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Post by melmac on Aug 21, 2006 21:16:01 GMT -5
Well, now that I have permission from both the head honchos on the boards, I wanted to start this thread. I decided to accept my own challenge and write a story on the board, and only for this board. The story is Pam centered, and will be added onto day to day as I have time. I can't write more than 26,000 per post, so if I go over I'll get the friendly proboard note saying to me softly: [glow=blue,2,300]TRIM IT DOWN MEL! [/glow]This thread is locked because it's a solo endeavor, however, as part of the challenge, if you have a suggestion or idea, please PM me and I'll see what I can work out. Once it's completed, I'll unlock it for comments on this story. Hope you enjoy reading it. The next post starts the story.
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Post by melmac on Aug 21, 2006 22:22:22 GMT -5
Blind injustice ------------------------- Chapter One: -------------------------
"Your honor, the jury finds the defendant not guilty."
"Thank you, jury. You are now released of your oath and are dismissed," said the jury as the courtroom cleared. "Mr. Rogers, you're free to go"
Attorney Pam Davidson gathered up her papers and turned to look at her client. She was glad to see that the jury found through evidence that Rogers had nothing to do with the crime.
The man had been on the wrong side of the law before as a gang member, but finally found love. After a fun filled three months, he realized that he made a mistake joining the gang and would tell the police the location of the gang and the drug ring that could kill half of the users in LA. The drug they were selling was a more refined form of cocaine that had another drug laced in it to make it more of a rush.
Unfortunately, he also found out that the gang knew what was going down and would stop at nothing to stop it. Rogers went over to her house to get to get her to leave, but the gang caught up to them. He was forced to watch the gang have their way with her before one of the members choked him unconscious.
When he woke up, he found his girlfriend dead on the floor with a gunshot to the head. He also found that he had the gun when the police arrived.
Through the help of CSI and testimonies from many witnesses, the man was cleared of wrongdoing.
Smiling at her accomplishment, Pam exited the room and started to walk down the corridor with her client and other people. The next few moments were a blur.
A man was walking down the hallway when he suddenly drew a gun. Rogers yelled and shoved Pam down and out of the way as she heard a gun fire. Her head hit the ground, and her vision dimmed to black...
The next thing she knew, she opened her eyes and saw a bunch of faces looking down at her. "Are you all right Mrs. Hinkley," asked one of the officers. "You've been out for about half a minute. We've sent for the paramedics and your husband."
"Yes, fine thank you. How's Mark?"
"He'll be all right, just got a slight graze to his shoulder. We've got the man who pulled the gun in custody."
Pam sat up and saw two officers dragging the man away in handcuffs. "You're dead Rogers, and so's that dame who got you off. You never escape our gang..." the man shouted as he left.
The young attorney kept a stone face, but inside worried. She realized that this man was serious. The Dracos were a notorious gang, one that did stop at nothing to get what they wanted...
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Post by melmac on Aug 21, 2006 23:28:15 GMT -5
Chapter two ------------------------
The next day, Pam was sitting in the car as Ralph drove. He had been filled in on the whole incident the night before and was worried about his wife, especially after the threat.
He grimaced when Pam again grabbed at the back of her head. "Hun, are you sure you don't need to stay home," he asked. "I mean, even though the doctor said you could go back to work, you still look pale, and if you think you're going to..."
"I'm fine Ralph, just need to get some rest," she said a bit abruptly. Seeing Ralph turn his head away quickly in shame, she softened her tone. "I'm sorry hun, but I'm worried about what that guy said to both Mark and me. I mean if Mark didn't shove me down..."
Ralph frowned as he pulled up into the driveway of the law firm. "I know hun, and I'm worried to. Listen Pam, I think we need to talk to Bill about this. Maybe he knows something about the Dracos that will help us get them before they fill out their promise. Came too close yesterday with you two."
The two made their way to Pam's office and saw Bill inside. "Well, took you guys long enough," said Bill.
Pam turned and looked at Ralph, who just shrugged. "Well, hello to you too Bill. Make yourself at home," said Pam sarcastically.
"Might as well get used to it, since it look like I'll be working with ya closer than I ever have, even since we first met in the desert."
"What do you mean?"
"Carlisle put me on the case. And personally, I'd gone over his head if he didn't anyway."
Ralph shook his head. "Figures. Listen, what do you know about the Dracos?"
"Only that we just had a bust courtesy of Rogers, so that should be that," said Bill. "But, we were unable to get the lead, and she's double trouble."
"She?" asked Ralph, surprised. Seeing Pam's look he shrugged.
"Yeah. Wanted for drug running, smuggling, you name it. Even has torched a few businesses that she didn't agree with their choices..."
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As the trio talked, across the way in the street, a woman was in a restaurant, waiting for the festivities to begin. She had seen Ralph and Pam enter the office, and knew it would only be moments until all hell broke loose.
"Soon, it'll be one down, one to go," she thought with a smile. "No one messes with the Dracos, and with the dame dead, Mark will come back to us begging for forgiveness. He can have it... from St. Peter."
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"And so, that's why Carlisle let me in on the case," said Bill.
"That's horrible," said Pam. "I knew about this drug, but I didn't realize it was that addictive. We'd better get this woman before she strikes again."
"You're right there Counsleor," said Bill. "Listen, I need to get some coffee, do you guys want anything?"
Ralph and Pam shook their heads in negation and Bill left. Pam turned to Ralph. "Listen hun, why don't I make a list of what we know about this woman and see if Mark could help us ID her."
"Sure Pam, I think that'd be great," said Ralph as Pam opened the desk drawer. When she did, Ralph got a holograph of a bomb inside ticking. "Pam get..." shouted Ralph as he dove. He collided with Pam a split second before the room exploded into flames.
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Seeing the windows of Pam's office blow out from the ensuing fireball, the woman smiled. She got up from the restaurant and headed back to the Dracos' headquarters to await the reports of the death of one Mrs. Hinkley.
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Bill turned around when he heard the short boom come from Pam and Ralph's office and then the fire alarms. "Ralph, Counselor!" Bill shouted as he tried to enter the room. He saw Ralph start to get up, but not Pam. "Kid, is she..." asked Bill worriedly as Ralph checked her carotid for a pulse.
"She's alive Bill," said Ralph as he picked her limp form up in his arms and ran out of the room as fast as he could. The two walked down the stairs quickly and outside the building.
Ralph laid Pam down on the ground and checked Pam for injuries, finding mostly minor burns. As he did, Pam started to groan. "Pam, honey, it's Ralph. There's been an accident and..."
Pam shouted out in pain and covered her face. Ralph tried to get her to let him see her eyes, but she curled up into a ball to keep him from seeing. "Pam, come on, let me see your eyes..." said Ralph, only to see her relax.
"Ralph, what's wrong," said Bill.
"I think she's passed out again," said Ralph as he heard the firetrucks and ambulance in the distance. "Come on you guys Pam's hurt!" he yelled as loud as he could.
"Kid, they can't hear you yet, suit or no," said Bill gently. "They'll make sure she's all right. Right now, you've got to stay calm... we'll get these creeps."
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Post by melmac on Aug 22, 2006 0:24:36 GMT -5
Chapter three ----------------------------
Pam's first thoughts as she regained consciousness was that it was rather quiet for it to be the law firm. There was a soft beeping sound and a hissing hum of some sort of machine. She smelled a clean smell, a little bit like bleach, but also realized something was being blown into her nose, making it itch slightly. She also noticed a twinge in the crook of her left arm. Feeling tired, she didn't try to open her eyes, but not seeing any light through her eyelids, realized it must have been the middle of the night.
As her hearing started to clear more, she heard voices. "How long do you think it'll be before..."
"We're not sure Mr. Hinkley, but she was in a lot of pain when we examined her so..."
She heard a door open and smelled coffee. "Ralph," said Bill's voice. "Is she..."
"No, not yet," said Ralph. "The doctor said they had to knock her out when she put up a fight earlier. That what's kept her out this long. Just found out though, despite everything, she still managed to give one of the nurses a black eye before the sedative took full effect."
"You've gotta be kiddin' me," said Bill. "Listen, if he sues I'll..."
"Don't worry, he understands and is all right. Just more surprised that she could punch so hard."
There were soft, but slightly grim, chuckles. "How 'bout you Ralph, you all right?," said Bill's voice again. "I mean you were there when..."
"I'm fine Bill, well as well as I can be. Do you have anything, doctor? I..." he paused when he saw Pam's right hand try to reach for the oxygen cannula under her nose. He moved over to the side of the bed and grabbed her hand, lowering it away from the offending item. "Pam, can you hear me? That needs to stay where it is, it's helping you out."
Pam tried to speak, but couldn't as her throat was dry from the oxygen. Ralph poured a glass of water and put it to her lips. After taking a few sips, Pam regained her voice and shook her head, confused. "Ralph... what..."
Ralph took her hand again and kept hold of it. "You were in an accident..."
"Ralph, what about everyone at the firm?..." said Pam, starting to panic.
"Everyone's safe, but you were knocked out and ..." he paused, clearing his throat. "When you briefly came to there, you were covering your eyes. The paramedics brought you to the hospital..."
Pam tried to open her eyes, but realized she couldn't. "Ralph, w-why can't I..."
The doctor put a hand up to silence Ralph, realizing he needed to tell her. "Mrs. Hinkley, I'm Dr. Jack Absalom. Your eyes are bandaged right now. From what your husband said there was a fireball caused by an explosion at the law firm. A small part of the flash hit your face," he said. "You have some burns to your face. There is also some damage to your eyes but..."
Pam paled, realizing the implications. "I could be blind?" she said, voice breaking.
"We don't know yet and won't for some time, but yes, it's possible," said the doctor softly. Pam grasped Ralph's hand tighter and started crying. Ralph wrapped his arms around her, comforting her. "We'll get through this Pam," said Ralph softly.
Though he decided that right now it was best if Ralph and Pam had their moment alone, he was furious inside. He was determined to help Pam recover as well... and nab this creep before she attacked again.
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Post by melmac on Aug 23, 2006 2:08:14 GMT -5
Chapter four -----------------------
"Damn it," shouted Janice Walters as she threw the remote into the TV set after hearing the news report about the results of the explosion. She was furious that the bomb didn't kill Pam, but instead she was in the hospital in stable condition. And, as a result of the attempt on Pam's life, Rogers had been put in protective custody and wouldn't be as easy to get to.
Walters got up from her office and walked outside to watch her operation. She had barely escaped with members of her gang to their new location: A bunker located near the Pacific built to protect residents from typhoons. The cops didn't know about it, so they could continue operations in relative peace and quiet.
Walters went over to a cooker making the newest batch of dragonfire, their new street name for the refined cocaine, and decided to look inside. Everything was mixing well together, and the batch was looking to be one of the purest ones they made.
