From : Chihuahua
Date : 19th August 2003
Disclaimer : I don't own any of the TRA:JQ characters and neither do I own any of the characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. No money is made out of this fic. Don't sue me as I'm not sure I can afford Ally McBeal.
Category : A, JJ-HR, DBN-HR, F, E, JQ/Buffy Crossover
Rating : Parental guidance is advised.
Author's note : This takes place after Season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is my account on what happens and is based fully on my own creativity.
Archiver's Permission: Granted to those who want it. Just inform me on where it can be found.
CHAPTER 12: FIRE, ICE AND JADE
Jonny swept the land with his eyes. The grassy hillocks shone a dull blue in the night light, drops of the previous shower like crystal beads on a dark blue backdrop. The grass looked like jeweled scabbards stabbed into the ground. In orderly rows, tombstones jutted out from the ground, like stark white teeth of some unearthly being. The luminosity was unnerving for something so gloomy. Angels and saints glared down at him from their lofty perches, their usually serene faces harsh in the shadow.
He tripped over a tree root and cursed under his breath. The cemetery was quiet, almost silent. Then, there was a shuffle.
The sound of crumbling damp dirt was crystal clear to him as he loped over the stretches of graves. Vaulting over a grave, he whipped out his stake and waited patiently for the vampire's chest to break the surface.
There was another shuffle behind him and Jonny leapt up, twisting in midair to kick a second vampire that had emerged from the darkness. Dropping back onto his feet, he lunged in with a hard punch and followed that with an uppercut and a sharp sidekick. Diving in, he drove the stake into the vamp's chest and tumbled through the cloud of dust…
And drove the stake into the heart of the newborn as its chest broke the surface. He got up and dusted himself.
"Well, that was exhilarating…" Ducking aside, he threw a hard punch at his foe, sensing rather than seeing. "Another one bites the dust!" he sang, ramming the stake through the vampire's chest.
He smiled serenely as a vampire leapt at him, fangs and talons bared. "IRIS, shut down Graveyard Simulation 103, now!"
"SHUTTING DOWN NOW," he heard IRIS say.
The leaping vampire vanished, and so did the cemetery. The dim lights were replaced by the bright ones of the training room.
"Why did you end the simulation?" Race demanded from his perch on the side. Under the harsh white lights, his hair appeared to glow and the newfound wrinkles that now lined his face deepened.
"Feeling a little out of it today." Jonny mopped his face with a small towel and chugged away at his bottle of water. His white tank top clung to his wet body, his hair hung in wet tangles on his forehead.
"You okay?" Seth asked, getting off the floor, stretching his lanky body.
Jonny nodded. "Just tired, I guess."
"Get a choc bar or something. Should give you a boost," Seth offered helpfully.
Jonny shot him an amused look. "Look who's talking. You might try eating every once in a while… you're so skinny!"
Seth seemed unperturbed. "I like it that way," he said in his defense, smiling. He studied himself in the mirror that stretched across a wall.
Race just grunted, making an entry into his Watcher's journal.
Jonny threw down his towel and straightened his track pants. "Race, have you found anything on that weapon yet? That Blade of Aefriol thing, I mean."
"I've got a lead. I'm expecting her some time soon."
Jonny nodded. "Good. Whatever. But I need it!" He picked up a pair of daggers and twirled them around for a bit, gauging their weight. Pulling a pair of QuestWorld visors on, he said, "IRIS, begin Simulation 506!"
"Will he be ready?" Hadji asked, as he watched his brother run through a series of complicated punches and kicks, taking imaginary hits and doling out equally. On the LCD screen of Race's computer, he could see the simulated environment; a cave with six demons.
"I dunno, Hadj… I hope so. But I'll feel better when we have that Blade of Aefriol with us," Race replied.
"He will be ready," Seth said, looking over at the two.
Race looked at the boy sharply. "How can you be so sure?"
"I have faith. The question should be how can you not trust him? He is the Destined."
"Many of the Destined have fallen under the weight of evil," Race shot back.
"He's different. It's not yet his time."
"What about the Blade of Aefriol? Shouldn't that help?" Hadji asked, ticking another glance back at the monitor. "Isn't that what that vampire was afraid of?"
