The twins tell their story....
Disclaimer: The characters of Billy Collins, Michael Dorset, Casey Malick, Rick Martinez, HJ Higgins, Adele Ferrer, and Fay Carson are not mine and are the property of Chaos, Rat Productions, 20th Century Fox and CBS Television. This is speculative and fan fiction for the purposes of entertainment of Live Journal members only, and I am not receiving any compensation or consideration for this work. All plot situations and additional characters are mine and purely fictional; any resemblance to any real person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Word Count: 1744
Rating: G
Summary: The twins provide their own account of their adventures.
The ODS team grinned at the reunion between the twins and their parents the next day. The twins kept everyone entertained through dinner with their stories about their two days with the Gastons. After dinner, Billy asked as he was serving brandies, “Ben, Mary, what happened when those guys grabbed you?”
Alternating telling the tale as twins do, they told them what happened:
“After recess when Ben got our backpacks, one man leaped over the fence and grabbed him. That made me really mad, and I ran over and kicked him in the shins, like you taught us, and stomped his foot. Then, the other man grabbed me.
“Miss Campbell screamed for help and started chasing after us, but she couldn’t climb the fence. They pushed us into the car and said if we made a sound or signaled anyone, they would hurt you. I didn’t believe them…they couldn’t hurt either of you, Mummy and Daddy. Besides the one that looked like he was from India was rubbing his shin and foot. I knew I had hurt him.”
Millie handed them both glasses of juice.
“Yeah, but we knew we had to wait to signal for help until they weren’t paying attention,” Ben said, after sipping his juice, “As we turned on the roadway toward the airport, they started talking in some foreign language, and I pulled out my paper and pencil, saying I wanted to draw. I wrote a message…HELP…in big letters and started to put it against the window. But the guy that looked Chinese caught me and ripped the paper and pencil out of my hand. They took our bags and put them out of our reach.
“Then, they took us to a plane like yours, Mummy. And we took off. They put Mary in the back and me in the middle. They wouldn’t let us talk to each other. They wouldn’t let us do homework or anything. And when we needed to go to the bathroom, they walked us to the bathroom and stood outside the door, making us talk to them while we went.”
“Yeah,” Mary interjected, “Do you know how hard it is to talk and poo at the same time? It’s…”
Colt interrupted, “Mary!”
Everyone chuckled, as Mary continued, “Sorry, Mummy. Anyway, they did feed us, but the food was strange…not like curry or Asian. Sort of like both…”
Colt looked sternly at Mary, again to the amusement of the other adults.
Mary sighed and continued, “We flew on and on. And then, the plane landed. And we sat there FOREVER! They fed us, but it was getting pretty warm in there. Everyone talked in another language.”
Ben nodded, “We ate six whole meals while we were there…”
Mary interrupted, “No, Ben it was four.”
Ben thought for a minute, “Yeah…four. But we had two snacks.”
Mary nodded, “That’s right.”
Ben continued, “Everyone was going back and forth to the front of the plane. Nobody opened any doors so we could try to get out. Mary took a nap, and when she woke up, I took a nap. We decided that one of us should be awake at all times…just in case we could find a chance to run away.”
Mary sipped her juice and added, “Yeah. Then, the engines started, and we took off again. It was dark, so we couldn’t see anything out the windows. At some point, they became worried and spent a lot of time going back and forth to the pilot’s place…the…uh…”
“Cockpit,” Colt said.
Mary nodded agreement, “The cockpit. After what seemed like hours, they told us to fasten our seatbelts, and they fastened theirs, and we landed. Then, they took us to a limo…really nice one, too. They gave us juice and snacks, and we arrived at a huge house. Everybody looked Chinese and were polite. But they made us leave our school jackets and backpacks in the…uh…” Mary looked quizzically at Colt.
“Foyer,” Colt said.
Mary nodded, “Foyer.”
Ben said, “Then, they took us up these stairs and locked us in a room. I took a nap, and then, Mary woke me and took a nap. There weren’t any windows to try to climb out of. But at least, we could go to the bathroom without having to talk while we went. It was REALLY boring in there. We were getting hungry, and then Bear and you…” Ben pointed at Dorset, “…came in and got us.”
Dorset grinned, “You can call me Mike. I’m Michael Dorset.”
Ben nodded and grinned, and both twins said together, “Thank you!”
Mary smiled, “I think we forgot to say thank you, Mike. Sorry.”
Dorset grinned, “You’re welcome. My pleasure. Bear and I were glad to see you both fine and ready to go.”
Malick smiled, “You both were very brave and smart. That was really clever to try to make a sign. Too bad those guys were on to you.” Ben and Mary puffed up a little at the praise, and Mary said, “Ben and I knew Mummy and Daddy would come get us.”
