Author's Note: To all the peeps that've been reading my little attempt at fanfic, I sincerely apologize for keeping you waiting. It's not the last chapter quite yet, but it's getting there. ^_^ Special thanks to sailormoonshadow, who helped me overcome my writer's block, and my crazy partner in crime zara, as well as raine and DigitalGirl562 for all there much appreciated support. While I'm at it I'd also like to thank Liv and ThatGirl for all the positive feedback! And to anyone I've forgotten to mention, thanx and I'm sorry I didn't remember your names…*yawns* but it is 2:30am…what do you expect, eh? I'll be sure to include you in the next chap. Okee doke? ^_^;
Rating: Anyone who's read this far needs no warning, you know what to expect. Lol.
Mac barreled through the doorway and rushed after the trigger happy Vanni.
"You moron!" he shouted, as he smacked the gun out of the younger man's hand. Vanni watched the firearm clatter to the ground, his mind suddenly flooding with panic as he felt himself being lifted off the ground by his collar.
"The boss wants them alive!!" he boomed, causing the greasy haired man to squeeze his eyes shut. He glanced up at Mac fearfully, as a dog that knew he had done bad would. A small whimper caught in the back of his throat before Mac violently flung him to the floor.
Vanni winced in slight pain, as he landed on his back. Using his elbows to prop himself up, he shifted into a more upright position. The larger man glared down at him menacingly, and Vanni turned his head downwards, almost as if he expected an onslaught of blows to come from the towering giant. Instead, Mac knelt down and retrieved the small gun. He crouched down near the frightened gangster and aimed the weapon at a point blank range in front of Vanni's face.
"You pull something like that again, without consent from me or the boss, and those brats won't be the only ones filled with bullet holes." He growled vehemently. Vanni's eyes widened and his muscles began to twitch and spasm with genuine fear as Mac cocked back the firing mechanism on the gun.
"O-O-Okay…" he stuttered, his lower lip trembling. "N-No p-problem man." Vanni stated innocently, hoping Mac would go easy on him.
Semi-formed tears began to sting the outer edges of the younger man's eyes, and he defiantly blinked them back.
"M-Mac..?" he said in a voice barely audible, as the larger man's index finger slowly squeezed the trigger of the gun. Vanni's face turned sheet white and a tingling sensation ran up and down his spine.
The wiry man flinched as the gun discharged mere inches from his face. He squeezed his eyes shut as an explosive sound echoed throughout his ears; only to be replaced by a high pitched ringing. Mac flipped the gun around and held it out to Vanni, who cautiously reached for it, ignoring the painful ringing in his ears. Vanni carefully rose to his feet, and breathed a sigh of relief as the color returned to his cheeks.
"We've wasted enough time here!" Mac shouted to the other men who stood in a petrified state at the previous scene still playing in their minds. "Let's get down there and get those kids!" he hollered, waving his hands in the air as if to shoo the others away. In an instant the group of men scurried to the door and back down to the lower levels of the warehouse. Vanni shot one last look towards the hole where the bullet had pierced the concrete. A small tremor spread throughout his entire body, as the realization of how close he had come to certain death had finally hit him.
"Hurry T.K.!" Matt shouted, even though the gunshots had ceased moments earlier. T.K. hopped down onto the roof of the cab. He slid along the windshield and onto the hood of the big truck, where he momentarily paused and glanced back over his shoulder, awaiting his brother.
"Come on Matt!" T.K. urged, as the older boy hesitated for a split second before clutching his sore arm to his side and sliding down after the younger boy. T.K. maneuvered out of the way as Matt came to a stop next to him. His mind and body still pumping with adrenaline, T.K. latched onto the rectangular side view mirror with his left hand, and swung himself around so that he could grab the cab's door handle. From there he placed one foot onto the metal platform used as a stepladder to get into the driver's side of the truck. As soon as T.K. managed to get the proper footing, he released the mirror and agilely dropped to the ground.
"Your turn!" he motioned to Matt. Though this was easier said than done for the older blonde. Even if he could get a hold of the mirror with one hand, there was no way he'd be able to use the other in the same fashion T.K. had.
