"Hey, Frank!" Seventeen-year-old Joe Hardy, called his brother a year older than him, who was currently looking at their target through a pair of binoculars. Joe wasn't happy being forced to sit and wait patiently, never one of his strong points. But he was going to make the best out it.
"Yeah Joe, what is it now?" Asked Frank, failing miserably to stop his eyes from rolling. He was trying to concentrate on what was going on around them, but Joe wasn't making it easy. They had followed the suspect, whom they believed to have kidnapped a young boy to this place that looked like an abandoned store in the outskirts of Bayport. The boys were sitting in their Van parked a fair distance away from the store.
"I feel like I'm Batman lurking in the shadows trying to save the world from Evil. I'm just missing the costume" Joe said excitedly.
"Congratulations Joe on joining the elite group of 97% of the men who think the same!" replied Frank, with a gleam in his eyes.
"Frank be serious for a second will you. I even got my own Batmobile" Gesturing at the Van. "Hey come to think of it, if you be good, you can be my Robin. We could save the world together" said Joe actually considering it.
"Whatever you say Joe. We all know wisdom has been chasing you but you have always been faster." Replied Frank, now smirking. In all honesty, Frank was glad Joe was here trying to lighten the mood. He would never admit it but he hated stakeouts as much as Joe did. But he knew that it was an important aspect when it came to Detective work whether you like it or not.
Joe was trying to think of a comeback when Frank suddenly called out "Joe, take a look at this" From Frank's Tone Joe knew something was wrong, and without wasting any time he grabbed the binoculars.
Joe let out a soft whistle as he watched through the binoculars. The suspect who Joe named Mr. Hulk and another man were carrying a fairly large package which was covered by a black cloth towards Subaru Sports Car parked nearby. At least that's what an onlooker would see. But the trained eyes of the Hardy's saw different.
"It looks like Mr. Hulk and his buddy are moving the kid to a different location. I knew I was right about the hiding place! Come on, let's make our move!" Said Joe starting to open his door. Finally some action! God knows how long he'd been waiting to do something. His excitement was short-lived when Frank grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him in.
"No! They'll be out of here before you even get there. Let's tail them and wait for our chance." Joe was reluctant, but he knew his brother was right. So he sat back and started the Van. The engine was silent, thanks to the upgrades they had done to the engine.
"I can't believe they are transporting a kidnapped child in a Subaru! These guys gotta be nuts" said Joe.
"We've got bigger problems, little brother, if they spot us tailing them, we have no chance of keeping up with that thing." Frank said, pointing at the sports car. "So you better try your best not to get spotted"
"Yeah right, we'll see about that" was Joe's reply. He made sure there were at least two vehicles between them and the kidnappers along the journey, while never letting the kidnappers out of sight. After a few minutes, the Subaru made a sudden hard right catching Joe by surprise. But since he had kept a fair gap between them he was able to easily guide the Van in the route the car had taken.
"It looks like we've been made or they are getting paranoid. Either way now that guy is flooring it. We are never going to catch them!" Frank said through gritted teeth.
"Aww Frank, have some faith. Do you really think I'd let them get away that easily? Dude I watched all the Fast & Furious movies just for this moment. It's not what's under the hood that matters but what's behind the wheel, just hold tight and relax" With that Joe flicked a switch and hit the gas simultaneously and the Van lurched forward with a surge of energy. Joe knew he was at a large disadvantage not because the Van wasn't powerful, but who was he kidding it was no match for the sleek sports car. But he was never the one to back down from a challenge.
Frank grabbed the door frame to hold on to his dear life "Whatever Joe, just don't forget this is not a movie" Joe just grinned like an Idiot. Frank knew better than to argue when Joe was determined. So he did the next best thing. Calling the police and letting them know what was going on…
Meanwhile having spotted they definitely had a tail now the Car driver was trying to get creative. The kidnappers were swerving left to right through the busy afternoon crowd, to get rid of their tail. Joe shifted the gears quickly and efficiently by double clutching. He knew every second mattered. The kid's life depended on his driving, he wasn't planning on letting him down. He drove through the traffic as fast as he dared keeping his steering movements as smooth as possible to stop losing the speed he'd built up and better yet losing control of the Van altogether.
Frank was thoroughly impressed by how well his brother handled the Van through the busy streets, but he kept it to himself. He didn't want to boost Joe's already big ego anymore. Joe must have read his mind because when Frank looked at him, Joe was smirking. "What did the police say?" Joe asked aloud, keeping his eyes dead set on the road. He knew one wrong move, they were goners.
