I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. Nor do I own any legal imprinting of whatever theme I'm using, such as a crossover with another anime, movie or TV series. Did I think it up? Yes. Was I the first to think it up? Probably not, but I digress. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just the merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.

Chapter 2: Missing Persons

Trunks flew quietly towards Satan City the next morning, ignoring the one alarm he heard. He had already sensed Verto in the area and knew that he didn't need to bother checking it out. His first day of school had been as boring as expected despite having Goten along. The sight of a few upper-class bullies gave him some hope, but so far they weren't interested in bugging him. Maybe I should just attach some money to a string and go fishing.

Most of his class were around the same age as him, with a few younger like Goten. Thankfully, almost none of them recognized either of them, though Trunks guessed that the parents might've kept their kids out of the fighting arenas. All of them knew and worshipped Mr. Satan though, making Trunks feel like throwing up. The teachers weren't all that great at lecturing and just gave them a lot of basic learning books to go through. Trunks blew through each one before classes were over, and then nearly nodded off to sleep. Even during the math session he came close to snoring, despite it being his best subject. They were doing very basic addition and subtraction, something even Goten found easy. The math teacher even went through the trouble of setting up various problems to solve and then asking for volunteers. Trunks considered walking up to the chalkboard and setting a few speed records but decided against it. While he wasn't concerned about keeping his identity in check, he didn't feel like causing a ruckus either. It wasn't clear if the teachers and faculty knew who he was besides his name, but he didn't want to press the issue and cause trouble.

There was one other boy in class that seemed to be as bored as he was, but it didn't appear to be because of the easy school work. Trunks could sense a level of uneasiness from this boy, whose name was Tommy Reks. He didn't intrude on whatever might've been bugging Tommy, but that changed during recess. Trunks and Goten were sitting off to the side of the playground eating what was left of their lunch when things broke down. Tommy was on the opposite side, sitting under a tree and holding his knees when one of the upper classmen came up and grabbed him up by the shirt collar, pushing him against the tree.

"Well where is it?" the bully asked.

Tommy looked away, "Where is what?"

"Don't play dumb you little twerp! Gimme my lunch money! I can't get my lunch without it. And if I don't get my lunch, you're not going to make it back inside!" The bully punched his other palm to try and appear more threatening.

"I don't have it, leave me alone!" Tommy said as he tried to leave.

"Wrong answer!" the bully punched Tommy hard in the gut, putting him on the ground.

Trunks dropped his sandwich and got up, drawing a look of concern from Goten, "What's wrong Trunks?" Trunks jerked his thumb towards the bully, who was kicking Tommy in the side while he lay helpless on the ground.

"Oh, but our Moms don't want us to get in trouble. Aren't the teachers supposed to stop that?" Goten asked. Trunks eyed the few adults at the school door and noticed that they didn't have a clear view. They were also not paying attention, though there weren't any painful yelps or screams for them to hear. Trunks shook his head slightly before darting across the grassy playground. He yanked the bully's shirt and pulled him down into his back, though he landed on his side.

The bully snarled and scrambled up, "What the? Who in the hell has a death…wish?"

He gasped when he saw Trunks' glare, "I-I don't want any t-trouble!"

Trunks smirked much like his father, "You should've thought about that before picking on someone weaker than you are. Maybe you want a taste of your own medicine?" The bully scampered to his feet and took off running in utter fear. Trunks scowled, Stupid gorilla coward.

Trunks helped Tommy up to his feet, "Are you alright?"

"Fine, thanks," Tommy said with a scornful tone. He brushed himself off a bit before walking away, albeit a bit gingerly.

Trunks stared at this rude reaction before chasing after him, "Hey wait up. What's wrong? I just saved your butt ya know!"

Tommy stopped momentarily, "It's not your business. Why does it matter to you?"

"Well, I could just let you get beat up next time," Trunks suggested.

Goten walked up from behind, "Trunks! That's mean!"

Tommy glared at them both, "It's not going to make a difference. That guy will be back tomorrow when you're not around. Just like yesterday."

"No he won't, we're the anti-bully crew! Stick with us and you've got nothing to worry about!" Trunks boasted.

Goten nodded, "Yeah! No one messes with us!"

