Disclaimer: The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest is owned by Hanna-Barbara. No money is being made from this story. It is simply by a fan for other fans.
Author's Notes: For those that may recognize this storyline from another story, well you are not imagining things, this was "From Failing Hands We Throw" It has been a long time since I started the story and I've come up with new ideas, which I think are better, for the way I want this story to progress. So I have pulled the original and am reposting as a new story with a new title.
Chapter 1
As the blazing mid-day sun bore down on the site, Jessie Bannon stood up and stretched her weary muscles. Jessie was visiting her mother in Brazil for a month while also assisting on the latest archeological excavation that her mother was commissioned to perform by the Brazilian Government. Glancing around the site, Jessie saw a variety of local workers digging alongside American college students working as interns. Jessie spied her mother, Estella Velasquez, a distance away speaking with the foreman.
Walking briskly across the site, but keeping conscious of not disturbing any of the site's dig areas, Jessie made her way over to her mother, who was just finishing a discussion of the latest guidance for the rest of the week's schedule with the foreman.
Estella smiled as her daughter came up to her side. "How's it going at your area, Jess?"
Jessie shrugged. "Alright, mom. We haven't discovered anything of significance today."
Estella nodded and shot her daughter an appreciative grin. "Such is the life of an archeologist, my dear."
Jessie nodded in agreement as she spoke. "I think I'm going to take a break and try to give dad a call on the satellite phone."
"Can it wait a little longer, hon? The sun will be setting in just over an hour and I only have so much time left with you." Estella smiled gently at her daughter. She knew Jessie missed her father and the Quests back in Maine, but it bothered Estella that Jessie, at times, appeared more preoccupied with calling back home than spending time with her. "You can call them after dinner."
Jessie sighed, but agreed. She saw the slight look of pain in her mother's eyes and Jessie knew that if she pushed the point then her mother would acquiesce, but she also knew her mother was right; the two of them did not get a lot of time together and Jessie would be back home and getting ready for school in another week. "Alright, mom." She said as she wrapped her arm around her mother's waist. "Let's go see if we can find any more artifacts before the sun goes down."
That made Estella happy and mother and daughter strode off to one of the roped off dig sites, intent on finding some useful piece of history, but also just happy to be together.
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Kosta sat in his mobile command center, the air conditioning spewing out lukewarm air as it strained to compensate for the heat of not only the Brazilian summer, but also the small bank of communications equipment in the back of the van. He was waiting for a report from his two men in the field and his impatience festered as the temperature rose. He frowned, swearing in his native tongue under his breath.
"Where the hell are they?" he grunted, causing one of his men to glance in his direction. The other held his tongue, knowing his boss was not asking for his opinion.
As if on cue, the handset to the radio crackled. "Sir, this is Almin. Over."
Kosta grabbed the handset, practically ripping it from its holder on the side of the radio. "Report. Over."
"The targets have headed off to one of the dig sites. Still too many others in the area that would interfere with the extraction. Over."
Kosta ground his teeth, a bad habit he developed as a child and never outgrew, in anger. He was sick of sitting in the hot van all day watching these pathetic people go about their work as if any of it really mattered. "Hold your position. Report back when the camp has settled down for the night. We'll make our move then. Over."
"Yes, Sir. We have line of sight on the women's trailer. Will hold position. Over."
"See that you do, Almin." Kosta swore he could hear the other man gulp nervously as he ended the conversation, placing the handset back in its cradle.
Kosta grinned. Everything was proceeding as planned. "Jefta, contact transport and have them on standby for 2300 hours," he commanded, turning to the other man inside the van. "As soon as they are settled in we infiltrate the camp, eliminate any threats, and secure the targets. Understood?"
Jefta grinned, a gapping grin that was missing two lower teeth, and patted the sub-compact machine gun that was resting next to his seat. "Yes, sir."
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Frustration overcame Estella as she sat up from her cot. Sleep would not come to her; she was bothered by the lack of significant findings during this excavation and it gnawed at her mind that she might not be able to satisfy the desires of the Brazilian Government in locating the lost tribe that it believed had occupied this area so long ago. The trailer that she occupied with her daughter was dark and as her eyes adjusted she stole a quick glance in her daughter's direction; Jessie was sound asleep and Estella watched the rise and fall over her daughter chest for a few moments, wondering when her little girl had grown up to be a beautiful young woman who in a couple years would be heading off the college.
Knowing that getting back to sleep was wishful thinking, Estella rose and glanced at her watch. It was just after ten in the evening and the camp had settled down for the night. She made her way to the window and, spreading the blinds with her fingers, she glanced out at the darkened sky. The full moon had just recently passed, so there was little illumination around the open grounds of the site. Estella let out a breath and as she turned away from the window, something outside caught her attention. Probably a trick of the mind or an animal, she thought. Peering out the window just to be sure, Estella no longer saw any movement in the open field, however a flash of light caught her attention. It came from the foreman's trailer, Estella said to herself and suddenly another flash of light. Then more from the other trailers. Estella froze as she realized what was happening. Someone was attacking the camp!
Without thinking Estella rushed over to where her daughter was sleeping and shook Jessie, perhaps to violently, jolting her daughter awake.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Jessie groaned, still groggy, but become more alert every second.
Estella pressed a finger to her lips to silence her daughter. "We have to go. Something has gone terribly wrong." Estella whispered. She had a handgun under her cot, but she didn't want to risk turning on any lights in order to retrieve the weapon.
"Wha-" Jessie started, but was cut off as the trailer door banged open, having been violently kicked in. Both women turned towards the sound and saw three dark figures pour into the trailer. Each was armed with a rifle and wear clad in dark military fatigues and balaclavas that masked their faces.
The man in front raised his rifle and pointed it at the two women. "Hands up. Stand up." He grunted. Estella noted the man's English was slurred by a thick accent, but she was too anxious to be able to place it.
Estella nodded and did as she was told and whispered to her daughter, "Do as they say, honey."
Jessie, her jaw set firm, was not about to let these men take them without a fight and in one smooth motion, flung her loose sheet off and dove in the direction of where she knew her mother kept a concealed handgun.
"Jessie, no!" Estella screamed, seeing her daughter's desperate attempt to save them.
One of the other men that had not yet spoken, intercepted Jessie, and landed a swift kick to the teen's midsection. Jessie grasped for air as the man's boot connected with her ribs and she fell to the floor in a heap. Tears well in her eyes from the pain, but she stopped and glared at the man that had robbed her of her attempt at escape.
"Do not do something so foolish as that again." The third man said. Again, Estella noted his English was heavy laden by an accent and she racked her brain to place it. She'd heard it before.
"What do you creeps want?" Jessie demanded in her most defiant tone.
As the other two men kept their weapons trained on the women, the third man slung his weapon across his back and moved to the women. "Hands behind your backs." He ordered. Estella nodded to Jessie and she compiled, suddenly feeling the cold steel of handcuffs slammed onto her wrists.
"Someone wants to see you again." The man snickered.
Estella attempted to respond but before she could say anything a black hood was roughly slid over her head and when she heard her daughter yell "Hey!" a moment later, she assumed the same thing had happened to Jessie.
Rough hands grabbed Estella by the arm and let her out of the trailer. The hood muffled some of her hearing, but she thought she heard what sounded like rotor blades. She also noted that there were no other sounds and she feared the worst for her workers. If you can hear me, Lord, please send Race and soon. He needs to kill these men, was Estella's last thoughts before she felt her feet touch metal as she was led into a waiting helicopter.
To Be Continued...