"Ipsa scientia potestas est." / "Knowledge is power."
- Francis Bacon, Meditationes Sacrae
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CHAPTER 26:
The Database
-grrrrt grrrrt grrrt grrrt-
The soft crunch of gravel under their boots gradually gave way to the rustling of leaves and dirt as Pan and Trunks made their way back to the shady hospital compound. As they approached a curve in the path, Trunks reached out and took Pan's hand, holding it firmly within his curled palm. Once again hand-in-hand, they followed the winding path, feeling a growing confidence that they could face challenges ahead as long as they were together.
For Pan, their connection felt natural, as if they had been walking this path together all their lives. It was a moment of bliss, a serene pause in the whirlwind of emotions they had been navigating. Yet, despite how things were going so well for them right now, Pan still felt a strange sense of foreboding - as if nothing this good could last, and that this might be a calm before the storm.
As the curving path brought them back to the Courtyard, Pan basked in an appetizing aroma of caramelized onions whose savory sweetness was wafting from the Cafeteria. Despite how her hunger had been satiated by their picnic, Pan realized that she was already getting hungry again. And, now that she started to think about the hospital's Vidalia Onion Soup, her stomach began to rumble again.
As she considered her growing appetite, Pan started to think it might be a good idea to check out the Cafeteria. But, before she voiced her suggestion to Trunks, she looked down the path that led to the Cafeteria, and saw a familiar white-clad figure exit through its double-doors.
Momentarily distracted from her rising hunger again, Pan immediately recognized him.
"Oh!" Pan exclaimed, and pointed ahead, "It's the tour guide!"
Trunks looked up to see the Hospital Director walking briskly with his head-down, focusing on a digital pad in his right hand. He adjusted his blue goggles as he read the screen, and then pinched as his split-chin in thought.
"Dr. Vidalia," Trunks called out, surprised, "Did you just finish your shift?"
The doctor slowed and looked up to view Trunks. He seemed startled for a moment, and adjusted his blue goggles to see more clearly. "Oh there you are, Mr. Briefs! I was about to come find you by the lake."
Trunks blinked, "By the lake? How did you know we were there?"
"Our satellite system, of course!" Dr. Vidalia looked upward and gestured toward one of the moons in the blue sky, "It's a weapons system that also tracks every individual and enforces our neutrality. We know where every single visitor is, at all times."
Trunks looked up to the sky with a somewhat uneasy face, "I see…"
"You have my sincerest apologies for running late," Dr. Vidalia expressed with a remorseful tone, "I've been so busy that I haven't even had the chance to stop for a drink of water." He paused, and then his blue-shaded eyes brightened as he suggested, "Have you visited the Chapel yet?"
Trunks shook his head, "No, not yet."
"Wonderful," Dr. Vidalia chimed with a small smile, "As I said before, I am happy to escort you there." He then held up his pad, and added, "I also have your bloodwork results. Would you like to discuss them as we walk?"
Trunks perked up with intrigue, "That… would be nice."
And then the moment the words left his mouth, Trunks seemed to think of something, and then looked at Pan with an unspoken question in his eyes.
Before Pan could process his expression, though, the ground suddenly shook violently, like a volcano about to erupt.
-BOOOOOOOOOOM-!
Out of nowhere, the roof of the southeast building exploded upward with flames.
Pan and Trunks spun to look in the direction of the blast, as Pan shouted, "What was that?!"
Almost immediately, the hospital sirens began to wail, "-WEEEEEOOOOOOOOO- ... -WEEEEEEEOOOOOOOO- ..."
Inside the building, people began to scream and run throughout the hallway, many appearing to be visitors who were frightened and confused by the rumbling blast.
A giant, dark plume of smoke billowed upward from the building that began to rain ash and shards of debris around the complex.
Throughout all the confusion, however, Dr. Vidalia remained unperturbed.
"Not to worry!" Dr. Vidalia raised his hands with a reassuring smile, "Everything is okay!"
After several long moments of confusion, there were two short, high-pitched beeps as the loudspeakers turned on.
"-BEEEEEEEP- -BEEEEEEEP- ALL CLEAR," announced a female voice throughout the premises.
And then, just as quickly as the explosion started its turmoil, everything went quiet again.
The dark smoke that had been billowing from the eruption began to turn white with steam. The fire was already being put out.
