Chapter 2

Ryan had spent a few weeks with Joel at Nebraska, in that time he had become quite close to the kid, Joel could go to school without any hassle from bullies because ryan had soccer punched one of them and frightened the others so much that they daren't touch Joel after that. Ryan also knew Joel, like most kids in Nebraska, had Jennifer as a councillor. Many kids did not need counselling but ryan knew that Joel was a little bit of a loner and just needed someone to talk to so he did go at least once a week. Ryan had also been instructed to drug him when he was attending one of these meetings. Ryan felt guilty, he really liked Joel and he didn't want to be in the position where the blonde haired teen suspected him of betraying him. Joel was quite distrustful of getting close to people because he had always been bullied from a young age.

"Can't I admit who I am and we can blind fold him, he'll need a friend like me at cherub anyhow, I'm the only person he can trust at the moment" ryan pleaded with Zara

"Okay I give you permission, this once, to reveal your identity" zara said and ryan shot a relieved punch in the air in celebration.

"Thanks zara I owe you one"

Joel laughed so loud though when ryan told him who he was.

"Dude I know I called you Jackie chan, one time, but it was a compliment, I mean it, you don't – you don't have to let it get to your head!" laughed Joel but he stopped laughing when he saw that ryan was not laughing.

"Hold on, are you being serious?" asked Joel

"Yes 100% and I can prove that I am being serious, there's a big campus far away from here, with firing ranges, swimming pools, army base stuff that trains kids like me to stop criminals everyday" explained ryan

"Cool when can I see this place?" asked Joel still not thinking that ryan was being serious.

"You've been selected for a series of recruitment tests tomorrow the van will arrive at 9 o clock" said ryan

"So they picked me to be an agent?" asked Joel disbelieving

"You seem very bored being here Joel, you even said that school is boring you, you could be trained to go undercover, to different parts of the world to fight terrorism" said ryan

Joel looked ryan directly in the eye and whispered "Your really being serious, are you really some secret agent?".

Ryan went to his wardrobe and brought out his equipment, his lock gun, gun and body armour.

"No way, no kid has those things in their wardrobes, sign me up ryan, I want to go, I want to join cherub!" cried Joel leaping to his feet and grabbing the equipment.

The next day the van came and Joel was told to sit in the back of the van.
"Why?" asked Joel

"For security reasons, cherub does not exist, that's because nobody knows where the location of campus is, every new recruit has to be transported this way" explained ryan

"Okay, I'm trusting you mate" Joel said and excitedly leapt into the van

"Zara has arranged a short test for joel" the driver said.

"A test? What kind of test?" asked ryan alarmed

"A hostage attempt, you and Joel are to be tied up, you and Joel escape and while your trying to save me, you give Joel the phone number for cherub and call for help" explained the driver

"I see, I hope he doesn't panic" whispered ryan.

(A few hours later)

They drove for two hours, stopping off at service stations until they got to a long stretch of road. Suddenly the driver beside ryan said

"Here they come, remember you must act surprised"

The car bypassed them and stopped in front of them making the driver floor the brake urgently.

"What the hell!" the driver cried making Joel tap on the partition window that separated the back from the front. The driver of the car opened the door fast and three robust looking thugs with balaclavas got out, they walked purposefully towards the car and before the driver could move they had opened the door and dragged him roughly out.

"Joel!" cried ryan as he was grabbed from the car, ryan kneed the man holding him hard in the stomach but the stranger's belly felt like steel and instead of winding him, the stranger remained standing and simply gave ryan a punch and knee in the stomach back in return which doubled him over. Ryan knew straight away that these guys were senior agents. The man holding him picked him up and told his mate to open the back of the van, Joel panicked when he saw the guys in balaclavas but he didn't have time to do anything before Ryan and the original driver were shoved into the back of the van.

"If I hear one sound, I'll mash all of you up!" roared the leader of the group and one of his colleagues jumped inside the van and started to tie them up, when he had finished he nodded to his friends and they shut the door of the van with him in it. Joel gulped when he heard the horrifying click of a gun being loaded.

"Well fellows, looks like it's just me and you" said the stranger and giggled evilly. The van pulled away fast and drove 15 minutes before it stopped in the middle of nowhere, the van opened and the stranger with the gun strapped his gun to his clothes, grabbed Joel and Ryan and shoved them out of the van, his colleague caught the boys while the driver was man handled by his fellow comrade.

"Put them over there to sit down!" ordered the leader and his colleague obediently shoved the three captors onto the ground, Joel tried not to sob but he was close to and ryan prayed he wouldn't be something stupid to infuriated the people in front of him.

"Now you stand guard over him while I try and get some information out the driver" snarled the leader and he dragged the driver behind the van. They heard the terrifying sound of the driver being beaten up, his screams and his interrogator kicking him painfully in the gut. Joel began shaking madly beside ryan.

"Don't worry mate, stay calm" whispered ryan when their guardian turned around because of the noises.

"Don't worry what if they kill us?" hissed Joel "Are they trying to get some information about cherub?"

"It seems so, but I'm going to get you out of here okay, can you reach into the back pocket of my jeans?" asked ryan

Joel leaned back and tried to wiggle his fingers into the back pocket of ryan's jeans, ryan leaned slightly sideways to help him out, they had to be careful and slow, they only continued their struggle when their inexperienced capturer's back was turned. Finally Joel expertly got hold of something; it was a small pen knife.

"Dude you keep a pen knife in your pocket?" hissed Joel

"Yep standard cherub equipment, all agents carry it on them when their on missions" explained ryan quietly

"Remind me never to get in your bad books" said Joel smiling slightly

"As soon as I cut myself free, I'll knock this guy out and go and rescue the driver, you can call cherub" said ryan

"But how?" asked Joel

Ryan gave Joel the operator number for cherub campus.

"You will get put through to a car company, but this is really the cherub agent hotline, all you have to do is tell them that ryan sharma and his driver have been held hostage and they'll send someone straight away" ryan explained

"But how will they know where we are?" asked Joel

"They'll know" ryan said quickly

"OI STOP TALKING!" snapped their captor and hit ryan in the stomach with a gun, winding him

"Christ" moaned ryan but he had miraculously freed himself, without warning Joel, he leapt him and caught their kidnapper square in the chin making his spine snap up sharply, he then punched him hard in the side of the head knocking him out, the stranger hardly made a sound as he felt to the ground.

"Joel, call the number, I need to get the driver!" hissed ryan and stealthily made his way to the van, Joel followed ryan but hid behind the van and dialled the number on ryan's mobile

"Hello this is Joel Cohen, Ryan Sharma and the driver of the cherub van need help immediately, we've been held hostage" said Joel as soon as he got through

"Someone will be right with you Joel" said a young feminine voice.

Joel hung up just as he heard ryan attacking their kidnapper knocking him against the van. Joel ducked when he heard gun shots and tears filled his eyes, he seriously thought that ryan had been shot but there was silence and then ryan came running around the van.

"Did you call them?" asked ryan

"Yes their on their way" said Joel.

They waited an hour, the sun was setting but it was still quite light when a van was seen in the horizon.

"Ryan here they are!" cried Joel looking at the van, he shielded his eyes, he then realized ryan had not budged.

"Ryan?" asked Joel but suddenly his world turned black. He had been knocked out.