"Tell ya what squirt." Matt reasoned, "I'm gonna try something a little different." The older boy cautiously crept along the smooth metal surface of the hood until he reached the left front fender. He carefully positioned himself, so that he was perching at the very edge of the fender. T.K. watched with slight fascination and worry.
"Here goes…" he muttered, before leaping to the ground. Matt made another almost perfect landing, except for the one arm tucked into his chest. The imbalance caused him to teeter sideways as he landed, and he probably would have fallen over had it not been for a pair of strong arms steadying him.
Matt stared into his brother's sapphire blue eyes for a brief second, almost as though he hadn't expected him to be there.
"Thanks." He muttered.
"Come on! We gotta get out of here fast! I just know they're coming for us!" T.K. reminded him. Matt nodded and the two began to race in between the line of big rigs.
"There's gotta be some place we can hide!" Matt exclaimed, trying to keep up with his brother.
"Where!?" T.K. asked, not really anticipating an answer.
Just as T.K. was rounding the corner of one of the rigs, a large hand shot out and grabbed him by his shirt collar. He was slammed against the trailer with great force, causing him to see faint images of stars.
"T.K.!!" Matt cried, lunging toward his brother, when another hand shot out and grabbed him. Murphy wrapped his arm around the older boy's neck and used his other hand to restrain Matt's good arm.
"If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." Murphy hissed.
T.K.'s eyes began to refocus, as the distorted image of Mac slowly became clearer to him. He reached up and clutched at the large man's hand that was currently wrapped around his neck.
"Didn't I blatantly request you two to behave?" the gray haired man asked. "Well!?" he screamed when neither teenager answered.
"Hey boss!" Vanni chirped, causing the older man to turn his death glare towards the wiry youth.
Vanni's posture immediately shrank back in intimidation.
"Go ahead." Murphy coaxed, "You had something to say." he raised an eyebrow to him.
"Uh…" Vanni paused, knowing his next statement would cause a great deal of vexation to his boss. The smaller man held up his wristwatch in a shield like fashion over his chest and pointed to it. "It's a little past four o'clock."
Murphy's eyes seethed with anger. "I do not appreciate tardiness." He spat. "And I've had it up to here with you two and your shenanigans!" he said, directing the comment to Matt and T.K.
"Give me the phone!" Murphy ordered, as Mac reached into his coat pocket for the cell phone. Murphy shoved Matt forward. He stumbled a few steps before Mac wound his arm around the older boy's midsection, also holding T.K. in the same manner. He quickly handed the portable device to his boss, who snatched it up greedily.
Malcolm Ishida glanced down at his wristwatch, and tapped his foot impatiently as he stared at the group of police officers waiting by their squad cars.
"It's past four, where are they?!" Nancy blurted after a few moments of uneasy silence.
"Calm down ma'am." One of the police officers said soothingly. "They haven't called yet, so I'm sure they're on their way."
"I'm tired of waiting! I want my sons back!" she stated somewhat hysterically.
For the most part, the officers had been politely ignoring the distraught couple. Avoiding them was more like it; at least that is what Malcolm thought.
The younger policeman who had previously tried to appease the excited Nancy made his way over to his commanding officer.
"Look, I know they have to be here, but wouldn't our jobs be a little easier if they were maybe in one of the squad cars?" the younger man asked.
His commanding officer looked at him with a hint of contempt in her eyes.
"I agree with you on this one, but you know as well as I do that they must be present in a hostage situation. Why, they bothering you?" she smiled coyly.
"No," he sighed, " I just don't want to see anyone get hurt. And the way the mother goes ballistic every few seconds has me worried."
"No one said this job was gonna be easy. And as I recall an officer of the law's duties were to serve and protect." She said smugly, "So quit complaining and either serve or protect."
The young man folded his arms and slightly grumbled to himself. As a newly installed police officer he was anxious for some action. Babysitting a couple of worried parents was not exactly his idea of bringing in the bad guy. But he knew it was all part of the job.
"I'll opt to serve." He said, strolling over to the nearest patrol car and seated himself on the driver's side. From there he tuned the police scanner to an audible frequency and sat monitoring it for any news about their latest suspects.
