The last few days had been a big game of cat and mouse for Cell. After having fully assimilated the King of Monsters into his body he felt as if he had more than enough power to take on his brother and sister and delaying that would only make it that much easier for Trunks to get the jump on them before he could met out the punishment they deserved for defying their father.

He could not sense their energy, but whenever they caused a scene in town he could pick it up just by sensing the life that was being extinguished there and it made him feel sick. 'to think, in my past life I spent day in and day out not even picking up on these things…' But some part of him couldn't help thinking it was a blessing in that life. At any rate, whenever he picked up on that loss of life he would rush over to try and assist the humans but found only the crumbling remains of the settlements by the time he got there.

Not all was lost thankfully. Whenever he entered such haunted remnants of human cities he would take some time and pick out the humans that survived his brethren's rampage and help them in what ways his Namekian genes would allow. 'Piccolo would be proud to see his tribe's magic is being used for such good' Cell couldn't help but have those personal thoughts every now and then. The namek warrior was a part of him so he figured it HAD to be true if he believed it.

With every human he rescued, his following seemed to increase. At first these people were horrified by the aspect of an Android coming to their rescue, but when they learned that his mission was to put to rest those other two that caused such destruction they accepted him quite readily.

He was becoming so well known by the humans that by now…they never seemed to question his android nature and would simply know who he was just by his green carapace. Word traveled fast…And he couldn't help wondering if this was how Hercule felt when he was adored by the citizens of the past. 'Except I won't give them false bravado. I Intend to live UP to their expectations.'

But being unable to save them all stung. He could only pick up the stragglers, the survivors who were wise enough to avoid his brother and sister in their rampage and then give them the guidance they needed to carry on. He vowed to make them pay…but it was difficult when he would only pick up glimmers of their power whenever they were terrorizing the populace.

His searches eventually led him to a place he'd urged many of the humans he'd rescued into going to. West City was one of the few remaining strongholds of humanity and a refuge for people who had no place else to go. That probably wouldn't last too much longer though Cell feared. West City probably avoided the Android's assault in the original timeline, but now there was so much activity…more humans due to his meddling that they probably would not leave this place unchecked for much longer.

Hopefully…He could keep damage to a minimum if he remained in West City's territory. His biggest flaw was being unable to keep up in real time with the Android's diabolical actions. He'd always be only just a moment or two behind but in here…he might be able to stop the destruction they've wreaked from happening at all. West City would be defended…even if he had to use his own glorious body as a shield.

His first order of business in the still unravaged community was to make nice with some of the locals that would make his life in this world just a little bit easier. And finding a fully functioning server wouldn't hurt either. The Doctor had offered many things to him that made life abundantly easier than his time as a human had been, but there were gaps…gaps that Gero could not make up for because even his knowledge of the world was incomplete.

Thankfully, Capsule Corp was still intact. It wasn't nearly the tech giant it had once been and it's staff seemed all but vanished, the building still remained a signpost of hope for everyone in the city. The Time machine had been no real secret at least to the people in West City…They knew it was their only hope, but they didn't know that it was a forlorn one.

At least it HAD been their only hope. He was going to give them a new one…And it started with this place. Without the security team that otherwise would have been swarming at his approach it was easy to get into the main computer room where he HOPED he would find what he was after.

He didn't have to hope for long. As those doors slid open for him to get inside he could hear the sound of a familiar female voice, One he'd heard long ago amongst his collection back in that other world and would remind him that he's about to meet someone he thought he'd only find in his dreams.

"Are you back Trunks? You were gone a lot longer than I expected you to be away. You gave the Antidote to Goku right?"

It was hard to miss the ONE person sitting in the room with her eyes glued to a monitor. The woman in question was one of the last surviving members of 's family and probably the only human alive who could match his maker in intellect. She DID reverse engineer the shut down switch for the androids in the past and even repaired a severely damaged Android 16.

That said, the woman he was looking at now was much older than he'd remembered her being. The looks of age wasn't lost on Cell as her greenish har wass combed back and tied down in a ponytail she could have very well passed as being in her 30's but both his internal records and his understandings of this world from the media he'd consumed before becoming Cell, he knew that her appearance betrayed much of what she was.

As old as she might be, he knew that inside this intelligent woman was someone who had the courage to defy Freiza, the strength to stand up to Vegeta and somehow even manage to tame a God with sweet pastries and delicious sundae's.

