Disclaimer: All characters affiliated with JQ: TRA are owned by Hanna Barbara. No infringement of copyrights are intended. This is a work of fiction written by a fan for other fans' enjoyment. No money was made off of this fic.
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Warnings: Overall Rating of PG. Contains mild language, and some mature themes, and mild violence. (Honestly, there isn't anything worse than what you might find in a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mystery.)
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A Note From the Author: Originally, this story was featured on Suze Howe's JQ:TRA Archive (circa 2000). If you think you've read it before, you just might have! I was using the pen name SapphireWings at that time. Since then, I've made some minor changes, and some major ones, to this story. I've also finished several more Jonny Quest adventures. I intend to post these further adventures after the conclusion of this one. ~Sapphire
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Another Note From the Author: If you're familiar with my Fushigi Yugi fan fiction, this series of mine is nothing like that, and not nearly as long! This is a collection I began in my early college experience, before I'd ever heard of Fushigi Yugi. I was a less experienced writer then. ~Sapphire
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A Third Note From the Author: If you know JQ: TRA, I hope you'll like this work of fan fiction! However, please be aware, my sole reason for writing this series was for my own personal enjoyment (and that of a few personal friends). Unlike my FY series, this one wasn't originally intended for an audience. I just figured, since I'd spent so much time writing these, I might as well post them. Feel free to comment on my story, or even make suggestions. Just beware, I may ignore them. Okay, enough author's notes. ~Sapphire
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The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
Industry of Intrigue
By: Sapphire (SapphireWings)
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Chapter One: The Stranger
Location: Quest Compound, Rockport, Maine
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April 1999
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…...
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The rain beat against the window panes as lightning flashed brightly, followed by booming thunder. Race Bannon looked up from his newspaper at a knock on the door, accompanied by Iris' announcement that there was a visitor. His employer, Dr. Benton Quest, looked up from his work on his laptop computer.
"Now who could that be in this storm?" Dr. Quest wondered.
"Let's find out," Race suggested. The two men rose from their seats at the sound of a second knock. In the front hall, they opened the door, surprised to see the County Sheriff on the other side. Standing beside him was a dripping wet young woman with a backpack slung over one shoulder and a small duffel bag in her hand.
"Can I help you, Sheriff Olson?" Race asked, taking the sheriff's extended hand and giving it a quick shake. The sheriff was a trusted friend, and had been since they'd moved the family up to Maine.
"Yes," replied the sheriff, "Is Dr. Quest at home?"
"I'm right here," Dr. Quest said, stepping around Race. "What can I do for you?"
"This young lady was sent to us from the Kansas City police department in Missouri," Sheriff Olson told them. "Her mother disappeared about a month ago, and you were named the girl's guardian in the mother's living will. The girl is no longer a minor, but they sent her to you because of her mother's disappearance, and well, she wants to tell you the rest herself."
"Who the heck would name Benton guardian to their daughter?" Race asked incredulously. Sheriff Olson just shook his head and chuckled.
"You're in for quite a story, but I assure you both, it's on the up and up," Sheriff Olson said. Dr. Quest turned to the young woman beside the Sheriff. She was tall, her head just an inch taller than the sheriff's shoulder, and he was a big man. Her light brown, shoulder-length hair was plastered to her head from the rain. Her dripping hair outlined a slightly heart-shaped face where two slate blue eyes rimmed in thick lashes looked back at him with trepidation.
"Go ahead," he said.
"I'm your niece," she stated. Dr. Quest was astonished at her blunt announcement. Race's jaw dropped.
"That's impossible," Race countered, "The Doc doesn't have a niece. He doesn't have siblings." He glanced at Dr. Quest. "Should we send her back to Kansas City, Benton?"
"Oh, you can't do that!" the young woman exclaimed in a sudden burst of emotion. Race looked back at her skeptically. "He couldn't possibly know about me!" she explained in a rush. "I didn't know I had an uncle until two weeks ago myself, and I just found him! I wouldn't have come, but I desperately need his help!" The girl nearly broke down into tears on the doorstep in the pouring rain.
