At the hospital, Ralph and Bill sat in the waiting room hoping to hear from the doctor again. The last time he spoke to them was to say Pam was in stable condition but had worsened slightly .
"Come on kid, you know she's at least alive. No news is good news," said Bill.
Ralph stood up and walked around. "I know, it's just, what happened? It's been two hours. I mean, Pam didn't appear to be injured, but here she is in the hospital unconscious and we don't know why."
Before Bill could say anything, the doctor came in. Ralph held back, knowing the doctor wouldn't release information to him in his current appearance. Bill, recognizing this, turned to the doctor and pretended to be "Ralph." "How is she doctor," he asked.
"Right now, she's stable, but we're not too sure what's causing this," the doctor responded. "There are no contusions, no signs of a concussion or other normal signs of illness. We're still waiting for the toxicology results from the blood sample, and we'll keep you posted on her condition."
"Thank you doc," said "Ralph." Once the doctor left, he turned to the other man. "Ralph, I know you too well to know that you are still hiding information from me. Can you for once fill me in on the whole enchilada, since Carlisle obviously failed to," he said.
Ralph sighed, knowing this time, he had to say everything. "All right, when I heard Pam was going to be working on a huge case and I watched the news about the drug ring, I decided to try and do some research to figure out the details, but only for her safety. Anyway, this drug ring case is bigger than what even I thought. The person on trial, a Michael Sardonyx, is the head of the ring."
"Yeah, heard about him kid," said Bill. "He's the one who created sapphire comets, which's pretty much addictive at the start, if it doesn't kill you that first time."
"That's him. He was also a well-known pharmacist and doctor before a malpractice suit led to his 'change of heart.' Anyway, a couple of months ago, he was at a party where he offered someone a hit of the drug. Well, the person took the hit, immediately collapsed and stopped breathing. Another person also was affected when his body absorbed some of the drug while giving the other CPR. However, he survived and is right now the key witness in the case. Of course, Sardonyx doesn't want him to testify, because without the testimony, the judge will have no choice but to acquit and he'd go free."
"I get it, and since the others were going to watch him like a hawk even in the restaurant, they were going to have to kill him in a discreet manner. But why go gung-ho and start shooting? Especially in a room full of agents and officers," said Bill.
Ralph started putting it together and was horrified at the thought. "Bill, I think you're right about the gunfire, but I don't think that was the original plan. He must have decided to use the shooting as a backup. The guy we caught must have had poison on his person and tried to kill the witness that way. But instead of him, got Pam."
Just then, the doctor came in. Bill reassumed his guise as "Ralph." Before he could say anything, the doctor responded. "I just got the lab reports. Your wife has been poisoned, but we've never seen this type of poison. We're doing everything we can, but right now, she's still very ill. We'll keep you updated."
As he left, Bill and Ralph looked at each other. "Well, kid, I think it's time we went and talked to our 'Sleeping Beauty' at the agency," he said.
Ralph nodded. "You're right, Bill. For once, I think I'm going to like being the big, bad FBI agent. But I'll still need your and the suit's help."
Bill smiled. "Kid, it'll be a pleasure."
"I bet, just don't get gung-ho yourself trying new things in the jammies. Remember, you and I need to return to our normal selves, and I'd rather not have to nurse a concussion."
----------------------------------------
At the agency, "Bill" faced a now recovered Jeff. "Come on, spill it, what did you actually do in the restaurant?"
"I did nothing. Come on, you ain't got nothing on me. Besides, all I have to do is tell your boss that you travel with a guy who likes dressing up as Captain Longjohns."
Ralph was finding it harder to stay in Bill's character, but he continued. "Listen, pal, it won't matter if you tried, because all they'll do is put you in a straightjacket and into the rubber room. Believe me, I've seen quite a few end up that way. Now, let me reintroduce you to a friend of ours." Just then, "Ralph" reappeared.
"What, you again," sputtered Jeff.
Bill didn't even try to keep in Ralph's demeanor, didn't need to either. "That's right pal, my partner and I want to know what you poisoned the Counselor with."
"What the dame? We was after the guy."
"That's right pal, you got her instead, and believe you me, if she dies, your life will be more than a simple case of confusion," said Ralph, nearly dropping his agent guise. "So, if you want to get off a bit lightly, you'd better spill everything and now."
"All right, I did put the poison in the mashed potatoes. The gunfight was just a way to be certain that we were successful if Fred didn't eat the potatoes."
"Well, what was the poison," said the man in red.
"Don't know exactly, but it's one of Sardonyx's many creations. I overheard him talking, and from what he said, after taking it, the person blacks out after a half an hour, and usually lapses into a coma within three. Then, 12 hours later, tops, the person dies. Now, I heard about an antidote, but before you ask, I don't have it."
