The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
Play Against Danger
By: Sapphire
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Chapter Two: Duck and Weave
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Location: Kings Mountain, Vermont
Late Wednesday Night
Down in the lobby, Maggie led Scott to one of the unclaimed fireplaces that still had a pile of glowing embers on the hearth. Scott pulled two wingback chairs close. Maggie sat while he played around with firewood from the box nearby and rekindled a small fire from the glowing coals, tending it with care until it was burning steadily.
"You've seen trouble like this before, haven't you?" Scott asked, settling into the wingback chair opposite Maggie.
"How did you know?" she asked with a little nod.
"Educated guess," Scott returned. Maggie shot him a look that clearly indicated his answer was unsatisfactory. "There was no freaking out, calling the police, or throwing a fuss," Scott said archly. "The four of you had more of a 'here we go again' attitude."
"You're very perceptive, did you know that?" Maggie said with a sigh.
"You aren't the only one who's ever said so," Scott said with a shrug. Then he turned more serious. "What happened tonight, it bothered you more than the others, didn't it? You aren't as used to it, are you?" he asked.
"How did you know?" Maggie asked again.
"Aren't you the one who just finished telling me I was perceptive?" Scott countered. Maggie stared at him speechlessly for a moment, then sighed again. This certainly wasn't the first time she'd noted how observant and astute he could be.
"You're right. Situations like this are newer to me than to them, but when it comes to enemies," Maggie explained slowly, "I have mine, too, though they're more… inherited, rather than earned." Scott's eyebrows rose dubiously. "Look, this is a very touchy subject. I've told you more than I should. You, Ryan, and Blain shouldn't get mixed up in this."
"That's harsh," Scott said coolly. "Don't you trust us?"
"I trust you with my life," Maggie said honestly.
"But you won't tell me what's going on," Scott shot back, frustrated.
"It's not that I won't," Maggie corrected. "I can't tell you." Despite her earnestness, Scott stood up to leave, tossing an angry glare at Maggie. She jumped up out of her chair and grabbed his arm to stop him. "I honestly don't know what this was all about tonight," she said. "What I do know is, my family's secrets are dangerous, Scott," Maggie persisted. "I don't want to see you hurt- or worse."
"You're trying to protect me?" Scott asked, turning to face her once again, his eyes searching her face.
"Of course I am," Maggie said immediately and with conviction. "I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you." Whatever Scott was looking for, he apparently found it. He pulled Maggie close, wrapping his arms protectively around her, and sighed. Maggie leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder for a long time. It was so easy to lean on him, just like it had been in Montana.
"I want to keep you safe, too," Scott said after a while. "All of you would be safer with three extra pairs of eyes watching for trouble. We all made a pretty good team last summer, you have to admit."
"We did," Maggie agreed, "but this is so, so different."
"Can I ask one thing?" Scott wanted to know.
"Depends on what it is," Maggie replied hesitantly.
"Are Ryan, Blain, and I likely to get caught up in whatever this is by association?" Scott asked. Maggie took in a deep, slow breath and then let it out equally slowly as she considered.
"I don't know," she said. She looked up at him contemplatively. "It's possible."
"Maggie," he started.
"I know what you're going to say," Maggie stopped him, pulling away. "Blain and Ryan need to know." Scott nodded. "Okay. Let's go tell them."
"What? Just like that?" Scott was surprised.
"I told you I trusted you guys with my life," Maggie said. "Now I'm going to trust you with my family's lives and-" she paused and met his gaze. "I need to tell them because all of you trust me with yours." Scott pulled her into a hug.
"In the morning," he said. "I'll bring them up to the suite first thing. That's soon enough. Besides, they'll want to hear it from Jessie, too."
"Okay," Maggie agreed, leaning into him once again. They didn't say anything else. After a few more minutes they reluctantly pulled apart. Scott walked Maggie back to the suite before heading to his own room.
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Scott showed up with Blain and Ryan bright and early. As promised. Jessie let them into the suite, then invited them to sit down in the living area where Jonny, Maggie, and Hadji were waiting. There were a lot of questioning looks before anyone spoke.
"So," Ryan said, looking around the room. "Nice room. Why the upgrade?"
