Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the book characters.

Thank you! To Wendylouwho10 as usual for reading for flow and content. Typos are mine and I find them all the time!

Rating/Setting: Rating is T. Started as kinda blue spine with a touch of Casefiles but is now completely AU. Frank is 20 and Joe is 19.

Author's Notes: I've had an extremely busy holiday! Apologies for NOT responding to the reviews from last chapter, but I promise to do so this chapter! I did read all of them, just been so busy. Out of town for three days and worn out! Back to work tomorrow. So I'll reply to the reviews tomorrow night when things are hopefully calmer. :-) Thanks again for reading and an extra special thank you to those who are reviewing!

Time has jumped forward a little.

Chapter Nine

Ten days after his abduction…

Wash, rinse, repeat, Joe thought to himself as he rolled from his fetal position onto his back. The lack of food, water, rest, and exercise was taking a heavy toll. His head felt heavy and he didn't think it was from any blows that he received although they weren't making things any better. No. What little he had to eat had something in it… something that was making him uneasy and paranoid. But I am being paranoid about being paranoid?

For days they had been releasing him and beating him up. The results of his captivity had made him unable to resist for long. Hell, I can barely stand up after the first hit, he thought as he reflected on … what has it been now? A week of this? He closed his eyes and stretched out his body, trying to take advantage of the brief time he could do this before he was put back in that chair.

.**********.

The next day the door clicked open and the lights ceased their blinking and the loud music stopped playing. Joe's eyes moved to the door. His mind tried to adjust to the change. Usually they released his restraints before coming in and just went immediately into the beating.

Startled, he watched two men bring in a long narrow table and set it in front of him. When a man he hadn't seen before walked in with a box, he became agitated and his breathing increased. Boxes in situations like this didn't hold soft blankets and stuffed animals. Not for him.

The man had a tanned or perhaps Middle Eastern complexion; he didn't utter a word as he looked into the box. Finally, he raised his face to look at Joe. "You have lived a very unusual life, Mr. Hardy." He tilted his head to the side and said, "Or should I call you Joseph?"

Joe's eyes widened. "Call me whatever you want," he finally said in a raspy voice. He had talked little in the last week.

"Dr. Childers takes very thorough notes— Ah, I see you recognize the name."

"If you've hurt him-!"

"Not a hair out of place on his head," the man said with a smile. "Assassins are also good at data retrieval. We were unable to hack into the databases that house the reports of your missions. But the good doctor had them." He crossed his arms and continued to smile but it became more predatory. "Some information had been redacted, but we didn't really care about what the government wanted to hide." He uncrossed his arms and leaned forward placing his hands on the table top. "We wanted to learn about you. Learn about what makes you tick. What gives you… nightmares." He straightened. "In other words we wanted to learn about your personal demons, Joseph."

Joe had stared directly at the man as he gave his speech and when he looked back into the box, Joe closed his eyes. Beyond a shadow of a doubt whatever was in that box would bring his demons out full force. Assassins didn't play. They destroyed and whatever was in that box was designed to do that to him. He squeezed his eyes shut as hard as he could.

He heard a loud metallic sound as something was placed on the table. "What, Joseph? You don't want to see this? You don't want to face your demons and stare them down?" Another sound.

He wanted to keep his eyes closed but not knowing what was in front of him was almost as bad as seeing what he thought might be there. Slowly he opened his eyes and raised his chin. His eyes fastened on the animal trap at the end of the table. Definitely what made the metallic clang. His eyes drifted up to the man's and then back down as the man turned a picture frame around on the table. Suddenly Joe was looking at Morgan Harris' smiling face. He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly.

"Still haunts you?" A pause. "If it does I suppose you may not be Assassin material."

"I was NEVER Assassin material," Joe said from between gritted teeth. His eyes went to the box; better to get it all over with. "What else do you have in there?"

The man reached in a pulled out a hatchet. "Not the most elegant weapon but it seems that you have many useful skills."

Joe looked up from the hatchet. Remembering Marilyn Laird wasn't pleasant but he could live with what he did there.

Next was a staple gun and Joe's breath stopped as he stared then he let out a long breath.

"Sometimes it takes time to get over what happens to you," the man said. "It's been a year hasn't it, Joseph? Shouldn't you be over this by now?"

The tone was condescending and even though Joe knew he shouldn't he felt the man was right. He should be over this. He closed his eyes and worked to steady his breathing. But his attempts were shot to kingdom come when he heard a distinct noise. One he couldn't shut out. One the man was purposefully making. Giving up on controlling his reactions, Joe opened his eyes and gazed at the simple plastic grocery store bag in the man's hands. Its sounds distinct as he balled up the bag and then shook it out.

When the man stepped from behind the table with the bag still in his hand, Joe attempted to push himself back. But there was no escape. The chair didn't yield.

The man held the bag next to Joe's ear and crinkled it. He laughed softly as he moved back behind the table and put the bag down. "Such a simple item to scare such a trained killer."

Joe ignored the words and continued to gaze at the bag. Uncertain if it was his own fears or the drugs, Joe was on the verge of a panic attack. Is he going to put that over my head? But then his attention was drawn back to the box.

Another picture frame was pulled out. Joe was puzzled. The frame was turned around and Joe stared at a picture of Frank and Vanessa sitting closely and laughing at each other. No, he thought as he shook his head. "Why?" he asked as he stared at the picture.

The man picked the frame up and looked at the couple in the picture. "It's your brother and girlfriend, correct?"

Knowing that the man already knew this, Joe simply nodded.

"They were on a mission together."

"I know."

"They were a couple."

"I know."

"But do you know everything they did?" the man asked softly.

