My hearty thanks to Sigokat who helped me with weapon research and sparked a few ideas for this fictional town. :)
Serpent's Kiss
An Alternate Timeline Real Adventures of Jonny Quest fic
by Time Guardian
Chapter three - La Entrada
---------------------------
It had taken precious hours, but Race and Dr. Quest finally managed to touch down at the small strip that was in a desolate space of jungle. Race braked the craft, and the Dragonfly faithfully complied, stopping near the far edge of the runway.
Race shut down the systems and turned to release his harness. He looked out through the cockpit windows, and save for some dirt roads, brush and a building that looked like an old control tower, there didn't seem to be anything else around for miles. "You got us clearance to land here? We are in the middle of no where!"
Dr. Quest frowned as he surveyed the surroundings by the cockpit windows. "This is place that both the Peruvian and Brazilian authorities alluded to."
He double checked the GPS coordinates. "We are only ten miles away from the coordinates that were sent to us."
"Don't you mean the coordinates that Jonny sent us?"
Dr. Quest turned around sharply to look at his friend. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Race frowned slightly. The possibility of what they were getting into couldn't be ignored anymore. "We are following the lead of someone who is seeking vengeance, Benton. Jonny is too young for this, despite his intentions."
Dr. Quest reluctantly nodded. "I realize that all too well, Race. Soon after Jonny came home from the hospital, I consulted a colleague of mine who specializes in psychology and deprogramming of cult members. She told me that it could be years before Jonny totally reacclimatizes to family life. That's why I have been pushing him to face up to what happened."
"You had good intentions Benton, but it may have been too fast," Race pointed out. "Zin had Corvin, lackeys, and a bevy of drugs on his side. All we have is us."
Dr. Quest smiled wanly. "Never underestimate the power of family, Race. Now, shall we find out what is at those coordinates we were sent?"
Race stepped aside as Benton stood. "Lead the way."
The men stepped through the cargo area of the Dragonfly, and Dr. Quest hit the release button to open the side hatch.
When they stepped out, they realized that they had a reception waiting for them.
Four men in khaki styled uniforms stepped forward, and all were holding rifles.
"Step out of your aircraft - hands up!"
The accent was heavy but there was no was no mistaking the command.
Race put up his hands and muttered. "Benton, those are IMBEL MD-97LC assault rifles. These guys mean serious business."
Dr. Quest never took his eyes off of their welcoming party as he raised his hands. "Arms dealers?"
The man at the front of the group scowled and pointed his rifle directly at Dr. Quest's head. "Shut up and come with us!"
Dr. Quest started to comply until he felt Race's hand on his shoulder.
Race glared at the assembled men. "Just a minute here, we were allowed to land here by the Brazilian and Peruvian governments."
For his declarations, they were met by laughter by two of the men. One of the men that had stepped foward had a full black beard "It's funny you should mention government. We are the police force of La Entrada."
--
Under gunpoint, Race and Dr. Quest followed the group of men to a jeep and got in. It took about five minutes, but the jeep bounced and weaved down a short expanse of dirt road until they got a glimpse of a town, or at the very least what looked like a town.
There were a small handful of buildings lining the street, some in better shape than others. The main road seemed to dead end in sort of a town square, but other dirt roads branched off into nowhere within the nearby forest canopy.
The man who had done all of the talking back at the airstrip had control of the wheel, and he steered the jeep to a building near the square. He stopped the jeep abruptly, killed the engine, then motioned to Race and Dr. Quest. "Out."
They did as the man commanded, and soon they stood before the four men once again. The bearded man stepped forward, along with a smaller man with short black hair. Race found it strange that they kept their weapons at their sides this time.
The small man looked on the verge of a tantrum. His face flushed, he pointed a finger at Dr. Quest. "What do you know about tourists disappearing?"
Race never felt more confused in all of his life. "What do you mean? We just arrived!"
The bearded man looked sharply at his counterpart. "Felix, shut up! Do you not remember who is in command here?"
The rebuke mollified Felix. "Yes, Sergeant."
The sergeant turned back to them. "What I want to know is why you are here. We have had tourists disappearing left and right for close to a month, and then you two show up."
The implication angered Race. "Listen, this is Dr. Benton Quest, a world renowned scientist. We were given information indicating that there was trouble in this area, and we have come to check it out, if it's quite all right with you, sergeant."
"Race-" Dr. Quest warned.
The sergeant thought for a moment, stroking his beard in the process. "As you know, our town is called 'La Entrada' - the gateway. We make what little money we can from travelers and explorers who stop through for a night for supplies and other things before they journey into the jungle."
Sighing, the man motioned to his men. Felix stayed by his side, but the other two men walked off down the road. "The whole area has been on a heightened alert lately. If you two want to disappear like the others, be my guest. I even have an extra jeep for you to use. All I ask is that if you find who caused the disappearances, that we are allowed to deal with them."
Dr. Quest replied. "I can promise you that we will do our best to find out what is going on at the very least. We only have coordinates to go on so far, but maybe you can tell us: Do you know what is located ten miles from here?"
