Piccolo and Lapis landed in the front yard of the Capsule Corps building in the center of West City and looked around. Given how meek Bulma's Ki signature was, it barely set itself apart from millions of people around West City. However, both of them noticed the fact that the garage was open on the right side of the massive central dome-shaped building. It didn't take long for Bulma to emerge, covered in machine oil, wearing rags and thick leather overalls that seemed to be put through some wear and tear.
"You two? That's a surprise!" Bulma exclaimed after slipping off her headgear, slipping off her thick glove, and wiping the back of her dirty and sweaty forehead. "Do you two also want to leave for space to look for the Ultimate Dragon Balls? At this point, I think we've got enough people."
"Sorry, we understand that collecting the Ultimate Dragon Balls is essential to Earth's survival, but we might be onto something that's just as important," Piccolo replied after Lapis stayed quiet for longer than he'd have liked. Given how this was Lapis' idea of how to get some more information about what they were dealing with, Piccolo expected the young man to show some more initiative.
"Do you think we could use the communications in your lab?" Lapis brought it up out of nowhere.
"Huh? My coms?" Bulma scratched the back of her head, slathering it with some black dirt and sighing after realizing how much work it would be to wash all this muck off after she'll be done tinkering with whatever she was working on. "I guess..." she shrugged. "Everyone's been milking me dry of money and handouts lately, frankly, letting you guys use my coms sounds like the least I can do."
"Do you think they could reach Dr. Puri?" Lapis wondered with a casual look on his face. He carried himself almost as if him asking Bulma of this was some nonchalant thing. While Piccolo had loads of additional context for Lapis' request, he had to hand it that, without said context, one of Dr. Puri's strongest hitmen from her dark past contacting her like this sounded suspicious, if nothing else.
"What's this all of a sudden?" Bulma placed her hands on her hips, turning sour. "Why would you need to contact that backstabbing harpy?"
"Did something happen again? You two seemed to be content working with each other and she assisted you in rescuing Vegeta, after all..." Piccolo wondered, noticing a dramatic shift back to the relationship between the two being rotten beyond repair.
"As if that hussy did it out of the kindness of her heart!" Bulma ground her teeth while clenching her fists tightly in front of her and feeling the innate desire to expel all the pent-up stress. "She showed her true colors after towing the remains of all the Four-Stars for herself after the conflict with Baby and the Machine Mutants was over with, leaving me with the trouble of relocating Baby and the Machine Mutants back to Planet Vegeta out of my pocket!"
"Haven't all the Four-Stars been wrecked? What does it matter if she dragged a bunch of scrap space junk out of our figurative lawn?" Piccolo crossed his arms.
"It DOES matter!" Bulma growled, leaning over at him, and frightening even the dauntless Ultimate Namekian warrior into breaking concentration and leaning back in a submissive posture. "What do you think someone like that horrible woman will do with ancient, ground-breaking pieces of technology like the Four-Stars that borderline on being so advanced they seem like magic!? Nothing good, that's what!"
"Right now, that old hag is the least of our problems," Lapis stepped into the middle of that conversation. "She might have some information that's vital for the Earth's survival, though. You can judge her character and intentions based on how willing she is to provide it to us. It has something to do with some work she might have done back in the day. That was a mystery even to us, her closest assistants."
"Hmm..." Bulma hummed, caving in to peer pressure. "I guess delving into Puri's embarrassing past secrets could be useful. If she still has laboratories, projects, or weapons stored here on Earth, that could be useful intel for us. But if she reveals something like that, I'm calling dibs as your payment for the favor!"
"Believe it or not, that's pennies compared to what the last person we visited asked of us," Lapis smirked with a solid nod of his head. Bulma looked a bit bewildered by that remark, but she didn't push too hard and simply led the two into her laboratory indoors while slipping on a white lab coat so that her garage grime didn't rub off too badly on her lab equipment and chairs. She washed her hands and let her sink spray them down with some sort of disinfectant solution before touching her keyboards and control panels.
