"Listen," said Bayonet. "I can't just look up their files for you. That stuff is strictly used for police business. I could lose my job if they found out, or at least get suspended!"

After school had finished, Gohan had decided to visit Bayonet in his office and ask him for help. The man's refusal was disappointing, but not too surprising. While Bayonet seemed like a nice guy, he was also a police officer. He would be the last person to break the rules, even if he wanted to help.

"Is there any way you can do it?" Gohan asked, thinking. "Perhaps, if you made the break-in a police investigation…"

Bayonet looked at him seriously. "I could do that," he said. "But there's no reason to. When you first told me about this, I just thought it was stolen paperwork. Nothing serious."

He gave him a meaningful glance. "But the way you're asking me makes me think that it's more important than just paperwork."

Gohan looked away, not wanting to give anything away in his expression. Bulma didn't want him to tell them the truth, if possible.

"Gohan," said Bayonet. "If you want me to help you, you'll have to tell me what was in those documents. I can't just keep doing this blindly. I need to know why you want to find this guy so badly."

"I…"

Bayonet seemed to notice his hesitation. "If you don't want to tell me, that's your decision. But I won't help you unless you explain the truth. It's as simple as that."

Then they heard footsteps, and a female voice, chatting excitedly. "Hey, Bayonet! You wouldn't believe what I just did! See, I was just visiting my grandma, and-"

And there, obliviously entering the room, was Videl. She looked quite pleased with herself. Then she noticed him, and her smile immediately dropped.

"Videl?" he asked, astonished. "What are you doing here?"

"Me? What are you doing here?"

Unfortunately, Bayonet explained the situation to her. "Gohan wants me to search up some people in the police files. I was just telling him that's practically illegal, unless you have a proper warrant."

Videl looked puzzled. "Why do you want to do that?"

"I was just asking him that," explained Bayonet. "But he doesn't want to tell me the reason."

Gohan looked away, self-consciously. Perhaps this was a bad idea. It might have been better to just tell the police directly, not go to a friend. What was he thinking, getting a mole? This wasn't some sort of spy novel!

He took a few steps back, unsure of whether to leave or not.

But then Videl seemed to understand. She turned to him, concern clearly evident on her face.

"Gohan," she said. "You have to tell him."

"B-but-"

"I know you," she said. "You're not normally this serious. Which means something really bad is happening. Don't just ignore us."

Gohan looked from Videl to Bayonet and back again.

Bulma didn't want everyone to know. He didn't want everyone to know. But, at the same time…the pressure of this sort of responsibility was building up inside him. He didn't want to keep doing this on his own.

He sighed. "Alright." If that was the only way for them to take this seriously, he'd have to do it.

He reflexively looked around the police station. Around Bayonet's small office, it was deserted. Thank goodness. It would make it a lot easier if he knew they weren't being overheard.

"The documents stolen from Capsule Corp," Gohan explained. "…they're blueprints."

"Blueprints, huh?" Bayonet looked at him with curiosity, his imagination seemingly going into overdrive. "What for, exactly?"

Gohan took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. "Human augmentation," he said. That's what the technology was called, he remembered. "Robotic human augmentation."

"You mean, like, cyborgs?" asked Bayonet.

"Yes."

Both Bayonet and Videl seemed stunned into silence. And then Bayonet whistled in amazement. "No wonder they didn't want to tell us," he said, almost amused. "So, you're telling me Capsule Corp has an army of cyborgs?"

"No way!" Gohan exclaimed. Why did they always assume the worst of them? "They only took those blueprints so they could stop others from making them!"

Videl seemed to be remembering the stories Gohan had told her. "These cyborgs…were they the Androids you told me about?"

Gohan nodded. "It's very…very important. If this technology is duplicated, the cyborgs have enough power to destroy the world."

He still remembered Future Trunks' warning. In his world, the androids had killed everyone…even that world's version of himself. That fact always made him shiver. In that world, he was dead, and there was no way to bring him back.

