Scene 1: Gohan, Awake at last!

Warmth radiated from his core. The void in his stomach was momentarily filled as hope returned. Had he been dreaming? Why had she hugged him? Gohan's thoughts were scrambled, but even so he now felt a peace that he had thought was lost to him. He held on as tightly as he could and hoped it was either; all a nightmare, or if it was real; that she was as well. He could sense a connection to her that was unfamiliar, but his instincts told him it was natural.

His body felt exhausted and weak. The room was cool, and only a thin blanket seemed to be covering him. Slowly he registered the faint bleeping of computer machinery. There was almost no smell, sterile... The young man tried to open a single eye through the dry crust on the lid. The bright light sang into the back of his skull. The dull throb in his ears picked up, becoming a steady rush. Energy slowly seeped back into his body. Squeezing his eyes tightly Gohan struggled to sit up, his body feeling like lead. Slowly, he managed to crack a single eye open. The walls consisted of bright white panels. The ceiling glowed in strips of inset lights. Behind his bed he could glimpse a dark surface with multicolored lights shining through it.

The bedridden fighter gradually guided his arm to rub the crust from his eye lids. Twisting somewhat to the side to sit up he caught sight of Vegeta in a hospital bed next to him. The proud noble was here with him as well laying semi-peacefully in another medical-trolley. He could sense the saiyan's energy and knew he wasn't as asleep as he was pretending. The man's eyebrow twitched, Gohan's awakening had not gone unnoticed by the prince. A coarse grumble echoed from the prince's stomach, almost immediately echoed by Gohan's own stomach. The boy felt a stone pit in his gut. The last waking memory Gohan recalled was the last struggle against Cell. It had eaten most of what was left in his reserves. He would need to eat, and soon. A shrill tone screeched from the monitors above, causing both warriors to slap their hands over their ears.

Seconds later a door on the near wall whooshed open. An energy signature preceded the new entrant. Standing over 6 foot, the being to step through was an amalgamation of machine and flesh. Much like Frieza had been the last time either saw the tyrant. Half the skull seemed to be chromed steel or translucent dome covering luminous indigo circuitry. The arms had little to no skin showing, instead being more metal than flesh, the chest and body covered in some sort of armor. A single glowing red orb was offset by a deep brown iris in the opposite flesh eye. Both seemed to regard him with some surprise, as the single eyebrow rose a bit.

"Dang kid! I didn't expect to see you conscious so soon. What with the beating you took and your body starving."

Gohan slowly tried to process what was going on, asking, "Wh... where am I?"

"You're in the Titan tower, Jump City, USA. But look, plenty of time for answers later. Right now I need to get you both something to eat." He then looked pointedly at the 'sleeping' prince, "You do know the systems in here already told me you're awake right?"

One dark steely eye shot open.

"Is there anything special I need to know about your requirements?" The teen inquired.

"Our requirements can be met with your local food no doubt. Just bring us large plates of it!" the man's gruff voice ground out.

The machine man snorted but nodded, "I'll be back as soon as we get something together for you then, if you need anything else before then I left a call button on the side of your bed." Cyborg then turned and stalked out, the door sliding closed behind him.

Scene change: Raven, a team meeting.

Slowly she calmed, "...Azarath, metrion, ...Zinthos" her center returned "...Azarath, ...Metrion, Zinthos" internal energy shifted and balance was attained "...Azarath ...Metrion ...Zinthos..." She opened her eyes. The room was dark, lit only by the score of candles surrounding her on the floor. The essence of smoke from the incense still hung faintly in the air. Rising slowly to her feet she steeled herself for the scene behind her. With wave of her hand ebony energy swept over her circle extinguishing the candles and restoring everything to its proper locale on the shelves. Rotating warily, she observed the disaster which was now her bed. Blankets and sheets twisted and bunched, a single large pillow was misshapen and soggy from tears. The dark teen strode to her bed and picked up the pillow, staring at it intently.

Her voice had regained its monotone quality, "Why am I affected so deeply?" Her eyes glazed as she pondered the mystery. At first she had though it might only be temporary, perhaps due to how deeply disturbed their two 'guests' were. She quickly had to disabuse herself of that notion. If that were the case both of them would have affected her in the same way. At least the older one would have had more of an effect than he had. But it was only with the kid that she 'relapsed'. Then there was the issue of the persistent link. Her emotions might be taking an interest in it, but they were not maintaining it. In fact when she had tried to cut it off she had found it all but impossible, like trying to sever your left hand using your left hand. It necessitated some more research.

