Cell stood in front of the screen, completely absorbed in what he was watching. He looked tense, his arms at his side, his shoulders bunched up, his wings slightly ajar and his head lowered as he watched. Rowan froze as she saw him. He didn't know she was there. He probably wasn't expecting anyone to ever intrude in his mind, especially not with the monstrous walls he had built outside, protecting himself.

Rowan watched him for a while, feeling her heart fluttering in her chest. His thoughts flashed in a blur of colour and images on the screen, too fast for her to catch more than a glimpse of, but she still recognised her own face.

He held his hand out, and the shard of bloodied glass appeared in his hand. His memory of the last time they had been together flashed up on the screen. It froze on her in his arms, bloodied but smiling up at him. She looked so frail on the big screen. But she also looked distorted. She was sure her hair wasn't that perfect, especially after the battle. She was definitely sure her skin wasn't that smooth, or that her breasts were that firm. Rowan felt her face flush as she realized that this was how Cell saw her.

He didn't see her imperfections. She was beautiful to him. Her urge to touch him and to comfort him then was overwhelming and she quickly ran across the carpet.

"Cell!" His reaction was visceral. The screen flashed to black and he whirled around, shocked and angered, instinctively slipping into a battle stance. She felt herself fall suddenly and before she knew it, she was back in her own mind again, staring at the blue ball in the tree trunk.

"What happened?" Quill asked her. She stared at the ball for a moment.

"I think I startled him and then I was back here."

"Ah. He is a very clever man. I'm not surprised he can lock his mind. Don't worry, it's only temporary, and I'm sure he didn't mean to. Probably just a reaction to finding you in his head." Quill shrugged and Rowan just stared sadly at the ball of blue light.

"He has a very nice Palace…" She said meekly. Quill laughed.

"Of course he does. I wouldn't be surprised if he's built it to be his place of solitude and peace. He probably knows all about Mental Maps and how to use them, the clever bastard." Rowan frowned at her uncle as he cursed. Quill just shrugged.

"Well, now you've had quite a bit of fun and you've learned a lot. Unfortunately, we've barely scratched the surface of information you need to know. Let's go back inside. I want to show you more."

Back inside her house, Rowan sat on the couch next to her uncle. He smiled at her warmly.

"I'd prefer to teach you everything the normal way, to give you time to let it sink in and process. But that would take months, if not years. We have maybe 3 days before the tournament." Quill said with his characteristic smile.

"Will any of it be relevant to Cell?" Rowan asked. Quill's face turned into a frown.

"Everything I want to teach you will be relevant. But we don't have time. So I'm going to just give you all the information I have in one go. It will be like a huge data dump and it will overwhelm you until you can sort it all out and process it." Rowan frowned but she gave her uncle a small nod of understanding.

"Okay." Quill's antennae reached out to Rowan's temples again.

"Then let's begin."

Cell struggled to calm his mind back down. He wasn't imagining it. He hadn't just seen her, he could smell her as well. Every sense he had, screamed that she had actually been there, in his head, not as a figment. But that was impossible. The shock had caught him off guard and he had slammed up his walls, forcing himself to focus and she had disappeared. He had locked her out, he realized, but when he went looking for her, she was gone.

"What the hell is going on?" He wondered to himself. He turned his focus inside his own mind, and he walked through the grand hallways, examining his own mind carefully.

Eventually, he was certain that she was gone. There was no trace of her anywhere inside his palace. This only made him more disgruntled. He took his new-found frustration out on a moon-sized hunk of rock, blasting it with a particularly forceful Kamehameha wave, obliterating the rock. Venting his frustration was no longer working and with a very powerful surge of energy, he blasted back towards the Earth.

Piccolo watched in awe as Rowan sat cross legged on the tiled floor with her uncle, her body glowing blue. She was unmoving, but the energy that was surging within her was astounding. It was nothing compared to his own, but it was more than he had thought someone like her could possess.

"I wonder what's happening." Mr Popo asked Dende quietly. Dende stared with wide-eyed wonder.

"I don't know." Dende replied.

Suddenly Quills' eyes opened and he quickly scuttled back away from Rowan's unmoving form. He stood up and dusted his robe off.

"I think that should do it." He said with a grin.

