Chapter 1: The Road

The New York air was arid and chilly. People from all walks of life strolled through the long, busy streets of the city, passing the day by. A flock of pigeons shuffled around and flew up into the sky as the feet of two college boys stomped past them. The two boys were dressed in fairly heavy jackets and jeans and carried around backpacks as they stormed through the streets of NYC. With terrified looks on their faces, the two boys ran as if their lives depended on it. Everyone they past by turned their heads to watch them as they scrambled towards an upscale Manhattan hotel. As they entered the chic hotel, they didn't bother to stop until they reached the confines of their hotel room. One of the boys – the one with short, black hair – shoved a keycard into the slot and pushed the door open.

Slamming the door shut behind them, the two boys hurried into the room and checked the TV. The brown-haired boy hastily grabbed the remote control off the couch and jabbed at the 'on' button. The news channel came up broadcasting reports of a bombing at a museum and showed an image of an old, gray building up in flames and smoke.

"Jay!" the brown-haired boy shouted to the other boy behind him who was desperately trying to get a hold of someone on the phone.

"We're still waiting for a report on casualties and details are hard to come by, but police are not ruling out the use of a bomb. Two men were seen fleeing the scene," the female reporter announced.

"They're talking about us! She's talking about us!" the brown-haired boy repeated.

"I know! I know, Tyler! Calm down!" Jay told his friend.

Tyler sunk into the couch and rubbed his face. Breathing heavily and sweating profusely, he sighed and licked his dry lips. Though they were both frightened and panicked, Jay tried his best to remain level-headed and calm. He walked over to the window then back over to Tyler; he was obviously thinking up a plan. It was hard to think, though, as the police sirens wailed, magnifying their fear.

"Where the hell is Will?" Jay wondered as he attempted to dial the number on his phone again.

"Will is dead!" Tyler screamed, grabbing at his feathery brown hair.

"We don't know that!" Jay retorted, hoping whoever Will was was still alive.

"He was in there!"

"We don't know that!" Jay said once again. "Look, we haven't done anything wrong. Let's just take a breath then go to the police. Okay? They can handle this!"

As Jay attempted to comfort his unnerved friend, Tyler clenched his palm over his mouth so as to keep his insides from rushing up. However, seconds later, he jumped to his feet and headed towards the bathroom. Left alone in the living room of their hotel suite, Jay nervously ran his fingers through his soft black hair. Glancing down, he saw the book On the Road by Jack Kerouac; it was a famous book about a man and his friend who take a road trip through America. It was the basis for all this, for their road trip. Jay quietly picked up the book as his eyes glazed and his mind wandered back to the previous day.

Yale Graduate Housing – One Day Ago

Outside a blue, two-story house in New Haven, Connecticut, Jay Burchell grabbed his cellphone from the front seat of Tyler's blue SUV. His friend, Will – a blue-eyed young man with slicked back, dark brown hair – handed him a book. Slung around his shoulder was a large backpack full of his things.

"Our guide book," Will said as he handed Jay the novel. "Jack Kerouac wrote the great American novel in less than three weeks! The guy didn't need to invent the adventures of Dean Moriarty and Sal Paradise, he lived them!"

"They teach you that at Chemical Engineering?" Tyler teased as he sent a message on his fancy cellphone.

Snatching his friend's phone out of his hands, Will pocketed it and replied, "I am not a chemical engineer for the next two months. And you aren't a venture capitalist and you are definitely not a lawyer. No, for the next two months we are professional vagabonds – Moriarty and Paradise living between the east of our youth -"

"And the west of our future," Jay finished for him as he read from the back of the book.

"Exactly."

Grabbing both of his friends by their shoulders, Will put his arms around them and stared up at the house which the three of them lived in for two years. It was a great two years filled with fun and long-lasting memories none of them hoped to forget. On the other hand, it was finally time to leave. As the three college graduates looked up at their former home, Will offered a eulogy, "Well, looks like it's time to say goodbye to the castle."

The three friends stood in front of their "castle" for a moment of silence until Will shoved both his friends forward and shouted, "Shotgun!"

Playfully laughing, he ran around the SUV to the passenger seat while Jay and Tyler argued over who was driving. Jay walked towards the driver's seat, but Tyler teasingly shoved him out of the way and dangled the car keys in front of him. As Jay mourned his loss, Tyler got into the front seat and strapped in his seatbelt. Jay opened the door to the back seat and tossed his backpack inside. Before he could get in, though, Tyler stepped on the gas pedal, moving the car forward several feet.

"C'mon guys," Jay pleaded as he reached for the car door.

Tyler stopped the car, but only long enough for Jay to get the door open. Forcing Jay to chase the car, Tyler and Will sat beside one another enjoying a laugh.

"Hey, c'mon! We're adults now! Be mature," Jay told his friends.

As Tyler stopped the car, Will looked out from his window and shrugged, "Okay, okay, we're just kiddin'."

However, Tyler drove onwards once more while Jay reached for the car door. "Quit playing games, guys!" Jay shouted, getting annoyed. Unfortunately, his friends continued tormenting him till they finally got to the end of the block and Jay hopped into the back seat.

After hours of driving, the three friends finally reached New York City, the Big Apple, the City that Never Sleeps. Tyler stopped the SUV in front of a grandiose hotel that no college students could have afforded. One of the concierges welcomed them to the city as the three friends stepped out of their cars.

"Wow! You booked us here?" Jay asked as he stared up at the swanky, extravagant hotel.

"I figured it's our last night to live like kings. After this, it's all motels and camp grounds all the way to San Francisco!" Will replied as he took the car keys from a valet. "You guys go ahead and check in. I'll go park the car."

"They got valet," Tyler noted.

"I know a place on 51st that's half the price. Don't worry; I'll be back in a sec," Will replied as he got into the driver's seat.

While Will drove away to park their car, Jay and Tyler headed up to their suite. A porter carried the rest of their bags up to the room while Jay and Tyler carried their own backpacks. The hotel suite Will had booked for them was quite ritzy; it had a living and dining room, three separate bedrooms, and a bathroom with a bathtub and shower installed. There was a fine, suede couch in the middle of the living room along with a carved wooden coffee table and a wide-screen TV. Jay inspected one of the rooms and discovered it came with a king-sized bed, a mini bar, a closet, and even a TV. He smiled and tapped the wall as he returned to the living room, where the Porter and Tyler were.

The tall, burly, African-American man set the luggage down on the floor and asked, "Are you gentlemen in town for business or pleasure?" There was a genuine kindness in his voice as he looked up at the two boys and smiled.

"Definitely pleasure," Tyler answered as he grabbed a champaign bottle from an iced bucket on the coffee table.

"You on a road trip?" the Porter asked. Noticing he had piqued the boys' curiosity and paranoia, he explained himself. "I can tell from the bags. I like to guess where our guests are headed based on their luggage."

"That's a cool trick," Jay commented as he reached into his pocket for a bill.

"Yeah, and we plan on starting our trip with a bang. So, if you can arrange a limo for us this evening, we'd be in your debt," Tyler interceded, putting his arm around the Porter. He handed the man a fifty dollar bill and flashed him a big, toothy grin.

Smiling back, the Porter replied, "Of course sir. The concierges will have a car waiting."

Tyler slapped the Porter on the shoulder as he turned and left. Jay waved a 'goodbye' to the kind man as Tyler walked past him to pick up the champaign bottle he was inspecting earlier.

"You know you don't have to pay for everything," Jay told his friend.

"Don't you remember? We said Will would handle the planning, I would cover major expenses, and you would keep us out of trouble. And of the three, I'd say you got the hardest job," Tyler reminded Jay as he popped open a bottle of champaign.

Later than evening, the boys spent their night relaxing and having fun at a popular Manhattan nightclub. With a sprawling bar and beautiful women all over the place, the boys were sure to have a night of festivity. The three boys were dressed fairly nicely; Tyler wore a maroon dress shirt, Jay wore a navy blue dress shirt, and Will wore a gray t-shirt under a black sports jacket. As Tyler sat at the bar enjoying the company of several gorgeous women, Jay and Will sat inattentively on a couch nursing drinks. In Will's hands was a video camera, which he pointed at Jay's face. The boys had to yell in order to speak to one another because the music was so loud. The booming bass pounded the speakers set all around the club while the clubbers' feet stamped the floor.