As peace and serenity began to return to the hospital grounds, Dr. Vidalia felt compelled to explain, "It was a scheduled demolition. As of this afternoon, we've begun to renovate our Water Conditioning System."
Trunks and Pan both looked at each other, feeling even more perplexed.
"We tend to renovate it every century or so, to incorporate the latest water infusions," Dr. Vidalia explained. "It's usually routine, but…" He paused, and a frown formed on his face, "...I have some questions for my staff. I will need to head to the Laboratory after this."
Dr. Vidalia glanced at his digital pad before looking back at Trunks. "The Chapel is along the way. Are you ready to go?"
"Yes," Trunks nodded, and then looked to Pan with a silent question in his eyes again.
Pan could see he was silently pleading for his privacy.
She completely understood why he'd feel that way. She respected his medical privacy, and she could say at this point that she trusted Trunks. If he had something he wished to share, he'd eventually tell her anything in his own time.
With a reassuring smile, Pan gazed up to Trunks and said warmly, "No worries - enjoy your walk with the doctor." She then shrugged, "I think I'm going to grab Grandpa and check out the soup here."
Trunks looked visibly relieved, and nodded, "Okay, we'll find each other later."
As he began to turn, he seemed to remember something. "Oh yeah," he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. As Trunks handed it to Pan, he nodded, "For whatever you get. And maybe try to pick up some Vidalia Onions in the gift shop, too?"
Pan took the wallet, and scrutinized the brown dino-leather as she turned it over in her hands. She felt like she was also somehow forgetting something.
As Trunks began to turn away, Pan suddenly remembered, and called out, "Wait!"
Trunks stopped, and looked questioningly at her.
"Here," Pan reached inside her blue backpack, and stored his wallet in an inner pocket. She then dug around Giru, who vibrated excitedly after she reached in, and pulled out her white water bottle.
The water bottle, now cool from the ice water they had at the picnic, felt refreshing in Pan's hand. "For your slight dehydration," she offered helpfully, with a smile.
Trunks grinned and took her water bottle. He held it up as if toasting her, and gave a slight, respectful head bow of acknowledgment. "Thanks for looking out for me."
Pan felt a surge of pride and appreciation. She cherished this feeling - knowing that she could be a good partner to him. She smiled back and nodded, "Mm-hmm! Always!"
Trunks' gentle expression made the warmth in his blue eyes even more radiant, and for a moment, she felt like her breath was taken away.
Then, Trunks turned, and began to walk south, down the path with the doctor.
After he had gazed away, it felt a little bit like the sunlight dimmed, and her world became slightly overcast. As Pan watched Trunks walk away from her, she didn't want to take her eyes off of him, feeling an ache in her chest. Even she was surprised at how quickly she already missed him, and he wasn't even out of sight yet.
And then, her full realization struck her.
Trunks just left her, standing all alone on the Courtyard path.
"Ouuuu!" Pan shouted, and raised an arm with renewed anguish as she realized her plight.
Once again, she never had a date that got finished!
She was starting to think she was cursed with a running gag.
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As Trunks walked alongside the doctor along the path, his eyes remained fixed on the plume of steam that continued to billow upward from the far roof of the southeast building.
Dr. Vidalia's eyes looked down at his digital pad as he strolled, absentmindedly following the familiar path over every turn and crack, as if he had walked this same path many times before.
As Dr. Vidalia scrolled down a series of text, graphs, and esoteric symbols on his screen, he observed out loud, "Overall, Mr. Briefs, your bloodwork results are very good."
Dr. Vidalia looked up to watch Trunks as he continued, "As my associate informed you, you should drink more fluids, and get more rest. You might do well with a little less caffeine in your system." The doctor tipped his digital pad down, and raised his gaze to meet Trunks' eyes as he said in a reassuring tone, "Otherwise, there is nothing wrong with your health."
Trunks felt a wave of relief, though before he could form a question, Dr. Vidalia continued, "But there is… something of concern."
The tone in the doctor's voice raised Trunks' alarm bells. As they walked, Trunks watched the doctor's eyes questioningly, and brought right glove to scratch the back of his neck nervously.
"I ran a DNA test on your blood," The doctor said, guardedly as they passed a bed of colorful flowers that lined the Courtyard's path.
"Oh yeah?" Trunks asked, keeping his eyes on the doctor, while inwardly bracing himself. He knew what was coming.
Dr. Vidalia asked slowly, "Are you aware… that you are half-Saiyan?"