Race nodded. "We'll find out about it soon enough…"
"So, what kind of magic do you deal in?" Hadji turned questioningly at Seth.
The Chinese boy shrugged. "I'm a Healer."
"Anything else besides healing?"
"No."
***
A small plane flew low in the night sky, the engine drone carrying a constant beat as the propellers beat the air in steady rhythm. Below, the nightlights of the city formed bright pinpricks against an otherwise dark spread.
"Ms. Kenyon, we will be approaching the Quest Compound in a few minutes. You should get your gear together," the voice over the intercom said, almost smothered by the roar of the propellers.
"Guess I'll be getting ready then," a seductive whisper said teasingly. Flipping over her compact, she used the mirror as she applied her favorite lipstick. Berry stain… his favorite too.
A single figure dropped from the plane, headed directly for the Quest Compound. The black parachute burst open, slowing its rapid descent. It landed spot on in the Compound, disengaging the harnesses even before it landed. Immediately, twin barrels were whipped out and aimed at an almost invisible security camera. Three shots disabled the three on the ground. Rolling aside to avoid the blasts from the laser beams from the security defenses, the dark shadow shot another two shots, disabling another two cameras.
Suddenly, the Compound was flooded with light, catching the figure entirely.
"Ah, Jade, I was wondering when you were going to drop by," Race exclaimed, smiling. "Although I didn't anticipate such a bold entry," he added with a frown, surveying the damage.
Jade pulled back her hood to reveal her raven bob and smiled coquettishly. "You know me, Bannon. Never one for meek entrances."
"So I've heard," Benton said, stepping beside Race.
"Hello, Benton," she said. "I'll pay for the damages… or maybe there's a certain matter that's more important to you that I can assist with. Should we call it even then?" She winked.
Benton sighed. "Even."
"I thought so." Jade tapped her foot impatiently. "My, my gentlemen! How quickly you forget your manners!" she exclaimed in mock horror.
Race shifted uncomfortably and Benton seemed to blush a little at his rudeness. "Please come on in, Jade," he motioned her in by stepping aside. Race stepped out and picked up her bag and bundled up the parachute, cursing softly at the amount of damage the raven-haired vixen had caused in two minutes.
"So… this weapon you're searching for…"
"The Blade of Aefriol," Jonny half-yawned. He struggled half-heartedly to straighten the T-shirt he had pulled on when he had been woken up. Next to him, Hadji yawned despite his best efforts to suppress it. Besides the adults, only Seth seemed awake. And Bandit. The dog now struggled to get out of Jade's hands.
"Yes… well…"
"Have you located it?" Benton interjected.
"Manners, Benton, let me get there first," Jade admonished, wagging a finger at him.
Benton looked slightly annoyed, ticking a glare at Race who shrugged helplessly. He was just thankful that Estella had flown back to her research the day before, sparing him the sticky situation of being caught in between two women from his past. As of yet, he was confused to whether or not Estella was back in his as a lover, or they had just been supporting each other.
"Well, anyway, as I was saying, this Blade you're all looking for is no easy thing to find. First of, we can rule out the black market. I've tried every name I know there, and each one either shrugged his shoulders or threatened to take mine off for some apparent debt."
"We gathered that much, Ms. Kenyon." Hadji looked straight at her, studying the unlined face for any signs of deception. He could find none, but that did not bode well with him anyway. It was better to be able to read Jade's deceit than to learn the hard way later.
"So, I did my homework and checked with the bigwigs of the other dimensions and pulled some strings, twisted some arms and horns, but in the end, a couple of them spilt their guts, the rest literally." Jade smiled slyly. "Apparently, the Blade is a beautiful sword, a katana if you will, that was wielded by Aefriol before his demise." Jade pulled out a scroll from a case and waved it slightly.
Benton nodded. "We've seen the pictures."
"So, where is the sword?" Jonny snapped impatiently. He had had about enough of Jade's procrastination. Waking him up to hand him the weapon was fine, but waking him up to tell him what he already knew pissed him off.
"Patience, my friend," Hadji soothed him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Jonny glared at him, then directed the steely gaze at Jade.
Jade looked back, unfrazzled. Her mossy green eyes were calm and bore only the slightest bit of frost when she returned the look. She had known the kid for a long time, and had known about the legacy that shrouded him a lot longer. There was no way she was going to take orders from an upstart… no matter how prodigious.