"You take that thing everywhere?" Jay asked, pointing out Will's camera.

"You'll thank me for this someday!" Will exclaimed as he tried to get a shot of Jay, who incessantly pushed the camera out of his face.

"Hey, ladies, we didn't come to the most exclusive club in Manhattan to play wallflower!" Tyler interrupted, slamming his hands on the couch. "Now, I've got three interns from Vogue over there looking for dance partners, but if we don't act fast they'll be taken off the market."

"Sorry, but some of us have girlfriends!" Jay protested.

"No you, Jay, have a girlfriend, but if you take advantage of your time with me tonight and you might just make that girlfriends," Tyler accosted him.

Jay grimaced at Tyler as his cellphone began to ring. He reached for it, but Tyler's quick hands snatched it from him before he could answer.

"Oh speak of the devil!" Tyler remarked as he saw Kim's name on the cellphone.

"Hey, give it back!" Jay ordered, trying to take his phone back.

"Hold on. You'll thank me for this," Tyler said, trying to calm Jay down, as he answered the phone. "Hi, Kim! It's Tyler. Jay's gonna call you back in like – what – two months. Okay. Bye."

"What the hell man?" Jay asked with a pissed off look on his face.

Tyler tossed the phone back to his friend and defensively waved his hands in front of him. "I'm just doing that for you, Jay. These are your last two months of freedom! You need to enjoy them! Stop worrying about the old ball-and-chain at home and enjoy yourself for once."

"We'll be there in a minute," Will negotiated.

"One minute!" Tyler repeated as he got up and left. "I'll be waiting!"

With Tyler gone, Will turned to Jay and said, "That's the third time she's called. Doesn't want you to go on this trip, huh?"

Jay shook his head and muttered, "She's not the only one having second thoughts."

Nodding, Will took a sip of his drink, closed his video camera, and sat back against the soft couch. "Gotta see the world before you can change it, right?"

"Yeah, I gotta pay off twenty-thousand in loans too."

"Well, I'm sure the bank of Tyler would be happy to help. Cha-ching!" Will commented.

"Don't even start with that."

"He's just pushing your buttons, man. We all wanna get the most out of this trip, right?"

"Sure," Jay answered hesitantly.

Noticing the doubt in his voice, Will added, "Jay, c'mon, you're doing the right thing here. A trip like this – you take time to step off the path and see what really makes this country tick – it could change your life."

Jay nodded and genuinely smiled. With his words seemingly getting through Jay's thick skull, Will said, "Alright? Now, do whatever damage control you gotta do and come out here and get your groove on!"

Playfully dancing in front of Jay, Will got up off the couch and headed towards Tyler. Laughing, Jay shoved his friend forward and teased him for looking like such an idiot. He shook his head and smiled wholeheartedly as he called Kim back.

The next day, the bright, orange, morning sun rose high above the bustling city. In their ritzy hotel suite, Tyler had fallen asleep on the suede couch, his face planted on the arm of the couch. He was still in the clothes he wore the night before and on the ground beside him was an empty bottle of liquor. As his languid body heaved up and down, Will came quietly from behind and grabbed one of the throw pillows by Tyler's feet.

"Wake up call!" he chanted as he slammed the pillow down against Tyler's head. A groan escaped Tyler's lips as he grabbed the side of his head and proceeded to sit up. Tapping his hands against Tyler's back, Will added, "Rise and shine. We got a lot to do today."

Walking across the living room floor, Will stood beside Jay who was performing his daily routine. Every morning after he woke up, Jay also did a set of one-hundred sit-ups followed by one-hundred push-ups. He counted to one hundred and stopped. Laying down chest first on the carpet for a moment, Jay turned over and looked up at his friend.

"If you're done, I have an unforgettable way to start our trip," Will said with a mischievous smile on his face.

Sitting up, Jay smiled and shook his head. The expression on his face said he knew whatever Will's idea was, it was definitely going to cause some trouble.

Once the three friends were dressed up and ready to go, they headed down to the Drexler Museum, New York's oldest art museum. It was an enormous, stone palace surrounded by flights of stairs and filled with various forms of art. A banner reading 'The Presidential Collection' hung over the front entrance of the building. At the foot of the front staircase, Will, Jay, and Tyler stood beside a hotdog vendor. Jay squeezed a trail of ketchup onto his hotdog and chomped down on it as Will began to explain his little idea.

"Will can I just say how proud of you I am right now," Tyler told his friend as he chewed on a piece of his hotdog.

"Rumor is that Kerouac streaked this place back in '47 as a screw-you to New York establishment," Will said, squeezing mustard onto his hotdog.

"This is genius. My grandmother used to drag me here when I was a little kid like once a month," Tyler replied.

"I figure we race to the top, first one out doesn't have to drive to Chicago."

"What – like that med school prank?"

"Yeah, except we'll actually have clothes on and we'll be using roller blades instead of wheelchairs," Will said matter-of-factly.

"That was like two years ago. We're not in grad anymore," Jay warned his friends.

"Here we go again," Tyler sighed.

"Look, you said it was my job to keep us out of trouble. Things are a little different now," Jay replied.

"Jay, it's a prank. The worst were gonna get is a slap on the wrist," Will said, trying to persuade his friend to go along with the idea.

"Or a misdemeanor," Jay rebutted.

"So what if we get in a little bit of trouble?"

"Tyler, there's a difference between getting hired by a major law firm and going to work for your dad."

"You know what, Jay? Wake up! Because in two months, that law firm is gonna run your life and this might be your last chance to actually do something memorable with your life."

"Whoa! Whoa!" Will shouted as he played peace-keeper between his two friends. "If we do this thing, we're gonna do it together, okay? We said that from day one on this trip."

"So you're putting this on me now?" Jay asked.

"If you're out, we all are," Will replied.

Jay glanced back and forth between his friends. Will took a bite out of his hotdog and gave Jay a knowing smile. Tyler on the other hand looked at his friend with arrogance as if taunting him. Grinning, Jay took a step towards Tyler and said, "If I win, Tyler keeps his mouth shut about Kim for the rest of the trip."

"Oh it is on! It is on my friend!" Tyler barked as he finished his hotdog. Mockingly, Jay took a giant bite out of his hotdog and ate it with his mouth open in front of Tyler.

Chuckling, Will slapped both his friends in the chest and made a run for the Drexler Museum entrance. Jay and Tyler followed quickly behind, shoving each other as they raced to the top of the stairs. Inside the museum, the three friends headed to the upper-most level of the building. Surveying the guards and exits as he readied his video camera, Will watched his two friends strap in their rollerblades.

"Haven't done this since hockey season," Jay muttered as he strapped on the laces of his blades.

"No, don't make excuses," Tyler teased him. "It's just like riding a bike."

"Okay, you guys head down first. I'll be right behind you videotaping the whole thing," Will said as he turned on his camera.

"What if we split up?" Jay asked.

"We'll meet outside in the northeast corner."

"Alright! I'm in!" Tyler cheered as he finished strapping his rollerblades onto his feet.

Standing atop the highest set of stairs, Jay and Tyler both grabbed opposite sides of the gold railing. Making sure none of the guards were watching, they looked at Will to make the starting announcement. Pointing the video camera at his best friends' faces, Will nodded to them and said, "Good luck."

Glancing at each other, Jay and Tyler meet eye and eye and smiled. Excited, the two boys nodded at one another and tore down the stairs on their skates. As his two friends raced down the stairs and around the corner, the smile on Will's face disappeared, replaced by an almost sad visage, and he shut off his camera.

The sound of Jay and Tyler's roaring skates disrupted the silent ambiance of the museum. Tearing through the crowded museum, Jay and Tyler startled bystanders and museum goers wherever they went. Tyler dodged a man walking past him as he turned back to look at Jay, who was only mere inches away. Slowing down a little, the two boys grabbed the railing along the staircase and noisily made their way down. Landing in front of a group of tourists, the boys laughed at one another and continued their race down a second flight of stairs. The people at the bottom of the steps were forced to jump out of the way as Tyler landed in front of them with Jay close behind. Smiling at his imminent victory, Tyler spun around an old man looking at a painting and sped down a hall. Behind him, Jay did his best to catch up and grabbed at a wall as he almost fell. Though everyone's attention was on the two boys skating through the museum, it quickly changed to the ringing fire alarm.

