Date : 7th May 2004

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, DBN-HR, F, E, JQ/Buffy Crossover

Rating : Parental guidance is advised. Some profanity in this chapter.

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.

POWER

FLASHBACK

"It's amazing how I can still trust you! So what? You'd kill me too when I prove to be 'trouble'?"

Race was silent.

"Oh wait… you can't. If you do, no more Destined One. Isn't that right?" Jonny bit off. "With no known blood descendents still alive, you cannot afford to kill me off. Not yet anyway!"

"Kid…"

"Don't 'kiddo' me! I've had it, Race!" Jonny shrunk back. "I cannot keep playing 'Guess the Alliance' with you! If I-1 is that important to you… go now. Go before I snap your neck!"

"I've taken care of you since…"

"And for that I'm forever grateful, but I can't…"

"Shut up, and let me finish!" Race cut him off. "I've raised you… I've cared for you! My daughter was also raised by your father. You know who I'll stand with." His glacier cold eyes were moist.

Jonny was silent for a moment, before throwing himself onto the older man. He hugged him tight, his tears flowing freely, finally. "Thank you, Race…"

"We could still use I-1, though."

Jonny pulled back. "How?" His eyes were wary.

"I know what it's like in there. It's a fortress; nothing gets in, nothing gets out."

"I'm still not seeing the plan here."

"Look, Jonny. You're the Destined One. There's nothing more dangerous to the demon community than you, at least on this side of the continent." Race paused, letting his words sink in. "You're a prime target…"

"Everybody wants me dead," Jonny quipped.

"Yes, and you need to be protected."

"Why?" Jonny demanded.

"As you've already conceded… you're too valuable right now. No heir, no one to carry on the bloodline."

"And so you want me to hide!" His tone was accusatory.

"Not hide, just lie low for now."

"What's the difference, Race? If I'm going to die, it's gonna happen anyway."

"Not while you're in I-1 HQ!"

"That's like walking into the mouth of the beast!"

"You're an asset to I-1, Jonny. We're still on the same side!"

"Screw sides!"

"Then you're all alone!"

"So be it!"

"Jonny, please, consider it."

Jonny saw the pain in his mentor's eyes. He really does care, he realized. "Tell me about this plan," he muttered gruffly.

"You stay at HQ, train for while, work on your skills. Just till we know exactly what we're up against."

"Let me think about it." The front door of the suite opened. Jonny could hear the rest coming in.

"We don't have time to…"

"Let's do one thing at a time. Save Jade, then we'll talk about it."

Race slumped, defeated. "Okay."

"I can leave whenever I want?"

Race nodded. "You won't be a prisoner."

JQJQJQ

He fell… again.

Every fiber of his being ached with tearing intensity and it was all he could do to drag himself back to his feet. Another blow struck him from behind; and yet another powerful swing to the back of his knees.

He collapsed once more, growling ferociously. "Get away from me!"

His shoulder burned from an awkward fall, and a deep graze down his naked chest was bleeding profusely. "What do you want?" he gasped, reeling in pain as another blow struck his head, opening a new gash at his hairline.

No reply.

He ducked another blow, deflected a sharp jab… and took one to the gut.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Corvin turned around and faced a furious Race. "My job."

"What's that exactly?" Race demanded, shoving his superior.

"Testing the boy."

"What exactly are you testing him for right now? Checking to see if he bleeds? If he feels pain?" Race glared. "Or is he even human?"

"We're testing his reflexes… and quite frankly, Bannon, your boy seems to be falling short of expectations."

"He's not an animal, Corvin! Even if he was, this is gross…" He pointed out of the viewing window, onto the scene below. "… even for I-1!"

"He is given the liberty to defend himself."

"Your men have no bloody chance with him…"

"On the contrary…"

"No, Corvin. They have NO chance…" He pointed out again. "Look!"

Whack. Jab. Kick. Shove.

