Chapter Ten

"Sasoli! Wait!"

Sasoli gave an exasperated sigh and stumbled to a halt. This was the fifth floor they had searched for the troublesome detectives and there was still no luck.

"Yes?"

Uub took the chance to catch up to her and calm his heart. He had been chasing after her ever since he had left the office.

"I don't understand," he swallowed, "Why would you get a law degree if you weren't going to use it?"

"I did it just in case I needed to use it," Sasoli's head tilted, causing a spike to sweep across her eyes. Amusement entered her eyes when the confusion lingered in his, "Is there anything else you wish to know?"

"Oh . . . well," caught of guard Uub fidgeted nervously, "Um, why do the stones in your bracelet change color?"

Her hand automatically covered her bracelet in defense and she watched him with pleased eyes.

"You noticed."

"I wouldn't be a good detective if I didn't pay attention to the details," Uub replied blandly. "Why are you reluctant to tell me?"

His head angled low as he examined her body language causing his eyelashes to kiss his cheeks.

"What makes you think I'm reluctant?" She smiled innocently which softened her features and gave her an angelic air.

"Because your avoiding the question and your trying to discreetly take of the bracelet," he closed his eyes for a moment too long so his eyelashes complimented his dark skin. When he opened his eyes Sasoli's attention was drawn to his lips as they curved into a open and understanding smile which screamed 'trust me.'

Her head tilted and Uub's eyes followed the errant spike of her hair which framed her right eye. He was suddenly struck with the stark contrast of her hair and her eyes and how it was a rare combination to find in a person.

"I have nothing to hide."

He arched his brow and it touched the front part of his mohawk that tumbled onto his forehead.

"Then tell me."

Sasoli's face became neutral and she watched with satisfaction how he followed her lead.

"You're good."

"So are you," there was a grateful note in his voice, "I don't know how much more I could have taken."

Sasoli laughed, delighted.

"I was wondering," she smiled at him, "Usually I don't have to go quite so far to distract a man from a line of questioning."

"Ditto." He returned her smile, "But you still have to tell me."

She pouted.

"I don't want you to take it away."

"As long as it isn't illegal you have nothing to worry about."

She glanced away from him to gather her thoughts. She didn't think the devise was illegal but sometimes one could never know.

"It's a security devise."

"How so?"

She sighed wearily and extended her hand so he could see the piece of jewelry under question.

"This bracelet is like a transceiver, it reacts to certain frequencies. When I am not in the city, the bracelet only has one setting: It'll light up brightly to catch my attention. However, when I am in the main building, it picks up distress signals from the family."

Sasoli paused slightly when Uub took her hand in his and turned it over so he could examine it closer.

"The stones change color depending on the person in distress," Sasoli continued as nonchalantly as she could. "Black is Zarah, yellow is Maron, blue Bra, and lavender is for Trunks."

"Really," Uub ran a thumb over the stones and over her pulse. "This is an intricate system."

"So you're not going to take it away?" Her voice was guarded.

"Of course not," he released her hand, "This is no worse than a panic button. My only question is how can you tell where they are?"

"Oh, that's easy," Sasoli tucked her hands behind her back and out of his reach. "I can sense them since, usually, they power level is fluctuating. In Maron's case, the bracelet has four buzzer's on it and that gives me a basic direction to go in until I can locate her."

"Wow, this is a really intricate system," Uub was really impressed. "Who came up with it?"

"I did," she admitted proudly but shyly. "Zarah invented it for me."

"I'm impressed," Uub smiled, "with both of you."

"Zarah says that sometimes coming up with the idea is harder than building it." Her head went down and she peeked at him from under her lashes.

Uub gazed at her wonderingly. Why was she acting like a shy schoolgirl? There was nothing to gain from it at this current point of time, was there? Unless . . . she really meant it . . .

"You . . ." He was at a loss, what was he supposed to say?

The shy pride in her eyes died and resignation entered.

"What I mean to say is. . ." he tried again, "You have a brilliant mind when it comes to these things. I would never have thought of it."

He finished honestly and was rewarded with surprised pleasure flashing in her eyes.

She ducked her head and something suspiciously close to a blush graced her cheeks.

"Sasoli-"

"Damn you," she glanced at him and blurted, "Not you, Bra."

She showed him her wrist and, sure enough, the stones were a baby blue.

"Himbon, that is enough!" Beasely pulled back his partner.

"No, you heard him. He confessed!"

Bra was holding back Goten from charging forward to dispute the claim. "I called Sasoli." She whispered hoping to placate him, "She'll handle everything."

"This isn't the first time he's accused me of being in a conspiracy, Bra, and I have a feeling it won't be the last." Goten muttered darkly.

"Detectives," a cool voice intoned behind them. "Might I have a word with you in my office?"

