Captured
Chapter 3
Pirates
After a few minutes, they stopped a few yards from the lot, and Ben turned to his group, talking in a low voice.
"Okay...keep quiet and retain a low profile. I'm going to go in there, get the helicopter, and pick you up here."
"Shouldn't I come with you, Ben?" Riley asked.
"No. I'm not leaving the kids alone, and I'm not taking them with me. Also, if you come, that's one more person, increasing the risk of being spotted. Stay with me, here. I've got it all planned out."
"Good luck, Ben," said Riley, as his friend nodded and took off for the lot. Riley had been right. There were a ton of guards patrolling the area. Ben hid behind a storage garage and looked around for a possible candidate for flying to Brazil and back. He slowly poked his head around the corner and saw a guard heading in the direction of his face. Luckily, the man in black had his head turned looking around a different corner. Ben pulled back and creeped around the other side of the garage and into a bush, where he thought. How to get them away...I'd have to get them all in one place where I could see them...yes...but how? Oh...well this should have been obvious...a distraction. A large distraction. Something to get them all assembled in one throng. A...an explosion, a fire. Ben reached in his pocket, and dug everything out of it. Out came a nail clipper, 3 pennies, a nickel, a paperclip, a piece of string, and - Matches. I'm glad I took these from the tray at Giuseppi's last night. Ben looked around himself and climbed out of the bush. He snuck behind a storage garage, and looked at the front of it, where a door was standing open. He made sure the coast was clear, got himself into the garage, and looked around for something to light. He did a double take at the corner, where a tire sat. He smiled to himself.
"Perfect." Ben made his way to the rubber circle and picked it up. It was light, easy to throw. He had to be able to throw it fast. If he didn't, when he lit it, he would end up burning his arm. He peeked around corners, stepped out, grabbed the matches, stroke one, and put it inside the tire. Then threw it towards a guard, who screamed and fell over. The other guards, just as Ben had planned, hurried towards the scream. Ben made his move. He ran for his life as far away from the scene as he could, spotting a large helicopter up ahead. He jumped into it closed the door, and looked around at the controls.
"Oh, man. I have no idea how to fly a helicopter." He gritted his teeth, slammed his head against the dashboard, and after a few seconds, lifted it again and took a more careful look at everything. It was complicated. So many knobs and buttons and levers and ropes. A glove compartment...I need a manual...a how-to. He looked out the door window at the fire, and saw that it was still burning. He still had time. He looked around the pilot seat, and found two compartments, both empty. He stood up as far as he could, and moved towards the back, where he spotted a 7 inch thick book strapped to the wall. His heart dropped, but he unstrapped the book, sat back in the pilot seat, and scanned the overall starting steps and how to maintain control over the craft, then followed them.
"Okay...we're started up...now...altitude...altitude..." he thumbed the pages and finally found what he was looking for. He set the book on the floor, pulled the collective lever next to him, and he began to ascend slowly. He smiled, grasping the steering wheel, and began by flying low in order to get to Riley, Tom, and Andy. He found the three below him, opened the door, and threw out the rope ladder.
"RILEY!" Ben shouted downward, holding onto the door, and leaning out. "LET THE KIDS GO UP FIRST, AND THEN YOU COME UP IN CASE ONE OF THEM FALLS!" Riley gave a thumbs up, helped Tom and Andy get on, and then got on himself.
"HEY!" Riley looked forward. A guard was running toward the helicopter, and he brandished a handgun.
"BEN, GO!" Ben looked out the window, sat in the seat, and moved the cyclic control forward fast. A shot rang out through the air, and Tom, Andy's...and Riley's screams were heard from below. Ben kept fast, though hoping that he wouldn't go too fast and lose control. Once he was clear from the dock, he kept the helicopter progressing forward, went and opened the door, and opened it.
"CLIMB UP!" Riley and the twins were almost too afraid to move, but had to to get up into the helicopter.
