Same day, Later in the Afternoon

Blair slipped into the darkened auditorium and quietly made his way along the back wall to where he knew Jim would be standing. They had been switching, off and on, watching the Commissioner's niece, and Blair had taken his time away to explore the different displays at the convention.

"How're you doing, man?" Blair asked, leaning against the wall beside his partner. "Anything interesting happen?"

"I'm being bored to tears, Chief. I can't believe that people pay money to come to these things. I mean, who's that supposed to be up on the stage?" There was a definite sneer in Jim's voice.

"You remember him, Jim. The guy from Starship Troopers."

Ellison just looked down at his partner, his face a study in confusion.

"Blockbuster flick with giant bugs and lots of blood, gore and violence. You laughed at the part about the training of the soldiers."

Jim nodded and looked back up at the speaker on the stage. "Oh, right. Co-ed training and uniforms that reminded me of World War II and Germany. I thought that movie left the theaters a long time ago."

"It did. He's promoting his new movie that just came out. Most of the time, you don't get even one movie star at these conventions. Science fiction is mainly on television. Too expensive to put them on the big screen, except for the Star Trek pictures." Blair raised up on his toes to look over a small group of people who were standing in front of him. "Where's Krystal?"

"Front row, far right. She hasn't detached from her 'friend' once since they sat down. I wonder if the Commissioner knows about him."

Blair chuckled. "I doubt it. Did you let your Dad know about the girls you were dating at that age?" At the glare Jim sent him, Blair's grin faded from his face. "Sorry, man."

Both men stood silently until the audience started clapping and cheering. "Looks like it's about to wrap up. What's the next torture on the schedule, Chief?" Jim asked, standing up straight. The people in his line of sight to Krystal had risen to their feet and were starting to exit their rows.

Pulling a folded pamphlet from his back pocket, Blair flipped through a few pages until he came to the one with the desired information. "She wanted to go to a horror make-up demonstration. It's in the McKinley Room. That's around the corner. After that, nothing until tomorrow afternoon and evening."

"Thank God!" Ellison murmured fervently. "She's heading out the door. Let's go, Chief. I want to get this day over with."

"I hear that."

The two men moved slowly with the flow of people out the door of the auditorium. Once through the doorway, they were able to dodge around the milling attendees until they were near Krystal and her companion. The sound of a bass drum beating, along with cymbals clashing, caused both detectives to jump and turn toward the din.

"What in the hell is that?" Jim exclaimed, staring at the group moving in their direction. A man in alien make-up, dressed in some type of armor and carrying a banner, led a group of similarly clad people. They all looked alike with their costumes, long black hair and weaponry.

Blair smiled at his friend's expression. "That's just the Klingons, Jim. They're calling the members of their 'House' to a meeting."

Ellison frowned. "Those aren't Klingons. Not the ones I remember. When did they start making them look like that?"

"Oh, you mean from what they looked like in the original Star Trek series? They evolved between the first series and the second. Made them more warrior-like. Also had a better budget for special effects by then. I thought you didn't watch science fiction, Jim."

"I didn't, but some of my friends did. I wanted to watch Bonanza."

Blair could hear a slightly petulant tone in Jim's voice and laughed. "Why am I not surprised? The world of science fiction television has come a long way since 1965, Jim. One of these days I'll drag you into the present and you might just like it."

Ellison just grunted and continued down the hallway. He threw a few more glances at the passing group of Klingons, noticing that some were definitely female, before focusing his full attention back onto Krystal.

When they arrived at the McKinley room, the chairs were almost all taken. Krystal and her friend were together near the front. Taking their normal position against a wall near the back of the room, Blair turned to his friend.

"I'm getting thirsty. Want me to bring you back something to drink?"

"Yeah, thanks. Make it coffee this time. That soda we had at lunch was going flat. Left a bad taste in my mouth."

"Tasted okay to me, but who am I to argue with you." Blair gave Jim a wide smile at the knowledge that his friend was able to distinguish the freshness of the drink. "I'll be right back. Don't go to sleep, man. Your snoring would be too much of an interruption."

