RockyRoads DEDICATED TO : Deborah Kluge without whose extensive medical knowledge this story would have died a slow, painful death and without whose patience to answer my questions and use of her characters this fic would have never made it as far as it did. Thank you, my friend. AND... Ali O. Batley whose care and attention to my page and my works have pushed me this far and beyond what I had ever expected of myself. Your help is and forever will be appreciated, My Love, in fiction and in life. I love you.

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Disclaimer-I don't own the Quest Team, which is owned and copyrighted by Hanna Barbera. No copyright infringement is intended; this story is created for your reading pleasure only and is not producing any money.

June 6, 1998

Francesca Hamilton and Kefira Subramanian are the sole property of Deborah Kluge. Permission was granted for the use of these characters. Peter Stanton is the sole property of Ali O. Batley. Permission was granted for the use of this character. Rocky Roads

by : Catherine "Mouse" Beaudet

"Race! Incoming!"

Race Bannon turned to the voice just in time to receive a projectile in the face. He fell backwards into the thick snow bank, stunned, then proceeded to wipe melting snow away from his face from receiving the snowball. Moments later a small, white Pit Bull Terrier bounded onto his chest and licked away the rest of the snow with gusto.

"Ugh! Enough, Bandit!" He sat up and looked in the direction the snowball had come. Standing on another snow bank was a trio of teens, two boys and a girl, all laughing hysterically. "Very funny! Which one of you three do I have a vendetta against?" he called. The girl and one of the boys pointed at their dark skinned friend who raised a sheepish hand. "Run for you life, Hadji!" and Race bolted towards him.

Hadji Singh stiffened before suddenly running off towards the tree line. Race picked up handfuls of snow as he went along, chucking them at the retreating teen. The two remaining teens merely laughed, watching the chase, Bandit bounding behind the runners.

"Think we should help Hadji?" Jonny Quest asked the fiery redhead, giving her a lopsided grin.

Jessie Bannon favored her blond friend with a sultry smile. "Triple Team my Dad? Sounds fun."

They each grabbed large handfuls of snow, forming them into snowballs as they ran in the direction Hadji and Race had gone. Race was pummeling their India Native friend with snowballs as this one tried to shield himself with a tree. When he could, he would return the attack.

"Hey, Dad!" Jessie called with a mischievous grin.

"What?" he turned, only to receive two large snowballs in the face. He collapsed to the ground in shock, only to jump back to his feet again seconds later. "Oh, that does it. Rumble! Hadji, you're on my team!" The young India Native quickly complied.

"No fair, Hadj!" Jonny called, dodging snowballs. "We come in to help and you turn on us! Traitor!"

"A wise man always chooses his side carefully, my Brother!" he called back. "And I know for a fact that my chances are very good teaming up with Race!"

"If you don't like the odds, kiddo, change sides!" Race called, tossing a rather large snowball at Jessie.

"Well, since you put it that way...!"

Jessie faced him sharply, slight fear shining in her green eyes. "You wouldn't dare."

He grinned, an impish gleam in his bright blue eyes as he palmed a snowball. "Wouldn't I?"

She shrieked and took off at a run back towards the house with the three men right behind her. They were laughing. She couldn't help but laugh right along with them. Jessie could hear them coming closer. She had a good idea who it was that was right on her heels. Just then, she cleared the tree line and saw the house not far ahead.

"BONSAI!!" Jonny called out and tackled Jessie. Hitting the ground and rolling down a short incline, they were both quickly pounced on by Race and Hadji.

"Arrgh!! Get off me!" Jessie struggled to say from the combined weight of the three men on top of her and her uncontrollable laughter.

All four laughed. Race got to his knees and pummeled the three teens with a full barrage of snowballs. Hadji managed to roll out of the way of the attack, but Jonny stayed where he was and tried to protect his girlfriend from the barrage with his own body.

"Kind of feels familiar, doesn't it?" Jonny told her. She could only giggled in response.

"Alright, Romeo, get off my Daughter." and Race shoved him aside.

Jonny responded by tossing snow in Race's direction seconds before falling to his back in the soft snow. The four sat there, in the snow bank, recovering from their battle. "Is it me or was this fight just a little more intense than usual?" young Quest suddenly voiced.

Hadji jabbed his adopted Brother in the side. "Do you even have to ask that?"

"God! I love first snow falls!" he called out to the clear sky above, punching the air.

"Boys! Jessie! Race!" came a commanding voice from the house. They turned to see Doctor Benton Quest standing in the open door.

"What is it, Dad?" Jonny called.

"I need you four in here! We have something to discuss!"

Hadji and Race immediately jumped to their feet and headed for the front door. Jessie and Jonny hung back just long enough to be able to speak privately as they walked. They were worried, they had reason to. They had officially begun going out a little over two years ago, this their entire family and all their friends knew. But unbeknownst to those people, except Hadji, they had become lovers only a few months ago. They had kept this a secret from their own Fathers, afraid of the repercussions from actually telling them.

"You'd think he found out something." Jonny told Jessie with a slight smirk.

She looked at him, worried. "You don't think...?"

"We were careful. He couldn't have." he admonished.

"Hope you're right."

They all entered the house behind Doctor Quest, closing the door to the cold behind them. The four began shaking bits of snow off themselves, shrugging out of their winter coats, then followed the fifth member of the household into another part of the house.

"IRIS, activate Security Protocols, Level One. Voice recognition, Doctor Benton Quest." Benton stated to the ceiling.

"DOCTOR BENTON QUEST RECOGNIZED. LEVEL ONE SECURITY PROTOCOLS ACTIVATED." came a synthesized voice.

Race frowned. "Somethin' wrong, Doc?"

"No, just something very important not to be placed in public scrutiny by accident. All of this is unofficial... and must stay this way."

It was Jessie's turn to frown. "What is it, Doctor Quest?"

"Not here, Jessie. In my office." An middle aged woman stepped out of the kitchen at that moment, wiping her hands on a dishcloth. "Mrs. Evans, we'll have supper in the office."

"Yes, Doctor Quest." she replied.

"I will help her." and Hadji followed her into the kitchen.

The rest continued down the house's many long halls to Doctor Quest's office. It was a fairly large room with a smooth, black obsidian table governing the center of it. Two thirds of the walls were windows giving out on a spectacular view of the sea cliffs. The last wall had a book shelf and a number of computer monitors. Doctor Quest took a seat at the head of the table, Race at his right facing the windows, and Jonny and Jessie on Doctor Quest's left with their backs to the windows. Hadji and Mrs. Evans walked in moments later, Hadji balancing three trays with ease, then he sat next to Race when he had finished handing out the plates.

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans. That'll be all." Doctor Quest acknowledged and she left, dutifully closing the door behind her. "Now, I called you all in here on a matter of utmost importance. While you were outside I received a call from Admiral Bennett. A Priority One communication. He attached the following recording for us to see." and he pressed a button on the smooth table's surface.

As they ate the main computer screen behind Doctor Quest flickered to life to reveal a form hidden in shadows, the voice distorted and audibly lowered in pitch by a computer.

"My dear Prime Minister Chrétien." the voice began, chillingly robotic. "Don't bother having this transmission traced, I'll tell you myself were I, and my associates, are. We are somewhere in beautiful British Columbia, enjoying your wonderful Canadian hospitality. I must admit your constant boasting of your country's pristine beauty is true. Very beneficial for the health. But enough inane banter. You may not know it yet, but at this time I hold your country hostage. Now you probably think I'm bluffing so I have arranged a small demonstration. Picture this: A computer crash in Victoria right before a lovely little virus of deadly proportions, and of my own design hits the city's schools. You should be receiving reports of this as we speak. Children are dying, Mister Prime Minister, and the hospitals can do nothing because the computers, the life lines of your health care, are non-functional. What a little horror I've caused! My demands are simple, Mister Chrétien. I want the equivalent of your National Debt paid to me in American funds to the following Swiss Account number, 95-03-243, all the equipment I ask for from this moment on... Oh, and asylum on a permanent basis in your lovely country in the area I so choose. To show I'm not totally without a heart I will give you six weeks to fulfill my demands. Good day, Mister Prime Minister." and the screen went black.

"Such a gentleman." Jessie muttered sarcastically.

Doctor Quest turned back to the team. "The Prime Minister of Canada contacted the President asking for help with this situation, but they both want to keep this information away from the public to stay any possible uprisings and riots."

Race frowned slightly. "So, in other words, we're the only cavalry."

"I'm afraid so." he sighed grimly.

"Doctor Quest, have either governments discovered who this terrorist is?" Hadji thought to ask.

Benton shook his head in a negative. "The Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the FBI, and the CIA have all run, and re-run, this footage through their latest filter programs and each time they came up empty handed. And British Columbia is a large province. There are so many valleys and mountains to hide in. They could be anywhere." He looked to Jonny who was staring intently at a replay on a small screen in the monitor built into the table's surface. He was frowning in deep concentration, chewing at a morsel of food thoughtfully. "Is something wrong, Jonny?"

His head snapped up as if waking from a dream. "What? Oh, no, nothing's wrong. It's just... I think I have an idea who this guy is."

"Please, continue." Father urged Son hopefully.

Jonny entered a sequence on the hidden console before him and the image re-appeared on the screen behind his Father. "IRIS, infrared scan." The image lit up in a sequence of cold blues and hot reds. Blues dominated the image, but it was more defined now. "Isolate and remove all non-biological heat sources."

"Ooo, big words." Jessie chuckled.

He grinned at her. "Not much bigger than most you've already heard." He turned back to the screen where a warm colored figure was now shown. "IRIS, can you extrapolate from this image and replace the colors with flesh tones? Run a scan through our data banks and find the closest match."

"WORKING."

"What're you going on here, kid?" Race demanded.

"A hunch. Who do we know who has the knowledge and motive to do this sort of thing?"

"MATCH FOUND." reported IRIS in answer to Jonny's last question. "NINETY SEVEN POINT EIGHT PERCENT MATCH TO ONE DOCTOR JEREMIAH SURD."

Jonny leaned back in his seat with a slightly pleased smile. "Hunch confirmed."

"Good hunch." Race had to agree. "You have a sixth sense for this sort of thing."

Jonny shrugged. "It just fit his MO Plus, he was due to show up. You should know better than anyone, Race, that he doesn't stay out of sight for very long. How much easier crime fighting would be if everyone had a system like IRIS." he mused with a smile.

Jessie snickered. "How boring too."

"But," Hadji began, puzzled. "Isn't Doctor Surd's mind trapped in Questworld, unable to escape?"

"Yeah, I made sure of that." confirmed Jessie. She suddenly sat up straighter. "I have an idea. IRIS, run the audio filter program on the voice. Adjust to eliminate all distortions."

The voice of the recording played again as IRIS made the necessary adjustments.

Race shook his head at a loss. "That still sounds enough like Surd to me."

"I wonder... IRIS, increase the pitch until a voice match can be found in the database." ordered Doctor Quest.

The voice once again began to play, the male like tone changing as it got higher and higher. Finally the changes stopped on a clearly recognizable woman's voice, one they knew all too well.

"Julia." Jessie identified with a grimace before IRIS could identify it.

"For the fox to throw off the scent of the hounds, the fox must disguise the scent. Who else but us would know about Surd's present condition, except maybe her." Hadji voiced.

"Yeah, and this fox's out for our blood." Race grumbled. "She won't be happy 'til the world pays for what she thinks they did to Surd, us first. Julia probably orchestrated this whole thin' knowin' we'd be called in to help clean up the mess. She's nuts which makes her real dangerous to tangle with."

Jonny merely smiled, waving off his concern. "We've dealt with her before. So, when are we leaving for British Columbia?"

"We are not." Benton countered. "Race and I will be going to help the Royal Canadian Mounted Police locate Julia and co-ordinate relief efforts with Doctor Marie Métier. You three will be staying here."

Race, Hadji and Jonny all perked up at the name.

"Marie's there?! I thought she was still up North." Race questioned with a wide smile.

"No, she moved to Simoom Sound in British Columbia and became the local doctor for that region. She's one of the few medical practitioners down there who refuses to use a computer which makes her and her team an invaluable asset."

Jessie nudged Jonny's side to get his attention and leaned towards him to speak without disturbing the others. "Who's this Marie Métier?"

