Alex could feel a rumbling sensation underneath him when he next came to. He felt groggy, like his dad waking him up in the middle of the night for a mission. His Dad…
Alan's eyes snapped open. He was no longer tired. He remembered. Where was Corper? More to the point; where was HE?
His eyes darted around. He was lying along the back seat of a car. The car was moving, which explained the rumbling sensation. His hands were bound by cord like ropes and tied to the handle of one of the back doors and a folded blanket was under his head. He looked up, not daring to move, to see Corper driving the car. Alan tried to see where they were, but the back windows had covers over them and the rear window was too high up to see through.
"Hello Alan" said an all too familiar voice
Alan looked up to see Corper's eyes looking at him through the review mirror. His heart pounded, "Where are we?" he gasped
Corper's eyes returned to the road ahead, "Just relax Alan, you're in good hands"
Alan tried to sit up, or even sneak a glimpse of the outside through the back or forward windows.
But Corper purred dangerously, "Don't move Alan, or I'm going to have to stop the car"
It was a mild threat parents often used on little kids, but Alan could hear the threat very clearly. He sank back down, his head resting on the folded blanket. It felt like hours had passed and Alan sleepily closed his eyes. The next time he awoke, the car had stopped. It was dark, so Alan guessed it was night. The door by his feet opened and Corper bent inside. Alan stiffened when Corper reached over and untied the rope from the door handle.
Corper seemed to read his thoughts, "Don't think about running Alan," he warned, pulling Alan out of the car.
Alan nearly fell over when Corper pulled him upright, holding him securely around the chest.
Alan blinked. Corper hadn't taken him somewhere desolate. He wasn't in the country or in a desert. He was in the parking lot of a block of plush city apartments. A sign on the wall read 'Thousand Oaks Hotel: Lobby this way'
Alan was still a little dazed when Corper pulled him over towards the lift, but that soon passed. Corper pushed the button summoning the lift when Alan thrust his elbows into his capture's stomach. Corper doubled over and Alan bolted, not too sure where he was going. He just ran, desperately trying to find some means of escape. He opened the door to the stairwell and raced down the flights. He could hear Corper behind him, which made him run faster. Adrenaline pumped through him as he fled from the man who had been closer to him than a father over the past few months until something struck his head and he fell the rest of the way down.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Back at Wharton Academy, Jeff had been waiting for Alan with Fermat by the car. After a while he had grown impatient. Why was Alan taking so long?
Instructing Fermat to remain by the car, Jeff had stridden into the administration office. The receptionist Mrs Whiteman, whom he had met on several occasions, had greeted him.
"Mr Tracy, it is good to see you again" she regarded him
"Good afternoon, do you know where Alan has gotten to?" Jeff had asked
Mrs Whiteman had chirped, "He stepped outside to talk to a teacher"
Jeff had gone outside but had found nothing. No trace of Alan. No trace of anyone.
"Do you know where they may have gone?" he had asked the receptionist
She shook her head, looking concerned, "He went out just a few minutes ago with Mr Corper. They couldn't have gone anywhere else. Most of the school is off limits"
Jeff frowned. It wasn't like Alan to wonder off without telling him where he was going.
Jeff had taken a seat and waited for a few minutes. But not for long. After he and Mrs Whiteman had conducted a search and crossed out all the possibilities, Alan was still nowhere to be found.
That was an hour ago. Now Jeff stood talking to the police in the staff room.
"He said he was only going to be a few minutes, but he's been missing for almost two hours now" said Jeff
"Who was he with at the time?" asked the policeman, scratching his chin
"Mr Peter Corper, he is currently a science teacher, specialising in chemistry" said the Headmaster, who had been called
"What is the relationship between the two?" asked the officer
"Purely professional" answered the Headmaster
"Well," a small voice piped up. Fermat had been there the whole time. Jeff had called him to the office less than ten minutes after leaving him with the car. Fermat had admitted to not knowing where Alan could have gone. Now the blue-spectacled boy cringed, "Alan has had a very close relationship with Mr Corper. He's his b…b…favourite teacher and he always went to him to t…t…discuss things with"
"What kind of things?" asked Jeff
Fermat shrugged, as if not wanting to say, "Well…I don't know exactly. I was never t…t…with him when he went. But whenever Alan was angry, he always w…w…saw Mr Corper
"You're saying the boy was angry a lot of the time?" asked the officer
"Well, kind of…" said Fermat
"About what?" asked Jeff
Fermat looked at him, cringing again, "Family stuff" he said shortly
Jeff knew what he meant instantly, but the officer saw a different angle
"So maybe there was a chance that Master Tracy wanted to avoid going back home and purposely misplaced himself?"
Jeff turned on him, "My boy wouldn't run away"
The officer shrugged, "Teenagers these days are unpredictable Mr Tracy. But I'll take this to the station and if we receive any information, we'll contact you"
"So I'm just supposed to sit twiddling my thumbs until Alan is found? What kind of a father would I be if I did that?" Jeff was nearly shouting
Fermat was sinking deeper and deeper into his chair.
The officer obviously didn't want to discuss the matter, "Is there any way we can contact you, are you staying close to the area?"
Jeff calmed, "No, I live with my family on an island I own"
"What would you say if I got you some temporary residence? A hotel room somewhere close just for now?" suggested the officer
Jeff had no choice but to nod. The officer left to make the arrangements and Jeff sank into a chair, rubbing his face in his hands.
What am I going to tell the rest of the family? He thought
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N
Thankyou so much for all the reviews. To these people in particular:
Hobbeth: This is the style I've always been writing in so it works for me. But I'm always open to new ideas etc so if you have any, that'd be great. Thanks!
Tikatu: I lost count how many reviews you sent me! Lol! Okay, hopefully this chapter answers your question about Jeff wondering where Alan was and Fermat twiddling his thumbs when Jeff abandoned him at the car. Thanks for the USA education tips. I've got no idea how the system works there so hopefully my new version fits in a bit more. When the Thunderbirds arrive at the fire, yes, it is noted that they are wearing helmets to protect their identities and yes, I've noted that Jeff changes out of his uniform to see Alan after the fire. I've done a lot of changing and I apologise for all the really lame mistakes. Hopefully they're ok now (eg: fire crew arriving after thunderbirds) I you have any more info on American schooling systems, lemme know! Thanks for your reviews! Enjoy!
Thowra angel: sorry bout all the really lame mistakes. I was rushing to get it up and running. Hopefully my editing fixed that.
To anyone else, hope your still enjoying it!
Keep reviewing!