Ellison snorted, gave a half-hearted swing towards Sandburg's head, then shook his head and chuckled. Having Blair as a partner sure made details like this one more enjoyable. With a more relaxed expression on his face, Jim turned his attention to the woman who stepped to the front of the room and up on the mini stage with a microphone in her hand. Her features were obscured with what seemed to Jim like an excessive amount of make-up. Soothing music began playing from the four speakers set around the room and the lights dimmed until there was a clearly visible spotlight focused on the woman.

"As complex and intricate as the human mind may be considered, simple smoke and mirrors can make it believe anything," the woman voiced, raising her hands in a dramatic manner. As she finished speaking, white mist began to billow from the metal boxes on either side of the stage. The spotlight suddenly changed from normal to a flowing mirage of colors that widened until the whole front area of the room was bathed in the changing hues.

Without thinking, Ellison focused on the swirling shades of red, green, blue and purple. The music enhanced the effect of the light show until Jim became lost in the effect on his senses.

On the far side of the McKinley Room, a man costumed in a dark gray cape with a deep hood covering his head had watched the antics of the two detectives before the smaller one had departed. The close friendship of the men was important information to see and remember since it was displayed openly in public.

When Sandburg left, the man casually raised a hand holding a palm-size video camera and started recording Ellison. He noticed how the detective seemed to casually scan the room before coming to rest on the young woman sitting near the front. "Always on duty, despite all the distractions. Definitely different than how your partner seems to be," the man murmured, ensuring no one was close enough to hear what he said.

When the lights in the room changed and the show began, the man noticed Ellison staring at the flickering lights. He watched as the tall man stiffened, then Jim's face went slack, eyes locked forward in a stunned gaze. The watcher was about to move forward when Sandburg returned to the room with two cups in his hands. The young man moved quickly to his friend, set the cups down on the ground, then placed his hands on Ellison's forearms. It looked like he was speaking and trying to turn the larger man away from the light show. Sandburg struggled slightly to keep his friend from toppling over, then Ellison's eyes closed, he shook his head and finally looked at Sandburg.

"I wonder how long you would have stayed that way if your friend hadn't come back, Ellison. Very interesting." Turning off the video camera, the watcher followed the two men as they left the room.

Blair had been very lucky when he went for Jim's coffee. Because of the time of day, the small cafe near the lobby was almost empty and he was able to purchase Jim's drink and his tea quickly. That was a good thing because upon his return, he found his friend mesmerized by the light show flooding the room.

Placing the two cups on the floor near the wall, Blair lightly grasped Jim's arms and started turning him away from the lights. "Jim? Come on, man. This is not the place to do this." Blair pitched his voice in the tone he reserved for guiding his friend with his senses and at a level that he knew only Jim could hear.

"Time to come back from wherever you went, Jim. Come on, buddy. That's it." Blair was rewarded with Jim closing his eyes and shaking his head.

The taller man started to lean back but was stopped by Blair tightening his grip. When Jim opened his eyes, it was to see the concerned face of his partner staring up at him. He quickly looked around to see if anyone had noticed their actions, but they seemed to be just as mesmerized as he had been. Taking his friend by the arm, Jim walked to the door and out of the room as calmly as possible.

"What happened, Sandburg?" Jim asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Your senses must have been overwhelmed by the show." Blair glanced back at the room and saw that the lights were back to normal. "With the music they are using and the different visual effects, I'm surprised I was even able to bring you back as easily as I did. You all right?"

"Yeah. I wasn't expecting that. It happened even before I knew it. Thanks, Chief." Jim placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Guess we better go back in. Did you get my coffee? A jolt of caffeine would taste good right about now."

"Yeah, I set them on the floor near where you were standing. If nobody has kicked them over, they should still be there." Blair turned back to look at the room. The lights were now up, the fake mist had been stopped and the only noise coming from the speakers was the presenters' voice. "Stay there, Jim. I'll bring back your coffee, then take over the watch. We'll meet you in the lobby in about an hour when this is over." When Blair returned, he handed his friend a large cup, gave him a slap on the arm and turned back toward the room.