Bayonet stared, shocked. "Why didn't you tell anyone else about this? We need to get all forces looking for it!"

"No!" Gohan stopped him. "It's fine. I can deal with this. I just need to know where this guy is, and the police files might help. After that, you don't need to worry about it."

Bayonet didn't look like he believed him. "You're saying they could destroy the world, and that's not a 'big deal'? I know you want to prove yourself, but that sounds like it's beyond even your league. You're just a kid."

You've got to be kidding me. What do I have to do, prove it to him? He wasn't used to people doubting him. Just a kid…when was the last time someone had used that excuse? He couldn't remember. In fact, he didn't know if anyone had ever told him that.

But then he heard a dark, slow laugh.

It was Videl.

"Trust me, Bayonet," she said, smirking. "This isn't a problem for Gohan. You don't need to worry about him. If he needs your help…

Bayonet seemed deep in thought.

"Is this some kind of superhero thing?" he asked.

Not exactly. "Sort of," Gohan replied. It wasn't the whole truth, but Bayonet…Gohan barely knew him. He wasn't going to start blabbing out all of their secrets. Surely Bayonet would understand. Right?

"I think I know what this is about," said Videl. "And I'm sure he doesn't need the police force to help. In fact, that would probably get in the way, wouldn't it?"

Gohan nodded. What could humans do against Androids? Next to nothing.

"That's why he went to you," she explained. "He doesn't want everyone knowing because that would just make it worse."

Eventually, Bayonet threw his hands up in resignation. "Alright, I'll do it."

"Really?" Gohan was surprised.

"Really. But if you find any incriminating evidence…you don't have to do this on your own. Heck, you shouldn't be doing this in the first place. This is our job."

Gohan tried to suppress his chokes of laughter. It's funny, having people think I'm not competent. That hasn't happened…since before Cell, really.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Vegeta used to chew him out over not training, but that had only been happening recently. No one had denied that he was still strong enough to deal with any threat.

And now that his potential was unlocked, there wasn't any reason to say he wasn't strong enough.

"You know, you owe me something," said Bayonet. "This is practically illegal, searching them up without an official warrant."

Videl's face lit up. "Oh, thanks, Bayonet!"

Gohan followed suit. "I really appreciate it."

He decided to give Bayonet Bulma's phone number. He agreed to call her if he found any useful information.

As Gohan left the building, Videl abruptly stopped him outside.

"So," she said, her expression lethal. "Are you going to explain what that was about?"

"It's none of your business," he rebutted. He was supposed to give her space, after all. And the Androids were out of her league.

He tried to walk past her, but she grabbed onto his arm.

"Yes, it is!" she exclaimed, looking...surprisingly concerned. "If this guy is trying to…take over the world, or something, then it is my business. It's everyone's business!"

He sighed. "I don't think he's going to take over the world," he admitted. "But he's definitely got things he shouldn't have."

"Well, you're going to have to tell me all about it," she demanded.

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "You mean you want to be involved in this? But I thought we had broken up?"

When a couple broke up, they didn't talk to each other like friends, did they? Let alone help each other like this.

Videl stared at him, blankly. "You're so naïve, Gohan," she sighed. "Just because we've broken up, doesn't mean I don't want to help you."

"Really?" Now he was curious.

"Really," she agreed. "If what you're saying is true…this is more important than stupid arguments. I'm helping you, no matter what you say."

Videl can be so pushy sometimes, he thought. But he still appreciated the help. He wasn't sure what Videl could do, but it was better than nothing.

Perhaps getting those files was more complicated for Bayonet than expected. Either way, several days passed without any updates. Gohan simply went about his business, sometimes wondering if they were going to find new information. He was confident Bayonet wasn't going to dob them in. As much as he knew this was dangerous, he knew what Gohan was capable of. Perhaps he had realised that they would just get in the way if they tried to interfere.

But one good thing had come out from this whole situation – Videl had started speaking to him again.

The next day, once he returned to school, Gohan had started getting his stuff out of his locker when Erasa came up to him. And…Videl was with her!

