Thank you for all your encouraging comments, my sweets! Drumboy100, angelicalkiss, Candylou and my mystery guest ;) -you're the reason I'm writing this thing while trying simultaneously to move house and study! By the way, my dog is still confused by this whole writing/researching caper and he'd like more head scratches and less typing. I wish I had four hands :c
Frank:
Frank had hurt himself worse than he'd initially thought. With his hands and feet free he'd been able to use a Phillips head screwdriver to jimmy the lock on the door. But he'd ruined it, so the door wouldn't stay closed. He just had to hope that Hollis wouldn't come back.
Frank glanced down at the scrape that traveled all the way down his left side. He'd broken skin. Pricks of blood were emerging along the tear's puckered edges. But he didn't have time to wash up. He just had to close his jacket over his shirt and zip it all the way up to his chin.
Stumbling slightly, he made his way back into the crowded building.
"Have you seen a guy with a big sports bag?" he asked one of the attendants.
The man looked confused and Frank realized this was futile. He had to get a vantage point. So, he climbed the stairs onto the second floor which formed something of an indoor balcony. From the second level, he could look down into an atrium area. It was quieter up above the rest of the crowd.
He was able to catch his breath as he leaned his arms against the railing. He searched the crowd for the familiar shape of Hollis. But he couldn't find anything that stood out. A few security guards were leading a man out of the building, but it didn't look like Hollis and Frank couldn't get a good enough look at the man's face to see who it was.
He couldn't see Nancy, Joe or Callie and he supposed that was a good thing. Maybe they'd got out. Maybe they were at the FBI HQ, somewhere safe. If Hollis was going to get away with his assault, at least they'd be out of harm's way.
Frank was suddenly weary and overcome with emotion. He had no idea where Hollis was, wasn't sure he could find the man in time. And if he could, would he be able to disarm the bomb? Frank was so intent on his thoughts that he didn't hear the sound of floorboards creeping underfoot.
As a hand closed over his bicep, he spun around. His fist was cocked, ready to punch Hollis. But another hand caught his, guiding it down to his side.
"Oh my god Frank…" a voice said.
And he focused on the woman standing before him. Nancy Drew had never looked so good. Her hair was pulled back into a messy pony and there was dirt smeared across her cheek, but she was alive. And her eyes were earnest, clear, as they stared into his.
"Nancy! Nance! You're alive!" he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly to him, drawing his arms about her waist and grasping her body to his.
She pulled back to touch his face. "Are you okay? I saw the blood…"
"I'm okay." He kissed her gently at first, but deeper, harder, as it hit him that she was alright. He'd been so afraid. Sitting on the ground in that cold, dark room, his thoughts had been full of her. Now, he had her in his arms and he never wanted to let her go.
"Frank…" she whispered, pulling away. "We have to-"
"Find Hollis. I know. I came up here to see if I could find him in the crowd."
"Yeah. Same."
"Really?" he glanced down at her and felt himself grinning. "It's so sexy when you and I are on the same wave-length, Drew." He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't resist. He gave her another kiss and a swift squeeze of her ass for good measure. "It shouldn't surprise me, but it does."
She colored with pleasure. "He was blackmailing Camaro. But Camaro's in police custody."
"So, do you think that Hollis is going to go ahead with the attack?"
Frank thought back to the madman with the gun. "I think he might."
Nancy squeezed his hand. "Then let's go find him."
Joe
He felt giddy with relief as he saw Nancy and Frank descend the stairs, hand in hand. He'd still have to get used to that, but he'd have time. He knocked Nancy aside, wrapping his brother in a hug. "Don't scare me like that again!" he yelled, fighting tears.
Frank hugged him back. "We have to find Hollis."
"I know. I've been looking out, but I haven't seen him."
Nancy added, "and the FBI is also here. Maybe we should split up and look-"
"No more splitting up," Joe said firmly. "We stick together."
The threesome decided to go to Callie's booth because they didn't know where else to look. None of them wanted to admit that they were lost. After all, they were reunited. But so much had happened in the week. And every face that passed them in that crowded space could be another Iola. It was enough to make Joe tremble with dread, adrenaline, and exhaustion, three feelings he didn't know could mix. But there they were, a cocktail in his bloodstream. Glancing over at Nancy's grimy face, he could tell she felt the same. And Frank was just as haggard, clutching at his stomach. But he hadn't let them look yet. And Joe wasn't sure he could. He needed to keep his head screwed on right and that meant it needed to be facing forward.
Eyes on the prize, Hardy. Bold and courageous.
