A/N (hides from angry!readers and ducks objects thrown at her), um, sorry about the extreme lateness in updates/lack thereof. I promise I am going to get my updating schedule back on track, I have major Hardy Boys inspiration now, as you may be able to tell by the fact that this is my fourth Hardy Boys chapter posted in the past like, three days...
Thanks to all Reviewers!!!
Dedication: To alybro0512, whitetigers, kungfukitty2006, and Miss Fenway for their reviews.
Disclaimer: An-Jelly-Ca owns none of the characters described herein. Well except for the evil ones, and who really wants those anyway?
The best part about his current task of transferring accounts was that it required a certain amount of Internet access, which was going to allow him a single chance to put a stop to this attack.
Frank glanced over his shoulder in search of whichever goon Marion had guarding him. Said goon scowled at Frank and jabbed his finger at the computer indicating that he should get back to work.
Fortunately, most of Marion's employees weren't terribly bright, which meant as long as he was working at the computer they would be unable to tell whether he was working on the appropriate task.
With this in mind, Frank typed in a familiar web address, which led to an innocuous looking website for an accounting service, the website was actually encrypted with several layers of code, underneath which was the site Frank was actually looking for. Frank made sure to keep a window open with the information about Marion's accounts while he worked on hacking through the encryption. Frank finally broke through and a message window popped up allowing Frank to "comment with suggestions for improving the site in 150 words or less." He typed out a brief message in the code that had been drilled into is head and swiftly sent the message. He then turned back to his task of transferring Marion's obscene amount of funds overseas. He could only hope that his message was received in time.
"I'm done." Frank announced after another hour had passed in complete silence other than the sound of his fingers flying across the key board.
"Excellent." Marion's goon said, seizing Frank just above the elbow and tugging him from the room. He was deposited back in his former location with Callie, who was dozing lightly propped up against the wall.
"Cal?" Frank called shaking her lightly.
She awoke with a start and blinked several times taking in her surroundings. "What are we going to do?" She asked finally.
"We need to get you the hell out of here." Frank answered.
"I am not leaving you here." She said stubbornly.
"We don't really have much of a choice at this point." The brunet replied. "Besides, I have a contingency plan in the works for me, if we can just manage to break you, Vanessa, and Phil out." Frank reassured her.
"What do you have in mind?" Callie asked warily.
"...do you still remember how to pick a lock?" Frank inquired. He had taught Callie to pick locks several years earlier when they had still been dating.
"I think so." Callie answered.
"Well, I've managed to acquire rudimentary lock picks of a sort." Frank explained pulling out a collection of paper clips from his pocket. He had found them by the computer and managed to surreptitiously take them when Marion's goon hadn't been paying good enough attention. Frank began to untwist the paperclips turning them in to thin medal rods.
"At precisely one a.m. Marion allows several of the guards to go home for the evening, leaving one outside our room, while the rest of the guards are consolidated on the second floor. If you go out the door to our room and turn left it will lead to a doorway at the end of the hallway, if you go through that door it leads to a back stairway, go up two flights of stairs. Vanessa and Phil are on the third floor, second door on the right. Break them out, Herein lies the tricky part." Frank paused.
"Oh, because the rest of it sounded real easy, practically a cake walk." Callie replied sounding vaguely hysterical.
"I'm glad you agree," Frank said sounding completely serious. "The problem is that by turning right you will be in the same hallway as Marion's office, where he will inevitably be located. This is the part you're not going to like. The only way you stand a chance of getting out is for me to get rid of Marion. This is what we're going to need to do, you are going to unlock Vanessa and Phil's door, and tell them to wait at the bottom of the stairs. You will then return to our room, obviously I will have knocked the guard unconscious at this point. I will then make a completely fruitless escape attempt, which will cause Marion to catch me. He will come to this room see that you have not gone here, and leave you alone, he will have some of his other guards drag the unconscious one to the second floor where the overnight guards sleep. He will then take me in the company of several other guards to the fourth floor to be appropriately punished for my escape attempt. At this point, you will be completely free and clear however, you will then go collect Phil and Vanessa and escape through Marion's office which has no security cameras, if you go through the closet in his office there is a door in the back of it which opens on to the street. Get in to a restaurant or another highly public location right away and call my dad or Joe and have them come get you, okay?"
Callie stared at her former boyfriend incredulously. "Are you high?" She asked. "No?" She said when he looked offended. "Okay, are you experiencing fever induced hallucinations? No? Are you sure?" She paused. "Then what on earth would make you think that I'd be willing to leave you here to face God only knows what kind of horrible consequences while I escape?" She asked.
"It's the best plan we have." Frank explained. "If we all try to escape together there is zero chance of us getting out, we need to get Marion out of his office, that's the only exit we have a realistic chance of escaping through, the windows all have sensors on them which would go berserk. Listen, I've gotten into contact with the Network, if you guys escape and I'm left alone near the main bomb, I could take it out, and the Network officials can swarm the scene, but if you and Phil and Vanessa are there as potential hostages there is no chance of this ending well. Please, Cal, you have to trust me." Frank pleaded.
Callie looked at him with troubled brown eyes. "If you get yourself killed, I will never forgive you." She said sternly, un-shed tears sparkling in her eyes.
"I won't." Frank promised.
"I'll hold you to that." She said with a soft laugh.
A/N Next chapter we shall see if their escape attempt works. As you can tell this is where the Frank!whumping is going to come in. Review, please.