"No! Wait!" Cook called out. "Leave him alone. Leave them all alone and I'll tell you what you want to know," he bargained.
Dobson looked at him thoughtfully, the cigarette so close Joe could feel the heat but not the burn. "What is Maisden's position in the Network?" Dobson asked.
"He's known as..." Cook paused, unsure whether or not he sould continue.
Dobson pushed the cigarette into Joe's flesh. Joe's head crashed back as far as it could go as he emitted a muffled scream of pain. Frank howled in protest but the deed was over. Dobson held the cigarette up and Hash produced another match and relit it.
"Maisden is known as the Gray Man," Cook admitted, unable to allow Joe to suffer anymore.
"What's his full name?" Dobson demanded.
"Greg Maisden," Cook answered.
"Alert Sullivan at the ranger station and have him relay this information to Marchetti in DC," Dobson ordered Craig, dropping the cigarette to the ground and stomping it out.
After Craig left, Hash looked at Dobson. "Back to the cave with them?" he asked, jerking his head toward Frank and Biff.
"Yes," agreed Dobson. "Lane, you and Hash escort Frank. Mars, handle the big one. I'll deal with Cook."
"What about Joe?" Frank demanded as his feet were untied and he was hustled to a standing position. "You can't leave him here. His wounds need to be taken care of."
"Relax, kid," Dobson ordered, grinning at Frank's worried expression. "If the heat doesn't get to him, the mountain lions will."
Lane rammed a bandana into Frank's mouth as he opened it to protest, effectively muffling whatever Frank had been about to say. "Let's go," Dobson ordered, gagging Cook as well. "And steer clear of the camp," he ordered.
Biff regained consciousness along the trek back and Mars untied his feet and gagged him, making him walk behind Frank. Arriving back at the entrance to the cave where they had found Steve earlier, the captives were forced inside. After entering the dark cavern, a shrill whistle was heard. Spotlights flashed on and all were temporarily blinded by the glare. As Frank's eyes grew accostomed to the light, he saw his father coming toward him.
"Are you alright?" Mr. Hardy demanded, removing the gag.
"Joe's tied up in the woods," Frank said once the gag had been removed. "He's hurt bad."
"We'll take care of things here," a tall man in a state trooper's uniform told Mr. Hardy. Mr. Hardy gave a curt nod and he, Frank, and Biff left the cave. Cook was left to be untied by the trooper. Outside they were met by Chet and Phil.
"Where's Joe?" Phil asked.
"Off the trail behind one of the camp's buildings," Biff answered, as a loud eerie noise ripped through the air.
"Cougar," Chet observed, familiar with the sound.
"It could have picked up Joe's scent," Frank said, his voice hoarse. "Let's move!" he added, taking off at a run along the route they had returned to the cave by.
"NO!" Frank shouted in terror, arriving in the small clearing where Joe had been. A lone cougar stood near the tree where Joe had been. The bloody ropes lay on the ground. Frank started to run toward the big cat, giving no thought to his own safety, but his dad was faster and managed to grab Frank's shoulders in a vise-like grip, preventing his forward mobility.
"Easy, Son," Mr. Hardy said. "Joe wasn't there."
"What?" Frank asked, looking at the scene again. "You're right," he agreed, relief flooding through him. There was no sign of a bone anywhere, just the bloodied ropes.
The cougar must have smelled them for it turned in their direction. Mr. Hardy pulled out his gun and took aim at the tree behind the cat, firing off a shot. The noise startled the feline and it took off into the underbrush.
"Where did Joe go?" Chet wondered.
"To the camp, maybe?" Phil suggested.
Frank shook his head. "He knows Jenny and Craig are involved," he pointed out.
"But he was in bad shape," Biff argued. "And the camp is a fairly big place with a lot of people who aren't involved there."
"Biff's right," Mr. Hardy said. "He did probably go to the camp and if so, then he'll be okay. After what Phil told me and what I had learned when I returned to the station today, the camp and both caves were raided."
"But Craig got away after we tied him up and showed up in the clearing," Frank said.