"No, don't send her away, Race," Benton Quest said, watching the young woman with obvious compassion. "Sheriff Olson said it was legitimate. I want to hear what she has to say." Race glanced uncertainly at Dr. Quest, but the older man was quite serious.
"All right, Benton," Race gave in. "We'll get her some hot chocolate, while we're at it." Race was quite sarcastic, but he knew his old friend too well. Once Benton Quest made up his mind about something, he would stubbornly stick to his decision. That's what had made the man so successful. Race sighed. "I'll go get Jonny. He'll probably want to hear this."
"Bring Hadji and Jessie along, too. No sense in having to repeat ourselves later," added Dr. Quest. As Race disappeared through the kitchen doorway, Dr. Quest turned back to the front door and admitted the young woman into the house. "Would you like to join us, Sheriff?" Benton invited.
"No, Dr. Quest, thanks, though. I have to be getting back to the station. I was instructed to give you this, however," he said, handing Dr. Quest a large envelope containing some papers. "There are plenty of legal documents in there confirming who she is. I had it faxed from Kansas City to verify her story. It seemed suspicious at first, so I did some checking."
"And?" Dr. Quest prompted.
"She is who she says she is, and she is your niece," Sheriff Olson said. Benton nodded. "And one more thing I forgot to mention," the sheriff added. "Seems there's a trust fund that was set up for the young lady. She doesn't come into the money until she's twenty-five, and the real reason the Kansas City Police wanted her to come out here was because you're the one with control over the account. I got a look at the amount. It's a lot of money we're talking about." Dr. Quest raised an eyebrow at that. It was hard to believe a perfect stranger would entrust him with a large sum of money.
"Thank-you, Sheriff Olson," Dr. Quest said.
"See you around, Dr. Quest. If you need anything, or need to talk to Kansas City, call me. I can put you in touch with the detective in charge down there." Benton nodded, and the sheriff left. Benton turned to the young woman standing beside him. He looked her up and down again, trying to discern any more information about her. He watched as rain dripped off her nose, then caught her gaze with his. She was scared, uncertain, but she was determined about something.
"Come with me," Dr. Quest said finally. "I'll get you that warm cocoa and you can start by telling me your name."
"Maggie," she offered. "My name is Maggie Hardy."
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Ten minutes later they were congregated in the large kitchen of the Quest mansion. Dr. Quest had quickly taken care of the formality of introductions. Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji were seated around the kitchen table with Dr. Quest and the young woman they'd just met. Bandit, Jonny's black and white bull-terrier, sat at his master's feet looking up at the strange girl with an intent gaze. Race leaned on the kitchen counter watching for anything suspicious. He, like Bandit, wasn't sure whether or not the young woman could be trusted, despite the assurances of the county sheriff's department.
"Go ahead, Miss Hardy," Dr. Quest instructed. "I'm very curious as to what you have to say. Try to be as detailed and thorough as possible. Even something that seems insignificant might prove quite important. Try not to leave anything out." Visibly nervous and wide eyed, Maggie nodded, then took a steadying breath.
"As I said," she began, her voice a little shaky with nerves, "My name is Maggie Hardy." She paused to take another steadying breath. This time it seemed to help, at least, her voice was steadier and clear. "I'm a Sophomore at Weston University, a small private college in Iowa. At least I was, until a month ago." Dr. Quest nodded encouragement when she paused uncertainly. "Before that I lived in Denver. That's where I graduated high school," she continued with gaining confidence. "I lived in Los Angeles, too," she added thoughtfully, "after I lived in Washington D.C. and Cincinnati. I've also lived in Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto, Minneapolis, Houston, and Vancouver. My mom moved the two of us all over. We never stayed anywhere long, except for Minneapolis. We lived there for five years."
"Wow, was she in the military or something?" Jonny asked amazed.
"No," Maggie shook her head. "My mom didn't like staying in one spot. She liked new places. At least, that's what she told me whenever I asked."
"It sounds like you've had a unique lifestyle, but, what does all of this have to do with me?" asked Dr. Quest curiously.