She took a moment to at least straighten the sheets and blankets but then returned to sitting and staring at the pillow.

"Why?" She felt her voice threaten to crack, but balance had been achieved and it remained its usual monotone. She had to get to the bottom of this, these... feelings, before they threatened to throw her control to the wind. Thankfully she kept very few electronics were in her quarters.

Three soft metallic clangs echoed through her room, her hearing winced at the sharp sound. With a heave she stood and set the pillow back down. Raven walked to the door as she wiped her eye and double checked her appearance. Once she was by the door she slid it just a slit, allowing her to observe her nuisance with a single eye.

"What?" her voice croaked out.

The singularly large member of her team stood just outside her door, his face impassive yet his eyes reflected some worry.

"Rob says he wants everyone in the living room ASAP." Cyborg declared.

She took a dispirited breath and slid the door fully open before stepping out and closing it behind her. Cyborg continued down the hall as she trailed behind him.

"Our guests are awake now," he announced, watching her with his brown eye. The Goth girl stiffened internally and gave no outward sign of her hesitancy. What could he remember? Did he think she was just a dream? What did he say?

"What did he say?" she questioned with mild curiosity.

"He..." drawing that word out "didn't say much yet. Just asked where he was. When I told him there wasn't any recognition. Not that I expected anything else. But the other guy was a bit more talkative. Apparently they should be able to handle anything human but it was made clear they are going to want a lot." The steel clad hero motioned with one hand in an offhanded manner as he continued "I already had that part figured out before they woke up honestly. Their metabolisms seems to burn through calories like mad."

Raven glanced over to see straight into Cyborgs eye "Just keep Starfire out of the kitchen."

A chuckle broke from her friends lips. "Roger that. Honestly I think I'm the only one who can cook... No offense."

"None taken."

Just then they emerged into the main chamber of the tower, everyone else was already present. Robin wore his serious minded expression as always. Starfire was both curious and worried, her eyes darting between Raven and the hallway leading to their infirmary before trying to focus on the matter at hand. Beastboy was being a bit more inconspicuous, however the gut clenching sensation radiating from him spoke volumes. The changeling was scared, worried, and overly alert. Outwardly he seemed his usual annoying self, as he whined "Bout time you guys got here! Let's get this over with so I can get back to the game-station!" he was trying to distract himself from something...

"Alright, let's pool what we know so far." the boy wonders gravelly voice ground out.

"I already gave my report to ya but I'll repeat it so everyone know. Both our guests are awake but I haven't asked them any questions yet. I need to see about getting some food together for them before they pass out again. From what I can tell they might need as much as 10,000 calories in a single meal!" their techie teen stated.

Beastboy gaped, his eyes wide with awe. "DUDE! That's insane! There is no way someone could eat that much in a sitting."

"I know man, but numbers don't lie," replied the chrome Titan.

"Fine, we'll make this quick then," Robin acquiesced before continuing "Starfire?" Robin asked

The orange skinned Tamaranean looked back and forth, shooting Raven a questioning glance "I did not get to see much other than the two warriors themselves. The injuries were extensive but they seem to doing much better now." The last bit was added as she watched Raven for a reaction.

"Okay, Beastboy?" Robin focused on the shifty green teen.

"Well, honestly I'm totally freaked out here. Whatever did... THAT," he emphasized "isn't natural. I mean there was only a small splatter of blood and empty clothes. When I went digging after it the path was blocked pretty fast. I mean whatever dug itself down there didn't want to be followed. The tunnels were easy enough to be found because they were kinda big. But whatever it was dug them so they would collapse on purpose. You already got the piece of shell I found..." The shape changers nervousness showed through his rapid speech. He really didn't seem to want to talk about it much despite the information portrayed. There was a long pause as everyone tried to process what their teammate had said.

'Here it comes' she thought as their caped leader turned to her with a raised eyebrow, an obvious hint.

"I don't really have a frame of reference. You know how my healing works don't you?" she began. A nod from Robin confirmed he was aware. She knew Cyborg of course was aware due to a conversation they had in the past during the last rebuild of the infirmary. Starfire was probably aware but her face showed only a worried attentiveness. Beastboy was predictably lost. She turned slightly to him before continuing. "I don't necessarily heal, instead I can supply mystically energy while absorbing a person's feelings or pain. This allows their own body to speed its healing process." She explained. Beast boy nodded as somewhere in the immature teammates mind the light bulb clicked on as he connected the dots.

