They'd been using Quest World when the accident occurred. Both Jonny and Jessie had been logged into Quest World at the time. Because of the direction their chairs had pointed they had avoided any injury.

Hadji, who had been seated at the computer when the virus struck causing the terminal to explode, had not been as lucky….

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Hadji caught a flash of red, and the image of a skull and crossbones on the computer screen before the monitor blew up in his face. The force sent him flying back into the wall. His head connected with the immovable partition. His eyes burned and he could feel stinging cuts all over. As he slammed into the wall a sharp pain spread from his neck to his head, the blackness quickly claimed him.

------------------------

Dr. Quest had heard the explosion down in his office and had immediately gone to see what damage had been done. As he entered the room he stopped short, causing Race to run into him. The computer was nothing but a hunk of melted, charred metal. Both Jonny and Jessie were sliding out of their chairs and Benton Quest felt a flood of relief as he pulled his son into his arms making sure that he wasn't hurt.

"Dad?"

Dr. Quest held his son at arm's length, taking in his puzzeled frown. "What is it Jonny?"

"Where's Hadji? He was monitoring us in Quest World."
With a feeling of dread Dr. Quest turned to Race, who was holding Jessie tightly. His eyes caught a hint of movement. Seeing where he was looking the other three followed his gaze.

Slowly Hadji stood up, his head devoid of his turban. 'Blood' seeped through small cuts in his skin and in certain places he seemed burned. But he was standing and breathing, all the other problems that plagued him could be taken care of.

---------------------

When Jonny saw Hadji he couldn't keep his trademark lope-sided grin off of his face. "Hadj, you're all right! For a moment there I was worried."

Hadji seemed to jump slightly at his voice and Jonny frowned as he watched his friend blink and hesitantly take a step forward.

"It is never a good thing to underestimate a baby cobra, Jonny." Hadji's normally confident manner seemed to have lost some of it's effectiveness.

But before Jonny's suspicions had a chance of forming, Jessie stepped forward without a sound and grabbed Hadji's arm to help support him on his wobbly legs. Hadji yanked his arm out of her grasp and quickly jumped backwards, right into the wall. On his face there was a mixed expression of confusion, pain and fear.

Swallowing past the lump that had formed in his throat, Jonny directed a question to Hadji that he dreaded hearing the answer to, "You can't see, can you, Hadji?"

----------------------

Hadji hadn't meant to jump like he had, he was pretty sure now that it had been Jessie who had grabbed his arm. Who else wore that kind of perfume? But being deprived of sight he had been ill prepared for the situation.

"You can't see, can you, Hadji?"
The question. Easy to answer but hard to admit. It took him a minute to find the words in his mind to answer his brother and friend. When he did he answered quietly, almost serenely despite the chaotic emotions whirling inside him. "That would appear to be the case, my friend."

His answer, silence. Nobody said a word, or made a move. He knew deep down that they were merely just starring at him. The thought caused more emotions to churn and he began to fidget for the first time since he was a small child. "Of course, I could be wrong. Perhaps someone has accidentally turned the lights off." It was a lame joke, but then he wasn't a joker. But anything was better then nothing to fill the void that had formed around him. He felt lost inside his own mind and there was no longer anything to show him the direction of the outside world.

"We're going to take all of you to the hospital. Hadji I'm going to grab your arm okay?" It was Dr. Quest's voice and to Hadji it was both a lifeline and a signal flare. Somehow his lips managed to form a very shaky smile as he tried to look in the direction Dr. Quest would be coming but he was only greeted by darkness.

----------------------

The hospital felt cold and the smell of sickness was incredibly strong but strangely the smells somehow comforted Hadji making him realize two things. The first was that he could have been hurt far worse then what he had been and the4 second was that he was much better off then most people. Still the thoughts weren't quite enough to make his heart buoyant.

The doctor had already been and gone, taking both Dr. Quest and Race with him. Jonny and Jessie had already been examined and assigned a clean bill of health.

Hadji wished they were in the room with him but unfortunately the nurse had insisted they wait in the waiting room. 'After all, she'd said, that's what it was made for.'

What he wouldn't have given to be able to see Jonny's face when she'd said that. But alas he was only able to imagine the expression that had briefly flickered across Jonny's features.

The door opened with a soft click, and a cold, gust of air hit him in the face. He only heard one set of footsteps. But the person who had entered said nothing. A chill ran down his spine. "Doctor?"

"No. Actually I'm employed by an individual by the name of Jeremiah Surd. He wanted me to give you a message for Mr. Bannon. Mr. Surd says that this accident was meant for him and that if he wants to keep the rest of his 'friends' and his daughter safe he should just surrender. He's to meet him at the Talcon Warehouse at 9:00 in three days. He's to come alone and not to mention this to the police." Without warning he grabbed the front of Hadji's T-shirt, and whispered harshly in his ear. "Don't tell anybody about this okay, kid, or you might meet with another unfortunate accident that will do more than just leave you a cripple like this last one did."

Just as quickly as he 'd come the man left, the door closing with a soft click behind him. Having had enough waiting, especially with his unexpected visitor he slide off the hospital table and using his hands, managed to find the doorknob and open it. Stepping outside, the noise was almost deafening, putting a hand to the wall and holding the other in front of him he made his way down the hallway.

"Hadji?!"

He stopped and waited as he heard running steps coming toward him.

"Hadji, what did the doctor say?" The voice sounded breathless.

"Jonny?"

"Yah! Who did you think it was?" There was a pause before he hurriedly continued. "Hadji, what's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost! What did the doctor say?"
"I have not seen him yet."

"You WHAT? Then what on Earth are you doing out here?" Jonny's voice held a note of honest confusion in it.

"I wish to return home."

"You wish to go home? Hadji, you were severely hurt when your computer exploded. Going home now might not be the best idea in the world."

