Disclaimer: I own Kai, Meredith, Keith Wilson(Will) and anybody else that wasn't in the show. JQ and friends belong to HB and AOL Time Warner.
Thank-you goes out to Spense for betaing this story! Thank-you!
Archivers: Sure just tell me where please!
The Promises We Make
Chapter 7
By Kara Estes
"If I was Rage, were would I be?" Jonny asked, after walking the dirt trails of Panaqua for what seemed like days, but was only a few hours.
"If you were Rage, then we wouldn't have to hunt very long, because you wouldn't be able to hide yourself if your life depended on it." Jessie said with a smile as she lightly gave Jonny a jab in the ribs.
"She has a point my friend. You do have a knack of getting in trouble and not doing what you are suppose to do." Hadji said looking at his best friend who was walking ahead of him with Jessie.
Jonny turned around and eyed the figure next to Hadji who was paying most of his attention to the small handheld device he was using. "Okay Kai, your turn. Are you going to defend me, or join their side?"
Kai looked up from his object of attention. "I'll have to take the neutral side. Besides, I'm too busy tracking our location to argue," he said as placed his attention back on his Global Position Satellite Tracking device.
"Gee, your no fun." Jonny said in defeat. "So, Mr. Tracker, where are we?"
Kai quickly glanced over the handheld device once more before he answered. "We've been going south for almost 5 miles, and we're about to reach the inner part of the jungle, where we should catch up with Dr. Quest and Race, who are on a parallel trail traveling around 25 miles per an hour." Kai said as he extended the GPS tracker to where Hadji could glance over it, making sure his figures were correct.
"How much longer until we reach them?" Jessie asked as she glanced at her watch.
"If my calculations are correct, 30 more minutes if we keep up this pace, and continue to find no signs of Rage." Kai said. He then handed the GPS tracker to Hadji, allowing him to more carefully check his figures, and to hopefully take over the boring duty. This was the first time he had ever used a GPS tracker. Before the groups separated into two search parties, Race had quickly given him a crash course on how to use it, and how to do the math to figure the points of location and arrival. Of course, it didn't take a math wizard to work the device, but it did force Kai to use some of his dormant math skills that he had learned while going to school in Hawaii.
"You are quickly picking up how to use this device, Kai." Hadji said in a form of approval of Kai's work.
"Well, it's not as hard as Race was making it out to be. I was afraid I was going to have to try and remember how to do functions, and domains." Kai said with a smile on his face.
"See buddy, I told you there was nothing to this." Jonny said as he turned around and walked backwards for a moment so he could talk to his friend.
Nightfall quickly came just as the four teens arrived at their makeshift base set up by their fathers. When the teens arrived, they quickly placed their bags into their large tent and soon settled in the open area around campfire, each doing their own thing. Hadji sat next to the campfire meditating, while Jonny finished up his school work that he was suppose to do when he had to walk out of class early for this mission. Race stood in the far edge of the woods with his cell phone plastered to his ear, as he negotiated for information from old informants, while Dr. Quest finished up making the groups supper. Even though he wasn't the best cook, he figured he couldn't go wrong with the prepared meals Mrs. Evans had made for them to take with them. The last two members of the Quest Team, Jessie and Kai, were both working on their laptops while sitting in the open top Quest Jeep. Jessie sat in the passenger seat of the jeep with her seat pushed as far back as it would go, and the back of the chair was slightly tilted back, allowing her to place her sore feet on the dashboard of the Jeep. Her laptop sat elevated on her thighs, allowing her to read over the government documents that were sent to them over the growing situation with Rage. Behind her, Kai was spread out with his body against the drivers side of the jeep, with his legs placed spread out to the other end of the jeep. His eyes was focused on his laptop which was placed in his lap.
"Hey Jess."
"Yeah?"
"Did Rage have a daughter?"
Jessie then placed her laptop in the drivers chair and turned around to face Kai. "Yeah, her name was Carla." She said just as the face she was looking at turned pale. "Why?"
"Master Rage. Master Rage!" Yelled a dark cloaked man as he ran into a room that was made of steal and had no windows. He fumbled as he entered the dark room, hoping not to fall.
"What is it? I told you not to disturb me!" Cried out the man who was standing in the farthest corner.
"We have visitors. The scout just came back with pictures of them." He said just as bright light that reflected off of the cold metal walls, was turned on. He was then greeted by a tall man with a white mask on that covered his burnt face. He jumped as a thin, bony hand reached over and grabbed the large black and white pictures.
"Well, if it isn't Dr. Benton Quest and Roger "Race" Bannon's folly." He said as he flipped through the pictures of the visitors. When he reached the final picture, he paused. One of the people in the pictures caught his eye, he stared at it as his eyes narrowed in on the person. "How far are they?" He asked his faithful minion.
"Ah... ah... two miles away, sir." He stumbled.
Rage then walked over and picked up a large leather book. He then open the book up and stuck the photos in the crevasse of the pages and read; "Take note: I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are those who are watching for me, who keep their robes ready so they will not need to walk naked and ashamed. Now go! Tell my followers that they have gathered in a place called Armageddon. Tell them to be ready."
"Yes, yes sir." The faithful minion said as he exited the room.
Rage the placed his gaze back at the large picture, and then shifted it to a smaller one in the leather book.
"I knew her." Kai said as he looked deeply into Jessie's eyes. He could feel his face getting pale as his hands began to shake. "I don't know if you remember her or not, but she would sometimes try to hang out with us, mostly myself since you stopped visiting. I really didn't pay much attention to her because she was almost three years younger than us, but she always tried to fit in with the other kids." Kai explained.
"Why are you just now telling this?" Jessie asked in confusion.
"It just slipped my mind. The name Rage always stuck out in my mind, I just figured it was someone my dad knew, not someone I knew." He said in defense, he then paused, letting what he said soak into his friend's mind. "Do you remember her?"
Jessie paused for a moment as she tried to remember all the other kids of agents that worked with her dad. "I guess she was around the time of the divorce, which is one point in my life I try not to think about."
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Keith Wilson's protégé." Rage said aloud as he compared the large black and white photo of Kai and Jessica with a smaller three and a half by five color photo of Kai, Jessica and his daughter Carla. The photo was taken during one of I-1's picnics that were designed to help their agents relax and take a day off. At that time, there were only three agents who had kids that where older than three years old. The rest of the agents were ether single, or just starting a family. A mixture of sadness and anger swept over him as he looked at the smaller picture. His daughter was the youngest of the three, and was almost four years old, with the other two, Kai and Jessica being seven. How dare they show no respect for his daughter, he thought as he slammed the book shut on the small photo that showed the two older kids no paying any attention to the younger child.
