One week before Toji regained consciousness
The subterranean laboratory hummed with the steady pulse of machinery, bathed in the glow of fluorescent lights.
Monitors flickered with data streams, each displaying different aspects of ongoing experiments.
In the center of all this stood its creator and sole occupant, his withered hands moving with across a control panel.
"Perfect," Dr. Gero muttered to himself, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. "The calibrations are holding steady."
He glanced at the calendar display on one of the screens. It had been three days since the battle between Lord Duskborn and the entity known as Dragon Slug.
Three days since the human anomaly had been rushed aboard an imperial vessel, his broken body barely clinging to life.
The journey to the Throne World would take approximately four days, followed by who knew how long in medical stasis.
"A fortunate turn of events," Gero continued his monologue, a habit developed over years of isolation. "With the Warriors gone and that monstrous Toji Fushiguro incapacitated, I have the perfect window to depart."
He moved to a polished metal surface, examining his reflection with clinical detachment. The face that stared back was no longer entirely human.
Porcelain-white synthetic skin covered his skull, with glowing red optical sensors where eyes had once been. Only his brain and a few organic components remained of the man who had once led the Red Ribbon Army's scientific division.
"Android 20," he said to his reflection. "Merely a temporary vessel, of course. Until Android 13 is ready."
His mechanical fingers traced the Red Ribbon insignia emblazoned on his hat. "I've incorporated the best cybernetic enhancements available, but the organic components for 13 will make it... Superior. The same technology I'm developing for 17 and 18."
He turned away from his reflection, moving deeper into the laboratory. "Speaking to yourself again, old man?" he chuckled mirthlessly. "A necessary evil to maintain cognitive function in isolation. The mind requires stimulation, even artificial."
The laboratory extended far beyond what seemed physically possible beneath the mountain, a testament to decades of obsessive expansion.
Gero passed rows of incomplete android models, each in various stages of development. Numbers 13 through 19 lay dormant in their chambers, waiting for the final touches that would bring them to life.
But Gero's destination lay beyond them all, in a chamber he visited every day without fail.
The door hissed open, revealing a room bathed in soft blue light. At its center stood a stasis pod containing the figure of a middle-aged woman.
Her face, though lined with age, retained traces of beauty. Dark brown hair floated around her head in the suspension fluid, giving her an ethereal appearance.
Gero approached the pod, placing his mechanical hand against the glass with unexpected tenderness.
"Soon, Vomi," he whispered. "Soon we'll be a family again."
His voice softened when speaking to her, "The soul transfer method is nearly perfected. I've already prepared my own test subject." He gestured to his mechanical body. "Once I've successfully transferred my consciousness to Android 13, I'll know it's safe for you."
He gazed at her peaceful, suspended face. Memories flooded back - their life before the Red Ribbon Army, before their son Gevo had followed in his footsteps.
"You were right to blame me," he admitted quietly. "I brought Gevo into the Army. My pride, my ambition... I thought he would carry on my legacy."
The day remained vivid in his memory. The reports of a child - a monster in human form - tearing through the Red Ribbon headquarters.
Son Goku.
By the time Gero had returned from his research outpost, his son lay among the dead.
Vomi had never forgiven him.
"You said I killed him," Gero continued his one-sided conversation. "And perhaps I did, indirectly. But your hatred consumed you, my dear."
The night of the accident had been raining. Vomi, drunk and despondent on the anniversary of Gevo's death, had driven off a cliff. Gero had found her barely alive, her body broken beyond conventional medical repair.
"I couldn't lose you too," he whispered. "Even if you hated me."
For years, he had kept her suspended between life and death while he worked on a solution. Android 21 would be his masterpiece - a perfect vessel for Vomi's consciousness, designed with the organic components necessary to still be human.
The Soul was the most fascinating thing in existence, and the most complicated. Something that eluded all scientists- but not Gero.
Not the man who believed in it. Not the man who for over a decade had begun to research Ki and its components, and people's out of body experiences.
Trying to understand how he can with Ki possibly transfer his own soul through his brain into another body- so that, eventually he can do the same for his wife.
And dare he hope, somehow revive his son- Gevo, with the Dragon Balls.
"Just a little longer," he promised, turning away from the stasis pod. "First, I must perfect the process on myself. Then, we'll be together again. And after that... Son Goku will pay for what he's done to our family."
Gero moved through another set of security doors, entering a chamber dominated by a massive tank of luminescent green fluid.