He had no idea what he was doing, all he knew that it was working…

Grabbing another cattle prod, he whipped the weapon violently, catching one of his 'tormentors' off guard as it cracked on his skull. Ignoring the bout of nausea that threatened to wash over him, he sank deeper into his routine of defending himself.

Another kick sent one more man flying, while a hard punch opened a wound in another. Straddling one now, raising the rod above his head to deal a fatal blow… he heard.

"JONNY! LET HIM GO, JONNY!"

"Race?" He looked around, slightly disoriented. "Where are you?"

"Here. Look up, yes. Can you see me?"

Jonny smiled, and then his smile turned sardonic. "I see you alright!" he spat, pulling back, he launched the prod straight at the window, watching as it shattered through the glass, striking Corvin.

"I see you, you spineless bastard!" Getting up, he ran towards the observation center, screaming insanely.

Corvin hit the intercom button, gritting his teeth from the pain that shot up his arm. "All units, secure subject immediately!"

"NOW!" he yelled, as he saw the furious young man speeding over.

Jonny felt the twin pricks on his back, and his first thoughts were about vampires. Then, the faces slowly morphed into that of Corvin, as he vision blurred. Not for the first time in the past twenty-four hours, Jonny felt heavy, sodden and clumsy. His world seemed to spin and dance about, jerking his balance into jeopardy.

With a low moan, he collapsed, crumpling heavily on the cold concrete. He remained conscious for a few seconds, peering at the world with glazed eyes. Then, he succumbed to the powerful tranquilizers.

"Where's Bannon?" Corvin marched into the room, an ice-pack still clutched at his arm. The contact had been heavy, and there was a lot of internal bleeding. Gonna be one helluva bruise.

"Here!" Race answered, marching into the room.

"Your boy…"

"You better not have touched him in my absence!" Race warned.

Corvin smiled, an incredulous expression. "Believe me Bannon, my men want nothing to do with him after that… erm, display of violence."

"Good… keep it that way."

"But that's not the point."

"What is?"
"We've decided to place the boy in your care, as he clearly still listens to you… if only to hurl projectiles."

"I accept the responsibility."

"I thought you would say that. I wish you the best of luck, Bannon. You'll need it."

"We will need it," Race corrected. "You know as much as I know, Phil… the signs of apocalypse are manifesting all over the world."

Corvin ignored the comment and continued to ice his arm.

"Oh, and Corvin. The next time, I won't call him off!" Race marched out of the room.

"You know what's ironic?" Jonny said, looking out of his clear prison. "Maximum security, minimum privacy. I feel like a bloody goldfish!"

"I could ask for some drapes if that's what you really want," Race volunteered.

"And cameras all over the place. What's this: I-1 or a voyeuristic dungeon?"

Race snickered. "It does seem a little kinky."

"A little?"

"Just don't do anything you don't want posted on the Internet and you should be fine."

"Real funny!" Jonny paced. "Here's what's not funny! You betrayed me!"

"Had to kid, had to keep you safe."

"So you tossed me into the shark pool?"

"You'll be safe here… till the time comes."

"I don't need to be safe, Race. My life's dangerous, I've accepted that."

"It's too risky out there now. God knows how many loons are out to get you, make sure you don't interfere with the coming doom."

"Like there aren't enough in here."

"Gave Corvin a nasty bruise, kiddo." He smiled.

"Yeah well, he gave me a few back." Jonny pulled up the tank top he was wearing to show the myriad of healing bruises. "You would think that some crackhead painted his version of the Bahamas all over my body."

"You'll live."

"I wanna leave Race, not live."

"In due time."

"Anytime soon? Getting rusty here, ya know." He gestured to his hairline where a scab had already formed.

"You can train here, Jon."

"Where? In this fish bowl?" He laughed. "And even if I could… gonna need weapons to work with Race. A Destined One without his weapons… even Ang Lee couldn't make it work."

"If you promise not to go berserker again, I can get you access to some weapons. Nothing high-tech or anything, just your basic staffs and stakes."