The morning sun glistened through the jungle's thick trees as the Quest Team prepared to head out.
"I just got word from DC that Rage's headquarters is about two miles up ahead." Race announced to the group. "Dr. Quest and I have decided that we are going to split into two groups. The first group is going to be Jonny, Hadji, Kai, and I, the second group is going to be Jessie and Dr. Quest, which is going to be our communications and backup group." He said just as he heard his daughter groan.
"But Dad?" Jessie whined in desperation. She always hated the fact that her father was the over protective type and would never let her go on the dangerous adventures with him, yet he always let Jonny, the youngest, most impulsive member of the Quest Team go.
"No buts. Between you and Dr. Quest, you both know all the communication equipment the best, plus, you know the numbers to all my informants in case we need them." Race said trying to smooth the situation over.
"So in other words, I'm the gopher girl, go for this, go for that, go call this person..." She said with her father cutting her ramblings off before she could go farther.
"Not now Ponchita. You know it, and I know that you are much better at the computer end than you are on the action end." He said only to see more anger and hurt reflect from his daughter's eyes. He then focused his attention back to his plan. He then reached down and picked up a blue backpack that had a big Q logo on the front. He reached inside and pulled out a small black walkie-talkie that had an earpiece with a microphone attached to it. He then threw on to each of the five other members. "This is how we are going to stay in contact with each other and with the communications base. The earpiece is wireless and the microphone will blend in with your skin so it won't be visible to anyone less than one foot away." He said as everyone put theirs on. "To talk, just press the small red button on the top, the microphone will stay on until you push it off. So you have the choice of keeping it on, or only turning it on when you need to, ether way, you can still hear what others are saying in it."
Race watched as everyone placed the earpiece in their ear and got the walkie-talkie situated to where they wanted it. "I want you two," he said as he pointed to Dr. Quest and Jessie, "to get everything up and running, and I want everyone else to get packed and situated. We leave ASAP!"
Jessie watched as the jeep drove out, the jeep she should've been in. She felt a hand rest on her shoulder and looked up to the older man's eyes and sighed.
"You know Jessie, he didn't mean what he said. He's just doesn't want to see you get hurt."
She smiled. "I know, it's just the point that he did say it." She confessed to the man she considered her second father.
Dr. Quest chuckled. "You know, if I had my way, I would have Jonny here."
"Why him, and not Hadji?" Jessie questioned as she sat down in the right char that was placed in front of a table filled with computer equipment.
"Because I trust Hadji's common sense, and he isn't as daring as he use to be when he was younger, but Jonny," Dr. Quest laughed quietly, "Jonny will never grow out of his impulsiveness and will always has a knack of finding trouble." He paused as he turned on his walkie-talkie. "Though, I also did have my own way in the way the team were laid out."
"How is that, Dr. Quest?"
"I get to be in a team with my first choice person, who knows computers almost better than I do, and she can hack into any computer system Rage is using quicker than anyone else on this team." He said trying to give her reassurance to her position.
"Thanks Dr. Quest." She said as one of the five computer screens flickered to display a shaky image of a fast moving jungle.
"You two picking this up?" Asked a voice through their headset.
"We read you, Race." Dr. Quest said as he quickly typed on the laptop that was directly in front of him. "We can see you through the camera, we can track your position, and we can hear you."
"Can I get you guys to test your walkie's out for me?" Asked a different voice through the headset.
"Roger Ponchita," Race said as he motioned for the others to follow.
"I can hear you loud and clear, my friend." Replied Hadji's voice through the headset.
"Same here, Jess." Jonny replied.
"I guess I'm last. So, aloha."
"Aloha? Doesn't that mean hello or goodbye?" Jessie asked through the headset.
"Well, the way I see it, aloha works for everything." Kai replied with a grin as he swept his fingers through his somewhat long hair.
"Master Rage. Master Rage, the visitors are about within minutes of reaching us." Rage's minion said in panic.
"No worries, Brother Zimmerman, the Book of Rage speaks of the impairing doom of these individuals." Rage said with confidence. "Now go, prepare my followers for my orders."
Race stood in the grass, facing the metal fence that surrounded the metal building. He eyed his soundings until he found the object he was looking for. He carefully walked up to the green box that was placed outside the fence. He then pulled out a small screw driver from a compartment on his gun holster, and preceded to carefully open the box. When he unscrewed the last screw, he carefully removed the green lid and placed it gently on the ground. "Shesh, Benton, you should get a look at this." He said in reply to the thousands of wires that were placed in the box. He then motioned for Hadji, who was standing a few yards behind him, to join him.
"Dad, look for a light blue wire. Do you see it?" Jessie asked her father through her headset.
"Yeah, I think so." He said as he pointed to a light blue wire as Hadji nodded in response.
"Good, now place the clip as far to the bottom you can get on it. That's their Ethernet connection and with the clip on it, it should allow me access to their network." Jessie said as she typed furiously on her laptop.
"You getting anything?" Race asked.
"Pay dirt, I'm in. Give us a few moments to get things going." Jessie replied.
"I want you guys at each end of the building. Then wait for my command." Race ordered. He watched as the three other members spread out around the compound. "You two found where the bomb is located?"
"I'm working on it, Race." Dr. Quest replied. Though he had only spent a few minutes, it seemed like he had spent hours going through Rage's network with no luck. He glanced over to Jessie, who was trying with no luck to hack the door and fence looks. Her typing paused as she reflected a quick smile.
"In a few seconds, the fences and the doors will be unlocked at each entrance." She announced over her walkie.
"Way to go, Jess!" Jonny said as he fence door began to slide open.
Kai cocked his gun as he walked through the fence and into a grassy area that resembled a prison yard which included a chain length fence, and metal doors. As he approached the metal door, he could hear it being unlocked. He placed his hand gently on the door and slowly pushed it open. The room inside was dark and cold. He quietly crept down the hallway, not sure where to go.
"Kai," he heard as he pressed his fingers gently on the earpiece, pushing it farther in his ear so he could hear it better. "I want you to keep going straight until you see the first door on the right, take it and follow it as far as you can." Jessie said as she typed scanned the maps of the compound.
"Dad. As best as I can tell, your going to have guards all around you in that hallway."
"Thanks for the warning, I'll see what I can do to fix this problem." He whispered with a cocky grin on his face.
"Jonny, Hadji, if you two keep going straight, you should meet each other at the first T intersection. You arrive there, keep going straight from where Jonny is."