"You, what did you do?" Piccolo growled angrily. Quill gave him a smile.

"I taught her how to use her energy." Quill replied simply.

"Why?" Piccolo demanded. Quill tilted his head to his side in bewilderment.

"What do you mean why? To help her deal with Cell of course." Piccolo laughed.

"You really think that pathetic amount of energy will stop Cell? You're mad!" Quill put his fists on his hips and frowned.

"She's a Tecktarian. We don't fight. We're pacifists."

"That makes it even worse! How can she possibly help if she can't even fight?"

"I never said she was going to fight. Besides, Cell and her are a mated pair. She couldn't really hurt him if she wanted to. Not without hurting herself in the process." Quill shrugged and stared down at Rowan. She was still unmoving, glowing blue. He knew she would be struggling with all the information he had given her. She wouldn't be listening to his conversation.

"Mated pair? What? Explain yourself!" Piccolo's energy flared around him in anger. Quill grinned.

"Shoot me, I dare you." He said. Piccolo roared and threw an energy ball at him with a sudden ferocity. The energy ball disappeared as Quill held up his hand. His grin turned malicious.

"What?!" Piccolo roared and used both hands to power up another blast. He let it loose and it too, disappeared. Quill grinned and lifted his hand over his head as he released the energy.

"See, she can help you without fighting." He said as he lowered his hand. Piccolo glared daggers at Quill but didn't fire any more blasts at him.

"So you can absorb energy." Piccolo snarled. Quill shrugged.

"Only if you shoot it at me. And even then, only so much before it becomes overwhelming and we have to vent it out. We have our limits you know."

"What about her?" Piccolo nodded towards Rowan who was still unmoving, unpassed by what was happening around her.

"I have no idea! I just gave her the information. She can do what she likes with it." Quill grinned sheepishly. "She could be your greatest ally or your worst enemy at this point, assuming she has all the abilities of her mother."

"Damnit!" Piccolo yelled.

"Ultimately, I feel it will come down to whether she believes she can change Cell's mind or if she accepts that such a thing is impossible. Unfortunately, she has the attitude of a naive girl. So I wouldn't hold your breath personally. But still, there's a chance. She's a bright kid."

Rowans aura went from a gentle glow to a sudden flaming mountain of blue fire. Quill laughed.

"I think she's got it!" He yelled. Piccolo stared in shock. Her energy was strange, foreign and bizarre.

"What's she doing?" He demanded.

"Learning! It's fantastic. Anyhoo, I've done what I can. So I'm going to get going. Personally, as a smart individual, I don't want to be on any planet that Cell's on for too long!" Quill had to yell over the sound of the raging inferno. Piccolo opened his mouth to yell out something else, but stopped as Quill gave a strange two fingered salute, before he suddenly disappeared.

"Strange species." Mr Popo said quietly as he stared at Rowan's unmoving form, engulfed in blue fire. Dende could only nod his agreement.

Cell's senses flickered and then flared as they locked onto something strange. It felt like Rowan, but different at the same time, and the energy was much greater than Rowan's had been. He stopped, high up in the atmosphere of the Earth. He had been returning to his arena, but up here he could feel much more clearly, and he could sense where the energy was coming from. Unfortunately, that meant the others could too.

No, he couldn't go there. In another frustrating surge of energy he flew away from the lookout and the energy. He needed time to think. Somewhere quiet away from people.

Rowan struggled with the immense knowledge that had been dumped in her mind. The history of her people, how they had once been a peaceful but mighty economic power in the galaxy. They had attracted attention, and eventually, they had attracted the wrong attention. A soured business deal saw their home planet destroyed mercilessly. Only a few hundred Tecktarians had survived, those who had been off world on business ventures at the time.

She knew about their traditions, their legends and their abilities. She knew what her people could do, and she was aware of what she could do.

Quills' information was precise and she knew what she had to do. She tried it, finding her 'well' of energy and then she tapped into it. The power rushed through her body and she fought to bring it under her control.

But she managed. She 'knew' focus and she 'knew' how to use it. Quill's knowledge was extensive and she was grateful for his experiences as well, giving her something to draw upon.

Finally, she brought her power to bear and she felt it surge around her body. She had never felt so strong, so capable, so fierce before. She could feel the power in her body, strengthening her muscles, tightening her tendons and honing her senses.