He leaned towards her, his voice hushed. "She's a doctor we ran into when we were up North near Alaska. Turns out she the descendant of the most legendary Métier in history. The one who was reportedly a werewolf."

"Get out!"

"No, seriously. I saw a man change into a wolf right in front of me. Turns out she was immune and was trying to develop a cure for the other remaining member of her family when we found her. We helped her out and barely got the cure to the guy in time." He suddenly grinned. "Your Dad had a thing for her."

"What!? Dad!!" Race's head jerked up with a slight, dreading wince. "Why didn't you tell me about you and this Marie Métier?"

"Because there was nothing to tell." he replied, hoping he sounded convincing.

"Absolutely nothing?" she probed.

"Absolutely, Ponchita." he assured.

She scrutinized him with a deep frown for a moment, before leaning back in her seat. "If you promise there was nothing, then okay."

"I promise."

"Alright then."

"Back on topic here for a second, why can't we come with you guys?" Jonny suddenly demanded.

Doctor Quest sighed silently. He and Jonny always had this discussion each and every time the teen was told to stay behind. "We both know you and Jessie have mid-terms to study for. I want Hadji here to make sure you do study and to make sure you stay out of trouble. You know your reputations..."

"... of getting into mayhem in any given situation, yeah, I know." Jonny groaned in defeat as Jessie tried not to chuckle. It was a battle she was steadily losing. He gave a mock suffering stare. "Don't start."

She held up her hands in defense, suddenly bursting into laughter. "Nothing... I said nothing..." she struggled to say.

He sulked, turning from her. "Nice."

Jessie gripped his thigh gently, giving him a sweet smile. "Don't be such a big baby. We'll have fun here too."

He looked at her hand, then to her, a slight grin working at the corners of his mouth. "I'll hold you to that." He turned back to his Father, sighing. "Can we at least join you after we're done our exams?"

"Yes, but only then." Benton replied with a grin, knowing his Son's zeal for action and adventure. "For this mission the President and the Canadian Prime Minister have both asked for the utmost discretion and secrecy. We are not to speak to anyone about any aspect of this. We leave tomorrow morning."

"I will go prepare the computer equipment you and Race will need, Doctor Quest." Hadji announced as he stood and headed for the door.

Jonny, too, stood. "Which leaves us with K.P. duty. C'mon, Jess." and he and Jessie gathered up the plates.

"Why'd I get dragged into this?" she voiced with a smirk as they walked into the kitchen.

"I need someone to dry." he merely smiled and tossed her a dish towel before turning to fill the sink with warm water and dish soap. "Besides, we have plans to make." he continued more softly, beginning to wash the plates.

She understood and grinned. "Do we? I always thought we were spontaneous when it came to that."

"We are, it's just we have to be more careful since we'll have someone around who has an idea of just how far we've gone. Plus, we have to get more... supplies." and he handed her the first of the plates, a bright seductive gleam in his blue eyes.

She nearly dropped the plate so much this caught her off guard. Mrs. Evans turned to them at that moment to make sure they were doing a good job. Jessie smiled au her in acknowledgment to which she smiled back and turned away.

Jessie lowered her voice. "Already?" she questioned. "You told me you had a box full."

"I did, but we've been a little more active lately." he merely replied, still grinning.

"Oh." she giggled. "Right."

They finished the plates and put them away. "I'm gonna go help my Dad pack, you know, to alleviate any of his fears." he told her as he wiped the soap off his hands with the dishtowel.

"Ooo, more big words." she cooed, wiping her hands as well.

He smiled and pulled her into his arms, holding her against himself. "And here are some more for you to consider." and he began to whisper something in her ear. Her eyes went wide with a gasp, then she began to giggle uncontrollably as she wrapped her arms around him. "That should give you something to look forward to for later." he chuckled.

"Why does it have to be later?" she breathed seductively, nuzzling his cheek.

"'Cause I can just imagine either one of our Dads walking in on us. God knows we wouldn't live very long after that."

"Good point. I'll wait for you, anxiously."

"I can imagine. Tomorrow, after they're gone." he promised.

She grinned. "Pinky swear?" and she held up a hooked pinky finger.

He hooked his pinky finger with hers, returning the smile. "Pinky swear." A tender kiss to her lips then sent him off to find his Father on the house's second floor. He was grumbling something about world's greatest inventions and looking for light in a black hole under his breath as he searched through the large walk-in closet. "Can't find something, Pop?" Jonny inquired carefully.

The elder Quest turned to find his Son standing in the doorway. "Jonny, yes. The larger of my suitcases." and he returned to hunting through his things.

"I think Jess still has it from when you lent it to her to go to San Francisco. I can check..."

"Please." he sighed, finally giving up.

Jonny went to the top of the stairs and leaned over the railing. "Hey, Jess!"

She came running into sight below him. "Yeah?"

"You still have Dad's suitcase? He needs it."

"Check my closet. It should still be there."

"Thanks, Ace." he smiled.

Mrs. Evans was climbing the stairs at that moment with a basket full of clean laundry. "I really don't get you kids." she voiced. "Jessie won't let any of the others into her room when she isn't there, not even me or her Father, and yet you can walk in whenever you want."

Jonny just smiled. "The privileges of being her boyfriend, Mrs. Evans." and he went to retrieve the suitcase.

He opened the door to Jessie's room, stepped un, closed it, and just stood there for a moment with his eyes closed. He could feel Jessie's presence permeating this room. A faint hint of strawberries wafted through the air. Given the chance he could stay here all day, but his Father was waiting. Jonny opened his eyes and retrieved the suitcase from her closet. He then left, entered his Father's room, and placed the empty suitcase on the bed.

"So, how long do you think this little problem will take to solve?"

"The virus shouldn't take too long. Julia must have gone through Surd's files to develop it. Reverse researching it shouldn't be very hard."

"What about finding Julia?"

"That might take a little longer. What puzzles me is she said I, and my associates. Surd isn't much help to her in his present state, which only leaves Lorenzo."

"But like you said, it was associates plural."

"Exactly my point. Who are the others she was referring to? Why don't you have IRIS run a scan for any recent jail breaks, checking for those who have it in for us."

Jonny smirked. "Long list. Can you give me something to narrow it down?"

Benton chuckled. "Right. Look back a month or so, anyone with medical and or computer skills who had help escaping. That should narrow the list of suspects down to about forty or so."

"A list of forty or so to go through to find those with the best motive. Well, this sure won't be a boring two weeks."

Benton merely chuckled before giving his Son a serious look. "Now, I want you three to behave during that time, especially you and Jessie."

Jonny jerked in surprise, slightly fearful. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you two are getting closer and closer as the days go by and I know that, as teens, you're probably getting curious about taking the next step."

"Geez, Dad!" he admonished looking decidedly uncomfortable.

"No, I mean it. I want you to be responsible if things begin to happen." His Son took on an air of debating hesitation as if wondering whether he should tell his Father something. "What is it?"

He hesitated for a moment, then sighed in resolve. "It's too late, Dad."

"What's too late?" Benton was clearly confused.

Again he hesitated. "Jess and I... We... already took the next step." he finally stated.

Total shock crossed Benton's face at his Son's admission. "You what!?" he nearly shouted.

"We... you know... God, Dad, do I really have to go into details? Please, don't tell Race."

"And just when were you two planning on telling us?"

"Don't know, really. We didn't force it on each other, if that's what you're wondering. No peer pressure. It was what we both wanted. We were careful, Dad, honest."

Benton crossed his arms across his chest. "From when does this date back?"

"Four months ago, when you guys went to bring Estella back to South America." he answered in slight fear, but all honesty.

Father scrutinized Son for a long moment before sighing heavily. "Well, there's nothing I can do about this now. So long as you're careful--"

"We are."

"Alright then. When we come back at the en of all this I want both you and Jessie to sit down with us and have a long talk about this, understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. Now, help me finish packing. Race and I are leaving early tomorrow morning."

Jessie sat at a computer terminal in the lighthouse, deeply engrossed in a program she was writing for Questworld, a personal program meant for her and only one other. A small grin tugged at the corners of her lips. Deep down she knew she was a hopeless romantic. Everyone at the Quest Compound and some of her closer friends knew this too. And to make her forever happy Jonny had gladly given in to that side of his girlfriend. The proof was in the way he looked at her now and the words he used to woo her. He had brushed up on his romantic Shakespearean plays, reciting lines to her at times, and she often found him with his nose pressed in his Mother's old book of poems. This program she was working on was based on several of those poems from that book. She tingled at the prospects of sharing it with Jonny when she was finished. She saved what work she had done, blanked the screen, and stretched her arms above her head just as the door opened, letting in a sharp breeze. She turned to see Hadji and Jonny walk in, both covered in snow.

"Another snowball fight?" she questioned with a smirk.

"It's the first snowfall." Jonny replied, removing his coat and shaking the snow out of his hair and shirt collar. "I'm taking advantage of it."

"And letting Hadji turn you into Frosty the Snowman by the looks of it. Sure you two left some snow out there?" she chuckled, turning back to the monitor.

"There is plenty left to bury him in it later." Hadji quipped, punching his Brother's shoulder.

"Not if I get to you first." he countered, punching him back in return.

Jonny hung up his coat, then headed for Jessie. He gripped her shoulder tenderly, causing her to let her head fall back to smile up at him, then he placed a gentle kiss on her lips in greeting. He pulled back slightly to smile down at her, sitting at her side with Hadji at her other. "So, what're you up to?"

"Just a little something for a rainy day." she replied, giving Jonny a wink. He smiled, understanding. "Apart from the battle you guys had, what brings you in here?"

It was Hadji who answered. "Doctor Quest would like us to begin a search to determine who Julia's other accomplices might be. We must search through police and prison records."

"One legal hacking job coming up. What exactly are we looking for?"

"Anyone with medical know-how to create the virus and anyone with computer skills to track down Surd's mind floating in virtual reality." Jonny answered. "Prison break-outs, of people who have a vendetta against us, are a priority."

Jessie's fingers flew over the keyboard, punching in sequence after sequence of codes and numbers. "Parameters set. Beginning search." She leaned back in her seat with a satisfied sigh. "This should take a few minutes. So, what're we doing tomorrow afternoon?"

"I was planning on meditating for most of the afternoon, to mentally prepare myself to encourage you both to study." Hadji replied.

Jonny winced. "Ouch! I can't be sure, but I think we've just been dissed, Jess."

"I think we have, Jonny."

Hadji merely chuckled. "And what do you have planned?"

"Ah, now there's a touchy subject." Jessie replied with a playful grin in Jonny's direction.

"Something best to be left for a more private time. Very well. I understand."

Jonny eyes widened slightly. "Do you?"

Hadji merely leaned back with a small smile and a wink. The young couple merely stared at the young Sultan of Bangalore for a moment, stunned, before turning to smile knowingly at each other.

""Kefira."" they stated in unison, then laughed.

Hadji merely frowned a grin. "At least we had more restraint than you."

Jessie began to laugh even harder. "Ow, dissed again!"

"You've been practicing, Hadj." Jonny grinned.

He chuckled. "One must be prepared for any situation that may arise."

Jonny was more amused than convinced. "Right." He looked over at the computer at the names beginning to scroll there. "Hey, we got our list."

They read it over, but Hadji, being the faster reader, stiffened suddenly. "Oh dear." he muttered.

"What?"

"Kyle Merrick." he replied.

Jessie looked at him sharply. "I thought he was caught just before he left the country?"

"He was, thanks to your dream. According to this he escaped with help less than a month ago. It was reported that he was heading North, but the authorities lost his trail somewhere in North Dakota."

Unseen, Jessie's hand gripped Jonny's in fear and he gave it a squeeze. Kyle Merrick was obsessed with Jessie to the point of near madness. They had met him after a plane accident in the Colombian rainforests. She, Jonny and Kyle had ended up locked in the same room for one night and he had tried to rape her that very night. Jonny had stopped him just in time. Kyle subscribed to the cliché that if he couldn't have her no one would. She was terrified of him.

"Anyone else we have experience with?" Jonny asked, opting to change the subject for Jessie's sake..

"Lesser criminals with minor medical and computer skills. Ah, this is interesting!"

"What is it?" Jessie inquired.

"The authorities deemed it important to note the itinerary of Francesca Hamilton. She boarded a plane heading for Montreal, then one to Calgary, then one to destination unknown."

