Frank grimaced, “I almost forgot about the doctor.  I’ll take care of him.”  He stood up and made his way out the door and through the knot of Network agents that stood there.  He approached the doctor who stood with his way blocked by two agents.

Upon seeing Frank, the doctor demanded, “What is going on?”

Frank led the doctor to the side of the hallway.  “What I didn’t tell you before, Doctor,” he explained, “is that Joe and I are FBI agents.”

“That’s preposterous!” the doctor argued.

In response, Frank pulled a wallet from his pocket and opened it to show the doctor and FBI badge and ID card.

“Okay,” the doctor agreed, “but that still doesn’t tell me what is going on here.”

“Well,” Frank replied, “a short time ago, an attempt was made on Joe’s life.  We managed to foil the would-be murderers and capture them.  These other agents are here to take them away.”

This answer seemed to satisfy the doctor.  “Is Joe all right?” he asked.

“Couldn’t be better,” Frank assured him.  After asking a few more questions, the doctor was fully satisfied and he left to check on other patients.

Frank returned to the room and saw that all of the would-be assassins were fully conscious and in handcuffs.  “That was quick,” he said as the criminals were led away by Network agents.  “How did you get them to wake up so fast?” he asked Agent Jacobs.

“With this,” the agent answered as he showed Frank a small electronic device that he held in his hand.

“What’s that?” Frank asked as he curiously examined the device.

“I’m not sure of all the technical aspects,” Agent Jacobs told him, “but the basic idea is that it sends some kind of electric impulse to the brain that stimulates it enough to rouse an unconscious person to full awareness.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Frank said as he handed the device back to Agent Jacobs.  “I could use one of those in fights.”

“Even better than this one is the version that some agents have implanted inside them.  It senses when a quick loss of consciousness has occurred and automatically activates.”

“I need one of those,” Frank reiterated.  “I can’t even begin to count how many times the bad guy has escaped because I got hit on the head.”

“Enough chit-chat,” Sage Jameson interrupted them.  “We need to get to headquarters.  The Gray Man wants to interrogate these goons immediately.”

“Okay, I’m coming,” her cousin agreed.  “Are you coming, Frank?”

“I’ll meet you there,” the elder Hardy brother told them.  The agents left and Frank turned to his friends and siblings.  “I have to go,” he told them.  “Would one of you guys mind staying here with Joe?”

“I’ll stay,” Biff volunteered.  “I don’t have any homework this weekend.”

“I’m coming with you,” Brandi told Frank.  “I’m curious about the Network.”

“Okay,” Frank agreed after a moment of hesitation.

The two siblings hurried out of the hospital, claiming their guns at the front desk.  They scrambled into the yellow car and pulled out into traffic.  After driving for several minutes, Frank pulled into a parking garage and shut off his car.

“Is this it?” Brandi asked in surprise as she looked at the dingy garage with apprehension.

“No,” Frank told her.  “We’re just switching cars.  It’s standard precaution, especially with our distinctive car.  We have to be sure that no one follows us.”

“I see,” his sister replied.  “So what are we driving now?”

“Nothing special,” Frank replied nonchalantly.  He walked over to a car that was parked a few stalls down from his sports car and unlocked it.

Brandi whistled appreciatively as she looked at the late model Mercedes sedan.  It was a gleaming black with nearly opaque tinted windows.  “Which rich client died and left you this one?” she asked her brother teasingly.

“It actually belongs to the government,” Frank told her.  “It’s pretty standard issue for Network agents.”

“I see,” Brandi replied dryly.

The two siblings climbed into the car and Frank sighed in pleasure as he settled back into the luxurious leather seat.  He turned the key in the ignition and smiled as the powerful engine started to purr.  He put the car into gear and backed smoothly out of the parking space.  He put the car into first gear and accelerated.  The beautiful car drove quietly out of the parking garage.

Several minutes later Frank pulled the Mercedes to a stop by a gate that was set into the tall wall surrounding a large estate.  He reached out of the window and pushed a button on the intercom.

Immediately a voice asked, “Name and entry code?’

“Agent Frank Hardy and guest,” Frank replied.  “My entry code is 935Q6.”

After a moments pause while Frank’s information was verified, the voice said, “Welcome, Elite Agent Hardy,” and there was a click and the front gate swung open.

“Elite Agent Hardy?” Brandi asked as they drove through the gate.

Frank looked embarrassed.  “It’s just part of the rank structure here,” he told here.

“I see,” she replied.  She continued, “Pretty tight security here,” she commented.

“The best,” Frank agreed.  He pulled the car to a stop at the end of the long driveway.  The two siblings exited the car and entered the mansion through the front door.  They were met at the door by several guards.  One of the guards examined the identification that Frank handed him and then let him through the security blockade.

“Please step into the scanner,” another guard told Brandi.  She obeyed and a moment later the guard said, “Okay, you are cleared to enter, but you must leave your gun here at the desk.”

“I don’t think so,” she replied.  “The last time I did that, we all almost got killed.”

The guard opened his mouth to reply when a new voice said, “Let her keep it.”

“Yes, sir,” the guard replied.

The newcomer said to Brandi, “I am Arthur Gray.  Please follow me.”  The two Hardys followed the Gray Man as he walked briskly down a long hallway.

“Are the prisoners ready to be interrogated?” Frank asked the Gray Man.

“Yes,” he replied.  “We were just waiting for you to arrive before we began.”  He led them into a small room.  On one side of the room was a large two-way mirror that looked out on a small interrogation room.  The room contained only a table and several chairs.  In the chair at one side of the table sat Edward Sexton.  Opposite him sat Agents Jacobs and Jameson.  The Hardys and the Gray Man sat in comfortable chairs in the observation room.  “You may begin,” Arthur Gray said.  His words were transmitted by hidden microphone to tiny receivers in the ears of the two agents in the other room.

Agent Jacobs acknowledged the instruction with a nod in the direction of the mirror.  He looked back at Edward Sexton.  “What is your name?” he asked the man.

“My name is Justin Stewart,” the rogue CIA agent answered.

“We know better than that,” Agent Jameson snapped at him.  “We know that your name is Edward Sexton, formerly of the CIA.”

“That is where you are mistaken,” the man replied.  “I am not the late Edward Sexton.”

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