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: Thanks to all those who are reading and reviewing! I have to get on the ball and finish up the last few chapters! I think I'm on 23 now.
Chapter Fifteen
"I'm sorry I haven't been able to help," Cassidy said as she seated herself on the back deck with Frank and Callie.
Frank gave a slight shrug. "We've all drawn a blank and we appreciate you being here." He glanced over his shoulder at the door into the kitchen. He could hear his mother puttering around inside working on some snacks to bring out to them. Normally he would have told his mother that he'd get them, but she needed things to do to stay busy and Cassidy had provided her with a focus. His gaze shifted back to the girl sitting across from him. "Never underestimate what you've done here. My mom-" He stopped as Laura exited the house onto the deck.
"You already have your drinks, so here's just a light snack to tide you over until supper," she said as she placed a tray with veggies, dip, chips, and salsa on the table in the middle of the trio. She wiped her hands on the front of her jeans as she straightened. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"
"No, mom. This is great. Thanks," Frank said as he reached forward to grab a small carrot.
"Okay then, I'll just be in the kitchen if you need anything else," Laura said and then went back into the house.
Frank looked at the carrot in his hand and then to Cassidy. "Mom needed someone to focus on besides me and dad. You gave her that and I can't thank you enough." Frank popped the carrot in his mouth and then reached over to take Callie's hand.
"So what's the plan for tomorrow," Callie asked as she kept her hand in his.
"Cassidy is going to be out around town in the areas that Vanessa frequented trying to see if she can spot Joe."
"But not the usual way of checking," Cassidy said. "I'll be going up to the rooftops and anyplace overlooking her frequent haunts."
"Because that's where a sniper would be," Callie said softly. Cassidy nodded.
Frank looked between his girlfriend and Cassidy. In some ways, Cassidy reminded him of Vanessa. She was hands on in crime fighting and seemed able to handle the pressures that came with being in SWAT. Looking back to Callie, who was still determining her major but was leaning towards something in finance, he couldn't imagine any two people more different than Callie and Cassidy. Except for perhaps Callie and Vanessa and that friendship seemed to be growing though Callie and Iola were still best friends.
"I know what to look for," Cassidy said carefully.
"What would you do if you found him?" Callie asked curiously.
"If possible, I'd call it in so I could have back-up."
Frank shifted uneasily and he knew that Callie knew there was more to the story - things that he didn't really want her thinking about. "And then we go in and get Joe and get the drugs out of his system."
Callie didn't look at Frank but kept her eyes on Cassidy. "What if you can't call for back-up? What if he sees you?"
Cassidy glanced to Frank, uncertain how much he wanted her to say.
Frank let out a long loud breath and squeezed Callie's hand bringing her focus to him. "If she can't call it in, she has a Tazer and a handgun."
Callie squeezed his hand tightly. "She'd shoot Joe?"
Callie's voice had risen and Frank gave a nervous glance back toward the house. "Voices down," he said softly. "Cassidy isn't planning on shooting Joe and the Tazer is the first choice but if he's armed and shoots in her direction, she needs to be able to take him down." He could see the horror in her face and it was the same that he had when he first heard the plan. "Joe will be under the influence of drugs and brainwashing. We can't allow him to be loose in the city. We don't know how he will react if he feels his mission is in danger."
A scrapping nearby drew both their attention. "I'm going to go inside and give you guys a few minutes. I'll be back," Cassidy said as she headed in.
When the door closed he turned so that he faced Callie more fully and took both her hands in his.
"You're okay with this?" Callie asked uncertainly. "You're okay with her shooting Joe?"
Frank snorted. "Of course I'm not okay. I'm not even allowed to go looking for him in the chance that he's gunning for me instead of Vanessa. Too much of 'an opportunity for disaster' I've been told." He had been irritated and angry when Agent Williams told him he was basically under house arrest at this point until Joe was apprehended. "But Cassidy and Joe were at weapons school together-"
"You mean sniper school."
Frank's eyes went to hers. They had never specifically told Callie it was sniper school but she'd already used the phrase once today and she knew what Joe had done to save Iola. "Yes, they were at sniper school together but not many people know that."
"Could he do it?" Callie asked with a tone that indicated she was nervous.
"Could he shoot Vanessa?"
"Yes. But…"
"Could he shoot you?" The fear in her voice was now more noticeable.
What could he say? They had a policy of truth between them and he owed her that. "Yes," he said softly. "Joe has the ability to shoot a rifle and kill me from a very far distance. But that isn't what you should be thinking." He squeezed her hands. "Joe would never shoot me." But the slightest doubt was in his mind. What would Joe do under the influence of drugs and brainwashing? Could he shoot Vanessa or himself with the intent to kill?
Callie closed her eyes and Frank pulled her over to him. Now with her in his lap and her head on his shoulder, he realized that ORT was right. He didn't need to provide Joe with a chance to prove him wrong. A shudder ran through him at the thought of his brother killing him with a shot between the eyes. That horrible thought was compounded by the thought that after doing that his brother would be instructed to kill himself by placing the gun to his own temple. How would Callie and Vanessa recover from that? How would his parents be able to go on? As he rested his head on top of Callie's he realized that his parents' marriage might not survive a murder/suicide by their son. Already, he could feel the tension in the house. His mom thought his father had gotten them into this. But the fault didn't lie with any of the agencies that they worked with; it all lay with the Assassins. They were the ones at fault and if… no, when, he and Joe emerged from this, they'd do what they could to bring them down.