"Cool."

"So you promise?"

"As long as you keep those cowboys away from me, I'm good."

"Fine."

"When can I start?"

"Tomorrow, if I can push it."

"Apocalypse coming, Race. Don't see what's wrong with today."

"Bureaucracy, that's what."

"Great, the world ends because you need to file to appropriate paperwork?"

"Something like that."

"That's whack!"

"I thought I said 'no cowboys'," Jonny grumbled.

"They're just there for security purposes."

"Meaning that they'll shoot me if I try anything funny."

"Only with tranqs."

"That's just so comforting."

Race grunted irritably. "Just forget them and concentrate on your stretching!"

"Already done. Had nothing to do this morning so did a whole buncha crunches, stretches, jumping-jacks… the whole playground routine."

"Well, stretch a little more. Training's gonna intensify."

"Bring it!"

"Is that it?" Jonny taunted, breathing heavily. Crap… that was hard! I'm actually winded.

"For the day, yes."

Shrugging, Jonny tossed his staff across the chamber. He had to admit that the facilities here were pretty sweet, a lot more room to move about without having to worry about crashing into the dining room.

"Head for the showers, kid!"

"You mean I'm allowed to?" Jonny reacted in mock horror. "But that would make me human."

"Even animals bathe, Mr. Quest." Corvin's voice interrupted.

"Yeah, and animals also have a pretty good sense on character. And to think that I liked you. Guess what I feel about you now."

"Stand down!"

"I'm not one of your flunkies!"

"I said step down!"

Jonny lunged forward, but Race stopped him.

"Not now." His voice was cold, quiet.

"What'd you want, Corvin?"

"We would like to commend on the impressive training session we watched."

"Good. Next time we'll arrange for me to leap through hoops."

"Go shower, Jon." Race gave Jonny a little push. "Now!"

Jonny left.

"What happened to your threat, Bannon?"

"You're a foolish man, Corvin, if you thought that I control the boy."

"Don't you?"

"I didn't bring him up to follow orders. His father brought him up to think!"

"Still, he listens."

"He respects me, Phil."

"Even after your betrayal?"

Race stormed away.

JQJQJQ

MAINE

"I can't believe you did that!" Seth exclaimed, storming up the stairs. "He's your son!"

"Exactly! That's why I did what I did!"

"What? Just cart him off that way?"

"Look, I don't have to explain my actions to you!" Benton shot back angrily. He challenged the boy to say more.

"But you do owe me an explanation, Father." Hadji's voice was cool, collected. But there was an edge of detachment in it, a certain ring of disappointment.

Benton looked at the faces that stared at him, twin masks of hurt and anger. It was too much… to give up one child, and be hated by another. Tears ran down his cheeks in silence.

"He had to be protected…"

"He's the Destined One! He doesn't need to be protected…" Seth started.

"Maybe not from demons and vampires. But you saw what happened in Istanbul. He could've been killed… many times over." Benton drew a deep breath.

"He's always been in danger, Father. Our lives are in constant danger. Why now, Father? What changed?" Hadji reached out and placed a supportive hand on his father's shoulder. He gazed understandingly into his father's eyes, saw the pain that dwelt there. Felt it.

"I'm his father," Benton said, his voice a dull whisper, his statement not intended for a specific audience. "I'm supposed to protect him… be able to shield him. I failed…"

"You have never failed him, Father."

"Look. I'm sorry if I'm stepping out of line here, but from what I've seen, Jonny loves you." Seth took a few steps down. "Sir," he added.

"I can't protect him anymore… Not from the darkness… not from what lurks there, waiting. Waiting for him. Waiting for him to slip…" Benton paused, regaining his composure. "This was the only way I could… help."

"But I-1…"

"I know… but he would be safe there… at least for now. Who knows what horrors might get to him out here?"

"Hiding him from his destiny isn't going to help, Dr. Quest."

"I know, but it'll do for now. It's not permanent, just until we know what we're up against."

