“Got it, Daniel,” Eric replied. “I hope that we are finally getting on the right track. I am really worried about what those bastards are doing to Jason!”
“Hang in there, Eric. You know that if anyone can make it through, Jason can. But you are right to worry. A body can only take so much!”
Daniel walked back to San Anselmo Avenue where his search team had now finished looking at all of the houses and buildings. More kids had joined the group. When Daniel arrived, he told them the news about the car.
Ten minutes later more kids arrived along with Eric and Nick. The police patrol car was now watching the Dodge sedan, and they wanted everyone out of the area in case someone came to retrieve the car.
Daniel couldn’t see the point of having everyone stay there in the streets waiting for something to happen. It was a beautiful spring day, and he figured that most of them would want to take advantage of that to play sports, ride their bikes and skateboards, or do other fun activities. Daniel got everyone’s attention.
“Before we break up, I first wanted to thank you all for your help in today’s search. We did accomplish something already. If anyone has anything else to report, please stay and tell me. Otherwise, have a great day.”
The crowd began to disperse, talking among themselves and making plans. Slowly people began to leave, except for the group of kids that Daniel had been working with. It appeared that they were arguing with a younger kid, who had come out later.
Nick came up to Daniel and said, “You might want to check this out. This younger kid over there claims he saw something but the older kids think he is just making it all up.”
Daniel walked over to where Joey, Milo and Nick Lee were arguing with a nine-year-old kid. “You are full of it, Kendal,” Joey was shouting at him. “Daniel’s got enough on his mind without having to listen to your stupid stories about space aliens and demons from middle Earth. Give it a rest!”
“Yeah, Kendal,” Nick Lee said. “Just go home so you don’t embarrass us in public.”
“What going on here?” Daniel asked after he and Nick Feraducci came over.
“Oh, it’s just Kendal Christoph and more of his crazy stories,” Milo said. “You are just wasting your time listening to him.”
“Well, maybe,” Daniel replied, “but perhaps he did see something. I don’t mind meeting with this kid and hearing what he has to say, if he is sincere.” Daniel looked Kendal in the eye. “Are you serious?”
“Yes!” Kendal replied. “I don’t know where some of this stuff comes from but I am telling the truth about what I saw!”
“What exactly did you see, Kendal?”
“It all started when I was up in that oak tree over there,” Kendal began. “Sometime the older kids pick on me, so I just climb up trees around here when I want to get away. Someday I will build a tree house where I can do what I want without having to listen to Joey and Nick!”
“Yeah, I understand,” Daniel said. “So what exactly did you see while you were up in the tree?”
“I was just looking around when I noticed two men walking along the cement wall. That was strange because there is no path there, and it is full of plants. I followed them walking along and then all of a sudden they disappeared.”
“What do you mean just disappeared?” Daniel asked Kendal.
“I don’t know, maybe they were beamed somewhere or swallowed up by an underground monster.”
Joey, Nick, and Milo laughed uproariously when they heard that.
“You are so full of it, Kendal,” Milo said with a huge grin on his face. “The next thing you will say is that they are monsters or zombies!”
Kendal got upset and flustered by the older kids making fun of him. “It’s true what I saw. You are just jealous because you didn’t see them.”
“Guys, settle down,” Daniel told the older kids. “Let Kendal have his say.”
“I don’t know whether or not those guys were ordinary people or some other kind of being. But what they did made no sense if they were regular humans.”
“So you saw what looked like regular guys go along the cement wall and just suddenly disappear, is that right?”
“Yeah, that’s what I saw,” Kendal asserted.
“Did you just see this one time or more than once?” Daniel asked.
“I’ve seen one or more of them do this several times. That’s why I thought maybe they were middle earth people, because the only place they could have gone was underground. They didn’t climb up the wall, and they didn’t come out of the bushes, at least while I was watching.”
“Can you describe what they were wearing, Kendal?”
“They just looked like normal guys with tee shirts and jeans on. But that’s the way people with superpowers like to dress, just like normal people so no one will be on to them.”
“Good one, Kendal,” Joey interrupted. “Were they able to fly too?”
“Cool it, Joey,” Daniel ordered. “He may be on to something.” To Kendal he summarized, “So you saw men go along the cement wall, and when they got somewhere toward the middle of the wall on that block full of overgrown plants, they disappeared out of sight. Is that right?”
“Yes,” Kendal replied. “That’s what I have been trying to tell you!”
“Eric! Nick! Come with me!” Daniel shouted. He ran down the block to where the business park started, and over to the cement wall. As he looked down, he could see that the overgrowth had recently been trampled. “This way guys!” Daniel ordered. He then started edging down the cement wall. It was rough going for a while and then the foliage wasn’t as thick. Daniel looked down and realized that someone had recently cut it back.
The three friends continued to move along the wall until Daniel spotted the hatch cover that led to the underground cistern. “Look!” Daniel exclaimed in a loud whisper. “This has got to be where those men went! Keep your voices down in case someone is nearby.”
“What is that, a submarine hatch?” Eric asked when he saw the hatch cover with its circular valve.”
“Most likely the opening to an underground tank. Someone has been in here recently. See the padlock and broken chain on the ground!”