"I shared with them our live location, said they'd do their best to assist. But by the looks of it, we'd have to do something, and quickly before someone gets seriously injured. Mr. Hulk's friend over there is driving like a maniac."
The car was slowly gaining a lead at this point. Joe was about to say something when the car ahead of them took a wild left at breakneck through an intersection. 'There's no way he was going to make' it Joe thought frantically. Sure, enough the Car hit a pole and then crashed its right side onto a parked car. However, the driver quickly regaining his senses hit the gas again. Joe saw his opportunity to get closer and then maybe they could figure out something. He gave the Van more gas as they flew towards the intersection.
"Joe, what are you doing, we can't make the turn at this speed!" Franked yelled over the roar of the engine. Instead of replying Joe eased the Gas a little then gritted his teeth as the turn rapidly came closer. Time slowed down as Joe pulled the Hand Brake at the last moment possible and yanked the steering to the left. The Van started skidding towards the pole the Car had previously hit, out of control as Frank watched in horror. 'I might not be able to take Callie on the date I promised her after all' Frank thought as the pole loomed closer to him just then Joe disabled the Hand Brakes and gave the Van a little gas while yanking the steering to the direction of the drift to stop the over-steer and gain back the control of the Van. The Van was back on track with Joe's skillful maneuver and Frank let out a sigh of relief. 'At least Joe helps me keep my heart young' he thought wryly.
"Told you I got this" said a grinning Joe. Frank took the high road and decided not to respond. Since the car had lost its momentum after the crash, Joe was able to close the gap between them. The bumpers were almost in touching distance.
Frank now understood what the kidnappers were thinking with that dangerous maneuver. They were trying to get into the Highway in the hopes of shaking the tail. With less traffic and bends, the car could go leaving them in the dust. Not even Joe's daring driving would be able to help them if that car went full throttle. "Joe, ram onto the car close to the rear wheel, that'll stop them from going any further."
Joe looked skeptical so he asked, "Wouldn't that be dangerous?"
"Says the guy who took bend at 50 MPH" Joe just grinned. "And no Joe, it won't given the road has less traffic right now, and given the height and the speed of the vehicle we can rule out the possibility of it toppling. But if they go on like this the damage is going to get way bigger" Leave it for Frank to go all nerdy over a simple question.
"Aye, aye captain. Let's do this" With that Joe pulled parallel to the Car and rammed into it. The driver lost control due to the impact and the car went spinning wildly and after what felt like an eternity, it finally came to a stop. The kidnappers scrambled out of the car with the kid, but what worried Frank most was the shiny object one of the kidnappers had pointed at the frightened boy.
"They brought toys with them. Hang tight, Frank!" Joe interrupted his thoughts as he turned the Van towards the kidnappers and gunned the engine. He drove straight toward the kidnappers. The guy with the Revolver tried shooting some rounds but soon realized the Van was bulletproof. They were forced to jump out of the way leaving the kid as Joe slammed the brakes.
"Frank you handle the Hulk, I'll take care of the Revolver-Man" Joe said while kicking his door open.
"Why don't you take on the Hulk?" Asked Frank, who was already out of the Van.
"You are the Big brother" Joe said giving a nonchalant shrug. "Besides mine's got a Gun so he is dangerous"
"I'd still take my chances with the Gun" grumbled Frank running towards the large thug who lay still stunned. But it didn't take him long for him to regain his senses.
Frank's opponent was built like a tank and definitely knew exactly what he was doing. With a nasty grin, the Huge Thug charged at Frank. Quickly understanding defense is the best offense in his situation Frank switched to a defensive stance. He was able to step away from the thug, a fraction of a second before the impact. 'He's got power and weight to his advantage, I got speed' Frank thought to himself. Suddenly he heard Gunshots, fear overtook him as he frantically looked for Joe, when a fist connected with his face. Stars were all Frank could see for a while.
But the thug had other ideas than letting Frank daydream, he caught Frank on a choke hold effectively cutting out his Air supply. Every muscle in his body was screaming for Oxygen, as he rapidly ran out of Air when he heard sirens from a distance. The thug must have heard it too, because his grip on Frank's neck loosened ever so slightly. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction Frank gathered all the energy he could muster and elbowed the thug hard. The wind got knocked out of the thug and he fell backward. Frank kicked the thug in the chest and finished him off with a right, then a left uppercut. He took a moment to assess the situation, by now there were several onlookers gathered around but no one made a move to help, clearly afraid. The frightened child was hiding behind their Van while his brother and the kidnapper going at each other's throats….
