Chapter Nine: Shopping and an Unexpected Development

"Ah my perfect mansion! As expected of myself, truly a grandiose estate worthy of being the perfect beings abode!" Cell said proudly after a day's work of building his house from the ground up.

"Hm...Although my house is lacking furniture. Ah yes, I had forgotten about electricity and water installation as well." Cell mumbled.

"Alright kids! We're going shopping!" Cell said to which the kids cheered. After all, they had never been to a mall before. But based on all the books they had read on the watchtower, it would seem that a mall was a place where you could acquire things such as food, clothing furniture and even toys. It is also a place where humans socialize and gather around for business.

And with that, they then head to a department store somewhere in Metropolis. Metropolis was far away then where they built there house in South America, but with their flying speed they should get there quickly as if it were close by. Similarly to how they managed to get to Gotham real quick.

After a few minutes of flying and sight seeing whilst flying. The people in the Metropolis Grand Mall were quite afraid at seeing the 7 ft. green alien and his "henchmen" when they landed in front of the mall, but didn't panic due to them adapting a more civilized stance when they had arrived. They didn't destroy the surrounding area nor hurt people, so they assumed they were just aliens that lived on earth like a few others.

Cell complained as he felt the stares of people on him.

'As much as I want to destroy all these pathetic lifeforms in my line of sight, I would be risking my only place of entertainment. And put a huge target on my back from the Justice League, I can deal with them but the idea of being pestered around constantly would be annoying to deal with.' Cell thought.

"Grr! If that bastard Gohan saw me right now, I'd never hear the end of it." Cell mumbled.

The three then walked towards the entrance of the mall and into the automatic doors that let them into the building as they look around. Upon entering the mall, the people stared at Cell and his kids, some stared with fear. Others with fascination. And others quickly left the scene.

As Cell and his children moved forward, the crowd of people avoided him and gave him way that seemed similar to how Moses parted the Red Sea.

"So, it seems that these humans recognize a superior lifeform when they see one. The Justice League could learn a thing or two from these humans." Cell snickered.

As Cell was walking, the two children were looking around the surroundings of the mall curiously. Observing what it had to offer. Krilla and Cell Jr. were attracted by the atmosphere and the bright lights of the mall. Toy Store, Clothing Shops and even Restaurants are what they discovered. Unfortunately though, their musings were cut off by something.

"Mommy, why is that cockroach man naked?" asked a kid that is pointing to Cell.

Cell just glanced at the child, as if amused by the pathetic lifeform's curiosity at his vanity.

The woman, who Cell assumes to be the child's mother carried her son in her arms, fearing what the android might do to them and the two ran away quickly. Cell just ignores this and believes that they are nit worth his time.

The trio ventured further into the mall, finding where the department store and the furniture aisle were. As they were wandering inside the mall, they were then approached by a team of security guards, pointing tazer's at Cell and his children.

"Freeze!" the mall guard said.

"Oh, not this again. What do you want?!" Cell said apprehensively whilst he rolls his eyes.

"Y-you, what are you doing in here?!"

"Shopping, obviously." Cell answered

"B-but..." The guards were about to protest hi claim, but Cell's eyes glowed red and the guard's were lifted up by their collars.

"Listen here you insufferable monkeys! If I wanted you guys dead, you all would cease existing way before I stepped foot in this city! Now can any of you tell me, where is the furniture aisle?" Cell asked after he threatened them. To where the guards pointed to Cell's right. Cell then drops them after getting his directions and leaves them.

…

…

…

"Hey you there, earth woman! Get over here." Cell ordered the saleswoman.

"Y-y-yes?" The woman cowered in fear.

"Show me your finest pieces of furnitures." Cell demanded.

"C-certainly." The woman stuttering her responses.

The woman gestured for Cell to follow her. Cell obliges and follows her to where he is being led to whilst the saleswoman was cowering in fear as she felt the stare of the green android on her back.

Cell is then directed at the sight of various furnitures ranging from tables, chairs, beds, drawers, closets and sofas.

Cell is then seen cupping his chin in deep thought. The saleswoman was just near him, silent and cowering in fear.

"Are those hardwood?" Cell inquired to the saleswoman.

"Y-yes sir. We also have oak wood, spruce, birch and acacia types of wood on these furniture." the woman replied.

"I see. Very well, I shall take three of the large cactus-green sofa, and two sets of the small sofa with the same color. The long brown living room carpet with the yellow patterns over there. The long black dining table of black hardwood over there, and twenty four dining chairs of the same color and materials. Did you get all that earth woman?" Cell asked after pointing all of his desired items.

The woman seems to be writing all of this down with a pencil and a small notepad and answered, to Cell's satisfaction of her competence.

"Good, I also want a few dozens of that golden chandeliers, a dozen of the silver ones and 3 sets of that torch lamps. That will be all, and I expect them to be delivered tomorrow." Cell said to which the saleswoman nodded erratically, not wanting to anger the buyer.

"So, how much?" Cell asked.

"Huh?"

