Heya! Here's the latest update, I figured it would have to be a quicker than some have been after how I ended the last one…..
But the usual disclaimer 'I own nothing, and I AM NOT A NUMBER I AM A FREE MAN!' and I hope you all enjoy….
All Expenses Paid
Chapter 7
The Tracy Industries building looked just as unwelcoming as it had done yesterday to Jeff Tracy, but it was exactly where the signal had led them, give or take a hundred feet. He looked to Scott who walking around tapping into his PDA trying to triangulate the signal and get an exact location. He was glad his son had something to occupy his mind again, but he could still tell something was troubling him. "Damn it!" Jeff saw Scott yell as he threw the PDA across the street, smashing it to pieces.
Jeff said nothing as he approached his son, waiting for an explanation. "It can't locate them; the magnetic dampner in the elevator shaft has a longer reach than we thought. It's probably also the reason we've never been send or receive faxes from this place" he ran a hand through his already ruffled hair "Damn John and his bloody fool proof system!" He kicked one of the shards from the PDA further across the street in frustration.
"Okay" Jeff said, calm "Let's work with what we got; what do we know?"
Scott look across at his father "They're not in the Tracy building, it's been checked like fifty times."
"Right, but they are within what? A hundred feet?" Jeff asked, turning slowly, taking in the surroundings.
"Yeah, give or take" Scott replied looking at the two buildings on either side of the building "Which means unless the Hood decided to take them to the park opposite, they're in one of those."
"Let's search the old bank first, I doubt the Hood would use a department store as a hideout" Jeff began walking towards the closed bank.
"Wait, wouldn't it be quicker for us to search one each? We don't know how mu-" Scott was cut off.
"No. We don't split up, I'm not taking any unnecessary risks" he began walking again "We stick together Scott."
Virgil was numb. He had been thrown back in the cell almost an hour ago, but it could have been seconds for all he knew. John was gone. That was all he knew. His big brother was gone, and he was on his own.
The bank was a mess of construction equipment and rubble. It had been out of business for almost a decade, but was scheduled to re-open that year, as a private bank. The last time Jeff had seen it was almost two years prior when he offered the contract for the new security system, he had accepted, after all the owner was an old friend.
They made their way through the main foyer, their footsteps echoing off the vaulted ceiling. All the doorways were blocked off with builders tape and rubble they would have to clamber over. "You're the boss, which way Dad?"
Jeff had been working on the blue prints for this building for almost three months he knew it had a basement, a sub-basement, the floor they were one, two above and the rood. The question was though, if he were a maniac with an axe to grind where would he keep his hostages. "This way" Jeff said walking towards the door to the basement.
The Hood stirred his tea as he looked over the blueprints in front of him. His plan was going well. Not quite as originally planned, but then again he hadn't expected to have to kidnap two of them in the first place. He looked up to his guard sitting on the opposite side of the room "How are our guests doing Shaun?"
The guard gave a non-commital shrug "Virgence or whatever his name is hasn't moved since we put him back."
"And our departing guest?" a smirk slowly slid onto the Hood's face.
"Can't tell. Camera quality ain't great boss, but I think he may have moved slightly five minutes ago but he ain't gonna last long enough to get rescued. Me and the boys have a wager on when he's gonna kick it." Shaun chuckled as he took another glance at the CCTV monitor showing the motionless form of John Tracy.
Jeff and Scott made their way down the stair case and found themselves in a corridor which was in drastic need some care and attention. Ignoring the other set of stairs they made their way down the corridor. There were no doors as the made their way through just steadily worsening wall paper and damp patches.
They quickly reached another set of stairs, also heading down. "I don't like this Dad" Scott said, eyes flicking around the corridor "I think we should go back."
Jeff looked at his son then back to the stair case, they could be so close. "I'll go down, you stay here and shout if you hear anything,"
"What?! No! You were the one who said we should stick together Dad! I am not letting you go down there!" Scott growled at his father, trying not to yell.
"I am not having you get caught as well Scott!" Jeff brought himself closer to Scott, close enough to hear his breathing "I am going to go down there, you are going to stay here until I say so" Scott opened his mouth to retort, but was immediately cut off by Jeff "I am in charge of this operation Scott, do you understand?"
"Yes sir," Scott took a step back from his father and gave a nod, turning to look out the window.
"Scott" he turned back to his father "Trust me" and with that Jeff vanished down the staircase.
The corridors down stairs were in an even worse state of repair than those upstairs and Jeff couldn't help but notice the steadily worsening stench of damp coming through the walls. There were no doors as he made his way through until he reached the corner where he was met with a brick wall and two doors.
He could hear voices behind one of the doors, and pressed himself against it trying to distinguish the voices. It seemed to be a very one sided conversation, in fact it may have been a telephone conversation now he thought about it. Rather than voices it was a singular voice, which seemed to be getting more irritated as time passed.
He pressed himself closer to the door, wanting hear exactly what was being said. He was so focussed on this though he didn't hear the second door open.
Shaun looked across to the Hood who was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed. He hated this job. It was long hours of doing nothing. But the reward, well, the reward was six zeroes on the end of his lucky number. It was worth it.
He flicked his attention back to the CCTV monitors. Nothing had changed; the Tracy boy was still leaning against a wall in his cell looking sad, there was no one outside the building, and the other one was still…oh crap. "Sir!"
The Hood slowly opened his eyes. "Yes Shaun?"
"The guy you shot, he's gone" Shaun blurted out.
"Well I did shoot him almost an hour ago Shaun, I'm surprised he survived this long" the Hood replied a smile on his lips.
"No Sir, he's gone. As in gone! He isn't at the bottom of the stairs anymore."
This got the Hood's attention "Ah, so it seems we may have had some uninvited visitors. Let's go greet them shall we?"
Scott was antsy. He didn't like leaving his father to do the scouting out of the lower levels. They were Tracy's, they didn't do solo missions. He couldn't hear anything down the stairs and knowing how stubborn his father was he wouldn't call for help even if he needed it.
He looked back out the window, it had started raining, giving the already depressing landscape a grey glow. The rain pattered loudly against the glass, but not loudly enough to cover up the sound of shuffling footsteps approaching from the direction he and his father had come from. There was nowhere for him to hide, but he got the feeling he didn't have to.
The footsteps were slow and uneven, hardly that of a well-trained guard. He cautiously began to walk towards the footsteps. As he got closer he could hear ragged breathing and the occasional groan. As he turned the corner he gave a yelp of surprise as his brother fell into his arms.
Virgil knew something was going on outside. He had heard raised voices and a few dull thumps before his cell door shook as though something heavy had been thrown into it. He looked up to his guard who looked equally confused.
A swift knock on the door echoed through the room. "Jase, we have company mate. Open up" a voice sounded behind the door.
The guard, Jase, opened the door. In walked another guard, even larger than Jase, who gave Virgil a dirty smile as he turned to watch the rest of his party enter the room. The first of the pair fell into the centre of the room, arms wrapped tightly around his midsection. The second was the Hood.
Virgil looked back to the man on the floor. He had thought when he saw John tumble from sight down the stairs, eyes closed in agony, that things couldn't get any worse. Now though, now that he was looking at his father struggling to breathe on the floor in front of him, he realised things may get worse sooner rather than later.
End of Chapter 7
I legitimately have nothing to say here….other than the next chapter is totally planned and well, I hope you guy will like it
Russiankat