A young Fenton and Laura Hardy are sitting on a park bench watch the starlight. The young couple had been married for a year and was very anxious to start a family. Fenton put his jacket around her shoulders and said to himself again how lucky he was to have married her. Laura looked up at the sky again, watching the shooting stars.
“Maybe we should wish for a family,” Fenton suggesting looking at his wife.
Laura smiled. “Yeah, let’s wish for two wonderful sons.”
“That would be wonderful,” Fenton replied.
He put an arm around his wife and hugged her close. As they looked up at the show the heavens were putting on, they both made a heartfelt wish for two wonderful sons…
Later on that night…
A mysterious stranger wandered the streets of Bayport. His clothing was slightly torn and his shoes were worn. In the satchel around his waist, which he held firmly to his side were two precious bundles. The man was old and weak. He’s knees cracked and his muscles ached with every step. His breathing labored, and his heart strained to keep going. Still he pressed on to the house… to the house at the corner of High and Elm Streets…
Fenton Hardy thought about the wish that he and his wife had made a long time ago, a wish for two wonderful sons. He smiled to himself as he looked over at his sons Frank and Joe. Their wish had been granted and so much more. He was very proud of his sons and the men they were becoming. Frank at eighteen stood at 6ft1in with brown hair and brown eyes that matched his own. Joe at seventeen stood at six feet with blond hair and blue eyes. When he saw the Joe’s face was still slightly pale he knew that he still had a long recovery time. He had been steadily gaining weight and muscle mass, but still he looked thin. No matter how many times he asked his sons about what had happened in The Valley they didn’t remember what had gone on, and were forgetting more about it each day. He trudged along the trail path. The path was a little rugged but that was better because it was less traveled.
“How much further to the site?” Joe asked, as he shuffled his backpack.
“About another half hour, we’re not too far away,” his father replied.
“Can I take some of your stuff?” Frank asked, noticing that his younger brother looked a littler tired.
Joe took a deep breath. “No I’m fine, let’s keep moving cause I’m getting hungry.”
Fenton smiled. “Then you won’t have long to wait, let’s keep moving so we can set up camp while it’s still light.”
“Sounds good to me,” Frank replied.
They kept walking until they came to the spot on Fenton’s map. It was large enough for them to set up two tents and their camp fire. While Joe sent up his and his brother’s tent, Frank gathered firewood. Their father had already set up his smaller tent and was now digging a fire pit. They quickly got a fire going, as Joe finished putting up the tent.
“There seems to be a lot of shooting stars tonight, I’ve already counted 30,” Joe remarked as he sat down.
Frank looked up into the now evening sky. “Yeah, before we left I saw on my alert that there is a meteor shower for the next three nights. Tomorrow night will be the peak.”
“Who’s hungry?” Fenton asked.
“I am,” Joe answered immediately.
Sometimes Fenton worried that his youngest son might become fat from all the food he ate. Luckily for him everything Joe ate seemed to turn to muscle. After what happened to them in Chile, Joe had dropped so much weight that the doctor had Joe put on a weight gaining diet so he wouldn’t get sick. He still didn’t eat as much as he used to, but slowly his appetite had been coming back. Fenton pulled out some bags of dehydrated soup. They all put their cups near the fire pit and filled them with some soup and the rest of water. As their soup boiled, Joe stretched out some of his muscles. Frank helped to massage out a knot that was in his shoulder.
“Tomorrow if we go hiking let me take some of your stuff in my backpack,” Frank told him.
“Ouch… don’t worry, it’s just a knot. I just have to stretch out more,” Joe replied. He moved around his shoulder that Frank had worked. It now moved freely. “Thanks, that feels better.”
“No problem, I think the soup is ready,” Frank replied, as he saw the soup boiling in the cups.
Fenton passed them out with a thick glove. They all used their gloves to hold the cups. The soup was hot and delicious. Their father made more soup which they all enjoyed. Joe looked up as he finished the last sips of his cup. He could see even more shooting stars than before. He always felt lost when he looked up into the stars. As if someone were looking back at him, someone that he knew.
“You ok son?” Fenton asked. Joe didn’t answer. It was as if he was hypnotized by the meteor shower.
Frank looked over and saw how distant Joe looked. “Joe?” Frank asked, nudging him.
Joe shook his head. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”
“Yeah, dad asked you if you were OK?” Frank repeated.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I was just looking at the stars. I can’t help but think something is missing,” Joe replied.
“What could be missing?” His father asked coming over to him.
Joe shrugged. “I really don’t know. It’s just a feeling. Like I belong with them, I don’t know why.”
Frank smiled slightly. “It’s the meteor shower. It can have that effect on people.”
Fenton looked up. “Yeah, I guess it can…Why don’t you two head in early? I’ll take care of the fire.”
They both crawled into their tent while their father put out the fire. Joe snuggled into his sleeping bag while Frank closed up their tent. He took a last look at the meteor shower before closing up the tent. He checked on his brother before getting into his own sleeping bag.
The next day dawned a little cold but the group decided to start out the day with fishing. After catching four trout, the sun had come up more, warming the area. The cold air lifted and a warm breeze now blew through the trees.
“Say, let’s go hiking. We have enough fish for tonight,” Frank suggested.
“Sounds like a good idea,” Joe replied, reeling in his hook.
They brought the fish back to their father who had slept in and was now just moving about the campsite. He was impressed by the large sizes of the fish they had caught. He agreed to clean them while they went on a short hike. When the extra promise of being careful, and their backpacks on, they left on one of the shorter trials. Joe looked around, enjoying the beautiful and quiet natural beauty around him. The air smelled clean and the sun was keeping them warm. Joe stopped to take in a beautiful scene of a small valley filled with trees and flowering bushes.
“You OK little brother?” Frank asked as he came over to him.
“Just enjoying how pretty it is around here,” Joe replied, still looking at the small valley.
Frank put an arm around his brother, taking in the scene. Frank didn’t know why, but he was sure he had come extremely close to loosing his brother in The Valley. Someone, a beautiful woman in his dreams, told him to stay close to his brother and to always take care of him. Joe had a sense that Frank had done something very special for him in that same place, but their memories were both gone about that place.
“Let’s see if we can cover a couple miles before lunch. That fish will be good when we get back,” Frank remarked as he started down the trail.
Joe followed behind enjoying the serenity that the area was offering. They both stopped to watch a few deer that were happily munching at some foliage. They continued walking while Frank pointed out specific plants to Joe. Joe remembered how to eat most of them from the survival classes they both took. They picked up some ginger and good berries to have for later that night.