Trunks felt slightly irked, and absentmindedly scratched his left arm, "I'm aware."
"Funny, you don't look Saiyan."
Trunks noted the subtle racism, and curtly stated, "I know."
Trunks kept his eyes down, and his attention focused on the path ahead to avoid escalating his growing tension.
"It got me thinking," the doctor mused aloud, "because I have never heard of a half-Saiyan who did not look … well… Saiyan."
Trunks just breathed, looking down at the path as he walked forward.
"Saiyan dark-hair genes are quite dominant, and there have been very few exceptions on record, even among quarter-Saiyan children."
"Uh-huh," Trunks nonchalantly quipped, making his irritation.
Dr. Vidalia's excitement grew as he continued, "I knew there must have been another explanation, so I dug a little deeper and looked into your ancestry."
"My ancestry?" Trunks' curiosity piqued, and he directed his full attention to the doctor, "How would you know about that?"
"It is all in the Database," Dr. Vidalia replied with a tone that suggested that this, alone, explained everything.
Trunks just watched him with a questioning expression that prompted the Hospital Director to continue.
"The Database," Dr. Vidalia explained as he held up his digital pad, "is a data collective spanning hundred million Stellar years, since around forty million years before even the Great Meteor even struck your Planet Earth and reformed its population. One could say that the Database is a Complete Record of every life form that has ever lived, including all records of its DNA, and ancestry. And your ancestry, in particular, Mr. Briefs, is a standout in our system," Dr. Vidalia gestured toward Trunks with his digital pad as they strolled, "And it might explain your rare physical features, despite your direct Saiyan heritage."
Trunks was now fully engaged. As they approached the double-glass doors of the hospital building, Trunks reached outward to push them open, and felt small jolts of excitement course through him as he asked the Hospital Director, "How so?"
The doctor stepped past him, into the building's wide entry hall, where geometric patterned artwork decorated the walls, along with framed children's paintings of deer.
"You, Mr. Briefs, have an impossibly rare genetic makeup," Dr. Vidalia said as he led Trunks forward, "One of your chromosomes in particular - your X chromosome - is a marvel. I've never seen anything like it."
"My... X chromosome?" Trunks kept his eyes on the doctor as they passed by illustrative drawings of deer along the walls.
"Correct. It's your chromosome that determines your sex. Females have XX chromosomes, and males have XY. Are you familiar with your biology?"
"Uh… yes, at least I know that much," Trunks mused as he looked up at the ceiling and saw it was also decorated with geometric patterns.
"Your X chromosome - the one you got from your mother - is very special."
"Really?" Trunks' eyes lowered to follow a nurse that wheeled a patient by them, looking dazed and unfocused.
"Your X chromosome is pure. A rarity - a one-in-centrillion chance. And I'm sure you know - a centrillion is one million to the hundredth power."
Trunks couldn't even begin to fathom how many zeros were in that number. Sucking his bottom lip, as he tried to process the information, Trunks asked, "What... does that even mean for me?"
"It means one of your 46 chromosomes - your X chromosome - is 100% Tetran."
Trunks was immediately confused. "Tetran?"
Trunks looked up at the geometric-patterned ceiling again, and remembered how the Hospital Director had mentioned the Tetran race that helped to rebuild Planet Vidal after its original planetary destruction.
"It is normal for genes to evolve and mutate. It is the fundamental basis of evolution. So, the chances of an X chromosome being passed down perfectly…. are exceedingly rare. You are a very rare person, Mr. Briefs."
Trunks felt honored, but didn't understand why. It was a strange feeling inside him, for him to ever be happy about his physical features. He spent so long judging himself for being a disappointment to his father, that he wasn't sure how to process this information. For some reason, this genetic reveal still felt very disconnected from him. He wasn't sure how any of this was truly relevant to him.
Feeling a little hesitant to learn more, Trunks inquired, "How is this important for me? What makes me any different from someone without the gene?"
Dr. Vidalia perked up, and slowed his pace, turning to Trunks with a curious expression, "Tell me, Mr. Briefs, do you… see things? Math? Angles? … Blueprints?"
Trunks was so taken aback that his mouth fell open, and he stopped dead in his tracks.
The Hospital Director also stopped, and adjusted his blue goggles to eye Trunks with an intense gaze.
Feeling stupefied, Trunks muttered, "I… uh… only in the last few years. It started after I was… poisoned." He looked down and to the side, looking slightly ashamed as he cryptically added, "I thought it might have been the result of… um…" he hesitated, "... damage."
