Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys characters. This is my first fanfic - enjoy! I know there is a lot of description in this chapter but please bear with me. More to come when review are given. Thank you!

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"There it is - two o'clock." A voice whispered in the dark. The serious tone was laced with a hint of excitement. Three men dressed in all black were peering over the side of a boat out over dark, open ocean. In the direction indicated, a very large yacht drifted to a stop. A loud splash floated over the ocean.

"Anchor's down," another voice whispered.

At the announcement, the other two men put down their binoculars and started pulling on diving gear. The first was tall and lean, his dark brown hair hidden underneath his wetsuit hood but his brown eyes shone with intelligence and anticipation.

"In, get the evidence we need, and out – no theatrics," He said as he pulled his goggles over his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Spoil sport," came the reply from his partner. He was shorter and broader with blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes that were filled with excitement. He tested the miniature microphone taped to his throat. It was flat against his skin and nearly invisible. The slightest whisper would be heard. "Tango Alpha this is Charlie Delta, do you copy?"

His partner rolled his eyes but tapped his ear, indicating he heard him.

"Our evidence should be in the cargo container, near the stern," the last man said, continuing to watch the yacht through his night-vision binoculars. "You have two hours to find it and get the hell off that yacht. If Saffron finds you, you're on your own."

Javan Saffron was a highly wanted criminal by both Interpol and the US Government but he had yet to be caught due to lack of evidence. He covered his tracks well. He was a weapons manufacturer who sold his designs and weapons to known terrorists groups. Saffron was known to be a ruthless killer and willing to supply the highest bidder.

"That guy could never catch a Network agent – let alone a Hardy," the shorter man said with a wise-cracking grin, "Isn't that right Frank?"

Frank Hardy just shook his head. His partner, and younger brother, Joe Hardy was always looking to run headlong into a situation. Frank preferred to be cautious. However, being a Network agent meant you needed both attributes to survive.

The Network was an ultra-secret agency run by the United States government and the Hardy's employer. Gray Man, the Hardy's Network contact for the past seven years, headed the agency and his identity was very highly guarded. Gray Man wanted them to find the designs, or better the weapons, and bring them in so Saffron could be arrested. They needed that evidence before they could move in on him.

That is where the Hardy brothers came in. Their mission was to get on his yacht, collect designs, photos and any hard evidence they could, then get out without being seen or detected. If they were discovered, they had to resort to Plan B – blow up the yacht, Ark I, destroying all evidence of their presence.

They had received the blue prints of the yacht and had studied them until memorized. The Ark I was as long as a football field and had three decks.

The lower deck had 20 guest cabins complete with showers/baths in the bow, ten crew members cabins in the middle, and the cargo hold and engine room in the rear where two large hydro-propulsion engines were maintained.

The main deck contained a sitting parlor, a dining room and a study.

The upper deck was where a salon and bar was located as well as the weight room, an observation deck, and the captain's cabin. The sun deck was on the bow of the boat and had a pool and Jacuzzi complete with deck chairs for relaxing in. However, tonight all the lights were off, except for a few rooms, as the yacht sat silently in the dark water.

The brothers had been told that Saffron never went anywhere without his body guards and that they were heavily armed. They planned to steer clear of those men.

"We are green," the remaining man said. His name was Max and he was another member of the Network. He was a short, beefy man with few teeth and a lot of tattoos. He was their runner tonight, hanging out in the dingy and would wait for the Hardy's signal to pick them up. "The deck is clear."

Without another word, Frank and Joe slipped soundlessly into the water.

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