“Do you think this is where the kidnappers took Jason?” Nick asked.
“It’s the best lead we have so far,” Daniel replied. He slightly turned the valve. “Look it moves easily! Now let’s get out of here and have Captain Garcia bring in a SWAT team.”
Nick, Eric, and Daniel edged their way back toward the street. After they had gone twenty yards, Daniel took out his cell phone and called Captain Garcia. “I think we have discovered where Jason was taken! We think he is being held in an underground room of some sort accessed by a hatch cover. It is located just on the other side of the cement wall in the middle of that block of thick overgrowth. Get over here quickly with your SWAT team.” Daniel went on to explain how they had discovered it, and that it clearly had been opened recently. “This also explains how he could disappear so completely and quickly.”
“We are on our way,” Captain Garcia told Daniel. “Wait for us and don’t try anything foolish.”
“We have moved back out of there and have no problem waiting for you. We are all hoping that this is the answer to the mystery of Jason’s disappearance.”
Chapter 24
The Rescue
(Sunday Afternoon)
After he finished talking with Captain Garcia, Daniel worked his way back to San Anselmo Avenue where Eric and Nick were waiting for him. “It’s all set!” he told them excitedly. “I told Captain Garcia we would wait here for him and the SWAT team. I sure hope our hunch is correct.”
“It does look like a very good possibility,” Nick said. “Predators seem to like those kind of places. It gives me the creeps just thinking about it.”
“It’s okay,” Eric told Nick. “You have every right to be freaked out by a place like that. I still am amazed that Jason had the courage to voluntarily let himself be taken to that undergr
ound cave, but glad he did because we have you back, Nick.”
“Now I’d like to return the favor if I can,” Nick replied. “I know he is willing to sacrifice himself to help his friends and he depends on us to watch his back.”
“I am going to call Jason’s parents, my parents, and Laura and tell them about this,” Daniel informed Eric and Nick. “Even though it is still uncertain, this is the first real hope we have had since Jason was taken. Maybe you want to do the same.”
The three got on their cell phones and began calling. Daniel called Jason’s parents first. Bill Hunter answered the phone.
“Mr. Hunter, this is Daniel. I think we have located where Jason is. This is all still speculation, but we had enough information to persuade Captain Garcia to send out a SWAT team. We think Jason is being held in some sort of underground tank right near the abandoned industrial area where he was taken. The entryway is some sort of waterproof hatch with a twisting valve. We also believe we have located the car that was used to take Laura away from her car that had the flat tire.”
“That is the best news I have heard in a while,” Bill Hunter said. “For the first time since he went missing, I can believe that we might actually get Jason back. I really appreciate the call, Daniel. Now you be sure to stay out of the way and let the police handle this. Those men who kidnapped Laura and then Jason sound like they are very mean and ruthless. I don’t want to hear about anything happening to you, Daniel.”
When Daniel talked to his parents, they said basically the same things as Bill Hunter. “There is a lot at stake for you, Daniel,” his mother Melinda told him. “I know you have a deep concern for Jason, as we all do, but be careful and let Captain Garcia do the heavy lifting! We are both praying for Jason!”
Laura, who was still extremely upset and holed up in her room at home, hadn’t been answering calls on her cell phone. But when Daniel called, she noticed his name and number and decided to answer. She was very excited when Daniel told her that they had located the car and very likely the location where those two men who kidnapped her had taken Jason.
“I have been a total wreck ever since I saw Jason walk away into their hands,” Laura replied in an emotional voice. “I sure hope you are right, Daniel. Thank you, thank you for calling me with the news. Please call again as soon as you have more!”
Daniel also called Diana Miglione, his girlfriend, but only had a brief minute to talk because the SWAT and Captain Garcia were now pulling up to where Daniel and his other band members were waiting for him.
When Captain Garcia got out of his vehicle, Daniel hurried over to him. “Show me what you have found,” Captain Garcia ordered. Daniel explained that to get to the hatch, you had to walk against the cement brick wall until you were about half way down the long overgrown block. Garcia ordered two of his men to do just that and then radio him back when they located the hatch.
About five minutes later, Garcia received their call. The SWAT team member reporting said that most likely the hatch was for an abandoned underground cistern. “This was probably part of the old water system for the Silicon Valley.”
Captain Garcia had them turn on their homing signal. “I think it will be a lot easier for the rest of the team to go there directly from the street. Wait until we are all there before opening the hatch.”
It took the SWAT team another ten minutes to assemble and get into place. The plan was to quickly open the hatch, go in with full armor and gas masks on, throw in tear gas, and then take down whoever was inside, assuming that there was anyone in there. One clue for that would be whether there was any lighting on inside. The wild card in their operation was how the interior was accessed. It could just be a ladder against the side, which would make their job very difficult and expose them to gunfire from whoever was inside. The SWAT team member who knew about the abandoned culverts theorized that most likely there were ramps or catwalks installed for maintenance. He also felt that if the kidnappers had planned this out, they probably would have installed easy access of some sort, since they were dealing with a captive.