Jay and Tyler both came to a stop and looked around as the fire alarm continued to sound. From the end of the hallway, a guard ran around the corner and hollered at them. Chuckling happily, the two boys turned and made a run for it. As Jay and Tyler escaped from the guard, they passed by dozens of people making their way towards the nearest exit. Jay and Tyler both fell as they skated around a corner and ran into a large group of people. Helping one another up, the two boys raced around the crowd and quickly rolled down the hallway. Seeing the exit only a few yards away, Tyler pushed through the people attempting to get out while Jay held onto the strap of his backpack.

"Excuse us! Sorry!" Tyler yelled as he hurried towards the door.

Pushing their way through the front door, Tyler and Jay cautiously headed down the stone staircase along with others fleeing from the museum. A few seconds later, the guard appeared from the museum and looked around for the two pranksters. Unfortunately for him, they had gotten away, disappeared into the thick crowd of bystanders stampeding out of the Drexler.

At the northeast corner of the museum, Tyler and Jay skated to a stop. Holding onto one of the columns, Tyler stopped and took off his backpack. He reached down to take off his skates while Jay sat on the ground to unstrap his.

"Huh? Huh!? How was that?" Tyler triumphantly cheered.

"Not bad," Jay admitted as he began to put on his sneakers.

"Not bad? That was awesome!" Tyler corrected him. "By the way, you're driving to Chi-Town."

"No way! That was blatant interference!"

"No, I was first through the door," Tyler laughed.

Jay vehemently shook his head as he reached for his cellphone and dialed Will's number. Before he could even say hello, Will asked, "Did you get out?"

"Will?"

"Did you get out?" Will pressed.

"Yeah, we're at the northeast corner. Where are you?" Jay asked. Behind him, Tyler stood up and raised his arms in the air.

"I'm sorry I had to do this," Will said gravely.

The smiling, cheerful looks on Jay and Tyler's faces began to fade away. Jay's excited disposition changed into a worried one while Tyler's wide grin contorted into an expression of bafflement.

"Do what?" Jay wanted to know.

There was a moment of silence then suddenly a deafening explosion erupted behind them. The thunderous roar of the explosion rocked everything around, causing Jay and Tyler to fall on their feet. Shards of glass and shattered stone rocketed away from the Drexler Museum as people all around the building collapsed onto the ground. Rising from the debris around them, Jay and Tyler looked up to see pillars of black smoke and raging fires rise from the decimated museum. It felt as if something huge was blocking their ears and every sound that came to them was drowned out. Black soot permeated their faces and their hair was disheveled. Staring at the monstrous sight before them with wide eyes, they couldn't think about anything else but their friend.

Jay muttered Will's name into his cellphone, but when no answer came, he anxiously screamed, "Will!"

After hysterically running through the streets of Manhattan, Jay and Tyler finally reached their hotel room. Short of breath, they watched the news as news channels everywhere reported the Drexler Bombing. Live news coverage showed police cars sitting outside the ruins of the old museum while firemen raced out of their red trucks and hosed down the burning building. There were several ambulances at the scene, wheeling a few people away on stretchers.

"Manhattan is locking its doors. All public transportation is temporarily suspended and in a city of four-point-five million commuters, tensions are high," one reporter said.

"The east wing of New York's oldest art museum is still burning. Three guards have been rushed to Bellevue Hospital and are in critical condition, but miraculously, no casualties have been counted," another newscaster announced.

"All of Will's stuff is gone! There's no way he could've beaten us back here!" Tyler nervously yelled as he ripped off his jacket.

"This footage from the Drexler security video clearly shows two men fleeing the museum. They appear to be using rollerblades. The suspects are Caucasian in their late twenties. Authorities are asking anyone with information to please call the city's terrorism hotline."

"They're calling us terrorists!" Tyler angrily said to Jay. He quickly headed over to his room and grabbed his belongings. Unzipping his backpack, he began to throw everything inside it.

"What are you doing?"

"Get changed!" Tyler replied, throwing a jacket to Jay. "My dad's got a great lawyer downtown – "

"We got a lawyer right here!" Jay said defensively.

"It's a real lawyer!"

"I am a real lawyer!" Jay responded, apparently agitated.

"Well then stop pretending that this isn't happening, Jay! Will apologized right before the museum exploded! By the time we get back here, all his stuff's gone and our faces are on TV!"

"What are you trying to say?" Jay asked, not believing his friend was actually blaming their other friend for what was happening. "You think Will framed us for this? There's no reason our best friend – the guy we've lived with for two years – would do this!"

"Well, I'd be happy to ask him what he was thinking, but he's not here now, is he?" Tyler replied sarcastically.

"Then we call the cops and let them look for him!" Jay suggested. When he realized Tyler wouldn't listen, he walked over to his friend and forcefully turned him around. "C'mon! This is our friend we're talking about."

New York FBI Field Office

The New York Field Office at One Federal Plaza was a rather big building. It was a couple stories high lined with one-way windows that reflected the gray sky. Inside were hundreds of FBI agents doing their best to track down the terrorists who blew up the Drexler only moments ago. In the center of the bullpen – the Field Office's center of operations – was Special Agent-in-Charge Fred Chambers. Agent Chambers was a tall, Caucasian man with a neat haircut that was slicked back and deep blue eyes. Ever the professional, he was always wearing a suit. Today, he was wearing an all black outfit with a white dress shirt underneath and a blue and red tie. Sitting down beside him was his second-in-command – a Hispanic agent by the name of Guillermo Borjes. Agent Borjes was a few inches shorter than Chambers and had a squarer face with a lean, athletic body. He wore a navy blue suit with a matching black tie. Sitting across from him at the table was an African-American woman named Jan Marlow. Agent Marlow was another member of the FBI team tasked with tracking down and apprehending the suspected terrorists. She was a short, lean woman with long, wavy, black hair and gleaming, brown eyes. Dressed in a pinstripe blouse and slacks, she sat at the table with a pen and notepad.

"This is Special Agent-in-Charge Fred Chambers," he introduced himself. "I understand I'm speaking to one of the suspects in the Drexler Museum bombing."

"Yes, this is Jay Burchell."

Chambers pressed down on a button on the telephone receiver and turned to his agents at the computers. Nodding, he said, "Start a workup."

His agents nodded in response and began triangulating Jay's location and finding information on him.

"I appreciate you for calling, Mr. Burchell. You're doing the right thing by contacting us."

"I want to make it clear that we had nothing to do with the bombing. We think a friend of ours was in the building when it exploded. His name's Will Traveler. He called us just before the bomb went off. If he's still alive, maybe he can help – he might've seen something useful," Jay said."

"So there's a third suspect?" Chambers asked.

"Y-yes, no I mean – " Jay stuttered. "Listen, I know how this sounds, but we were just rollerblading through the museum – it was just a prank."

"A prank that ended with one of the oldest and most valuable art museums in the city erupting in flames?"

"No! We had nothing to do with the bomb – I told you that!" Jay shouted. "It was just a prank!"

"A prank you pulled just before the museum exploded."

"It was an innocent joke!" Jay retorted. "And I'm pretty sure that FBI procedure does not allow you to put our faces on TV without a reasonable basis for suspicion!"

Agent Chambers sighed, apparently agitated with Jay Burchell. He looked down at Agent Marlow and noticed she had scribbled something into her notepad. Chambers turned the notepad so he could read it; scrawled across the page was 'lawyer?'.

"I suggest you calm down, Mr. Burchell," Chambers recommended. Behind him, the agents at the computer joined in a congratulatory sigh as they finally narrowed the location of the call. Turning, Chambers saw one of the men give him a thumbs up.

"Got him at Park Avenue between 49th and 54th," one of the agents informed Chambers.

"Keep him on the phone," Chambers whispered to Marlow as he slid the phone monitor towards her.

"Mr. Burchell, this is Special Agent Jan Marlow. I was curious if you were a lawyer?" Agent Marlow stalled.

At the hotel, Jay answered Marlow's question as Tyler leaned against the doorframe of his bedroom talking on his own cellphone. He appeared quite agitated; his hair was a mess, his body was shaking, and he continuously bit at her fingertips.

"Son, what the hell did I just see on TV?" Tyler's father, Carlton Fog, asked worriedly.

"Dad, listen to me, I can explain," Tyler said, trying to calm his father down.

