Chapter 16

Frank waited for two hours before waking his brother. During that time Dan had taught him how to use his powers to a higher level then he could have ever imagined. They had all come to the same conclusion that the brothers had done a couple of hours ago. They were going to the place on the coordinates as a team. When Frank went to check on his brother, he found him waking up.

“Are you OK?” Frank quietly asked.

Joe sighed and sat up. “I slept for a little while, though I don’t know how restful it was...” he paused as he looked at the clock, “Did you guys find anything?”

Frank shook his head. “No. Dan’s been teaching me how to focus more with the powers I have. I’ll be able to defend myself against anything...” he paused when he saw Joe rubbing his temples. “Headache?”

“A small one… I’ll be OK,” Joe assured him.

“Do you want something to eat?” Frank asked sitting down next to his brother.

Joe sighed. “I don’t know if I should. I didn’t hold down anything a little while ago.”

“Why don’t you try anyway? It might be a long while before you can eat again. At least go for some broth,” Frank suggested.

“Alright I’ll eat,” Joe said, trying to stretch his aching muscles.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Frank asked, coming closer to his brother.

“Trust me I’m fine, I just need to find dad,” Joe said.

Frank nodded, because he felt the same way. Things would be a lot better once they found Fenton. It didn’t matter who the other man was, Fenton was their father. It would always be that way.

Fenton tasted the blood in the back of his mouth. So far his sons had not come and that made the feeling of pain numb somewhat. The longer he held out the more of chance his sons had to get away. “Please run as far as you can…” he silently told his sons. “Take your mother and run as far as you can. This man will kill you…Stay away PLEASE…if you can here me…Stay away.”

His thoughts were stopped by a blow to his head. He could feel reality slipping away as the pain drained even more. The silent bliss of coma taking over…

The men left the room, leaving a broken body on the floor. They’re bloody instruments of pain beside it.

Joe couldn’t help but feel something nagging at him. Even as Dan taught him how to focus more so he could maximize the powers that he had, he was worried about their father. Still he knew he had to be strong and continued with Dan’s lessons.

Frank had gone over by his mother’s side. Staci had been trying to revive her for the last hour but was having no luck. She dabbed at her cheeks with a rag soaked in cold water. Laura was breathing OK and her pulse was steady, but still she had not woken up. From what Joe had said, Frank figured she had breathed in the gas for a long time and wouldn’t wake up for a few more hours. As Joe took a break he saw the look of concern on his brother’s face.

“Do you think we should call Dr. Wilson?” Joe asked.

“I think she’ll be fine. We can’t leave her alone though,” Joe replied, wondering what they were going to do.

“Is there a friend you can leave her with or someone you trust where Strone can’t get to her?” Molder asked.

“There is our friend Lt. John Elliot. He lives on a Naval Base,” Frank suggested.

“Call him and get her there ASAP. We have to get moving soon,” Molder told them.

“I’ll go get some things for her,” Staci said, going upstairs to the bedrooms.

Frank called in to John, wondering how he was going to explain things to him. To his surprise, John accepted his story and would be at their house in two hours. John told him that if they had called him, he knew it was bad and had to help. When Frank relayed the information to them, he saw the look of relief that appeared on his brother’s face. He nodded and continued taking instruction from Dan. Sunray and Cliff were now trying to find a way to make the Phoenix appear. Molder sat quietly in a corner, wanting to be by himself. Frank went to the kitchen to make the dinner for Joe. Staci came in with the packed bag for Laura and an offer of help.

A half hour later, Frank and Staci had bowls of soup and plates of sandwiches on the table along with some iced tea. Joe hungrily ate the food, much to the relief of his older brother. For some reason, Frank felt relieved that they were all eating. Staci had Boomer eating in the kitchen. As they ate, Joe occasionally glanced towards his mother still lying on the couch. He remembered Dan’s story about his mother’s dying wish that he’d be reunited with his brothers. Not only was Laura not his real mother, he’d never get to meet the woman who really was. He took a swallow of water to get rid of the lump that had risen in his throat. They finished up the dinner and Dan continued the lessons while they waited for Lt. John Elliot to arrive.

It wasn’t long before Lt. Elliot arrived. The brothers carried their mother to Lt. Elliot’s jeep and helped to put on her seatbelt. Lt. Elliot took Laura’s bag and told them that they were doing the right thing. He assured them that the base where he was at was very secure and that if Strone dared to attack them, he’d have to deal with the entire military force going after him. When the jeep pulled out of the driveway and drove down the road, Joe sighed with relief. Frank put an arm around his brother’s shoulders and led him back into the house. It was only 5PM, but to the brothers it seemed like a week had already passed by.

“Do you want to continue?” Dan asked, as they came back into the house.

“Might as well.” Joe replied. He turned to Cliff. “Any luck getting the Phoenix to appear?”

Frank thought for a moment. “Maybe if we all try to touch the crystal at the same time, we can get the Phoenix to appear?”

“It might work. There’s not much left we can try,” Cliff replied.

Using his mind, Joe closed all of the windows and curtains in the house. Now, no one could see in. Cliff picked up the crystal. It began to glow in his head, emitting a pulsating light. They each put a hand on the crystal at the same time. The crystal became warm under their fingers. The light turned from pulsating to a continuous glow. The Phoenix appeared in the crystal…then in an instant, she was projecting herself into the room.

“I am here.”

At first, they were all speechless by the sheer presence of the image of the flaming bird. Then Frank spoke up.

“Can you help us rescue you our father?” Frank asked.

“Molder has already told you that the man you seek is not your real father.”

“He’s the only father my brother and I know. Please help us,” Joe demanded.

“Forgive me. It has been a very long time since I’ve known human emotions like love and friendship…” The Phoenix paused, taking in the site of the look on both Frank and Joe’s faces. “War has torn up your home planet. It seems like all I’ve see n are things like anger and hate…The man you seek was specifically selected to be your father because he was the one who would be able to nurture and love you in the way you both deserved…The man called Strone is a very evil person. Even though he doesn’t have any powers, he will know how to use your emotions to manipulate you. And remember that a bullet can still kill you. Do not fight alone, your powers grow stronger when you fight as a single unit…Now you must go, your journey will take you many hours, and you will need to be clear for your battle. I will appear when the time has come.”