"How badly do you want it?" she asked, turning her attention to Benton. Jonny made an exasperated sound.
Benton breathed calmly. He had predicted this and now he slid a case across the table. "All in hundreds," he said airily as Jade flipped open the case and thumbed through the stacks.
"A million, fifty percent short of my charging price, Benton dear," she cooed. Sighing, "But since we're old friends, I'll give you my special discount and accept this."
"Wait, Jade. I've no intention of short-changing you. The five hundred thousand will be delivered when you get us what we want," Benton said, smiling.
"You've already got what you wanted. You asked for information on the Blade, and that scroll is the map to it." Jade got up.
"We need the Blade, not a map."
"Sorry, Benton. I've got other business to attend to," she said curtly.
"What if say, I up the five hundred to another full million?"
Race hid a smile. The doc had hooked her. There was no way Jade could say no to such an offer.
"What do you say, Jade?" Benton pressed on.
"Deal."
"Good. We'll set off tomorrow."
"You're the client," Jade headed out. "Will I get my own suite or will I be having a room-mate?" Jade asked, aiming a coquettish smile at Race.
"A guest room has already been set up for you since we anticipated your arrival." Benton got up. "Back to bed, boys. We'll be leaving early."
Jonny mumbled something and slid of the chair, motioning for Bandit to follow him. Hadji followed. Seth lingered behind, studying Jade. There was something about her that intrigued him, a familiar memory.
"So, you're the one," Jade said, a confident smile plastered on her face as she studied Seth.
Seth was puzzled. "The what?"
"In due time."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means simply what it sounds like. You will learn in due time."
"Learn what?"
Jade walked away, headed for the stairs.
Seth ran after her and grabbed her shoulder. "Tell me!" he hissed.
Jade turned around, the coldness of her eyes frigid now. "Don't grab me!" she all but snarled. Something in her eyes made Seth back away, not from fear, but from reverence.
"Sorry." There was no answer.
The Dragonfly II zipped through the air, cutting a clean wedge in the clouds as it propelled on. Jonny peered out of the window and suppressed another yawn. They had left the Compound before five in the morning and were off the runway by seven. The sky was bright above the clouds. He turned away from the window; there was nothing to look at besides clouds anyway.
Behind him, he heard the restless shuffle of feet, and smiled. Even Hadji was feeling a little edgy on the trip. Across the deck, he saw the Healer fiddling with his earring, an utterly bored expression on his face.
Bandit stretched and yawned on Jonny's lap, rolling over to give his master a contented look before leaping off onto the floor to scurry off somewhere. The dog went through a door, towards the small kitchen. Jonny could hear his father and Jade talking about the Blade.
The Blade of Aefriol. The weapon of his ancestor. Jessie had insisted that he find it, and so he would. But at what cost?
"What's on your mind?" He looked up and saw Seth standing next to him, stretching his arms. Those piercing kohl-dark eyes probed his, penetrating his mind.
"Nothing." Jonny turned away.
"Anythin' to do onboard?" Seth looked around blankly, motioning with his hands. He raised an eyebrow at Hadji, who simply shrugged.
Jonny shrugged. "Never much to do on these trips, watch some TV, scan through videos…" Make out with Jessie, he continued mentally. "And then, there's QuestWorld."
Hadji looked up in surprise. The past few weeks that he had been home, Jonny had never used QuestWorld for more than training sessions. Never for recreational purposes.
"Isn't that just for simulating your training sessions?" Seth asked.
"No, my friend. QuestWorld creates any artificial environment you please and takes on many functions. In this case, say, we used to use it for games."
"We're talking like PlayStation here?" Seth looked around.
"Only better," Hadji affirmed.
"Cool. Do you need a special invite or anything?"
"No." Jonny got up and led the way below deck. A special section of the storage deck had been sectioned off for the kids when they were younger. A portable console was already in place and Hadji got behind the screen. Jonny handed Seth a pair of visors and set himself down on one of the recliners. Seth did the same.
"What are we playing?" Seth asked, shifting to get comfortable.
Hadji browsed through the selection of programs and sighed. "We really have to update the archive some time soon. Everything here is close enough to ancient."