Behind Tyler, Jay said into the phone, "Look I called to help, to tell you our friend was in the building. Please, just check the security tapes. He's about 5'10" wearing a blue track jacket."

"Got him!" one of the agents triumphantly yelled. Chambers quickly strode over to the agent's computer and hovered over his shoulder. He stared at the computer screen as the agent read, "Got him. Jason Burchell, Room 509, Worcester Park Hotel."

"How far out are our nearest units?" Agent Chambers wanted to know.

"Less than two minutes."

Glancing over at Agent Marlow, Chambers grabbed her attention and made a 'V' sign with his fingers, indicating she needed to keep him on the line for two more minutes. Agent Marlow nodded her head and continued speaking to Jay. It was getting tougher and tougher to keep him on the line as he got more scared and nervous about the situation.

"Alright, we'll check the tapes again. How does that sound?" Marlow said.

"Good."

Manhattan, NY Worcester Park Hotel

Back at the hotel room, Tyler stood beside the window, still speaking to his father. "Yesterday, over ten million shares of Holloway Insurance were sold on the stock market. Do you know what they cover?" Carlton Fog asked his son.

"Yeah, yeah, they specialize in fine art," Tyler replied.

"The Drexler Foundation to be exact. That means that somebody somewhere knew this was going to happen."

"Well, what should we do? Jay wants us to go to the cops," Tyler frantically asked.

"That isn't an option. If your faces are on TV then it isn't an accident."

"But Dad we weren't involved!"

"That hasn't stopped the authorities from screwing this family before. Innocent or not, you and Jay could be in very big trouble – your lives may even be in danger."

Sifting his fingers through his hair, Tyler sighed and leaned against the window. Moving aside the curtains with his hand, he noticed a stream of police cars – their sirens wailing as they barreled down the street. Tyler's eyes widened and he turned to grab Jay. "Dad, I'll call you back!" he shouted.

Jay turned, his hand still on the phone, and asked, "What? What is it?"

"Look outside," Tyler whispered back.

"Are those cars for us?" Jay, in awe, asked Agent Chambers.

"Burchell, this is Fred Chambers. You should come in; we can help you," Chambers replied, attempting to persuade Jay.

"No! I told you, you've got the wrong guys!" Jay screamed. Before he could say anymore, Tyler snatched the phone from him and closed it.

"It's time to go!" he told his friend. "I just talked to my dad. This is bigger than Will; people in very high places knew something was going to happen today. We have to get out of here, out of the city."

"If we run, we'll look guilty!"

"It's a little too late for that!" Tyler retorted as he grabbed his backpack. Suddenly the phone started to ring; however, neither Jay nor Tyler went to answer it. Turning to his friend, Tyler said, "Someone put our faces on TV; someone wants us to take the blame for this!"

Passing by his friend, Tyler grabbed the door handle and looked at Jay. "Jay, you of all people know that this can happen."

"We find Will," Jay suggested, spinning around, "He's the only one who can back up our alibi."

"Whatever gets you out of this room."

Sighing, Jay reached for his jacket and his backpack and joined his friend at the door. Tyler turned the doorknob a little and stared out through the peephole. There was no one outside the room, at least not yet. Looking down both sides of the hallway, Jay and Tyler closed the door behind them and hurried down the hall. The two boys quickly walked down the hallways, but stopped once they found a map pinned to a wall. Jay grabbed the map and took it with them as they headed for the nearest exit. Outside the hotel, a string of cop cars skidded to a stop at the front entrance and dozens of police officers flooded into the Worcester Park Hotel.

As Jay and Tyler read the map, a hotel security guard popped out of the elevator. He immediately noticed Jay and Tyler and shouted for them to stop. Panicking, Jay and Tyler shoved a door open, leading them into the hotel's staircase. They sprinted down the long flight of steps as a group of security guards chased after them. Luckily, Jay and Tyler were much quicker than the guards; they easily evaded them and were about to exit the staircase. However, Jay grabbed Tyler before he could open the door. Standing on the sides of the door, Jay looked through the curtains and saw a pair of FBI agents walking down the hallway. Jay and Tyler drew back and placed their backs against the wall, hoping the agents didn't notice them. Their hearts thumping with every step the guards and cops above and under them made, they anxiously waited for the FBI agents to disappear. A few seconds later, Jay looked outside again to see the agents had gone. Immediately, he and Tyler shot out of the staircase and ran through the hallway. Cautiously, they looked around to see where they should go. The two boys were about to head down a hallway, but spotted another FBI agent coming towards them. With sweat running down their backs, Jay and Tyler ran towards the closest door they could find. It led them into a janitorial closet. Taking refuge behind a laundry bin and cleaning supplies, Jay and Tyler crouched down and went through their options.

"Any more ideas?" Jay asked Tyler.

"Only one – we call in a bomb threat," Tyler suggested.

Jay quickly snapped his head towards Tyler and asked with mad eyes, "What? Are you crazy?"

"No, if there's any chance that we're tellin' the truth, they'd clear out the hotel," Tyler explained.

Suddenly, the sound of a key penetrating the keyhole and turning the locks shot through Jay and Tyler's ears. Reaching up at the laundry bin, they pulled out a couple white blankets to cover themselves with. Trying to remain as silent and still as possible, the two boys closed their eyes and hoped whoever had opened the door wouldn't notice them. As they crouched down hiding, they felt heavy footsteps coming towards them. Coming to a stop, the pair of polished black shoes led up to the Porter who had helped carried their luggage in. With a mocking smile on his face, he leaned over the laundry bin and ripped the blankets off of Jay and Tyler's bodies.

"You two are a long way from the luxury suite," he told them.

"We ran out of shampoo," Tyler innocently blurted.

Outside the closet, the three could hear the shuffling footsteps of FBI agents and police officers scrambling to find Jay and Tyler. The two boys both stared at the door, praying to God that it didn't open.

"Don't worry, I ain't no fan of the police," the Porter said, noticing the fear in Jay and Tyler's eyes.

"Look our friend might be in trouble. Unless we get out of here we're not gonna find him," Jay revealed.

"And we can pay," Tyler added.

"You don't got enough," the Porter replied. He eyed Tyler up and down until his eyes settled on the sparkling, gold Rolex watch on his wrist. Looking at Tyler, he said, "But I do like that watch."

Instantly, Tyler unstrapped the watch from his wrist and handed it over to the Porter. "It is all yours!"

As the Porter pocketed the watch, the sound of fists banging against the door interrupted their little conversation. Jay and Tyler fearfully jumped back against the wall as the person outside the door ordered, "NYPD, open the door!"

"One minute!" the Porter shouted back. Then to Jay and Tyler, he whispered, "This leads into the basement. Take the hall to your right – it leads into the building next door."

He pried open the small, gray door to the laundry chute and moved out of the way so Jay and Tyler could dive down it. As the police outside knocked once more, Tyler stepped into the chute and slid down.

"Hold on, I'm changing!" the Porter yelled, trying his best to stall the cops. Jay tossed his backpack into the laundry chute and stepped into it. He turned to the Porter one more time with a worried look on his face, prompting the Porter to reply, "Don't worry; you'll be fine."

New York FBI Field Office

In Agent Marlow's hands was a manila folder with several loose pieces of paper inside. The one on top had a picture of Jay along with most of his personal info. There was also a copy of his photo ID attached to the piece of paper. Agent Marlow read off pieces of Jay Burchell's information as she and Fred Chambers walked down a hallway on their way back to the bullpen.

"Jay Burchell – twenty-six, graduated Yale Law last week at the top five of his class, went to UCLA for undergrad, and grew up in a rough part of Long Beach, California."

"Any family?" Chambers asked.

"Has a mother named Felicia Cruz in Los Angeles. She holds multiple jobs – mainly housework."

"Father?"

"That's where it gets interesting," Marlow commented. "Sergeant William Burchell served in Iraq in 1992 – he was court marshaled for a for a friendly fire incident that killed five men, he took his own life a year later."

"That's a potential motive. It sounds like payback," Chambers replied.

From behind them, Agent Borjes walked in and announced, "We haven't been able to find anything on the name he gave us – Will Traveler. We checked DMV, NCIC, credit bureaus, everywhere – there's nothing on him."

"Sounds like a decoy," Chambers muttered.

"I don't think so, sir. He was panicked, but his speech pattern didn't suggest he was lying," Agent Marlow told her boss. "This Will Traveler – there's a big chance he's real."