"Or," Dr. Vidalia proposed with an upbeat tone, "it may have heightened your awareness of your coming of age."
"My… coming of age?" Trunks blinked, perplexed.
"Pardon my terminology. Perhaps it is better to ask - Does your hair change color with your age?"
Trunks was astounded, and stammered, "W-what?"
"Your hair," Dr. Vidalia clarified and tapped his bald head with a grin.
Trunks hesitated, feeling a little guarded, "All humans' hair changes color with age…"
"Yes, but have you not noticed yours is… different?" Dr. Vidalia gestured to Trunks' hair with his medical pad and repeated, "Has it changed colors as you've aged ? Perhaps originally from a shade of light lavender, to a shade of aqua blue, before this indigo purple you have now?
Trunks' heart began to race. It beat so hard that it felt it might burst from his chest. He suddenly felt faint as he was overwhelmed by shock, excitement, and wonder.
Trunks never got his words out, but it seemed the Hospital Director had seen the affirmative answer within Trunks' eyes.
"And tell me, Mr. Briefs," the doctor continued, "does your mother also have hair like yours?"
Trunks felt his throat tighten, and his eyes strangely watered as he was flooded with relief, and a sense of self-forgiveness that he never knew he needed.
"Yes…" he managed, feeling like his world was spinning amid all the revelations.
"And one of your grandparents, as well, correct?" Dr. Vidalia continued, musing aloud.
Feeling both seen and valued, yet slightly terrified and exposed, Trunks stammered, "Yes… How-?"
"It's all in genetics, Mr. Briefs." Dr Vidalia smiled supportively, "If your X chromosome is pure, then it has been inherited by generations of your family, dating back to the original Tetrans who came to Earth."
Trunks was startled, and taken aback, "Wait - what? Tetrans that came to Earth?"
"Correct," Dr. Vidalia nodded. "The Tetrans were the original intelligent race of the universe. On Earth, they were also among the first settlers after the Great Meteor wiped out most of the dinosaurs. But in the larger scope of the universe's history, they left a legacy that enabled intelligent life to prosper among all planets."
Trunks was still in shock as he tried to process this information that contradicted almost everything he had learned in Earth's history books. He watched Dr. Vidalia intently as he slowly clarified, "Are you implying… that humans originally came from outer space?"
"Incorrect," Dr. Vidalia shook his head, then clarified, "I am implying that almost all intelligent life forms in the entire universe have a shared Tetran ancestry!"
"So…" Trunks asked, a little tentatively, as his curiosity turned to concern, "... What does that mean? How does having Tetran ancestry make a difference?"
"It means different intelligent species can interbreed," Dr. Vidalia explained, and gestured to Trunks again, "like your Saiyan father and Human mother."
Trunks frowned, and tried to think back to what he learned in his high school biology class, "But wouldn't my birth be possible because our species are similar, genetically?"
Still standing at the split in the hallway, Dr. Vidalia shook his head, and then looked thoughtful for a moment. He then began to walk forward again, down a hall that curved to the right.
As the Hospital Director strode, he looked up and then mused aloud, "Perhaps I can better explain it rhetorically."
Trunks followed in his footsteps, attentively watching the doctor pucker his lips in thought.
Dr. Vidalia glanced to Trunks, and finally asked, "Have you ever questioned… the origins of Beastmen?"
"Beastmen?" Trunks wondered aloud, thinking back to some Beastmen Earthlings he knew, "What about them?"
"Tetran ancestry is the reason why the Earth has two types of Wolf beasts - both Wolves, and Wolf-men," Dr. Vidalia explained, slowly. "They became differentiated with the introduction of Tetran DNA."
The doctor held up both hands, with his digital pad in his right hand as he gestured animatedly, "On one evolutionary track, without Tetran DNA, the wolf evolved into your normal canis lupus, or traditional 'gray wolf.' However…" Dr. Vidalia stressed, "the wolves who evolved with Tetran DNA had higher intelligence, and thus were able to coexist among Humans, and other Beastmen."
Trunks was floored, silenced again by his amazement, and slight horror at imagining what went into the origins of the Beastmen's past.
As they walked, Dr. Vidalia continued, "We are almost all connected through common ancestry. As a result, we think very similarly, from a similar type of consciousness. One could even say that all intelligent life runs on the same code."
