Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dance With Death ❯ Challenge of Time ( Chapter 12 )
[ 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: 4.8K | Visits: 253 | 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: 4.8K | Visits: 253 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ or any of its characters, I just own Comet.
"Dance With Death"
by A.C
Chapter Twelve
Challenge of Time
---`---,---@
Around and around and around. The same scene swung in a large, slow circle around him as he turned again, and stalked forward another few feet before banking abruptly again. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, but he ignored it, his thoughts soaring off to elsewhere.
Piccolo, Gohan and the others stood around and quietly watched Goku as he paced. Ever since they had realized Comet was gone, everyone was worried about her. They thought that Cell might have showed up and taken her, but Piccolo found it unlikely. He doubted that the Android even knew where the Lookout was. Goku, however, was still concerned. And if she had wandered off by herself, why hadn't she told anyone? Where had she gone, and why? When would she be back? Would she come back? What if Cell found her?
Tien turned his eyes from Goku to the edge of the Lookout. He still couldn't feel Comet's ki, and it troubled him deeply. Beyond the edge was the clear blue sky that always seemed to surround Kami's high lookout. But as he stared, he thought he saw something shift. The triclops blinked, throwing his focus back in gear as he stared. There it was again. Someone was there!
Piccolo sensed the presence a split second later, and his head jerked in the direction Tien was staring. "Goku," he grunted.
The Sayain stopped with his pacing and glanced at his Namekian friend before averting his gaze to the clouds. A moment later, his face had lit up, as the group turned to watch a dark shape land on the edge of the Lookout and start to head towards them. Sure enough, Comet soon joined their midst, quietly fixing her hair. She paused once she had joined the little group and glanced at them, a hesitant, almost nervous look on her face. No one said a word for a few minutes, until she finally lowered her arms to fold them across her chest.
"Um... hi."
Piccolo stepped forward to deliver the punishment. "Where have you been?"
Comet glanced at him, eyes sparkling. She ought to have expected a reception of the sort. They looked pretty worried - or rather, they had looked worried. Now most of them looked like the typical mixture of relief and anger. This wouldn't be easy to explain, nor did she exactly want to. But she had to give them something, even if it was a false story. "I went... to go look for Cell. To find out where he was so he couldn't sneak up on us," she added fiercely, seeing the horror and disbelief that flickered across each of their faces. Honestly, they treated her like a little child who didn't know any better!
"Did you find him?" Piccolo grunted. Comet hid a flinch. He sounded really annoyed. She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts, before responding slowly.
"No, I didn't. I found his trail, though. He's gone into destructing city after city. I found one he had destroyed only moments ago, figured I was getting too close, and came back. It looks like he was moving steadily east for a while, but he's starting to circle around and come back."
"Seems he doesn't want to leave his arena," Trunks remarked, looking at Goku. "The arena itself is about four hundred miles south of here. What if he stumbles upon the Lookout?"
Comet glanced around again, remembering she hadn't mentioned anything about the previous night and Cell's midnight visit. They then thought he was still oblivious to the location of the Lookout. She didn't really know if she should mention anything or not - how would she know? 'Because he kind of showed up in my room last night in the middle of the night to make me his mate, but I didn't tell you guys because I didn't want you doing THIS.'
That would certainly go over well.
Tien was speaking now, "What if he already knows where the Lookout is? Is it possible it's not his arena he's afraid to leave, but the Lookout?"
"Why would he be afraid to go anyway?" Yamcha wondered.
"He still wants his fight with us," Piccolo responded in a low voice, "Not until he's stopped will he be satisfied. Basically, he's stronger then all of us, he knows it, and he wants to gloat about it for a while before doing away with us all."
"What a cheerful thought," Comet murmured. "Er, Goku? I can sense Vegeta. Does that mean he's out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?"
Goku, who had been listening quietly, blinked at her. "Huh? Oh, yeah! He came out a while ago. You had already left." His look changed to one of solemn concern, "Why did you go after Cell? It's not like you. You know he's stronger than you... and you know what he's after."
She merely nodded, waiting for the opportune moment to break away and avoid the guilt trips or the possible punishment. The Z Senshi acted as if she was the little child, their responsibility. The THING they had to watch and make sure it didn't crawl away into trouble! Truth be told, she wasn't exactly sure why she had gone after him. 'To find out his location', she kept reminding herself, but was that true? In all honesty, she shouldn't have cared where he was and be glad to be gone of him.
"Mm, can I go train, then?"
He glanced again at Piccolo and the others, before giving her a reassuring smile. "Sure! Is right now fine?" She nodded mutely, and followed the Sayain as he set off in the direction of the room. Trunks followed, leaving Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha and Krillen standing and talking in low, hushed and urgent tones.
Comet followed without a word, fighting to keep her mind off of Cell and instead dwelling on the thought of entering the chamber again. She had only been in there once before, and from what she recalled, it wasn't a really happy place. People usually went in groups of two, because going alone was as good as condemning oneself to insanity. The lack of company for a long period of time, surrounded by nothing more than pure whiteness, was unnerving. The plane that stretched on forever and forever, where the floor, walls and ceiling merged into one. It was an unsettling sight.
But she didn't really feel like any company. That feeling would probably change, depending on how long she stayed. The typical limit was one day - a year to whoever was in the chamber. Heck, she could stay in there for five minutes and it would feel like five days. But she really didn't know what she felt like. All she knew was that she wanted some time to herself to think and to train. She really couldn't get that outside of the chamber, training around the Lookout.