Ralph was stunned. "Well, do you even know if there is one? And I'd answer quickly if I was you."
"Yeah, I do know there's one, he showed me just in case something happened and I was poisoned. It's at his current 'home.' Now, I won't say anything else without a lawyer."
"Bill" glanced at "Ralph" and nodded. The blonde-haired figure turned invisible. "Well, thank you for your time, and remember, you didn't see the man in the funny red suit, that is, unless you want to go to the rubber room for a long time."
"Bill" turned and left, telling the agents that he was finished. He then headed out of the office and found the other man. "So, were you able to snag anything our friend had that you can get a holograph from," Ralph asked.
"I was able to get the poison bottle from the exhibit storage. I guess I hold on to it and concentrate, right?" said Bill.
"Yeah, you also need to relax, and you should be able to get a holograph of the location. If all else, look into the aviators and you should be able to see it."
Bill relaxed and let his mind open. Sure enough, he got an image off the aviators "Bill" was wearing. Ralph again touched the suit so he could see the image as well. "I've got something, I think it's the location of the hideout," said Bill.
"Yeah, I see it Bill. But, Sardonyx's there too, so we'll have to be careful."
"Right, come on, let's go get that creep." The two headed toward the pickup when Ralph turned to Bill. "You know, it'd be better if you go and fly to the location."
Bill groaned. "You sure pal? I mean, I could crash and get hurt."
"I'm willing to take that chance if it means saving Pam's life. Use the communicator to give me directions, and I'll be there shortly."
Bill nodded and turned to look at the skies. He took three steps and started flying, albeit a bit wobbly. The real Ralph looked into the skies and smiled. "Well, it only took him a couple of tries, but I think he did pretty well." He got into the pickup and began following "himself" to the location.
-------------------------------------
Sardonyx was not happy with his henchman's report. "What do you mean Fred's still alive," he shouted.
"Sorry, boss, we saw him and an officer head to a safe house, and we couldn't follow. But, a few minutes later we saw an ambulance drive up and take the attorney to the hospital. I think she ended up taking the poison."
"Just as good," said Sardonyx. "With her in the hospital, they cannot go to trial, and when Fred hears that his counselor was poisoned, he'll chicken out on testifying. All the better for us. Good work." He hung up the phone and looked at his watch. It would only be a little while longer before she worsened and died. Then he'd be home free to deal more of his special drug to those willing to experiment with freedom, albeit sometimes the fatalistic kind.
----------------------------------
"Whoa……" screamed "Ralph" as he flew. He was trying to talk to the real Ralph through the communicator, but he just barely missed hitting a billboard. "I'll never kid him about being knocked out by one the first time he flew again," he mused.
"Bill, I'm not reading you. Where are you," said his voice over the communicator.
"Sorry, kid, close call. We're almost there. You'll see a brick mansion with white gingerbread trim on it. There are a few henchmen at the gate, but that's it. If I can manage to sneak in, I'll have them sawing logs before they know what hit them."
"OK, just be careful and if you think you're going to crash into something, protect that head."
"Sure kid," Bill said and tucked the communicator into the sleeve of the suit. Just then, he saw a flock of birds coming toward him. He gasped, covered his head with his arms, and crashed. Standing up, Bill collected his thoughts and turned invisible. He made short work of the three henchmen at the gate, and all three were out like a light. Just then, Bill's car pulled near the driveway and "Bill" got out.
"Well, I never thought I'd say it, but you got it right this time, Bill, good work."
"Can we can it with the compliments right now Ralph, it makes my eyes water. Now, let's get inside and tackle Sardonyx."
The duo headed toward the building, unaware that there was a fourth henchman keeping an eye on them. "Sardonyx, you're not going to believe this, but there's a G-Man and a guy wearing a clown outfit inside the perimeter."
"Well, bring them in and we'll make them comfortable," Sardonyx said with slightly sinister glee.
The man went down to ground level and reached Bill and Ralph. He pointed the rifle at them. "OK, you two, don't know how you got here, but you're coming to meet Sardonyx."
Bill, knowing the suit would protect him, started toward the man, but stopped when he heard a second gun click. He turned to see that someone else had a gun trained on Ralph's - his - head. He glanced at the grey-headed man and the two gave a knowing look. They put their hands up and headed toward Sardonyx's home with an escort.
-------------------------------------
The doctor at the hospital checked Pam's vitals again and frowned. In the past hour, her condition had worsened. He had tried everything they knew to help remove the poison, but she had still not regained consciousness.
"Nurse, I want you to check on Mrs. Hinkley again in an hour. If her condition does not improve, I'm going to need to speak with Mr. Hinkley about some treatments we might try."
The nurse nodded and left, and the doctor sighed. He knew that if Mrs. Hinkley's condition did not improve soon, it might be too late to save her life.