Reflections (Impressions part 2)
Disclaimer: The Hardy boys characters do not belong to me and I make no money out of this.
Summary: This is a follow up to "Impressions". While it could be read alone I would recommend reading that first for better understanding. The Hardys are older than canon with Joe being 23 and Frank 24, about three years before "Impressions". In "Impressions" Mike mentions being rescued by Frank and Joe and in this we come to know how it all happens. Why would Mike have to be rescued? Why was Joe the one doing it and where was Frank in all of this. Read on to find out.
Claudia leant back in the chair with her hands clasped in front of her. She had just finished reading the "real" file of the Hardys and she felt that she was still part of that universe. Parts of it felt surreal and she had to agree with Mike. The Hardys definitely took care of their own. Her mind went to the case she had just read about, the one Mike had mentioned in passing and she sighed aloud.
It had been a year with the Hardys now and she would now gladly admit that she would not want to be anywhere else or on any other team. It was a far cry from her initial ideas but the last year had been an eye opener on many levels. The Hardys worked differently from any other agent she knew and the bond between the brothers was something she could not even imagine.
It was more like they were a continuation of each other while maintaining their individual differences and she still found herself awed by it. It had played a lot of role in bringing them home as well as the rest of the team, and the file in front of her said the same. She could almost hear Mike's voice as she visualized the words on the paper.
Three years ago
"Joe" Frank called popping his head into the room causing his blond good looking brother to look up. "Russell's room, emergency meeting" he explained as Joe simply asked "now?" and at Frank's nod followed his brother to Tom Russell's cabin. Tom Russell was one of the top guys in the ultra secretive agency. Nicknamed "Reach" this outfit was one of the closely guarded secrets of the US espionage world. To the outside world the operatives were part of the 'network' and the real work happened behind a lot of smoke screens. Most of the cases deemed 'inoperable' or 'majorly complicated' landed in this outfit which is where Frank and Joe found themselves.
In a few minutes they were in Russell's office and sitting down for what promised to be a serious conversation. "What is it Tom?" Frank enquired getting down to business as Tom gave them a serious look. "One of our operations has run into problems and we need to send in back up which is why I need you" he said bluntly and continued when the Hardys motioned for him to do so.
"A couple of months back we started noticing a sudden surge of drugs in various places across the United States. It was popping up in schools, colleges, workplaces; you name it and seemed to bait the youngsters. Teenagers with angst issues, broken relationships, you know the profile, all of us have been there.
It resulted in a sudden rush of alarmed parents and hospital admissions with the police and later on other intelligence agencies being involved. The police however could only do so much from the outside and after a while it became apparent that there was a mole in the police force who by the way is still at large. We have suspicions but no guaranteed ID of the mole. Their operations were compromised from the word go and there was no point in sending in their officers when their identities were already compromised.
After a lot of deliberation it was decided that the gang could only be infiltrated by agents not known to the outside world and the case came to us. We assigned our operatives to the case. We were able to find the hotspots and rough areas of operation in and around the city. We followed the trail and zeroed in on the New York operations of the ring but it became obvious that New York was not the hub at all. Now we wanted more than just the New York ring; we wanted to find out the main source of the ring. The mother hub if we could call it that so that we could cut if off at the source."
"To that end, we sent in a couple of our operatives undercover to infiltrate the ring. They managed to infiltrate the ring and send us enough information to know that the main hub is Borneo and that a terrorist outfit is behind it all. It was no longer just a case against drugs but counter terrorism and our operatives were not prepared for that. As of the last five days there has been zero contact which leads us to fear that their cover might be blown. We have no idea if they are dead or alive and if they are even in the States anymore."
"If they are alive, I need them to be retrieved. Extraction is the priority but if more information can be gathered it will be a bonus. Anything to bring them down will be appreciated. It will be an extremely complicated extraction but if there is even the slightest chance that they are alive I want to take it. I am not going to pretend that this is going to be easy. It is highly risky and for all I know I might be sending you into the ring for nothing at all if the operatives have already been taken out of the equation. And as much as I detest it, the fact stands that I will be sending you into possibly an already compromised situation. But that might be our trump card also; they will not expect another undercover operative at this point. At least I hope so or they might be more paranoid but that depends on what has transpired out there. We can only hope for the best.
Ideally I would look at other options, other candidates but right now I don't have the time and neither do they. So I am not assigning you a mission, but I am asking if you will consider going in and getting our people out. And honestly, you are the best candidates I could think of even if there are others out there. You fit a lot of the criteria"
"You have experience in infiltration and you have experience in detective work. If you choose to go in it will be a combination of both. Get us fingerprints, identities which only you know how to. The question is will you?" he asked looking at the brothers with an assessing glance. Frank and Joe who had been listening intently looked at each other and Frank gave a wry smile.
"Do you have to ask? When should we leave?" Frank asked as Joe leaned back thoughtfully. "As soon as you are ready" came the reply and the brothers nodded before Joe turned to Frank "Frank…" he started but Frank shook his head forcefully with a firm "no".