"Sounds a little too fishy to me." Jonny voiced. "Merrick heads North and so does Francesca. I think we found two key players in Julia's little game. What about the other breakouts?"

"Peter Stanton is the only other important name." Peter Stanton was a madman, a murderous psychopath, the Quest Team had encountered in the area around Rockport. He was summarily sent to a maximum security insane asylum where he began to nurse an incredible grudge against Jonny in particular. "The others were not deemed important enough to follow up on. Petty criminals."

"Then we have to trace them too, just to be on the safe side. Can we call up a list of aliases?"

"I can try." Jessie began to type again at a phenomenal speed entering in a new set of parameters. "This one'll take a few days. Guys like that have loads of AKA's so I'm going through every FBI, CIA, police, RCMP, and CSIS criminal data base out there. We might get an answer by this time next week. Then we have to go through boarding lists of all the airports in North America. Ugh, this'll be a brain drainer."

"So what do we do now?"

The three teens looked at each other before breaking out into smiles. ""SNOWBALL FIGHT!!"" they shouted, then raced for their coats before leaping into the snow banks outside.

Julia paced angrily from one end of the room to the other, her dyed black hair whipping with each turn. Her green eyes flashed as her anger rose. Things were not going as she planned. Seven of the nine experts, she and Lorenzo had taken the time and the effort to break out of the various maximum security prisons, had arrived. The two she needed for her next job still hadn't shown up. She was a computer expert, she knew that well, probably was the second best next to Surd. But still, for what she had planned she needed all the help she could get. Lorenzo was canon fodder, expendable if things got too sticky, but he was one man. She needed more like him. Three more to be exact. One of them was already there.

Leaning nonchalantly against a wall was that one, a petite raven haired woman dressed in very tight jeans and a white crop top. Her deep violet eyes watched Julia pace, a tiny grin on her ruby red lips. An aura of pure feminism radiated from her every pore. This was a woman who knew she was beautiful, who knew she had sex appeal, and used it with practiced expertise.

"Did you at least tell these two gentlemen that you were going to pay them?" she asked in a honey smooth voice with just enough of a hint of goading to annoy Julia.

This wasn't the first time she had used this tone of voice with her. "Don't test me, Francesca. Merrick was interested enough in the pay I promised. It's Stanton I can't be sure of. His record stated he was unstable. I should've put a tracer on him when we broke him out."

"And how can you be certain this Merrick guy is more trustable?"

"Because this Merrick guy is here." came a new voice from the door.

Both Julia and Francesca Hamilton looked up. A young, brown haired man stood in the door. He was dressed all in black, a leather jacket casually slung over one shoulder. Francesca's breath caught in her throat painfully at the sight of this ruggedly handsome young man. All the black he wore accentuated his well chiseled features, making him all the more impressive. For the longest time she had been obsessed with Jonny Quest. Years back she had met him with the sole purpose of gathering information on his Father's equipment, but inadvertently ended up falling in love with young Quest. She had been willing to go to any length to keep him. And that meant getting rid of Jessie Bannon. She ha come so very close too, putting Jessie in the hospital, but Jonny had become even more tied to Jessie since then. She had tried to get him again. But now, as she looked at this new comer, she felt a shifting of tides within her. He looked incredible, his grey eyes seeming to pierce her to her black soul. He was dangerous, she could feel it, and she thrilled from it.

He stepped into the room towards Julia. "So, you're the one I owe my freedom to." He offered his hand in greeting. "Kyle Merrick, your new Merc. Whatever you need, whoever you want dead, I'll make it happen."

"Julia. And this young lady is your new partner, Francesca Hamilton, also a mercenary. You'll find you and her are a lot alike. What knowledge you may lack she'll fill them in."

Kyle didn't even give Francesca so much as a look. "I work alone." he protested.

Julia came menacingly close, hatred and anger burning in her eyes. He didn't even flinch. "Not while I'm in charge. You and all the others are the best there are and we are all familiar with the Quests and Bannons. I want them dead. For that, you'll all work as a team. You got that?"

Kyle frowned. "Yeah. I got it." he bit out.

"Good. Where're the others?"

"Their in the computer room." And without another word Julia stormed past him and out of the room. Kyle stood where he was, glowering at the door through which Julia had disappeared. Who's this woman to be ordering me around? he questioned inwardly.

"Don't take her seriously." came a soothing voice. "Julia knows all our reasons for wanting to get back at the Quests, but she thinks her reasons are more important."

He faced Francesca and mentally marveled at this tiny, if not provocative, woman. She was feminine in every way and knew it. Her tight clothing hugged every curve, leaving nothing up to the imagination. In her eyes Kyle saw a fire, burning with what fuel he didn't know. In his mind he truly felt this woman could make him forget Jessie Bannon.

"Oh? And what exactly is your reason to get rid of the Quests?" he demanded, hoping to sound uninterested in her.

Her lips curled back into a stunning smile. "I'm only interested in getting rid of one person: Jessie Bannon. She stole the one good thing in my life."

"Let me guess: He didn't think you were right for him." He sighed. "Story of my life. She was going to be mine. I had her, or would have if he hadn't gotten in the way." Kyle suddenly frowned. "But why am I telling you this?"

She pushed off the wall and sashayed towards him. "Because you're realizing Julia was right about us." Francesca slid her index finger from his collar bone down to his belt, all the while giving him a sultry smile. "We're the same, you and I, like it or not." she very nearly cooed.

He struggled to hide his shiver and goose bumps from her. "Right." he stated, sounding unconvinced.

She made a dismissive sound as she gave a wave of her hand, having seen his reaction reflected in his eyes. "Suit yourself." and she turned to walk away. "Oh, by the way. Don't get on Julia's bad side. She may not look it, but I've seen her kill a man twice her size."

"Yeah? And what did he do that was so wrong?"

She smiled at him over her shoulder. "He corrected her elocution." She then walked out of the room, her hips swaying seductively.

He was stunned for a moment, more by her actions than words, then decided to jog to catch up to her. Together they entered the computer room. It was aptly named. Lining every wall was a series of computers and various equipment all buzzing, clicking and beeping with life. One corner was sealed off in a kind of Plexiglas material, a rustic yet medically sound laboratory.

An elderly man, Basil Thornton, and a young woman with bright yellow hair, Aidan Armand, worked behind the glass completely clad in environmental suits. He was a medical genius with so many degrees in molecular biology and bio-engineering that one easily lost count, but who, in need of money, had sold his research on the Black Market. She, on the other hand, had stolen all the medical knowledge she had in the same fields. And all that information she had committed to memory to prevent a theft from occurring to her.

At the computers sat a young man, Ted Milani, and two women, one young named Cassidy Bela, the other older named Ethyl Erma, all under the supervision of Lorenzo. Milani, a small man with little in the way of looks, was a self proclaimed computer expert who had been caught hacking into government files. Bela, her purple hair cut short and spiked, was a hacker for hire, caught stealing information for an employer she refused to betray. And Erma was just in the wrong place at the wrong time during a case of computer espionage. She was accused and summarily arrested.

A woman stood with Julia over blue prints of various buildings, her body that of a dancer's, her brown hair tied in a tight braid down past her waist. In a wheelchair that completely encased him and hooked up to the computers was the inert Doctor Jeremiah Surd.

"Who's the old man?" Kyle asked, indicating Surd with his chin.

"The reason we're all here. Doctor Surd." Francesca answered softly.

"Doesn't look like much."

"Don't let Julia hear you say that." She smiled up at him. "It would be a shame to lose you now that you're here."

Outwardly, he showed nothing. Inwardly, his heart skipped a painful beat. Oh yeah, she knows which buttons to press.

"There you are." Julia announced, catching Kyle and Francesca's attention. "If you're sufficiently resolved with each other you can come here for your briefing." They approached the table and regarded the plans. "This is Katianna Souriskova. For this job she's in charge." Julia looked directly at Kyle. "You got that?" He remained quiet, setting his jaw. "Good. I want you to go to the Canadian Armed Forces Base of Chilliwack and hijack weapons, equipment, and a vehicle."

"From a Military Base? Are you nuts?" Francesca shot him a wide eyed glance, shaking her head slightly to warn him off. He frowned in return, silently telling her not a chance.

"If you follow my instructions we'll get in and out before they realize it." Katianna told him, raising her eyes for the first time. Kyle was surprised at the golden amber orbs now staring at him. "I've done this a hundred times. The Canadian Military is stretched thin with all the cut backs their government is doing. Even their most secure depot have maybe twenty guards watching it and two Military Police cars patrolling."

"You seem to know a lot about this." Francesca asked skeptically.

Katianna shrugged. "I've spent some time in Canada. I've gotten to know the ins and outs of their military, museums, banks. Nothing can keep out the Kat when she's on the move."

Kyle looked at Julia in disbelief. "You hired a thief?"

Julia frowned. "I need her for her skills as a thief and as an unknown face. She's bait for Race Bannon."

"Please, Julia. You make that last bit of my job sound like such a bad thing." Katianna chuckled. "It'll be fun distracting this guy."

"Just follow the plan. Lorenzo, take the helicopter and go to Maine. I have a feeling Stanton went there instead of here. Find him and bring him back."

"Alright, now remember, kids." Benton warned at he and the three teens crossed the tarmac, at the Boston Airport, to the Dragonfly. "I want you three to behave while we're gone."

"Nothing will happen, Doctor Quest. I will see to it." Hadji grinned in reassurance.

Jonny frowned a smirk. "Traitor." he muttered as they stopped at the base of the boarding ramp to the Dragonfly.

Jessie could only giggle. "Don't worry, Doctor Quest. We'll behave." and she gave Benton a goodbye hug.

Benton grinned. "Right, I'm sure you will." Releasing her he hugged Hadji, then held his Son. "Remember what I said yesterday. We have g lot to talk about when we get back."

"Yes, Sir. Take care of yourself, Dad."

"Will do." he chuckled.

He mussed up his Son's hair affectionately, then boarded the Dragonfly. The three teens retreated to a safe distance as the jet's engines whined to life. It pulled away slowly, taxied down a runway, then raced off before taking off into the clear blue skies.

Jonny watched the plane disappear into a tiny dot in the sky. "Well, there they go." He turned to his friends. "Who wants to do what?"

"Mrs. Evans invited me on a shopping trip downtown." Jessie stated as they started back to the van.

"Cool."

"Hold it, Lover." she grinned, stopping him. "Girls only. You and Hadji will just have to find something else to do while we're gone." Jonny had a dejected look on his face. Jessie touched his cheek tenderly. "I'll find something nice and make it up to you tonight, I promise." she whispered against his lips.

"Better keep that promise, Gorgeous." he breathed, then kissed her lips.

They drove back to the Quest Compound where Mrs. Evans was waiting for Jessie. Within moments the two women were driving off for town. This left the boys to enter the house.

"Guys afternoon at home, eh, Hadj?"

"So it would seem." He suddenly began to fidget in an internal debate.

"Something wrong, Bro?"

He hesitated for a moment. "I need to ask you something, Jonny."

"Sure." They entered the Family Room and sat opposite each other. A bright warm fire crackled in the large fireplace. A hint of hickory and walnut wafted through the air. "What is it?"

"It is about my relationship with Kefira Subramanian."

"What about it? Don't tell me you're having second thought about her? I thought she was the love of your life?"

"No, she is. It's just we... I..." He sighed heavily, resting his arms on his knees. "How does one know when one is ready?"

"Ready to... What?" Jonny prompted. Hadji merely gave him a look somewhere between a prompting and a blank stare. Jonny suddenly understood. "Oh! Well... uh..." He looked decidedly uncomfortable. "I don't really know, buddy. With Jess and me the moment just felt... right."

"But how does one recognize that feeling?"

"You just do. There aren't any bells or whistles that go off. I guess... I don't know... If you know for a fact that this is the person you want to spend every living moment with for as long as there's a second left in the Universe, then one day you'll wake up and you'll know that particular day is the day when everything changes. If you can still feel her in your arms when she isn't there, still taste her, then the time's almost right."

Hadji listened intently, then suddenly smirked. "You speak from experience, my friend?"

Jonny leaned back in his seat with a shy grin. "Yeah, maybe I do. Jess makes it so easy, you know. I swear, Hadj, if Kefira can make you feel even half as good as Jess makes me feel everyday we're together, then you're in for a real treat. Just, let her do the initiating. Women know when the time's right. Why did you feel the need to ask all this anyway?"

