DINO QUEST
Hello, Ladies & Gentlemen,
I have been a bit bored recently and decided to write this pass some time and see what I'd end up with. As some of you may have noticed, many of the Real Adventures episodes are in some way based on proper movies. For example, "Race Against Danger" shares quite a few similarities with the James Bond movie "Golden Eye". Similarly, "In the Realm of the Condor" strikes me as being similar to a mix of the Indiana Jones Movies, particularly the death of the antagonist character. These similarities got me thinking – if the Real Adventures would have continued, which other movies could help provide storylines for Jonny Quest? One I immediately thought of was one of my favourite movies since I was around 4, Jurassic Park. This fic is basically going to be like a longer episode of the Real Adventures, like a two part special episode. Chapters 1 and 2 will serve as episode 1 of this episode, while Chapter 3 will serve as the second episode.
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Jonny Quest characters or the plot of any characters of the Jurassic Park trilogy. The plot of this fic is partially based on the Michael Crichton novel, 'Jurassic Park'. This piece is strictly non profit.
Note: This story continues a few months after where the Real Adventures left off. Jonny and Jessie are 16 and Hadji is around 17 to 18.
It was 2 a.m. Normally, not a sound would be heard at this time, in the island. Tonight however, was different. A crew worked feverishly to shift a cargo container into a large fenced area. The crew was surrounded by menacing looking armed guards, who circled continuosly around them and the container. "Come on you bloody sloth, move the damn thing so that we can all get some sleep", one of the guards, shouted at the crew foreman in a South London accent. He circled around the container and kicked it out of frustration. "Bloody things just keep getting bigger and heavier", he said to another guard, nonchalantly kicking the side of the container.
"I just hope McDougal know what he's doing. If he doesn't, screw the 6 figure salary, I'm going back to the SAS to get shot at by terrorists", the other guard replied, leaning against the container. "Which species is inside the container tonight?".
"Oh, we'll see soon enough", the first guard replied. He was dressed in Khaki military overalls, similar to those worn by British Army soldiers a few decades back, but his beret was clearly fairly new and suggested he had recently served in the British Armed Forces. His uniform nametag had "Captain (R) Stirling Deputy Chief of Security" printed clearly on it.
As the two soldiers carried on talking, they heard a bloodcurdling shriek coming from the container. Suddenly, the entire container shook. Almost like something was hitting it from the inside...
"The door's breaking! It's ramming it from the inside! Flee for your lives!", a crew member exclaims, taking a few steps back, before turning and accidentally running straight into the fenced off section. The door bursts open. A large figure swoops out of the container and runs straight for the crew member inside the fence.
"Quick, seal the fence! Turn on the electricity! Go on, hurry!", The first guard yells at the workers.
"But one of my men is inside the fence!" The foreman pleaded.
A bloodcurdling scream is heard from inside the fence.
"It's too late for him", the guard says, looking towards the fence.
The foreman, although almost in a state of shock, has the fence closed and the electricity turned on.
"No one's getting in or out of there for a long time" he said gravely to the guards when the task was done.
"I sincerely hope so" said the first guard, in a sincere voice. "For your sake and mine".
Meanwhile, in another steamy jungle...
Jonny heard a low rustling sound coming from the waist high grass on his left. He heard a strange sound coming from the grass. A noise that hadn't been heard on Earth for perhaps over 65 million years. "IRIS, identify sound", Jonny said, turning slowly towards the grass and switching the safety on his AK-47 off.
"Sound identified. It comes is from a Velociraptor, a dinosaur that existed in the latter part of the Cretaceous Period. Raptors were possibly carnivores, who mainly..."
"Ok IRIS, enough information" Jonny said impatiently. He had seen Jurassic Park before and knew what these creatures could be capable off. He slowly moved a bit closer to the grass.
"Jonny, what are you doing?" Jessie whispered, turning off the safety on her SA80 rifle.
"You'll see", he said, getting closer to the grass. Just as he was a foot away, a hideous creature emerged from the grass. It was about a metre tall and had a face resembling a snake. It was standing not much unlike a chicken. Some parts of it were covered in hideous feathers. It looked muscular and had large, sharp claws protruding from its feet. Before the creature could react however, Jonny hit it with the butt of his gun and kicked it as hard as he could in the head. The creature dropped down, dead.
"Ha! I killed it without firing a shot! How many points is that, Hadj?" Jonny asked, looking upwards.
"Well done my friend, that kill gives you another 250 points. You are now 200 points ahead of Jessie."
"What? How the hell are you giving out points in this game, Hadj?" Jessie said, exasperated.
"Well Jessie, in this Questworld dinohunt simulator, you get different points for killing different carnivores. For example, killing a T-Rex is 300 points, killing a Velociraptor is 50 points and killing an Allosaur is 200 points. However, if you kill a carnivore without firing a single round, the number of points you get is multiplied by 5. That is why Jonny got 250 points for 1 kill."
