Prologue
It was afternoon and Ponyboy was on his way home from school. Darry had just reached their house. Two-Bit and Dally was on their way over to the Curtis brothers and Johnny was in the lot. Steve and Soda was at the DX station, they still had a few hours before they could go home. It was nothing unusual… not at first.
Then suddenly everything went to hell. They could all feel the earth shake and everyone saw the big pillar of fire and black smoke raise into the sky. Everyone stared in horror; they knew what was at the base of the pillar… the DX station. The gang started run as fast as their legs could carry them.
Dallas and Two-Bit were the first to reach the station and what they saw made their mouths drop. The station was nothing more than a burning inferno and on the ground before it laid a form in a blue DX shirt. The two gang members' first thought went to Steve and Sodapop. Dallas ran forward and saw that it was none of the greasers, it was their boss Hank Goodman.
"Sir", Dallas shook him and the man just moaned. "Sir are you okay?"
"Dallas, Two-Bit", Darry yelled as he came running with Johnny and Pony. They stopped just for a few seconds. "Soda…"
Two-Bit was looking everywhere around for any sign of their two friends.
"I can't find them", he yelled. "They must have been inside!"
"No", Goodman moaned. "We… outside…"
"They were outside here with you?" Dallas asked and looked as Darry talked to a policeman. The fire department was already trying to put the fire out and an ambulance were heading their way.
"Yeah… wanted us to fix up two cars… hit my boys… tried to interrupt… knocked me with a pipe… my boys… my god my boys…"
The paramedics took the man away and Dallas walked up to the other greasers.
"What did Goodman say", Darry asked. He held one arm around Pony and the other around Johnny.
"That they were all three out here working on some cars. Then someone hit 'his boys' and him. I couldn't get more out of him."
"But if they were out here", Pony asked. "Where the hell are they now?"
"Excuse me", a policeman walked up to them. "We found these do any of you recognize them?"
The man held out a DX cap with blood on it and the other held a DX shirt that was stained with dirt and blood.
"It's Soda's cap", Pony mumbled. "And Steve's shirt…"
"They work here?"
"Yes", Darry said. "But we don't know where they are. Their boss told us that they were all three out here working on some cars and someone hit him and them. He hadn't time to say anymore."
"I see", the officer said and looked at Darry solemnly. "I think we have a kidnapping on our hands."