Two teenage guys grabbed Joe's arms and forced him into a room. He hopped to one side, gave a swift kick, and... nothing. The guys only held on tighter. Darn. How did Indiana Jones do it? Well, he would wait and find out as much as he could about the gang before escaping. Any information that ATAC could use would be useful. Joe began noting his surroundings. Six or seven guys, about Frank's age or a little older, stood off two one side, watching the man named Bill and a another guy, both in their forties, sort through bulging sacks filled with stolen items. One of the boys approached Joe. Gesturing to the group, he asked, "What do you know about us?!" Joe mashed his lips shut. He'd learned the hard way to keep quiet in situations like this. The guy who'd asked him slapped his cheek, leaving a red mark. "Answer me!" Joe, still held by the two boys, turned his head away, and the guy thankfully dropped the subject.
It was quite obvious that the younger gang members were afraid of their older leaders. They'd probably been drawn into the gang with big words and fancy talk, only to find themselves trapped doing their leaders' dirty work. Through listening to snippets of conversation, Joe learned that the gang leaders were angry at the store manager because he informed the police of the gang's involvement in a recent robbery. When they arrived to settle their score with him, they'd noticed all the valuable items, and had a crazy idea. Heading home, they carefully planned everything out, robbed the store, tied up the employees they didn't 'deal with', and... a mysterious, blond, armed teen interfered with their plans. Joe inwardly groaned. He was doing a great job gathering info, if only he could do as good a job staying alive. The gang was mad at him, and they were worried he knew too much. Hoo, boy. The things he did for ATAC...
Frank, meanwhile, was going nearly crazy with worry worry about Joe. "Okay, Hardy, let's assess the situation," he told himself, "You're locked in a room with a dead guy, there's a massive robbery taking place,and your brother is at the hands of a ruthless gang." Pounding his fist into his palm, he wondered what else could possibly go wrong. Aloud, he said,"Great. What's next?"
Soon, he was really going to regret having asked that question, for the answer was far worse than he could've ever imagined.