Last chapter!
I do not own the Hardy Boys.
Enjoy!

Fenton just stared at the house he had considered home for the last couple of decades. IT was empty; that was only the beginning of the list of words that had come to his head during the past hours.

It felt as if he was the last member of the family to survive. He wanted to believe that Laura would be alright, but he couldn't be sure. Those damn assassins have already taken both of his sons, so who was to say she wouldn't be next someday?

Corruption. So that's what this had been about all along. But why had the assassins approached the issue the way they did? Couldn't they have done something less drastic?

Of course not. They're killers, after all.

The phone rang, filling the empty house.

Fenton picked it up, having a feeling that he already knew who was on the other end of the line. "Snake."

"There are many things that I find interesting about you, Fenton. It's hard to know where to start…"

"Cut the crap. I want my wife back."

"Of course you do. But who's to say you don't hate her?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You remind me of Rousseau. He was a philosopher during the Enlightenment period. And you know what he said?"

"I don't-"

"He hated individual people. They were all savages deep down. However, society as a whole was a good thing. Hated individuals, loved everyone… doesn't it sound familiar?"

When Fenton didn't respond, the assassin continued.

"Every person that you've met, you've shunned for one reason or another. You couldn't even love your sons and their flaws. Yet, you stop those you threaten society to make sure that society thrives."

"I had more reasons than that."

"So you believe. But I know you better than you know yourself." There was some kind of pride in that voice that shook Fenton deep down. "By the way, there's a package at your front door."

With that, the assassin hung up.

The first image to strike the PI's mind was the body of his wife, lifeless and bloody, sitting on the front steps. He forced the idea out of his head. No, they wouldn't kill her… At least, he hoped not.

Instead, he was greeted with a familiar-looking box. His heart sank when he saw it.

Quietly, he picked it up and brought it into his study. His mind shielded him from the memory of almost the exact same incident. Even the sight of the jar of ashes and the note (He should be placed next to his brother.), he didn't lash out in anger or fear.

When he placed the two jars of ashes next to each other, all he could do was stare. And once the jars were side by side, by broke out into tears.

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Hawk walked down the stairs quietly, not knowing exactly what to expect. The figure hunched over in the corner wasn't on her list of what she thought she could see, however.

"Snake let you out, then?"

"More like forced me." He let out a hollow chuckle. "He thinks that I'll go crazy since I just died a second time."

"Second time?" She shook her head. "I could of done it instead. Make Fenton vow to kill me for killing Joseph."

"No. You're supposed to drop off the face of existence, remember?" He still didn't take his gaze away from the floor. "No matter what, you have to survive to teach him."

"You act like you'll die. Snake won't let you."

"I know. It's just… I never really gave much thought about how'll it end. What am I supposed to do after this?"

"Move on like the rest of us, I guess." She paused for a moment. "I'm watching Laura too, right?"

"Yeah. You're the babysitter. Snake's gonna be killing like crazy. What else is new?"

She watched the other with wary eyes. "You think your only purpose in life is that one moment, don't you?"

"I promised him, Hawk. I swore that I would do it, or die trying."

"He told you he didn't want you to die. You already died twice, anyways. A third time won't help."

"I know, I know," was the mumbled response she received.

A lost cause, she mused to herself. She turned to go up the stairs, when a sudden thought struck her.

"Is Snake really your id?"

The figure shrugged in response. "I don't know anymore. I don't care anymore. He's just the other side of the coin that lives within me."

"And you don't care which side is facing up."

"Not anymore. For all I care, Snake could take over."

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The gun fit in his hand with ease. He didn't understand why, but it just did. Not that he was in the mood to question it.

"Are you going to say goodbye?" Hawk asked quietly. "He has a death wish, after all."

"Yeah. Whatever."

He held onto the gun, his new partner in life.

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Laura sat quietly, crying. It shouldn't have been this way…

But she couldn't do anything about it. The problem had been taken out of her hands long ago.

It's not fair! They shouldn't be the ones to suffer…

But even as she thought about what she could possibly do, she realized it was too late.

If only…

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Snake watched quietly as the car disappeared from sight. It was his job now. His and his alone.

The others were gone. No more support. Only emptiness and the shadows were behind him.

"I want both of you to surpass me."

"You must be kidding."

"If you both surpass me, we'll be fine."

"No. Were all gonna get better. All at the same level, knowing different things. We'll be unstoppable that way."

Unstoppable was a good goal to aim for. It wouldn't be too hard to reach, either. After all, one had to be close to the top spot in order to kill both Franklin and Joseph Hardy.

And that's only the beginning. Right Fenton?

This chapter is short, but there are some clues about Snake in there. However, if you have any idea/guess about Snake, please do not ask through a review. If you must, you can message be (but more than likely, I won't tell you straight out if you're right or not).

There is going to be a sequel. "Shattering the Glass" will be rated T, however, because I'm saving the blood for later times.

Finally, a giant thank you to everyone who read (and reviewed, if accplicable) this!