Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dance With Death ❯ Tempting the Silence ( Chapter 6 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Angel Katarina aka AC 
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.19.2004 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 305 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 12.19.2004 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 305 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ or any of its characters, just Comet.
"Dance With Death"
by A.C
Chapter Six
Tempting the Silence
---`---,---@
If only she were the screaming type. Perhaps it would relieve the building, crushing feeling deep in her chest and allow her to breathe easier.
As it was, it wasn't Comet's nature to scream. Perhaps a short gasp, but she was silent. And the feeling in her chest that came with Cell's smirk and the triumphant, hungry look on his face, intensified only more until she was whimpering against its pain.
She had lost. She was trapped in his grasp, with nowhere to run. She couldn't run this time - couldn't hide - couldn't fight or reason her way out of it. And the hopeless feeling it left her with was worse than the turns her stomach was pulling at the thought of her little deal with Cell.
*If I win, she is mine to do what I please with her.*
'Oh Kami, no, no, no, no... this can't be... let me wake up and be free... Kami, make him go away...'
But the gleaming pink eyes, the sadistic smirk that seemed to fit so well in that handsome face - yet didn't fail to fill her with a mounting dread - didn't swirl into blackness before her face, or disappear completely. As if to make matters worse, the rich voice that matched the picture of terror so easily, came to her ears.
"Now, now, Comet; why so stressed? If it'll make you feel any better - it was an excellent fight you put up. It almost had me worried."
She could hear everything around her clearly, as if sounds and noises were easily penetrating her frantic thoughts and rapidly beating heart. The slowly mounting chuckling that hadn't quite left his chest and throat, still building within him, making his chest shake slightly. The faint whistle of a particularly strong breeze as it blew her hair around, and the murmurings of the other Z Fighters below.
"Goku, are you okay?"
"Dad, c'mon, get up! You can do it!"
Comet squirmed again, trying to break free, but his iron grip was just too powerful! Biting her lip to keep from whimpering, she struggled harder, legs kicking furiously. Cell merely watched her with an amused look on his face, wondering how long she would keep it up before tiring again.
"LET HER GO!"
Seven startled gazes looked around, including Comet and Cell, at the figure that had just pulled itself out of the nearby crater. Krillen and Gohan looked on in relief and joy as Goku struggled to his feet, bloodstained and weary. Even so, the look of brutal determination on his face was spurred to anger as he looked up at where Cell had the Earthling in his grip.
"Well, well, well, it appears Goku's back again," Cell murmured disdainfully, looking not at all pleased his sayain opponent hadn't been so easily disposed of. He looked back to Comet, his displeased expression morphing into a grin, "This shouldn't take long. I'll be back in a moment."
Her only response was a terrified whimper as his eyes glinted, and then he finally released her from his grasp. Shaking violently, she floated backwards, but the Android had now turned his sights on Goku, who's entire body was trembling with the effort to stay standing. In a flash, Piccolo had left the stunned group of Z fighters and re-appeared next to Comet.
"Now, now, Namek," Cell spoke up, magenta eyes glancing over at him threateningly, "Touch her, and I won't hesitate to kill you. Painfully, I might add."
Piccolo responded with a glare, and looked back to Comet. "Are you all right?" he asked gruffly. She swallowed and nodded, looking down at Goku.
"He's going to kill himself..."
"I wouldn't worry about him," Piccolo muttered, looking past her at Cell as the bio android watched in incredulous disbelief as Goku struggled to remain standing. "You need to get out of here. And now."
"Honestly," the holy terror's voice carried over to them again as he looked up. His annoyance had deepened, so now he looked just plain angry. "Let me make myself a bit more clear. *Talk* to her, and I will kill you. It's no use running. I've already won."
"N-no you haven't!" came the determined Sayain's weak cry. Cell rolled his eyes to look back at him, fed up with the Z Fighters. Oh, sure, they had been fun for a while, but now that he had his prize, they were pestering him even more with each passing second. They were like little INSECTS, refusing to stay dead... he would just have to reinforce it, then.
"Goku, I'm feeling generous. If you and your little friends - including the Namek up here - leave now, I won't hunt you down later and kill you."
He glanced back over at Comet and Piccolo. The beautiful young Earthling was looking at him, her face alit with hope. She was so pretty like that... he hated to crush it. Ah... he'd bring it back later. "Comet, of course, has my gracious permission to stay."