"No Bulma." Cell answered with his usual raspy voice as he approached, waiting for her to turn around and gaze at his green scaled form. "Trunks by my calculations will not be back for another two days. He's preoccupied…fighting another me."

Bulma's first instinct was to scream at her intrusion but she refrained from it. Shouting wouldn't get her away from this creature, and more than anything, she found his appearance curious. "How did you get in here…? Even without guards we still have-"

"A high tech security system? Sorry to say dearie but my intelligence goes beyond that…It was easy enough to bypass the security of this building after making a bit of a personal connection to it." His tail twitched behind him, thinking of how he'd only just minutes before had dipped his stinger into one of the access panels of the building and syphoned out it's security programs. He'd have to remember to reinstate everything he took once his business here concluded.

Watching the tail twitching and those eyes tracking her down, she couldn't help but be somewhat mesmerized by his whole figure…like something was screaming at her that this one needed to be examined. "You're an Android aren't you…? The one people keep talking about nowadays?"

"I certainly hope they're talking GOOD things." Cell remarked with his arms crossed just for posture. "But to answer your question yeees…I am an Android created by Doctor Gero to become the world's ultimate life form"

Internally, despite his outward appearance, Cell was becoming increasingly giddy. {I'm actually talking to Bulma…! The woman who invented the Dragon Radar and kick started Goku's whole adventure!}

"Uh-huh…" She took her eyes away from the monitor for just a moment, more interested in Cell than she was about the time machine and picked up a small pen she'd kept at her desk. "Why aren't you attacking me then? Trunks isn't here, it's the perfect opportunity. And how do you know where he is? What's this…OTHER you?"

"My you are full of so many questions aren't you? No matter…I'll quench your thirst if you quench mine." He uncrossed his arms so that he looked as though he dropped his guard and let his tail wave towards his arms which he started caressing it with.

"To start matters off…I have no intention of killing you or any humans. If anything…I want to protect you humans, you will be my empire that the Doctor envisioned but I don't seek to destroy the world, only rule and protect it." He kept rubbing along the underside of his tail, completely enamored by the fact all of his feats so far and his power stemmed from that part of him. "My only rule going forward is that you humans do not try anything nefarious by trying to de-throne me."

"As for how I know where he is and the OTHER me, I can answer both of those in one go." Actually he could only answer them vaguely. He didn't want to alter history more than he already was, and he certainly knew she wouldn't believe him if he said he came from another world. "Because Doctor Gero created me to be the perfect organism, I was created to assimilate both Android's 17 and 18 in this world, a goal that I intend to accomplish but I will need some of your assistance to do it."

"I am aware of the time machine, and I know Trunks went to the past in hopes of changing it for the future. But just as you would change the past, there is always the chance that your change could affect other timelines. A me from one of those timelines had the same idea…probably because the Androids were defeated by Trunks and jumped into the past to become complete." He sighed, fingers slowly slipping away from his tail as he let it slink back behind him. "Just because I want to protect humans, doesn't mean that other me will feel the same way."

It was a lot of information to process. The idea that her son even using the Time Machine would cause such a rift in the time/space continuum had always been a factor, but she didn't think that it would cause differences in their timelines like this. It also meant whatever was happening in the past was separate from what was to occur here. Any normal person would have called Cell crazy for such an outlandish theory, but she was forced to accept it as legitimate…There wasn't any other reason for Trunks to delay coming back.

"Alright I believe you. You mentioned needing my help? But what can "I" do that your creator hasn't already done for you?" It was a legitimate question. While Bulma didn't doubt her technical genius, given she'd developed the Dragon Radar and even the time machine she had to wonder what she could add onto what Gero had already equipped this android for.

"Ah…well you see. THIS is what I need." From there he started explaining to Bulma what ideas he had in store…The invasion he believed would be coming any day now and how he intended to keep everyone safe as well as her part in it.

"With any luck…Everything will come together. So then…do I have your word…?" Cell asked, tail twisting about and at one point, even hovering above the human female.

A big plan…That was all Bulma could think. An outlandish one that could put everyone here at risk, yet without Trunks she had little hope but to place it all on Cell. "I'll help. But only under the condition you let me extensively study your body once everything is said and done. I doubt I'll get to check those Androids out after you absorb them so you're the next best thing."

