Chapter 5 (Joe)
The police car pulled out off the curb and into the street. Just as we got to the top of the street, we stopped to let a mini bus through. I grinned as I saw Chance's shocked face peering through the window. Apparently he was looking at the police car, but I was willing to bet he hadn't expected to see his brother in the back of it.
I sighed as we turned. There is surprisingly little to do in the back of a police car. I was wishing I'd brought a book. About ten minutes went by. Neither Smith or Jones spoke to me. Or to each other for that matter. Suddenly I jerked. This wasn't the way to the police station! We were heading out of town, not into it! Suddenly Leanne's words rung in my head more forcefully than they had even when I was sitting in Chapman's office. Be careful Joe. Help!
I frantically pulled on the handle to open the door. Maybe it's a good thing the door wouldn't open. We were going at about 100 kilometres per hour. I don't think I would have survived a fall like that. But I swore pretty loudly when it dawned on me. The backdoors were auto locking ones, like child locks. They would have to be. This was a patrol car! And they were made so that a prisoner couldn't hurt the driver or his partner.
I was trapped. And there was no way for me to get out.
I shouted at them at the top of my voice, hoping this was all a mistake. They weren't kidnapping me were they? Why? I thumped hard at the wire with a fist and got little mesh marks all over the blade of my hand. But they ignored me completely.
"Are you guys deaf or something?" I yelled. Silence. I could feel little pinpricks stabbing at the corners of my eyes. They were threatening to overflow. It would have been better if they had said something to me, anything, even if they only told me how pathetic I was. It would be better than complete and utter silence.
Fighting to control a massive lump in my chest I leaned back into my seat. I was desperately trying to subdue a massive to cry. When would I see Mom and Dad again? I was even worried about not seeing Chance the Superbrat again. That shows how desperate I was getting.
Suddenly, a loud BANG sounded just under my seat. I was more on edge now than I had been a minute ago. I heard Jones mutter his first words since he'd got in the car. "Flat tyre." Smith nodded, and abruptly turned in.
They both got out and examined the tyre. From the murmuring I assumed that it must be flat. And they evidently didn't have a spare.
I heard Smith's voice. "Guard the Andalite. I'll go and get one." Andalite? What? Talk about crazy! I knew for a fact that I hadn't made that one up.
Jones sat in the dirt, leaning against the car and watching Smith disappear up the way we had just come. Frantically my mind raced. How was I going to back out of this one? I was a prisoner by anyone's standards, and there seemed to be nothing I could do about it. The car had been designed well – very well.
I examined the mesh. The catch was on the other side. A fully-grown man would have a problem getting to it, but a teenager might have slightly better prospects. Gripping my lip between my teeth nervously, I cast a look towards Jones. I couldn't see him, so I supposed he was still leaning against my door. Tentatively I poked a finger through the mesh and groped for the catch. I almost had it when my fingers slipped away again. Almost… missed. Almost… missed.
Eventually, I had my fingers in the right place and I could scrape the edge of the catch with my fingertips. Just a few more millimetres. Just a little further… Just enough so I could push it open.
I had it! Slowly, in case I lost my grip again, I pushed the catch. Once it was open I could push the whole mesh back.
I winced as the runners squeaked loudly. No sound from Jones. Had he fallen asleep? I doubted it, but hoped feverishly.
Reaching forward towards the dashboard, I could see that the radio had been ripped from its socket. They were taking no chances.
Quickly, I found the button and pushed it. The central locking released the back doors. Opening the door Jones wasn't leaning against I jumped out and hit the ground running. Apparently, Jones had been dozing. He wasn't exactly ready for my escape. I was heading toward a cluster of trees before he had even noticed I was out of the car. I heard his shout of, "Stop Andalite!" and instinctively hit the deck just in time for something to go whooshing over my head. I went to jump up again and paused when I saw the round scorch mark in the tree in front of me. That was no ordinary handgun.
Suddenly realising that now was definitely not a good time to study trees I hauled butt through them like nothing you've ever seen before. Jones was surprisingly fast once you took his size into account. And I was no sprinter.
Somehow though I managed to loose him in amongst all the trees. Panting, I leaned up against one and looked towards the sky. It was turning a definite pink in the setting sun.
Gradually my breathing slowed enough for me to think rationally. What had just happened? I had obviously been targeted. They wouldn't take a chance like that unless it was definitely me they were after. But why? What did I have that they would want? My family wasn't particularly rich; in fact Mom was unemployed right now. So it couldn't be money. I wasn't exactly a special child, your regular teenager. Messy bedroomed, computer gaming freakiness included. So it wasn't that. Something to do with Dad? I wasn't entirely sure what Dad actually did, but it wasn't military intelligence or anything flashy, so information wasn't an issue. I couldn't think of anything else. Unless…
Could it have anything to do with that wacko word? Yeerk? It seemed amazing that anyone could be that bothered. That was the best reason I could come up with, but that's not saying much. The rest of them were pretty lame too.
Silently I crept through the trees. The next time I looked the sun had completely set. Mom and Chance were going to be so worried about me. And Dad too if they'd managed to get hold of him. I smiled faintly as I imagined Mom trying to explain away my disappearance in a police car. Chance's first reaction would probably be one of complete awe. His brother got taken away in a police car. And he didn't have to do anything wrong either. Then he would get steadily more worried, not wanting to ask Mom because she would be looking worried enough already. Then he would ask her anyway. Mom, being blunt, would tell him the truth and be brave. I get that quality from my mother. I don't believe in spinning the yarn. Let them have the fleece and spin it themselves. Maybe they'd already phoned Dad. The police would definitely know by now, although if a policeman came along to try and help me now, I wasn't sure how I would react.
I must have crept on through those trees for hours. Eventually though I came across a main road. Maybe I could hitchhike. Mom wouldn't have minded under the circumstances. I glanced around. They couldn't have followed me this far without acting could they? It looked like a short distance to my escape.
It turned out to be too far.
"Surprise," said a voice behind me in the darkness. Before I could react, a bag was pulled over my head. As I struggled, my hands were duct-taped behind my back. Then something cracked into the back of my skull. I don't even remember hitting the floor.