The Phoenix dissolved back into the crystal. For a few minutes, no one could speak. Joe couldn’t believe that even the Phoenix herself had tried to convince them that Fenton was their father. Maybe he wasn’t biologically, but he was more their father than any man could be. He suddenly had a desire not to meet his “real” father.

“So I guess we head towards the coordinates?” Sunray asked, finally getting his voice back.

Frank nodded. “As soon as we can, let’s get everything together and pack some supplies for our father.” He said, looking right at Joe. Joe nodded and went to pack a bag and other things for Fenton. Frank turned to look at Staci.

“It’s OK, I already know you want me to stay,” Staci told him.

Frank frowned, “How?”

“A part of my ESP is clairvoyance. I already knew what you wanted me to do. I'll clean up around here and keep an eye on the phone. Once your mom comes to, she’s going to freak,” Staci replied.

“I’m sorry, but I…” Frank tried to say but she waved him off.

“Let’s keep at, my dad would skin you all alive if you let me go,” Staci said, a slight smile tugging at her lips.

Frank nodded and hugged her. Staci went to give Boomer a walk while they finished up at the house. Joe packed a clean set of warm clothes, sneakers, blanket and a towel. He put the first aid kit, three bottles of water, and some food into a duffel bag. Something was telling him that their father was going to need more but for now it was going to be the best they could do. He checked his cellphone. Satisfied that it was fully charged, he put it into his pocket. Hearing the bathroom being used, he thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to do the same before they left. They didn’t know how long, or what type of area the coordinates were in.

Several minutes later, everyone was ready to go. Staci had returned and was now trying to clean up the remaining of the ketchup mess. They left before Frank could change his mind. Frank had already marked off the coordinates on the map. They were in for a five hour drive at minimum. Their destination would be high in the Appalachian Mountains.

“Think we’ll make it?” Joe asked, as Frank pulled the van out of the driveway.

“We will. We can take the back roads until about seven after the traffic dies down. After that we’ll be fine,” he replied.

Jones followed closely behind them. He had been sitting out in front of the Hardy home for along time. He had considered taking a nap. The need for sleep was cancelled out when he thought about what Strone had done to some of the men that had failed him in the past. Too often he had seen what they looked like…to often their mangled faces haunted his sleep. He had heard reports of what Strone had ordered be done to Fenton Hardy. If Strone could allow such a thing to be done to a grown man, he shuddered to think what he could allow to happen to a group of kids. He put his car into gear and followed the van at a distance.

No light showed on the body that was lying in darkness. Although the lungs still took in air, the heart still beating… it was lying still as it had been for the last three hours. Fenton had not moved, nor had the men returned. The thoughts were blissfully quiet…unaware that his sons were coming.

As the scenery went by him, Dan could only think of his home planet. It was much like Earth with all the trees, animals, and beautiful landscapes. A tear hugged the corner of his eye as he thought about what the war had done to it. There were very little trees left. All the landscapes had been wiped out. No more birds, nor land animals. He often wondered why his mother had sent him here to bring his brothers back. How could he take them to a war-torn planet, when they had Earth to call home?

Frank shuddered slightly at the silence that had filled the van. He thought back to the fight that he and his brother had with their father. Now he knew why Fenton had been acting so protective. He was afraid that they would leave and go to find their real parents. Why he would think that way Frank didn’t know. That would be something they would have to ask Fenton once they found him.

“If they found him,” Frank bitterly thought. “Damn it, I can’t think that way. Only my brother is the strongest person I know. The one who is the closest is my father. Strone made a fatal mistake when he decided to take us on.”

Joe couldn’t help but feel worried for his father. He had tried to sense where he was but could only see darkness. There was an eerie sense of numbness that came with the darkness. He knew his dad was alive. Each time Frank asked, he knew that his father was alive. Now they could only hope that they could rescue him in time.

Chapter 17

The ride was long and quiet. The streets were full of cars, but the number dwindled down as they moved from the main road to the country roads. A check with the radio station showed that a storm front was moving through. The dark clouds had quickly rolled in, and it took both Frank and Joe looking out at the road to be able to keep moving. Within twenty minutes, the rain had become a very heavy downpour. Frank was forced to pull over to the side of the road to wait out the downpour. They waited silently as the rain pounded against the exterior of the van.

“Frank, how long do you think this downpour will last?” Cliff asked after a few minutes.

Frank looked at the downpour on the windshield. “I couldn’t tell. Wait.” He looked directly at the sky. To him it was getting clearer. Finally he could see the end of the front that was hitting the area. Immediately he was able to figure out how long the storm would last. “About an hour for the downpour, maybe three for the rest of the storm.”

“How do you know?” Joe asked.

“I saw the end of the storm and was able to tell instantly how long it would take to pass over,” Frank replied.

“It sounds like you have the ability to see through objects, like X-ray vision only you probably can see through lead as well. Because of the intelligence that’s breaking through, you can…” Dan began to explain.

“Measure distances, judge time, and lots of other things at the same time,” Frank finished for him.

“Wow, I guess you’ll be able to go for that degree at MIT after all,” Joe added, trying to keep his mind focused.

“Try not to let people know you have that type of intelligence,” Sunray advised him.

“Why would he do that, he could probably get a scholarship now?” Joe asked.

“Because higher intelligence can often lead to trouble with things. Trust me, he should just play along like he didn’t have the higher levels of it,” Sunray said.

Molder nodded. “He’s right. Trust me. I’ve seen what can evolve from it.”

Jones pulled over not to far from where the Hardys’ van had pulled over. He waited patiently, eating a sandwich from a box. Strone had called a half hour ago, demanding to know why the Hardys hadn’t arrived with Dan yet. After taking fifteen minutes to explain and re-explain why they weren’t there yet, Strone finally stopped and cursed the rain. He then admitted he was looking forwards to taking the weather powers from them. That way he’d never have to wait for a storm to pass.

Jones munched away at the last of his sandwich, feeling the hunger pains finally leave. He was grateful that the storm had turned into a downpour. As he watched and waited, he wondered why Frank and Joe were so close. He had never seen siblings that close. He had an older brother, but they were always fighting. What was it about them that kept them so close?

Frank was thinking back to something that Molder had said to them. He had said that the man who had made sure they were born to Laura committed suicide after wards.