"Well, I don't know about you, Agent Marlow, but I don't believe in ghosts," Chambers sardonically replied. Obviously insulted by Chambers' comment, Marlow rolled her eyes and turned away as Agent Chambers walked to the center of the room. "C'mon, people, talk to me!"

"They got out," an agent said as he walked by. "But we know who the room was registered to – Tyler Fog."

"Carlton Fog's son?"

"We set Fog's DMV picture with the Drexler footage and got a positive match," the agent told Chambers as he went to his computer. Bringing up a screen, he showed Chambers the two images set to one another; they confirmed a positive match just as he said.

"I want a profiler running point in the field – that means you, Marlow," Chambers said as he walked away.

"Me, sir?" Agent Marlow asked, apparently stunned by Chambers' decision to make her lead.

"Richardson's still in D.C. so that makes you my lead profiler," Chambers answered. Turning to Borjes, he added, "Borjes, you and Marlow check out the Drexler."

"No problemo," Borjes said as he strapped his gun to his waist. Nodding at Marlow, Borjes slipped his jacket on and walked towards the door. Holding it open, he waited for Marlow to follow him then they were on their way.

"Sheen, I want you and every available SOG looking for contacts. Captain Fitz, I want Port Authority Transit and MTA to lock up the island. These guys do not leave Manhattan unless I personally walk them across a bridge!" Chambers doggedly ordered. "Now, let's go!"

As all his men started their engines and got to work, Agent Chambers walked over to the wall of video monitors. With a determined, anxious look on his face, Chambers rubbed his stubbly chin and stared up at one of the monitors. The monitor was still playing the footage from the Drexler; the image of Jay Burchell and Tyler Fog careening through the crowds of people at the Drexler Museum embedded itself into Agent Chambers' head. He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded his head as he turned away from the monitor.

Manhattan, NY

"I'm sorry! Your car's not here," a short, stocky, Arabic man told Tyler. He held a clipboard in his hand and read it over, searching for Tyler's name. "It's been checked out already."

"Are you sure?" Tyler apprehensively questioned.

"I checked three times – it's not here," the man replied. "Now, you need to leave. I've got lots of people coming in to get cars. Cops are shutting down the subways."

"Wait? What?"

"They're shutting down the subways, looking for those two guys from the bombing. White – not Arabic if you can believe," the Arabic man said in a jarred manner.

"Okay, thank you," Tyler quickly said as Jay walked over to him.

Tyler hurried over to his friend and grabbed him by the shoulder. As they exited the parking lot, Tyler told Jay, "They're shutting down the subways."

"Great," Jay sighed. "We need to get the hell out of here, quick."

As Jay and Tyler crossed the street, Tyler's pocket began to ring. Reaching into his deep pockets, Tyler pulled out a silver cellphone and answered it. "Dad!" he said elatedly.

"Tyler, what's happening?" Carlton asked.

"They took the car."

"That's a minor setback. You need to get to the Queensborough Bridge. That's the nearest safety valve. Everybody on the east side of the city will walk out that way."

"A-alright, we're heading there now."

"Good. You still have my black card – the one I gave you for emergencies?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"The pin number is your birthday. Get out as much cash as you can and go to bridge directly. Walk across and call me when you get to Queens. I'll be waiting," Carlton instructed his son.

"Okay, okay, I got it," Tyler replied.

"Son?"

"Uh yeah?"

"Good luck."

Tyler nodded to himself and closed the cellphone. Sticking it back into his pocket, he muttered, "Okay, we're twenty minutes from getting out of here. The estate's a two-hour drive."

"I'm not going," Jay suddenly said. He stopped walking and stood back from Tyler.

Confused, Tyler turned to his friend and shouted, "What!?"

"I didn't leave that room to run! I'm going to find Will."

"Will is a part of this, Jay!" Tyler retorted, trying to dissuade Jay from searching for their friend.

"Maybe he was set up too. Did you ever think of that? Maybe someone had a gun to his head when we talked to him on the phone," Jay said hopefully. Running his hand through his raggedy hair, he added, "We get his picture, take it to the Feds, let the system find him –"

"Maybe he doesn't wanna be found!" Tyler angrily snapped. He shook his head vigorously and walked away from Jay. His face showing the torture he was going through, he turned and said, "Look, I know you and Will were closer – that you knew him better – but things are different now, Jay. We are the ones out on this sidewalk, not him."

"Then run, Tyler."

"Don't do that, Jay!"

"Go on, it'll be easier for you to get out on your own," Jay replied, stepping forward towards Tyler.

"I don't wanna go without you, Jay," Tyler said, his eyes beginning to well up with tears.

"I have to do this," Jay said, shaking his head. "I have to find Will."

Sniffling, Tyler replied, "Alright fine. But I'm gonna wait for you at the Queensborough Bridge. If you're not there in an hour, I'm gonna leave without you. But Jay, for both of our sakes, I hope you're there with me when I go."

Jay nodded to his friend as Tyler turned and walked away. Disappearing into the large crowd of people around them, Tyler went on his own path. Jay could barely see the navy blue back of his jacket now. Once Tyler was out of plain sight, Jay went his own way and vanished as well.

Drexler Museum

Guillermo Borjes and Jan Marlow stepped foot into the demolished structure that was once the great and famed Drexler Museum. It was all gone to soot and ashes now. Nothing within its walls appeared to have survived. Walls were torn down, part of the ceiling had collapsed, paintings had turned into ash – the whole place looked like a nightmare. Inside the building were several CSIs inspecting it. Walking with Borjes and Marlow was the lead CSI – a tall, bald man in a black jacket with the letters CSI written on the back in yellow block letters.

"Here we are: Ground Zero," the man said as he, along with Borjes and Marlow, entered the room the bomb initially went off in.

"What was used?" Borjes asked.

"Napalm," the lead CSI answered. "Highly compressed to get this kind of dispersion."

"Think law school grads could build this?" Marlow wondered.

"Yeah, if he's Ted Kaczynski. This is some pretty complex engineering."

"Do you remember what was on Burchell and Fog's transcripts?" Marlow asked Borjes.

Borjes reached into the inside lining of his suit and pulled out two pieces of paper. He read the transcripts in his head and looked at Marlow. His eyes seemed to light up as he replied, "Fog audited some chemical engineering classes."

"Even if you did graduate a chemical engineering class, you'd have to be experienced and pretty skilled to build a bomb like this," the CSI said.

Borjes nodded, taking in everything the CSI told him. He looked around the room and saw that the bomb had reached almost every nook and cranny of the place. Everything had turned black from the explosion. "A bomb this big, you'd think there'd be more casualties."

"Well, not everybody got out." The CSI motioned towards a yellow blanket that covered lump on the ground and led Borjes and Marlow over to it. Pulling away the blanket, he revealed the charred remains of a human body.

Marlow and Borjes were both taken aback by the sight; Marlow turned away and covered her mouth tightly. Borjes' face contorted into a disgusted expression as he leaned over to look at the body. The appalled look on his face soon changed into a look of revelation as he noticed a patch of dark blue material on the body. "Didn't Burchell say their other friend – Traveler – was wearing a blue jacket?"

Marlow, her hand still over her mouth, eased in closer towards the blackened remains. She nodded and said, "Yup, a dark blue track jacket."

Borjes made a clicking sound by hitting his tongue against the inner walls of his cheek. He reached forward with a pair of tweezers and picked the patch of material off the charred body. Looking up at the CSI, he handed the material over to him and said, "Think you can get any DNA off of this?"

Manhattan, NY

Kim Doherty walked down the empty hallway to her one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. She was wearing a black blouse with a matching pair of slacks and heels. Kim worked at an art gallery uptown selling pieces of artwork, such as paintings, drawings, and photographs. She had long, light brown hair and glistening blue eyes. Her cheekbones were high and she had full lips. There was an exhausted look about her as if she had just gone through a long, tiring day. Rummaging through her black purse, she searched for her ring of keys. They were at the very bottom, beneath a pile of makeup products, a checkbook, a wallet, some receipts, pens, and a few opened and unopened envelopes. She unlocked her front door and immediately went for the TV remote. She had just heard moments ago about the bombing of the Drexler Museum and the involvement of her boyfriend, Jay.

