Chapter 13
I do not own the Hardy Boys and also a warning for mild language.
When Frank got up in the morning his mind was already fired and alert. He had a job to do and no time to dawdle. So when he went into his office Paul was waiting for him. "What's the play?" he asked sensing Frank's mood and Frank quickly outlined his plan. "Okay, if you will speak to the tech team about getting us the trackers I will go about finding people to play architecture students" Paul replied heading to the door. Frank nodded and the both of them immediately headed in different directions to get the ball rolling.
Frank had every intention of doing the recon before three in the afternoon which seemed to be Alex's time of hanging out and that meant moving fast. "Liz, we are looking at trackers for about five of our agents preferably one where I can have visual too" he was explaining a few minutes later with his boss listening in. There had been no time for a full-fledged meeting and Frank had simply requested for his boss to accompany him to the tech dept. and had given a sketch of the plan en route. Russell had silently given the go ahead and was now lounging on a stool as Frank set up the tech.
"Okay gotcha, I have what you need but we do need to check it out" Liz said as Frank nodded and put in a call to Paul asking his presence. "Give me half an hour dude, I am setting up the team or why don't you check out the chip in my stead?" he suggested leading Frank to consider the same. He would test the chip but it would require another procedure to take it out and technically he did not require it. But then again time was of essence and he silently held out his arm. "Fine go ahead" he offered to the technician.
A quick jab left him wincing and a few minutes later the monitor was locked on his tracker and he was instructed to walk around. The next fifteen minutes were spent on testing the range and efficiency of the chip and then they were joined by Paul who was accompanied by four other agents. Paul had chosen well.
The agents were all young and they had been briefed only about the bare essentials. They would be pretending to be architecture students and checking out the warehouse as part of a project and keep an eye out for suspicious activity. But that was it. Only Paul would do the actual scouting and Frank would be seeing the same.
Yet another half an hour later Frank was glued to a monitor and Paul was striding into the pier along with a group of ten. There were five others along with the agents who were all friends of the agents and had agreed to play students at short notice. Paul led the group gesturing to various structures along the way and finally stopped in front of the warehouse.
Talking aloud about some random style of architecture that Frank knew for sure did not exist he walked inside the warehouse.
Frank breathed a sigh of relief to note that it looked deserted but at second look he realized that it was not. There were two of the gang seated at a table playing cards and they looked up as Paul entered. One of them approached Paul "this is private property. You cannot enter" he said blocking Paul's way.
Paul simply pushed up the glasses up his nose and looked at the man blithely. "Oh! I am professor Richards and we have permission to look through the warehouse. You see we are studying the baroque style of architecture and this building is a fine example. Here, we have a letter of authorization from the owner" he said brandishing a fake letter in the man's face.
The other goon joined the first man and further blocked their entry "you heard my partner so beat it. We don't care for any letter and you better leave now. Our boss does not like strangers" he threatened. Paul abandoned his teacher persona and straightened up "well in that case we don't care for you either" he said and lashed out in a kick. The skirmish lasted all of three minutes as the other agents got into the act and the two goons were laid out flat at their feet.
"I am going ahead, you guys check out as many crates as you can and try to lift as many fingerprints as you can" Paul instructed and swiftly made his way to the back door. "I hope you are seeing this too Frank" Paul muttered as he stared at the big door in his way. "Here goes nothing" he breathed and closed his hand around the door knob. Unsurprisingly it was locked and after a few minutes of jimmying around he opened the door to find himself in an office of sorts.
"Well this is anti-climactic" he grumbled as his eyes swept the room. "Frank there seems to be nothing here" he said and felt his phone ring. "Frank" he called into the receiver as he walked all over the room trying to find an opening or something somewhere. He knew that Frank would be seeing what he was and he hoped that the other man was picking up something useful.
"The floor Paul…towards the back. The lines around the tiles seem a bit disturbed. Go closer" Frank's voice came from the phone and Paul complied wondering how he did not see this. "I see it…son of a gun..you are right. The edging of the tile seems different like they have been removed and replaced. I am going to pry the edges and see what happens" Paul updated and took out his Swiss army knife. Wedging it into the corner he started prising the edges of the tile. It took the better part of fifteen minutes but he managed to remove the tile to see a gaping hole below. "What the hell" he spoke aloud "you know what. I am going to remove the adjoining tiles too. I am calling in Ben to help out" he said and proceeded to do the same.