With their armor and gas masks in place, Captain Garcia gave the order to proceed. Two of the men began to twist open the hatch. Once it was open they saw that there was a ramp and charged inside. The first man had a tear gas canister and threw it down to the bottom of the cistern.
Inside the cistern, Derrick was the first to notice that the hatch was opening. “We have company!” he yelled over to Brice. The tear gas canister fell near him, and Brice had the wit to grab a metal bucket and place it over the canister, neutralizing it and preventing the gas from filling the cistern.
Brice had just given Jason a bathroom break, so he had been released from the stakeout, although his hands were handcuffed in front of him and his mouth was still taped shut. Brice quickly picked up his pistol, grabbed Jason, and held the gun to his head.
By this time the six team members were all descending down the ramp.
“Freeze and drop your weapons!” Brice shouted out. “Or I will blow Jason’s brains out!”
Captain Garcia gave the halt order. “Give it up!” he yelled back through his speaker system. “There is no way you will get out of here alive unless you surrender!”
“Do you really want Jason dead?” Brice countered. “Wouldn’t that make a great headline in the local paper!”
Reluctantly, Captain Garcia gave the team an order to lay down their weapons.
“That’s better,” Brice said. “Now we can negotiate a way out of here.”
Back up on the street, Daniel, Eric, and the others were waiting impatiently. Finally Daniel couldn’t take it anymore. “I’ve got to find out if Jason is in there or not. I’m going to go over to the hatch and listen in.” Eric wanted to go also, so they walked to the hatch, retracing the steps left by the SWAT team making access easy.
When they got there, they peeked inside just as Brice was making his demands and Captain Garcia had ordered his men to lay down their weapons. “This isn’t good at all,” Eric said in an understatement.
“What we need is a diversion,” Daniel said.
“Grab a rock,” Eric exclaimed. “I have an idea. We know there are two men, maybe more. If we each throw a rock, that will upset the balance of power inside.”
Daniel and Eric each grabbed a small rock from the ground and snuck inside the hatch. They listened as Brice was saying, “The only way Jason will live is for you to all give up, come down here and wait while we leave.”
“I don’t think that we can do that,” Captain Garcia was saying in reply.
Eric surveyed the scene, looked at Daniel, pointed at Brice, and said in a tiny whisper, “I’ve got him. You go for the other guy over there. On my count, one, two, three.” Eric wound up and threw his rock at Brice, hitting him in the forehead, and causing him to recoil and drop his gun. Meanwhile Daniel threw his rock at Derrick. Daniel’s throw wasn’t as accurate, but still had the effect of startling Derrick, causing him to look away and lose focus for a second.
That was all the SWAT team needed. Three of them charged Brice, while two of them jumped off the ramp and went for Derrick. One of the three team members going after Brice pulled Jason away, while the other two took Brice down to the ground and quickly subdued him. The two men after Derrick got to him just as he was about to aim and fire his rifle. They kicked it out of Derrick’s hands, then made a frontal assault, pummeling him and taking him down to the ground. In a minute, both kidnappers were on the ground and being handcuffed.
Captain Garcia turned around to see where the diversion had come from. “I thought I told you to stay away from this operation!” he yelled at Daniel and Eric.
“I know, I know, Captain Garcia,” Daniel said somewhat apologetically, “but your team needed that diversion. You have to admit that the pitch Eric made was totally awesome! Eric, you should be on the Merriam High baseball team! Now can we go over to our friend, Jason? Please? It looks like he has had a very rough time.”
“Y
ou kids are unbelievable sometimes,” Garcia replied. “You don’t follow orders and put yourselves in danger, then somehow you come up with a solution to save the day. Eric, I can’t believe you were able to make that throw!”
“When I saw what was going on, and what those men did to Jason,” Eric explained, “I got so angry and determined inside that it totally focused me on stopping them. Now let us go to Jason. I think we have earned that right and he needs our help!”
“All right,” Captain Garcia said. “Go ahead but only for a few minutes.”
Daniel and Eric rushed down the ramp and over to where Jason was now sitting up on the floor. The SWAT team member had pulled the tape off his mouth and was now unlocking the handcuffs on his wrists.
“Jason!” Daniel exclaimed. “That is the best impression of a raw hamburger patty I have ever seen!”
Daniel’s unexpected comment caused everyone to burst out laughing.
“Daniel, Eric, it’s so good to see you!” Jason said smiling. “No more jokes, please, it hurts to laugh.”
Daniel grabbed Jason’s right hand in a bro shake. “Everyone has been under such a strain, I needed to break the tension. Sorry if it caused you more pain. I am so relieved that we were able to find you.”
“How did you ever find me?” Jason asked. “And who threw that rock?”
“Believe it or not, it was because of Jason’s Network,” Daniel replied. All these kids came out and searched this entire area. They located the car used to bring Laura here. Then a little kid stepped forward and showed us where the entrance to this place was. He thought middle earthmen were coming in here! The rock thrower was Eric. He should be on a baseball team somewhere!”
“Eric, you never cease to amaze me with your hidden talents,” Jason said. “Come here and give me a handshake. No hugs or slaps, please, guys. I am sore all over my body. That hamburger line was right on. I feel like a hamburger patty.”
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