The TV screen blinked on and showed a news report on the Drexler Bombing. "The Drexler is an invaluable part of the city. We can only hope they were able to salvage some of the artwork inside. Along with Burchell, police are looking for this man: Tyler Fog – he is the son of Carlton Fog, one of the richest men in America and a convicted conspirator in the Iran Contra Scandal of the late eighties."

Kim was becoming visibly more worried by the second. Droplets of sweat perforated her skin and her heart beat faster and faster. Her heart suddenly stopped when she saw a tall, shadowed figure appear behind the TV. She jumped and shrieked a little, but was relieved when she noticed it was Jay. Surprised at seeing her boyfriend there, she hopped onto her feet and walked towards him.

"Oh my God, Jay! Are you okay?" she asked as she got closer.

"I'm fine."

"God, what did you do!?" Kim demanded to know.

"I didn't do anything – you know that," Jay replied, moving forward to embrace his loving girlfriend. The two shared a moment of peace as they held each other in their arms.

"What happened?"

"Will had this stupid idea to start off our trip by rollerblading through the Drexler," Jay explained.

"You what!?" Kim asked in disbelief.

"Believe me, I know – it was a stupid idea. But it was just a prank! Two minutes after we got out the place, it blew up and someone is trying to make it look like it's our fault."

"Where are the guys?"

"Tyler's on his way out of the city," Jay said as he checked outside the windows for any visible cop cars.

"That is so like him," Kim mumbled under her breath.

"Look, Will is gone. I think he was in the museum when the bomb went off." A somber and quiet expression crossed Kim's face. Hearing a friend – someone she'd known for two years – was dead was a feeling she'd never felt before. It grabbed at her gut and confused her. Repeatedly blinking her eyes, she shook her head and looked out the window. Jay strode forward and grabbed her by the shoulders. "I know this sounds crazy, but please, just tell me you have your photo albums."

Kim solemnly nodded and reached under a drawer for a pile of photo albums. There were at least three large photo albums and a shoebox full of discarded pictures. She set them all at the table and helped Jay sift through them for a photograph of Will Traveler. For several minutes, they sat at the coffee table searching for any pictures that had Will's face on them, but it was no use. Jay angrily flipped through one of the photo albums and violently shook his head. In every one of the photographs, Will had inconspicuously hid his face. In one group picture, he had his head turned behind Jay's. In another, his hand obscured his face.

"What are you looking for Jay?" Kim wondered.

"I need a shot of Will's face – something to take to the cops."

"Try your birthday at the Anchorage. It's in the front!" Kim suggested as if the light bulb in her head lit up.

Jay flipped all the way to the front of the photo album and searched through the shots taken at his twenty-sixth birthday. Though there were dozens of pictures taken there, none of them had Will's face in them. In one of the photos, the video camera Will took with him everywhere shielded his face and in another, a beer bottle was in the way. Steam pouring out his ears, Jay grabbed the photo album and threw it across the living room floor. "C'mon!" he heatedly shouted as he stood up. "There's gotta be one!"

"It's okay, Jay," Kim said, trying to help him calm down.

"No, it's not okay," Jay replied, his face turning beet red. "How do you live with someone for two years and not have a single picture of them?"

Shaking his head, Jay stood beside the window and looked out through the foggy glass. Giving a sigh of defeat, he remarked, "Tyler was right – Will's a part of this."

Swallowing, Jay walked across the room to pick up his backpack that was on the carpet floor. As he bent over to pick it up, his head slightly turned when he heard the people talking on the news. "What about the idea that this somehow might be an act of retribution for what happened to their fathers?" a man asked.

Jay and Kim both faced the TV and watched as two men on either half of the screen discussed the Drexler Museum bombing. "Perhaps, but if Fog and Burchell have ties to terrorist groups overseas they will be considered enemy combatants and remanded to the military justice system."

"Tyler's dad said people knew this would happen," Jay whispered to himself.

Turning her head slightly crooked, Kim asked, "You're going to listen to a man like Carlton Fog?"

"Why not!?" Jay retorted. "Listen to what they're saying about us! Do you think I'll ever get a chance to practice law after this!?"

Slinging his backpack around one shoulder, Jay sighed and took a seat on the arm of the couch. He looked over at Kim, who was biting her lower lip to keep herself from crying. "Look, I'm sorry. Will was my best friend – I told him things, I trusted him. What if everything he did and said was a lie?"

"That's why we have to fight this."

"I have to fight this!" Jay replied. "This isn't your fight. I don't want you to get involved."

"I already am." Kim walked over to Jay and wrapped her arms around his head. Pushing him closer to her heart, she began to sniffle and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Do you remember the first time we met? After I bumped into you at the bar Will did everything he could to keep me from calling you. He didn't keep us apart then and I promise he won't keep me from coming back to you now."

Jay stood up from the couch and kissed Kim on the lips. Holding her beautiful face in his hands, Jay felt like an ordinary man again. After an intense second, he let go and started for the door. However, Kim held him back.

"Jay! You can't run from this," Kim told him.

"My father died because someone in the government betrayed him. That didn't make me hate my country; it made me want to fix it. But if I'm going to fix this, whatever truly is going on, I need to figure out who Will Traveler really is."

Tyler stood at the front of a long line of people waiting to use an ATM machine. Hands shaking, he uneasily slid the black credit card into the slot and typed in his pin number.

At the FBI Field Office, one of the agents discovered Tyler using his credit card. Alerted, he called another agent in and told him about the transaction Tyler was making.

"I've got Carlton Fog makin' six five-hundred dollar withdrawals near 59th and Lex," the agent said.

"Carlton Fog's not in the city," the other agent replied. Hurrying over to Agent Chambers, he notified him, "We've found Tyler Fog."

Back at the cash machine, Tyler made another withdrawal. He was taking a while and the people behind him were visibly annoyed. One woman shouted for him to hurry up, but he snapped back at her. He made one last transaction and looked outside the bank to see a policeman standing outside. Scared, Tyler grabbed the money from the ATM and quickly exited the bank. He tried to pass by the cop unnoticed, but to no avail. The cop shouted at him, prompting Tyler to make a run for it.

Tyler started across the street, narrowly dodging a silver sedan. His tan-colored backpack dangled from his arm as he sprinted down the street with the cops following close behind. He charged straight through a plaza, bumping into several pedestrians along the way. Finally slinging the backpack around his shoulder, Tyler ran down the narrow street. He made it to the end of the sidewalk when he stopped in his tracks. There was another police officer right across the street. The cop noticed him and quickly ran towards him. Tyler turned the other way, but saw the other cop running after him as well. Breathing heavily, he ran across the street, avoiding every car coming his way with unnerved trepidation.

Elsewhere in the city, Borjes and Marlow drove down a road in their black sedan. Marlow's walkie-talkie suddenly burst into life when Chambers' voice came through the static. "What's your twenty?"

"We're on it!" Marlow said confidently as she placed the red and white sirens on the car's dashboard. The red and white lights began flashing as the black sedan tore down the street.

As Tyler rushed down a packed sidewalk, he accidentally ran into a biker. He crashed into the man, knocking him off the bike. With the cop still behind him, Tyler hastily climbed to his feet and rapidly sprinted down the street. Seeing the other cop coming at him from the other direction, Tyler came to a stop and proceeded to run across the street. However, a black sedan came out of nowhere and ran right into Tyler. Tyler's body slammed into the windshield of the car, sending a web of cracks through it. Fortunately, Tyler wasn't seriously hurt and he managed to crawl off the windshield. As he got off the car, he noticed the people inside were FBI agents. Borjes and Marlow looked at Tyler and realized he was their man. Running as fast as humanly possible, Tyler got away from the two agents and headed back up the street. Determined to catch their man, though, Borjes put the sedan in Park and got out of the vehicle. Swiftly, he ran up the street in hot pursuit of Tyler, leaving Marlow behind in the car.

