Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z, just this story.
Author's note: Whoopsy! Took me a while to update, I know. I've been busy lately. Sorry.
Okay! Now it's time to really show Cell as a threat! He's off to find something to track 18. Will he find it? What else might he encounter at Gero's lab?
This chapter will indeed be mostly Cell. There will be a small amount of stuff with 18 and Trunks, but it will be kept to a minimum.
Warning! As the title of the chapter implies, Cell is going to be experimenting on things; living things. As Cell is indeed the villain, he will have no regard for life at all. Stuff in this chapter may seem horrible, but that's how it is when it comes to Cell.
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As Trunks and 18 continued to travel, Cell was heading back towards the secret mountain lab of Dr. Gero. 'The Dr. has to have made something,' thought Cell, 'Anything that would track the Androids.' He arrived at the lab and started looking around. There were various tools and machines lying around. 'The Androids left quite a mess when they killed him, didn't they?'
He saw a large container, one of the ones that held the Androids, only this one hadn't been opened. It was of no consequence to him however. Whatever Android was in there probably wasn't worth it, or Gero would have activated it. Only absorbing 18 would suffice.
He continued looking around, searching through the tools and machines. He stopped. "This is stupid!" he said. "How am I supposed to know what to look for?"
"Who is there?" asked a high-pitched, mechanical-sounding voice. Cell looked around.
"Who said that?" he asked.
"Over here," said the voice. Cell looked about. He started moving towards where he thought the voice was coming from. "You're very close now. Look down." Cell followed the voices instructions. He was looking at a pile of junk. He saw what looked like an arm sticking out of it. The hand had a red orb in it's palm. Cell reached down, grabbed it's wrist, and puled it up to look at it. Cell's eyes widened in surprise. It was a half finished Android, only a torso with a head and a right arm.. It was pale white in color, and what clothes it had were yellow.
"Who are you?" asked Cell.
"I am Android Nineteen," answered the unfinished automaton. "I am the last Android Dr. Gero created. Who are you?"
"Cell," answered the green menace. "Why did Dr. Gero create you? Androids Seventeen and Eighteen function perfectly."
"He created me," explained 19, "To help him finish his final Android. Himself. He was planning on creating an Android body for himself, and I was to transfer his brain into it. However, he activated Seventeen and Eighteen before I was finished, and they killed him."
"Interesting," said Cell. "Maybe you can help me with something then. I am looking for something to help me track Android Eighteen."
"Why exactly should I help you?" asked 19.
"Don't you want revenge on Eighteen?" asked Cell. "I can see that there's only half of you left, but I doubt the doctor left you this way. I'm assuming that the Androids are responsible for this. Am I wrong?"
"No," said 19.
"If you help me," said Cell, smiling "I will make sure that you are soon whole."
"Agreed," said 19. Cell found some old wires and strapped 19 to his back. 19 immediately grabbed Cell's shoulder, absorbing some of his energy. Cell's eyes went to 19's hand.
"What are you doing?" asked Cell.
"Taking your energy," said 19. "I've never felt this much power." 19 actually sounded excited. Cell smirked.
"I suggest you stop," said Cell. "You'll overload yourself. I have far too much power to be absorbed, especially by half an Android." Cell frowned. "Also, if you don't want to end up back in that pile of junk you'll stop feeding off of me and help me find what I'm looking for."
"Alright," said 19, taking his hand off of Cell. "I just needed some energy. I would have run out soon if you hadn't come along." 19's eyes darted around the lab. "The doctor built a machine that could be used to track the Androids, but it was destroyed when they killed him."
"What!?" raged Cell. "Arrgh, then I've come all this way for nothing!" He launched a Ki blast through the side of the mountain in pure frustration.
"Wait," said 19. "We can still find the blueprints and build another one." 19 looked around. He pointed to something, hidden in the shadows. "Over there." Cell walked over and inspected the area 19 had indicated. There was nothing but a rock wall.
"What exactly am I supposed to be looking for?" asked Cell.
"There is a safe hidden behind the wall," explained 19. "Dr. Gero kept his blueprints inside of it." Cell nodded. He smashed through the rock (which was actually a fake wall) and found the safe. Not bothering with a combination, Cell proceeded to rip the safe's door off. Inside were several blueprints. Cell picked them up. He walked over to an overturned table and chair and set them both right-side-up. he sat down and spread the blueprints over the table. Several were for Androids (some marked "success", others marked "obsolete" and still others marked "failure"), one was for Cell, and a few others were for various devices.