Returning back after their hike, the brothers showed their father some of the stuff they had gathered on the trip. Fenton had cleaned the trout they had caught and now had several large slices for cooking. After lunch they debated what to do for the afternoon.
“How about another hike?” Fenton suggested.
“I wouldn’t mind. I can’t believe how beautiful is around here,” Joe remarked, looking at all the towering trees.
Frank smiled. He was grateful that the trip was doing wonders to his brother’s spirit. “Yeah, maybe we can find more stuff to eat for tonight’s dinner,” he added.
After making sure the fire was out and getting their backpacks, they started out on one of the longer trails. Fenton enjoyed every minute of the trail. His job didn’t allow him much free time. He was determined to make the most of the time they had. He looked over and saw a few squirrels running up and down a tree. They continued walking. They talked about other family trips and some of the cases that came out of them. Fenton laughed as his sons told him some of the misfortunate adventures their friend Chet when the tried camping.
Later on that afternoon, when it was closer to 4, they hiked back to their campsite. Frank started a fire and put a small pan near it to heat it up. Joe put out the things they had gathered and crushed some of the ginger to make tea later on. Their father cooked up the pieces of trout and added some of the crushed ginger for flavor. He cooked up some miner’s lettuce to have with it. They sat back and ate the delicious trout while watching the stars come out. The same feeling of belonging that had come over Joe before had come back. He suddenly wished to himself that he could reach out and touch them. He shook off his thoughts when his father began to move around.
“Do you guys know what you want to do tomorrow?” he asked.
Frank shrugged. “Not yet. I was hoping we could do a little climbing.” He looked around at some of the mountains that were around them. “There are a lot of mountains around here.”
Joe looked at where he’s brother was looking. He had seen the mountains in the daytime and knew they were going to be a challenge. “That sounds like fun.” He said, “But let’s stick with the smaller ones. This place must have excellent slopes for boarding and skiing.”
Fenton nodded. “As a matter of fact they do. If you boys want to, we can come back here once winter really sets in.”
“Really?” Joe said.
“Why not? I’ll keep some time open when you guys have winter break. We can leave right after Christmas,” he replied.
Frank smiled as he passed around a bowl of good berries they had picked. “We’ll just have to make sure our equipment is good to go. We haven’t been able to do that for awhile.”
Their father started making tea as a strong chill came over them. As he was brewing the hot ginger tea, they heard a few snaps of twigs and the crunching of leaves as something came close to their camp. Frank turned on a flashlight and shined it in the direction of the noise. Suddenly their friend Sunray Trigbee came out of the woods!
“Sunray, what are you doing here?” Joe asked as he came over to greet his friend.
“Honestly I don’t know why I’m here. Something just told me to come to this spot,” he replied.
His blue eyes looked a little distant, and he was sweating from having walked so much. Fenton was surprised to see how much Sunray and Joe looked a like. If it wasn’t the difference in their clothes and voices, they could have been identical twins! Sunray sat down and Frank handed him the bowl of berries. He ate a couple before handing the bowl back.
“How did you get here?” Fenton asked, handing him a cup of the hot tea.
Sunray shrugged. “I really don’t know. It’s like something told me to back a few things in a bag, get into my car and come up here. Then when I parked, something led me here. I really don’t know what it was.”
“Maybe you were sleep walking,” Joe suggested.
“I really don’t know,” Sunray replied.
A loud whoosh flew over them followed by a gust of wind. In the distance they heard a loud crash, followed by a backdraft of fire. They ran towards the crash site, looking for survivors. As they ran towards the scene they smelled the putrid smell of burning metal mixed with burning maple wood. Coming closer they could see all the small fires that the crash had started. Fenton tried to see if it was a helicopter or small plane that had crashed. They all noticed that the wreckage was nothing like either aircraft. In fact, it had markings on it that looked like hieroglyphics. Coming closer they could see that there was one person not too far from where the crash was. He was sprawled out and not moving. Frank and Joe ran over to him. Not knowing whether the person was alive or dead, they dragged him from the fire, fearing and explosion. Sunray noticed a backpack in the wreckage. He picked it up and ran over to where the brothers were to help. They had dragged him several feet before Fenton caught up with them and helped. They had gone several feet before an explosion knocked them to the ground. Sunray saw that during the explosion something flew from the wreckage, up into the night sky. They carried the stranger back to their campsite. As they took care of the wounds they noticed that the fire was putting itself out! It died down to a few embers and then there was nothing!
Chapter 2
“At least we won’t have to call the park rangers until morning,” Joe remarked as he helped to put a bandage the man’s head. He put pressure on it to stop the blood flow.
“Frank, if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear he looks like you,” Sunray remarked.
Frank looked down at the crash victim. He swallowed when he thought he was looking into a mirror.
“He does look like you. A lot like you,” Fenton added, as they covered him in a blanket.
Frank didn’t say anything. He sat down in mild shock. He didn’t know how it felt when Joe and Sunray met up for the first time and saw mirror images of each other. Now that he was looking at his own “twin” it was a little unnerving. Joe sat down and put an arm around his shoulders. He didn’t want to admit it, but he felt as though he knew the wounded man. It was then that the stranger began to wake up. They came over and watched as his eyes opened up. Joe’s own eyes went wide as he saw “his brother’s eyes” look directly at him!
“Where… am I?” the stranger said through a dry mouth.
“Here drink this,” Fenton urged him.
The stranger took the cup of tea. Sunray helped him sit up to drink the hot beverage. He didn’t want to admit it, but when he touched the stranger it was as if he were hugging someone very close to him.
After a couple of sips the stranger asked again, “Where…am I?”
“You’re in the mountains of New York. You were in a plane crash. Do you remember your flight plan?” Fenton asked, sitting next to him.
The stranger shook his head slightly causing him to wince. “I can’t say. I was on a secret mission.”
The answer caused Frank and Joe to come over, fearing it was either the Network or the Assassins. Frank handed his father the first aid kit. Fenton dabbed at a cut on his forehead with an alcohol swab.
“Do you remember what it was?” Fenton asked.
“Yes, but I can’t stay here. They’ll know about the wreckage and come for me,” the stranger said.
“Wait a second, who are you and what are you doing here?” Frank asked, now finding his voice.
“My name is Daniel, but you can call me Dan. I was here because I have to find some people. I have an urgent message to deliver to them from their parents,” Dan told them.
Fenton put two butter fly bandages on the cut, sealing it closed. He then took more alcohol swabs and cleaned the other scratches.
“Couldn’t you have used a phone or the Internet?” Joe asked.
