Charlotte despised Ray's old van. It was beyond disgusting and need to be washed, if not replaced.
But if riding around in it with Jasper and Schwoz in the backseat meant finding Henry and Piper, every disease she contracts from the filthy vehicle will be worth it.
Charlotte and Jasper were sitting on opposite sides of the van, peering out the window in hopes that they'd see a clue. Schwoz was fiddling with his DNA device, hoping to find a signal.
They had been driving around for a good twenty minutes when Charlotte yelled "Stop the van!" And jumped out.
Sure enough. Just as she had suspected, it was Piper's bike. And a backpack. Jasper put on his gloves and zipped it open as Charlotte turned to Ray.
"This is Piper's bike. And I recognize that backpack." Her expression shifted from curiosity and recognition to alarm. "Oh shoot, what if they got her?!" Her eyes began to water.
Schwoz gave her an awkward pat. "I'm sure they're both fine."
Charlotte gave him a look. "And how do you know?"
"Yeah," added Jasper, having temporarily abandoned his search.
"Think about it," said Schwoz, pointing to his own head. "If these people kidnapped Henry because they know he's Kid Danger- and seeing as how his gum is gone that's a high possibility- then they must've taken Piper because they want to use her against him. Like, 'Don't fight us and your sister lives.'"
In case you haven't guessed, this was not at all comforting. Charlotte turned away so they guys wouldn't see her trying not to cry, and Jasper rolled his eyes, going back to the backpack.
That's when something started vibrating. Everyone jumped about a mile.
"Wha-wha-what's that?" Jasper slowly stood up.
It was Charlotte who finally spotted Piper's phone on the sidewalk. She was getting a call from someone named Marla. The buzzing stopped. Cautiously, Charlotte picked it up. "So that's useless in helping find her." She turned to Jasper. "So what's on the bag?"
"Food, water, some clothes- oh, gross, Piper underwear!" He yanked his hand out of the bag. Charlotte peered into it.
"It looks like she was going somewhere, or planned on being out for a while." She frowned. "Maybe she was going over to Marla's house and that's why she called. Because she's trying to find her."
"No, Marla's house is across town." Everyone looked at Jasper, surprised he knew this information. "What?" He turned to Charlotte. "Piper made me carry her over there that one time, remember?"
Charlotte nodded. "Oh, yeah. But I'm sure Piper has other friends."
"Right now, let's just focus on finding them," said Ray. "Schwoz, find anything?"
Schwoz, who had been scanning the bicycle with his DNA device, looked up. "There is DNA that matches some of that we found at Henry's house, but I can't find any within ten feet in all directions."
Ray didn't even bother asking how he was able to figure that out. "Well, we haven't really accomplished anything except confirming we have to find Popper, too."
"Piper, Ray." Charlotte rolled her eyes.
"Whatever." Ray rolled his eyes right back. "What's in a name, anyway? Flowers still smell."
Schwoz spoke up. "Aside from the fact that you quoted Shakespeare incorrectly-"
"I did? I mean, no, that was right."
"Not entirely, Ray. Anyway, what are we gonna do?"
They all exchanged looked.
"Maybe," said Charlotte, "we could go back to the Man Cave and see if we can connect this to anything."
"Yeah… who do you guys think is behind this?" Jasper had a point.
"I don't know," said Charlotte before the pause got too long. "With our luck, it could be a professional villain we don't know anything about."
"Hey, think positive." Ray jabbed his thumb toward the van. "I say we try Charlotte's idea. Unless anyone else had a better idea."
I guess I don't have any better ideas.
Piper had only been knocked out for a few minutes, but it was long enough for someone- or several someones, more likely- to toss her into the back of a moving van. She had ropes around her wrists, tying her hands behind her back. He feet were also tied together.
Piper had been trying to think of a way to escape. She had already tried scooting over to the door and wiggling the handle, but it was locked from the outside. She was out of ideas.
Piper was racking her brain, trying to think, when suddenly the moving van came to a stop that literally threw her halfway across the floor.
The door was opened and unlocked. (Wait- strike that, reverse it.) Piper saw three figures, all dressed in black with ski masks.
"You say one word," hissed one of them, the voice sounding feminine, "you make one sound, we knock your lights out. And it won't be as painless this time. Understand?"
Piper nodded, not sure what else she could do.
"Good." The first person nodded to the other two. They climbed into the truck and approached Piper. She swallowed.
One of the people stuck a gag in her mouth (making Piper question the point of the you-had-better-keep-quiet threat). Then he and his buddy each grabbed her by the arm, holding her a foot above the ground. These two were roughly the same size as Jeff, but their size clearly came from muscles.
After they were out, the first one closed the door. The big metal door had to be heavy, but she did it effortlessly. If these people were working for someone, they clearly had to stay physically strong.
The first person opened a door. The hallway inside was totally dark, so Piper couldn't see. The henchmen- Piper had decided at this point that they were probably working for someone- had all donned night vision goggles and had no trouble seeing where they were going.
Piper, on the other hand, had zero idea if they were turning left or right or what. It seemed to have only been a couple minutes later when she heard a door open. A bit of blue light shined in her eyes, and she had to close them.
The two henchmen set her down- surprisingly, they did it gently- before leaving, locking the door behind them.
Piper, still struggling to see, grunted as she worked her arms to her front so she could remove that nasty gag.
No sooner had she done so when a familiar but muffled voice said, "Piper?
39addict101: I thought about your review carefully. Truthfully, I had made the decision I did in what I had Jasper say because I thought it got hit character better, although I can see the example you thought of making sense. And no worries, any constructive criticism is fine with me!
Ciao, and Happy Reading!