"Wait, that feathery thing is a Velociraptor?" Jessie said, sounding confused.
"That's right Jess", Jonny said. "I was surprised when I read that they actually had feathers. It kinda ruined Jurassic Park for me, but hey, you can still love the movie. Besides, I read they hunt in packs. The rest must be nearby. Maybe you can make up some of your deficit", Jonny said, cheerfully.
Suddenly, both of them heard the grass rustling. "Alright Quest, get down! These ones are mine", she said. She aimed at the grass and pulled the trigger on the SA80. However, it wouldn't fire. "Damn thing's jammed!" she exclaimed, frustratedly.
"That just means more kills for me", Jonny said excitedly. He opened fire into the grass with his AK and sprayed the entire area with the contents of his 30 round magazine. See, I told you to take an AK. These things just don't jam. "They're probably the most reliable weapon in the world" Jonny said to Jessie.
"Well, I didn't really expect the virtual SA80 to jam like the real one", she said.
"Don't worry Jessie, I'll give you a new weapon. It will cost you 50 points, though. By the way Jonny, well done. You killed another 4 Raptors in the grass. The rest of the pack is now fleeing. For that, you get another 200 points. Current scores are: Jessie 300 and Jonny 750", Hadji said.
"Don't sweat Jessie. We both know that even if you are the better racer, I will always be the better shooter", Jonny said, laughing.
"We'll see about that. Ok Hadji, let's leave out the small dinos. Bring out the T-Rex already. We both need a challenge" Jessie said, taking hold of the AK 47 she had just recieved.
"Don't worry guys, he'll be here soon enough. And remember. If any of you die in the game, you'll get a slight electric shock."
Just as Hadji spoke, the ground started to shake. Suddenly, a monstrous creature emerged from the forest, about 1 kilometre away from them. It was around 4 metres tall at the hip. It gave them a look of utter hatred and before they could react, it started charging towards them. Both Jonny and Jessie looked around. They had nowhere to go for cover. The T-Rex had come earlier than they expected. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Ok Hotshot, we can't run anywhere, it'll catch at least one of us. Let's stand our ground. Maybe we can take it out together", Jessie said to Jonny.
"I'm with you, Ace" Jonny said, taking aim for its head.
When the T-Rex got within 200 metres, both of them opened fire, hitting it multiple times in the head. But it still kept coming. It closed in and went straight towards Jessie, who, even though this was a fake dinosaur, seemed paralysed with fear. Just as it reached her, the T-Rex gave a loud cry, as if celebrating its dominance. Just as it bent down to make a meal of virtual Jessie, she felt herself being pushed out of the way. Jessie turned around and saw what had happened. Virtual Jonny had pushed her out of the way. The T-Rex showed how much it cared for the situation by taking a bite out of him instead. The game was instantly ended.
Jessie got up, surprised at what she had just seen. She took off the cables and visor and turned to Jonny, who seemed to be getting a somewhat sever shock. "Hadji, turn the game off", she exclaimed, worriedly.
"There's been a slight malfunction in the game, but I've just managed to stop the shocks", Hadji said, turning to Jessie and looking relieved." It had gotten bad for a few seconds, but I've managed to stop the game. His vital signs appear to be fine. I think he's Ok."
Jessie took off the visor on Jonny's head and checked to see if he was breathing. She bent down over his face and felt relieved when she felt his breath.. "Jonny, are you alright?" – Jonny opened his eyes to a flash of red. He released a sigh of relief when he discovered the flash was from Jessie Bannon's hair, as she leaned over him.
"Yeah, I'm fine I guess", he replied, straightening to a more upright position. He could still feel mild electric shocks going through his body. Finally, Jonny took off the cables connected to his body and inspected the results of the little game he had just played. There were mild burns where the cables had once been connected to him.
"Thanks for pushing me out of the way that time", Jessie said, quietly.
"No problem. You'd have done the same thing for me." Jonny said.
"Of course", Jessie said.
Jonny smiled and turned to the young man in a turban, seated at the main computer terminal in the lighthouse. "Hey Hadj, about that new addition to Questworld you added - thanks for making this game such an electrifying experience", Jonny said, grinning at his step brother.
"No problem my friend," Hadji replied, laughing at the wisecrack. "I was aiming to put a spark in all our lives. Oh and by the way, although Jonny was the one who was killed in the game, he still saved your life on the game Jessie, so by default, I'm giving him the win."
"What a shocking result", Jonny said, starting to feel a bit better.
Jessie rolled her eyes, as Jonny continued with more wisecracks of his own. "Some things will never change", she sighed.