Malcolm sighed and embraced his former wife, who was shaking uncontrollably. She feared for her son's lives as well as her own sanity. None of the police officers around them even noticed when Malcolm's cell phone went off. Of course the ringing was so quiet and muffled with the phone being in his pants pocket, not to mention the fact that the police hadn't even thought to seize the phone for further investigation.
Malcolm quickly reached into his pocket and grasped the phone. He brought it up to his ear and uttered a shaky hello.
"There's been a slight change of plans Malcolm!" the sinister voice replied on the other end.
"What do you mean!?" Malcolm said in a hushed whisper, not wanting to attract the police officers attention.
"It seems your sons enjoy playing hide and seek with my men. Such a terrible habit I'm afraid, but don't worry…we successfully apprehended them."
"If you've harmed them…" Malcolm warned.
"Now listen Ishida! I told you not to threaten me! But maybe you need a little reminder…" he trailed off and there was a few seconds of muffled voices on the line. Malcolm strained to hear what was going on.
"Dad!" T.K. blurted over the cacophony of voices in the background, one in particular Malcolm recognized as Matt's.
"T.K.!?"
Malcolm clutched the phone fearfully as the next issue of sounds seemed to be that of a struggle and then a loud groan, followed by some shouting, and finally a voice came back on the line.
"Dad! You gotta help…" the line suddenly became full of static and Malcolm could barely hear Matt's voice as the phone cut in and out. "T.K…warehouse…guns…."
"Matt! Matt!?" Malcolm pleaded into the phone, as Nancy tugged at his arm.
"Malcolm, what's going on!?" she whispered, still keeping an eye on the oblivious group of police officers who were a few yards away and hadn't even noticed that the couple had left them.
Another voice came on the line, replacing the distressed voice of his son.
"Now listen up Malcolm! Your sons are wearing my nerves thin, and I'd hope that you would be a little bit more cooperative than they have been. I want you and the wife to meet me at the old warehouse. You know the one. Down the old dirt road, about twenty miles from town. And I mean it this time…no cops!" he shouted and the line went dead.
Malcolm stared off into the distance as if he were lost in thought.
"Malcolm, what is it now!? Are they okay? What does he want?" she begged.
"You know what he wants." Malcolm stated in a trance-like voice that frightened Nancy. A look of pure determination finally set over his brow and he grabbed Nancy by the wrist.
"Malcolm?" she asked.
"I'm tired of playing games with this guy! I want our sons back! The police are being no help, so it's time to do things our way." He said, as he led Nancy to his car parked a few blocks from the circle of police cars. "Anyway, he said no cops were to be involved and I'm not going to risk Matt and T.K.'s lives on this one."
"But you're willing to risk yours?" Nancy inquired, her voice quavering.
"Whatever it takes." Was all he replied, before they were in the car and en route to their destination.
After an exhausting, not to mention futile struggle on behalf of the two boys, Vanni and Mac were finally able to escort them back into the warehouse. As soon as they were forcefully shoved through a pair of double doors T.K. turned to Matt, furrowing his brow in frustration.
"Escape plan number two, thwarted." He confirmed, keeping his voice at a whisper.
Matt merely stared at the ground, deep in thought, contemplating their next move. It was desperation time now. They didn't have very many options left open to them, and their parents were set to arrive shortly. By then it would be too late, and Matt couldn't let that happen…he wouldn't let it happen. His mind raced quickly, as thought after thought entered his mind, only to be immediately cast aside, as he found fatal flaws with all of them. Matt despised the feeling of being helpless. This was something that plagued his mind throughout their entire ordeal. He hated being vulnerable. The word stung him, like so many needles pricking his skin, causing a sensation of instant guilt to course up and down his spine, and burdening him with a heavy feeling in his chest.
What would T.K. think of him? He had always been there, and was always able to help his brother out of a jam. No challenge was too impossible for Yamato Ishida to overcome, as long as he knew T.K. believed in him. But did T.K. have very much faith in him now? His brother, the kid with the gimpy arm, what could he possibly do? Oh sure, Matt felt at this point in time that perhaps he was being too hard on himself. Gimp was such a harsh word and he was only a teenager…only a kid.