Jonny grinned. "When was the last time we did it?"
"Two years ago."
"Damn! Oh hell, let's just go retro. Mystic Voyage, Hadj!"
"Mystic Voyage it is." Hadji tapped the keys rapidly. "IRIS, load program Mystic. Subjects Jonny Quest and Seth Chen. Going hot!"
Seth looked around, scanning his surroundings. Everything looked like a stylized set of Dungeons and Dragons. "Kinda cheesy isn't it?" he ticked a glance over at Jonny, and admired how closely Jonny's image resembled his real form.
"What's up with the outfits?" Seth asked, pulling at the tights he was wearing with extreme discomfort.
Jonny shrugged. "You're an elf, I guess. Would explain the long hair and fancy get –up."
Seth glared at Jonny. "So, what exactly do we do?"
"Mostly go from stage to stage… by bashing them!"
Seth whirled around and nearly took an axe to his face. He dodged the swing, just in time to see it shred through some of his dark hair. Instinctively, he grabbed the twin daggers at his belt and fell in time with Jonny as they slashed their way through. Goblin blood spurted over him… stinging his eyes. He could almost taste the rancid blackness as some sprayed over his face.
"This is almost too real!" he yelled over the clash of weapons.
Jonny grinned, ducking a swing from a sword and plunging his own into the goblin, kicking the carcass aside as it fell onto the ground. "That bad for you?"
"Hell no!" Seth whooped, jumping over a foe, kicking it in the face as he jammed the daggers into yet another. As the body fell, he heard Jonny whoop in glee.
"That was a rush!" the Destined cried, wiping off blood from his face. The dark streaks were everywhere, even darkening sections of his hair.
Seth wiped his daggers and stuck them back into the holsters. "What's next?"
"Watch out!" Jonny screamed, leaping forward.
Seth spun around and saw a huge sword sweeping at his head. He held out his hands protectively…
"What the f…!" Hadji exclaimed, ducking aside as a bolt of pale blue energy shot at him. He fell painfully his side as the laptop blew up, sending bits of alloy everywhere in the chamber. The blast had been powerful… it had to have been powerful. The damage was testament to it.
"Hadj, what happened?" Jonny asked, getting off his seat. His visor was pushed up on his head.
Hadji brushed himself down and shook his head. "I do not know, Jonny. There was this strange bolt of… something. Some kind of energy blast. It blew up the console."
Jonny frowned. "Where did it come from?" He looked around, checking for anything.
Hadji shrugged. "Maybe it was just a freak accident. Like the charge of something or other."
Seth stepped next to the two. "Yeah… freak accident," he muttered, concurring.
"Well, I guess QuestWorld is out of the question now." Jonny removed the visor from his head and placed them on the table. Seth placed his next to it.
"There are those DVDs we packed before leaving," Hadji suggested. Jonny was already headed for the upper deck.
"Freak accident," Hadji muttered. He looked at Seth, peered into the boy's eyes. "Freak accident…" Seth simply turned and walked away, rubbing his hands as if they were really cold.
ISRAEL
Dry dirt rose in clouds as they trudged through the rough and uneven terrain. The sun was high in the sky and the heat beat down on their backs mercilessly. Benton cast a reproachful look at the jeep they had left some two hundred yards back. The dirt road they had followed had fallen into a dire state of disrepair over the years; centuries of erosion from the elements had caused a huge ravine to open up, a deep yawning trench that did not seem to end.
As Race had subtly put it, they were screwed.
Jade led the way now, Race co-navigating. Benton readjusted his hat and struggled to keep up. His age, damn nature again, was catching up with him. Either that or he had to get back to his routine morning workout.
Hadji ambled along, keeping him silent company as they made their way through the brush. Hadji's khaki shirt had been stuck into his backpack, a sleeve sticking out uncharacteristically. Further up, Jonny and Seth matched each other's step, taking easy strides behind Race and Jade. Jonny's T-shirt had been slung through the strap of his waist pouch, flapping lazily as the boy walked. Benton had made sure they had all slathered themselves with a gallon of sunblock before the journey. Even so, the teen's usually tan shoulders were already red from the rays.