“Molder, why weren’t Joe and I born as twins?” Frank asked.

Molder sighed and looked at the rain beating against the window. “I don’t know if I can explain it.”

“We’re not going anywhere for another hour or so,” Frank reminded him.

“Alright.” Molder agreed. He thought back to that night when the one precious life was created, a very strong life. “You and your brother Joe were originally one soul. Because the enemies attacking our world would be looking for a set of identical twins we arranged it so that you and Joe would be born separately. The reason why you both feel so close is because on our planet you would have been twins.”

Joe sat back in his chair. He had always felt very close to his brother. Now this explained why they could almost think alike and feel each other’s pain.

“Why is there a war on our home planet?” Joe asked, trying to think why they had been sent here.

“We don’t know.” Dan admitted, “The army attacking our planet want the valuable resources as well as control the powers that some of our people possess. They are ruthless and have destroyed many others in their quest. Now our planet is next. We’ve held them off, but we need more people to fight.”

“That’s why you’re here.” Frank said, “You want all of us to go back to help you fight.”

“That’s one of the reasons. Our mother wanted me to reunite the family so we could be one again. She had hoped that by the time I did, the war would be over,” Dan said.

“Is it?” Cliff asked.

“I don’t know,” Dan replied.

They sat in silence once again, listening to the rain as it died down. Frank felt confident enough to start driving again. He pulled the van back onto the road.

Jones saw the van going back onto the road. He began to follow them again. He looked at the clock on his dashboard. It was nearly eight. They would have to drive nearly non-stop if they were going to make the deadline. Along the way Strone had called demanding to know who had picked up Laura Hardy.

“Are you positive it was the U.S. Navy?” Strone demanded.

“Yes,” Jones replied.

He hung up the phone and sat back in his chair. Now there was no way he could use Laura as part of his plan. Now that she was on a Navy base, there was no way he could get to her. Still it didn’t matter, he had Fenton Hardy and that would have to do. He had personally gone in to check on what his men had done. He smiled when he came upon the battered figure lying on the floor. He kicked it lightly with his foot a few times. Satisfied that Fenton could no longer do anything to stop him, he left the room. Closing the door, he saw that his new shoes had blood stains on them. He gave to one of his men and another pair was promptly brought to him. He walked until he was in a large dining room where a meal was sitting on the table. He smiled at began to eat. Now all he had to do was be patient and wait for the deadline to arrive.

“Joe, maybe you can make a shield from the rain?” Dan suggested.

Joe nodded and sat back in his chair. He began to think of a clear shield that was surrounding the van. Frank watched in amazement as the rain moved away from the van. Using his special vision, he was able to drive straight through. Looking at the clock, he was relieved that now they would make the deadline with time to spare. Sunray kept his eyes ahead. He kept on constant watch for fallen tree limbs. Cliff sat in silence. Every time the Phoenix appeared he would remember more and more from the planet that he was from. He couldn’t help but feel that he was also more like the Phoenix than she was telling him.

“OK, it looks like we’re coming to a flooded street,” Frank announced, stopping the van.

“Hurry, my head is starting to hurt,” Joe said, trying not to think about the increasing pain.

Cliff looked at the road map along with Frank. There were no other roads that led to where they had to go.

“Unless we find a way to steer though we’re going to have to go back and find another road,” Frank announced.

“I’ll help with that,” Cliff said.

“How?” Sunray asked.

Cliff held out his hands. Beams of light flowed from his hands. They silently through the windshield but to the amazement of everybody, they didn’t break the glass. The water parted in front of the van, they revealed a smooth road.

“Take it easy, the road is still slippery,” Cliff warned.

Frank nodded and carefully drove through. To his relief the road was only mildly slippery, and it took him only a few minutes to drive over.

Jones had already back tracked and gone along a road that hadn’t marked on the map. He was traveling a lot faster than he should have, but he had to make sure he caught up with the van once it passed over the flooded road. Strone wasn’t going to care if there was a flooded road blocking his way. For twenty minutes he drove passed the speed limit, grateful that he didn’t pass a state trooper.

After they passed they road, Cliff let go of his shields. His hands were hurting worse than if he had spent three nights in a row spinning records. When Sunray looked at him, he was shocked at how swollen his wrists were.

“Do you guys have any ice? His wrists are swollen pretty badly,” Sunray asked.

“Sorry, we forgot to pack some,” Frank replied.

“I think the crystal might help,” Cliff replied.

He took the crystal in hands. To his relief the swelling and pain left immediately. He remembered seeing others being healed by the crystals.

“Wow, that’s amazing,” Sunray remarked.

“I wonder if that will work on others.” Joe asked, catching a glimpse of what had happened.

“It might, but only for those who can make the crystal react,” Dan replied.

Cliff put the crystal away as Frank continued driving down the road. To the relief of everyone, the rains finally began to slow down. Frank checked the clock, it was nearing 9PM. They still had at least two hours of driving ahead. He could only pray that the rains moved out fast.

As Staci finished scrubbing the last remains of ketchup from the floor, she couldn’t help but feel that something terrible had happened with Mr. Hardy. She looked at the family photos on the mantelpiece. She saw a happy family looking back at her. She wondered what their real parents looked like. As she looked around at the house, she could see that Laura had not been able to clean up in awhile. As Boomer gnawed at a large bone, she set about cleaning up. Anything to keep away the feelings of grief about Mr. Hardy that were trying to filter through.

The van once again was on the side of the road. Sunray pulled out the map. They were on course for the place marked off by the coordinates. Frank figured that it would probably take about an hour and half to get there at their present speed. Joe felt a sharp pain in his head causing him to drop the shield. He put a hand to his mouth, trying to get the nauseating feeling to pass.

“Are you OK, little brother?” Frank asked when he saw how sick Joe looked.

“I don’t know.” Joe admitted, putting a hand to his forehead, “My head hurts so much, and I want throw up.”

Dan pulled out his crystal and touched Joe’s shoulder with it. Joe closed his eyes as the feeling of pain left. It felt as though the crystal were pulling out all the pain. Frank put a hand on his brother’s arm and could feel the tension leaving.

“We’re going to have to go without the shields. You already pushed yourself too hard,” Frank told him.

“Think we can? I can reform the shields,” Cliff said.