Dan shook his head again, bringing another wince. “Not for this message. It had to be delivered in person, only my ship had trouble and I crashed. Wait…” Dan said as he tried to get up. “My backpack! I lost it!”
“You didn’t, I brought it here,” Sunray said, as he showed Dan the pack. It was covered in dirt and seemed to have a light burn mark but was intact. “Something told me to save it from the wreck.”
Dan let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks. That pack contains a lot of important stuff. But I really need to get out of here.”
“You can’t leave. You’ve been injured,” Fenton said, trying to hold him down.
“I can’t stay here. There may be someone who saw the wreck and I can’t afford to take that chance,” Dan said, trying to get up again.
“We’ll leave first thing in the morning. It’s too dangerous to try and leave now,” Fenton told him.
Dan sighed again. “OK, I guess you’re right. The fire is out so it won’t attract any attention.”
They tended to Dan and tried to get him to talk more but he refused to say much. He stressed that it was important that they leave at first light. Sunray still couldn’t answer why he had been there in the first place. He called his roommate to let him know that he was OK, and would be back by Monday for classes.
“It’s amazing you survived that wreck with nothing more than those cuts and bruises,” Joe remarked.
“I was lucky that I had a rollcage. I put one into it after seeing a really bad NASCAR crash and the driver walked away from it,” Dan replied.
“You’re into racing?” Joe asked, smiling slightly.
“Yeah, I really like the engineering of the cars and try to incorporate them into planes and stuff to make them safer,” Dan replied.
Cliff Troup tossed in his bed. He was sweating and felt as though something was trying to claw its way out of him. A bright flash came through the open window, landing on his dresser. Cliff turned even more, feeling fire of pain grow. A large clear crystal in the shape of a diamond materialized on his dresser. The entire crystal began to glow brightly, pulsating softly. Cliff opened his eyes. They went wide at the side of the glowing crystal. Suddenly his whole room began to fill with light as a hologram began to appear. He instantly recognized it as the Phoenix, the one he drew for his series!
“Who are you? What are you?” Cliff demanded. He tried to keep his voice low so he wouldn’t wake up his mom and brother.
“I am the Phoenix.”
“The Phoenix?” Cliff gasped. “You can’t be real. You’re just something I made up for a cartoon.”
“I am real. The reason why you drew me is because my image has been firmly implanted into your mind.”
The Phoenix waved a wing over Cliff. Instantly, all his pain left and he felt a cool breeze dry off his clothes.
“You are real!” Cliff said, swallowing hard.
“I am the last of my kind. You Cliff are one like me. You came from a planet of protectors with special powers. I am here to awaken your powers and your memories.”
“That’s impossible. I’m a human being, not something like you. That can’t be real!” Cliff replied, trying again to keep his voice down.
“It is very real.”
The Phoenix waved one of her wings and Cliff was filled with a few memories of a beautiful planet. He saw a teacher showing him how to levitate things with his mind.
“Who am I?” Cliff demanded.
“All will be revealed to you in time. You must find Frank and Joe Hardy. They have found a new friend that will help to reveal more.”
“Why can’t you tell me what’s going on now?” Cliff demanded.
“Because you have to relearn your memories with time. Any faster and it will overwhelm and scare you. Now that I’ve triggered your memories they will gradually come back when you need to know. Trust in them. Learn from them. I will guide you and appear to you when the time calls for it. For now, trust in my words.”
“I still don’t understand,” Cliff said, looking directly at the Phoenix’s eyes.
“You will in time.”
The Phoenix dissolved back into the crystal. Cliff went over and picked up the crystal which was the size of his fist. It felt warm and seemed to almost have another world inside. He put the crystal on his nightstand. Going downstairs he got a glass of cold water. He was relieved that his mother and brother were still sleeping. Lying back down on his bed, he looked at the clock. It was only 2AM. Closing his eyes, he tried to go back to sleep. He didn’t want to think about what just happened. He hoped by the morning it would all just be a nightmare.
Early that morning they all got up to break down the camp. When the brothers went over to where the crash site was, they were shocked to find the last bits of the wreckage were disintegrating. There were no burn marks, no dead plants, nothing. All the greenery had grown back in. It was as if nothing had crashed there!
“Frank, what’s going on? There was a crash here!” Joe nearly yelled.
“I don’t know. Whatever crashed here is gone! We can’t even call the park rangers to report it in,” Frank answered.
They searched the grounds looking for any bits of metal, but none could be found. Even animals were scurrying around looking for food. They returned to the site to find Dan waking up. Frank was still finding it hard to accept that he had never met this mirror image of himself. They quickly finished breaking down camp, and poured water and soil on the fire pit until the ashes were cold and drowned. Fenton passed around some granola bars and water to keep them going. Dan and Sunray helped to get the gear back to the car. It wasn’t until they were on the long drive home that they were able to talk.
“Dan, why is it that I know you from some place?” Sunray asked.
“I can’t say why because I have the same feeling too. And it really scares me. Honestly though I don’t remember why I was in that ship only that I had to deliver a message,” Dan replied.
“Or why we look like identical twins,” Frank added.
Dan nodded. “Yeah, that scares me even more. I’m trying to figure out why we’ve never managed to cross paths. But there is a deeper reason why I’m here.”
Everyone went quiet as he said that.
“I’m looking for my brothers,” Dan said.
“Your brothers?” Joe asked.
“It’s a very long story,” Dan replied.
“Well we have a long drive ahead of us,” Fenton said.
“I need to be in a secure place for what I have to tell and show you. I can’t risk it out on the open road,” Dan explained.
“Are you in any type of trouble?” Frank asked. “We can help. I don’t think we’ve even told you our names.”
“No, last night was a mess,” Dan admitted.
“I’m Frank Hardy. This is my brother Joe.” Frank said pointing to Joe. He then pointed at his friend. “This is Sunray Trigbee from the local university. And the guy driving is my father, Fenton Hardy. My father, brother, and I are private investigators.”
“I’m not in trouble. I just have to find my brothers before someone else does.” Dan said, “Because they’re in danger. I have to find them fast.”
“How do you know?” Fenton asked, as he drove the car along the nearly deserted road.
Dan sat back. “Because I didn’t crash by mechanical failure, someone shot at my ship.”
“Shot you down?” Joe asked, his eyes going wide.
Dan nodded. “Yes, that’s why I can’t risk staying around here. I can’t take the chance someone is following.”
“Who could here us in a moving car?” Joe asked.
“You’d be surprised. Either way I won’t take the chance. Not with the message I have to deliver as soon as I find my brothers,” Dan replied.