Benton's body was lethargic but his mind remained alert. He noticed that the only one who did not seem to be suffering from heat exhaustion was Seth who maintained an easy pace. His T-shirt was soaked, but he did not seem to mind he loped along, switching his sling bag from one shoulder to the other in intervals. Race was swearing loudly about flies and the heat and Jade was too fixated on her compass and the map.
"How much further?" Seth called out, after nearly an hour's trek through the dry land.
Race looked ahead and made a rough estimate. Probably another half an hour.
The procession continued somberly.
"Bandit's so lucky he missed this!" Jonny said, pushing his shades up on his damp hair for a while.
Hadji laughed. "I don't think he would agree." Bandit had been locked up in the Dragonfly II as Jonny had deemed the journey to be too troublesome, even without a dog. Hadji was silently grateful for the bit of foresight. A frantic dog in this weather was simply asking for trouble.
They reached their destination forty minutes later.
"This it?" Jonny asked, stretching his bare torso.
"Yeah," Race answered, looking up at the rocky caves. "Now we just gotta figure out which one."
Jade shrugged and prepared to continue.
"Don't move, Jade!" Jonny hissed in warning. His eyes glinted urgently.
Jade froze on the spot. She felt the hair rise at the back of her neck when she heard the sharp hissing.
"Rattler," Race commented, his eyes showing his anxiety.
"Jonny, don't…" Benton started, but it was too late. Jonny had slunk closer to the coiled reptile, tugging his T-shirt from his waist free.
"Jade, listen to me," Jonny spoke steadily. "When I tell you to, jump towards Race." He continued to slide closer. "Just trust me," he added when he saw the hesitation on her face. Jade nodded, just a brief gesture of her head.
Jonny slid closer… "Ready?' he asked, looking Jade straight in the eye. Jade nodded shallowly again. "JUMP!"
Jade leapt blindly at Race, kicking off as hard as possible.
In that same instant, the rattler uncoiled itself with blinding speed, mouth gaping and fangs extended. It lunged forward… and Jonny swung his T-shirt, catching it across the midsection and slamming it onto a rock. Whipping the shirt away, he slammed his heel into the snake's head, feeling it crunch under his shoe.
"Now that was a rush!" he whooped, a big grin on his face.
"That was amazingly stupid!" Benton yelled, his face taut with worry. "You could've been bitten and…!"
"And Seth would've healed me," Jonny finished. "What would you have rather me do? Stay still till it bit Jade?"
"The boy's quite a hero now, isn't he?" Jade smiled gratefully. "All grown up."
Hadji was quick enough to catch a flash of paternal annoyance on Benton's face and another of envy on Race's. Oh boy…
"Do you know which cave it's in?" Seth looked expectantly at Jonny.
Jonny was about to bite back a comment when strangely, he realized that he did know where it was. "Over there." He jogged the short distance and plunged away from sight.
"Jonny, wait up!" Race yelled. He stopped at the entrance of a cave. It had been hidden from view till now.
"Come on in, it's fine." Jonny's voice was faint, coming from the darkness. Suddenly, a beam of light flashed on. "Come on!"
They entered one after another through the narrow mouth. Jonny led this time, as they stepped deeper and deeper into darkness.
"We seem to be headed downwards," Benton observed, his flashlight swinging from side to side. "Amazing." He leaned forward to study the runes that cut were cut into the wall. Hadji did the same, together they read the etchings.
"I can't really tell, but these appear to be Sumerian," Hadji said, tracing the carvings with his finger tips. The edges were still sharp, as though fresh.
"I can't make out much, but I think it's some kind of protection spell." Benton straightened up. "It's not all Sumerian. See, there's Greek, Arabic, and some others which I don't recognize."
"Onwards then," Race commanded, whipping out a heavy duty flashlight.
"How come he gets the big tool?" Jade asked, pulling out her own light.
"Because there was only one," Benton answered, not pulling his attention from the walls.
The rocky ground soon softened, becoming nearly sandy as they continued to move deeper and deeper into the cave. At times, there were branches in the tunnel, but Jonny was always decisive in his choices, working his way steadily through the pitch blackness. His torch seemed to be a secondary tool in his navigating.
"You sure about this?" Race asked, shifting the heavy light to his other arm.
Jonny didn't answer, but he stopped suddenly, smiling to himself.