She pulled her dog tags out from under her shirt, “We kept these hidden just like she told us. She said the dog tags would help Daddy and her find us. And when we saw Bear, we knew we were going home.”
Billy grinned at them, “Your backpacks and jackets arrived yesterday. So, you’ll have to catch up on your homework. The teachers understand why you’re late…your trip to Japan.” He looked at them meaningfully with an arched brow, and they nodded.
Ben said, “We understand, Daddy…visiting Mummy in the hospital and all that.”
Colt asked, “And what was wrong with me?”
“Really bad food poisoning!” the twins responded.
Colt nodded and smiled, “Good job!”
Billy leaned forward, “Twins, the men who took you were Pakistani and Vietnamese. That’s why things didn’t seem quite Indian or Chinese, at least, until you got to China. They landed in Pakistan; that’s where you were stuck on the plane for so long.” Ben and Mary looked puzzled.
Colt said, “Be careful…get the globe and let Daddy show you.”
The twins carefully got the globe, and Billy showed them the locations of Pakistan and Vietnam. “And right here is where the plane landed and sat for so long,” he said pointing to a small city near the Pakistani mountains.
The twins seriously studied it, and finally Ben asked, “But the man from Vietnam…what was he doing so far away from his home?”
“He was working for the people in China…where you were taken,” Billy said.
Mary asked, “But they were both here and could speak English?”
Billy nodded, “The people who ordered you taken have places all over the world. And they have people here and in almost every country. The people here and in China were arrested while you were visiting Uncle John.”
Colt continued, “Twins, some people aren’t good people. The people who took you, and the man who owns the house you were taken to in China, are criminals. They have an organization they call the Triad.”
Ben’s eyes grew wide, “Like the Mafia in America?”
Colt nodded, “Very similar. They do bad things that hurt and kill people…sell drugs, guns, bombs, and sometimes, they kidnap and sell people from poor countries as slaves.”
Mary grinned, and Billy asked her what she was grinning about. She answered, “I kicked a Triad man and hurt him.”
Billy glanced sideways at Colt with a mischievous grin. She rolled her eyes and spoke, “Mary, you know how Daddy and I feel about violence.”
Mary nodded, “But this was different…they were hurting Ben, trying to take him away.”
Colt leaned forward, “I’m proud of you, Mary. You know the difference.”
Mary nodded, “Yes, Mummy, I do. I was defending Ben from someone, a grown-up, we didn’t know….not a school bully. Although I still think you should allow a punch to a school bully.”
Billy turned his face away and shook with silent laughter. Colt met her eyes, “No.”
Mary sighed in disappointment and helped Ben put the globe back on the desk. Everyone else chuckled or sporfled, and Colt gave them each a stern look, silencing the adults.
“Finish your juice…it’s time for bed,” Millie said. The twins nodded, finished their juices, and followed Wanda to their rooms. Malick grinned, “A girl after my own heart…too bad I’m too old for her.” Billy glared at him, and Malick said, “Billy! Just complimenting her skills and grit.”
Billy grinned, “I know. She really takes after her mother. Colt, you must have been a handful for those monks.”
Colt smiled, “They wouldn’t teach me how to fight until I had learned the spiritual side…and could sit still through meditation.” She paused with her brandy snifter midway to her mouth, “Hmmmm….”
Billy looked at her, “What are you thinking?” She sipped her brandy, “Tell you later.”
Dorset grinned, “I’m impressed with them both. They’re definitely your kids. So like you both in so many ways. And they handled themselves beautifully from beginning to end. Frankly, I was worried about getting them out of the compound. Most kids would be crying and complaining. They handled themselves better than most professionals.”
Colt smiled, “Where did you have the sedatives?”
Martinez said, “That was my department. Some spiked juice.”
Billy’s eyes grew big, “You were going to drug my children?”
“Honey! They wouldn’t have used them unless the twins represented a danger to the mission!” Colt exclaimed.
Billy looked at her, “You approve?”
“No, I don’t. But the bottom line is that if that was the only way to get them home safely, I would rather have them come home a bit groggy than not at all,” Colt said.
Billy nodded, “Yeah, you’re right. It’s just the thought…”
Dorset smiled, “Yeah, I know, Billy. When it’s your kids, it’s different. Our goals and everything we did put them first.”
Malick said, “And they were quite impressive. Handled the trek to the airport remarkably well…no complaints. In fact, they were perfect little spies.” Malick chuckled, “That Mary certainly got me a few times on the plane.”
“And Ben got me a few times,” Dorset said.
