A Child's Courage.

Heroes and Villains.

Meanwhile, out in the bayou, Joey moved quickly and cautiously through the marsh and brush, trying not to allow his fears to get the best of him. He was scared, very scared, he had to fight to ignore the countless number of spooky sounds and monster shaped shadows surrounding him. He scanned the waters of the swamp every few minutes in fear Morgana and her two body guards were still looking for him. He had promised them, himself that this time he would find a way to make it through.

“I've got to get away!” Desperately, he panted. “I’m not gonna let them down, I can’t let them down!”

Nearby, on one of the many small islands, Luke spotted Joey running along the shore, barely visible behind the thick brush. “Hey, Joe.” Nudging his friend, he said. “Look there… isn't that one of the kids Morgana was holding captive?”

Joe looked to where Luke had pointed and found the small boy on the far shore, occasionally looking about as he ran. “Yeah.” Softly, he replied. “That’s the kid who got away when Rick jumped those two goons.”

“If we hurry, we might catch up to him.” Serious, Luke said. “We can give him with us to the resort north of the bayou.”

The two took to their speed boat and quickly made their way towards where they had spotted Joey. On the other shore, Joey heard the boat approaching and quickly ducked behind a thick patch of high weeds, thinking it was Morgana. Luke scanned the shore with a small spotlight, trying to find him.

“Don't be scared, kid.” Kindly, he called. “We’re here to help.”

Behind the tall weeds, Joey sat perfectly still, his back against a stump protruding from the water. He did not dare answer Luke's call, in fear that it might have been Mr. Jerk trying to trick him out into the open. The spot light moved slowly along the weeds, just over his head, forcing Joey to shiver in fright. Tears began to roll down his face, his frustration was finally reaching its boiling point, he could not, would not take any more. But what could he do?

“Come on out, lad.” Calmly, Joe called. “We heard your calls for help and have come to give you a hand.”

Joey hesitated, a small gasp escaping his lips, Joe's low voice had caught him off guard. He half turned, curious, but quickly whirled back around as he caught some movement out of the corner of his eye. His first reaction was to carefully scan the darkness for Morgana's two body guards, but they were nowhere to be seen. Joey chewed nervously on his trembling lip as he kept his eyes open for the slightest signs of movement. Seeing nothing alarming only increased his fears, for Bronx and Gruesome had both come out of nowhere before.

“Come on.” Nervous, he whispered to the darkness. “I know you're out there somewhere.”

Seconds passed and he began to wonder if it was just his imagination running away with him again. Finally, Joey bit deep into his lower lip then slowly turned back around and cautiously peered out through the thick patch of weeds. He had expected to see Morgana waiting on her swamp boat, but was relieved when he found the silhouette of two young boys instead. They were both sitting quietly in a small speed boat, searching the shore line with a miniature spotlight.

“Do you think he's still hiding out there?” asked Joe. “The sound of our motor might have scared him off.”

“He's out there.” Calmly, Luke assured. “Probably trying to decide if he can trust us.”

“That’s not easy decision, considering what he has been through.” said Joe. “So, any ideas on how we can convince him we're on his side?”

Luke shook his head. “There is nothing we can do, the next move is completely up to him.”

Behind the weeds, Joey carefully watched the two boys with rising curiosity. He parted the high weeds a little more to get a better view, but then, every alarm sounded inside his mind. He spun back around to find a boy, dressed in a T-shirt and overalls, swiftly and quietly charging him from the brush. Joey braced himself against the tree stump, letting out a startled cry loud enough for Joe and Luke to hear. The two abandoned their boat and rushed to his aid.

“Let go!” Struggling, Joey screamed. “I won't go back there! I won't let you take me back!”

“Easy, kid!” Firmly, the boy said. “I'm not going to hurt you!”

“Let him go, Bob!” Coming into view, Luke demanded.

“He's libel to let you have it!” Serious, Luke added.

“I’m trying to help the kid.” Calmly, Bob said. “Besides, what can he do…”

Now furious, Joey swung both of his feet up, then brought them down hard against Bob's shins. Bob let out a surprised cry, loosening his grip just enough for Joey to worm free. He jumped to his feet and turned as Bob reached down to help him up and delivered a surprisingly strong blow to his lower jaw, knocking Bob off balance, before quickly vanishing into the darkness of the night.

“He could do that.” Laughing, Luke replied.