"When I healed Gohan," Robin's eyes narrowed dangerously as he registered that she knew the boy.s name. She paused in her explanation "I'll get to that in a moment." She assured him "Something else connected us. I'm not sure if he has telepathic powers or what it is, but the connection was deeper than I'm used to. I didn't get just his pain, my empathic powers also started picking up more than just surface impressions. The same with the other one, though... not as severe." taking a breath Raven continued "I believe I was getting flashes of memory from him. He was reliving whatever happened before they arrived here."

Robin nodded in understanding "That's how you know his name." he surmised

"Partially yes." Robin raised an eyebrow but didn't interrupt.

She continued "They were in some kind of battle with a monster. Again without a point of reference I couldn't tell you how exactly powerful, but I saw enough to worry. This thing was vicious. I think it fights just to entertain itself at best." She looked Robin in the eyes to let him know how serious she was. "Whatever that thing is, Gohan believes himself to be the only one capable of taking it on."

"Obviously that didn't turn out so well last time." Robin countered before considering the new information "I don't know what this thing is but we are going to stop it. It's already killed someone and there is no way we can let that pass. That's all for now."

The meeting slowly broke up. The hooded girl raised a hand towards the floating alien as she approached "I'm fine Star. I wasn't prepared for the intensity. It shouldn't be a problem now."

"Shouldn't and won't are different friend Raven. Please be careful." Looking out from under her hood Raven nodded slightly before following behind the 'odd couple'.

"Don't even think it BB, those two need their protein and carbs! Your tofu won't so much as fill a pinky, let alone their stomachs..." The taller of the two stated.

"I get it, I get it! But you can't just feed them giant burgers or something man. I got a 50lb bag of rice in the pantry that's quick to make. Plus some corn and peas. I can make a fast batch of fried rice!" Beastboy shot back.

The chip laden teen put hand to chin in thought. "Well that would be convenient. They are still going to be needing some meat." They continued their daily argument of meat vs tofu. Beastboy, true to his word however started the rice and fried it with veggies. Cyborg diced some meat and pan fried it as well for efficiencies sake. Not long after they began, Ravens eyes began to grow larger and larger. She watched in amazement as the massive bowl of the steak and rice was piled. Enough to feed the titans ten times over. By the time the towering dish of rice was finished nearly half the bag of rice had been prepared with rice and strip steak.

The boys continued their argument as they pushed the cart loaded for bear into the infirmary. Standing outside the door Raven mentally prepared herself to encounter what was now, a fully awake Gohan.

"About time! What did you do? Walk to the other side of the city to get the food?" bellowed a harsh and arrogant voice.

Then she heard it, his tone somehow managing to be chiding, grateful, and even full of sorrow all at once. Her heart chilled in anticipation as she rounded the corner to step into the room. Unfortunately her quiet entrance had not gone unnoticed. The adult warrior had stopped speaking altogether and stared at her with unreadable eyes. Some emotion quite alien to him, hidden behind shadowed eyes. He quietly reached out and took a bowl, grunting softly he waited for some sign.

On the other medical bed sat HIM. Bare chested and upright, sitting stiff as a board. His large eyes open, hair standing wildly in all directions, and jaw set softly. He had ceased all movement as he took her in. Breathing softly she observed him inhale sharply through the nose. His dark iris's barely discernible as they expanded.

Her own heart beat rapidly, thumping in her ears and her cheeks warmed softly under his gaze. She felt her neck cool and the urge to look away nearly overwhelmed her control. Still, she stared right back into those dark eyes and she absorbed the sight in detail. The room's lights seemed a bit brighter allowing even more detail to enter her focus. The scratches and wounds that had marred his skin before were all but gone. She doubted there would even be scars left. Tan skin seemed to cover muscles of marble, even his neck was thickly corded. Refusing to shy away she looked back into his eyes and waited.

"It's you..." his voice was throaty, and raw. As if on the edge of breaking...

Another gruff grunt from the side interrupted the moment.

The musclebound boy's cheeks turned a rosy hue as he scratched the back of his head, elbow high. "Heh, that's as close to thank you as he ever gets..."

Gohan ignored the glare sent his way while he grabbed his own bowl with a soft "Thank you."

The next thirty seconds were one of the most amazing and horrifying moments the Titans had experienced. Each saiyan slowly tipped their bowls back as they shoveled food into their mouths at an incredible rate. Raven wondered if they even chewed. There were a few grains of rice on their faces when the bowls came back down. Both of the ravenous creatures held out their bowls for more, the boy with an abashed grin, and the older with only a slight scowl compared to a moment ago.