Tommy finally managed to smile, "I guess it couldn't hurt. I'm all alone anyway, both here and at home."

Trunks turned his head slightly, "Wait, you don't have any parents?"

Tommy shook his head, "I have parents but they're gone. I don't know where they went or when they'll be back." He then looked up and drew back a bit.

"What is it?" Trunks asked. A throat cleared behind them, causing Trunks and Goten to turn in question. The big bully was back, and had been joined by several of his friends who were of similar size.

The leader stuck his chest out a bit, "So, you think you can just move onto my turf? What do you think now?"

"I think the big dumb gorilla doesn't know when to quit," Trunks replied calmly.

"Wait, who's the gorilla? They all look kind of big," Goten pointed out.

"Ha, who's the dumb one now? All these guys will be on the varsity offensive line next year when we go to Orange Star High. You can go crying to your mommies anytime you want," the lead bully suggested.

Trunks cracked his knuckles, "Someone will be, but I don't think it'll be us!"

Bulma sighed slightly as she listened to the phone, "Alright, either me or his father will come get him." After she hung up, she pulled out a capsule case and looked through it before grabbing a blue one and setting it out on her desk.

She glanced at the door to her lab with a slightly annoyed look, "How exactly did I let you talk your way out of babysitting Trunks at school?"

Verto shrugged under the doorway, "Beats me. But, I did give you enough potential reasons."

"I would like to think you'd have enough sense not to get yourself expelled on the first day," Bulma said.

Verto smirked, "I might have waited a week. What did he do wrong this time?"

"He beat up a group of teenagers that were notorious bullies."

"So where's the wrong part of the story?"

Bulma rolled her eyes, "He must get it from you. Vegeta!"

Vegeta stepped into view behind Verto, "I'm right here woman, lower your voice. Now what do you want?"

"Go pick up your son from school like any other responsible parent," Bulma said.

"What for? The child flies to and from that idiotic haven for dropouts. I think he can manage," Vegeta claimed.

"Just do it, I've got enough to do around here," Bulma said in exasperation.

Vegeta snorted, "Hmph, fine. Your daughter has escaped the play pen, you might want to address that."

He was gone before Bulma could get another word in, generating a very heavy sigh, "Argh!"

Verto chuckled in amusement, "And you wonder why I live alone out in the woods?"

"I envy you a bit there. Can you stick around? I've got your new computer ready, and a meal if you want it," Bulma offered.

"Sure, I know Bulla's a handful and I'm about out of food capsules anyway," Verto replied.

Bulma appeared to be a mixture of grateful and discouraged, "So you use that as an excuse to visit?"

"I've been busy."

"So I've heard. Let's go find Bulla before she breaks something." They didn't have to go far before they found the half-Saiyan toddler, in full pursuit of a robot nanny that was rolling away towards the kitchen. There was a half-eaten bowl of cereal in the robot's hand, which seemed to have grabbed Bulla's attention before she stopped at Bulma's feet.

"Trunks left his dishes out again. Come on sweetie, I'll fix you something fresh here soon," Bulma said as she scooped up her daughter and walked back to the lab with Verto.

"Ver-ta!" Bulla squealed.

Verto grinned, "You've almost got it kiddo. Another year and I bet she starts carrying conversations."

Bulma groaned, "I hope not. It's already a pain to keep language filters with Vegeta around. Don't you be teaching her any words!"

Verto held his hands up, "Hey I know when to hold back."

"You'd better, anyways I made some modifications to the program. There is a constant uplink to the server in the bunker though. That and I didn't want to give it remote access to anything without my safeguards in place. The program shouldn't go haywire this time, but I still don't trust it completely. After all, Flandal tried to kill us with it. I'm more surprised that you specifically asked for it. It's not like there's a giant robot on the loose or anything," Bulma explained.

"Consider it a promise kept. Just because it's an AI doesn't mean we should treat it any different than a regular person. It only asked me to exist and now I'm giving it a purpose," Verto stated.

Bulma frowned, "And what's that? So you can responded to play hero a few seconds faster?"

Verto grimaced, "It's not about playing hero. A lot of these guys need to be put behind bars. I'm just doing what needs to be done."

"But who are you to decide that? I get that you're only trying to do the right thing, I really do. But at what cost?" Bulma argued.

