21 Jump Street (Tom Hanson)

Kidnapped

August 1988

My peaceful day off turned into a rescue mission for Tom Hanson. I was watering my plant that lives in the corner of my living room when Fuller called me at home from the precinct and said that I needed to get down to Taft High School as soon as I could. It was the perfect start to the beginning of the school year.

Taft High did not have the cleanest record for well-behaved students. I'm not sure what Tom's assignment was, but it went seriously wrong. Fuller informed me that he was being held captive by one of the students of the school in one of the classrooms with a bunch of other kids.

"I just wish I knew what was going on in there. Any ideas, Gregg?" Fuller asked me.

As I was brainstorming and looking at the school that was now surrounded by police officers and the SWAT team, one of the officers came over to us and said, "he is making demands."

Fuller frowned and asked, "what does he want?"

"He's asking for hoagie sandwiches."

"Hoagies?" Fuller grimaced. Then he ordered, "nobody goes in and nobody comes out, you hear me?"

I blurted without thinking, "get me in there."

Fuller looked at me with an unmistakable avoid in his expression. "What did I just say?"

"Listen, if he's making demands then he is more statically likely to let the hostages go, including Tom," I pointed out.

Fuller sighed and eyed me wearily. "That's true. He's armed."

"I know."

"Okay. Okay, give me a minute."

Fuller walked off and I stayed by one of the police cruisers. I kept looking at the school, trying to think of a better solution to this problem. If only we knew what was going on in there, we would be able to safely help everyone and get Tom out of there as fast as possible.

Fuller came back and tossed a blue and black uniform my way that belonged to a popular sandwich shop called the Waverly Sub Station. It's local and family owned, so it's one of the best sandwich shops in town. He also put a bullet proof vest on me. He said firmly as he snapped and tightened it, "you don't take this vest off for any reason. Do you understand me?"

I threw my hair into a ponytail and placed a hideous visor that matched the uniform over my head. I nodded, "loud and clear, Cap'n."

"Do not stay in there with them. Go in, deliver the sandwiches, then come back and let us know what's going on in there. That's an order."

"Okay," I said with a nod.

"Okay. Send her in," Fuller said and one of the cops from this district escorted me to the door. I heard him chattering on a walkie talkie stating that I was going in. I took a deep breath, holding nearly ten bags of sandwiches in my hands, with two guns hidden around my ankles.

I began walking through the hallway, and I was interrupted when I heard a low whistle behind me. I turned and saw one of the students, waving me over with a gun. I kept my face straight, and followed him into the classroom.

In the classroom, sat Tom and about fifteen other students who looked absolutely terrified. This reminded me of the first assignment we had with Fuller, where Doug and I went in to deliver pizzas. I tried not to look at Tom, in order to make it seem like I didn't know him and I set the sandwich bags on the teachers desk. I don't think they knew he was a cop.

"Who are you?" One of the kids asked me.

"Mickey Lantz," I answered. Elm Street. I nodded at a student who was sitting in the teachers chair and asked, "where's the money?"