Kai walked quietly down the cold dark hall, watching for the first door on the right. It didn't take him long before he found it. He glanced inside but couldn't see anything due to the darkness. His eyes had adapted enough that he could see things that were close to him, but not afar. He walked in the room, which was merely another dark hall. As he walked, he could feel chills going down his spine. He stopped to look around, and saw nothing, even though he could hear what he thought was someone behind him. He continued waking, only this time he placed his gun out in front of him, hoping it would protect him. He picked up his pace when he heard the footsteps behind him. In the short distance, he could see the end of the hall. He became nervous. He wasn't sure if he should radio back to Jess that her path was a dead end, or for help. When he reached the end of the hall, he noticed a door. He then placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it. Unlocked, he thought. When the door opened up, he slowly walked into the dark room. Just as he cleared the doorway, the door shut, the lights came on, and facing him was 20 men and women dressed in black cloaks with guns all pointed at him. He then dropped his gun, just as he was about to put his hands in the air, he quickly swept his right hand over the black walkie-talkie that was in his pocket, and he pushed the small red button, allowing everyone on the Quest Team to hear what was going on. He then placed his hands in the air just as the group slowly parted as a dark figure appeared.
"The Book of Rage Says, that those who trespass against the Book of Rage shall be punished." Rage said as he made himself appear to the young boy.
Kai gasped in horror at the site of the man. He looked different than the person he saw almost two days ago on TV at his school. This man only wore a mask that covered his eyes of his burnt face. Kai also noticed his hands, one appeared to be mechanical, while the other looked almost like it had no skin on it. He wore a pair of dark sunglasses to cover his eyes, a black hat with a large brim, which held his long gray hair close to his head. Under his black trench coat was a black turtle-neck shirt with white boxes going down in the shape of the bones in a human neck. He wore black pants that laid on top of his black military style boots.
"Chain him up and take him to the operations room." Rage ordered.
"Fur on a catfish, I should've known something was up when I didn't find those guards Jessie was talking about." Race cursed as he heard the events unfold.
"Race, what do we do?" Jonny asked.
"You and Hadji group together and wait for my command." Race announced.
Jessie's eyes widened as she heard the sound of Rage through her headset. She looked at Dr. Quest, who was sharing the same expression she was. She quickly got up and ran to the other side of the table to the only laptop that was facing that way. She then quickly typed in a couple of commands and then ran back to her chair just as her father finished telling Jonny and Hadji to regroup.
"I just switched Kai's earpiece to only pickup my walkie-talkie, that way we have less of a chance of Rage discovering the earpiece." Jessie said as she typed furiously on her laptop.
"What can you two get me?" Race asked nervously.
"Right now Race, I'm working on security. Rage's got that place locked up now that he's discovered Kai." Dr. Quest replied.
"I'm working on the map situation. What is your location, Dad?"
"I'm standing in center of the hall with the option of going straight, turning right, or turning left."
Jessie quickly scanned the map on the screen. "Stay there. Jonny, Hadji, are you at the T in the road yet?"
"Yes." The two replied in unison.
"Good, change of plans, I want you two to go straight from where Hadji was going, which is west, you should meet up with my father." She said as she pulled her microphone down away from her mouth. She then reached over to the laptop that was next to hers and pulled up another set of maps. She sighed as she tried to figure out where the Operation room was. She then looked over at Dr. Quest, who was refiguring Rage's computer security.
"This is hopeless, Dr. Quest. There is no operations room on this map." She said sighing in defeat.
Dr. Quest looked over and scanned the detailed over view map of the compound. He then pointed to a place on the map. "What about that big room, isn't that near where Kai was?"
Jessie zoomed in on west section of the map. She then pointed to an adjourning room next to it. "That's the room Kai was in when he was taken hostage." She explained. "So it would make sense that they would probably take him close by, and into that room. Your a genius Dr. Quest!"
Dr. Quest smiled as he went back to what he was working on.
"Okay, Dad, when Jonny and Hadji arrive, I want you to keep heading west, you'll soon be in the area Kai was in." She said.
"West it is!" Race acknowledge.
"And then there was...Light." Dr. Quest said through his walkie just as the lights in the building came on.
"Thanks Pop, not having to stumble our way around helps big time."
"Any time, son, any time."
"Well, if it isn't young Mr. Wilson?" Rage said in a mockery tone. "The last time I saw you, you were this tall." He said as he held his hand up to just above his waist.
"Funny, I don't remember you. Trust me, I would remember an ugly face like that." Kai replied back. He was standing face to face with Rage; his arms where handcuffed behind him and on both sides stood a guard.
"Ah, I see you got your father's sense of humor. I wonder if you also got his coldness too?"
"What are you talking about? I knew my father, he wasn't cold."
"Are you sure, boy? Are you willing to doubt one of the people who knew your father the best?"
"Sure, I'll call your bluff." Kai said with confidence.
"Then, would you believe that your father is the one who ordered his men not to come to the aid of my family? Would you believe that your fathers stupidity and cruelness killed my daughter?" Rage said eating up the shocked look on the boys face. "No matter, according to the Book of Rage, he got what he deserved for letting my family die."
Race's face went pale as he heard what Rage said. There was no way that Will would've done that. Will wasn't that person, he would've gone above protocol in that situation and save Rage's family. No, it wasn't Will, it couldn't have been Will.
"Okay, my father made on stupid and costly mistake. We all make mistakes." Kai said, trying to bargain with the crazy man. He knew what Rage had planed for him, he knew Rage was going to kill him, he was just trying to buy some time. He didn't want to think about what Rage had said, he just wanted to focus on stopping him from releasing his bomb.
"I hardly call the killings of my wife and daughter a mistake. I call it murder." Rage said.
"O na hôkû no na kiu o ka lani." Kai said as he stared at the insane man.
"Do you dare speak the language that the Book of Rage cannot translate? Tell me, what does that mean, boy?"
"It means, the stars are the spies of heaven. That your family, and mine are watching us as we speak! Do you want your wife and daughter to see you like this?"
"They are happy that they get to see me get revenge for their death!" Rage replied back.
"No they wouldn't. I remember your daughter. She was always happy and didn't have a care in the world. She would be happy to see her father move on and be happy himself. You know my dad was probably acting on order and had no control of things. All you want is revenge on a government, on the people who use to be your friends, but now are the ones who don't remember your name. You know, I could easily say how mad I am at you because you killed my family. Sure, I'm mad, but not enough to kill you. The justice you seek is in a court, not a book that you can quote by." Kai said angrily. He noticed that his words had angered Rage. Just as he was about to continue, Rage came over and punched him in the stomach, using his mechanical metal hand. Kai doubled over in pain. He had been punch in the stomach before, mostly by his peers and a couple of time by his surfboard while he was surfing, but neither had caused this much pain.
"Kai," Jessie screamed into her microphone just as she heard him moan in pain.
"I'm, okay." He whispered in pain.