Jonny now turned to Jessie and put an arm around her shoulder. "There's just one thing I realised when I finally opened my eyes", he said, speaking almost in a whisper, just loud enough for both Jessie and Hadji to listen. "When I finally opened my eyes, I was met with one image – the first thing I saw was probably the most beautiful sight I could ever have hoped to imagine, one that I will probably remember for all my life." Hadji listened intently. Jessie's mouth almost dropped open, when she heard these words. Jonny's grip on her shoulder tightened.
"Was he talking about me?" she thought. It was obvious that the first thing his eyes could have seen was her. She had bent down over him, trying to make sure he was fine, after the accident. "I don't know where this is going, but I wouldn't mind spending some more time with Jonny", she thought. "We've already saved each other from things people can't begin to imagine and have been through more stuff together than most married couples. I wonder what he's going to say next..."
"Jessie, snap out of it", Jonny said, shaking her lightly.
"Oh, sorry guys, she said, blushing slightly. So Jonny, what was this beautiful thing you saw?" she said, coming a bit closer to him.
"Oh that?" he said. "I saw that new mosaic they've put up on the lighthouse ceiling. Man, they've really improved this place since they rebuilt it."
Hadji burst out laughing. He knew it might hurt Jessie, but he just couldn't help it. Jessie was shocked for a second. Then her expression changed. Just as she was pulling away from Jonny and getting ready to punch him, he pulled her in closer and gave her a tight hug. Still laughing, he whispered in her ear – "Don't worry Jess. You're still the number 1 girl for all of us in this compound."
Jessie cooled down a bit after hearing that. She returned his hug. "Well, Jonny Benton Quest, I'll let you off this time, but mark my words – I will get my revenge", she replied, playfully.
"How will you do..." - Before he could finish his sentence, Jonny found himself getting slammed to the floor. Jessie had just gotten her revenge.
Hadji's laughter was even louder now. Never had he lost control of his emotions like this before. Jonny got up. Both, Jonny and Jessie stared at Hadji. "You know, if you keep laughing like that, you will get your comeuppance".
"Ok, don't worry my friends, I've stopped", he said, trying to catch his breath. "It seems we've just received a call", Hadji said, turning back to the computer. Hadji clicked to open the message.
"Evening kids, I hope you're having fun", Benton Quest said, coming onto the monitor.
"Hi Dr. Quest", Jessie and Hadji said.
"Hi dad", Jonny replied, enthusiastically. "How did the meeting with Mr. Corvin go? Is Race there as well?".
It went fine. Race has just gone out for the evening – catching up with some I1 friends of his. I called just to tell you guys that we'll both be back tomorrow, so you guys better get packing".
"Why should we pack?" Hadji replied, confused.
"Well, let's just say we have a trip planned. I want you to pack clothes for a tropical climate and some heavy rain gear – get some good hiking equipment as well. Oh and Hadji? I want you to pack those new composite armour suits I developed, just in case. Bring a laptop with the Questworld software as well."
"Wait a second dad, where on Earth are we going? And why all this equipment? Did I1 give you a mission or something?" Jonny replied, confused.
"Well, it's not really a mission, more of a vacation, with some minor work thrown in. I'll fill you guys in when I get back. We'll be travelling to a small island, close to Costa Rica" the Doctor stated.
"Dad, the last time we visited a house on a small island, we were nearly eaten by the walls and two French guys were crushed by the ceiling", Jonny said. "Are you sure we shouldn't pack some weapons, like maybe something light and explosive this time?".
"Well, I don't think heavy weaponry will be necessary. You'll find all we need on the Dragonfly. Alright kids got to go. You guys get packed and get some sleep. Bye!" Dr. Quest said, logging off.
"I guess we'd better start packing. Want to race the hover boards back to the house, Jonny?" Jessie said, in a slightly competitive voice.
"No thanks. I might need an hour or two to get my balance back after the shocking experience I had today", he said grinning. "Besides, we need to fix this game and help Hadji clear out the Lighthouse before we can go back.
"You two can go, I'll clean this up and join you later," Hadji said, sensing that maybe he'd better give them some time alone.
"Ok, if your sure of that, we'll, see you later", they said, heading back to the house.
"So, why did you really want to walk", Jessie asked, turning to Jonny.
"Well, when we're on hoverboards, I can't do this", he said, grabbing her arm and flipping over his body. Just before she hit the ground, he caught her.
"What was that for?" she said, surprised.
"Revenge for the time you tossed me over in the lighthouse", he replied, playfully.
"Then why did you catch me?" she asked, slightly puzzled, but hoping he wouldn't drop her onto the track as a joke.
"You should know by now I won't let go of you or any member of our team, regardless of the situation. I didn't leave you when we were attacked by those amphibians underwater and I don't plan to let you go right now", he said, pulling her up.
"It's good to know you're so dependable," she replied, happily.
"Always will be", he said, putting his arm around her shoulder and walking her to the house.