Himbon snarled and turned to find Sasoli and Uub framing a doorway.

"You don't have any authority-"

"I suggest you listen to Ms. Briefs," Uub's smile was deceptively congeal.

Beasely nodded sharply and took a hold of his partner's arm.

"Hey-! But- Stop!"

Sasoli stepped aside to allow the detectives into the room. She glanced back at Bra and Goten only to find them gone. With a disgruntled humph, she turned and mentally braced herself for the argument ahead.

The first words she heard were: "He confessed!"

"No, he didn't," Beasely shot back, "All he said was 'he wasn't stupid enough to answer that question.'"

Uub's expression didn't change but Sasoli, on some level, could tell that he was very, very angry.

"You were harassing Son Goten?" His voice was quiet but heard by every person in the room.

"He's a suspect," Himbon defended himself. "At the least an accompli and at worst a second killer."

"You pompous ass-"

"Do you have any evidence of this?" Sasoli interrupted Uub coolly.

Himbon opened his mouth to reply and then shut it when he realized he had no hard proof.

"He said that he 'wouldn't blame Trunks if he did kill those women.' Uub heard him."

Sasoli and Beasely glanced at Uub for confirmation.

"You're taking it out of context," Uub confirmed, "But those were his words."

"We should question him down at the station," Beasely sighed.

"No," Sasoli drew all eyes to her, "Trunks and Goten have been best friends since the cradle and remain to be to this day. They would naturally sympathize with each other no matter the situation."

Uub cut off Beasely's protest with a look.

"Sasoli," Uub said softly, "They are going to question everyone in this company. What does it matter if Goten is question sooner than later?"

"It matters if Goten is questioned as a suspect or if he is questioned as a Capsule Corp. employee who may or may not have pertinent evidence pertaining to the case." Sasoli crossed her arms and refused to be budged.

Uub was suitably impressed by her argument and was helpless to do anything but agree with her reasoning.

The helplessness must have showed on his face because then Beasely stepped up and drew her attention.

"Ms. Briefs, while I understand your concern you must understand we are trying to solve a murder-"

"I understand perfectly, Detective Beasely, but what you fail to understand is that I am the reason you are even here to begin with. I am all for finding the murderer and see that he is brought to justice but I will not condone the your man harassing our hard-working employees. We have already had several complaints with the rather unorthodox you are running your investigation."

"Complaints?" Beasely's lip curled as he glanced at Himbon, "What kind of complaints?"

"The sexual harassment kind," Sasoli remarked dryly. "Needless to say, gentlemen, I cannot have this in my building."

The room was quiet for a moment and then Himbon let out an ugly laugh.

"What kind of crap are you trying to pull lady? Complaints against a detective during a murder investigation?"

Sasoli inhaled deeply to try to keep calm and then exhaled before she even dared open her mouth.

"These type of accusations are serious no matter the situation and since you are indeed supposed to be investigating a murder, one would believe that you wouldn't have time to do anything else. However, if you prove to be unwilling to focus all your attention on this case then I shall have you removed."

"You don't have that type of authority," Himbon's hands were clenched into fists so tight that his knuckles were turning white.

"No, but I do," Beasely spoke slowly. "What do you suggest, Ms. Briefs, to rectify the situation?"

Sasoli's body relaxed and she glanced at Uub to speak.

"Himbon should only be allowed to question the male staff," he stated without a qualm.

"B-but," Himbon stuttered, "that's ridiculous!"

"Are you suggesting that I question all of the female employees by myself?" Beasely felt a bit overwhelmed by the suggestion.

"I have compiled a list of the employees actually working the days of the murders," Sasoli pulled a vanilla envelope out of nowhere, "This will allow you to get the more pertinent suspects out of the way. Then you can do the rest at your convenience."

"Don't tell me you're agreeing to her terms!" Himbon's voice was full of desperation.

Uub snorted.

"You know as well as the rest of us that our department can't afford to get sued right now, especially by a company as big as Capsule Corp."

"I'll accept your terms, Ms. Briefs," Beasely took the folder and was relieved to find it wasn't as heavy as it looked.

Sasoli nodded magnanimously, "I'll leave you to your work, gentlemen, Uub."

Uub shut the door behind them.

"What do you mean 'they're not feeding him'!"

Zarah was on his feet outraged that the authorities would condone this act of cruelty in order to try and break Trunks' spirit and make him confess to the murders. This was cruel and unusual punishment! This was-

"Zarah!" Maron snapped, "I didn't mean to imply that they are deliberately starving him. They are just giving him the same rations as everybody else."

"But he'll starve on that!" Zarah exploded.

"They don't know that," Maron straightened her jacket, "it is for us to enlighten them."