"Nothing," replied Maggie with a faint smile, "I was just telling you where I'm from. You said not to leave anything out." Jessie giggled at Dr. Quest's surprise.
"You did say that," Jessie pointed out. Dr. Quest smiled in spite of himself.
"So I did," Dr. Quest admitted, amused. "Please, go on, Miss Hardy."
"Well," Maggie said with a sigh, "I suppose I should start with my grandmother, Nolie Markham."
"Hey- that's my grandmother's name," Jonny interrupted. Maggie just smiled a sad, knowing smile that didn't quite reach her troubled eyes.
"I know," she replied softly. When Jonny didn't say anything more, Maggie went on. "Markham was her maiden name, of course," Maggie said, continuing. "She was only seventeen when she married my grandfather, Earnest Franklin. There was an eighteen year difference in their ages, and Grandpa always said the marriage was doomed to failure. You see, he explained to me that he and Grandma were both free thinkers, which is what attracted them to each other in the first place. But their ways of thinking were too different, and their age difference added to the tensions. When my mother was a year old, they divorced."
"That was not common for their generation," Hadji commented. "I am guessing that was another attribute of their free thinking." Maggie nodded.
"Grandma left her marriage without a fight, leaving my mother with my grandpa." She stopped and reached for her steaming mug of hot cocoa. Holding it to her mouth, she took a few sips, closing both hands around the mug to warm them. She sighed, exhausted, as she set the mug back down.
"She must have known how hard it would be to raise her daughter on her own," Race commented. Maggie turned to look at him, a little startled as if she'd forgotten he was there. Race gave her a questioning look, and she slowly nodded.
"That's what Grandpa told me," Maggie replied. She forced herself to relax a little, and sat back in her chair. "My mother saw my grandmother twice after the divorce. She was very young both times, and she told me she didn't remember much more than vague impressions of Nolie Markham. Mom and Grandpa lost contact with her when Grandpa took Mom and moved to California."
"Why did your grandfather move away?" Jonny asked.
"Because Nolie Markham married another man," Maggie answered. "You see, Grandpa loved her to the day he died, even if he refused to admit it. I think he hoped she'd come back to him- until she remarried."
"I believe now is the time we discover how Dr. Quest comes into this story," Hadji observed. Maggie nodded.
"Two weeks ago I was contacted by my mother's lawyer," Maggie said. "That's when I learned how this story ends. Nolie Markham's second husband was a man named Herbert Quest. They had one son together, and that boy was you, Dr. Quest." The room was silent, and all eyes were on Dr. Quest, waiting for his reaction. Dr. Quest ignored them as he contemplated what Maggie had told them.
"Do you have a copy of your mother's will?" Dr. Quest asked finally. Maggie nodded. "I'd like to see what Laura has to say."
"Yes, it's in the big envelope the sheriff gave you…" Maggie suddenly looked up in surprise. He knew her mother's name. Dr. Quest smiled faintly and nodded. The exchange went unnoticed by everyone else, except Race. He watched the two curiously, but said nothing of it.
"What else is in this envelope?" Dr. Quest asked, picking up the weighty packet he'd placed on the table earlier.
"Oh, um, marriage licenses, birth certificates, a transcript of the divorce proceedings, everything you could want in there," Maggie managed to answer. Dr. Quest opened the envelope Sheriff Olson had given him and set the pages on the table in front of him. Slowly, he turned them, one by one, checking over each one.
"It appears that Miss Hardy really is my niece, and her mother is my half-sister," he announced, setting aside several particular pages for further scrutiny. It was the will.
"This is totally amazing!" exclaimed Jonny, excitedly. "Welcome to the family." He turned to Hadji. "Hey Hadj, we've got a cousin!"
"Thank-you," Maggie replied shyly, looking at Hadji curiously. Cousin? She shook her head, unable to consider what that meant at the moment. She wasn't finished yet. "I- this-" Maggie stumbled over the words, "I wouldn't have known any of it if it weren't for my mom." She had to blink hard to keep from breaking down and crying in front of these people, strangers in fact, even if they were family. "Dr. Quest, I need your help."