Scene change: Cell, a meal most unfulfilling

This was shameful, being regressed this far back by an insufferable child! This shouldn't be possible. He had achieved perfection. Perhaps even more so than his designer had intended. Cell had chosen his destiny and was going to fulfill his purpose. He was glorious! All of this... only to be laid low by a sniveling angry child.

A dull yellow light poured over his form. The mutated insect left the freshly turned dirt behind him. Dragging himself across the gravel. He couldn't see anyone out here, being between two large boxy cars. He dragged his body inch by inch towards the wall. His energy sense had nearly deserted him, but he could smell the meal to come. To achieve perfection he needed more biomass.

Sounds filtered through a poorly seated door. The soft crack of a pool cue and laughter. Tinkling of glasses. Music thrummed through the brick wall. There wasn't much out this far. But he needed to be cautious. Those damned cockroaches had survived as well. Though the damaged to them seemed none too severe as far as it was concerned.

In the last seconds of battle the rupture in space had distracted him enough to catch part of the wave while being sucked in. Part of his critical mass had been damaged. Something about that damnable emptiness had corrupted his genetic codes somehow. Normally he could simply regenerate, but his attempts to do so had resulted in a faster degeneration. An infusion of fresh biomass would be needed to stabilize himself. He had nearly reached the wall when the door was booted open. Dirty blond hair stumbled out. A scraggly black mass followed it. The damaged creation froze and waited patiently, salivating at the thought of absorbing fresh life force.

A scrawny set of legs walked backwards around the corner into his hiding place. A jean miniskirt topped with a torn blouse. The worn out woman giggled in a high pitch tone, oblivious to her end behind her. A leather clad barrel of a man stumbled around the corner to her. "Gotcha now girly!"

Her eyes shot open in shock as she stumbled straight into his arms. A breathless squeal being emitted from her. He grabbed one ass cheek and mauled a tit with the other as he started shoving his tongue into her mouth.

The monster groaned in pleasure. Feeling her terror ooze into his body. Pain and life. Sucking straight to his own core. Ecstasy! Pleasure quivered through the tail into his hindquarters. Causing his tail to tense before fully relaxing. Pumping large globs of flesh through his needle, tearing it from her internal organs even as it was broken down and converted. Power, however miniscule, excited the creature.

The oaf noticed something amiss. As if her tit had deflated. He pulled back and opened his bleary eyes. The sight that greeted him appalled him on an instinctive level. Before, she had been thin, but now… now she was skeletal. Each passing second her skin grew more taught, her eyes being forced wider. Soon they bulged from her sockets and she began shrinking in on herself. The expression vacant, nothing but a bag of skin remained. He saw it then, even in the poor light. A lime green color, mottled with cow like black markings. The skin that was once Charlie hanging from it like some sort of leather sack. Even in his frozen terror he couldn't help but feel fascination as what appeared to be a bone needle opened up and began tossing back the skin. Choking it down like a snake and its crushed prey.

He glanced down to see the alien visage, wide swept forehead carapace, burnt orange beak. It thoughts were horrifically clear. The beak 'smirked'. Slit violet eyes regarded him with yearning. Stumbling back he opened his mouth to scream. Sharp burning blossomed in his chest. Agony as he felt his ribcage collapse under negative pressure. His lungs collapsed the hunks of flesh were ripped from inside. The tail pulsed...

Somewhere deep inside a voice quailed in abhorrence. The beetle like larvae snarled in defiance and squashed down on it. This was HIS time, no one else's...

Scene change: Raven, Alarm and fore-warnings

Utter silence reigned around the conference table, BB shifted his feet slightly and the sound echoed. Vegeta sat in his armor, arms crossed over his chest and a look of annoyed defiance stamped across his brow. Gohan seemed more worried than nervous his eyes downcast and distant. Emotions roiled off of him in gentle waves, an empty void in his solar plexus and knots forming in his wide shoulders.

Cyborg glanced from their visitors to Robin whose own brow was furrowed with as much determination as his formidable mind could summon.

"Well child! What else is it? You obviously have some pressing questions." Vegeta grumbled "Get on with it before my good cheer from the meal wears off..."

Starfire's eyebrows widened... this was good cheer? What was he like when he was angry? Raven's face remained impassive despite her concentration to keep a stranglehold on herself amidst the internal tempest coursing through her from a certain boy.

"You two weren't the only ones to come through." The young detective stated. "Whatever else came through killed one of the security guards. We aren't even sure how it was done."