The walk was fairly short, up a few flights of stairs, before the large chamber door finally came into sight. As Comet and the two Sayains drew closer, they saw a small group already standing outside. Bulma, Popo and Gohan were waiting for them. Comet gave each of them a hesitant, puzzled glance, not saying a word. Popo moved to open the chamber door.
"Oh, Comet, I can't believe you're going in there!" Bulma remarked, anxiously cradling a sleeping baby Trunks. The teenaged counterpart stood silently by, gazing at the floor in thought.
"How long you gonna be?" Gohan wanted to know, looking up at her sadly.
She managed a reassured grin for his sake and made as if to ruffle his wild black hair, but merely rubbed it slightly. "No telling. I won't be longer than a day, though, I'll promise you. See you soon, pal." She turned and took another couple steps to the door, waving at Bulma, who replied with her own wave and "Good luck, girl!" Goku stepped forward now as she stood before the doors, bracing herself for the instant drop in air density and increase in gravity.
"Don't worry about a thing back here. We'll keep a watch out for you. You sure you don't want me or Trunks or Gohan to go with you? You know it's dangerous going alone."
She mentally calmed herself before flashing him a confident grin, "Don't worry about it, Goku. I'd rather go alone, but thanks anyway. I might even be back out before the day is up. If I'm not out in 24 hours, send a pumpkin pie after me." She winked, and then turned to face the doors. Mr. Popo opened them and stepped back, reminding her to be wary of the changes in atmosphere. Confidently, the Earthling strode forward and vanished amongst the glare of the light within.
The twin doors slammed shut behind her, and she was immediately dimensions away.
Goku didn't have time to wonder if she would be okay. Instantly, the back of his head was pummeled with a throbbing pain, and the Sayain's eyes widened in shock as he whipped around, the pain shifting just as quickly to the front of his head. Behind him, Trunks abruptly looked up, eyes glinting, violet hair swinging around his face.
A power surge that was painful to feel, overwhelming, terrifying and unreal all had once, had suddenly entered the close proximity of only fifty feet. They all knew what - or who - it was, but none of them wanted to believe it. A bad dream they each, at that moment, prayed would go away. It didn't.
"Dad!?" Gohan asked, his voice high with panic, eyes wide. The young sayain was staring in fear in the direction of the power. Baby Trunks had awoken with a start at the first sensation, and was now starting to cry - in pain, or in fear. Bulma, who had felt nothing, began to try and calm the baby, while throwing startled glances at her friends.
"What is it?"
A short silence, as they all stared in fright, disbelief or anger down the hall. The original, reeling power blast had faded now, but another one followed that struck between the eyes like a mallet. Goku gritted his teeth against the painful realization, and took off down the hallway.
"Hey!" Bulma yelped, starting to sound panicky. Sensing his mother's fear, baby Trunks began crying harder and fussing. Gohan took off after his dad, the boy's face a mask of fear, but the older Trunks paused to give his mother a fleeting glance.
"It's Cell. Hide."
"C-cell!? What!?" Bulma gasped, "How is he here!?"
"I don't know," Trunks replied through gritted teeth, his voice hardening in an attempt to mask his panic. To himself, he was wondering the same things. How had Cell found the Lookout? Why was he here? Piccolo's words rumbled in his head, filling the young Sayain with mounting dread. Not until he's stopped will he be satisfied.
But did they have the power to stop him?
---`---,---@
"Ow," Comet mumbled upon her first steps within the chamber. She had only been inside once before in her life, and it was for a very brief time only. She had forgotten quite how dazzling the infinite expanse of white was. She was standing in the small living area of the place, but beyond that was quite terrifying. Pure, blank, white emptiness. She recalled from memory that there was a ground to walk on, a steady surface out there, but from here... it didn't look it. It was impossible to tell where the horizon was, to tell where the floor began and the ceiling ended - or the other way around. Where were her walls? Were there barriers, just pure and white - invisible?
She tore her eyes from the puzzling view and instead glanced about her more immediate surroundings. Two canopy beds, draped in a rich indigo, were to her left. Off to her right was the small kitchen, with a pantry, refrigerator, table and stove. There was a bathroom slightly behind her, where she could see a shower (much to her relief). Other than that, the place didn't have much to offer. Two giant hourglasses dominated the steps down to the tundra, and behind her above the only door out was a gigantic clock. Smaller clocks were scattered around, and she found the sight of them slightly disturbing.
"Gah..." she muttered to herself, flinching slightly as her voice roared higher above her - a strange echo that didn't bounce back at the speaker, but instead bounced away - "Been in here for two minutes and it's bothering me already."
The prospect of spending a year or so in this horrible place, alone, was definitely not a cheering one. Yet the Earthling reassured herself that if it became too much for her, she could always leave early. She wasn't pressured for time, thankfully. This was supposed to be her escape.
"Vegeta in here last?" she wondered aloud, heading over to the pantry, "Heh... wonder how much food Mr. Prince of the Sayains left for me..."