"Alright, let's see here..." Bulma mumbled while running all her space communication programs and reaching out to the thousands of satellites she had across the universe that extended the reach of her com links. It was a tremendous save of money to install those to her tourist vessels and have them detach after the vessels traveled to the necessary regions of space for the satellite to activate in, instead of making each satellite a part of its own space mission. "Damn it..."
"Is something wrong?" Piccolo asked.
"It's so much like Puri... She's not responding, even though I can tell that she should see the com link connection request," Bulma grumbled, rubbing her eyes with her newly washed and disinfected hands, leaving streaks of cleanliness across her face too as opposed to all the black smears around them. "Sorry, if she's truly operating from the Big Gete Star, or some unholy fusion of scrap from all the Four-Stars together, I'm afraid I can't forcefully link the communications. It hurts my pride as a scientist to admit it, but the tech we're dealing with is simply on different centuries of advancement..."
"I was waiting for you to admit to that," Dr. Puri's sheepish remark made Bulma's spine tingle as she turned her chair to face the screen. In a field of static that was quick to clear out, Dr. Puri's face smiled at Bulma, now once again looking like she did back when she was human. None of the Ultimate Android's features she integrated with her own seemed to be present anymore. "Don't worry, Bulma, I've connected our links from my end since you were struggling so much, that is..."
"Cut the crap, Puri!" Bulma slammed her hands on the control panel and stood up, perking up her rear end while pushing her face closer to the screen to intimidate the Ultimate Class Artificial Human looking back at her from the other end. "The only reason I couldn't reach you is because you broke off the link! It's the equivalent of calling back after you see a missing call, nothing more! It's so typical of you with these ridiculous power moves!"
"Power moves?" Dr. Puri pretended to be hurt with a hint of playful acting. "Why I only felt truly sad about your miserable attempts to reach out to me. I was so busy, you see, so many projects going on right now... I won't bother your meek, middle-aged human brain with it. I wouldn't want to cause you a migraine after all."
"Why you...!" Bulma was already rolling back her sleeves, ready to punch her own monitor screen before Piccolo nuzzled her back and stepped out into clear view of Dr. Puri's side.
"No. 21, you look different. Did you expel the parts of your husband you've absorbed from the Ultimate Android?" Piccolo asked just to establish contact and make some space between irksome play-fighting and them asking Dr. Puri for help and information. Going from threats of violence and insults straight to asking for one's help didn't make for an effective combination in Piccolo's experience.
"Not at all," Dr. Puri scampered her hand across her curly auburn hair with a smirk of delight on her face. "I merely thought that the shift in my appearance was a bother. Nothing is impossible with the technology of the Four-Stars, so I fixed the way I look without altering my functionality, processing, or battle power one bit."
"Dr. Puri..." Lapis stepped out from behind Bulma to divide the focus of the communications link screen between him and Piccolo. "I was the one who insisted on reaching out to you. Bulma is just the one with the means to do it."
"Oh, Lapis? Yes, what is it? Surely you don't intend to join my family after so much time since you've betrayed me? I'm sorry, but even if you realized you've got no place on Earth, our family operates on a tight ring of trust right now. We have neither trust nor the parts to turn you into a Super Android to spare on a traitor, even if your betrayal ended up beneficial in the end," Dr. Puri kept on going and going.
"Sorry, but neither I nor Lazuli are interested in that," Lapis shut his old employer down. "In fact, both of us have started our own lives here on Earth and... I think both of us are having way too much fun playing house."
"Hmm... It feels wrong to admit it, but... I am glad to hear you're doing well, I suppose," Artificial Human No. 21 shrugged. "If it's not to join my family, then what is it?"