"No, we weren't." Vegeta opened his hardened eyes and locked them upon the brightly clad hero. "And if you know whats good for you you will tell us everything you know about that freak, then stay out of our way so we can destroy it."

Robin's expression froze in suppressed outrage. "That's not the way things work here. I don't know where you came from, but you're in our city now. That's makes this our problem! YOU tell ME what you know and WE will capture this thing..."

Gohan's gaze drifted over to the boy wonder and his voice was level, yet it left no room for doubt "You don't understand. Cell is on a completely different level than you. You can't handle him. Capturing him isn't an option. If you don't kill him. Your world will end..."

Silence again. Robin glanced over to his teams mystic "Raven?" With a sigh Raven put some minor thought into her response.

"I already told you I'm at a loss for a point of reference. Everything I know is from his point of view." The cloaked girl reasoned "From what I've seen we could qualify this thing as a probable heavy hitter. But what from you explained about the scene, it doesn't seem like the same being they know…"

"Different how?" The Saiyan demanded.

"Whatever this 'Cell' is, it only left a set of empty clothes behind. Now it seems to have burrowed itself. We're still tracking it"

"You mean you lost it! FOOLS! If we don't find him now, while he is weak, it will be too late!" Vegeta ranted, at least he was now sure what he had seen wasn't a hallucination. Cell truly had reverted. If he could locate him then vengeance was assured. Vegeta's face was scarlet in rage and indignation.

Odd, Raven thought, she only sensed Vegeta's emotions distantly. Just like everyone else's. Yet Gohan's feelings were as close as her own. Even now she could feel the tightness in his chest, his trembling arms and the sweet sensation of near tears. He was holding so much in. The pressure of something hidden beneath the surface only slightly confused her. She could faintly remember what overwhelming power felt like. He kept it hidden just beneath the surface. Struggling to hold it back at all times. It was an inner battle she was intimately familiar with.

"I don't care what you think. This is our turf and you'll abide by our rules... You want to find him? Fine! But you won't get far without our assistance. We have the connections and the knowledge of this world. Something you are sorely lacking."

With a reproachful huff the prince acquiesced, for now... "Fine, but remember that capturing him is not an option. You'll only get this entire planet destroyed with an attitude like that."

Robin's eyes narrowed, but he could tell this was a battle for later. Hot headed he was, but stupid he wasn't. He knew when to delay a battle for later. This man was no hero... something about him was unsettling. Not that he seemed completely evil, just that he wasn't out to play savior.

Shrill electronic klaxons rang out as twirling red signal emerged from the walls. Still wrapped up in trying to suppress the effects of her new bond Raven's heart leapt into her throat and a sweet sensation radiated from her sternum. Unclenching her 'cheeks' she rotated her eyes to the main monitor in the room as it immediately lit up in a grid pattern that her mind instantly recognized as a city street map. The blinking marker was pretty far out... to the north.

Robin was already at the console tapping away briskly. His shoulders tightened, then drooped. His voice dropped "There's no hurry, It's too late. But we might be able to pick up a trail if we can get out there." Robin turned to Cyborg who nodded, their knowledge of each other's motives making speech unnecessary. The half machine simply conceded to the unspoken request. "They should hold the scene for us. Titan's move out..."

"C'mon you two. I'll give you a lift to the scene" the steel bodied Cyborg commented.

Vegeta watched as the team moved out before snorting and following with his still crossed arms. Gohan eyes narrowed as he stalked after them.

Scene change: Gohan, scene of the crime

The tightness in his chest shortened his breaths. His eyes were locked on the pile at his feet. A tattered shirt, jean short shorts and worn heeled leather boots. Only a small drop of blood marred the gravel. The edges of his vision blurred in a red haze. The creek of clenched fists echoed in his ears. He had failed... again. He could feel how stiff his neck was while raising his eyes to survey the scene. Rough gravel scattered with similar collections of clothing between cars whose engines were still cold.

He could hear the raven haired kid talking to one of the officers. Discussing a car that had been left running. An ache was beginning in the back of his skull. Slowly he un-clamped his teeth and rotated his neck. He couldn't afford to lose focus now. Cell had to be found!

"C'mon, we need to check inside..." The tight voice jolted him out of his self-absorbed daze. Glancing up he saw Robin staring in expectation at him. Nodding Gohan followed the older boy inside. Inside told a different story. While outside had been a scene of panicked flight. Inside the bar was littered with splintered holes in the walls, scattered bits of furniture, and shards of glass everywhere. A few technicians still dusted and collected possible clues.