Meanwhile, Joe took a peek at the Gunman saw him aiming right at his head and soon ducked behind the door. Seconds after he heard two bullets whizz past the place his head was before. "Don't even dare to come after me or I'll blow your head off. The kid and I are going for a little walk" shouted the Gunman. He was trying to get to the kid and disappear. 'Not if I can help it. By now he should have run out of bullets. This is my chance, let's find out if this guy's fighting is as good as his aim' thought Joe as he jumped out of his cover. He rapidly closed the between the Man as he aimed the Revolver and shot. But no bullets came confirming indeed the magazine was empty. Joe came flying at the Man and tackled him to the ground. The man tried some lousy punches at Joe but none of them connected as Joe easily dodged them.
"Dude you should really consider a career change. You can't be a criminal with that kind of punch" said Joe as his fist solidly connected to the man's stomach and then jaw. The kidnapper was stunned but not done. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs and started wildly thrashing. Joe wasn't sure how but all of a sudden the kidnapper was on top of him trying to grab him by the throat. 'So much for running my mouth' Joe thought as he struggled to get the upper hand of the situation. Just as it started it stopped as the man dropped like a sack of potatoes revealing a grinning Frank Hardy.
When Frank saw his brother in trouble, first ran towards the frightened kid, and made him sit inside the Van assuring him help is on its way. The kid nodded and relaxed, tension and fear slowly leaving him. Frank was worried about his brother but he knew the scared child safety should should be his first priority. He looked back to see the kidnapper getting the upper hand over his brother. Without wasting anymore time he ran for his brother's aid and saw the gun now clattered harmlessly a few feet away. He took it and brought down the rear end of the gun towards the back of the head of the struggling kidnapper who was out of it before he even hit the ground.
"I see you got the situation under control. Nice going big brother" He heard an amused Joe say, panting.
"Yeah well, I was under the impression you were going to take care of the Revolver-Man?" Frank replied with a grin. Although his body hurt as hell he actually felt good.
"I did have everything under control" mumbled Joe.
"Yeah, if you consider yourself being strangled as having things under control" replied Frank. Not often he got a chance to tease his brother.
"What's going on here?" They heard a voice cry interrupting the friendly banter. They turned to see the familiar figure of Con Riley with three more officers trailing, Guns drawn approaching the scene. Seeing the Hardy's Con signaled the officers to Hostler the Guns.
"Should've thought it was the Famous Hardy duo causing trouble at this time of the day" said Con looking at the unconscious thugs, clearly impressed by the Boys handiwork.
"Nice of you to finally join us Con, the party is almost over. We've got two kidnappers for you. You're welcome." Replied Joe sarcastically. "I'm curious though how'd you find us so quickly?". Con motioned the officers towards the unconscious men and turned towards the Hardys.
"It wasn't hard given that we got many reports about a scary-looking Black Van chasing behind a sports car like a maniac" Con continued ignoring Joe's protests "Who knew matching shiners were this season's hottest trend? They look good on you two" winking at them.
"Thanks. I'm glad to be in one piece with everything that happened today" Frank replied looking at Joe who just rolled his eyes.
A few minutes later Con came towards the Hardy brothers. The kidnappers were now handcuffed and the child was being attended by the paramedics. The brothers were waiting in their Van.
"Thanks for everything you've done Boys. We'll take it from here. We already contacted the parents of the kid and told them to meet us at the station. Come later to the station and give your statements" Con said sincerely, then went on "Oh, and Joe you were the one who drove the Van right?" When Joe nodded his head Con reached inside the pocket and gave him a piece of paper.
"Here's a token of appreciation of Bayport PD for your heroics on the streets" Con handed the paper to Joe and left, with a self-satisfied smile on his face. Joe looked at the paper suspiciously and groaned "You gotta be kidding me"
'This wasn't a pat on the back for my for making the world a better place. Nope, it was a freaking Speeding Ticket!'
Hey there Stranger!
First of all, a huge Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed. Since I'm not a native English speaker & this is my First FanFiction there could be mistakes here & there. I would really appreciate it, if you could point them out. Also don't forget to let me know what you think about the story as a Review, be it good or bad!
Signing Off,
EvilExecutor.