"Come on, Tom," Ben said, leaning out and holding out his arm. Tom looked up fearfully at his father, and began climbing, slowly, up the rope ladder. Ben flexed his hand, and looked in the direction the craft was moving, glad there were no obstacles in the air that would give them the chance of crashing. When he looked back, his son was just a foot from his outstretched arm. He pushed himself to stretch further, and leaned out still more. "Grab my hand!" Tom's knuckles were white, holding on tightly to the rope. He uncurled the fingers of his right hand from it, and pushed it out in front of him, grabbing onto his father's hand. "Ready?" Tom nodded, and Ben pulled as hard as he can on the boy, thrusting him into the cabin. He then proceeded to help Andy, and then Riley. When all four were safely inside the cabin, Ben rolled up the ladder, shut the door, and sat himself back in the pilot seat. Riley sat in the seat next to him, and the twins sat on the floor against boxes in the back.
"We've got a long flight ahead of us," Ben said. "What I want you to do, Riley, is read, and memorize, that manual there." Riley looked at it, eyes growing wide.
"You want me to read all that?"
"If we're going to have a successful trip, you're going to have to," Ben replied, glancing back. Riley pulled the book towards him, heaved it onto his lap, and opened it to read. He looked up at Ben after about a minute.
"A - a few things while they're on my mind. Do we have any food?"
"Check in the crates," Ben replied, shrugging, "If nothing there, we'll have to find something when we get there. In the meantime, we just...fast." Riley sighed and asked his second question.
"Do you know how to get to the Amazon, Ben?"
"No, but I know I'm going in the right direction. There's a compass here, see?" Ben indicated it on his left. "Look for a map in the manual or something." He looked around, and got the vehicle going faster. Tom and Andy looked at each other, and nodded.
"Hey, dad...are you like...a pirate?" Andy said. Ben looked back at his sons, and gave them the most honest of honest answer.
"No."
"Well...did you really steal the Declaration of Independence?"
"No," Ben replied. Riley shifted his eyes in his friend's direction, impatient. Silence. It stayed this way a long time. Until a few hours later, the sky became gray...
A/N: That's the end of that! More after!! Cliffies are great. haha. ;-
REVIEW REPLIES FOR CHAPTER 2:
Celebwen Telcontar - Uh, I'm just making it more true to the movie....I don't normally do stuff like that...I'll read it though because I'm nice like that. Thanks for reading anyway!
little cosette - and as you see I have! ha thanks for reviewin! Oh, and I like your penname ;-
becc-gallanter - I hope you liked this one! I'm glad you like the story - cuz uh - I LIKE IT TOO haha. Thanky much!
moo27 - Thanks, that means a lot coming from a reviewer! Keep reading, it'll be good...i hope. One more review!!!!!
Scifi Kane - It's reviews like these that really motivate me to write new chapters!! Thanks so much, I'm glad you're enjoying my writing! Good luck on that history paper ;- And now I can post this chapter! yay! Keep reading and reviewing, and I'll definitely keep writing!!
Mercury Gray - Wow, thanks!!! It's January 2nd and I got 5 REVIEWS TODAY! I'm so glad they put the National Treasure section on !!! I'm really pumped to write chapter 4 now - I just saw the National Archives on FOX with an ad for National Treasure in it. And hopefully, since I'm setting it up, my History Club at my school is going to go see it!!! Thanks so much for reviewing!
Liz - (review for chapter 1) I KNOW! YOU'VE TOLD ME 50 THOUSAND TIMES! I think you're just doing this to get in the review responses at the end of the story. evil thing, you.
Dragon Tamer - Ha you have no idea how many times I've been called brilliant. And it boosts my conscience! lol Thanks for readin, likin, and reviewin!! Chapter 3 on it's way....Your review makes 7 in one day!!!!! Thanks!!
CoolMorganM - WOW - 8 REVIEWS? I am REALLY glad that put this section in here!!! If you haven't already, add me to your Author Alert! There's much more to come! Thank you a lot, I really appreciate all this, guys!
Galaxy3 - Hahahaha I think I love your reviews most of all, hun. lol. I just got this before I posted this chapter...so...BE HAPPY! Sorry about school...my first day back was today...blegh. Anyway, I hope you liked the update!!
