Frank woke up, and found himself propped up against a concrete wall. He looked around, confused. He saw his dad, Joe, Chet and Captain O'Rourke propped up against the concrete wall as well. Then Frank suddenly recalled his last memory – a gas pouring out of vents in the limo that had picked them up!
"But wait," Frank mumbled to himself. "Why aren't we tied up or gagged or handcuffed? Also, who kidnapped us?"
Frank looked around as he was still regaining his bearings. They appeared to be inside of a room. Was it a prison cell of some sort, Frank wondered. Frank saw motion out of the corner of his eye. His father was slowly coming to, and then Frank saw that Chet was also waking up. A second later, Joe and Captain O'Rourke were also waking up.
Fenton Hardy looked around, confused. "Where in the world are we?"
"I don't know, Dad," Frank said, watching Chet, Joe and Captain O'Rourke still wake up and also appearing confused. "This whole thing is strange. One second, we're inside the limo that picked up, and then the next second-"
"We get gassed and wake up in a strange place!" Joe mumbled angrily. "How did we get duped so easily?"
Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and a man in a polo shirt and light brown slacks walked into the room.
"There's our kidnapper!" Joe exclaimed.
The man in the polo shirt looked apologetic. "Sorry we had to do that to you guys, but this case took on a new twist," the man said as he pulled out his credentials. "Harry Young, CIA"
Fenton Hardy examined his credentials, as did Captain O'Rourke. "Mr. Young, what's going on here?"
"Follow me to my office, and I'll explain everything," Harry Young said. The five of them looked at each other, and Captain O'Rourke nodded. They followed Harry Young down a long concrete corridor, and then through a door on the right hand side of the corridor. When they walked into the room, they notice that it was an office, and a grey haired man in a dark suit was sitting on the couch.
"Gentlemen, I'm Agent Culligan," the man stood up and showed them his credentials. "I'm sure you're confused as to what happened when you were picked up by that limo."
"That's understatement of the year, Agent," Captain O'Rourke responded, glaring at Culligan. "What's the reason for gassing us?"
"That was my call, gentlemen," Harry Young interjected. "I can assure you that the chemical agent we gave you has no long term detrimental health effects. We've used it for years, and it's quite effective at rendering unconsciousness with minimal side effects. Given what has transpired within the last hour, we had to ensure extra security protocols. Agent Culligan is assisting me, but as of late last night, this case now belongs to the CIA. I contacted Agent Culligan about an hour ago to inform him of this. For security reasons, we couldn't let you guys know. Not at that time, anyways."
"Why? What's going on?" asked Fenton Hardy. "And what security protocols are you talking about?"
Motioning to two couches in his office, Harry Young said, "Have a seat and get comfortable. I'll explain everything." Going to a mini fridge in the corner, Harry Young said, "Would you guys be interested in water or soda?"
Fenton, Frank and Captain O'Rourke accepted bottles of water, while Joe and Chet each took a bottle of Coke.
"As I said earlier, I'm sorry we had to gas you guys. But part of our protocols now is that you can't know what building we're in, or where the building is even located. This location is a secret. And it needs to stay that way because this case may be compromised already," Young continued.
Frank looked confused. "How could it be compromised already? We don't even know the full story about this case!"
Agent Culligan looked at Fenton. "You told your sons about Ted Huntley and his possible involvement with LPR?"
Fenton Hardy nodded. "I did. And we're baffled at how Huntley got involved with this group."
Agent Culligan interrupted Fenton. "Turns out the information about Huntley was fake. It's true that he's out of prison, but he has nothing to do with LPR or their New Year's Eve plans. In fact, he's actually living in Florida with his brother. We found that out after I got off the phone with you this morning, Fenton."
Harry Young continued the conversation. "Somebody gave us this information about Huntley to throw us off their trail. Problem is, I couldn't figure out who it was. So I deliberately spread a false rumor early this morning about this case here at my field office, just to see if it we had an insider who's spying for LPR. Sure enough, that rumor reached LPR. Which means-"
"You have a mole in either the CIA or the FBI," Fenton concluded.
Harry Young threw up his arms in frustration. "You can see why this case took such a sudden twist. I couldn't risk something bad happening to you guys, so I made arrangements for a different vehicle to pick you up. I feared that an attempt would be made on your lives."
