Twisted Games - Chapter Two {Aaron Stone}
“Hello, Aaron Stone…or should I say, Charlie Landers.” Charlie jumped as his computer screen was suddenly filled with a masked face.
“What the…” Charlie tried to turn the video off, but found that, no matter what he did, he could not get the image to leave the screen.
“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you.” The man smirked, an expression Charlie could see, even through the mask. “You see, if you hear me out, I think you’ll find that you have a great interest in what I have to say.”
“Alright, who is this?” Charlie asked, trying to hide the fear rising in his gut. Something was wrong, something was very wrong, but letting this man see his panic, that would make whatever the situation was even worse.
“That is unimportant.” The man laughed. “What you need to know is that there comes a time in every hero’s life when his cover is blown. When that day comes, everything in his life gets just a little more difficult.” The man paused, but seeing as Charlie said nothing, soon continued. “On one hand, you are a man of the people.”
The screen split in half and while the man’s face moved to one side, a second image appeared, this one of a man and a woman, each looking to be in their late 20s or early 30s. They were both sweating profusely and gasping for air in what appeared to Charlie to be some kind of metal box.
“What are you playing at?” Charlie asked, looking with anger at the side of the screen showing the man.
“Hear me out, Charlie,” the man said in a sing-song voice. “For the best part has yet to be explained.”
“Fine.” Charlie frowned, hating that he was taking the directions of the clearly criminal man who had managed to hack onto his laptop. “Continue.”
“Oh goody.” The man’s smirk was back in place as he continued to speak. “On the other hand, you are a family man, are you not?” The man tilted his head and the screen split a second time, three images now visible.
“Jason…” Charlie gulped as he stared at the third video. Charlie’s little brother was secured to a bed, gagged, and crying. Fear was evident in his expression and Charlie felt his stomach drop farther than it ever had before. There was a box on the bed beside Jason, red numbers counting down.
“Now I’ve got your full attention.” The man smirked. “They,” the man raised his right hand, gesturing towards the video of the strangers. “Have an hour’s worth of oxygen left while he,” the man raised his left hand, pointing towards Jason’s video feed. “Has one hour before that bomb explodes. This time you can’t save everyone.” The man laughed mirthfully. “So who’s it going to be, young hero? Him or them?” With that, the man disappeared from the screen, leaving the videos of the man, woman and Jason up on his computer.
“Emma!” Charlie practically shouted into the phone as his friend picked up.
“What is it Charlie?” Emma grumbled. “I was just about to go to sleep, you idiot!”
“Get over here, we’ve got a situation. NOW!”
“What is it?” Seconds later, Emma was at Charlie’s side, STAN behind them.
“This.” Charlie showed Emma the two videos, trying to keep his racing heart still, knowing that if he lost focus, all three lives could easily be ended.
“Is that…” Emma gulped as she looked at the screen.
“They’ve got Jason.” Charlie nodded. “I have one hour, they want me to choose between those two strangers and my brother. I need you trace the feeds on both videos.”
“Of course.” Emma slipped a cable into the USB port on Charlie’s computer, instantly attaching it to her own laptop. As she clacked away at the keys, Charlie wracked his brain, trying to come up with a plan. “Alright.” Emma looked at Charlie only a couple of minutes later, though the time seemed like hours to the boy. “Jason is in apartment 12B of the Cedarwood Complex located at 145th and Seymour. The civilians are four feet underground at Kirkland Memorial Park, just under the swing set, at 7th and Cramer.”
“145th and Seymour…” Charlie nodded. “I can get there on my bike in half an hour. You take STAN and the jet and you get that man and woman, I’m going after Jason.”
“Charlie…” Emma looked at the boy. “Are you sure about this? That bomb could go off at any time, it’s dangerous.”
“I’m positive.” Charlie nodded, grabbing his bicycle helmet. “I can’t let those civilians die, but I’ve already lost my father, I can’t lose another person that I care about; they can’t have Jason away from me.”
“Good luck, Charlie.” Emma offered her friend a soft smile.
“Thanks.” He nodded. “Just go, Emma.” He took off, ignoring his mother’s shouts asking him where he was going at such a late hour. He grabbed his bike from the garage and sped off in the direction of address that Emma had given him.