"Where is your mother?" Jessie asked pointedly. "Why didn't she come here with you?"
"She disappeared 33 days ago without a trace," Maggie told them. "Local police have no leads. And now the FBI have stepped in because of what happened twenty years ago."
"What happened twenty years ago that could have anything to do with your mother's disappearance?" Race asked sharply, his interest suddenly piqued, and his instincts warning him something was very wrong here. Maggie turned to look at him again, noting the change in his demeanor, but not understanding. But she wanted to trust these people- needed to trust them.
"Twenty years ago my father, Jack Hardy, disappeared without a trace," she told him. Her announcement was met with stunned silence.
"Now that," Jonny said, finding his voice first, "is too tall for TV."
"You're going to have to explain, Miss," Race said seriously. A person's parents didn't just vanish 20 years apart with no explanation. "This smells of rotten fish so bad a cat wouldn't swallow it."
"If the FBI are involved, this can't be a coincidence," Jessie agreed.
"Tell us what you know," Dr. Quest asked, intrigued.
"It happened in September 1978, on the day I was born," Maggie began. "When my mom realized she was in labor, she called my dad at work. He said he'd meet her at the hospital, but my mom never heard from him again."
"What happened to him?" Jonny asked. Maggie shook her head.
"I don't know. What I do know is that he did arrive at the hospital. I had already been born. My mom, as usual, ignored her labor until it absolutely couldn't be ignored. She said she got the hospital barely in time," Maggie said. "When my dad arrived, he asked at reception, and was told I was already in the nursery. He went there first. The maternity ward nurses remembered him clearly, because they held me up to the window for him to see. One of the nurses spoke to him and told him where to find my mother."
"But she never saw him after that phone call," Jessie remembered.
"That's right," Maggie nodded. "Just minutes after that nurse spoke to my father, the whole hospital was thrown into chaos."
"This cannot be good," Hadji prophesized.
"A doctor, my mother's obstetrician, was found dead," Maggie said.
"Wait a minute-" Race interrupted. "I think I remember hearing about that." Maggie wasn't the least bit surprised by that announcement.
"There was a lot of news coverage, even in the national papers," she said.
"Was your dad the one they suspected in the murder?" Race asked.
"Yes," Maggie confirmed desolately. "He was seen leaving the hospital, accompanied by an unidentified man. People remembered my dad because he was acting suspiciously."
"As I recall, your father wasn't a suspect for very long," Dr. Quest said.
"No," Maggie returned. "The receptionist and the maternity ward nurses remembered him well. They knew he wasn't responsible for the doctor's death. He was quickly cleared of suspicion. That's when law enforcement realized he'd been abducted. But after Dad and his abductor exited the hospital, no one knows where they went. They just disappeared."
"What do you know about your mother's disappearance?" Race asked when it was apparent Maggie had nothing else to say on the topic of her father's abduction.
"I discovered she was missing," Maggie told them. "I talked to her during her lunch break on that Friday afternoon. She was leaving for a weekend trip to Omaha to visit a friend. That was the last time I talked to her. When I didn't hear from her by Tuesday, I knew something was wrong. After Grandpa died, we only had each other, so we usually talked daily," Maggie explained. "I called and called, but there was no answer. I even tried calling her at work. Nothing. On Thursday night I made the drive home from college."
"You lasted longer than I would have," Jessie admitted, looking at her dad.
"Maybe too long," Maggie said. "The apartment was empty. No one had been in there for days. The plants were drooping, the mailbox was full, and there was a pile of newspapers in front of the apartment door."
"What did you do?" Dr. Quest asked.
"It was late, so I tried to get some sleep. I went to her office first thing Friday morning," Maggie told them. "It was a week since I'd last heard from Mom."
"Did you discover anything useful on your visit to your mother's workplace?" Hadji asked. Maggie shook her head.