---`---,---@
Slowly, Cell let his gaze travel from stunned face to stunned face. There was Tien, all three eyes wide in shock, his jaw agape, and entire frame trembling. Piccolo's eyes were bulging slightly, and his teeth were bared somewhat, body stiff and rigid with disbelief. Yamcha and Krillen were shaking, eyes also larger than normal. Goku and Gohan were the most recent to arrive. Only Goku didn't look stunned to the point of paralysis. The moment he met Cell's gaze, resolution hardened in his features, and his entire being braced for battle.
Lazily, the android noted a couple faces missing in action. Trunks, Vegeta... and Comet were nowhere to be seen. He wondered only mildly of the Sayain father/son duo, and let his curiosity linger a little longer on Comet. He knew she was here. He had watched her leave the city and return to the clouds, where he then knew she was going for the Lookout. He had followed at a distance, masking his ki from her easily. Were they hiding her? He briefly reached out for her ki. No sign. She must have been hiding it.
Who first? he wondered in amusement, glancing at them all again. Krillen might've been fun to chase around. The puny human looked absolutely terrified. What about Piccolo? He was tiring quickly of the Namek and how he was constantly getting in his way. Perhaps doing away with him would serve better in the long run. Ah, but the tempting thought that Comet could be hiding somewhere within the building behind them... imagine seeking her out... the thrill of the hunt!
Perhaps he could leave his young beauty for last, he thought with a cruel smirk. Once he had killed all of her friends, go boast to her of his accomplishment? What would she do then? Try to kill him, fight him? Would she go so far as to, perhaps, attempt to kill herself? For some strange reason, something within him contorted with the next thought; Would she loathe him with all her being? 'She already does', he reminded himself bitterly before focusing on the situation at hand. Musing on his problems could wait. He could still use a stress reliever as of now, and toying with the Z Fighters would be simply...
Perfect.
"Why are you here?" Piccolo growled, his hands clenching into fists that he didn't bother to try and hide. "You've already fought with us. What more do you want?"
Cell smirked back, allowing a lengthy silence to pass around the group as he carefully looked them all over again. "I thought you wanted to stop me?"
"We do, and we will!" Tien replied through clenched teeth. His shock had evaporated into anger, and the triclops was shaking with rage instead of fear.
A chuckle, this time. "You're off to a poor start. I'm still here."
An uneasy stillness fell over the group, and each of them immediately recognized the tension in the air. The calm before the storm. The show down before the battle began. Cell gazed at them, a light smirk in place, just waiting for one of them - or perhaps all of them - to attack him. He had gotten his prized fight with Goku, and now felt no need to challenge the Sayain one on one. The look in his eyes clearly showed he considered each of them a trifle. All together, he could handle them with ease - or so he thought.
Now, he singled them out, meeting their gazes individually. One by one, he looked at them all, the question of who would challenge him first lingering in the air. No one stepped forward or moved. When it came right down to it, every one of them was willing to sacrifice something to rid of the earth of the evil Android, but they didn't know what to do. Goku had admitted himself he wouldn't be the one to defeat Cell. Gohan would.
And now, the young demi-Sayain was standing at his father's side, staring at Cell, his face a slightly distorted mask of fear. This was his chance to fight and defeat the Android for once, and yet he wasn't moving. Goku was weighing the options in his head. He didn't want to fight Cell - not here on the Lookout, with everyone around him in distinct danger. But what choice did he have?
'I have to get him away from the Lookout!' the heroic Sayain mused, glancing over the edge of Kami's floating palace. 'He knows Comet's here. But he doesn't know about the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. So she's safe. But what about the others?'
"Cell!"
Trunks had arrived, fixing the Android with an icy gaze as he stepped off of the walkway and onto the smooth, tiled surface of the frontal area. Everyone watched him in disbelief as he strode forward, head held high, pose cool and confident, towards Cell. He, in turn, watched the Sayain approach, the smirk fading slightly until his face held no trace of amusement at all, cold eyes glittering. Slowly, he unfolded his arms and let them rest as his sides. The tension, already heavy around them, thickened.
"Why are you here?" Trunks repeated Piccolo's earlier question, never pausing in his stride. "What do you want in this place, with us?"
Cell paused, and then shifted and turned his body to face the violet-haired Sayain warrior. He never let his gaze slide from Trunks's face. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked softly, letting the double meanings of its words hang in the atmosphere.
The frown on Trunks' face deepened and he paused, now facing Cell, a good few meters away. The spectators were already a safe distance. The two fighters faced off, exchanging silent conversation, weighing options, refusing to show an ounce of emotion.
Cell was the first to move. Hoping to catch his opponent off-guard, he lashed out with a direct punch. Trunks caught the movement just in time, and tensed his leg muscles as he ducked. An unguarded target clearly in sight, he lashed out with his own attack to Cell's open chest, but the Android was too quick to counter and grabbed the oncoming fist with his own hands, bending his body around to draw the target area back.
There was a pause, as this first sequence ended slowly and fluidly. And then the fight commenced. Trunks leapt back, pulling himself free, and flipped backward simultaneously aiming for a kick. Cell pushed back just in time, feeling only the breeze as the Sayain's kick. Trunks noticed almost right away that his attack wouldn't hit, and after straightening again, shot forward. Cell didn't expect such a rapid change and was caught in the chest.