“Do you know where they live, or do you need us to help you find them?” Frank asked.
“Actually I do need help finding them. The sooner I find them, the better,” Dan replied.
They drove Sunray to his car. Instead of going back to the campus, he insisted on following them to the house. He quietly told Joe that he had to figure out what had driven him to come to their campsite.
Cliff Troup woke up from his uncomfortable sleep. Every muscle ached as he sat up.
“Great and today I have DJ work at the club” Cliff moaned to himself.
He looked at the hand-drawn image on the wall. It was the first drawing he had made of the Phoenix. He had always seen the Phoenix in his dreams but it was never a nightmare like that. He couldn’t understand why his dream seemed so real last night. Looking over at his nightstand he saw the large clear jewel on it. Picking it up, he tried to see if there was anything in it. The sunlight came though it, sending rainbows all along his walls. The image of him standing on a beach talking with the Phoenix filled his head. The fire bird was sitting on the rock, talking to him. He couldn’t here the words, but he was positive he had been there.
“My god what’s happening to me?” Cliff thought as he put the jewel in a drawer. “I think I’m going crazy.”
He stood up and got dressed. Picking up one of his music folders he flipped through it, trying to pick some songs for the day. He prayed that the work could keep his mind off of the Phoenix.
Fenton continued driving the long way home. He had an unusual feeling that Dan was going to some how break up his family. He glanced at his sons in the rearview mirror. Frank and the stranger continued looking more and more alike. Even their voices, in the confinement of the car, sounded alike.
“Do you have any good leads?” Frank asked.
Dan shook his head. “I have very little to go on. All the information I have is in my backpack. That’s why I’m grateful to your friend Sunray for picking it up.”
“Why go through such dramatic measures? What could be so important that you risked a plane crash for?” Joe asked.
“When I explain the message to you, then you’ll understand. I only hope you won’t think I’m crazy. I was warned by the person sending the message that something like that might happen,” Dan replied.
“Then can you give us any information about the people who sent the message?” Frank asked, trying to get Dan to talk more.
“I have to be at your home. I promise I’ll explain everything then, but I can afford to take any risks,” Dan replied.
After about an hour of small talk about the area, they stopped for a hot breakfast before driving the way back home. Once there they found a note from Laura in case they had come back early. She was going to be spending a couple of days at the Red Cross shelter helping out the staff. They got Dan settled into the spare room while Sunray called his parents so they wouldn’t panic. After having lunch and settling into Fenton’s office, Dan finally began telling his story. He opened up his back pack and put several items on the desk including a large clear jewel on it.
“I was sent here to deliver a message, but the truth is I don’t how to tell you what the message here or where I was from,” Dan said.
“What? Are you like in exile or something?” Joe asked, trying to figure out what was going on.
Dan settled back into his chair. He had no idea how he was going to explain to him. But then he remembered what his father had told him.
“They will be very reluctant if not think you’re mad if you explain the story to them. Show them a bit of your power, then they will know that you are not lying.”
“Maybe it’s best if I show you something about me before I explain my story,” Dan told them.
Dan held up his hand. The crystal gently floated to his hand. Everyone’s eyes went wide.
“How did you do that?” Frank gasped.
“It’s one of the many things I can do,” Dan replied.
He picked up Fenton’s now cold mug of coffee and set the mug on his left hand. He then held in his right hand with a firm grip. He looked at the coffee. Less than ten seconds later, the coffee began to bubble. A few more seconds and the coffee was steaming. He handed the mug back to Fenton who sipped at it.
“It’s perfect,” he replied.
“Who are you? What are you?” Frank asked.
Being a man of science and fact, Frank was having a hard time believe that Dan could do those things. He had only seen people have powers in the comic books that his baby brother read.
“I was born with other powers like this. Many you will see in the future. I had to show you some of them, because if I just told you my story you wouldn’t believe me,” Dan replied. “My story is long. I need your help. Once I’m finished you’ll know why I didn’t go to your proper authorities.”
Dan held up his hand and Joe’s glass of water floated to his hand. He simply took the glass like he had the mug, only this time there was a freezing sound. He handed it back to Joe who sipped at it.
“It’s ice cold!” he remarked.
“The craft I was piloting had a self destruct mechanism built into it. If it ever crashes it starts disintegrating immediately on impact. It was done so the secrets of how it works would never be copied,” Dan explained.
“But how did the trees grow back? And the fires? How do you put them out?” Frank asked.
“I was conscious after the impact, before I blackout I started the ship’s fire extinguisher. It’s the last thing that self destructs. Early that morning before everyone woke up I set the trees and everything else back to what it was. The only thing left from my craft is what’s in my back pack,” Dan explained.
Fenton was having a hard time believing what Dan was explaining to him. The threat that someone was going to take his sons from him was screaming at him. He looked at the still steaming mug of coffee on his table and the cold water that Joe was sipping at. There was no denying that Dan had no ability to create a device that would alternatively boil and freeze water. There was nothing he could say that would deny that Dan had something to do with how the craft disappeared and the trees grew back.
“Then why are you here? Are you a mutant from here, born with those powers?” Joe asked. He was excited because he had only read about people like Dan in his comic books.
“I’m from a distant planet.” Dan said. He continued looking at the jewel. “I used the meteor shower as a diversion to get through your country’s radar defense. But I am not lying about it. There are three missing children I’m looking for. One should be about Sunray’s age by now. The other would be about Frank and Joe’s age.”
Sunray sat in the corner. He didn’t know what to say. The jewel in Dan’s hand seemed so familiar to him, but he didn’t want to say anything. It was like he had seen the jewel being made in his mind. There was a man who was showing it to him, a man that looked like Fenton, only bigger and taller.
Frank held out his hand, and Dan put the crystal in it. In Frank’s hand, the crystal seemed warm, almost like he had put his hand in warm water. It looked flawless and definitely wasn’t acrylic or plastic. It was lightweight and definitely not glass. Joe came over and looked at the jewel as well. If it was real, it would be the largest diamond he had ever seen. He picked it up and he thought about how cool it would be if it would send beams of light like a disco ball a DJ would have. To everyone’s surprise, the crystal reacted to his thoughts, sending beams of dancing lights all over the room. Joe giggled as the lights began responding to his emotions.
“Stop it!” his father commanded.
Joe, startled, dropped the jewel stopping the light show. Sunray caught it before it could fall to the ground. Not wanting to hold onto it too long, he handed it back to Dan.
“Why did you say that?” Joe asked.
“Because I don’t want you messing with that,” he snapped.