"We found the remains of an Artificial Human on Earth. One that I was unaware of. I was wondering if it was one of your secret projects," Lapis asked while Piccolo pulled out some photos that they previously handed to Fortuneteller Baba and presented them to the screen. In a complex feat of technological advancement, Dr. Puri digitalized the photos and presented them to herself as hi-definition holograms on her left side. "If it truly is an abandoned pet project of yours, as the technology and the Red Ribbon insignia on the insides of the shed shell of this creature suggests, we're trying to find and contain it."
No. 21 examined the projection for a few seconds before gasping and blanking out. Realizing how unusual it was for her to lose her cool, she swallowed that jolt down and swiped the holographic image away. No one had a flicker of doubt that Dr. Puri had it stored somewhere in the storage system of the Four-Stars and could access it and analyze it properly at any time.
"This is..." Dr. Puri gnashed her teeth nervously. "This indeed is one of my projects. It appears that I was mistaken in believing Cell to be destroyed. You see, during our conflict back in the day, all data coming from the secret laboratory where Cell was stored disappeared, and I stopped receiving new data. Drones sent to the location of that lab confirmed the lab was destroyed. I therefore believed that Cell was destroyed alongside that facility, seeing how it wasn't the type of project that could have survived such a thing."
"You've underestimated your project, Puri," Piccolo sneered at the screen with disdain. "Both in terms of its toughness and intelligence. It's gotten hold of Trunks' time machine and has been causing all sorts of trouble for both this and the future timelines. It's killed people and changed history in ways we still don't fully know about. Fortuneteller Baba's magic could only show us some of the horrible things it did before the creature became too strong for her fortune telling to relay."
"Tsk, that shouldn't be possible!" Dr. Puri insisted. "Cell only had barebones intelligence, not much higher than that of a cockroach. It was my lab rat, nothing more."
"That may be so," Bulma pointed out. "However, who's to say if this Cell monster that's causing us problems is actually Puri's Cell to begin with? That is to say, what if what Puri says is correct? That the Cell wreaking havoc on our timeline is the Cell from the doomed future, and that he destroyed Puri's lab and his present counterpart to shake off attention?"
"That is possible, it's also a terrifying concept. The purpose of Cell was to test new ways of defeating different threats. I've introduced cells of different alien species and programmed different martial arts techniques and put him through different stressful environments to figure out ways to counter those natural abilities and techniques of the creatures whose cells I've introduced. It is possible that my future self had introduced many more cell samples and, in term, made Cell far more intelligent and threatening than the one I was testing on," Dr. Puri theorized before crossing her arms. She looked peeved about something and, very unusually for her, hesitated to say something. "Bulma, I need for us to temporarily suspend our arrangement. I must return to Earth and deal with Cell myself."
"Absolutely not!" Bulma shoved her way through Lapis and Piccolo and slammed her hands against the control panel. "Cell is your creation, to begin with! We'll deal with this crony of yours. You just sit tight and do whatever it is you do. There's not a chance in hell that I'll let you anywhere near Earth! Who's to say how many more different secret laboratories with unholy abominations you've got all over the planet?"
"Bulma, I get it that you and Dr. Puri are on strangling terms right now, but are you sure that's a smart decision?" Piccolo pulled Bulma away. "Dr. Puri looks genuinely terrified, and that's freaking me out. She views Cell as a threat and, I believe, that so should we."
While Bulma and Piccolo hissed and whispered to each other, Lapis approached the disgruntled image of his former employer.
"I agree with Bulma, for the record," Lapis stated, staring right back at Artificial Human No. 21. "You've mistreated this poor thing. You were the one who created it and nurtured it, shaped everything about it and the only thing it has known from you is torture and attempts to kill it. No wonder it's acting the way it is. We'll deal with Cell and I'll convince it to stay in the Monster Island, where it can live free and fearless for its life. Where it doesn't have to deal with your constant torture that's meant to discover ways of killing someone else. Where it's not treated like a test subject instead of a living being that it is."