He recovered quickly and righted himself, just as Trunks regained his composure and came at him to keep attacking. The two fighters met in a flurry of punches, legs out and braced to keep balance in the air. Cell was kept on the defensive from a powerful onslaught of powerhouse punches from every direction. Trunks didn't attack with any specific style, or anywhere to hurt in mind. His thought was to hit whatever he could as hard as he could. Cell was kept busy by impromptu targets, rapidly changing. Cheek, forehead, temple, shoulder, other cheek, mouth, neck, other shoulder, head, side of shoulder, chest, left arm...
Tiring quickly, Cell kept his right arm in defending the more right-hand side of his body, while he searched for an opening. He only had moments to find one, and a moment was all he needed. Like lightning, his left hand shot out and caught his opponent with a square swipe to the jaw. Stunned, Trunks reeled, his attack pattern roughly broken.
Taking the opportunity to get more hits in, the Android spun once and caught Trunks in the stomach, throwing him upward. Just as he shot skyward, gasping for breath after having the wind knocked out of him, Cell vanished and reappeared above him, ready to squarely elbow his victim in the back. With a stifled scream of pain, the Sayain was sent hurtling back to the Lookout. Yet Cell wasn't finished yet.
In a gruesome show of merciless and grim amusement, he met his playmate and prevented him from crashing into the Lookout itself with another side kick. Trunks was sent propelling over the edge, but his course of flight was again changed, abruptly, by the evil Android. This continued as Trunks was helplessly kicked around, to be beat like a ball until Cell tired of this new game.
Gohan was among those watching, and the youngest Sayain felt something inside him flinch and swell at each blow landed on his friend. He could see the look of intense pain on Trunks' face, and yet Cell wasn't letting up. He showed every intention of continuing until Trunks' body gave no resistance, and all life had been knocked out of him. Without even thinking, the dark-haired Sayajin threw his hands back, and with a "Yaaah!" had thrown a glittering golden ball of ki forward.
Cell sensed the rather powerful attack a good few seconds before it entered the danger zone. He could have easily taken the hit and continued on, or just as easily blocked it and gone after Gohan. But because his emotions had ruled that particular attack, he hadn't been using his head. Cell saw right away the foolishness of the boy's aim - and with a smirk aimed squarely in his direction, the Android merely glided gracefully to the side.
Leaving Trunks exposed.
Gohan realized only a moment too late what he had done, and his face - before contorted in anger - relaxed into a state of horror as the attack hurtled towards the momentarily stunned Trunks. There was a flicker, and then another ball of ki shot forward from the side, knocking the original off course. Trunks fell to his knees, quickly trying to compose himself, as Gohan looked in the source of the save. Piccolo met the boy's gaze and nodded only slightly.
Cell easily brushed off the mild state of annoyance. He had Trunks weakened, and Gohan and Piccolo had just involuntarily thrown themselves into the fight. He could already see his victory. He could feel the advantage he held, and knew instantly these fools didn't stand a chance against him. A broad smirk came to his features. The fight was his - he knew it. And it made him feel pretty damn good.
He waited to see who would attack him next, eagerly awaiting the next move. He was beginning to fully enjoy himself now. And they weren't confined to some small arena. Here they were up in the sky... he had the entire Lookout and the sky itself! Killing each and every Z Fighter would be an experience he would truly treasure.
Comet was somewhere on the premises, this he was also sure of. His excitement and amusement grew. The Android would strongly enjoy these next few hours! Savor them and keep them in his memory. He could hardly wait!
Meanwhile, Trunks was one his feet and ready for more, his face set in solemn stone. Cell looked over at him, almost inviting him to try again.
---`---,---@
Comet gave a satisfied sigh and pushed her chair back. Mr. Popo had time to restock the Time Chamber's food supply, much to her satisfaction. After a much-deserved lunch, she left her rice bowl on the table and wandered over to the stairs that led to the expanse of the Time Chamber. Beyond was the pure white abyss that was almost unearthly. The Earthling leaned against one of the pillars and folded her arms, staring thoughtfully forward.
She had been warned numerous times about the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and the mysteries that lay within. The gravity was four times as strong as the gravity she was used to out here, and the atmosphere much less. It was easy to become short of breath, and even easier to become fatigued. Training under these conditions for a long time would help her muscular endurance, but she knew personally she would have to take it slow unless she wanted to put a permanently damaging strain on her body.
Besides that, the temperature varied from below zero to soar in the hundreds. It was unpredictable as well, and she had even heard rumor that storms could actually appear. She looked up towards the ceiling or sky or whatever it was - just more white stretching on and on. Would she be plagued by a random thunderstorm? Did tornados exist? An interesting concept, but she wasn't worried.
"Well, better get started," she mused, pulling her hair back in a loose ponytail. For the thousandth time, she considered the actual problem of her hair. If she kept it too long, it could possibly give a handhold for the enemy - something to grab and throw her around with. It used to get in her eyes constantly, so she pulled it back for training and fighting. But would it give her a severe problem in the future?
Women were women, and Comet did have a bit of a vain side. Her long, wavy, shiny, dark chocolate hair was one thing she was proud of. So, she stubbornly pushed the topic out of her mind and leapt down to the white surface. Her knees buckled momentarily as she felt the first effects of the increased gravity, but she gritted her teeth and tensed her leg muscles, soon straightening back up. Testily, she stepped in place, feeling the additional pull.
She tried raising her arms above her head, and then began walking out a bit more. She rolled her shoulders, her neck, and shook out her limbs a bit. And then, the Earthling dropped to the floor and began her basic yoga stretches, in preparation for training.
