Chapter 22
Insight

Jeremy leaned back into his chair as the Saiyan told this part of his story, the fact that he was staring at such an entity seemed unreal, literally. This slave had shown nothing but normal attributes in spite of his unusual appearance. The Saiyan didn't use any sort of gel or anything to keep his hair up, instead it stayed there, almost like fur. Once it hit a certain point, it didn't grow anymore. With the rubbing of his nose, he looked at Vegeta. "It's a good story but, I think you're right. No one would believe it. Come on being the God of Wrath? That's a bit…far-fetched of a claim."

Vegeta stood up and then nodded once. "It is why I don't share my story much. I have not told this for years, I should have just kept quiet." As he walked away, he could hear the clicking of the tape recorder being turned off. It didn't change a thing though; he was as he said he was. In fact it had taken him three years to bring that raw power under control. Returning to the kitchen, he would begin organizing the pantry in order of what was canned, what was bagged, and then alphabetized them.

Jenna slugged her husband in her arm. "He opens up to us and you cut him down like that? If he says he's the God of Wrath, I say play along with it. He hasn't brought harm and it is a good story. Look my loving detective; he has been isolated for years. Why not cut him a break?"

The man only shook his head and shrugged. "We have to break his delusions though. I don't understand how is going along with it, going to help him come back to a normal state of mind?"

His wife would look at him and smiled a kind smile. "He is not hurting anyone. It was probably a way for him to keep whatever sanity he has now to be something like that. However, if you study the victims of any heinous crime, they are more down to earth than most people. It's a statistical fact. I'm going to believe his statements and if there was any way to prove he is as he says, you'd be kicking yourself."

Jeremy looked at his wife. "If people knew as well, they would hop at the chance of abusing his abilities. Forget trying to get his freedom, he would be kept enslaved to do the bid of the government and we know how well that goes. If it is true, it would be up to you and me to protect him."

Pulling out a folder, Jenna skimmed through it quickly, looking over their visitor's record. They had been trying out a new program that made the inmates slaves for the remainder of their sentence, but each family was selected carefully. Each inmate that was selected was also carefully looked at for any hint of violence within the prison and they had to be upstanding role models. However, Jenna's brow furrowed a bit in confusion. "If he was supposed to be an inmate in this program, where is his record? There's no sign that he'd even committed a crime, let alone arrested and tried."

After checking on Vegeta, Jeremy would return to his wife's side and shrugged. "That's what I didn't understand either. It's making Rachael's story look like it wasn't the truth after all. I have also been cross-referencing his brandings too. Get this; they go back well over 200 years ago. How could a person live that long and look as if they're no older than their mid-thirties? Now according to the Raven Family, he has shown aggression in the past, but he just doesn't seem the type to be violent like that."

Jenna let out a deep breath. "If he was as mistreated as you said when he was pulled out, then I would have no hesitation trying to defend myself no matter what I had to do to do it. There's a right that allows for self-defense and protection of property. He would have been in life threatening situations. What I don't understand is why he didn't try to call the police for help in the first place."

The tall detective shook his head. "That's the question I'm trying to figure out the answer for. I'm not certain that he really knew the law. If that's the case then, they must have kept him for some time or brainwashed him enough that he would stay put on the property without leaving. Whatever the reason though, we have to find out what he knows and how much. After that, we can try to determine just what actions he could have or should have taken."

She only shook her head as she made eye contact with her husband. "If he really was a slave for that long, there has to be proof of it somewhere right? I mean, no one can exist for so long without some kind of documentation."

Jeremy nodded. "You're suggesting a background check?"

Jenna smiled and nodded herself. "That's exactly what I'm saying. The more we can dig up on our guest, the more it may help us."

The both would talk for another hour or so as Vegeta cleaned the dining room and kitchen area. To him, their voices were muffled enough to not be heard. It wasn't until they had finished that they would impede upon the Saiyan that had kept himself occupied during this time. Jenna smiled and looked at how the pantry was organized. "Is that how it's supposed to be?" She asked more as if he were a child.

Vegeta nodded once and then stood up as he heard Jeremy come in. "How may I be of service?"

Jenna took a seat as Vegeta brewed some lemon tea and put in two teaspoons of sugar and one teaspoon of honey. Adding in just a bare hint of mint, he would place it on the table before Jenna. For Jeremy, he would take out a coffee cup and poured in a cup of freshly brewed, strong, black coffee. Placing it down before them, he turned to continue cleaning around the kitchen area. Jenna tasted the tea and was surprised. It was the best she had ever tasted. "You could tell us what you know of our laws and such concerning slavery. For example, how are you able to be treated by your owners? What are you allowed to do and not do in defense of yourself? Things like that if you don't mind indulging us with some of the answers."

The warrior shook his head and continued to scrub the floor. "I'm a slave. I have no rights. My owners can treat me as they please with no consequence of their actions. As for self-defense, I'm not allowed to defend myself against anything they may wish to do to me. Being alive is only by the whim of my owners."

Jeremy looked at Vegeta as he sipped his coffee. "Surely you have tried to defend yourself against punishment if they were severe though, right?"

Vegeta somberly nodded. "I did, and the punishment was always worse. They made sure to break me of it early on. If I tried defending against a beating, they shackled me down and then gave a worse beating because of it. For me, defending against a punishment that's inflicted, is like telling my owner no. A slave just simply cannot say no to their owner, no matter how they may feel about a task or manner of service. I just do as told and hope that the punishments at the end of the day are not too severe."

Jenna tipped her head. "What about the law though? Certainly you were allowed to read and write, am I correct?"

Vegeta shook his head. "I was never allowed to read or write. Reading of the law would be grounds for death if I were ever caught at it. I have seen other slaves, and if they did something like that, they were hung from a tree or shot right in front of the rest of us. Afterwards I was the one that was made to pull the body to a type of grave and dumped as if we were trash. I was never given the opportunity to learn the laws of slavery save for what my owner wished. Doing so keeps the slave dependent upon their owner, making it harder and harder to sever ties or run. Running away was another reason for the owners to kill us anyway. So no, other than what they told me, I don't know about it."

Jeremy looked at Vegeta. "You're saying that there are more slaves on that property?"

The Saiyan shook his head. "No, there are no more slaves there, not anymore. All the others were killed. I'm the only surviving slave on the Estate."

Jenna and Jeremy both looked at each other as the warrior finished his cleaning of the kitchen and dining room. His gaze lowered in thought, but he said nothing. As it was, he most likely said too much. Exhausted from the day, he would turn toward his handler and his head bowed lightly. "May I ask permission to retire for the night Sir?"

Jeremy nodded once. "Go ahead. It's been a long day and you'll need your rest."

Vegeta gave a light bow to him and then turned to head for an abandoned corner. His gaze moved to the fireplace where he would watch the fire's hypnotic dance. He was glad that for once, he didn't have to sleep in a cold, dank basement, or the confines of a cell. The popping and crackling of the blaze would slowly lull him to sleep.

(Wow, two books down in the series. I hope you're enjoying the read, and don't be afraid to leave a review. I appreciate everything that my readers say. The third book is on the way. Stay tuned!)