"That's why we need to talk," Maggie replied. She took a deep breath. "There was some trouble last night. We're not sure what's going on, but you might be accidentally right in the middle of it."
"Someone took a shot at us through our window last night," Jonny said. "Lousy aim. They missed us, but the broken glass from the window got me."
"What?" Blain asked, floored. Ryan just stared at him, speechless. "Who would want to shoot you?"
"That," Hadji said, "is a very good question."
"Our family is a magnet for trouble," Jonny said. "Dad is a famous inventor and scientist. He managed to make some enemies over the years." He shrugged.
"My dad has enemies, too," Jessie added. "You've met him. I don't think you'd be surprised to know he used to work in government intelligence. I-One." Jessie shrugged, an exact copy of Jonny's.
"My mom was CIA," Maggie put in. "She never intended her work to involve her family, but it did. Still does."
"Take your pick," Jessie finished.
"So, stuff like this has happened to you before?" Blain asked.
"More often than we'd like," Jessie confirmed.
"It explains why Maggie and Jessie were so quick to help us last summer," Ryan added thoughtfully. "They've probably had experience in situations like that."
"Not exactly like that," Jessie said with a sigh.
"We have found we need to always be prepared for any eventuality," Hadji said.
"So," Ryan asked matter-of-factly after a moment of awkward silence, "what are we going to do about this latest little situation?" Jessie grinned. It appeared this wasn't going to be the end of their ski weekend.
"You are sure you wish to continue this ski trip?" Hadji asked. "There is no telling what trouble could be brewing."
"I'm staying," Scott said firmly.
"Me, too," Ryan added.
"Count me in," Blain finished. "We owe you one for Montana, in the very least."
"I hope none of us come to regret this," Hadji said with a shake of his head."
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Bright morning sun glistened on the fresh powder of the ski slopes. Blain and Maggie took a deep breath of the fresh, crisp mountain air before clipping their boots into the bindings of their skis. They followed the rest of their group to the chair lift, making sure their lift passes were clipped visibly to their ski jackets. They could hear the gears grinding in the lift house beside the chair lift as they were scooped up into the chair.
"Which should we do first?" Blain asked. "The south face, or the east?"
"South," Maggie said, consulting the guide printed on the back of her lift pass. "The south face runs should be easy enough for me to ski."
"Hey Maggie," Jonny called from the chair behind them as they took turns getting off the lift. "Heading for the bunny hill?" Maggie rolled her eyes.
"I'm not that bad," Maggie informed Ryan who was snickering at her.
"Let's take the Lower South run- the LS. What do you think?" Blain suggested, looking at the back of his own ski pass.
"I'm game," Maggie said. "But I'm warning you, I'm slow. I just learned to ski last winter, and this is my first time out this season."
"Not a problem," Blain said with a shrug. "I'll just see you at the bottom!" Ryan gave his cousin a good-natured shove that landed Blain in the snow on his rear. "Hey, you were laughing, too," Blain grumbled from the ground. Ryan gave his cousin a hand-up. Once they reached the top of the run, the group of seven took off down the slope. When Maggie finally came out at the bottom of the south face, Blain was just behind her, finishing his second run.
"Hope you don't mind that no one waited for you," Blain said as he came up to Maggie with a swoosh of snow.
"Nah," Maggie said with a wave. "I fell a lot anyway. I'm just surprised you aren't on your third run." Blain laughed. "Jonny and Jessie are," Blain informed her with a smirk.
"I know," Maggie said with a sigh. Blain laughed again. They didn't have to wait long for the others to join them at the bottom.
"What happened to you?" Jonny asked, pulling off his goggles as he came to a stop beside Maggie. "You're covered with snow."
"I'm thinking I should have taken the bunny hill after all," Maggie laughed. Jonny grinned.
"If you want, I'll go with you," he offered. "I can give you some pointers." Maggie groaned, but it quickly turned to a laugh.
"No, I'm going to try this one again. You guys go do whatever runs you want. Don't let me spoil your fun."
"You don't spoil anything," Jessie said.
"Come find me before lunch," Maggie shooed them. "By then I'm determined to do this run. Without falling." Jessie grinned, and the group started for the lift.