Another half an hour later Paul sat back on his haunches and surveyed the scene. The tiles had moved and they had found another room beneath this..at least it looked like another one. "I am going down. Cover me" he said to Ben and spoke to Frank "Frank, I am going down..there seems to be some set of stairs here. Stay tuned" he said and started descending with Frank's "be careful" resounding on the line.
The 'staircase' was a roughhewn set of rocks masquerading as stairs and Paul cursed as he tried to navigate them guided only by his flashlight. "well I'll be damned, there is a bloody basement here" he swore guiding his flashlight in the direction of the rather well lit basement until he stopped on the metal cage in the far corner of the structure. "Frank are you seeing this?" he asked bringing the phone back to his ears.
"Get me a closer look Paul" Frank said and Paul complied. The cage itself was empty which was rather disappointing but showed all signs of having been inhabited at some point. He entered the cage to find discarded sets of clothes, shabby blankets and two sets of plates and glasses. The light was bright white and distinctly grated on his nerves. "Do you mean to tell me this place was built with this arrangement?" Paul asked and Frank gave a cursory reply "the basement was, the cage is all assembly at short notice".
"Can we safely assume that our agents were here?" Paul muttered and Frank sighed. "Yes, I suppose we can, get someone from forensics here mate. We need to know when our pals were shifted out. If they can get us some ball park time we can try to find a direction. On second thought I will do it myself. I am sending Dean there pronto" Frank said as he simultaneously got another communications line. Paul heard him talk to Dean on the other line and he moved closer to the bed and clothes.
On closer inspection he could see splotches of blood on the clothes and the plates looked at least a day old. He shivered in the cold atmosphere and shuddered to think of the condition in which they would find the agents. Rapidly pulling back the negative thoughts that came to the fore he focused on what he could do instead…find fingerprints. By now Ben had joined him and on Paul's directive started looking for fingerprints as well. "What is the scenario upstairs?" Paul asked him at one point and Ben gave a crooked smile "oh! Those thugs are not going anywhere considering they are knocked out with our guys standing over them like wicked angels".
"Good" Paul nodded and went about his job until he heard the sound of footsteps. He looked up to see the forensics guy "Hi Dean…all yours" he gestured holding his hands out expansively. Dean nodded "I sure hope you find whoever it is that you are searching for" he muttered as he went about collecting the clothes and everything forensic related in multiple Ziplocs.
"I will work on these as soon as I get back and hopefully I can ID them for you at the earliest" he said and straightened up after a half hour of looking into every inch of the cell. Paul nodded "thanks pal" he said and after exchanging a handshake he followed Dean out of the basement to the warehouse.
He was pleased to see that the agents had managed to open quite a few crates and take a look. He gave them an enquiring look and one of them answered "nothing incriminating. These are genuine random glassware. The truly illegal stuff has already been shifted out" he offered. Paul nodded "What about these guys? How are they still out?" he asked wondering if he even wanted to know considering the sheepish grin he got in return. "Well we made sure they remained knocked out as we didn't know if we could take them into custody".
Paul chuckled "good call ...and no we can't take them into custody right now and I say let's hightail it out of here now. It will be better if we remained architecture students to the best of their knowledge". "Amen" Frank muttered as the group walked out of the warehouse at a brisk pace.
Soon Paul was back with Frank and nursing a coffee in his hand. "So what do you think?" he asked bringing a thoughtful frown to Frank's face. "I don't know what to think" he confessed "I was really hoping to find them stashed away but now they could be in any of their hideouts. I guess we just have to take a look at their drop zones again and try to come up with a possible location fast".
"Aww man" Paul groaned "so we are back to ground zero?" he groused running a hand over his face. He huffed out a breath "Fine, let's do it then..a map of all their drop zones" he said heavily and lifted an eyebrow when Frank slid across a sheet of paper in response. It was a map with all the drop zones marked in and possible flats nearby circled in. "You have been busy" he commented as Frank shrugged.
"We are still stuck for time. Joe will be coming in after lunch to get his updated chip and we have things to discuss before he leaves for Borneo. This means that you have be the one to handle the drop zones as I am going to be out of the picture as well" Frank commented.