Still even with the batch, Walters knew that it would be a matter of time before the police tried to search for members of her gang to squeal on their current location. She began to think of a way to put Pam on ice, and got an idea, but it'd take a bit of work.
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At the hospital, Pam was taking a nap, and Ralph was watching an episode of "The Lone Ranger" on TV. Bill had decided to go back to the law firm to see what he could find out ... and possibly anything Ralph could use for a holograph.
When a stick of dynamite exploded on the show, Pam gasped loudly and bolted upright. "Get out of the hospital it's being bombed..." she shouted in panic.
Ralph caught her before she lost her balance trying to get off the bed. "Pam, you're all right..."
"Ralph, you've got to help them out..."
"Pamela, you're all right. There was no bomb... it was the television," Ralph said soothingly as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug.
Pam, realizing that Ralph was indeed telling the truth, started shaking from the adrenaline fading. Ralph held her tighter as the doctor entered the room. "Mr. and Mrs. Hinkley are you all right?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm fine doctor," said Pam. "Just had a nightmare..."
"I was watching a western and when the bad guys blew up the safe, she heard the explosion and must've thought it was another attack," said Ralph gently.
Absalom nodded. "All right, but just to be sure, I'll prescribe a tranquilizer that you can use if you need it. Just relax and take it easy, Mrs. Hinkley, so your eyes have a chance to rest too."
Pam nodded as the doctor left the room. Ralph looked at his wife and frowned, realizing she still was spooked. "Honey, do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
"Ralph, I'm still shaken up from the bomb. I mean, if you weren't there in the suit..."
"I know Pam, it scared me too when I saw you on the ground unresponsive afterward, but you're all right..."
"No I'm not, Ralph, I can't see," Pam said abruptly.
"Pam ... right now you're healing. The important thing is that you're alive and when we get these bozos, we'll make them pay for this."
Pam pondered the thought, and nodded. "Listen, I don't want to talk about what happened right now, I'm still a bit tired."
"Sure honey, why don't you go back to sleep? I'll stay here and watch something else so I don't make you dive for cover under the bed again. You don't want the doctors to think you've gone into war mode."
Pam chuckled softly and covered herself with the blanket again. "Well, no... not yet. I have one battle to fight now, and that's to get my sight back."
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Bill arrived back law firm and after getting out of the car, headed toward Pam's office. When he turned the corner, he saw Carlisle talking to the arson investigator and frowned when the man shook his head.
Deciding that for once he wasn't going to smart off, Bill walked up to Carlisle. "What's the situation," said Bill.
"Maxwell, what are you doing here?" asked Carlisle. "What about Mrs. Hinkley?"
"She's all right sir. Woke up about two hours ago. Ralph... uh sorry, Mr. Hinkley said that I needed to get down to business with the case."
Carlisle shook his head slightly, realizing that Bill was going to intrude anyway. "Talked to the arson investigator. He said the bomb couldn't have been larger than a pack of cards. That's why it only affected Mrs. Hinkley's office. We've got forensics coming to see if we can find anything that was the bomb to see if we can recreate it."
"That's great boss, but do you have any idea of who might've done this?"
Carlisle nodded and produced a singed crystal... bloodstone with a silver dragon wrapped around it. "Yes, the Dracos. They left their calling card, it was for Mrs. Hinkley."
Bill frowned at the sight, knowing that these guys would stop at nothing to fulfill their promise. He decided at that time he'd do some more research on his own so he could get the guys who hurt his friends.
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Post by melmac on Aug 24, 2006 2:47:45 GMT -5
Chapter five -------------------
Later that evening after a long nap, Pam felt a little bit better and wanted to go walking around the hospital. The doctor said that it'd be fine as long as it was that floor and only up to the nurse's station and back, so Ralph and Pam decided to take a short walk.
Pam held Ralph's hand with her hands and stood up, wobbling a little. Ralph steadied her with his free hand and chuckled. "I got you hun," he said, putting her left hand on the IV stand. "Here, hold on to this for a moment so I can put the robe on you."
"Ralph I'm not cold," said Pam, frowning. "Besides, after the explosion, the last thing I want is more warm stuff."
"Pam... you'll be showing a bit more than you want to if you don't have the robe on," said Ralph a bit embarrassed just before Pam felt a slight breeze down her back... and remembered she was wearing a hospital gown.
"Yeah... don't want you to get jealous of those handsome doctors, male nurses and orderlies sneaking a peek," said Pam a bit flirtatiously.
Ralph placed her now robed right hand on his shoulder and grabbed the IV bag from the stand, putting it in her left hand. "Here, hold this so I can put your other sleeve on," he said, coughing in an attempt to be unamused.
His attempt failed miserably to Pam's ears. 'Never noticed that cough has a soft lilt in it when he tries to act jealous,' thought Pam, and realized her hearing had improved slightly.
"OK, we're ready now," said Ralph, disturbing her thoughts as he took the IV from Pam's hand and put it back on the hook on the stand. He then grabbed her right hand again, looping it in his arm. "Now, hold on to the IV stand so it doesn't fall and I'll walk with you."
The two walked out the door and started a slow walk down the corridor. As they walked, Pam started to think a little bit about everything that happened, and started to frown. She thought about how this would affect the two of them, especially if her blindness was permanent.
Ralph noticed the look on her face and too frowned. With the exception of the explosion, Pam had been quiet about the events of that day, even the court case.
He knew that her client was found innocent, and he remembered Pam saying that these guys said no one was going to stop them from killing her for getting Rogers exhonorated. "Just wait until I can get my suited up hands on those sons of a..."
"Ralph!" Pam scolded Ralph just before she tripped over something. Ralph steadied her before she fell flat on her face. "You all right?" he asked, wondering if the walk might have been a bad idea.
"Yeah, but you need to be careful what you say around here..."
After a moment's thought, Ralph realized he said his comment out loud. "Pam, I'm sorry. It's just, there's a lot on my mind too. I mean, you don't know everything that happened after the explosion... the trip to the hospital, waiting for you to come around, wondering what I'd do if I lost you."
Pam frowned as they neared the station. "I know hun. I've been wondering too," she paused when they neared some flowers that had been delivered for patients. "Those carnations smell lovely. What color are they?," she asked.
The nurse smiled softly. "Some are purple and others are pink with red stripes," said the nurse.
"How did you know those were carnations?" asked Ralph, a bit surprised. While Ralph got flowers for Pam from time to time, most of the time he brought her roses. Last time he bought her carnations was the one he bought at a park for a picnic two months prior.
"I can smell them Ralph, as I can tell you're wearing that musk cologne I bought you for Christmas. It's strange though, as normally I can barely smell it but now..."
"My guess is your senses are heighted some because your eyes are covered," said Ralph softly. When she turned slightly, Ralph put his free hand under her chin and guided her into a soft kiss before starting the walk back. "Pam, don't worry. We'll get these guys and make them go to jail for a long time."
Pam nodded as they walked. "So, you guys go out for a moonlit stroll?" said a new voice.
Ralph glanced over his shoulder and saw Bill. "Hey, partner. Pam and I just were going on a little walk..."
"Bill, what did you find out about the explosion," asked Pam simply.
"Well, just what we figured sweetheart... how did you know I went to the firm?" said Bill incrediously. "You were sleepin' when I told Ralph I was gonna do that."
"Because you smell like smoke, and you didn't earlier," said Pam bluntly.
Bill sniffed a sleeve, and not finding much of a scent on it, turned to Ralph. "Uh kid, how did she..."
"Well, the other senses are a bit stronger right now to compensate for her sight," said Ralph as they entered the room again. Bill only rolled his eyes and joined the two in the room.
When they were seated, Bill pulled out the 'calling card' and handed it to Ralph. "We found this at the firm. Carlisle gave it to me for safekeeping and to bag as evidence. It's the calling card for the Dracos, and I was wondering if you could get some vibes off it."
Pam turned her head toward Ralph puzzled. "It's a stone of some sort with a silver dragon," he described and tried to get an image. All he saw was the investigation being conduction. "Nothing that'll help us, it's the FBI doing their investigation. Let me guess... Carlisle picked it up first?"
Bill nodded. "Yeah... but I figured it was better than nothing. Anyway, they also found some items that created the bomb and the bomb squad's gonna try to reconstruct it."
"Do they have a rough idea what was in the bomb?" Pam asked. "Because I remember seeing something like a series for sparks..."
"Something like what you'd see welding?" asked Ralph, and she nodded.
"Yeah, the sparks looked as though they were red hot."
"Red hot sparks, huh? Well, I'll tell the boys at the bureau about that so they can see if that was the reaction triggering the explosive," said Bill just as he heard the nurse's announcement over the intercom. "Damn, visiting hours are over..."
"Can't you get clearance to stay here, like a bodyguard?" asked Ralph. "I mean, that way we can work on this longer."
"I can try, but I doubt it. Besides, Carlisle will probably be looking for this piece of evidence again," said Bill as he retrieved the item. "I know there's several of our guys here on the floor guarding the room. I also see you have the jammies on, so you can help fight any bad guys that come by to visit."
"Right, 'uncle,'" said Pam wryly. "You be careful Bill."
"You too, Pam. I'll see you tomorrow. Get a good night sleep," said Bill as he left. Ralph sat down in the chair next to Pam and both talked for a while before they fell asleep, hand in hand.
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Outside the hospital, Walters surveyed the area for any way into the hospital. Seeing none, she decided to take her plan elsewhere.
Walking around, she found a small bistro full of people and smiled. Going down the alley, she looked for and found the gas line to the restaurant.
She placed her package under the pipe and walked back out. In about a half hour, she thought, the hospital would be busy with casualties from the explosion, allowing her the chance to walk in and kill Pam. She knew she'd have to make it look accidental, but Walters knew that if Pam survived, there'd be two witnesses to what she and her gang were up to.
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Post by melmac on Aug 25, 2006 1:19:59 GMT -5
Chapter Six -----------------------
Unaware of the danger, Bill was nearing the bistro. He saw the woman walk out of the alleyway and was concerned. "Miss are you lost?" he asked gently.
"No, uh... I was taking a shortcut," said Walters a bit hesitantly.
Bill frowned, wondering what she was hiding. She seemed to be afraid of someone or something. "Listen, I'm an agent with the FBI, did someone attack you? If they did, I can help you..."
"I need to leave now, my ... my husband's waiting for me on the corner," she said walking away.
Bill watched Walters walk away, and really became concerned. He kept his pace alongside her until she hit him over the head with her purse and ran away.
The agent shook his head a bit dazed, but before he could grab her the woman disappeared. Frowning, Bill realized she was running away from something and headed back toward the alleyway. As he entered the way, little did he realize there was about 3 minutes on the detonator...
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Ralph and Pam were sleeping when Pam again had the dream about the explosion. This time, however, it wasn't her who was hurt...
She sat up startled, waking up Ralph. "What's wrong hun?" he asked.
