"Umm, Aidan still asleep…weird…." Angie said softly as she sat up in the small day bed that they had shared last night. She glanced over at the crib, seeing her son sleeping peacefully and then looked down at Rollie, who was lying on his back, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, his hands folded across his chest.

"Rollie, about last night…." Angie began, biting her lip as she leaned against the wall and brought up her knees against her chest. She felt no pull at all on her incision now and was feeling more like her old self again.

"Don’t worry about it…I’m sorry I never told you sooner about what really happened in that room, Ange."

She touched the top of his head, resting her hand in the pile of wavy curls that rested on the pillow and remembered her hand resting on another dark head, a chill going down her spine as she remembered Michael Sanchez’s slumped body in the hospital basement.

"Rollie, about earlier last night…I know I got carried away with Luce and I need to go and apologize but it still unnerves me that she lied."

"Uh, Angie- there’s something you need to know…"

"Why would she lie to me?"

"Angie, she didn’t, sweetie. Listen to me know, just listen!" Rollie said, reaching for her hand and holding it tightly as he felt her tense up,wanting to interrupt him with her protest of Tony’s innocence.

"Lucinda found out that Tony is not really Tony. He has been using the name of a graduate student at NYU in the film school. The other thing is and listen, Angie- he has been doing things to Lucinda and she told me that she would fill me in on the details today. I believe her, Angie. She was adamant and upset that you didn’t believe her. She saw this guy on the security tape doing something pretty upsetting to her and now the tape is gone. She also lifted some prints for Vanduran so that we can see if a fingerprint can lead us to who he really is…"

"Rollie! I have never had a problem with him. Maybe he is not Tony Alvarez…maybe he has a reason why he used that name so that I when I checked his credentials, he would come out as a film student. You know, to get the job…"

"Angie, the guy has as much threatened me when you weren't in listening range,that he’s out to replace me," Rollie replied, as Angie sighed and touched him softly on the forehead.

"And you’re worried about that? After all we have been through, I’m going to jump in this guy’s arms when I have the great Rollie Tyler?"

"Well, not so great any more, am I?" Rollie answered as he stared out at the darkness that was his life.

"Don’t you say that!" Angie said, sharply and slid back down next to him and curled up beside him, her hand resting on his face as she rested her head on his chest; "Rolph Mer said he was coming and could help! I am going to keep the faith here, Rol. As far as Tony or whoever he might be, I still have to give him the benefit of the doubt and get an explanation from him."

"What about Luce?"

"Yeah, well- you know how she blows everything out of proportion. I am sure it really is something like that. Maybe she tried to make out with him and he just refused her. That could have a lot to do with why she is mad at him. Lucinda Scott always gets her man!"

"Not always…she has a terrible track record of keeping them…"Rollie reminded her.

"Yeah, but she still comes back scratching at your door…" Angie retorted, remembering them together from last night.

"She’s my friend, and yours, I might add."

Angie nodded in silence as she sighed. Aidan stirred and she felt the fullness of her breasts and the need to feed him. Rollie sat up as Angie moved away from him and got out of the bed. He moved over and stood up, with the strange sensation again of seeing numbers and colors in geometrical patterns race across his mind’s eye for a second. Then the perception was gone and the blackness returned. That was the second time he had this short dreaming of something…but what was it?

"Going for a shower…" he told Angie not wanting to alert her yet about the sensation. He felt for the door as she smiled and went over and bid Aidan a good morning. She quickly changed his diaper, talking to him in sweet reassurances and then took him to her breast as he nursed with a ferocious hunger. She leaned her head back against the head of the rocker and took in all the scenes of anger last night and what Rollie had told her this morning.

Somehow, she just couldn’t see Tony the way Lucinda described him or for that manner, how Rollie depicted him. When he came in this morning, she would just ask him point blank and solve the problem.

Lucinda sat in Vanduran’s office, waiting. He had made a trip down to the lab about the tool kit she had brought in for dusting of prints. She smiled sweetly as she heard him approach and enter his office, shutting the door.

She looked up at the clock and worried. It was almost ten now, and the so-called Tony Alvarez was bound to be at the loft now.

"Lucinda, I’m sorry but there is no match for the print. He’s not been in the service or had a past criminal record…" Vanduran said, shaking his head and sitting down at his desk, resting his chin in his hands as he looked over at the gorgeous actress.

"Damn it! How am I going to prove it to Angie?" she replied, clenching her fists and standing up.

"We could do a little surveillance on him…would that help?" Vanduran asked, his eyes brightening as Lucinda’s lit up.

"You bet! Now that I am out from under the loft household, I could watch him with you!" she remarked, her face registering her determination and the possibility of being with him.

