A/N: Hektols, you made an excellent point about power absorption. I guess the only explanation I can think of is that when Cell absorbs people, he also absorbs their latent life energy, not just what's on the surface (e.g. Tien had a lot of life energy, which is why he was able to hold off Semi-Perfect Cell in the canon, despite being so many times weaker). But yes, power levels can be very inconsistent haha. ^^;

I also wanted to dedicate this chapter to the late Hiromi Tsuru-san (Bulma's Seiyuu for the entirety of the DB franchise). You were truly a wonderful and talented person and Dragon Ball fans will miss you forever. Rest in peace, Hiromi. :'(

Chapter 60: Saiyan bond

Inside Dr. Gero's hidden lab…

"That right there must be the super-computer that Gero programmed to create Cell." The teenager looked in awe at the ten-foot tall machine, all wired up and most likely running on a perpetual energy generator, just like Seventeen and Eighteen. He shivered in disgust, upon seeing the accompanying perspex incubator, wherein floated a foetal creature that bore an unmistakable resemblance to Cell.

"He sure is ugly." Krillin shuddered in revulsion. "So, what do you say we get this show on the road?"

"Wait a moment." Trunks walked towards a table, on which lay a handful of schematics. He closely assessed the topmost diagram. "Whoa, check this baby out. It looks like the design for Android Seventeen."

"No kidding?" The bald man went over and had a look. "A human base?" Krillin frowned, as he skimmed through the data on the blueprint. "So they were once human, huh? That must be how Eighteen was able to heal herself, with a senzu bean. It makes so much sense now."

"I- I guess so."

'It might also explain why Seventeen cares about her so much.' Krillin mentally noted. 'They may well have been lovers at some point, before Dr. Gero got a hold of them.' He scowled, at the thought. 'Goddamn him! That monster!' The dwarfish fighter was further convinced that the two of them weren't inherently evil, at least not in this timeline. However, he wisely decided to keep his mouth shut, not giving voice to such contentious notions.

"We should probably take these with us." Trunks folded up the diagrams. Something suddenly clicked in the back of demi-Saiyan's mind. "Wait a minute. In the future that Cell emerged from, we discovered a way to destroy the Androids. What if it was because of these blueprints?" He quickly put two-and-two together. "What if mom's able to create another shutdown remote that'll allow us to finish them off? I know that if anyone can do that, it's her!"

"Well Trunks, to be honest with you, I think if we destroy Cell that might not even be necessary." Krillin opined, cringing at the subsequent glare he received from the half-Saiyan.

"Are you nuts?!"

"Just stop and think about it." The bald warrior cautiously went on. "Vegeta was able to beat Eighteen and Piccolo's even stronger than he is, now that he's fused with Kami. On top of all that, Goku's gonna wake up any day now. I seriously doubt that the Androids would hold a candle against those three, especially with the rest of us standing behind them."

"And you just wanna take that risk?" Trunks seethed. "We don't even know how strong Android Sixteen is."

"That's true, but-"

"Look I know you mean well Krillin, but you don't know what the hell you're talking about!" The young half-breed brusquely snapped, in a manner that was very uncharacteristic of the normally polite and placid teenager. "I won't allow this timeline to end up like my own and that's all there is to it!"

"Okay, okay sheesh." The bald man sighed in resignation. He couldn't really blame Trunks for not seeing eye-to-eye with him, given all the horrors he'd endured. The poor boy had suffered a life replete with death, destruction and desolation. He'd never known true peace. Krillin was almost glad that the future version of himself had been murdered by the Androids. The alternative seemed worse. Nonetheless, he just couldn't imagine their present counterparts doing anything so cruel, no matter how hard he tried. They didn't seem at all, like the sadistic sort and from personal experience, he knew that sort all too well.