"Ralph... Bill's going to get hurt in an explosion," said Pam scared.
"C'mon Pam, you're dreaming again," said Ralph, putting his head back down.
"No Ralph, I'm serious. Try to get a holograph off something," said Pam.
Ralph shook his head slightly, but realizing Pam wasn't going to rest until he did, picked up the magazine Bill bought him and tried. Sure enough, an image phased into view. "All right, I see Bill. He's walking down an alleyway, bit suspicious of something." He gasped when the image shifted. "Pam, there's a bomb, and it's got a minute on it..."
"Ralph, you've got to do something," said Pam, only to her the shuffling of clothing as Ralph stripped down to the jammies.
"I'm on it Pam. Press the call button and tell them you need to talk to the doctor, just in case we need ..."
Pam nodded grimly and Ralph took three steps and jumped through the window, taking flight. Within moments, Ralph reached the alleyway and ran into it.
Bill was just steps away from the bomb when he felt someone shove him down. Getting up he saw Ralph wearing the jammies scrambling to his feet. "Kid, what the hell..." he paused when he saw Ralph run over to the gas line... and saw the bomb.
Ralph grabbed the bomb and realizing there was only five seconds left and taking flight was risky, he bent his body over the bomb and let it explode. There was a loud bang, a bright flash and smoke. When it cleared, the blonde-haired man was standing, but still doubled over. How, Bill wasn't sure... and wondered if Ralph was wondering the same thing.
Bill walked over to Ralph, who appeared slightly dazed and was blinking a couple of times. "Kid, you all right," asked Bill. "You get blinded?"
"No, sheilded my eyes beforehand. Elsewise, fine for someone who had a freight train on fire blow up in their gut," said Ralph painfully. He then revealed the remains of the bomb and finding something familiar, showed it to Bill. "I think we know who did this. It's the same stone."
"Yeah, the Dracos," Bill said bluntly as he heard sirens nearing. He took the items from Ralph. "Uh Ralph, I think you'd better hit the silk and get back to the Counselor, just in case someone was using this as a diversion."
Ralph nodded and again took flight. Bill waited for the officers to arrive and introduced himself as an FBI agent. "What happened here sir?" said the officer.
"Found this near a gas line. Someone was tryin' to blow up the bistro, but the device didn't fire properly," said Bill with a smirk. "We think it might be related to a case we have so I'm taking it into evidence. Now... can you officers be so kind as to keep the onlookers away while I call my boss with the details?"
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Walters again shouted in frustration. She was not only upset she almost got caught, but that the agent appeared to have stopped the bomb from causing a chain reaction, and therefore keeping her away from the hospital. "Just you wait, you won't be able to save everyone," said Walters. "And now... you're on my list as well."
Getting an idea in her head, Walters decided to head back to the bunker. She needed a few things in order for this plan to work...
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Pam was listening to the station give a report on the small explosion at the bistro.
Hearing footsteps but no knock like the doctors did, Pam started to reach for her IV stand, the one thing she knew she could use as a weapon. "Who's there?" she said sternly, ready to attack.
"Relax Pamela, it's me," said Ralph softly.
"Ralph, don't do that," she said relieved as she heard Ralph changing back into his streetclothes. "You could get knocked out doing that."
Ralph rolled his eyes, but knew that she would fight if needed. "I'm sorry Pam, but I couldn't just go through the main doors wearing the jammies you know. Last thing we need is me in the psycho ward again."
Pam chuckled and Ralph continued. "See you have the TV on. Must be about the explosion, since I saw the news vans arrive as I flew back. Was able to remove it and used the suit to detonate it and protect everyone from the explosion."
Pam winced. "Oh Ralph, are you all right?"
"Just some soreness, but thanks to the suit, nothing broken. If I hurt worse, I'll find an excuse to see the doctor," said Ralph simply. "But, I will say one thing, it was the Dracos again. They left their calling card."
Pam frowned. "Did you get anything off of it?"
"No, but Bill has the remains of the bomb. Couldn't have been much larger than a cigarette pack."
Pam started thinking about the way Ralph described the bomb. "Ralph, that was about the size of the bomb in my desk. There has to be something powerful in that thing to cause so much damage, not to mention being painful..."
"Yeah, Pam and we can work it out later on. Right now, I think we'd better just rest and take it easy so the doctor doesn't throw me out. Tomorrow, we can talk to Dr. Absalom and see how much longer you have to stay in the hospital. Then, we get talk to Bill and see what he comes up with."
"Good plan," she said softly, still in thought.
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Walters entered the bunker just as one of her gang members entered the room. "Janice, did ya get the dame?"
"No, I didn't get her," said Janice. She paused when she saw the man smile. "What's going on?"
"Just got word from Shawn. Found out that they took Mark out of the country, and says he ain't going to testify against our guy in jail for trying to kill him and the dame. He's too scared we'll hurt his new girl."
"That's great, but ya have to remember that the dame's still here and could testify. Listen, we've got another person to get, the FBI agent who keeps close tabs on the attorney. And, this is what I need you to get for me..."
The man leaned over and listened to Janice's plan. He smiled wickedly at the idea she had and how it would help her fulfill the Dracos' contract on Pam's life.
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Post by melmac on Aug 26, 2006 20:35:14 GMT -5
Chapter seven -----------------------
Once Janice and her gang discussed what was about to go down, the men gathered the items she needed and after selecting an... accomplice, the two headed back to the hospital.
When they arrived, the two entered and headed up to the floor that Pam was on. The set up that was going to go down was quick and easy, but would have dire consequences for several people.
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After spending a few hours talking with Carlisle about what he "discovered," Bill headed back to the hospital. He was cleared for watching Ralph and Pam all day and night until Pam was released from the hospital.
When he arrived at the room, Bill smiled softly when he saw the young couple dozing after the long night. The noise of his footstep started to wake Pam up, so Bill knocked on the door to not scare her. "Counselor, how ya doin'?" asked Bill as he entered.
"Fine, at least now not dreaming of explosions," she said yawning. "So, what's going on? Were you able to figure out anything about the bomb?"
"They're taking it to the lab as well, but thanks to Ralph, we have a more complete version of the bomb," said Bill, noticing Ralph was still asleep. "How's he feeling by the way?"
"Said he was sore from the explosion, but otherwise he's all right," she said.
Hearing noises, Ralph woke up and saw the other two talking. "Feeling better hun?" asked Pam.
"Yeah, still little sore, but better," said Ralph. "Bill, Pam and I were talking about the bomb, and she said that the one in the firm was about the same size as the one I found in the alleyway. Still don't know about the sparks though."
"Hopefully the experts will tell us what was in the one you blew up," said Bill. "I'm now assigned to take care of both of ya, so you can rest easy."
"As well as we can," said Pam, trying to get up. She stood up and lost her footing, crashing to the ground along with the IV stand.
Ralph bent down to assist her, but Pam brushed it off. "Ralph, don't help me," she said.
"Pam, you..."
"Ralph, I've got to start somewhere, and if you baby me, I won't learn how to adapt to being blind."
Bill frowned at the thought and the tone. "Counselor, the doctor said that he..."
"I know, Bill, but it's best to be ready just in case," said Pam, softening her tone a bit.
Ralph and Bill looked at each other, wondering if she knew something they hoped wasn't true.
Ralph sighed. "All right Pam, you're right, but you'd better not start giving up," he said, grabbing her hand. "You didn't rip out the IV, so let's see if you can stand up now... without my assistance or telling you where everything is."
"OK," said Pam and she finished standing up, with a little assistance from Ralph holding the IV only to keep the line clean and not back up with blood.
Finding she was feeling all right, Pam smiled. "Great, that was a small step. Now, Ralph can you give me the robe to put on so I can go on another walk?"
Ralph handed the robe, and while he had to help her get the IV bag off the stand, she did put the robe on and the two again headed out of the room with Bill in tow. This time, however, Ralph didn't put her hand around his arm.
As they walked down the corridor, Janice's henchman entered on the floor dressed as an orderly. He had gotten a good description of Bill and silently pulled a syringe out of his pocket.
Bill noticed that the orderly was a bit shifty, so he walked over to Ralph and Pam. "Guys, I hate to break up the walk, but get ready to duck on my go," he said. He then pulled out his gun. "HOLD IT, Maxwell-FBI freeze it!" shouted Bill as Ralph helped Pam duck behind a counter.
The orderly shook his head and put his hand up. "Hey man, take it easy, I ain't doing anything wrong."
"Really, then why don't you have your other hand up," said Bill and the "orderly" bolted. Bill turned to the other two and an agent running up. "Joe, keep watch over the Hinkleys," he shouted as he ran down the hallway.
Joe nodded and went over to Ralph and Pam. "Listen, I'm going to stay here until Bill gets back. Are you all right?" the agent asked and the two nodded. Both, however, realized this henchman had to be a Draco and were hoping Bill could get the creep so they could find out where the headquarters and leader were.
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Janice started to enter the floor when she heard Bill's shout. Realizing that if she suddenly appeared, it'd be too much of a coincidence and she'd get caught. "Well, better Seth than me," she said and decided to head back down, biding her time.
She knew her plan would still work one way or the other. With the agent dead, Pam wouldn't have any protection and then, after a little bit, she'd come in for the kill.
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Bill, however, was running down the stairs to catch the gunman. He stopped at the third floor and found the door reclosing. Bill kept a firm grip on his gun as he entered the hallway.
He heard a noise and before he could turn to fire his gun, the henchman knocked Bill down to the ground, knocking the gun away. Bill fought the man, only to feel a sharp pain in his arm.
"You're dead agent," said the man as he got up and ran off, only to be caught by a security agent who had been alerted to the case.
Bill stood up and felt fine... save a minor headache. "Really, well I feel terrific right now," said the agent sarcastically. "Now, why don't you tell me what you did to me?"
The henchman only smiled but bit down hard. He collapsed and stopped breathing. Despite the best efforts of Bill and the agent, the henchman died. Bill frowned. "OK, call the morgue and have them do an autopsy on this guy as fast as possible. He must've had something before he came up to attack us. I need to head back up and check on the people who he was going to attack."
The security guard nodded and called for assistance. Bill headed back up to the fourth floor to and found Pam and Ralph standing near the nurses' station. Dr. Absalom was talking with them about what happened and said that Pam had to spend one more day in the hospital before she could go home.
Ralph looked around and saw Bill walking toward them. "Did you get the guy," said Ralph.
"Yeah, but he's a corpse now. Must've had a drug overdose," said Bill. "Told them to try and get an autopsy done as fast as they can. Did they find anyone else?"
"No, but Joe did call for backup and they're doing a search according to him," said Pam.
"Well, that's..." said Bill, only to sway. He also noticed the room seemed to start glowing like a fire.
Ralph frowned, noticing Bill pale a bit. "Bill, you OK? You look dizzy..."
Bill started to say something, but the world again burst into bright colors before dimming to grey... but he still could tell stuff was going on around him.
