The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
Industry of Intrigue
By: Sapphire
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Chapter Five: Jack
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Benton Quest, Race, Jessie, and Hadji were out of leads. They had watched the elevator descend to the underground parking ramp, and then taken another down to try and catch them. All they found was a trail of scuff marks ending near a fresh set of tire marks.
Dejectedly, they went back to their hotel to see if they could come up with any new information from Laura Franklin Hardy's CIA records. After hours of going over them again and again, they concluded one thing. Connor Hovand III and Hovand Industries was the key to everything, and they wouldn't find Maggie and Jonny until they found out what Hovand was up to.
"I hate sitting around with those two kids missing," Race vented with frustration. "Jonny and Maggie are no match for people like Hovand."
"I know that, Race," said Dr. Quest, "but we can't go after them until we find out where they are."
"What about the papers Maggie got from the house?" Jessie suggested. "We were so excited about the letter we didn't even look at the other stuff."
"Those papers may be very important," Hadji agreed. "They must be significant if Laura Hardy hid them for so many years."
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Jonny and Maggie whispered excitedly as they put their plan together. Jonny still had his communicator watch on his wrist, and it was conveniently equipped with a homing beacon. Jonny had felt like kicking himself for not thinking of it sooner, and Maggie had blamed the lapse of common sense on the chloroform.
"Do you think the signal will reach your dad?" Maggie inquired. "I've heard these things don't work if the target is too far from the receiver."
"It has a satellite link," Jonny said. "My dad can track me anywhere in the world if he wanted. I just hope he's looking, because if he's not, I don't know how we're going to get his attention."
"Well, it's a communicator isn't it?" Maggie pointed out. "Can't you just call him up or something?"
"I thought about that," Jonny explained, "but I think these people would notice the transmission right away. It works a lot like a cellular phone. But a homing device? How many people walk around with one of those?"
"Good point," Maggie conceded. She watched closely as Jonny held his breath and activated the homing beacon. A tiny green light flashed at regular intervals, indicating it was working. "How will we know if they get the signal?" Maggie asked.
"We don't," Jonny said grimly. "It only works one way."
"Can we change the intervals of the signal?" Maggie wondered aloud, watching the green light flash in the dimly lit cell. "I read somewhere about someone trapped in a mine who used a walkie-talkie to send Morse Code signals when the transmitter only sent and received static. Could we do that?"
"Maybe, but it would be hard," Jonny thought. "What message would we send? I don't know Morse Code."
"S.O.S. of course," Maggie said. "Three short, three long, three short."
"I guess we could try, but it still doesn't guarantee they'll see."
"What about Iris?"
"Iris? You mean send the message to Questworld?" Jonny turned thoughtful. "I think you might have something there. I could relay the message to the computer and let Iris relay the message to my dad."
"What are you waiting for?" Maggie said, "Get working on it."
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Dr. Quest was working late. He was going through the files downloaded from Agent Parcell's computer for a fifth time. Working with Iris was the best way to analyze them, as well as their best chance of finding some kind of lead. Sitting back in his chair, he rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, trying to get his bleary vision to clear. Bandit, sitting at Dr. Quest's feet, looked up. When Dr. Quest didn't respond to his whine, Bandit put his head back down on his front paws forlornly.
Jessie Bannon knocked on his door and entered at his absent-minded "Come in." She approached him with a packet of papers, the ones in the envelope taken from Maggie and Laura's old home. Holding them out to him, she sighed.
"I thought you might want to see these yourself," she said. "I can't make sense of them, but I have this nagging feeling that there's something important in them. Maybe I'm just reading them wrong. Maybe I am reading it, but I just don't recognize it."
"Thank-you, Jessie," Dr. Quest said, taking the papers from her. "I could use a break from this." He gestured at the laptop on the desk in front of him.
"I can work on that for a while," Jessie offered. "I can tell you if Iris finds anything."
"You're welcome to it." Dr. Quest vacated his seat and moved to a small sofa with the packet of papers. Bandit followed him and sat once more at his feet. Jessie plopped down in his place and started punching away at the keyboard. They worked in silence for a long time.
MESSAGE: . . . _ _ _ . . .
"What on earth is this?" Jessie wondered aloud. "Dr. Quest, what is this message for?" Dr. Quest rose from the sofa and leaned over Jessie's shoulder, peering at the laptop's screen.
"I don't know. Ask Iris to clarify," he replied.
ORIGIN OF MESSAGE: WATCH 1
MESSAGE: . . . _ _ _ . . .
ACCESSING LOCATION NOW
"Jonny is sending us a message! That's Morse code!" Jessie quickly slipped out of the chair to allow Dr. Quest a seat. "S.O.S. He's using Iris to tell us where he is." Dr. Quest accessed the three dimensional map that would show the origin of the S.O.S. message.