"Did Bayonet get the information yet?" she asked eagerly.

"Not yet," he replied. "But I think he said he'd tell Bulma first."

Erasa and Sharpener just looked at them like they had suddenly sprouted extra heads.

"What were you guys doing yesterday?" Erasa exclaimed.

Videl's eyes narrowed. "Don't get me wrong," she snapped to her friends. "We're not dating or anything. We've just got…a common interest right now."

Sharpener chuckled. "Well, thank god for that."

So, with that, everything was a lot easier. Videl wasn't ignoring him anymore. It was still a little rocky between them. If he looked at her for a bit too long, she would quickly turn away, like she didn't want him to think that she had stopped being upset.

Another thing that Gohan had been noticing was he had been getting some unusual stares, mostly from their classmate Compass. By now, he had been used to the stares and the constant muttering, but there was something about the intensity of Compass's gaze that made him take note. It was almost like…hatred. He almost wanted to confront him and ask what his problem was, but…what if that started a fight?

They wouldn't fight me, he remembered. They're scared of me, aren't they?

If they ever did decide trying to rough him up would make them feel better, it would be the worse mistake they ever made. Surely they knew that.

Not for the first time, Gohan reflected how much easier it would have been if he had simply kept his strength a secret.

A few days later, Bulma called yet again.

"Come to my office," she simply said. "We've got a new update."

And while the seriousness of her tone surprised Gohan a little…it also made him excited. This felt like a real job! A real, complicated detective work! Just like in books and movies, but it was real!

And if we fail, more Androids could destroy the world. Or at least try to.

No wonder Bulma was being so serious.

When Gohan arrived at Bulma's office, he was surprised to see not only Bulma, but Bayonet, too. The officer was surveying the Capsule Corp interior with astonishment. Clearly, this was the first time he had been here before, and the sheer scale of the building surprised even him.

"What are you doing here?" Gohan asked.

"What do you mean?" replied Bayonet. "Did you forget who risked his job to get the information for you guys?"

Oh. Gohan had almost forgotten about that.

"We really do appreciate it," said Bulma. "I'm sure we could have gotten it through other sources, but this is just the easiest. And the most legal."

Bayonet raised his eyebrows. "If this is the most legal method, I'm curious what other methods you were going to use. Although, now, I doubt anything would surprise me."

Bulma turned to Gohan, and quickly added, "I told Bayonet about the Androids – how I got the blueprints and all that. So you don't need to worry about keeping it a secret."

"Oh." Gohan breathed a silent sigh of relief. It felt so much more comfortable, knowing he had one less secret to keep inside.

Still, Bayonet wasn't looking at him in any significant way, which made Gohan think that Bulma didn't tell him about any of the…Saiyan stuff.

Gohan was thankful for that.

"I'd heard of the Red Ribbon Army before," commented Bayonet. "Mostly just stories, considering it was before my time. But I didn't know the survivors were such nutjobs. And how their reign ended…I always thought the claim that they were defeated by a little boy was nothing more than a police folk tale."

A police folk tale? The phrasing of that…it gave Gohan a mental image of policemen standing by the fire in their uniforms, discussing stories with banjos in hand. That made him chuckle a bit.

"Well, it's true," said Bulma. "Like I said, I knew…I mean, I know that boy. And his son is standing right in front of you."

Bayonet's eyes widened in surprise. He turned to Gohan. "That kid is your father?"

Gohan nodded. His father didn't tell him much about the Red Ribbon Army, but in the way he described it, it seemed like they were just…in the way. That was the only reason why he had stopped them in the first place. They had the Dragon Balls, and Goku decided to use the wish for his friends. But compared to what he had had to face later on in life…the biggest threat Goku had faced was Tao Pai Pai. And he wasn't even part of the Red Ribbon Army itself!

Of course, the Androids were on a completely different league.