Verto shifted slightly, "I'm not going to turn villain if that's what you mean."

"But that's how it starts for some of them. If you get drawn in and obsessed with your work! Look at what happened with Flandal Cash. I don't want to see you go down that road," Bulma claimed.

"I'm not going to turn out like Doctor Wheelo and end up dying stuck inside a rusting hunk of metal buried under a mountain of ice and snow. You worry too much."

"I'm a mother, it's my job to worry," Bulma pointed out.

"Well don't. Taking down scumbags isn't the only thing I'm doing," Verto reassured her.

"Training doesn't count."

"Training others. Satan offered me a job as an instructor at his dojo, as part of our deal," Verto said, with a noticeable scowl of annoyance.

"You should take it. I would really prefer that over doing all of the police's work for them," Bulma claimed.

"I'm considering it, he wanted me especially for the ethical part of teaching. I'm not sure I have enough patience for it."

"You don't, but since you won't sit back and enjoy a second childhood or go to school, it will have to do. I would much rather you be doing something constructive like that instead of trying to solve everyone else's problems."

Verto sighed, "Alright, you win. I'll take the job, but I still want the KAIN program."

Bulma handed him the blue capsule she had set out, "Deal."

Verto held it up and eyed it closely, "What specific changes did you make anyway?"

"The aggressive subroutines are gone, as are any of Flandal's safeguards to prevent us from using it against him. Not that it matters now of course," Bulma said.

"Well, better to be on the safe side, I watched him transfer his brain out of a body and into the robot fairly quickly. He seemed like the annoying type that doesn't easily go away," Verto said in a low tone.

"It's been over a year since that happened. I wouldn't think he would keep his head down for that long," Bulma proclaimed.

Verto's eyes shifted sideways, "Probably not, but I would feel better about it if Vegeta had wiped the robot out completely."

"Buried under all that ice and snow, I doubt anyone would've survived for long, especially if it was already losing power and falling apart. You could always go check it out," Bulma suggested.

"I suppose so, but after a year its unlikely to find the battle site easily, given the area will have been through its summer and winter cycle. Whatever might be left would take a long time to find. But on the other hand I do have a lot of time," Verto said as his legs started to twitch a bit.

Bulma recognized it as an anxious sign, "You're not having regrets are you?"

Verto sighed heavily, "I just don't want my mistakes to come back and cause trouble. Whether that means protecting someone I shouldn't have, or not dealing with a problem as efficiently as I should have. Because of what happened with Lenz at the time last year, I didn't pursue Wheelo to make sure, I left it to Vegeta. I didn't finish off Frost and I probably should have. I'm not sure if I made the right call not going off with the Guardians and giving up my powers like I did. It felt right as I chose to stay here, but I get this feeling that I might come to regret it someday if another threat comes and I can't fight it. And don't get me started with that demon. That was one mistake I don't care to repeat."

"Mistakes are part of life. Sometimes we don't have to face them and sometimes we do. Judgment calls like that are hard because you can't always see the outcome of those choices. All you can do is do your best and hope you made the right decision," Bulma said.

Verto nodded, "Yeah, I suppose."

Bulma smiled, "Well maybe this can help a little with those decisions." She handed him a folded white device just a little bigger than his hand.

"What's this?" Verto said as he was tempted to open it.

"A remote scanner and communications unit that goes with the program. It'll allow you to use Kain anywhere around the world, even if the whole computer inside the blue capsule is powered off. It's also up-linked to the servers here. I figured that you might as well have a mobile device just in case you're in a situation," Bulma explained.

Verto gave her a confused look, "And you don't want me playing hero?"

"Well, I guess I'm just covering the bases, again, as you would say. It's not like you'll stop just because I ask you."

"Might as well just upgrade my cell phone."

"I considered that, but the signal for that is very spotty and unreliable underground or while at Kami's Lookout. Plus I know you have a nasty little habit of leaving it behind," Bulma said with a scornful expression.

Verto put his hands up defensively, "Hey it's been awhile since I actively carried one. Besides, I'm not wearing a bracelet or whatever you made Trunks do."

"I bugged his gloves, he wouldn't wear the bracelet. Speaking of which, we could always go back to the tracking chip idea if you want," Bulma offered.