“You asked for that one.” Serious, Joe added. “You okay?”

“He just hurt my pride.” Ruefully, Bob replied. “The little kid is a scrapper.” He looked around. “Where did he go?”

It was then the three heard the speed boat's engine coming to life. Joe and Luke ran back around the weeds, with Bob close behind them, but by the time they reached the shore, Joey was racing away, down river, in Joe’s new speed boat.

“Well blow me down!” Irritated, Luke said. “Look at him go… the kid has guts, I’ll give him that.”

“Come on.” Waving, Bob said. “My boat is just up river, we can catch him if we hurry.”

“Don't bother.” Frowning, Joe said. “He’s scared of us now.” He sighed. “At least now he has a fighting chance.”

“Let's get back to the riverboat.” Firmly, Luke said. “There's no telling when Rick’s friends are going to send their signal.” He turned to Bob. “You need to get yourself to that resort and round up your buddies.”

“I’m on it.” Nodding, Bob said.

He ran off to his speed boat with Joe and Luke following.
“It’s going to be a long, wet walk to the riverboat.” Sighing, Joe said. “Any ideas?”

Bob smiled then reached into his speed boat, producing a large yellow package. “Inflatable raft, one touch operation.” Smiling, he said. He then lifted a small motor. “In the bayou, you learn to be prepared.”

Meanwhile, on Joe’s speed boat, Joey quickly looked back to be certain they were not chasing him. “I only wish that was Morgana back there.” Angry, he thought to himself. “It would have felt good to let her have it.”

He turned back to the river ahead of him, thinking of the little boy who had helped him. A tear ran down his cheek as he thought of what might have happened to him. Those thoughts moved him to increase the boat’s speed, determined to find help as quickly as he could. Joey followed the river, barely dodging the trees and small islands, not daring to slow down in fear that something terrible might happen to Tim, Emily, and the strange boy who had saved him. But even before Joey had stolen the boat, he found that he had to fight to keep himself awake. It was only his determination and fear that was keeping him going…

Meanwhile, in California, the police had long since arrived at Rick’s house and Amy had just finished telling everyone what she and her friends had dug up on the adoption ring. Once she finished, the officer in charge shook his head. “This is not good.” Serious, he said. “It looks as if you and your friends had stumbled upon something really big here.” He frowned. “Worse, they decided to take the law into their own hands and left to save them.”

“It was Rick who had put all of the pieces together.” Sadly, Amy said. “He had hid the disk and map under that pile of clothes in the closet for us to find. I- I guess he knew he was about to be kidnapped.”

“Amy, it is important that you tell us if your friends gave you any clue as to where they were going.” Softly, the second policeman said. “They could already be in mortal danger.”

“All they said was that they were going to help those kids we’ve been hearing over the ham radio after they pay Hannah Duff a visit.” Shaking her head, Amy said. “They left here shortly after Michael called his friend, Jonathan Porter.”

“Have dispatch send an officer down to Mr. Duff’s and Mr. Porter’s residence.” Serious, the first officer said to a third man. “Also, have someone run an investigation on this Arrowhead adoption Association.”

The third officer nodded and left, talking into his radio while the first officer turned back to Amy. “We need you to return home and stay there until we can get this all figured out.”

Just then, two more officers entered the room with Amy’s parents, Becky and John, and a young man and woman in tow. Becky and the woman came forward at the same time and Amy backed away from both of them. “What’s wrong, dear?” asked Becky.
“Don’t you recognize me?” Tearfully, the woman asked. “My name is Nancy Eve and this is my husband, Paul. We are your real mommy and daddy.”

“What do you mean you’re her real mom!?!” confused, Amy’s mother demanded. asked Amy’s mother, confused. “Her birth parents died in a car accident almost seven years ago.”

“That’s a lie!” shouted Nancy. “I have undisputable proof that Anna is my biological daughter!”

“Anna!?! Are you crazy!?! This is my daughter, Amy, I legally adopted her through....”

“The arrowhead adoption Association.” Trembling, Amy said.

The two women slowly turned to Amy. “That’s right.” Softly, Becky said. “But how did you know that?”

“Because she knows she was kidnapped.” Firmly, Nancy said.

“You’re crazy!” shouted Becky. “I adopted Amy legally!”

“Not in my book!”

Listening to the two argue, Amy tearfully covered her ears and shook her head. “Stop it!” Screaming, she demanded. “Both of you just stop it!!”

