Disclaimer: Jonny Quest and all its characters are the creation of Doug Wildey and the properties of Hanna-Barbera. Everything else in this fanfic are figments of my imagination. Any similarities to name, places, yada yada yada are simply examples of the world's many coincidental mysteries
December 20, 2003
Inasanity Productions proudly presents:
A (disturbingly) new Jonny Quest fanfic...
*****
He strode through the corridors in long hurried strides, managing to squeeze through the crowded elevator before the doors closed. For as long as he can remember... even as a child... he disliked places like this. The seemingly endless pristine hallways. The sterile smell of antiseptic. The continious traffic of people and objects hurrying to get to the places where they were supposed to be. The cafeteria that served slightly flavoured cardboard they pass as food and the bright lighting that hurt one's eyes.
"Ah! You're Dr. Quest, aren't you?"
Benton Quest looked up and saw a young man, probably a resident, looking at him excitedly. He forced a polite smile on his lips and nodded slightly, making an inward sigh as his elevator companion automatically took it as permission for him to launch into a series of gushing. Thankfully, the other occupants of the lift didn't join in with the young man's enthusiastic one-sided conversation. The polite smile was painfully frozen on his lips as his mind instinctively wandered elsewhere. If the younger man took any notice, he made no indication of it... still continuing to prattle on and on about... whatever he was talking about.
But of all the things that Benton disliked the most in these kinds of places was was "this".
How "they" acted. "They" being "The staff". They would give you sympathetic smiles, trying to earn your trust in the premise that they were trying to help you. They were your "friends" whom you can trust. People whom you learn to have great affection or love for... But the truth of the matter is... the smiles were practiced, the friendship was an act. Affection was a weapon. Earning your trust was part of their job. They need to do everything they could to get what they need from you.
'STOP IT'. The man closed his eyes and scolded himself inwardly.
"That was another time and another place," Benton whispered, as if hearing it aloud would chase the paranoid ideas starting to crowd his thoughts.
"What was that Dr. Quest?"
His eyes shot open, suddenly being pulled back to reality, his mind racing for an excuse. As if the Goddesses of Fate were answering a subconscious prayer, the elevator doors chimed and slid open, "Ah, this is my floor. It was pleasant talking to you..." His voice trailed upon realizing that he didn't catch the younger man's name.
There was a note of disappointment in the younger man's eyes, but the notion and pleasure of spending two minutes in the elevator with the famous "Dr. Quest" seemed to have outweighed it. Or the fact that the good doctor seemed to have been distracted and had completely forgotten his name... it all went unnoticed. Dr. Quest made an audible sigh of relief as soon as the elevator door closed, once again leaving him alone to continue his journey in the building's corridors.
He disliked this place... he hated this place. There was only one room in this building that he wanted to be. He silently berated himself once again, for allowing himself to be convinced to take a one hour "time out" to relax. Sure... relax. All he did the past hour was sit uncomfortably in a corner in the cafeteria, desperately trying to blend in the walls as he checked his watch every two minutes or so while absently stirring his undrunk coffee while unwelcome paranoid thoughts visited him in between. How's that for a "relaxing" time out?
Though they were not as forward as that young resident, he could feel their eyes on him. The staff who passed him in the halls, that is. He felt their amazed glances as they realized who just passed them. It was not an unfamiliar sensation. Ever since he was a child, the staff kept constant watch on him. That was because he was "special". If you think about it... "they" still continued to watch him as an adult. Distracting... That's why he always enjoyed working alone... or directly in the field with as few people around him as possible.Nonetheles... All his life, he simply learned to cope with their actions. Ignore them. Ignore it.
Until the past few weeks that is...
A group of young women... probably nursing students... paused to give him a polite nod. He forced, yet another smile on his lips, in greeting. Their soft giggles and whispers didn't escape him, as they turned to each other, when they believed that they were already outside of hearing distance. Even though it was another place and another time... they were the same. It was the same. "The staff" with their smiles and their questions and their tests...The hushed and almost cryptic whispers between them when they talked before "outsiders".
