About an hour later Alex and Grant were there. Alex was upset when she came into the Sergeant's office. Hanson hadn't believed a word she'd said. Apparently he was in denial and hoping this was all some set up joke.

"Greetings Dr. Lawrence, Dr. Grant," Hanson welcomed them into his office. "I hope it isn't too troubling for you to clear this all up."

Alex shook her head, "Of course not." She replied.

"Good." Hanson turned his computer screen to show the scientists the frozen video Rick had given him. "Barnes here claims this video was recorded with his eye." The emphasis at the end made it clear he wasn't buying it.

"He's correct." Grant finally spoke up. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Are you telling me that one of my officers has a camera for an eye?" Hanson stood up as he spoke.

"We are, and we can prove it." Alex replied.

Hanson paused, either the three of them were bluffing or they were honest. Or they believed they were honest. "Very well." He conceded.

Grant strode over to Rick. "Mind if I?" He didn't need to finish the question, Rick was familiar with what his friend was wanting to do. Rick nodded and rolled up his right sleeve.

"Watch this Sergeant." Alex said in an intriguing tone. The man took a few steps around his desk to get a better view.

Grant took Rick's arm and turned it so the soft underside was exposed. Though it was impossible to see there was a miniscule seam in the synthetic flesh. He pressed his thumb into a specific part of the arm and the seam came loose. Hanson gasped at what now looked like a scar.

Rick remained stoic for the moment. It was better to keep silent, and not watch. He hated watching Grant or Alex do work on his own body. It always made the truth a little more real. While he had accepted McDowell's generous gift of life, he sometimes felt a little resentment for it. After all, he'd given up a lot of flesh just to stay alive. But of course the fact that he was still a police officer and had a purpose made it all the easier to bear.

Grant peeled back a three inch long section of skin to reveal a metal frame. It was thick, round, and sectioned off by seams every half inch. A few wires ran over the metal disappearing under the fake flesh.

Rick looked at Hanson and shrugged. "It's true." He murmured.

Hanson was finally believing, though he was in shock and slightly sickened. He looked like he was fighting down a gag reflex. "Are you even human?"

Rick's face grew red with indignation. "Yes." He replied shortly.

"Sergeant, Rick is most definitely human, we only replaced what was damaged after the explosion." Alex explained. "And we implemented a few upgrades to his existing body." She was getting excited. She hadn't shown her work to anyone since the Feds had stolen it all.

Hanson nodded. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" He was looking at Rick, whose arm was being put back to normal.

"The Chief of Police and the Sheriff know already. We agreed it would be best to release this information slowly." Rick replied. "We didn't want to freak people out."

"That's understandable." Hanson replied. His eyes dropped to Rick's arm and stayed there. Rick pulled his sleeve down.

"Are there any other questions we can answer?" Grant asked.

"A few." Hanson replied returning to his desk. "How is this possible?"

"With the use of a neural interface connected to Rick's brain through a synthetic neural passageway grafted into the brain and brain stem. It allows him to have control over the digital additions to his brain which control his prosthetic limbs and regulate the life support system built into his organs." Alex explained.

"It's all perfectly safe, he has complete control over the mechanical additions to his body, and he's got a sound mind. We check for brain cell deterioration caused by the digital neural pathways every six months. It's been two years, and he's the healthiest he'll ever be." Grant added.

Rick smiled. He was glad they could explain it so easily. It was nice to have friends who were dedicated enough to vouch for him.

Hanson's surprise was turning into curiosity. It was apparent in his blue eyes. "Is there any way this program will be used again?"

Alex and Grant shook their heads in unison. "The government shut us down after the original designer, Professor Calvin McDowell, was murdered. Since then the Feds have prohibited repeating the process. They took all of our research and blue prints." Alex answered. Her voice dropped an octave, she would have gone further with the program if she were allowed to.

"And Barnes is a free citizen?" Hanson asked.

"The supreme court decided it was unconstitutional to lock me up in a lab just because I had undergone unethical and unorthodox procedures. I'm as free as any other American." Rick answered the question. He could only take people talking about him like he wasn't there for so long.

"Did you agree to it?" Hanson asked.

Rick smiled at him. "Alex came to me on my death bed and offered me a way out. Obviously it wasn't my time to die. I gave full consent before they even touched me."

Hanson seemed to relax. "Well, as long as it's all legally safe and you're not a danger to anyone, I see no reason to make a fuss. I will have to talk to deputy Michaels, and I'll let the Chief know I'm in on the secret. Barnes take this," he pulled the SD card out of his computer and handed it to the cop. "I think we both know Greg started the fight, I'm not even going to bring the video or the fight up again." He grinned. "I'll make sure Tanner gets his due in some very unpleasant cases."

Rick smiled at that. "Thanks Sergeant."

"No problem," Hanson opened his office door for the three to leave. Grant and Alex paused outside the room to talk with Rick.

"I see you've got yourself a rival." Grant said waggling his eyebrows and nudging Rick with his elbow.

"Not on purpose." Rick replied. "The guy just seems to always have my number."

"Well, just stay away from the guy if you can." Alex suggested. "We do worry about you Rick, for a number of reasons."

Rick smiled. "Why do you sound like a concerned sister-in-law?"

"I do not." Alex returned. Grant and Rick shared a laugh.

Rick sobered up. "Well, I have a desk to clean up and work to get to." He said as he sidled away from the two. "I'll catch you guys later." He made to walk away.

"Not even a proper goodbye?" Alex caught his arm.

"Alright, goodbye." Rick said as sincerely as he could while smiling and trying to stifle yet another laugh. Alex gave him a quick hug and Grant shook his hand.

"Thanks for your help." Rick said as the couple headed out.

"No prob." Grant called back.

Rick went back to the main room and got down to cleaning up the mess Greg had made. With any luck he wouldn't see the violent officer for a few weeks at least.