A/N: Thanks, as always, to all my reviewers! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I just realized I haven't done these the last few chapters... Oh well, you all know I don't own Nan, the Hardys, and friends.
"Lasers." Fiona diagnosed coolly, studying the painting enclosed in the sturdy glass case. "If we break the beam, we set off the alarm."
"How do we get the painting without breaking the beam?"
Fiona gestured to the bag Nancy was still holding. "We'll need the mirrors, pliers, glass cutter..."
Handing over the tools, Nancy felt sick. She knew there was no way she could do this, plan or no plan. She hoped Joe would understand... hoped Vanessa would understand...
Rather than let the priceless artwork be stolen, Nancy was going to trip the alarm.
Sitting in the cab of the Mirage's truck, Joe thought he detected a flicker of movement across the street. A minute later a figure emerged from the darkness, creeping up to the truck, opening the door, and sliding into the passenger's side of the cab.
"Glad you could make it, George." Joe said, keeping his voice low.
"Happy to help." the black-clad brunette replied just as quietly. "Now can you explain what you meant on the phone earlier? What's going on here?"
"Nancy's in that museum-" Joe started tensely, but was interrupted as a car screamed around the corner, fishtailing wildly. It screeched to a stop, parked haphazardly on the wrong side of the street, and its blonde driver stumbled out and over to the truck. Joe got out of the cab to steady a breathless Charity. "Charity! What happened? Is Van okay? Where's Frank?" He hoped she wouldn't ask questions about why he was in the truck instead of the goons; luckily, he'd already stashed them in the back. "What are you doing here?"
"We got caught!" Charity gasped, shaking her head as if in disbelief. "Frank... captured. And Vanessa. By the Mirage..."
"And you just left them?" Joe exclaimed angrily. Looking around, he lowered his voice. "You just left them to die?"
"What was I supposed to do?" Charity hissed. "Let myself get captured? Let the Mirage see me so that he knows the jig is up and calls the police on Fiona and Nancy? I came here because I thought it was the only place I'd be able to help!"
Joe eyed her coldly. No matter how much sense it made, he couldn't forgive her for abandoning Vanessa and Frank. "You came here to help? Then maybe you should get in there and help Fiona so Nancy doesn't have to do your dirty work!" He gave Charity a push toward the museum.
Charity stood up straight and peered into the cab of the truck. "Who's that girl?"
Joe gave her a stormy look.
"Alright, alright, I'm going..." she sauntered off in the same direction as Fiona and Nancy had taken, carefully avoiding the floodlights.
Joe collapsed back into the driver's seat, tense with worry. If Frank had been captured by the Mirage...
"I'm sure he'll be okay... Frank's gotten out of some pretty tough situations before." George offered sympathetically, although she only had the slightest idea of what was happening here.
Joe just stared past her, trying hard to focus on his part in helping Nancy escape rather than the fact the his brother and girlfriend were in mortal danger.
It wasn't working too well until the sound of police sirens snapped him out of it. "Get down." he warned George, and the two of them crouched low in the cab as police car after police car sped by the truck and stopped in front of the museum. "Oh god." he whispered. "They're going to get caught!"
"Did you say that Nancy is in that museum?" George wanted to know.
Joe's answer caught in his throat as two figures appeared on the flat roof of the museum: one redheaded, one strawberry-blonde.
"Nancy?" George wondered.
"What do they think they're doing!" Joe asked, horrified. He changed his diagnosis. "They're going to get killed!" And where is Charity, he wondered. Did she not catch up to them in time?
"You are under arrest!" A policeman shouted into a megaphone. "Get your hands where we can see them!"
"That's as far as I can take you." the cab driver said. "The police have blocked everything off."
We're too late, Frank thought as he paid the cabbie. He and Vanessa ran through the maze of police cars, approaching the back door of the museum.
A young officer blocked their way. "Excuse me, I'm going to have to ask you to leave this area. We're attempting to make an arrest and this could get dangerous."
"Oh my god!" Vanessa cried suddenly, pointing. "Look on the roof!"
Frank turned and felt his stomach twist into a knot at the sight of the two girls on the roof. Nancy and Fiona.
"You are under arrest! Get your hands where we can see them!" Came a voice from the other side of the building.
With a quick nod to each other, the girls started to raise their hands in the air. A second later, however, they both appeared to be reaching for something...
The officer who had spoken to Frank and Vanessa turned from them, having more important things to attend to. He grabbed a megaphone and yelled, "Freeze! Now! Hands up, or we won't hesitate to shoot you!"
The girls looked at each other again. They seemed to concur. They did not put their hands up, instead, reaching inside their jackets...
"Nancy!" Frank yelled.
Two shots rang out, and the two figures crumpled out of sight.
A/N: Pretty quick update for me; sorry it wasn't longer. But what kind of author would I be if I didn't stop it at the cliffie? As always, please leave a review and I'll continue to love you!