a proof for multiverse theory

Though moving slow, it still only took minutes for him to stretch and get up. Cell stiffly made his way out of the cave he had found last night, with one hand sliding along a rocky wall until he made it to the entrance. The other hand rubbed his head and crest. They ached too, and he hadn’t slept well--but then, none of that was unusual.

With one final push off the stone wall, Cell left the cave, and continued his journey. 

Resuming his walk through the forest, he resisted the urge to shiver slightly. He didn’t like the cold. Then Cell internally chastised himself, because what was even the point in hiding his distaste? Not like there was anyone around to notice.

For pride? Like he had any use for it. Gero hadn’t built him for that. Probably just another unwanted instinct from Vegeta...but Cell considered Gero again. He had built him for some specific objectives, and none of them involved disliking the cold.

Probably just the hunger talking nonsensical shit, Cell thought to himself as he dully spotted another broken building in the distance. He resisted the urge to hope there would be someone he could eat there; the bio-android wasn’t in the mood for more disappointment today. Humans would be there, or they wouldn’t be. 

They weren’t. For all of Cell’s efforts to not get his hopes up, his search for any humans to eat became slightly more desperate, until he mentally ordered himself to stop. There was nothing, he’d looked through all the ruins. The longer he lingered, the more time and energy he wasted. He had to keep moving forward; the sooner he did, the sooner he could find food elsewhere. 

And so the bio-android left, dully observing he hadn’t even found any lead on the damn Androids.

Where the hell were they? Why couldn’t he find them? 

Though Gero and the Supercomputer had told him over and over again that human bio-extract would be his one form of sustenance, and it would power him up quickly for a confrontation with the Androids, again Cell revisited an idea he kept coming back to--what if he questioned humans about the androids’ whereabouts? Even if they didn’t have an answer, maybe they could provide something that could be a clue.

Perpetual and ravenous hunger had kept him from trying this. What was Gero thinking, giving him a body that required this much energy on a virtually constant basis? Was it all to build a weapon that could defeat 17 and 18? Was it a side-effect of Saiyan DNA and their overwhelming appetite? A mix of both?

In any case, there were too few humans, and he was always starving in some capacity--he had to eat what he could whenever he managed to find it. When he went too long without food, he’d even go into a blind feeding frenzy once he finally found any prey. He could only vaguely remember those experiences afterward (and muffle some lingering guilt).

In the end, it didn’t leave much room for direct investigation. 

The closest he’d come were scattered instances. In one of many dead towns, Cell had listened to an old, abandoned radio broadcast regional news until it finally died. He’d been distracted from the hunt once by a TV still playing a news program in a storefront window, until a human desperate to survive had shot at him, missed, and destroyed the TV instead. Cell had eavesdropped on humans conversing among each other before devouring them in their sleep, something that had multiplied his guilt.

Even if he had been nearly driven to another feeding frenzy over his hunger at that moment, even if the humans had been another dead end on the Androids, it had still felt.... 

But eavesdropping wasn’t the same as asking, he tried to tell himself. If he asked a human anything, he would not eat them. To keep that small promise, Cell knew he would only ask someone when he could trust he could control his hunger, when it was at a tolerable level. Not full, but not starving either. (Cell had never felt full or his appetite completely sated in this dead world he’d woken up in.)

Presently, as another day ended and turned to night, Cell stumbled upon a building that filled him with an instinctive rush of hate when he saw the large ‘C’ faded on it. Capsule Corp. and its conflict with the Red Ribbon Army were part of the wretched domino effect that had resulted in his current situation and bitter existence. That, and Gero had programmed him with loathing for the paramilitary organization. Some personal experiences hadn’t endeared him to them either.

Cell had come across humans who had grown more ruthless against each other in this Android-ravaged world, unscrupulous bandits and the like--and Capsule Corp. was often chief among them. It was programming, he told himself, nothing but Gero’s will embedded in his mind; but something about it all...incensed him even more. The bio-android felt less guilty when he absorbed Capsule Corp. soldiers. (He did feel guilt again when he consumed those who clearly wore the brand out of fear and a desire to survive, that hadn’t grown too comfortable with malice.)

Though the ki of nearby humans felt intense and his hunger spiked at their presence, Cell reminded himself to remember what else his hunger meant: low energy. He’d gone long enough without food that he should advance with extra caution, and wait for the best moments to strike. And still, he had to be fast, it was best to ambush them. A measured quickness would be ideal.

