Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010 08:42:53 +0800 From: Johnny Kape Subject: The Voice That Can't Be Heard, Chapter 8 Before this chapter: All rights reserved. Every word of this story is fiction. Just like my other story, "The Captive Boy", this story is also a work of my early imaginations, about at age 12 or 13. All my stories committed into Nifty are listed in the prolific author list, under the name "Pedrick Oman / Johnny Kape". Special thanks to my editor, Matthew Templar, who helped me a lot in many aspects besides my English. His stories are listed in the prolific author list, too. I recommended everyone to read his stories, especially "One Gift To Give", which I enjoyed very much. I received several warm supportive feedbacks after posting the chapter 7. Thank you. You made me very happy. I'm also happy to know that my story is like a Christmas gift to a kid. Some readers were worried about that I would stop writing this story. Actually I've done it, and Matt is reviewing the remaining chapters for me. (Thanks to his great work again!) So please don't worry. I'll definitely finish this story. Even if you don't like this story, or think that there are drawbacks in it, that's okay. Please tell me. I will never know what you think if you don't send me a message. I believe that all writers like to get reader's feedbacks. I will really feel disappointed and empty without your feedbacks and supports. Thanks again for those who sent me your feedbacks and thoughts. Enjoy the chapter 8! -- Johnny Kape The Voice That Can't Be Heard --- Chapter 8 Ben didn't know how long he had cried. It seemed to have been a long time, but maybe it had been just a few minutes. He felt very depressed. Ray's daddy didn't want him to live with them. It put out the fire of Ben's desire; the desire to be family with Ray and his daddy. Ben didn't know what to do. Then he heard some footsteps and a voice. "Ben, where are you?" It was Ray's daddy. Ben didn't want to be found, so he looked around and soon climbed up to a cupboard and crawled on top of it. Ray's daddy walked in and looked around the room, then Ray came in too. "No, not here," said Ray's daddy. "Did he run out of the building?" It was Ray's anxious voice. "I don't think so. Ben should know that it would be dangerous for him to run out of the building. Besides, he was naked. However, if Ben really wants to hide, we won't find him. He is a well-trained agent. I think that we'd better go back to our room and let him calm down. He may come back after calming down." Ray and his daddy left the room. Ben still stayed above the cupboard. He didn't cry anymore, just sobbed. He looked at the sky out of the window. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Ben woke up with a start. He didn't know when he fell asleep and how long he slept. However he had an uneasy feeling. What awakened him? He listened. There were footsteps and some voices, from downstairs. He jumped off the cupboard and ran downstairs hastily. He heard a scream when he was halfway there. "Ahhhh..." It was Ray's scream. Ben was flustered and sped up. He heard another voice, this time from Ray's daddy. "What are you doing? Release Ray!" said Ray's very excited daddy. "Tell me, where Thirty-Six..., no, where Benjamin is?" It was Bob's voice! Ben couldn't believe it. He stopped moving. "I don't know. Release Ray!!" "You don't know? This is his bag. This is his bodysuit. He must be here. You've hidden him somewhere, haven't you?" Another scream reached Ben's ears. "Ahhh... Hurt..." Ben heard Ray crying. Ray's daddy begged, "Ben ran away. Really! I don't know where he is now. Please, don't hurt Ray!" Then Ben heard some muffled sounds. It seemed that Ray and his daddy were gagged. Ben had an urge to save them, but he held himself back, quickly. He had no any weapon. He was even naked. He couldn't save Ray and his daddy like that. He would definitely be caught if he appeared that time, and all three of them would be killed. He made his disicion and hid himself. "You should know the secret of Thirty-Six by now," said Bob coldly. Though it was a bit far, Ben still could hear them clearly. "Well, you may not know that Thirty-Six is Ben's agent number. It has taken me quite some effort to find him. Fortunately he left a wiretap here." Wiretap! Ben was quite upset with himself. Why didn't he think of it? Ben knew that Ray and his daddy would be in danger if Bob realized that they knew Ben's stories. However he didn't think that the wiretap could reveal that fact to Bob! "Thirty-Six, I don't want to find you now. I know that you can hear me," Bob increased his volume. "I'll take them away now. If you want them to live, come and find me. If you don't appear before 12 o'clock