"Might be too late by then."

"What'd you mean, Seth?"

"All I'm saying is that I-1 always wanted Jonny. Now that they've got custody, I'm not quite sure if they'll be willing to let him walk out."

"What'd you think, Jade?" Benton turned to face the raven-haired woman who had been silent all this while.

"You know my history with I-1, Benton. What I say isn't gonna be worth much, unless you feel the same way I do."

"Just run it by me anyway."

"I-1 fights the good fight… but Corvin, I'm not so sure about him. His agenda is some major crap, if you ask me."

"Good enough."

"So, what now?" Seth looked about.

"Now, we get him out." All eyes turned to the front door. Race stood in the doorway, his silhouette lax.

"I don't think that'll please Corvin at all," Jade mused.

"To hell with Corvin. Jonny's there to be protected, but I-1 can't protect him from Corvin."

At that, Benton bolted forward. "My son's in danger?" His voice was edged with glass, sharp and hard.

"He's not exactly dancing in petunias is all I'm saying."

"Then we get him out!"

"I'm with you on that." Race cracked his knuckles loudly.

"Any ideas on how to get him out?" Seth asked, raising his eyebrows.

Race looked at Jade and smiled. "You know how I said that nothing could get in and out, undetected?"

"He lied," Jade said, coming forward. "And we've got the experience."

JQJQJQ

SUNNYDALE

Buffy Summers fell hard, grazing her palms on the asphalt. Rolling aside, she felt the sudden rush of air pass he head; a foot had just landed heavily next to her head. Spinning on one hand, ignoring the pain, she swung her legs in a corkscrew motion, taking the vampire down. Landing neatly on her feet, she stomped hard on the vamp's hand, feeling his wrist crack under her heel before leaning in for the kill.

Her stake hit the mark and the vamp dusted.

"Getting sloppy there, Buff." Xander came out from behind the post box. "Almost got your head stomped in."

"And of course, you were of great help, as usual," Buffy shot back, smirking.

Xander took a bow. "Always here to assist."

"Then duck."

"What?"

"Duck!"

Xander ducked and Buffy kicked a vampire in the face. Vaulting over her friend, she slammed the stake into the vamp and watched it dust.

"You've officially earned my respect again, Buff."

"Glad to hear. Now how 'bout you buying me that mochachino you owed me?"

"Deal."

"A happy Slayer is an efficient one."

JQJQJQ

Thirteen black candles set in a circle. Each black flame flickered, an onyx glow in the gloom. With a dagger, Prumiva carved runes and glyphs of several dead tongues in the earth, spilling the blood of a white goat into each. She smiled as she watched the blood seep into the thirsty earth, forming a muddy-red paste.

"The board is set. Time will tell…"

Standing up, she gazed at the starry sky. "By the stars, I will have what's mine…

"And good will bleed into oblivion!"

JQJQJQ

The Earth will rend and tear

The heavens will bleed

The Forgotten will be Reborn

The Old will walk again

The new coming is nigh…

Giles flipped through a journal, his forehead crinkled in concentration. Seeing what he was looking for, he sat the leather-bound tome aside and picked up another.

"This is not good!" he muttered, tapping a pencil nervously on his desktop while he perused the text, taking in the spidery script and comparing the contents simultaneously in his head. "Indeed, not good at all."

The sudden influx in demonic activity over the past two weeks had started to worry him, but his discovery was a whole lot more disturbing to him.

"What's not good?" Willow walked into the library, Oz in tow. He received a silent nod from Oz, standard greeting.

"This prophecy."

"Another one?"

"It's not like I conjure them up, Willow," Giles said, a little more stuffy than he had hoped for.

"Lighten up, Giles. I just meant that there have been quite a few ominous thingies coming up recently."

"And I'm here to stop the baddies!"

Giles looked at his charge. "Ah, Buffy, excellent. There's a new…"

"Prophecy? Yeah, heard than a new one popped up. Let's have it."