“No.” Frank said, looking at all of them, “We need all the strength for what’s up ahead. Sunray, go into that cooler. Staci stocked it this morning while everyone else was asleep. She told me just before we left. Let’s eat before we get there.”

Sunray opened it up and began handing out the sandwiches that Staci had made. Molder quietly smiled to himself in the darkness. Before he came he was told that the first child born to Fenton and Laura would be the leader of the group. Now he was seeing Frank take charge and knew he would be a great leader.

Frank watched as Joe ate three of the sandwiches. Like Staci had promised she made several extra for all of them. Joe finished them, and then ate an apple. Joe leaned back. All the feelings of tiredness and hunger were now gone. Frank looked around and saw that everyone looked ready. He finished his own food before pulling the van back onto the highway.

Jones caught sight of the taillights of the Hardys’ van. He waited a minute before pulling onto the road. For a few minutes, he thought the van was going to be late. Strone had already called several times, asking on the progress of the van. Now he was able to tell him that he had seen the van, and it was still on course.

Strone sighed with satisfaction as he ate the filet minion that his personal chef had made. Nothing made a good meal taste better than knowing that he was, in a couple of hours, going to be the most powerful man in the world. The parsley potatoes and roasted corn on the cob seemed to taste extra delicious. Even as the chef brought in the hand made bread and a servant poured a cup of wine, his mine could only focus on what was ahead. Once the clock read midnight, everything he wished for was going to come true…permanently. He looked at the empty table. No board…no annoying brats…no nagging wife… no one that would threaten his power from within, and soon the only people who would be able to threaten him would be dead too.

Chapter 18

The storm finally let up just as Frank drove the van onto the mountain roads. The let up was a welcome relief to everyone. Dan looked up at the sky. The stars were hidden by the clouds. He wondered what his home planet would look like from grounds of Earth. He had often looked at Earth from the observatory near his castle home. It was all pretty and blue with the white puffs of clouds. When he turned sixteen, he was angry when his parents had told him that he had brothers. How could they do such a thing to him? How could they force him to grow up thinking he was alone?

“Are we going in the right direction?” Joe asked, breaking Dan out of his thoughts.

“Yeah we are. Just another twenty minutes, and we’ll get to the mountain road. I don’t know how long we can travel on it since it might not be paved,” Frank replied.

Dan looked around and noticed that the landscape had changed. The trees were denser and thicker. There were no signs of civilization, just a paved road. Sunray was looking at the roadmap with a flashlight. Cliff was holding onto his crystal with his eyes closed, like he was meditating. His uncle was sitting quietly in his seat, staring at the front. He wondered if his new brothers would want to meet their real father.

Fenton Hardy slightly opened his one eye. The other was too swollen to see out of. He tried to get up, but the pain in the broken bones and open wounds made it too hard to even tense the muscles. He wasn’t sure if it was Strone who was the last to kick him. He only remembered the pain. He knew his sons were coming for him. I’m the pawn. Fenton thought to himself. They’re going to die for me! The terrible realization came to him. He could only close his eyes and sink back into the darkness again.

The mountain road came up faster than Frank had expected. Thankfully it was a paved road. With the recent storm it would have been impossible to make it in the van. It would be only ten minutes before they arrived at the coordinates. Everyone looked around, trying to see where they were being led to. Soon a bunch of lights came into their view.

“They’re nearing the front gate,” Jones announced.

“Good. Make sure they get through,” Strone ordered.

“Will do,” Jones replied.

Strone settled back in his best outfit. In a few more minutes, Dan would be in his living room with the crystal.

“I see a gate in front coming up,” Frank announced as he started slowing down.

Joe looked ahead. “It’s opening up.”

The gate opened up enough to allow the van to pass through. The lights now illuminated a very large, very elaborate mansion. Armed gunmen were everywhere. Frank pulled the van up to near the stone pathway to the entrance. He shut the van off and carefully hid the key.

“Everybody out of there NOW!” the first gunmen ordered.

Up close the group could see that they were dressed in head to toe in black, including black masks. They came out in the group. Another gunman went through the van.

“All clear,” he shouted.

“Move,” the first gunman ordered.

They were ushered across the stone pathway up to the entrance. The door opened and the gunman pointed them through it. Walking through a third gunman pushed them to the very large living room. It was fitting for the type of royalty. A large fire was blazing in the fireplace. They watched as a well-dressed man stepped out of the shadows. He had on a Navy blue suit with a dark navy tie. His shoes were hand-made and polished. His eyes were cold and hard.

“Welcome to my humble home,” Strone joked.

“Where’s my father?” Joe demanded.

Frank put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Easy Joe.”

“That’s right Frank. Keep your brother in line. It will make the evening more pleasant,” Strone told them.

“OK Strone, I’m here, we’re here. Now release Mr. Hardy,” Dan ordered.

“Are you ordering me?” Strone asked skeptically. “You are in no position to order me. If I don’t get the crystal and your powers turned over to me, I will have my men kill Fenton Hardy and bring his organs up here one at a time.”

Joe could feel something burning up on the inside. Something was trying to break free from him.

“Where is my father?” Joe demanded, his voice deepening.

“Bring Fenton Hardy up,” Strone ordered one of his men.

“Strone.” Dan said, trying to talk to him, “You don’t know what you’re asking me to do. What you’re asking us all to do. It’s dangerous!”

“I know exactly what you have. I didn’t listen to all those stories by my grandfather for nothing.” Strone said. He walked over to a large framed painted portrait above the fireplace. “Most people thought he was a loon. Talking about stories of power giving crystals, a planet ruled by people with super powers… People who rule with their powers that can control nature and elements… He said that I should watch for the signs because one of them might come here looking for their siblings. Well it looks like grandfather wasn’t such a loon after all.”

Joe was about to say something when two gunmen dragged in their father. His eyes went wide as he saw his father’s battered face.

“Dad!” Joe screamed.

He tried to get to his father but was met with the barrel of a gun. Frank stopped his brother from going any further. One look told them both that their father needed to get to a hospital. The blood coming from his mouth looked dark almost near black. He was bleeding internally.

“Let him go, please,” Joe begged under the restrain of his brother.

“Give up all your powers and the crystal, or I’ll have my gunman put a bullet into your father’s head right now,” Strone ordered.