The officers turned to the small group, then to Amy and then to the group again. “What exactly is going on here?” Sternly, the first officer demanded. “Someone answer me or you’re all going downtown!”

“There is one more thing I need to show you, sir.” Crying, Amy said. “I wanted my parents to see this.”

“What is it, dear?” Curious, Becky asked.

“You’re not going to like this, mom.” Sadly, Amy said. She turned to the young couple. “You are not going to like this either, ma’am, but you have to see this.”

She turned to the computer, struck a series of keys on the keyboard, then stepped aside so everyone could see the image on the monitor. What they saw caused everyone’s face to turn pale. The child search program had been run and it was displaying two identical pictures of Amy on the screen, each with a different name, and the words, match found. flashing on the bottom of the screen. After a moment of shock, the first officer let out a long, weary sigh. “Oh boy…”

“I am a victim of that adoption ring.” Crying, Amy said. “My real name is Anna Eve…”

Back inside the bayou, Joey let out a short, frightened scream as his boat flew into the air upon hitting a tree limb, landing hard in the water before speeding on. “I can't fall asleep.” he reminded himself, piloting the small boat. “They are counting on me to get help! I won't let them down, I can't I can't ”

Joey's voice trailed off, exhaustion was beginning to take its toll on him. He shook his head, slapped his face, desperately trying anything to stay awake but, despite his efforts, his small body soon slumped over and fell limp onto the wheel. The boat continued to speed down river on a random course, but with Joey passed out at the wheel, it was not long before it struck one of the many protruding trees near the shore. The sudden jolt threw Joey clear from the boat like a rag doll just before it exploded into a raging fire ball. He fell hard to the wet ground, trembling in both pain and fear. He gasped upon seeing the boat he had stolen smashed and burning against the tree, realizing that he could have still been in it. Desperate and in pain, Joey moved on as quickly as he could in fear that Morgana or one of her henchmen might spot the flames. His exhaustion and pain hindered his speed, but he was determined to make it through to someone who could help him rescue his friends.

“There has to be someone living out here, somewhere.” he reassured himself. “There just has to be.”
The night passed slowly for Joey as every step he took sent daggers of pain through his legs and into his shoulders. Still, he forced himself to keep moving, knowing well that his friends were all counting on him and that he was their last hope of ever escaping their captors, Morgana, her body guards, and the cold hearted Dr. Jerk. It was not until daybreak before Joey finally found a single line of smoke rising from the trees ahead of him. Encouraged, but at the very edge of his limits, he staggered towards it. But as he came closer, he gasped and quickly hid behind a nearby tree. The line of smoke was coming from an old fashioned, steam powered riverboat docked at the shore. His first reaction was to go back the way he came and hope no one had seen him. But, as he limped away, he heard someone behind him, approaching. Too weak to run or fight, Joey turned back around, expecting to see Morgana coming at him with her cane raised to strike him. Instead, he found an attractive, well dressed, young woman with short auburn hair cautiously walking up to him.

“Hello, there.” Gently, she said.
Joey looked at her, his lips trembling. He did not know what to do or think. He just stood there, frightened.

“It's okay.” Softly, the woman said. “I’m not going to hurt you. My name is Nichole Samson, what's yours?”

Tears streamed uncontrollably from Joey's eyes as he looked at the young woman standing in front of him with hope in his eyes for the first time in a long while. “Please...” Miserable, he whispered. “Please... help me!”

Nichole looked at the small boy before her for a moment, then gently took him into her arms where he finally broke out into a long sob. He had been holding it back ever since he had been kidnapped over a year before. Nichole picked up the boy, who seemed unnaturally light, and quickly carried him back to the riverboat. As she entered the main hall, a crowd quickly began to gather around her. Voices of concern rose as she made her way passed them and gently placed Joey onto a sofa on the far side of the main hall.

“Someone get my dad and Captain Don!” Urgently, she ordered. “This boy needs medical help, right away!”

Within minutes, the captain, a tall well-built man, ran into the main hall with a passenger of similar build close behind, carrying a first aid kit. “Make room!” Sternly, the captain barked. “Let Doctor Samson through!”

The doctor knelt down beside the small sofa, which made Joey nervous, but the soft touch of Nichole's hand on his shoulder soon relaxed him. “What is your name, son.” he asked.

“Jo Joey.” replied the boy, weakly.

