The next day was busy. Frank and Joe were allowed to sleep in fairly late, then roused gently for breakfast. Frank woke looking a little bewildered, and then laughed delightedly when he realized that he was home. He hugged Fenton and scrambled out of bed, proclaiming that he was hungry enough to eat an entire table full of food. Fenton chuckled and told him he would have to settle for a plate or two of bacon and eggs. Frank said that'd work, and left for downstairs.
Joe did not say anything when he got up, only looked at Fenton for a few moments as if he were an alien. Joe looked like he might not have slept as well as his brother did. After a moment, he confessed to Fenton that he'd had bad dreams.
Fenton picked the little boy up and hugged him for a few moments. "I don't doubt it," he told him. "I sometimes have bad dreams because of things that happen while I'm on a case."
Joe goggled at him. "You do?"
Fenton smiled at the incredulous look on Joe's face. "Unfortunately, yes. Bad dreams aren't limited to kids, I'm afraid." He gently mussed Joe's already wild hair. "But that's okay. They'll fade. Tell ya what. I'll camp up here tonight, eh? See if we can't convince those dreams that they're not welcome here."
Joe grinned a little, and nodded.
"Then it's settled. In the meantime, let's get some breakfast. We've got to go down to the police station and give statements." He set Joe down, but kept a hold of his hand. He sighed quietly, looking at the boy's colorful skin. Sometimes he wished that he had a license to kill, like James Bond. It was a horrible thing to think, and he never told anyone, but that didn't stop him thinking it.
Breakfast was fairly traditional, bacon and eggs, but Frank and Joe declared it the best breakfast in the world. After nearly a week of the less-than-fantastic fare they'd been given, this was not surprising.
When the boys were finished eating, and got dressed, Fenton pulled Frank aside. "I just want to say I'm proud of you, son," he said, making Frank cock his head and give him an inquiring look. Fenton had already said that, to the both of them, the previous day, after all. The detective smiled. "For taking care of Joe. I know you were very sacred, yourself, but you still took care of him, and I am proud of that." He smiled, seeing the look of modest pleasure at this praise, and reached out to hug the boy. "Come on, let's head down to the police station. You guys still need to tell the chief what went on."
Frank nodded. "Okay." He and Joe were ushered into the car, again sharing the front seat, and they all headed for the station.
The chief was there, of course, and he greeted the Hardy's cordially, in an exceptionally good mood. "Figured you would be in today," said the chief. "Come to give your statements?"
Fenton nodded. "And hopefully to hear how things turned out, if that's possible."
"It is possible," the chief said. "Let's go back into my office."
There were only two chairs in the chief's office, save for the one behind the desk, so Frank and Joe crammed into one of them. It took some creative arranging, but they both managed to fit with minimal discomfort. Collig chuckled at the spectacle. "All right, boys, I need to know the story, everything that happened. I'm going to be recording you, okay?" He indicated a small, digital sound recorder on the desk, and switched it on. "Brought this up this morning, since I knew you'd be in today."
The two boys looked at each other, and Joe shrugged. "You go first," said Frank, feeling a little shy, especially about being recorded.
"Okay." And so Joe spun the tale, which was laced with colorful insults towards the bad guys, some anger, and a good deal of indignation. It was accurate enough, but one of the more interesting statements the chief had ever taken. It was amazing how creative kids could get with the insults without uttering a single swear word.
Once Joe was done, it was Frank's turn. Hearing his brother's report seemed to give him a bit more nerve, and so he wasn't nervous when he told his version of the story. Of course the two tales coincided, although Frank's was a little more objectively related.
The chief smiled at the boys once they were done, and clicked off the recorder. "Very good, boys." He shook his head, looking a bit amused, a bit disapproving. "Rash, though, I've got to say. Don't know why I'm surprised; you're Fenton's sons, after all."
Frank and Joe looked a little bit uncertainly at their father, who was simply smirking a bit. He was the first to admit there were times when he had acted without a whole lot of foresight, and sometimes ended up doing something pretty stupid.
Collig continued. "But I will say this: you were certainly courageous, and I'm fairly impressed with how you two handled the whole thing."