"Let's try the Upper South run," Jonny suggested to Blain and Jessie. "It looks more my style."
"Jonny, you don't have any style," Jessie quipped. "You're lucky you don't fall on your butt every five minutes."
"Hey!" Maggie complained.
"No offense, Maggie," Jessie apologized.
"Is that a challenge?" Jonny asked.
"If you want it to be, Hotshot," Jessie said with a competitive glare.
"No way you'll win, Ace," Jonny shot back. Maggie rolled her eyes.
"Are they always like this?" Ryan asked while Blain and Scott laughed.
"Yeah. You get used to it. It doesn't even faze me anymore," Maggie said, making Ryan laugh and Hadji nod in agreement.
At the top of the lift, they split up. Hadji followed Jonny, Jessie, and Ryan for the more challenging upper runs in an attempt to keep the peace. Blain ended up following Scott and Maggie, offering her advice and pointers as they took the Lower South run several times over. The repetition made Maggie more confident once she'd become familiar with the terrain. Their last run before lunch they decided to race. Blain beat Maggie by a long lead, but Scott trailed her, which she suspected he'd done on purpose. She snowplowed to a stop beside Blain as they watched Scott leisurely finish the run, clearly in last place.
"He must be crazy about you," Blain commented with a teasing, sideways smile. Maggie blushed. "He never lets anyone win on purpose. He's too com…pe…ti…tive…" Blain was staring off at the trees flanking the left side of a more difficult run. Maggie's gaze followed Blain's. There was something not right about those trees… She saw an odd flash of reflected light. "It looks… like a rifle!" Maggie squinted and realized he was right.
"Blain, it's pointing at someone coming down the slope," Maggie said. They both started toward the trees. Neither of them knew what they were going to do to stop the sniper, but they had to try.
"Jonny!" Maggie identified her cousin coming down the mountain at full speed. And Hadji was coming down a ways behind him. Blain saw them, too.
"Get the skis off and run!" Blain ordered, bending down and releasing his ski bindings. Maggie did the same. "You head off Jonny and Hadji. I'll get the guy with the rifle." Maggie didn't have time to question or argue. She ran toward her cousins, waving her poles in the air madly, trying to get their attention. "Duck and weave," she kept thinking at them, hoping they'd get the message as she ran erratically toward them. "Duck and weave."
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Jonny was positive it was Maggie who was running toward him like a drunk. Something was very wrong, but he couldn't see anything amiss. Unless you counted a second person who was sprinting straight for the trees at the end of the run. That's when he saw a flash of reflected light from among the trees near the end of the run. Jonny's hair was standing on end, and the details suddenly added up to a whole heap of trouble.
Jonny automatically started to weave back and forth on the slope, just as Maggie had so obviously been trying to convey to him. Erratically moving targets were harder to hit. Maggie must have realized he'd gotten the message because she ducked low behind a snowdrift, out of sight of the sniper. As Jonny neared Maggie's hiding place, he weaved in toward her, then fell purposely, landing heavily in the snow beside Maggie, both of them concealed behind the snowdrift. Jonny got up, careful to remain hidden behind the snow.
"What the hell does Blain think he's doing?" Jonny asked, realizing who the runner was, peering around the drift. Suddenly Blain dove down behind another snowdrift. Jonny watched as the sniper, realizing he'd been spotted, took off through the trees, disappearing. That's when Hadji came to a stop beside them with a spray of snow.
"Is Blain hurt?" Maggie asked, peering around the drift next to Jonny.
"No, he's fine," Jonny assured. He got up with a grunt of irritation, releasing the bindings of his skis. "I didn't get a good look at whoever that was with the gun. Maybe Blain did." Blain was still lying in the snow, but he was looking in their direction, waiting for the all-clear.
"Gun?" Hadji asked, looking between Jonny, Maggie, and the distant Blain.
"Come on, Hadj," Jonny said, leading the way. Hadji skied alongside Jonny and Maggie as they trudged through the snow toward Blain. Blain met them half way.
"He's long gone," Blain said regretfully. "He saw me coming."
"Thanks," Jonny said earnestly holding out a hand to Blain. "You probably saved our necks." Blain nodded, taking his hand in a firm shake.