"I asked around, but no one had seen her or heard from her all week. Some of her coworkers were worried, too, especially since I didn't know where she was. I used my mom's work phone and called the police right then and there."
"What did the police say?" Jessie asked next.
"They wanted to wait forty-eight hours before declaring her a missing person," Maggie said.
"You've got to be kidding me," Jonny said. "Didn't they understand she'd been missing for seven days?" Maggie shrugged, then shook her head. There were tears in her eyes.
"By then I was crying, and most of the office was watching the drama. Then my mom's boss stepped in," Maggie said, wiping her tears away with a sniffle. "He pretty much ordered the police to send someone immediately. He was very nice to me, and he made sure the officers who arrived took the situation seriously."
"I'm assuming the Kansas City police got in touch with the Omaha department to track down your mother's friend," Dr. Quest said. Maggie nodded.
"Mom never arrived in Omaha. I spoke to Janet myself after the police had questioned her," Maggie continued. "She said Mom was supposed to call her and let her know when she left Kansas City, but Mom never made that call."
"So something happened to her before she could leave Kansas City," Jessie guessed. "But whatever happened, it was after she left the apartment."
"Yes," Maggie confirmed. "Kansas City police couldn't even find her car. There was just nothing. No leads. No clues. My mom was just…gone." Maggie sighed. "The case was turned over to the FBI after a week. They couldn't find anything more than the police."
"Not a single shred of evidence?" Dr. Quest asked. Maggie shook her head. "People don't just vanish."
"There has to be something," Jonny said. Maggie's expression turned thoughtful, and she looked up hopefully.
"There- there is one thing," she said slowly. "I tried telling the FBI agent who interviewed me, but he just laughed and said I had a big imagination."
"We'll listen," Jonny said, exchanging a knowing look with Hadji and Jessie. "We've been accused of having big imaginations before." Maggie raised her eyebrows at them, then seemed to decide to trust them.
"A few years ago I happened to see a document on my mom's desk. It caught my attention because it had my dad's name on it. It said 'Central Intelligence Agency' on the header."
"Now we're getting somewhere," Race interjected. He exchanged a look with Dr. Quest, and Benton nodded. "Tell us about this document," he instructed.
"I didn't really understand the purpose of the document, and the handwritten notes were cryptic," Maggie admitted. "It gave the impression my dad once worked for the CIA. It kept mentioning an investigation of some kind. And the letter C was frequently used throughout the document. I think it stood for a person or a group of people that was under investigation. That's all I can really remember about it."
"Well, it's something, at any rate," Race said.
"I think my mother suspected someone connected to the CIA was responsible for what happened to my dad. I also think my mom knew more than she let on. I think she was afraid they might come after her, too. And I think they did."
"That could explain why your mom moved you around so much," Jonny theorized. "She was trying to protect you." Maggie nodded, turning to Dr. Quest.
"I got sick of sitting around waiting for other people to find my mom," Maggie said. "So I took matters into my own hands and went through her personal effects. I found the name of her lawyer and got in touch with him. He told me about the will." She pointed at the papers Dr. Quest had set aside from the envelope. "It was eye opening, to say the least. And when I realized you were the Benton Quest Mom named in her will, I knew I had to come here. I can't find my mom on my own, and no one else will listen to me." Maggie took a deep breath. "Please help me, Dr. Quest. I have no where else to turn."
"I don't know what to say," Dr. Quest replied at length. "I don't know what I can do. I need some time to think."
"I think we could all use some time to think," Race agreed. "Besides, it's getting late. Maybe we should continue this in the morning.
"I think you're right," Dr. Quest agreed. "Jessie, will you please show Miss Hardy to a guest room?"
"Of Course, Dr. Quest," Jessie agreed, getting up from the table. "Come with me, Maggie, I'll show you the way."
"Okay, just a minute," Maggie agreed, then turned to Dr. Quest. "Thank you so much for listening, Dr. Quest. It's more than I expected."
"You're welcome, Miss Hardy," he answered. Then she left with Jessie.