"What is it, my friend?" Hadji said, moving closer. His beam didn't seem to be able to pierce the inky blackness that lay ahead.
"We're here."
Race handed a bag over to Benton. "Distribute the weapons," he said shortly, aiming the light into the dark cavern.
Seth looked into the bag and whistled. "Not a fan of ancient weaponry, I see." He reached in and pulled out a gun. "Uzi?"
Race nodded.
The rest armed themselves. Even Jonny pulled out a semi-automatic.
"Ready?" Race took the lead this time, gun in one hand, light in the other. The darkness seemed to swallow them as they passed through it.
"No use, Race. Better try that new thing."
Race sighed. He knew that Benton was right, but to test out new equipment, even the Doc's, was somewhat desperate. And desperation did not bode very well with Race. Slipping the bag off, he dug his hand in and pulled out a small globe the size of a tennis ball.
"Someone aim the light there!" Race took a deep breath and pressed a button on the ball before rolling it. A moment later, the ball exploded into a ball of light, flooding the space with light.
"It'll only last five minutes," Benton said.
Jonny had already headed towards a column of pure light. He had seen it almost as soon as he had felt it. The light simply made it a lot easier to navigate his way through the vast space.
The chamber was some kind of gorge; a sheer drop ran through part of the space. The walls stretched like mountains, rugged and steep. Where they stood, everything looked like the base of a mesa, huge columns of solid rock rose in intervals. On closer inspection, it also seemed as though they were on the plateaus of a mesa as the land on which they stood on fell all around them, ending in a pit of unfathomable depth.
"Fur on a catfish!" Race studied the landscape in awe.
"Holy shit!" Jade had stepped to the edge and was peering over into the darkness. "Crap, I wouldn't wanna fall here."
Hadji shuddered secretly. He muttered a silent prayer to Vishnu for their luck. Where the five of them stood now, they had come close to six feet away from a fall into the abyss.
"Where's Jonny?" Benton asked suddenly. He checked his watch. "About three minutes more before darkness falls again.
"Over there." Seth pointed to a lone figure at the far end of the rocky platform they stood on.
"What the hell is the kid doing?" Race muttered.
"The Blade. He's going for the Blade." Seth looked on; the intensity in his eyes was matched by the rest as they could only watch.
"He won't make it in time," Benton commented, pulling out a flare gun. "Race, can you aim at those cliffs. I think those are some kind of sconces. If there's enough fuel there, we might still have some light.
"Worth a shot." Race took the gun and took aim. He fired three shots, angling all three differently so that the shower of sparks would hit different areas. Benton pulled out another gun and did the same, aiming at another cliff. The sparks caught on and the cliffs were ablaze with light from the lit sconces.
The flickering light cast shadows everywhere, catching the carvings in the walls.
"More carvings," Hadji pointed. "And a mural of some sort too."
Benton had already begun to take digital photos of the walls, taking systematic sections of the wall. "We may need to study these later on."
Jonny jogged, his target set in his sights. The column of light suspended a sword and he knew that that was the object of his search. The light fell on the top of an island. A dark chasm surrounded it, and it was connected to the main plateau only by a narrow bridge. The air was still all around, no sign of movement. However, the first step he planted on the bridge triggered a rough gale. Coupled with the dulling of his senses, he had difficulty keeping his balance.
A test. It's only a test. Jonny persevered, pushing on. A sudden wave nearly pushed him over the edge, but ducking, he rolled back to his feet, keeping low to reduce wind resistance. The gale continued to pummel him, the temperature dropping enough to chill his bare skin to the bone, then hot enough to singe the hairs on his arms. Jonny took yet another step, pushing himself on.
A step was followed by another step.
And yet another…
And still another…
And then, he was there. He stood just outside the beam of light, the light circle a pure white against the rusty red of the earth.
He reached out slowly, cautiously. His arm ached from the hesitation, moving slowly as his fingers approached the hilt.
And then he grabbed the hilt, feeling the warmth of the leather wraps. Retracting his arm, he pulled the sword from its vertical position and traced a finger down the cold metal.
He laughed. It had been so easy.
Then the light bathed him, burning out his sensations; blocking his sight, smothering his hearing, numbing his touch and he tasted nothing.