"Thanks, Chief." Removing the plastic lid and taking a deep draught of the still hot liquid, Ellison walked in the direction of the side exit doors.

After spending most of the hour around the backside of the hotel, enjoying the quiet and his coffee, Ellison walked back into the hotel and waited beside the doors. To borrow a saying from his boss, Simon Banks, his 'spidey' senses were tingling and he was feeling like the day had been too quiet. It was following right along with the hair standing on the back of his neck, which he usually attributed to someone watching him.

As a crowd of people began streaming out from the McKinley Room, more people came from around the corners on either side of the room. They converged in the hall in front of Ellison, blocking his view. He had just started across the area, trying to be polite as he pushed past oddly dressed adults and dodged hyper kids, when a bright flash and loud bang had him reaching for his weapon.

Mass confusion erupted as smoke began billowing from the alcove leading to the men's bathroom. The people nearest to the area started screaming and running toward the exit, causing others to panic.

"Sandburg!" Ellison started pushing past the frenzied crowd. He finally reached the doorway of the McKinley Room only to find a pile of people tumbled upon each other. Jim waded in and began to help them stand, knowing he'd find his friend somewhere in the pile.

Blair emerged from the mass looking slightly dazed. Jim pulled him out of the group and shifted the smaller man to a wall to check him out.

"You okay, Chief?"

"Yeah, yeah. What happened, Jim?" Blair looked around at the smoky area. Hotel staff were heading for the smoky bathroom with fire extinguishers in hand.

"Where's Krystal? Is she still in the room?"

"Her boyfriend took off first and we were just leaving when the explosion happened. She got out of the room ahead of me, then someone must have tripped. Before I knew it, there was a pile of people on top of me." Brushing his wild curls out of his face, Blair started to search around the area.

"I don't see her, Chief. The smoke is making it impossible to pick up her scent, too. You start towards the lobby. See if she's heading for any of the rooms that way or the lobby. I'll go in this direction." Jim pointed in the opposite direction of the lobby.

"Ellison!"

Jim froze at the sound of his name. He placed a hand on Blair's shoulder to stop him from leaving, his gaze searching the area for the speaker. "Did you hear that?"

"Can you hear me, Ellison?"

"What, man?"

Jim held up his hand to stop any further questions. The smoky haze in the area was hampering his vision, causing his eyes to water.

"She took off out the back door, Ellison. You'd better hurry."

Swinging in the direction he thought the speaker's voice was coming, Jim saw a couple of tall people in long, billowing capes striding down the hallway away from the area. "Head out the back door, Chief. She's gone out that way." With that, Jim took off after the costumed pair.

"Jim? Where are you going?" Seeing that his friend wasn't going to answer him, Blair threw up his hands in exasperation and trotted toward the exit doors.

Ellison jogged determinedly down the hallway towards the lobby, trying not to run over the conventioneers who were curious about the smoke and noise. His quarry seemed to stay just ahead of him despite his speed.

"Hold it!" Jim shouted, causing several heads, except for the ones he wanted, to turn in his direction. Ignoring the indignant cries of those he bumped in passing, Jim broke into a run.

Reaching the lobby of the hotel, he slid to a halt, almost running into a pair of men dressed as Klingons. "What is your problem, buddy?" One of them demanded, laying a hand on Ellison's arm.

Yanking his arm away, Jim pulled out his badge and held it towards the pair. "Cascade PD," he growled angrily, his attention on the lobby. Suddenly, his eyes landed on his quarry. Running in their direction, Jim leaped over a short retaining wall to land just behind them. Grabbing each by an arm, he swung them around to face him.

"I don't know what game you're playing..." Ellison started to say, but stopped when he finally got a good look at who he was chasing. The startled faces of two young women stared at him from under the hoods, their eyes wide in fright.