Pushing through the wooden doors of a church, Tyler ran up the aisle towards an exit on the other end. The people in the pews looked on in surprise as Agent Borjes burst through the doors as well and followed Tyler out the exit door. Slamming the door behind him, Tyler ran around the corner of the building and climbed up a steel ladder screwed into the wall. As he reached the top of the ladder, Borjes appeared out of the church and aimed his gun at Tyler. Tyler luckily made it onto the rooftop and ran across it. Hopping over a barrier, Tyler headed straight for a staircase. He ran up the metal stairs, his sneakers clanging against the rusted steel with every movement. As he neared the top, his backpack accidentally got caught against the railing of the staircase. He tried to wrench it away, but a policeman opened fire. The bullet ricocheted off the steel stairs, but missed Tyler. A fearful shrieked escaped his pursed lips and he let go of the backpack, letting it slide down the steps. A few steps below, Agent Borjes steadily followed Tyler up the staircase. Running away from the stairs, Tyler jumped down onto a lower roof. He rolled to absorb the impact of his fall and got back on his feet right away. Tyler ran through the hanging drapes and empty clothesline on his way to the end of the rooftop. Looking behind him, he saw Agent Borjes getting closer and closer with every step he took. It seemed as if the more tired Tyler got, the faster Borjes became. Tyler made a giant leap onto another rooftop and ran towards the edge. He was about to jump again when he realized there was nowhere to jump to, but the street below, where a police car awaited. Shaking, he turned and prepared to run again.

"FBI, Fog. I will fire!" Borjes shouted. He held a gun in his hands and aimed it perfectly in the middle of Tyler's forehead. Tyler stopped moving and raised his long arms up in the air in surrender. "Keep your hands up and turn around. There's nowhere to run now!"

Behind him, Agent Marlow kicked open the door and aimed her gun. Borjes acknowledged her presence and walked slowly towards Tyler. He holstered his weapon and pulled out a pair of shiny handcuffs. Marlow kept her gun trained on Fog and watched as her partner put the young man in handcuffs. "It's over."

"The guy you want left hours ago," Tyler said. "Me and Jay had nothing to do with this."

"Really? Why don't you tell me all about it over some cookies and milk?" Borjes sarcastically replied as he tightened the cuffs around Tyler's wrists.

"Marlow, this is Chambers. Copy."

"Go for it. This is Marlow."

"There's a call coming in to your cellphone. Answer it," Chambers ordered her.

"Who, sir?" Marlow asked.

"Burchell."

Agent Marlow's cellphone rang not a second later. She answered. "Who am I talking to?" Jay wanted to know.

"Mr. Burchell, this is Special Agent Marlow. I'm glad you called," Marlow replied. "We're about to take your friend into custody. Any chance you'll come in as well?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Jay answered.

Marlow shook her head and said, "I don't need to tell you how the law works, Mr. Burchell. If you don't cooperate now, you'll go away for a long time when we catch you."

No further than a few yards away, Jay stood in front of a large fence on a bridge across from the rooftop Marlow, Borjes, and Tyler stood. He could clearly see them standing there as he held the cellphone to his ear. Thinking of some way to help free his friend, Jay remembered what Tyler had suggested to him earlier. The idea sounded crazy before, but now, it didn't look too bad of an idea. "I've got another bomb in the city. Call off your men or I'll be forced to detonate," Jay threatened.

"What if I said I think you're bluffing?" Marlow asked. Marlow closed her eyes and said the only thing she could think to say to unnerve her suspects, "We found your friend, Traveler, in the museum – dead."

For a moment, Tyler looked up at Marlow; the expression on his face said he couldn't believe what he just heard. Blinking, his mouth hung open and his mind raced with thoughts about his best friend. Across the bridge, Jay dropped his hand with the phone in it down to his side and solemnly stared at Tyler. With one friend dead, the only thing he could think about was saving his other one.

Confidently, Jay brought the phone back up to the side of his head and said, "I'd say you never really know what someone's capable of. And you still have to take my deal."

Atop the rooftop, Marlow closed her eyes in defeat. Angrily biting her lower lip, she put Jay on hold and waited for Agent Chambers' orders.

At the Field Office, Chambers sat on the edge of a desk with a beaten and infuriated look on his face. Stepping away from the desk, he asked his agents, "What do we got?"

"Cell towers put him within a three block radius," an agent answered.

Chambers nodded and put his cellphone up to his lips. "Marlow, Borjes, I'm pulling you out. I want you out of there now."

The staggered expression on Marlow's face said that she couldn't believe Chambers' decision and didn't agree with it. "What!? Sir, we can't negotiate!"

"We're not! Tell them what they want to hear, let them see what they want to see," Chambers replied. "I'm moving undercover agents into the area so get your men to stand down."

"Yes, sir." Marlow hung up the phone and turned to Borjes. "We're standing down."

"What!?" Borjes shouted back. He appeared irate as he stomped towards Marlow. "We can't let them go! They're terrorists!"

"It's not my decision."

Across from the roof, Burchell watched on as Borjes lifted Tyler up to his feet. There was a glimmer of hope on his face as he watched several of the FBI agents and police officers backing away from the rooftop. His cellphone began to ring. "It's your lucky day, Burchell. You can have your friend. It's gonna take a minute to clear," Agent Chambers told him as he answered the phone.

For the first time in what seemed like days, Jay brightly smiled. He hung up the phone and looked over at the rooftop as the agents vanished back into the building and into the alleys.

"Uncuff him," Marlow said to Borjes.

Defiantly shaking his head, Borjes unlocked the cuffs on Tyler's wrists. As he stuck the cuffs back into his holster, he glared into Tyler's hazel eyes. Pointing a stiff finger at his face, he said, "You got lucky today, kid."

On the phone, Marlow said, "Burchell, we're leaving Fog now."

As all of the FBI agents and cops disappeared, Tyler looked around and gave out a sigh of relief. Above him, a black helicopter flew by, blowing wind down on him and sending his feathery hair back. He covered his eyes to deflect the breeze and watched as the helicopter flew away. Closing his eyes in silent solitude, he reached for his cellphone.

"The bomb's on the Brooklyn Bridge," Jay said to Agent Chambers. Right away, he hung up his phone and looked down at the street below. Agents Borjes and Marlow got into their black sedan and drove away. His cellphone suddenly began to ring. On the caller ID was Tyler's name.

"Jay! Jay, what'd you tell them?" Tyler wanted to know.

"I gave up the second bomb," Jay said.

"You did what?"

"No, it worked – just like you said it would. They're clearing out," Jay replied exultantly.

A smile forming over his face, Tyler looked around him. In the corner of his eye, he saw Jay standing across from him on the bridge. Slightly chuckling, he glumly said, "I didn't think you'd come back for me."

"You'd do the same for me," Jay told him. He paused for a second then added, "They'll still be watching the building so be careful getting out."

"Okay, you too pal."

Jay hung up the phone and watched as Tyler ran from the rooftop. He edged closer towards the large fence and grabbed at it with his left hand. Remembering to disguise himself, he reached into his backpack for a blue Chicago Cubs baseball cap. He put it on his head and turned away from the fence. Just as he did, though, a man in a gray jacket appeared before him. In the man's hand was a gun, which he stuck to Jay's chest. Crushed, Jay raised his hands up in surrender as the man peeled his backpack off his shoulder and shoved him forward.

As he ran down the dark steps of the building, Tyler breathed heavily. He couldn't believe they had gotten away. Only moments ago, he was in handcuffs surrounded by the FBI. He was almost at the exit when someone came from behind and pointed a gun to the back of his head.

"That's enough, Mr. Fog!" the man declared.

Astonished, Tyler cringed and raised his arms up. Sighing, he resigned himself to his fate as the man grabbed his hands and put them back in handcuffs. He was led out of the building into a back alley, where a black van and several other agents in FBI jackets awaited. The man holding Tyler by his handcuffs opened the back of the van. Inside it was Jay, who sat with his hands cuffed behind his back as well. Tyler stopped moving and stared at his friend. They shared a look of morose defeat before the FBI agent shoved Tyler into the van with Jay.

Seconds later, the van sped away and hurled down an empty alleyway, its wheels splashing shallow puddles of muddy rain water. In the back of the van, Tyler looked up at Jay. Jay solemnly looked down at the floor of the van. He didn't even look back at Tyler. Leaning back against the side of the van, Tyler began to inanely laugh.

"Hell of a way to start a road trip," Tyler muttered. Jay chuckled at his friend's absurd enthusiasm. "I should've listened to you this morning – not Will."

"Will's dead," Jay blankly said.

"I know."

"You were right about him," Jay told his friend, finally turning to face him. Tyler looked back at Jay. Instead of a gloating expression he would usually have at a time like this, he appeared sad and distressed that he was correct.

The van turned a sharp corner and headed down into an empty back lot, where there were several closed garage doors. As the van continued its course, Tyler said to Jay, "Look, I know we've been at each other's throats and it's been –"

"Hey! Shut up back there!" one of the FBI agents up front demanded.