Rowan also now 'knew' a few new tricks. Quill's knowledge of how to teleport had become her own, although she wasn't sure if she was actually able to do it. Knowing how to do something, and actually doing it, was two different things.

Slowly Rowan opened her eyes. Her world was tinted blue and fiery. It took her a moment to realize that was her own energy. She quickly released her focus and her hold over her energy and she felt it relent and her fiery aura, vanished. She released the breath she had been holding and panted for a moment to catch her breath.

"Phew." Slowly Rowan stood up and dusted off her robes and her cloak. Piccolo was still standing where she had seen him last, his back to her. She couldn't Quill anywhere. She was about to ask Piccolo, but she stopped herself. She took a calming breath and closed her eyes. Quill had given her the knowledge to track those she shared bonds with. Blue bonds were bonds of blood. The stronger a bond, the thicker it was and the more it glowed. Her bond with Quill was thin and weak compared to Cells'.

Inside her mental house, she had arranged the starting point of all her bonds on the coffee table. Rather than tracing them outside, she could touch the spheres on the table instead. Cells' was the largest and it glowed the brightest. Something that made her smile.

Quill's and her fathers' were the only other two bonds that were blue. There were dozens of Yellow bonds, bonds that represented people she cared about. She wouldn't be able to visit these people, but she still arranged them neatly. She picked up Quills' sphere and focused. She didn't want to visit his mind, she just wanted to know his location and with Quills' knowledge, she had the focus to avoid being drawn into his mental place.

The sphere gave her all the information she needed, including a general sense of his mood and wellbeing. Quill wasn't close by. He wasn't even on Earth anymore. He had teleported far away. She could barely sense him and she sighed.

"Thank you Quill." She said to the ball before she placed it back in its small holder on the table. She couldn't resist picking up Cells'. She held the sphere in her hands, felt its warmth and focused. Cell was a fair ways away. Not at his arena, but close. He was in her house, she realized suddenly.

"You sneaky bastard. What are you doing in my house?" She asked herself. She was very tempted to visit him again, but she was aware that she was standing in the lookout and she put the sphere down. "Later." She promised herself.

Rowan brought herself back to the real world. Barely an instant had passed but she felt stupid for standing still anyway. She turned towards the temple. Mr Popo and Dende were sitting at a small garden table to the side of the doorway.

"Are you Okay Rowan?" Mr Popo asked. Rowan nodded.

"I think I'm better than I've ever been, Mr Popo." She replied before she turned back to the door and headed towards her room.

She closed the door, and slipped off her cloak and robes before she slipped into her bed. She lay there, staring up at the ceiling, but seeing nothing. Her attention was inwards.

She held Cell's sphere in her hands, staring at the rippling blue surface before she finally forced herself to follow the trail. The sudden feeling of falling would be something she'd never get used to, before she found herself outside Cell's mental palace again.

Rowan found her way inside and back to the open doorway of Cell's conscious mind. He was there again, his back to her as dozens of objects floated around him. He was deep in concentrated thought, pulling data from different sources. On the screen, she could see his pale white fingers dancing across the keyboard of a computer. It was her laptop, she realized, as she saw the little dolphin sticker on the top of the keyboard.

His attention was on the screen of the laptop. Lines upon lines of numbers and graphs were scrolling past at a rapid rate. She had no chance of reading what was going on, but Cell appeared to have no trouble in keeping up. It was something else that just boggled her mind. His ability to think and process was so much greater than her own.

She didn't want to startle him again, so she remained in the doorway, content to just watch him as he worked. Some objects disappeared as he no longer needed them; new ones appeared as he recalled more information. Rowan couldn't keep track of the data, she couldn't even hazard a guess at what he was up to. But she admired him all the same. His brain was a beautiful thing.

Slowly Cell lifted his face up. He was sniffing. Rowan realized he could smell her, just as he turned, looking back at her. He didn't freak out this time, he just stared. The objects all vanished and the data stopped as he lost his focus.

"Rowan…?" Cell stared at her, surprised, but not in a bad way. Rowan couldn't stop the giant smile that appeared on her face.

"Hey, you." It took Cell several seconds before he finally regained his composure.