"There!" Jessie exclaimed, reading the information that was scrolling across the screen. "He's still in Minneapolis. Himmel Street and 71st." She jumped up and roused her father who was sleeping in the room next door. He came running to the computer.
"What's at that address?" Race demanded. Dr. Quest typed in some commands, and more text began to scroll across the screen.
"A warehouse," Dr. Quest said. "It belongs to CPH Corporation." The three exchanged looks.
"Who are they?" Jessie asked.
"I don't believe I've heard of them before," Dr. Quest said. "It could be a local corporation."
"What do they have to do with Hovand Industries?" Jessie wondered aloud.
"Perhaps nothing," Dr. Quest answered. "CPH Corporation may have rented the warehouse to another company for use. I could find out."
"No, go get some sleep," Race ordered both his employer and his daughter. "I have arrangements to make. We leave at dawn." Neither Jessie nor Dr. Quest questioned him and they headed for bed and what little sleep they might get, Dr. Quest stopping in to wake Hadji and let him know what they'd just found.
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Jonny and Maggie sat on one of the bunks watching the communicator watch blink green as it sent the S.O.S. message repeatedly. They wouldn't know when Dr. Quest got the message, if he got the message.
"We better stop for tonight," Jonny said softly. "We don't want to kill the batteries before my dad gets the chance to see the message. We'll try again tomorrow."
"What'll we do if they don't see?" Maggie whispered.
"We stick together and hope Dad heard us," was all that Jonny said.
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The next morning, Dr. Quest, Race, Jessie, and Hadji were up and gone before dawn. Driving a rental van to the address Iris had indicated, they stopped in a dingy looking section of the city so Race could take care of some errand. The ordinary black backpack he came back with explained the stop. He wasn't going in unprepared. Everyone was silent and solemn as they moved on, winding their way through the city. Even Bandit sat sadly on Hadji's lap, lonely for Jonny.
"Himmel and 71st," Race stated as they came upon their destination. He drove past and parked more than a block up from the warehouse to avoid alerting the place to their presence. Piling out of the van quickly, they slipped into the shadows along another warehouse wall where they took in their surroundings. This area of the warehouse district was located away from the main flow of human activity. They were careful and alert as they worked their way from building to building without being seen until they came to the distribution center for Hovand Industries at Himmel and 71st.
"Hovand again," Race muttered. "I can trust that guy about as far as I can throw him."
"Indeed," commented Dr. Quest.
"CPH," Jessie mused aloud. "Connor P. Hovand Corporation." Dr. Quest and Race looked at her quizzically.
"How do you know the middle initial is P?" Race asked.
"Price," Hadji answered for Jessie, recalling something Mr. Hovand had said when he introduced his son. "Price goes by his middle name, as he is named after his father."
"It looks like we were right," Race said. "Hovand is our man." They looked to one another grimly. "Now, to find a way in…"
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Without Jonny's watch, they wouldn't know whether it was night or day. As the hour had grown late in the night, they had each taken a bunk and tried to sleep. What little sleep they did get was anything but restful. When Jonny decided to get up he automatically checked his watch.
"Ten forty-seven!" he exclaimed.
"What?" Maggie said groggily, roused by his shout.
"It's almost eleven o'clock in the morning!" Jonny reiterated. "We should have sent the second signal by eight."
"I told you to set the alarm last-"
"Shh," Jonny hissed, cutting her off. "Someone's coming." Maggie held her breath as they listened to the creaking door open and close, followed by approaching footsteps. At least three people were walking toward their cell. It was hard to judge as the sounds echoed off the cement walls in funny patterns.
"Jonny," she whispered nervously as the door to their cell was unlocked and opened. Three men appeared, along with someone who surprised both Jonny and Maggie. It was Miss Trencher, Mr. Hovand's secretary.
"Miss Hardy, Mr. Quest, how nice to see you again," she said cordially. "Your presence has been requested in the peach room. If you will accompany me please."
"Why should we?" Jonny demanded insolently.
"You will be going one way or another. We thought it more pleasant this way. If you prefer more drastic measures, that can be arranged," the secretary said.
"Let's follow Miss Trencher, Jonny," Maggie said. "I don't want to find out what the 'drastic measures' are."
"She's smart," Amelia Trencher said. "You might do well to listen to her, young man." Jonny grudgingly followed Miss Trencher, Maggie walking beside him, and the three goons fell into step behind them.
First, they were led down a corridor lined with cells identical to the one they had been held in. Beyond those, they followed a wider hallway with other, smaller cell blocks branching off of it. They were led up a set of stairs and along a short corridor. From there, they walked into the huge main room of the warehouse, and followed a pathway along the main working floor.