Tyler looked away from the agent and stared straight at the whitewashed walls of the van. Quietly, he stated, "I just want you to know, that whatever happens, I love you. You're like a brother to me."

"Same to you pal," Jay replied.

Suddenly, the van was smashed into by something hard and fast. The entire van shook and tumbled over. It skidded along the rough ground until it hit a garage door and made a loud, clanging sound. In the back of the van, Tyler and Jay grunted and groaned at the pain they were experiencing. Their bodies had been thrown across the back of the van, into the other side. Slowly rising, Tyler looked over at the FBI agent. The man had pulled a pistol out and was aiming it at Tyler's head. Tyler's eyes widened and he sounded as if he was going to hyperventilate. He tried his best to back away, but the locked door of the van prevented it. The FBI agent got off one shot, but luckily it missed. Tyler jumped and fell on his side as Jay tried to jerk the gun out of the agent's hand. He kicked the gun into the side of the van, causing the man to fire another round, which missed. He wrapped his ankles around the man's hand, but to no avail. The man simply grabbed his feet with his other hand and pushed his legs down on the ground. Aiming directly for Tyler's head, he was about to pull the trigger when two gunshots rang off. Two bullets made their way through the windshield, putting holes through it and into the agent's back. The agent's body slumped over Jay, but he quickly backed away, repulsed by the dead body. As he crawled away from the agent, Jay heard a pair of footsteps coming closer towards the van. He looked over at the van door, which creaked open. Outside was a hulking figure holding a silver pistol with a silencer attached to the barrel.

"Get out!" the man ordered. He crouched down so Jay and Tyler could see his face. It was the Porter from the hotel. Jay and Tyler both had bewildered looks on their faces. The Porter stuck the pistol back into its shoulder holster and said, "On your feet!"

Reaching into the van, the Porter helped Tyler out. He grabbed him by his arms and pulled him out of the wrecked van. After both boys were out of the van, the Porter unlocked their handcuffs. Without a word, the Porter dropped the cuffs to the ground and walked over to the van. The van had tilted on its side so the bottom of the van faced the right. The Porter walked over to it and attached something next to the exhaust pipe. Walking back over to the two boys, he said, "Come with me."

Jay and Tyler looked at one another then followed the Porter with their eyes. However, they remained unmoving and simply stood there, staring at the strange man before them. The Porter noticed they weren't following him and shouted, "Now!"

Jay began to move and dragged Tyler over with him. They walked closely behind the Porter and asked, "Who are you?"

The Porter refused to answer; instead, he kept moving towards the end of the alleyway. Jay grabbed the man by his shoulder and demanded to know, "Who are you!?"

The Porter finally stopped and answered, "I'm the only person who believes your side of the story."

"Wait! Wait! Wait a minute!" Tyler barked, waving his hands in front of him. Pointing back towards the van, he said, "You just killed two FBI agents."

As he finished his sentence, the van behind them erupted into flames. Jay and Tyler instinctively dropped into the ground as the van separated into several burnt and blackened pieces that scattered about the alleyway. Smoke and fire soared through the damp, dark alley as Jay and Tyler crawled up to look at the mess.

"Get up!" the Porter said, prompting the two to stand again.

"What happened to Will?" Jay asked. "You know what's going on – tell us!"

The Porter looked Jay in the eyes. Though he was still young, the Porter could see the eyes of a hardened, determined man in Jay. He turned to Tyler and took off the gold watch he had taken from the Fog heir before. Handing it to him, he said, "You'll need this more than me."

Tyler looked down at the watch with a confused look. What use could a watch be in a situation like this? He apprehensively took the watch from the Porter and put it around his wrist.

"Once you get over the bridge, the only people you trust are each other. Now go!" Jay opened his mouth to say something, but the Porter screamed, "GO!"

Grabbing his friend by the elbow, Jay quickly ran away from the alley. Looking back at the burning wreckage and the man that caused it, Tyler followed Jay out of the alley and into the street. They ran as fast as they could, leaving the Porter behind to deal with the mess he had caused.

Minutes after running, Jay and Tyler made it out of the city, over the bridge. They stood next to a phone booth. Tyler was on the phone with his father while Jay quietly stood beside him. As they stood there, a pair of friends rollerbladed by. The two friends looked so blissful and innocent. They smiled as they raced down the hill against one another. Jay looked on in despair as he reminisced about the first time he had met Tyler Fog and Will Traveler.

Yale Graduate Housing, Two Years Ago

Wearing a blue Cubs hat and wheeling a black traveling bag behind him, Jay read off the address of the piece of paper he held. Looking up at the numbers on the side of the blue, two-story house in front of him, he stuffed the scrap back into his pocket and walked up to the front door. He unlocked the door and stepped into the foyer of the house. It was a fairly old house, but it was still in considerably good condition. The floor was clean and waxed and the walls appeared to be newly painted. Setting his bag down next to his feet, he heard footsteps rushing down the staircase. It was Tyler coming to greet his new roommate.

"Hey! You must be Will," he said.

"Actually, I'm Jay," Jay corrected him.

"Ah! Thought I'd take a guess." Tyler walked over to Jay and introduced himself. "I'm Tyler Fog."

The two shook hands. Tyler noticed the Cups hat on Jay's head and asked, "Wait a minute. You're a Cubs fan? I thought you're from LA."

"Oh, my dad – he was from Chicago," Jay told him.

Smiling, Tyler said, "I was actually at the game when Bartman went for the foul ball. Cost them the pennant – total heartbreak."

There was an agreeing look on Jay's face as he nodded. He was, at the same time, bemused and enthusiastic that Tyler was a Cubs fan like him. Behind them, the door opened up and Will walked in. All he carried with him was a single backpack and his video camera slung around his shoulder.

"And the circle's complete," Tyler commented. "Hey, you must be Will Traveler. I'm Tyler Fog, school of management."

"Yeah," Will replied as he shook Tyler's hand.

"Jay –"

"Jay Burchell, law school," Will said, apparently familiar with who his new roommates were. "I read the housing ticket. Looks like we got a nice place!"

"Wait till you see upstairs," Tyler replied. His cellphone started ringing, forcing him to answer. "Sorry guys, I have to take this."

Tyler stepped away from his newly introduced friends and walked into the living room. At the foyer, Jay and Will looked at one another and smiled.

As he took his backpack off, Will said, "So that's Tyler Fog, huh? Wonder what he's doing slumming in grad housing."

"I'm sure he'll be happy to tell us," Jay replied with a chuckle.

He turned to Will, who stared at the baseball cap he wore. Letting out a laugh, Will smiled and eagerly asked, "You're kidding me! You're a Cubs fan!?"

"Uh, yeah, we just went through this," Jay replied. "Why?"

Will chuckled and unzipped the black jacket he was wearing. Underneath was a light gray t-shirt with 'Chicago Cubs' emblazoned across the chest. From behind, Tyler returned with a bright, optimistic smile.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! You too? I am loving this house already!" All three boys smiled and laughed at each other. It was the beginning of a hopefully long and beautiful friendship. "How is it that three guys from LA, Maine, and the Hamptons all like the same team?"

"Must be fate," Will replied with a chuckle.

Suddenly, it all didn't seem like fate at all. Jay was pulled back from his time-traveling by Tyler, who grabbed at his shoulder. Jay turned around and turned to his friend who was still on the phone with his father. "Jay, my dad knows a used car dealership two blocks away and they take cash."

"Can he help us track down any info on Will? He's the only lead we've got."

"He's already looking into it," Tyler assured Jay. His father apparently got back on the line as Tyler turned away and answered, "Yeah? Dad?"

"Okay, son, listen: call from the road if you have any problems."

"We'll see you soon."

Carlton Fog hung up his phone and sighed. He looked at his cellphone for a moment before setting it down on his desk. Squinting his eyes, he gravely said, "I've done as you've asked. They'll be here tonight." Standing in front of him was a man in a black suit.

Back in New York, Jay and Tyler walked down a street, surrounded by many pedestrians. Effectively blending into the gigantic crowd of people, Jay and Tyler glanced once at one another as they headed to the car dealership down the street. Above them, the sun was beginning to set; the sky had gotten dimmer and the clouds were joining together overhead casting an ominous shadow over the two boys.