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The next morning dawned sunny and warm, a fine spring day, fresh and clean after the rain the night before. Maggie woke early, surprised she had slept at all. She realized how exhausted she must have been. She quickly dressed in jeans and a pale yellow T-shirt, then went downstairs to the kitchen where she was sure she'd find members of the household. Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji were already there, each in various stages of breakfasting.
"Did you sleep well last night, Miss Hardy," asked Hadji as he poured some milk over his dry cereal.
"Better than I've slept in weeks," Maggie admitted. "You have no idea how relieving it is to have someone listen to you, and believe you, too. But I'm still worried Dr. Quest can't, or won't, help me."
"You don't know my dad," said Jonny, dropping his spoon in his empty cereal bowl, finished with his breakfast. "He goes out of his way to help people. Besides, you're family. He'd never turn you out."
"Do you really think he'll try and help me?" Maggie asked.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't he?" Jonny countered. Maggie sighed.
"You have to admit the whole thing is hard to believe. Even I find it hard to believe," Maggie admitted. "I half expected Dr. Quest to throw me out last night. He's pretty well-known, and I didn't know how he'd react to all this. Why do you think my mom never contacted him?"
"I wondered about that, Miss Hardy," interrupted Dr. Quest, walking into the kitchen. "And you're right. I might have had Race escort you off the premises when Sheriff Olson first brought you here. However, I knew about my mother's previous marriage and her daughter. If I hadn't, I might have sent you away."
"You knew my mother's name," Maggie remembered. "I know I didn't mention it before you asked to see the will. And you asked for 'Laura's will' specifically." Dr. Quest nodded with a smile.
"I thought you noticed that," he said.
"If you knew you had a sister," Jonny accused his father, "why didn't you ever tell me? Did you ever think I might want to know?"
"I never knew her, Jonny," Dr. Quest said, understanding his son's hurt tone. "I never thought I would. And I never expected that part of my family would come looking for me. It seems I was wrong."
"I'm so glad that you knew," Maggie said. Dr. Quest nodded.
"Now I'd like to find my half-sister, if I can. I'd like for you to stay here with us, Miss Hardy." Maggie nodded.
"Please call me Maggie," she said. "And, thank-you, I will." Benton nodded.
"Jonny, why don't you and Hadji and Jessie show Maggie around the house. Race and I will be in my study. And remember-"
"Stay out of trouble," Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji said as one. Maggie smiled.
"Now, finish your breakfast," Dr. Quest said, and disappeared into the hall.
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Later that morning, Jonny, Jessie, Hadji, and Maggie had finished going over the house and grounds of the Quest Compound, and were crossing the lawn, headed back to the house. Bandit was warming up to Maggie, magnanimously allowing her to pet him, due mostly to Jonny's behavior toward her. Jonny was ecstatic that he had a cousin, and he wanted to learn as much about her as possible.
"You're twenty?" Jonny asked, trying to think back to the night before. Maggie nodded. "Then you're four years older than me." Jonny flashed a grin at Hadji. "She's even got you beat by two years," Jonny said. Hadji shrugged.
"Physical age has little to do with the relative age of the mind," he said. Jonny and Jessie stared at him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jonny asked. Maggie laughed.
"He means, age isn't a barrier between people with common interests," Maggie clarified. "And really, four years isn't much, in the grand scheme of things."
"Maggie makes a lot more sense," Jonny said to Jessie. Jessie laughed. Jonny turned to Maggie. "Which city was your favorite to live in?" Jonny asked her. "That was a pretty long list you gave last night."
"Hm," Maggie said thoughtfully. "Minneapolis. I liked Minnesota. And we stayed long enough to make friends and have a normal life. I was sad to leave."
"You don't like to travel?" Jonny asked. "We travel a lot. We've been all over the world."
"I don't know," Maggie answered with a shrug. "I've had to move around a lot, but I've never gone anywhere just to visit. It was frustrating most of the time, having to move two or three times a year. I never got to know anyone. That's probably why I loved Minnesota so much. It was different there."
"Well, what do you like?" Jonny asked, running out of patience. "There's got to be something we have in common besides a grandmother." Maggie laughed.