Hadji looked away, suddenly looking tired. "My Mother is pushing for Kefira and I to wed. She feels we are old enough and wants to secure the future of our Family line on the throne. I am not sure we are ready yet."

"And that's why you wanted to know when you feel the time is right?" Hadji nodded. "It's just the way your Mother is. I mean, think about it. Neela lost you when your Father died, she spent years in jail, she finds you again only to have to share you with your family here. That has to be hard on her."

"But why does she insist I marry so quickly?"

"I think its because she sees it as a way to keep you in Bangalore. Once you're married you'd have to stay there and... produce an heir. She finally gets her Son back and she wants to keep you. Best advice? Sit her down and talk everything through. Ask her why she wants all of this and tell her why you don't."

"I guess you are right, My Brother. When I return to Bangalore I will do as you suggest." He suddenly smiled at his adoptive Brother. "Thank you. And now you must begin to study."

Jonny groaned. "Oh, don't start with me, Hadj."

"I have promised your Father that I would make sure you and Jessie study. Until she returns I turn my attention to you. What is the saying? Hit the books?" and he indicated Jonny's book bag next to a large recliner.

"You're a regular slave driver, you know that?" he accused as he moved to the recliner, pulling out a large binder and a number of textbooks. "And after I just helped you out with your problem."

He merely chuckled. "Never a moments rest for the weary, my friend. Go to it."

"Dictator." Jonny muttered, opening his books and beginning to memorize the information.

Hadji watched for a few seconds more before sitting lotus style and entering a deep state of meditation, letting his mind float away on the eddies and currents of the Astral Plane. This was how Jessie and Mrs. Evans found them a few hours later. Their arms were loaded each with bags from certain stores and the grocery store. Two bags Jessie kept clutched preciously close to hide them. The smaller of the two was clearly a pharmacy bag. She set the grocery bag she carried in the kitchen, then went to the Family Room. She stopped in the door at the think silence that reigned here. Hadji sat perfectly still, his mind floating somewhere between here and beyond, and Jonny had his nose pressed in a stack of notes and textbooks.

As if he sensed her standing there Jonny raised his head and smiled at her. He pointed to Hadji and mouthed meditating. She smiled back and nodded. She showed him one of the bags she had kept so preciously, her smile becoming a playful grin. He could read the bright pink writing on it, Victoria's Secrets. His smile became lopsided. I love you, he mouthed.

I know, she mouthed in return. She then began to tiptoe away towards the stairs. After hiding her purchase she would come back to join him.

"Not until you study for a few hours." Hadji suddenly voiced.

Jessie froze. "How...?"

"When one is at total peace one is silent. This helps when you are listening for another person's breathing." he grinned, still not moving or opening his eyes. "You can show off your purchases to Jonny after you finish studying."

Her eyes went wide. "Now how'd you know about that one?"

"I heard the bag rustling. Now, I believe you said your first exam was chemistry?"

She sighed heavily. "Alright, don't have to tell me twice." she groaned, retrieving her book bag and dropping into a chair opposite of Jonny. Jessie wasn't used to being told, by anyone, to study. This was something she did willingly, but she knew the only reason Hadji told her to do this was out of fairness to Jonny. This one always had to be pushed to study. Since Hadji had ordered him into this task it was only fair he do the same to Jessie. She hid her bags from the store from sight, then pulled out her notes and textbooks. "You're pulling weight because you're the oldest." she accused.

"I am at that. You have three hours left before supper. Study until then and you may have the rest of the evening off. Deal?"

""Deal."" the two replied grudgingly.

A long, quiet hour went by as Hadji continued to meditate and Jessie and Jonny continued to study diligently. His eyes becoming tired, Jonny closed them and pinched the bridge of his nose. They felt like they were about to fall out of their sockets. Leaning his cheek on his knuckles he looked across the room to where Jessie sat, still engrossed in her studies. A small grin turned up the corners of his lips. Her chin rested on her fingers as her incredible emerald eyes skimmed the contents of every page. Her ruby red lips moved slightly as she memorized the information. The fire caught the reds and deep coppers of her hair. She was simply stunning, breath-taking.

As is sensing his eyes drinking her in, Jessie blinked and looked up. Sure enough her was smiling at her. She returned the smile willingly. Sometimes she wondered how she could have missed seeing the boyish good looks in this handsome young man as they were growing up. His clear blue eyes glowed with a caring and loving light towards his family, with the want of adventure when they were off in some exotic local, with steel towards an enemy, and with undying passion when he looked only at her. Like now. His body had been chiseled to just the right proportions over the years of missions and constant action. He winked at her and an involuntary shiver raced down her spine pleasantly, knowing what he was thinking.

Later, she mouthed with a grin.

He nodded with a small sigh and they both turned their attention back to their notes. As information bombarded their minds they hardly noticed the time fly by until Mrs. Evans walked into the Family Room.

"My, I've never heard such quiet from you kids." she marveled.

"Blame that on the Task Master sitting there." Jonny smirked, indicating Hadji with a jerk of his chin.

"Whoever's fault it is, thank you. Dinner's ready in the kitchen."

Jessie and Jonny Looked to Hadji who slowly unfolded his legs from under him and stood. Only then did he open his eyes and smile at his friends. "You both upheld your end of the bargain. And I will uphold mine. Your studies are over for the day."

The two teens quickly put their books away, leapt to their feet, and headed for the kitchen. They were just about to sit down when one of IRIS's security alarms went off. "IRIS, identify disturbance!" Jonny called over the din of the sirens.

"UNIDENTIFIED MALE INTRUDER LOCATED IN BOAT HOUSE."

With Mrs. Evans behind them they dashed into Doctor Quest's office and activated all the security cameras for the boat house. They panned through six shots before finally finding the intruder. He was sneaking around the edge of the Questor. Jessie pressed the zoom button to get a closer look.

"I don't believe it!" she gasped.

Creeping towards the tunnel door, leading to the house, was Peter Stanton. He was easy to recognize with his long, tousled brown hair and five o'clock shadow beard. He turned enough for the camera to catch his blood shot eyes and a gaping, profusely salivating mouth of rotting teeth. Jonny's mind immediately flashed back to the first moment they had met this psychopath. He was an ex-Marine they had run across two years prior in downtown Rockport. Given a dis-honorary discharge from the Marines for disorderly conduct and attacking fellow officers, Stanton had decided the world had to pay for what had happened to him, starting with the town his unit was in when he was discharged. The Quest Team had run across him by accident and had stopped him at every psychotic turn he took. But to Stanton it wasn't the team that stopped him. It was Jonny Quest and he developed a deep rooted hatred for the young teen. Mere sight caused Stanton to fly into a rage. He had been sent to a maximum security asylum, but now, here he was on the Quest Compound.

Jonny shook his head in dismay. "That guy doesn't know when to leave well enough alone."

"One should never try to apply reason to the mind of the insane." Hadji told him. "They have their own way of seeing things."

"Unfortunately. IRIS, seal off boat house."

"BOAT HOUSE SEALED."

"Okay, he's locked in now. Anyone have any idea how we're going to deal with him without getting ourselves killed in the process?"

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm taking my precautions." Jessie voiced as she moved to one of the book cases. She tipped one of the novels on a shelf and a panel opened up to a mini stash of rifles and hand weapons. The two men and Mrs. Evans gaped in shock. "Dad made a point to show this to me, just in case." She chose a police issue twelve gauge shotgun and loaded a round into the chamber. "He so much as twitches wrong and I give him a new look."

Jonny looked at her. "Remind me to stay off your bad side." he voiced.

She grinned back seductively. "You could never get on my bad side, Hot Shot." Taking another shotgun she handed it to Mrs. Evans. The elderly woman held it gingerly with a look of protest on her face. "For defense, Mrs. Evans. This one's loaded with rock salt. It'll hurt him enough to give you time to run for it."

She nodded reluctantly, hugging the weapon close, and the three teens ran for the door, pausing only long enough to don their coats. The made their way to the boat house, making sure to stay away from the windows and therefore remain out of sight. Just as they turned a corner to reach the door, Jonny turned to Jessie to stop her. She looked at him, confused.

"I want you to stay here, Jess." he told her.

"No, Jonny--!"

"Don't argue with me about this. I don't want you to get hurt." He took her shoulders firmly and looked her straight in the eye. "Listen to me, Ace. We need someone out here in case he gets past us. You'll be our Ace in the hole. Please, just do this."

"Jonny is right, Jessie. We need someone out here to stop him in case he gets past us. And you have the gun."

She opened her mouth to protest, but quickly shut it again and reluctantly nodded in agreement. Hadji went on ahead, but Jessie gripped Jonny's arm to hold him back. She looked into his eyes with pure worry and concern. "You know how he flies off the handle each time he sees you. Be careful, Lover." she whispered to him.

He gave her his lopsided grin as he tenderly cupped her cheek. "For you, always." he assured, then dashed off to join Hadji. The young Sultan had his ear pressed to the door. "What's he doing?"

"Most likely destroying some of your Father's valuable equipment from the sounds of it."

"Wacko." he muttered to the door. "IRIS, unlock main door, silently." There was an almost inperceivable click as the computer responded to the voice command. "Okay, Hadj, on three... THREE!!"

They burst through the door and tackled Stanton to the ground, having caught him by surprise. He struggled wildly, shouting and grunting, trying madly to get these two teens off his back. It was like trying to hold on to the back of a bucking horse, never getting the chance to reaffirm a grip. Stanton managed to get his foot against Hadji's mid-section and shoved him away hard, knocking the wind out of him as he hit against the hull of the Questor. Jonny held on a little longer until the madman grabbed his coat, flipping him over his shoulder and slammed him hard to the floor. That's when he got his first good look at this attacker.

"You!!" he shouted, his demeanor becoming even more violent and less calculated.

Stanton punched downwards, aiming for Jonny's face. Jonny saw it coming and managed to roll out of the way in time. He leapt to his feet, facing his opponent, and waited at ready for the next move. He didn't keep him waiting. He lunged forward, landing a punch to Jonny's stomach before taking aim for his head. He ducked enough for the punch to fly wide, but didn't manage to get far enough away to be out of Stanton's reach. He grabbed his arms in a bruising grip and backed him hard into a wall. Jonny tried everything to break free, but it was no use. Stanton's grip was like a vice, getting tighter by the minute. Hadji, having sufficiently recovered his breath, jumped the madman from behind, intending to help his Brother get free. Stanton back fisted him in the face, sending him reeling against the hull of the ship again. With that free hand Stanton clamped down on Jonny throat, beginning to squeeze the life out of him, closing off his access to air. Jonny saw stars as the blood stopped reaching his brain. His lungs burned. He needed air. As his vision began to go black he made a desperate move. He struck upward with his palm, connecting with Stanton's chin. The choking grip fell away, a flash of oxygen filling Jonny's lungs, but the restraining grip remained. Enraged, Stanton threw him towards the door with all his might. Off balance, Jonny struck the door jab with his shoulder before landing in the snow bank outside.

"Jonny!" Jessie cried from somewhere to his right.

"Stay there, Jess!" he called back, more out of instinctual protection of her that from actually having thought up a reason.

Before he had time to even feel his latest injury, Stanton came barreling out of the door like some runaway steam engine. He aimed straight for Jonny. Sometime before racing out he had gotten his hands on an oar for one of the kayaks and now swung it high to strike young Quest dead. Before he could begin bringing it down a loud gunshot rang through the air, stopping Stanton dead in his tracks not two meters from his intended target. They both turned to see Jessie returning the butt of the shotgun to her shoulder and aiming at the madman. The hot barrel smoked in the cold winter air.

"You hurt him and, so help me God, I'll kill you." she ground in fierce determination. "Now, put the oar down and back off." Stanton made a step toward Jonny and another shot rang out. He felt the bullet streak by just inches from his face. He looked at her. It was as if she hadn't even moved. "That was a warning shot. The next one's in your head. I'll only say it once, put the oar down and back off." As Stanton slowly lowered the oar to the snow, Jessie hear a faint thumping sound. My heart, she thought. With this much adrenaline flowing no wonder I can hear it. The madman moved away from Jonny, towards the cliff's edge and Hadji appeared in the boat house's doorway, rubbing his sore jaw. The thumping sound got louder with each passing second. Realization dawned on Jessie. This wasn't the sound of her heart beating. A helicopter! As if in confirmation a Tomcat helicopter rose up over the cliff edge. The late afternoon light reflected through the cockpit glass, momentarily illuminating the pilot. The split second was enough for Jessie to identify him. Lorenzo! The Tomcat flew higher, revealing a rope ladder dangling from it's underbelly. Stanton immediately understood what was intended here and he took off at a run for the cliff. Lorenzo tipped the Tomcat forward to meet up with his passenger. Oh no you don't! Jessie raised the shotgun sight a few degrees and started firing off rounds at the Tomcat. She could hear every ping as her shots hit their target harmlessly. She continued to fire nonetheless.