tonight, you'll see their dead bodies!" More gagged voices and footsteps, then no sound at all, leaving Ben alone. He knew that Ray and his daddy were caught by Bob. He had no desire to reveal Bob's secrets. He just wanted to cut off his relations with Bob and live with Ray and his daddy. However, just like Ray's daddy had said, Bob didn't want to let Ben go. He wanted to shut Ben up, as well as Ray and his daddy! Ben stood there. His body trembled due to anger. He had never been so angry before. He held his fists and tried to constrain his anger. He calmed a bit after a few minutes. He walked back to Ray's room. The chair was overturned; all the food on the table was swept to the floor. The shorts Ray's daddy brought back to Ben were on the floor too. Ben picked them up. Ray's daddy worked so hard to get food and clothes for them, but then he was robbed and beaten up. Then he was in danger again because of Ben. Ben's tears filled his eyes again. Ben didn't care about the blame from Ray's daddy anymore. He just wanted to save Ray and his daddy from Bob. It was okay even if Ray's daddy didn't want Ben to live with them; Ben just wanted Ray and his daddy to be safe. Ben put on the shorts. He looked at the room again. His waterproof bags were gone. He thought of the knife Ray's daddy used to slice the ham. He opened the drawer and saw the knife. Ben took it out from the drawer. Ben kept looking for something he could use. Ray and his daddy's clothes were hanging on the rope. They must have been caught in the nude, too. Ben took Ray's T-shirt and put it on, then he took Ray's daddy's T-shirt to wrap up the knife. He found a strip to tie the bag, made with Ray's daddy's T-shirt, onto his own body. Ben looked around the room the last time. He didn't know if he would have any chance to come back to the room again. He had just stayed at the room for three days, but those days seemed to be Ben's happiest days in his life. In those three days, Ben's world was turned upside down. He finally understood that he was just a pawn, deceived and used by Bob. He finally understood that the "reward" was not a reward, but a wonderful thing to do with the person he liked. He finally understand that he could be happy without living in a big house and having good food, just like Ray and his daddy. Ben turned around and left the room. There was only one thought in Ben's mind: to save Ray and his daddy's life, even if he needed to sacrifice his own life. He looked around and decided the direction to go. The sun was in the sky. It was very hot. Ben didn't wear any shoes so he had to walk barefoot. The ground burned Ben's feet, but he didn't care at all. He walked and walked. Some people in the street looked surprised when they looked at this boy, who wore a strange T-shirt and was barefoot, with bandages on his arms and thigh. Ben didn't care about them at all. He put on Ray's and his daddy's clothes, just as though Ray and his daddy were with him. He was full of courage. He wasn't afraid at all, even if he would lose his life eventually. Ben walked toward the outskirts of the city. He didn't know how long he'd walked; he just knew that the sun was about to set. He thought about the fact that he hadn't eaten anything; just drank some water. Would Ali make some food for Ray and his daddy? They must be hungry too. However, they were taken hostage by Bob. Would Bob let them eat something? When Ben arrived at Bob's big house, the sun was totally set. He just watched for a while. He was quite familiar with the whole house. He thought that the most possible place to imprison Ray and his daddy was the basement. He knew that there was a small hole that could let him sneak into the basement. Ben had played the game many times when Bob was not at home and Ben was not on a mission. However, did Bob know the existence of the hole? If Ray and his daddy were imprisoned in the basement, did he have a chance to sneak into it via the hole? Bob's black limousine was not there. It usually meant that Bob was not home. However, Ben couldn't exclude the possibility that it was just Bob's camouflage. He sneaked into the garden easily and got close to the house quickly. He found the hole to the basement. He looked into the hole. As Ben's expect, Ray and his daddy were in the basement. They both sat in the corner. They were both naked and their hands were tied behind them. Their mouths were covered. Ray was still sobbing. Ray's daddy crawled; he seemed to be trying to untie his hands. Ben had an urge to sneak into the hole to save them. However, the instinct that his long time training had brought to him told him that it was a pitfall. He calmed himself down and observed carefully. Yeah, a small red point of light was on the side of the hole. Ray's