Once again, he recalled the look of unabated horror embedded on Eighteen's beautiful face, at her terrifying brush with death. Was it really okay to put an abrupt end to her existence with the mere push of a button, an existence that she clearly valued? She hadn't even done anything wrong- yet. She was a person just like any other. So was Seventeen and the two of them clearly cared for one-another. Their lives weren't meaningless or worthless. If he could just find some way of dissuading the Androids from their ludicrous mission to kill Goku, then there would be no need for a bloody battle, which would undoubtedly end with losses on both sides. And since the dragon balls were no longer active those losses would be permanent.

Once the subterranean lab was destroyed, Trunks made a mad dash for Capsule Corporation in order to get his hyper-intelligent mother on board, while Krillin headed to Kame House to regroup with the rest of their allies.

XXXX

Three days had raced by and the hunt for Cell had been fruitless, thus far. The insectoid creature had proven itself extremely meticulous in covering its tracks. Scores of wretched individuals had fallen victim to this monster and whenever Piccolo or Vegeta would come within two miles of the carnage, he'd cleverly mask his energy and find a safe hiding spot, preferably underground, where no one would ever think to look for him.

"This isn't working." The Namekian growled, in frustration. "At this rate, he'll keep growing stronger and we'll never be able to catch him."

"Then what the hell do you suggest?" The Prince simmered, with exasperation. "He can't hide forever."

"That's just it, he doesn't have to." Piccolo huffed. "With his energy suppressed, he can't move as fast, but that doesn't mean he can't move at all. He's able to sense our approach."

"Why not just blow up the whole place then?"

"There're innocent people living here, you know?" The green alien glowered askance at the Saiyan.

"So?" Vegeta dismissively rejoined. "Better a quick death than having the life sucked out of you, one molecule at a time. Besides we can just wish them back with the- oh right, I forgot. No more dragon balls." He was suddenly struck with an idea. "What if you split back into two beings?"

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" Piccolo smirked knowingly. "What's the problem? Can't handle being second best?"

"Tch, you won't talk so big once this is all over." The flame-haired warrior groused.

"Well anyway, the answer to your question is no." The Namek replied. "Once Kami and I merged, there was no going back. Both of us knew exactly what we signed up for."

"Then how'd you separate in the first place?" Vegeta lifted an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Kami was the one who did that and it took him many years of meditation." Piccolo answered. "In any case, even if there were dragon balls around, I couldn't just let you destroy a whole town. There's bound to be another way." Seconds later, a peculiar thought came to him. "Wait a second. I think I know just what to do." He ceased his flight and held his hands in front of his mouth, as he bellowed aloud. "CELL! GO AHEAD AND KEEP HIDING LIKE THE COWARD YOU ARE, BUT KNOW THIS! IF YOU DON'T SHOW YOURSELF RIGHT NOW, WE'RE GOING TO FIND ANDROIDS SEVENTEEN AND EIGHTEEN AND DESTROY THEM!"

Cell panicked from where he was stationed below ground, striated stomach folding up in dismay, as he was overcome with indecision. If anything were to happen to Seventeen and Eighteen, all his efforts would've been for naught. But if he revealed himself, he was a goner for sure. Dithering for a while, he ultimately decided that his only option was to continue playing hide-and-seek, until the meddlesome pair above ended their futile endeavours. After that, it was simply a race for time. He needed to surpass Piccolo and Vegeta, before they got the chance to confront the Androids, else everything could end in failure.

"As if he's going to fall for that." The Prince scoffed.

"Of course he's not." The Namekian smirked. "But believe me, he's gonna fall for something a whole lot worse. He just doesn't know it yet."

"What do you mean?"

"By my estimation, it'll take around a month or two, for me to realize my full potential." Piccolo began unveiling his plan. "But when I do, I'll easily be twice as strong as I am now, perhaps even stronger. Once that happens, all I need to do is flare my energy and get Cell's attention. He's gonna believe that we're engaging the Androids and he'll rush to try and intervene. That'll be my chance to take him out."

