"Joe!" Callie screamed as he, Biff and Phil entered the camper. Callie had been trying unsuccessfully to kill time by reading a book. After over four hours, she was still on the first chapter so when the boys came in she was filled with nervous energy. She jumped from her seat and launched herself at Joe.
"It's good to see you too," Joe said with a laugh as he hugged her.
"Joe, about Frank..." she began, her face going from happy to worried. "We think he was captured."
"By the Assassins," Joe finished for her. "I know. When Chet and Tony get here we'll work up a strategy to get him back."
"What about your three captives?" Biff asked. "We'll have to go back and give them some water. It's been way too hot and humid for them to survive if we don't."
"I know," Joe replied. "But I'd like to wait and see if they send reinforcements first."
"You think they're going to?" Phil inquired.
"When they fail to report in, I'm sure they will," Joe acknowledged.
"But you took out three guys," Biff said. "With them out of the picture, they may send more than three."
"True," Joe admitted. "But it would still be less than the number of men they have at the compound."
"Divide and conquer," Phil said. "Joe, many more and you wouldn't have stood a chance."
"Frank's in there. I had to try," Joe explained his actions. "Besides, you know my motto," he added, grinning as he repeated a phrase from his favorite movie. "Never give up; never surrender."
"You look hungry," Callie said, looking at him critically.
"Starved," admitted Joe. "Tree bark and a fish doesn't go very far."
"That's all you've had since you left home?" Biff demanded.
"And a pack of beef jerky I snitched from their camp," Joe acknowledged.
"I'll fix you something," Callie promised. "And you can tell me what happened to you."
"Can I wait for Chet and Tony?" Joe begged. "Then I won't have to repeat everything."
Callie readily agreed, although her curiosity was killing her, and set about fixing lunch for everyone, sure they would all be hungry. And they were. Joe even gobbled up the portion she had fixed for Chet while Biff consumed Tony's share.
After lunch was over, Joe went to lie down while Callie took care of the dishes and Biff and Phil went outside. "Chet and Tony should have been back by now," Phil said, worried.
"Let's see if we can contact them," Biff suggested. He retrieved his walkie-talkie and tried to raise them but was met with only dead air.
Another half an hour went by and still there was no sign of their friends. "Let's wake Joe," Phil suggested, his face grim. The two went back inside the camper.
"Aren't they here yet?" Callie asked, seeing the worried expressions on the boys' faces.
Phil shook his head then went to awaken Joe. Almost as soon as he left for the back of the camper, a car motor was heard outside. "Go in the back," Biff ordered Callie, going to the door and opening it.
Outside was a jeep with four people in it. Biff gave a sigh of relief as he recognized the two in the back. "What happened?" he asked as all four exited the jeep. "Did you get lost?" he asked, putting up the pretense they had decided on earlier.
"Definitely," replied one of the men with the two chums. "You were ordered to stay away form this area."
Biff frowned, recognition dawning. It was Shorty from Conover. "How did your paths cross?" Biff demanded as they entered the camper.
"They surrounded us on our way back," Tony said. "We're under house arrest, so to speak, until this thing plays out."
"Which might be sooner than we think," Joe said, coming forward.
"Joe!" Chet exclaimed, his brown eyes lighting up in delighted surprise.
"Joe Hardy?" Shorty asked, looking at Joe curiously. "This unkempt kid was what all the fuss has been about?"
"What happened to you?" Tony demanded, his dark eyes taking in Joe's disheveled appearance.
"I'd like to hear the answer to that question as well," Shorty commented, crossing his arms and staring at Joe intently.
"Who are you?" Joe asked, looking him in the eyes to let him know he was not intimidated in any way.
"You can call me Woody," Shorty told him. "And that's Slade," he added, cocking his head at the muscular man with him. Joe nodded a greeting to the beady-eyed man with short straight jet-black hair before turning his attention back to Shorty.
"Let's sit down," Joe suggested. "I could use some coffee," he added, looking at Callie hopefully.
"Not a chance, buster," Callie told him firmly, planting her hands on her hips and glaring at him. "I want to hear too."
"Okay, okay," he said, holding his hands up in defeat as he gave her a boyish grin. He should have known better than to try and get her out of the way during the discussion but he knew that once she found out about the helicopter she would feel obligated to tell Frank. Joe sighed, knowing Frank would have a few choice words for him about getting into that situation in the first place, but then, Frank would have to wait until Joe had finished his lecture first.
Joe sat down and the others followed suit. When he finished talking, Shorty looked Joe in the eyes. "You have a plan," he observed. "Let's hear it."