The feeling that his sons were going to leave came stronger than ever. He had no reason to suspect Dan. After all Frank and Joe were his sons, born from his wife. Dan had no claim what so ever. “No one is taking MY sons,” Fenton told himself.
Joe sat back down. He wasn’t sure how to react to his father’s sudden change in attitude. Frank was just as shocked. What was their father afraid of?
“That’s strange. Only members of my family know how to work that crystal. How did you do that?” Dan asked as he put the crystal away.
Joe shrugged. “I really don’t know. All I did was think that it would be neat if the crystal started acting like a DJ’s disco ball, and the next thing I knew, it was doing that.”
Dan was surprised. He hadn’t expected that. What was his own father hiding from him?
“Alright I want you to get serious and tell me what the joke is. Because I don’t believe in all this extra terrestrial garbage,” Fenton told Dan, looking directly at his face.
“I’m not lying. Here…” Dan said. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a small box. He opened it and pulled out a small square. It looked like it was as big as a piece of paper and was as thin. Dan looked straight at Fenton. “Cut…Roll it up…Tear it apart.”
Fenton scoffed but did what Dan told him to do. Before their shocked eyes, no matter what he did cutting it with a knife, ripping it completely in half, crumpling it into a ball, the sheet of metal would roll out and reform itself into a single sheet.
“It’s a metal alloy our scientists created. It’s used to build our craft. The outer skin is covered with layers of it. It catches anything against it, throws it off, and reforms back. It saves in repairs and keeps our crafts flying,” Daniel explained. He then looked around. He knew that Joe was the first to believe. Sunray and Frank were a little hesitant but now believed he was telling truth. He looked back at Fenton. “What more do I have to do to prove to you I’m telling the truth.”
“Why are you here?” Fenton asked again.
Dan sighed and sat back down. “I’m people I’m looking for now, are my brothers. I have to deliver a message to them from our mother.”
“Who is your mother?” Sunray asked.
“Another long story, she died during a war on our planet. And told me about my brothers and sent me here to find them,” Dan replied.
He held up his hand and the metal sheet went back into its box and the lid snapped shut, locking itself. The box floated back to his hand, and he put it back into his backpack.
“Your brothers, those were the kids, they’re your brothers. Do you know what they look like?” Frank asked, eager to help. Even though he was a man of science, something was telling him that he had to help Dan find his brothers.
“How can we help?” Sunray asked. Frank and Joe both looked at him. “Look for some reason I was told to go to that place where you were camping. You can’t expect me just to go home now.”
“Well the only clues that I have is that the children are different ages. The one Ray’s age disappeared around Kane University. The other two disappeared around Bayport.”
“I can go to the archives in Kane University. For the law students they have a list of all the people missing in that area going back forty years. I should be able to find something there,” Sunray told them.
“We can do the same over at Bayport U. Don’t forget to search the births. If these kids were kidnapped, then they probably were adopted in the same year,” Frank told him.
Sunray nodded and left so he could get back to his campus.
“OK, that takes care of that. When do you want to head on over to Bayport U?” Joe asked, as he finished his glass of still cold water.
“Dad, do you mind if we leave now?” Frank asked, looking at his father.
Although something inside of him was screaming to lock his sons in their rooms, he couldn’t stop them. “No, just be home before dinner,” he told him.
After they had left, he took out the picture he held dearest to him. It was one Laura had taken just before the baseball game he was able to take them to last year. They had their arms around him. He put the picture away and went upstairs. He was about to go into the kitchen when a knocking at the front door stopped him. He opened the door to find a man about his own age in a business suit. His brown hair was tinged with gray.
“Are you Fenton Hardy?” he asked.
“Yes, how can I help you?” Fenton replied.
“I’m looking for three missing kids, and I heard that you sometimes help in those cases,” the man asked.
“I do, come on in and sit down,” Fenton told him.
He let the man inside and directed him to a chair.
“Well, my name is Molder,” Molder said, shaking hands with Fenton. “The kids I’m looking for…”
“Hold on,” Fenton told him. He went into the kitchen and retrieved a writing pad and pen. “OK, go on.”
Molder nodded, “The children I’m looking for disappeared several years ago. There are three of them. One disappeared and should be about 21 to 22 right now. The other two would be 17 and 18. The older child disappeared around Bridgeport close to the university and the younger ones disappeared around here.”
Chapter 4
Frank carefully drove along the roads towards Bayport University. The skies had clouded over, and now a light rain was falling. He felt a little uneasy by what he had seen in his father’s office. Still he couldn’t help be also feel like he knew Dan from somewhere.
“How long do you think it will take to search through those archives?” Dan asked.
“Since they’re on computer, not too long. We have a narrow search field,” Frank replied.
“Don’t worry about this campus, everyone is really nice,” Joe assured him. “And it’s easy to find the library where the archives are.”
Dan sat back, not feeling good. He wasn’t sure who had shot his craft down, but it was a harsh weapon. It wasn’t the military and that scared him even more.
“You ok?” Joe asked, looking at his new friend.
“I don’t want to worry you. Something’s telling me that whoever shot my craft down wanted me to crash but not be killed. That’s how I was able to land without destroying so much of the landscape,” Dan admitted.
“Why were you shot down anyway? I thought you were able to avoid the military radar?” Joe said as he watched the passing road.
“I was able to avoid them, but someone knew exactly what they were doing,” Dan replied.
“Joe, when we get back, let’s go online and see who owns those lands. If it wasn’t the military then it could be the Assassins,” Frank told him.
Joe sighed. He hated whenever that name came up.
Dan noticed their sudden change in mood. “Who are the assassins?” he asked.
“They’re a terrorist group. They have a lot of money and members all over the world. They would have the technology that would do that,” Joe explained.
“I can protect myself from anything. I’m more worried about you two,” Dan told them.
Joe turned around. “Don’t worry about us. We’ve dealt with them on more than one occasion and won.”
Fenton sat back. In the couch, his face white. He couldn’t believe that the descriptions from two different people could match that closely.
“Mr. Hardy, are you OK?” Molder asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Now, why are you looking for these children?” Fenton asked.
“Their parents have died and a very large fortune has been willed to them. It’s essential I find them before the government or distant relatives take it,” Molder replied.
“Couldn’t you have asked the police to help?” Fenton said, trying to shake off the feeling that this man was going to take his sons, too.
“The leads are so small. I only have vague descriptions of the parents and a few leads as to where the children where left. I tried going to the police, but they say it’s not a priority case,” Molder explained.