Android 19 looked for the one Cell was after. He found it and pointed to it. Cell brushed all the other blueprints off of the table.
"This is the one?" he asked.
"Yes," said 19. "That is the device Dr. Gero planned to track the Androids with."
"Good," said Cell. "Then let's get started." With Android 19 pointing everything out, Cell found the parts he needed in no time. Unfortunately, Cell had a hard time reading the blueprints. Creating machinery was not a feature Dr. Gero had included in his design. Thankfully, 19 had been made to help Gero create an Android body suitable for Gero's brain. Engineering was built in. However, 19 only had one arm.
"I have an idea," Cell said after they had gathered the materials.
"What?" asked 19.
"To tell you the truth," said Cell, "I cannot make this device on my own. However, you can. All you need is another arm."
"Yes," said 19, wondering where Cell was going with all of this.
"So," said Cell, "I am going to try something. Something that I believe will give you another arm to work with." 19 nodded. Cell unstrapped 19 from his back and placed him on the table. He looked at his own left arm. "You see, I am able to regenerate. If I were able to put something of me onto you, it could grow into an arm. It may be able to sort of replicate your structure, and grow into your arm."
"That would not work," said 19.
"Why not?" asked Cell, his moment of genius ruined.
"I am not organic in anyway," said 19. "Your idea might work for Seventeen or Eighteen, but not for me." Cell frowned.
"I see," said Cell. "Well, let's try this then." Cell grabbed his left arm, and tore it off. He put it to 19's left arm socket. "If I'm right, this could work. My Cell's should be strong enough to adapt and at least bond with your body." As Cell's arm regenerated, he and 19 watched his old arm. Slowly, root-like structures began growing out of the arm. They attached themselves to 19. Inside, more roots were attaching to the wires that would have connected an arm to 19's central computer. Cell smiled. "Go on, try it out."
19 looked down at the arm. He attempted to move it. At first, it didn't move. He kept trying, and it slowly began to respond. Soon, it was moving as if it had always been a part of him.
"It works," said 19. Cell smiled wider.
"Yes!" he cried. "Yes! Now, we can get to work."
"Agreed," nodded 19. 19 began working right away. "It may take a few days to complete this. What will you do during that time?"
"I'll find something to do," said Cell. "Maybe I'll work on getting you some legs." Cell walked out of the lab through the hole he'd made in the wall. He looked out at the rest of the mountains. 18 and Trunks could be anywhere. But, he would find them.
He started walking around the mountains, thinking. 'I was able to give Nineteen a new arm. What could I do if I injected my cells into a living organism?' He started thinking of the possibilities. Eventually, he found himself wondering what the full extent of his regeneration was. He had already grown his entire body back once. Could he create another body if he wanted to? And how would that work?
He had time, why not try it? He started thinking hard. How to create another body. Did he take off a large enough piece of himself that it could regenerate into a new body? No, that might be dangerous. He'd have another person just like him, and knowing himself, he knew the other would attack him right away. Would the other have a separate mind than him? And what if the other one absorbed him? What would happen then?
Cell shook his head. Best not to try something quite like that. However, he could try and test his other theory. What would happen if he put his own cells into a living thing? He started looking around for something. Anything that moved would do. He saw a bird, a sparrow to be exact, fly by and went for it. He grabbed it as carefully as he could, not wanting to kill it just yet. The bird was frantic, trying to get away from the monster that had grabbed it.
"Hmm," he said, seemingly to the bird. "Let's see what happens if I give you a little bit of myself." He raised his tail. He carefully pricked the bird with the needle-end, and concentrated. Absorbing required nothing more than the thought of absorbing, so the thought of injecting his own DNA should work just as easily. Cell's theory was correct. He injected the bird with some of his own DNA. The bird stopped struggling. Cell opened up his hand and held it out flat. The bird just stood there. Cell had another thought.
"Raise your left wing," said Cell. The bird raised its left wing. 'Raise your right wing,' commanded Cell, in thought only this time. The bird raised it's right wing. At Cell's next thought, the bird lowered both wings. Cell sat down, commanding the bird to perch on his finger. "It seems," Cell told the bird, carefully stroking its head, "That my cells overpower yours. You are now technically a part of me. However, you are just a bird, weak-minded and easily controlled. I need to test this on a smarter animal. On a cunning, wild beast. But first, I want to see just how far into your little mind I am." He closed his eyes and concentrated. Suddenly, he saw himself. He opened up his eyes in surprise. He was looking at the bird, but in his mind's eye he saw himself.