"Those are all very inspiring claims, Artificial Human No. 17, however, you don't understand what Cell is," Dr. Puri insisted, turning away from Lapis instead of explaining herself. "Without my help, you'll only get yourself killed and unleash that monster upon the entire universe, where it's got an all-you-can-eat buffet of cell samples to assimilate and adapt to. In the end, nothing will kill it. It probably already has Namekian and Evil Tribe cells, meaning that killing it via conventional means is already troublesome as it is because of its regeneration and demonic anatomy. I know for certain that it has Frieza's and King Cold's cells because I introduced them early on. It can therefore survive in the vacuum of space and doesn't have internal organs that could compromise it. If it has that particular combination of cells, Cell is virtually invincible in battle. Who knows who else he's sampled: Saiyans, Artificial Humans... Not even I can predict how dangerous Cell is right now if what you're saying about it is true."
"Tsk..." Bulma grumbled, relenting to something Piccolo told her as she returned to Lapis' side. "Fine, there's no way in hell I'm letting a foot of either you or anyone in your family to set on the Earth's soil. However, we'll take any information you have on that creature. If Cell is as dangerous as you make it out to be, it's in the best interests of you and your family that we stop it, so it's in your best interests to cooperate with us."
"I've already stated my terms," Dr. Puri insisted. "The only way this works out is if I deal with Cell myself. I'm not entrusting the fate of my family and this entire universe to the incompetence of your squad of muscle-head goons. Half of them will actually be excited to engage with that monster. Your imbecile for a husband will probably intentionally feed it more Cells just to make him a more dangerous challenge. No. I must be the one to deal with Cell."
"Why are you so persistent about being the one to confront Cell? You don't intend on attempting to assimilate him, like you did with Ultimate Gero, and transcend the class of Ultimate Android, do you?" Piccolo squinted with focus, wondering if he'd peered through No. 21's hidden agenda.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Dr. Puri scoffed at the idea. "By now, Cell is probably more of a biological entity than an Artificial Human. Even if he possesses the cells of an Artificial Human. Being the foremost expert on myself, I wouldn't put it beside a future version of myself to install similar technological assimilation features into Cell that allow him to assimilate and adapt to technology and gear, as well as living tissue. This means that if he's ever assimilated an Artificial Human, he's developed an Infinite Energy Reactor too. If he's ever come into contact with a fully equipped Saiyan warrior, his skin might be coated with Saiyan battle armor and his eyes might possess the qualities of the Frieza Army scouter technology. His assimilation and absorption qualities could very well transcend my own, at this point. I'm in as much danger of being absorbed by him as he is by me. I wouldn't even attempt such a ridiculous thing."
Piccolo looked away, recalling the image of Cell thrusting his stinger into Fasha's unconscious body and ripping out from his mechanical shell enveloped in a black, armored coating.
"I don't know what games you're playing, Puri, but I'm not in the mood for them," Bulma groaned. "The reason we reached you is that you called us back after seeing my failed attempts to reach you. The only reason you'd do so is because you had a specific thing you have to gain from me in mind. You must have known that the only reason I'd reach out to you in the first place was if I needed something from you badly enough to bargain with you. If you called me back, you knew you needed something badly enough to bargain with me as well."
"You're clever, Bulma, though nowhere near as clever as you think," Dr. Puri closed her eyes and fixed her round glasses. "I've already told you what I want–permission to return to Earth to deal with Cell."
"That can't be it," Bulma shook her head. "You've only decided you needed that when you've learned of Cell's survival from us. You didn't know that information before this call. You wanted something else from me at that time. I'm willing to consider it for all the information on Cell you have, as well as your cooperation, without physically returning to Earth, of course."
"You sly pit viper..." Dr. Puri chuckled, almost admitting defeat at this point. "Fine, I was about to request that you grant my vessel access to Tsufurian-controlled space, similar to the deal you've struck with Baby. It just so happens that, after the dissolution of the Frieza Army, your husband was quite the conqueror. Then, after Meta-Cooler took over, he expanded that space even more. Meaning that Baby inherited quite the empire. Navigating around it is troublesome and blocks me from accessing other galaxies."