Stanton leapt into the air, grabbing hold of the rope ladder, laughing maniacally at the three helpless teens below. He pointed at Jonny in particular. "You're dead, Quest!" he called down to him. "You're dead! I'll make sure of it!" and his laughter faded as the Tomcat moved farther away.

Seeing as they were now out of range Jessie turned to her friends. Jonny was just now getting to his feet, rubbing his shoulder, and Hadji was scowling at the disappearing dot of black that was the Tomcat as he went over to where Jonny stood. She joined them.

"You guys okay?" she asked.

"Nothing a couple hundred shots of novocaine won't fix." Jonny grumbled.

Hadji rubbed his jaw with a slight grin. "Agreed. A most painful situation."

Jessie smirked. "And I walk out bruise free."

"Girls have all the luck." Jonny quipped. Then he sighed, looking in the direction the Tomcat had disappeared in. "Well, that's another player on Surd's team we can be sure of. Three down... and whatever left to go."

"Given any other situation than this I would suggest alerting the authorities."

"But...?"

"But, seeing as we must keep this information from the public, I suggest we go reassure Mrs. Evans that this incident is over... for now."

"That sounds like a plan." Jonny grinned slightly as they walked back towards the house.

Jessie took his arm and he winced in visible pain. She backed off. "Oops! Sorry."

He waived her concern away with a small grin. They returned to the house, managed to convince Mrs. Evans that everything was back to as close as normal as anything got on the Quest Compound, and put the weapons away. The rest of the evening was quiet, the meal delicious but uneventful. Jessie would occasionally glance at her boyfriend during the meal, seeing him wince in pain from every sudden movement he made. But she respected his unspoken wish to keep his injuries as secret as possible. He later excused himself for the rest of the night and went upstairs to the bathroom.

Jonny started the shower, making the water as hot as he could stand, stripped of his clothes and stepped under the steady stream. He stuck his head under the flow, letting the hot water just flow over him, then let his head loll back as he slicked him hair away from his eyes. His muscles ached from the fight, a knot had formed in his neck and shoulders, bruises beginning to darken on his arms. But this liquid heat was slowly easing the pains away. He rubbed his own neck for a moment, trying to help the water ease the aches away. He was tired, the adrenaline finally leaving his system. He sighed heavily, closing his eyes. Much better, he thought with satisfaction. I could stay here for hours.

His eyes suddenly snapped opened and he stared at the opaque, dark blue shower curtain as if he could see right through it. I could've sworn I just heard the door open. He listened for a few moments more before finally shrugging and turning his face back into the stream of hot water. You're paranoid, ol' buddy.

He stood there for minutes more, letting the water flow over his shoulders and down his naked body, when he suddenly felt a pair of arms snake around his mid-section from behind him. He looked down at these arms and saw small hands, delicate hands, woman's hands, gliding across his chest. Jessie, he grinned. She pressed herself closer to him, placing her full, naked length completely in contact with his body. Her hands were flat against his chest, her cheek resting on the back of his shoulder. They stood there, quiet, enjoying the body contact they were sharing. He then looked at her contented features from over his shoulder.

"This could be dangerous when we try to leave." he told her.

"No, it won't." she sighed. "Hadji's locked himself off in his room, meditating to re-align his spirit or something like that, and Mrs. Evans left for home about ten minutes ago. No prying eyes, no listening ears."

"And you're loving every moment." he smirked.

She chuckled. "You know I am. Aren't you?"

"Did I say otherwise?"

"No."

"Then I am enjoying this as much as you are."

He felt her smile against his shoulder shortly before her face pressed against the back of his neck. Her hands began to trace circles against his chest, gradually moving lower to the flat washboard of his stomach. She blindly grazed the ridges of his hard muscles with her fingers. He felt his body unconsciously respond to her touch. He wondered if she knew what she was doing to him.

"Do you know what I want to do right now?" she breathed into his ear.

"No. Give me a clue?"

Her hands suddenly reached down and took his hardening member in a hand over hand grip. His breath caught in his throat in surprise, then he released it in a shuddering groan as her hands caressed his shaft.

"Enough of a clue for you?" she queried playfully.

He managed a smile. "Who's room?" His voice had become gruff in arousal.

"No. Here. Now."

"But..." He turned to her, looking into seductive green eyes. Her long red hair was slicked back, the color made darker from being wet. She looked as beautiful as ever. "This is dangerous, Jess. We don't have any--"

She placed a finger on his lips to silence him. "Taken care of in another way, Lover. Birth control. I made a special trip to the doctor's just for that a little over a month ago. Absolutely no danger." I hope, she added silently to herself, returning her hands to lavishing attention to his shaft.

He leaned back hard against the cool shower wall, his eyes momentarily closed. "You're sure?" he managed between quickening breaths.

"Totally." she replied, slowly kneeing before him, inter spacing small nips and kisses as she went. "Now, relax." and her mouth closed over his manhood, creating a gentle suction with each movement.

He gasped loudly in pleasant shock, his eyes shutting tight. She used her experience with him to drive him completely mad with ecstasy, kissing and licking at times, nibbling at others. She raised her eyes to his face and thrilled at the sight of his every excited reactions. He was biting his lower lip, his expression that of someone struggling for control. Jessie stood and kissed his lips. He returned the kiss with deep passion and used the opportunity to switch places with her and pin her back to the wall.

He looked at her, his blue eyes sparkling with a devilish light. "My turn." he breathed against her lips.

He gently gripped her wrists and pinned them to the wall before beginning. He nibbled his way down her throat, torturingly slow, moving ever lower. She sighed softly, letting her eyes close. His mouth closed over one of her nipples, teasing it into a tight bud. Jessie moaned softly as he moved from one breast to the other, sucking and nipping. Jonny moved lower to the flat of her smooth stomach, drinking in the water that clung to her ivory colored skin. He released her wrists when he got to the delicate triangle of auburn curls between her legs, gently easing her thighs apart with gentle hands. Biting her lower lip with a slight grin, Jessie propped her feet against the edge of the tub to help him reach her better. Then his tongue found her and she was completely lost.

"Oh,... God...!" came her strangled cry.

Her movements eluded her control and she writhed from his glorious ministrations. Just when she thought she could take no more his lips moved back to her breasts, then up her throat to her lips.

"Jonny..." she breathed against his lips, her tone pleading.

He kissed her deeply, smiling, as his hands slid down to grip the round mounds of her buttocks, suddenly supporting her weight. Then, with one quick thrust, he was in her completely. The feeling was incredibly intense. Months on end of love making he had always worn protection, but now... Flesh to flesh. Jessie moaned in ecstasy and he dropped his face to the crook of her neck.

"Haaaaa... Jessie..." he sighed as her hips began to move.

He matched the rhythm she had set with his own rocking, swallowing her cries before they came. Her legs wrapped tightly around his hips, her back still to the wall. She couldn't speak anymore, making only little throaty sounds, incoherent cries and moans. He moved faster, racing her to the edge as he felt himself nearing his own peak. Suddenly, he was there, and she was right there with him. She arched away from the wall, her legs tightening around his hips as she clung to him as if her life depended on it. Silken muscles tightened around his shaft rhythmically and his essence spilled into her in response. Then, it was over.

"Ohhhh... Slammin'..." she sighed with a small grin.

He suddenly looked at her in utter surprise before they both broke out into throes of laughter. "I love you." he breathed against her lips, then he kissed her long and deep.

"I love you." she replied when he released her from his embrace.

Her legs loosened from around him and they just stood there together, struggling for breath. Still holding her he used his foot to put the stopper in the drain, then he turned the shower off to fill the tub. It filled quickly, steam rising to envelop the young lovers. Jonny then shut the water off and looked at Jessie. She smiled softly, understanding. He pulled away, both immediately feeling the immense sense of loss. He sat at one end of the tub, with her in front of him between his legs, her back to his chest.

"IRIS, lights. Candlelight dim." he spoke to the room. Instantly the light dimmed to a soft glow. "How's that?" he questioned his girlfriend softly.

She snuggled back against him comfortably. "Very nice." she replied, softly as well. She took both his hands and pressed them to her heart with a small sigh, inadvertently causing him to wrap his arms around her naked form. "He didn't hurt you too much, did he?" she questioned worriedly.

He freed one of his hands and reached for the soft sponge not far away, using it to gently trickle water on her skin and tenderly sponge her arms and shoulders. "Nah, I'm just a little bruised." He crossed her chest with the sponge and she shivered pleasantly. "What is it?"

"Nothing. It's just... I had a dream about this once."

He grinned. "When?"

"Back when I was on one of Mom's digs... when we were having problems with our relationship..."

He closed his eyes, remembering the pain of their first major fight where they almost broke up. "I remember that." he murmured.

She turned her cheek to his chest in sympathy, she too feeling the same pain. "It was the night after our fight. I was sleeping and the dream about this just started. Except for the ending, it was identical."

He smirked playfully. "That's another dream that told the future. You becoming psychic or something?"

She chuckled. "Coincidence, that's all."

Jessie looked a his arm, at the bruise forming on his biceps and the old scars from adventures long since past. She touched them lightly, tears beginning to burn her eyes. How often she had come close to losing him before they had finally begun going out? She had lost track of the times. Each and every time he walked out of danger alive she had wanted to throw herself against him and hold him tight, to tell him how she truly felt about him, and never let go of him ever again. Now, if she lost him, she felt she would willingly die to join him in the hereafter. To never feel his arms hold her tight, to never hear the distinctive beat of his heart, to never hear his soft voice whispering tender words to her. She closed her eyes and the tears began to flow of their own accord.

Jonny watched her, silent. He saw the pained look in her eyes as she touched old an new manifestations of his adventures. He knew what she was thinking and he felt the same. With her hair slicked back as it was he could see her own scars, mementos left behind from incidents that seemed as far away as it was near. Cairo and the accident in downtown Rockport. He still hurt from those moments. She had come so close to dying both times. He couldn't even imaging his life now without her, without touching her soft skin or smelling the sweet scent of strawberries that permeated her skin and hair. He tightened his arms around her, closing his eyes tight, and kissed the top of her head.

Neither of them was willing to break the thick silence. They knew someday they would have to confront all this pain, but it was impossible right now.

"Maybe we should go to bed now." he suddenly voiced softly.

"Do we have to? I'm so comfortable here."

He grinned. "So am I, Jess, but it's your choice if you want to turn into a prune."

She giggled. "You have a point." and, taking only a moment to wrap themselves up in a couple of towels, they went to Jonny's room. It wasn't long after the door closed that they were back in each other's arms, tumbling together to the bed.

Doctor Benton Quest sat in his seat in the rear of a passenger Hydro-plane, his mind split on two very different problems. One part of his reason was busy coming up with possible viruses and cures for British Columbia's problem. Surd's files were a dangerous source of information in anyone's hands. He was familiar with his work in virology and genetics. According to the reports he now had in his lap, the schools were the source of the epidemic in British Columbia. And thanks to it's inaccessibility due to the mountains, the virus hadn't spread, wouldn't spread if ever it mutated into an airborne organism. That was the good news. The bad news was the mortality rate that had already incurred.

The other part was deeply perplexed by what his Son had partially admitted to him before he left Maine. Jonny had admitted that he and Jessie had slept together.

They had sex, Benton, admit it already, a voice scolded.

But what will that do? My Son and Jessie kept this a secret for months. Who knows how many times they slept-- had sex? another voice reasoned.

He sighed heavily and shook his head.

"Somethin' wrong, Benton?" a Texan voice asked not far at his side. Roger Race Bannon sat on the other side of the plane from him. He had noticed the sigh and the head shake.

"No, nothing's wrong. I was just thinking... It's something Jonny told me... No, it's nothing. How long until we reach Simoom Sound?" he opted, changing the subject.