"Contrary to what it seems, not everyone around you is part of a big conspiracy theory," As if reading his thoughts, familiar gravely voice suddenly spoke, "And just to let you know, Doc... in case it didn't get through that thick head of yours... I think those girls actually like you."
Benton turned to the direction of the voice instinctively, his blue eyes automatically softening as he realized who it was.
"I sent Hadji down to the cafeteria to fetch some coffee. I was somewhat hoping that Hadji would find you first and keep you there for a few more minutes."
A sudden wave of alarm shot through the scientist, as the other man's words registered in his head, "Race, what is it?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to catch you first, before you go back in," Race replied casually
Dr. Quest frowned, alarm now turning to full-blown anxiety,"Race..."
"He's awake."
The doctor stared at the other man blankly for a few moments, his overwhelmed mind slowly digesting the first piece of good news of the day. He closed his eyes and made a long sigh of relief, rubbing the bridge of his nose, as the tears pooling in his eyes threatened to spill over. He took another deep breath, trying to regain a semblance of his composure, before daring to speak, "Was Dr. Bryers called?"
"Yes," Race replied, making an involuntary glance to the door behind him, "She just finished her assessment five minutes ago."
"She already finished her assessment?" Dr. Quest frowned again, "When exactly did he wake up?"
"Around five minutes after you left," Race stated a-matter-of-factly
"What? Why wasn't I called right away?"
"Because, you took a much deserved break after your 20-hour vigil."
"Race, there's no need to protect me. Your first priority is my son."
"Jonny IS my first priority," Race intoned firmly, " That's why I didn't page you."
"What?"
"Dr. Quest..." Race sighed in an almost defeated manner, obviously hesitating to continue, "Benton... Jonny needs you. But he also needed to be seen by a physician ASAP. Unfortunately, he can't see both at the same time... and at your current state..."
"I'd only be in the way," Benton blandly finished the other man's sentence without any hesitation
Race rubbed the back of his neck and made another sigh, "Look... the kid has gone through enough as it is. The last thing he needs is to bear witness to the carnage your mother hen instincts leaves behind."
Dr. Quest bit back the words trying to push its way through from the tip of his tongue, pushing himself to concentrate on the more impending matters at hand instead, "How is he?"
The silver-haired man's expression darkened, "Look... Dr. Bryers was hesitant to give me her opinion. And she's right... it's still too early. I think it would be best to wait it out, until whatever it is they pumped in his system clears... before you make your own conclusions as well."
"Race..."
"Jonny is still disoriented. God knows, he's probably still hallucinating... so just... just take it slow."
The scientist nodded as he made his way towards his son's room. He looked back in surprise when he suddenly felt the other man's hand rest on his shoulder. Race averted his eyes, but Dr. Quest could see the other man's true emotions underneath the stoic mask, "What is it, Race?"
"I just want to tell you right now..." Race began, "I'll try to do everything I can. Like I said earlier, we won't know for sure until his system's completely cleared... but they're impatient to find out. And depending on what they find... if it turns out that the demons are out of the box... I'm sorry..."
An unreadable expression passed over the scientist's features, causing the other man to look away, as if Race were afraid to meet his eyes. If it turns out that their proverbial Pandora's box had been opened... He didn't want to think about it. But all this time, he knew that he was only delaying the inevitable. He can only pray that this was not that inevitable moment... not yet... Please God, not yet.
"It's not your fault," Benton simply said in a soft voice.
The other man looked up at him with an almost pained expression, but said nothing. With that, the he pushed the door open and stepped inside. He didn't mean to make his reply sound so cold. He knew that Race has grown to love the boy as if Jonny was his own son. But... Despite that affection... the love... the smiles, the friendship, and the trust... "The Staff" still needed to do their job. So... whatever happens after this... It really wan't Race's fault at all.