'Turn your head,' commanded Cell, closing his eyes. As the bird carried out his command, he realized with glee that he was indeed seeing what the bird saw. 'Go find me a more suitable test subject.' The bird flew off, searching for a new animal. Cell smiled. While Dr. Gero hadn't designed Cell to create machinery, he had certainly given Cell his willingness to experiment on living things.
"What I have discovered," Cell said out loud to himself, "Is amazing. I had no idea I could do something like this. If it hadn't been for Nineteen's missing arm, I never would have thought of this. I will reward him when the time comes." He concentrated on the bird. The bird had found a pack of wolves. Wolves! Now there was an animal! Cell concentrated, feeling for the bird's location. He found it was easier to track something when it had a piece of himself inside of it.
Cell made his way to his feathered servant. He saw the pack of wolves below them. "Such regal beasts, don't you think?" he asked. The bird nodded. Cell grinned. "Glad you agree. Now, let's find the alpha male." It didn't take long for Cell to find his target. He flew down, waiting for the leader to separate from the group. The pack started moving, the leader going first. Cell waited.
Eventually, the pack of wolves came to a point where, to go first, the leader had to temporarily get out of the other wolves' sight. Cell struck immediately. The wolf seemed to be paralyzed as Cell did the job, but as soon as Cell pulled his tail away, the wolf attacked him. Cell was surprised at the wolf's speed and ferocity. He had expected that being able to control the wolf would not be instant like the bird, but he didn't think the beast would retaliate so quickly.
The wolf jumped at Cell, who through up his arm. The wolf bit down on Cell's arm. At first, he just hung there on Cell's arm. Eventually though, Cell actually started to feel a small amount of pain. Inspection of his arm revealed that the wolf's teeth were actually biting into his arm. Cell's eyes widened in surprise.
'Have my Cell's increased this animal's strength as well?' thought Cell, shaking the wolf off. The wolf jumped at him again. Cell quickly moved to the side, deciding it was time to test his first theory. He launched a Ki blast at the wolf. The wolf's agility, while quite increased, wasn't enough to save the animal from harm. He moved, and the blast caught him in his front, left leg.
"Yip!" cried the wolf, in a serious amount of pain. Suddenly, there was some movement around the area that the wolf's leg used to be. Cell watched in grim satisfaction as the wolf's leg started growing back. He had been right. The other wolves started rushing around the bend. Cell decided it was time to tame the beast. He concentrated hard on the regenerating wolf in front of him.
He felt the wolf struggling. It was much harder to control this animal than Cell had expected. He didn't know if it was because of the complexity of the animal, or because he was controlling the bird at the same time. However, he soon gained some control over the wolf.
His pack was unsure of what to do. Their leader didn't seem to be attacking the green one, and they didn't know wether or not they should either. Cell grinned as a wicked thought came to mind. It was time to truly test the improvements Cell's DNA had brought upon this wolf.
'Kill them,' commanded Cell. 'Killed them all.' The wolf looked at Cell, then back to his pack. He was perfectly still for a moment. Then, he took a step towards the pack.
888
"Ha ha ha!" laughed Cell, walking back into the lab. "Absolutely amazing."
"What?" asked 19, looking up from his work.
"Look at what I've discovered," said Cell. The wolf was walking at his side, and the bird was perched on his shoulder. "By injecting my own cells into these animals, I've been able to control them. And that's not all. Their strength has increased as well."
"Yes," agreed 19, scanning the animals. "Their strength has increased twofold beyond normal parameters."
"Not only that," said Cell, "But they both seem to be able to regenerate."
"Hmm," said 19, scanning further. "It seems that your Cell's rapidly multiplied, while simultaneously fusing with their own. It eventually made it's way to their neural network, and finally to their brains. However, the mind control is limited. The wolf is on the verge of breaking free."
"I know," sighed Cell. "It seems that the mind control doesn't work on more complex creatures. Now, if my cells outnumbered or equaled the cells already in place, I might be able to have total control. But, the wolf's cells greatly outnumber mine." At that moment, the wolf attacked Cell. Cell blocked it's bite. However, the wolf let go, becoming docile again. Cell looked closely at it. It's eyes were green. He looked at the birds, whose eyes were the same color.