Jonny screamed!
The light was white hot, searing him with the intensity of a hundred suns. Then it was cold, freezing like a blanket of snow. He felt nothing, and yet it was everything. It seeped into his very being, draining him and revitalizing him.
He felt the pureness of untainted energy. It had no name, no description. He was in limbo; he was neither standing nor lying. Weight and gravity meant nothing and colors shifted from one to another. There were no clear definitions, no lines, totally devoid of boundaries.
He felt as though he was being hurtled through time, and yet he did not see any movement. Blazes of color and blurs of images were captured with strange intensity, and were remarkably clear.
Then, there was her… Jessie.
"Jess…"
She smiled. "Yeah, Hotshot!"
"What the heck is going on?" he asked, still caught in limbo.
"You've finally accepted your calling. It's your destiny."
Jonny furrowed his brow in confusion. "I've been slaying for some time now… what do you mean 'finally'?"
Jessie's smile was sad this time. "You never fully accepted your duty… until now."
"What? Does this sword make all the difference?"
"It's not the sword."
"Then what?"
"It's your determination to find the sword. That was acceptance. That you would save the world. That you would be all that you can be. A hero… a legend."
"It's not like I'm alone in this," Jonny said, reaching out for her. Jessie seemed to fade away, and in her place, a handsome youth in swirling robes materialized.
"But you are alone, young Destined. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Aefriol, the owner of the sword you seek." The voice was almost musical, clear and rich.
"I'm not alone!" Jonny protested. "Jessie, where are you?"
"She's moved on, as you must to. Being a Destined One is all about solitude. You will move on, rely on yourself. That is the way."
"I have friends!" Jonny snapped back hotly.
"You have comrades. A warrior has no friends."
"Bullshit!"
"Friends and family will only get in your way. The way mine did."
"I'll take my chances. Save the world I can try. Float around discussing zen-like philosophies I have no time for."
"You will learn. The ultimate sacrifice is yours to bear." Aefriol seemed to fade away as the rest of the world came back into focus.
The light disappeared. For a split second, there was a stillness in the air. Then a blast of air so devastating that it completely knocked him off his feet, hurtling him over the edge.
"Jonny!" Benton yelled, running as fast as he could towards his son as he witnessed the horror. The sandy ground slowed him down but he didn't care as he raced forward, the fear of inevitability deep in his chest. Helplessness turned to rage as he bolted forward.
The wave knocked him over, bowled the rest over as it slammed into all the rocky walls. The impact was immense! The crash vibrated through the air, ringing in their ears. Chunks of rocky debris fell from the heavenwards walls and great cracks cut their way through the ground. Dust was swept into the air, eddying and rising to the ceiling, masking the light of the sconces.
"Benton, get back here!" Race yelled. His heart grew cold as he saw a chunk of rock the size of an SUV miss the doctor by mere feet. "Benton, get your bloody ass back here!"
Hadji was already herding Jade and Seth through the entrance, shielding his own head with his hands. "Father! Come back!" he yelled, desperation tightening his throat. He prayed hard, harder than he ever remembered.
Benton was still running towards the island when Race tackled him. Both men tumbled through the dirt.
"Get off me!" Benton screamed, flailing madly. "I need to get to him!"
"It's too late, Benton. He fell!"
"He could still be alive!" All sense had abandoned the doctor as he continued to thrash wildly.
"Don't be insane!"
"I will not lose him!"
"We cannot lose YOU!" Race yelled back, shaking Benton hard. "We cannot lose you. Think of the rest."
Benton sat still, a statue in the chaos.
"We've got to get out!"
Benton nodded numbly, but his eyes sparked with determination. Hauling himself to his feet, he ran alongside Race, dodging the falling hazards. Dust stung his throat and burned his eyes but he kept on.
Jonny grabbed a rocky handhold and with his other hand, plunged the sword into the rock above it. The blade went in cleanly without protest. Using the hilt as a handhold, he swung himself upwards onto a rocky outcrop. He pressed his battered body against the rock face as he repeated the torturous climb. With one bleeding hand, he held a handhold, with another, he plunged the sword in. All around him, dust and debris fell, a storm of rock and dust.