Ralph caught Bill as he crumpled and laid him on the floor. "I need help," said Ralph loudly, just as Bill opened his eyes fully. Ralph smiled slightly in relief. "Bill, listen, you just fainted. Take it..."
Bill, however, didn't see Ralph, he saw a dragon. "I'm the dragonslayer," shouted Bill, wrapping his hands tightly around Ralph's neck.
Despite the fact Ralph was wearing the suit, it wasn't protecting his neck well ... and Bill had his hands on Ralph's carotid arteries.
Ralph's vision was starting to fade to black as the doctors helped wrestle Bill's hands from Ralph's neck. Shortly thereafter, Bill collapsed, this time completely out. The doctors started examining him and one hollered for a gurney.
"What's going on?" said Pam, only being able to hear everything.
Ralph coughed and caught his breath. "I don't know, but Bill just started choking me. He's unconscious now, and the doctors are putting him on a gurney."
"Oh my..."
Just then one of the doctors who helped subdue Bill walked up to the two and started examining Ralph's throat. "Mr. Hinkley, are you all right? Another couple of seconds and we'd had two patients."
"Fine, more worried about Bill. How is he?"
"We don't know, we're going to do some tests. Right now, it looks like an overdose, but we don't know what. We'll let you know as soon as possible."
Ralph frowned as he watched the gurney roll away with the doctors taking care of Bill. He realized that it could've been more than an overdose... it could've been an attempt on Bill's life. And the one person who could tell them what it was was now dead.
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Post by melmac on Aug 27, 2006 1:14:04 GMT -5
Chapter eight ---------------------
Ralph and Pam were in the hospital room, waiting for the doctor to return. Bill had listed the two as emergency contacts, so they'd be the first to know how Bill was.
Ralph was still rubbing his neck from where Bill had his grip. As sore as he was from nearly being knocked out... at the very least... by his friend, he was even more concerned at how Bill was.
Pam heard Ralph cough slightly in pain and frowned. "Still sore huh?" she asked softly.
"Yeah, Pam. Just wish I knew what it was that tripped him out like that. I mean, I've seen a couple of my students stoned or go on an acid trip, but never in that capacity. Never heard any of them claim to be a dragonslayer," he said. "And he was strong enough to nearly knock me out wearing the suit. I mean, I at least had some protection from the suit, so imagine if I wasn't wearing it..."
Pam thought for a moment, realizing this was familiar. "Ralph, how did Bill look before his trip and collapse?"
"He was pale, kinda looked like he was going to pass out. Said he looked dizzy, then he fell. I caught him and before the doctors arrived, he stirred. Next thing I know he's trying to choke me to death, saying he's a "Dragonslayer" and everyone's helping me out before he collapsed. And, here we are."
Pam sat quietly for a minute, making Ralph a little concerned. Before he could say anything, Pam spoke. "Did he actually go out Ralph?"
"You know, more I think about it...no. Come to think of it he didn't show any warning signs except he looked dizzy and pale. Even fell stiff, almost like a board. The couple of other times I've dealt with someone who's fainted they went limp, like dead weight." he said, then paused. "Why are you asking this Pam?"
"Because I think he got drugged with dragonfire... it's the name of the newest street drug the Dracos are making," she said. "What you described was exactly what Mark described as what a person goes through before they go on the trip."
"What about the dragonslayer? Is that a hallucination they get too?"
"Yes, then the person gets hallucinations and such, but Bill's is the first I know of where the person attacked someone else," said Pam, nodding. "Most of the time the person just passes out after their trip and forgets what happened before the trip."
Ralph started to ask something when the doctor entered the room. "How is he doctor?" he asked.
"As well as someone who's been on a trip like him can be," said the doctor. "He's vomited most of the drug, but he's still pretty out of it. We're going to keep him under observation right now so he doesn't go into arrest."
"Is he conscious? I need to ask him something..."
"In and out, and when he's awake he's having problems with the day and his name. Right now I'd suggest we wait about a half an hour incase he's still having hallucinations. You don't want to be nearly strangled again."
Ralph blushed slightly. "No, I don't. Once was enough, not to mention he's going to hate hearing that he did attack me."
The doctor paused, debating the issue, but decided to ask. "He also seems to be talking about a set of longjohns and a cape you wear all the time Mr. Hinkley. Says it'll help him find the 'creeps who attacked me and the Counselor.' Do you know anything about that?" he said, quirking an eyebrow.
Ralph blanched slightly, but Pam spoke. "Well, you see Ralph was wearing a superhero costume one time during Halloween when he tackled a robber Bill was chasing by accident. Bill still jokes about how he actually bagged a creep as a hero. As far as the Counselor, well, I'm an attorney, and he's been calling me that since we met."
The doctor nodded. "I see, and him being under the influence doesn't help out any. Right now, the best thing you can do is rest and I'll stop by again to update you on Mr. Maxwell's condition."
After the doctor left, Pam and Ralph sat in silence. Ralph was the first to speak up. "Pam, why are these guys so committed in murdering you, Mark and now Bill?"
"I don't know, hun, but it has to do with Mark telling the officers about the drug ring and it's location. They almost won, given the set up they did, but it fell apart because they goofed on where he shot from."
"Was Bill part of the case?"
"Not that I know of and the man who attacked me at the courthouse only said Mark and me, so Bill must be a new target. But why and by whom?"
"I don't know Pam, but hopefully Bill will be able to shed some light on this when he regains consciousness."
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Janice got word about Bill's condition at the hosptial. While she was upset that Bill survived the trip, she did find some comfort that Bill was having problems remembering things, courtesy of the dragonfire.
"More than likely he'll forget about me and I won't have to worry about the agent interfering anyway. He's part two of the contract marked out," she said, remembering the other news she got when she came back. "Now all I need to do is silence the dame, and I can go on my way again making more dragonfire without anyone buggin' me."
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In a town in Canada, two police officers and FBI agents entered a small house. Inside, they found the place was in disarray, with furniture strew everywhere after a ferocious fight.
What they found in the living room made even the seasoned officers gag. There was a body, and from appearances, the person had been badly beaten among other things. He also was possibly choked out and brought back around several times before finally being shot through the heart at close range.
Finding identification, the agents realized it was a one Mark Rogers. Near his body, there was a crystal... a bloodstone with a silver dragon wrapped around it. "We need to speak with the Los Angeles - FBI," said one of the agents. "This has just gotten worse for Mrs. Hinkley."
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Post by melmac on Aug 30, 2006 21:05:36 GMT -5
Chapter nine ----------------------------
About four hours later, Ralph was walking down the hallway, trying to get some fresh air. Pam was taking a nap, tired after Dr. Absalom stopped by to look at her eyes and the long night. A security guard was now standing next to the door just in case something else happened.
As he walked, Dr. Absalom came up to him. "Mr. Hinkley, may I speak with you for a moment."
Ralph nodded. "Sure, what's going on? Any word on Bill?"
"The doctor on his case said he's finally conscious, and able to tell us everything right. We're going to send him up here in about 10 minutes. He'll be in a room a few doors down of you and your wife. We figured it'd be better given the circumstances."
"That's good," Ralph paused, realizing Absalom wanted to say something else. "What about Pam? Is there something you found out?" the blonde-haired man asked.
"I don't want to jump the gun, but from looking at her eyes, there doesn't seem to be any permanent damage. It'll still be a couple of more days before we know for sure, but right now, it looks like she won't be blind."
Ralph nodded and smiled, glad to hear some good news about what was going on. Unfortunately, that was shortlived when he returned to the room. He saw Joe speaking to someone on the other side of the room talking softly and Pam frowning.
Ralph walked over to Pam and sat down, realizing she had been hearing everything despite the agent's attempt to keep it a secret. He grabbed Pam's hand and gave it a squeeze only the two of them knew. "Hey honey, it's me. Do you know..."
"It's Mark, Ralph," she said simply. "He was found dead in witness protection."
"Why didn't the agents stop them?"
"They couldn't Ralph, they were drugged and locked up in a shed nearby. When they came to, they didn't remember anything except they had coffee."
Ralph frowned, realizing this was becoming more serious. These guys were taking no chances someone would squeal about their hideout, and fulfill their contract.
Joe hung up the phone and walked over to where the two Hinkleys were. "Well, there's no way of hiding it... Rodgers is dead. He was found murdered, but they did quite a number on him, torturing him before finally killing him. They also found the Dracos' calling card - the bloodstone crystal we found at the scene of the explosion."
Ralph decided to pretend he didn't know. "What about the agents?"
"Drugged. Right now one's in ICU at the hosptial, the other one's conscious but doesn't remember anything save drinking coffee before blacking out. The lab's analyzing it, but they don't know what the stuff was to cause their blackouts."
Pam frowned. "Did he mention feeling like he was falling stiff as a board, but not going completely out?"
The agent nodded, but looked at her curiously. "Yes... how did you know that?"
"Mark told me about dragonfire while we were getting information for the trial. Those are the symptoms the people have before they go on their trip."
"And Bill went through the same symptoms when he was affected," said Ralph, continuing. "Except he started to strangle me thinking I was a dragon."
Joe nodded. "All right. Listen, Agent Maxwell's supposed to be moved to a room by now. I want to talk to him about what he felt before his collapse just to see if the MO is the same. And... to see if he's up for questioning."
Joe left, and Ralph turned to Pam, changing into the jammies. "Ralph, what are you doing?" she whispered sharply.
"I'm going to go talk to Bill first," said Ralph. "Before you say anything, I'm going to turn invisible and sneak in."
"What if he still's hallucinating you're a dragon?"
"Well, I'll make sure to have a chair to ward him off," said Ralph, giving a half grin.
Pam softened her tone. "All right, just be careful."
Ralph nodded and turned invisible. He left Pam's room and saw two orderlies bring Bill into the next room on a gurney.
After they settled him in, complete with Bill complaining about being treated like a baby, and left the room, Ralph walked in and stood near Bill's bed. "Bill, can you hear me?" he said softly.
Bill opened his eyes and saw an empty room. "Kid, ya there, or am I still out of it?" he asked groggily.
"Yes, just invisible. Listen, I'm sure the doctors told you that you were drugged, but Pam and I found out what it was."
"Whatever it was it sure made me go crazy," scoffed Bill. "Don't remember anything before my blackout, and according to the doctor nearly strangled an orderly..."
"Someone else too?" asked Ralph surprised, and immediately regretted it.
"Oh no, I didn't strangle the Counselor, did I?" said Bill, paling.
"No, you started to do that to me though before you went out, but don't worry, the suit protected me," said Ralph. "You were drugged with dragonfire... it's the name of the new street drug. Pam says it causes the person to black out after their trip and not remember anything."
"Terrific... what else can go wrong?"
"Plenty. You're about to have Joe come in and tell you that Mark Rogers is dead. He was murdered in witness protection and... it was the Dracos."