Dan knew what he had to do. He opened up his backpack and pulled out the crystal. It was now pulsating and throbbing. He closed his eyes for a second.

“Dan, please, you don’t know what you’re doing,” Molder said, trying to stop him.

Dan held up his hand. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”

Frank had a sudden rush and knew something about the crystal that probably Molder didn’t. Something that probably only Dan just realized. Joe felt tears coming out of the corner of his eyes. Something was telling him that his father was dying.

“Here, take it,” Dan said, tossing the crystal to Strone.

Everyone watched as Strone smiled when he took hold of the crystal. Then the crystal began to glow bloodred. In an instant, Strone was blown to pieces, his body parts everywhere in the room. Distracted by the death of their leader, the gunmen stood and watched. Frank threw two blasts of energy at them, knocking them both out cold. Joe ran to his father. He felt for a pulse and was relived to find a faint one.

“Frank, we’ve got to get him to a hospital,” Joe told him.

Molder came over. He had seen people with his injuries on the battlefield. They never made it. “I don’t think he’s going to make it.”

Joe’s eyes went wide-eyed as his brother knelt down next to him. “We’ll get him to a hospital.”

Dan retrieved his crystal and put it on Fenton Hardy. In seconds his wounds healed and his eyes opened.

“Frank…Joe…You’re here,” Fenton said, trying to sit up.

“Yeah, we’re here. Strone’s dead,” Frank told him.

Fenton looked and saw the large blood stain on the wall where Strone once stood.

“How?” he asked.

“The crystal.” Dan replied, “Only those who are of the royal family line can handle them. A safety device that comes with forming the crystal is that those who are not allowed to touch them are destroyed if they attempt to use them.”

“Now that you’ve found your family it’s time for you to return home,” Molder told him.

Dan nodded and pulled a second crystal from his backpack.

“Go home, what are you talking about?” Fenton demanded.

He was stopped by the sounds of gunmen trying to gain access to the living room. Cliff held out his hands and energy beams flew from them. The spread across the entire area, taking out all of the gunmen, disabling their weapons.

“We won’t have to worry about them any more,” Cliff told them.

“What are you talking about?” Fenton demanded, getting up to confront Molder.

Molder, in a few minutes, retold the entire story to him. His face paled as he thought about his sons leaving and never returning.

“You’re not taking my sons,” Fenton told him.

“They’re not yours. They never were,” Molder fired back.

“Dad…” Joe said.

Fenton thought it was the most beautiful word he had ever head.

“I want to meet him.”

“I do too,” Frank added.

“NO!” Fenton shouted, “You’re not leaving.”

“Mr. Hardy, it’s not up to you to decide. I made a promise to our mother that they would get to see their father and our planet. I think the decision should be left up to them,” Dan explained.

“Then I will go with you,” Fenton said.

“Very well, the sooner we go the better,” Molder said.

Dan held up the second crystal, which was now glowing bright orange. He closed his eyes. The color encircled all of them. In a flash of light they were transported millions over millions of miles from home. To Joe it seemed like time had stopped, but he was moving farther and further away. When the moving stopped it was as if time started again.

“Where are we?” Frank asked, trying to find his voice.

Dan gave a small smile. “We’re inside of the hidden chamber in the castle…It’s our family home.”

Chapter 19

“Castle?” Joe repeated, looking at the metallic-like walls of the room.

“The royal family castle. Our father is the king and our mother was queen,” Dan explained.

Frank looked around the room. There was sufficient light coming from the ceiling to let him know that walls were not steel, but made of a different alloy that he had never seen. Yet everything about the room seemed familiar.

“This would have been your home had you have been born here. Sunray, Frank, Joe…all of you are of the royal family, princes in your own right.” Molder explained then he looked at Cliff. “You Cliff, are not only guardian, you are Phoenix. The last of the line with the ability to become one with the firebird.”

Cliff’s eyes went wide. “That’s why she haunts my dreams now.” He looked down at his hands. “That’s why I can draw her so well.”

Dan nodded. “The reason why my uncle nor I didn’t tell you is because you had to come to a place where it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for a person to become the Phoenix. You had to come to your own terms about the Phoenix, or the power would have driven you insane.”

“That’s why Strone was killed by the crystal.” Frank said, “Not only was he not able to use the crystal, it knew that if he managed to, the power would have driven him mad.”

“So it saved him, by killing him,” Joe added.

Dan nodded, “The crystal has the ability to look into the soul. Our ancestors made it so that the crystals would never be used for evil.”

Dan looked around the room. Joe thought it was odd that the castle wasn’t under attack. If there was a world war, wouldn’t have the castle been the main target? Me? A prince? No way, I’m not royalty. I could never be one!

“Dan, do you think it’s safe to move around outside?” Frank asked, snapping Joe out of his thoughts.

Dan sighed. “I really don’t know. The battles were kept a hundred miles from this castle. The reason being is that the source of the crystals is inside of here. Where, I was never told. That’s the only thing keeping the castle safe.”

“What’s the range?” Cliff asked, looking around the room.

“One hundred miles. The mines are reportedly entered through the castle down below,” Dan answered.

He opened the door and led them out. The dust around the castle showed that there hadn’t been time to clean for a long time. There were pictures, vases, and all sorts of art work that the citizens had made specifically for the castle. Dan led them through the long hallway. Joe stopped at a painting that contained a face that he had seen many times before. A beautiful lady that he had seen laughing and dancing in the rain. Could it be her? Is she my mother?

Dan looked around and noticed that Joe wasn’t with him. He wasn’t used to having to worry about a younger sibling. Still, he didn’t mind having Joe as a kid brother. In the week that he knew him, he could understand why Frank was so protective of him. He turned around and noticed that Joe was staring at a painting he knew all to well.

“Joe, we have to keep moving,” Frank said, going back to him.

When Frank looked up at the painting that Joe had been staring at, he was taken aback by the beautiful face. She looked so familiar yet he didn’t know her. Dan came over and sighed when he looked at the painted face.

“That’s our mother,” Dan told them.

Joe reached out in longing, almost touching the painted surface. “Now I know why she seems so familiar. She appears a lot in my dreams.”

Frank stared hard at the eyes in the face. They seemed so full of life and happiness. “What did she die of?”

