The sky grew darker, Jonny noticed. His eyes began adjusting dilating to the night.

He and Hadji stood, or leaned in Jonny's case, as his crutches were still in the bushes, in the shadowy embankment making the inner corner of the school, the boy's dormitory. Hadji tugged at the rope that dangled from the window. It slid down with agile grace, as if the technique was acquired from many nights of practice. Hadji smirked and reached behind the bushes, pulling out an extra pair of crutches.

"Jonny." He whispered, handing them to Jonny. Jonny smirked.

"Thanks. Let's go." Jonny whispered in return. He shook his head to the left, signaling the direction to move in.

A tall, slender figure stood embracing corner, bathed in shadows and unseen studying their technique.

"So Hadj, where are we off to tonight?" Jonny asked, his ever-present smile widening.

"I thought the arcade would be nice, and then the library." Hadji's voice peaked at the second half.

"The library huh? Why you want to investigate the Dean again? Race said he came up clean." Jonny stretched his arms.

Hadji smirked, "That is because he did not have a picture, yet." He held a pen, spinning it casually.

"That's Race's pen. you didn't." Jonny lipped, his mouth dropping in excitement. "Hadji, you're a GENIUS!"

"Well, it is a gift." He boasted.

The figure slunk down the shadows behind the boys, seven times quieter then they.

"Is Jessie coming tonight?" Jonny asked finally.

"She said she may, but doubts it. She had a math test to study for, calculus." They continued walking. They came to the gate. They looked up and down the gate line, for any sign of security guards.

"I'll get it this time Hadji." Jonny smirked. He took out a small pocketknife and lifted the faceplate the punch-code plate. "It's 7-8-8-9-1- 6-0 today. Hmm, we should leave a note to the security: 'Dear Security Force, please stop changing your passwords nightly, it doesn't keep us from moving about around the grounds, it just makes us irate and have to vandalize the machines in order to leave the school yard. Your Friends, the Student Body.' Oh that would win favors." Jonny chuckled.

Hadji wrote the password onto his ankle. "Alright, let us leave."

'Nice technique... Too bad that code's going to be different when they get back.' The figure thought, holding a floppy disk. He pulled a mask over his face, in order to insure the cameras would not see his features in the lighted area.

After waiting five minutes for the boys to clear the area, he inserts the disk inside the machine with the new code. 6-6-7-1-3-1-4 He smirked as he stalked after the boys towards the arcade, initiating the trap.

"Hadj, do you think we should invite Alex one of these days or do you think he'd get mad at us and go the whole 'I'm here to keep you out of trouble and safe' bullshit." Jonny thought out loud to his older brother.

"I think Alex would probably come regardless of his feelings either way, for that reason alone. To keep you safe and out of trouble and in turn him out of harms way with Venus." Hadji smirked, "He is probably just as bored with that school as we are, he is equally as intelligent AND has a chemistry degree, that is probably why he switched the beakers." Hadji teased.

"You and I both know he did that so I could have a meeting with Darren and talk about my suspicions about the dean... Oh man if he finds us out here he'll kill us."

"How would he though? He has to prepare for class." Hadji smirked, almost laughing. "Remember you have that big test tomorrow in Chemistry!"

"Don't remind me." Jonny said, sweat forming on his forehead. "Isn't that so odd though? Venus's foster dad toting around us all the time, it's almost as bad as Race babysitting us." Jonny laughed, "Except you can throw Darren off your trail with coffee grinds!"

Darren sat next to his radio transmitter. "Alex, how's that test coming along?"

"Darren I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE MAKING ME WRITE YOUR SCIENCE QUIZ FOR YOUR CLASS TOMORROW JUST SO YOU CAN SPY ON JONNY AND HADJI!" Alex said, sitting in his private bedroom in the school.

"Well, I could hardly have YOU strike fear in Jonny and Hadji, besides you like this science stuff and now you are guaranteed an A."

"Granted." Alex nodded, he scribbled down the next near impossible question, "So long as I don't burn-out by tomorrow."

"Or write in pen. Now, where are they, besides I have a better alibi of being out and about, being an adult and being able to ask 'WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING OUT?' I mean, seriously what's your option Alex 'I saw you leave so I came and followed you to tell you sneaking out is against school regulations'? Really now... that simply won't do at all."

"Okay, OKAY Darren, I get it... I think they went to the arcade first, they may be at the library by now though." Alex said, sighing. "Number 6, Name two toxic elements and the elements that rest right beside them."

"I'm getting tired. Hey Hadji, why don't we hop over to the library and email Race the picture... run a search ourselves on those mega-powerful computers and then go back to school and rest?" Jonny plotted.

"Sure thing Jonny, just one more... Unph!" Hadji threw his hip into the vending machine, "...second so I can get my treasure." Hadji tipped the machine once more, the display of stuffed animals poured to the ground. He smirked, lifting up three he liked. "Jackpot!"