{Bulma wants to study me?! Could this day get any better?!}

In his excitement, his tail's tip had begun to expand, growing into a bell like shape around Bulma in which she could vividly make out the fleshy pink interior that was inside leaving her speechless. At his own mishap, Cell quickly lifted his tail up and forced the tip to shrink back into it's needle like tip. "Ah…Apologies Bulma…I think I got a little excited there. Yes you may examine me to your hearts content."

She should have been more worried that his tail had expanded around her but her curiosity as a mechanics engineer overrode her anxiety of what he might have done. If anything she quickly grabbed a notebook from her table and started fiercely scribbling on the first empty page she found. The ferocity in which she took notes was admirable and at the same time worrying…Hopefully she didn't go TOO overboard when it came time for him to make good on his part of the deal.

The next few hours were peaceful, minus the faint hum of the machinery than filled the capsule building as his new partner in crime had spent who knows how long over the monitor in front of her. Figuring they were just about on their way, Cell himself took to his own role and stepped out of the main building, opting instead to stand sentry on the rooftop.

"With this much human activity they're bound to show up…And with my power being masked, they shouldn't have any clue that they'll face real opposition." Cell's arms remained folded over themselves, even as he ran his tongue over his beak like mouth. He couldn't wait to get his claws on those androids…Everyone in town was made privy to the plan. No reason to leave them in the dark and have them get themselves killed out of carelessness.

It helped that they had an almost unhealthy reverence of him. Whenever he spoke, the humans he'd once saved hung on every word that came out of his beak, treating it like gospel. Some moments he wondered if he'd created a new kind of monster and yet…He felt as though their admiration of him was all according to his maker's plan. {They love me. I better live up to their expectations.}

His thoughts were broken when one of the residents of the city bellowed a warning. "They're here! The Android…They're in West City!"

The tone was definitely one of terror. Suddenly the city was filled with the sound of screams as people scrambled to find cover. It was the first time now that Cell had seen just what kind of terror his siblings had ingrained within the human race. He had to put a stop to this.

Cell hovered above the city a he watched the two android's whom he came to swear as his enemies flying into the city limits. His male sibling, Android 17 was wearing the same black shirt with the red ribbon logo and blue jeans that he'd remembered the mechanical menace wearing when he'd woken and murdered their creator. The orange bandana that he kept tied around his neck fluttered towards his right shoulder as the wind blew it out of place. Cold blue yes that held no life in them except that cruel satisfaction he had when he saw humans scurrying around like rats.

His sister was likewise despicable. The Cell in the past had once referred to Android 18 as 'Poetry in Motion' But when he looked at those cruel eyes similar to her twin brothers, the only beauty she possessed was vain. She was wearing a blue Denim Vest and skirt, which the Red ribbon logo could clearly be seen if one were looking at her back. She wore a black shirt underneath her vest with black and white striped sleeves that covered up her arms.

If there was any sort of beauty in her left, it had long since diminished. Neither android wasted time but it was 18 that lifted a finger first and fired a narrow beam of energy into one of the buildings closest to the City limits, cutting off escape by letting the ensuing debris obscure the south exit.

Amid their panic, Cell found that it would be increasingly difficult to corral his humans if they were in a frenzy. "Seek shelter now humans! These two are mine!" He shouted as far as his raspy voice would allow him.

There was a howl of confusion from some of the panicked humans but they subsided when they looked up at the Bio Android who was hovering above them. As if his very presence would shelter them from this attack.

Another focused finger beam fired into the city but this time by Android 17. This one was diverted by Cell, who flicked the attack aside like it had been just a passing annoyance. That by itself annoyed 17 who after a scowl decided to regain his composure, hovering around Cell alongside his sister. "Look at this 18. This creature thinks that he can put an end to our fun. I think we need to teach this fool a lesson before he loses more than just his tail."

"I swear 17 you're just like a little kid. All you want to do is play." Android 18 stationed herself at Cell's Flank while her brother hovered up front. "But I guess we can't put the humans down if this miserable creature wants to get in our way."

While they had the tactical advantage, Cell still felt as though he had nothing to fear. His first order of business would be to separate the two maybe even disable. His thoughts were cut off when Android 17 charged right into him with a right hook. The motion itself as slow motion to Cell who thought maybe his sensors were on the fritz but it was simply the result of having absorbed so much potent bio extract these last few weeks. He was quickly able to counter and grab the male android's fist and toss him aside.