"Damn," said Bill. "Listen, I want you to..."
Bill's comments were interrupted when Joe entered the room. "Bill, glad you're back with us," said the agent. "Or are you just delirious and talking to air?"
The older agent just scoffed. "I'm fine, the walls make more interesting conversation than the doctors. What happened?"
"You were drugged," said the agent bluntly. "And Rogers was found murdered. Carlisle told me to ask you when you regained consciousness if you could give me information about the case so you could recover."
Ralph frowned, knowing this was a lie, or he was lied to. Unfortunately, it caused him to lose his concentration and turn visible... right next to Joe.
"What the..." said Joe shocked at Ralph's sudden appearance. "Mr. Hinkley, what are you doing here and in that?"
Ralph smiled sheepishly. "Well, this is a something else I do at the hospital, entertain the kids in this getup as a superhero."
The agent knew Ralph wasn't telling the truth. "There's no children's ward in this hospital. It's the smaller hospital next door," said Joe.
Ralph hedged, trying to think of a way to get out of this. This response made the agent frown, which deepened when he saw the emblem on Ralph's chest. 'Red Dragon, their leader,' thought Joe, misinterpreting the emblem for a Chinese character.
Joe drew his gun and pointed it at Ralph. "All right, Mr. Hinkley, put your hands up. You're under arrest for being a member of the Dracos," said Joe evenly.
Ralph looked at him blankly, doing what he was told, and then realized the problem with the suit. "No listen, this is just a costume. Why would I want to hurt Bill or Pam?"
"I don't know, but you do know a lot about the new drug and you managed to sneak in the room without me seeing you," said the agent, keeping the gun leveled at Ralph.
The blonde-haired man kept his hands up. "Now, wait a minute, I can explain..."
"No more 'explanations,' or as we like to call them excuses. Now, lie on the ground and put your hands above your head."
Ralph shrugged, but removed the gun using telekinesis. Before the agent could throw a punch, Ralph clamped a hand over Joe's mouth and, picking him up by the lapels, walked him to rest against the wall. He then wrapped his free arm across the man's waist, securing him.
"I just want you to listen to me..." said Ralph started, but the agent, struggled, making it difficult for Ralph to hold on, even in the suit.
"Kid, I don't think he'll believe anything you say about the outfit," said Bill simply. "You're probably gonna haveta..."
Ralph sighed inwardly at the thought, but kept his hand over the agent's mouth. "I'll give you one more chance to listen. Otherwise, I'm going to have to knock you unconscious and leave, and I really don't want to do that," Ralph said as calmly and sincerely as he could, hoping the man would calm down in response. "Will you please relax so I can let you go? I could help..."
In response, the agent continued struggling, even trying to hit Ralph in a tender spot, to no avail. Realizing he had no other choice, Ralph tapped the man's head quickly and gently against the wall. Joe's eyes rolled back into his head and he sagged, out cold. Bill winced slightly, knowing that it was never easy for Ralph to render anyone into that state, bad or good.
After lowering Joe on the ground in a slight heap to appear as though he fainted, Ralph grabbed the agent's gun with his cape and reholstered it.
Certain that Joe's 'accident' could be explained off, Ralph turned to Bill. "Listen, it's best I split before he comes to and find out more about the Dracos. Can you call the nurses' station and have them check on Joe."
"Sure kid, what do I tell them when he says you knocked him out?"
"That he claimed to be seeing the devil before he passed out," said Ralph, not thinking of a better excuse and turned invisible.
Bill leaned back in the bed and after giving Ralph enough time to get out of the room, pushed the call button. "Nurse? This is Bill Maxwell. I have a man in here who's just passed out. I think he also hit his head. Can you bring someone in to check him out?"
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The guard standing next to Pam's room was getting tired, and asked for a cup of coffee. The nurse nodded and poured a cup. She handed it to the officer and walked away.
Janice gave a backwards glance and saw that the officer drank it, smiling. She had managed to sneak into the hosptial and steal a set of scrubs and ID badge from a "willing" nurse. "All right, it should be a matter of moments before he goes on his trip and attacks the attorney," she said, smiling.
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The officer rubbed his eyes, feeling slightly dizzy. His vision burst into bright colors, then grey, before he finally shook it off. He heard a noise of coughing and turning, saw a cave. He walked inside the room and saw a dragon - Pam - snoring softly.
The policeman walked inside and grabbed a stone, or pillow, and went over to Pam's head. The noise woke up Pam, who only could hear footsteps. "Hello, who's ...." she said, only to have her face covered by the pillow. Pam started screaming and struggling, but the officer got on the bed and straddled her along the hips, pinning her IV arm down.
Pam still fought with her free hand and as best as she could with her knees, hoping someone would hear her as her screams and struggles started to grow weaker with each passing second...
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Post by melmac on Sept 1, 2006 1:12:28 GMT -5
Chapter Ten ---------------------
Pam could feel herself start to lose consciousness when she drew up what strength she had and drew up her knee. She swung up, and hit the man in the butt, tilting him forward.
Surprised, the man had to steady himself against the wall as he fell forward, having to remove one of his hands from the pillow. This allowed her to get away from the suffocating pillow and toss it. The officer started to reach for her neck, but Pam grabbed his hands and the two started struggling again.
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Ralph was in the hallway when he got a holograph of Pam being suffocated... by the officer. He then saw Pam get the guy and now in the middle of a struggle with his hands before the image faded.
He started running toward the room when he accidentally tripped over a wheelchair and when sprawling. When he saw the nurses look at the wheelchair that seemed to be moving on its own, Ralph realized he still managed to stay invisible this time. He then gathered his wits and ran back to the room before it was too late.
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After about a minute of struggling, Pam realized from the feel of the bed that the man was still kneeling where her legs were free, but was now toward where her feet were. She pulled her leg back again and hit the guy with her foot as hard as she could. Her foot connected just below his belt, but the force was strong enough to knock the guy off the bed. The officer fell to the ground, hitting his head on the rolling bed table before collapsing in a heap.
Pam was gasping slightly when she heard fast footfalls. "Pam are you all right?" said Ralph, hugging her briefly before turning visible and changing his clothes.
"Ralph? Thank heavens your here," said Pam. "Someone was trying to kill me. I think he escaped."
Ralph looked over and noticed the officer on the ground. He could tell the man was breathing and despite his state, all right. "No... he didn't. He's on the floor, out cold. And... it's the security agent that's been outside your room."
Pam frowned. "The security agent? Why did he try to smother me?"
"Don't know, unless he was a victim of the same stuff Bill was, that dragonfire," said Ralph as he finished buttoning his shirt and walked out briefly to get a doctor. After explaining what happened officer was taken away for treatment, Ralph came back over to Pam and sat down. "The doctor said one of the nurses got coffee for the officer. Said a short time later, he looked a little dizzy, but then all right before he entered the room."
"Dragonfire," said Pam grimly. "And I wonder if that 'nurse' was their leader."
"But why drug the officer instead of just lacing your food?"
"Don't know. Maybe it's a way to torture me, like they did Mark," said Pam, deciding to not tell Ralph everything she did hear about what happened to the man before he was killed. She decided to change the subject. "What about Bill?"
"He's all right, but having to explain why his colleague 'fainted' in the room," seeing Pam frown in confusion, Ralph continued. "Long story, short version: Joe lied to us, I turned visible, wrong idea about the suit..."
"And you had to knock him out," said Pam, and Ralph sighed in regret. "I know you don't like doing that hun, but sometimes that's the only thing you can do. Think of it this way, this time if you didn't and Joe tried to shoot you, Bill could've been hurt instead when the suit deflected the bullet. What was Joe lying about?"
"Told us he was going to question Bill, but wanted to take over on the case," said Ralph as Absalom entered the room. "Pam's all right Dr. Absalom..."
"Yes, Mr. Hinkley, they told me what happened, but I need to check her out just to be sure," said Absalom. "I wanted to say too that in the current circumstances, if I find nothing wrong, Mrs. Hinkley can be released today and you can go to a safer location. We can have her come back in a week and remove the bandages."
Ralph and Pam smiled in relief. "That's great, thank you," said Pam in relief. "Do the agents know?"
"Well, all of them except Agent Smitherton. He fainted in Mr. Maxwell's room. Says he was rendered unconscious by something in red, but Maxwell said the agent had been fighting Communists for some time prior. We're admitting him for observation."
"Ahh... battle fatigue, especially with protecting Pam from the Dracos," said Ralph simply, knowing the truth. The doctor only nodded and began his exam...
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Janice looked in the hallway and saw that the officer was brought out on a gurney and wheeled off and growled. She didn't see Ralph come into the room, but after seeing the doctor enter, but no code blue equipment, she new Pam had survived the attack.
A few minutes later, she saw Dr. Absalom exit the room and ask the nurse for release papers and smiled. "OK, now it's time to finally kill that attorney," she said with a smile. "But, I think this time, I'm going to let my boys have fun with her before I get to do the honors of killing her. And, I think her boy toy will also join in on the festivities." Knowing she had about 20 minutes before Pam would get to leave, she then went downstairs to the lobby and dialed a phone number to make the arrangements.
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"Ready honey?"
"As well as I can considering I can't see what I'm putting on right now Ralph," said Pam as she got out of the bathroom. Hearing Ralph chuckle, Pam frowned, wondering what Ralph gave her. She didn't ask him to describe the outfit. "All right, do I at least match?"
"Yes, you do hon, but you didn't button the shirt straight," said Ralph as he helped get the buttons redone. "There, that's better."
"Great, another thing I'm going to have to learn in the long run."
Ralph sighed, realizing Pam still had her doubts. "Honey, Dr. Absalom said he was almost certain there was no permanent damage. Now, let's get out of here and go home ... wherever that'll be for a while."
"Hey, at least we'll be out of the hospital," said Pam and the two headed out of the room and toward the exit with an agent following. Ralph had been told that they'd meet the agents in the garage to take them to their witness protection house.
As they entered the garage, there was a gunshot and a moan. Ralph and Pam ducked behind a car, and turning, Ralph saw that the agent who'd been escorting them had been shot... and killed.
Seeing shadows, Ralph turned and saw two men arrive and roughly pick up both him and Pam. The two struggled, Ralph not so much in the suit to protect his secret and Pam, but after having their arms wrenched behind their backs, realized there wasn't much they could do.
Walters then walked up to the two and smiled. "Right on time, Mr. and Mrs. Hinkley," she said.
"Who the hell are you," said Ralph, already getting an idea when he saw a familiar crystal and dragon around the woman's neck.
"Don't you know, I'm the Red Dragon, and I'm here to fulfill my contract," she said simply.
Ralph, realizing he was Pam's only help, 'managed' to free himself from the man's grasp. The gunman drew his weapon and fired a shot into the ground as Ralph punched out the man's lights...