---`---,---@
"Dance With Death"
by A.C
Chapter Twelve
Challenge of Time
---`---,---@
Around and around and around. The same scene swung in a large, slow circle around him as he turned again, and stalked forward another few feet before banking abruptly again. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, but he ignored it, his thoughts soaring off to elsewhere.
Piccolo, Gohan and the others stood around and quietly watched Goku as he paced. Ever since they had realized Comet was gone, everyone was worried about her. They thought that Cell might have showed up and taken her, but Piccolo found it unlikely. He doubted that the Android even knew where the Lookout was. Goku, however, was still concerned. And if she had wandered off by herself, why hadn't she told anyone? Where had she gone, and why? When would she be back? Would she come back? What if Cell found her?
Tien turned his eyes from Goku to the edge of the Lookout. He still couldn't feel Comet's ki, and it troubled him deeply. Beyond the edge was the clear blue sky that always seemed to surround Kami's high lookout. But as he stared, he thought he saw something shift. The triclops blinked, throwing his focus back in gear as he stared. There it was again. Someone was there!
Piccolo sensed the presence a split second later, and his head jerked in the direction Tien was staring. "Goku," he grunted.
The Sayain stopped with his pacing and glanced at his Namekian friend before averting his gaze to the clouds. A moment later, his face had lit up, as the group turned to watch a dark shape land on the edge of the Lookout and start to head towards them. Sure enough, Comet soon joined their midst, quietly fixing her hair. She paused once she had joined the little group and glanced at them, a hesitant, almost nervous look on her face. No one said a word for a few minutes, until she finally lowered her arms to fold them across her chest.
"Um... hi."
Piccolo stepped forward to deliver the punishment. "Where have you been?"
Comet glanced at him, eyes sparkling. She ought to have expected a reception of the sort. They looked pretty worried - or rather, they had looked worried. Now most of them looked like the typical mixture of relief and anger. This wouldn't be easy to explain, nor did she exactly want to. But she had to give them something, even if it was a false story. "I went... to go look for Cell. To find out where he was so he couldn't sneak up on us," she added fiercely, seeing the horror and disbelief that flickered across each of their faces. Honestly, they treated her like a little child who didn't know any better!
"Did you find him?" Piccolo grunted. Comet hid a flinch. He sounded really annoyed. She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts, before responding slowly.
"No, I didn't. I found his trail, though. He's gone into destructing city after city. I found one he had destroyed only moments ago, figured I was getting too close, and came back. It looks like he was moving steadily east for a while, but he's starting to circle around and come back."
"Seems he doesn't want to leave his arena," Trunks remarked, looking at Goku. "The arena itself is about four hundred miles south of here. What if he stumbles upon the Lookout?"
Comet glanced around again, remembering she hadn't mentioned anything about the previous night and Cell's midnight visit. They then thought he was still oblivious to the location of the Lookout. She didn't really know if she should mention anything or not - how would she know? 'Because he kind of showed up in my room last night in the middle of the night to make me his mate, but I didn't tell you guys because I didn't want you doing THIS.'
That would certainly go over well.
Tien was speaking now, "What if he already knows where the Lookout is? Is it possible it's not his arena he's afraid to leave, but the Lookout?"
"Why would he be afraid to go anyway?" Yamcha wondered.
"He still wants his fight with us," Piccolo responded in a low voice, "Not until he's stopped will he be satisfied. Basically, he's stronger then all of us, he knows it, and he wants to gloat about it for a while before doing away with us all."
"What a cheerful thought," Comet murmured. "Er, Goku? I can sense Vegeta. Does that mean he's out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?"
Goku, who had been listening quietly, blinked at her. "Huh? Oh, yeah! He came out a while ago. You had already left." His look changed to one of solemn concern, "Why did you go after Cell? It's not like you. You know he's stronger than you... and you know what he's after."
She merely nodded, waiting for the opportune moment to break away and avoid the guilt trips or the possible punishment. The Z Senshi acted as if she was the little child, their responsibility. The THING they had to watch and make sure it didn't crawl away into trouble! Truth be told, she wasn't exactly sure why she had gone after him. 'To find out his location', she kept reminding herself, but was that true? In all honesty, she shouldn't have cared where he was and be glad to be gone of him.
"Mm, can I go train, then?"
He glanced again at Piccolo and the others, before giving her a reassuring smile. "Sure! Is right now fine?" She nodded mutely, and followed the Sayain as he set off in the direction of the room. Trunks followed, leaving Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha and Krillen standing and talking in low, hushed and urgent tones.
Comet followed without a word, fighting to keep her mind off of Cell and instead dwelling on the thought of entering the chamber again. She had only been in there once before, and from what she recalled, it wasn't a really happy place. People usually went in groups of two, because going alone was as good as condemning oneself to insanity. The lack of company for a long period of time, surrounded by nothing more than pure whiteness, was unnerving. The plane that stretched on forever and forever, where the floor, walls and ceiling merged into one. It was an unsettling sight.
But she didn't really feel like any company. That feeling would probably change, depending on how long she stayed. The typical limit was one day - a year to whoever was in the chamber. Heck, she could stay in there for five minutes and it would feel like five days. But she really didn't know what she felt like. All she knew was that she wanted some time to herself to think and to train. She really couldn't get that outside of the chamber, training around the Lookout.