17 on the other hand felt as though he'd just been toyed with. As fast as he was, this…THING managed to not only evade his attack but tossed him into the street like a ragdoll, dirtying his favorite scarf. "The hell…?! You'll pay for that!"

18 took this opportunity herself, pressing her wrists together, she intended to fire a special Ki blast that she'd used to disarm and take Trunks out of the battle in their last skirmish. It worked so well on tender human flesh she thought this bug shouldn't last much more than the half Saiyan had.

"Hmm?" Cell turned to meet her gaze and caught only the overconfident smile on her face when she fired her overcharged ki blast into his side. There was barely any time to react at all that he just had to let the impact go through.

"How's that? Nobody stands in the way between me and my bro. You thought you could humiliate us but you're no better than these weak humans."

The smoke was thick, making it hard for anyone to see what still remained in that cloud but there was definitely a lone figure there. Standing stationary until a cracking sound could be heard within. Judging by the silhouette of the figure in the smoke cloud they had just cracked their neck to the left before doing the same to the right.

"Is that all you can do sister? I'm disappointed in you…!" Flexing his wings, Cell let them spread out and in doing so disperse the smoke so that they could all see that he was in fact unharmed. A fact that surprised even himself. "You're the disastrous twins that have been terrorizing humanity and yet, you can't even put a scratch on me. I think it's more merciful that I take you both now instead of leaving Trunks to do the dirty work."

Though he says merciful…He intended to be much more menacing to them than the half saiyan could ever be. He coughed once as if to clear his throat then shouted from the top of his lungs. "Engage the barrier!"

Inside of Capsule Corp's main building, Bulma was still tapping the last few lines of software code into her monitor when she heard the bellowing voice of the Bio Android. "Don't get so bossy! Jeez…!" She was never one to calmly take orders anyway. She pressed the enter key on the keyboard she'd been working on and felt a sense of pride when the sound of engines humming to life sounded around here. "This plan of yours better work Cell. That's all I have to say about it."

"Barrier?" 17 Was only just getting back up to his feet when a translucent green sphere enveloped the entirety of the city. The only parts not encased were some of the outer bands where the more suburban homes were located but for the most part…they were now trapped like mice! "What the hell do you think you're doing? Let us out this instant!"

The android wasted no time trying to blast his way out, yet no matter how many Ki blasts he barraged into the barrier it seemed to just eat up his attacks. "What kind of sorcery is this…!"

"Not Sorcery. Just plain old engineering." Cell cackled as he pointed to the Capsule corp building that was generating it's own miniature barrier. "I gave Bulma the schematics to Android 19 and 20's energy absorbing hardware. She'd already prepared a means of defense for your eventual invasion but till now she didn't have a way to power it. Until now."

Cell fired a single Ki blast into the barrier, watching it get sucked up as if it were a sponge soaking up water and grinned towards his siblings. "Fire all you want but you'll just make the barrier stronger. You're trapped like Mice, unless you decide to play my game."

17 in his rage charged towards Cell, trying to land whatever blow he could to the bio android but his attacks were being effortlessly evaded. Humiliation and frustration welled up inside of the man before he was struck in the face by Cell's tail which promptly began to coil around his neck and chest. "you…monster…! Let us go…!"

"As I was saying…" Cell continued, looking impassive as his tail held his captive firmly in place. "We're going to play a little game. This barrier eats up your energy whenever you strike it, but it's not an infinite source of power. If you can survive 30 minutes in this barrier it's power will be drained and you will be free to leave this city."

"30 minutes…? What kind of game is this…!?" 17 choked out, using one arm to try and pry Cell's tail loose. "Hide and seek?"

Cell turned his attention back to 17 who was still defiantly trying to escape his clutches. "It's a game of survival. If I find you, I will devour you. I will absorb you and make you mine forever. Of course…" Cell licked his beak as he suddenly grabbed hold of 17's shoulders to allow his tail free reign to move again. He expanded the tip to form the bell like shape in front of the male android as he allowed the poor guy to stare into the abyss within him. "You can always decline my offer, and I'll just take you now."