"You're actually inside my head, aren't you? I'm not imagining this?" Rowan grinned at his question.

"No you're not. I am in your head. It's a Tecktarian thing. Quill taught me how to do it." She rushed her words out as Cell slowly approached her.

"I see." He paused in front of her, staring at her as if she was a strange new being. She felt a little uncomfortable under that stare.

"Cell… You're staring…" She finally mumbled. Cell waved a hand absently at the screen behind him. She looked and stared. She saw her as he saw her. She had changed slightly. Only slightly. Her skin was more pale, but not in an unhealthy way. Her eyes were very slightly pointed now. Her skin was smooth and her hair was shiny and full of life. She knew he was bias, that he saw her without her imperfections, but this was ridiculous. She looked… Beautiful. She saw her face flush, and rather than making her look stupid, it made her look desirable. It was too much and she tore her eyes from the screen. It went black again.

Rowan struggled to find something to say. His stare was intense and she felt small and unworthy under his scrutiny.

"I like your palace." She said weakly. His face broke into a smirk and she felt a flood of relief as he looked around the room, taking his gaze away from her.

"Yes. It is quite magnificent, isn't it?" His pride made the marble gleam and she had to bite back a laugh. It was almost comical.

"So what were you doing just now?" Rowan asked slyly. Cell chuckled.

"It's not important. It can wait."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I have something more important to occupy my mind right now." Cell stepped closer to Rowan, one hand gently cupping her chin as he leaned down, kissing her softly.

She could feel it, but it wasn't like a real touch. It was all imaginary. These bodies weren't real, they were just projections. Even her smell was just a projection, something that she had unconsciously carried with her into his mind, allowing him to detect her presence. But the 'wrongness' of the touch had tainted the passion of the kiss and it made Rowan frown as she pulled away.

Cells face fell into a frown.

"I guess nothing beats the real thing." Rowan said a little bitterly. She had seen the disappointment in Cell's face and knew he had the same thoughts as she did. Rowan sighed as Cell folded his arms across his chest.

"Are they treating you alright, on the lookout?" Cell asked after a long silence. Rowan smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. Piccolo is a real talker you know. Can't get him to shut up." She rolled her eyes, emphasising her sarcasm. Cell smirked.

"I could imagine."

"Dende fixed me up straight away, and there isn't even a scar, so don't worry. And I have everything I need. Mr Popo makes sure I don't go hungry." Cell chose not to respond, and just stared at Rowan. Despite everything, Rowan still felt small under such scrutiny and she couldn't hide the blush that reached her cheeks. She looked away and studied the array of books and little curios arranged neatly on a nearby book shelf. She almost smiled as she saw a small golden apple tree with a tiny red apple hanging from it.

"So how exactly are you inside my head?" Rowan slowly looked back up at Cell as his question snapped her out of reverie.

"Oh. Um… Well…" She hesitated a moment, felt her cheeks flush again. Cell's eyes narrowed a little in reaction. "Well basically, you and I kind of share a bond that we can use to sort of visit one another. Apparently it's a Tecktarian thing…"

"I see. So I can get inside your head?" Rowan frowned at Cell's question. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted him inside her head.

"I think so." She bit her bottom lip and looked away, feeling nervous under the suddenly cruel smirk on Cell's face.

"Will you show me?" Cell brought his face down close to hers. She could see his curiosity in his eyes, and a strange cruel desire. It made her truly apprehensive.

"Maybe later. You don't know the damage you could do if you go poking around in my head and I'm still learning about how everything works myself." Cell didn't hide his disappointment as he stood back up to his impressive height, but he nodded.

"Fair enough. What other little tricks did your uncle teach you?" Cell asked, almost bored.

"A lot actually, including how to sort of… maybe help with… Um… Your energy-gaining problem."

"My energy gaining problem?" Cell repeated with a wide grin spreading across his face. "I don't consider your gift to be a problem. But please, do continue. This is intriguing." Despite his arrogance and cruel grin as he spoke, Rowan couldn't help but appreciate his form as he unfolded an arm and gestured at her to elaborate.

"You know how Quill was absorbing your energy, and then shooting it back, right?" Rowan asked. Cell nodded slowly.

"Annoying little trick. I suppose you can do that too?" Rowan shrugged in reply.

