The One and Only Jessie Bannon – A Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures Fanfiction

by Akane-Rei

Chapter Six: Other Nights of Past and Present

Hadji stared at the rolling waves of the sea as they crashed against the surf and touched his bare feet. He watched his toes curl as the receding waters loosened the compacted grains of sand, allowing his feet to sink beneath the earth. He felt the night wind brush his hair, bare of its usual turban, and looked at the sky. Thousands of stars winked at him in greeting and he smiled.

There were times -- few and far in between admittedly -- in his life when the coming of the night actually brings him peace, when the lulling sound of the surf brings him relaxation, and when the salty smell of the ocean breeze brings back memories of a happier time. In those rare moments -- and they do last for only a moment -- he takes advantage of the opportunity given to him to immerse himself into the feeling and revel in the tranquillity.

"Hadji," he heard Jon call from behind him.

Sometimes, all it takes is just one added element to bring it all back . . .

Within a matter of seconds, the night became his enemy as a memory flashed within his consciousness. More often than not, the night was his nemesis. When the cloak of darkness veils the sun, it brings with it age- old feelings which claw at his being.

"Jon," he replied steadily.

He watched his friend jog over next to him and situate himself beside him.

"Geez, Hadj," he said. "What are you doing out here? It's colder than a --"

"I know," interrupted Hadji. "However, I have discovered that if you concentrate hard enough and cease to pay attention to it, it eventually goes away."

He watched his friend raise one of his brows and look at him disbelievingly. He smiled.

"May I ask what you are doing out here, my friend?" he questioned.

Jon shrugged his shoulders and said, "I followed you here."

Hadji nodded, accepting his reply.

They stood in silence for awhile, both staring at the ocean, until Jon muttered something under his breath.

"What was that?" asked Hadji as he looked at his friends.

Jon was staring at the ocean with an apathetic look in his eyes. He dug his hands in the pockets of his jeans and faced him.

"I said I used to hate the ocean," he replied with a noticeable edge in his voice.

Hadji stared at him in surprise. "I never knew that," he stated evenly, careful not to say anything that might bring the familiar awkwardness which usually accompany a discussion that may pertain to that fateful night and her. "May I ask why?" questioned Hadji, knowing full- well what the answer is.

He saw Jon take a deep breath. A tension filled silence grew between them and Hadji began to regret asking the question.

"Because she loved it," Jon broke in quietly. "She loved everything about it: the life, the scent, the feel, the sound. She got involved in so many things to preserve the life that exists in those waters . . . and this . . . this was how it repaid her dedication."

Hadji looked at him in silence and Jon gave him a rueful smile.

"I know it's stupid," he assured Hadji. "But there are times when I just couldn't help it. I needed to have something there to hate, to blame. Rage was dead so I couldn't very well hunt him down." He shrugged. "And we both know what happened the last time I took it out on someone."

Hadji nodded and unconsciously touched the side of his face. Yes, he most definitely remembered the last time Jon had lashed out on someone.

- - FLASHBACK - -

Do you think you can beat me? Jonny thought furiously. Do you think you can beat ME?

He felt himself pushed backward and he scrambled to get to his feet only to be pushed back. He felt himself being pounded to the ground and he gasped for breath, trying to regain his advantage. Kneeling at all fours, he stared at his hands, braced against the ground, preventing him from collapsing. Slowly, he stood up and faced his enemy.

"You think you can take me, huh?" he shouted. "Is that the best you can do?"

He never felt the storm winds blow, creating a series of goosebumps in his skin. He never felt the cold that bit at his skin, so flushed was he from exertion. He never heard the rolling of the thunder or the flashes of lightning, so intent was he upon his foe. He took his stance and prepared himself for the oncoming onslaught.

"C'mon," he muttered. "Try me. Just try me."

I'll show you, he thought. I'll show you.

When the attack came, he was ready for it. He saw it coming and he dug his feet to the ground.

All to no avail. He was overwhelmed by the sheer force, the strength . . .

Jonny felt the frigid water enclose around his body as it slammed him back into the ground. This time, his consciousness began to fade. He watched, with heavy lids, the dark waters in front of him as he gurgled the last breath he could. His eyes start to shut when he felt a set of arms pull at him by the neck.

Everything went black.

His first thought when he regained consciousness was that he was soaking wet. He could feel a wetness sluicing down his face, drenching his already wet clothes. He tried to open his eyes, only to shut them back again in response to the rain that was falling heavily from the sky. His body began to wrack with endless coughing as he tried to sit up and look at his surroundings through the pouring rain.

He was in the Quest Compound, near the house itself.

In front of him was Hadji, kneeling down, gasping for breath. He saw Hadji look down at him.

"Hey, Hadj," he rasped, although he didn't think Hadji could hear him with all the racket caused by the storm.

He saw a cloud of emotion pass over Hadji's face.

"Are you crazy?" Hadji shouted.

Taken aback, Jonny just stared at his best friend's face uncomprehendingly.

"You could have been killed out there!" Hadji continued to rail. "Swimming in the Atlantic during one of the year's worst storms is not one of the brightest things to do, Jonny!"

Hadji continued to breathe heavily and was about to say more when he interrupted.

"I know what I was doing," stated Jonny. "I could have handled it."

"Jonny," said Hadji bitingly, "You were unconscious when I pulled you out of the water. What did you think you were doing out there?"