"Is that…?" Nancy hissed in his ear.
It was. Ted Hollis was kneeling behind Callie's booth, which had been vacated by the agent, who was showing off some work to potential buyers. Ted Hollis had a bag open at his feet, and as the trio drew closer Joe could see that there was a metal cylinder inside.
Hollis saw him the moment their eyes met. He snapped upright and started to take off into the crowd. Joe moved to follow him, but Nancy caught his arm.
"You saw the plans," she said quickly. "And Frank's good at this stuff. I'll get him."
Joe preferred running and wrestling, but he hated the thought of leaving more. He didn't want to be on the other side this time. If this bomb was going to go off, he didn't want to be on the pavement, watching as his loved ones were vaporized. Not this time.
He gave her a taut nod and was filled with wonder as she disappeared in a flash. Her long, strong legs bore her forward through the crowd, causing people to panic and part.
An agent emerged at Joe's shoulder.
Frank pointed at him. "We need to clear this area," he said bending to examine the device.
"What've we got?" Joe asked joining him. He felt his brother, strong beside him. Smelt his scent: the familiar cologne and sweat grounding him, making his racing heart slow. They were in this together, for better or worse. If they were going to die it would be side by side.
"A homemade job. The wiring is a mess. But it's live. We've got sixty seconds."
Joe tried to remember the plans and schematics. "This seems to be the detonation point," he said pointing at the base of the cylinder. "And these would be the wires we have to cut." He looked into his brother's dark eyes, almost black in the shadows. "Right?"
Frank looked over the device. "Right," he said uncertainly. Then, his voice grew stronger as he played his hands over the four wires that became visible at the bottom of the shape, "right."
It wasn't like the movies: no red for death and green for safety. All the wires were black.
But Frank had withdrawn a screwdriver and a pair of pliers from his jacket pocket. "I used these to get out," Frank said seeing his brother's look. Then, he commenced gently removing the skin from the device. Moving quickly but carefully he peeled the skin back to reveal the mess of wires.
"This one," Joe said pointing.
Frank nodded. He opened the pliers and clasped them around the offending wire. They exchanged a look before the older Hardy applied pressure, severing the wire.
Joe closed his eyes tight. He felt Frank's hand grasp his.
Nothing.
Still nothing.
Joe opened his eyes. The formerly blinking screen was black.
"We did it!" Frank gasped. "I could kiss you, brother!"
"Save that for Nancy. Speaking of which…" Joe nodded at Nancy, who was pushing through the security guards and FBI agents at the doorway. Her brow was furrowed with concern and her eyes sought them out, a question in them.
Frank stood, opening his arms.
She flung herself into them. "It's over. You've done it. Hollis is in FBI custody." She kissed Frank's face, unperturbed by the tears on his cheeks. Then, she turned to Joe and he joined their embrace. His knees could barely hold him up, so he was secretly glad that they were there holding him up and giving him strength.
Nancy
They all cleaned up at Frank's apartment, but there was no time for celebration. Frank had been called to his office, no doubt to clean up the mess with Hollis, and Nancy had to go into HQ.
Nancy looked at Hollis from her vantage point behind the glass.
Singh stepped up beside her. "De Ja Vu?" the older woman asked.
"Wrong Hollis."
Singh laughed, but there was no humor in it. "They're both where they belong. You know the bomb was never going to go off, right? Hollis knew he was no good at that stuff, that's why he tried to hire someone. The timer wasn't correctly linked to the detonation device. It just would have counted down. The detonator was never going to go off."
Nancy suddenly didn't care. She was tired and cold, and she wanted another shower. The first one had swept the grime from her body, but she still felt the day's events on her like a stain marring her skin. "I'll read the report, okay? I just want to know… is Finn okay?"
Singh's face softened. "McNamara is conscious. He'll be receiving visitors tomorrow. I can put a word in, get you on the list."
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. You've had a long day. You've had your interview?" When Nancy nodded in the affirmative, Singh laid a hand on her shoulder. "Well, finish your report, then head out okay? Get some sleep. We'll talk again tomorrow after you've had some rest."
Nancy started to protest, but when she yawned, she realized her superior was right she agreed. She finished her paperwork and gathered up her things. When she stepped out onto the curb, she was surprised to see that Ned was waiting for her.
She hadn't seen him since he'd whisked Callie off to Frank's apartment and she felt relief and frustration wash over her. "Can we do this some other time?" she asked wearily.
He took her hand in his. "I really don't think so. We need to talk now."