This compliment made Frank turn red about the cheeks, and made Joe beam brightly. "Thanks!" Joe exclaimed.
Frank nodded in agreement, then changed the subject. "So what happened to the bad guys?" he asked.
Collig sighed, shaking his head despairingly. "Another trait you inherited, a tendency to be exceedingly nosy." But it was clear he was only teasing. Fenton snorted in reply to this. "We did manage to get them all, at least the ones that were at the compound. The guys in the chopper caught five or so of them trying to escape in their own chopper, but a few guns pointed their way and the assurance that our choppers could fly rings around theirs convinced them to give up without much resistance. Everyone is now tucked away in a nice, cozy prison cell."
Frank and Joe, particularly, looked rather satisfied with this information. "Yeah, see how they like it!" Joe exclaimed. A good night's sleep in his own bed and the reassurance that he was home safe had done wonders to restore the boy's spirits.
"There'll be a trial," the chief went on, "and you boys will very likely be called as witnesses. Because of your youth, your interviews will likely be done in a private room."
"Aww," said Joe, his tone disappointed. "We won't get to go up on the witness stand?"
Collig blinked. "Well, I suppose so," he said. "I guess that's ultimately up to the judge. Most kids would be intimidated by the whole courtroom thing."
"We wouldn't," said Frank earnestly.
"They are capable of handling such, I believe," said Fenton. "I would be okay with it."
Collig shrugged. "Then I don't see a problem with it. I don't see why the judge would not agree. But at any rate, there'll be a trial. The higher-ups are being held without bail, although some of the peons are being allowed out pending the trial so long as there's someone that can arrange the bail money." He looked seriously at Fenton. "I would strongly suggest keeping the boys around the house until the trial." He looked down at the boys, whom he fully expected to protest this statement. "And this has nothing to do with your youth. They already went after you once, there's no reason they would not do so again, if only to keep you from testifying."
Joe looked a little rebellious, but even he saw the wisdom of this. "I guess," he said.
"Now that's not to say you have to be grounded to your home," Collig said, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "Just that you should probably have an adult with you wherever you happen to be."
"What about Berkley?" Fenton asked. In the excitement, he never had asked how things had gone between Collig and the corrupt detective.
"Astonishingly enough, he surrendered without a fight, when confronted with Riley's story. He just sort of shrugged and said, 'You win some, you lose some.' He's not actually one of the group, but he was taking bribes." Collig shook his head. "Any cop that turns crooked is worse than the criminals, in my opinion."
"A hypocrite, if nothing else," Fenton agreed."
Collig leaned back in his chair, and added, "Oh, and that compound they were using. I did some research on the place. Apparently until fairly recently, it had been used as a sort of home base for some sort of strange Armageddon cult. About five years ago, this drug ring purchased the property and have been using it for their own home base since. The area's been built up a whole lot since then."
"Weird," said Frank, and Joe asked what an Armageddon cult was.
Fenton explained first what Armageddon was, and then that there were people who firmly believed that it was nearly upon the world, and stockpiled food, water, and supplies. They holed up in bunkers, in the hopes of surviving whatever it was that would end the world.
"Well, said Collig. "Unless you've any more questions, I believe we're finished here."
The Hardys stood, and Fenton and the chief shook hands. "Thanks, Chief," said Fenton.
Collig waved it off. "No need. It's my duty, you know. I've got to get my hand in things once in a while or I'll lose my edge." He bent slightly to shake the boys' hands as well. "Be careful, guys."
"We will," the brothers replied in unison. The Hardys left amongst a "jinx-double jinx" competition from having spoken together.
That night, Fenton did, indeed, camp out with the boys. Frank and Joe shared Frank's bed again, and Fenton borrowed Joe's hammock. Before turning his bedside lamp off, Frank looked at his brother and grinned. "You know what?" he said quietly.
"What?"
"We're gonna be great detectives!'
Joe grinned slowly and raised his fist in the air. "Yeah!" he agreed. "We'll be the best in the world!"
He got no argument from Frank, and with this thought in mind, the Hardy boys settled down into sleep.