Dan sighed and looked around. He didn’t know how to explain it. Then he told them the story as they gathered around him. Only Molder knew what had happened.

…It was during a very bad part of the last battle before I left, people were dying everywhere. Women, children, old people, animals, the landscape, nothing was being spared. Mother had gotten fed up with seeing so many wounded people. She took up armor and helped father in battle using her powers… Dan paused to brush away the tears that had begun to form. We were winning that battle. Mom was showing just how strong her powers were. She hated the fact that she had to give up her children so that they would stay safe. We…we were ambushed…mother tried to shield us using her powers, but she was already too weak. She…she took a massive laser hit to the chest…I took her back to the castle because I knew she’d be safe. Even with the crystals she wouldn’t risk the chance that using them would temporarily let down the castle’s guard. With her dying breaths she told me about all of you. She made me promise that I’d find you so that we’d be a family again.

When Dan finished his story, he couldn’t stop the stream of tears that flowed from his eyes. Joe put an arm around him.

“You found us. We’re a family now. You kept your promise to her,” Joe assured him.

Dan nodded, “I just prayed that maybe we could be together in this castle and be the ruling family, and this planet would be peaceful once again.”

Frank hugged Dan as well. “Then can we help. Can we do anything to bring peace here?”

“You can.” Molder told them, “You can fight for this planet and take up where you mother left off.”

By this time, Fenton couldn’t stay silent any longer. “You are NOT going to drag MY sons into your war.” He stared right into Molder’s eyes, trying to make him back down.

“It’s not up to them. They came this far, they have a right to see their real father,” Molder told him.

Hearing those words made him cringe. He had hoped that by now his sons would give it up and want to go back home.

“Dan, can we see our father now?” Sunray asked, looking outside of the window.

“He already knows we’re here. Using the transport signaled him.” Dan replied, “He’ll be here in about an hour. In the meantime, I’ll give you a tour of the castle.”

They walked around the passageways of the castle. Joe couldn’t believe how pretty the landscape was when he looked outside the window. It found it hard to believe that there was a battle going on for the very lands he was looking at. He looked around and wondered what it would have been like to grow up in the castle instead of Bayport. He imagined himself running up and down the halls, throwing long passes with his football to his brother. He smiled slightly when he thought about how it would be if he skated up and down the hallways on his blades or his skateboard. Dan continued on the tour with Fenton lagging behind. The castle was so opulent compared to the house that he and his wife had bought.

“Now this is the ballroom. Dad and mom hosted many parties here,” Dan told them.

He opened the doors to a grand ballroom. Despite the cobwebs and dust, they could all tell that this was a very beautiful room. All the tables and chairs were covered with sheets. The music instruments in the corner were also covered with sheets. Frank looked around and could imagine the dances that took place here.

“Amazingly though, my parents didn’t go for that fancy Victorian style ballroom stuff. We had a lot of modern dancing and even had a DJ here, like you would at a club. That’s his stuff over there,” Dan said, pointing several big containers.

Joe could imagine the large parties that were held here. The lights…the smoke…and the pulsating beats… all of it probably better than some of the clubs his parents had finally allowed him to go to. He couldn’t believe how much Dan was able to do.

“How many parties did you have?” Joe asked.

“One or two a week, usually depending on which guests were visiting,” Dan replied.

“You must have gotten tired after awhile,” Fenton added, trying to downplay the room.

Dan shook his head. “Nope. Each guest had a different style party. When we had interplanetary guests, we had very unique parties. I never was board.”

Fenton inwardly sighed. Dan kept making it seem like life in the castle was one big party. He had to convince his sons that it wasn’t the life they would want.

“So when will our father come over?” Sunray asked.

Dan looked at his special watch. “Looks like about twenty minutes.”

“You must have had a lot of duties as a prince,” Fenton asked.

“I did. Yet, they were so much that I couldn’t handle it. I watched my father since I was young. I knew the ins and outs of the castle before I was twelve. So most of the duties I would have didn’t take that long,” Dan replied.

“Sounds like you really enjoyed the time you had,” Joe remarked, smiling slightly.

“Yeah, I did. I just wish you could have seen it that way and not like now,” Dan remarked.

They heard a large hollow like noise, like a door being opened.

“That was the castle’s main entrance opening,” Molder remarked.

“Is that him?” Sunray asked, looking down the hall.

“Probably, he’s the only one besides uncle Molder and I who could get inside now,” Dan replied.

Fenton swallowed hard. He had hoped that Dan’s father wouldn’t show. Joe was growing more and more eager about this new world. How was he going to convince his son, both of his sons that their home was in Bayport?

“Daniel, are you here?” the strong voice echoed from the floor below.

“We’re here dad, we’re all here,” Dan shouted back through the open door.

Dan directed them through the front of the ballroom to where a grand staircase was. At the bottom, standing proudly in battle uniform was a tall man. He had Joe’s blue eyes, with Frank’s dark hair. His body was muscular like Joe, but tall like Frank. When he saw his other three sons, his eyes misted up, and he could feel the tears threatening to spill. He could see their mother in all of them.

“You found them,” he breathed.

Frank and Joe didn’t know what to do. Standing next to them was the man that had raised and loved them all their lives. Standing below was their real father. Sunray stared in shock. Growing up in a divorced home, he was always torn between two fathers. Now he had a real father. Cliff stood silent behind the entire group. He watched and waited. He was a guardian and would have to protect the royal family at any cost, even from Fenton Hardy.

Dan ran down the steps and embraced his father. Frank, Joe, and Sunray followed at a slower pace. Joe could feel the apprehension coming from his older brother. He put an arm around his brother’s shoulders.

“I’m so glad to finally meet all of you,” the new man said, “You look so much like your mother.”

“Dad, maybe you should tell them you’re name first,” Dan suggested when he saw the nervousness in his brothers’ eyes.

“In our language, my name would be unrecognizable to you. In English it would be Keen Garcia,” Keen replied.

[Keen Garcia] Joe said.

Frank turned his head. His brother had just mumbled something in a cross between Spanish, English, Greek, and Latin.

Keen smiled. “That’s right. I’m surprised you learned it so quickly.”

Joe looked surprised himself. “I don’t know. It’s like I know an entirely different language.”

Frank looked surprised then he thought about it too. He didn’t understand entirely but he was remembering bits and pieces.