The walk was fairly short, up a few flights of stairs, before the large chamber door finally came into sight. As Comet and the two Sayains drew closer, they saw a small group already standing outside. Bulma, Popo and Gohan were waiting for them. Comet gave each of them a hesitant, puzzled glance, not saying a word. Popo moved to open the chamber door.
"Oh, Comet, I can't believe you're going in there!" Bulma remarked, anxiously cradling a sleeping baby Trunks. The teenaged counterpart stood silently by, gazing at the floor in thought.
"How long you gonna be?" Gohan wanted to know, looking up at her sadly.
She managed a reassured grin for his sake and made as if to ruffle his wild black hair, but merely rubbed it slightly. "No telling. I won't be longer than a day, though, I'll promise you. See you soon, pal." She turned and took another couple steps to the door, waving at Bulma, who replied with her own wave and "Good luck, girl!" Goku stepped forward now as she stood before the doors, bracing herself for the instant drop in air density and increase in gravity.
"Don't worry about a thing back here. We'll keep a watch out for you. You sure you don't want me or Trunks or Gohan to go with you? You know it's dangerous going alone."
She mentally calmed herself before flashing him a confident grin, "Don't worry about it, Goku. I'd rather go alone, but thanks anyway. I might even be back out before the day is up. If I'm not out in 24 hours, send a pumpkin pie after me." She winked, and then turned to face the doors. Mr. Popo opened them and stepped back, reminding her to be wary of the changes in atmosphere. Confidently, the Earthling strode forward and vanished amongst the glare of the light within.
The twin doors slammed shut behind her, and she was immediately dimensions away.
Goku didn't have time to wonder if she would be okay. Instantly, the back of his head was pummeled with a throbbing pain, and the Sayain's eyes widened in shock as he whipped around, the pain shifting just as quickly to the front of his head. Behind him, Trunks abruptly looked up, eyes glinting, violet hair swinging around his face.
A power surge that was painful to feel, overwhelming, terrifying and unreal all had once, had suddenly entered the close proximity of only fifty feet. They all knew what - or who - it was, but none of them wanted to believe it. A bad dream they each, at that moment, prayed would go away. It didn't.
"Dad!?" Gohan asked, his voice high with panic, eyes wide. The young sayain was staring in fear in the direction of the power. Baby Trunks had awoken with a start at the first sensation, and was now starting to cry - in pain, or in fear. Bulma, who had felt nothing, began to try and calm the baby, while throwing startled glances at her friends.
"What is it?"
A short silence, as they all stared in fright, disbelief or anger down the hall. The original, reeling power blast had faded now, but another one followed that struck between the eyes like a mallet. Goku gritted his teeth against the painful realization, and took off down the hallway.
"Hey!" Bulma yelped, starting to sound panicky. Sensing his mother's fear, baby Trunks began crying harder and fussing. Gohan took off after his dad, the boy's face a mask of fear, but the older Trunks paused to give his mother a fleeting glance.
"It's Cell. Hide."
"C-cell!? What!?" Bulma gasped, "How is he here!?"
"I don't know," Trunks replied through gritted teeth, his voice hardening in an attempt to mask his panic. To himself, he was wondering the same things. How had Cell found the Lookout? Why was he here? Piccolo's words rumbled in his head, filling the young Sayain with mounting dread. Not until he's stopped will he be satisfied.
But did they have the power to stop him?
---`---,---@
"Ow," Comet mumbled upon her first steps within the chamber. She had only been inside once before in her life, and it was for a very brief time only. She had forgotten quite how dazzling the infinite expanse of white was. She was standing in the small living area of the place, but beyond that was quite terrifying. Pure, blank, white emptiness. She recalled from memory that there was a ground to walk on, a steady surface out there, but from here... it didn't look it. It was impossible to tell where the horizon was, to tell where the floor began and the ceiling ended - or the other way around. Where were her walls? Were there barriers, just pure and white - invisible?
She tore her eyes from the puzzling view and instead glanced about her more immediate surroundings. Two canopy beds, draped in a rich indigo, were to her left. Off to her right was the small kitchen, with a pantry, refrigerator, table and stove. There was a bathroom slightly behind her, where she could see a shower (much to her relief). Other than that, the place didn't have much to offer. Two giant hourglasses dominated the steps down to the tundra, and behind her above the only door out was a gigantic clock. Smaller clocks were scattered around, and she found the sight of them slightly disturbing.
"Gah..." she muttered to herself, flinching slightly as her voice roared higher above her - a strange echo that didn't bounce back at the speaker, but instead bounced away - "Been in here for two minutes and it's bothering me already."
The prospect of spending a year or so in this horrible place, alone, was definitely not a cheering one. Yet the Earthling reassured herself that if it became too much for her, she could always leave early. She wasn't pressured for time, thankfully. This was supposed to be her escape.
"Vegeta in here last?" she wondered aloud, heading over to the pantry, "Heh... wonder how much food Mr. Prince of the Sayains left for me..."
---`---,---@
Slowly, Cell let his gaze travel from stunned face to stunned face. There was Tien, all three eyes wide in shock, his jaw agape, and entire frame trembling. Piccolo's eyes were bulging slightly, and his teeth were bared somewhat, body stiff and rigid with disbelief. Yamcha and Krillen were shaking, eyes also larger than normal. Goku and Gohan were the most recent to arrive. Only Goku didn't look stunned to the point of paralysis. The moment he met Cell's gaze, resolution hardened in his features, and his entire being braced for battle.