"Don't know to be honest. I haven't tried. But the general idea behind that is that Tecktarians are like miniature energy wells. We can sort of vent any kind of energy. We can't store it, our bodies aren't really designed for that, but it can pass through us. Like, we can grab onto an electric wire, for example. The energy will flow into us, and when our well is full, we simply vent the power back out in a controlled direction. It's really hard to explain. But I know what Quill knows, so I know how to do it." Rowan trailed off, aware that she was confusing herself. It was hard to recall Quill's knowledge without it sounding strange in her own mind.

"I understand what you're saying. You can siphon off the excess power I would gain from you." Cell said with a frown. His eyes were strangely narrowed. Rowan shrugged and managed a weak smile.

"Kind of yeah, although you would need to let me take it. I can't drain it from you by force…" Rowan watched the shadows flash behind Cell's eyes. Her blood turned to ice, as the screen behind them flashed with thoughts, far too fast for her to follow. But she knew what he was thinking. If she couldn't take the energy from him, why would he give it to her?

"It's a trust thing, Cell." She said quietly. The screen went black again as he brought his thoughts back under his control. He looked at her, his expression masked.

"I won't deny that's not a tempting thing. But I have to ask, why you'd risk it. What benefit would it give you? Why not simply use protection again?" Cell raised a good point, and Rowan's cheeks burned. She bit her lip again and looked back at the little golden apple tree, buying herself time.

"It's hard to say. I'm worried you'd think me a fool." Her voice was quiet, and she couldn't look him in the eye. She felt his fingers gently pushing her hair behind her ear again, before he turned her face to look at him.

"I don't think you a fool, Rowan. I never have." His voice was sincere, and despite the surrealism, he still kissed her gently on the lips. It was comforting, even if it felt odd.

"I know things now, that I did not know before and I know what I need to do." She said quietly, looking up into his face as it hovered over hers.

"Should I be worried?" He asked, almost amused. She smiled and couldn't hide a laugh.

"No. It's just… The urges you have towards me, I share them too. I'm just as compelled as you are, because of the bond we share. I understand that now and I didn't before." It was incredibly hard, standing where she was, so close to Cell, and yet knowing that they couldn't really touch. She could easily see that he was feeling it too.

"And that means?" He asked after a while. His voice was slightly husked. She felt her belly tighten at the sound.

"It means… I belong to you. And I want to give myself to you, completely." The words had a physical effect on Cell. His mouth hardened and his eyes narrowed. He froze, motionless, staring intently at Rowan. She felt both relief at her admission, yet tiny, vulnerable and exposed.

Finally he moved, turning suddenly away from her and towards the screen.

"Cell?" She asked quietly. The screen burst back into life as Cell took control of his body again. He closed the lap top in front of him and headed towards the door of her house.

"I'm going to come and get you from the look out." He said quietly, with complete conviction. She watched from his point of view as he slipped his helmet back on and stepped outside.

"Wait! Don't do that!" Cell looked back at her. His face was intense and his eyes were narrowed and he wore a small frown. It stunned her into silence.

"Would you truly deny me, after what you've just said?" His voice was quiet and steady, but it couldn't hide the seething anger underneath.

"No, oh heavens no… It's just… Piccolo is watching. He would see you coming from a million miles away. And then what? We'd have no privacy and that would be frustrating for both of us." She could see that Cell was hovering in the air above the lake, while in his mind, he was staring intently at her.

"Do you have a better idea?" The seething anger had abated slightly, and he just sounded annoyed.

"I do actually." She grinned at him, and his face softened, only slightly.

"What are you planning?" He asked, curious.

"I need some time. Like a couple of hours maybe? Can you give me that, without doing anything stupid?" She asked. Cell's eyes narrowed but he gave her a small nod. She grinned, sighing relief. Before Cell could say anything else, she focused inwards, and she felt herself fall suddenly, as the world around her flashed from Cell's inner palace, to her own house.

\/\*/\/

Rowan sat up suddenly in bed. She had made up her mind, and even though she knew she was being reckless and foolish and that she was literately risking everything on the assumption that Cell's honour was stronger than his lust for power. But despite that, she was giddy, excited and aroused at the thought.