"'Nother half hour or so. It'll be nice to see Marie again."

"Yes. I wonder how she's coping with the new life we handed her a few years back."

"I'm sure she fine. What I'm wonderin' is how the kids are doin' back home."

"Yes." was all the scientist answered.

"Okay, now you're really startin' to worry me. What did Jonny tell you?"

"A secret." he sighed heavily. "Something he and Jessie will discuss in greater detail with the both of us when we get back from all this."

"That bad?"

"I don't know yet."

With this last comment they both lapsed into a deep silence. The half hour passed quickly as the small plane wove between tall mountains, some of which were covered in vast ice fields. Then the Pacific Ocean with British Columbia's numerous inlets came into view. Taking a gentle turn the hydroplane came in for a smooth landing on Tribune Channel, pulling up to a wooden pier on Gilford Island. A number of people were on the pier waiting for them, one of them was Marie Métier. She gave them a grim smile as they disembarked from the plane.

"Doctor Quest, Race, welcome to Simoom Sound. I wish it had been under different circumstances."

"That's quite alright, Marie." Benton admonished with a small smile. "I'm just wondering why we weren't flown to Victoria or Vancouver."

"It's pandemonium in the cities right now. Most of those responsible for examining this virus agreed it was best to move out here, away from the riots and distractions."

"Smart thing." Race voiced from the side of the plane as he and some other men were unloading gear and equipment. "I just heard a dispatch from over the pilot's CB. Sounds like all Hell broke loose down there."

Benton pulled at his own hair gently. "Well, let's get to work then. The sooner we find a cure the sooner we can start looking for Surd."

Race remained behind to supervise the transportation of the equipment as Benton and Marie walked down the length of the pier into downtown Simoom Sound. "You found out who was behind all this?" she asked him.

"Through a simple process of elimination and a little help from IRIS."

"IRIS?"

"Our computer. We analyzed the tape Prime Minister Chrétien received and found it was Doctor Jeremiah Surd's form on the screen and his assistant, Julia, 's voice. Surd's mind is still trapped in a computer program during an incident a year or so ago. Heaven only knows what Julia is after to do all this."

"Is a cure possible?"

"Oh, very. I'm well versed in Surd's work. Reverse researching this virus won't take me very long. Then we have to stop the computer virus infecting the hospital systems before it spreads. That might take us longer."

"Everyone here is at your disposal, Doctor Quest."

Long, tedious hours had passed. On the color video display of a powerful electron microscope an organism divided and further subdivided, growing at a phenomenal rate. Doctor Benton Quest sat before this screen, watching this progression, with two other medical scientists taking notes.

"This is simply fascinating!" he breathed in awe. "The rate of mitosis of this bio-organism is remarkable. Very frightening. And, as we've seen from the tests we've performed, it needs oxygen to replicate itself, which makes it pretty obvious why it attacks the blood stream. This makes it hard to combat."

One of the scientists, a young man with deep brown hair, nodded in agreement. "How do you suffocate a virus without suffocating the host? It's impossible!"

Benton chuckled slightly. "Nothing is impossible. In the words of Sherlock Holmes, When one eliminates all the improbabilities of an event or happening, then what is left is the probable and possible. We simply have to go through the steps and eliminate each improbability. Break it's life cycle somehow."

A woman leaned over Benton's shoulder, pointing to a sub-screen showing the micro-organism's genetic make up, her long blond hair falling against his shoulder in the process. "This strand in its DNA ensures we can't alter it to help us. It almost looks self-regenerating..."

"Which makes it impossible to reprogram it as a hound virus to disable the rest of them because it would just fix itself." another viral-biologist stated, completing her thought. "And the fact that it takes any bodily fluid for a transmission to happen..."

"Releasing it into the schools was, I'd hate to admit it but, brilliant. It ensured transmission from the simple act of sneezing or coughing. Good thing we found which batch of pre-prepared meatloaf it was planted in. And look how it attacks the body. It leaches the O2 out of the blood, reproduces, then causes the body to burn out by creating too many white blood cells. Not to mention that red blood cell production is almost completely halted. That's why we originally thought it was another Hep C blood tainting we had on our hands."

"Megaloblastic hyperplasia." Benton muttered, agreeing with the first diagnostic. Given the same symptoms he would've thought this as well. Megaloblastic hyperplasia was a form of anemia, often confused with asthma for the sharp shortness of breath, often associated with various forms of leukemia.

"We started treating patients as if the had leukemia or any one of the Hep viruses, even began treatments for AIDS." the youngest continued. "But when those infected died after two to five days of infection, we knew we had something completely unknown on our hands. The death toll is already reaching the thousands."

"An insidious bug." the woman concluded.

"From insidious people." Benton added. "And all driven with the simple thought of revenge taken to a level beyond sanity. I'm almost relieved Jessie locked Surd's mind in Questworld."

The three viral-biologists looked at him, confused. "Locked?" the youngest queried.

"I'll explain later. Right now we have to find a way to stop this virus before it gets out of British Columbia."

"Can she really do this?" Kyle Merrick asked his companion in a hushed voice.

Francesca Hamilton huddled with him in the shadows at the edge of a tall fence. Both of them were completely dressed in white, from head to foot. Her long black hair was tied up in a tight bun under a white snow cap. Hands-free radio emitter/receivers were on their head. "She can do this." she assured.

"Are you sure she can do this?"

"Will you quit it already! If she says she can do this then she can do this."

"I'll believe that when I see it."

On the other side of the fence stood a number of concrete hangers, their windows completely dark. Kyle pulled out a pair of binoculars and peered at one hanger in particular. Pressed flush to the wall, moving with all the skill and stealth possible for a master thief, Katianna Souriskova made her way towards one of the guarded doors. Two men stood guard, burly soldiers with sharp eyes and ears. But still they didn't hear the thief. She now stood right behind them. Through the binoculars Kyle saw her reach into a small pouch at her waist and pull out something for each hand. Katianna then jabbed down hard on each guard's shoulder, near the neck, and they fell silently to the ground. She returned the objects to the pouch, picked the lock to the hanger, and slipped in without being seen.

"Okay, I'm in." came her voice over Kyle and Francesca's head gears.

Kyle was just too curious. "What was that stuff you used on them?"

Katianna seemed to chuckle. "A wonderful little sedative Basil whipped up just for me. He's such a sweet old man. Reminds me of my Father. They'll be out for three hours. Alright, inventory... There's one truck, but it's big enough to carry the rest of the stuff here. Automatic rifles, bazookas, grenade launchers, lots of ammo, ooo, land mines! I feel like a kid in a candy store. Give me twenty minutes to load the truck, then cause a distraction at my signal. I'll pick you up at the main gate."

"Now do you believe it?" she questioned with a slight grin. He grunted. Francesca looked around the area between herself and the hanger. There were no other guards in sight. "Twenty minutes. Gives us a chance to figure out just where to cause the distraction."

"I'll do that. You just distract the guards at the main gate to get it open."

"That's right, give me the easy job." she smirked.

He grinned, the first grin she had seen him give anyone since his arrival in British Columbia. "Nah, I just figured you'd have an easier time seducing those guards than I would."

She had to chuckle. "I can just imagine you trying to put the moves on those guys. You sure you don't want to try?" she teased.

"Don't even joke about that." A frown was on his face, but humor was in his voice.

She favored him with a sultry smile. "My, you're a touchy one."

"You wish."

"Yes, I do."

He faced her sharply in shock. "You sure don't waste any time."

She leaned in towards him, teasing. "Why waste time when we have so little to begin with?" she questioned coyly.

Her warm, sweet breath caressed his lips as she spoke softly. He found he couldn't tear his eyes away from hers. They were such an enticing violet color. Seduction was most definitely her game. A voice from his head set suddenly broke through his thoughts, snapping his attention back to the task at hand.

"The truck's loaded. You two better get ready with that distraction."

Kyle rolled away from Francesca. He hated being caught off guard. "Uhh... right. We're on it." He grabbed the grenade launcher lying in the snow next to him and they both made a dash for the installation's main gate. Two guards stood there. "I believe this is your department, 'Cesca." he told her, indicating the guards.

"Too kind, Kyle." she grinned.

She tossed him her cap and head set, letting her long hair fall out of its bun, unzipped the front of her outfit to reveal a good amount of cleavage, then stood and began to sashay towards the two guards. The didn't take notice of her until she stood within the light of the guard post. They immediately leveled their automatic rifles at her.

"Halt! State your name and business." one of them challenged.

"Really, gentlemen, do I look like a threat to you?" Francesca cooed.

"What are you doing here?" the other demanded.

She favored them both with her most seductive smile, casually throwing her hair over her shoulder. "My car broke down just up the road and I was wondering if you two strong, handsome men could help me with it?" and she pouted slightly. "Or at least keep me warm while I wait for a tow truck?"

The two guards looked at each other, lost for a moment, then approached her. It was all the opening Kyle needed to slip behind them through the gate and onto the base. They were too busy gawking at Francesca to notice him. He didn't worry about Francesca. She could handle these two. He had a distraction to cause. He rushed to the edge of one of the hangers, set up the grenade launcher, and loaded it. He took aim at another hanger far enough away and fired. A split second later there was a loud explosion and then a second explosion completely engulfed the hanger.

"Kat, there's your distraction!" he called into his microphone. "Let's go!" and he began to run back to the gate.

There came a loud crash behind him. He risked a glance and saw a large transport truck barreling for the main gate as well. As it raced by he grabbed hold of the back end and swung himself into the back of it. They passed the guard post at the gate. Kyle saw the two bodies of the guards sprawled out in the snow and from around a corner ran Francesca. In the distance he could see more guards coming towards them, firing off rounds as they ran.

"Don't stop!" she called out just as Kyle was about to signal Katianna to stop.

He watched her run for what seemed like hours. Something deep inside what was left of his soul told him he couldn't leave her like this. Then, before he knew it, he suddenly braced himself on the back ramp of the truck and reach a hand out to her as far as he could reach.

"C'mon!" he yelled to her.

She looked up and her violet eyes locked with his clear grey eyes. The simple act of holding a hand out to her seemed to give her a new strength and a great burst of speed. She got closer to the truck and reached out her hand towards his. He strained his reach, but it still wasn't enough.

"Jump!"

She took three strides and leapt into the air towards him. His hand closed around her wrist and he gave a sharp tug, pulling her towards the truck. He must have pulled a little to hard. The next thing he knew he was sprawled on his back with her tiny form on top of his chest. A few well placed shots took out chunks of the back of the truck. Kyle wrapped his arms tightly around Francesca to cover her head and to protect her from the flying debris. Moments later they were finally out of range. He loosened his arms from around her and looked out the back of the truck. The lights from the base were fading in the distance and the shapes that were the guards were no longer visible at all. They had escaped.

"You can get off me now." he told her.

Francesca looked down at him and grinned playfully. "Now why would I want to do a thing like that?"

"'Cause maybe I want to get up?" His tone was sarcastic.

She gave him a small, irresistible pout. "Usually, when a beautiful girl comes on to a handsome guy that guy is more that happy to reciprocate."

"So?"

She brought her face closer to his, dangerously close. His eyes went wide in slight shock. "So, reciprocate." she breathed seductively.

He could only stare back as he felt her lips brush against his. He held her shoulders to restrain her. "'Cesca, I--"

"Shh, Kyle." and she claimed his lips deeply.

He just lay there, too shocked to move or push her away. Not that he wanted to. Her lips felt like silk and she most definitely knew how to make his blood boil. Before Kyle knew it he was returning the embrace.

"Merrick, Hamilton, get up here!" came the urgent request in Kyle's ear piece.

Francesca pulled back just enough to allow Kyle to level his microphone to talk into it, but so they could still easily reach each other's lips. "What's up, Kat?" He kept his eyes locked with Francesca's smiling eyes as he spoke.

"There's a roadblock up ahead. I think it's one of those Operation: Nez Rouge deals."

He pushed Francesca back so he could sit up quickly. She saw the look of worry on his face. "Cops?" he asked the driver.

"Yeah, lots of them. They might find it a little fishy if they find you guys back there. Get up here, quick."

"Be right there." He moved the microphone away and looked at Francesca, a small grin tugging the corners of his lips. "This'll have to wait 'til later, 'Cesca."

She smiled, pouting, as she leaned towards him. "Then this will have to tide you over until then." and she kissed him deeply.