Releasing their arms, Jim stepped back. "Sorry, ladies," he mumbled and turned to search the rest of the room. A couple of firemen were coming through the front door along with a uniformed policeman, but there weren't any others wearing capes. Whoever had been speaking to him at a level that only his sentinel hearing could pick up was no longer in the room, or had never been there. Frustrated, Ellison started walking back to where he'd left Sandburg.

Confused at his partner's actions, Blair nonetheless followed instructions and took off in the direction of the exit doors. Slamming out the doors, he struggled through the milling crowd until he was able to get a clear view of the back area. Slowing spinning around, he spotted Krystal walking arm-in-arm with her male friend toward a red sports car.

"Krystal!" Blair shouted, jogging in her direction.

Turning sharply at the sound of her name, Krystal crossed her arms across her chest and scowled. "I've got a ride home, Detective. I don't need you anymore today." Behind her, the boyfriend had opened the passenger door and waited. Without waiting for an answer, Krystal turned back to the car and climbed in. The boyfriend closed the door and trotted around to his side to get in.

"Your uncle said we're supposed to escort you today," Blair said slightly breathless when he reached the car. He leaned onto the door by the girl, grasped the handle and opened the door. "Say good-bye and come on out."

The young man at the wheel cranked over the ignition and shifted the car into gear. "You heard her. Later, dude," the boy sneered and stepped on the gas.

The door was torn from Blair's grasp, causing him to stumble back out of the way. The forward momentum of the car brought the passenger door close enough for Krystal to reach out, grab the inner door handle and slam it shut.

"Damn it, Krystal! GET BACK HERE!" Blair screamed, running after the departing vehicle. Seeing that he wasn't going to catch the car by chasing it, Blair started to cut through the different rows of vehicles, moving toward the parking lot entrance.

The red car swung around a final curve, moving towards the exit, when a figure stepped out into the middle of the road. Krystal saw that it was Blair. Hearing the car accelerate, she turned to the driver.

"What are you doing, Brand?" Fear tinged her words.

"If he wants to play, I'm all for it," Brand voiced with an evil chuckle.

The engine of the car roared as it sprang forward. Hearing that, Blair raised his right arm, braced his legs and pointed his pistol at the oncoming vehicle. Softly, he voiced to himself, "Don't make me do this, kid."

Krystal, seeing the determination on Blair's face, slapped at her companion and screamed for him to stop. Surprisingly, the boy followed the order, slamming on the brakes. The car swerved to a stop only five feet from Blair.

"I've got to quit watching Jim. I'm doing his dumb stunts now," he voiced out loud. A trickle of sweat trailed its way down the side of his face.

Keeping his pistol trained on the car, Blair walked around to the passenger side. Grabbing the handle, he yanked the door open. "Get out," he ordered. Krystal obeyed meekly.

Kicking the door shut, Blair leaned down with his weapon still trained on the driver. "Take off. I don't want to ever see you again." Taking Krystal by the arm and stepping back, Blair waited until Brand drove off before dropping his pistol to his side. He turned toward the girl. "What in the hell do you think you were doing? This is not a game. I almost had to shoot him." Blair's anger grew as he realized what he did.

Krystal said nothing, standing with her arms crossed and head hanging down. The petulant but embarrassed look on her face told Blair that she was hearing what he said but not listening.

Tucking his pistol into the shoulder holster his partner had made him wear this morning, Blair once again grabbed Krystal's arm and started pulling her toward the doors. "Come on. Let's go find Jim."

Major Crime Bullpen, Same Day, Later in the Afternoon

Jim Ellison strode off the elevator when the doors opened onto the floor housing the Major Crime division. His face looked like a storm cloud, causing others crossing his path to quickly move out of the way. Blair Sandburg was close behind, pulling a very unhappy Krystal Cameron with him.

When the two detectives reached their desks, Ellison quickly removed his jacket and tossed it onto his chair, then walked to the door marked 'Simon Banks, Captain.' He knocked twice, then entered without waiting to be invited. The door closed firmly behind him.