"I am game but I could use your brains on this" Paul said facing Frank "should I focus on the zones we have not hit or the zones we have hit? Which do you think will be safe from their point of view?"
"Honestly I have no idea, this is where I miss Joe's gut instincts but if you were to go by mine I would say go for the already hit zones. They might think that we would go for the zones not checked on..or not for that matter. I am not entirely sure but this is what I would go with" Frank suggested leaving Paul to ponder the words.
"You have a point, I concur. My instincts say the same so this is what I will do. I will hit the known zones first and if nothing turns up then I have no choice but to go the whole nine yard. Damn, I hate this" Paul swore and Frank agreed with a "me too". However the moment was interrupted by the zing of Frank's phone signaling a message. "Joe is heading our way in a few" Frank updated looking at the message. "Good, I can finally meet the prodigal brother" Paul quipped as Frank shot him an incredulous look.
Half an hour later Frank's phone rang "Joe?" Frank asked looking at the name. "Yep" came the reply "I am on the same road as our outfit. I am pretty sure that I have not been tailed but it still doesn't hurt for you to look over too. Can you scan the road for me just to be sure?". "Yeah" Frank affirmed "hold on, doing that right now" he said walking to the end of the corridor. The end of the corridor had a wall which in turn had more glass than concrete and offered a view of practically the whole street. Frank perused every corner until he was satisfied that the place was clean "it's clean. Come in" he confirmed.
A few minutes later the door of the room opened and Frank turned from his chair with a wide smile. "Joe" he exclaimed getting up to give his brother a hug and then tugged a chair forward for him to sit. Joe sank down on the chair and let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. Frank waited for Joe to open his eyes and when he did it was to say "god! I missed this place".
Frank chuckled "never thought I would hear you miss your workplace" he kidded before pointing to Paul. "Meet Paul, my partner in crime and the other set of eyes on you" he said as Joe got up to shake Paul's hand with a grin. "Hey Paul …so has Frank driven you batty yet? If not I have to say that I am impressed" he quipped with a mischievous grin very aware of Frank rolling his eyes behind him.
"Oh! I have already told him that I think you are the cooler brother" Paul said offhandedly as Frank gave an affronted protest. "Hey! You don't tell him that! Now I will never hear the end of it and you have practically just handed him an arsenal" he groaned but Paul simply grinned "doesn't make it any less true!".
"Paul my man, I already like you" Joe announced before rounding on Frank "and… moving onto serious matters…what's up with your plan? Did you guys do the warehouse scout? I am assuming you didn't find the operatives because I think you would have updated me on that". Frank deflated with a sigh "you are right, we didn't find them but we do have a lead" he said and proceeded to explain the events of the morning.
"Hmm alright. So that leaves us with a whole new agenda of flat search and drop zones. That hurts!" Joe cribbed running a hand through his hair. "And if the agents are here what am I going to be doing in Borneo?" he asked looking at his brother and Paul.
The both of them exchanged a look and then Paul replied "see that's the catch. We don't know anything for sure yet and we are not going to be able to confirm anything before you leave. The timing is shot" he said apologetically and Joe nodded. "Fine, it's too late to back out now anyway, not that I had a choice at any time. I might as well find out more about this gang when I have the opportunity" he said bringing the discussion to a close. The three of them lapsed into silence which Joe finally broke "why don't you guys check up on forensics and I go down to the tech dept in the meantime?".
"I will go with you" Frank said climbing to his feet as Paul got ready to check in with Dean. "Nice to meet you Joe and I do hope to see you in better circumstances when we are done with all this crap" he said shaking Joe's hands again as the brothers headed over to the tech dept. This time it was Joe getting prodded all over again.
"Well, I am adding this chip to what's already there" the techie was speaking as she prodded at Joe's arm. "I will put it close to the original chip so that we can take it out from the same incision when required" he said eliciting a grimace from Joe. "Will it leave a scar?" Joe asked and the technician shrugged "sometimes it does, sorry, although I didn't peg you for the vain type" she grinned. Joe rolled his eyes "great" he commented as Frank lifted an eyebrow and quipped "battle scars little bro..battle scars".