As predicted, the light gleaming from her was instantly darkened as her entire body slumped, disappointed. 'Like it's a privilege I get to stay...' she thought sarcastically, looking miserably around at Piccolo. He looked back and forth from Cell to her, and was shocked to see the resolution in her eyes.
"You aren't staying...!"
"I don't have a choice," she replied wearily, her voice straining to stay steady. "Go... I don't want him to kill you. Make sure Goku stays away. Don't come back for me... he will kill you, if you do."
Piccolo stared. This was the first time he had ever seen Comet give up on something, but the miserable conclusion had already been drawn, it was plain enough from the pain on her face. Her determined, stubborn spirit had been tarnished... and there was nothing he nor she could do about it. Slowly, he turned around and floated back down to join the others.
Goku was still staring up at Cell, as if nothing had happened and he and the evil android were still fighting. Comet turned her eyes on him, waiting for him to leave, but he was completely motionless. Gohan was staring at his father hopefully, but Krillen was looking back and forth, obviously thinking along the same lines that Piccolo had.
"C'mon Goku," Piccolo muttered as he joined them, "There's nothing we can do. She's given up."
The proud Sayain was silent, still staring up at them. It looked as if he hadn't even heard the Namek's words. But as he glanced at Comet and she gave a silent nod, he blinked, seemed to awaken and looked heavily at Piccolo. Another silence. And finally, the Z Fighters slowly began to retreat.
Comet watched the group leave in slow formation, reluctant and hesitant. She fought down the urge to yell after them to come back, glancing at Cell. A slow smirk was tugging at his mouth, and it made her feel sick just to see it. As her eight friends grew more distant, she lowered her gaze to the ground, wishing she could cry just this once.
But it was as if she was dried up.
"How very brave and noble of you," came her only company's voice. She didn't look up, willing him to stay at his distance and praying he wouldn't come any closer or try and touch her again. "If you must know, I do stay true to my word. I won't kill them... that is, unless they try to come back."
She continued gazing at the ground, as if the sight of it somehow lessened her pain. It was better than looking at him. "They won't," she muttered. If only, though... if only she was lying... they couldn't really leave her here, with the lustful android... could they? But she had told them to. She didn't want them to get killed... but the price of her friends' safety....
Cell watched her carefully, trying to gain a hint of her feelings or thoughts. He could guess - he had a strong feeling. She was obviously miserable, and as he continued watching her weakened and depressed form, the urge to comfort her grew stronger. Yet something told him it wouldn't do any good. She wouldn't accept any comfort from him, so the only thing he could do was give her space.
That, he could do. He still relished being in her company, even if she refused to look at him or go anywhere near him.
She was his. And that knowledge was enough for him.
---`---,---@
Day came and left as night summoned her darkness, the light fading surprisingly fast. Comet spent the time either pacing moodily about the arena or sitting on the side, staring into the distance for silent hours at a time. At one point she had laid down and stared into the cloud stained sky above, and nearly fallen asleep. The whole while, she never spoke a word, and her eyes and face were devoid of any emotion.
Cell thought he would go mad.
What had happened to his little fighter? Where was that flame, that spark, that spirit he had received countless times before as a reward for his attempts? (and what a reward it was!). Where had her voice slipped off to, her tone filled with emotion and joy and her sarcasm? The voice that lifted his soul with the nonexistent angels - the angels that had cursed his creation, his beginning...
He blinked once, bringing himself back to reality. For the past hour, Comet had lay on her side, curled up, either gazing off across the field again or sleeping. He couldn't help but wonder if she hadn't been sleeping all day, and her slow, controlled movements were the result of a waking dream, sleepwalking.
He himself had spent the day watching and worrying and thinking and fighting off the urge to scream and shake her and force her to retaliate. He had meditated only once for a very brief period, and then awoke with the disgust in finding he was unable to concentrate. His entire unconsciousness - that short bliss of slipping into a trance - had been filled with images of her laughter and smile, which shattered before his eyes when he reached for it. So, as a result, half in his own fear and some low-lying level of respect for her pain... he had left her alone. He hadn't spoken either, or touched her, instead leaving her with a twenty foot chamber of solitude.
But the sun had already sunk beneath the horizon and night was falling fast, and as the stars began opening their eyes sleepily above his head, he was beginning to think he should try and bring out a conversation. How would she respond? Ignore him, speak with him, yell at him... cry?
What would he do then, amidst her tears?
"Why do you meditate so often?"
And in a short, draining vortex of time - a brief swirl that washed over his senses - his problem was solved. Mildly surprised at her question, Cell was silent, contemplating his answer. Amongst her pain, her angst and her grief, was this the only thought she found salvation in? Was it her weapon against the terror - her thirsting curiosity?
