Inspiration has a funny way of sneaking up on you sometimes.

Just for the record, I do not own DBZ, yatta yatta yatta, but I do own Adina and any other characters I've created.

Recoiling by LadyBuG

Part I: Adina and the Android

if the Divine master plan is perfection

maybe next I'll give Judas a try

trusting my soul to the ice cream assassin

here, here, here

Tori Amos ~ Spark

"How can this. . .be?"

A young girl surveyed the scene stretched out in front of her, wishing with all her might that this was just a cruel joke, and that everyone would jump out from their hiding places and yell 'gotcha!' She waited for what seemed like hours - in reality it had only been five minutes - but no one appeared. Not a sound was made, except for the faint breeze that blew past her body, and rustled through the discarded clothes that coated the cement ground.

So many people, so many lives, gone.

All gone.

The girl, known as Adina, could only tremble at the thought of how many civilians had died at the hands of some unknown force whose intentions were extremely vague. What did they hope to accomplish by murdering thousands upon thousands of people each day? This couldn't be a case of mindless blood shed, but then what else could it be? The only reason - and the most likely one of all - she could come up with was "power". Pure power.

Adina shuttered at the thought of how powerful this being had become. And at the rate he/she was devouring every living creature in sight, she could only guess how much more powerful he/she would become in the future.

"How. . .horrifying," she mumbled, noticing right away how odd it was that there didn't seem to be any real disturbance in her voice.

"How horrifying indeed."

If Adina hadn't been in such a sedated state due to the fathom of discovering the entire town murdered, she would have jumped out of her skin at the sound of another voice; a voice that most certainly wasn't human. But if it wasn't human, then that could only mean one thing. . .

The creature.

The monster.

Adina slowly turned around to look at the intruder, finding that much to her surprise, she wasn't all that frightened. No, instead she was more dumbfounded then scared; she couldn't believe how silent he had been sneaking up on her like that. But as she stared at the humanoid stranger before her, with all his sickening grace and arrogant smirk, swinging his long tail back-and-forth behind him as if to emphasize his horrid presence, she realized he was probably capable of far greater talents then being silent. Talents she wasn't sure she wanted to witness.

His cat-like eyes looked down at her as if she were a bug just begging to be squashed, and in a way, it was almost true. Adina knew that this was the creature that had murdered thousands of innocent lives, carelessly leaving their remains scattered where ever he saw fit, all to satisfy his undying lust for power.

Her eyes continued to survey his appearance, and when they came to rest upon the large needle at the end of his tail, she knew that it was there for one reason, and one reason only: To absorb his victims into his being.

To absorb her into his being.

What frightened Adina the most was that even with this knowledge burning permanent scars into the walls of her brain, even with the clothes of men, women, and children lying helplessly at her feet, even with the salty moisture that threatened to pour from her eyes in silent mourning for their unfair deaths; even after all that. . .

She was not afraid of him. What should have been the most the terrifying moment of her entire life, was simply a projection of what that life could've been, what it was, and how it was going to be. Not to mention, how it was going to end. There she was; a small human female with absolutely no way of protecting herself, standing her ground against a seven foot tall beast, who could dispose of her in a matter of milli-seconds whenever he so desired. It was as if her muscles refused to move, to show him any sign of backing down. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew why. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her run from him.

Adina felt anxiety seeping through her veins with every passing moment, almost driving her over the edge of insanity. What was he waiting for? Was he trying to intimidate her? The answer was all too obvious as his unyielding eyes seemed to search for any sign of terror, any twitch of fear in her body language; and when he found none, his arrogant smirk turned upside down, indicating he was not happy. Adina licked her lips, anticipating a conversation to go on between them before there was ever a decision made to speak.

"Why don't you run, girl? Aren't you afraid of me?"

His voice was harsh, unfeeling, sharp. It was unlike any sound she had ever heard in her entire life. And still, she was not afraid of him.