The place was deserted. Not a soul could be seen save the five people walking through the center of it. They passed through a doorway on the other side of the warehouse to an office area. Both Jonny and Maggie had been carefully observing their surroundings. They had noticed one important thing.
"No windows," Jonny whispered.
"I know," Maggie breathed. They were quickly silenced and then they were led into a large room painted and decorated in shades of peach and orange. The Peach Room. No one was inside. Miss Trencher motioned them in.
"Both of you sit down," Miss Trencher instructed. "They will be with you presently. I advise you not to try anything funny. The door is guarded and there is no other way out." She turned and left them alone.
"Who are 'they'?" Maggie asked. Jonny just shrugged. At a loss for what else to do, they found a small sofa and sat down next to each other to wait.
First Miss Trencher entered with two guards. Following them were several men and women in suits. Neither Maggie nor Jonny recognized any of them. The assembly sat down in the circle of chairs, except the guards who stood along a wall.
"Well, everyone, welcome," said a familiar voice as a figure entered the room. "I am glad that you all made it. It seems that we all have something to celebrate. But first I'd like to have some others present." Jonny and Maggie glared at him. It was no surprise to them to see Connor Hovand III.
"What's going on here?" Maggie demanded.
"Patience my dear," Mr. Hovand said pleasantly. He disappeared from the room, then reentered, followed by more guards guiding two bound, gagged and blindfolded young men.
"Price!" Maggie exclaimed as the blindfolds and gags were removed.
"Maggie!" he said with relief. "Are you all right? They didn't hurt you did they?" She shook her head no. Price looked around and started when he saw the other young man next to him. "Devin! How did you get here?" Maggie and Jonny both looked up at the other young man in surprise. He was shorter than Price, by two inches, but was just as lean. He had dark blond hair, and slate blue eyes.
"Ask him," Devin replied, glaring directly at Mr. Hovand.
"Father?!" Price was shocked when he turned to look. "What's going on?"
"You, my son, are going to learn a valuable lesson here today." He turned toward the guards still holding his sons. "Come, now, let's be civilized. Untie them." Two of Hovand's thugs did so, then pushed the young men down into a low sofa.
"Now, then, shall we get down to business?" Mr. Hovand asked.
"Oh, Please do," Maggie said sarcastically. Jonny gave her a sideways glance, and Devin seemed to notice her for the first time. He stared at her, studying her. Maggie felt their eyes on her, as well as Price's and Mr. Hovand's and was beginning to feel uncomfortable under their close scrutiny.
"No need for that kind of attitude, Miss Hardy," Mr. Hovand reprimanded. Maggie scowled at him.
"Miss Hardy!" Devin exclaimed. "Maggie?" Connor Hovand silenced him with a glaring look, and Maggie's scowl turned to surprise. How could he recognize her as he seemed to? She'd never met him. A glance to Jonny confirmed he was wondering the same thing.
"As I was saying, lets get down to business." Connor turned to the suits to address them. "As you are all aware, we have finally located and acquired Miss Maggie Hardy. Unfortunately, she had to go and get the uncle and cousin involved. They, in turn, got three others involved, Mr. Bannon and his charming daughter Jessica, and a young man, Hadji, who is Dr. Quest's adopted son. We have been able to secure Mr. Jonny Quest here, but the others have yet to be detained."
"You knew all along?!" Maggie interrupted in anger.
"Yes, my dear. I'm ashamed to say that I rather enjoyed toying with you throughout dinner last night." Connor Hovand III looked at her coolly. "Tell me, was that intern story a collaboration, or spur of the moment?" Maggie could barely contain her anger, but she managed to keep herself in check. Mr. Hovand shrugged, and turned to the men and women in suits.
"I have more good news to relay to you," Mr. Hovand said. "After securing Miss Hardy, we were able to convince Laura Franklin to tell us where the documents were hidden. We have a man retrieving them as we speak." The people in suits became excited and began whispering to themselves. "Once we obtained that information," Mr. Hovand continued, "We eliminated Laura Franklin. She was of no further use to us."
"You what!?" Maggie shouted in disbelief. Her shock quickly changed to fury. "What did you do to my mother?" Mr. Hovand turned to her coolly.
"She has been terminated. She no longer poses a threat to our organization," Mr. Hovand answered evenly. Tears glittered in Maggie's eyes. "No need to cry, now," Mr. Hovand said to her with mock sincerity. "You will be joining her shortly."
"Stop it, Father," Price interrupted angrily. "Whatever you've been doing, stop it right now." Mr. Hovand turned to his son.
"This isn't personal, Price," Hovand said. "This is business. Business can be ruthless at times. You have to learn to play the game. Watch carefully, and learn. This responsibility will be yours one day."