Pam, however, heard a gunshot ring out and started struggling harder. "Ralph!?"
"I'm all right," he said turning, only to be struck from behind by a third henchman. He fell to the ground like a sack of meal.
"Ralph? Ralph?" shouted Pam, wondering what happened. She frowned where she heard no response.
"He's alive, my dear Mrs. Hinkley," mocked Walters. "And he'll stay that way for the moment if you surrender and come with us as well."
Pam had to take a moment to think. She realized that they weren't going to shoot the two of them there, as people could come in and save them. And, she could make out Ralph's breathing in the now quiet lot, so she knew that he was alive and wasn't being lied to.
She then heard a rustling sound next to her, then a slight grunt from one of the men as though he was lifting something... or someone. Realizing that both of them were going to be taken to the location so there'd be no witnesses, allowing Ralph time to regain consciousness and get the Dracos, she took the best and, she prayed, the safest route.
"OK, I surrender."
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Post by melmac on Sept 2, 2006 21:15:06 GMT -5
Chapter Eleven -----------------------
After securing Pam with ropes and gagging her, the put her in the van. She then heard a thump right next to her when Ralph was unceremoniously thrown into the van. Pam could still hear Ralph's rythymic breathing, but frowned when she didn't hear a groan or any other audible sounds of Ralph trying to come around.
Walters smiled wickedly when she saw the obvious pain in Pam's face knowing Ralph was nearby but couldn't help her. "Don't worry, Mrs. Hinkley, I will keep my word for now and not hurt him. We wanted you anyway," she sneered. Pam could only shake her head and tried to think of some way to get out of this mess.
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Bill was convalescing in the hospital when he overheard talking outside his door. Listening closer, he realized it was his boss, Carlisle, talking about a kidnapping of some sort... and needed Bill's help.
The agent leaned back in his bed when Carlisle entered the room. "Well, Carlisle, glad to have ya visit," said Bill as he looked up. He frowned when he saw that the agent was not in a good mood. "What is it boss? And don't mince words, because you know me and my kill record I'll find out."
"Billy, I know you're recovering from being drugged, but we've got trouble and as much as I hate saying it, need your help. Mr. and Mrs. Hinkley have been kidnapped. One of the nurses saw the attack."
"Kidnapped? Are they..."
"The agent's dead and Mr. Hinkley was knocked out trying to get him and Mrs. Hinkley out of the area. They were taken to a van and drove off."
Bill frowned, realizing if Ralph was out, he wasn't going to be able to protect Pam or get out of there. "Well, come on we've got to get them..." he said sitting up, only to feel the world spin slightly. He laid back down and rubbed his eyes.
Carlisle shook his head. "No way Billy, you're staying here, you're still ill. I've got someone on the case and we'll get them as fast as we can, but I was wondering if you have any idea where the Dracos' hideout might be?"
"No, and neither did the Counselor, and I'm sure you know about Rogers' murder," said Bill, and Carlisle nodded.
"OK, we do have a description of the van and a partial license plate, so that'll help out some. But, if you hear anything or see anything unusual here, tell one of the agents to call me and the man on the case," said Carlisle as he left.
Bill closed his eyes and tried to work out the scenario. He knew that Pam and Ralph were alive, but not for how long. All he knew for sure was that Rogers had been beaten and tortured before his actual killing. Bill decided he'd have to find a way to help them, but in his current health, wasn't sure how he could.
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When the van arrived at the bunker, the men got out and carried both Ralph and Pam over their shoulders to a storage area.
Unceremoniously dumping Ralph on the floor and Pam on a mattress of some sort, one of the men smirked. "Stay here and cool down for a while. We've got a long night planned ahead for you two before we... fulfill our contract," said the man as he stroked Pam's face.
Lusting after Pam and not wanting to wait, the man removed her gag and tried to kiss her. She spat into it, only to be slugged across the jaw, dazing her. "Not smart attorney. Do that again, I'll kill your boy toy right here and now," he growled. Pam shook her head and shook as though she was scared, but inside was furious enough to want to kick the guy in the one place she knew would really hurt.
The man, seeing what appeared to be fear in Pam's mannerisms, only smirked. "Don't worry, I won't hurt him ... yet. I think it'd be better to have him watch us have 'fun' with you before he gets his turn, then well..." The men chuckled as they left.
Once the door was secured and the footsteps disappeared, Pam started struggling against the bonds, to no avail. "Pamela, all you'll do is tighten the knots that way if you keep it up, not to mention bruising your hands if you move an inch to the left." whispered a voice.
Pam gasped softly. "Ralph, thank goodness you're awake now. Hun are you OK? They said they wouldn't hurt you while you were out..."
She heard the sounds of sitting up and ropes snapping. "Wasn't knocked out, but them thinking it helped keep me from being gagged so I could tell you I was fine."
Pam shook her head, confused. "I heard a crash though before a body hit the floor... yours. Besides, you've been knocked out even with the suit on before."
Ralph gently turned Pam around and broke the ropes around her wrists. "True. The guy hit me with a two-by-four, but my guess not hard enough where the suit couldn't protect me. It did daze me slightly, but, given how hard, I couldn't just stand there so I fell to the ground and pretended to be out. Now, let's see what we can do to get out of ..."
Pam frowned when she felt Ralph lean hard on her shoulder. "Ralph, you sure the suit protected you?"
Ralph shrugged and shook his head to clear it. "Maybe not entirely, honey, just got a little dizzy."
"OK... let's try something else to get out of here," said Pam. "Last thing we need is for you to start fighting right off and pass out. We'd get killed that way..."
"No kidding," said Ralph bluntly, only to see Pam frown. "I'm sorry hun, but you're right."
"So, where exactly are we?"
"Managed to sneak a peek or two when I was being carried. We're in a bunker of some sort, the kind they dug into mountains to protect residents from a typhoon," said Ralph. "They put us in a room with a few boxes, pipes and the cush..."
Pam started to get a picture in her head as Ralph described it. "Pipes, like PVC ones or metal?"
"Metal, why?"
Pam paused as she worked out the scenario. "Ralph, hand me one of the pipes. Lie back down on the floor as though you're still unconscious and I'll call for the guard and say you're having trouble breathing."
"Honey, you're eyes are injured. You can't see where you're hitting."
"Ralph, I know, but you'd bring the whole gang in if you just threw the one guy out. They won't expect this. Just lead me over to where you'll be first and lie down. I can figure out where your head is and take a few steps back to where I was seated and then when the guy comes I'll walk the same steps and clonk him."
"Pam... what if you get me instead?"
"Ralph I can't see, but you can and you've got the suit on. If I come anywhere near your head, just cover it with your arms."
Ralph took a breath, hoping Pam was right, and led her to where he was. After setting up the scene, Pam took three steps to where she had been and sat down. Ralph then began to pretend to choke, and Pam started yelling. "Guys, he's choking! I think he's dying!" she shouted.
Pam heard the footfalls of one of the guards enter the room. "All right, dame, I'll check him out. Want him to be part of the festivities," said the man off to Pam's right. He then turned and took three steps to where Ralph was.
Pam slowly stood and leveled the pipe that she had hidden under her shirt and behind her back. She took three steps and swung down. When the pipe made contact, she heard a thud and a yelp... from Ralph. Pam groaned, and prayed she didn't hit the wrong person. "Ralph... are you OK?"
She heard a rustle then soft thud of a body being settled to the ground. Pam held her breath, hoping the bad guy wasn't taunting her before just killing her there. "I'm all right hun... you got him," said Ralph softly.
Pam let out a sigh of relief. "I though I got you instead afterall when I heard you yelp."
"Well, you did... the pipe hit my shoulder, and while it was protected, it does sting."
"I'm sorry Ralph..."
Ralph chuckled softly as he picked up the insensible man to tie and gag him. After moving the man to a hidden corner Ralph then stripped down to the suit. "Don't worry, you got the guy, that's important. Now, why don't you and I get out of here and call the police. And, you're going to have to let me help you out this time."
"Good idea," said Pam as Ralph grabbed her hand led her out of the door. They walked carefully on the wooden boards to get out of the bunker, and arrived in an open area. Pam smelled a strange odor and frowned. "Ralph, where are we?"
"Looks like we found where they're making the dragonfire," said Ralph simply.
"Right you are," said a new voice. Ralph and Pam turned and to Ralph's dismay found Janice and a couple of her men standing there. "Now, I think it's time to have some fun... but for me. For you, well you'll be begging us to kill you before we do."
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Post by melmac on Sept 6, 2006 0:00:00 GMT -5
Chapter Twelve ------------------------
It had been about a half hour from when Bill heard the news about the abductions when he heard a scuffle. When the noise settled, he heard new voices. "OK, they'll be out for some time. Now, let's get this Maxwell creep so we can mark off another person on the contract."
Realizing this man must be a member of the Dracos, Bill pretended to be asleep as the man entered. The man smirked at seeing his prey asleep and apparently unable to protect himself.
The gangmember grabbed a towel from the bathroom and got it wet, and after wringing it out, walked backover to Bill's bed and put if forcefully over Bill's face. He was surprised, however, to have both his hands grabbed by his quarry and wrenched back.
The man yelped in pain as Bill got up and slammed the man against the wall. "All right mister, don't bother moving. Maxwell, FBI. You're under arrest for attempted murder and assault."
"I ain't done anything mister."
"Yeah... 'cept try to smother me with a hot towel," growled Bill as he kept the man pinned against the wall. "Now, tell me what you know about the Dracos, especially their hideout. And don't lie to me, I know what that crystal is."
The man, realizing he had no choice, told Bill. "All right, I'm a member. They're now in a bunker in a mountain on the coast about 30 minutes around here," he said, also giving the exact directions of the bunker.
"What about the two people they kidnapped a while ago?" Bill said, twisting the man's wrists slightly when he didn't get a response immediately.
"As far as I know, they're there. The dame was unharmed last time I saw them, and the man was out cold. Now, I ain't saying nothin' else."
Bill smiled. "OK, not right now then. Maybe after you wake up from your nap you'll be more willing too." Before the man could answer, Bill gave the man an uppercut to the chin, knocking him out. After lying the man on the ground and tying him up with the tie to his hospital robe, Bill called Carlisle and explained the situation. Another agent came to take the Draco into custody.
Although Bill was told to stay in the hospital, he decided to get dressed and help anyway. He felt he needed to be ready just in case, if nothing else, to protect the patients incase the Dracos tried to bomb the hospital as well.
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Ralph and Pam had been tied up back to back in the middle of an walk-in freezer. They also had a rope tied around both their necks to where if one struggled too much with the bonds, they'd choke the other one out. Both found out painfully when Walters had her men try it with both of their ropes.
Walters and her gang smiled at what they saw. "OK, first off, as we said before to you Pam, you two need to cool off for a while. So, you'll be in here for a half an hour. Afterward, if you're still conscious ... or alive, we'll take you out to work out the kinks in your muscles... all of them," she said with a smirk.