"It seems the world's going to end."

"AGAIN?" All of them chorused, Oz included.

"So, what's going to happen?"

JQJQJQ

MAINE

"Well, according to this, the ground will split, the heavens will bleed, whatever that means, and I think there's some hint that the Old Ones will emerge again."

"The Old Ones?"

"Ancient demons, in their pure undiluted form. Most of them were huge. And very territorial. Very feudal."

"Wonderful, as if the bite-sized ones weren't bad enough!" Seth rolled his eyes.

Hadji glared at the boy. "I'm just translating literally from the text. You want my job?"

"What for?"

"Boys, shut up!" Jade leant in to separate them. "Not exactly constructive."

"Sorry," Seth muttered, walking away.

"So, I'm assuming this will happen if Prumiva uses the book to unleash the forces of darkness," Benton ventured.

Hadji nodded.

"Doesn't leave us with much of a choice does it?"

"No. Which is why we need to get Jonny out."

"Working on that."

"Do the journals suggest the vicinity of all this?"

"It's a worldwide thing. But it has to start somewhere. A hotspot for evil."

"The Hellmouth!"

"Which one?" Seth asked. He looked back evenly when all eyes were on him.

"There's more than one?" Hadji asked.

"Yeah. There were many more a long time ago, but many have been closed. Destroyed."

"How many active ones remain?"

"Well, there's this one coming up in Rockport… and there's one somewhere in California I think. And a few more scattered around the world."

"So we now we have to locate the one at which Prumiva's going to use."

"Slash this one off." Seth walked over to the large map of the world that hung on the wall.

"Why?"

"Because she knows that Jonny's on this one. She'd go to an unguarded Hellmouth. Makes her life a lot simpler."

"Or at least one without a guardian that she's heard of."

"Didn't Jonny say that the Slayer was from California? Sunnyville or some really cheery sounding place?" Seth asked.

"Sunnydale," Hadji affirmed.

"She'll probably hit there."

"But she's heard of the Slayer. Met her even."

"But she doesn't know where the Slayer's based. Chances are she'd head there. And even if she did, she's probably arrogant enough to think that she can bring down the Slayer in a catfight!"

"Is that strong enough evidence to suggest that Sunnydale's the most likely venue?"
"Maybe not. But there's another reason."

"What?"

"Geography."

"Huh?" was the general response.

"This dame was last spotted in San Fran. Sunnydale's much closer to San Fran than say Rockport or any of the other Hellmouths that might litter the States."

"Kinda makes sense… unless there's a closer one."

"I don't think there's one."

"Can you be sure?"

"Not now, but I can be by tomorrow morning."

"How?"

"Gotta call my mom."

JQJQJQ

OUTSIDE I-1 HEADQUARTERS

"You sure this will work, Bannon?" Jade wriggled closer, ignoring the itch that was plaguing her belly.

"We've done this before. Just the two of us."

"Ahh… old times. Good times." She smiled.

"Yeah, but this has to be surgical. Clean and precise. In and out."

"Ooh, I like it when you talk dirty."

"Could the two of you quit with the sex talk? In case you didn't realize, the skinny kid isn't all that interested in your past-times." Seth groused, crawling up to the two of them.

"Hey, you could have stayed home, Junior."

"And miss busting into I-1? No way!" Seth fell silent.

The sky was dark, a spray of stars here and there, but no moon. They were on a hill overlooking a small valley. The headquarters lay nested within, a roughly oval structure with a massive perimeter fence all around. The fence was definitely electrified, as the huge signs posted all over the place showed.

"Why do they even bother putting up signs anyway? It's not like the place is open to public knowledge. And I'm sure even the dumbest employee in there should know better than to touch anything." Seth mumbled.

"Standard procedure I guess."

"A nation of excess." Seth continued to observe the place. Floodlights were positioned all over the place on the watchtowers. The place reminded him more of a futuristic maximum security prison than the headquarters of any agency. The structure was tiered differently in different areas, the highest point being the center, where it rose to around seven stories. "Pretty big."