"No thanks, I like my freedom. I would hope you didn't bug this so big sister can watch and listen?"

"GPS only, I'll respect your privacy, since you've respected ours. I doubt you'd want me eavesdropping on a night alone with a pretty girl," Bulma said with a wink.

Verto rolled his eyes, "Not really no. You mentioned this being a scanner, what will that cover?"

Bulma quickly got back to the point, "Just about anything regarding electronics and energy. So kind of like a scanner as well. It can also scan surfaces and identify composition. It has both infrared and thermal imaging functions. It can't see through walls though."

"Nice, you really went all out on this."

Bulma shrugged, "Well if you're going to equip a spy, you might as well go all the way. I suppose you'll want a secret decoder ring now."

"I think I'm good with this, no need to get too far above 'away team' status. Hopefully I won't need to use it that much," Verto said.

"Away team, which show reference is that again?" Bulma asked, confused.

"The one with humans flying through space, visiting other planets, pointed ears and other examples of aggressive alien species bent on conquering the galaxy," Verto answered vaguely as he turned to leave.

"You sure like your science fiction, maybe you should write a book," Bulma suggested.

"Ha, yeah right. Enough random crap happens to me already, I don't think it would be very believable," Verto said.

"Well you could always write it later in life. I can see you want to play with the new toy, have fun with your scanner. Don't forget to plug it into the computer to charge the battery every night. Come by later for more food capsules. See you!"

Verto nodded and moved to leave, "Thanks for the tech."

Once he was gone, Bulma sighed again, "Now to deal with my other son."

"Are you sure about this Marcus? It isn't much of a lead," Sonny Satsu said as he rode in the passenger seat.

Marcus nodded grimly as he drove the vehicle, "I realize that, but why else would someone visit this place and then vanish the day after? We at least have to ask the question, isn't that proper procedure?"

Sonny frowned, "We're not likely to get anything without a warrant, innocent or guilty."

Marcus returned the expression, "Hey, the man's son no longer has a parent because of this."

Sonny gave in, "Alright, but let me do the questioning."

The two cousins were driving through the streets of Satan City early in the morning, chasing down a lead that Marcus had come across regarding missing people. Sonny was skeptical since his cousin had just been assigned to the police force not long ago. He himself had pulled some big strings in order to get Marcus into his division shortly before the merger happened. At the moment though, he was starting to regret that as his cousin was a bit trigger happy in any investigation. Upon them was a large building spanning several city blocks with an even wider security wall around it. The business was known as REDIC, which was short for Robotic Enhancement and Development Industries Corporation. Aside from robotics research, they were also well known for medical areas as they handled development and surgical implantation of artificial implants and body parts for the disabled. Sonny glanced through his file folder briefly to see if any of the missing people had any association with REDIC. To his surprise, there were six of them that had made an appointment shortly before they were reported missing.

Marcus noticed the file but kept his eyes on the road, "Strange isn't it? All six with debilitating conditions that require implant replacement surgery just happen to go missing."

"I'll admit that it is a bit more than a coincidence, but that doesn't explain the other thirty. Most of them were reported to be quite healthy," Sonny pointed out.

"And the upstart company REDIC comes into town just a few days before the first disappearance," Marcus continued.

"I see where you're going with this cousin, but we have to go by the book with this one. At least until we know what's what," Sonny warned.

Marcus scowled, "Yeah, I know." They pulled up at the security gate, which prompted a uniformed guard to come out of his booth to greet them.

"This is a secure location gentlemen. If you want an appointment, you'll have to call during operating hours," the guard said.

"You're not already open? It looks busy to me," Marcus said as he looked towards all the cars.

"We are not a grocery store that is open for business the minute people show up. This is a research facility, you'll have to come back when you make an appointment. It is against policy to allow just anyone to come inside and look around," the guard recited as if he had a rule book in front of him.

"We're police officers. I think you can move the appointment process along a little faster," Marcus said with a raised voice.

"You could be the king of the world and it wouldn't change a thing."

Sonny finally pulled out his badge and flashed it to the guard, "Detective Satsu, when does your facility open up for the day?"

The guard backed off, "Operating hours are eight to five. The project director should be here by nine if you have any questions."