"Okay, Jess, we've reached the room where Kai was at before he got captured, but we can't find anything that looks like a door or any way else that leads to a big room."
"What about on your way there?" Dr. Quest asked as he scanned the map looking for any sign of help.
"Negative Pop, there isn't any rooms on the way." Jonny answered.
"Look to the right..."Kai whispered, but was cut off by another voice.
Rage said as he pushed a button on a keyboard that was on the wall behind Kai. Kai looked over to where Rage was looking. The floor opened and a small metal box slowly crept up to where Kai could see it.
"Auê noho`i ê!" Kai said aloud.
"What?" Jessie asked.
"I think I just found the bomb, or a bomb."
"Fur on a catfish." Race replied.
Jessie just sat there, staring at her screen. There was something that Rage said that stood out in her mind. She replayed in her head what she heard him say. 'Come my followers! Gather together for the great banquet. Come and eat the flesh of kings, captains, and strong worriers; of horses and their riders' and of all humanity.' Everything clicked in place. "Rage just quoted the Bible. The thing he said about the great banquet is in Revelations." She said.
"What?" She heard three people question at the same time.
"She's right, I just cross-referenced the quote with the Bible, and it is, it's Revelations 20:17." Dr. Quest said as he finished cross-referencing the quote.
"What would Rage be doing quoting the Bible?" Jonny asked.
"I believe he thinks he's God." Hadji replied back.
"Kai, I want you to call him on the Bible." Jessie demanded over her walkie.
"So Rage, is times this rough that you have to get your plans from the Bible. I mean, this whole doomsday thing is just a bad Revelations copy. I mean, look at yourself, you can't even come up with your own words without quoting the Bible." Kai said with confidence.
"Do you dare to defy the man who holds you fate by the push of a button?" Rage asked.
"I'm not worried because if I go down, you will too. There's no way that you can make it out of here in time without being blown up." Kai said trying to call his bluff.
"Your just as naive as your father was. You think I would have a powerful bomb like that here with me? What do you take me for, a fool? I have it hidden somewhere in the western hemisphere. This, this small bomb will only blow you, your fellow companions, and this compound up. Leaving my life untouched until I finish my revenge."
"Then what? Retirement?"
Rage laughed. "Like I said, just like your father." He then pressed a red button, which was preceded by a loud horn. The guards who were standing next to Kai left and joined the group of followers who were exiting the building. "Until we meet again, Will." He said as he walked out a door on the other end of the room.
"Any clues on how to stop this thing?" Kai asked as he tried to get his hands free.
"We're working on it. What's the time on the timer?" Dr. Quest asked.
"Oh, less than three minutes."
Race pounded on the door. He then looked at his two teammates. "You two, out, now!" He yelled.
"No way Race, not without you, and Kai." Jonny said in protest.
"Do it now!" He said as he pointed his gun towards the two.
"Jonny, I think we should listen to Race." Hadji said as he grabbed his friend, and adopted brother as well.
"Get as far as away as you can." Race yelled as the two ran.
"Race, go!" Race heard in his earpiece.
"No way, pal. I promised your father I would watch over you, and I'll be damned if I let something happen to you!" Race screamed back, trying to make his voice loud enough to be heard through the wall.
"Jess, patch me back in. All I hear from Race is father and damned."
"Done!" she quickly replied back.
"I'm not leaving you Kai." Race said.
"I'll be fine, I'm just going to have to go out the same way Rage did." He said. He had given up on trying to get the handcuffs off and instead focused his efforts on trying to push a button by using his foot. The button, which was about five feet above the ground, was shaped like a box, and could be easily missed by the untrained eye. He stepped back and prayed that his kick would be high enough. He then turned to the side and kicked his leg up to the button missing by a few inches. He cursed in his mind as he geared up to try again. He then stood straight up, making his body stand six foot tall, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he tried again, this time hitting the target straight on. The door slid open.
As Race ran down the hallway, he felt a sense of guilt sweep over him. He wasn't sure if he did the right thing by leaving Kai alone to find another way out. He wasn't sure if he could ever forgive himself if Kai didn't make it out. As he made his way out the door, he looked back to see if there was any sign of his godson. He kept running, faster, just as the bomb went off, blowing him passed the metal gate and rolling into the jungle. Race tried to sit up when he noticed two figures running towards him.
"No!" Jessie screamed as she tore the headset off from her ear. The sounds from the blast pierced through her head, making her feel like she was at ground zero of the bomb. She placed her hands over her face just as Dr. Quest wrapped his arms around her. The blast had knocked out the network, leaving them without information, and there were no sounds coming from the earpiece.
"Kai!" Race yelled without using his walkie-talkie. The blast had not only threw him several feet in the air, but had also damaged his communicator. Jonny and Hadji helped him stand up.
"Dad, we need help out here. The whole place is on fire." Jonny said into his microphone.
"How's Race?"
"Banged up and bruised." Hadji said as he looked over the white haired man.
"What about you three?"
"Just us two, so far, Kai hasn't come out yet." Jonny said as the events sank in. He then tried to run towards the burning building, but the fire picked up, forcing him to move farther away.
"One of you two get Race to the jeep and drive him here fast. The other look for any sign of Kai or Rage!" Dr. Quest ordered. He looked down to see Jessie's face in shock.
"He's alive. I know it." She said trying to sound confidant.
Dr. Quest only nodded.
"Hadj, I'll help you get Race back to the jeep. I want you to go back and get Dad, I'll stay here and try to find Kai." Jonny said as he helped Hadji get Race to stand. "How are you doing Race?"
"I'm fine, let me go look for him."
"Oh no Race, we can not let you do that until you see a doctor." Hadji said.
"Look Hadj, I've been in a lot worse conditions than this."
"Yeah Race, and you were a lot younger then too!" Jonny said with his trademark lopsided grin. As the three got closer to the jeep, they noticed a figure sitting in the drivers side.
"It's about time!" They heard from the man in the jeep.
"Fur on a catfish." Race said. He was surprised to see the person who was waiting on them.
"Are you for real, or is this my imagination?" Hadji asked.
"I'm here, in the flesh and blood, and metal." He said as he held his cuffed hands up in the air. "Well, I don't know about you three, but I'm ready to get these cuffs off and go home." He said with a smile.
"Boys, the Peruvian army is on their way to help contain the situation. Have you found any trace of Kai yet?" Dr. Quest asked with hope. Even though the teen had been living with him for a couple of months, he had already come to love the boy as one of his own.
"Yeah, pop. We found Kai." Dr. Quest heard his son say. He then looked over to Jessie, who was quickly picking up her headset that she had thrown down.
"Is he okay?" She asked in a semi calm voice.