"I don't want this kind of responsibility," Price stated, confronting a long-standing conflict of differences between himself and his father. He glanced at his younger brother. Devin's look of fury rivaled Maggie's. Somehow this was hurting both of them…
"Son, you're too soft. You take after your mother that way. And look what it got her: she'll have a broken heart when I tell her Devin has suffered an unfortunate accident." He turned to Devin. "Seventeen years ago Abby unwittingly saved your worthless life. And now, because you went poking around where you had no business being, searching for your birth parents, you've thrown that chance away."
"Hold on," Jonny interrupted, staring at Connor Hovand. "You lost me there. What does Devin have to do with any of this?"
"I'm Laura and Jack Hardy's son," Devin answered when Mr. Hovand didn't speak. "Maggie is my twin sister." Maggie gasped in surprise.
"Matthew!" she breathed, rising from her seat in shock. "Twin?" She took a step forward, and was promptly pounced upon by one of the burly thugs. "Get off of me!" Maggie shouted as she suddenly found herself pinned to the ground.
"She said get off!" Jonny shouted, jumping up and trying to pull the guard off of her. The man let out a howl as Jonny grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, pulling him up far enough for Maggie to roll free. The second guard jumped into action and made a grab for Jonny. Price and Devin jumped up and stopped him from reaching Jonny and Maggie.
"Matthew," Maggie reached a hand out to him just as two strong hands clamped down onto her other arm. Several uniformed men came through the room's only door, and in a moment they had Price, Devin, Jonny, and Maggie surrounded. In the rush, Devin tried to grab hold of Maggie's hand, but their fingers barely brushed against each other before they were pulled apart.
"Enough!" Mr. Hovand shouted. "Take my son and the others and lock them up. They are distracting us. I'll take care of them later." The guards obeyed, filing from the room, hauling their four charges with them.
"I had intended to let you all in on this little meeting," Hovand told them as they were hauled away. "Too bad you couldn't behave yourselves." Maggie was the last to leave. Hovand stopped her guard before they could exit the room. Connor Hovand lifted her chin roughly, forcing her to look up at him. "She cried, you know," he said. "She cried, begging me to spare your life, and that good-for-nothing boy. You'll cry, too. You'll cry and beg for my mercy. I won't give you any." He dropped his hand and motioned for the guard to go. Maggie was dragged through the door by the guard, but her horrified gaze remained on Connor Hovand until the door closed in her face.
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Maggie was in a daze at first. She couldn't believe that man's cruelty. And her mother… The need to cry was strong, but she was still in shock. She kept moving only because her guard was dragging her along. Then her urge to cry suddenly vanished. She couldn't quite comprehend why, until she heard someone calling her name softly. It was definitely not her guard.
"Maggie," came the voice again. This time, looking ahead of her, she saw a hand stretched out between two bars in a cell door. "Maggie."
"Hush up now, Jack," said Maggie's guard. "Not another peep from you."
"Jack?" Maggie repeated to herself. "Dad?" she asked aloud. The hand reached out and grabbed the guard as he and Maggie passed.
"Let me see my daughter," ordered the man in the cell with a hoarse, but forceful voice.
"Dad!" Maggie called out to him. She saw him through the bars. Despite his shaggy, graying hair and gaunt features, he looked remarkably like Devin. There was no mistaking this man's identity.
"Let me see my baby," Jack Hardy ground out, struggling to hold onto the guard. Maggie stomped the heel of her shoe into the man's foot, and elbowed him hard in the stomach. He let go of her, and she kneed him in the groin. With a shove she had him against the wall, and he fell to the floor after a quick kick to each knee.
"Maggie," Jack said, "Baby, where did you learn how to do that?"
"Oh, Dad," she said, the tears finally coming. She grabbed his outstretched hand and she held onto it, not wanting to let go. "Mom made me take self defense." They both laughed at that for some odd reason.
"Baby," Jack said urgently, "See if that guard has a set of keys. See if you can get me out of here."
"Okay," she said, wiping her eyes with determination. She quickly relieved the guard of his keys. "Dad, Mom is dead," Maggie said, her eyes refilling with tears as she fumbled with the keys at the lock. "They killed her last night."
"I know, baby," he said sadly. "They made me watch." Maggie looked up at him through the bars of the window. She could see the terror and devastation in his eyes. She couldn't stand to look at them and looked back at the lock. It finally clicked open. The door swung outward, and her father stepped out. He took her in his arms and held her tight, like he might have done twenty years before when she was just a baby.
"I have been waiting 20 years to hold you," he said to her. "20 long, long years."
"Oh, Daddy," Maggie whispered. He finally pulled away and kissed her on the forehead affectionately.
"We have to go and get your brother and your friends." Maggie nodded and Jack stooped to pick up a gun from the guard. "I have to be prepared," he told his daughter. "I'm not losing you again." Then he took his daughter's hand and they started off down the long corridor.
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To be continued…
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