10

The one word held a world of vehemence in it. Jonny slowly turned around to find that the woman he knew as Andrea West was holding a long sharp dagger pointed directly at his chest. He raised his arms slowly and took a slow step back. The suspicions that Frank and Joe had were easily confirmed but now Jonny was regretting his choice to follow her alone.

All he could think to do for the moment was stall for time. "We knew it was you, Andrea. You were the one that secured the lab for the professor and made the arrangements for the gas, not to mention getting Seth Granger to fake the security footage for you. Why did you do it?"

Andrea scowled. "For his discoveries, of course. All the professor lived for was the thrill of the discovery. He had no vision. You and the Hardy's couldn't let this go, could you? I had buyers clamoring for this technology – millions of dollars up in smoke, all ruined by a punk kid and a couple of private detectives."

She grinned wickedly and motioned at him with the dagger. "You are a pest and I will kill you soon enough. First things first: into the lab with you."

He eyed her warily and slowly stepped back until he was standing in the middle of the lab area. The judo lessons that Race had put him through in the past flashed through his mind. No matter how he tried though, Jonny couldn't see an opening – Andrea kept just out of his reach and her hand containing the dagger remained steady.

Once she was standing in the lab with him, Andrea motioned to him again. "Step over to one of the computers and run a directory list. Look for a file that is titled HOLO001."

He did as she asked, walking over to the nearest workstation and activated it. A menu quickly popped up, and from it Jonny managed to find the directory with the file she asked for. "I found it. Do you want me to-"

"Out of the way!"

Andrea violently pushed him out of the way and he staggered a few steps back. He watched as she typed a command to display the file.

As he watched her, Andrea kept typing and muttering out loud. "Yes – this is it. Professor Cantrell stored a copy on the server in order to make a few tests – yes, I can sell this."

Jonny saw a chance for escape – Andrea was busy reading over the data file on the computer screen. Her attention was not all on him. If he could make it to the outside, he could signal to the cops and get her surrounded.

Before he could talk himself out of the notion, Jonny took off, daring not to look back.

His heart sank as he heard Andrea shriek. "I am going to kill you!"

Jonny poured on speed and managed to make it to the doorway of the lab.

Suddenly Andrea's arm came around his neck and jerked him bodily back towards her. With a mad cackle, Andrea used her other arm to plunge the dagger into his right shoulder.

Pain exploded into his consciousness, taking his breath away and nearly making him pass out. Jonny struggled to get away from her grasp, but the hold Andrea had around his neck was strong. He yelled in pain as she pulled the dagger back out.

A shout from down the hallway then got his attention.

"Andrea!"

Jonny breathed a little easier when he saw Frank and Joe cautiously edging their way down the hallway towards them.

Joe spoke up, though his voice sounded distant. "It's over, Andrea. Let Jonny go. The cops know the truth now. Seth confessed how he manipulated the security footage in your favor."

Jonny cringed as her shriek blasted his eardrums. "NO! I won't let anyone stop me!"

There was a blur of movement, and he watched helplessly as Andrea hurled the dagger at them. No!

To his relief, what he thought was Frank and Joe shimmered out of sight, the blood soaked dagger clattering harmlessly to the floor. Andrea released her hold on him and he quickly crumpled to the ground with a painful moan.

Noises and activity buzzed all around him, but Jonny couldn't quite latch onto what was going on until he saw Joe standing above him. He smiled weakly at his rescuer. "You're real, I hope?"

In reply, Joe got to his knees beside him and started checking his wounded shoulder. "Last time I checked, I was."

Through the haze of pain, Jonny managed to put two and two together and realized what had happened. "Well played with the holograms. How did you guys find me?"

Joe grimly smiled as he applied pressure to Jonny's shoulder. "Frank figured out that you would come back here looking for Andrea. Now let's get you in an ambulance before you bleed all over the floor."

During the ride to the hospital, Jonny thought he was only closing his eyes for a few minutes - anything to escape the pain that he was in.

The next time he opened his eyes Jonny found himself in different surroundings. He was in a hospital bed, with a sheet and blanket pulled up to his chest.

It was then that he realized that he wasn't alone. Turning his head, Jonny saw that his father was sitting beside his bed. He noted that his dad was worse for wear and looked like he hadn't slept in a while, but it was good to see him free. Jonny moistened his lips and smiled. "Hi dad."

"Hi, yourself. How are you feeling?"

Jonny laughed weakly and tried to crack a joke. "Fuzzy. I suppose hitting up the rest of E3 is out of the question?"

His dad gave him a tired grin. "That ended two days ago. I'm afraid you slept right through it."

Jonny thought for a moment as he looked around the bed he was in. An iv was attached to his arm, leading up to a bag full of what he surmised was making him feel fuzzy. The shoulder that Andrea had stabbed was swathed in bandages. His body felt like lead but still Jonny could feel the warmth from where his father was holding his right hand.

"Jonny?"

He could see a worried look in his father's eyes now.

Jonny rushed to reassure him. "I'm okay, dad. Did Frank and Joe get Andrea?"

His dad nodded. "After they used Professor Cantrell's hologram software to distract her, it apparently was the last straw for her sanity. She collapsed to the ground laughing maniacally and never moved until the police and FBI stepped in to arrest her."

Voices suddenly rose from outside of the room. Jonny looked over at the doorway to look for the source, only to find that Frank and Joe had already walked in.

"We just got off the phone with our dad," Frank stated. "Andrea West is currently in FBI custody under psychiatric observation."

Dr. Quest smiled warmly, reaching out and shaking Frank's hand before switching over and shaking Joe's hand. "I want to thank you two for saving Jonny's life. Your father should be proud of you two, and I will make sure that he hears that straight from me."

Jonny piped up. "You know if you two are ever up in Maine, come see us. I can finally show you those games I telling you about."

Frank and Joe both smiled.

"Count on it," Joe declared. "We have a plane to catch, so we'll leave you two alone to catch up. Take care, Jonny. It was good working with you."

Jonny watched them leave. He hoped that they would take him up on his offer.

He felt a squeeze of his hand and Jonny turned back to look at his dad. It was time to face the music. Jonny felt a sense of reluctance. "So how much trouble am I in, dad?"

"You should be in a lot of trouble, young man," Dr. Quest replied with a sigh. "Tell you what, you get some sleep and allow that pain medication to settle in some more. We'll talk in the morning when Race and the others get here."

That sounded like a plan. The fuzzy oblivion that the drugs offered was already making him yawn. "All right, I'm just glad that we were able to clear your name."

After he made that simple declaration, Jonny Quest allowed his eyes to close and was soon fast asleep.

Arthritis tried to keep me down, but I am back (albeit much slower – I may have to move slower to help manage the pain, but at least the ideas are still coming.) Thanks for reading my first attempt at a crossover.