"What are you guys up to?", asked Joan.
"We are playing!!", barked Steve. "This is the 5th time I told you. So stop pestering us".
"Why do you guys have to play when we are sitting in Central Park on this beautiful Spring Morning?".
Indeed. The Central Park comes to life during the spring season. Joan had called up Steve in the morning and told him to get Rick to the Central Park.
The trio had decided to go to the Central Park to soak in the beauty of the spring season.
Much to Joan's disappointment, the guys as usual had got their portable consoles to play along the way.
So there she was sitting on the great lawn in Central Park wasting the sights of spring with two idiots who were cursing each other under their breath as they madly pushed buttons on a small black piece of rock with lights which they called consoles.
"Guys, I am going for a walk. Mind coming?".
"No thank you."
"C'mon guys! Don't be such spoil sports."
"Spoil sports? We are not spoil sports. YOU are spoiling OUR sport!".
"Okay, Okay, we are coming!", exclaimed Rick, looking at the expression of dismay on Joan's face.
Quitting their game, Rick and Steve joined Joan as they walked their way through the winding paths of Central Park.
The three had been friends for a very long time. They used to go to middle school together. Steve left them in middle school and started going to private school.
His dad had moved him there due to some "security concerns" as he used to call them. His dad was a bureaucrat with the Federal Government. Sometime back he was promoted and had become a very important person. This prompted Steve's dad to move him to private school. Steve's dad had also warned him against hanging around with Joan and Rick for the very same "security concerns". But that did not stop Steve from doing so.
Far out on the South Western End of the park at Columbus Circle, A Black Cadillac Escalade and a Cadillac BLS came to a halt. Seven Guys dressed in crisp black stepped out from the vehicle and entered the park.
The three had been wandering around the park for quite a long time.
"I am hungry.", said Rick. "We should eat something. I am starving."
"I want a coffee", said Joan.
"Let's go to Starbucks on the 60th and Broadway."
The seven guys in black were walking down the central Park Driveway towards West Drive when they noticed three figures, one of which resembled their target.
"Agent 1", said one of them. "I see the target."
"Roger that Agent 3", replied Agent 1. "This is easier than I thought. The target is walking right towards us."
"I had made a detailed plan to fan out an search the park in 20 minutes. We don't even need to split up now!", barked Agent 3.
"Take it nice and slow. No violence. No weapons. Nothing harsh. Just be polite and the target is ours. Agent 3 come with me. Rest of you stay here. We don't need to scare the target".
The three were walking down West Drive when Steve saw two men dressed in black approaching them. Steve had always been displeased by their sight.
Every now and then when his father would feel suspicious he used to send in these guys to get him home. He sighed again as he would have to leave his friends for the day. He didn't notice that he sighed pretty loudly.
Joan and Rick had been distracted from their chat and where looking at him.
"What's the matter?", asked Rick.
"See those guys up ahead?", asked Steve motioning in the direction of the men.
"Yeah!", replied Rick and Joan in unison.
"Well, you know what that means, don't you?"."Dad has sent people to get me. But I won't be going home right now. Atleast not without having Starbucks with you guys. Anyone for free Starbucks?"
"Yeah!"
"Sir, are you Steve Thompson?", asked Agent 1.
"Yes", replied Steve.
"Sir, you have to come with us", replied Agent 1 motioning to Agent 3.
"Who sent you?"
"Mr. Thompson, your father".
"Okay, where do we have to go?", asked Steve.
"I am afriad I can't tell you that sir. You have to come with us this very moment sir, its very urgent", replied Agent 1.
"Okay, I will but I have one condition".
"And that would be?", asked Agent 1.
"I will be having a starbucks with my friends here and then we will go", replied Steve
"Sir, but that would make us late."
"Your choice", barked Steve
"Okay we go to starbucks, you take your food, and you come with us right?"
"Okay but you pay.", said Steve
"Sure let's go then."
The five of them hurriedly walked down the Central Park Driveway, came out on the pavement, crossed at the Columbus Circle and rushed down the Broadway into Starbucks.
As they were placing their orders Steve said, "I like the people that dad sends only for one reason".
"And what would that be?", asked Joan.
"You can put as many conditions you like, these guys always agree to them as they have to get the job done in any case."
"Good for you.", said Rick.
"Advantages of being an important bureaucrat's son.", said Steve.
"What does your dad do anyway?", asked Joan.
"Even I don't know. Who cares as long as you can get these benefits."
"Shall we leave sir?", asked Agent 1 as they were moving towards an empty table with their orders.
"Yeah sure, let's go", replied Steve.
"See you later guys."
Agent 1 and Steve left Starbucks and stepped into the Black Cadillacs which without anyone's notice had come up right outside the door.
The doors closed and the cars zoomed away taking Steve with them.
Looking at the expression of dismay on Rick's face, Joan asked, "What's with you? He does usually go away like this. This ain't the first time."
"I know. But it just doesn't feel right this time.", replied Rick.
"Why?"
"Well, you can't just park vehicles outside the starbucks' door on the Broadway."
"So what? His dad is a VIP".
"I know. But the vehicles carried a United Nations licence plate, that too for UNHCR or U.N. High Commission for Refugees. He was never taken by UN vehicles and that too the refugee commission."
He was indeed right. All the times before that Steve went this way, the vehilces atleast bore US licence plates.
"Stop being worried. Who knows his dad might just be promoted and must have started working for the UN.", said Joan.
"Maybe you're right. But still sounds suspicious to me".
Some blocks away as the Cadillacs enterd the Lincoln Tunnel, Steve finishing his coffee asked Agent 1, "Where are we going?"
Agent 1 took out a black cloth out from his pocket and said, "To Hell!".
That was the last words that Steve heard.
Agent 3 sitting on the other side of Steve had knocked him unconcious.
"Easy enough.", said Agent 3.
"Ofcourse it will be easy dumbass. They are teenagers.", said Agent 1 covering Steve's head with the black cloth.
The car zoomed away into the Lincoln tunnel and left New York City never to be seen again.