"Sure," he said. "Any time."
"Come on," Maggie said, looking back to the bottom of the run. Ryan, Jessie, and Scott were waiting there. "Let's get the others. We need to talk."
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"What was all that?" Scott asked, gesturing toward the bottom of the south runs where Jonny, Blain, Hadji, and Maggie had just come from. Blain launched into the story while Jessie, Ryan, and Scott listened raptly to what happened.
"Did you get a good look at the guy?" Jessie wanted to know. Blain shrugged.
"He was wearing a ski mask. I'm positive it was a man, though," Blain said.
"That's twice now," Scott said. "What are the chances whoever it is will stop?"
"Not very good, I am afraid," Hadji admitted.
"So," Ryan asked matter-of-factly after a moment of awkward silence, "what now?"
"We don't know," Maggie said. "What do you guys want to do?" Silence followed her question. No one really wanted to call it quits on the ski weekend, but the fact remained, someone was targeting them, and they weren't afraid to take shots.
"How about we get lunch?" Blain finally suggested with a determined look.
"Yeah, lunch," Ryan agreed, exchanging a look with Scott, who nodded. Jessie grinned. It appeared this wasn't going to be the end of their ski weekend.
"Excellent idea," Jonny agreed, patting his stomach. "I can't think straight when I'm hungry."
"That explains it then," Jessie quipped as the group headed for the lodge. "You're always hungry, thus, you can never think. I guess it's not the bleach for your hair after all." Jessie's teasing lightened the mood, and there were even a couple laughs as Jonny launched into an insult of his own. The seven of them stashed their ski equipment at the racks, then trooped inside, headed for the restaurant.
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"Maggie," Scott said quietly, holding her back when the group stopped by the restrooms first. "Are you okay? I think this upset you more than you're letting on." Maggie looked at him in surprise.
"You're right," she confirmed. "How did you know?" she asked, curious.
"Observant," he reminded her with a wry smile. It earned a small smile in return. "That, and last summer you mentioned you'd only known your uncle and his family for a year," Scott recalled.
"You remembered that?" Maggie was surprised.
"Well, yeah," Scott shrugged. "I've got a good memory for details. Can't help it."
"I'll have to remember that," Maggie said thoughtfully. "Observant and good recall."
"Maggie," Scott said, "this morning you mentioned your mom worked for the CIA. I mean, we all know you lost your parents, but you never talk about them. I was always curious why. Then, the way you reacted to the situation last night and this morning… I can't help but wonder… What happened to you, Maggie?"
Maggie turned away from Scott, her eyes blankly scanning the snowy mountain through the floor to ceiling windows while she thought. Scott waited patiently for her reply. He was good at being patient, and he sensed she needed to take her time for this.
"I never knew about my mother's connection to the CIA until she went missing in March, almost two years ago. That's when I learned Dr. Quest was her half-brother, my uncle," Maggie said. "I knew who he was, of course, and I knew his reputation. I had no one else to turn to and took a chance."
"He helped you?" Scott asked gently, already knowing her uncle must have.
"Yes, but we were too late," Maggie said in a whisper. Scott felt terrible when he saw the tears in her eyes, and then watched them fall down her face. Scott pulled her into his arms and held her for a moment while she pulled herself together. "They helped me through all of that, every step of the way, and my life changed completely. I'm still not used to all this, but my uncle and his family, they know what it's like." Scott dropped a light kiss on the top of her head.
"Thanks for telling me that," he said. "I'm guessing there's a lot more to it, but I won't ask."
"Thank-you," Maggie said, and left it at that. She took a deep breath, then pulled herself away. "I think I'm going to go wash my face," she said wiping her damp cheeks.
"Okay," Scott agreed. She nodded, then headed toward the bathroom Jessie had just left a few moments before.
"Was Maggie crying?" Jessie asked Scott, worried.
"A little," Scott said, watching Maggie disappear into the ladies' room. "I asked about her mom. I didn't realize where that would go." Jessie nodded, understanding. "Maybe you should follow her and make sure she's okay."
"I think I will," Jessie agreed. She headed back to the ladies' room as Jonny and Ryan were returning from the men's room. They gave her a curious look as she passed them, which she ignored.