Blair watched his partner until he disappeared into the office. Digging into his pocket, he brought out a key and pulled Krystal forward by the handcuffs connecting them. He unlocked the cuff attached to his wrist. "Sit there and don't move."

When the girl flopped into the chair, Blair took the now open cuff and snapped it closed onto the arm of the chair. Krystal looked at the cuff, then up at Blair. She opened her mouth to protest, but quickly closed it when she saw the expression on his face. Slumping further into the wooden seat, Krystal's whole demeanor screamed that she was shutting out the room around her.

With a last look of disgust at the girl, Blair pulled off his own coat, grabbed his partner's and hung both on the nearby coat rack. Then, he strode over to Banks' office. Unlike Jim, he knocked and waited for a reply. The door opened quickly and he entered.

"Where is she, Sandburg?" Banks asked the young detective after he'd dropped down onto a chair beside his partner.

"I put her at the chair beside our desks. She won't be going anywhere," came a sullen reply.

Eyeing the two men in front of him, Banks stood up and peered out the blinds of his office. He quickly turned around. "You handcuffed Commissioner Matthews' niece to a chair? What are you thinking? Go let her loose!" Banks ordered.

"Believe me, Captain, it's better if she stays where she is. She'd be gone in a moment if Blair hadn't done that," Ellison spoke up in defense of his partner, then turned to Blair. "I noticed a red BMW following us from the hotel. That belong to the boyfriend?"

"Little bastard tried to run me over with it." Blair's expression darkened momentarily, then he dropped his head. "I had to pull my weapon on him, Jim. I almost had to shoot at him to make him stop. That was too close, man."

His partner's avoidance of using deadly force had been the topic of several discussions. Ellison reached over and gave Sandburg's shoulder a firm squeeze, but didn't comment. Instead, he steered the conversation back to the reason for their assignment. "I reported the car's license plate number to dispatch to find out who this kid is."

"You think he's more than just a boyfriend?" Banks asked, resuming his chair behind his desk.

Ellison stared out the windows toward the outdoors for several long seconds before answering. "Something doesn't feel right. An officer from the Arson squad told me that the device used to create the diversion in the bathroom was a little more technical than what some kid could build. I'm waiting for the full report. Besides, we never saw him go anywhere near the bathroom."

"So, it's possible he's working with someone else."

"Maybe... I don't know. Maybe not. They could have just taken advantage of someone else's plan to create confusion and got lucky." Ellison rubbed his hand over his face.

"Should we have some help for tomorrow?" Blair asked his partner, thinking of what could have happened.

"I can spare Brown and Rafe. There's a flu bug running through the uniformed force and we've been asked to help. I can't pull anyone else away," Simon offered.

Ellison gave his Captain a weary grin. "That's more than I expected. Thank you, sir. Come on, Chief. Let's get her highness back home and let her uncle handle her." Ellison stood up and gave Sandburg a slap on the shoulder to get him moving.

"What if she tells the Commissioner about your treatment?" Simon asked, looking at the door with a concerned expression on his face.

Blair gave his Captain a broad smile. "I don't think she'll do that, Captain. We'd have to tell him about the boyfriend and her actions with him today. Something tells me the Commissioner is not totally blind about his niece, with maybe the exception of who she's running around with, and I don't think she wants him to know about this kid."

"I hope you're right, Sandburg," Banks replied, then turned his attention back to the work in front of him.

After leaving the office and closing the door behind them, Ellison held Blair back with a hand on the smaller man's arm. "Something else happened at the hotel, Chief. I'm not sure if it has to do with Krystal or not."

Confusion and concern flooded Blair's face. "What, man? Your senses go bonkers any other time besides during that effects show?"

Looking around the room to make sure that no one was paying any attention to them, Jim pulled Blair a short distance away from their desks. "Twice I heard someone calling my name."

"And?"