At Tom's puzzled look Frank expanded his one word syllable "No, you will not go in alone" he said firmly as Tom's expression cleared in understanding. But Joe shook his head again "No, you don't understand... Frank, we need someone on the outside who can bail us out in case we get cornered. They need to read us and know the way we work; you know I am making sense. What is the point in both of us getting stuck in the same scenario with no one to be able to read us from the outside?"
"Frank…the way we work, it is not textbook. I know we make the best of partners but when we are going into a known compromised situation don't you think one of us should stay outside? This way one of us is in trouble the other knows what to do. It is not what is being said that counts…it is the things not being said that counts. That makes all the difference and you know that. With you I don't need to say anything, I don't have to worry about anything. I know you will pick up the thread. So Frank, please..stop being stubborn and use your head".
Frank started to argue but stopped hearing the logic in Joe's words. Damn Joe, he knew that the way to get to him was to use logic. But at the same time he was not going to send in his brother alone into an already compromised situation without back up. "I can see the logic, believe me I can but I can't accept it. I can't send you in alone Joe, I just can't. If only one of us needs to go in why not me?" Frank said his tone agitated over the situation.
Joe rolled his eyes "For such a smart guy you can be pretty dumb sometimes. You know that carrying off a troubled teenager is more my forte than yours. Besides, the person on the outside needs to be calm and level headed to come up with a plan in case things go south. You are getting the drift there, big bro?"
"Frank, I agree with you, but what if I send in another agent with Joe and you can be the contact on the outside? They can watch each other's backs" Tom interjected ushering another thoughtful silence into the room. The silence stretched interminably until Frank sighed, "Who?" he asked in a resigned tone.
"Mike Mathews, he is young and has a good head on his shoulders. He might not have your experience but the gang members are all young and he is young. Most of them are young kids; some of them in college or just out of it and many of them are users themselves. They are kids looking to make a quick buck and then find that they are in too deep and cannot get out" Tom explained.
"Fine" Frank grudgingly accepted "I can't say that I like the situation but Joe has a point. There has to be someone who can read between the lines, so Mike Mathews it is." Joe extended a hand and clasped Frank's "I will be careful, I promise" he said softly and Frank chuckled wryly "like hell you will be and I won't be there to bail you out you know" he muttered. Joe smiled in return "you won't need to. I have learnt from the best" he quipped as Frank muttered "we will see". Joe then turned to Tom "so what is my cover?" he asked.
"You are Alan Cruise, an orphan too old for the foster system and looking to make your ends meet. You work as an assistant in a garage and live in a small room off the waterfront. But since that is not enough money you 'heard' that there are 'opportunities' on the waterfront and now trying to get a job there. Now, we know that the waterfront is one of the places the 'recruitment' is happening so that will give you an in into the gang hopefully." Joe nodded in accordance and muttered "yeah I hope so too, it will save us time".
"Mike on the other hand will be Joshua Hemming who is also a college dropout with a different background profile. Something on the lines of parents being divorced and now being left to fend for himself with no support from them. That will give you both something similar to bond over and an excuse to become friends. Both of your identities are ready and complete with a social security number and you can also take a look at the garage where you will be 'working.' The garage will be your drop and pick up point for information and you are anyway knowledgeable about cars so that shouldn't be a problem."
"Both of your looks will be altered of course and once that is done the photos will get added to your identities. Pauline is waiting to lay her hands on you and Jake has a wardrobe picked out for you. You are poor remember, and your clothes need to reflect that. Both of you will carry small transmitters embedded on your person which we will be hearing every minute of the day. Plus you will carry a small transmitter set inbuilt into your cell phone which you can use to send your reports in. Is there anything I am missing?" Tom asked looking keenly at the quiet duo in front of him.
"The operatives who went missing…were they outfitted the same way? If they were you should have heard what was happening…if they were captured you must have heard a scuffle, fight, something" Frank commented and Joe nodded in accord with a "I was thinking the same thing".
Tom however sighed and ran a hand over his face "No, we did not embed the transmitters and I am afraid we miscalculated. We were prepared for a drug ring but not for a terrorist backed huge one. They just carried a small transmitter set in their bags which they logged on when they could and sent a msg..Sometimes in Morse code. We had not anticipated the ring to be so involved and I for one plan on not repeating my mistakes. So, you will go in better equipped this time around" he said.
Frank and Joe ran through the scenario in their heads and Joe voiced his concern "Okay that makes sense. What about weapons?". Tom hesitated slightly before answering "you cannot carry a weapon initially, it does not go with your cover. Your best bet and ours is that once you are into the gang they will provide you with one. If that doesn't happen I will find a way to get a gun to you no matter what, just make sure to keep us in the loop and get to the garage at any cost. I guess we could technically place a weapon in the room you would be staying in but you still would not be able to carry it with you around. The best bet would be to get to the garage when the need arises and we will pass on a weapon through your 'boss' Agent Noel Smith" Tom said.