"You want to draw him towards you like a moth to the flame, huh?" Vegeta smirked. "What makes you think he'll let himself be snared so easily, considering the fact that he's not willing to risk his hide now?"

"By then, he'll have absorbed a lot more humans, enough to think that he has what it takes to overwhelm me." The Namek stiffly answered. "If I raise my power to my current level, I can lure him towards me and lull him into a false sense of security."

"So basically, your plan revolves around a large-scale massacre of the very people you insist on saving." The Prince grimaced, not looking too impressed. "And yet you're telling me that it's a bad idea to vaporize them right now, where it'll be far quicker and with fewer casualties?"

A lingering silence followed, wrought with unease.

"You make a compelling case, but what if we level the area and Cell still manages to survive?" Piccolo finally replied. "We'd be back to square one."

Vegeta couldn't argue with that. After all, Frieza had been able to persevere somehow, after the destruction of Planet Namek and Cell was much stronger than the lizard.

"Alright fine, have it your way." The Saiyan relented, before smirking at his green-skinned comrade. "But just in case you don't know, you're not the only one who has a mountain of power, lying beneath the surface."

"Is that right?" Piccolo smirked back. "I sort of figured as much. You Saiyans always look for a way to climb to the top, but it's not gonna happen this time around."

"Keep telling yourself that."

And so, Vegeta flew back to Capsule Corporation, while Piccolo sought out an isolated terrain, where he could train and meditate, without distraction.

Once he returned home, the Prince found his son's future counterpart inside the gravity room, donning a set of Saiyan uniform that Bulma must've given him. He was sweating profusely, having trained non-stop for hours.

"Hey father!" The teen jauntily greeted his old man. "How'd things go? Were you guys able to beat Cell?"

The moment he saw Trunks' face, Vegeta's mind abruptly conjured up images of his lifeless body. His gut-wrenching thoughts swerved towards the boy's alternate-self who'd suffered a gruesome end at the hands of Cell, before having his time machine stolen. The Prince's heart cinched uncomfortably, plagued with a deeply unpleasant amalgam of grief, malice and rage. He didn't want to imagine the horrified look on his son's innocent young face, as he inanimately lay in a dilated pool of horrid crimson. He quickly whirled around and proceeded back towards the exit, wanting to extricate the harrowing turmoil, brewing within him.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"We're leaving." The flame-haired forced himself to maintain a stoic facade, keeping his gaze averted from his son. "Cell's too close to West City. We can't be here."

"Oh." Trunks mouthed after an awkward pause, tacitly knowing that the mission hadn't gone as planned, though unable to read deeper into his phlegmatic father. "Well in that case, I guess we should probably make for Kame House."

"Hn." Vegeta muttered. "Take all the training equipment you need."

"Right, right." The young demi-Saiyan was eager for an update on Cell, but wisely decided not to press the matter. His father seemed more taciturn than usual, which was saying a lot.

Vegeta sensed Bulma's Ki signal, hard at work inside the giant complex. Curious, he followed after her and arrived just in time to see her complete the final touches on her newest gizmo.

"What is that thing?"

"Oh hey there, lover man." She grinned with weary, half-lidded eyes, eliciting a vexed glare from her grouchy Saiyan. "Didn't notice you come in. I've been working on this darn thing for the last three days and I was finally able to finish it. Here, take a look."

He moved forward and inspected the buttoned device, a little disenchanted by it's simplicity- at least on surface-level.

"What's it do?"

"What do you think?" The ebullient heiress responded, with a look of triumph that masked some of the underlying fatigue. "It's a remote controller that can be used to shut down the Androids."

"You're serious?!" The Prince gaped at her incredulously. "How did you-"

"Trunks found a couple of blueprints in Dr. Gero's lab, with a whole bunch of information on Number Seventeen's cybernetic enhancements." She eagerly interjected. "Apparently he was once a human named Lapis and had a twin sister Lazuli, whom I can safely assume is Number Eighteen."