His hand found the back of her head and held her close, deepening the embrace to its fullest. Then he pulled back with a reluctant sigh. "Later, my lovely." he breathed loud enough for her to hear.

She grinned seductively in return and they moved to the from of the trunk, managing to swing themselves into the cab of the vehicle. After crossing this upcoming obstacle it was a clear road back to their base of operations.

Hadji Singh sighed blissfully in the deep silence the permeated the Lighthouse Lab. It was still fairly early in the morning, Friday, and Jessie and Jonny had left some time before for school. Until they returned later that day Hadji decided he would check the computer systems and the progress of their earlier search. He looked to that screen. IRIS had split the screen in two and was matching names and aliases with recent break-outs and plane passenger lists. Still a few days left until that search was done. He turned back to the system before him and quickly entered in a series of commands. Nothing showed up to be out of the ordinary on a surface scan of the programs. Then he dug a little deeper.

GLITCH.

Hello? What is this? he wondered with a deep frown. Try as he might, he couldn't pin point the error he came upon. He leaned back. Wonder, wonder, wonder. What a little mystery. He wondered for a few minutes, curious, intrigued. How was he going to find out what this problem was?

Julia dove straight into the equipment Katianna, Kyle, and Francesca had brought. She rummaged through crates and cases, all the while giving little triumphant squeals. "Milani, Bela, Erma, take this equipment and assemble it according to the specs I gave you. I want this up and running ASAP." she ordered. This was when she turned to the newly returned trio. "You did well." and she walked away.

Hadji was still staring at the screen, puzzled. "IRIS, what is the nature of this system's anomaly?"

"UNKNOWN. ANOMALY DOES NOT CONFORM TO ANY KNOWN FILE TYPE." the computer replied.

"IRIS, instead of trying to find an exact match, do any of the anomaly's components match any file type on record?"

"AFFIRMATIVE. COMPONENTS MATCHING THOSE CREATED BY DOCTOR JEREMIAH SURD."

He bristled at this. "Oh dear. IRIS, what are these components and what is the purpose of the anomaly?"

"ANOMALY CONTAINS COMPONENTS SIMILAR TO THAT OF SEARCH ENGINES. TARGET OF SEARCH IS QUESTWORLD PROGRAMS AND DATA BANKS. NOT ENOUGH INFORMATION TO DETERMINE EXACT PURPOSE OF ANOMALY."

"Extrapolate and theorize."

"PURPOSE OF ANOMALY TO SEEK SPECIFIC BRAIN WAVE IN QUESTWORLD DATA BANKS FOR RETRIEVAL AND LATER RESTORATION."

A light flashed brightly in his mind. Brain wave? Questworld? SURD!! "Has this search engine found and retrieved the brain wave yet?"

"UNABLE TO DETERMINE."

"Oh dear. IRIS, prepare for independent log on. Subject: Hadji Singh."

"ILL ADVISED. LOG ON REQUIRES MINIMUM TWO INDIVIDUALS."

"Override. No time. Prepare for log on."

"ACKNOWLEDGED."

"The equipment's ready, Julia." Ethyl Erma announced. "The hound program we sent is already in your target system. We just have to follow it in. Question is who are you sending in? We have to stay out here to monitor and counter act anything we might not have foreseen."

"Wait a minute!" Kyle Merrick interjected. "What system?"

Julia frowned in clear disgusts at the name she was about to say. "Questworld."

"Questworld? As in the Quests?" Julia nodded. "Oh, I'm in there! Log me in."

"Not without me you're not." Francesca shot at Kyle with a knowing grin.

Julia barely even glanced at them. "Do it. Now!"

The digital representation of Hadji Singh stood on a neon red information grid. This was the fourth Questworld program he had accessed and still no sign of the anomaly. "IRIS, initiate Questworld program QE-1."

"INITIATING"

QE-1 was an old program Doctor Quest had created, Hadji knew that much. What he couldn't quite remember was the purpose of this particular program. There were so many. The scenery around him suddenly shifted to total darkness with only the dimmest glimmer of light to see by. There were no features to this place, nothing to look at. Hadji was about to go to another program when a thought he saw a form in the distance. He moved closer, curious.

"Ah, Mister Singh! Come to pay me a visit after so many years?" came a sarcastic computer generated voice from the form.

Hadji froze. "Doctor Surd?"

"So happy you didn't forget me. What brings you to my dreary little Hell?"

"Nothing. Just making sure you are still where Jessie left you."

"Yes, lovely Miss Bannon. How is she and young Mister Quest? I do so miss the battles we've had in the past. She was very good, you know, locking me in this state even in Questworld. A true master."

"I do not have time for this, Surd."

"Oh, but you should make time." came a new voice from behind him.

Hadji spun around just in time to receive a fist to his jaw. He staggered back, sprawling to the floor. He rubbed his jaw when he recovered, getting back to his feet, only to find himself facing the two people he never thought he would ever see in Questworld. Kyle Merrick and Francesca Hamilton. He took a step back, suddenly afraid for his life.

"Thank you for finding him for us, Hadji." Francesca cooed. "Made our job so much easier."

Kyle began to advance on Hadji as Francesca turned her attention to the immobile Surd. This one's eyes flashed to her and Kyle in rapid succession, a slight frown on his face. "Who are you?" he demanded.

She smiled sweetly. "Your saviors. Julia sent us." She cocked her head towards the virtual sky. "Milani, I have him. Begin download." Surd's body began to shimmer, then gradually faded from sight. Francesca then turned in time to see Kyle giving a severe beating to a visibly outmatched Hadji.

Kyle was clearly enjoying his superiority. He had long ago survived the training offered at a secret complex in Brazil after he and his Sister had been kidnapped. And he had excelled in this training. He now knew twenty different ways of killing a man without leaving a trace. Then he had survived several years at Riker's Maximum State Prison in New York. Fighting knowledge wise, Hadji was in serious trouble.

"Kyle!" she called, catching his attention before he could throw another punch. "We have what we came for. Let's go."

He looked at her, then down at Hadji's huddled form trying to recover from the virtual beating. Kyle grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up to glare in his face. "A message for your friends, Sultan." he sneered. "Fight or everyone they've ever known dies." He threw him back on the ground and came to stand next to Francesca. "Julia, log us out of Questworld. We're done here." he grinned.

Hadji could only watch helplessly as the duo shimmered out of existence. He staggered to his feet, the pain almost too much to bare. "IRIS, activate all firewalls and intruder protectors to Questworld and subsystems. Restrict access to data base and programs to myself, Jonny Quest, and Jessie Bannon. Retina scan only." Mentally he kicked himself for not having done this before.

"RESTRICTIONS ACTIVE."

"Log me out of Questworld."

"HADJI SINGH LOGGING OUT IN THREE... TWO... ONE."

There was a blinding flash and Hadji suddenly found himself sitting in one of the control chairs. He ached from the virtual beating he had received. Even though Questworld was a world existing in Virtual Reality one could still feel and respond to sensations one got in that world. If one fell, one would develop the bruise as a result of that fall. Therefore, all of the injuries Hadji had received in Questworld were real in every sense of the word. He reached up a bruised limb and took off the visor from his eyes. Shutting down the Lab he managed to stagger out into the cold afternoon air. It felt good on his injuries, soothing. Entering the house he avoided Mrs. Evans and headed straight for his bedroom, collapsing on his bed. He was about to enter a deep state of meditation when his phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered tiredly.

"Guess who?" came a woman's voice from the other end.

He smiled. "Kefira!" Kefira Subramanian was Hadji's fiancé, an incredible woman in both looks and intelligence. He had met her almost a year back and had fallen in love with her strength of will. "How are you?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. I'm fine, just missing you terribly. And you, how are you? You sound so tired."

"And feeling better with each passing moment we speak. It is nothing, a little encounter in Questworld I was unprepared for."

Her voice took on an edge of worry. "Are you alright?"

"A little bruised, but I am fine."

"You are sure?"

He chuckled softly. "Yes, my beloved. So, what have you been doing during my absence? It must be so late into the night for you right now."

"It is, but I had a longing to hear your voice. Your Mother has been teaching me to be, and I quote, "The proper wife for a Sultan". She has been busy teaching me etiquette and the ways of the Royal Court. I had no idea there was so much to learn. How and where to stand, the different bows for each diplomat. I have hardly had time to continue my own studies."

"Having second thoughts about becoming my wife?" he teased.

She laughed, a delicate sound that warmed his soul. "No, I want to be your wife, Beloved. I just never realized it would be so much work."

"Mother makes it so for you to test you. You will be happy to know you are passing this test. She has now begun speaking of an heir."

"Will you tell her of our wish to take this slow?"

"I will, not to worry."

"One last question for you before I let get some rest. Neela has spoken to me of the Children of the Dragon only once and with very scant details. Who are they?"

"A clan I concluded a peace treaty with some two years ago. They are a strange people who live in the surrounding mountains of Bangalore. When I return I promise to introduce you to them. It is only fair they meet their future Queen, no?"

"Then I await your return anxiously, as always. I really hate to have to say goodbye right now."

"We both know we need to rest now. I to recover and you to prepare for Mother's next test. We will speak again soon."

"Until then, goodbye, My Beloved Sultan."

He smiled almost sadly. "Goodbye and goodnight, sweet Kefira." After a few seconds there was a clicking sound at the other end as the connection was broken. Hadji sighed heavily, hung up his phone, and drifted off into a deep meditative state.

Doctor Jeremiah Surd opened his eyes, blinking from suddenly real pain from real light. He still couldn't move. Slowly he took in his surroundings.

Reality!

"The transfer was successful." came a woman's voice from off to his left.

"His wheelchair's life support system is fully functional." came another voice, a young man's.

Surd followed the sounds all around him to their sources. Machines, people. Lots of people. "Julia?"

She came into sight. "Welcome back, Jeremiah." she cooed.

"What's going on?"

She smiled. "A little scheme in your honor, Jeremiah. Thanks to your files and research we now hold all of Canada hostage."

His eyes widened slightly. "Well done, Julia." His tone of voice was pleased. Surd looked at the grouping of people gathered around him, specifically to the two teens extracting themselves from the virtual reality equipment. "Who are these two who retrieved my mind from the Quest's data base?"

"Mercenaries, now under your orders, Jeremiah. Kyle Merrick and Francesca Hamilton. Both have already gone up against the Quests. They have experience with them we lack. All of these people have had run ins with the Quests. Their experiences are invaluable to us."

"You've been busy during my absence. Well done. Now, explain your plan. I'm anxious to hear what kind of mayhem you've caused here."

"... and we have a security perimeter set up by the RCMP at a one kilometer radius, Mister Bannon." a uniformed RCMP Sargent informed.

Race Bannon looked over the information on a clip board. He had to admit, the Canadian Military and Royal Canadian Mounted Police knew what they were doing when it came to providing security. Check points, a secure perimeter, patrolling soldiers in camouflaged gear. Everything was up to his standards of security for this type of situation. He handed the clip board back to the Sargent with a crisp nod.

"Good. Keep me posted on anythin' new."

"Yes, Sir." and he walked away.

Race stood alone now, just at the beginning to the wooden pier. Except for the mild weather his senses were almost fooled into thinking this was Maine. But he knew if he turned around he would see the high, imposing peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Behind him was also one of the secluded laboratories where Canada's finest biologists, computer programmers, and Doctor Benton Quest were busy at work. And Marie.

"Enjoying the view, Race?" came Marie Métier's voice, breaking through his thoughts.

He turned to see her approaching him from the main lab building. He smiled and made a non-committal sound at the back of his throat in response to her question.

"Where they at?" he asked, indicating the lab with a jerk of his chin.

"Doctor Quest feels they're on the right road. He just finished putting in a requisition for medical chimpanzees for some tests. Keep your fingers crossed."

"I'm bein' morbidly optimistic here, but I'm kind of glad Julia didn't launch this bug on the West Coast. Would've infected Jessie an' Jonny. Don't know what any of us would've done had that happened."

A puzzled frown crossed her features as she brushed her wind blown black hair away from her face. "Who is Jessie?"

"Jessie's my Daughter."

"You never told me you had a Daughter?"

"We, uh, didn't actually do much talkin' back then." Race grinned sheepishly. He then pulled out his wallet from his back pocket, pulled out a photograph, and handed it to Marie. "There she is, my Ponchita."