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Hadji was the last one to finish in the men's room. He went to the sink and turned on the tap to wash his hands. He blinked when the lights went out and he was plunged into unexpected darkness. It was disorienting.
"Who has turned out the lights?" Hadji called out. "Turn them back on." He got no answer; the men's room remained dark and silent. Groping for the tap, Hadji turned it off. He couldn't remember where the hand dryers were, so he decided to skip it and find the door instead. Carefully he set off, feeling a little foolish as he put his hands out in front of himself to help feel his way through the dark, unfamiliar place. Hadji stopped. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. He would swear he wasn't alone.
"Who is there?" he asked. The response was a slithering movement as smooth, silky fabric circled his neck. And then it pulled tight against his throat. Hadji struggled, his initial response to the attack, and pulled at the constricting fabric as he desperately tried to loosen it. He wanted to cough or swallow or clear his throat to unblock his airway, but he couldn't. It was that realization that brought clarity back to his brain.
Immediately he ceased his struggles and instead fell back against his unknown attacker with all his weight and strength thrown into it. The attacker stumbled and fell back onto the floor. The fabric loosened around his neck; Hadji took a desperate breath of air and scrambled for the door. He managed to get a good kick in as he hurried away, which resulted in a guttural "Oomph!" from the would-be strangler.
A faint light in the crack beneath the door became visible as Hadji rounded the corner to the restroom's entrance. He reached up, pulling the door open, and scrambled to his feet as he moved through the open doorway. As the door closed behind him he heard the scraping of metal from inside the restroom, but Hadji was too eager to escape to investigate the noise.
"Hadji?" Jonny asked, uncertain, when he saw his usually cheerful brother stumble from the men's room gasping for air and massaging his throat. Sensing trouble, he hurried over, followed closely by Ryan, Blain, and Scott. "What happened, Hadji?" Jonny asked, looking back suspiciously at the men's room door. Jessie and Maggie chose that moment to emerge from the ladies' room. Jessie gasped when she saw the red marks on Hadji's neck left by the attack. She ran over, followed closely by Maggie.
"How did this happen?" Maggie asked, holding his head between her hands and tipping his head back so she could see the marks more clearly.
"The lights went out," Hadji said, his voice strained and cracking from the attempt on his life. "Someone tried to strangle me." Blain and Jonny ran into the men's room at top speed. Hadji, Maggie, Jessie, Scott, and Ryan followed quickly behind. Jonny found the light switch and turned on the florescent lights. Blain dashed over to search the stalls for whomever had attacked Hadji.
"No one," Blain announced with a shrug.
"How?" Hadji croaked with a shake of his head. "No one exited the men's room after me." The others exchanged questioning looks.
"Hey, what's that?" Ryan said suddenly, pointing to the stainless steel towel dispenser and disposal inset in the wall. The others turned to look. It rested at an odd angle, the left side sticking out from the wall about an inch.
"I heard a grating sound," Hadji said, remembering. Ryan caught his fingers under the lip of the dispenser and pulled. The entire inset swung out like a door. "That is very likely how the perpetrator came and went from this restroom," Hadji surmised.
"It's dark in there," Blain said.
"I wonder what's through there," Jessie mused, looking into the darkness.
"Only one way to find out," Blain said. He slipped through the doorway sideways, disappearing into the dark.
"Find anything?" Jessie called after giving his eyes time to adjust to the dark.
"A utility space," Blain's voice answered back. "Pipes, shut-off valves, mop and bucket, that kind of stuff. And another door." They heard a click of metal, and suddenly they could see inside the utility space as light spilled in from the narrow door opposite. "Another men's room," Blain reported, looking through it. He shut it, then rejoined the others. "The attacker probably escaped through the other men's room. It would have been easy to casually walk out on the other side as if he'd been going about his business."
"Assuming it was a man," Jessie put in.
"It was definitely a man," Hadji confirmed. "I knocked him over to escape."
"There's nothing else we can do here," Scott said. "Maybe we should go get our table now?" There were several nods of agreement, and the group trooped out of the men's room as if it were normal to have two girls in their midst.
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To be continued…
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