A shiver of fear came through 17's core. Fear?! He was the greatest marvel of human engineering! He hated Gero's guts but he was the strongest alive and this…this thing…! Instilled an unnamed terror inside of him. He wanted to get away…HAD to get away. "Alright…alright! We'll play your stupid game…!"

"Excellent…!" Cell hoped that 17 would comply. He removed his grip and crossed his arms. "Both of you better get to running. I'll give you a 10 second head start…after that the hunt begins." He fired one last Ki blast into the barrier as if to give them a fresh start on the clock. "30 minutes starting now!"

This was insane…10 seconds wasn't nearly enough time, especially to regroup so both androids were forced to flee in different directions. Without being able to sense their energy this would make the hunt so much more intriguing…And they couldn't sense their own ki either so regrouping now would be a miracle on their part.

"I will enjoy my meal...And make you both squirm in terror like you've done to so many other humans." Cell cackled, deciding to start with Android 18 first. He knew the general direction she'd fled to and used his own internal map data that he'd gained from Capsule Corp's systems to best figure out where she might have been hiding.

He sounded every bit like a villain but then he was probably something like that to these two anyway then he remembered {These two are sociopaths. If I don't eliminate them then they'll never learn.} He listened to the sounds of the city and found that after he'd warned the humans to evacuate it had become quite the ghost town. Wind blew some loose flyers off buildings but aside from that, only his breathing and the TSK…TSK…TSK! Of his footsteps could be heard.

That sound was terrifying to Android 18, who'd only now associated that noise with her own demise. The way this monster…This…Cell had eaten her attack without so much as a scratch, and proven that they were no match for him sent an unfamiliar chill down her spine.

This thing…it was their natural predator…Everything in this world had a place and she assumed that She and her brother were at the very top. And yet right now her instincts were telling her if she got caught it would be the end.

To that end when she saw him from the corner of a window of a building she'd crawled into she felt an overwhelming presence. He'd hidden his Ki from her but when his footsteps came closer and closer, and she caught the image of this green beast's back and his tail she suddenly felt as though he'd grown three times larger.

Her breathing got louder and ragged, and she started stepping back and deeper into the building she'd gone into. Judging by the stairs she assumed it was a company building and not simply an apartment complex. "I have to get away…Thirty minutes. Thirty minutes is all I need."

"Thirty minutes indeed!" Cell's voice boomed around her. His presence was overwhelming and his voice sounded like it came over 18's shoulder yet nothing was there. Still…The building quivered as his voice boomed. Below?

"But you will never last that long…I will consume you. Am I behind you…? Am I already within arms reach? By the time you ever find out you'll be all mine." The ground in front of 18 suddenly crumbled into a human sized hole, with Cell hovering right into it.

Her eyes widened at his approach. She quickly tossed a ki blast his way and made her way to the closest window and jumped out. "He won't get me! He won't…!"

"Won't I?"

His voice was still raspy but it was softer…She looked behind her and found him right at her back, just an arms length away. She saw his tail lunging towards her at half speed, just fast enough for her to step aside before it came to strike again.

Cell was having too much fun with this. Here he was making light of one of the most dangerous individuals that ever stepped foot on the planet…A terror on humanity. Yet even with all her strength he seemed to instill terror into her. "What's the matter 18? Have you lost your nerve? You shouldn't really have this much trouble evading me. I cannot sense your Ki."

"Then how are you finding me?" She had her fists clenched as she prepared to get into the FIGHT part of her instincts. Every fiber in her design was telling her that she was going to lose, but every fiber in her being was also telling her now that she'd been found she wouldn't escape him.

"You told me where you were by your breathing." Cell answered with a confident sneer, using one of his sharpened clawed fingers to point at where his ears would have been. "With Piccolo's cells inside of me, I can hear everything you've said. Doesn't matter if you whispered it. And what with the humans having vacated the area…It was no problem picking up your distressed heartbeat. You ARE still fundamentally human after all."

"At your core you're a frightened animal when faced with a predator capable of hunting you down. You and your brother. I bet even now all you're thinking about is yourself. Have you once thought about considering how your human victims felt being hunted down?"

She was about to answer him, though judging from her demeanor it seemed he already caught on to what she was going to say as he held his hand out. "Don't bother responding. I bet even now you really don't care IF this is how they felt. Well…don't worry my dear sister. Soon you'll be feeling muuuuch better."