Marie took the image and took a good long look. Jessie was at the center of the image, sitting across Jonny's lap. Both were smiling and seemed completely at ease with each other, their arms wrapped around each other.

"She's lovely. When was this picture taken?"

"'Bout a week ago."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Jonny has grown into a fine looking young man. Your Daughter seems to be quite close to him."

"They should be. They've been goin' steady for a little over two years now."

She looked up from the image, surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah. You should see 'em. Can't pull 'em apart for more than a second." He sighed wistfully. "Kind of makes me worried I'll someday hear they took the next step."

Marie smiled reassuringly. "I know Jonny's a bright boy. And Jessie is your Daughter after all. I'm sure they won't do anything stupid. Will I get to meet her someday?"

"Oh, sure. Soon as they finish their exams, they're flying down with Hadji to join us. You know Jonny, can't stay away from the action for very long. They should be here in a little over a week."

Jessie stood in her gym uniform of red shorts and a white T-shirt, shifting from one foot to the other in readiness. In front of her stood Jonny, dressed the same way and wearing thick sparring mats on his arms. It had been his idea to get her in the gym to do this. She was still weak from her seven month coma and she needed to strengthen her muscles and limbs, learn how to fight all over again. He wanted her to be as strong as she had ever been to make her happy. He had seen how miserable she was when left behind during dangerous missions, and how annoyed she was when someone tried to fight for her.

"Okay, you ready, Jess?"

"Only if you are, Lover." She grinned playfully. "I'm going to mop the floor with you."

He smiled. "We'll see, Love. Just regular kick-boxing, don't strain yourself. And... go!"

She threw kick after kick, punch after punch, the gym filling with the sound of each move connecting with a sharp slap. He encouraged her on, pleased at her quick progress. This went on for nearly half an hour. She suddenly threw a high kick, followed by an attempt at a round-house kick. She cried out in pain and dropped unceremoniously to the ground, holding her hip. Jonny quickly threw the pads to the ground and came to her side, his hands on hers in worry.

"Oh, God!" she groaned in pain.

"Take it easy, lie still." he told her. He rolled her to her back and carefully eased her legs straight, keeping one hand at the joint of her hip. Her eyes were shut tight, pained tears already streaming from their corners freely. "You strained a muscle."

"Tell me something new." she gritted.

Carefully he eased her knee towards her chest, then straightened her leg in the air. She winced and he lowered her leg back to the ground. He did this to her several more times before she finally sat up.

"You okay?" his voice still laced with worry as he held her knee.

"Now, yes. God, that hurt." She brought her knee to her chest, testing her hip joint, then smiled at him. "Thanks."

He grinned playfully as he slid his hand from her knee down to the inside of her thigh. "Got to keep these gorgeous legs strong and in shape."

She returned the grin as she turned to completely face him. "Any particular reason why?" she cooed.

He leaned in towards her until their lips just brushed. "You got two pretty good reasons last night." and he claimed her lips before helping her back to her feet.

"Any other reason?" she asked coyly. As strange look passed over his face as he looked at her. She couldn't read his expression and it shocked her. "What?"

"Nothing." he dismissed quickly.

"No, really. Something's bothering you. What is it?"

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it in second thought. He gently touched her cheek, cupping her face with one hand. Then, "Ask me that again sometime, Jess."

Inside she frowned, puzzled. "Okay." was all she answered.

"You have a class next?"

"Yeah, Chemistry. Just review, but I want to be there in case there's anything different he might stick on the exam. It's my last class of the day."

"Same with me for Physics. Mr. Niles has a nasty habit of doing that, sticking stuff he didn't teach us on the exam, or so I hear. Your leg going to be okay for the rest of the day?"

"I think so. If it gets painful I can always grab some Tylenol."

Worry etched his features. "You're sure?"

She smiled and tasted his lips ever so softly. "I'm sure. Eighty minutes and I'll be able to show you just how sure." she breathed.

"Too long." he grinned.

"But at least then we'll be away from prying eyes." she replied playfully.

He chuckled. "And now that you've told me this I won't be able to concentrate on Physics."

She had to laugh. "No, you'll probably be too busy dreaming up a few Laws of Physics of your own and then breaking the rest."

He laughed softly. "Definitely. And we'll try them out later. Go on. We each have a class to go to. See you at your locker later?"

"You bet."

She kissed him again before leaving for the girls' locker room. She quickly showered, dressed in her blue jeans, off white button up shirt, and a white sweater, and jogged off to her class. Her Chemistry lab partner, Crysta Robertson, was already sitting in the class as Jessie walked in. No one else was in the class yet. Crysta was in flashy wear, as usual. A metallic purple cat suit with bright yellow scarves, one in her hair, the other around her waist.

"Hey, Chica!" Crysta greeted in a light Hispanic accent. "You just come from the pool or something?"

Jessie sat next to her friend, slicking her wet hair out of her face. "No, the gym. I had a pretty intensive work-out."

Crysta smirked slyly, beginning to French braid Jessie's hair. "Oh, really? Was a certain Jonny Quest involved in this work-out?"

"Go away! We wouldn't do anything like in school."

"Had to ask. How're you feeling anyway?"

"Not bad considering everything I went through... and I think things are about to get worse."

Crysta heard the hate in her friend's voice and looked towards the door. A tall, brunette girl walked in, an air of superiority and aristocracy surrounding her. This was Ktrisha Aubry, one of Maya Vernessa many followers and so-called friends, a runner up to Home Coming Queen of Rockport High School for four years running. She shot a cold stare at Jessie in particular before sitting at a desk across the room from her. Her slinky shirt showed off every curve and her miniskirt was purposefully cut to show off as much leg as possible. Ktrisha, like Maya before her, hated Jessie with a passion for the simple fact that Jessie was going steady with Jonny. The, also, Miss Universe wannabe had chased after him ever since their first year of High School, but he had rejected her advances each and every time, eventually working up his courage to ask Jessie to go out with him. Like Maya, Ktrisha held Jessie responsible. No man ever said no to Ktrisha or Maya, until Jonny.

"'Tis a foul air and a ever more foul mood that hath entered this room." Crysta quipped, hoping for levity in this situation.

"You stay out of this, freak!" Ktrish snapped at Crysta.

"Watch it, boob job!" she shot back.

Jessie gripped her friend's arm to restrain her. "Crysta, cool it! She's not worth it."

"Jonny doesn't think so." Ktrisha sneered.

"Right, like he ever gave you a second glance."

"That's not what he told me last night."

Jessie laughed outright. Crysta caught on to why as Ktrisha just scowled at them. "That would've been kind of hard considering..." Jessie managed before breaking out into throes of uncontrolled laughter.

"Considering what?" Aubry demanded.

Jessie regained enough composure to stand and walk to the front of Ktrisha's desk, leaning towards her menacingly. "Considering he was in his bed all of last night. And how can I be sure of that? Because I was there and completely tired him out."

Crysta had the hardest time reigning in her laughter at the totally shocked look Ktrisha had etched across her face as Jessie walked back to her seat. The shock gave way to a scowl of pure hate just as the fiery redhead sat.

"Hey, Jess." came a familiar voice at the door.

All three turned to see Jonny rushing into the room towards her. Ktrisha, in the hopes of catching his attention, immediately stood to make herself more visible and tried to stand in front of Jessie. He went around her without so much as a glance. He greeted Jessie by tenderly claiming her lips.

"I only have a few minutes. Two things. One, Elaine had gym next and found your watch in the locker room." and he handed it to her.

"Oh, God! I didn't even notice!"

He grinned. "You had other things on your mind."

She giggled. "That I did. What was the other thing you came here for?"

"I forgot to tell you something when you left the gym."

She was intrigued. "Really? What?"

He leaned in towards her, pinning her to her chair, and gave her his trademark lopsided grin. "I love you."

She smiled ever so sweetly. "I love you." she replied. "I also have something to tell you."

"What's that?" he grinned.

"Last night..."

He was still grinning. "What about it?"

"Incredible." she breathed.

Jonny gave a slight pout. "Isn't every night?"

"Yes, but especially last night."

"Wait until tonight." he breathed against her lips, kissed her sweetly, and left at a run to reach his class before the bell rang.

The class went by slowly as Chemistry notes and formulas were reviewed one last time. Jessie didn't have to pay too much attention to what was being said. Basically there wasn't going to be any new material on the mid-term exam. She would ace this test like she did with all her others throughout the first half of the year.

Across the class from her Ktrisha kept shooting daggers from her eyes at Jessie. She was an obstacle to her, a wall to destroy to get to the prize, Jonny Quest. But she wouldn't make the same mistake as Maya had when she had tried to eliminate Jessie this time last year. She had made the mistake of hiring an incompetent. Ktrisha she would do one this herself, somehow.

A loud peel of a bell signaled the end of the class and Jessie quickly exited the class to get to her locker. Crysta was close behind, her locker being next to Jessie's. Turning a corner they saw someone leaning against it, seemingly waiting for them. He was wearing a sports jacket emblazoned with the school colors and logo. Jessie immediately recognized him and stopped with an annoyed groan. Craig Waller, a rich young man belonging to the school's football team who just couldn't seem to understand that she was unavailable to him.

"What's today, pick on Jessie day?" she sighed.

Crysta snickered. "I'll take him off your hands, Chica."

"Oh, I'm sure Todd would like that. No, I'll deal with him... again." She took a deep, bracing breath and walked forward towards her locker. Craig straightened and smiled at her. "Wipe it off your face, Craig, it ain't gonna to happened."

The smile faded. He looked at her in pleading dejection. "Aw, c'mon, Jessica. I mean, what does he have that I don't?"

She never faced him, her expression blank as she filled her book bag. "Well, for one, he had the decency not to over presume his worth to the world." Crysta snorted as she tried not to laugh. "And, unlike you, he gave me time."

"I gave you a lot more than just time, Ace." came a playful voice from behind her.

Jessie turned with a smile, instinctively finding her lover's arms and pressing herself to his chest. Jonny held her tight, breathing a soft sigh against her neck.

"Told you eighty minutes was too long."

She chuckled and pulled back to look into his face. "So how many Laws did you dream up?"

"Too many for one night." he grinned.

Crysta began to laugh, mostly from Craig's stunned expression. "Face it, Super Jock. Ain't no way you're ever breaking these two up."

Jonny bowed to her with a flourish. "Thank you, dear Lady."

"Most welcome, Lord Jean."

He straightened with a smile. "Still can't get over that, can you?"

"Don't think anyone completely recovers from seeing ghosts, Blondie. 'Specially when you're facing their living doubles."

"In every sense of the word." Jessie grinned.

Jonny looked at her. "What? You planning to drown me in a pond?"

She smirked. "Only if I can have you stuffed and mounted on my bed after." she quipped.

He chuckled. "Ah! So that's why you keep me around."

"That, and another reason."

"Which I'm sure you'll tell me."

"Of course, but I'll do much more than tell you." she replied, gathering the rest of her stuff from her locker, then closing it. She turned to him with a broad grin. "Ready."

"Hey, can I get a lift?" Crysta suddenly asked. "Don't really feel like trudging the six blocks to my place in the snow."

Jonny slung an arm around both Jessie's and Crysta's shoulders. "Sure." he grinned. "See ya, Craig." he said to the still stunned Craig Waller as the three of them walked away. They left him standing there as they walked out of the school towards the student parking lot. They piled into a black Viper GTX, Jonny driving and Crysta in the back seat, and drove off for the outskirts of Rockport, Maine.They dropped Crysta off at an elegant little house of a Colonial feel, then began to drive off to the Quest Compound. Jonny suddenly grinned. "Let me guess, earlier, Craig wanted you to break off with me and go with him, right?"

She chuckled. "Right. I told him, not in so many words mind you, that there was no way that was going to happen. And that's when you walked in."

"So that makes how many times he's asked you that?"

"Today? Twelve times."

"Today!? There's been other times?"

"He asked about as many times everyday since school started again, last year, the year before that, and the year before that."

"God! He just doesn't give up."

"He's like a persistent little puppy hungry for attention."

"Oh, he's hungry alright, but it's not for attention."

She leaned on his shoulder, her hand gently gripping his thigh. "There's only one person who has that kind of attention." she purred lovingly in his ear.

His knuckles began to whiten as he tightened his grip on the wheel. "Quick, find me someplace to park.