That's no excuse! He told himself. Are you just going to take the easy way out? Right, just blame it on your arm! Poor Matt, he can't do anything. He's too busy feeling sorry for himself, because he's hiding behind the false pretension that his brother doesn't need him anymore. Hasn't the past taught you anything!? Matt shook his head and tried to clear the voice from inside it.
T.K. gave his brother a thoughtful, almost worried look. It was true…he had used that tactic before, but not this time, he promised himself.
With little hesitation, Matt and T.K. allowed themselves to be tied to a pair of chairs. Each facing the opposite direction, back to back. The older blonde bit his lower lip and his shoulders tensed up as Mac violently jerked his broken wrist behind the chair in order to tie it together with his good hand. He had forced himself not to cry out in pain, even though the thought of releasing some pent up emotions had been rather appealing at the moment.
When the larger man was finished, he took a few steps back to admire his handiwork. He hoped the two were as uncomfortable as possible. With a sly smirk, he turned to face the rigid features of the gray haired man whom he called "boss."
Murphy's facial expression turned from grim to cheerful in a matter of seconds. Matt could feel his brother's body shudder at the evil appearance of the elderly man.
"Well boys, it looks as though our little game has come to an end. Such a pity, and I was having so much fun." He chirped, clapping his hands together in false dismay. His lip curled in a sinister sneer as he glared at the two boys with his steely black eyes.
"Don't look so down boys…I've arranged for one of you to remain in the game." The smile that had been tugging at the corner of Murphy's lips suddenly appeared, revealing the same toothy grin that had sent shivers down the two boys' backs only days earlier. Coming back to haunt them a second time it seemed.
"And look…Vanni has brought you a parting gift." He chuckled, as the greasy haired man emerged from the shadows carrying a strange looking device that oddly enough reminded T.K. of a car battery.
Both boys peered down at it fearfully as Vanni set it beside the legs of the two chairs. Instantaneously they recognized it as being some sort of bomb.
"Now let's see…" Murphy debated, tapping his lower lip with is finger, as if he were in thought. "Who shall get this lovely parting gift, and who will accompany me to the bonus round?" he pondered out loud.
T.K. fidgeted nervously, trying to free himself from the ropes that bound him, but only succeeded in cutting into the tender flesh of his wrists. He flinched in pain and abandoned that idea for the time being.
Murphy reached down to his side and extracted his blade. Matt watched intently as it glinted in the dim light of the warehouse, and was horribly reminded of his previous encounter with the deadly weapon.
"Either way…" he paused, " …you both know the outcome of this."
"This isn't fair!" T.K. screamed, his sudden outburst surprising his older brother. "I thought you were going to let us go after our parents paid whatever ransom you wanted!"
"My dear boy," Murphy explained, casually walking over to T.K. He positioned the knife just above the younger boy's collarbone, at the soft patch of tissue right where his trachea was located. The cold steel made him draw back as far as he could, however, this maneuver proved useless as Murphy pressed the knife closer. T.K. swallowed hard and sat silently, awaiting Murphy's explanation. Matt tried to crane his neck around to see what was going on, but barely caught a glimpse of the older man's side and his view was mostly obscured by the tufts of blonde hair protruding from underneath his brother's hat.
"As I recall, I never mentioned anything about a ransom. You must be mistaken. This isn't a hostage situation…this is an act of vengeance!" T.K.'s eyes went wide with fear as Murphy's eyes narrowed.
"When your parents arrive, I shall kill them. By then you two shall be dead as well."
"You bastard!" T.K. screamed, not caring what would happen to him anymore. For a second time, Matt was stunned by his brother's use of language. T.K. was never one to resort to profanity.
"But little Takeru, this should make you very happy. Now you'll all get to be one big happy family again." Murphy grinned evilly. T.K. clenched his fists in genuine anger and struggled to free himself, despite the restraints tearing into his flesh.
Matt knew it was no use trying to reason with this guy. But it was in T.K.'s nature to try…he never gave up hope…on anyone. The older blonde rolled this thought around in his head for a moment. It was true…his eyes lit up as though he had had a revelation.
"T.K.!" Matt shouted, "Please T.K.! Stop hurting yourself!"