After she left the room, there was a loud creak as the latch was closed and locked. Looking around and finding no more men in there, Ralph smiled softly. "OK Pam, I'm going to break the ropes now. You're going to have to be very still so we don't hurt each other," he said quietly.
"Got it hun, just be careful," said Pam, who shivered and her teeth started chattering. "It gets cold her quickly doesn't it?"
Ralph nodded as he snapped the ropes quickly. He then freed the rope around his neck then Pam and then freed her hands. "Yep. My guess is they wanted us to be at least delirious enough so they could have their fun without us resisting much," said Ralph as he changed into the suit. "Now, question is do we just barge out of here courtesy of the suit or do it stealth like old Uncle Bill would want us too."
Pam frowned and walked, pondering the decision. When she did, she bumped into a crate, scaring her slightly when she heard a water jingle. "Don't worry Pam, it's just bottles," said Ralph as he opened up the crate. What he saw instead surprised him. "What is it hun?" said Pam.
"Glass bottles with some sort of liquid and metal... says Potassium," said Ralph. Opening the bottle a bit he touched the liquid, which was a bit oily. "I heard it reacts to air, violently if put in water, and that's why they keep it in oil. The reaction is very powerful, exploding in water and the ensuing sparks can set off fires..."
"Just like the one at the firm. That must have been what they put in the bomb," said Pam. "And the sparks I saw were the reaction to the air or a glass of water inside."
Ralph shook his head slightly. "I bet you're right about the potassium, Pam, but right now, let's set off some fireworks of our own and get these guys."
"Right," said Pam grimly as she felt Ralph put something in her hand. "You're next to the door, just don't hit me," said Ralph.
Pam nodded and Ralph knocked on the door. The gunman opened the door, only to be felled by a bottle wielding Pam. Ralph caught the man as he collapsed to reduce the chance of someone else finding out and dragged him away to hide him.
Ralph then grabbed Pam's hand and they started walking around again. Ralph closed his eyes and turned invisible just before another man walked around and found Pam. "All right, how did you get out you little..." said the man, swinging his two-by-four at Pam's head.
Instead of connecting with Pam, it broke in half in the air. Ralph staggered and turned visible, but was able to knock the guy out as well before falling to his knees. "Ralph, are you all right?" asked Pam, hearing the thud.
Ralph shook his head to clear it again. "Yeah, but I can't take too much more of these hits suit or no," he said wryly as he grabbed Pam's hand again. They walked around the room and Ralph found Walters and her men stirring another pot of dragonfire in the distance.
Ralph ducked behind the box, but not before they saw him. "How the hell did he manage to escape?" shouted Walters. "Get him and bring him to me. I'll make sure he has a long and painful torture watching you guys have your way with the attorney."
The gangmembers smiled as they started toward Ralph. Realizing he was caught, Ralph started running toward them to keep Pam safe.
As Ralph fought the men, Walters slipped away to see where Pam was. She saw the woman huddled around the boxes.
Walters crept toward Pam, carrying a piece of rope to garrotte Pam. Her plan was to first choke Pam out then drag her into the center of the room to make Ralph surrender. Then... well, what was good enough for the boys...
Pam heard footsteps and stood ready with a board, knowing it wasn't Ralph. She tried to say something before Walters slipped the rope around Pam's neck and began to tighten it, causing Pam to drop her weapon. Pam, however, gained the upper hand and grabbing Walters' hands, pressed hard on her wrists. When Walters cried out in pain, dropping the rope, Pam flipped the woman.
Hearing a thud, Pam realized she got her attacker and started walking aimlessly around to try to find Ralph. The man, however, had his hands full... not to mention starting to see double from the second whack to his head. Despite feeling slightly dizzy on top of the vision, Ralph kept it secret and was keeping the gang at bay to protect Pam.
Walters got up and smiled, realizing Pam was heading away from the action into another room. She gathered up the rope again and smiled, deciding that she'd have fun with Pam and play a little cat and mouse... her the cat and Pam the blind mouse. "Too bad I don't have a carving knife, or I could be poetic," said Walters with a smile. "You're mine attorney, and this time, you're not getting away."
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Post by melmac on Sept 8, 2006 21:55:32 GMT -5
Chapter Thirteen ---------------------------
Pam took a couple of steps when she walked into a doorjamb. Moving slightly to the right, she entered the room and walked into a set of shelves. She kept walking and realized it was almost a maze of boxes.
"Ralph?" said Pam, but didn't hear an answer or fight. Confused, she kept walking around, not realizing that Walters was following her with the rope.
Walters smiled, deciding to play with Pam's emotions first before coming in for the attack. She took a couple of heavy steps in the door way, bumping into a few boxes. "Ralph?" said Pam, turning at the sound. She frowned when she heard a low groan. "Did they hit you again? Ralph?," said Pam as she walked back over to where she heard the noise.
Walters walked away, so Pam could move down and try to find Ralph. Pam did exactly what she thought Pam would, but decided to walk softly a distance to disorient Pam. "Well, seems your boy toy isn't over there after all," she said smirking.
"If you've harmed him..." said Pam with a growl as she continued walking, realizing Ralph couldn't have been in the room unless...
Seeing Pam shake her head, confused, Janice only smiled and followed Pam a few steps away, just to keep an eye on her. "No, I haven't. Figured I'd let my men do that for me. They can beat him up, torture him, humiliate him... whatever they want before they kill him. Did that to Mark for what he did. No one escapes the Dracos' wrath... well, not until you managed to survive the bomb."
"Well, that goes to show that you shouldn't mess with attorneys," said Pam cynically. "We're just like cockroaches in that case. Survive everything that people throw at us."
Walters paused slightly. "Yes, especially given that potassium bomb we made. If the blast didn't kill ya, you should've died in the ensuing fire. Instead, you just get some minor burns and are blinded. Then again, that's only made things more fun for me, and more poetic. Justice is blind, they say, but I'd have to say it was injustice in this case, for you."
Pam heard footsteps nearing and started jogging away from them, ducking behind a couple of boxes she felt as she hit them with her hands. Walters decided to pause for a couple of minutes and rest, and to let Pam think she fooled Walters into leaving the room. 'It's only a matter of time before I get to fulfill my contract,' she thought with a smirk. Soon, Pam'd be caught and she'd let the men do what they want, but then, she'd get to personally stab Pam in the heart.
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Ralph continued to fight the Dracos, but was also fighting a minor bout of dizziness again. In the melee, which had already claimed a few insensible Dracos, he had been hit in the head a third time. Several of the men, shocked that Ralph was still standing from such a blow, had already fled, deciding they'd rather take their chances with Walters' wrath.
The two remaining healthy Dracos smirked when they saw Ralph wobble slightly. "There, we've just about got him," said one of them. "Ya want to put him out for the count Shawn?"
"Yeah, Xavier, I do. This'll be fun," said Shawn as he lifted the two-by-four to lower on Ralph for the knockout. Instead, he was surprised to have Ralph catch the board and pick it, with Shawn, off the ground with one hand. Ralph then tossed the two across the way like a javelin and Shawn crashed into the wall, falling unconscious to the ground.
Xavier, seeing the event, drew his knife and charged toward Ralph. He struck the other man in the chest, and was amazed to see the knife bend in half. He paused for a moment, staring at Ralph in shock before he fainted.
Ralph watched the man as he fell to the floor with a thud and shrugged. "OK, that's a new reaction to the suit," he thought with a slight grin. Ralph then picked up the two men with ease and brought them over to the other injured men. After binding all of them, Ralph dragged each to a shelter and locked them in... using a crowbar as the 'lock.'
Once they were secure, Ralph turned around and realized Pam and Walters weren't there. Frowning, Ralph fought off another dizzy spell as he went to the nearest room.
Hearing a crash in the room, Ralph walked toward it faster, only to see his field of vision start to narrow and shadows gather. Knees starting to buckle, Ralph made it to the wall next to the entrance before he fell against it as he slumped to the ground in a faint.
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Pam was beind the boxes, trying to figure out a scenario, when she felt a box nearby full of bottles. Opening it, she felt an oily liquid, and realized it was the potassium. She smiled softly when she also heard a dripping sound about 10 feet away from her and came up with a plan.
'Well, here goes nothing,' the thought with a smile. "All right, Red Dragon, I know you're there. You want to fight, you're going to have to just come after me. I know you can see me, but I can't," she said.
"C'mon Pam, what's the fun in just offing ya without a little taunting and fear," said Janice as she started walking. Pam reached inside and grabbed the smallest piece of potassium she could find. She didn't want to kill Walters, but to try and level the playing field.
Pam heard the footsteps nearing the water and threw in that direction. She heard a sharp fizzle, but no thud or scream of pain, but fortunately, smelled no fire either. Pam then felt around for something, anything just in case...
"So, you thought I'd fall into your trap to play two blind mice?" smirked Janice, grabbing the rope. This time, she decided that she'd do the same thing to Pam that the boys did to Mark twice, pin her down, slowly choke her out and make her wonder if she'd come around again or not. Then, she'd let the boys have fun with her, but keep Pam awake when she plunged the knife into her heart.
"No, just trying to level the playing field," said Pam with a growl as she heard footsteps nearing. She grabbed her weapon tighter, and got ready. "I'm all for women's lib, but I sure wouldn't want to be in your shoes."
"Really, why's that?" said Janice as she neared the box Pam was supposedly behind. She jumped, swinging the rope to get Pam's neck, but was surprised to miss and see Pam start to turn. "What the hell you ..." she started, only to pause in mid sentence when she felt a sharp pain in the side of her head. Walters' eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Pam paused, an empty glass soda bottle poised over her head again in case Janice was playing possum when she heard footsteps. She swung again, only to have it get stopped in mid swing. "Pam, I'm not the bad guy here," said Ralph simply and quickly so she didn't decide to start kicking. "And I don't need another headache."
"Ralph," Pam sighed in relief and gave him a hug. "She out?"
"Yeah, looks like you got her in her own game," said Ralph as he went to tie up Walters. "Remind me to never startle you in the dark. You're too good at fighting in it."
"Yeah, shows that you can be blind and still kick bad girls into next week," said Pam wryly. "What about the others?"
"They're locked up in a storage room tied up and mostly waking up. One even fainted when he tried to knife me and the blade bent in half." said Ralph as he picked up Walters in a fireman's carry. "Now, why don't have the leader of the pack join them?"
"Great idea hun," said Pam smiling and grabbing on to Ralph's shoulder so she could follow him without getting hurt.
After settling Janice in with the others, Ralph stood up and staggered slightly. "Ralph, are you all right?" asked Pam when she felt Ralph again lean into her slightly.
"No, I got hit a third time, and it was enough to make me pass out a while ago," said Ralph, shaking his head.
"Sit down Ralph. Don't need you to do that again and have the police see the suit."
