Hardy Boys Fan Fiction at the Hardy Detective Agency - Presenting "South American Search & Rescue" by CQB

Early Monday morning, Sam Radley drove his black Grand Cherokee into the small county airfield close to Hanger 12. Sam, along with Frank and Joe Hardy, walked into the hanger to find Jack Wayne’s friend. A small, 6-passenger plane filled the front of the bay area. Walking out from under the left wing was a 6’ 4" man with shaggy blond hair hanging beneath a weathered, suede cowboy hat. He wore brown cowboy boots and a fringed buckskin jacket.

Frank and Joe approached Conner Bailey and the big man grabbed both of them in a big hug. "We’re gonna rescue your dad and Jack. Mark my word, boys!"

The boys made introductions to Sam and the four, young men went into Conner’s office. Conner had been on alert ever since Fenton Hardy had called him several days before. Still, he was a bit surprised to hear from Frank and Joe the previous night. He looked carefully into the faces of Fenton Hardy’s sons and his heart was immediately filled with compassion. They both looked tired and worried. Dark circles under their bloodshot eyes told him the boys hadn’t slept much last night. ‘On top of this,’ Conner pondered, ‘I now have to tell them what I found out from my friends in Bolivia.’

"Boys," Conner began, "I made a phone call after I spoke with you last night. Some friends of mine saw a small plane go down into the jungle during a storm Saturday night. The good news is that there was no explosion. The plane is still in one piece. The government sent a rescue team in yesterday to look for survivors, but I don’t know what they found."

"Then Dad and Jack were probably okay enough to walk away!" Joe said with hopefulness. Sam noticed a pained look on Conner’s face. ‘He’s not telling us everything.’ Sam deducted.

"Let’s hold on to that thought, Joe," said Sam, patting the younger Hardy boy on the back, "Let’s get this show on the road!"

"I took the liberty of packing some necessary gear on the plane already," stated Conner, "Just bring your bags and we’re off." Sam and the Hardy’s followed Conner into the plane.

* * *

Jack Wayne knew they were in trouble, but couldn’t figure out why the plane was acting up. He carefully checked and double-checked everything before take-off. He decided it was time to wake Mr. Hardy and let him know what was happening.

"Hey, Mr. H," Jack called, keeping his eyes on the troublesome instrument panel, "Mr. Hardy! Can you come up here?" Fenton Hardy had been sitting in one of the passenger seats in the rear of the plane. He tried to stretch his 6’ 2" frame and work the kinks out of his neck.

"What’s up, Jack?" Fenton asked, moving into the co-pilots seat. He waited for his anxious friend to tell him what was wrong.

"I’m not sure how to break this to you Chief," Jack stated, "but we are losing altitude and the radio’s dead as a trout in a frying pan."

"How can that be?" Fenton asked, looking at Jack, "I know you too well. You know this plane inside and out. How can something be wrong and you not know about it?"

"I just can’t explain this, Mr. H," the young pilot said, "Everything was fine when we left the states. We only stopped in Guatemala long enough to refuel."

"Wait," Fenton said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "You didn’t fuel the plane, did you? Could those two airfield workers have done something to the plane?" Jack looked at Mr. Hardy and nodded his head.

"I’m sorry," Jack said softly, "I know better than to trust anyone with our ride. I blew it Mr. H! A lot of those guys water down the fuel to make money on the side."

"Water over the dam, Jack," Fenton said, putting a reassuring hand on Jack’s shoulder, "Let’s concentrate on the here and now. What are our options?"

"It doesn’t look good, Boss," Jack replied, "We’re surrounded by storm clouds that get thicker as we descend, we have no radio contact and we are getting closer to the ground with every passing second."

"Do you know where we are?" Mr. Hardy asked, running his hand nervously through his dark hair.

"If the instruments are right, we are over Bolivia, heading northwest into Peru." Jack answered.

"Why are we heading north when we just came from the north?" Mr. Hardy inquired.

"We had to go out over the Pacific Ocean and circle around the mountains along the coast of Peru," Jack replied.

"What about Conner’s maps? Are airstrips marked on them?" the older man asked the pilot. Jack told Fenton to pull out the maps Conner had sent with them. Fenton spread them out near Jack so both could see them.

"I think I’ve got a plan, Chief," Jack said with a smile, "Buckle up. This could be a rough ride!"

* * *

Ten miles south of the Peruvian border, a group of nuns rushing to get their young charges under cover watched in horror as a small plane descended far too quickly through the stormy night sky. They heard a crashing sound as the plane tore through the jungle of southern Peru. The sisters joined hands with the orphan children as they walked toward the mission camp, silently praying for the souls in the doomed aircraft.

Let the authors know what you think of this story

Home Library Authors Rogue's Gallery Vehicles Chums Message Board Rap Sheet Links Contact

Disclaimer

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.