"What's up?" Chet hissed as he neared Frank's still form crouched beside a tree. Receiving no response, Chet put his hand on Frank's shoulder. "Frank?" he asked, his tone dropping in worry.
Frank turned and looked up at his friend. Chet could see the steady stream of tears falling unchecked from Frank's eyes and noted his shirt was growing wet. "What happened?" Chet asked, kneeling down beside Frank. "Is it...is it Joe?" he asked fearfully.
At this, Frank leapt at Chet and burst out into heart-wrenching sobs. Chet wrapped his arms around Frank and held him tight. He stared straight ahead seeing nothing because he was too overcome with shock. Joe wasn't only one of his best friends but also the guy his sister had been planning on marrying for years, unbeknownst to Joe, of course. Joe was going to be his brother too. Chet swallowed hard as his own tears finally started.
"Well, isn't this comfy and cozy?" sneered Jeffery, stepping into view and seeing the two boys embracing their grief. "And here I thought I would have to seek you out again."
Chet glared up at the intruder while Frank continued sobbing, unaware they had a visitor. "What do you want?" snarled Chet.
"My orders were to eliminate your friend there," the man told Chet. "But with Hardy actually in the area, I think he might choose to keep him, and you, as hostages."
"You killed his brother," Chet objected, glaring at the man defiantly. "Can't you just leave him alone?"
"I did not kill his brother," the man objected. "Dr. Tandem actually wanted him alive. He did, after all, possess the qualities he sought. Joseph, however, was not at all receptive to being a guinea pig and put up a fight at a most inopportune time. As a result, he fell out of the helicopter."
"And you just left him," Chet accused him bitterly.
"We made several circles but couldn't find where he went down," Jeffery replied, surprising Chet and Frank who was slowly coming out of his shock. "We were even ordered to find his remains but, alas, it proved fruitless. When my associates found evidence of a pack of wolves in the general area it became obvious that the boy was history and any remains would be useless."
"Th...that's not what Tandem just said," Frank accused him of lying.
Jeffery shrugged. "Dr. Tandem does tend to leave out details when speaking with others," he stated.
"Where?" Frank demanded. "Where did he fall out?"
"What does it matter to you?" Jeffery demanded with a wry twist to his lips.
"Joe's his brother!" Chet screamed at him angrily. "Even if there isn't much left..." his voice broke and he fell silent.
"He has to have a proper burial," Frank finished Chet's line of thought.
"Too bad you won't be able to give him one," Jeffery stated. "You see, you will never find him because you will never get the opportunity to do so.
"What do you mean?" Frank asked, knowing already where this line of questioning was leading.
Jeffrey quit speaking and smiled thinly at the two teens. "Now, on your feet," he instructed. "You wanted to find Dr. Tandem and now, you shall meet him."
Frank smothered a smile. "Yes, he had wanted to find Tandem so he could get his brother back. Now, however, he wanted to find Tandem for only one reason: to kill him.