The room's lights were dimmed, and save for the sound of the monitor, it was almost reverently silent. The lump sitting up in the middle of the bed didn't stir or even make any indication of acknowledging his arrival. Benton frowned as his anxiety level started to overwhelm whatever sense of relief he felt since hearing that his son was finally awake. The man sat on the edge of the hospital bed... yet still, the boy didn't move.
"Jonny?" Benton whispered as he gently reached out to brush the stray stands of hair covering the boy's eyes
As if reacting in slow motion, the boy finally turned to face the older man. Benton couldn't hold back a sharp intake of breath as he met an unfamilliar pair of blue orbs. The boy made no hint of recognition at all. Benton remembered that glassy consistency in his son's eyes... and that blank expression on his face. Almost seven years had passed since the last time he saw the boy like this. It was also then and there, he swore that he would do everything in his power to prevent his son from returning to that state. Tears threatened to fog his vision once again, at the sudden realization of his failure.
"Hey there," Benton whispered with a forced grin, "How are you feeling?"
Jonny didn't reply. He simply stared at the older man with blank unblinking eyes. Then slowly, one arm rose and reached out hesitantly to gingerly touch the older man's face. Benton simply watched as he felt his son's fingers explore the hairs and contours of his face like a child. Then to his surprise, silent tears pooled in his son's eyes, as recognition finally started to reflect in the boy's face. Then silent tears started to trail down his son's pale cheeks.
"What's wrong?" Benton asked as he instinctively reached out to wipe the boy's tears, "Do you feel pain anywhere?"
The boy slowly shook his head.
"Then what's wrong?"
"You're... real," The boy's soft voice cracked, "I can't believe that you're real..."
"Of course, I'm real," Benton hushed soothingly, as he ran his fingers through his son's hair soothingly,"And everything will be okay now."
"But..." Jonny protested, as if still unconvinced, "But it's impossible... you can't be real."
"Why not?"
"Because... you died."
Benton stared at his son in shock for a moment. He remembered this scene... it was a scene that happened almost every night since "that" happened seven years ago. How he used to wake up with a start in the middle of the night to the sound of a little boy's terrified screams. So he did exactly what he did in reaction to his son's terrors, seven years ago. He engulfed and rocked the distraught boy in his arms. The boy yeilded like a limp rag doll, "It's just a dream. A very bad dream. I'm fine, and you're safe."
"But you died..." Jonny whispered insistently, "You died... she killed you... and you died..."
She?
Benton immediately felt his blood run cold. From the corner of his eye, he could see Race standing tensely by the open crack of the door. The scientist instinctively tightened his protective embrace around the boy, his thoughts racing and his heart pounding loudly in his chest. He gasped sharply, a little surprised to realize that he's been holding his breath, before finding his voice to speak, "Jonny... who's 'she'?"
The scientist closed his eyes, as he felt his son's warm breath whisper the answer to his question. And all at once he realized what was going on. It's begun... the inevitable that they've been trying to avoid all these years. He still doesn't know why, but he knows for sure that she's trying to release the demons from the proverbial Pandora's box...
She...
"Mommy."
Inasanity Productions has just proudly presented:
"037"
File 00
by Ina-chan
Author's Squawk:
GAH! After how many years... I finally finished writing a JQ fanfic chapter. ^_^. Scary, ain't it? Are you confused already?
This fic is 3 years in the planning and is loosely inspired by past conspiracy theory conversations between Meach and Daria. I meant to post this earlier for your Birthday, Meach... but the muses were not cooperative in making me finish on time. This prologue has been sitting in my computer for months. Hopefully, the muses will be more cooperative with the rest of the fic... I loves ya Meach! I'm actually put together a care package for you... but my sister wants to send you something and she's taking her sweet time to finish it! I think it's going to be a late Birthday/Christmas present at this rate... But anywayz.. I hope you like how this fic is so far... And I hope everyone likes it as well. (Been writing shojou style for too long... I'm afraid that I'm losing my touch with JQ.)
Anywayz... Archive away, if you want it. And eventhough this is gonna be TRA timeline (with TRA characters), history will be CJQ. Meaning, Race is still working for Intelligence One to protect Jonny. Is Jessie gonna appear? Well... as Hikaru Utada said... sings "Time will tell..."