She quickly threw her robes back over her body and stood in the centre of the room. She closed her eyes and focused. She knew how to do it. She had the knowledge. But applying it for the first time was difficult. She didn't want to risk such a huge jump on her first time, so she focused on the kitchen in the lookout.

"Tap your energy well." She told herself quietly. She felt the power surge into her body as she did just that. "Good, now focus on where you want to go. Try to picture it." She thought of the kitchen, of the dining table with the little wooden chairs, the huge expanse of cupboards and the large fridge. She could even smell the faint hint of herbs and spices for the exorbitant spice collection Mr Popo had amassed.

"Good. Stay focused on your location, drawing your power around you, like a tight blanket." She wasn't experienced with managing her energy, and it was difficult to completely encompass herself in her energy. She focused on one problem area, and it loosened another. It took several moments before she had engulfed her entire body with energy.

"Finally, picture your energy blanket in the location. Focus. It's all about focus." She could almost hear Quill's voice lecturing her as she concentrated.

"Oh my!" Mr Popo's startled voice caused Rowan's eyes flew open as the warmth of her energy blanket vanished, exposing her senses to the world again. She gave a small scream as she lost her balance and fell. She had teleported to the kitchen, but she had landed on the back of one of the chairs. Mr Popo was staring in wide-eyed horror as she fell, taking the table and several of the chairs down with her.

"Ow…" She groaned as she slowly sat up. The table had tipped over, spilling the empty plates and cutlery to the floor, but the chair she had been on top of, had collapsed into a splintery mass of wood.

"Are you okay, Rowan?" Mr Popo asked is his quiet, concerned voice. Rowan nodded and managed a smile.

"Sorry Mr Popo." He helped her back to her feet and her smile broadened as it sank in that she had successfully teleported. Mr Popo righted the table and headed down the hall to grab the broom. Rowan laughed to herself, as she concentrated again, feeling her energy draw around her. It was much easier the second time and she felt herself shift again.

This time she was outside, in the middle of the plaza. The wind was blowing gently, making the tall pine trees wave. Piccolo was standing on the edge, and he whirled around as she teleported again close by.

"Hi!" She exclaimed.

"Rowan! What are you…" He was cut off as she disappeared suddenly, reappearing on top of the domed entrance to the temple. He whirled around, following her energy.

"Phew, this is actually quite exhausting!" Rowan said with a laugh as she appeared next to Piccolo again. "Fun though!" Piccolo snarled down at her.

"So you've learned how to teleport." Her face fell as she became serious and she stood up straight.

"Yes. Look Piccolo, I know you don't like me much, and you think I'm going to doom the world. But I have a plan and I need you to trust me." She said quietly. Piccolo's snarl deepened, baring his large and pointed fangs.

"Don't you dare do what I think you're going to do!" His voice was malicious and full of warning. She smiled sadly up at him.

"I'm sorry Piccolo." Piccolo roared in anger and threw a sudden blast of energy at her. But she was gone and the blast exploded, cracking the white tiles and singing them black.

"Damnit!" He roared angrily.

It was pouring with rain and the sky was heavy and dark. Rowan sighed as she stared out of the balcony window, watching the storm shake the trees aggressively. It was strangely calming.

Finally she turned away from the glass and stared around the room. It was dark. The equipment that had been hooked up to her, monitoring her vital signs only a few days ago, was now pushed against the wall, lifeless and quiet. The bed was made and the room was meticulously clean. Rowan sighed, seeing herself lying in the bed, bloodied and beaten after she had been raped by the Other Cell, and then impaled. The memory of Seru's face as he was drained away, through her, chilled her.

She shook the dark thoughts away and sighed, releasing her tension. She headed to the door, and listened carefully. Slowly she opened the door a crack, and peeked out. It was quiet and empty.

Rowan snuck out the door and headed down the stairs. She paused, crouching low on the top step as she listening carefully. She could hear sounds coming from the downstairs basement and she gave a small smile as she thought of 16. She crept down the stairs quietly, thankful as the place was mostly empty.

She peeked down the basement stairs. She could just barely make out 16 on the chrome table, a small white sheet covering his lower half as his top half was completely exposed. She couldn't stop the small flush of colour. He might have been an android, but he had a good physique.

She could see Doctor Briefs sitting with his back to 16, typing away on the computer screens. The crib at the side of the room was empty and Bulma was nowhere to be seen.