"Officer Melview said one of the counselors admitted seeing Craig and Jenny tied up and broke in through the window to release them. Craig would have been recaptured on his return unless..." Mr. Hardy quit speaking abruptly.
"Unless he saw what was going on and doubled back to warn the others but when he saw they were gone and Joe was still there, he untied Joe and took him as hostage," Frank finsihed the thought his father had started.
"Let's get to the camp," Mr. Hardy ordered tersely.
The group rushed toward the camp, hoping against hope that their fears were unfounded. When they arrived at the camp, the office hut was sealed off with several of the county's deputies and a few men, who looked suspiciously like Network agents to Frank, scattered about.
"Has anyone seen a blond headed boy who has been hurt?" Mr Hardy demanded as they came within hearing distance of the men.
"He's in with the camp's nurse," said one of the deputies, pointing toward a building off to the left of the group.
Frank sprinted to the building, coming to a stop and giving a relieved sigh when he saw his brother sitting up on the examination table, a nurse wrapping bandages around his chest and back.
"Joe?" Frank uttered the name in a soft voice, unshed tears of relief causing his eyes to shine.
Joe looked over at the door, his face breaking into a smile when he saw his brother standing there. "What took you so long?" he demanded, his own blue eyes suspiciously bright.
"How you doing?" Frank asked, ignoring Joe's feeble attempt at humor as he entred the building with Mr. Hardy, Chet, Phil and Biff at his heels.
"I've been better," Joe admitted, grimacing as the nurse secured the bandage.
"You are?" the nurse inquired, looking at the group of testosterone which had just invaded her office.
Joe quickly made the introductions. "Joe's father. Good," said Nurse Eileen. She stood five foot two but her tone and demeanor commanded respect. "Joe needs to see his doctor as soon as possible," she told Mr. Hardy. "Here is some cream for his back. He will need his wounds cleaned at least once a day; twice preferrably, and cream and fresh bandages applied after each cleaning."
"What about the burn?" Frank asked.
"Burn?" demanded Mr. Hardy, his white face mirroring those of the Hardys' friends.
"It's just a cigarette burn," Joe hurriedly explained.
"I've cleaned it and put a small bandage on it. It will leave a scar but there's no real damage. Joe's going to be fine as long as his back is taken care of," Nurse Eileen assurred everyone.
"Now, tell us what's been going on?" Biff urged Joe when they had left the medical hut.
"Yeah, how did you get captured?" Chet asked.
"And how did you get loose?" Frank wanted to know.
"After you guys had left, I tried to get loose but couldn't," Joe said. "Craig came running into the clearing babbling about no one getting him. He untied me and started dragging me along with him. He was dragging me away from the camp toward the road. But as we got near it, two uniformed officers came out of nowhere and apprehended him. They brought me back here to be patched up."
"Joe! Where did you come from?" Tim Dalton asked, coming running over. "What happened to you?" he demanded, seeing the bandages.
"I found out what caused the lights," Joe answered, his face contorting into a self-derisive grin.
"Um, Joe," Frank interuppted. "Your charges are kind of mad that you went away."
"It wasn't my choice," Joe pointed out, frowning at the news.
"They don't know that," Phil stated.
Joe looked at a confused Tim. "Can you round everyone up and let's meet in the cafeteria in an hour?" he asked. "I think everyone deserves to know what has been going on around here." Tim nodded and took off.
"Joe, I don't think..." Mr. Hardy began.
"I'm not going to tell them about the blackmailing of their parents," Joe promised. "But if they know about the terrorists and the weaponary supplies maybe they won't hate Steve and me. Besides," he added, waving an arm at the police and agents. "With all of this going on, they have to know something major has been happening."
"Blackmailing the kids parents?" Biff asked.
"Let's go sit down and I'll tell you about it," Joe told him.
After Joe told how he had gotten involved with the terrorists, he had a few questions of his own. "How did you guys manage to find me? I heard Dobson say they had men in the Ranger station to prevent anyone from being around the area of the caves."
"Dad got a job at the Ranger station," Frank said, frowning slightly. "Why are you here?" he asked, turning to his father. "I thought you were going to DC."