"What do you mean?"
She sat up, her back still to him. With a slight tilt of her head, her dark chocolate hair pulled free and cascaded loosely down her back. It looked somewhat limp, perhaps because she had been lying on it. "All those times when I was here and you just went off and meditated without a word. Was there something bothering you that you couldn't let go? Is that how you cope with it...?"
Again, he was thoughtful. Reliving those memories... it meant uncovering wounds for her and trusting she wouldn't make them deeper. It meant revealing the scars and what it meant to do so. Would she be aware of the dangerous weapon he would hand her if he ever did something of the sort? Did she know what it meant, to know the hatred and pain of his past...?
*"You hopeless, shameful, rotten, useless waste of nothing! You can't do something as simple as your purpose? I MADE you to be perfect, to KILL them... I handed you the tools, the know-how, the chance - GIFT WRAPPED! And YOU... you RUINED it..."*
*"I-I'm sorry, but... t-there was-"*
*"I don't care! I don't want your excuses, or your damn useless apologies! Get out there and kill them, and don't fail me this time! Or I swear, I'll pull the plug this time..."*
She was looking at him, a mixture of shock and curiosity and fear on her face. He could feel his own facial expression - his eyes had grown wide and every muscle had tensed. He forced himself to relax, knowing he hadn't answered her question, but also knowing he couldn't. And it was with a cold realization that he knew WHY he was reluctant to tell her - it wasn't that he didn't want to hurt her and make her share his pain - it was that he knew she wouldn't care...
She hated him, in her eyes he was a heartless, murdering monster. And while it gave him a feeling of indifference, he knew it was pointless to tell her. What concern would she have? None, absolutely none at all.
Kami, she was so beautiful... so unaware...
Could he just let her go? Still blissfully ignorant and safe, still precious? But no, he couldn't do that either... he would never see her again, or get the chance as he had now. And that would hurt worse than all he had ever endured in his life. Worse than his history, if it were at all possible. Ah... what a pain that would be... a torture the executioners in the pits of Hell would cower at the sight of...
"I meditate to help solve my problems," he answered smoothly, covering his brief period of being caught unawares. So he would give her the glossed version, the half truth in which she could figure out which were lies on her own, or what he was hiding from her. "It gives me time to think them over."
".... oh," she replied quietly. Ah, so she was playing that game too - he could see it in her eyes, the longing to ask more questions. But she was hiding her curiosity from him, much as he was hiding his painful history from her.
She had raised a new bar - did this mean she was ready to talk now? Could he finally comfort her and hear her voice again? She had half turned back, staring - once more, lost in thought - into space, her body still twisted around so she could look at him. Her back wasn't to him.
He opened his mouth, having finally decided to try and talk to her... and then realized he didn't know what he would say. What could he say without evoking an unwanted reaction from her? She had asked a question and the answer was given - and it was as if afterwards, she had slammed shut the door of communication again.
The silence pressed in on them for another hour or so, while the sun's grasp on the horizon finally slipped and he dipped below sight. The moon, finally having the heavens to herself, began gliding smoothly and confidently across the sky, encouraging the stars around her. Without another word to him, Comet rolled over and curled up again. He soon heard her heavy breathing that meant she had fallen asleep.
Cell remained in place, arms folded in his typical stance, watching her with the alertness of a hawk on the hunt. The one question resonating within his mind seemed to be ringing in his ears, chasing away the shadows and the quiet of the night.
'Now what?'
He had his prize, he had chased off the Z Fighters. She was his! So why was he so upset? Perhaps it was her question. Upon meeting her, he had forgotten about his painful past and was able to crush the aches within him, but he had been reminded of it, and the haunting memories resurfaced, all-powerful once again.
*"You piece of junk! Your worthless!"*
*"Please, Master, I tried my best.."*
*"Your best wasn't good enough! Your best will NEVER be good enough! YOU will never be good enough!! Get out of my sight, you disgusting MACHINE!"*
*"I'm not a machine - you said it yourself, I'm a bio-"*
*"As far as I'm concerned, your NOTHING!"*
---`---,---@
When Dr. Gero began his line of work on a team of scientists for the red ribbon army, he had but the one ambition to surpass his colleagues with a creation so stunning and amazing that it would nearly destroy them all. He was constantly experimenting with new chemicals and new ways of supporting life. It was obvious he and his work could go far, had it the chance to go in the right direction.