“Well, Joey, I am Doctor Samuel Samson. I’m just going to check to see if you are still in one piece, okay?”

Joey nodded and Samuel began his examination. “Will he be okay, dad?” Worried, Nicole asked when her father was done.

“I won't lie to you, sugar.” Serious, Samuel said. “He's lucky you found him when you did, he would not have survived another day on his own.”

“Well, if there's nothing else you can do right now, I suggest we let him get some rest.” Calmly Captain Don said. “We can question him after he gets his strength back.”

“Wait! Please!” Weakly, Joey called out.

Samuel turned to Joey, concerned. “What is it, lad?”

“My friends.” he mumbled. “They need need help. We were all kidnapped! They sent me out to find help. I I...”

Joey's voice slowly trailed off as he began to fall into unconsciousness. “Joey? Joey!” Samuel shook Joey lightly, but he would not wake up. “Where are they, Joey?”

“He's too exhausted to answer, doctor.” Sadly, Don said. “Let him sleep. He will tell us what he needs to say when he wakes up.” He looked at Joey. “He’s a lucky lad. This is the first year the Louisiana police has ever held their annual convention on a river boat.”

“I'm going to stay with him.” Softly, Nicole said Nichole. “He's going to need to see a friendly face when he wakes up.”

“Good idea.” Nodding, Don said. “In the meantime, I suggest we move the party to the other side of the boat.”

The crowd reluctantly moved to the other side of the boat to finish their party, leaving Nichole alone inside the main hall with Joey…

At that time, in New York, Mr. Grim, with Harry Smith, listened intently as Hank and Jon made his report over the speaker phone inside his private office. “...And that’s all of it, sir.” Calmly, Hank reported. “Morgana faked the deaths of those three kids and is now making them dig for these crystal keys inside of some underground maze of tunnels.”

“What of the child, Rick Stone?” Darkly, Grim asked.

“He got away from us and aided one of the three children in his escape.” Serious, Jon replied. “He was captured by Morgana’s body guards. But because he looks similar to the other child, we suspect the two will not be telling Morgana of his escape.”

“There is more to this, sir.” Serious, Hank said. “There are five other children out here, assisting the three prisoners. We have identified three of them as Rick Stone’s school friends from California.”

“Resourceful, aren’t they?” asked Smith.

Grim silenced him with a wave of his hand then said, “Continue to observe Morgana and the good Doctor Jerk but do not interfere with any of their activities. As for the five children, let them do as they wish until I arrive, I should be there sometime tomorrow morning. I will deal with this matter personally.”

“Understood.” Politely, Hank replied. “We will have an update to our report upon your arrival.”

With that, the call ended and Grim turned off the speaker phone before leaning back in his chair with a deep frown dominating his expression. “So, she actually found it.”

“Exactly what did she find, sir?” asked Smith.

“It would seem that your initial fears of the children’s resourcefulness was correct, Mr. Smith.” Ignoring the question, Grim said. “No matter, I have identical facilities in Europe, we can move the entire operation overseas after I tie up a few loose ends.”

“Excuse me, sir.” Curious, Smith said. “What did Morgana find?”

Grim was silent for a moment then he answered, “It is a secret my family has been keeping safe for well over one hundred years. A hidden underwater cavern, an ancient sink hole, really. Inside, rests one of history’s less known, but greatly feared, pirate ship, the Young Misery.”

“The Young Misery, sir.”

Grim nodded. “My great, great grandfather was the captain of that ship and the only one to escape the trap his young slaves had set for him and his crew.” He paused. “According to my family’s journals, the ship was supposed to have been full of treasure when the slave children revolted. They blew up the cavern ceiling, sending the ship crashing down into it just as the high tide was pouring in. Thus began the legend of the pirate’s vault.”

“You believe that Morgana had found it?” asked Smith.

“That is what Hank’s report seems to suggest.” said Grim. “But that’s not important. What is important is that Morgana’s little greedy venture by using three children I had arranged to be brainwashed and sold as orphans to pull it off is threatening entire operation. Morgana, Dr. Jerk, and their cohorts must be dealt with immediately.”

“What of the police, sir.” Wincing, Smith asked. “They have been demanding to see you.”

“One thing at a time, Mr. Smith.” Patiently, Grim said. “I’ll inform the police that I had no knowledge of these activities, but I will personally look into it.”

“Then I take it you will be paying Morgana a visit?”