Marcus glanced at him, "How did…"

Sonny quickly cut him off, "Thank you, we will return this afternoon to see him. Let's go Marcus." Marcus stared at him blankly for a moment before turning the car around and leaving the area.

Once they were on the road he was full of questions, "Okay, what was that all about?"

"You were right, this place has something to do with our missing people. As soon as I said my name his tone changed, as if we were expected," Sonny pointed out.

"Yeah, I noticed that, but that security guard, there was something about him," Marcus said.

"He was one of the missing reports, probably that kid's father," Sonny said plainly. Marcus stared at him intently before Sonny held the file up, showing that he was correct.

"We have to call this in then right? If we're going by the book that is."

"Not yet. We'll play along and meet with this project director first, get the lay of the land. For all we know, that guy may have wanted to go off the grid for his new job. I doubt it, but until we have more answers than questions, our hands are tied."

Marcus grimaced and kept driving, "Was that one of the guys on the surgery list?"

Sonny glanced down, "Yes actually. It says he was waiting for…knee and hip replacement?"

Marcus' eyes widened in confusion, "He looked just fine for a cripple. And rehab for something like that would take a while wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, we'll come back later, after we copy these photos. I have a funny feeling about this," Sonny said.

Marcus nodded, "And I have a bad one."

Bulma scowled as she gave her son one of the meanest expressions in her arsenal, "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Sorry?" Trunks guessed.

Bulma's scowl deepened, "You'd better be sorry, you put six kids into the hospital!"

Trunks winced at her tone, "They were bullies, and they deserved it. Besides they attacked me, all I did was defend myself. I didn't hurt them that badly."

"They all have broken jaws and broken ribs! I would hope you could control yourself better than that Trunks! Or would you rather be a brainless brute like your father?!" Bulma screeched. Vegeta rolled his eyes and shook his head from the wall behind her, staying quiet.

Bulma's tirade was far from over, "We'll be lucky if there isn't a lawsuit after this is over! I suppose you're going to tell me that they wanted your lunch money too?"

Trunks shook his head, "No, they were picking on someone else and I stopped them."

"How noble of you, but that's the teacher's job!"

"They weren't there, besides Tommy likes keeping to himself and staying isolated," Trunks argued.

Bulma frowned deeper, "So, this Tommy is an outcast that the bullies all targeted?"

"I guess. Well only one of them beat up Tommy before I stopped him. Then he ran off and got the others." Bulma glanced at Vegeta for input, but the Saiyan Prince was long gone from disinterest.

She sighed, "I see, well either way, you're the one in trouble with the school. Since they requested it, you'll serve the suspension at home. But you're very much grounded!"

Trunks stared at the ground, "Fine."

"Now go do your homework and stay in your room until dinnertime!"

Trunks looked flustered, "Okay the homework is done, but whatever. Can you do me a favor?"

Bulma's hand grasped her hips, "A little late for that isn't it?"

"I mean can you call Tommy's house and make sure he made it home okay? I was going to walk him home but then Dad showed up."

"I'm sure Tommy's parents appreciate your help but they probably drive him to and from school," Bulma said nonchalantly.

Trunks stared at her, "Well, Tommy said his parents haven't been home. That they just disappeared and he hasn't heard from them." Bulma was slightly taken aback by this as Trunks walked up the stairs towards his room.

After a few seconds she started after him, "Trunks, what's Tommy's last name?"

"Reks, I think."

Bulma looked thoughtful as she watched him go into his room, Reks? Where did I hear that name? She marched off towards the lab, only to stop abruptly upon the TV room, where Vegeta was cycling through the channels to find the news.

Once he did find it, he put the remote down as the anchor covered the top stories, "…And the calls continue to come into the Global Police Force regarding missing persons. The latest case is a missing Mom named Jean Thompson of Satan City. Her husband was unavailable for comment. This following the double report from the Reks household, where both Mary and Taylor Reks disappeared last week, leaving their son Tommy desperately wondering where his parents are. The GPF is also investigating the case of a bank robbery suspect that has mysteriously escaped the West City lockup this morning...." Bulma's eyes narrowed at the broadcast before she moved on. She pulled out her cell phone for a moment before putting it away, deep in thought.