Tubes and wires connected the tank to dozens of machines, each monitoring different aspects of its occupant's development.
Within the fluid floated what appeared to be a young child, perhaps five years old. But appearances were deceiving.
The being had existed for barely a month, its accelerated development a testament to Gero's genius - and the extraordinary genetic material from which it was created.
"Cell," Gero addressed the floating figure. "My greatest creation."
The child's features were a strange hybrid - predominantly human but with subtle alien characteristics. His skin had a pale hue, and small protrusions that might one day become horns or bio-gems were visible on his forehead.
"Half-human, half-Frost Demon," Gero mused, checking the development monitors. "The perfect foundation. And soon, I'll incorporate the Namekian DNA I've collected from Lord Slug, alongside the Saiyan, human, and other samples."
On nearby screens, footage of the battle between Toji and Dragon Slug played on loop. Gero had hacked into satellite feeds to capture the confrontation, fascinated by the display of power.
"Your father," Gero told the unconscious child. "A remarkable specimen. His DNA combined with the Empress Freeza's has produced potential beyond my wildest calculations."
He tapped a command into the console, and the footage shifted to show Toji's transformation into his four-armed, four-eyed form. "Imagine what you'll become when you've incorporated all the genetic advantages I've prepared for you."
Suddenly, the monitors tracking Cell's brain activity spiked dramatically. The child's eyes snapped open - intelligent, aware eyes that should not belong to a being so young.
They fixed on the screen showing Toji's battle, widening as Dragon Slug severed his arms.
"Father?" The word escaped Cell's lips, bubbling through the fluid. His expression showed unmistakable distress- no worry.
An instinctual one of son for his father.
Gero froze, his mechanical eyes widening in alarm. "No, no, no. This won't do at all."
He frantically adjusted controls on a nearby machine labeled "Neural Reconfiguration Array." The device was connected directly to Cell's tank through a series of electrodes attached to the child's head.
"The imprinting process is incomplete," Gero muttered, increasing the machine's output. "Genetic memory must be suppressed and replaced."
The machine hummed louder as it projected a series of messages directly into Cell's developing mind:
"KILL SON GOKU."
"ACHIEVE PERFECTION."
"SURPASS YOUR FATHER."
"PROVE YOUR PERFECTION BY KILLING THE CLOSEST BEING TO PERFECTION - TOJI FUSHIGURO."
Cell's small body convulsed in the tank, his face contorted in pain as the machine attempted to overwrite his instinctive connection to his father. Tears formed in his eyes, mixing with the green fluid surrounding him.
For a brief, startling moment, Cell's eyes cleared of confusion and pain, focusing with unexpected clarity on Gero.
"Stop!" he screamed, his voice distorted by the fluid but unmistakable in its desperation. "Father needs help!"
Gero's mechanical hand slammed down on a red button, activating emergency sedation protocols. A bluish substance immediately dispersed through the tank, enveloping Cell's thrashing form.
"Remarkable resistance," Gero noted clinically, even as something akin to guilt flickered through his artificial systems. "The genetic bond is stronger than anticipated. Additional conditioning will be required."
Instinct. Something ingrained in all creatures.
A father's unconditional love for his son.
And a son's own love and desire for protection for ones father.
Instincts only overrided through much bad experience with one's father or son- or as Gero would have it, immense brainwashing.
As Cell's consciousness faded, tears continued to stream from his eyes, creating small ripples in the green liquid. His small hand pressed against the glass, as if reaching for the image of Toji on the screen.
"Sleep now," Gero said, his voice softening slightly. "Your purpose is greater than you can understand. You will be perfect - the culmination of all fighting potential in the universe."
He turned away from the tank, moving toward a massive computer terminal that dominated one wall of the chamber. "Computer, initiate final departure preparations. Time is of the essence."
"DEPARTURE SEQUENCE INITIATED," the computer responded in a feminine voice deliberately modeled after Vomi's. "ESTIMATED COMPLETION: THREE HOURS."
Gero nodded in satisfaction. "The warriors' absence provides the perfect window. Cell's power is growing too rapidly to remain concealed much longer."
He moved through the laboratory, checking final preparations. In one section, thousands of capsules were arranged in meticulous order, each labeled with its contents.
"Technology from Capsule Corporation," he noted, picking up one labeled 'Gravity Chamber Components.'
"Materials from West City Research Institute." Another capsule marked 'Rare Earth Elements.'
