It was a shock beyond words for Jamie and Tonton. Being caught at that moment felt like being suddenly dipped in ice cold water that they shivered and panicked. Adding to their fear was that the man could possibly identify them. They could only hope that the dimness of the bas.e.m.e.nt and their face mask made them unrecgonizable. Reflexively, they ran without looking back."Hey, there are kids in here!" the man shouted.
The men working in the front side heard their fellow worker hollered. They paused and pondered. Why would it be trouble if there are kids in the area? Kids loved playing anywhere and it would just be normal to find them there. But then, there a was strict instruction to them by their foreman. Other than the workers, no one must be allowed in the building or around it, not even children. The construction must be off-limits to everyone, especially the news reporters and nosy people. As to why, they did not know but Dr. Alvarado specifically made that instruction. So seconds after the call, realization settled in their heads, more so when they heard footsteps from inside the building. Instantly, the men ran inside to chase after the intruders.
Meanwhile, the two boys had no other choice but to deal with the man head-on. With all their strength, they charged at him and managed to bring him down. It was a violent fall that the man shouted in pain as his b.u.t.t hit the concrete floor. Immediately, Jamie and Tonton took the opportunity to run away from him. They had just ran a few meters on the upper level when the men from the front entered the chamber. The boys stopped, so did the men. There were several open doors around them, most of which were up ahead the men. The boys surrept.i.tiously looked at their left. There was an opening.
"You have some in your bag, right?" Jamie asked Tonton.
"Of course," Tonton answered confidently.
Quickly, they repositioned their bag and took out marbles from its pockets. Slowly, they stepped back while the men advanced towards them. At the moment the men ran, the boys threw the marbles on the floor. They bounced and bounced, their tiny sounds reverberated strongly inside the hollow building. The boys took out more marbles and joyfully spread them on the floor. The men danced as they stepped on them, some falling hard on the floor while others struggled to maintain their balance while going after the boys.
"Let"s go," Jamie said and they immediately went out the opening.
The Biker Brothers ran until they finally reached the front portion of the building. To their shock, more men were waiting for them. They encircled them and laughed as they closed in. They were not wearing face masks and so the boys saw their mocking looks. Without any hesitation, Jamie took out a bottle of powder from his bag and squeezed it hard, sprinkling white powder on the faces of two nearby men. They vigorously slapped their faces to shake out the powder covering their eyes. The other men were angered that they went up to Jamie. But before they could get near him, Tonton took out a pack of starch powder from his bag and quickly dusted them with it. The men shook their heads while the boys laughed at their white faces.
Seeing them in trouble, Jamie and Tonton immediately ran, hoping they could finally escape them. They were just around the corner when two more men arrived. Behind them was a moving crane with the driver also shocked to see some kids running around.
The boys evaded the two as the men they encountered earlier were finally able to catch up with them. It would have been an endgame if not for the crane driver who instantly panicked at the chaos on the ground.
"Catch them," he yelled. "Don"t let them get away!"
As the men scampered, the driver lost balance. The boom of the crane violently moved sideways and as the hoist rope sw.a.n.g, its hook attached itself to the scaffolding in the side of the building. The crane moved once more and shook the structure, including portions of the building. As the men watched in horror, the scaffolding collapsed, bringing along a part of the old building"s wall. Wood and concrete rained and with a final thud, they plummeted to the ground.
The men gasped as they watched the collapse right before their eyes. The sound of the crash was like cookies crumbling when clenched. It was a big damage and how Dr. Alvarado would react to the disaster was something they found hard to fathom.
For Jamie and Tonton, it was a perfect chance to get away. So while the men were absorbed in shock, they slowly sneaked and left the scene. The crash was loud enough to stir the attention of the community. Within seconds, people from the neighborhood came rushing to look at the damage. Despite their face masks, their murmuring was audible which made the men became more embarra.s.sed. They forgot about the kids since the fiasco was more important to think about.
"How could I face the doctor with this mess?" the foreman whispered to himself. He sighed for that was all he could.
The boys successfully reached their bikes. Along the way, they tried to walk up straight and evaded eye contact with the people. They could not let their fears show. It was a big relief to finally touch their bikes.
"Wow, that was exciting," Tonton said as he removed his face mask and breathed some air.
"It was tough but they failed to capture us," Jamie commented as he also freed his nose and mouth from the mask.
They grinned at each other and gave a high up. The sound of their slapping hands was loud, but not too perceptible amidst the people"s animated chattering.
The sun was slowly falling as late afternoon approached, and yet, the air remained warm and humid. This made the boys sweat even more as they celebrated their little success. It was a success discovering Dr. Alvarado"s secret in the facility, and to watch the rubbles of the fallen portion of the structure made the two even prouder.
"I think we need to go now and join Kiko and Bogart," Jamie said.
Tonton nodded. Gently, they boarded their bikes and left the scene. They had already gone several meters from the site when they met on the road a familiar car. It was a black media car.....