"He's fine. Plus he's earned himself his first souvenir, a pair of handcuffs."
Thank-you goes out to Spense for betaing this story! Thank-you!
Archivers: Sure just tell me where please!
The Promises We Make
Chapter 7
By Kara Estes
"If I was Rage, were would I be?" Jonny asked, after walking the dirt trails of Panaqua for what seemed like days, but was only a few hours.
"If you were Rage, then we wouldn't have to hunt very long, because you wouldn't be able to hide yourself if your life depended on it." Jessie said with a smile as she lightly gave Jonny a jab in the ribs.
"She has a point my friend. You do have a knack of getting in trouble and not doing what you are suppose to do." Hadji said looking at his best friend who was walking ahead of him with Jessie.
Jonny turned around and eyed the figure next to Hadji who was paying most of his attention to the small handheld device he was using. "Okay Kai, your turn. Are you going to defend me, or join their side?"
Kai looked up from his object of attention. "I'll have to take the neutral side. Besides, I'm too busy tracking our location to argue," he said as placed his attention back on his Global Position Satellite Tracking device.
"Gee, your no fun." Jonny said in defeat. "So, Mr. Tracker, where are we?"
Kai quickly glanced over the handheld device once more before he answered. "We've been going south for almost 5 miles, and we're about to reach the inner part of the jungle, where we should catch up with Dr. Quest and Race, who are on a parallel trail traveling around 25 miles per an hour." Kai said as he extended the GPS tracker to where Hadji could glance over it, making sure his figures were correct.
"How much longer until we reach them?" Jessie asked as she glanced at her watch.
"If my calculations are correct, 30 more minutes if we keep up this pace, and continue to find no signs of Rage." Kai said. He then handed the GPS tracker to Hadji, allowing him to more carefully check his figures, and to hopefully take over the boring duty. This was the first time he had ever used a GPS tracker. Before the groups separated into two search parties, Race had quickly given him a crash course on how to use it, and how to do the math to figure the points of location and arrival. Of course, it didn't take a math wizard to work the device, but it did force Kai to use some of his dormant math skills that he had learned while going to school in Hawaii.
"You are quickly picking up how to use this device, Kai." Hadji said in a form of approval of Kai's work.
"Well, it's not as hard as Race was making it out to be. I was afraid I was going to have to try and remember how to do functions, and domains." Kai said with a smile on his face.
"See buddy, I told you there was nothing to this." Jonny said as he turned around and walked backwards for a moment so he could talk to his friend.
Nightfall quickly came just as the four teens arrived at their makeshift base set up by their fathers. When the teens arrived, they quickly placed their bags into their large tent and soon settled in the open area around campfire, each doing their own thing. Hadji sat next to the campfire meditating, while Jonny finished up his school work that he was suppose to do when he had to walk out of class early for this mission. Race stood in the far edge of the woods with his cell phone plastered to his ear, as he negotiated for information from old informants, while Dr. Quest finished up making the groups supper. Even though he wasn't the best cook, he figured he couldn't go wrong with the prepared meals Mrs. Evans had made for them to take with them. The last two members of the Quest Team, Jessie and Kai, were both working on their laptops while sitting in the open top Quest Jeep. Jessie sat in the passenger seat of the jeep with her seat pushed as far back as it would go, and the back of the chair was slightly tilted back, allowing her to place her sore feet on the dashboard of the Jeep. Her laptop sat elevated on her thighs, allowing her to read over the government documents that were sent to them over the growing situation with Rage. Behind her, Kai was spread out with his body against the drivers side of the jeep, with his legs placed spread out to the other end of the jeep. His eyes was focused on his laptop which was placed in his lap.
"Hey Jess."
"Yeah?"
"Did Rage have a daughter?"
Jessie then placed her laptop in the drivers chair and turned around to face Kai. "Yeah, her name was Carla." She said just as the face she was looking at turned pale. "Why?"
"Master Rage. Master Rage!" Yelled a dark cloaked man as he ran into a room that was made of steal and had no windows. He fumbled as he entered the dark room, hoping not to fall.
"What is it? I told you not to disturb me!" Cried out the man who was standing in the farthest corner.
"We have visitors. The scout just came back with pictures of them." He said just as bright light that reflected off of the cold metal walls, was turned on. He was then greeted by a tall man with a white mask on that covered his burnt face. He jumped as a thin, bony hand reached over and grabbed the large black and white pictures.
"Well, if it isn't Dr. Benton Quest and Roger "Race" Bannon's folly." He said as he flipped through the pictures of the visitors. When he reached the final picture, he paused. One of the people in the pictures caught his eye, he stared at it as his eyes narrowed in on the person. "How far are they?" He asked his faithful minion.
"Ah... ah... two miles away, sir." He stumbled.
Rage then walked over and picked up a large leather book. He then open the book up and stuck the photos in the crevasse of the pages and read; "Take note: I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are those who are watching for me, who keep their robes ready so they will not need to walk naked and ashamed. Now go! Tell my followers that they have gathered in a place called Armageddon. Tell them to be ready."
"Yes, yes sir." The faithful minion said as he exited the room.
Rage the placed his gaze back at the large picture, and then shifted it to a smaller one in the leather book.
"I knew her." Kai said as he looked deeply into Jessie's eyes. He could feel his face getting pale as his hands began to shake. "I don't know if you remember her or not, but she would sometimes try to hang out with us, mostly myself since you stopped visiting. I really didn't pay much attention to her because she was almost three years younger than us, but she always tried to fit in with the other kids." Kai explained.
"Why are you just now telling this?" Jessie asked in confusion.
"It just slipped my mind. The name Rage always stuck out in my mind, I just figured it was someone my dad knew, not someone I knew." He said in defense, he then paused, letting what he said soak into his friend's mind. "Do you remember her?"
Jessie paused for a moment as she tried to remember all the other kids of agents that worked with her dad. "I guess she was around the time of the divorce, which is one point in my life I try not to think about."
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Keith Wilson's protégé." Rage said aloud as he compared the large black and white photo of Kai and Jessica with a smaller three and a half by five color photo of Kai, Jessica and his daughter Carla. The photo was taken during one of I-1's picnics that were designed to help their agents relax and take a day off. At that time, there were only three agents who had kids that where older than three years old. The rest of the agents were ether single, or just starting a family. A mixture of sadness and anger swept over him as he looked at the smaller picture. His daughter was the youngest of the three, and was almost four years old, with the other two, Kai and Jessica being seven. How dare they show no respect for his daughter, he thought as he slammed the book shut on the small photo that showed the two older kids no paying any attention to the younger child.
The morning sun glistened through the jungle's thick trees as the Quest Team prepared to head out.