As he said that, he allowed his tail to slither and hover over his shoulder as if it were a second head. One ready to strike. "you'll feel better once you're a part of me!"

A primal fear gripped her at this point. She watched him approach, heard those footsteps and in her desire to get away from him she did what any cornered animal might do and charged at him, fists curled up as she landed a punch right into his face. She seemed to take this with some confidence when his head turned from the impact, and she followed it up believing she was getting somewhere.

What she didn't see however was his repositioning of the tail. It slowly stretched outward into the bell shaped funnel above her that would spell her doom. It was only once she paused to take a breather that she noticed the shadow above her. "What is…!?"

Staring up, she saw into what she could only describe as a sight of horrors. The Funnel had already closed in around her and what she saw was the fleshy pink insides of his tail. A scream came out of her but because of the tail's quick movement her shoulders had been firmly pinned. "MMMMMPH!"

Cell laughed, feeling how she struggled, hands pushing at her sides yet finding no means of resistance as a stroke pull was dragging her in. He watched her bulge, the head shape that was stretching just past his tail's tip where his more fleshy skin could stretch out around her. "Haaaahahahahah! You're all mine now…!"

His voice was like a loud echo around her…Slick pink flesh squished around her as the muscles forced her further inside. If this was what it felt like to be in a throat then she definitely didn't want to experience it again. The tail contracted and squeezed around her like a snake might around it's prey, though this wasn't so much to sap her of her strength as it was to pull her inside.

Like a vaccume…But it was more mechanical than that. She felt the muscles move along her body like a massage as more of her was dragged into that abyss. Darkness growing closer with each inch as light from the outside was being filtered out. Not only that…She could HEAR his body. It was such an intimate moment that she could hear every subtle wet noise that his muscles made whenever they pulled her inside, to the sound of slow gurgling sounds from further within that made her wonder what would happen to her once she made it to the base…!?

This seemed to renew her struggles as his tail swallowed around her waist by now. Her legs now kicking in the air right in front of him as he lifted it just enough so that all that was left of her was hanging right before him. He wanted to see every inch of her go down…to disappear and become his completely. His laughter couldn't be contained at this point as a sense of giddiness overtook him. He was accomplishing the wishes of his maker! He was having his revenge…following the doctor's plan!

"Yees…be all mine…! Let that terror you feel engulf you just as I am doing to you…And then let it all go. Soon you'll be part of the greatest imperfection the world could ever have…!"

Soon as his tail 'swallowed' her up to her ankles, her features in his tail could be described as very hourglass shaped. Only her feet were sticking out of him now but it would only take a few more swallows to finish off what was left of her. As those feet were sucked right on in, he finally allowed himself a moment to savor the unique flavor of absorbing someone whole and alive. It was so euphoric and he desired to have this feeling yet again.

Nothing would be as filling as Godzilla had been. But he'd never swallowed someone whole like this before. As the length of her body trailed along the whole of his tail, he felt overjoyed…A shiver even as she screamed within him. It made his body vibrate with the sound of her voice, of which she must have been doing so at the top of her lungs…! But as her bodies shape found it's way to the base of his back all yelling ceased with the resounding *GLRRRRRK* Sound that came from finishing off his big meal.

"Whew…She'd been a tough meal to…SWALLOOOOOOOW" Cell had intended to gloat but as she found her way inside his core he began to feel very different. His body was encasing her, absorbing it actively and integrating her into his body. His body started glowing, his words bellowing through the streets as he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Like echoes, the ground shook. Android 17 from his own hiding area behind a cashier's counter could feel the tremors in the area…Could HEAR that brute's voice and felt an untold fear grip him on the inside. He suddenly recalled the last conversation he'd had with 17 years ago, back when they had killed him he mentioned… something.

"He will…Some day he will avenge me…and you will be part of my greatest creation…!"

Those words echoed in 17's head in this moment. Could this be that greatest creation…?! Cell…! "He must have been there at the lab…! We should have destroyed him." 17 snarled quietly to himself once he realized the mistake they'd made in the past. They assumed nobody would be a threat to them, especially if three of this worlds greatest Super Saiyan's had failed to get the job done.

"And yet…Look at what's happening now." 17 jammed his fist into the side of the table he'd been hiding under. He refused to believe they were meant to be fodder…Mere food for this…this THING now. And yet…he could hear it from here…and something in his hardware what was happening. "18…"