Drawn To You: A Tintin Fanfiction

Chapter 3

Back at the police station, Captain Haddock paced in front of a confused looking Thomson and Thompson.

"Who could possibly want to hurt Tintin?" Thompson asked.

"Yes, he's always so nice to everyone, " Thomson said.

"I can think of several people," the Captain replied. "Tintin's helped stop a lot of criminals. If any one of them has him, let's just say he's not safe."

"But there's really not much we can do," Thomson said.

"Yes, we're piled with work as it is," Thompson continued. "The best we could do is put out a missing person's report."

"That's not good enough!" Captain Haddock said. He slammed his fists down on the desk, making some packages fall off. Emma bent down to pick them up.

"Perhaps we could help with some of the work," she suggested. "Then Thompson and Thomson would be more free to help us." She looked down at the package in her hands. It was unmarked. Curious, she unwrapped it. Inside was a disc.

"Captain, look at this," she said, interrupting his refreshed argument with the detectives. Scrawled across the disc in a sloppy, childish print were the words, "Tintin Ransom Video." They rushed to play it.

The video started with static, but it cleared to show a man sitting behind a desk. The room was dark and his face was hidden in the shadows.

"Welcome viewers. By now you've surely realized that Tintin, the famous reporter, is missing. I'm here to assure you that he is not missing. He is, in fact, right where we want him to be. He's unharmed, and to prove that we're not bad people, we've asked him to say a few words, to give you further proof that he is completely fine."

The scene shifted and Tintin was on screen. He was bound to a chair, but his eyes were defiant and determined.

"Whatever it is they want," he said. "Whatever they're asking for, don't give it to them. They are the bad guys. I'm not worth it. Please, remember. Don't let them have any power over you." Then the scene cut back to the darkroom.

"Tintin is very brave," the man continued. "What he doesn't realize is, we're not only appealing to his friends. We understand Mr. Tintin has many enemies. Many people want the pleasure of killing him. So we're prepared to make a deal. You've all heard of an auction. We'll deliver Tintin alive to, shall we say, the highest bidder. What they do with him afterward is of no concern to us. So who would pay the highest price to get their hands on this very valuable item? We're asking you, how much do you think Tintin is worth?" Then the screen cut to black.

Emma sobbed silently into her hands. Captain Haddock took off his cap and placed it over his heart. Thompson and Thomson took their hats off as well, solemnly looking down as they placed them in their laps.

"Come on, guys," Haddock said, breaking the silence. "All hopes not lost. Tintin's got just as many friends as enemies. If we all work together, we're sure to have enough."

"That's just it, Captain," Emma replied. "Tintin told us not to pay off his kidnappers. I haven't known him very long, but I'm pretty sure he'd be upset if we brought him home to tell him we did the opposite of what he asked."

"Does it matter if he's upset as long as he's alive?"

"Captain, how long have you known Tintin? How do you think he'd feel if we gave who knows how large a sum of money to the villains who kidnapped him? He'd be devastated. He'd feel betrayed. Do you really want to hurt him by bringing him home?"

"Thundering typhoons! I hate your logic. Especially since you're right. But surely we can't just sit here knowing he'll be killed. And the way it's looking, most likely in a very painful and gruesome way. Tintin's saved so many other people. It just doesn't seem right for us to abandon him, even if he asked us to."

"We're not going to abandon him. I'll go after him myself." The Captain stopped and stared at her.

"Emma, you don't know what you're saying. You-you wouldn't even know where to start! Besides, it's too dangerous. They'd kill you!"

"No offense, Captain, but you don't really know me. I met you this morning. I don't know Tintin very well either, but I know I'd do anything to help him. I don't care how dangerous it is. I WILL find him."

"Emma..."

"Don't try to stop me, Captain."

"I'm not. Tintin's my best friend. You said you'd do anything for him. So would I. I know I can't stop you from looking for him, but you won't be able to stop me from helping you."

"Captain, I don't know what to say."

"Say you have any sort of plan at all. How did you think you'd find him? The video didn't even mention a place to deliver the ransom." Emma thought for a moment.

"That's it!"

"What's it?"

"Tintin was only kidnapped last night, but they had time to make and deliver a ransom video. That means they can't be far away. They're probably..." She gasped, then leaned in close to the Captain's ear and whispered, "They're probably watching us right now. Listening to our conversation."

"Blistering barnacles, that's a terrible plan," Captain Haddock said loudly. Emma looked hurt.

"Captain, I..."

"Just play along," he whispered. Then loudly again, "If we listen to you, Tintin's as good as dead. I'm going to try my idea. I'll go call some friends, see how much we can round up."

Emma sighed dramatically. "You're right, Captain. The best way to win Tintin back is to pay off his kidnappers. I'll help you make some calls." They walked out, leaving a very confused Thomson and Thompson.

"Right," said Thompson. "We'll do everything we can as the police."

"Precisely," Thomson said. "The police will do everything we can."

A/N: Hey readers! I hope you've figured out what my update schedule is. If you haven't, I've been updating on Tuesday. Please vote, comment, and share if you liked it. Until next week. Thanks!