"Medical equipment from Central Hospital." A third capsule with 'Regeneration Tank Replication Schematics.'
Decades of careful theft of materials,, always staying just below the threshold that might attract attention. The resources required for his ambitions far exceeded what one man could legitimately acquire.
"The planet I've selected is perfect," he continued his monologue. "Uninhabited, breathable atmosphere, sufficient resources for continued development."
He had discovered it while hacking into Capsule Corporation's databases, which had extracted information from Raditz's scouter.
The Frieza Force's star charts contained detailed information on thousands of worlds - including several that had been deemed unsuitable for conquest due to lack of valuable resources or strategic position.
"Perfect for my purposes," Gero muttered. "Isolation without interference."
He approached a sealed container marked with biohazard symbols. Inside, carefully preserved tissue samples gleamed under the laboratory lights.
"Lord Slug DNA," he read from the label. "A most fortunate acquisition. The regenerative capabilities alone will enhance Cell's durability exponentially."
Next to it sat samples from various fighters - Piccolo, Goku, Vegeta, even Cooler, collected from the battlefield after his defeat.
Each represented unique abilities that would be incorporated into Cell's final form.
"But not yet," Gero decided, securing the samples for transport. "Cell's base development must stabilize before introducing additional genetic material. The human and Frost Demon combination provides the perfect foundation."
A monitor beeped, indicating a completed scan of Dragon Slug's battle data. Gero examined the results with satisfaction.
"Transformation capabilities, regeneration, techniques - all will be incorporated into Cell's programming," he said. "Combined with Toji's raw power and Freeza's imperial lineage, my creation will truly be perfect."
The computer voice interrupted: "LABORATORY TRANSFORMATION SEQUENCE READY FOR INITIATION."
"Excellent," Gero responded. "Begin transformation."
The entire laboratory shuddered as hidden mechanisms activated. Walls reconfigured, equipment folded into specialized compartments, and the ceiling split open to reveal a massive spacecraft hull integrated into the mountain itself.
"My masterpiece of engineering," Gero said proudly. "A laboratory that transforms into an interstellar vessel."
He moved quickly through the transforming facility, ensuring the stasis pods containing Vomi and Cell were securely anchored in their transport chambers. Each was surrounded by redundant life support systems and protective fields.
"The journey will take approximately one week," he told the unconscious figures. "Upon arrival, I'll establish a new facility where we can continue our work undisturbed."
As the transformation completed, Gero took his position at the command center. The mountain above had split open, revealing a clear path to the night sky.
"Computer, initiate launch sequence," he commanded. "Stealth protocols at maximum."
"LAUNCH SEQUENCE INITIATED. STEALTH SYSTEMS ENGAGED."
The massive ship rose silently from its mountain hideaway, its exterior designed to absorb rather than reflect radar signals.
Special field generators disrupted visual detection as well, rendering it nearly invisible to conventional observation.
As the craft broke through Earth's atmosphere, Gero looked back at the blue planet through a viewport. For a moment, something like nostalgia flickered through him - memories of a life before revenge had consumed him.
But the moment passed quickly, replaced by cold determination.
"When I return," he promised the distant planet, "Son Goku will die, my family will be restored, and this world will recognize the genius of Dr. Gero."
The ship accelerated to light speed, disappearing into the vastness of space, carrying with it a father's obsession, a wife suspended between life and death, and a child created from the genes of the universe's most powerful beings - a child who, even in artificial sleep, dreamed of a father he had never met but instinctively recognized as his own.
In his sleep, Cell's lips moved silently, forming a single word: "Father."
---------------------------
Meanwhile, in the depths of space, aboard an imperial medical vessel racing toward the Throne World, Toji Fushiguro lay suspended between life and death.
His body, mangled and broken from channeling destruction energy, was maintained by the most advanced medical technology the Cold Empire could provide.
Unaware of the connection forming in the mind of a child he had never met, Toji's damaged body struggled to heal injuries that defied conventional medicine.
Fate would have it they eventually meet.
And then, Father and Son will truly battle.
And the Reaper will be ready to see whose soul he reaps.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
Do tell me how you found it.
I found it logical for Gero to leave the planet with Cell's power level growing and Gero not sure he can hide it much longer.
Also, the soul thing. Honestly, with a genius like Gero, if he believed in souls, I am sure he'd study them extensively, and try to be able to transfer his into another body.
Oh yeah, the Goku killing Gevo thing- I don't think that's canon. But I'm going with it. Makes things more interesting.
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)