Ja!
Ina-chan
December 20, 2003
Inasanity Productions proudly presents:
A (disturbingly) new Jonny Quest fanfic...
*****
He strode through the corridors in long hurried strides, managing to squeeze through the crowded elevator before the doors closed. For as long as he can remember... even as a child... he disliked places like this. The seemingly endless pristine hallways. The sterile smell of antiseptic. The continious traffic of people and objects hurrying to get to the places where they were supposed to be. The cafeteria that served slightly flavoured cardboard they pass as food and the bright lighting that hurt one's eyes.
"Ah! You're Dr. Quest, aren't you?"
Benton Quest looked up and saw a young man, probably a resident, looking at him excitedly. He forced a polite smile on his lips and nodded slightly, making an inward sigh as his elevator companion automatically took it as permission for him to launch into a series of gushing. Thankfully, the other occupants of the lift didn't join in with the young man's enthusiastic one-sided conversation. The polite smile was painfully frozen on his lips as his mind instinctively wandered elsewhere. If the younger man took any notice, he made no indication of it... still continuing to prattle on and on about... whatever he was talking about.
But of all the things that Benton disliked the most in these kinds of places was was "this".
How "they" acted. "They" being "The staff". They would give you sympathetic smiles, trying to earn your trust in the premise that they were trying to help you. They were your "friends" whom you can trust. People whom you learn to have great affection or love for... But the truth of the matter is... the smiles were practiced, the friendship was an act. Affection was a weapon. Earning your trust was part of their job. They need to do everything they could to get what they need from you.
'STOP IT'. The man closed his eyes and scolded himself inwardly.
"That was another time and another place," Benton whispered, as if hearing it aloud would chase the paranoid ideas starting to crowd his thoughts.
"What was that Dr. Quest?"
His eyes shot open, suddenly being pulled back to reality, his mind racing for an excuse. As if the Goddesses of Fate were answering a subconscious prayer, the elevator doors chimed and slid open, "Ah, this is my floor. It was pleasant talking to you..." His voice trailed upon realizing that he didn't catch the younger man's name.
There was a note of disappointment in the younger man's eyes, but the notion and pleasure of spending two minutes in the elevator with the famous "Dr. Quest" seemed to have outweighed it. Or the fact that the good doctor seemed to have been distracted and had completely forgotten his name... it all went unnoticed. Dr. Quest made an audible sigh of relief as soon as the elevator door closed, once again leaving him alone to continue his journey in the building's corridors.
He disliked this place... he hated this place. There was only one room in this building that he wanted to be. He silently berated himself once again, for allowing himself to be convinced to take a one hour "time out" to relax. Sure... relax. All he did the past hour was sit uncomfortably in a corner in the cafeteria, desperately trying to blend in the walls as he checked his watch every two minutes or so while absently stirring his undrunk coffee while unwelcome paranoid thoughts visited him in between. How's that for a "relaxing" time out?
Though they were not as forward as that young resident, he could feel their eyes on him. The staff who passed him in the halls, that is. He felt their amazed glances as they realized who just passed them. It was not an unfamiliar sensation. Ever since he was a child, the staff kept constant watch on him. That was because he was "special". If you think about it... "they" still continued to watch him as an adult. Distracting... That's why he always enjoyed working alone... or directly in the field with as few people around him as possible.Nonetheles... All his life, he simply learned to cope with their actions. Ignore them. Ignore it.
Until the past few weeks that is...
A group of young women... probably nursing students... paused to give him a polite nod. He forced, yet another smile on his lips, in greeting. Their soft giggles and whispers didn't escape him, as they turned to each other, when they believed that they were already outside of hearing distance. Even though it was another place and another time... they were the same. It was the same. "The staff" with their smiles and their questions and their tests...The hushed and almost cryptic whispers between them when they talked before "outsiders".