“Amazing,” Frank remarked.

“That it is,” Molder replied.

Keen looked over at his brother. “Thank you for bringing them here safely.”

“It was the least I could do for my sister-in-law,” Molder replied.

Only Cliff could see how uncomfortable Fenton was becoming with the growing affection that his sons were showing to Keen. He looked like he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

“Dad, you’re hurt,” Dan said, noticing for the first time the blood on one of Keen’s pant legs. The dark color had concealed the blood flow.

“It’s just a scratch. What’s more important is that you’re back where you belong and nothing will stop the family from defending our lands,” Keen remarked, smiling down at all of them.

Cliff watched as again Fenton Hardy wanted to say something but closed his mouth. He was beginning to cry as he saw Keen embrace his sons.

Molder waved his hand in the air and a small flying object appeared out of no where. It was a small hovercraft-like object that had a medical kit. Molder took it and treated his brother’s wounds.

“How is the battle going?” Dan asked.

“Very well. We’ve managed to defeat twelve of the larger forces. All of the smaller ones have been destroyed. We could really use the powers that you have,” Keen said, looking at all of them.

“NO!” Fenton Hardy shouted, coming down the stairs.

Cliff stayed at the top of the stairs. He knew that this had to play out.

“What do you mean? These are my sons. This is their home,” Keen told him.

Fenton came to within inches of Keen.

“They’re my sons. They’re home is Bayport. Who are you to them but a stranger!” Fenton shouted.

“Dad?” Joe quietly asked.

“YES?” Both fathers answered.

“I want to see the battle,” Joe asked, looking at Keen.

Frank’s eyes went wide, but then he had the same curiosity in him. “So do I.”

“No, I forbid it,” Fenton told them.

“It’s not up to you anymore,” Keen told him.

With a wave of Keen’s hand they were gone leaving only Fenton, Molder, and Cliff in the castle. Fenton looked at Molder with a murderous rage.

“Why did you come looking?” he demanded.

“I promised their mother that I would bring them home, it was her dying wish!” Molder tried to explain.

Cliff was about to stand in when Fenton pushed him aside.

“You took my sons away from me!” Fenton said, coming at Molder with two closed fists.

Keen took them to a safe spot near the battle zone. Frank couldn’t believe how much the difference was between the two areas. Near the battle area the skies were dark. The grounds were black and the putrid smell of sulfur wafted from the air.

“That is where another battle is taking place,” Keen pointed out.

“It’s hard to believe that not to long ago the whole planet was beautiful,” Dan remarked.

Joe looked over at the scene. “How will we fight? We barely know how to control our powers now?”

Keen pulled a crystal out from one of his pockets. This crystal was glowing bright yellow.

“Just touch the crystal and it will reveal all your powers to you,” Keen assured them.

All four of them touched the crystal in the same time. In one blinding moment all four had their powers unlocked. Joe smiled as he knew everyone of his new powers and knew exactly how to use them. Frank’s smile matched his brothers.

Keen put the crystal away. “Now that you know what you’re powers are. It’s time to enter the battle.”

Chapter 20

Joe couldn’t believe the thoughts that were running through his head. He had powers that he still didn’t understand but knew how to control. He was wearing a battle uniform made of some type of metal, but the metal moved with him. It was lightweight and flexible, but when he struck it with a stone, the stone crumbled to dust. He asked his brother what type of metal it was, but Frank was at a loss as to what it was. It seemed like it was a cross of steel with diamond, but they couldn’t be sure.

Frank stood by his brother as he waited for their new father to take them into the battle scene. At first he wasn’t sure about letting his brother into the battle with him. When Keen had revealed just how strong Joe’s powers were, he knew that Joe could take care of himself.

Sunray was staring at all the trees and lands that were unscarred by the battle. It was as if everything in it was alive. The water, the air, the soil, everything seemed to have life flowing through it.

“It’s amazing,” Sunray remarked.

“What is?” Frank asked, as they waited for Keen to tell them everything was clear.

“The trees, the soils, water…it’s all alive,” Sunray breathed.

“Really? I didn’t think that dirt was alive,” Joe said.

“It actually is. If you think of all the bacteria, microorganisms, and other things that live in it, it’s very much alive,” Frank explained.

Sunray nodded. “Still, if only people could see it like the way I do now they wouldn’t abuse it so badly. Now I know why I formed the eco-group on campus.”

“Do you think Cliff’s coming with us?” Joe asked, as they saw Keen coming back towards them.

“Cliff will come when the time is here for him. He may be the Phoenix, but he’s still learning. The Phoenix will help make the decisions until he is able to do that on his own,” Keen explained.

“I just hope our other father can handle us going into battle. He doesn’t give up easily,” Frank told him.

Keen nodded. “I know. That’s why Fenton was picked to be the man that raised you. I knew he would be the perfect father figure until it was safe enough for you to return to your real home.”

Joe inwardly sighed. While the castle and everything in it was nice, he’d miss Bayport. While this man said he was their biological father, he didn’t know if he could ever accept him as his real father. To him, Fenton was his real father.

Keen put a hand on Joe’s shoulder. “I know what you’re thinking. And I know you’re probably angry at me. I didn’t want you to grow up in this environment. I wanted you to be happy and have a normal life. Only then when the time was ready could you come back. You mother’s dying wish brought you back earlier. I never wanted you to see the planet like this.”

“But why send us away? Why not let us stay and fight?” Frank asked, walking over them, “Why let us stay with a man who wasn’t our father?”

“It was hard on me.” Keen replied. They could all see he was heartbroken. “It was hard knowing that another man was picking you up. Do you think I wanted to stay by and watch anther man take you to ball games and watch you grow up?” He paused to collect his breath. “I had to send you all away. So many of our people were dying. You just weren’t strong enough to help. It would have taken you too long to understand how to use your gifts. Yes the crystal unlocked and explained them to you, but as children it would have been too scary and confusing. Now you have humanity, love, compassion, caring, kindness, and all other emotions that you need to keep the gifts from corrupting you.”

“I don’t know if I can stay afterwards. Fenton is still the man who raised us,” Joe said.

“I already know the feeling.” Sunray said, finally turning from the landscape, “My parents were divorced after my own father nearly killed me. Now my step-father and father fight on a constant basis. Why subject them to that?”