Grim nodded. “First, we will a little insurance to keep a certain party of young detectives off our backs.” He smiled. “I am sure you know who we will need.”

Smith smiled. “Yes, sir.” he said.”

Grim nodded. “Pack up the entire operation, including the children we have and begin shipping it all to our facilities in Europe.” Serious, he said. “As for the small group of heroes, I’m sure we can find those poor orphans a good home.” He shrugged, “If not, we will simply make them… disappear.”

Back to Los Angeles, everyone stared at the two images of Amy on the computer monitor in a state of semi shock. “No way.” Whispering, Becky said. “It has to be a coincidence.”

“I don’t want to cause you any suffering, Mrs. Moss.” said Nancy. “But she is our daughter. You were just duped.”

“You have to consider my position, Mrs. Eve.” said Becky. “I raised Amy as my own since she was almost six years old. I am just not going to give her up like this. I lost my only sister when I was a little girl, It would kill me to lose my only daughter.”

“You lost a sister too?” Surprised, Nancy asked. “Talk about a coincidence.” Then, she took a closer look at Becky and suddenly became startled. “Exactly how old were you when you lost your sister?”

“I was about ten at the time.” Confused, Becky said. “Why?”

Nancy swallowed hard then whispered, “I can’t believe it!”

Paul placed a firm but reassuring hand on his wife’s shoulder. “You don’t you think...”

Nancy turned to Amy. “Can that program find matches between two older pictures?”

“It’s a good thing Michael loaded the program back into this computer before he left.” Biting her lip, Amy thought. She then said aloud, Yes it can, why?”

Trembling, Nancy pulled an old missing person’s flyer out of her purse. “I have been saving this ever since my sister turned up missing on a riverboat cruise.” she said.

Becky let out a surprised gasp. “I- I lost my sister on a riverboat cruise too! I was told that she and my parents were murdered by a gang of river pirates who thwarted an effort to hijack the ship.”

Nancy’s mouth fell half open in astonishment as she spoke in almost a whisper. “I was told the same thing!” She took a step forward. “Tell me, which riverboat was it?”

“It was the...” The words froze in her mouth.

“The A list…” Shaking, Amy said.

The two women turned to her, startled, and slowly nodded. Amy looked at the two with her lips trembling then quickly took the old missing person’s flyer from Nancy’s hand and placed it into the scanner. “What are you up to, dear?” Curious, Becky asked.

“I’m going to find out for sure.” replied Amy.

Reaching into her tiny purse, which she had flung over her shoulder, Amy retrieved a small photograph of her adopted mother and placed it into the scanner, next to the flyer. With two clicks of the mouse, the computer hummed for a moment and the two pictures were displayed side by side on the monitor.

“What are doing?” asked the first policeman.

“I’m going to run the picture in Nancy’s flyer through the age progression program and see if they match with a picture of my adopted mom.” Serious, Amy replied. “If they match, my adopted mom is really my aunt.”

Amy hit the return key and the computer hummed for several moments before it began changing the picture of the little girl into a young woman. When it finally stopped two words flashed onto the bottom of the screen which caused the two once feuding women to suddenly embrace each other in tears. The words were match found.

“Well, what do you know?” surprised, the first officer said. “They’re sisters!”

“I can’t believe the way we found each other, Becky!” In tears, Nancy said. “You look good.”

Becky smiled. “Nor can I. Maybe now we can work something out.”

Nancy nodded. “Maybe we can. But all of this raises another question, where are our real parents?”

As the question hung in the air, Amy let out a heavy sigh. “I just hope my friends are okay out there.”

“You let us worry about that, young lady.” Firmly, the first officer said. “I will have a patrolman escort you and Kim back to your homes and have a few guards posted to make sure nothing happens to you.” he turned to Nancy. “I suggest you stay with Mrs. Eve until we can get this mess straightened out.”

Nancy nodded. “Yes, sir.”

The policeman nodded, satisfied. But, before he could utter another word, a crash was heard as a small canister flew through the window. It landed in the middle of the room and began to spew out a thick, suffocating gas, causing everyone to keel over coughing. The four officers, on instinct, reached for their fire arms but the effects of the gas overwhelmed them in the next breath and they soon all fell to the floor, unconscious. After the room became silent, two men, wearing gas masks, quietly entered the room. They took Kim and Amy and quietly left the house with the two unconscious children flung over their shoulders…