Trunks nodded thoughtfully as he processed that thought.
"This has been a boon for our species, within the medical field," Dr. Vidalia stated proudly. "It has helped Planet Vidal develop special equipment and healing medicines that can be applied universally for all intelligent races of the universe."
As they walked, they made a couple more left turns, walking around the rear of the building, past one of the rooms that had been sealed off with "Caution" sign. Trunks turned his eyes away to look out the glass window, to view the vast onion fields and lake water that spanned to the horizon.
Feeling introspective, and curious, Trunks kept eyes on the fields he asked, "Whatever happened to the Tetrans?"
"Nothing," Dr. Vidalia shrugged, "They lived, and they assimilated, and evolved themselves into extinction, instead becoming a melting pot of races throughout the universe, today."
As they passed by a series of various animal paintings along the wall, Trunks wondered aloud, "What did they look like?"
The Hospital Director smiled slightly. "The Tetrans were highly adaptable shapeshifters, originally evolved from ancient sea dragons."
"Sea dragons?!" Trunks stopped again with all limbs out, in shock. He then ran his right glove through his hair as he skeptically questioned, "Are you saying... with my X chromosome, I'm part dragon?!"
Dr. Vidalia burst into guttural laughter and shook his head. "Hoh hoh hoh!" He grabbed his belly with his digital pad and his free hand as he chortled in amusement. "No! Hardly at all!" He continued to laugh, "Hoh hoh hoh! Please forgive the misconception!"
The Hospital Director then lifted his blue goggles to wipe the corners of his eyes, where his laughter had made him tear up slightly. As he adjusted his goggles again, his smile softened as he slowly explained, "What I'm trying to say is that all intelligent life has a common ancestor." He then gestured widely, as if bestowing his point to the world as he said, "And as such, if you go back far enough, you can say that all intelligent life originally evolved from dragons."
Trunks felt a shiver run down his spine, as he realized he was learning something profound; far beyond what most in the universe would ever know.
He was amazed. He was appalled. He felt like he was given an answer to an unspoken question about the origins and the meaning of life.
Dr. Vidalia continued, as he chuckled in humor, "That does pose the question then: which came first - the Dragon, or the Egg? Hoh hoh hoh!"
As the Hospital Director laughed at his own joke, Trunks managed a small smile, feeling greatly more at ease. He looked out the window again, gazing at the water in the distance with a new perspective on life, and thinking about the significance of all intelligent life having common origins.
"Dr. Vidalia," Trunks turned his head to face him as they strolled, "You said something about how Planet Vidal was built by Tuffles and Tetrans, right?"
"Correct," he confirmed.
"I've been wondering… why do you pair them differently, to say Tuffles and Tetrans? If Tetran genetics are within every alien race, then why differentiate them, to say that the Tuffles and Tetrans built the planet?"
Dr. Vidalia broke out into laughter again, "Hoh hoh hoh!" He held his belly as his shoulders shook from his rumbling chuckle. "That is because the Tuffles were not a race."
Trunks blinked in confusion, but before he could word a question, the doctor continued.
"Or rather - they're a collective of many different planetary races who united under a common belief in science and technology."
Dr. Vidalia then raised his left hand to gesture animatedly as he explained, "They had simply bred among themselves, to create their common racial appearance, but the Tuffles, at their core, were united in their religion, and their scientific approach to expanding life through the far reaches of space."
Trunks thought about it for a moment, and as they rounded the hallway to take another left, he asked, "So what happened to the Tuffles?"
Trunks knew the answer already. Or at least, he thought he knew. But he was curious to hear Dr. Vidalia's take on the story; there might be something to learn from his wisdom.
"The Tuffles?" Dr. Vidalia seemed surprised by his question, "Do you not know?"
Trunks just held his silence as they strolled, waiting to hear the Hospital Director's response.
"The Tuffles," Dr. Vidalia began, his voice lowering, "were a brilliant and advanced civilization throughout the universe. They achieved remarkable feats in technology and science. However, their achievements also made them targets."
The doctor's voice became grim, and a little dark as he said in a low, almost menacing tone, "And the Saiyans… hunted down every last one."
Trunks swallowed, as the story confirmed his beliefs. And then he sensed an uneasiness in the air, as if he perhaps asked a sensitive question.
After an extended pause, Trunks wondered if the Doctor was trying to withhold his judgment. Considering how Dr. Vidalia was well aware of Trunks' Saiyan genetics, and his common belief in science as a religion, it didn't take much for Trunks to understand why.