As it was, his work was cut out for the army and the bloodshed of wars. His breakthroughs in creating life contrasted horribly with the deaths brought by war. The commanders were less than pleased. Unless he found a way to redeem himself after his "wasted" work, the good doctor would need to find work elsewhere.
So Gero adapted. He couldn't abandon the discoveries he had made - it was like a father abandoning a son - so he shifted them and changed them and brought about new creations. The idea of life remained; but this was a life that could take other lives. If he could create a person, why not create one perfectly suited for war? A being with amazing power that surpassed that of normal human beings.
The first android was created.
As time progressed, Gero worked furiously behind the scenes, spending nights awake on new models, building on his previous ideas. Bigger, faster, smarter, stronger. Make it punch and kick and take down two - no, three! - men at once. Allow it to fly, and use ki as freely as those he had seen... and that insufferable boy...
Goku. Gero's ideas and ambitions had shifted with his creations. The boy who was toiling the red ribbon's plot after plot was an increasing nuisance. Years went by - the army fell - but still Gero persisted. His revenge was to be one of a personal meaning. After the creation of his model 12 android, Gero set his sights on creating a much more powerful creature who could destroy this amazingly strong man.
As Goku grew and married, Dr. Gero worked only more furiously. He would design a model and bring it to life, only to find - to his utter disgust - Goku had grown stronger in the time passed. Android models 13, 14 and 15 passed in such a way. His frustration was building with each failed attempt. What was he doing wrong!? What key element was he missing, that one tool that could break Goku's shield of compassion and kill him once and for all?
For his sixteenth model, Gero moved to the procedure of forgetting his limits. Too much power, too much mechanisms could kill his line of androids, but the doctor was too desperate and furious to care. Android 16 was filled with a strength beyond the wildest imaginations of villains, a self-destruction system, new talents, new attacks, new programs. It wasn't until his creature survived the process of being given life that he realized what a danger this Android model 16 was. Afraid his being would turn on him, Gero sealed the android away and set his sights on a different attempt.
Pure machines were lacking of something the humans had. Experience... machines did not learn from mistakes, or grow better over time. Humans, however, could gain power and learn from losing. They could continue to advance and learn and grow stronger and stronger... with a new model in mind, Gero set out to find his key ingredient.
Two teenage twins were abducted from a nearby city four days later. No one except the desperate mother noticed they had gone, and no one cared.
Three weeks later, a gleeful Gero finished his final most creation. The cyborgs 17 and 18 were finished. The twins had survived the studies, the procedure, the surgery, the recovery and the testing. Perfect specimens of ultra-powerful humans with powers enough to control but enough to range to the heavens and crush the world under their grip.
It was shortly afterward that Gero began to think of yet another android model. He had noticed the Z Fighters were amazingly strong, and even another being - Frieza - had enough power and talent to conquer many of them. His weapon would not only have to destroy Goku, but his gang of friends. How could it be done?
It took Gero three days and sleepless nights awake his lab, drawing up diagram after diagram, before it hit him. Combine their powers, one's strength balancing out another's weakness - a wide range of attacks known to no other - the best of all worlds. The strength of the Z Fighters. The ability to regenerate from Piccolo. The ability to live anywhere from Frieza. The talent of improvement from the Sayains. The perfect creature.
Such a power couldn't come at once. It would take time to arrive, and it would need stages. A boost of power from a more familiar source could sort out its imbalances. Overtaken with a greed and determination, Gero set to work on his newest model. The plan was drawn up and inserted into the computer's memory banks, along with his DNA samples.
It was only a matter of time before the twins realized their fate. The lab was destroyed in a fit of rage. The doctor was killed, the Android 16 was freed, and the place was left in ruins and forgotten. The three cyborgs went on a killing spree, forgetting their roots, their origins, their fears and concerns. Who could conquer them? Anyone who believed so ought to step forward, and his presumptuous head be dissembled!
No one could have guessed that Gero's influence would live on. His perfect project had indeed been completed, but ahead of its time. No one would have guessed that project #21, C.E.L.L....
... was coming back to finish what it had been created to start.
---`---,---@
Author's Note: Muahaha... I got a lot of angry reviews for that last cliffhanger. ^^'' Gomen... I had to throw one in there SOMEwhere... I have new ideas for where this is gonna go (THANKEES, RYU ^^) so hopefully more chapters will be pouring out! Keep looking!
