Later that evening, following the map he was given to the T, Tony knocked on Aidan's door, and after a few moments, she opened it, wearing the jammies. "Tony, come in. Everyone's here, they're in the living room," she said, smiling.
Entering the apartment, Tony noticed that the walls were decorated with all sorts of projects Aidan made during college. "Wow, Aidan, I thought you were a jewelrysmith teacher," he said. "You make this stuff too? It's... well amazing."
"Some of my other work, Tony, they made us study all the media. Now, why don't you sit down with everyone. You want something to drink?"
"Yeah, beer."
Aidan grimaced, forgetting that she didn't tell him this. "Nope, don't have it or any other spirits... I'm allergic to alcohol, and found out the hard way. How about a Coke?"
Tony nodded and went into the living room, catching on to the ensuing conversation. "What I don't get is how MK is tied into those would be attackers," said Ralph. "She's just your average student and no one has a grudge against her."
"Bill, is it possible that she was just kidnapped for ransom?" said Pam.
"No, if that was true, she'd probably been killed shortly after her kidnapping," said Tony instead. The others turned and looked at the new member of the conversation. "Hey, I know it sounds bad, but you know it's true. I think they wanted information out of her, maybe drugged her to get it. That's why she didn't say anything at the school."
"But the doctors only found sedatives in her system," said Ralph.
"Kid, as much as I hate saying it, pentathol is considered one too, so it's possible, but what did they want. Lazuli hasn't been much help even when she's been awake."
Aidan walked in the room with two cans of Coca-Cola, handing one to Tony, and setting the other one on the coffee table. She then picked up the handcuffs again, toying with them. She had tried several times during the evening to get a holograph, lying down each time to be on the safe side. "Well, I tried to get a holograph off the handcuffs, but still didn't get much about MK, so I'm guessing she's sleeping at the hospital. I did, however, get a name one time, a Drake Rutile."
"Drake Rutile, that name sounds familiar Aidan," said Pam. "I think he was a head member of a gun running ring we tried some time ago. I can look through my files to see if there are any links."
"Yeah, Counselor why don'tcha do that tomorrow," said Bill. "Maybe Tony'll be able to get more information from those bozos too when he interrogates them. The ones who shot Aidan haven't talked. I think someone threatened to cook their goose if they spilled the beans."
"Still doesn't explain MK's kidnapping though," said Aidan. "'Course, sometimes with the friends she keeps, maybe she thought it was a joke..."
"Friends? Didn't think of that angle, good work Artie," said Bill. "I'm going to call the hospital and see how Lazuli's doing and see if we can get some names of her friends."
As Bill talked on the phone, Aidan started getting a holograph, but it was more powerful than the first few she had. Feeling as though a tsunami of dizziness hit her, Aidan's eyes started to roll back as her knees suddenly buckled and she started falling to the ground. ...
Tony, noticing her pale and start to fall, grabbed her before she completely passed out and sat her in a chair. "Whoa there Aidan ... put your head between your knees," Tony said, placing a hand on her shoulder. As she obeyed, Aidan groggily wondered if Tony could see the holographs too, as she felt she needed a second set of eyes in case she went out. At the same time, Tony's head swum as he began to see an image in his head. "What the hell..." he shouted, yanking his hand off her shoulder as though she was on fire.
"What's wrong Tony," asked Ralph, who had come over to see what happened.
"I just saw something... something wavy, and it sure as hell wasn't Ade here..."
Ralph frowned and kneeled next to Aidan. "Aidan, you're getting a holograph aren't you?"
"Yeah... how do you know?" she said dizzily, raising up a little and resting her arms on her knees so she could look up.
"Judging from Tony's description and reaction, it has to be one and you let him see it. Now, let me see it... " he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. He too felt dizzy and started seeing the image. "OK, I can see it Aidan. Feel dizzy too... odd..." said Ralph, placing his other hand on the armrest keep from falling over from the vertigo.
Bill hung up the phone and turning around, noticed Aidan bent over and Ralph had his hand on her shoulder. The two were looking in the same direction and almost at the same eye level. Pam, watching the scene, looked at Bill questioningly, and he nodded to confirm what she was thinking.
Tony, concerned for Aidan's health, walked over to Bill. "What's going on? You've seen this haven't you?"
"Never seen it, but been a part of one. Judging from the look on Ralph's face, Artie's sharing the holograph with him," said Bill. "Just got off the phone with the doctors, Lazuli had a seizure. Doctors managed to stabilize her, but said she was having problems detoxing. They don't want us to bother her for a while."
"Great, now we've got to find another way to get these creeps," said Tony as he went to the bathroom to get something.
"Counselor, you might want to get something for Artie. She still looks pretty rough," said Bill. Though frowning at being ordered like a "third-string utility backup" again, Pam nodded and headed toward the kitchen.
Bill turned back to the others, and judging from the looks on the two other Hinkley's faces, the holograph had disappeared and Ralph and Aidan were exchanging some comments. Aidan put her head back down while Ralph got up and headed over to Bill. The two started discussing what Ralph and Aidan saw in the holograph.
When she was feeling better, Aidan sat up again, but still slouched over a bit. Tony brought a damp washcloth for Aidan. "Here, use this, it'll help," he said. "Sorry for my reaction, but that was a little too creepy, think it even beats the green guys."
"Try being the one who gets them all the time, Tony," she said with a bit of cynicism and put the washcloth on her neck. For once, Tony didn't have a smart alec comment to respond with, and instead let her rest and recover.
Looking at her, Bill decided not to put too much pressure on Aidan for the moment and turned back to Ralph. "Kid, did you and Artie see anything else in the holograph?'
Ralph shook his head. "No, just MK having a seizure like you said, then it shifted to a stockpile of guns, but just the guns. It was weird though, when Aidan shared the holograph with me, I felt dizzy."
"Me too," said Tony, overhearing the conversation. "But the holograph spooked me more than anything."
"Artie's always dizzy, has to be to dress in the wacky stuff she does..." dismissed Bill, stopping when she stuck her tongue out at him.
"You would say that," said Pam bitterly, handing Aidan a glass of water. "Never judge a book by its cover, Bill. Besides, Aidan isn't normally the type to react like this to anything."
Ralph shook his head. "Pam's right Bill, she isn't. Look, holographs never caused me to faint, and Aidan almost did. She said she's had a couple of other minor dizzy spells using the power too. I'm wondering if it's reacting differently with her wearing the suit, maybe because of her biochemistry or something. And, if it is, we need to find a way to keep her from reacting this way." Looking back at Aidan, he noticed her color was better. "Aidan, are you all right?"
Sitting up fully, Aidan nodded weakly. "Yeah, I hope this is temporary for my job's sake. It was weird, but from what I got in the holograph, it's like something's telling me the school's going to be attacked again, and for someone else."
"Maybe," said Ralph, thinking. "Questions are, when and who?"