Jonny laughed. "Yeah, YOU just try explaining that to your teachers next time they do a lock-down cell inspection."

"Contraband and my girlfriend gave it to me..." Hadji looked at the machine, "Jonny, meet my girlfriend Claudette." Hadji began laughing holding a green giraffe stuffed-doll in an overly warm fashion.

Jonny smacked himself in the head, "Okay Romeo, let's go..." He grabbed his crutches and some of Hadji's earnings.

Fifteen minutes later, Jonny and Hadji sat quietly in the backroom of the library, as did two women, in their early twenties, another woman in her twenties in the far corner by the emergency exit and three men at a table together, each somewhere in their twenties and each one looking stronger than the last.

Hadji slid the pen into the computer's jack.

Jonny yawned.

"Are you sure you are up for this, Jonny this is a long process, we have to hack the I1 net before we can filter the information and then it will take an hour at least before we find anything..." Hadji looked back to his brother, "I am still fully-charged on my morning buzz of mocha-java latte as Darren would say, if you'd like I could search and you could go back and rest."

Jonny smirked, "Thanks Hadj," He yawned. "I don't think I will though. Not yet at least, I want to email Race first and ask him to send us the results of the search, and see if he's awake. Maybe then we won't even have to bother."

Darren arrived at the arcade. "Jonny, Hadji what the hell are you... not doing here!" He snapped his fingers. He dialed the phone, "Alex," His tone sickly sweet, "It's 10 PM and I don't know where my children are."

"They're at the Library now, they left... yawn ...Twenty minutes ago. I'm up to question 50. What is the secret ingredient in water? Correct answer, it's doubled. It's only 10 PM?"

"Um, that's nice, why don't you stop there and get some SLEEP alright? .No Alex, it's actually 3 AM, Alex, go to bed now."

"Jonny, Race emailed me back, he is online. I will get any information, go back to school and sleep." Jonny nodded.

"Okay," he yawned again, "I'll meet you back at the school, code 7889160, right?" Jonny shot off fast.

"Yes, how did you memorize that?"

"Eh, no big." Jonny said he crutched out of the Library. The group of men began to disperse, putting their books back.

The figure stood outside the window, laying in wait for Jonny. He took out a cloth and a bottle of ether. 'Well Mr. Quest let's see just how fast you can run when you have nowhere *to* run.'

Hadji watched as his email icon as it lit up. "Race... marked urgent--!" His eyes grew as he opened the mail. The mail had a link to a web page and an access code. Hadji copied the link to the scroll bar.

Access Code: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hadji swallowed hard, Access Code: - - - - - - - - - - - - - * * * * * * *

The code filling the screen, - - * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Hadji pressed enter.

I-1 Highly Classified Site. Criminal Identification Unit. Maxwell Hawthorn Age 59 Criminal Activities Extortion. Computer Larceny. Fraud. Grand Larceny. Profile Unknown, last confrontation violent. Image Description 6'2" 170 lbs. Medium Build. Brown Hair. Hazel Eyes. No Scars or identifying marks.

Considered Dangerous, Second Class Priority. Handle with care. Last known area of operations, Florida, mission unknown.

Hadji looked at the picture. "Oh no."

Darren looked at him from the door, "Yeah, you better be worried! Hey, where's Jonny?" Darren murmured.

"DARREN! Come here quickly and tell me you brought a car!" Hadji shot back.

'Not the response I was going for...' He rushed to the desk, his eyes bulged. "I-1... you COULDN'T have hacked that... Wait a second, that's the dean, WHERE'S JONNY!?"

"He left 10 minutes ago, back to the school, before I stumbled across this- I must get there immediately! Call Alex!"

"Already on that. C'mon, C'mon, pick up Alex... pick up the phone." Darren whispered, holding he cell phone cupped in both hands.

Alex laid his head across the desk, the test neatly settled in the corner, the phone on his bed in the far side of the room. "Wha... Huh... What the heck...? THE PHONE!" Alex got up and dove for the phone, his eyes now wide open in a state of adrenaline induced panic as he answers the phone, expecting the caller to have hung up. Darren was still pleading for him to pick up on the other end.

"ALEX! About time, get outside NOW! I need you to find Jonny he is in great danger; the dean is believe it or not a class 2 priority! Pack heat, he's supposedly dangerous."

"Right!" Alex hung up, grabbing his gun from a false bottom drawer. He ran out of the room wearing a robe and boxers, and bunny slippers.

Jonny looked at his watch. 'Only 3 AM... Why am I so tired?' He thought he carried on, walking towards the school.

The man followed four paces behind him, the rag ready in hand he hastened his step.

They collided, the man knocked Jonny's crutch out from under him and to the ground, Jonny began to slip. The man grabbed Jonny's arm steadying him, and more so diverting his attention.