Cell crept for the first line of guards, intending to feed on them first. The sooner he ate, the sooner he’d gain more energy, and better his position. Bypassing the lights and closing the distance, he searched for a place to wait behind the guards. The bio-android’s eyes narrowed when he stumbled upon a body--a Capsule Corps. guard with his neck cleanly snapped, hidden under bushes in the dark. Not for the first time, Cell wished Gero could have made it possible for him to eat dead meat like every other natural born being on Earth could. But no, Gero designed him to absorb bio-extract, life energy, ki energy--couldn’t absorb ki energy from something that was already dead. Had to eat them alive...

The bio-android scanned his surroundings again, but decided that whomever had killed this guard wasn’t in the area anymore. Capsule Corp. obviously had its fair share of enemies, even in this world ruined by the Androids. Something like this wasn’t particularly surprising. Cell had previously hunted human factions as they fought each other, and it seemed he would do so again tonight.

Moving away from the body, Cell found a spot to wait behind one living guard. At the right moment when he was farther away from his comrades, the bio-android quickly and quietly knocked him out, dragged him deeper into the dark and the bushes, covered his face, and began to drain him. The Capsule Corp. guard woke at the pain and began to struggle, but Cell’s hand covered his few cries, and his tail worked quickly.

The bio-android crept back to the line of guards, now missing another, though they didn’t seem to notice any losses yet. Silently gathering a small orb of ki in one clawed hand, Cell waited again. Then, just as quietly, he launched it forward, hitting one of the search lights opposite his direction. That caught the guards’ attention, and many of them began to stream toward the sight of the explosion, though some tried to just flee. As they ran, Cell caught another one before he could make a sound, and pressed the solider’s face into the dirt as he absorbed him and renewed his energy, increased it.

The bio-android followed the rest. He shot down more lights, distracted them further, creating more chaos. Soon there were no more search lights. The few flashlights that flicked on quickly plummeted to the ground as he leaped on their users and drained them. When he was done with them, he crushed the flashlights underfoot.

Soon his prey was truly in the dark. The nearest light from the Capsule Corp. building was too far away to be of much use. While humans were fumbling in the dark, Cell saw their ki clearly, pulsing all along the ground. Gero had made him extra sensitive to human ki, all to make him a better hunter.

Blocking out the growing panic and fear among them that made him uneasy, and ignoring those among his mixed DNA that found some ugly thrill in it, the bio-android finished off the guards, and tried to focus on his hunger being gradually sated instead. As soon as he absorbed the last one, he dashed over their clothes and made for the building.

He scanned the building’s ki signatures again, tracking their scrambling directions. They obviously noticed the lights went out. He noted ki signatures gathering around reasonable points of entry.

Avoiding them, the bio-android threw his entire body forward as a battering ram, breaking through a wall, where the ki signatures had been minimal.

Dust of shattered concrete and stone had kicked up into the air, momentarily shielding Cell from full vision. A moment was all he needed. Even as panicked shots started flying blindly through the air, the bio-android struck, swift and precise.

He tore through the Capsule Corp. soldiers, consumed them, and searched the building for more, more--and thankfully, there was more to eat. As usual, this was a mix of relief and turmoil. While it felt good to eat, his prey’s distress grew more exhausting and he hardened himself even more to it. As time went on and he grew more experienced at hunting, Cell had tried to do it as quickly and cleanly as possible, but that wasn’t always possible. Especially in large groups like tonight--while good for his hunger, it was easy to start a panic. Early targets could be drained before they fully comprehended what was happening; but the last ones he got to were at their most fearful after witnessing the rest get absorbed.

Cell told himself this was a good haul, he knew it was a good haul. Feast or famine. This was definitely one of the larger Capsule Corp. bases, thank Kami. Some had been bare bones, giving Cell something but not nearly enough.

The bio-android stepped through another room, entirely high on adrenaline from the rush of the hunt, renewed energy, and gradually filling his veritable stomach...and he paused, realizing he was--well, not full, but sated enough. His hunger didn’t gnaw at him now. It was tolerable. Maybe even a little more than half full, holy shit. New record.

Still, there was another soldier in this room, he had sensed their ki. Feast or famine. Who knows when he’d find his next meal, or even the Androids. It was best to clear the building. Maybe he would actually feel completely full for once.

Narrowing the human’s ki to behind one of the crates, Cell swiftly and quietly circled behind. As soon as he had the human in his sights, he prepared to strike, tail raised. But again, the bio-android paused.

This human didn’t wear the makeshift Capsule Corp. uniform.

Cell hesitated. The other faction, he thought, remembering the body of the guard he’d found.