"I was, but when I returned to the station, I heard two of the rangers talking about eliminating the campers who had set up camp near the lake," Mr. Hardy explained. "I did some checking. Stan Mason, one of the rangers, is Jenny's brother. I followed him for a bit and overheard him getting a communication from Dobson about having Cook. I wasn't exactly sure what to do next. That's when Phil arrived and told me about the cave," he added, smiling at Phil.
"I contacted the state troopers and when they started to move in at the station, two more rangers, Henderson and Sullivan, made a run for it. We organized a sting and were getting ready to move when Chet and Steve arrived," he continued.
"Steve said he felt well enough to make it to the station," Chet told the others with a shrug of his shoulders.
"We reached the cave with the aresenal first," Mr. Hardy continued. "Some of the troopers stayed there in case anyone returned. Then we went to the second cave. Since the camp is out of the ranger's jurisdiction, the sherriff's department was alerted and they, and the state police, went to the camp. I guess Craig and Jenny had been released before they arrived."
"What about Marchetti?" Frank asked. "He's the contact in DC that Sullivan was supposed to get in touch with."
"Cook will take care of that," Joe said. "That's the reason they took him in the first place. Cook had uncovered their DC operation."
"What happens to the camp since it's owners have been arrested?" Chet inquired.
"The kid's parents will be called and informed of what has been going on and they will be sent home," Mr. Hardy said. 'The camp will be shut down and, after the trial, will go up for auction."
"Doesn't seem fair to ruin their summer this way," Joe commented, wanting to stay and keep the camp going until the end of summer.
"No, it doesn't," agreed Mr. Hardy. "But once their families find out what has been going on, those kids parents are going to want to see them just to reassure themselves that they are all right."
"Hey, Joe," Frank said, as they stood up and got ready to go to the cafeteria to meet with the campers with Joe in the lead.
"What?" Joe asked, stopping and looking at his brother suspiciously. There had been something in his tone that had alerted Joe's detective instincts.
"Wait up. I can't let you go anywhere alone," Frank teased, grinning.
"Very funny," Joe replied, casting a sour look at his elder brother which quickly turned into a sheepish grin as his father and friends burst out laughing.
End
Dobson looked at him thoughtfully, the cigarette so close Joe could feel the heat but not the burn. "What is Maisden's position in the Network?" Dobson asked.
"He's known as..." Cook paused, unsure whether or not he sould continue.
Dobson pushed the cigarette into Joe's flesh. Joe's head crashed back as far as it could go as he emitted a muffled scream of pain. Frank howled in protest but the deed was over. Dobson held the cigarette up and Hash produced another match and relit it.
"Maisden is known as the Gray Man," Cook admitted, unable to allow Joe to suffer anymore.
"What's his full name?" Dobson demanded.
"Greg Maisden," Cook answered.
"Alert Sullivan at the ranger station and have him relay this information to Marchetti in DC," Dobson ordered Craig, dropping the cigarette to the ground and stomping it out.
After Craig left, Hash looked at Dobson. "Back to the cave with them?" he asked, jerking his head toward Frank and Biff.
"Yes," agreed Dobson. "Lane, you and Hash escort Frank. Mars, handle the big one. I'll deal with Cook."
"What about Joe?" Frank demanded as his feet were untied and he was hustled to a standing position. "You can't leave him here. His wounds need to be taken care of."
"Relax, kid," Dobson ordered, grinning at Frank's worried expression. "If the heat doesn't get to him, the mountain lions will."
Lane rammed a bandana into Frank's mouth as he opened it to protest, effectively muffling whatever Frank had been about to say. "Let's go," Dobson ordered, gagging Cook as well. "And steer clear of the camp," he ordered.
Biff regained consciousness along the trek back and Mars untied his feet and gagged him, making him walk behind Frank. Arriving back at the entrance to the cave where they had found Steve earlier, the captives were forced inside. After entering the dark cavern, a shrill whistle was heard. Spotlights flashed on and all were temporarily blinded by the glare. As Frank's eyes grew accostomed to the light, he saw his father coming toward him.
"Are you alright?" Mr. Hardy demanded, removing the gag.