Also, if I have anything wrong in the little flashback thing (ya know, stuff that doesn't fit), forgive meh! I have not seen the saga, so I'm trying my hardest. Feel free to correct me, though.
"Dance With Death"
by A.C
Chapter Six
Tempting the Silence
---`---,---@
If only she were the screaming type. Perhaps it would relieve the building, crushing feeling deep in her chest and allow her to breathe easier.
As it was, it wasn't Comet's nature to scream. Perhaps a short gasp, but she was silent. And the feeling in her chest that came with Cell's smirk and the triumphant, hungry look on his face, intensified only more until she was whimpering against its pain.
She had lost. She was trapped in his grasp, with nowhere to run. She couldn't run this time - couldn't hide - couldn't fight or reason her way out of it. And the hopeless feeling it left her with was worse than the turns her stomach was pulling at the thought of her little deal with Cell.
*If I win, she is mine to do what I please with her.*
'Oh Kami, no, no, no, no... this can't be... let me wake up and be free... Kami, make him go away...'
But the gleaming pink eyes, the sadistic smirk that seemed to fit so well in that handsome face - yet didn't fail to fill her with a mounting dread - didn't swirl into blackness before her face, or disappear completely. As if to make matters worse, the rich voice that matched the picture of terror so easily, came to her ears.
"Now, now, Comet; why so stressed? If it'll make you feel any better - it was an excellent fight you put up. It almost had me worried."
She could hear everything around her clearly, as if sounds and noises were easily penetrating her frantic thoughts and rapidly beating heart. The slowly mounting chuckling that hadn't quite left his chest and throat, still building within him, making his chest shake slightly. The faint whistle of a particularly strong breeze as it blew her hair around, and the murmurings of the other Z Fighters below.
"Goku, are you okay?"
"Dad, c'mon, get up! You can do it!"
Comet squirmed again, trying to break free, but his iron grip was just too powerful! Biting her lip to keep from whimpering, she struggled harder, legs kicking furiously. Cell merely watched her with an amused look on his face, wondering how long she would keep it up before tiring again.
"LET HER GO!"
Seven startled gazes looked around, including Comet and Cell, at the figure that had just pulled itself out of the nearby crater. Krillen and Gohan looked on in relief and joy as Goku struggled to his feet, bloodstained and weary. Even so, the look of brutal determination on his face was spurred to anger as he looked up at where Cell had the Earthling in his grip.
"Well, well, well, it appears Goku's back again," Cell murmured disdainfully, looking not at all pleased his sayain opponent hadn't been so easily disposed of. He looked back to Comet, his displeased expression morphing into a grin, "This shouldn't take long. I'll be back in a moment."
Her only response was a terrified whimper as his eyes glinted, and then he finally released her from his grasp. Shaking violently, she floated backwards, but the Android had now turned his sights on Goku, who's entire body was trembling with the effort to stay standing. In a flash, Piccolo had left the stunned group of Z fighters and re-appeared next to Comet.
"Now, now, Namek," Cell spoke up, magenta eyes glancing over at him threateningly, "Touch her, and I won't hesitate to kill you. Painfully, I might add."
Piccolo responded with a glare, and looked back to Comet. "Are you all right?" he asked gruffly. She swallowed and nodded, looking down at Goku.
"He's going to kill himself..."
"I wouldn't worry about him," Piccolo muttered, looking past her at Cell as the bio android watched in incredulous disbelief as Goku struggled to remain standing. "You need to get out of here. And now."
"Honestly," the holy terror's voice carried over to them again as he looked up. His annoyance had deepened, so now he looked just plain angry. "Let me make myself a bit more clear. *Talk* to her, and I will kill you. It's no use running. I've already won."
"N-no you haven't!" came the determined Sayain's weak cry. Cell rolled his eyes to look back at him, fed up with the Z Fighters. Oh, sure, they had been fun for a while, but now that he had his prize, they were pestering him even more with each passing second. They were like little INSECTS, refusing to stay dead... he would just have to reinforce it, then.
"Goku, I'm feeling generous. If you and your little friends - including the Namek up here - leave now, I won't hunt you down later and kill you."
He glanced back over at Comet and Piccolo. The beautiful young Earthling was looking at him, her face alit with hope. She was so pretty like that... he hated to crush it. Ah... he'd bring it back later. "Comet, of course, has my gracious permission to stay."
As predicted, the light gleaming from her was instantly darkened as her entire body slumped, disappointed. 'Like it's a privilege I get to stay...' she thought sarcastically, looking miserably around at Piccolo. He looked back and forth from Cell to her, and was shocked to see the resolution in her eyes.