"Contrary to what it seems, not everyone around you is part of a big conspiracy theory," As if reading his thoughts, familiar gravely voice suddenly spoke, "And just to let you know, Doc... in case it didn't get through that thick head of yours... I think those girls actually like you."
Benton turned to the direction of the voice instinctively, his blue eyes automatically softening as he realized who it was.
"I sent Hadji down to the cafeteria to fetch some coffee. I was somewhat hoping that Hadji would find you first and keep you there for a few more minutes."
A sudden wave of alarm shot through the scientist, as the other man's words registered in his head, "Race, what is it?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to catch you first, before you go back in," Race replied casually
Dr. Quest frowned, alarm now turning to full-blown anxiety,"Race..."
"He's awake."
The doctor stared at the other man blankly for a few moments, his overwhelmed mind slowly digesting the first piece of good news of the day. He closed his eyes and made a long sigh of relief, rubbing the bridge of his nose, as the tears pooling in his eyes threatened to spill over. He took another deep breath, trying to regain a semblance of his composure, before daring to speak, "Was Dr. Bryers called?"
"Yes," Race replied, making an involuntary glance to the door behind him, "She just finished her assessment five minutes ago."
"She already finished her assessment?" Dr. Quest frowned again, "When exactly did he wake up?"
"Around five minutes after you left," Race stated a-matter-of-factly
"What? Why wasn't I called right away?"
"Because, you took a much deserved break after your 20-hour vigil."
"Race, there's no need to protect me. Your first priority is my son."
"Jonny IS my first priority," Race intoned firmly, " That's why I didn't page you."
"What?"
"Dr. Quest..." Race sighed in an almost defeated manner, obviously hesitating to continue, "Benton... Jonny needs you. But he also needed to be seen by a physician ASAP. Unfortunately, he can't see both at the same time... and at your current state..."
"I'd only be in the way," Benton blandly finished the other man's sentence without any hesitation
Race rubbed the back of his neck and made another sigh, "Look... the kid has gone through enough as it is. The last thing he needs is to bear witness to the carnage your mother hen instincts leaves behind."
Dr. Quest bit back the words trying to push its way through from the tip of his tongue, pushing himself to concentrate on the more impending matters at hand instead, "How is he?"
The silver-haired man's expression darkened, "Look... Dr. Bryers was hesitant to give me her opinion. And she's right... it's still too early. I think it would be best to wait it out, until whatever it is they pumped in his system clears... before you make your own conclusions as well."
"Race..."
"Jonny is still disoriented. God knows, he's probably still hallucinating... so just... just take it slow."
The scientist nodded as he made his way towards his son's room. He looked back in surprise when he suddenly felt the other man's hand rest on his shoulder. Race averted his eyes, but Dr. Quest could see the other man's true emotions underneath the stoic mask, "What is it, Race?"
"I just want to tell you right now..." Race began, "I'll try to do everything I can. Like I said earlier, we won't know for sure until his system's completely cleared... but they're impatient to find out. And depending on what they find... if it turns out that the demons are out of the box... I'm sorry..."
An unreadable expression passed over the scientist's features, causing the other man to look away, as if Race were afraid to meet his eyes. If it turns out that their proverbial Pandora's box had been opened... He didn't want to think about it. But all this time, he knew that he was only delaying the inevitable. He can only pray that this was not that inevitable moment... not yet... Please God, not yet.
"It's not your fault," Benton simply said in a soft voice.
The other man looked up at him with an almost pained expression, but said nothing. With that, the he pushed the door open and stepped inside. He didn't mean to make his reply sound so cold. He knew that Race has grown to love the boy as if Jonny was his own son. But... Despite that affection... the love... the smiles, the friendship, and the trust... "The Staff" still needed to do their job. So... whatever happens after this... It really wan't Race's fault at all.
The room's lights were dimmed, and save for the sound of the monitor, it was almost reverently silent. The lump sitting up in the middle of the bed didn't stir or even make any indication of acknowledging his arrival. Benton frowned as his anxiety level started to overwhelm whatever sense of relief he felt since hearing that his son was finally awake. The man sat on the edge of the hospital bed... yet still, the boy didn't move.