Sonny and Marcus Satsu waited until mid-afternoon before returning to the REDIC facility, where they found the same guard waiting at the security gate.

"Officer Satsu, the director has been awaiting your arrival. Proceed forward, take the first left to find the main lot. There will be a guide waiting at the front desk."

Sonny gave him a nod, "Thank you."

Marcus gave his cousin a glance before driving forward, "You didn't correct him about being a Detective."

"No need to be unpleasant yet. I think that was definitely Taylor Reks though. His wife Mary must be inside somewhere. We'll keep our eyes open."

Marcus frowned, "What could be keeping him here and not at least going home to his son?"

Sonny had a similar expression, "No idea, but we're going to find out."

"We should've brought backup," Marcus suggested.

"Not without concrete proof. You know the district Chief won't budge without real evidence."

Marcus turned left a bit sharp, "But you're one of the global officers that rank above him. Can't you just override?"

Sonny folded his arms, "Not exactly. Outside of my home precinct, South City, I can't issue an order like that unless the local Chief agrees, which in this case is Lieutenant Reese. And Reese is not that easily convinced without solid reason and facts, he's an old veteran."

Marcus gritted his teeth, "What a load of shit."

Sonny rolled his eyes, "Not all divisions are run by a military chain of command, you'd be wise to remember that." Marcus parked in an empty spot near the back, though most of the lot was already empty compared to the busy impression it had earlier that day.

He was reaching for his pistol when Sonny shook his head, "No arms."

"Really?" Marcus asked in disbelief.

"Not yet. I don't think anything will happen, as far as they know we're only taking a tour and asking questions. We don't need to come into a corporation armed and risk our badges on a guess. I've got a contingency plan in place so relax," Sonny said.

Marcus grimaced, "That doesn't inspire any confidence."

Sonny snorted at his cousin, "A detective needs to be patient. It's no different than lining up a shot on a sniper rifle."

"Should've let me bring a rifle, I would've felt better about it."

Sonny shook his head, "Not all police work involves a shootout Marcus." Both Satsus then headed inside through a revolving door, entering a large front lobby covered in clean light blue tiles. The front desk was a darker shade of blue, attended by a young brunette with large glasses.

"Detectives Satsu, Marcus and Sonny, you are right on time. Please wait here for a moment while I contact the director," she said. Sonny nodded and remained quiet, but Marcus noticed something off about the woman.

He glanced over the file folder in his hands quickly before taking a deep breath and asking the question, "Aren't you Jean Thompson?"

The secretary blinked sharply, which was magnified by her glasses, "Pardon? No, I do not know such a person." Sonny eyed his cousin and cleared his throat, but the hint wasn't received.

"How could you not be her? This is a photo of you, isn't it?" Marcus asked as he held up the photo for her to see. The picture was an exact match aside from a difference in clothing. Her current attire was a white and blue jumpsuit with REDIC written on the front and back.

The secretary shook her head, "It is a very good replica, but that is not me. Now excuse me gentleman, I am needed on the second floor. The director will be with you shortly."

Marcus started after her, "But…"

Sonny put an arm up and pulled Marcus back, "Let it go."

"That was definitely Miss Thompson!" he argued.

"Yes I know. I told you, be patient. When we get all the facts we will act on them. Right now we're in no position to do that," Sonny pointed out.

Marcus nodded grimly and watched Miss Thompson leave the room, "We should've questioned the front guard."

"I have a feeling it would've been the same result."

"I don't get it, I thought this place was all about prosthetics for lost limbs. Since when does that include brainwashing?"

"Keep your voice down. And it depends on what they're replacing," Sonny replied, "After the crap I saw last year, I don't rule anything out."

Marcus stared at his cousin in alarm, "You think this could be connected to…" Marcus stopped immediately when someone else came into the room.

"Gentlemen, my apologies for making you wait. Welcome to the REDIC facility. I am Director Schultz." Sonny and Marcus eyed him carefully. He was of average height and build with auburn hair and brown eyes, though his nose was flatter than most. He too had very large glasses, though not as big as Secretary Thompson's had been. He wasn't familiar to either cousin, though that didn't make them any more trusting at this point.

"I assume you must have a lot of questions, Detectives. I shall answer them as best I can. What would you like to know?" Schultz offered.