"What more do you need to know here. We can't just stand around. We need to find him!" Groused Gohan.

The yellow and red clad teen sighed and peered at him out of the corner of an eye "We need to know as much as possible, for instance," the young leader gestured "the lead balls are scattered in an irregular pattern. That tells me it's ricochet. Your creature is bulletproof. The angle of the spray says the angle was down. So the shooter was standing above it. He's small, most likely quadrupedal…"

"We could have told you that Robin, Vegeta already told us he reverted back to his larval form. And even in his larval form there is no way a normal person can ever harm him." Frustration laced his voice. That monster had to be stopped before he could regain his perfect form. "This is a waste of time!"

"Look Gohan, I get that you're frustrated, but if I can understand why here then maybe I can figure out where he is going. If I know his strengths then maybe I can figure out his weaknesses and we can help you take him down." Offered the stern teen.

The musclebound kid closed his eyes for a moment. With a heavy sigh "You don't get it. He is just too far beyond you." Turning he walked out.

A few moments later he found Vegeta at the edge of the gravel lot.

"That freak made his escape this way. He's suppressing his power level," growled the Prince.

Cool numbness swept over him. Calming the tempest within his center. Stillness reigned within. Only the sipping of his own power and the hard pressure of Vegeta nearby. They were surrounded by countless flickers and 5 steady candle flame signatures of ki...

"You and I must speak brat..." The saiyan's tone was rigid.

Gohan's forehead cooled as he cautiously observed Vegeta.

His own response was protracted "Why?"

"Later brat, suffice to say that options open to me before, may well be closed now. You are the only option I have left..."

Once again, a massive thank you to KistuneShinobi for excellent BETA reading feedback. Man this one took a long time for me to pump out. Mostly due to being crazy busy at work. There were a few nights I had to myself but I needed to veg out a bit honestly and do some reading of my own. Plus catching up on Arrow, Flash, and Naruto(even though I know how it turns out).

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and now for a few review responses

RubytheDragon1999: Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Positive responses keep me going and feel great. I am loving that people are enjoying this story. Don't worry. I don't plan on stopping anytime soon! This is actually an exercise to get my writing skills back into shape and perhaps write an original novel someday(there are a few ideas bouncing around my attic of a brain)...

ANON: super saiyan chapter 3 . Feb 1: Raven's difficulties may actually be a plot line you will see:P

BEARDEDSUPERSAIYAN: Also Baldsupersaiyan: I actually got to respond via PM to this guy but I thought he deserved a mention. Thank you so much for the encouragement and specific compliment my friend. That mentioned ability/skill is one I plan to cultivate. For the rest of you. Blame this guy for giving the author EVIL EVIL ideas... that is all

ANON: Mace: A couple of things actually. First of all thank you for the appreciation of having a complete universe. There will be more appearances by JLA members perhaps one or two on a recurring basis. I do plan on kind of going half and half where cartoon vs comic is concerned. The cartoons were pretty dumbed down in a lot of ways. I want to develop some of the cartoon versions into something closer resembling the comics. BeastBoy aka Garfield Logan has a particularly tragic backstory...

Yes Vegeta is partially here to help toughen and develop Gohan, Though his presence is actually a consequence of the original idea for this fic. Namely my 'what if' was about the final battle ripping a hole in reality to the DCU, Cell Gohan and Vegeta simply happened to be the closest characters. Everything after that is about how the characters deal with it.

Cell is currently reverted all the way back to that damned insect like form. His cellular structure at the core was damaged. Gohan nearly had him. He will find a way repair this damage and re-evolve into his perfect form. Until then he does not have several abilities we are used to seeing (you will notice in the anime Cell did not have some of these until he reached certain stages).

Thank you for mentioning my chapters are like reading a novel. That is the intent :P

Ethan Demas: Excellent questions all. Obviously you like myth, and reading. I'm flattered you took the time to comment actually. Stay tuned, The effects of that bond are central to a plot. There will be consequences that they will have to deal with...

ANON: saiyan fan: I never liked that Gohan slacked off so much. Akira's original intent was for Gohan to take over the legacy. But then they wanted another season which was never in the plans and his protege took over. I think 17 and 18 not showing up on there senses had to do with their specific construction or how they were converted. I am having them be able to sense Cyborg. However they cannot correctly gauge his strength as that does come from the cybernetic portion of his being (I am referring to physical strength and weapons people not his strength of character).

Tail grow back? You crazy... *shifty eyes* I would never do that. and if it were to happen it wont be instant, and their are circumstances that must be met.