As if to answer her thoughts, the phone rang. Doctor Briefs answered it, with Bulmas' face appearing on the screen. She was flying somewhere where it was sunny. Rowan couldn't catch the conversation, the volume was down low, but Bulma seemed angry and was demanding her father do something. With a reluctant sigh the phone call ended and Doctor Briefs stood up and stretched.

"Well 16, I can't keep deny she's right. Without those parts you aren't going to get finished before the tournament! I'd better go pick them up. I'll be back within the hour, so don't get too comfortable."

"Alright doctor." 16 answered in his monotone voice. Rowan panicked and teleported before Doctor Briefs walked up the stairs. He was humming to himself as he closed the door behind him. Rowan stared up after him, as 16 stared dumbfounded at her.

"You can teleport?" 16 asked with genuine surprise. She had teleported behind Doctor Briefs, a stupid idea, but she had been panicking. She smiled sheepishly down at 16.

"Hey big guy. Sorry to just barge in like this." 16's surprised was replaced with a small smile.

"I am glad you are unharmed. I was worried Cell might have hurt you when I saw you on the Television." Rowan sat herself in Doctor Briefs' chair.

"No, I'm alright. But… Well… I kind of need your advice." She said quietly. "You seem to understand Cell better than anyone, because you have the same programming."

"Similar programming, not the same." 16 corrected her. She shrugged.

"Well you were made by the same mad scientist." She trailed of, hesitant to continue. 16 offered her his hand as he had done before. He smiled up at her.

"Tell me what is bothering you."

"I know Cell is stupidly strong. Do the Z warriors have a chance of stopping him at the tournament, the day after tomorrow?" 16 frowned at this.

"I will be honest with you Rowan. If circumstances had been different and Neither of the original Cells had benefitted from your gift, his current power would not be so incredibly immense. Perhaps then, Goku's enhanced training could have stood against Cell. But as it is at this moment, I believe it is truly hopeless." Rowan stared down at 16's grim expression and she felt truly sad. She had known it already. She had seen how easily Cell had put Piccolo down in the City the other day, but to know that the Z warriors knew they stood no chance was quite confronting.

"Even though you know it's hopeless, you're still going to fight, aren't you?" 16 smiled sadly and nodded.

"We must fight, to protect the Earth. Even if we lose, we cannot simply give up. Life is precious. Cell does not appreciate the lives of others. He serves only himself." Rowan frowned.

"That's not entirely true." She felt the pang of guilt as she said the words. 16 frowned.

"He may care for you, but he does not view you as his equal. He never will. He is a sadist and he is a narcissist. Do not allow him to convince you that you mean more to him than he does. Because it is a lie. Something to manipulate you. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Rowan nodded numbly.

"I know. But I can't help myself, even though I know. But… I have a plan." Rowan sighed before she launched into her narrative. 16 listened attentively as Rowan told 16 about everything that had happened in the past week, starting with why she had run away from the Capsule Corp. 16 was not surprised that Cell had taunted her into action and pointed out how he had manipulated her into coming to him.

She continued, telling him about the army's attack and how Cell had dismissed her anger by telling her about the dragon balls.

"If Cell had not told you about the wish-granting dragon balls, would you have stayed with him?" 16 asked quietly. Rowan thought about it, remembering all those people who were fighting to save their world and who had been so utterly obliterated.

"No. I don't think I would have." She admitted. 16 nodded.

"He knows you better than you do. He knows how to calm your anger and you don't even realize that he has been controlling you this whole time." Rowan stared at the hole in 16's head. The inside was almost complete and she could see the blinking lights and replaced circuitry, but the blast mark around the artificial skin remained. A physical reminder of Cell's destructive nature.

"You don't think he's capable of changing, do you?" She asked quietly. 16 shook his head slowly.

"He is not. As long as he knows, with absolute certainty, that he is stronger, faster and smarter than everyone else, he will not change. Why should he?" 16 asked, watching Rowan's face intently.

"I guess you're right." She admitted after a while.

"What is your plan?" 16 asked. Rowan sighed and continued her story. She told him about how Cell had been so reluctant to help the man stuck in the car, but he had relented, and done as she had asked, removing the pole. She told him about the fight with Piccolo, how Cell could have easily killed him, but had stopped at her insistence. She told him about how Cell had even given her to Goku when she had been injured. This surprised 16.