"What are we supposed to them, Maron?" Zarah ran a tired hand through his hair. "Well, you see, Mr. Prison Guard, my cousin, as well as myself, are half alien and need to consume awesome amounts of food to maintain body weight and muscle mass."

Maron shot him a dirty look and crossed her arms stubbornly, determined to come up with a solution to this problem. Trunks was not going to starve to death while she had anything to say about it.

"We can claim he was a medical condition," she brightened at the idea, "You know, like . . . hypoglycemia!"

Zarah turned the thought over in his head.

"There's a problem. The authorities have had him for awhile now and won't buy that he suddenly has a medical condition."

"Bra has a medical license, doesn't she?" The blond was resolute. "We can say that she acts as the family doctor and supply medical records to back it up. There shouldn't be any complaints if Capsule Corp. footed all the bills."

Zarah nodded and moved back to his desk.

"Go make any arrangements that you see fit and if anyone gives you any trouble have them contact me for confirmation."

Maron dropped the pen she had been using to fill out paperwork with shock.

"You're taking me off paper off paperwork duty?"

"Yes, you are now in charge of Project Feed Trunks." Zarah picked up the fallen pen without losing a beat, "Think you can handle it?"

"Um, yes," she replied uncertainly.

Zarah sighed as his blond cousin started to shift in her chair nervously.

"Maron," he waited for her to met his eyes, "Don't worry, you can do this and probably with more dedication than anyone else in the building."

She stood up and went to the door but glanced back at Zarah worriedly. "But what about all this paperwork?"

His sigh was long and deep.

"I will do it, alone."

Ava entered the break room with a loud bang from the door as it crashed into the adjoining wall, startling all the secretaries on break. Uub watched as the demi-saiyan glared coldly at every female occupant in the room until the room was suddenly empty.

"Hungry?" She tossed over her shoulder as she went to the economy sized refrigerator.

"I could use something to munch on," he replied absently.

He didn't move from the doorway. He'd noticed this barely concealed hatred, on both sides, between Sasoli and every female employee in the building. There was a past history here that had nothing on common place rivalries that usually took place in companies as big as Capsule Corp.

His thoughts came tumbling to a halt as Sasoli bent over at the waist to retrieve a monstrosity of a sandwich from the bottom shelf.

"Hungry?" He lifted an amused brow at the ravenous look in her eyes.

"Always," she narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, as if she was wondering if he was going to try to steal her sandwich.

Uub laughed and held his hands up in surrender.

"I know better than to get between a saiyan and their food."

The look in her eyes changed and her head tilted as she considered something only known to herself. Finally with a look filled with great trepidation she broke off a quarter of her sandwich and placed it in front of him.

Greatly surprised, Uub glanced at the offering and then at her, "Sasoli?"

"Eat," she ordered without looking at him and then proceeded to follow her own advise.

He watched her for a long moment and then he picked up the sandwich.

Somewhere in South American in an uncharted part of the jungle where human life had tried to survive and failed, a lone man made his way to an unknown breed of tree. It was there this man sighed and took advantage of the plants unique shape to lean against the bark in an reclining position.

Android 17 sighed and closed his eyes, only in the wilderness was he truly at peace.

He missed his wife.

17 opened his eyes and glanced around at him wearily. It just wasn't the same without her, the wild seemed tame next to her spirit. He'd been walking nonstop since he left, flying when he had to, to this place . . . The once place he had never failed to be at peace since he had awakened in the field where the Cell Games had taken place.

His eyes drifted up and he was caught by the sudden beauty of the sky criss-crossed by branches. The leaves were back-lit up by the sun and seemed to burn with a hidden fire. This was his life: technology first, then feeling. The only time this was true was when he was with Ava, and, now she was gone.

And his special place no longer had any meaning.

He hadn't been here since he'd run across his 'ghost woman' all those years ago . . .

His place was with her.

His eyes drifted shut and he fell asleep.

This was the scene Ava saw when she arrived a mere ten minutes later. She paused, unsure of whether she should just keep walking or to stop and enjoy the sight of him for while.

His eyes fluttered as he dreamed and, with a big sigh, he settled back down.

Ava softened and found herself kneeling by his side. He was so beautiful . . . Her mechanical man . . .

She glanced at the natural chaise her mate was laying on and noticed there was plenty of room . . . She stretched out next to him but not quite touching.

She sighed softly and watched him breath, she still wasn't sure if he really needed to in order to live.

A dreamy smile softened her stern features and made the resemblance to her daughter stronger. Her eyelids drooped and, without her permission, her body relaxed into a light sleep.

17 frowned in his sleep, blindly an arm went out and pulled the warm body onto his chest. He didn't relax again until the figure hit him once on the arm.

After her strike, Ava snuggled closer and let her muscles loosen completely when an arm placed itself on her back to hold her in place.

They both smiled and slept deeply for the next five hours.