Lazily, the android noted a couple faces missing in action. Trunks, Vegeta... and Comet were nowhere to be seen. He wondered only mildly of the Sayain father/son duo, and let his curiosity linger a little longer on Comet. He knew she was here. He had watched her leave the city and return to the clouds, where he then knew she was going for the Lookout. He had followed at a distance, masking his ki from her easily. Were they hiding her? He briefly reached out for her ki. No sign. She must have been hiding it.
Who first? he wondered in amusement, glancing at them all again. Krillen might've been fun to chase around. The puny human looked absolutely terrified. What about Piccolo? He was tiring quickly of the Namek and how he was constantly getting in his way. Perhaps doing away with him would serve better in the long run. Ah, but the tempting thought that Comet could be hiding somewhere within the building behind them... imagine seeking her out... the thrill of the hunt!
Perhaps he could leave his young beauty for last, he thought with a cruel smirk. Once he had killed all of her friends, go boast to her of his accomplishment? What would she do then? Try to kill him, fight him? Would she go so far as to, perhaps, attempt to kill herself? For some strange reason, something within him contorted with the next thought; Would she loathe him with all her being? 'She already does', he reminded himself bitterly before focusing on the situation at hand. Musing on his problems could wait. He could still use a stress reliever as of now, and toying with the Z Fighters would be simply...
Perfect.
"Why are you here?" Piccolo growled, his hands clenching into fists that he didn't bother to try and hide. "You've already fought with us. What more do you want?"
Cell smirked back, allowing a lengthy silence to pass around the group as he carefully looked them all over again. "I thought you wanted to stop me?"
"We do, and we will!" Tien replied through clenched teeth. His shock had evaporated into anger, and the triclops was shaking with rage instead of fear.
A chuckle, this time. "You're off to a poor start. I'm still here."
An uneasy stillness fell over the group, and each of them immediately recognized the tension in the air. The calm before the storm. The show down before the battle began. Cell gazed at them, a light smirk in place, just waiting for one of them - or perhaps all of them - to attack him. He had gotten his prized fight with Goku, and now felt no need to challenge the Sayain one on one. The look in his eyes clearly showed he considered each of them a trifle. All together, he could handle them with ease - or so he thought.
Now, he singled them out, meeting their gazes individually. One by one, he looked at them all, the question of who would challenge him first lingering in the air. No one stepped forward or moved. When it came right down to it, every one of them was willing to sacrifice something to rid of the earth of the evil Android, but they didn't know what to do. Goku had admitted himself he wouldn't be the one to defeat Cell. Gohan would.
And now, the young demi-Sayain was standing at his father's side, staring at Cell, his face a slightly distorted mask of fear. This was his chance to fight and defeat the Android for once, and yet he wasn't moving. Goku was weighing the options in his head. He didn't want to fight Cell - not here on the Lookout, with everyone around him in distinct danger. But what choice did he have?
'I have to get him away from the Lookout!' the heroic Sayain mused, glancing over the edge of Kami's floating palace. 'He knows Comet's here. But he doesn't know about the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. So she's safe. But what about the others?'
"Cell!"
Trunks had arrived, fixing the Android with an icy gaze as he stepped off of the walkway and onto the smooth, tiled surface of the frontal area. Everyone watched him in disbelief as he strode forward, head held high, pose cool and confident, towards Cell. He, in turn, watched the Sayain approach, the smirk fading slightly until his face held no trace of amusement at all, cold eyes glittering. Slowly, he unfolded his arms and let them rest as his sides. The tension, already heavy around them, thickened.
"Why are you here?" Trunks repeated Piccolo's earlier question, never pausing in his stride. "What do you want in this place, with us?"
Cell paused, and then shifted and turned his body to face the violet-haired Sayain warrior. He never let his gaze slide from Trunks's face. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked softly, letting the double meanings of its words hang in the atmosphere.
The frown on Trunks' face deepened and he paused, now facing Cell, a good few meters away. The spectators were already a safe distance. The two fighters faced off, exchanging silent conversation, weighing options, refusing to show an ounce of emotion.
Cell was the first to move. Hoping to catch his opponent off-guard, he lashed out with a direct punch. Trunks caught the movement just in time, and tensed his leg muscles as he ducked. An unguarded target clearly in sight, he lashed out with his own attack to Cell's open chest, but the Android was too quick to counter and grabbed the oncoming fist with his own hands, bending his body around to draw the target area back.
There was a pause, as this first sequence ended slowly and fluidly. And then the fight commenced. Trunks leapt back, pulling himself free, and flipped backward simultaneously aiming for a kick. Cell pushed back just in time, feeling only the breeze as the Sayain's kick. Trunks noticed almost right away that his attack wouldn't hit, and after straightening again, shot forward. Cell didn't expect such a rapid change and was caught in the chest.
He recovered quickly and righted himself, just as Trunks regained his composure and came at him to keep attacking. The two fighters met in a flurry of punches, legs out and braced to keep balance in the air. Cell was kept on the defensive from a powerful onslaught of powerhouse punches from every direction. Trunks didn't attack with any specific style, or anywhere to hurt in mind. His thought was to hit whatever he could as hard as he could. Cell was kept busy by impromptu targets, rapidly changing. Cheek, forehead, temple, shoulder, other cheek, mouth, neck, other shoulder, head, side of shoulder, chest, left arm...