"You haven't seen the underground facilities yet."

"Bigger?"

Race nodded in the dark. "Immense simulation facilities. Used for training and conditioning."

"And other 'strenuous' activities."

"Jade, trust me when I say I don't wanna know."

"So, how do we get in?" Seth still couldn't find a weak point in the security. "Cut the power?"

"No use there. The auxiliary generator would start up almost immediately, and within five seconds, the entire place will be fully operational again. Plus, they would be looking for us then."

"Okay, so power cut ain't a good thing. What then?"

"We do it old skool." Jade began slinking down the terrain, headed for the fence.

"Okay, but don't we risk being seen that way?" Seth flattened himself further as a beam of bright light swung above.

"Kid, you gotta live for risks." Race chuckled before following Jade, slinking as close as possible to the ground.

"I swear I'll be shaved to death by the time we make it," Seth grumbled, spitting out a chunk of gravel that had entered his mouth.

Ahead, both Race and Jade had paused, their still figures blending in with the shadows.

"We go under now."

"Under?"

"Just follow…"

Seth nodded and followed the two as they began working their way towards an outcrop. Once, his foot slipped and his leg splashed into a shallow pond. "Sorry," he mumbled, avoiding the glares thrown his way. They waded through the pond, as silently as the lapping water would allow. Race pushed aside some shrubbery that had grown around the far side of the pond.
In the gloom of the shadows, Seth saw him pull himself up onto the bank. Race helped Jade up and began to work on loosening the grill. Peering into the darkness, he realized that it was an oversized pipe that protruded slightly from the hillside. Wading the rest of the way, he hauled himself out of the fetid water easily enough.

"This really stinks." He got up and began to yank on the grill while Race continued to loosen it.

"Thing's jammed up pretty tight this time," Race said through gritted teeth.

"Didn't we pack any gadgets to help?" Seth dug in his backpack.

"Yeah, but I would prefer not to use the laser. Risks giving us away."

Seth nodded. He continued to yank on the grill, using a crowbar to help pry it. Giving up after five minutes, he set down the bar. The grill seemed to glow an angry red. Race hopped back, watching the boy as he continued doing whatever it was he was doing. The red glow subsided, and a chill seemed to envelop them as the grill froze, frost covering it.

Seth snapped a hard kick at the grill, and the grating shattered. In the still night, the noise was relatively loud, but Race knew that they were far away enough to risk it. Even so, it did not stop him from having a word with Seth.

"Hey, at least that's out of the way," Seth said obstinately. "And by the way, we don't have much time. The sooner we get him out, the sooner we can work on stopping an apocalypse."

"You lied about your powers." Race grabbed the boy by the shoulders and forced him to face him.

"I'm not proud of them," Seth bit back. He ducked into the pipe, making his way silently through the narrow passage, his torch providing the necessary light. The pipe had widened to the point of being size of a sewer tunnel. The concrete walls were damp and slick looking.

Race shook his head and motioned for Jade to follow. He followed suite.

"You have to admit, the kid's good."

"Impulsive more like. He's gonna get himself hurt, or worse at the rate he's going."

"That's never held you back before." Her whisper was teasing.

"I'm a highly trained…"

"Yes, I'm sure you are, but has it ever occurred to you that the boy might be very good at what he's trained to do as well?"

"Why do you trust him so much?"

"Why don't you?"

"I dunno. Maybe it's because he just showed up one day, sent from I-1."

"But that's the way we always show up. The element of surprise remember."

Race shook his head in the dark. "Let's focus for now." Seth's light was very much farther ahead. "Seth, slow down."

"Where's this pipe lead to anyway?" Seth had paused at a bend. His light was scanning the interior of the pipe, taking in the scum that caked most of the inner wall.

"I mean there's this goop all over the place, and honestly, it smells like shit!" He lifted his right foot gingerly. "If that's what we're walking in right now, don't tell me until we're done."