"Ha-ha" Joe replied before adding "my partner will come in the evening by the way. He wanted me to pass it on" to the techie. A few minutes and a shot and testing after Frank found himself walking with Joe to Joe's cabin. Joe sank into his chair and gave a small smile "you know it's like being caught between two worlds. This cabin seems too plush after the way I have been living the last few weeks" he commented as Frank settled into a chair as well. "You belong here Joe and nowhere else, remember that. This is your life however distant it seems right now" was Frank's reply.
"If you say so big bro, not going to contest that" Joe acquiesced with a smile and a wave "what about Borneo?" he asked bringing the discussion to the burning topic at hand. "I have put together a small team. Five guys including an EOD tech, we will be right behind you and I bet they would be taking a private charter as well" was Frank's reply. "How will you know where to go in Borneo?" Joe asked further eliciting a small smile from Frank "that's where your tracker should come into play. I hope that Alex will lead us on".
Joe rubbed his hands "yeah, I hope so too. Otherwise I will find a way to let you know, got that. Plus I got to be going now, have to pack. Do you think I should chance a weapon?". Frank had a thoughtful look on his face as he pondered over Joe's question. "A small one hidden really well. I don't think they will frisk you again but it cannot be conspicuous. I don't see Alex travelling without a weapon either so you should be able to sneak something in. "
"Good idea, will get to it then. Let me know when forensics get back and wish Paul good luck from me" Joe said rising to his feet. Frank was on his feet a second later and snagged Joe's arm "Joe be careful" he said emotion flooding into his voice as he looked into Joe's dark eyes. "I will" Joe promised pulling Frank into a hug "you take care" he said and made his way out of the room.
Back at his apartment he took out the duffel bag with the false bottom and proceeded to pack his essentials in it. The small gun that Frank had handed him over went into the false bottom and his clothes and other essentials went into the main compartment. It took him all of ten minutes to pack and he sat back contemplating the next few days when his phone pinged alerting him to a text.
The text contained instructions to be at a small airfield a few miles away at ten the next morning with directions enclosed. Joe immediately forwarded the message to Frank hoping it would help to zero in on some location. Frank immediately called back with news of his own. He had heard from Dean and that the agents had been shifted only the previous night and they had missed them by a whisker. "Damn it!" Joe swore "If only I had pursued that earlier" he fretted but Frank intervened "there were too many things happening too fast Joe. You had enough to deal with".
"The whole thing could have been wrapped up like yesterday" Joe fumed but Frank remained calm. "No use crying over spilt milk little bro. let's concentrate on what we can do ok? I saw the message and I am already looking at maps of the place. It's not going to be some fancy city for sure so I am looking for out of the way settlements that are near random airfields…or whatever. You don't need the specifics of my search. Let's see where it takes us".
"By the way, if you are going to be flying and Paul is going to be hitting the drop zones who's going to be looking at our feed?" Joe butted in with a question. "Russell "Frank answered and explained "until I get there and lay my hands on a computer. After that I am back to being your shadow" he promised putting Joe at ease.
"Alrighty then I will sign off and hopefully everything would blow over in a couple of days. Fingers crossed "Joe sighed as Frank did the same and signed off.
The next morning found Joe and Mike heading to the airfield with Frank already in the Reach hangar and getting ready to follow his brother. Joe and Mike had been picked up by the other two thugs whom Alex had called Nick and Barnes and were now at the airfield staring at a mid-size aircraft. Alex was ahead of them and was talking to two others whom Joe did not recognize. He idly wondered why there were more thugs than planned and got his answer soon.
What Alex had been talking to the two thugs became apparent as they moved to the parked car and dragged out a man and a woman. With their hands cuffed behind and looking distinctly disheveled they could only be the missing agents Joe surmised.
On closer inspection the agents looked every bit the worse for wear. They were bruised, dirty and looked starved but they were alive and in walking condition. Joe's eyes went wide, the mission had become entirely his now but he could work with two "walking condition" agents he supposed. Suddenly the whole operation looked more purposeful and the lead in his stomach disappeared. At least his original mission still stood and he was determined to make it a success.
Author notes: Sorry yet again for the delay (seems like I have been saying this a lot lately!). But setting up a small business in the midst of kids and home leaves no time for writing it seems…not when my brain is filled with orders to be fulfilled. Anyway it suddenly eased up and with my first dose of vaccination out of the way I am back to posting and hoping that you like this offering. I have only reviews to thank for even getting this out so please do keep the words coming. It is the writer's mojo trust me!