"Yes." Vegeta nodded, unsurprised. He'd figured out as much, in the midst of his battle with the blonde beauty. "What about Android Sixteen?"

"Well, I'm afraid I don't have any information on that one." She replied, yawning exhaustively thereafter. Boy, she sure could use a nap right about now. "What can you tell me about him?"

"Not much." The Prince shrugged. "All I know is that he wants to kill Kakarot and won't fight anyone else. Beyond that, he just keeps to himself and doesn't say a word."

"Is that so?" Bulma frowned. "So he was never hostile or anything like that? Never threatened you?" Vegeta shook his head. "An insult, maybe? Anything?"

"No." The Saiyan scoffed. "He did seem to enjoy birdwatching though."

"Well, that's uh- kind of unexpected." The heiress awkwardly remarked, clearly taken aback by the information. She placed an inquisitive finger on her chin. "Well, honestly, he doesn't sound so mean. If he weren't hardwired to kill Goku, he might actually come in handy." A lightbulb flashed in her mind. "Hey, what if I reprogram him or something?"

"Tch, as if he'd just let you."

"Well, it can't hurt to ask." Bulma chuckled. "Anyway, from what you've told me, he doesn't seem to exhibit the behavioural patterns of a normal human-being, the way Seventeen and Eighteen do. So I'm guessing that unlike those two, he's purely artificial."

"Maybe." If that were the case, he could potentially be a tougher adversary than either of the twins.

"What about Cell?" The blue-haired scientist asked, noticing Vegeta's face tighten with barely repressed vitriol. She understood why, exactly. Trunks told her everything and although the news deeply shook her at first, she eventually sobered up and took to the task of building the shutdown remote, knowing that the best way to honor the memory of her son's deceased counterpart, was to indefinitely put an end to Cell's sinister plans.

"I'm going to kill him, the moment he reveals himself." He dourly proclaimed.

"Good." Bulma nodded grimly. "I hope he suffers miserably for everything he's done."

Once ready, the family ventured towards Kame House. Bulma strapped the baby in the backseat of an airbus, before plopping down next to his future version and indulging in a much needed and well-earned power-nap. Earlier on, the heiress had tried to convince her parents to accompany them, but sadly they refused to budge. Dr. Brief maintained that his responsibilities to the company came first and foremost and his ditzy wife wouldn't leave his side. However, the elder Briefs did promise that if Cell showed up, they wouldn't hesitate to flit the premises.

Meanwhile, Vegeta flew ahead of them, by himself. There was something he really needed to do and he preferred doing it as soon as possible.

A short while later at Kame House…

Chi-Chi was seated by her husband's futon, as she had been for the last three days, when the most unexpected of visitors, walked inside.

"What the hell do you want?!" She whipped her head around, hissing upon seeing the unwelcome intruder.

Not deigned to reply, Vegeta closely eyed the supine figure of his ailing rival.

'Kakarot, Kakarot, can you hear me?' He spoke mentally, hoping to somehow patch through to the other Saiyan.

"I swear if you touch one hair on my Goku's head, I'm gonna-"

"Shut up!" The Prince peevishly cut Chi-Chi off. "I'm trying to concentrate, you idiot!"

"Why you!" The Ox Princess snarled, jumping to her feet and glaring daggers at Vegeta.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Gohan burst through the door, having heard the tumultous commotion from next door. "Is something wrong?!"

"This monster came in here, uninvited." She indignantly growled, pointing an accusing finger at the flame-haired Saiyan. "I want him gone. I don't like the way he's looking at your father."

"Relax mom." Gohan said reassuringly, in an attempt to defuse the situation. "Vegeta's the one who saved his life."

Chi-Chi was momentarily rendered speechless by that startling newsflash. However, she quickly shook the daze out of her head and returned her attention to Vegeta. "Well thanks." She spat, as though the words were poison. "You can leave now."