"It isn't. The water comes from the cooling tanks."

"And how often do they empty the tanks?"

"Noon and midnight."

"Bad news then people. The water's due this way in about two minutes."

"Crap! I totally forgot about the water." Race checked his watch.

"How much farther?"

"Give or taken another two hundred feet or so to the junction."

"Head back then I guess."

"Easier to go forward. Cling to the ceiling when you hear the water." Looking up, Race pointed to a bar. Race dug in his backpack and found a pair of gloves. Slipping them on, he motioned for the others to do the same.

The rush of water was deafening as it thundered towards them. All three leapt for the ceiling, grabbing hold of the bar. Tucking their legs neatly above, they watched as the flood of boiling hot water rushed by, steam from the water blurring their vision. The roiling water continued to steam by for several minutes.

"Just how big are your generators anyway?" Seth yelled over the crashing waters.

"Huge!" Race yelled back.

"No kiddin'!"

"Water's subsiding," Jade noted. The torrent had subsided to a mere stream. Finally, the water trickled to stop.

The three of them dropped down, splashing tepid water. Without a word, they continued moving deeper in.

I-1 HEADQUARTERS

Jonny walked into the showers, not before flashing the bird at the camera that was positioned at the door of the showers. To ensure some degree of privacy, as if aiming the camera at the door was much better than sticking it right into the stalls.

The steam rose around him, forming gaseous dragons that disintegrated as they condensed on the cool plexiglass door of the stall. The water stung his back, running down his sore muscles.

Suddenly, over the rush of water, he heard a sharp hiss, and suddenly the room was thrown into darkness. A second later, a dull blue light came on, the emergency lights. He waited for the blaring sirens that indicated a security breach, but none came. Apparently it was just a minor affair of a short circuit.

Shutting off the water, he wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out into the open.

And came face to face with Seth.

"What the…!" he exclaimed, stepping back violently. "How the hell did you get in here?"

"I'm not just a healer," was the only reply he got. "Get dressed!" He turned around, facing the mirror. Pity it's steamed up… can't see a thing!

Jonny threw on a clean tank top and slipped on the standard issue drawstring pants he'd been given.

"Follow me," Seth yanked his arm, getting him to follow.

"Where's Race?"

"Outside with Jade."

"Jade's here too?" This is really strange.

"Yeah. Now will you just shut up and just follow me?" Seth glared at Jonny.

Jonny shrugged, allowing Seth to lead the way, navigating through the various corridors of the facility. Suddenly, the Chinese boy stopped and whistled sharply. Jonny saw the grating of the air vent above them move and a length of rope was dropped through the narrow opening. "Took you long enough."

"Get up fast!" Race hissed. The two boys complied and shimmied up the rope in quick succession.

"How'd you guys get in?" Jonny asked, crawling after the rest as they took Race's lead, occasionally ducking lower as they crossed cables that dangled low.

"Drainage tunnel. Nearly got steamed too, kiddo!" Race said, not pausing. "We're here." Yanking open the grating, he popped his head below for a second before withdrawing it and dropping neatly through the opening. Jade followed, and then Seth, with Jonny taking up the tail.

"You weren't kidding when you said you knew this place like the back of your hands, huh?" Jonny whispered, following the silent procession through the dimly lit corridors. There were so many bends that following a single corridor felt like taking a ride of a merry-go-round,

"No, we weren't," Jade answered. They left the main corridor they were on and cut into another.

"Freeze!" a loud yell stopped all of them.

Jonny turned around to see an operative with a gun in his hand, the weapon aimed and cocked. Jonny vaguely remembered him. Jerry or something.

"You don't want to do that, Jerry." He spoke in a quiet voice, his voice only slightly menacing.

"Oh really? Try me." Jerry shifted his feet, placing them slightly farther apart.

"Yeah. You wanna let us go nice and easy, and walk away from this." Jonny advanced slowly.