"HOW MUCH FOR THE ITEMS! Don't make me repeat myself Earth Woman!" Cell said.

"S-Sorry I thought you weren't paying. I-It'll be fifty thousand dollars. Would you like to pay for it upfront or when it is delivered? Ah, also the delivery and installation costs would require an additional charge as well." The saleswoman replied.

"Splendid. You need not worry about the transportation. I will pick it up immediately. In regards to the payment, just give the Justice League a call and inform them as they will be the one paying for it all." Cell replied.

And with that he left the saleswoman aghast at the revelation of who would be paying.

Cell and the others then walked around some more after Cell placed his order for the furnitures.

"Anything you want Junior? Krilla? Might as well buy some since we're here." Cell asked.

Cell Jr. just grabbed his father's wrist and flies towards the direction of a jewelry and accessory shop., dragging him as Jr. was grinning, happy from what his father offered, Krilla was flying after them as well, not intending to be left behind. Cell Jr. asked for a red armband that says ranger on it.

Within the same shop, Krilla saw a pair of small golden earrings. She was enamored by the sight of the jewelry as if beckoning to be purchased. Krilla pointed to the earrings and asked for her daddy to buy it for her to which his father obliged. All of this was payed for by the Justice League however.

The three, satisfied with their purchase was about to leave the mall when suddenly…

An angry Superman and Batman was waiting at the entrance of the mall...

And Batman was looking quite mad, and Superman had a look of disappointment accompanied by his demeanor.

"We need to talk. NOW." Batman said dismissively, leaving no room for argument as he walked back into the mall. Superman was behind Cell to make sure he follows suit.

The five beings walk inside the Metropolis Mall, they were Superman, Batman, Cell and his two offspring's, Cell Jr. and Krilla. They were being led somewhere towards what Cell assumes to be where they would "talk."

As they were making their way inside the mall, however the two well known superheroes garnered attention. Superman, The Man of Steel and Batman, the Dark Knight were being swarmed by reporters and fans. Cell was annoyed at this. Partly out of jealousy, obviously he was superior to the Kryptonian and the Human-Bat hero, and yet they were getting this much recognition. He kind of missed his reputation back at his old world, one where he was infamous for his strength, terror and above all, his perfection.

Speaking of his old world, Cell recently learned of the multiverse theory from the Justice League's Science Library. The Multiverse Theory suggests that our universe, with all its hundreds of billions of galaxies and almost countless stars, spanning tens of billions of light-years, may not be the only one. Instead, there may be an entirely different universe, distantly separated from ours — and another, and another, the idea that our universe, with its beginning in the Big Bang, is just one of an infinite number of coexisting bubble universes.

Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The different universes within the multiverse are called "parallel universes", "other universes", "alternate universes", or "many worlds". Upon learning this theory Cell thought that if he could somehow discover the idiosyncrasies and learn it's intricacies then maybe he could go back to his old world. And maybe have revenge against that insufferable teen that is Gohan. Along with that cowardly Saiyan prince, relying on a cheap shot that led to Cell's doom. And maybe once he is done with his unsettled business over there, he might showcase his perfection in this new world once he gets back. Something that would not be possible to enact if he were to stay in his previous place as the league members would constantly keep him under surveillance. Which is one of the reasons why he moved out, as to create his own lab and build his own base of operations to leave him unhindered and uninterrupted.

But for now, he is stuck here. Though he has to admit, the person who thought of the multiverse theory, was quite smart. Stephen Hawking was it? This individual impressed Cell. Alongside a few other humans such as Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer. They may be pathetic humans, but Cell gives credit to where it is due and these humans earned his respect for such marvelous scientific discovery. Something he will take great advantage of in the future.

After Cell's musings and him ignoring the crowd that greeted the two heroes he is with, they finally made it to a cafe within the mall. The cafe was named Starbucks and was quite popular amongst the populace all over the world, based on Cell's findings when he was studying this earth.

'Batman had rented the place out it would seem' Cell thought as he made a mental note of the cafe being isolated, something that would never happen to Starbucks as it is widely popular. Though Cell had yet to visit it himself in a different time other than the present.

They all sit in a huge circular table. With Batman and Superman sitting beside each other in one side and Cell on the opposite, with Cell Jr. to his right and Krilla to his left with their accessories adorned from earlier this day. Superman then begins to talk as Batman crosses his arms.

"Do you know why we are having this talk Cell?"

"Get to the point mister reporter." Cell said feeling irritated.

"You used MY money to fund your own little house project! AND WITHOUT a permit to build it!" Batman said.

"And you guys killed the locals. Your list of felonies include:

Illegal building without a permit, illegal land ownership, illegal occupation, minor genocide, mass murder, multiple homicides, illegal logging, destruction of nature and public property as well as using Bruce Wayne's name and equity without permission, which counts as identity theft. Do you have anything to say before we lock you up in the watchtower in maximum security? " Superman added.