"No," she was barely able to whisper, somehow knowing he would be able to hear her no matter how loud she spoke. Upon her words, his eyes finally began to show other emotions besides arrogance. First she saw surprise, mixed with curiosity, and very faint, barely detectable respect. All that was quickly replaced with determination, and he raised his tail behind him. In one, swift motion, he positioned to strike her, and the syringe plunged towards her with all the strength, and all the speed that he possessed. Adina watched on, unblinkingly, as the needle came millimeters from grazing her temple, and instead hit the rock wall behind her, which shattered into a thousands of pieces with the impact.

The monster was completely stunned, and utterly confused. He had meant to miss her; he had meant to strike realization into her heart about who he was and what he planned to do, and that he would show her no mercy, just as he had done to everyone else.

And she had simply stared straight ahead with blank, passive eyes.

If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought she had no soul.

He drew back his tail, frustration beginning to settle in.

"What's the matter with you?! Are you blind?!," he demanded of her, clenching his fists tightly. Adina's muscles continued to remain immobile; she'd almost forgotten how to breathe. Her mouth opened slightly, then closed back up again. She couldn't very well answer him when she didn't even know what the answer was herself, now could she? This only seemed to aggravate the monster further.

In a flash, they were standing face to face. The sudden change in position nearly made Adina lose her balance, but she caught herself before she could falter. A small gasp emptied from her lips; it had been the only sign of alarm she'd shown since he had appeared. This creature was trying to taunt her, trying to see what made her tick. So far he had been unsuccessful (much to her relief), but now, as his icy-warm breath beat gently against her face, she didn't feel so confident. It seemed the closer he got, the more uncomfortable she became, and as much as this observation fascinated her, she knew she could not let him know about it. He would prey upon that flaw, and slowly torture her until she was begging for mercy at his feet, while he smiled down at her triumphantly. She could not allow that to happen.

She would not allow that to happen.

"Who are you?," she whispered, somehow unable to speak any louder. The creature blinked; once, twice, then a third time before a low chuckle rumbled in the back of his throat. He stood upright and took a few steps back to give her a full view.

"My name is Cell," he stated proudly and firmly. Adina's eyes trailed up and down his figure, her curiosity growing deep inside. Such an odd name for such an intriguing creature, she assumed there was some kind of hidden meaning behind its origins.

"Not that it will do you any good to know my name, seeing as how you are going to die anyway. However. . ."

Cell, as she now knew him to be, trailed off momentarily, caressing the air around her neck-line with the tip of his tail.

"I am curious as to why you do not seem to be the least bit afraid of me. Have you no fear inside that weak human body of yours?"

Adina smirked bitterly at his crudeness, knowing he would be unsatisfied with her answer no matter what she told him.

"I couldn't tell you," was all she had to offer as a response. Cell scowled.

"Surely you must know. . . You are human, are you not?"

"Of course."

"Then you must be afraid of me."

It was Adina's turn to scowl.

"Why?"

Cell blinked at her question, as if the answer should have been all too obvious.

"Because I am bigger, stronger, and more powerful then you will ever be, and I will kill you."

"You keep saying you're going to kill me, but if that were true you would've done it already. Or is my inability to run away in terror distracting you?"

Cell stepped back, completely astonished by this girl's courage. No one had ever dared to talk to him like that, lest they suffer the consequences (which already awaited them no matter what they said or did). He caught the occasional insult and some enraged cursing every now and then, but it was mostly screaming, crying, and pleas for mercy that came with the result of his appearance. Yet this girl was completely immune to everything he was able to dish out, let alone his appearance. It was as if she had no feelings, no emotions.

All humans have emotions, the android reminded himself. This particular one has clearly learned to hide them well.

"You're treading on dangerous ground human."

Cell's hand whipped out in front of him, his long, black fingernails aimed straight at the girl's throat.

And as he predicted, Adina didn't even flinch.

Cell drew back, chuckling softly to conceal his blooming admiration.

"Well, you're certainly unlike any human female I've ever met, that's for sure."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Such sarcasm, such boldness. . ."

"You make that sound like it's a bad thing."

"Not bad, just moronic."

"Boy Cell, do you know how to make a girl's heart melt or what?"

