Disclaimer: I do not own W.I.T.C.H. This is a work of fan fiction.

Season Three Episode Six: "Damascus Road, Part Two" Chapter Two

Johnny and Frankie sat in their now disabled truck, terrified. "What's wes gonna do Johnny?" Frankie asked. "They gots us trapped heres!"

"I'll think uh somethin Frankie. Don'ts I always?"

"Youse nevah seen nuttin' likes this! Hey, you suppose we's safe ins here? Dey can't comes in after us withouts an invite rights?"

"Dat's vampires youse moron! Now let's me tink a minute…"

Outside, the Guardians and Miranda waited for the thieves to surrender. It was starting to look like it would be a long wait. After several minutes, Taranee said, "We can't wait them out forever. Someone will come along this road sooner or later."

"Probably sooner." Irma said, "My dad as supposed to be at the shelter for the security on this money. You can bet the cops are out searching for them right now."

Miranda looked at Irma. "Your father was the policeman I saw at the shelter?"

"Yeah. I thought you knew, You pulled the whole 'Melinda' thing on him awhile back after all."

"No. I just knew he was police. I didn't know the connection."

Cornelia said, "If the police are looking, can't we just leave them here? The truck's down for the count and the box has gotta be too heavy for them to carry very far. We could call in a tip on where to find them."

"Irma, Corny's half right. You should call your dad. But we can't just leave."

While Irma dialed her father, Miranda looked at Cornelia. "They call you 'Corny'"?

"Don't you even start."

"Okay Frankie, I gots a plan. We tells them we's gonna surrender. Den when der guard's downs, we run fors it."

"But what's about da money Johnny?"

"Fergit da money! Tink Frankie, we dunno what deese tings cans do. Is dat moneys worth havin' youse soul ripped outs or something?"

Frankie turned pale. "Dey cans do dat?"

"How shoulds I know? Dats da point. Now shuts up while I talks at dem." Johnny rolled down his window half an inch. "Hey! We's willin ta gives ourselves up! Just promise you won'ts hurt us!"

An answer came back, from the girl Johnny had seen the cat turn into, "All we want is the money given back to the shelter."

"Dat's it Frankie. Gets out nice and slow, and when I gives the signal, runs like da French…."

"Sounds like they're going to give up." Hay Lin said.

"Be careful. They're planning something." Miranda replied.

"How can you be sure?"

"I was the 'bad guy' for a long time." Miranda answered. "I know how the type thinks. These two, they're dumb, but they think they're geniuses. That means at least one of them has concocted some kind of hair-brained escape plan. Be ready for it."

"She's right." Taranee said. "That analysis makes perfect sense."

Ahead, the doors of the truck opened, and a man emerged from each. They warily walked back toward the Guardians. But just as they passed the rear bumper, one of them shouted "Runs for it Frankie!" They both took off in opposite directions. The one who had shouted vaulted over a concrete berm and headed for a abandoned factory building. The other ran wild into the street, screaming as he went.

"That's the plan they thought was ingenious?" Irma asked, "Run for it?"

"Told you they weren't too bright." Miranda replied.

Frankie was the first to be caught. His mad, unplanned dash into the street made him easy to pick off. Cornelia simply ensnared him in a tangle of thick vines that wrapped around his feet and legs and bought him down. He didn't even make it a hundred feet. He looked up as Cornelia and the others stood over him. Superstitious fear marked his face. "DON'T EAT ME!" he exclaimed.

Will looked at Miranda. "Wow. Imagine how scared he'd be if she had stayed in the cheetah form."

Everyone else looked at Miranda, expecting her to shift into something fearsome and terrorize the man. She instead turned and walked away. "C'mon, we still have one more to stop."

"You're not gonna torment him?" Irma asked.

Miranda looked down for a moment. "I don't want to do that anymore."

Just then, they all heard the sounds of approaching sirens. "That'll be Irma's dad, with back-up." Elyon said. "We better find the guy, tie him up, and get out of here quick."

Cornelia looked at the abandoned factory Johnny had fled into. It was huge. "Good luck with quick. It'll take forever to track him down in there. If we had Blunk's nose, maybe we could do it fast enough, but I think we just need to go before the cops get here. At least we saved the cash, and Frankie over there can tell them who his partner was."

"Don't worry about tracking." Miranda answered. "My nose is as good as the passling's, and I don't need to smell over my own odor either. I'll get us right to him."

Following Miranda's lead, they entered the building. She took one good sniff and ran along a course she was certain of. In moments, they found Johnny backed into a corner. He pulled his gun and fired wildly, but Cornelia was able to protect everyone with a telekinetic shield. Ammo expended, Johnny threw the gun, which missed widely.

"Guess the movies got that one right. The crooks really are dumb enough to throw the gun when it's out of bullets." Irma said.

Elyon answered, "Do you suppose that's ever even once worked?"

"I doubt it."

"How are we gonna tie him up? We're too deep inside here for vines to reach." Taranee said.

Will replied, "I got this. Quintessence!" A charge of energy surged from Will's hand into the dormant machinery, which moved, grabbing Johnny and holding him tightly. He fainted "That'll do. Irma, I think you'll have to tell your dad where to find this guy though. Don't want them overlooking him this far into the building."

Soon after, Johnny came to in the back of a police cruiser. He looked out the window and saw four officers carrying Frankie, who was still tangled in the vines. "How'd he manage to do this to himself?" one of them wondered. They shoved Frankie, vines and all, into the back of a police wagon.

Johnny turned as a policeman opened the driver's door and sat behind the wheel. "Hey cop, youse gots ta listen ta me!" he pleaded, "Weird tings been goins on around heres! Creepy cat-people and winged fairies with magic powers! Dat's whats caught us! Youse gots ta believe me!"

Seated behind the wheel, Tom Lair grinned and said nothing. "Way to go Irma." he thought to himself, "Way to go…"