Disclaimer: I don't own Jonny Quest or any of the characters from the show.

Note: Pardon any spelling mistakes or errors. I was about to fall asleep when I wrote this after a long day! Sorry for any OOCness as well.

Plot: Zurd had a new system he wants to try for Questworld, and who better than one of his enemies? He elects Jonny Quest to try his new game, which has unforeseen consequences on the young teen...

Mind Trap

By: Lost-Remembrance (Red Tail)

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Chapter One

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Jessie grinned as she nudged Hadji with her elbow. Jonny had his arms crossed as Jessie continued to bait him. 'This is too easy sometimes!' Jessie gleefully thought, although she also knew (but wasn't as willing to admit) that she was just as easily riled as well. "Come on Jonny, are you too chicken? It's just a little game. Afraid you'll lose?"

They had been working on creating a new game for QuestWorld, the three of them, but each had added their own codes to the game when they weren't able to work on the project as a group. Jessie was excited about the game, and was just as eager to try, so eager she almost stopped trying to antagonize him into the game so he could encounter her own little hidden code that would trip him up every seventeenth step.

She had no doubt Jonny had a trick up his sleeve, just like her. Hadji interrupting her little game and announced the system was ready to be logged on to. Jessie couldn't stop the grin from lighting up on her face and she couldn't help but notice the smiles beginning on the other two as well. Hadji held two earsets, his own already in place.

Suddenly, the lights cut out. Jessie couldn't help but cry out in surprise. When the emergency lighting kicked in from the backup generator, her eyes grew wide.

Somehow, in the seconds the lights cut out, the lighthouse had been infiltrated and now, all three of them were staring down the barrels of multiple semiautomatic weapons pointed their way...

"Zurd." Jessie heard Jonny growl and she could probably hear his fists clench if she strained hard enough.

The older man rolled forward in his wheelchair, fingers dancing across controls. "Hello again." They could almost hear the evil smirk in the words. His assistant/lover, Julia, had already made her way into the room and over to the control deck.

"What do you want?" Hadji questioned, voice calm. Jessie bit her lip to stop from antagonizing the man, especially with so many guns trained on them. With Jeremiah Zurd, one could never be sure what the nefarious man plotted.

"Just one of you." The three teens frowned in confusion. "I have a new... addition on to QuestWorld I would like to try, but unfortunately I'm not sure of the effect it will have on the user. So, I figured who better to try out than... the child of my nemesis? Jonny Quest..." Jonny now had at least three guns pointed to him.

"Leave him alone!" Jessie growled, hands clenching at her sides as she felt her blood boil.

Zurd's electronic voice cackled back at her. "Grab him and hook him up to the machine." He turned his chair to look at Julia, "Is the program chip running?" She nodded.

"Good." Hadji and Jessie could only watch, outnumbered and outgunned as Jonny was pulled from them and manhandled over to the QuestWorld chair. The men pulled out some staps and literally latched him to the chair, impeding his struggling. His head thrashed from side to side. One of Zurd's henchmen connected one of the Questworld devices onto his ear.

Julia stood at the command station and on Zurd's signal, activated Questworld.

Jessie and Hadji could only watch with wide eyes as Jonny was logged onto QuestWorld and stopped struggling. Jessie could feel her heart hammering in her chest.

Zurd pulled up near Julia and looked at the read outs from the computer.

...

Jonny had been logged on to QuestWorld for only about ten minutes before all hell broke lose.

The visual feed cut first, static overpowering the image before a sharp flash and the monitor cut to black. Jonny's body was seizing the next second, barely enough time for Hadji to open his mouth.

"Do something Hadji!" Jessie screamed and snapped the teen out of his stupor. The Indian boy ran across the room, guns be damned, and shoved Julia out of the way. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he tried to work through the system and unrecognizable program. "The software's crashed for some reason! I'm logging Jonny out now!"

The henchmen were at a loss, unable to understand what to do. Zurd merely watched the frantic proceedings of the two children as they tried to save their friend.

Julia remained by Zurd's side for protection, fingers above the holster of her sidearm. The other henchmen took note of this and started to flock around their employer in a protective circle.

"Quick Hadji!" Jessie was hovering as close as she could to Jonny before she hit the forcefield. Her body was tense with energy-unsure of what to do and how she could help her friend.

Jonny was logged out of QuestWorld and the whole ordeal seemed to last a lifetime for the two when it was barely three minutes. The shield dropped and Jessie and Hadji both surged forward at the same time.

Jonny's eyes were wide and his mouth open in a soundless scream as his body jerked and twitched uncontrollably against the restraints. Then, after a few seconds his body stilled, and just as QuestWorld, seemed to shut down.

Julia walked briskly over to the computer and ripped out a string of paper readouts from the console station and grabbed the chip. She jerked her head to the door, as if indicating that they take their leave.

Zurd watched Jessie and Hadji try to tear off the restraints. Though his face remained the same, his eyes definitely showed signs of enjoyment at the proceedings. "Come, Julia, we will take out leave."

Jessie registered his voice and the laughter it seemed to hold and spun on a dime, searching him out and almost surging forward, but Hadji grabbed her arm.

"Jessie! He's seizing again!"

Jessie turned her attention back to her friend and, in those frantic few seconds, Zurd disappeared with his data and mysterious QuestWorld program.

Red lights flooded the lighthouse, as if finally registering an intruder. Jessie could feel her skin start to tear as she fought against the tight leather restraints strapping Jonny to the chair. Hadji had grabbed his brother's head and tried to send soothing thoughts to him, but his face looked oddly pained.

"Jonny! Hadji! Jessie!" Her dad raced into the room, hand holding a gun, with Benton rushing in right behind him. The flashing red lights and the scene before them brought them to a screeching halt.

Benton's face paled as he took in the sight. Jonny had stopped seizing and was lying perfectly still, deathly still. "Jonny!"

TBC