Sonny glanced through his folder at his actual question list, but didn't use one of those, "Let's start with what your company does and more specifically who they treat."

"If you are referring to the patients that have gone missing, I assure you that is not our doing," Schultz replied. Sonny blinked sharply, clearly not expecting that response.

"Here at REDIC, our goal is the betterment of all mankind through cybernetics and robotics. Many humans are less fortunate than others and require technology to perform even menial tasks. However, most medical treatments for this are inadequate and leave the patient suffering even more. The problem lies with the attempts in combining human physiology and robotic parts. They are simply not compatible since everyone is different. Most doctors would then modify the artificial implants to try and match what is needed. That method is only a temporary fix and will eventually fail with natural aging of both the patient and the prosthetic," Schultz explained. Sonny swallowed the bile in his throat as he suspected what Schultz next was going to say was going to bother him.

"So you attempt to change the person instead?" he asked.

Schultz smiled, "Both actually. By utilizing cloned cells from the patient's own DNA, we are able to synthesize compatible soft tissue to replace what was lost. In the case of a lost limb, the 'hardware' or prosthetic is installed and then covered in the soft tissue layers the patient should've had in the first place. The new body part is then wired into the patient's nervous system and is programmed to function based on the commands it receives from the brain, much like a normal arm or leg. Obviously the artificial body part would be much stronger than the original, but the patient has one hundred percent motor function retained and virtually no pain. Most notably, no one other than the patient will even know it's there, as the artificial limb will appear completely normal. The cosmetic image difference between our method and conventional methods are the most popular benefit with our patients."

Sonny nodded, "Impressive, so you have enough understanding of the human brain to be able to pull this off?"

Schultz's smile didn't fade, "Of course."

Marcus noticed the chance for a question while Sonny went quiet, "So what are your long term company goals?" Sonny glanced at him but didn't say anything to it.

Schultz shifted slightly but kept his grin, "Simplifying the process with the development of micro machinery to help with internal diagnosis and treatments. Losing a limb and replacing it is easy. Fixing a damaged organ from a stab wound in a reasonable amount of time without a ridiculously long recovery is much more difficult. We're still stuck on the drawing board with that one I'm afraid. Perhaps there will be a breakthrough in the next five to ten years. Who knows, cancer may be eradicated by using this method." Sonny's eyes narrowed a bit as he realized that something Schultz had just said was a lie. The problem was, he wasn't sure which part.

Marcus seemed to pick up on it too but didn't act on it directly, "Your secretary is an exact match to one of the missing people. So is the gate guard. Did you realize that? Or is that something you can explain?"

Sonny's eyes darted, "Marcus!"

Schultz's smile faded but he remained calm, "As I said before, everyone is different. Some people may look the same as others, but appearances can be deceiving. As detectives, you should be able to grasp that simple concept. One needs only to look more closely to see the difference. If that is all gentlemen, I'm late for an important meeting." Schultz turned and walked away towards an elevator, stepping in and giving them a grin that made a cold shiver climb up Sonny's back.

"Well, that was informative," Marcus grumbled as soon as they were outside.

"We're not finished here, I want to have a look around. He never gave us the promised tour," Sonny said with a distinct shift in tone.

Marcus nodded in agreement, "You thinking about a midnight pit stop? I'm pretty sure we can handle the one up there."

Sonny glanced at the guard at the entrance, "Something like that, but we'll need to stop by for supplies." He pulled an electronic device from his jacket and switched it off.

"You mean the armory? You think the Chief will be convinced by just that?" Marcus pondered.

"No, not enough was said. And I meant our own private armory."

Marcus grinned, "Now you're talkin'!"

A/n: The events of this chapter took place during the same day at various times. This little area covers some more things I wanted to try out this saga with some focus on "normal" humans that can't always rely on super strength and such to get through. I did it a few times last saga and this is obviously a continuation of that with the Satsu cousins.

Next time on DBV: The Satsus infiltrate the REDIC facility later that evening and get much more than they bargained for when they find more of the missing people inside, inadvertently discovering what REDIC is really up to.

WDG: +2 missing persons, comin' right up!

VB: Nah, I'm sure they can handle it themselves. They're professionals! By the way we're having a garage sale on police detectives. Two for the price of one.