"I am surprised by this. He may have helped the man and spared Piccolo's life in order to appease you, which could be chalked up to another form of manipulation, but to hand you over to Son Goku, is very surprising. I did not think he would willingly give you away. Not when he considers you to be his property. That goes against his controlling nature."

"I was kind of bleeding out." 16 frowned and the two sat in silence for a moment as he thought.

"That is unusual, but it does not change my over-all assessment that he will not stop the tournament or give up his dream of domination. Not even for you." Rowan nodded grimly.

"I appreciate your honesty at least." 16 nodded and gave her hand a small squeeze of assurance.

"Does this information alter your intended plan?" He asked quietly. Rowan smiled sadly.

"No. If anything, it makes me more determined that it's the best course of action."

"Will you tell me your plan?" 16 asked. Rowan stared down at his sincere face and finally, she nodded. She told 16 about Quill and how he had taught her about her ancestry and more importantly, how he had taught her about the bond she shared with Cell. She then told 16 about her plan. 16 frowned deeply.

"That is a very risky plan, Rowan." He said quietly as she finished. Rowan nodded.

"I know."

"So many things could become potential factors, and I do not trust Cell to make the right choice." Rowan nodded and stared down at their hands. Hers was so small compared to 16's.

"I know."

"But…" 16 paused for effect and slowly he smiled. "It is the best plan I think we have." Rowan looked up at his face, a little stunned.

"You think it'll work?" 16 frowned.

"Statistically no. But I have hope. And I trust you." Rowan grinned and managed a laugh. It was relieving beyond any measure that someone believed she wasn't an idiot.

"Thank you 16. Again." 16 smiled and watched as Rowan stood up and let his hand go.

"Wait. Open that drawer over there. The bottom one." 16 pointed to the opposite side of the room, where a bench, covered in piles of paper, supported 3 large chrome drawers. Rowan opened the bottom one, staring at a collection of books and some small boxes.

"If I am correct, there should be some metal boxes and some capsule containers. Take two of the metal boxes." Rowan picked them up and closed the drawer. She opened one of them up, staring at a pair of strange black bands, barely large enough to fit on her finger.

"What are these?" She asked.

"There should be two in each box. Place the bands on your fingers. One on each hand and they should mask your energy signature. Bulma was working on them earlier, utilizing certain elements of Geros' engineering. I do not think they will work on Cell if he powers up, but it should hide his neutral energy from detection without him having to focus on it." Rowan had slipped one of the sets onto her fingers. The bands were elastic and fit her fingers snuggly. She could see the electronics faintly wired through the thin material but they didn't feel any different.

"How do I know if they are working?" She asked. 16 laughed.

"They are working. Your energy signature has been neutralized. I cannot sense you at all." Rowan smiled.

"Awesome. Thanks 16!" 16 smiled at her as she tucked the other box into a pocket in her robe.

"Rowan…" Rowan looked at 16. He had become more serious again. "Do not trust Cell. I know that you feel strongly for him, but he is not a nice man. He will hurt you, maybe not even intentionally, but he will hurt you. It is who he is." Rowan nodded and frowned.

"I know. I have to hope that my old friend is still in there." 16 smiled sadly at her naivety.

"He does not deserve you." Rowan walked back over to 16 and leaned over his bare chest, hugging him tightly. He lifted one of his huge arms, patting her shoulder.

"Thank you 16. I'll see you at the tournament." 16 nodded and watched as she suddenly disappeared with a small rush of air.

"Goodbye, Rowan."

A/N: Mental palaces are a legitimate mental-exercise thing. Some people picture their inner minds as a place and they store information and mark it in a variety of ways. This helps them to recollect information and memories at a later date. I first learned about this by reading Thomas Harris's Hannibal series. There are several other examples. Although I fear I may have described it poorly.

Having a mind described as a place is what original inspired this whole story. That and Cell.

Again, so sorry for not updating sooner. Next chapter should be up quite quickly! Thank you for taking the time to read this story, and I hope you are enjoying it. Over nine thousand humble apologies if you're not.

Any feedback is appreciated.