I'm not going to play his games. Nothing happened. They want me to think something happened between them. Why? What reason could they have? He fixed his gaze on the floor as the man left the room. All the items remained on the table and as much as he didn't want to, his eyes were drawn back to the picture of Frank and Vanessa. No. They wouldn't. They didn't. He closed his eyes and dropped his head as the room remained silent. The only sound was his whispering.

.**********.

"What is he saying?" Maya asked no one in particular as she looked through the window. She reached for a knob and turned up the microphone in the room.

The sound was still somewhat muffled and the noise that comes from turning up the volume made a low hum. "…through the valley of the shadow of death…"

"I believe he's reciting the twenty-third Psalm," Hassan replied.

Maya snorted as she turned down the volume. "Let him recite. He'll find God isn't in there, just demons." She crossed her arms and glared through the window.

.**********.

Frank put his phone down on his leg as he stared at an indeterminate spot on the desk. He heard steps behind him but he didn't turn around.

"Who was that, Frank?" Fenton asked as he sat down next to Frank.

Frank could see him glancing at the computer screen but there was nothing there to see. It was just a search he was doing. "It was Agent Johnson," Frank said as he drew a deep breath.

"What is it?" Fenton was all business.

Turning to face his father, Frank said, "They've found Jacob Yates." His father sat back; his expression intense. "He killed his girlfriend with a sniper rifle and then shot himself in the head with a pistol."

Fenton rubbed a hand across his face. The whispered curse was only a mild representation of his feelings.

"We're supposed to go to ORT. They'll supply us with all the information that they have." As his father began to rise, Frank grabbed him by his wrist. "They're heading to the Benders. They're going to take Vanessa into protective custody."

Realization of why they would do such a thing hit Fenton as hard as it had Frank. "I understand why; but we're not going to let anything like that happen to her."

"ORT is on the way there. I'd like to see her if possible before they take her." Frank paused. "Joe would want me to."

Fenton nodded. "I'll drive you over there."

Both men stood. Neither of them was ready to tell Laura about Jacob and would put it off as long as possible.

.**********.

Agent Williams was watching an ORT agent load a suitcase into a dark van with tinted windows. Vanessa was giving her mom a hug and crying.

Frank rushed from his father's sedan over to Vanessa who let go of her mother and latched on to him.

"He wouldn't do that to me. He wouldn't." Her voice was soft and filled with pained emotion.

Frank held her tight as she laid her head on his shoulder. He gently stroked her hair. "I know he wouldn't but be we have to take precautions."

"I don't want to go," she whispered, her tone showing that she was gaining control of her fear.

He could see Agent Williams signaling him that it was time to go. "Vanessa, you have to. For Joe. I need you to be safe so we can keep him safe." He pushed her back and looked intently at her. "I know you'll find a way to stay in touch." The smile she gave him was fleeting but he knew he was right. If allowed to have access to a computer and the internet, Vanessa could contact whomever she wanted in a way that very few would be able to trace.

She released her hold on his arms and the smile she gave him now was a little stronger. "Find him and tell him I love him." With those words she turned and gave her mom one more quick hug and then headed for the van without looking back.

.**********.

"Here's what we have," Agent Crawford said as he put tablets in front of both men. They were in one of the many ORT conference rooms. There was nothing special about the room except for the men in it.

Fenton and Frank took the computers and looked at the information already pulled up on the screens. Frank didn't look up as he asked, "I thought Agent Johnson would be here."

"He's flown out to be ORT's man on site in the Yates' case," Crawford said as he sat down. "As you know, Agent Williams is assisting with the safe keeping of Agent Bender. I have been assigned as your liaison until one or both of them are back in the area."

Frank nodded, still looking down. He minimized a screen and sucked in his breath as he closed his eyes. "You couldn't have warned me?" His tone was irritated. The screen that was now on the tablet showed a crime scene photo of Jacob Yates and it was shocking even though Frank had known what had happened. Suicide was never an easy thing to discuss and it was even harder to view.

"I thought you knew what would be on those tablets," Crawford said. Nothing was apologetic about his tone.

"We did, but still. It's my son that's missing and who could end up like this." Fenton gestured to his tablet that was on the table. "A little consideration wouldn't have hurt."

Crawford acknowledged the gentle rebuke with a nod of his head. "There are several pictures of Yates and of his girlfriend."

Frank had opened his eyes while his father was speaking and scrolled through the photos. "His head is shaved. VanStall's was as well, wasn't it?"

Nodding, Crawford replied, "Yes. VanStall wasn't trained in the use of a rifle but was proficient with a handgun. We feel that the Assassins are using their weapons of choice as part of their endgame."

Frank let out a heavy breath. "And Joe's proficient in both just like Yates."

"That's why Agent Bender is now heading to a safe house."

Fenton leaned forward, "ORT thinks that the Assassins' will have Joe kill Vanessa."

"Isn't that what you'd think? That's the case in both situations that we have intel on." Crawford frowned and then asked, "Unless Joe and Vanessa aren't that close?"

Frank dropped his tablet to the table and leaned forward placing his head in his hands. "Vanessa doesn't know it, but Joe was going to propose sometime soon."

"Damn," Crawford said as he made a notation on his own tablet.

Fenton picked up his tablet and moved to a screen that showed the simple known facts of both cases. "Both of these murders took place approximately six weeks after the abductions." He looked up. "They must have a process to brainwash their victims so that they do this."

Crawford nodded and then stood. "If you have any questions or come up with any ideas, let me know. All of this information can be found on our secure server and accessed by Frank's credentials."

Both men stood and thanked Crawford as he exited. When they seated themselves, Frank asked the question that was haunting them both. "How are we going to find him in less than five weeks?" After he voiced the question, he realized there was another avenue he could pursue and a debt he could call in.