"Oh, I…uh…well- I do have some time coming and since I can’t really authorize staff without an official reason for investigation and proof- sure. Why not? It will be an adventure!"

"Marvin, anything with you will be an adventure, I’m sure," Lucinda said, standing and touching his arm softly.

Vanduran blushed slightly as he stood up, walking her to the door. As he opened his door to the outside squad room, curious eyes from all over the room were watching. That included his two top detectives, Sanchez and Gatti who were interested as well.

"There better be a gunman right beside my office door holding hostages…" he warned, in a roar, "or else, get your attention back on your work!"

Lucinda giggled slightly as she left then, "I call you later for a time and place…" she said as she passed Mira and touched her briefly on the shoulder. Mira followed her out into the hallway. Vanduran made a face at everyone and went back inside his office, fuming that forty pairs of eyes a day always scrutinized his business.

"Hey, Luce…how’s it going at Tylerville?"

Lucinda rolled her eyes and began her long story as Mira listened with her mouth starting to drop open. She really needed to talk to the both of them. They had left her out of the picture for sometime and it sounded like she needed to get a refresher course on their lives.

"You and the Captain are going to follow this dude?" Mira asked, then suppressed a laugh.

"Yes, isn’t it cool!" Lucinda replied, grabbing her arm tightly.

"Oh yeah…definitely cool!" Mira answered and then added; "hey, you let me know how that’s going…we are in a big, bad case with a serial killer so keep me up to date. There are so real sickos in this city right now!"

"Tell me about it!" Luce replied, as she started down the stairs to the ground floor, "this crazy guy that Angie has had helping her since she was pregnant with Aidan… threatening me and telling Rollie he’s out to replace him…and then the video tape he stole from my bag! Talk about a nutcake!"

Mira had only been half listening to Luce’s rambling escapades about Rollie and Angie and some temporary help that Luce was having trouble with, when her mind came to a dizzying halt. The mind click was there and she raced down the stairs after Luce.

"Hey Luce!" she yelled after her as she caught up to her at the first landing.

"This guy, Alvarez…"

"That’s not his real name…I got a print for Marvin. Nothing came up on his police database or military database," Luce said, shaking her head.

"Whatever, you said he started working with Angie when?"

"Um, I think not long after Rollie was abducted, as a helper for her, you know. She was getting so pregnant and couldn’t do some of the stuff…so, she hired him. He has stuck to her like glue since!"

Mira nodded as she began to formulate a scenario that she didn’t particularly like in that it involved Angie and what she had seen over the past few years with the serial killer murders. To think that her close friend might actually have stumbled onto him, no! she thought to herself. Angie and Rollie had been through so much. It was ridiculous to think that yet again, something this dark and sinister could be stalking them. Besides, the other victims had all had a much briefer time spent with the murderer. Angie had this guy working for her for some time before and after but then again, Rollie had come back home!

She said goodbye again to Luce and ran back up the stairs to get Francis and drag him into Vanduran’s office with her revelation.

"I wonder where Tony is?" Angie asked, the whole family downstairs now as she paced back and forth. Rollie lay on the couch, Aidan on his chest as he talked to his son in gibberish, hearing him coo back and grunt.

"Don’t know, don’t care! Listen Ange- we don’t need him. Time to let him go, huh?" Rollie replied as Angie frowned.

"I want to talk to him, Rollie. The jury isn’t out, you know! Just because Lucinda and you have convicted him…"

There was a fervent knock on the door and Angie looked up at the security camera to see Rolph Mer looking over his shoulder down the alley.

"Rollie! It’s Rolph!" Angie remarked and opened the door.

Rollie sat up, smiling and put Aidan in his day crib beside the couch, his anticipation and hope flooded his mind as he heard Rolph’s greeting to Angie.

"Mr. Tyler! I am glad I found you and your wife so quickly once I arrived here in New York," he said, as he followed Angie over to the living area and sat down across from Rollie.

Angie had retrieved the PDA and removed the vial from the battery pack as she joined them on the couch. She sat beside Rollie, a hand resting on his leg as Rolph looked at both of them and sighed slightly.

"Whoa, is that good or bad," Angie remarked, looking at his face.

"Could be good, or bad- Mr. Tyler…I need to know something, please. You see nothing at all?"

Rollie frowned, wondering what the hell he was asking. He had been there with Eckmiller during all the examination and tests that had been performed.

"That’s right, zip, nothing…" he replied, shifting in his seat as Angie tightened her grip on his thigh.

"Oh…" Rolph said, disappointed, his face registering his dismay, "from what I found out, if you had been implanted with the Grieshboult diodes, then you would still have sight, although chemically reduced to almost non-existence. Now that you have told me this, well- you had the far worse situation- you had the Roche diodes, the nerve corrupters."

