"Joe, are you all right?" Frank asked, leaning down to inspect his younger brother. His flashlight revealed a very shaken Joe Hardy. His blonde hair was soaked with sweat as well as his shirt. His skin was clammy and moist. Jason took off Joe’s tennis shoes to allow him to cool down even faster. He then went back to the van to retrieve the bottle of lime Gatorade that Kara had left in there.

Jason returned with the bottle and handed it to Joe, who accepted it gratefully. Even though Joe hated lime with a passion, the liquid felt refreshing going down his parched throat. After a few minutes, he was able to speak with a raspy voice.

"Are you feeling better? Do you hurt anywhere?" Frank asked again.

"Just hot, but I am feeling better," Joe replied.

"Maybe we should take him to the hospital," Frank said as he looked over at Jason.

"It would be better to take him in to see Doc. You have to remember Frank, we are not in "suburbia" here and Adam is not here. Where is Adam?" Jason finally asked. The nearest hospital was a good bit away compared to just going in to see the town doctor. Jason, while concerned for Joe, did not want to waste time since it seemed that something was very wrong.

"I don’t need a doctor. I am fine. Right now Adam needs our help," Joe said.

"Joe, I am not so sure that you are fine. Maybe if we…," Frank started in. But Joe cut him off.

"NO! We need to find Adam. They took him! They came up behind us in a cop car, trapped us in and took Adam right out of the passenger seat!" Joe recalled. He then filled them in on the events that led up to the kidnapping.

"Did you get a look at them?" Jason asked. "Did they say anything?"

"It was dark and they had ski masks over their faces. They were all males though. They really didn’t say anything in particular. They were strong though. Jerked me straight out of the car before I had a chance to even react. Adam was drug out of the passenger door. I fought as hard as I could, but there were five of them. The last I saw of Adam was when one of the kidnappers hit him in the face and put him face down on the road behind the car as they tied his hands together. That is when they threw me in the trunk saying that they didn’t need me," Joe said as he recalled the events of the night.

"So they knew who they were after," Jason said with a grimace.

"It seems that way," Frank added. "I would guess that your father has as many enemies as our father."

"I don’t know about that, but that is always a worry for him," Jason said, still absorbing the fact that his brother was not there. "I am going back and calling dad and the sheriff." With that, Jason went back to the van for a few moments.

After telling his father the bad news, Carl told Jason that he would be right there after he contacted the state department. He instructed Jason to call the sheriff and to stay with the car.

While they were waiting, Frank and Jason searched for any type of clues to the identity of the kidnappers, but they found nothing. Joe just sat by the car, sipping the Gatorade and trying to think of anything that he might have forgotten to mention that might help. But the kidnappers were very fast and precise.

Carl and Fenton arrived at the same exact time as the sheriff. The sheriff immediately secured the crime scene and started taking a statement from Joe, who was feeling and looking much better than when he was first hauled out of the back of the car. Carl’s face was nothing but worry. Jason had seen that face several times before, but this time it seemed different. Thing just did not seem to add up at all to Jason.

After listening to Joe give his statement, the sheriff went back to his car to relay the information.

"Doesn’t look like we have much to go on," Frank said, wanting to break the silence.

"Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing," Fenton added.

"I notified the state department to see if they turn up anything. I don’t know of anyone who has been just released or anything like that who would want Adam," Carl said with a grimace.

"It wasn’t for robbery since Joe still has his wallet and Adam’s wallet is still in the console," Fenton remarked.

"Have you told mom yet?" Jason spoke up, looking at his father’s worried eyes.

"Not everything, but I guess I should in case there is a phone call made to the house," Carl said with a grimace.

The Hardys knew that feeling well. Frank looked over at Jason. Countless times Frank had been in his position. Even though he did not know Jason and Adam all that well, he knew the bond that the brothers shared between each other. It was the same bond he had with his own younger brother. Frank could not even think of life with Joe around to solve cases with or just to hang out with the gang.

Joe also had the same feelings when he saw Jason’s face. It was that common feeling that fired Joe to be determined to do one thing… to bring Adam safely back home to his family. The younger Hardy got up and walked over to Jason.

"We are going to find Adam. I promise you there. We are going to work together and get to the bottom of this. I am sure that Adam is fine and he can take care of himself," Joe said, putting his hand on Jason’s shoulder. Jason looked over at him and smiled for a second.

"We have never lost a case or a person yet and I am not about to start," Frank Hardy chimed in behind Joe.

"Thanks," Jason said as he looked over at his father making the phone call home. He figured his mother was frantic. It was one thing for Adam to be kidnapped, but now things are different. Adam was on medication for seizures and without that medication, Adam could have several severe seizures. This factor alone made the kidnapping even worse if his brother needed medical attention. They had to locate Adam as soon as possible. Then it hit him. Frank and Joe had no idea about Adam and his medical problems. How was he going to tell them? Adam had specifically asked that his medical condition be kept secret. Jason did not want to betray that trust, but he also felt it was wrong to hide it from the Hardy brothers. They have no idea how crucial time is right now. Adam’s medication can last in his system for two days at the most, and that is if they were lucky.

His father’s voice reassuring his mother that things would be fine rocked him out of his thoughts. Carl walked over to the silent group.

"How did she take it?" Fenton asked softly.

"As well as to be expected," Carl replied. "I am still waiting to hear back from the state. That is my only lead at this point."

"Are you sure that there is no one who is out after you Carl?" Fenton inquired. "You know it is a drawback to the business."

"I know, but there is no one that comes to mind. The state keeps track of all of the inmates and cases in that way. I know when someone is coming out and no one has been brought to my attention. That is what they are double checking now," Carl said, rubbing his eyes. He then looked at Jason. "I just know that I want you on your highest guard. You might be next and I don’t want them to have two of my sons."

"Don’t worry there Mr. Kramer, consider Jason protected," Frank spoke up.

"I can look out for myself you know," Jason commented. He knew the Hardys meant well, but he did not feel that he needed a babysitter. He was eighteen years old and very experienced in his field.

"I didn’t mean it that way. What I meant was that we will look out for each other since we are now a team," Frank replied. He had to remember that Jason was just as much of a detective as either of the two boys. "I am sorry if I offended you."

"You are fine Frank. Right now we just need to concentrate on getting my brother back and soon," Jason said with a sigh.

"Was there anything going on between Adam and a friend or something like that?" Fenton asked Jason, trying to come up with a lead.

"Not that I know of. His only enemy would never do anything like this. Eric and his buddies are not smart enough to think of a plot like this," Jason said, referring to Adam’s nemesis Eric Patterson.

The five stood in silence for a moment. Then Fenton’s cell phone pierced the silent night.

"Hello…….hold on, slow down Laura, I can’t understand what you are saying….yes….yes…..no…..no Laura, he is with me…..tell me exactly what you heard….hum….yeah….is that everything….no, but I have an idea of what is going on though…..is that everything you heard…..if you remember anything else or hear anything else, call me immediately……I will call you back, I need to get off here a minute, I have a situation that time is of the essence…..love you too…..bye," Fenton said over the phone between the long pauses.

Jason was trying not to listen, but found himself hanging on to every word. He could feel his stomach twist and turn because he knew that this was the break they had been waiting on.

"It seems that Laura got a phone call just now. I guess it is good news and bad news. The good news is that Adam is fine so far. Laura heard his voice in the background. So he is alive," Fenton said.

Everyone in the group let out a sigh of relief for the moment.

"The bad news is that they think they have Joe Hardy."