Frank stroked his chin in thought. "Mr. Young, you mentioned that you deliberately spread a false rumor about the case. What was the false rumor, if you don't mind me asking? And also, how did the case go from FBI jurisdiction to CIA?"
Harry Young looked apologetic. "I know I'm throwing a lot at you, so I'll start from the beginning. We at the CIA learned late last night that LPR is obtaining their weaponry from a European country that is unfriendly to us in order to pull off an act of terror on New Year's Eve in Times Square. The intel we have gathered over the last few weeks indicates that this is a legitimate terror threat. We informed the FBI about the threat. Because there were no overseas factors with this threat at the time, it was out of our jurisdiction. But after learning about the collaboration between the LPR and this country, it now becomes our case. With the help of the FBI, NYPD and you guys, of course. To answer your question about the false rumor, I just said in earshot of everybody that we had an agent meeting with an agent from that country at a building in Queens in the hopes of extracting information about LPR. And, right now, firefighters in Queens are putting out a fire at an abandoned building and trying to understand why someone committed arson on such a building."
"So there was never a meeting between agents at that building is what you're saying?" asked Chet, with his curiosity now piqued.
"Yes, Mr. Morton," Harry Young said, looking slightly annoyed. "The only casualty was an abandoned building, but nobody was killed. We're not completely ruthless like movies would suggest. But it confirmed that yes, we have a mole, most likely in the CIA, although we cannot rule out the FBI or NYPD. We have to figure out who the mole is. And by 'we' I mean the CIA, not you guys. Your job is to still stop this act of terror and capture these guys. We'll deal with our mole problem and the foreign connection."
"Who's the foreign country that's in cahoots with LPR?" ask Frank.
Harry Young shook his head. "That knowledge is above your interim clearance level and I'm not at liberty to divulge that information." He reached into his pocket and handed business cards to the Hardys, Chet, and Captain O'Rourke. The business cards referred to an exterminator named Harold Oldman and provided a Manhattan address and telephone number.
"If you encounter any foreigner during this operation, you call this number immediately for assistance," Harry Young said.
Chet chuckled. "Oh, I get it. Harold Oldman instead of Harry Young. Clever! And the exterminator description is funny, too. You know, moles."
As Chet put the business card in his wallet, Harry Young maintained a straight face. "Just remember the phone number on the card," he managed a thin smile.
"Well, with that information out of the way," Fenton started, "what do you need us to do specifically on this case, Mr. Young?"
"I'll let Agent Culligan run that portion," Harry Young explained. "My focus is the foreign connection and getting this mole."
Agent Culligan nodded. "We'll discuss this at my office. I'll be riding in the limo with you guys. We'll go to my office first, then we'll take you back to Captain O'Rourke's office."
"Great," Chet groaned. "Are we being gassed again, since this place is secretive and all?"
"Time to get you out of here," Harry Young said in a business-like tone. "Agent Culligan will let you know what your assignments will be."
Harry opened the door and ushered them out. He led them down the hallway, past the room where they had woken up and took them out a door to the same limo as before. The driver opened the door, and the six of them entered the limo.
The driver got into the limo, started up the vehicle, and Chet could hear the noise through the vents above them. Frank and Joe winced.
"Here we go agai-", Chet grumbled before falling unconscious.
Chet woke up to the sound of the limo door opening. The driver, in a gas mask this time, opened the door and helped Chet get out. The others woke up and followed suit.
"Where are we this time?" Frank mumbled, still feeling a bit groggy.
"The basement to my building," Agent Culligan said, rubbing his eyes. "I'll show you to the elevator."
The driver removed his gas mask, gave them a salute and took off in the limo.
"I could never work for the CIA," Chet said. "Too many weirdos!"
"Then you'd fit right in, buddy," Joe laughed.
"How long did that gas knock us out?" Frank asked.
Looking at this watch, Fenton Hardy said, "Ten minutes."
"It sure felt longer than that," Joe said.
They followed Agent Culligan to the elevator, which took them to the top floor. Agent Culligan then unlocked a lock to what appeared to be a thick door and opened it.
"Go ahead, guys," Agent Culligan waved his hand to let them in. "Have a seat wherever you want."
Agent Culligan started a coffee pot that was in the room. "Help yourself," he said. "The caffeine helps the gas wear off quicker."
