A/N: Oops! I'm late again! Sorry about that. I decided to do some revisions and well…I didn't get to them in time to post for Monday. Again I apologize.

Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing!

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or other original characters. I just like to write them into dangerous situations, shake them up a bit, and then return them back safely.

Chapter 14

Lt. Con Riley was feeling very low as he looked up from his cup of coffee and glanced at the clock that hung on the wall in front of him. He didn't like when cases lacked leads or calling the family of the victim. Currently, he sat at his desk, bags under his eyes pondering whether or not he should call Laura Hardy. It had been hours since his many attempts at finding Fenton came up empty. He knew that calling her would only alarm her and he wasn't even sure what was going on. Just as he was about to pick up the phone and dial, the phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered sleepily. It was after midnight. "Finally," he said with a smile.

…

Moments after Frank fell unconscious, Lars strolled into the room.

"Hello Joseph." The terrorist closed the door behind him and approached the very angry Hardy without trepidation. Joe just glared back at him. "How's your brother?" asked Lars who ignored Joe's disgust.

"You're not going to get very far if Frank dies," pointed out Joe as he stood up and stood in front of Frank defensively.

Lars noticed that Frank was still knocked out and his breathing seemed to be labored. He agreed. "Very true Joseph. I will send for a medic. One moment."

Joe knelt beside his brother. "Frank, help is coming." He looked back at Lars who was making the call and added, "Well, sort of." Joe stood up again to his full six feet and continued to be the barrier between Lars and Frank.

"Our top physician is on her way now. I think you will be pleased with Dr. Johanna Curtis." The head Assassin turned his head to the door as the doctor came in.

"That was fast," noted Joe as he moved aside and allowed the doctor to approach Frank. He was cautious of her though since she worked with a known terrorist. She was one of them, but she also had the medicine and know-how to keep his brother alive. At least I hope so, thought Joe as he watched the woman with mid-length strawberry blond hair examine Frank.

"You've done a number on him Lars. I will have to get creative," sighed Dr. Johanna as she took out a shot from her medic bag and prepared it for Frank.

Joe looked on worried but prayed that this wasn't a huge mistake. The doctor gave Frank the shot and carefully discarded it. She stood up, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and smiled. If Joe didn't know better, he would have thought she actually winked at him. Nah…couldn't be, he thought.

"What's in that stuff?" asked Joe. His inquiry was interrupted by Drake who had poked his head in the door.

"It's ready," he said to Lars. Lars nodded his satisfaction.

Turning his attention back to Joe, the Assassin said, "Well Joseph, I owe you a bit of thanks. Now I can continue punishing him without him dying on me…well at least for now. There's so much more to do to him before that happens. I appreciate the reminder." With a wink, he left with Dr. Curtis in tow.

The young Hardy was disgusted and horrified by Lars' coldness but he turned his attention to Frank. Finally, color was coming back to his face, his breathing was starting to normalize, and Frank was waking up. Frank tried to sit up as his eyes were fluttering open but he groaned and laid back down. Subconsciously, he ran a hand through his unkempt hair and found Joe. He was finally able to give his brother a half-smile.

Suddenly, the door opened again, disrupting the moment. Both Hardys turned to see Drake and Dex coming in the room.

"Time to go boys," sneered Dex. He motioned with his thumb towards the door.

"Yeah, you're about to have a real shocking experience," chuckled Drake.

Dex rolled his eyes at Drake behind his back. So lame, he thought. Drake went after Joe and Dex went after Frank, who was still weak. Joe contemplated taking on the two goons but a quick glance at his brother changed his mind. Frank might be doing a little better but he was definitely in no shape to fight or run out of there. Joe would have to overpower them alone and then practically carry or drag Frank to safety. Joe knew it wouldn't work so he allowed his captor to escort him to whatever they were up against.

…

It was the happiest day of her life. Callie Shaw was finally marrying the man of her dreams. As she sat in front of the mirror applying her make-up, she thought about her soon-to-be husband, Frank Hardy. He was tall, dark haired, and fair skinned but could always get a better tan than her. He was very intelligent and new a lot about things she could only hope to comprehend. He was funny, sweet, and kind. Frank was also strong, athletic and somehow remained modest. Plus he was one hell of a detective, solving crimes with his brother and sometimes his world renowned father, Fenton Hardy.