A chunk hit his shoulder, cutting deep into the flesh before tumbling and crashing its way down into the dark abyss. Jonny cried out in pain, tensing his muscles as the searing pain intensified with each movement. His climb was painfully slow, but gradual.
Sliding the shining blade through the solid rock once more, he pulled himself upwards. Reaching out with his free hand, he grabbed the rocky ledge. The ledge bit into his slick hand. With a mighty thrust, he landed on his face in the dirt. Whipping the sword around and sliding it into its scabbard, he ran. Legs pumping and chest heaving, he ran.
The entrance was close. Benton's heart sank as he realized that he would never be able to see his young son again if he got out. Hr kept running though. A deafening crash caused him to pause for a second, to look up. Race did the same, and from his look of horror, he knew that the other man must have felt exactly like he did, if not worse.
An avalanche of was rushing to meet them, a sleet of rocks and rolling dirt. As their hearts gave way, they were tackled hard from behind, sending them tumbling through the exit. It was a painful way to make it, but it was quicker than they could've run anyway.
"Get up! Both of you! MOVE!" A familiar voice bellowed in the darkness.
Benton nearly wept but he obeyed, hauling Race up so fast that his friend nearly toppled forward. The rumbling was behind them, for only a second, before it was next to them. They ran… clouds of dust enveloping their legs as they ran blindly through the darkness. Twice Benton stumbled and twice he picked himself up and continued.
The light appeared finally after a bend and with a final thrust, three banged up men leapt through, rolling as they landed on the hill. Race tumbled expertly from his years of training. Benton had less grace, but he managed to make it with minimal injuries.
Jonny however was exhausted, slamming heavily onto a rocky outcrop and lay there unmoving as an explosion of dust followed their hasty exit, the dust lingering in the hot air, wispy tendrils that refused to give up.
Race was next to the battered body almost immediately, cradling the boy in his arms. He looked so frail in his arms, so pale and covered in blood. There was so much blood. Seth hurried up, cracking his knuckles. A look of set determination convinced Race that Jonny would be okay.
"Put him down," Seth said calmly. Race placed Jonny carefully on the ground and stepped back to make room for the Healer. Taking a deep breath, Seth, placed his hands over Jonny and closed his eyes. Bright purple light emanated from him and engulfed the both of them.
Seth grit his teeth, his pain unknown to the others as Jonny's healing was accelerated magically. Swirls of light wove through the torn tissues and skin, restoring them. Then, the light was gone and Seth rose to his feet, feeling slightly light-headed.
As if a testament to the Healer's capabilities, Jonny stirred and moaned.
"I can't heal aches." Seth shrugged.
Jade snickered. "We made it. We got that bloody sword and we made it. Alive!"
Benton pulled both his sons to his chest and hugged them. "I love you…"
Hadji returned the hug but Jonny moaned. "Pops… I'm still aching!"
Benton laughed, the wave of hysteria hitting the rest of them as they laughed.
"Now, Benton. There's a small matter of my payment…" Jade started.
Benton laughed. "Same old Jade. You will get your money when we're back in Maine."
Jade pouted a little. "Fair enough."
MAINE
"I've completed the transaction to your Swiss account," Benton announced. "Thank you for your help, Jade."
"Always a pleasure doing business with you, Benton," she cooed back, slipping on her leather jacket. "Especially for such handsome gentlemen."
"More like for a handsome fee," Race quipped, picking up her bags.
Jonny laughed and got up gingerly. His body was still sore, but he was recovering quickly. "Bye Jade. Maybe your next visit will be a leisure trip."
"I doubt it, Sunshine."
"Goodbye, Ms Kenyon," Hadji said, holding out his hand.
Jade nodded. "You'll make a helluva sultan yet, Hadji."
Seth hung back, not sure of what to do. He was new to the team and had only just met the enigmatic woman. He gave her a two finger salute and she smiled back. Leaning in closer, she whispered, "Handle him with care. He's still fragile." She turned away from Seth's puzzled look.
"Thanks for coming along for the ride," Race said, giving her a hug.
"Anytime Bannon. Anytime."
The thumping of an approaching helicopter could already be heard.
"That's my ride, gentlemen." She waved once and hopped onto the helicopter.
And then she was gone.
To be continued…
Comments anyone? Send them to me at wenxina@hotmail.com