"It seems," said 19, voicing Cell's exact thoughts, "That wether or not they are under your control can be determined by their eye color." The wolf's eyes turned brown again. It growled at Cell. Suddenly, it began concentrating. Without warning, it launched a beam of energy from it's mouth. It hit Cell. Cell looked down at where the wolf had hit. The attack had only done enough damage to scratch the surface. While it wasn't much, it meant that thw wolf was getting stronger, a fact 19 soon confirmed. "It's power has increased again. It is now 5 times the strength of a normal wolf."
"Anything else?" asked Cell, blocking the next attack.
"It's power is still increasing," said 19.
"Hmm," said Cell. "It must be my Saiyan DNA."
"What?"
"The DNA I acquired from Goku," explained Cell. " You know the saying, 'Whatever doesn't kill you can only make you stronger'? Well, Saiyans are literal examples of that phrase. When they survive a life-threatening injury, they become more powerful." He paused as the wolf jumped at him. To Cell's surprise, it was able to tackle him to the ground. Cell hadn't expected the wolf to be so strong, so he had been totally unprepared. As the wolf tried to bite, Cell blocked with his arm. "Also, they get stronger when they are upset, or so it seems."
"What did you do to upset the wolf?" asked 19.
"I made him kill his pack," said Cell, nonchalantly. He threw the wolf away from him. The enraged beast landed on his feet and charged forward. Cell grabbed him, and then threw him out of the lab. He blasted the wolf into oblivion, commenting, "I suppose that would upset him enough to increase his power. To bad I didn't have more time to study that one, but he was becoming a bother."
"Agreed," said 19. "If the battle between you two had some how gotten serious, he might have destroyed the device." 19 got back to work. "My sensors indicate that the Wolf could not have regenerated after that. If it did, it would be more you than the wolf, and therefore not a threat." Cell nodded. If only there were a way to start off with something that was mostly himself. He would work on it tomorrow.
888
"Well," said Trunks, looking out of the truck window, "It looks like we're stuck here. I don't think you'll wanna sleep outside in the truck bed now."
"Great," said 18, watching the rain pour down. "Stuck in here all night with you. How terrific."
"Shut up," said Trunks. "I'm not happy about this either." They sat in silence for a while. 18 was still angry about what Trunks had done the day before, what she was keeping it to herself. She'd think of a way to get back at him later. Trunks, meanwhile, was still confused about something. "Hey, Eighteen?"
"What?" asked 18.
"Now," began Trunks, "I realize that you're a person and everything, but, I want to know something. You once said that you hated humans. I don't get it."
"You can be a person without being a human, you know," said 18, not looking at him.
"No," said Trunks, "That's not all though. You also said that you used to be human. If that's the case, why do you hate humans so much?" 18 kept looking out the window, narrowing her eyes.
"Dr. Gero," answered 18. Trunks waited for her to continue. "That's all I'm gonna say. The reason I hate humans is Dr. Gero."
"Oh," said Trunks. He thought about it for a moment. "If it's any consolation, I hate him too."
"Woohoo," said 18 sarcastically. "We have something in common now. We both hate the same guy."
"And Cell," added Trunks. 18 nodded.
"Definitely Cell," said 18. They were quiet again. Trunks looked around the inside of the truck.
"So," he asked. "What do we do now?"
"I don't know," said 18. "It's too early to go to sleep, and we're stuck in here for now." She thought about it for a moment. "Why don't you tell me more about your little trip into the past." Trunks shrugged his shoulders.
"Alright." He began telling the story from where he'd left off.
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The next day, Cell decided to test a new theory. He still had his altered bird. He wanted to see if he could use his cells in combination with the bird's to make a new bird. While 19 worked on the tracking device, Cell found another table to work on. He inserted the needle-point of his tail into the bird and concentrated. He was used to absorbing things whole. Now, he just had to take a bit of the bird's DNA, and he had to keep it from getting into his system. He took in the DNA, concentrating hard. He thought about putting some of his DNA into the bird's, and about not absorbing it.
He had found a powerful microscope and some slides. After a moment, he ejected something onto the slide. It was a small amount of clear liquid. Cell looked at it under the microscope. He saw the cells of both himself and the bird. The cells were multiplying at an accelerated rate. Cell looked at the liquid. It turned into a solid mass of flesh. It began taking shape. Cell watched in fascination as feathers began to grow. In moments, it was a bird. Cell didn't even have to concentrate to see what the bird was seeing.
"19," said Cell. "Look at this." 19 looked over and saw the new bird. The original bird hopped over to the new one to inspect it.