"I'm sure we do, too," she agreed. "I like to read," she volunteered. "I took skating lessons for years in Minnesota. I still like getting out on the ice, though I don't do it as much as I used to. I like movies and bowling and pizza and horses and photography and my favorite holiday is Christmas." Jonny laughed.
"Okay," he said, "That's a good start. I think I can work with that."
"Hey, Maggie?" Jessie interrupted. "What do you know about computers?"
"I can use one, but that's about it. Why?"
"I think I know what you are thinking," Hadji said, smiling.
"Yeah!" said Jonny, "Let's show Maggie what we like to do with our spare time." Jonny grabbed Maggie's arm and started dragging her in the opposite direction, toward the lighthouse perched on the edge of the cliffs. Five minutes later, Hadji sat at the keyboard of the main Questworld terminal in Questworld Center. His hands flew as he accessed the Virtual Reality program. Jonny sat Maggie down in an unusual chair in the center of the room, facing a wall of monitors. She watched as a digital, three-dimensional, computerized image of herself appeared on the monitors.
"Before you can enter Questworld, you must be given a body, and your voice must be registered so Iris will obey your voice commands," Hadji explained.
"Whatever you say," said a confused Maggie. "What is this- Questworld, anyway? And who's Iris?"
"You're about to find out," Jessie said putting a strange device on her head. "Sit here and prepare to be amazed."
"I'm going in with her," Jonny said, sitting in another of the unusual chairs. "Someone has to show her the ropes."
"Ready?" asked Hadji. Jessie nodded. "Subjects Jonny Quest and Maggie Hardy, going HOT."
Maggie was suddenly plunged into a different world. She knew that she was still sitting in that chair in the lighthouse of the Quest Compound, but at the same time, she wasn't.
"Wow!" she exclaimed, "This is unreal!"
"Nah," said Jonny, appearing before her in the strange world. "This is virtual reality." He flashed her a crooked grin.
"This is so cool. I've never done anything like this in my life." Maggie looked down at her hands and feet, and examined herself critically. She wore the usual suit of armor, hers a dark metallic pink compared to Jonny's dark metallic blue, but she was amazed at the anatomically correct structure of her virtual body. It looked like her, and felt like her, but she knew it was only a replica of her real self. She was completely amazed. "Who made this?"
"My dad," said Jonny. "He created the whole thing. But the game we're going to play was programmed by Jessie, Hadji, and I."
"Jonny, we should set the game at the easiest level for Maggie. She is a beginner, you know," suggested Jessie from the control room.
"That is wise," added Hadji, "To get her sea legs in a manner of speaking."
"Okay. Whatever, Hadj. Now, Maggie, whenever you want to access a weapon or vehicle in the game you give the command to Iris. Iris is like the computer's brain, and you can talk to her," explained Jonny.
"Are you ready?" asked Jessie. Maggie nodded and Jonny gave the thumbs up sign.
"Iris, access Maze Demons, level one," Jonny said.
"Accessed, game, Maze Demons. Level of difficulty, one," came the automated voice of Iris. "Time begins...now." Maggie was transported to an old English garden maze. She felt overwhelmed as she looked around. It was so real, and detailed, yet obviously computer generated.
"I think I know why you call it Maze Demons," Maggie remarked.
"Why?" asked Jonny.
"Here comes one now! Duck!" Both Jonny and Maggie dropped to the stone path as a streak of red rushed by them. "Let's get out of here!" The two cousins jumped up and ran down a path lined with wild, tall hedges.
"That was a Red Demon," said Jonny. "They're the easiest to defeat. This level only uses the Red Demon."
"How do you defeat them?" asked Maggie.
"With an ion gun. Iris, access ion guns." Maggie was suddenly holding onto what she guessed must be an ion gun.
"Can we get hurt in Quest World?" Maggie suddenly asked.
"Not a chance," said Jonny.
"Then let's kick some demon butt," Maggie said enthusiastically.
"Slammin'!" Jonny responded.
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…...
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To be continued…
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