"Now listen here: First off, the locals in that place, were from the drug cartels. We found that out after we discovered drugs on their belongings before we disposed of their corpses, in fact I did the community in that area, so you should be thanking me! Also, it was technically in self defense considering they were armed with rifles. And It was my children who did so, not me and defended themselves against 20 to 30 armed drug addicts, so I believe it was justified.

Second, the illegalities are of little problem, a little bit of money can shut them up, considering the rampant corruption in that particular area's government, and I am willing to bet that they are connected to these drug cartels, which are in turn connected to Gotham's crime lord and underground syndicate, why don't you go visit Penguin when you go back to Gotham." Cell said as he said the last sentence whilst looking at Batman.

Third, consider me billing my costs to Batman and the Wayne Industries as consolation and reimbursement from all the spying and surveillance, as well as keeping tabs on my weaknesses! Same for the Justice League's budget when I had used it to procure some furniture and items for my children, which is also funded by Bruce Wayne. Besides I'm a Justice League member too, so it's not like it was a breach of privacy from you organization." Cell added to his defense and explanation.

"But still-" Superman said to refute Cell but is interrupted by Cell.

"Or what? you're going to imprison me and my kids? You're going to arrest minors? Because I technically am one and my kids are also technically considered as babies considering they aren't even a month, yet alone a week old. And besides, we all know none of you can truly apprehend me if I was serious enough. Face it Superman, I am way out of your League's league, I can end all of you in an instant. The only reason I hadn't done so was because I don't want to be pestered by the rest of your motley crew amd for entertainment purposes that this tiny rock of a planet can provide." Cell interjects.

The two heroes were silent and contemplating what he said, whilst Cell's two children were suprised at how their father took control of the situation. Nome kf them expected the situation to develop into this.

"Fine, I will accept and pay for all the funds for your house, both the current and future charges as you made a reasonable point. BUT you will get the necessary legal papers for this house of yours, if you do not I will cut off the funding. AM. I. UNDERSTOOD?" Batman demanded.

"Tsk! fine, have it your way." Cell clicked his tongue and replied begrudgingly.

"And you are going to have at least one superhero to accompany you whenever you step out of your residence or when on a mission." Batman added

"What?! I have no need for a babysitter!" Cell protested.

"Someone has to keep you in check. Be happy I am lenient, otherwise I would have you under a 24 hour surveillance." Batman asserted.

"But would that would be a breach of privacy, and a potential trespassing?." Cell stated in an attempt to strengthen his claim.

"Which is why we are going with the current settlement" Batman answered resolutely.

"We'll overlook this case just this once Cell seeing as there has been some rather good development in the midst of our...talk." Superman said referring to Cell's indirect information of the massive drug cartels and corruption.

"But don't expect the same to happen next time. If you do not adhere to the moral codes and legal systems of earth, we will be forced to apprehend you." Superman added, to which Cell just rolled his eyes and replied in confirmation, when suddenly they felt a loud tremor.

To anybody, it might just be a regular earthquake or a natural disaster, maybe even a slight catastrophe. But not to Cell and his children. This was a Ki surge, and an explosive one at that.

'This Ki, it's familiar!' Cell thought as he glanced at his children who had an uneasy look plastered across their face.

They all stood up from the table and flew outside the window, with Batman relying on his own method of transportation via grappling hook and jumping through the top of buildings, whilst the populace was being evacuated by the authorities that arrived rather quickly. Dealing with supervillains on a daily basis made them adapt, it seems.

As they were making their way towards the tremors, Martian Manhunter communicated with them via telepathy, something Cell resisted which prompted Superman to ask Cell to lower his mental resistance so that he would be briefed.

"The watchtower is picking up a signal of cosmic interference. The frequency is somewhere in between Metropolis and New York. This is the same type of frequency when Cell used his powers against Superman and near the watchtower, when he confronted us." Martian Manhunter stated.

Superman then glanced at Cell, noticing that he had a frown and a bit of a scowl whilst flying.

"A friend of yours?" Superman asked.

"Hardly. Though I may have an inkling on whose energy this belongs to." Cell asked.

'Damn, this energy signature. No doubt about it, it's Gohan! But also it feels as if it's not. As if his Ki was mixed with something else. Something malicious, even more so than Frieza and his father.' Cell thought as he kept flying.

"Tsk, whoever is responsible for this is quite powerful, one that should not be taken likely. So I'll say it while I still can Superman, don't blame me if I end up killing whoever is responsible for this phenomenon. As all of us would benefit from, if that being is dead." Cell stated bluntly.

"How strong and how big of a threat do you think this person is?" Batman asked via communicator, seemingly listening from down below with some sort of communicator.

"I don't know. But based on my estimation, I should be more powerful that it but it could also be hiding it's strength. So even I am not certain." Cell answered.

'No. Not this time. I won't let my cockiness and overconfidence affect our rematch Gohan! If that energy even belongs to you.' Cell mused sensing the Ki signature is a thirty percent match with Gohan's.

Who is this new entity that has made Cell feel uneasy? Find out in the next chapter!

To be Continued!