Callie puckered her lips and adjusted her lipstick. She remembered their first kiss. It was at the Bayport Park swings. They had tried to get tickets to a new movie but it was sold out. So Frank took her to a new spot, the swings. At first Callie was a little confused at his choice but soon understood why it was so special. They talked for hours about everything and sometimes nothing at all. It was then, more than five years ago, that Frank made the first move and Callie knew he was the one.

Now Callie was walking up to her man. He was smiling at her. She thought she might have caught the look of a tear forming but she was too far away still to know for sure. She tried to ignore his blond haired year younger brother standing next to him as the best man. Callie was not about to let Joe make some smirk or smile that would interrupt this magnificent moment.

The priest goes through the ceremony and finally he is about to announce that Frank and Callie are finally a married couple. Then suddenly, a man dressed in black wearing a mask bursts through the church doors. He aims his large rifle at the newly wedded couple and fires before anyone could react. Frank Hardy instinctively protects Callie and they both fall to the alter floor.

Both brother and father run out after the shooter in hopes of catching him. Callie looks down at her dress and notices a puddle of red saturating her pure white gown. On top of her is her new husband.

"FRANK!" The blond bride screams in horror as she gently moves Frank off of her and relocates him beside her. His eyes are closed, his breathing is shallow, and the white shirt of his tuxedo is absorbing his blood. "FRANK!"

As a crowd gathers, including friends and family of the couple, Callie caresses her lover's face with her trembling hand. Fenton and Joe arrive just at this moment with disappointing news; the shooter was long gone. Callie kisses Frank's sweaty forehead and listens as sirens of the approaching ambulance reaches the parking lot. Unfortunately, the cavalry is too late. Frank is gone.

Callie screamed and sat up straight in bed as droplets of sweat danced across her brow and the night cloaked her fear in the darkness. Quickly she turned on her bedside lamp. It was just a dream, she thought.

"More like a nightmare," Callie corrected herself out loud. She wiped her brow with the back a shaky hand and realized it was the middle of the night. Her startled eyes found solace in a picture resting on her nightstand. It was a picture of her and Frank at a carnival. She smiled faintly remembering how she had to dare Frank to ride the Gravity Machine. The Gravity Machine pressed their bodies against it while it spun around at top speed. Frank wasn't too fond of the concept at the time. However, after riding it once, he was willing to do it again with Joe, who loved the rush of it.

Callie decided to call the one person she knew would still be up. "Hey Con, any news?"

…

Back at the warehouse, the Hardy boys were ushered into a different room. There was a large table with straps on it as well as a chair next to it. Long wires protruded from a large machine full of gauges and buttons. There was also a small red switch. Being observant was a part of their profession, and neither Hardy liked what they saw.

"Okay Joey. You're going on the table. Frankie here can have a seat," directed Drake who continued to push Joe to do his bidding. Joe reluctantly obeyed knowing that now would not be an opportune time to escape. Frank was placed in the chair and strapped down.

"You're not going to dissect me or something, are you?" asked Joe as he fought every fight or flight urge and laid down on the table.

Drake laughed. "Anything that happens to you right now is going to be your brother's fault. Now shut up." Drake finished strapping in Joe. Dex began placing wires that were attached to the large machine to parts of Joe's body. Some were on his forehead, chest, arms, legs, and fastened with what looked like a circular sticker.

Frank looked at his brother and was starting to catch on to this plan. He had to think of something quickly because now was when his bargaining chip was going to be played out. The detective in him could feel it.

The door opened and Lars entered smiling smugly. "Hello again boys. We're going to try a little experiment. I'm going to ask Frank some questions. If he gets them wrong or refuses to answer, Joseph here will get a shock. Each wrong answer will mean more pain for Joe. Not too complicated but I'm sure it will be quite effective."

Joe furrowed his brow and glanced at his brother who looked at him in return. Joe knew that he hadn't had a chance to talk to Frank about the code he saw on his back. It was doubtful that Frank knew about any code at all. This meant Frank would have to lie or Lars would not like his lack of answer. If Frank's answer didn't convince Lars, Joe knew he was going to be toast!