"Wait, how would you know? I have the diodes here! And what the hell did you just say, I need it broken down there, mate!" Rollie said, tensing up and worried.

"Sorry…my research into Eckmiller’s logs and database confirmed my comments, Mr. Tyler. I kept a daily download of all research on my own system at home. The only day I did not get downloaded was the day that we did all the examination and testing on you. Eckmiller was killed right after that and well, my research of his notes and data support the possibility of the two systems that I told you about. Apparently, the group that held you- Eckmiller had been doing research and treatment with people, ones that had come to him for reversals. His notes and research pointed to two different diodes implanted. Those that supported only long enough to control the user into thinking that the dependence on the diode vision was the single source of vision by chemical altering the neuro net connections to the brain in the retina and then, the other implant- the Rouche ones. They actually corrupt the optic nerve and damage it forever. I imagine it depended on this group's ability to extract necessary information from the victim and whether or not they planned to use them for operative work."

Angie rolled her eyes and shook her head. Rolph Mer still was not clear to her as Rollie took a deep breath and then said; "so, my optic nerves are now corrupt, damaged forever because they were unable to get anything from me. Sorta like a punishment, eh?"

"Who knows, the notes aren’t that specific about why the two different systems were used and as to which operative candidates were chosen. It is interesting because it all started with a candidate named Michael Sanchez. He had the Rouche diodes implanted."

"Well, if the implants are the first kind, the Grieshboult ones?" Angie asked suddenly, following along now, "then there was a chance for reversal of blindness, if the chemical penetration of the neuro nets was not complete?"

"Yes, exactly…now, with these implants," and he reached over as Angie handed the vial to him, "I can look at them under microscope and see which ones they were but the second thing is, and sorry to say- if Mr. Tyler hasn’t had any return of vision, well then either chemical induced or corrupted, he is now fully blind. I had hoped he would tell me he had an inkling of vision…you said that Mr. Sanchez turned off your implants, destroying the input to the brain. He was just too late, I imagine if these were indeed the Grieshboult ones. A gallant effort on his part, however!" Rolph exclaimed, shaking his head.

"Bloody hell!" Rollie muttered, "I was sure with the dreaming…the meeting with you and then, those weird numbers and diamonds and rectangles I kept seeing in my mind! Thought it was a sign!"

Angie rested her head against his shoulder, knowing how much stock he put in his dreamings.

"Dreamings?" Rolph looked confused now and shook his head.

"Like awake dreams, you know- Aborigine vision quest stuff. I was raised with it and it has never failed me," Rollie said as Rolph continued to look perplexed.

"I had a dreaming, the bells chiming and a beautiful sea I was resting in and I could see it all!"

"You were standing at the old clock tower when it chimed in Bonn," Angie reminded him, "and that’s when we met Rolph again."

"Yeah, but the sea- why the sea?" Rollie asked as Rolph suddenly smiled.

"This is like a symbol of something, yes? My name, Mr. Tyler- my last name is Mer. My father’s ancestors were from France, went to Germany in the last century. You must know that Mer means "sea" in French."

Rollie smiled back but then shook his head, "all well and good but twice now, I have seen the numbers and geometrical shapes as well, what’s that about?"

They all remained stumped until Rolph stood up, pacing in front of the couch; "I wish I could see these implants under a microscope right now!"

"No problem…Ange, show him the splicing scope in the shop!" Rollie replied, standing up.

"Come on Rolph, we may have what you need!" Angie replied, wondering why she was slow on the pick up today.

Rollie waited for the verdict as he reached over and felt for Aidan who was quietly beginning to discover there was a difference between the people that held him as his rooting went unsuccessful.

"You’ll have to wait there, little mate- I don’t have the keg on tap for you," Rollie said with a chuckle as he put his finger in his son’s mouth and sat back down again.

He heard them coming back toward him and Angie’s elevated announcement was what he had been waiting for; "They are the Grieshboult diodes, Rol!"

"So now what? I had some sort of chemical that was injected into my retina with them, making my brain think I couldn’t see?" Rollie asked, as Angie took over holding Aidan.

"Exactly, the chemical is a version of strychnine that induces a chemical reaction with the retina, invading the neuro net and causing temporary blindness. However, with continued use, the poison finally does completely destroy the neuro net and all sensory nets are finally shut down," Rolph said, excitedly.

"So, I have been blinded by chemicals instead of electrically damaged, so what? I am still blind!" Rollie said, dejected as he ran his hand through his hair and leaned over.