Billy smiled, “Thanks, lads. I really do appreciate what you did, and I’m grateful. Now, what did the twins do to you?” Dorset and Malick summarized the conversations they had with the twins, which left Billy, Jack, and Millie in stitches.
Jack laughed, “That’s our grandchildren!”
Colt grinned, “They certainly held their own.”
Word Count: 1744
Rating: G
Summary: The twins provide their own account of their adventures.
The ODS team grinned at the reunion between the twins and their parents the next day. The twins kept everyone entertained through dinner with their stories about their two days with the Gastons. After dinner, Billy asked as he was serving brandies, “Ben, Mary, what happened when those guys grabbed you?”
Alternating telling the tale as twins do, they told them what happened:
“After recess when Ben got our backpacks, one man leaped over the fence and grabbed him. That made me really mad, and I ran over and kicked him in the shins, like you taught us, and stomped his foot. Then, the other man grabbed me.
“Miss Campbell screamed for help and started chasing after us, but she couldn’t climb the fence. They pushed us into the car and said if we made a sound or signaled anyone, they would hurt you. I didn’t believe them…they couldn’t hurt either of you, Mummy and Daddy. Besides the one that looked like he was from India was rubbing his shin and foot. I knew I had hurt him.”
Millie handed them both glasses of juice.
“Yeah, but we knew we had to wait to signal for help until they weren’t paying attention,” Ben said, after sipping his juice, “As we turned on the roadway toward the airport, they started talking in some foreign language, and I pulled out my paper and pencil, saying I wanted to draw. I wrote a message…HELP…in big letters and started to put it against the window. But the guy that looked Chinese caught me and ripped the paper and pencil out of my hand. They took our bags and put them out of our reach.
“Then, they took us to a plane like yours, Mummy. And we took off. They put Mary in the back and me in the middle. They wouldn’t let us talk to each other. They wouldn’t let us do homework or anything. And when we needed to go to the bathroom, they walked us to the bathroom and stood outside the door, making us talk to them while we went.”
“Yeah,” Mary interjected, “Do you know how hard it is to talk and poo at the same time? It’s…”
Colt interrupted, “Mary!”
Everyone chuckled, as Mary continued, “Sorry, Mummy. Anyway, they did feed us, but the food was strange…not like curry or Asian. Sort of like both…”
Colt looked sternly at Mary, again to the amusement of the other adults.
Mary sighed and continued, “We flew on and on. And then, the plane landed. And we sat there FOREVER! They fed us, but it was getting pretty warm in there. Everyone talked in another language.”
Ben nodded, “We ate six whole meals while we were there…”
Mary interrupted, “No, Ben it was four.”
Ben thought for a minute, “Yeah…four. But we had two snacks.”
Mary nodded, “That’s right.”
Ben continued, “Everyone was going back and forth to the front of the plane. Nobody opened any doors so we could try to get out. Mary took a nap, and when she woke up, I took a nap. We decided that one of us should be awake at all times…just in case we could find a chance to run away.”
Mary sipped her juice and added, “Yeah. Then, the engines started, and we took off again. It was dark, so we couldn’t see anything out the windows. At some point, they became worried and spent a lot of time going back and forth to the pilot’s place…the…uh…”
“Cockpit,” Colt said.
Mary nodded agreement, “The cockpit. After what seemed like hours, they told us to fasten our seatbelts, and they fastened theirs, and we landed. Then, they took us to a limo…really nice one, too. They gave us juice and snacks, and we arrived at a huge house. Everybody looked Chinese and were polite. But they made us leave our school jackets and backpacks in the…uh…” Mary looked quizzically at Colt.
“Foyer,” Colt said.
Mary nodded, “Foyer.”
Ben said, “Then, they took us up these stairs and locked us in a room. I took a nap, and then, Mary woke me and took a nap. There weren’t any windows to try to climb out of. But at least, we could go to the bathroom without having to talk while we went. It was REALLY boring in there. We were getting hungry, and then Bear and you…” Ben pointed at Dorset, “…came in and got us.”
Dorset grinned, “You can call me Mike. I’m Michael Dorset.”
Ben nodded and grinned, and both twins said together, “Thank you!”
Mary smiled, “I think we forgot to say thank you, Mike. Sorry.”
Dorset grinned, “You’re welcome. My pleasure. Bear and I were glad to see you both fine and ready to go.”
Malick smiled, “You both were very brave and smart. That was really clever to try to make a sign. Too bad those guys were on to you.” Ben and Mary puffed up a little at the praise, and Mary said, “Ben and I knew Mummy and Daddy would come get us.”
She pulled her dog tags out from under her shirt, “We kept these hidden just like she told us. She said the dog tags would help Daddy and her find us. And when we saw Bear, we knew we were going home.”