Tiring quickly, Cell kept his right arm in defending the more right-hand side of his body, while he searched for an opening. He only had moments to find one, and a moment was all he needed. Like lightning, his left hand shot out and caught his opponent with a square swipe to the jaw. Stunned, Trunks reeled, his attack pattern roughly broken.
Taking the opportunity to get more hits in, the Android spun once and caught Trunks in the stomach, throwing him upward. Just as he shot skyward, gasping for breath after having the wind knocked out of him, Cell vanished and reappeared above him, ready to squarely elbow his victim in the back. With a stifled scream of pain, the Sayain was sent hurtling back to the Lookout. Yet Cell wasn't finished yet.
In a gruesome show of merciless and grim amusement, he met his playmate and prevented him from crashing into the Lookout itself with another side kick. Trunks was sent propelling over the edge, but his course of flight was again changed, abruptly, by the evil Android. This continued as Trunks was helplessly kicked around, to be beat like a ball until Cell tired of this new game.
Gohan was among those watching, and the youngest Sayain felt something inside him flinch and swell at each blow landed on his friend. He could see the look of intense pain on Trunks' face, and yet Cell wasn't letting up. He showed every intention of continuing until Trunks' body gave no resistance, and all life had been knocked out of him. Without even thinking, the dark-haired Sayajin threw his hands back, and with a "Yaaah!" had thrown a glittering golden ball of ki forward.
Cell sensed the rather powerful attack a good few seconds before it entered the danger zone. He could have easily taken the hit and continued on, or just as easily blocked it and gone after Gohan. But because his emotions had ruled that particular attack, he hadn't been using his head. Cell saw right away the foolishness of the boy's aim - and with a smirk aimed squarely in his direction, the Android merely glided gracefully to the side.
Leaving Trunks exposed.
Gohan realized only a moment too late what he had done, and his face - before contorted in anger - relaxed into a state of horror as the attack hurtled towards the momentarily stunned Trunks. There was a flicker, and then another ball of ki shot forward from the side, knocking the original off course. Trunks fell to his knees, quickly trying to compose himself, as Gohan looked in the source of the save. Piccolo met the boy's gaze and nodded only slightly.
Cell easily brushed off the mild state of annoyance. He had Trunks weakened, and Gohan and Piccolo had just involuntarily thrown themselves into the fight. He could already see his victory. He could feel the advantage he held, and knew instantly these fools didn't stand a chance against him. A broad smirk came to his features. The fight was his - he knew it. And it made him feel pretty damn good.
He waited to see who would attack him next, eagerly awaiting the next move. He was beginning to fully enjoy himself now. And they weren't confined to some small arena. Here they were up in the sky... he had the entire Lookout and the sky itself! Killing each and every Z Fighter would be an experience he would truly treasure.
Comet was somewhere on the premises, this he was also sure of. His excitement and amusement grew. The Android would strongly enjoy these next few hours! Savor them and keep them in his memory. He could hardly wait!
Meanwhile, Trunks was one his feet and ready for more, his face set in solemn stone. Cell looked over at him, almost inviting him to try again.
---`---,---@
Comet gave a satisfied sigh and pushed her chair back. Mr. Popo had time to restock the Time Chamber's food supply, much to her satisfaction. After a much-deserved lunch, she left her rice bowl on the table and wandered over to the stairs that led to the expanse of the Time Chamber. Beyond was the pure white abyss that was almost unearthly. The Earthling leaned against one of the pillars and folded her arms, staring thoughtfully forward.
She had been warned numerous times about the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and the mysteries that lay within. The gravity was four times as strong as the gravity she was used to out here, and the atmosphere much less. It was easy to become short of breath, and even easier to become fatigued. Training under these conditions for a long time would help her muscular endurance, but she knew personally she would have to take it slow unless she wanted to put a permanently damaging strain on her body.
Besides that, the temperature varied from below zero to soar in the hundreds. It was unpredictable as well, and she had even heard rumor that storms could actually appear. She looked up towards the ceiling or sky or whatever it was - just more white stretching on and on. Would she be plagued by a random thunderstorm? Did tornados exist? An interesting concept, but she wasn't worried.
"Well, better get started," she mused, pulling her hair back in a loose ponytail. For the thousandth time, she considered the actual problem of her hair. If she kept it too long, it could possibly give a handhold for the enemy - something to grab and throw her around with. It used to get in her eyes constantly, so she pulled it back for training and fighting. But would it give her a severe problem in the future?
Women were women, and Comet did have a bit of a vain side. Her long, wavy, shiny, dark chocolate hair was one thing she was proud of. So, she stubbornly pushed the topic out of her mind and leapt down to the white surface. Her knees buckled momentarily as she felt the first effects of the increased gravity, but she gritted her teeth and tensed her leg muscles, soon straightening back up. Testily, she stepped in place, feeling the additional pull.
She tried raising her arms above her head, and then began walking out a bit more. She rolled her shoulders, her neck, and shook out her limbs a bit. And then, the Earthling dropped to the floor and began her basic yoga stretches, in preparation for training.
---`---,---@