"Joe's tied up in the woods," Frank said once the gag had been removed. "He's hurt bad."
"We'll take care of things here," a tall man in a state trooper's uniform told Mr. Hardy. Mr. Hardy gave a curt nod and he, Frank, and Biff left the cave. Cook was left to be untied by the trooper. Outside they were met by Chet and Phil.
"Where's Joe?" Phil asked.
"Off the trail behind one of the camp's buildings," Biff answered, as a loud eerie noise ripped through the air.
"Cougar," Chet observed, familiar with the sound.
"It could have picked up Joe's scent," Frank said, his voice hoarse. "Let's move!" he added, taking off at a run along the route they had returned to the cave by.
"NO!" Frank shouted in terror, arriving in the small clearing where Joe had been. A lone cougar stood near the tree where Joe had been. The bloody ropes lay on the ground. Frank started to run toward the big cat, giving no thought to his own safety, but his dad was faster and managed to grab Frank's shoulders in a vise-like grip, preventing his forward mobility.
"Easy, Son," Mr. Hardy said. "Joe wasn't there."
"What?" Frank asked, looking at the scene again. "You're right," he agreed, relief flooding through him. There was no sign of a bone anywhere, just the bloodied ropes.
The cougar must have smelled them for it turned in their direction. Mr. Hardy pulled out his gun and took aim at the tree behind the cat, firing off a shot. The noise startled the feline and it took off into the underbrush.
"Where did Joe go?" Chet wondered.
"To the camp, maybe?" Phil suggested.
Frank shook his head. "He knows Jenny and Craig are involved," he pointed out.
"But he was in bad shape," Biff argued. "And the camp is a fairly big place with a lot of people who aren't involved there."
"Biff's right," Mr. Hardy said. "He did probably go to the camp and if so, then he'll be okay. After what Phil told me and what I had learned when I returned to the station today, the camp and both caves were raided."
"But Craig got away after we tied him up and showed up in the clearing," Frank said.
"Officer Melview said one of the counselors admitted seeing Craig and Jenny tied up and broke in through the window to release them. Craig would have been recaptured on his return unless..." Mr. Hardy quit speaking abruptly.
"Unless he saw what was going on and doubled back to warn the others but when he saw they were gone and Joe was still there, he untied Joe and took him as hostage," Frank finsihed the thought his father had started.
"Let's get to the camp," Mr. Hardy ordered tersely.
The group rushed toward the camp, hoping against hope that their fears were unfounded. When they arrived at the camp, the office hut was sealed off with several of the county's deputies and a few men, who looked suspiciously like Network agents to Frank, scattered about.
"Has anyone seen a blond headed boy who has been hurt?" Mr Hardy demanded as they came within hearing distance of the men.
"He's in with the camp's nurse," said one of the deputies, pointing toward a building off to the left of the group.
Frank sprinted to the building, coming to a stop and giving a relieved sigh when he saw his brother sitting up on the examination table, a nurse wrapping bandages around his chest and back.
"Joe?" Frank uttered the name in a soft voice, unshed tears of relief causing his eyes to shine.
Joe looked over at the door, his face breaking into a smile when he saw his brother standing there. "What took you so long?" he demanded, his own blue eyes suspiciously bright.
"How you doing?" Frank asked, ignoring Joe's feeble attempt at humor as he entred the building with Mr. Hardy, Chet, Phil and Biff at his heels.
"I've been better," Joe admitted, grimacing as the nurse secured the bandage.
"You are?" the nurse inquired, looking at the group of testosterone which had just invaded her office.
Joe quickly made the introductions. "Joe's father. Good," said Nurse Eileen. She stood five foot two but her tone and demeanor commanded respect. "Joe needs to see his doctor as soon as possible," she told Mr. Hardy. "Here is some cream for his back. He will need his wounds cleaned at least once a day; twice preferrably, and cream and fresh bandages applied after each cleaning."
"What about the burn?" Frank asked.
"Burn?" demanded Mr. Hardy, his white face mirroring those of the Hardys' friends.
"It's just a cigarette burn," Joe hurriedly explained.