"I just got word from DC that Rage's headquarters is about two miles up ahead." Race announced to the group. "Dr. Quest and I have decided that we are going to split into two groups. The first group is going to be Jonny, Hadji, Kai, and I, the second group is going to be Jessie and Dr. Quest, which is going to be our communications and backup group." He said just as he heard his daughter groan.
"But Dad?" Jessie whined in desperation. She always hated the fact that her father was the over protective type and would never let her go on the dangerous adventures with him, yet he always let Jonny, the youngest, most impulsive member of the Quest Team go.
"No buts. Between you and Dr. Quest, you both know all the communication equipment the best, plus, you know the numbers to all my informants in case we need them." Race said trying to smooth the situation over.
"So in other words, I'm the gopher girl, go for this, go for that, go call this person..." She said with her father cutting her ramblings off before she could go farther.
"Not now Ponchita. You know it, and I know that you are much better at the computer end than you are on the action end." He said only to see more anger and hurt reflect from his daughter's eyes. He then focused his attention back to his plan. He then reached down and picked up a blue backpack that had a big Q logo on the front. He reached inside and pulled out a small black walkie-talkie that had an earpiece with a microphone attached to it. He then threw on to each of the five other members. "This is how we are going to stay in contact with each other and with the communications base. The earpiece is wireless and the microphone will blend in with your skin so it won't be visible to anyone less than one foot away." He said as everyone put theirs on. "To talk, just press the small red button on the top, the microphone will stay on until you push it off. So you have the choice of keeping it on, or only turning it on when you need to, ether way, you can still hear what others are saying in it."
Race watched as everyone placed the earpiece in their ear and got the walkie-talkie situated to where they wanted it. "I want you two," he said as he pointed to Dr. Quest and Jessie, "to get everything up and running, and I want everyone else to get packed and situated. We leave ASAP!"
Jessie watched as the jeep drove out, the jeep she should've been in. She felt a hand rest on her shoulder and looked up to the older man's eyes and sighed.
"You know Jessie, he didn't mean what he said. He's just doesn't want to see you get hurt."
She smiled. "I know, it's just the point that he did say it." She confessed to the man she considered her second father.
Dr. Quest chuckled. "You know, if I had my way, I would have Jonny here."
"Why him, and not Hadji?" Jessie questioned as she sat down in the right char that was placed in front of a table filled with computer equipment.
"Because I trust Hadji's common sense, and he isn't as daring as he use to be when he was younger, but Jonny," Dr. Quest laughed quietly, "Jonny will never grow out of his impulsiveness and will always has a knack of finding trouble." He paused as he turned on his walkie-talkie. "Though, I also did have my own way in the way the team were laid out."
"How is that, Dr. Quest?"
"I get to be in a team with my first choice person, who knows computers almost better than I do, and she can hack into any computer system Rage is using quicker than anyone else on this team." He said trying to give her reassurance to her position.
"Thanks Dr. Quest." She said as one of the five computer screens flickered to display a shaky image of a fast moving jungle.
"You two picking this up?" Asked a voice through their headset.
"We read you, Race." Dr. Quest said as he quickly typed on the laptop that was directly in front of him. "We can see you through the camera, we can track your position, and we can hear you."
"Can I get you guys to test your walkie's out for me?" Asked a different voice through the headset.
"Roger Ponchita," Race said as he motioned for the others to follow.
"I can hear you loud and clear, my friend." Replied Hadji's voice through the headset.
"Same here, Jess." Jonny replied.
"I guess I'm last. So, aloha."
"Aloha? Doesn't that mean hello or goodbye?" Jessie asked through the headset.
"Well, the way I see it, aloha works for everything." Kai replied with a grin as he swept his fingers through his somewhat long hair.
"Master Rage. Master Rage, the visitors are about within minutes of reaching us." Rage's minion said in panic.
"No worries, Brother Zimmerman, the Book of Rage speaks of the impairing doom of these individuals." Rage said with confidence. "Now go, prepare my followers for my orders."
Race stood in the grass, facing the metal fence that surrounded the metal building. He eyed his soundings until he found the object he was looking for. He carefully walked up to the green box that was placed outside the fence. He then pulled out a small screw driver from a compartment on his gun holster, and preceded to carefully open the box. When he unscrewed the last screw, he carefully removed the green lid and placed it gently on the ground. "Shesh, Benton, you should get a look at this." He said in reply to the thousands of wires that were placed in the box. He then motioned for Hadji, who was standing a few yards behind him, to join him.
"Dad, look for a light blue wire. Do you see it?" Jessie asked her father through her headset.
"Yeah, I think so." He said as he pointed to a light blue wire as Hadji nodded in response.
"Good, now place the clip as far to the bottom you can get on it. That's their Ethernet connection and with the clip on it, it should allow me access to their network." Jessie said as she typed furiously on her laptop.
"You getting anything?" Race asked.
"Pay dirt, I'm in. Give us a few moments to get things going." Jessie replied.
"I want you guys at each end of the building. Then wait for my command." Race ordered. He watched as the three other members spread out around the compound. "You two found where the bomb is located?"
"I'm working on it, Race." Dr. Quest replied. Though he had only spent a few minutes, it seemed like he had spent hours going through Rage's network with no luck. He glanced over to Jessie, who was trying with no luck to hack the door and fence looks. Her typing paused as she reflected a quick smile.
"In a few seconds, the fences and the doors will be unlocked at each entrance." She announced over her walkie.
"Way to go, Jess!" Jonny said as he fence door began to slide open.
Kai cocked his gun as he walked through the fence and into a grassy area that resembled a prison yard which included a chain length fence, and metal doors. As he approached the metal door, he could hear it being unlocked. He placed his hand gently on the door and slowly pushed it open. The room inside was dark and cold. He quietly crept down the hallway, not sure where to go.
"Kai," he heard as he pressed his fingers gently on the earpiece, pushing it farther in his ear so he could hear it better. "I want you to keep going straight until you see the first door on the right, take it and follow it as far as you can." Jessie said as she typed scanned the maps of the compound.
"Dad. As best as I can tell, your going to have guards all around you in that hallway."
"Thanks for the warning, I'll see what I can do to fix this problem." He whispered with a cocky grin on his face.
"Jonny, Hadji, if you two keep going straight, you should meet each other at the first T intersection. You arrive there, keep going straight from where Jonny is."
