Frank tensed. He was about to twirl about when he heard his "captor" laugh. He turned around to see that the man behind him was actually Agent Eric Jacobs.
"How was South America?" the tall, lanky redhead asked.
"Not too bad," Frank replied as he shook his friend's hand. "A little hot, but we got what we went for." He motioned towards Gonzalez. "Are you our transport?" he asked Agent Jacobs.
"Part of it," he answered. "Follow me, and we'll get you out of this Mississippi sun." After greeting Joe, Jacobs led the way across the tarmac to a waiting Leer jet.
Frank whistled when he saw the expensive plane. "What I don't get," he said, "is why other agencies get dinky cheap stuff like Ford Tauruses and Cessnas and the Network gets Mercedes and Leer jets."
"Basically," Agent Jacobs said, "they know that if we ever get dissatisfied, we might let on that we exist and that would not be good for them so we get what we want."
"I see," Frank replied as Jacobs opened the door in the side of the jet.
"Hurry up and get in," a woman's voice snapped. "We don't want to let all of the air conditioning out."
"It's good to see you too, Sage," Joe said as he climbed the stairs.
"Hardy," she said through clenched teeth, "how many times do I have to tell you that it's 'Agent Jameson' to you?"
"Obviously more that you have," Joe shot back. The others laughed and Sage Jameson turned her back on them.
"Oh, come on, cousin," Agent Jacobs said, "don't be such a party pooper."
The short, fiery redhead ignored him as she sat down.
"So who's the pilot today?" Frank wanted to know.
"Surprise!" another female said as she stepped out of the cockpit.
"Brandi!" the Hardy brothers exclaimed in surprise as they hurried forward to hug their sister.
"I thought you were still in training," Frank told her.
"Well," the attractive brunette told him, "the Network decided to put me on the fast track, so I graduated from 'agent school' early. That law enforcement degree came in handy."
"Congratulations," Frank told his older sister. "Welcome to the Network."
"Thank you," she replied.
"Is the family reunion over?" Agent Jameson asked grumpily. "Or do we have to sit here all day?"
Brandi winked at Frank. "Oh," she told Sage, "I thought we'd sit here all day."
Sage Jameson scowled as the others chuckled.
The Hardys and Gonzalez finally sat down as Brandi returned to the cockpit. Within minutes, Brandi had received clearance for takeoff. The jet sped down the runway and shot into the sky. The passengers on the jet spent the next few hours lounging comfortably and talking amongst themselves. Gonzalez just sat silently, speaking only when spoken to.
After several hours, Brandi's voice came over the intercom. "Prepare for landing in beautiful Chicago," she said cheerily. Several minutes later, they touched down smoothly on the runway of the Chicago O-Hare airport.
After taxiing to the correct hangar, Brandi shut down the jet's engines.
"Well," Frank said, "let's see if our ride is here." He stood up and crossed to the door. He opened it and cautiously peered out to make sure that the coast was clear. Seeing nobody, he stepped out into the empty hangar. The others followed him, Joe keeping a close watch on Gonzalez.
They quickly unloaded their luggage. Frank and Joe took their luggage and hurried to the small bathroom to change. Within minutes they emerged from the room. Their tactical weapons and clothing were packed away in their duffel bags. Instead they now wore dark gray suits with black dress shirts. The shirts were open at the collar and the suit jackets concealed handguns in shoulder holsters.
"You guys finally ready?" Agent Jacobs asked with a grin.
"I think so," Joe replied as he patted his pockets to make sure that he had not forgotten anything. "Yep I'm good."
Frank rolled his eyes at his brother's antics. "Let's go," he said as he started walking towards the outside door. The rest of the group followed.
As they stepped out into the late afternoon sunlight, a young man in a dark suit and tie approached Frank. "Agent Hardy?" he asked.
"That's correct," Frank answered. "And you are?"
"I am Agent Kane," the man replied. He indicated a woman who was a short distance behind him. "This is my partner, Agent Jaimie Kaye."
"Nice to meet you," Frank returned as he shook their hands. The rest of the new arrivals also greeted Agents Kane and Kaye. "Do you have transportation for us?" Frank asked when the introductions were complete.
"Yes, sir," Agent Kane told him. "Follow us." He led the way around the corner of the hangar to the small parking lot behind it.
The Hardys and those that were accompanying them smiled when they saw the cars that were parked in the lot. The first car that they saw was a brand new Infiniti sport utility vehicle. The silver paint gleamed in the sun. Beside it sat a new Dodge Charger. The Charger sported bright yellow paint and black trim.
"You'll have to fight it out between yourselves," Agent Kaye said. "Performance wise, they are comparable. They have been modified to cruise easily at 220 miles per hour. They have some other modifications as well."
"I call dibs on the Infiniti," Frank said. "Eric, you and Sage get the Charger."
"Fine by me," Eric Jacobs replied.
"Here are the keys," Agent Kaye told them. She tossed Frank and Agent Jacobs the keys for their respective cars. "We need to be going now," she said. "It was nice to meet you." The two agents walked quickly away. They climbed into a Dodge Viper and drove quickly away.
"Let's get to the hotel," Frank said when they were gone. "I'm about ready to eat." He strolled over to the SUV that he had chosen. Joe, Brandi, and Gonzalez followed. Frank opened the driver's door and climbed in. Joe and Gonzalez sat in the back seat while Brandi claimed the "shotgun" position.
"Now this is nice," Joe murmured appreciatively as he settled into the plush leather.
"You got that right," Brandi agreed as she surveyed the interior of the luxurious car.
Even Pedro Gonzalez looked at the car in awe.
Frank turned the key and the engine throbbed to life. "Let's find where we're going," he said. He gave Brandi the name of the hotel where the Gray Man had made reservations and she entered it in the car's GPS system. Once the directions were displayed, Frank put the car in gear and stepped on the accelerator. The car shot forward.
Within seconds, the Charger that Agent Jacobs was driving was close behind them. Frank turned onto the road. A few minutes later, the two cars were on the interstate.
"What do you think, Joe?" Frank asked, "will this thing really hit 220?"
"There's only one way to find out," the youngest Hardy replied.
Immediately Frank pressed down on the gas pedal. The SUV leapt forward. Within moments they had reached 100 miles per hour. "How's Eric doing?" Frank called to Joe.
"Still right on our tail."
Frank accelerated more as he wove in and out of traffic. Soon they were going 150 miles per hour. "How about now?"
"Still there," Joe told him.
Frank accelerated still more. The speedometer was approaching 175 miles per hour when the Hardys suddenly heard sirens behind them. "What's going on?" Frank asked his little brother.
"Cops," Joe replied.
"After us?"
"Yep. Eric just pulled over. You have some explaining to do, big brother." As Frank slowed down Joe added, "I wonder how much the ticket is for going 175 in the 65 zone?"
Brandi snickered and Frank gave his brother a dirty look as pulled the SUV to a stop on the shoulder. Several police cars squealed to a stop behind them. The officers poured out of the squad cars and aimed their guns at the SUV.
"Let me see your hands!" the group in the Infiniti heard from one of the police cars' loudspeaker.
"This is not good," Brandi said.
The group was about to obey the orders when Frank's cell phone rang. "Hello?" Frank answered.
"I'm hearing some interesting things coming from the Chicago police band," the Gray Man said. "Is that you?"
"Yes," Frank replied.
Suddenly Gonzalez cried out, "They shoot! They shoot!" He pointed to the back of the SUV as he ducked. The others followed his finger and saw a young policeman aim his sidearm at the SUV and pull the trigger!