Sorry everyone, under extremely recent circumstances, this story is on hiatus... bottom line, I'm grounded for I don't even know how long. This story will be written while I'm away, but not posted. Again, I'm sorry, and check back once in a while.
This is for Kim and Kaitlyn, who have been there, even when my family wasn't. :) thanks
And Alfonzo and Anna... I gotcha covered *gives big thumbs up* :D
So enjoy the last chapter of Visionary for a little while!
Chapter 6: Pointing Fingers
His dark hair was matted with dirt as he sunk lower into the brush. It had been at least a month since he was above ground. One good, solid month since a decent lead.
The case he had been determined to crack was originally his grandparents, all the way back to the beginning of Seventeen and Eighteen. Then passed down to his parents to finish the job, but it wasn't finished… eventually leading to their demise before his twelfth birthday.
Four men in gas masks scurried into the windowless building. One of them holding tightly to a small brief case. 'Why are they wearing masks?' He wondered. "It's been over five years… Unless!?'
Stakeout officially, over. The teen pulled out his cell phone dialing six simple numbers.
614822.
The code for a break. A woman picked up on the other end of the line, too tired to even ask who it was.
"Call in the cavalry, I think they're gonna release round two." He said, then hung up, seemingly disappearing into thin air.
Now, instead of thin air, he was in the air ventilation systems. A small vent just under him, the size of a piece of paper, was all he needed. The spy listened in intently, looking for which one of the four mean was the mastermind. They all sat in a small conference type of room with washed out white walls, each voice echoing for seconds.
"Look kid! I told you that we need that plane. And how are we supposed to use it, if you can't get into Capsule Corp and get it?" the first man yelled. He was beyond livid, and now that the masks were off, he was even more menacing.
'You mean what's left of Capsule Corp.' the young boy thought. Snapping a quick picture of the first man for the ever building case file, he heard the second one speak.
"I'm sorry, sir. I've heard that the lady runnin the place lives with some real freaks. They could kill guys like me no problem." The young guy who couldn't have been more than twenty, sunk back into his chair.
Again, another few clicks of the camera during the commotion. As much of a joy it was to stay, looking at his phone, the dark-haired mystery teen needed to leave. Breakfast was just on the horizon.
xXxXxXx
Little to no shower later, Toshiro walked from his part of the underground residence, to the kitchen, grabbing a bowl of cereal. "I'm beat, and its only eight am." He yawned. There was no denying who he was related to. The almost too dark, unruly purple hair plastered to his head, and the bright blue eyes were a dead giveaway. Even at the tender age of fifteen, Toshiro Brief was trouble.
"You wouldn't be tired all the time if you actually slept." Answered Bulma, grabbing her coffee cup and putting her hair up.
"Speak *chomp* for yourself *chomp* Grams." He said in between large spoonful's. Food had been scarce for years, and he and Mai were taught that even with Sayian appetites', pigging out wasn't always the best idea.
As Bulma sat down at the breakfast nook, she pulled out three old case files. She sighed as her half-Sayian grandson stopped eating.
"It was four in the morning, and you were where exactly?" She questioned, thumbing through the original files.
"Bridgetown." He whispered. Over the years, the town was going under, with no chance of bouncing back. The danger level increased after his mother came back half dead. So it wasn't smart to lie about it, though Toshiro didn't want her to worry. "Four guys are gonna try to steal one of the hover planes. And they said that you live with some "real freaks"." He air quoted.
She tried to stifle a laugh, "Yes, but you two are my freaks." Kissing his forehead, she left the kitchen to get ready for the day ahead.
xXxXxXx
Air-Lock update complete. The computer voice sounded. It had taken almost a week for all in the West City area to be updated. "What I would give for it to be as simple as Vegeta's gravity room." She mumbled.
More often lately, the thought back to the stubborn man. At first she didn't know why she cared so much, he didn't. But then, long after his death, she realized the deadly mistake. Slowly driving him away, from herself, and Trunks. 'Wherever you are Veggie,' she smiled. 'I'm sorry.'
Toshi wondered who it was his genius grandmother always looked up through the skylight of the lab to. Was it her parents? His? The uncle he never met, or the grandparents he knew little to nothing of? There were so many peoples pictures, tacked on to the "Wall of Memories" as she called it.
His mouth opened to ask when a voice sounded from the door. "Hey Mrs. B, open up. We have food!" Nope, can't argue with that.
She opened the door to familiar faces. "Hello you two, nice to see you alive." The two holding the stocked brown paper bags just laughed as they walked in.
Al was an old friend of Mai's. He was tall, dark-skinned and easily could kick somebody's ass, because of the dojo he owned in East City. Both his mother and grandmother worked with Bulma, and were up on the memories wall. "Each time I come over, that wall has more and more people." He said, staring at a picture of his mother, holding a baby version of himself.
"Yeah, one of these days, we won't even see their pictures anymore." Responded Anna. A local firefighter, she was shorter than Al, -like most- and sported a pixie cut. "Mom is on there somewhere, even though they never found her." Eight years ago, her mother went missing near the bridge, and was never seen her heard from again.
Bulma thought staring at the wall for too long as always depressing. So in an attempt to lighten the mood some, she asked. "How's the dojo these days, Alfonzo?"
He looked over his shoulder, "condemned, just like the High School. And please don't call me that, its Al."
"I'll call you by your Kami given name, its only right." Bulma added the last part quietly.
Only a week after the trio's graduation, the school had been shut down for good. Pan had been pissed, but couldn't do anything, for she was too sick to even go to the ceremony.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'm one step closer to figuring out who did this." Toshiro called from the next room.
As the three other people occupying the lab walked over, Toshi spread the files onto a huge drawing board, placing connections between people, time, places, companies and locations.
"Not bad, T-chan." Anna said, gawking wide-eyed at the board.
"Thanks." He replied. Stepping onto a chair for better display, he began the presentation of his findings.
"We all know about thirty-some years ago, Dr. Gero of the Red Ribbon Army awoke androids Seventeen and Eighteen. Below him, is a list of companies where he worked with, and manufactured the parts." He said pointing to the list of nine companies below Gero's picture. "Through them, he became feared even more than he already was. But when mom and dad killed them, as well as a super imperfect Cell, he needed another way. Thus, leading us to..." His speech trailed off as he tried to flip the board.
"Oh my gosh!" Bulma exclaimed, bringing a hand over her mouth in shock. 'It's not possible!' Her conscience screamed. How did it come to that?
"They planned out every last detail." On that board was everything, the kind of hover planes used, who was to carry it out... Everything. "Gero or an associate hired hit men to steal the last bit of Capsule Corp medicine sent out for the heart virus. Your missing shipment six years ago, went right through to them, Grams. All five million bottles." By now, all of them were sitting on the floor trying to put the pieces together.
"They changed the bio-molecular structure, from pill to gas, medicine to poison. None of them even had a chance."
Lab two was silent, no one knew what to say. Toshiro just solved the biggest mystery since time travel, and his older sister had no idea.
"Does Mai know anything of this?" She asked her grandson.
All he did, was smirk back, just as his father, and grandfather before him. "There's an envelope, stuck to the inside of the family journal with a capsule in it, as well as a note."
In that moment, both Al and Anna looked around the lab, looking for their friend. "Where is she?" Al quirked an eyebrow.
Toshiro looked at him, "like parents, like daughter?"
The two Briefs sent her back in time, not knowing if saving the other time would help this time.
"This is just great." Mumbled Anna.
I think I left more questions than answers… sorry about that. You'll find out everything soon enough though.