"Mom!" The demi-Saiyan chided, narrowing his eyes disapprovingly at the raven-haired woman. For someone who'd taught him so much about having proper etiquette and conduct, she was being awfully rude right about now.

"I need some time alone with him." The Prince stated, earning a surprised look from Gohan and a bitter scowl from Chi-Chi.

"How dare you?!" She seethed icily. "That is completely out of the question!"

"Let's go mom." The young half-Saiyan grabbed her hand.

"Are you crazy, Gohan?!" The wary Ox Princess furiously ground her teeth at her son. "What if he hurts your father, while we're gone?!"

"Tch, if I wanted it, he'd be dead already." Vegeta's lip curled up, in umbrage. "He might be an idiot, but he's still the only living member of my race, besides myself. Now get lost. My patience is wearing thin."

"You'd better go mom." The demi-Saiyan took hold of her, before hell broke loose. "It's alright. I'll stay here with dad. Nothing's gonna happen to him, I promise you."

After a brief argument, Chi-Chi eventually relented, not wanting to scrimmage with her sickly husband so close.

"Fine then!" She glowered menacingly at Vegeta. "But you'd better not try anything funny or you're gonna regret it!"

The Prince tuned her out, his attention fixated upon his resting rival.

XXXX

Goku found himself plunging deeper and deeper into a dark, dismal abyss that seemed to stretch on forever, completely cut off from reality. It felt as if he'd been trapped inside this eerie limbo for eons- that is, until he heard a string of indistinct decibels that gradually became clearer. He knew that voice from somewhere! Then it hit him!

'Vegeta?!' He frantically looked around, but there was nothing but pitch black in every direction. 'Vegeta is that you?! Where are you?! Why can't I see you?!'

'I'm speaking to you telepathically.' The other Saiyan replied, sighing in relief. At long last, he'd been able to establish a connection.

'O- Oh.'

'Do you remember what happened?'

A strained silence ensued.

'Wait I- I think so.' Goku harked back to his last moments of consciousness. 'I was fighting that Android and after that- I- I saw you. A while later I heard Chi-Chi crying. There was a lot of pain and it went on for hours, I remember that really well.' He shuddered at the horrendous recollection. 'After that I must've blacked out and ended up here.' Another short pause. 'I've been having these strange visions from time to time as well, but I can't make sense of any of them.' He hesitated a moment, before asking. 'Where- where am I now?'

'You're at the old man's house." The Prince answered. "Your wife and son are here too.'

'Old man?' If he were able to, he would've scratched his head in confusion. 'Oh, you mean Master Roshi. What about the Androids? Did you manage to beat 'em?'

And so, little by little, the Prince informed his rival about all that had taken place. Everything that Vegeta described was a perfect parallel with the bizarre visions he'd had. It all made so much sense now.

'So there's a level beyond Super Saiyan and you're trying to reach it, huh?' The younger Saiyan asked.

'Yes and I'm sure you must feel it as well.'

'I do feel it.' Goku gravely acknowledged, before sighing in dejection. 'But until I recover, there's really not much I can do. Right now I'm just a liability, nothing more.'

'Trunks says that it shouldn't take much longer.'

'Really? That's great!' Earth's hero suddenly found himself pumping with excitement, at the prospect of waking from his slumber and seeing everyone again. 'I can't wait to finally get out of this place. And hey, thanks a bunch.'

'For what?'

'For taking care of things, while I was gone.' He reverently replied. 'It means a lot, my friend.'

'Tch, whatever.' The older Saiyan grouched, in embarrassment.

'Give everyone my regards okay?' Goku entreated. 'Especially Gohan and Chi-Chi. Tell them that I miss them a lot and that I'll try to come back as soon as possible.'

Vegeta groaned and abruptly cut off the telepathic link, irked at his rival's unwanted geniality.