Ralph gently brushed off Pam's suggestion, but was leaning against the wall nearby... just in case. "I'm fine, Pam honest. Fortunately, it was after I got all of them, and only for about a minute."
Pam sighed, trying to reach for Ralph's head. "Still hun, you're going to have fun explaining three bumps to the head at the hospital."
Ralph looked around slightly. "Well, I'll think of something," he said as they went back to the room where his clothes were. He changed into them when he got a holograph. "Pam I'm getting a holograph. Bill's boss and other agents are nearing the building. How are we going to explain a bunch of unconscious gang members in a locked closet with just the two of us just standing in the bunker?"
"Well, we can say that we managed to escape and get them one after another quickly and quietly," said Pam. "And, if nothing else, we can say we got them when they were all stoned out of their heads, making it easier for us to knock them out."
Ralph nodded, remembering some of them did have a doped up look in their eyes, something along the lines of being stoned or tripped out. "Yeah, and my fighting them in the suit, if nothing else, will probably be figured as them acting crazy. Now, why don't you and I go get Carlisle and his men to go take these guys to jail and fulfill our contract?"
"Just the kind of contract I love," said Pam, and Ralph moved her in for a kiss.
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Post by melmac on Sept 9, 2006 0:56:34 GMT -5
Chapter Fourteen ---------------------------- It was one week after everything that happened with the Dracos. A couple of days after their kidnapping and Bill being released from the hospital, the agent told them that Walters - who they knew as the Red Dragon - and the Dracos were in jail. He found out they would be tried for murder, attempted murder, drug running, manufacturing drugs... well, it just went on forever and with no hope for them getting out of jail once convicted. The one thing he didn't like, however, was that nothing else happened at the hospital except normal stuff after Ralph and Pam were taken to the bunker.
Pam, however wasn't thinking about the Dracos or any of those events today. She was more nervous about what was going to happen next. "Come on Ralph, how much longer," she asked Ralph drove toward the hospital.
"We're almost there honey, about five more minutes," said Ralph gently, patting her hand.
"Sorry Ralph, it's just that I'm wanting to get this over with," she said softly. "I mean, it's been a week and I don't want to find out that Walters did get a last laugh."
"I know Pam, believe me. Bill saying they have no hope of ever getting out of jail was good news, but I want you to see again too, especially after what that... well, what she did to you and to us."
Pam only shook her head softly, knowing what Ralph was truly thinking. "I understand completely Ralph. I've called her just about every name in the book too in my head. And... I'll admit I'm embarrassed about this, but I'd like to have seen Walters' reaction to getting hit with the bottle."
Ralph shook his head, but too understood as he turned in at the hospital parking lot. Getting out of the car, Ralph walked over to Pam's side and opened the door.
When he tried to pick up Pam in his arms, he received the brush-off. "Ralph, I can walk you know," she said bluntly.
"Yes, honey, but there's a big muddy puddle right in front of your door and I didn't want you to get your feet wet."
Pam smelled the smell of damp earth and frowned. "Ralph why did you park here?" she said.
"Well, two reasons: 1. I wanted to be a bit chivalrous..."
"And Two?"
"...It's the only parking spot that's close to the hospital and not a handicapped zone," said Ralph as he gathered Pam in his arms. She smiled softly, knowing Ralph probably wanted to treat her with kid gloves after everything, but put her arm around his neck and let him carry her to the sidewalk.
After setting her down and closing the stationwagon door, the two entered the hospital. Ralph was surprised to see Bill in the entrance, rubbing his arm. "Bill, what are you doing here? You get hurt," asked Ralph.
"No, Carlisle had me stop by for another blood test to be sure I don't have anymore dragonfire in my system," he said grousing. "Still think it's just to stay out of his hair while he gets to gloat about them bleeding me like a leech."
Pam chuckled. "I have to admit, that'd be funny Bill, but he's probably concerned for everyone's safety, especially yours," she said. "And, both Ralph and I can confess that the stuff can be hazardous to others' healths."
Bill paused for a moment, and remembering what the two said about his and the officers' trips, nodded. "All right, Counselor, ya don't haveta paint a picture for me. Since I'm here anyway, can I come with ya to see if the lights come back on," said Bill, only to pause at the comment. "Counselor, I'm sorry that came out..."
"It's all right Bill, I'm just as nervous. You can come in too," said Pam as Ralph walked with her inside and over to Absalom's office.
When they arrived at the doctor's office, she knocked on the door. "Come in," said Absalom, and smiled when he saw Pam walk in with Ralph and Bill. "Mr. and Mrs. Hinkley, how are you doing?"
"Fine, just on pins and needles again it seems," said Pam, slightly nervous. "Can we get started?"
Absalom looked at Bill and Ralph shook his head. "He's family, and Pam said she doesn't mind if you remove the bandages with him present," said Ralph.
After Pam nodded, Absalom nodded and had Pam sit down on the exam table. "OK, Mrs. Hinkley, what I'm going to do now is cut the guaze that's been keeping the patches over your eyes," he said, cutting the gauze with scissors. Pam felt the rough guaze that had been irritating her temples and the bridge of her nose finally disappear for good.
Absalom put the scissors down and took a deep breath, hoping he wasn't going to disappoint Pam and the others. "All right, now shade your eyes. I'm going to remove the eye covers and I want you to take a couple of minutes to adjust to the light before you open them and remove your hand," he said gently.
Pam did as she was told, and the doctor removed the gauze. Ralph held Pam's other hand in solidarity while Bill just stood away from the group. He didn't want to interfere with the young couple's reactions... good or bad.
Ralph waited on baited breath, so much so he didn't realize he locked his knees and had paled a bit. He let go of Pam's hand to rub his eyes, starting to grow lightheaded...
Seeing Ralph sway forward and a couple of other symptoms, Absalom grabbed Ralph's arm with both hands and led him to the other side of the exam table. "Mrs. Hinkley, get off the exam table," said the doctor urgently and she listened, still covering her eyes.
He made Ralph lie down on the table and tilted the foot of it up slightly, elevating Ralph's feet. Absalom then put a cold, damp rag on Ralph's forehead. "Take it easy Mr. Hinkley, last thing we need you to have is a syncopal episode," said the doctor, who was now checking Ralph's pulse.
Ralph started to feel better, but was confused at what the doctor said. "A syncopal..."
"Sorry, I meant fainting spell. That's the medical term for it," said Absalom and Ralph blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Don't worry, you're not the first to nearly faint in my office. It's happened to others too."
"Oh Ralph..." said Pam softly, trying to picture what he looked like right now. She had to admit, what she did picture was funny, but wasn't going to add insult to injury, so to speak.
"Counselor, don't worry, he's fine, just looks like pale as a sheet," said Bill.
"Funny Bill, but at least it's not from you thinking I'm a dragon again," said Ralph, and Bill shook his head. Ralph turned his head to Pam slightly. "But seriously, I'm all right Pam... just acting like an expectant father it seems."
"Yeah, haveta admit ya look like one too," said Bill on second thought, and Ralph rolled his eyes slightly.
Absalom smiled softly, realizing that Ralph was feeling better, and turned to Pam. "Mrs. Hinkley, if you're ready, you can open your eyes and pull your hand back slowly."
Pam slowly opened her eyes and moved her hand back slowly. Ralph and Bill looked at her expecting the worst when she was frowning. "Well, Counselor," said Bill hesitantly.
"Pam?..."
She looked up and faced Ralph, her eyes giving a slightly blank stare. "Ralph... you do look like an expectant father, especially with your hair in a mess," she said softly. "And... next time wear your maroon tie with that coat. Why you always insist on that moss green one all the time I'll never know."
Ralph gave a whoop and started to sit up, only to have the doctor put his hand on his shoulder. Realizing that the doctor was keeping Ralph from standing up too quickly and faint, Pam walked over to Ralph and the two kissed. Bill too gave a whoop and shook Pam's hand. "All right, we beat the Dracos on all fronts," he said.
"Tell me about it. Too bad Walters won't know that we Davidsons and Hinkleys are stronger... well most of the time," said Pam giving a sideways glance at Ralph. The blond-haired man chuckled at the comment.
Absalom stepped forward. "Mrs. Hinkley, I'm glad you got your sight back, but I will warn you, you'll have to take it easy right now as your eyes will still be sensitive to some forms of light," he said. "Going outside today in this sun will be really harsh. You'll probably want to have sunglasses to wear when you leave the hospital. Now, Mr. Hinkley, let's try sitting up and see how you feel now..."
Pam frowned. "I didn't bring any. Ralph, did you?"
Ralph shook his head as he slowly sat up and let the doctor take his blood pressure. Bill smiled and pulled something out of his coat pocket. "Here, Counselor you can borrow my aviators. Just don't let them fall in the sewer."
Pam chuckled and tried them on. The group laughed when the aviators were a little too big for her to wear. "Well, so much for me doing my 'Hold it-freeze your face' impression," said Pam. "I'd look more like a Keystone Kop."
The other three chuckled, and after Ralph was given the all clear to leave and the young couple receiving instructions for the rest of the day, the three thanked Absalom and headed out the hospital.
When they arrived at the stationwagon, Ralph reached for the driver's side door, only to have Pam put a hand up. "Ralph, you heard what the doctor said..." said Pam.
"Honey, I feel fine," said Ralph. "Besides, you can't drive yet either."
Bill, knowing the doctor said Ralph couldn't drive for a couple of hours, decided to give them a hard time. "OK, boys and girls here's the scenario: the Counselor gets her eyesight back but can't drive yet because her depth perception is gonna be slightly off. Ralph here can't drive for a little while because he decides to nearly do his tumbling to the floor act..."
"Bill..." said Pam and Ralph warningly, not wanting him to butt in on their argument.
"Let me finish. So, the best thing to do is to let me drive and take the three of us to a celebratory dinner, my treat."
Ralph and Pam look at each other and smiled. "Really, what are we celebrating?" said Pam.
"You getting your eyesight back and kicking the Dracos' tails into the slammer," said the agent.
"Yeah, Pam did a great job knocking heads together too. Just like Daredevil, but with a lot more punch," said Ralph, remembering what he saw in the bunker and what Pam told him.
"All in a day's work, guys. Now, let's go before Bill changes his mind and decides to become a dragonslayer," said Pam with a smile.
"Cute Counselor, wouldja quit it with that? The only dragons I want to slay are on that video game," said Bill as they headed toward Bill's sedan.
Ralph walked with Pam and smiled. "Dragonslayer, huh? I think you're the one who did the 'dragon slaying.'"
"Yes, but there's one thing I like more."
"What's that?"
"Knowing that you and I treat each other like royalty," said Pam coyly. Ralph smiled and the two walked over to the sedan where Bill was impatiently waiting. After settling in the car, the the car drove onto the highway, its passengers telling a story how justice was blind... but it still won out in the end.
[glow=Teal,2,300]The End[/glow]
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