Jonny remained silent.

Hadji, whose calm demeanor taunted at him ever since that night, wouldn't understand. He wouldn't understand this . . . restlessness . . . these feelings churning inside him . . . threatening to overwhelm him. Hadji, whose serenity throughout all this, wouldn't understand. He wouldn't understand Jonny's lack of control, his lack of discipline in dealing with them.

"Leave me alone, Hadji," he said quietly, but he was sure Hadji heard him.

He started to get up and walk towards the house when he heard Hadji say something behind him. He turned back abruptly and said in an even, but dangerous voice, "Care to repeat what you said, friend?"

Hadji looked at him directly in the eye and replied in a gratingly calm voice, "I asked why is it that you punish yourself over what had happened. I said that killing yourself will not bring her back. She is dead, Jonny."

Hadji got up to his feet while saying this and started heading towards the house.

She is dead, Jonny.

Jonny dug his nails into his palms and watched his friend walk away from him.

Why do you punish yourself?

His eyes burned with unshed tears.

Killing yourself will not bring her back.

I wasn't trying to kill myself, he thought, still watching Hadji's retreating figure. I wasn't.

Killing yourself . . .

'He's so calm,' he thought with despair. 'He doesn't even care enough to grieve.'

. . . Will not bring her back

What the hell does he know? he thought furiously. Just what the hell does he know?

She is dead

He felt a rage build inside his chest, rising up to his throat, choking him.

You. Cannot. Follow. Her. said a voice from that night.

He gave a cry of wrath, or anguish, and hurled himself into the unknown.

The only reason Hadji was able to block the onslaught of Jonny's first attack was the fact that he heard Jonny's battle cry just before it came. What happened afterward would be another memory that will remain engraved in his mind for years to come. He can feel the anger that was directed to him by this fifteen year old boy. He can see the frustration, the agony. All of these were reflected in his blue eyes. And because his friend was suffering and because he was still ashamed of his own actions that fateful night, all he did was block the attacks coming in his direction.

He did not throw a punch or land a kick. He took the verbal abuse spat his way with equanimity. That is, until Jonny said, "You don't care! You damn robot! You just stood there!"

Hadji's lips tightened as he tried to put a rein to his own building anger.

Cease your words, he thought.

"You just stood there!" shouted Jonny again in between his blows. "You didn't even try to save her! You held me back when I could have gotten to her! I would have gotten to her!"

Shut up! he thought furiously.

Hadji looked at his friend's face and inwardly groaned at the sheer determination written there.

"Even . . . afterwards," gasped Jonny, "no expression. . . unfeeling robot! I wanted to follow her! Don't you understand?"

"Shut up!" Hadji howled through his blocks. "Just shut up!"

Hadji saw Jonny look at him in surprise and falter in his attack. He took advantage of that opportunity to hold him down the ground by twisting his arms behind him. He leaned down and screamed in his ear, trying to be heard above the sounds of the storm.

"You do not know how I feel!" he bellowed. "Do not presume to judge-- "

Jonny escaped his hold and pushed him away. Hadji knew that Jonny would have continued his mindless attacks had they both not heard Dr. Quest shouting over the uproar.

"What the devil is going on here!"

Both youths jumped apart and looked at each other intently. Both did not bother to answer Dr. Quest's query.

"I'm waiting for an answer," stated Dr. Quest.

Hadji stared at Jonny, who was looking at him with hate.

"I lost a friend that night, too, Jonny," he said as evenly as he could. "Am I going to lose another one tonight?"

Jonny remained silent and Hadji almost groaned in frustration. "Do you think that you are the only one to suffer her death?" Hadji demanded. "Jonny, do not be an idiot! We all suffered."

"You could have fooled me," said Jonny, almost to himself. "No one talks about her . . . No one," he whispered, but Hadji heard.

"We each deal with our grief our own way, Jonny," said the quiet voice of Benton Quest.

Hadji and Jonny looked at the doctor, as if first noticing his presence.

"Why don't we all go back inside and away from this rain?" he said, no demanded.

Hadji saw Jonny internally debate the wisdom of defying his father when he nodded his head and started to walk back to the direction of the house. He sighed with relief when he heard Jonny's footsteps follow him from behind. He never noticed the fact that Dr. Quest did not follow them back.

Before entering the house, Hadji turned to Jonny and said, "Rage was the one who took her from us, Jonny. Her death was not your fault." He turned back and headed to his room. "It was mine," he whispered to himself and himself alone. "Mine."

- - END FLASHBACK - -

"My fault," Jon whispered to himself as he remembered Hadji's parting shot. "It was my damn fault."

"What was that?" asked Hadji.

Jon shook the cobwebs from his brain and said, "Nothing, nothing important. By the way, I came out here to ask if you're already packed and ready to go."

Hadji smiled and Jon knew that he saw through his quite obvious way of changing the topic.

"I am quite ready for our flight tomorrow," replied Hadji.

"Well, that's good," he answered lamely.

A pensive mood pervaded the atmosphere.

"Listen," said Jon, "I'm freezing out here so I guess I'll run back to the Compound. Don't stay out too long, alright?"

Hadji nodded.

Jon ran back to the house like the devil was after him.

Hadji watched his friend's retreating figure and stared back out into the ocean.

Sometimes, he thought again, all it takes is just one added element to bring it all back.

Revised October 09, 2004