Felix, who had been quiet up until now, stood up. His eyes were wide, and he looked around to the sergeant in fright. "Serpente! Serpente! Serpente!"
"Shut up!" the sergeant growled turning back to the two of them. "You see what you have made him do? Bah, there is nothing there ten miles away, save for a pyramid. Superstitious locals call it the 'Serpent's Pyramid'."
Dr. Quest stood, his interest piqued. "But that's exactly what we are looking for! We are afraid some evil people have taken up there, looking for something. My- son is also there-"
He broke off his declaration as emotion threatened to overwhelm him. Adrenaline and a sense of purpose had fueled him for two month, but now that he was so close-
He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked in some surprise to find Felix standing there. "Your son, taken by the pyramid?"
Dr. Quest nodded reluctantly. "Something like that."
Felix got a distant look in his eyes, and then spoke low and quickly to the sergeant. After he was finished, the sergeant shook his head slowly. "We have a few young guides in our village who take tourists out now and again, but even that dried up when they started disappearing along with the tourists. In fact, there's only one guide left in town right now."
Race frowned at this bit of news. "But we need to get to the Serpent's Pyramid and fast."
Felix hitched a thumb over his shoulder to a small two storied building at the edge of the square. "Daylight's fading. That is our main bar and eating place over there, but they have rooms for rent. The guides usually eat in there at this time of day. No one else is going to want to go to the pyramid, so if you are serious about this, you should check there. The Serpent's Pyramid is not innocent - it took my son too. Heed my words."
Dr. Quest looked over at the building. He didn't like the choices, but they had to do something. "We better secure food and lodging at least. Let's go Race."
With a last look over his shoulder, Race reluctantly followed him over to the building Felix had indicated.
--
The building reminded Race of something out of an Indiana Jones movie. Made of old wood and rusted metal, the outside of the building looked to want to fall in at any second.
When they stepped inside, Race noticed that appearances were indeed deceiving. The walls seemed to be made of newer wood, and were painted a slate grey color. The only other semblances of decoration seemed to be lit candles sticking out of wine bottles. These were placed at strategic points on the bar, and on the four lonely tables near the front of the room. The bar itself seemed to be made of a darker wood, yet seemed to be hastily put together, since the edges seemed to show the rough wood grain.
The 'bartender' turned out to be an older woman. Streaks of gray broke up her black hair, and her face spoke of numerous years in the sun. In contrast, her red dress served to offset her deeply tanned skin.
He quickly stepped up to the bar and noticed that save for Benton and himself, there was only one other person sitting at the far edge of the bar. A couple of old bar stools also flanked the bar, but Race decided it would be better to stand.
"¿Americanos Del Norte?"
Race realized the question had come from the bartender. His knowledge of Spanish was a bit rusty, so he chose to nod in reply.
For his efforts, the woman gave a hearty laugh and spoke in perfect English. "Well, it is good to see to see some fresh blood in from the states. You two need a couple of rooms?"
"Yeah, and a couple of dinners," Race smiled while looking around at the surroundings. "I take it that you aren't a native here."
She laughed again. "Got that right, sweet-cheeks. Name's Stella. Ran cargo by plane to this area from California for about ten years until the call of retirement lured me. I had a choice to settle somewhere, and I chose here. My Spanish sadly is textbook, but it's been enough to get me by. How about you two?"
He shifted uncomfortably. "My name is Race, and my friend's name is Dr. Quest. We need to get to the Serpent's Pyramid."
Stella froze. "You two want a guide - didn't Felix tell you about our current 'situation'?"
Dr. Quest, who had overheard the conversation, stepped forward. "Please, it's important that we reach the Pyramid. We are here to investigate strange things that are going on there."
"Yeah, like people and our guides disappearing?" Stella huffed before taking a nervous breath. "I'm sorry, that was not fair. People started disappearing from here about a month ago. Even Felix's son has gone missing from around here. It used to be this time of day, you'd find this place packed, now I'm lucky if the local police come in for a drink now and again."
Race chose his words carefully. "Well we had heard something about a snake cult operating from the area."
"Yeah, something like that." Stella frowned. "Look, I'm not one that goes looking for trouble, but you might as well be."
She pointed down the bar at the lone person sitting at the far end. "Talk to the kid over there. He's the only guide left in town and as far as I know. He's been to the pyramid plenty of times, and he's got the scars to prove it too."
Race nodded. "Thanks for the tip, Stella."
He stepped over and then slowly edged his way over to the far edge of the bar. When Race was within a few feet of the 'kid', he gave him an appraising glance. The guide seemed to be a teenager though his deeply tanned face, the multitude of scars on his face and short jet black hair hidden under a large green cap made him seem
even older. Race also noted the guide was dressed in a white tank top, green fatigues and black boots. Beside where he was sitting, a machete and shotgun were both leaned against the counter.
He stepped forward. "Um, my friend and I are looking for a guide into the jungle."
Startled, the young man rose from his bar stool and gave Race a hard glance. His voice was rough and low. "No entiendo inglés."