"Wait, you don’t see it? The symbols you are seeing in your mind- the numbers, the geometrical figures- they are in color, yes?" Rolph asked, his voice elevated and excited still.

"Yeah, blues and greens and this morning, I saw red ones as well!" Rollie mumbled as Angie looked at him, shaking her head.

"And you didn’t tell me?"

"Just some dreaming, meaning nothing to me," Rollie said back to her.

"NO!" Rolph interrupted, "not dreaming- you were seeing something! Your rods and cones are interpreting signals. Yes! The chemical damage is not complete. In fact, from what you have said, the blues, the greens- they are the cones trying to regenerate and now, with the reds- you have progressed! All patterns in the brain perceived by the retina start as geometrical pattern searches as well as the numbers…together, they form the picture, much like the code you see in computer programming. It is similar…!"

"What?" Angie exclaimed, her eyes widening.

Rollie was beginning to understand elemental physiology with Rolph and his voice cracked with revelation; "I’m getting my sight back?"

"I believe so, Mr. Tyler! The strychnine is finally wearing off and the regeneration is beginning. Your friend, Michael- he acted in the nick of time, sorta of speak," Rolph answered and marveled at the whole concept.

Rollie made a silent prayer of thanks to Michael wherever he was now…heaven or hell or the in-between…he owed Michael so much.

"What do I do? Do I see a doctor here?" Rollie asked.

"Not unless you want a lot of attention and possibly more trouble from the people that killed Eckmiller. I suggest that I monitor your progress and do some testing as you go. I am, after all, out of medical school, and had been in my residency with Eckmiller’s research," Rolph answered, plugging himself.

"Of course, that was stupid on my part," Rollie replied, "but what about the research, Dr. Eckmiller’s files and data? Those men that killed him have that now."

"Yes, and think that it is safe, back in their hands. I am the only link and they haven’t caught up to me yet.." Rolph said, worriedly.

"Best make some calls, Rolph, with my police friends. They may need to put you in a witness protection program," Rollie remarked, reaching out to shake the hand of the man that had solved his puzzle.

Rolph took his hand firmly, "I can’t lose my identity, Mr. Tyler. I have worked too hard to get this far."

"But, they could have followed you, they will keep looking for you," Rollie warned.

"Perhaps, or maybe they think I can do no harm without the data from the lab. It is no matter…right now, I need to find a cheap hotel and get my bearings," Rolph replied, looking at the Tyler family and smiling.

"You’ll do no such thing! We have a guestroom. You can stay here!" Angie said, with warm hospitality as Rollie chuckled.

"We’ve got a pretty interesting hotel here, Rolph. Kinda crazy at times, but you’ll never be bored."

"I couldn’t impose…" Rolph began.

"Give me a break," Angie said, giving Aidan to Rollie, "come on, put your things in here," she told Rolph and he shrugged his shoulders. He thanked her and picked up his suitcase at the door, following her to the guestroom.

"Um, I’ll change the sheets and get you all set, okay?" Angie told him, and began stripping the bed. As she pulled down the spread and began to pull the sheets, she heard the sound of something dropping to the floor from the bed. She saw a video tape cassette in the floor. Picking it up, she realized that this was the security tape that Lucinda had been talking about, the one that she had lost.

"Get yourself settled, Rolph. I just need to throw these in the wash. I’ll be back," she told him, rather rushed and left him as she came back into the living area where Rollie was making a disaster of changing Aidan’s diaper.

"Rol, you have the extra absorbent boy part resting on his fanny, instead of his hose, you know…" she said, laughing as he paused and put his hands up in the air. She rearranged the diaper, securing Aidan’s dryness as she looked up and saw that Rollie was drenched from the mid chest down.

"Come on, let’s get you changed now and I need to tell you something upstairs," Angie told him, leading him up the stairs.

"Oh? Will I enjoy it?" Rollie asked, as she made a face he couldn’t see, but he knew she was making one. He hugged her hips as she climbed the stairs ahead of him and she turned back, swatting him on the head.

"Hey, I don’t have time for that, I found the tape that Luce told you about in the room!" Angie told him, as he got serious and followed her.

Angie put the tape in the VCR upstairs in their bedroom as Rollie pulled off his wet shirt and rinsed off his chest from Aidan’s mishap. He could hear the tape playing from inside the bathroom as he felt around for the towel to wipe off. He came back into the room, feeling for the bed where he knew Angie was sitting. He could feel her trembling and he reached out for her. But it was not long before he himself was trembling- from rage. He could hear Tony’s voice, the vulgar and heinous words being said about Angie and rantings about others. Toward the end of the tape, he could hear the sound of human fists against flesh and he heard Angie, her voice small and in a state of shock;

"Oh my God, oh my God…"