"I do my best, all though I must confess I am not accustomed to the interaction you humans call "romance". What nonsense. I'll never understand any of it."

Adina said nothing, although inwardly she was grinning coyly and sticking her tongue out at him mockingly. If anybody here was moronic, it was the android standing in front of her, referring to romance as "nonsense". Of course she expected no less of him, after all, how could he understand? He was a machine, created to dominate over all life and to destroy anything that got in his way. She felt a spark of pity spring to life inside her chest, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor creature. He would never know what it was like to truly smile, or what it meant to laugh and cry at the same time. He wouldn't know how wonderful it felt to help someone in need, as opposed to kicking them while they were down. He would never know the pleasure of watching the sun rise and fall each day, or the real beauty of the stars that littered the sky in space. But most of all, he would never know what it really meant to truly love someone, and to be loved in return.

Adina's musings were abruptly cut short when the next thing she knew, Cell had grabbed her around the waist, picked her up, and thrown her over his shoulder. It took a moment for Adina to register what had just happened, but once she regained her senses she began to wriggle and twist against his hold.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?!," she screamed, kicking her legs and flaying her arms. Cell smirked, silently content that he had finally gotten some reaction to rise out of her. Instead of answering her, he looked to the sky, crouched low, and jumped into the air, something Adina found to be very idiotic.

The thing was, he never came back down.

"Oh my. . ." Adina felt her insides churn and her eyes water. Believing that this was all a dream was far beyond her now. It felt too horrifyingly vivid to be any dream she could ever experience. And the worst part was, she actually kind of enjoyed it, being up in the sky without any technological restraint. The thought of dipping and looping through the atmosphere on your own free will without the stuffy confinement of an airplane was invigorating. She could almost taste the clouds as she imagined herself bursting through them, and then taking a sharp nose dive and pulling out of it at the very last minute. She smiled wryly at her childish daydream.

Now if it hadn't been for the big, green, arrogant, and not to mention rude creature carrying her in such an awkward position, with his boney shoulder jabbing into her stomach, she might have enjoyed the flight.

~*~

Just when Adina felt she was about ready to display what she had had for yesterdays breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Cell slowed his pace until he came to a complete stop. He paused, as if he were contemplating some kind of dilemma. It was then, and only then, that Adina began to wonder just where the hell Cell had taken her, and to what purpose. Surely he could have warned her first before taking off like a jet, or at least carried her in a more comfortable position, one where his atrocious tail was NOT in her main line of vision. A small price to pay in exchange for your life, she thought warily, trying to make herself feel better and failing miserably.

After what seemed like an eternity to the small female perched on his shoulder, Cell levitated downward towards to the ground. Purely out of spite, he waited until both his feet were planted firmly on the ground again before slipping the girl (or more like dropping her) off of his broad frame and placed her in front of him. Adina stumbled backwards, her body struggling to regain familiarity with the Earth. Cell grinned, realizing that her physique hadn't been able to grasp the concept of being to able to fly just yet. Once she was able to control her balance, she averted her eyes to the smug android and glared at him.

"Was that really necessary?," she spat, balling her fists. Of course, Cell only grinned maliciously down at her, his brash amusement practically dripping from his form.

"You will stay here until I have reached my full power, then we will continue this little game we have started," he barked firmly. Adina stared up at him with bewilderment.

"Pardon?"

"You are to stay here until I come back for you."

Adina blinked, taking in the information that had just been given to her. She turned her head from left, to right, observing her surroundings. Cell had taken her to a wide, and rather deep ravine, miles away from where they had originally been located. The ground was the color of rust, with the occasional shrub here and there, indicating the place wasn't completely incapable of producing life. It appeared to be like a mini-desert; there were no trees or animals from what she could tell, and most certainly no access to any food or water. Summing up the data she had gathered in her head, Adina bristled. He might as well have taken her to the Sahara Desert for all he cared! It couldn't have been much different.

Restraining herself, Adina returned her gaze to the cocky android, her right eye twitching slightly.

"You're kidding, right?," she asked bluntly. "You expect me to stay here? Alone? By myself? With no food or water?"