"The… hunt…" the doctor chose his words carefully, "... lasted for three Saiyan generations."
The way he said the words made Trunks feel on edge.
"It was a dark period in history. The war between the races went on throughout the universe for over six hundred years, spanning from the first King Vegeta to his descendant, King Vegeta III, who finally conquered the Tuffle planet, Plant, and renamed it to Planet Vegeta," the Hospital Director said cautiously. "The ultimate takeover was known as a tremendous…" he hesitated with his words, "... massacre… by most in the universe."
Trunks looked out of the window again, pensively, observing the Courtyard now through the glass as he digested those words, and what that could mean for how the rest of the universe judged Saiyans.
"Are you sure you have never heard that story before…" the doctor asked as he asserted, "... Prince Vegeta V?"
Trunks' blood instantly curdled.
In a wave of panic, Trunks realized that he had been identified and targeted by the Database.
Trunks felt like a train had just hit him, and knocked the wind from his lungs, triggering an explosion of anxious thoughts. He suddenly began to dread knowing just how much the Hospital Director knew.
"I don't use that-" Trunks stammered, as he floundered in shock, "How did you-?"
And then, the full meaning behind the words struck.
Trunks became aggressively defensive as he boomed, "I've never gone by that name in my life!"
Dr. Vidalia brought his arms up in resignation as he reassuringly said, "Yes, I know, you go by Torankusu Briefs."
Trunks didn't even care to acknowledge the incorrect pronunciation. He was enraged, and offended. He felt like a cornered beast.
"How do you know that?!" Trunks yelled angrily, powering up with a wind gathering by his feet, "Have you been tracking my father?! My family?! That's invasive!"
"Not to worry!" Dr. Vidalia raised his hands higher, attempting to deescalate the tension as he assuaged, "Not to worry, at all, Mr. Briefs!"
"Delete that information about me!" Trunks angrily pointed downward as he dramatically shouted, "I don't want anyone to know that about me!"
"Yes, of course! Of course!" Dr. Vidalia continued to soothe him with a pacifying tone as he raised his mad and began to scroll through some options on the screen. "I can delete your assumed title, Mr. Briefs, as the only biological son of Prince Vegeta IV on record, but…" he continued a little bashfully, "I am regretfully unable to delete your User Profile. Your individual User Profile will always date back to your first recording, from when you… Let's see…"
Dr. Vidalia held up the medical pad for a moment, to confirm a detail, and his eyes bugged in realization.
Trunks saw the doctor's expression shift, from incredulity, to amazement, to fear, and intimidation.
"From when you..." Dr. Vidalia glanced up, and his haunted expression shifted from disbelief to awe, and his voice dropped to a hushed, reverent tone, "... single-handedly vanquished Lord Frieza."
They both stood still and stared at each other, equally as appalled, and equally as confused.
The doctor was simply stunned, and speechless, as if he were finally realizing the marvel of a patient he was facing.
Trunks didn't bother to correct Dr. Vidalia about his erroneous timeline. Instead, he looked beyond the doctor's insensitivity and incorrectness and realized that there was a much larger, looming danger at hand.
He felt a rising tide of anxiety and paranoia wavering in his thoughts, as he kept worrying within a thought loop that threatened to quickly become a spiral. He realized the doctor was harmless; but the Database…
"Have you ever worried…" Trunks wondered aloud, slowly, "that if the Database gets into the wrong hands… it could be dangerous for the universe?"
"Of course," Dr. Vidalia nodded, "It would be immensely dangerous. The Database would expose critical information, including racial weaknesses, that can be weaponized in the wrong hands."
Trunks felt a sinking feeling in his gut, and suddenly got a very bad feeling about coming to Planet Vidal.
"That is why the Database is secured with a triple-encryption system password," the doctor reassured him with a confident tone. "The passwords change daily, and only I know them, as the sole Hospital Director."
Trunks hesitated for a moment, considering his words as they walked.
"Nobody else knows?" Trunks asked to confirm.
"Nobody."
Trunks felt a little more relaxed as they re-approached the main entry hall again. He saw that Dr. Vidalia had purposely led them in a circle around the interior of the building, to extend their talk.
"I assure you, Mr. Briefs, all of your confidential information is safe within the Database…" Dr. Vidalia said reassuringly.
"…because the Database is safe with me."
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–8/4/24–