hardy boys fan fiction

NEVER DREAM OF DYING

hardy boys nancy drew fan fiction

by

Piper Merlyn

Chapter 2

hardy boys fan fiction

THE CHAPTERS

INTRO

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

Prague is a beautiful city – old-world cathedrals, cobblestone streets. It’s like stepping into another, older world. I took a deep breath of fresh cool air and let it out slowly. There were times even the most menial of assignments were good just because of location.

It was a simple assignment. I think M gave it to me to save some face. It wasn’t like I’d gotten a major ribbing for losing Thorne in Hong Kong several months ago, but I know I’d goofed. M is constantly on my case to keep my mind on the job, not on the girls that come along for the ride.

I sat on the riverside patio of Cafe Certovka and sipped the local dark coffee. It was late afternoon and the sun was just starting to set behind the towers of Prague Castle. A woman walked past, her auburn hair cascading down her back, the filmy skirt of her floral dress barely reaching her knees.  She walked past me, slowed and glanced over her shoulder. I smiled and saluted her with my cup.

She spun on her heel and walked back to me, slipping into the seat across from me before I barely managed to stand. “Would you like to join me?” I asked at my most charming.

She tossed that long auburn hair over one shoulder and gave me a haughty look. “I do not drink coffee.” Her accent sounded more Australian than British.

“I’ll buy you anything you wish to drink.”

She arched an eyebrow at me and I noticed her eyes were green – a vivid shamrock green. “And if I said I wanted only Evian water?”

I held in my surprise. According to the briefing, I was meeting a Perry Falcon. Leave it to M not to inform me it was a woman. “You’re Perry?”

She arched her other eyebrow. “That’s Peri – one ‘r’, with an ‘i’.” She rested her elbows on the small round table. “And you’re Joseph Hardy.”

“I prefer Joe.”

She nodded once, almost regally and I felt a moment’s frustration. This didn’t look like a fun outing any more. “News on Thorne?” I asked.

“The elder isn’t here. The daughter is.”

I looked away for a moment. My memory is faulty on how she managed to get past me. I know we were struggling for the knife...or I had her pinned down...I don’t know. All I do know is that both father and daughter got away. A hazy half-memory snaked through my brain but I couldn’t make any sense of it. “Where is she?”

“The Hotel Jalta, on Vaclavske Namesti.”

One of the ritzier hotels in Prague just off Wenceslas Square. I finished off my coffee and signaled for the check. Miss Falcon eyed me for a moment. “To burst through the front door would defeat the purpose.”

Something in the way she said it didn’t sit well with me. I couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong but I couldn’t pinpoint any particular thing. “If I want a fortune cookie answer, I’ll fly to Hong Kong.”

She stiffened and stood up. “He knows you’re here.”

“You just said the elder Thorne wasn’t in Prague.”

“He does not have to be in Prague to know you are here. The daughter is ever faithful.”

I looked around, noting the absence of tourists and locals. That was it, there was no pedestrian traffic and not ten minutes ago, the sidewalks had been busy. “Let’s go,” I said, grabbing Peri’s arm and tossing some coins on the table.

She yanked her arm free but followed closely as I headed down a narrow alleyway to where I’d parked the Aston-Martin. We were near the Vltava River, a gleaming blue waterway that cut through the city. I’d parked next to the Charles Bridge. I got in behind the wheel as Peri got in the passenger seat.

“Buckle up,” I told her as the car started with a muted roar. I headed  for Mala Strana, Prague’s Little Quarter. It was a warren of narrow winding streets and old-world Gothic architecture. Any other time I would have savored the atmosphere, visiting the beautiful churches like St. Nicholas or Infant of Prague, also known as Our Lady Victorious.

I steered down Mostecka, turning left onto Karmelitska. I was going to swing past Petrin Gardens, hit the next bridge, Most Legii, head into Stare Mesto, or Old Town. I really needed to get out of Prague. With its narrow, curving streets that often doubled back on each other, I had no room to maneuver. The hair on the back of my neck prickled and I glanced in the rearview mirror. I wasn’t surprised to see a black car coming fast.