“Then I’ll help. I have some files of missing cases down in my office. Why don’t you go back home, and I’ll call you if I found something. This might take me awhile,” Fenton replied.
“Here’s my number.” Molder said, handing him a card. “Please do what ever you can. I’m willing to pay the costs whatever they are.”
After Molder left, Fenton walked back to his office, taking a glass of water with him. “It’s impossible that two different people could be looking for the same kids. Something is wrong. There is more than money at risk here. What is it that Dan AND Molder are not telling?” Fenton thought to himself as he began to go through all his missing person’s files of the specific years in question.
Frank pulled the van into the parking lot. Dan didn’t want to give any more specifics on why he was looking for his brothers. He kept repeating that he didn’t want to reveal anything more until it was necessary. When they got out, they directed Dan to the library, and into the basement where the archives were.
“Do you have any descriptions of the missing children?” Frank asked.
Dan nodded, “They’d be Caucasian, under a year old, very close if just born. Same parents for all three.”
“So if we have DNA testing all three would be very similar, but Frank weren’t you telling me about something called mitochondrial DNA matching?” Joe asked.
“What’s that?” Dan asked.
“That’s a specific “marker” if you will, in the DNA, that’s passed from a mother to all her children male and female. If all three match, we know that they’re from the same family then we can match it with yours if we can,” Frank explained.
After a few searches, they had several possible people. A few more searches yield twenty more possible people.
“How are we going to narrow this down?” Dan moaned as he slumped in a chair.
Frank did a gender search of the names and narrowed it down to fifteen. Then he searched the obituaries, and narrowed the list again to nine.
“OK, now where down to nine, think we should personally try them out or narrow it down more?” Joe asked, as he circled the remaining names.
“That depends. It looks like the last two have moved out of the area,” Frank replied.
“Then we can use dad’s computer to check on the last nine,” Joe suggested.
“Yeah, we better get back, he was really mad when we left,” Frank added.
“I hope I haven’t gotten you two in trouble,” Dan said, apologetically.
Frank shook his head. “You didn’t our dad just worries a lot about us.”
They left taking their finds with them. The traffic had built up since they had arrived, and it was taking longer to get back home.
“Do they have traffic where you come from?” Joe asked.
Dan sighed. “I wish there were such things. It’d be a welcomed changed to what’s going on now.”
“Say Dan, I don’t mean to bug, but this soda is warm do you think you can chill it?” Joe asked as he held the can up.
Dan smiled and took hold of the can. A light wind gust sound and he handed back to Joe. Joe opened the can and smiled.
“It’s perfect again!” he said.
“Say what do you two like to do for fun?” Dan asked, trying to change the subject.
Joe smiled. “We play sports together at school. Then there’s video games, DDR…that’s Dance Dance Revolution, X-Games…lots of stuff.”
“Then there’s chess, the Internet, we have academic meets, Jeopardy!, and baby brother don’t forget solving mysteries,” Frank said.
“You’ll have to show me some of that. I rarely get to do things for fun,” Dan admitted.
“Well Frank, if we finish early tonight, the arcade is open late,” Joe suggested.
“That sounds good. Maybe Sunray will go with us,” Frank added.
They drove slowly, but soon made it out of the traffic. Dan thought about all the stuff that the brothers mentioned. He was never able to do things like that. All he knew was war. Now he had brothers. What was it going to be like when he found them? Would they be like Frank and Joe? Or would they be like the enemies he knew? He didn’t have long to think as they were already pulling up into the Hardy family house driveway.
“I’ve never been to an arcade, so it’s going to be a real treat,” Dan admitted.
Joe smiled, “Then I’ll have to make sure to have large enough card swipes.”
They walked through the home to find Fenton still in his office. He was slowly looking through his missing persons files.
“Dad, we’re back,” Frank said as he came into the office.
“Oh, hi boys, did you find anything?” he asked, as he turned from the file cabinet.
“Nine possible people.” Frank answered, putting the sheets of paper on Fenton’s desk. “This may involve some foot work, if we can’t find them in your files.”
“Has Sunray come back yet?” Fenton asked, not looking at the paper.
Joe shook his head. “No, he hasn’t but he should be here soon. You want us to start dinner?”
Fenton nodded. “Why don’t you call in something? I don’t think you’re mother has gone grocery shopping yet.”
They went back upstairs where Dan settled into the living room couch. Joe went into the kitchen to look through the phone book.
“What do you think?” Joe asked as Frank came into the kitchen. “Mexican, Chinese, Italian…we can call in for subs.”
“Go Italian and get some garlic bread and throw in some soda while you’re at it,” Frank said as he looked into the refrigerator.
“I’ll make sure to order enough for Sunray, once he comes here,” Joe replied.
Joe picked up the phone to place the order, while Frank made a salad. As he was finishing there was a knock at the door. Sunray was standing there with a stack of papers.
“Sorry, the computer went crazy after I got the first list of missing persons. I wasn’t able to break it down,” Sunray said as he came into the room.
“Well, we ordered in dinner. We can work on that in the dining room,” Joe told him.
Dan came in and they divided up the stack that Sunray had come in with.
“Start with all the females and cross them off. Then cross off all the ones that are not Caucasian,” Frank told them.
After a few minutes of crossing off, Frank looked up. “OK, how many do we have left? I have seventeen.”
“I have twelve,” Joe said.
“I have eight,” Dan added.
Sunray looked up, “Ten.”
“OK, once we check the obituaries this should narrow down more. Sunray do you recognize any of the names?” Frank asked.
Sunray looked back at his list. “Yeah, some of them were my classmates.”
“Go through the list. Cross off the ones that were girls that had guy names and those that you know are a different race,” Frank told him.
Sunray nodded and looked through the list. He managed to narrow it down from forty-seven to twenty-five. By then their food had arrived. Frank put the salad on the table. They called their dad who came up to eat with them. Fenton didn’t know what to say to them about Molder who had asked about the same people as Dan had.
“Dan, would there be others that would be looking for the same people you are?” Fenton asked as they were finishing up
“It’s possible. I came here at last minute. Though I can’t say for sure, is there someone looking for my brothers?” Dan asked.
Fenton nodded, “Just after you left a man name Molder came here looking for the same people you are. He explained that the children have been willed a sizable fortune, and he wants to make sure they get it.”
“Is he coming back,” Frank asked, as he began to clean up the table.
“Yeah, later on tonight,” Fenton replied.
Joe helped his brother clean off the table, while Dan and Sunray went to Fenton’s office to start working on the lists. The brothers joined their father once the table was cleared. After looking through the obituaries, the list from around Kane University had been lowered to fifteen.