"Wow, dad's actually smiling." Gohan gushed, as he saw the warm, endearing look on his father's face. It almost brought tears to his eyes.

The Prince grimaced, upon noticing the mawkish sight, irked doubly at the fact that he of all people had engendered such sick, slushy sentimentality from the clown. He stood up to take his leave.

"Hey wait." The boy darted in front of Vegeta, peering up at his hardened visage. "You were sitting by his side for over an hour. Did something happen? What was it?"

Vegeta's face scrunched up with indecision. He didn't owe this bothersome pup an explanation. However, he found that he couldn't ignore that longing look in Gohan's dark irises. It reminded him too much of his fatherless son, from the future. Dammit! These insolent whelps were making him go soft!

"Kakarot sends his regards to you and that harpy mother of yours." Vegeta sullenly slurred, as fast as he could. "And he says he'll be back soon."

"Really?!" Gohan grinned wide, eyes watering up, as he was overwhelmed with mind-numbing thrill and joy. "You spoke to him?! My God, that's wonderful!" He threw his arms around the Prince's waist, tightly embracing him, in spite of himself. "Way to go Vegeta!"

The flame-haired Saiyan went taut, eyes widening for a second, before narrowing dangerously at the boy.

"If you value your life, you'd better let go of me right now." The flame-haired Saiyan threatened, in a deathly low voice. Gohan yelped and self-consciously pulled away.

"S-S-Sorry." He stammered, letting out a few hesitant laughs, before racing out of the room, in a euphoric frenzy. "Mom! Krillin! Everyone, come quick! It's dad!"

"Stupid brat." The rubescent royal ruddily cursed under his breath, leaping out of the nearest window before he was flocked by the drove of foolish Earthlings that would soon be heading his way. What he really needed was some meditation, with no idiots around to disrupt him.

"Oh Goku." Chi-Chi released a stream of jubilant tears, twinkling at the soul-stirring sight of the smile she adored more than anything else in the world. She clutched her pounding heart.

"I wonder what could've caused this." A bewildered Tien rubbed his head.

"Well Vegeta was in here for quite a while." Krillin shrugged. "Maybe he did something."

"He spoke to dad." Gohan merrily informed, much to the shock of all the others. "It must've been through mind or something, but he told me that dad's coming back soon."

A pregnant pause followed, until Master Roshi stood up and ambled towards the open window, peering out into the oceanic horizon. He could see the Prince's figure atop a tiny islet in the far distance, where he sat in meditation.

"Hmmm, it really is interesting how different Vegeta is to the monster who nearly killed all of us, at one point." The turtle-hermit remarked. "He may never admit to it, but he cares deeply for Goku. No matter how different they are, there's an inseparable force that will always bind those two together: a bond that only Saiyans have."

"I'm sorry, but I don't buy any of that." Chi-Chi snidely remarked. "Vegeta's just a rude and selfish individual. As far as Goku's concerned, he doesn't really care about him, beyond the fact that he happens to be the only other living Saiyan."

"Come on Chi-Chi, he's not as bad as you think." Krillin insisted.

"I'm not saying he's necessarily bad, at least not like he was before, but he's nothing compared to Goku." The Ox Princess rejoined. "Goku's a complete Saint."

"You know, if he didn't bang his head on a rock, that might not've been the case." The bald man sweat-dropped. "We've gotta remember that like Vegeta, Goku was sent here to destroy Earth, but both of them changed for the better."

"Don't you compare that lout to my Goku!" The raven-haired mother hissed.

"No one's comparing them, mom." Gohan frowned. "Look, I know Vegeta can be a bit of a hard case but deep down, I think he's as good as any of us."

Tien made a chocking sound at that. Chiaotzu didn't really know what to think. In any case, no matter their disagreements, one thing was certain: Vegeta was a very useful and reliable ally.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the bromance xD! Hide it all you want Vegetables, but you really do care about your best buddy haha! Thanks for reading everyone and be sure to drop a review! :D