His brother, who had almost completely forgotten about Matt, ceased his efforts.
"But Matt…" T.K. trailed off as one of Murphy's henchmen burst into the room. All eyes were on him.
"Hey boss! There's a lady out front, it's that Takaishi chick!" the thug hollered.
"By herself?" Murphy questioned, his suspicions arose.
"Mom?" T.K. whimpered.
"T.K.! Listen to me! I have to tell you something!" Matt cried until he was finally able to gain his brother's attention.
"Matt, this is it. We're not getting out of here." He said coldly. Matt's eyes began to water and his mouth gaped open. An expression materialized on his face, one that held the qualities of child like fear and innocence. It was rarely seen on the older boy's face because he hadn't permitted it to surface since that day T.K. had told Matt he didn't need him anymore.
"No T.K.! No, don't say that!" Matt pleaded. Everyone had been oblivious to the conversation that the two boys were holding, as their attention was on the young woman slowly approaching the warehouse.
"You are Hope! That's what your crest stands for. All this time, I thought you had lost hope in me, that maybe…you didn't need me anymore. But T.K…." Matt paused, his chest heaving as he tried to hold back his tears. His voice caught in his throat, as the emotions that were so strong nearly prevented him from speaking. "…you never lose hope in anyone. I've realized that."
T.K. interrupted his brother, shocked at what he had just confessed to him. "How could you ever think such a thing." He sniffled. "You're my brother Matt…you're my brother." He said, putting heavy emphasis on the last statement. "I've always had faith in you."
Murphy shoved past the group of men huddled around him. "Time to go!" he yelled, as he signaled for the rest of his men to round up the cars.
"You sure you don't need any back up boss?" Mac asked.
"I can handle this, just make sure our get-away is fool proof." Murphy sneered, as he pulled his coat off, revealing a shoulder holster. The older man ripped the gun from its pouch and grabbed a clip from his pocket. In one swift motion, he jammed the cartridge into the gun and released the safety.
"Locked and loaded." He grinned as his men exited the building through the rear entrance.
"Well now!" he said, confronting the two brothers. "I bet you two have been just anxious to find out who the lucky one is."
The two brothers tensed with apprehension as Murphy poised his knife in the air. He swiftly brought it down, cutting throw Matt's restraints. The older blonde squeezed his eyes shut as the blade descended towards them. They shot back open as Murphy jerked him from his seat.
"No!" Matt screamed, trying everything he could to resist, but was eventually stopped when he felt a cold, sharp object connecting with his throat.
"MATT!!" T.K. cried, as Murphy twisted the older boy's good arm around his back.
"I tire of your games boy!" Murphy hissed, applying more pressure to the deadly blade. Matt froze in place, a slight gurgle escaped his throat as he tried not to move, lest the blade slip and pierce his skin. T.K. writhed in his seat, desperately attempting to free himself of his confines.
"Oh, hurry Takeru…not much time." Murphy cackled. "It's a shame you won't live to see your brother die!" he spat as he held the knife firmly at Matt's throat and quickly reached into his trouser pocket, producing a small remote control with a single red button.
The old man rubbed the button maliciously with his thumb before pressing it, causing a small time clock mounted on the explosive device to activate.
"Ta ta." He casually mocked as he led Matt out of the warehouse.
As the older man stumbled along with the teenager in his grasp, he relaxed his grip on the knife, allowing Matt to whirl his head around to face his brother, for what he very well thought to be the last time.
"T.K.! Don't give up hope!!" he cried.
T.K. watched helplessly as his brother was led away. Still struggling to get loose, he let the last words Matt spoke to him echo in his head, as the intermittent beeping of the timer slowly reminded him of his impending doom.
End Note: ACK!! Don't hurt me! *ducks behind monitor* I'm the author and even I think this is a cruel place to stop. But what would a fanfic by Kodachrome be if it didn't have a nasty cliffhanger? -_- Hey I heard that!! Okay, sorry zara…I'm talking to myself again. That must mean my muse is back! Hehe! Don't get your hopes up or nothing, but I think the next chapter should be the last….maybe….R+R pleeeeeaaassse. *big smile*