"You aren't staying...!"
"I don't have a choice," she replied wearily, her voice straining to stay steady. "Go... I don't want him to kill you. Make sure Goku stays away. Don't come back for me... he will kill you, if you do."
Piccolo stared. This was the first time he had ever seen Comet give up on something, but the miserable conclusion had already been drawn, it was plain enough from the pain on her face. Her determined, stubborn spirit had been tarnished... and there was nothing he nor she could do about it. Slowly, he turned around and floated back down to join the others.
Goku was still staring up at Cell, as if nothing had happened and he and the evil android were still fighting. Comet turned her eyes on him, waiting for him to leave, but he was completely motionless. Gohan was staring at his father hopefully, but Krillen was looking back and forth, obviously thinking along the same lines that Piccolo had.
"C'mon Goku," Piccolo muttered as he joined them, "There's nothing we can do. She's given up."
The proud Sayain was silent, still staring up at them. It looked as if he hadn't even heard the Namek's words. But as he glanced at Comet and she gave a silent nod, he blinked, seemed to awaken and looked heavily at Piccolo. Another silence. And finally, the Z Fighters slowly began to retreat.
Comet watched the group leave in slow formation, reluctant and hesitant. She fought down the urge to yell after them to come back, glancing at Cell. A slow smirk was tugging at his mouth, and it made her feel sick just to see it. As her eight friends grew more distant, she lowered her gaze to the ground, wishing she could cry just this once.
But it was as if she was dried up.
"How very brave and noble of you," came her only company's voice. She didn't look up, willing him to stay at his distance and praying he wouldn't come any closer or try and touch her again. "If you must know, I do stay true to my word. I won't kill them... that is, unless they try to come back."
She continued gazing at the ground, as if the sight of it somehow lessened her pain. It was better than looking at him. "They won't," she muttered. If only, though... if only she was lying... they couldn't really leave her here, with the lustful android... could they? But she had told them to. She didn't want them to get killed... but the price of her friends' safety....
Cell watched her carefully, trying to gain a hint of her feelings or thoughts. He could guess - he had a strong feeling. She was obviously miserable, and as he continued watching her weakened and depressed form, the urge to comfort her grew stronger. Yet something told him it wouldn't do any good. She wouldn't accept any comfort from him, so the only thing he could do was give her space.
That, he could do. He still relished being in her company, even if she refused to look at him or go anywhere near him.
She was his. And that knowledge was enough for him.
---`---,---@
Day came and left as night summoned her darkness, the light fading surprisingly fast. Comet spent the time either pacing moodily about the arena or sitting on the side, staring into the distance for silent hours at a time. At one point she had laid down and stared into the cloud stained sky above, and nearly fallen asleep. The whole while, she never spoke a word, and her eyes and face were devoid of any emotion.
Cell thought he would go mad.
What had happened to his little fighter? Where was that flame, that spark, that spirit he had received countless times before as a reward for his attempts? (and what a reward it was!). Where had her voice slipped off to, her tone filled with emotion and joy and her sarcasm? The voice that lifted his soul with the nonexistent angels - the angels that had cursed his creation, his beginning...
He blinked once, bringing himself back to reality. For the past hour, Comet had lay on her side, curled up, either gazing off across the field again or sleeping. He couldn't help but wonder if she hadn't been sleeping all day, and her slow, controlled movements were the result of a waking dream, sleepwalking.
He himself had spent the day watching and worrying and thinking and fighting off the urge to scream and shake her and force her to retaliate. He had meditated only once for a very brief period, and then awoke with the disgust in finding he was unable to concentrate. His entire unconsciousness - that short bliss of slipping into a trance - had been filled with images of her laughter and smile, which shattered before his eyes when he reached for it. So, as a result, half in his own fear and some low-lying level of respect for her pain... he had left her alone. He hadn't spoken either, or touched her, instead leaving her with a twenty foot chamber of solitude.
But the sun had already sunk beneath the horizon and night was falling fast, and as the stars began opening their eyes sleepily above his head, he was beginning to think he should try and bring out a conversation. How would she respond? Ignore him, speak with him, yell at him... cry?
What would he do then, amidst her tears?
"Why do you meditate so often?"
And in a short, draining vortex of time - a brief swirl that washed over his senses - his problem was solved. Mildly surprised at her question, Cell was silent, contemplating his answer. Amongst her pain, her angst and her grief, was this the only thought she found salvation in? Was it her weapon against the terror - her thirsting curiosity?