Kai walked quietly down the cold dark hall, watching for the first door on the right. It didn't take him long before he found it. He glanced inside but couldn't see anything due to the darkness. His eyes had adapted enough that he could see things that were close to him, but not afar. He walked in the room, which was merely another dark hall. As he walked, he could feel chills going down his spine. He stopped to look around, and saw nothing, even though he could hear what he thought was someone behind him. He continued waking, only this time he placed his gun out in front of him, hoping it would protect him. He picked up his pace when he heard the footsteps behind him. In the short distance, he could see the end of the hall. He became nervous. He wasn't sure if he should radio back to Jess that her path was a dead end, or for help. When he reached the end of the hall, he noticed a door. He then placed his hand on the doorknob and turned it. Unlocked, he thought. When the door opened up, he slowly walked into the dark room. Just as he cleared the doorway, the door shut, the lights came on, and facing him was 20 men and women dressed in black cloaks with guns all pointed at him. He then dropped his gun, just as he was about to put his hands in the air, he quickly swept his right hand over the black walkie-talkie that was in his pocket, and he pushed the small red button, allowing everyone on the Quest Team to hear what was going on. He then placed his hands in the air just as the group slowly parted as a dark figure appeared.
"The Book of Rage Says, that those who trespass against the Book of Rage shall be punished." Rage said as he made himself appear to the young boy.
Kai gasped in horror at the site of the man. He looked different than the person he saw almost two days ago on TV at his school. This man only wore a mask that covered his eyes of his burnt face. Kai also noticed his hands, one appeared to be mechanical, while the other looked almost like it had no skin on it. He wore a pair of dark sunglasses to cover his eyes, a black hat with a large brim, which held his long gray hair close to his head. Under his black trench coat was a black turtle-neck shirt with white boxes going down in the shape of the bones in a human neck. He wore black pants that laid on top of his black military style boots.
"Chain him up and take him to the operations room." Rage ordered.
"Fur on a catfish, I should've known something was up when I didn't find those guards Jessie was talking about." Race cursed as he heard the events unfold.
"Race, what do we do?" Jonny asked.
"You and Hadji group together and wait for my command." Race announced.
Jessie's eyes widened as she heard the sound of Rage through her headset. She looked at Dr. Quest, who was sharing the same expression she was. She quickly got up and ran to the other side of the table to the only laptop that was facing that way. She then quickly typed in a couple of commands and then ran back to her chair just as her father finished telling Jonny and Hadji to regroup.
"I just switched Kai's earpiece to only pickup my walkie-talkie, that way we have less of a chance of Rage discovering the earpiece." Jessie said as she typed furiously on her laptop.
"What can you two get me?" Race asked nervously.
"Right now Race, I'm working on security. Rage's got that place locked up now that he's discovered Kai." Dr. Quest replied.
"I'm working on the map situation. What is your location, Dad?"
"I'm standing in center of the hall with the option of going straight, turning right, or turning left."
Jessie quickly scanned the map on the screen. "Stay there. Jonny, Hadji, are you at the T in the road yet?"
"Yes." The two replied in unison.
"Good, change of plans, I want you two to go straight from where Hadji was going, which is west, you should meet up with my father." She said as she pulled her microphone down away from her mouth. She then reached over to the laptop that was next to hers and pulled up another set of maps. She sighed as she tried to figure out where the Operation room was. She then looked over at Dr. Quest, who was refiguring Rage's computer security.
"This is hopeless, Dr. Quest. There is no operations room on this map." She said sighing in defeat.
Dr. Quest looked over and scanned the detailed over view map of the compound. He then pointed to a place on the map. "What about that big room, isn't that near where Kai was?"
Jessie zoomed in on west section of the map. She then pointed to an adjourning room next to it. "That's the room Kai was in when he was taken hostage." She explained. "So it would make sense that they would probably take him close by, and into that room. Your a genius Dr. Quest!"
Dr. Quest smiled as he went back to what he was working on.
"Okay, Dad, when Jonny and Hadji arrive, I want you to keep heading west, you'll soon be in the area Kai was in." She said.
"West it is!" Race acknowledge.
"And then there was...Light." Dr. Quest said through his walkie just as the lights in the building came on.
"Thanks Pop, not having to stumble our way around helps big time."
"Any time, son, any time."
"Well, if it isn't young Mr. Wilson?" Rage said in a mockery tone. "The last time I saw you, you were this tall." He said as he held his hand up to just above his waist.
"Funny, I don't remember you. Trust me, I would remember an ugly face like that." Kai replied back. He was standing face to face with Rage; his arms where handcuffed behind him and on both sides stood a guard.
"Ah, I see you got your father's sense of humor. I wonder if you also got his coldness too?"
"What are you talking about? I knew my father, he wasn't cold."
"Are you sure, boy? Are you willing to doubt one of the people who knew your father the best?"
"Sure, I'll call your bluff." Kai said with confidence.
"Then, would you believe that your father is the one who ordered his men not to come to the aid of my family? Would you believe that your fathers stupidity and cruelness killed my daughter?" Rage said eating up the shocked look on the boys face. "No matter, according to the Book of Rage, he got what he deserved for letting my family die."
Race's face went pale as he heard what Rage said. There was no way that Will would've done that. Will wasn't that person, he would've gone above protocol in that situation and save Rage's family. No, it wasn't Will, it couldn't have been Will.
"Okay, my father made on stupid and costly mistake. We all make mistakes." Kai said, trying to bargain with the crazy man. He knew what Rage had planed for him, he knew Rage was going to kill him, he was just trying to buy some time. He didn't want to think about what Rage had said, he just wanted to focus on stopping him from releasing his bomb.
"I hardly call the killings of my wife and daughter a mistake. I call it murder." Rage said.
"O na hôkû no na kiu o ka lani." Kai said as he stared at the insane man.
"Do you dare speak the language that the Book of Rage cannot translate? Tell me, what does that mean, boy?"
"It means, the stars are the spies of heaven. That your family, and mine are watching us as we speak! Do you want your wife and daughter to see you like this?"
"They are happy that they get to see me get revenge for their death!" Rage replied back.
"No they wouldn't. I remember your daughter. She was always happy and didn't have a care in the world. She would be happy to see her father move on and be happy himself. You know my dad was probably acting on order and had no control of things. All you want is revenge on a government, on the people who use to be your friends, but now are the ones who don't remember your name. You know, I could easily say how mad I am at you because you killed my family. Sure, I'm mad, but not enough to kill you. The justice you seek is in a court, not a book that you can quote by." Kai said angrily. He noticed that his words had angered Rage. Just as he was about to continue, Rage came over and punched him in the stomach, using his mechanical metal hand. Kai doubled over in pain. He had been punch in the stomach before, mostly by his peers and a couple of time by his surfboard while he was surfing, but neither had caused this much pain.
"Kai," Jessie screamed into her microphone just as she heard him moan in pain.
"I'm, okay." He whispered in pain.
"Okay, Jess, we've reached the room where Kai was at before he got captured, but we can't find anything that looks like a door or any way else that leads to a big room."
