“I’ve spotted him, Henry,” Andy said into his wrist transmitter. “Turn on Seventh Street. He’s driving a blue Firebird with white stripes on the sides.”“I’ve spotted him, Henry,” Andy said into his wrist transmitter. “Turn on Seventh Street. He’s driving a blue Firebird with white stripes on the sides.”
Henry put his head out of the limousine window and looked up at the sky. He could barely see Andy above the rooftops. “Aren’t you getting a little too high, sir? You wouldn’t want to pass out.”
“I’m fine. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? I bust up, I heal. All in a day’s work for the Hawk. Concentrate on finding that Firebird.”
“I see him now, sir. He’s pulling off the street into an old warehouse.”
“Be careful, Henry. Don’t let him spot you.”
“I’m pulling over here, sir. What do we do now?”
“I’m going in to get a better look. You stay out here and keep an eye on things. If I’m not out in fifteen minutes, call the cops.”
Andy flew to a wide ventilation grate in the roof of the warehouse. He worked a corner loose and slid inside.
Not wanting to attract attention, Andy stopped flapping his wings and stood on a thin steel beam near the warehouse’s ceiling. Below him, several men were busy repainting brand-new cars and changing their license plates. The Firebird was parked in a corner, but Smoke wasn’t in it.
Cautiously Andy worked his way across the narrow beam to a wooden catwalk that led to an office. He could hear Smoke inside, talking on the telephone.
“Things didn’t go like we planned, Boss. The kid got away and they got Harvey … Yes, sir … Yes, sir … You want me to come up to the big house? But it wasn’t my fault. The kid had a gun … Yes, sir.” Smoke hung up the phone and kicked the wall. “Stupid high-class bigshot. What would he know about kidnapping, anyway?” He stormed out of the office, yelled something at one of his men, and headed down some stairs to the Firebird.
“Hey, look up there, Smoke. It’s a giant … bird?” One of the painters had lifted his goggles and was pointing directly at Andy. The rest of the workers stopped what they were doing and stared.
Andy pushed the button on his rocket harness and shot across the warehouse.