"What do you mean?"
She sat up, her back still to him. With a slight tilt of her head, her dark chocolate hair pulled free and cascaded loosely down her back. It looked somewhat limp, perhaps because she had been lying on it. "All those times when I was here and you just went off and meditated without a word. Was there something bothering you that you couldn't let go? Is that how you cope with it...?"
Again, he was thoughtful. Reliving those memories... it meant uncovering wounds for her and trusting she wouldn't make them deeper. It meant revealing the scars and what it meant to do so. Would she be aware of the dangerous weapon he would hand her if he ever did something of the sort? Did she know what it meant, to know the hatred and pain of his past...?
*"You hopeless, shameful, rotten, useless waste of nothing! You can't do something as simple as your purpose? I MADE you to be perfect, to KILL them... I handed you the tools, the know-how, the chance - GIFT WRAPPED! And YOU... you RUINED it..."*
*"I-I'm sorry, but... t-there was-"*
*"I don't care! I don't want your excuses, or your damn useless apologies! Get out there and kill them, and don't fail me this time! Or I swear, I'll pull the plug this time..."*
She was looking at him, a mixture of shock and curiosity and fear on her face. He could feel his own facial expression - his eyes had grown wide and every muscle had tensed. He forced himself to relax, knowing he hadn't answered her question, but also knowing he couldn't. And it was with a cold realization that he knew WHY he was reluctant to tell her - it wasn't that he didn't want to hurt her and make her share his pain - it was that he knew she wouldn't care...
She hated him, in her eyes he was a heartless, murdering monster. And while it gave him a feeling of indifference, he knew it was pointless to tell her. What concern would she have? None, absolutely none at all.
Kami, she was so beautiful... so unaware...
Could he just let her go? Still blissfully ignorant and safe, still precious? But no, he couldn't do that either... he would never see her again, or get the chance as he had now. And that would hurt worse than all he had ever endured in his life. Worse than his history, if it were at all possible. Ah... what a pain that would be... a torture the executioners in the pits of Hell would cower at the sight of...
"I meditate to help solve my problems," he answered smoothly, covering his brief period of being caught unawares. So he would give her the glossed version, the half truth in which she could figure out which were lies on her own, or what he was hiding from her. "It gives me time to think them over."
".... oh," she replied quietly. Ah, so she was playing that game too - he could see it in her eyes, the longing to ask more questions. But she was hiding her curiosity from him, much as he was hiding his painful history from her.
She had raised a new bar - did this mean she was ready to talk now? Could he finally comfort her and hear her voice again? She had half turned back, staring - once more, lost in thought - into space, her body still twisted around so she could look at him. Her back wasn't to him.
He opened his mouth, having finally decided to try and talk to her... and then realized he didn't know what he would say. What could he say without evoking an unwanted reaction from her? She had asked a question and the answer was given - and it was as if afterwards, she had slammed shut the door of communication again.
The silence pressed in on them for another hour or so, while the sun's grasp on the horizon finally slipped and he dipped below sight. The moon, finally having the heavens to herself, began gliding smoothly and confidently across the sky, encouraging the stars around her. Without another word to him, Comet rolled over and curled up again. He soon heard her heavy breathing that meant she had fallen asleep.
Cell remained in place, arms folded in his typical stance, watching her with the alertness of a hawk on the hunt. The one question resonating within his mind seemed to be ringing in his ears, chasing away the shadows and the quiet of the night.
'Now what?'
He had his prize, he had chased off the Z Fighters. She was his! So why was he so upset? Perhaps it was her question. Upon meeting her, he had forgotten about his painful past and was able to crush the aches within him, but he had been reminded of it, and the haunting memories resurfaced, all-powerful once again.
*"You piece of junk! Your worthless!"*
*"Please, Master, I tried my best.."*
*"Your best wasn't good enough! Your best will NEVER be good enough! YOU will never be good enough!! Get out of my sight, you disgusting MACHINE!"*
*"I'm not a machine - you said it yourself, I'm a bio-"*
*"As far as I'm concerned, your NOTHING!"*
---`---,---@
When Dr. Gero began his line of work on a team of scientists for the red ribbon army, he had but the one ambition to surpass his colleagues with a creation so stunning and amazing that it would nearly destroy them all. He was constantly experimenting with new chemicals and new ways of supporting life. It was obvious he and his work could go far, had it the chance to go in the right direction.