daddy seemed to see Ben. He looked like he was trying frantically to yell at Ben, but it was all garbled behind the gag. Ben looked at Ray's daddy and put his index finger to his lips. However, Ray's daddy shook his head violently. He seemed to be trying to warn Ben about something. Ray looked at Ben too. He also shook his head violently. Ben nodded to both of them. He observed the source of the small red point. It was an infrared emitter, with a gun beside it. The path was blocked. Ben thought about other entrances. He looked at the window on the second floor. Soon he gave up the thought. Even the hole was blocked. He didn't need to think about other obvious entrances. Ben thought for a while and made his decision. He nodded to Ray and his daddy again and left the hole. He needed to take the risk. He walked to the gate and pushed the doorbell. The door was opened after a minute. It was Ali. Ali saw Ben and was surprised. He soon looked around cautiously and waved Ben into the house. Ben walked into the familiar gate. Ali closed the door and hugged Ben. "Are you okay?" asked Ali in a low voice. Ben nodded. "They are in the basement," said Ali. "Bob will come home soon. He expected that you would come here just before midnight." Ben raised his head to look at Ali. Ali winked at Ben. Ben knew what Ali meant. Bob was in the house and Ben knew that, right after he'd walked into the house. The hint Ali gave him assured him about this. "Go downstairs to untie them now. I'll see if Bob has come back or not." Ali patted Ben's shoulder and nodded to him. Ben glanced at the upstairs and walked toward the basement door. He had an idea. Ray saw Ben walking into the basement and he hummed again. Ben put his finger to his lips. Ben took out the knife and cut the rope on Ray's hands. He took the rag from Ray's mouth too. He hugged Ray tightly and then held his hands. 'Tell your daddy, never to be close to the door. Okay?' Ray nodded. He whispered to his daddy, and his daddy nodded too. Ben cut the rope on Ray's daddy's hands too. Ben pushed Ray and his daddy to another side of the wall. Then he walked to the infrared emitter. He started to adjust the position of the gun, just the gun, very carefully, trying not to touch the infrared light. He moved the gun to let it aim at the door to the basement. He estimated the path of the bullets. Then he put the rope on the floor to mark that point. Everything was ready. Ben walked to Ray and held his hands tightly. Some footsteps came from far away, getting closer and closer. Then Bob and Ali appeared. There was a gun in Ali's hand. "You deserve to be called a genius secret agent, Thirty-Six," said Bob. "You really came here a lot earlier than I expected. You didn't walk into all the traps I set for you. I'm so proud of you." Ben just stood there quietly. "Your mission failed through and through. You should know that there is no way that I can let you live anymore. However, the security in the Embassy was so loose and I admit that I also underestimated your ability. I didn't expect that you could escape from their hands and then you got the two persons behind you involved. Thirty-Six, you should know that I have no choice but to shut them up too. It's you that is making me do so." Bob sneered. "Ali, kill them all. First Thirty-Six!" Ali walked two steps and raised his gun. He aimed it at Ben. Ray trembled and held Ben's hands tightly. Ben just stood there quietly and looked at Ali. After a few seconds, Ali turned his body and pointed his gun at Bob. Bob snorted at him. "You want to betray me, huh?" "I can't accept that you are so cold-blooded to Ben. You have never treated him as a normal person," Ali said, with his hands trembling. "You used him to execute your missions. You deceived him to quench your own desire. He is just a kid!" "So you have never quenched your desire on him, huh?" Bob said scornfully. "I..." Ali's tongue tied. "So, shoot me," said Bob. "If I die, you will be sent back to your country. Do you remember who has protected you all these years, to prevent you from being sent back to the jail?" Being sent back to the jail? Ben was very surprised. At that moment Bob advanced a step. Ali pulled the trigger. Click! The gun had not fired. Ali looked at Bob in panic. Bob sneered at him. "I knew that you would betray me, so I didn't put any bullets in the gun," said Bob. "Now, pay for your disloyalty. Even Thirty-Six has no way to save your life this time." Ali's body trembled. Bob took out another gun and advanced another step. He stepped on the rope on the floor. He kicked the rope aside. "Go to hell," Bob said coldly and raised his gun. At that moment, Ben started his action. He threw Ray's daddy's T-shirt into the air. PANG!! -- To be continued.