"Jonny?" Benton whispered as he gently reached out to brush the stray stands of hair covering the boy's eyes
As if reacting in slow motion, the boy finally turned to face the older man. Benton couldn't hold back a sharp intake of breath as he met an unfamilliar pair of blue orbs. The boy made no hint of recognition at all. Benton remembered that glassy consistency in his son's eyes... and that blank expression on his face. Almost seven years had passed since the last time he saw the boy like this. It was also then and there, he swore that he would do everything in his power to prevent his son from returning to that state. Tears threatened to fog his vision once again, at the sudden realization of his failure.
"Hey there," Benton whispered with a forced grin, "How are you feeling?"
Jonny didn't reply. He simply stared at the older man with blank unblinking eyes. Then slowly, one arm rose and reached out hesitantly to gingerly touch the older man's face. Benton simply watched as he felt his son's fingers explore the hairs and contours of his face like a child. Then to his surprise, silent tears pooled in his son's eyes, as recognition finally started to reflect in the boy's face. Then silent tears started to trail down his son's pale cheeks.
"What's wrong?" Benton asked as he instinctively reached out to wipe the boy's tears, "Do you feel pain anywhere?"
The boy slowly shook his head.
"Then what's wrong?"
"You're... real," The boy's soft voice cracked, "I can't believe that you're real..."
"Of course, I'm real," Benton hushed soothingly, as he ran his fingers through his son's hair soothingly,"And everything will be okay now."
"But..." Jonny protested, as if still unconvinced, "But it's impossible... you can't be real."
"Why not?"
"Because... you died."
Benton stared at his son in shock for a moment. He remembered this scene... it was a scene that happened almost every night since "that" happened seven years ago. How he used to wake up with a start in the middle of the night to the sound of a little boy's terrified screams. So he did exactly what he did in reaction to his son's terrors, seven years ago. He engulfed and rocked the distraught boy in his arms. The boy yeilded like a limp rag doll, "It's just a dream. A very bad dream. I'm fine, and you're safe."
"But you died..." Jonny whispered insistently, "You died... she killed you... and you died..."
She?
Benton immediately felt his blood run cold. From the corner of his eye, he could see Race standing tensely by the open crack of the door. The scientist instinctively tightened his protective embrace around the boy, his thoughts racing and his heart pounding loudly in his chest. He gasped sharply, a little surprised to realize that he's been holding his breath, before finding his voice to speak, "Jonny... who's 'she'?"
The scientist closed his eyes, as he felt his son's warm breath whisper the answer to his question. And all at once he realized what was going on. It's begun... the inevitable that they've been trying to avoid all these years. He still doesn't know why, but he knows for sure that she's trying to release the demons from the proverbial Pandora's box...
She...
"Mommy."
Inasanity Productions has just proudly presented:
"037"
File 00
by Ina-chan
Author's Squawk:
GAH! After how many years... I finally finished writing a JQ fanfic chapter. ^_^. Scary, ain't it? Are you confused already?
This fic is 3 years in the planning and is loosely inspired by past conspiracy theory conversations between Meach and Daria. I meant to post this earlier for your Birthday, Meach... but the muses were not cooperative in making me finish on time. This prologue has been sitting in my computer for months. Hopefully, the muses will be more cooperative with the rest of the fic... I loves ya Meach! I'm actually put together a care package for you... but my sister wants to send you something and she's taking her sweet time to finish it! I think it's going to be a late Birthday/Christmas present at this rate... But anywayz.. I hope you like how this fic is so far... And I hope everyone likes it as well. (Been writing shojou style for too long... I'm afraid that I'm losing my touch with JQ.)
Anywayz... Archive away, if you want it. And eventhough this is gonna be TRA timeline (with TRA characters), history will be CJQ. Meaning, Race is still working for Intelligence One to protect Jonny. Is Jessie gonna appear? Well... as Hikaru Utada said... sings "Time will tell..."
Ja!
Ina-chan