"If the investigation works successfully we are hoping you will go to Borneo at some point and we will be right behind you. Frank, I and a small back up team will accompany you to wherever you go. At no point will you be without back up and I will do my damnedest to make sure that all my men are back with me safe and sound. That much I can promise" Tom said fervently. "Sure Tom. We will get going then" Frank said as Joe responded with "thanks" and they stood up and shook hands with Tom before heading towards where Pauline was waiting. Frank was carrying the file on the undercover operatives whom Joe was meant to rescue in his hands he wuld read it when Joe was getting his makeup done.
Both of them kept quiet, running over the case in their minds as they walked to the make up dept. Joe was already working out the nuances of Alan Cruise in his mind while Frank was trying hard not to notice the queasiness in his stomach. However they were soon accosted by the cheerful voice of Pauline Walker as she stood with her hands on her hips. Pauline was a cheerful strong willed lady in her mid thirties whose make up skills were legendary. The boys had been handled by her for a couple of other cases and she had become more of a friend to them over time.
"Hi boys, come on right in. Joe, I have everything ready and if you settle in we can start right away" she said getting right down to business. "Sure Pauline, I am so eager to be your guinea pig" Joe said easily as he put on the plastic poncho and seated himself on the chair in front of the mirror. "So what are you going to do to my insane good looks?" he further needled as Pauline slapped him on the back playfully. "Let's see I can make you look like Shrek but then he gets the princess so that's no go" she teased as Joe mock pouted in the mirror.
"Well, let me see" she continued as she rinsed Joe's hair and started the process of coloring it. "I was told not to mutilate you too much and that your insane good looks might actually help in this case so I am just going to play with your hair and eyes and maybe something with your facial structure. They are after all your most distinctive features. I am dying your hair black and I have brown contact lenses for your eyes. I will also mostly be adding some cheek pads to change your facial structure a bit. It is not going to detract from your looks and yet I am hoping it will make you look different enough. Plus with a mild scruffy look you should look very different so do not clean shave for the duration of this assignment" she instructed and got down to the job in hand.
"Yes mam" Joe replied and closed his eyes letting the woman work her magic on him. Frank in the meantime had closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair trying to quell the feelings of disquiet rising within him. Every instinct was screaming at him to prevent Joe from going on this assignment but he knew that was not the right thing to do. Joe was his own man and did not need his babysitting. He then thought of the tracker that Joe would be carrying and smiled...well he was going to be babysitting Joe just in a different way.
Two hours later Frank had to admit that the changes worked. Joe still looked striking …just not as Joe. The dark hair and eyes did the trick and Pauline was right…with a scruffy unshaven look he would look very different from his file shots in case anyone decided to snoop. He looked far more rugged and not so upstate. After all it would be a total disaster if "Alan Cruise" was found to be "Joe Hardy". While it was not known that they were members of "Reach" they were still known to be a part of the espionage community.
Joe stood up and stretched his arms wide "so?" he asked looking at Frank expectantly and Frank smiled back. "It works" he said as Joe gave an offended look and looked at himself in the mirror "That's all you would say? Not how devilishly handsome I look now?" he whined but Frank just grinned.
"Fine" Joe groused "I know a jealous kid when I see one" he said mischievously as he exchanged his clothes with the cheaper versions left for him. They then bid their farewell to Pauline who handed over spare contact lenses and pulled Joe into a hug with a "be careful and you come back safely okay" whispered into his ear. Frank shook his head and wondered if he would have got the same reaction. Probably not he decided…Joe was more expressive and connected more with people. There were times that even Frank could not reconcile this Joe with the cold sniper Joe he saw on the field. But then personal losses did tend to change one's persona.
At the tech dept Frank found himself once again waiting as they injected the transmitter chip into Joe's forearm. He found himself wincing along with his brother when it was injected in and then he was handed the controls to the transmitter. He walked around listening to what he could pick up from Joe's transmitter while extending the distance gradually. "What's the range on this thing?" he asked Carson, the division's own version of Q.
"Twenty miles give or take a couple" the young man shrugged casually eliciting a low whistle from Frank. "Technology has improved a lot Frank" Carson commented in response to Frank's reaction. Frank nodded "yeah, I am just amazed at the clarity of this thing. I can hear everything so clearly".
It was yet another hour later where Joe had received all the necessary documentation needed to carry off Alan Cruise that the brothers trudged back to their cars wearily. Earlier he had been told that the room he would stay in had already been stocked with more clothes and other essentials. He had also been handed a file with background material on "Alan Cruise". Joe had also briefly met his partner on the assignment Mike Mathews and decided that he was indeed quite a nice guy. However as he strapped in he could not help muttering "it's been one hell of a day bro" and Frank nodded in silent agreement. And their day had not ended yet, they still had to go over their own personal protocols which no one else would know. Now that would be their real ace in the hole.
Author notes: Hi everyone! First of all, thank you HNB FJRAY for putting this idea in my mind. If not for your request I don't think I would have even started this. Hopefully I don't disappoint you; I know I will be giving it my all! Secondly, the way I see it, it is going to be a multi chapter one and I hope all my readers stay on my journey. Thirdly Merry Christmas and I hope this brightens your day. Cheers! And having said this can I ask you to please read and review so that my Christmas is as happy as yours )