"Please Jonny. Take me home. I have had enough to do with this hospital."

"Alright… give me your hand and we'll go find the others."

"Thank-you."

---------------------

Hadji stayed quiet during the drive home. The doctor's news had been good, the blindness was just temporary, but his mind was occupied with the problem of Surd and his meeting. He was dead set against telling Race because Race would feel responsible for what had happened to him and he respected Race too much to let that happen so the only thing he figured he could do was to tell Jonny and handle the situation between the two of them. He just had to find a moment to talk to his friend alone.

His chance came the second day at around eight thirty, after he had crawled into bed. Jonny came into his room without knocking, as usual. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, starring at Hadji after making sure the door was closed behind him. Hadji's sixth sense told him what his eyes couldn't. Besides it had to be Jonny, anyone else would have knocked first. "Hello Jonny."

There was a pause that lasted several heartbeats. "Can you see me?"

"No. Just deduction. So what is wrong my friend?"

"I want to know why you've been so quiet lately."

"I will tell you only if you promise me you won't tell anyone else."

Hadji felt the bed move as Jonny settled down beside him. "I won't tell a soul, shoot."

Hadji sat up leaning against his pillow and he outlined hi plan for the next night in great detail. When he finished there was a thoughtful silence. "That sounds like something I would do."

"Well, if a monkey is raised by a lion, the monkey will show lion traits."

"Yah, sure, Hadji." Then he turned serious. "I'm with you all the way but shouldn't we include Jessie in this."

"Perhaps. But this is more a job for two than it is for three."

"Yah, you're probably right. Besides it gives me something to make her jealous!"

Hadji groaned and shook his head as Jonny laughed.

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"I thought we agreed to just go by ourselves, Jonny."

"We did Hadji but she saw the cab and she wouldn't leave."

"Very well Jessie. You may accompany us if you wish but do not be upset if there isn't much for you to do."

"I'll stay by you. Be your eyes."

"No Jessie. The plan is for me to go alone. If they see you they might wish to kidnap you and force Race's hand."

"Alright. I see the wisdom in that. But I want to help Jonny then."

"Jess, I don't need…."

"Alright, my friend."

"Hadji!"

"Sorry Jonny but there is no time to argue. We must go now."

-----------------------

They arrived at the warehouse district ten minutes ahead of schedule. The cool, salty air of the ocean filled Hadji's nostrils the minute he steeped outside of the cab. In his hand he held an old cane they had found in the attic. As he had planned, Jonny and Jessie were hiding in the shadows a couple of yards away. Together when the timing was right they would release a virus into Surd's computer, that was up to Jonny and Jessie. Hadji only hoped they would bring the van they usually traveled with. If not he would be in serious trouble.

"Hey kid, I thought I told you to get Race. Well I don't see him, so where is he?" Someone growled and lifted him off his feet by the shoulders. Hadji was pretty sure it was the same guy from the hospital.

"Lorenzo, please put Mr. Singh down. I'm sure he has a good reason as to explain why Bannon is not here and he is." The voice sounded like Surd's and Lorenzo's next words confirmed it.

"Sure boss but I get to rough him up later if his explanation doesn't suit us."

Hadji was dropped to the ground and lost his hold on the cane.

"So, Mr. Singh, care to explain." Surd said. For a second when Hadji turned in the direction of the voice he could have sworn he's seen Surd's outline but when he blinked whatever he'd thought he'd seen disappeared.

"Surd. The only reason Race isn't here is because I wanted to speak to you alone."

"Is that right?" There was a note of disbelief in his words.

"Yes, sir. You see the explosion that Race caused…"

"Idiot, I told you. We set the explosion!" Lorenzo snapped.

"I know, but you wouldn't have set it if it hadn't been for Race. And now I'm blind because of it!" The bitterness in his little speech was genuine and so intense it nearly frightened him but he grabbed onto his momentum and ran with it. "If you can restore my eyesight I will not only bring Race to you but the new technology of Quest World.

"Why should I believe you?"
"I'm useless without my eyesight. How can I be Dr. Quest's assistant if I can't see? Did you know that there's and experimental treatment that could restore my vision but he won't do it because it's too expensive and dangerous." All the pain he'd felt, all the intense feelings were surging to the surface. He could feel his entire 'body' shaking with it. The memory of Dr. Quest going to Jonny and no one even thinking about him until later, like an after thought, he couldn't hold back a couple of frustrated tears. He knew it was a lie about the experimental treatment, yet he'd said it so convincingly, he almost believed it.

"Perhaps we can find an arrangement that is suitable."

Lights flooded the area suddenly. It was so bright that Hadji even saw it. The sound of Helicopters was all around them.

"Give it up Surd! You're surrounded."

"Never Bannon. Julia!"

A gust of wind shoved Hadji back a few steps right into a hard, immovable wall of muscle. "Easy Hadji. It's just me Race."

Hadji turned and managed to just make out Race's face past the black dots in front of his eyes.

"What?"

"Jonny told Benton and I about you're plan and we came up with one of our own, unfortunately it didn't work. Surd still got away. But I appreciate what you tried to do for me Hadji. Especially after everything that you've been through."

Both of them turned to the two people running towards them and though both faces were fuzzy, Hadji would never be able to forget that familiar mop of blond hair. "Hey Jonny."

"Hey Hadj…." Jonny seemed taken back for a second. "How did you 'logically' deduct that it was me this time?"

"No one else I know has hair like that!"

"You can see me?"

"It's a little fuzzy but yes." Hadji couldn't help but smile as everyone, including Dr. Quest who had shown up sometime during the exchange, gave him a hug or a pat on the back. Only then did he truly realize that while he'd been suffering through the lonely darkness of being blind that he had never truly been alone.