“This is still a lot of people. It might take awhile to check them all out on foot,” Joe pointed out as he sat in a chair.
Before Fenton could reply there was a knock at the door. He went upstairs to open the door. Joe felt an instant chill come over his skin. Frank and Sunray felt the same thing.
“Don’t worry, I don’t who that is, but they won’t hurt you.” Dan promised them, “Stay here.”
He went upstairs to find Fenton talking to Molder in the living room. The man was so familiar to him.
“Uncle Jason?” Dan said, coming.
“Daniel?” Molder said in shock. He took his nephew into his arms. “Daniel what are you doing here?”
“Mom sent me to look for my missing brothers,” Daniel replied.
“He’s your uncle?” Fenton asked in shock.
“I better go get the others, now that I know you’re not here to harm them,” Dan said as he went down to Fenton’s office.
“What game are you two trying to pull?” Fenton asked, looking at Molder straight in the eyes.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Molder said, noticing how angry Fenton was getting.
The others came up just in time to hear Fenton’s increasingly angry voice. Frank and Joe looked at each other. Neither knew why their father was acting so angry.
“He probably didn’t know I was sent,” Dan said, trying to calm Fenton down.
“Then why are you both here. What is it about these kids that you have to find them so badly?” Fenton demanded.
“Dad, calm down,” Joe said. Something wasn’t right.
A sudden cold chill hit all three of them again. Joe suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He pushed the wave of nausea down and sat down on the couch.
“Dan, why don’t you go out with your new friends? It’s really best if you keep moving around,” Molder told them.
Frank had sensed his brother’s unease. He put a hand on Joe’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s show him how we play DDR.”
Joe smiled and stood up. “Sounds good. The arcade is open until late.”
Fenton said nothing as his sons and their friends left. He was going to get some answers out of Molder one way or the other.
“What’s DDR?” Dan asked as they got into the Hardy’s van.
Joe smiled as he started up the van. “Don’t worry, we’ll show you how to play.”
As they drove along, the same cold chill hit them. Frank turned up the heat. Joe drove them over the arcade that had the tournament not too long ago. He found a parking space and parked. They were about to enter the arcade when Joe remembered something.
“I forgot, let me go get our bottles of water,” Joe said as he went back to the van.
Just as he was about to open the door to the back of the van, an arm snaked around his neck, choking him!
Joe felt the air in his throat suddenly cut off. The assailant began to drag him away from the van.
“Let him go,” a familiar voice commanded.
Joe knew that voice, it was Frank! But how did he know?
There was a grunt of pain behind Joe and the attacker let go. Joe gasped as oxygen rushed into his lungs. Joe turned to see Frank using of a form of martial arts that he had never seen him use before. The attacker fled into the near by alleyway. Frank came back and turned his attention to his younger brother.
“Are you OK?” Frank asked, concerned his brother was hurt.
“How did you know?” Joe asked is a raspy voice.
“When we went inside something told me you were in danger. Then the next thing I know I’m here and he’s flat on his back,” Frank replied, helping his brother up.
“Yeah, it was like you just appeared,” Joe remarked as he retrieved the bottles of water.
They went into the arcade after locking up the van. Joe decided not to tell Dan, since it would be his first time in an arcade like this one. They went inside. After a brief explanation and several missteps, Dan was able to nearly complete the basic level. He tried some of the other games and some of the classic ones.
“Hey Joe how about a doubles challenge on extreme?” Frank asked, referring to the Dance Dance Revolution Extreme Machine.
Joe smiled. “You’re on!”
Dan watched in amazement as the brother stepped back onto the machine after nearly an hour of playing it. They chose a song called Across the Nightmare. Sunray stood in amazement and his eyes tried to follow the brothers’ feet as they moved back and fourth on the arrows. They were able to do spins and turns that the twins had taught them from the tournament. Others had come over to watch them.
As Joe watched the screen he couldn’t believe how easy it was becoming to dance on the maniac level. “It’s almost as if the arrows are coming too slowly!” Joe thought in amazement.
They finished their song to the applause of the crowd. Afterwards they took Dan to Patt’s Water Ice to have ice cream, a treat Dan admitted he had never had. By then Staci had come over to join them for ice cream. Dan had noticed that there was something special about her when she smiled at him.
“Are you from around here?” Staci asked as they walked back to the brothers’ van.
“Not really,” Dan said.
Staci shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself.
“Are you OK love?” Frank asked.
“I don’t know. All of a sudden I felt like I got hit with a cold blast,” she replied.
They all climbed into the van and Frank turned the heat up. By then Staci was blowing cold air from her mouth, so cold that they could see it. He drove onto the road, hoping to drive away from whatever was doing that to her.
“There’s evil near by,” Staci told them, her body going rigid.
“Dan, what’s happening?” Frank demanded.
“She must have extreme extra sensory perception. Evil is manifesting itself as cold,” Dan told him. He took Staci’s hand, shivering at how cold it was. “Listen Staci, I want you to close your eyes and focus on the cold. Figure out where it’s coming from.”
Staci closed her eyes and concentrated. Within a few seconds she could feel the cold hitting her directly in the back.
“From behind us,” She announced.
Suddenly they all jumped in their seats as the van was hit from behind. Frank pushed down on the pedal, and the van sped forward. Sunray looked behind them but could only see a pair of headlights closing in on them. He turned back to feel the car ram into them again. Frank gripped the steering wheel tighter to keep the van on the road. The van was rammed again. Frank pushed the pedal to the floor.
Staci sat up straight, pain shooting through her arm. “They’re armed!”
“Then we can’t go on the side streets. There’s a state trooper station about ten miles from here,” Joe yelled out.
“We’ll never make it!” Sunray yelled. “He’s coming again!”
They were thrown in their seats as the car rammed them again. Frank used all of his strength to keep the van on the road.
“Joe, listen to me. This is your first real chance. Use what you have to stop him!” Dan commanded.
Frank kept slightly ahead of the car. Joe didn’t question Dan. He already knew what to do. Unbuckling his seatbelt he rolled down his window.
“Frank, keep towards the median,” Joe told him.
Joe leaned out the window, facing the car. He concentrated and felt a rush hit his hand. His hand glowed and a ball of blue light flew from it. When it hit the car it sounded like a blasted note from an invisible electric guitar, blowing the car back causing it to roll.
“That’s not going to slow them down that much,” Staci warned, feeling the cold coming back.
“I’ll take care of that,” Sunray announced.
