Finding You Again
Chapter Ten
"There may not be more than one of you appearing to be by your side. But if the ones you still love are here, fight against time."
Tears by Aly & A.J. (Hollywood Records) from Insomniac
"Fifteen years ago, a man by the supposed name of Al-Rohan came to Bayport and kidnapped Joe Hardy," Arthur Gray said. "He then blew up the van he was trapped in. There was no way he could have survived. But he did.
"Not too long ago, we discovered that Al-Rohan didn't exist. He was really a terrorist named Richard Black who had been going by the alias of Al-Rohan. Then we stumbled upon something bigger than the group of terrorists we have been fighting for years.
"You see, the Assassins date back to the days of the crusades. They were a bunch of fanatics that used terrorism to spread chaos and disorder. And they've lasted all these years. But recently, we discovered that there is another branch of these terrorists. They are the most deadly, most elite, group of terrorists in the world. They call themselves the Assassins Superior. Their base is unknown. They hire themselves out. Their killers are the best in the world because they are stripped of everything—their memories, their beliefs, even their feelings—as long as it doesn't have to do with killing.
"They use invasive techniques to accomplish this. They train their robot killers to withstand almost anything. It is said that their killers can withstand intense heat and cold as well as pain and torture that would kill a four-hundred-pound wrestler in a heartbeat. They are so unstoppable that they are practically inhuman. Most of their assassins are not their own people. They scout out people who they think have the skills to become a great killer. They kidnap that person. Then they strip him or her of their identity, memories, and purpose. They give them a new identity and a new purpose."
He paused, and the teens stared at him, taken aback. "What do you mean, invasive techniques?" Darren asked slowly.
"They use torture. As far as we can tell, electric shock. Hypnosis. They put their recruits into dark rooms with no lights. They make them endure scorching heat and frigid cold. They use advanced technology. They use a lot of things. But what it boils down to is that they invade a person's mind and reconstruct everything up there."
15 YEARS AGO
SECRET BASE IN THE JUNGLES OF ROMANIA
Joe lay on the hospital bed, strapped in by his wrists, ankles, and neck. He had been taken to a remote location, somewhere in Romania, he knew, and had been strapped to this bed by the woman, whose name he discovered was Anya, and left there. Even now, as he struggled to get free, he knew it was useless.
He heard a door open and he looked around at the door in the bleak room. A tall man with a square jaw and cold green eyes looked down on him. "Joe Hardy. It's a pleasure to meet you," the stranger said, striding to some sort of equipment that sat on a table beside the bed. He took several needles attached to wires and began to work disinfecting them while he talked.
"My name is Atol. I am now your superior. Your commander. Your lord. You do everything I say, and you will become one of the most powerful men in the world."
"What makes you think I'll do anything you say?" Joe snapped, glaring at the man who was calmly bringing a needle closer to his right shoulder. He felt a sharp pain as the needle worked its way into his flesh, stopping only when it was two inches deep. He winced but didn't speak.
"You will be defiant at first," Atol went on, acting as if he hadn't heard a word of what his prisoner had said. "But you have promise, Mr. Hardy."
Another needle stabbed into Joe's left shoulder. Another in the crook of his right elbow. Then another in his left. "What are you doing, some kind of twisted experiment?" Joe demanded, feeling slightly nauseated at the sight of four needles sticking out of his skin, attached to wires that hooked up to a threatening-looking piece of machinery.
"No, this is no experiment. It's a fool proof technique tested and proven to help us get what we want."
"And what exactly is that?" Joe demanded as Atol fingered a switch on the machine.
"To turn you into an Assassin Superior." With that, he flipped the switch. An instant later, pain beyond anything he could imagine rushed over Joe Hardy's body. Electric currents were sweeping through his body. He felt himself convulse and heard himself cry out in pain as the electric shock's pain reached a crescendo. He blacked out.
PRESENT
WASHINGTON, D.C.
"So what exactly does any of this have to do with my dad?" Joline wanted to know. Or maybe she didn't want to know. She didn't like where this story was going. But she had to know. She felt Darren put a supportive hand on her shoulder.
"Your father had been watched by the Assassins for a long time. By this time, they had decided that he would make an excellent addition to the Assassins Superior. So they kidnapped him."
"But why go to all the trouble of making it look like some loony killed him trying to get revenge?" Darren asked.
"You don't know what kind of reputation your father and grandfather had. If they had any idea at all, any leads at all, that Joe Hardy was alive somewhere, they would have never stopped until they either found him or had been killed themselves. Arranging their murders would have been too much trouble, and the Assassins couldn't afford to have them dogging them while they were attempting to convert Joe. So they quickly set up a false murder." He smiled grimly. "That is something the Assassins are very good at.*
"They dragged Joe Hardy away seconds before the bomb went off and escaped without anyone seeing them. And then…"
"And…?" Joline prodded, now absolutely certain that she didn't want to know what was coming next.
"And now, Joe Hardy is in Washington, D.C. to assassinate Philip Walker."
*Reference to the Casefile "Dead of Night"
~Emachinescat ^..^