"What about on your way there?" Dr. Quest asked as he scanned the map looking for any sign of help.
"Negative Pop, there isn't any rooms on the way." Jonny answered.
"Look to the right..."Kai whispered, but was cut off by another voice.
Rage said as he pushed a button on a keyboard that was on the wall behind Kai. Kai looked over to where Rage was looking. The floor opened and a small metal box slowly crept up to where Kai could see it.
"Auê noho`i ê!" Kai said aloud.
"What?" Jessie asked.
"I think I just found the bomb, or a bomb."
"Fur on a catfish." Race replied.
Jessie just sat there, staring at her screen. There was something that Rage said that stood out in her mind. She replayed in her head what she heard him say. 'Come my followers! Gather together for the great banquet. Come and eat the flesh of kings, captains, and strong worriers; of horses and their riders' and of all humanity.' Everything clicked in place. "Rage just quoted the Bible. The thing he said about the great banquet is in Revelations." She said.
"What?" She heard three people question at the same time.
"She's right, I just cross-referenced the quote with the Bible, and it is, it's Revelations 20:17." Dr. Quest said as he finished cross-referencing the quote.
"What would Rage be doing quoting the Bible?" Jonny asked.
"I believe he thinks he's God." Hadji replied back.
"Kai, I want you to call him on the Bible." Jessie demanded over her walkie.
"So Rage, is times this rough that you have to get your plans from the Bible. I mean, this whole doomsday thing is just a bad Revelations copy. I mean, look at yourself, you can't even come up with your own words without quoting the Bible." Kai said with confidence.
"Do you dare to defy the man who holds you fate by the push of a button?" Rage asked.
"I'm not worried because if I go down, you will too. There's no way that you can make it out of here in time without being blown up." Kai said trying to call his bluff.
"Your just as naive as your father was. You think I would have a powerful bomb like that here with me? What do you take me for, a fool? I have it hidden somewhere in the western hemisphere. This, this small bomb will only blow you, your fellow companions, and this compound up. Leaving my life untouched until I finish my revenge."
"Then what? Retirement?"
Rage laughed. "Like I said, just like your father." He then pressed a red button, which was preceded by a loud horn. The guards who were standing next to Kai left and joined the group of followers who were exiting the building. "Until we meet again, Will." He said as he walked out a door on the other end of the room.
"Any clues on how to stop this thing?" Kai asked as he tried to get his hands free.
"We're working on it. What's the time on the timer?" Dr. Quest asked.
"Oh, less than three minutes."
Race pounded on the door. He then looked at his two teammates. "You two, out, now!" He yelled.
"No way Race, not without you, and Kai." Jonny said in protest.
"Do it now!" He said as he pointed his gun towards the two.
"Jonny, I think we should listen to Race." Hadji said as he grabbed his friend, and adopted brother as well.
"Get as far as away as you can." Race yelled as the two ran.
"Race, go!" Race heard in his earpiece.
"No way, pal. I promised your father I would watch over you, and I'll be damned if I let something happen to you!" Race screamed back, trying to make his voice loud enough to be heard through the wall.
"Jess, patch me back in. All I hear from Race is father and damned."
"Done!" she quickly replied back.
"I'm not leaving you Kai." Race said.
"I'll be fine, I'm just going to have to go out the same way Rage did." He said. He had given up on trying to get the handcuffs off and instead focused his efforts on trying to push a button by using his foot. The button, which was about five feet above the ground, was shaped like a box, and could be easily missed by the untrained eye. He stepped back and prayed that his kick would be high enough. He then turned to the side and kicked his leg up to the button missing by a few inches. He cursed in his mind as he geared up to try again. He then stood straight up, making his body stand six foot tall, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he tried again, this time hitting the target straight on. The door slid open.
As Race ran down the hallway, he felt a sense of guilt sweep over him. He wasn't sure if he did the right thing by leaving Kai alone to find another way out. He wasn't sure if he could ever forgive himself if Kai didn't make it out. As he made his way out the door, he looked back to see if there was any sign of his godson. He kept running, faster, just as the bomb went off, blowing him passed the metal gate and rolling into the jungle. Race tried to sit up when he noticed two figures running towards him.
"No!" Jessie screamed as she tore the headset off from her ear. The sounds from the blast pierced through her head, making her feel like she was at ground zero of the bomb. She placed her hands over her face just as Dr. Quest wrapped his arms around her. The blast had knocked out the network, leaving them without information, and there were no sounds coming from the earpiece.
"Kai!" Race yelled without using his walkie-talkie. The blast had not only threw him several feet in the air, but had also damaged his communicator. Jonny and Hadji helped him stand up.
"Dad, we need help out here. The whole place is on fire." Jonny said into his microphone.
"How's Race?"
"Banged up and bruised." Hadji said as he looked over the white haired man.
"What about you three?"
"Just us two, so far, Kai hasn't come out yet." Jonny said as the events sank in. He then tried to run towards the burning building, but the fire picked up, forcing him to move farther away.
"One of you two get Race to the jeep and drive him here fast. The other look for any sign of Kai or Rage!" Dr. Quest ordered. He looked down to see Jessie's face in shock.
"He's alive. I know it." She said trying to sound confidant.
Dr. Quest only nodded.
"Hadj, I'll help you get Race back to the jeep. I want you to go back and get Dad, I'll stay here and try to find Kai." Jonny said as he helped Hadji get Race to stand. "How are you doing Race?"
"I'm fine, let me go look for him."
"Oh no Race, we can not let you do that until you see a doctor." Hadji said.
"Look Hadj, I've been in a lot worse conditions than this."
"Yeah Race, and you were a lot younger then too!" Jonny said with his trademark lopsided grin. As the three got closer to the jeep, they noticed a figure sitting in the drivers side.
"It's about time!" They heard from the man in the jeep.
"Fur on a catfish." Race said. He was surprised to see the person who was waiting on them.
"Are you for real, or is this my imagination?" Hadji asked.
"I'm here, in the flesh and blood, and metal." He said as he held his cuffed hands up in the air. "Well, I don't know about you three, but I'm ready to get these cuffs off and go home." He said with a smile.
"Boys, the Peruvian army is on their way to help contain the situation. Have you found any trace of Kai yet?" Dr. Quest asked with hope. Even though the teen had been living with him for a couple of months, he had already come to love the boy as one of his own.
"Yeah, pop. We found Kai." Dr. Quest heard his son say. He then looked over to Jessie, who was quickly picking up her headset that she had thrown down.
"Is he okay?" She asked in a semi calm voice.
"He's fine. Plus he's earned himself his first souvenir, a pair of handcuffs."