.**********.
Joe was wearing clean clothes for the first time in weeks. They had given him a shirt and pants in gray and black camo. No socks or shoes yet but this was a major change. If things were following the timeline of the other agents who were taken, he must have been here five or more weeks. They had also allowed him a basin of water, washcloth, and soap. The feeling of being clean and wearing clean clothes had done much to lift his spirits but he did his best not to show it to his captors. If he were truly under their influence he would appear much the same as he had been.
He sat in his restraining chair as he had been requested and waited. The restraints closed around his ankles and wrists. He looked curiously to the door to see what would happen next. The door opened and the man and woman appeared and the woman was holding a box. Joe became uneasy and began to shift slightly in his chair though there was no way he could move. The last time they had a box it contained bad memories from his past and he had no wish to revisit them in his current mental state. As he felt sweat break out on his forehead and upper lip he began to question his own mental state. Just how much are the drugs affecting me? How muddled is my thinking? Thoughts of the video showing Frank and Vanessa – No! he thought to himself. It wasn't Frank and Vanessa! But what if it was? the little voice in his head asked. What if you brother and girlfriend slept together?
The woman's laugh drew his eyes from the box to hers. "There's nothing in the box to hurt you this time, Joe." She stood holding it while the man fixed his chest and neck restraint. It had been a week or two since they bothered with those and now he was even more agitated. Reassurances meant nothing coming from this woman. The goons they sent in to spar with him often used a plastic bag to throw him off and on more than one occasion to send him into a panic attack when they placed it over his head. So, no, he didn't trust one thing out of her mouth.
When the man was done with the restraints, he moved to stand in front of the woman. He reached in the box and drew out… leg shackles. He called for the ankle restraints to be released from Joe's legs and he fastened the metal cuffs around Joe's ankles and stood. Reaching into the box, he next removed handcuffs. The call was made to release the wrist restraints. The man looked at Joe. "Stick out your arms." It was obvious he was still wary of Joe even though he was still thoroughly restrained. As there was nothing that Joe could do at the point, he complied.
The woman then reached into the box and drew out a strip of cloth and dropped the box to the floor. She walked behind Joe and tied the cloth around his eyes as a blindfold.
"Here's what we're going to do, Joe." The words were whispered in his ear by the woman and they startled him at their proximity. "You're going to stand and then you're going to let us lead you to another room where we can see if you can do what the plan calls for." She paused. "Do you understand?"
He nodded.
"I want a verbal answer, Joe."
"I understand," he said. Internally he was excited about being out of the room for the first time in weeks. In another respect he found it rather scary. Everything outside of this room was an unknown and he felt irrationally nervous. Was it the drugs or was it the thought of what awaited him to prove he could do this? What if they wanted him to kill someone? His anxiety level increased and his breathing became more rapid. Instead of concerning his captors this seemed usual to them as they told him that things would be all right as they released the final restraints and led him from the room.
Joe knew nothing of the path they traveled except for approximate distances. There was no light variation through his blindfold and there were no other sounds other than the ones they made. Their progress stopped and then Joe heard a door close. His blindfold was removed and he blinked momentarily as he scanned the room. There was picture on the far wall about twenty feet away and his breathing quickened. It was a picture of Frank. It was just a head shot and it had been enlarge to life size. Directly in front of him was a table that was bolted to the floor. He looked at it and then at the picture and then back to his captors. He truly didn't know what was going on.
"In a moment we will leave this room. You will stand at the far corner while we exit. A box will then be placed in the room and when the door closes you will put the box on the table and open it. We will give you more directions then. Do you understand, Joe?" the woman asked.
"I understand," he said slowly.
"Move to the far corner," the man directed.
Joe complied and watched them leave and then a box was placed just inside the door. Then it closed. Joe stood for a moment looking at the box and then he did what they asked. He shuffled across the room with his leg shackles clanking. Carefully he picked up the box and moved to the table. He paused and then opened the box. He gasped slightly. Inside was a sniper rifle and 9mm Beretta. He stared inside the box. Were they loaded?
"There are keys in the box to unlock your restraints. Place them carefully to the side as you will be required to put them back on at the end of our exercise," the man's voice came clearly through the intercom.
Joe did as requested and then stood again at the table looking at the two weapons in the box.
"Take out the rifle and take your shot, Joe. The rifle has been modified for laser targeting."
The metal of the gun was cold on his hand but it felt like it belonged. In fact he did have a strong urge to shoot someone. His captors would have been his first choice but as he fixed his stance and drew a bead on the picture of Frank he came to the disturbing conclusion that he didn't mind shooting his brother in this manner. As he took aim, he had to remind himself that Frank wouldn't betray him. After firing the shot that he was certain was dead center of the forehead at this range, he put the gun down as his hands shook slightly now that he was done.
"He betrayed you, Joe. You will have nothing to regret," the woman's voice said. "Now, complete your mission. Pick up the gun and show us how you will kill yourself." The tone was calm and serene. In no way did it sound like the woman had any concern about asking him to commit suicide.
Joe stared at the Beretta. Was it also laser? Was it empty or loaded with a round. If he checked it, he knew that they would up his drugs and delay his release. He needed to convince them that he was under their control and would do as they asked. Resigned to what he had to do, Joe reached in the box and pulled out the weapon. In a steady, unhurried manner he raised the gun to his temple and closed his eyes. There are easier ways to kill me than this. They want me to kill Frank. They are only testing me.
He pulled the trigger.