"Hey, thanks..." Jonny said, steadying himself... "I'm steady now. You can let go of me... LET GO OF ME! HEY! MPHR!" The cloth covered Jonny's mouth as he tried screaming. Jonny dug his singular crutch into the ground and kneed the man in the groin. The cloth dropped, the man slid towards the wall.

Jonny began to hobble away as fast as he could with the one crutch, a sense of panic turning over him. 'I have to get to that gate before he gets to me...' Jonny turned to look back for an instant, 'OH NO! He's GONE!' Jonny began panting, hyperventilating. He could see the gate 20 feet away.

"The code... what's the code... 7-8-8-9-1-6-0... come on work... WORK DAMN IT WORK, LET ME IN!" Jonny screamed, his voice trilling. He punched the machine to no affect.

The man sauntered over, holding Jonny's missing crutch, whistling. Jonny began backing himself against the gate, 'Have to think of something...' Jonny thought to himself.

The man walked up to Jonny, standing right in front of him.

Jonny swallowed hard, the man smirked, he tilted the crutch towards Jonny so that the blunt of the cushion faced him.

Jonny reached towards it, *CRACK!* The man swung the crutch around, cracking it into the side of Jonny's head and shoulder. Jonny fell to his side; he flew to the ground in a less than agile motion, his one remaining crutch dropping where he stood, the dust stirring in their steps.

His eyes grew sinister, he drew the crutch above his head and cracked it down upon Jonny, several times onto his leg.

Jonny winced, he heard the plaster chipping and saw the powder hitting the ground. 'Forensics will have a field day...' Jonny thought in a cynical, dark moment.

The crutch came crashing into the cast one last time, the cast shattered, Jonny's eyes grew with fear, he could feel the pain pulsate from his leg, radiating from the release of pressure.

He drew the crutch up once more.

Jonny watched in horror from his protective position. 'I... I can't move my leg... please no... no... No...'

The man cracked it down onto Jonny's unprotected leg. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhh!" Jonny felt every nerve in his leg screaming at him.

Alex ran from his bedroom, towards the front gate, his gun drawn.

Jonny closed his eyes, 'No... I can't pass out... NO... I CAN'T!' Jonny's mind thought, screamed as it drifted as he went into a blurry state of unknown.

The man lifted Jonny in his arm, discarding the crutch and walked across the street, to a hidden car.

Alex reached the punch-code security box, punching in several numbers, "Nothing... hmm, tampered with, well, this will wake everyone up." Alex thought aloud, he drew his gun to the security terminal and shot it, immediately after an alarm sounded and the gates opened.

Alex ran out it. "JONNY! JONNY WHERE ARE YOU?"

He looked at the powder on the ground, smelling the compounds, too fresh to be more than five minutes in the air. He looked across the street frantically.

A thin line of dust stretched out, as a car with no lights darted from the drive.

Alex sprinted towards the accelerating car and dove onto the hood. He began dropping bullets into the glass and metal body. 'That has to be him.' Alex dove off to the side and attempted to drop the remaining bullets into the tires.

The car hit 90 MPH in a matter of seconds. The black-violet paint tarnished at the site of the bullet impacts.

"A Jaguar, has to be racing standards, year 2000, that can't be too hard to find especially with a clip emptied into it." Alex slipped his gun into his robe. 'I need to get back to my room before anyone finds out I'm not a 'student' student.' He thought in contemplation.

Darren and Hadji could see the Jaguar as it raced down the road passing the library. Darren swerved as he turned the car around and into the speeding Jag.

Both cars came to a screeching halt; Hadji unbuckled his seatbelt and hopped out of the car, grabbing a crowbar from the trunk. 'I really hope this is the right car.'

Hadji slid the trunk open as Darren detained the other driver.

Jonny gulped as the trunk began to open, he turned his feet towards the roof of the trunk ready to kick the kidnapper.

Hadji went flying through the air shortly followed by an apologetic Jonny, "Hadji! I am so sorry! Are you okay? Ghh. Sorry, sorry!"

Hadji got up from the ground, wiping the gravel off his ass; he pulled Jonny out of the trunk by the collar. "You can be such a bratty baby brother sometimes."

"Gomen." Jonny said with a thick Japanese accent. Hadji and Jonny began laughing. Hadji acted as a crutch for Jonny until they got back to the main gates.

The paramedics made a soft-cast for Jonny with ace bandages, Darren sat next to him getting cuts repaired.

"Jonny of all the thick-headed things to do."

"I know, I shouldn't have snuck out."

"He would have found you anyway, but at least we'd have been prepared."

"You're right I was wrong and I endangered myself and Hadji."

"And furthermore. well, actually Hadji wasn't a target. I'm going down to the station to question him, you deal with your father." Darren bickered.

Jonny smiled, "Sure thing." 'Damn he got the easy job.'

To Be Continued.