Billy grinned at them, “Your backpacks and jackets arrived yesterday. So, you’ll have to catch up on your homework. The teachers understand why you’re late…your trip to Japan.” He looked at them meaningfully with an arched brow, and they nodded.
Ben said, “We understand, Daddy…visiting Mummy in the hospital and all that.”
Colt asked, “And what was wrong with me?”
“Really bad food poisoning!” the twins responded.
Colt nodded and smiled, “Good job!”
Billy leaned forward, “Twins, the men who took you were Pakistani and Vietnamese. That’s why things didn’t seem quite Indian or Chinese, at least, until you got to China. They landed in Pakistan; that’s where you were stuck on the plane for so long.” Ben and Mary looked puzzled.
Colt said, “Be careful…get the globe and let Daddy show you.”
The twins carefully got the globe, and Billy showed them the locations of Pakistan and Vietnam. “And right here is where the plane landed and sat for so long,” he said pointing to a small city near the Pakistani mountains.
The twins seriously studied it, and finally Ben asked, “But the man from Vietnam…what was he doing so far away from his home?”
“He was working for the people in China…where you were taken,” Billy said.
Mary asked, “But they were both here and could speak English?”
Billy nodded, “The people who ordered you taken have places all over the world. And they have people here and in almost every country. The people here and in China were arrested while you were visiting Uncle John.”
Colt continued, “Twins, some people aren’t good people. The people who took you, and the man who owns the house you were taken to in China, are criminals. They have an organization they call the Triad.”
Ben’s eyes grew wide, “Like the Mafia in America?”
Colt nodded, “Very similar. They do bad things that hurt and kill people…sell drugs, guns, bombs, and sometimes, they kidnap and sell people from poor countries as slaves.”
Mary grinned, and Billy asked her what she was grinning about. She answered, “I kicked a Triad man and hurt him.”
Billy glanced sideways at Colt with a mischievous grin. She rolled her eyes and spoke, “Mary, you know how Daddy and I feel about violence.”
Mary nodded, “But this was different…they were hurting Ben, trying to take him away.”
Colt leaned forward, “I’m proud of you, Mary. You know the difference.”
Mary nodded, “Yes, Mummy, I do. I was defending Ben from someone, a grown-up, we didn’t know….not a school bully. Although I still think you should allow a punch to a school bully.”
Billy turned his face away and shook with silent laughter. Colt met her eyes, “No.”
Mary sighed in disappointment and helped Ben put the globe back on the desk. Everyone else chuckled or sporfled, and Colt gave them each a stern look, silencing the adults.
“Finish your juice…it’s time for bed,” Millie said. The twins nodded, finished their juices, and followed Wanda to their rooms. Malick grinned, “A girl after my own heart…too bad I’m too old for her.” Billy glared at him, and Malick said, “Billy! Just complimenting her skills and grit.”
Billy grinned, “I know. She really takes after her mother. Colt, you must have been a handful for those monks.”
Colt smiled, “They wouldn’t teach me how to fight until I had learned the spiritual side…and could sit still through meditation.” She paused with her brandy snifter midway to her mouth, “Hmmmm….”
Billy looked at her, “What are you thinking?” She sipped her brandy, “Tell you later.”
Dorset grinned, “I’m impressed with them both. They’re definitely your kids. So like you both in so many ways. And they handled themselves beautifully from beginning to end. Frankly, I was worried about getting them out of the compound. Most kids would be crying and complaining. They handled themselves better than most professionals.”
Colt smiled, “Where did you have the sedatives?”
Martinez said, “That was my department. Some spiked juice.”
Billy’s eyes grew big, “You were going to drug my children?”
“Honey! They wouldn’t have used them unless the twins represented a danger to the mission!” Colt exclaimed.
Billy looked at her, “You approve?”
“No, I don’t. But the bottom line is that if that was the only way to get them home safely, I would rather have them come home a bit groggy than not at all,” Colt said.
Billy nodded, “Yeah, you’re right. It’s just the thought…”
Dorset smiled, “Yeah, I know, Billy. When it’s your kids, it’s different. Our goals and everything we did put them first.”
Malick said, “And they were quite impressive. Handled the trek to the airport remarkably well…no complaints. In fact, they were perfect little spies.” Malick chuckled, “That Mary certainly got me a few times on the plane.”
“And Ben got me a few times,” Dorset said.
Billy smiled, “Thanks, lads. I really do appreciate what you did, and I’m grateful. Now, what did the twins do to you?” Dorset and Malick summarized the conversations they had with the twins, which left Billy, Jack, and Millie in stitches.
Jack laughed, “That’s our grandchildren!”
Colt grinned, “They certainly held their own.”