Race stepped back and called over his shoulder. "Benton, a little help here?"
Dr. Quest stepped forward and looked at their potential guide. Something nagged at his brain about all of this, but they were losing daylight and still needed to contact Jessie.
He put a hand on the young man's shoulder. "¿Cuál es su nombre?"
The young man looked up into his eyes. "Tomas."
He stepped back for a moment and looked over Tomas. Someone so young being a guide - but no one else seemed to be willing to help them. He asked in Spanish. "We need a guide to the Serpent's Pyramid. Can you take us?"
Tomas nodded simply. "Si. Mañana."
--
Routine came and went for Phil, but something seemed different about this evening.
When the guard brought him his dinner and slipped through the lower slot in his cage, he found that the metal tray seemed a little lopsided. When Phil checked the underside of the tray, he found a small square envelope taped to the underside. He quickly glanced out in the hallway to make sure that no one was out there, then when he was satisfied, Phil ripped into the envelope.
He nearly chuckled when he brought out the tiny cell phone from it's hiding place. The small thing was about the size of two matchbooks placed end to end. Phil had heard of technology this small being developed, but it was another seeing it close up.
A small note was attached to the phone that read 'Activate and press 1.'
Phil did so. He heard a number dial, and what suspiciously sounded like the screeches and squeals of a dialup network conntection.
Moments later, all of the lights went out throughout the prison.
Sirens blared, klaxons sounded, and the electronic lock holding his cage closed gave way with a hiss. The door swung wide open.
Phil grinned. His benefactors sure knew how to make their presence known. He quickly disconnected the phone and stuffed it inside his orange prison jumpsuit, and then stepped out into the chaos.
--
It took close to twenty minutes and numerous fights, but Phil managed to work his way to the courtyard through thongs of fleeing and fighting felons. The chaos of the other prisoners escaping worked to his advantage.
The guards were outnumbered, so it was easy to find a corner of the courtyard that had not been overrun. The question was, what now?
As if to answer his question, the cell phone that he had chirped from his jumpsuit. Corvin took it out in some surprise and answered it. "And who do I have to thank for my freedom?"
The feminine voice purred over the line. "Mr. Corvin, you should know who by now, surely."
Oh, he knew all right. "Melana, I assume that this isn't a social call?"
He listened to Melana quickly outline a plan that he eagerly agreed to. After disconnecting with her, he quickly stuffed the phone back into its previous resting spot as a jet-black helicopter came into range of his position.
Phil Corvin smirked. This would be FUN.
--
After he and Race made arrangements and a time to meet with Tomas in the morning, they boarded the jeep the police had offered to them and headed back to the Dragonfly. Race had wanted to check in Jessie and let her know that they had arrived there safely, and Dr. Quest wanted to check on his equipment before they went to sleep for the night.
When Race entered the craft and headed toward the cargo area, he heard a loud beeping noise, and realized that it was Jessie trying to get in touch with them. "Benton, bring up the satlink will ya? It sounds like Jessie has been trying to reach us."
Benton quickly headed towards the cockpit and flipped a switch. "Jessie, come in please."
A video screen built into the dashboard of the cockpit flared to life, and it showed Jessie, excited and seemingly eager to impart news. "What took you? I have been trying to reach you and dad for hours!"
"We had a nightmare getting through customs," Race quipped as he joined Benton in the cockpit.
They could see Jessie grabbing a notebook and a newspaper. "Let me grab my information. Dr. Quest, I did the digging about the different Inca, Mayan, and Aztec tribes as you requested."
Race raised an eyebrow at Dr. Quest, who merely shrugged. "She wanted to help, and I knew that we would be too busy prepping for the trip. Jessie, go ahead and shoot that information to the dragonfly's onboard computers."
"Right away." Jessie typed in the terminal as she made notes and sent the information, but stopped when she heard a beeping noise. Race watched as his daughter read the newly displayed information and gasp.
"Jess, what's wrong?"
"Dad - you will never believe this. Phil Corvin has escaped federal custody!"
Race felt his pulse quicken. This nightmare was definitely real. Corvin had betrayed everyone by assisting Zin with his schemes. He thought that I-1 and the feds had him taken care of.
Dr. Quest's voice betrayed his own emotion. "Jessie, to be safe, please make sure that IRIS is set at the system's highest security setting for the next few days."
Jessie's voice through the satlink was panicked now. "Dad?"
Race did his best to reassure his daughter. "It'll be ok, Jess. Do as Dr. Quest says. There's no telling what Corvin will be willing to do now that he's free. I want you to stay safe."
They said their goodbyes, and then Race turned off the communicator. "Well this trip is already more than we bargained for. Let's get back to town and get some sleep. We will need an early start tomorrow."
Dr. Quest and Race secured the plane for the night and left in their jeep.
--
From the bushes nearby the dilapidated control tower, Tomas watched them go. All was going well so far, but tomorrow would be the true test. He settled down, leaning against the building with shotgun in hand and soon fell asleep.