"I was just explaining to Bulma what was going on. I managed to look up these guys for you – which was a lot more difficult than you'd think, so I better get some credit for that. There wasn't much about Maestro that you guys didn't know – child prodigy, graduated college at 15, all that. Two of his friends, Percus and Woody, apparently went to the same college as he did. But I did end up looking for the girl. This-" he looked at the sheet of paper they had been examining. "-Sonata Treble. And we found out why she was so hard to find."

Gohan raised an eyebrow, gesturing for him to go on.

"She's from the circus."

The circus? That was the last thing Gohan had ever expected! For him, the circus was like a fantasy – he never imagined it actually existing outside of his books. It wasn't like he had ever gone to it before. After all, there was no possible way it would perform close to their house. They lived way too far away.

Bulma continued. "Bayonet has managed to find out where the circus is staying at the moment. Apparently, they don't have a performance up, but there are several locations that they stay during off-seasons like this. Now that we know, we can go and look for Sonata. If it's anything like Percus and Woody, she might already be gone. But, either way, it wouldn't hurt to check it out. After all, if Maestro wanted to hide, what better place than the circus?"

She looked around guiltily. "Unfortunately, I don't have time to check tomorrow. I've organised a meeting with one of Maestro's professors from his college. I wanted to know more about him – to see if he's the type of kid who would actually start building Androids. I always say, 'a little knowledge can go a long way'."

"I can go tomorrow," said Gohan, eager to please. "I don't have anything to do, really. If we split up…wouldn't that make it easier?"

"On your own?" Bulma frowned.

She stopped, thinking it over.

Does she not trust me?

"I can handle it," said Gohan firmly, trying to convince her. "I just need to look for Sonata, right? And ask her if she knows where Maestro is?"

But Bulma still looked anxious.

"I know you can handle it," she said. "It's just…I'd feel better if you were going with company. This isn't something you've done before. You need to make sure you don't reveal too much, especially to Sonata. What if she knows where Maestro is, and she decides to warn him?"

"I would help you if I could," added Bayonet. "But I have a job, you know. And besides, I wouldn't want to be seen on an unofficial investigation. We don't want to raise any more suspicions."

"Is there anyone who you trust to come with you?" asked Bulma. "I know you could ask Goku, but he'd probably do something stupid…maybe you could ask Krillin? I just don't want this information to be spread too far. This is my fault as it is. We don't need everyone else involved."

That was a good idea. He could go with Krillin. Gohan honestly felt Bulma was right. He would be more comfortable with a partner. He still felt like he was terrible at lying. Videl always told him that…wait, that was it!

"Videl!" he cried. "I told Videl about it, and she said she wanted to help. She can come with me!"

Of course, they weren't exactly dating at the moment, but…who really cared? If Videl demanded to know the details, he would tell them to her, whether she wanted to keep her distance or not!

…That sounded really unlike me, he thought. Perhaps Videl's recklessness was rubbing off on him.

Bulma paused, in thought.

"That could work," she decided. "But if it's too difficult for you…you don't have to go. I'll just go the day after tomorrow."

Gohan shook his head. "No. I'm helping. I want to help."

"Well, then," Bulma replied. "You should make sure Videl knows. If you want to go tomorrow, you'd better tell her quickly."

"Right!"

Enthusiastically, Gohan bounded out of the building.

Watching Gohan leave, Bayonet frowned.

"He's a strange one, that kid," he commented.

Bulma chuckled. "You should see his father. Out of all of them, Gohan's the most ordinary."

The officer didn't know how to react to that.

Once Gohan arrived home, he called Videl, still a little anxious. She said she wanted to know all the details, but…that didn't mean she was going to accept. What if she did some annoying girl thing, like hang up while he was talking? With Videl, especially when she was in a bad mood, it was impossible to know how she would react.

Eventually, the call connected, and Videl's voice came through the phone.

"Gohan?" she seemed surprised.

It's too late to back out now.

"Do you still want to help?" he asked.

[AN: You know, Videl visiting her grandmother and Bulma visiting the college professor are separate stories in amongst themselves. I don't know if I'm going to put them in the story right now. Perhaps they'll be bonus chapters?]