Keen sighed looking over at Frank and Joe. “Because when you become a father, you’d do anything to get your sons back no matter what the reason why you gave them up. I had to because your lives were in jeopardy. You would have been killed before you were old enough to walk.”

“But after this war… After everything is restored here, I’m not sure if we should stay,” Frank told him.

Keen shook his head. “We can’t discuss that now. The time has come and we must go.”

For the third time in a row, Fenton tried to punch Molder, and the third time he easily defended himself. Fenton found himself growing angrier. Molder still wouldn’t tell him where Keen had taken his sons, or where the evidence was that prove Frank and Joe weren’t his sons.

“Where are my sons?” Fenton asked, breathing hard.

“They are not your sons. They are Keen’s sons. After this battle is over, and they come back, we will send you home, but Frank and Joe, as well as Sunray and Cliff are to remain here,” Molder told him.

“They are my sons. And I’d rather the decision be made by them and not you!” Fenton spat.

“I’m afraid that they have to stay to help, without them this planet would die,” Molder tried to reason with him.

“I’m not going to risk my sons just so you can have an advantage. Now tell me where they are!” Fenton demanded.

“Mr. Hardy.” Cliff said.

“WHAT?” Fenton snapped.

“They’ve already gone to battle. Keen is telling them the final instructions as we speak. To go outside now would be suicide,” Cliff explained, trying to reason with him.

Fenton Hardy’s eyes misted over. It would be the second time in his life Cliff would see a grown man cry. The first had been at his father’s funeral. Even now, watching Fenton crying because it might the last time he would see his sons, it still struck a nerve.

Frank stood side by side with his baby brother and his new brother. He didn’t like the idea of going into war. Nor did he like the idea of defying his father or his new father. He was torn between going back to Fenton or helping Keen. When he saw all the people fighting in the battle, he knew he couldn’t turn away. One look at his brothers, and he knew they felt the same. Keen had already taught them who the enemy was, and how to fight them. They were a race of aliens that destroyed everything in sight, took what resources were left over, then left. Now they wanted the perfect “weapon” the crystals. Keen waved his hand and in an instant they were transported into the heart of the battle.

When Joe finally saw the alien force up close, he couldn’t believe his eyes. They were not like what he had seen from Star Trek or Star Wars. True the all looked human to one degree or another. These looked like insects…like a combination of a scorpion, tarantula, and wasp. Six feet tall and very ugly, yet the weapons they were wielding were killing soldiers left and right.

Frank used his fire powers in both waves and blasts. Noticing that the fire was only knocking down the aliens, but not he stopping them, he brought both his hands together and concentrated his energy blasts. He was nearly shocked when the raises combined to near battleship strength. Sunray used his ability to move the ground to cause earthquakes. He nearly smiled as he discovered he could also move massive boulders to use as weapons. Joe was using sound waves to knock down their tanks and take them out in one blow. Concentrating the sound in his hands, he formed a large orb. Stretching out his arm the orb formed a wave. He threw his arm as if he were throwing a stone. The wave sounded like he had hit a high note on his guitar. Frank watched as Joe’s wave continued blowing through alien attack vehicles. The wave simply died away after a minute. They watched as their father came in using what looked to be a combination of all their powers to drive back the alien force.

Fenton waited and paced back and forth. He had given up trying to hit Molder. There was no use getting through to that man. Obviously he didn’t care what he was going through. Nor did he seem to care that his sons might die out there. Frank and Joe were going back with him. He didn’t care what they said or how they felt, they were still his sons, and he was going to take them back home. Bayport is your home, don’t you realize that?... I’m your father not Keen. Where was that man when you were hurt or in the hospital? Where was he when Joe was kidnapped? Where was he when they had chicken pox, or when Joe came home crying cause Frank received a black eye from defending him? That man has no right to take you way! When you get back, you’re coming home. Keen’s going to get a hard lesson in what it means to take children that DON’T belong to him.

Dan stepped up to where the brothers were. He held up his hand causing small red orbs of light to fly off of them. The instant one touched the alien battle craft they exploded with the same force as twenty hand grenades. His hands were throwing off dozens of the orbs onto the line of enemy fire. He threw more into the air, causing them to explode against the aliens that decided to attack from the sky. Sunray also helped by throwing massive boulders into the air like catapults. The flying aliens fell like dead birds. Joe changed from throwing the sound waves to summoning water waves. He turned them into ice blocks, packing the same impact as did Sunray’s boulders. Frank managed to create laser blasts from his fire power, creating larger power blasts, destroying more of the larger alien battle tanks which looked like a cross between a submarine and a tank.

Even though Keen was helping Joe could feel himself getting tired. It was as if the life was being drained from him. His arms were burning, his legs were almost buckling under him, and it was becoming harder to focus. Frank looked over and saw that his baby brother was in trouble. He wrapped an arm around Joe’s shoulders and helped him stand up. Clasping their hands together, they combined their powers to make an attack ten times stronger then what they would have on their own attacks, even when side by side. Even Dan was surprised by how much strength they created when combining their powers. Dan came up behind them and added his powers with theirs. Sunray did the same, adding on his own. All four created a large wave of continuous energy, leveling and destroying everything in its path. Keen watched as the wave stretched from a 100 meters to a kilometer and finally to several kilometers.

Cliff watched as Fenton and Molder continued to argue. He felt the crystal throbbing with energy. Taking it out of his backpack, he could see the Phoenix within it. The Phoenix flew from it, surprising the arguing men. At first the Phoenix was separate, the before Cliff realized it, he and the Phoenix were one.

Frank and Joe both found their powers wavering. Joe legs gave out, causing him to fall. Frank knelt down beside him to give him some protection. His arms were burning so badly he could hardly move them. He felt Joe’s pulse and felt a very weak one. Joe was in no shape to continue fighting. Sunray fell next to Joe. He too was too tired to continue fighting. Dan created a shield over all of them. The other fighters formed around them trying to keep the aliens from coming to them.

“INCOMING!” one of them shouted.

They all looked up to see small fighter ships coming in. That was followed by a high-pitch shrill. To Frank it sounded like the loudest cross between a falcon and eagle that he had ever heard. Turning around they could see her… him. It was Cliff….he was the Phoenix!