"I've cleaned it and put a small bandage on it. It will leave a scar but there's no real damage. Joe's going to be fine as long as his back is taken care of," Nurse Eileen assurred everyone.
"Now, tell us what's been going on?" Biff urged Joe when they had left the medical hut.
"Yeah, how did you get captured?" Chet asked.
"And how did you get loose?" Frank wanted to know.
"After you guys had left, I tried to get loose but couldn't," Joe said. "Craig came running into the clearing babbling about no one getting him. He untied me and started dragging me along with him. He was dragging me away from the camp toward the road. But as we got near it, two uniformed officers came out of nowhere and apprehended him. They brought me back here to be patched up."
"Joe! Where did you come from?" Tim Dalton asked, coming running over. "What happened to you?" he demanded, seeing the bandages.
"I found out what caused the lights," Joe answered, his face contorting into a self-derisive grin.
"Um, Joe," Frank interuppted. "Your charges are kind of mad that you went away."
"It wasn't my choice," Joe pointed out, frowning at the news.
"They don't know that," Phil stated.
Joe looked at a confused Tim. "Can you round everyone up and let's meet in the cafeteria in an hour?" he asked. "I think everyone deserves to know what has been going on around here." Tim nodded and took off.
"Joe, I don't think..." Mr. Hardy began.
"I'm not going to tell them about the blackmailing of their parents," Joe promised. "But if they know about the terrorists and the weaponary supplies maybe they won't hate Steve and me. Besides," he added, waving an arm at the police and agents. "With all of this going on, they have to know something major has been happening."
"Blackmailing the kids parents?" Biff asked.
"Let's go sit down and I'll tell you about it," Joe told him.
After Joe told how he had gotten involved with the terrorists, he had a few questions of his own. "How did you guys manage to find me? I heard Dobson say they had men in the Ranger station to prevent anyone from being around the area of the caves."
"Dad got a job at the Ranger station," Frank said, frowning slightly. "Why are you here?" he asked, turning to his father. "I thought you were going to DC."
"I was, but when I returned to the station, I heard two of the rangers talking about eliminating the campers who had set up camp near the lake," Mr. Hardy explained. "I did some checking. Stan Mason, one of the rangers, is Jenny's brother. I followed him for a bit and overheard him getting a communication from Dobson about having Cook. I wasn't exactly sure what to do next. That's when Phil arrived and told me about the cave," he added, smiling at Phil.
"I contacted the state troopers and when they started to move in at the station, two more rangers, Henderson and Sullivan, made a run for it. We organized a sting and were getting ready to move when Chet and Steve arrived," he continued.
"Steve said he felt well enough to make it to the station," Chet told the others with a shrug of his shoulders.
"We reached the cave with the aresenal first," Mr. Hardy continued. "Some of the troopers stayed there in case anyone returned. Then we went to the second cave. Since the camp is out of the ranger's jurisdiction, the sherriff's department was alerted and they, and the state police, went to the camp. I guess Craig and Jenny had been released before they arrived."
"What about Marchetti?" Frank asked. "He's the contact in DC that Sullivan was supposed to get in touch with."
"Cook will take care of that," Joe said. "That's the reason they took him in the first place. Cook had uncovered their DC operation."
"What happens to the camp since it's owners have been arrested?" Chet inquired.
"The kid's parents will be called and informed of what has been going on and they will be sent home," Mr. Hardy said. 'The camp will be shut down and, after the trial, will go up for auction."
"Doesn't seem fair to ruin their summer this way," Joe commented, wanting to stay and keep the camp going until the end of summer.
"No, it doesn't," agreed Mr. Hardy. "But once their families find out what has been going on, those kids parents are going to want to see them just to reassure themselves that they are all right."
"Hey, Joe," Frank said, as they stood up and got ready to go to the cafeteria to meet with the campers with Joe in the lead.
"What?" Joe asked, stopping and looking at his brother suspiciously. There had been something in his tone that had alerted Joe's detective instincts.
"Wait up. I can't let you go anywhere alone," Frank teased, grinning.
"Very funny," Joe replied, casting a sour look at his elder brother which quickly turned into a sheepish grin as his father and friends burst out laughing.
End