"Scared of dealing with Baby yourself? Good to know..." Piccolo smirked.
"Don't be ridiculous, I merely figured that it wouldn't do our relationship any favors if I obliterated Baby and committed genocide on his people so soon after your husband brought them back from extinction his own people caused. Knowing how fragile his pride is and how tight the leashes you hold each other on are, I don't exactly want another war between our families, Bulma. I'd give you all of Cell's blueprints and record logs from experiments I've put him through on this timeline, and the data on him that Future Gohan brought me from the future, as well as my support in dealing with him if you arranged an expansion for your deal with the Tsufurians and the Machine Mutants," Android 21 relented.
"I can't promise you I'll deliver you that, but I can promise you I'll put maximum effort on my part in doing that," Bulma nodded.
"In that case, I'll send you the information I promised once I receive a message from Baby that the deal's been arranged," Dr. Puri smiled sheepishly.
"That won't do, Puri!" Piccolo growled. "We need something right now! Cell could be killing innocent people at this very moment. I've seen it kill children before. I know that means a lot to you. Give us something, please..."
*****
"Look at how he squirms, mother..." Super One-Nine smiled and licked her lips, turning around on one boot as her frilly Lolita-themed dress twirled around her. "You've got them in your clutch, squeeze them some more."
"Haven't you heard what Piccolo said?" Super Artificial Human No. 16 leaned to his adoptive mother's right side. "This monster Cell could be feeding on children. If there's a way to find it, we should help them. They are powerful warriors. Bulma's friends could deal with Cell for you. If they cannot, that means that only we can."
"I won't give you anything concrete until I receive word that the deal of Machine Mutant and New Tsufurian protection of my vessel is arranged with Baby," Android 21 made her decision. Then her look softened. "However, I worked with another scientist when I created Cell. His name is Dr. Flappe. He didn't work on Cell himself, but he's a brilliant scientist and was a precious colleague of mine and my husband's back in the day. He's consulted me on a few things, and I suspect he's seen the blueprints of which I spoke earlier. He might help you out until I send you the rest of the information."
"Hmph... You're such a big softie, mother..." Super One-Nine blew her cheeks out and looked away.
*****
Bulma, Piccolo, and Lapis sighed more easily after Dr. Puri cut the communications link connection. At long last, they had something to grab onto with a promise of more information to come in the future.
"I've heard of Dr. Flappe," Bulma said after their call with Dr. Puri was over with. "He has had multiple facilities in the north-east. He used to live in a small village called the Jingle Village. I'll see what I can do in arranging that deal with Baby, in the meantime, you two should check up on Dr. Flappe and see what you can find out from him."
Piccolo blinked slowly and nodded in agreement as the two turned around and walked out of Bulma's lab.
"Oh!" Bulma's mother gasped, nearly dropping a plate full of stacked cookies and glasses of milk. "You're leaving already? Oh, my... I had cookies and milk ready. With little Trunks off to his hiking trip, those are stacking up."
"I'll take some cookies," Lapis muttered, picked up a stack, and stuffed his face full before drinking them down. With his cheeks still stuffed, he turned to Piccolo with a questioning glare.
"I'm a Namekian, I don't need food," Piccolo grumbled, irked that Lapis wasted time here on some sweets and milk instead of rushing off to look for Dr. Flappe.
"I don't need food either, doesn't mean I can't eat it when it's good," Lapis shrugged and took a stack for Piccolo for the road. "Honestly, candy is like half the reason the old hag had us leashed for so long. Though infinite candy came with a drawback that it didn't feel or taste the same. Then Bulma fixed it for those who wanted to keep some of Puri's improvements without giving up on their humanity. It's a superb thing she did..."
"Are you done wasting time on sweets here?" Piccolo growled before the two blasted off to the northeast, heading toward the snowy and frigid regions where the continent had been covered with snow all year round, and colossal glacial structures comprised drifting continents of their own.