As it was, his work was cut out for the army and the bloodshed of wars. His breakthroughs in creating life contrasted horribly with the deaths brought by war. The commanders were less than pleased. Unless he found a way to redeem himself after his "wasted" work, the good doctor would need to find work elsewhere.
So Gero adapted. He couldn't abandon the discoveries he had made - it was like a father abandoning a son - so he shifted them and changed them and brought about new creations. The idea of life remained; but this was a life that could take other lives. If he could create a person, why not create one perfectly suited for war? A being with amazing power that surpassed that of normal human beings.
The first android was created.
As time progressed, Gero worked furiously behind the scenes, spending nights awake on new models, building on his previous ideas. Bigger, faster, smarter, stronger. Make it punch and kick and take down two - no, three! - men at once. Allow it to fly, and use ki as freely as those he had seen... and that insufferable boy...
Goku. Gero's ideas and ambitions had shifted with his creations. The boy who was toiling the red ribbon's plot after plot was an increasing nuisance. Years went by - the army fell - but still Gero persisted. His revenge was to be one of a personal meaning. After the creation of his model 12 android, Gero set his sights on creating a much more powerful creature who could destroy this amazingly strong man.
As Goku grew and married, Dr. Gero worked only more furiously. He would design a model and bring it to life, only to find - to his utter disgust - Goku had grown stronger in the time passed. Android models 13, 14 and 15 passed in such a way. His frustration was building with each failed attempt. What was he doing wrong!? What key element was he missing, that one tool that could break Goku's shield of compassion and kill him once and for all?
For his sixteenth model, Gero moved to the procedure of forgetting his limits. Too much power, too much mechanisms could kill his line of androids, but the doctor was too desperate and furious to care. Android 16 was filled with a strength beyond the wildest imaginations of villains, a self-destruction system, new talents, new attacks, new programs. It wasn't until his creature survived the process of being given life that he realized what a danger this Android model 16 was. Afraid his being would turn on him, Gero sealed the android away and set his sights on a different attempt.
Pure machines were lacking of something the humans had. Experience... machines did not learn from mistakes, or grow better over time. Humans, however, could gain power and learn from losing. They could continue to advance and learn and grow stronger and stronger... with a new model in mind, Gero set out to find his key ingredient.
Two teenage twins were abducted from a nearby city four days later. No one except the desperate mother noticed they had gone, and no one cared.
Three weeks later, a gleeful Gero finished his final most creation. The cyborgs 17 and 18 were finished. The twins had survived the studies, the procedure, the surgery, the recovery and the testing. Perfect specimens of ultra-powerful humans with powers enough to control but enough to range to the heavens and crush the world under their grip.
It was shortly afterward that Gero began to think of yet another android model. He had noticed the Z Fighters were amazingly strong, and even another being - Frieza - had enough power and talent to conquer many of them. His weapon would not only have to destroy Goku, but his gang of friends. How could it be done?
It took Gero three days and sleepless nights awake his lab, drawing up diagram after diagram, before it hit him. Combine their powers, one's strength balancing out another's weakness - a wide range of attacks known to no other - the best of all worlds. The strength of the Z Fighters. The ability to regenerate from Piccolo. The ability to live anywhere from Frieza. The talent of improvement from the Sayains. The perfect creature.
Such a power couldn't come at once. It would take time to arrive, and it would need stages. A boost of power from a more familiar source could sort out its imbalances. Overtaken with a greed and determination, Gero set to work on his newest model. The plan was drawn up and inserted into the computer's memory banks, along with his DNA samples.
It was only a matter of time before the twins realized their fate. The lab was destroyed in a fit of rage. The doctor was killed, the Android 16 was freed, and the place was left in ruins and forgotten. The three cyborgs went on a killing spree, forgetting their roots, their origins, their fears and concerns. Who could conquer them? Anyone who believed so ought to step forward, and his presumptuous head be dissembled!
No one could have guessed that Gero's influence would live on. His perfect project had indeed been completed, but ahead of its time. No one would have guessed that project #21, C.E.L.L....
... was coming back to finish what it had been created to start.
---`---,---@
Author's Note: Muahaha... I got a lot of angry reviews for that last cliffhanger. ^^'' Gomen... I had to throw one in there SOMEwhere... I have new ideas for where this is gonna go (THANKEES, RYU ^^) so hopefully more chapters will be pouring out! Keep looking!
Also, if I have anything wrong in the little flashback thing (ya know, stuff that doesn't fit), forgive meh! I have not seen the saga, so I'm trying my hardest. Feel free to correct me, though.