Joe kept his eyes fastened on Shorty's. He knew the response he would get from his friends, as he knew the response he would get from the Network agents. And it was the latter he needed for his plan to work. "I have to go back and let them capture me."
"It's good to see you too," Joe said with a laugh as he hugged her.
"Joe, about Frank..." she began, her face going from happy to worried. "We think he was captured."
"By the Assassins," Joe finished for her. "I know. When Chet and Tony get here we'll work up a strategy to get him back."
"What about your three captives?" Biff asked. "We'll have to go back and give them some water. It's been way too hot and humid for them to survive if we don't."
"I know," Joe replied. "But I'd like to wait and see if they send reinforcements first."
"You think they're going to?" Phil inquired.
"When they fail to report in, I'm sure they will," Joe acknowledged.
"But you took out three guys," Biff said. "With them out of the picture, they may send more than three."
"True," Joe admitted. "But it would still be less than the number of men they have at the compound."
"Divide and conquer," Phil said. "Joe, many more and you wouldn't have stood a chance."
"Frank's in there. I had to try," Joe explained his actions. "Besides, you know my motto," he added, grinning as he repeated a phrase from his favorite movie. "Never give up; never surrender."
"You look hungry," Callie said, looking at him critically.
"Starved," admitted Joe. "Tree bark and a fish doesn't go very far."
"That's all you've had since you left home?" Biff demanded.
"And a pack of beef jerky I snitched from their camp," Joe acknowledged.
"I'll fix you something," Callie promised. "And you can tell me what happened to you."
"Can I wait for Chet and Tony?" Joe begged. "Then I won't have to repeat everything."
Callie readily agreed, although her curiosity was killing her, and set about fixing lunch for everyone, sure they would all be hungry. And they were. Joe even gobbled up the portion she had fixed for Chet while Biff consumed Tony's share.
After lunch was over, Joe went to lie down while Callie took care of the dishes and Biff and Phil went outside. "Chet and Tony should have been back by now," Phil said, worried.
"Let's see if we can contact them," Biff suggested. He retrieved his walkie-talkie and tried to raise them but was met with only dead air.
Another half an hour went by and still there was no sign of their friends. "Let's wake Joe," Phil suggested, his face grim. The two went back inside the camper.
"Aren't they here yet?" Callie asked, seeing the worried expressions on the boys' faces.
Phil shook his head then went to awaken Joe. Almost as soon as he left for the back of the camper, a car motor was heard outside. "Go in the back," Biff ordered Callie, going to the door and opening it.
Outside was a jeep with four people in it. Biff gave a sigh of relief as he recognized the two in the back. "What happened?" he asked as all four exited the jeep. "Did you get lost?" he asked, putting up the pretense they had decided on earlier.
"Definitely," replied one of the men with the two chums. "You were ordered to stay away form this area."
Biff frowned, recognition dawning. It was Shorty from Conover. "How did your paths cross?" Biff demanded as they entered the camper.
"They surrounded us on our way back," Tony said. "We're under house arrest, so to speak, until this thing plays out."
"Which might be sooner than we think," Joe said, coming forward.
"Joe!" Chet exclaimed, his brown eyes lighting up in delighted surprise.
"Joe Hardy?" Shorty asked, looking at Joe curiously. "This unkempt kid was what all the fuss has been about?"
"What happened to you?" Tony demanded, his dark eyes taking in Joe's disheveled appearance.
"I'd like to hear the answer to that question as well," Shorty commented, crossing his arms and staring at Joe intently.
"Who are you?" Joe asked, looking him in the eyes to let him know he was not intimidated in any way.
"You can call me Woody," Shorty told him. "And that's Slade," he added, cocking his head at the muscular man with him. Joe nodded a greeting to the beady-eyed man with short straight jet-black hair before turning his attention back to Shorty.
"Let's sit down," Joe suggested. "I could use some coffee," he added, looking at Callie hopefully.
"Not a chance, buster," Callie told him firmly, planting her hands on her hips and glaring at him. "I want to hear too."
"Okay, okay," he said, holding his hands up in defeat as he gave her a boyish grin. He should have known better than to try and get her out of the way during the discussion but he knew that once she found out about the helicopter she would feel obligated to tell Frank. Joe sighed, knowing Frank would have a few choice words for him about getting into that situation in the first place, but then, Frank would have to wait until Joe had finished his lecture first.
Joe sat down and the others followed suit. When he finished talking, Shorty looked Joe in the eyes. "You have a plan," he observed. "Let's hear it."
Joe kept his eyes fastened on Shorty's. He knew the response he would get from his friends, as he knew the response he would get from the Network agents. And it was the latter he needed for his plan to work. "I have to go back and let them capture me."