"My scanners show that the new bird is comprised of equal portions of your cells and the bird's," said 19. "However, it has taken on the appearance of the bird alone. Interesting." Cell nodded. Suddenly, the two birds started circling, looking at each other. Cell tried to gather what they were thinking, but bird thoughts were difficult to decipher. From the original, he got a sense of curiosity. From the clone, he got a feeling that he knew all to well: a drive to be complete. The new bird was looking at the old, the way Cell looked at the androids. The old bird was key to the new birds completion.
The birds took a few hops towards each other. The new bird reached out a talon and grabbed the old bird. There was a blinding flash of light. Cell blinked to clear his eyes, which then widened in surprise. There was only one, large bird standing there now! It was easily twice the size of either of the two birds that had been there before.
"What was that?" asked 19, looking over. He saw that there was now only one bird. "What happened?"
"I... I'm not entirely sure," said Cell, "But I think the birds fused somehow."
"Hmm," said 19, scanning. "It seems that this bird is twice as powerful as the old one."
"Interesting," said Cell. The bird stood there, awaiting orders. It had only acted independently when confronted by itself, and it's actions had been the same as Cell's: do what was necessary to become whole. "Very interesting." He commanded the bird to perch on his shoulder. He had one more experiment to test out. He began walking outside. As he did, he turned to ask 19 something. "How long until you've finished that tracker?"
"I should have it done tomorrow," said 19.
"Good," said Cell. He went off to find somewhere to test out his new theory. Maybe, he could create something entirely of his own cells. It was a long shot, but it was worth trying.
888
18 slowly opened her eyes, still sleepy. She'd never been a morning person. She noticed that she seemed to be leaning on something. She looked over. Oh, it was just Trunks. She closed her eyes, trying to get back to sleep. They snapped open, and she sat up straight.
"Gross," she said quietly. "I fell asleep on Trunks." She looked over at him. Her movement hadn't disturbed his sleeping. "Lazy Saiyan. Sleeps like a log." She saw Trunks suddenly grimace.
"No," he said. "Gohan... why did you go alone? I could have helped..." Trunks breathing became heavy. "No... No... No! Those monsters! Ha!" Trunks sat straight up, anger etched in his face. He brought his breathing under control, looking over at 18. She was looking at him strangely, her eyes wide. "What?"
"You were talking in your sleep," said 18.
"Oh," said Trunks. "Then you already know what I was dreaming about, huh?" 18 slowly shook her head.
"Haven't had that dream in a while," said Trunks, starting up the truck. "Doesn't matter though." 18 said nothing. What could she say in this situation? Deciding that she really couldn't say anything, she went to looking out the window.
It was a long, quiet ride.
888
He'd done it. Cell had created a body made entirely of his own cells. It was a small creature, yet powerful. It looked just like him too. Strangely enough, the creature (which Cell had dubbed a Cell Jr.) Was both independent minded and yet totally obedient to Cell. His last experiments had either been one or the other. Cell nodded in satisfaction as the Cell Jr. looked at his surroundings.
However, it had taken a lot of effort to create the Cell Jr. It had left Cell very tired. He called the Cell Jr. over, and immediately absorbed him back into his body. "I suppose that when I am perfect," Cell said, "This won't be such an effort. What do you think?" The bird perched on his shoulder nodded. "That's what I thought." Ah yes. One more reason to look forward to perfection.
Cell went back to the lab. As he entered, the Android containment unit he'd seen the day before caught his eye once more. "Which android is that for?" he asked 19.
"That unit is for Android Sixteen," answered 19, working on the devices circuit board. "Dr. Gero created him to kill Goku. However, he was deemed a failure and locked away."
"Oh," said Cell. "Not worth my time then?"
"No," said 19. "Sixteen is a complete failure that does not fight." After that, Cell forgot all about it. An Android that didn't fight? Useless. No point in absorbing something like that. Besides, only absorbing 18 would do.
Cell grinned. If Android 19 was correct, then he would be doing so soon. Very soon.
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Tada! Done. So yes, animal cruelty in this chapter. I told you Cell was evil. I had to make him do something that I would hate to really make him a villain, you know?
Now, the experiments may have seemed a little random, but trust me: they have a purpose. I thought it would be better to work with this stuff sooner rather than use it as originally intended later. I had to let Cell know he had these powers before they become really important to the story.
And how about that 19 appearance, huh? That was an on-the-fly decision that I thought help the story. And 16 might pop up later, who knows? I knows, ha!
And, of course, things are still a little tense between Trunks and 18. Who knows though, they might start getting along eventually.