Sunray closed his eyes. In his mind he could see the trees that lined the highway. He snapped them in half and lined the road with them, blocking off the route behind them. Frank knew between the trees and the cement median they were fine for now. He turned off the highway at the nearest exit.
“Want me to call the police and at least report in the downed trees?” Staci asked.
Frank nodded, “Do that, but tell them nothing else.”
Staci reported in the downed trees to the trooper station. The desk sergeant promised to have a patrol unit out as fast as he could. She thanked him and hung up.
“They’re going to send someone out there to clean up the mess,” Staci said.
“Thank goodness,” Joe said as he slumped in his seat.
“Now would you guys mind telling me what’s going on here? I’ve had ESP feelings and visions before, but never that strong,” Staci told them.
They were all silent. No one knew how to begin to explain, or even where to begin to explain what was going on.
“Guys look. My ESP went into overdrive. Something triggered it. Now I’ve only seen superpowers in comic books, not in real life. Are you guys products of the government or something?” Staci asked.
“No love.” Frank said. “It’s something much deeper than that. We’re going to go to our house and explain everything there.”
“Can you go by way of my house? My father has the nightshift, but I have to feed Boomer,” Staci said.
“Who’s Boomer?” Dan asked.
“My dog. Don’t worry he’s harmless,” Staci assured him.
They went over to Staci’s house where she fed and walked him. Feeling too nervous to leave him alone and hearing his insistent howling, Staci asked if they could take him with them. Frank relented and Boomer’s howling ceased.
“He is a nice dog,” Dan remarked as they drove over to the Hardys’ house.
“He’s never howled like that before. I don’t know what’s wrong,” Staci said.
Boomer had put his head in here lap. She pet his head.
“You’re in danger.”
“Sunray, did you say something?” Joe asked.
“I heard it too. I thought it was Frank,” Staci remarked.
“You’re in danger.”
Joe turned around. “I could have sworn I heard Boomer say it… Dan what’s going on? First the lights, then sonic blasts, now I think I can hear Boomer!”
“I heard him too,” Staci remarked.
“Honestly I don’t know. Let me explain while we’re your home. It might be the crystal being near by that’s doing that,” Dan told him.
Dan didn’t want to admit it. But he had only seen members of his own family use powers like that. No one else where came from had them. He was going to have it out with his father when he got back home.
“Hey love, are you feeling anything else?” Frank asked as he drove home, using this most indirect route he knew.
Staci closed her eyes for a second. “No, the cold has left. I’m feeling a sense of warmth now.”
“Staci, don’t worry. I can teach you how to focus on that,” Dan offered.
“I can always go to the martial arts master who’s training me. But this might be beyond his reach. So I’m going to take you up on your offer,” she replied.
Frank didn’t say anything. Too many things were happing at one time and he wasn’t sure if he could trust Dan. He didn’t want his girlfriend to be in danger. He continued driving. Sunray constantly checked behind for headlights. Staci closed her eyes to see if she could feel anything else but only felt warmth.
“Guys please, just calm down.” Dan said, trying to keep them from accidentally setting off a power or the crystal. “Just relax and I’ll explain at your home.”
As Frank drove back home, he couldn’t help but feel that there was a lot more he should know. He tried hard to remember but nothing came. When he pulled into the driveway of their home, he noticed that the living room light was still on.
“I wonder if Mr. Molder is here,” Frank said as they got out.
Fenton and Molder had talked a while longer. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this man was going to take his sons from him. He tried to shrug it off as being paranoid from what had happened during other cases. Molder left, promising to help protect his family when the time came. He said that he had to keep moving around, too. He left without explaining why he had to do that. He went down to his office to look through all the missing persons that his sons had found. He looked through the list that Sunray had brought over. A quick check of the obituaries had narrowed his list from twenty-five to nineteen. He then moved to the police files. He was able to take eight more of the list. Even with eleven remaining, it was still a lot of footwork. Just as he was about to start finding address for the remaining people when he heard a knock at the door.
“Cliff?” Fenton asked as he saw who it was.
“Mr. Hardy, are Frank and Joe home?” Cliff asked.
Fenton noticed he was sweating and shaking slightly.
“No, but come on in,” Fenton said, opening the door for him.
Cliff came inside and put his backpack down.
“Are you OK? Why don’t you sit down?” Fenton said.
Cliff took off his coat and put it on the coat rack. He sat down on a chair.
“Mr. Hardy, it’s urgent that I see them. Do you know when they’ll be back?” Cliff asked.
Fenton shrugged. “They went to the arcade, so I’m not sure. Are you OK? I’ve never seen you so nervous.”
“Honestly sir, I don’t know. A lot of weird things went on this morning,” Cliff admitted, his eyes begging to be believed.
Fenton sighed and sat down on the couch. “Cliff, after what went all this day. I’m ready to believe anything. Trust me, nothing would be weird.”
“Then I’ll wait until they get here. I don’t think I can explain this story twice,” Cliff replied.
Fenton made him a cup of hot cocoa to calm his nerves while they waited for Frank and Joe to get back home. Cliff didn’t say anything else and slowly sipped his hot chocolate. It wasn’t long before they heard a car pulling up to the driveway.
When Frank and the others came inside, the brothers were surprised to see Cliff sitting in their driveway. After Frank introduced everyone and Staci had settled Boomer down, they all settled into the living room.
“Cliff, why are you here?” Joe asked.
“It’s a long story. I don’t even know where to begin,” Cliff replied.
Daniel sighed, “I know I have a lot of explaining to do. If you’re here Cliff then you probably know a lot more then the rest here.”
“Yeah, but the trouble is, I wish I didn’t know,” Cliff said.
Fenton stood up and looked both of them. “Look you two, I want an explanation!” he demanded.
“Then I guess I should start from where I come from…” Daniel started to say but Staci put up her hand.
They all looked at her and she put a finger to her lips, quieting them. Staci walked over and got Boomer bringing him back to the living room. He was growling and pulling at his collar.
Frank looked at the curtains. He could see right through them to the two men that were hiding behind their trees in the backyard.
“Someone’s out there,” he whispered.
“I’m going to let Boomer out,” Staci whispered.
She walked over to the door and carefully opened it. Ducking down, she opened the screen door just enough to let Boomer out. He ran out towards the back, barking and growling. On instinct she ducked, as something whooshed by her head. Frank came over to her, angry that someone had shot at his girlfriend. Joe came over with him. Frank opened the screen door and aimed the first two fingers of his right hand out. Two small white light balls flew from them. Suddenly they appeared at the end of the yard, flashing super brightly. Frank eyes went wide as he saw two armed men take aim at the house!
|