Chet was going to ask how much experience Agent Culligan had with this gas, but then decided he was better off not knowing the answer. Everybody grabbed coffee once the machine was done, and then Agent Culligan addressed them.
"Here's what we know so far," Agent Culligan started. He started handing photographs around the table.
"The man in the red shirt with the glasses and mustache is Derek Stafford," Culligan started. "He's the head of LPR. He has a military background. Spent 5 years in the U.S. Army Special Forces. His father, Adam Stafford, was also an Army veteran, and he died of complications from exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Derek blamed the Army and the VA for not acknowledging his father's medical complications from Agent Orange. As revenge, Derek joined the Army and went into Special Forces. His objective? To exact revenge on the officer in charge of his father's section, a man named Brian Vena. Vena was a First Lieutenant at the time Derek's dad was in Vietnam. Vena ordered Adam Stafford to dump hundreds of gallons of Agent Orange near a Viet Cong military base in order to kill the jungle that was hiding the base. About ten years after that incident, Adam Stafford started suffering from cancer that doctors determined was caused by Agent Orange exposure. The Army and the VA denied that Stafford ever used Agent Orange, and Vena denied ever giving Stafford the order to use Agent Orange. Fast-forward to a decade later, Derek is in the Army and Brian Vera is now Colonel Brian Vera, the commanding officer of Derek's unit. Derek's revenge? He firebombed Vera's house on the military base. Vera and his family were severely burned in the fire but survived. Derek was court-martialed and convicted of 4 counts of attempted murder and 1 count of arson. He was sentenced to life without parole at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. However, he escaped from Fort Leavenworth 5 years ago and has been on the run ever since. He formed LPR after escaping from Leavenworth and has been spotted all over the country. Every time the FBI closes in on him, he manages to disappear. For reference, this photograph was taken by one of our undercover agents, and is the only photograph we have of him. That undercover agent, incidentally, was murdered shortly after we got this picture."
"By Stafford?" Frank asked, studying Stafford's features in the photograph.
"We can't prove it," Culligan said. "But we're pretty darned sure it was him."
"Who are the other individuals in the other photos?" Fenton Hardy asked.
"The man in the blue flannel shirt and long hair is Fred Barnes. No formal military background, but he's been in numerous militias since he was a kid. His dad and grandfather were both dedicated militia members who died in prison on life sentences for murder. Barnes hates the government and wants it overthrown," Culligan continued. "The other two men are brothers. Jake and Jered Wood. Barnes is a distant cousin of theirs. They're not very bright, and are used mainly for muscle. Like their cousin, they also hate the government."
"How did you learn about their plans for Times Square on New Year's Eve?" Captain O'Rourke asked.
"We have an undercover agent who isn't in the group, but he's closely tied with them. Now how he's tied to them will remain an FBI secret, but he got wind of them wanting to make a statement at Times Square on New Year's Eve. What we don't know yet is how they plan to make this statement. Will they blow up the ball during the ball drop? Will they plant explosives all over Times Square? We don't have a clear answer to that just yet, but our UC is working on trying to find out," Culligan said.
"UC?" Chet asked, looking confused.
"It stands for undercover," Frank explained.
"So what's our role in all of this?" Joe asked.
"Your father and Captain O'Rourke will help me with gathering information. Right now, we don't know where these guys are at. They were last spotted in the Smoky Mountains near Tennessee, but as always, they gave the FBI the slip when we thought we had them," Culligan stated. "We have field agents out everywhere along the East Coast to find them. What I need you boys to do is get your police van and set up shop in Manhattan for surveillance. I want you to keep your eyes out for them. I hear that you have some nice tracking equipment in your van. And keep these photos. You'll need them. Study their features, and destroy the pictures in Bayport. I have other copies that we can use."
"I'll need to go Bayport with my sons and Chet," Fenton said. "I haven't packed for being away from home, plus I gave them a ride down here."
"Can they drive your car back to Bayport?" Culligan asked. "We can fly you to Bayport and back. We need your help immediately."
Fenton Hardy nodded. "Go ahead, boys. I'll let them fly me around."
"How will we know what vehicle Stafford and company are driving?" asked Frank.
"You won't. These guys have stolen more vehicles than any car thief ring we've ever encountered," Culligan said. "But I'll tell you this much – you better consider all four them to be armed and extremely dangerous!