"It was at a level that only I can hear." That caught Blair's attention. "The first time, I discounted it as just a fluke. The second time was during the smoke bomb confusion. He, and I'm pretty sure it was a man, first asked me if I could 'hear' him, then warned me that Krystal was heading outside."

"And you reacted to him both times. Aw shit, Jim. That means someone there knows about you and gave you a test. Think he could have seen you zone?"

"Anything is possible. I'll have to be more careful tomorrow."

"Did you recognize the voice?"

"No, he really didn't speak in a normal tone. But, it could have had an accent. I'm not sure."

"Damn, Jim! We only just got this assignment. He must have been following us around to show up at the hotel."

"Then the question that should be asked is how long has he been following us and why?" Jim's hands were clenched due to the frustration he was feeling.

Blair placed a comforting hand on his partner's arm. "Easy, man. We'll both be on guard tomorrow and you let me know the minute this guy starts talking to you again. Two pairs of eyes are better than one, even if one set is yours."

Ellison saw the trust and confidence in Sandburg's face and couldn't help the smile that appeared on his own. The one thing he knew he could always count on was his friend's help. It sure felt good.

Unknown Location, Same Afternoon

Brandon Colfax stood nervously in front of the desk sitting in the prefab office of the empty packing plant. He'd arrived nearly an hour earlier, but had been kept waiting before being allowed to speak with the men he worked for.

"What happened, Mr. Colfax?" asked the man behind the desk. He was partially in a shadow, barely illuminated by the light coming from the lone window. "Your only task was to escort the girl out of the hotel and bring her here."

"She had two cops dogging her all day, Vince-- I mean Mr. Trujillo," Brand quickly corrected himself at the irritated look he received. "I tried, honestly I did. Then, the short one, Sandburg, almost blew me away when we were leaving."

~sigh~ "I guess this is what I get for sending a boy to do a man's job." Trujillo ignored the anger that flared on the young man's face. "Tomorrow, you'll try again. Undoubtedly, they'll have some help. So this time, I'll be there to make sure you don't screw up. Frankie!"

Answering the bellow, another man entered the office. Where Trujillo was obviously of a Hispanic ethnicity, this man was almost Aryan with his bright blond hair and sharp blue eyes. Despite the difference in appearance, both were very similar in their attitude towards the young man; he was just a tool to be used for their purpose.

"Yeah, Vince," Frankie answered.

"Brand needs some help in accomplishing his mission tomorrow. We'll need the appropriate costumes to fit in with the surroundings and whatever you need to handle the local cops." Understanding Vince's meaning, Frankie smiled at Brand, but the expression didn't reach his eyes.

The young man became more nervous, wondering why he ever thought working for these men would be fun. "Uh, do... what time should I be at the hotel?" Brand stammered.

"Be here by Noon. We'll travel together," Vince replied, enjoying the terror he was creating in the kid. "Now beat it." Brand scrambled quickly out of the office, ignoring the laughter following him.

Both men sobered as soon as the door closed. "Why do we need that punk, Vince? I could've gotten the girl during the confusion with the smoke bomb." Frankie sat casually on the side of the desk, irritation showing plainly on his face.

"Easy, my friend. Brand's ineptitude allowed us to gage the effectiveness of the girl's escort." Vince leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head. "But we can't fail tomorrow. If the Council votes to recommend a refusal on our request to rezone the valley, the consortium stands to lose a lot of money."

Frankie grimaced, knowing that they would pay a heavy price for the failure. "But Matthews' vote isn't the only one that would make a difference."

"You're right, but she happens to be the easiest of the three targets. I don't like to fail, Frankie. We have an opportunity to move up in the consortium and make a tidy profit overall. Do you have the items we'll need for tomorrow?"

"Are you kidding? The costumes were being sold openly to anyone at the convention. We'll easily blend in with the crowd." Frankie grinned at his partner as he slid off the desk.

Chuckling, Vince stood up and walked around to his friend, throwing an arm around the man's shoulder. "I never doubt your abilities." The two walked out of the office.