"Yes," Cell confirmed. Thoughts of restraint completely fled from Adina's body.

"Are you out of your mind?!! This place is a wasteland, a shithole! I'll starve to death before you even THINK to come back for me! And what if you can't find me again?!"

Cell snorted, folding his long arms across his chest.

"Stupid girl. I'd be back long before that weakling thing you call a stomach could call out for food. And my memory has been designed to be acutely accurate: I never forget anywhere I've been."

For some apparent reason, Adina found this to be extremely hilarious, and she burst into a fit of giggles. Cell watched with only half interest as she held her sides and shook her head, her laughter echoing off the stone walls surrounding them. He hoped this was not the way she reacted all the time, because if it was, then he would abandon all titillation he had with her and move on. He found the sound of her laughter to be extemely annoying. . .

When she had calmed herself down, she looked up at him again and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

"You can't be serious."

Cell grinned, and levitated high above the clueless human's head.

"I'm afraid so my dear. This shouldn't take long, I assure you. I'd encourage you to try and escape, but I doubt you'll get very far."

Adina's face faltered, cold realization that he was actually leaving her there settling into the pit of her stomach. This isn't happening, this cannot be happening. . . Shakened, Adina took a step forward, extending a hand towards his retreating figure.

"Cell you - you can't! You can't leave me here! I'll die!," she called out to him, raw fear crackling in her voice. It had been the only sign of weakness she had allowed herself to show in Cell's presence since their abrupt encounter. However, he wasn't able to enjoy such a satisfying display, because he had already flown away at an alarming speed, leaving Adina alone to fend for herself. She stared at the empty space that Cell had once occupied, disbelieving what had just taken place. He was gone, off to do Kami-knows-what, and left her there, just like that, to rot. Was he toying with her? Was he testing her, to see if she would break? Whatever the reason was for his actions, Adina decided right then and there that she was to take no part in anything he had planned for her. Period.

Easier said then done.

For a moment, Adina's calm, cool, and collected attitude left her and she stomped her feet childishly against the sandy ground while screaming at the top of lungs and flaying her arms violently in the air.

"CELL! COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT! THIS IS NOT FUNNY! I MEAN IT, THIS IS NOT THE WAY I WANT TO DIE! CELL!! DO YOU HEAR ME?!? GET BACK HERE NOW!! IF YOU DON'T COME BACK SO HELP ME GOD I'LL. . ."

Eventually her vocal cords grew tired, and her fruitless attempt at beating up the air around her ceased. She slumped to her knees, clawing at the rocks and dirt she had been tromping on only seconds ago. Her chest heaved and her eyes stung.

"The least you could have done was give me a quick, painless death instead of a slow, agonizing one. .," she barely murmured, her voice unwilling to go any further. She leaned forward, feeling the burn of tears swell inside her eyelids. She squeezed them shut and bit her tongue to keep them at bay: she refused to shed a single tear. Crying would do her no good in a situation like this, that much she knew. If she was going to get herself out of this mess, she would have to think with a straight head on her shoulders and a clear mind. Nothing else would suffice, no matter how close she might come to her mark.

I repeat, easier said then done.

Tightening the skin around her eyes, Adina rolled onto her side and curled up into a fetal position, completely unaware of the dirty, musty ground beneath her. It was as good a place to rest as any other "camp site" this barren land had to offer her. Damn that Cell for making her feel so vulnerable, so helpless! Didn't he have anything better to do then play games all the time?! Didn't he ever grow tired of being a bumptious narcissistic jerk?!!

She was unwilling to answer her own questions, feeling the long awaited fatigue begin to surface around her aching body. Despite the cold breeze that blew past her every five seconds, and her efforts to keep her damp lids from closing, Adina soon realized how useless it was to try and stay awake. Rest seemed like the best course of action to take at this point, and if she was going to die, perhaps she would go peacefully in her sleep, instead of at the hands of a merciless android named Cell. Then , when he returned to resume their little "game", he would discover that the only playmate he would have was a cold, limp corpse. A wry, mischief smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, where it stayed as she drifted off into the world of unconsciousness.