“Brace yourself,” I told Peri but the car didn’t ram us. I felt the left back tire blow from a gunshot. The car shook and tried to rip the steering wheel out of my hand. I tightened my grip and steered along Resslova. I had a virtual arsenal in this car but we were in a residential section and I really didn’t want to risk anyone’s life – or M’s wrath.

I hit the button to seal the bullet hole and re-inflate the tire, standard issue on any car MI6 handed off to me. I think they got weary of having to completely replace all four tires on a regular basis. Those incidents were not all my fault every time.

I veered right on Vysehradska, a narrow street that would lead me to Nove Mesto, New Town. Once past the new town hall, I’d be able to reach the E50 or E55 dual carriage motorway that would at least get me out of the capitol.

The back of the car shook again and I realized from the screeching that they’d shot out both back tires. The back end skidded, forcing the steering wheel out of my hands. We hit a pile of old stone, throwing us both forward. The last thing I remember was hitting the steering wheel.

*****

Frank paced back and forth in the waiting area. He couldn’t sit still. Every time the double glass doors opened into the emergency room waiting area, Frank could hear the thunder. According to a television perched up near the ceiling, it was a severe electrical storm that had already caused several outages in the city and one fatal electrocution – someone who apparently had been unplugging their computer.

The doors slid open again and he saw his parents and aunt enter the hospital. He hurried over to them. “The doctor hasn’t come out yet.”

Gertrude looked pale. “We heard about an accidental electrocution on the radio.”

“He was caught unplugging the computer, the metal prongs were still in the outlet when the surge hit,” said Fenton. He took a deep breath. “Let’s sit down and wait.”

Frank wasn’t sure he could sit still for any length of time but he was saved from trying when the emergency room doctor came out into the waiting area. He nodded to the four of them. “Hardy family?”

Laura shot to her feet. “Yes, I’m his mother. How’s Joe?”

“I’m Doctor Millson.” He led the way to a chair and sat down. “Your son is physically fine. He has some mild red spots where he was holding the controller but his heart rhythm is good, he’s breathing well...”

Frank felt a cold chill slide down his spine. “But?”

“He won’t wake up. We’ve checked his vitals. He’s not in a coma.” Millson looked over at Frank. “I understand you found him. Did he hit his head on anything?”

Frank shook his head. “I don’t know. The floor? He was sitting down, playing a game.”

Millson sighed. “I don’t know either. He’s not responsive to any of the normal stimuli that would wake someone up. It’s almost like he refuses to wake up.”

Laura frowned. “I don’t understand. If he’s not in a coma...”

“Mrs. Hardy, the human brain has yet to be fully explored. I can run a dozen tests that all tell me he’s doing nothing more than sleeping but until he opens his eyes and responds to stimuli, I can’t release him.”

Frank cleared his throat. “Does the fact that he was playing a role-playing video game have anything to do with it?”

Millson shook his head. “I wouldn’t think so. Video games are better for hand-eye coordination rather than kick-starting the brain. In fact it’s been shown that many game players’ brains slow down when they play games, barely responding to the visual cues of color and display.”

Gertrude stared around the waiting area as if she wasn’t really seeing the sturdy chairs or hearing the blare of the television. “We’d like to see him.”

“Of course.” Millson got to his feet. “I’ll have the admitting nurse get started with his admit papers. We’ll move him to a semi-private room in about an hour.”

Laura watched the young doctor go and shook her head. “I don’t understand it. What happened?”

Frank watched the lightning outside for a moment. “Dad, can I borrow the car?”

Fenton looked over at him. “Why?”

“I have a hunch.”

Fenton whispered something to Laura and then got to his feet. He walked to the double doors, stopping just short of the sensor. Frank joined him a moment later. “Hunch about what?” Fenton asked.

“What if the power surge wasn’t an accident?”

Fenton gave his son a surprised look. “Frank, you don’t play with high-voltage power lines in the middle of an electrical storm.”

“But if you knew the storm was coming...”

Fenton didn’t look convinced but he handed over the keys to his sedan. “Be careful. Don’t touch anything.”

Frank nodded and pocketed the keys. He had every intention of finding out the truth.

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