"Jonny…" Race cautioned, but ceased when he saw Jonny motioning subtly for him to shut up.

"No Big Guy. I don't. You see this," he jerked his gun twice. "This means that I have control over this situation."

"Look Jerry, this could go down two ways. One, you let us go and forget about it. Two, I smack you down like a bitch, and we still go. Either way, we're going!" He was now within striking distance, and Jerry knew it as he backed away slowly.

"Not gonna happen, smart ass!" Jonny matched his retreat with his advances.

"Fine!" Whipping an arm out, he grabbed Jerry's arm, and wrenched it sharply. The gun went off several times, emptying itself. Jonny snapped an elbow to the man's temple and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious, but relatively unhurt.

"Everyone okay?" he asked, turning around.

"Yeah," was the general reply, with some silent curses from Race thrown in.

"Let's move boys. Those gunshots weren't exactly careless whispers!" Jade urged them on, pushing ahead of the rest. "We still got some area to cover before we're out."

"You know that I-1's gonna hound our asses, Race," Seth pointed out, hustling.

"Yeah. But one apocalypse at a time, okay."

Seth turned to see Jonny lagging slightly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. A little winded from that last encounter. Just move on, I'll be right behind."

Suddenly, the alarm went off, and flashing red lights went off everywhere.

"Crap. Okay, move it people. We're gonna be running a rat race from here on!" Race quickened his pace, urging the rest to keep up. They fled down multiple corridors. All the time, the sound of thundering feet was clearly audible as the entire base was put on red alert. He turned into another corridor and entered a vast chamber. Military vehicles were parked neatly, categorized by type of terrain. The others followed, and stopped.

"Race's over," Race said, backing away slowly. Turning around, he saw that they were fenced in from all sides by armed troops.

"End of the line, Bannon. Should have known it would've been you. Only you would be stupid enough to try something like this." Corvin snickered, loving every moment of this.

"Aww, come on, Corvin. Surely I deserve some credit too," Jade said, pouting.

"Haven't forgotten you, Jade. But you will soon wish that I did."

"You can't do anything to the kid, Corvin." Race bit, instinctively shielding Jonny with his own broader body.

"I hold the power here, Bannon. I can do whatever I please," Corvin said lazily, taking a deep puff of his foul cigar.

"No, you don't!" The bold statement caught everyone off guard, as Jonny stepped forward. "You have no power over me at all."

"Wanna bet kid? Care to wager your life?"

"Oh, yes I do. But are you willing to wager your own, Agent Corvin?" Jonny asked, taking another step forward. "You see, you exist solely to serve ME! Sure you have all the know-how, and books… and even the manpower, but all that translates to nothing without your chief soldier.

"That would be me. I have no idea why I didn't see this before… but you are nothing if I don't cooperate. Or if I don't exist Kill me and lose your war before you even get out there. Try 'extracting' any 'bodily' fluids and you will lose enough men to justify my death.

"The problem with your little jihad is that without me… you lose. So you know what, Corvin, you don't have shit! I hold you by the balls and I own every single one of your goddamned jobs. Kill any of my friends or family, and I refuse to cooperate. Kill me, and well, you go kill the big bad with an empty gun!" Jonny smirked. "Drop your weapons, boys!"

The echoing impact of over a hundred weapons being dropped onto the concrete floor was a stirring moment for Race. He had never felt prouder of his charge. "Told you he could think."

"Gentlemen, we're leaving now. If I were you, I would arm myself for the coming apocalypse. Be ready to fight… be ready to die." With that, Jonny marched towards a military jeep. Hopping in behind the wheel, he twisted the key already in the ignition, and the motor jolted to life. Race hopped in next to him and Jade and Seth took the back seats. "I'll be seeing you, Agent Corvin. Wait for my call." He waved insolently at the older man and guided the jeep pass him.

"Guide me out of here," Jonny whispered to Race.

Race nodded and promptly whispered the directions to the nearest exit. They got out without any hassle at all.

To be continued…