Disclaimer: Still not mine, that much should be obvious at this point.
Chapter 9-Temper Tantrum
"So, Jess, what are you gonna do today?" asked Jonny as he followed Jessie downstairs towards the hotel restaurant.
"You mean besides avoid you and Jade? I haven't quite decided yet," replied Jessie curtly.
Jonny sighed. "I take it you're still mad at me?"
"Mad is an understatement, Jonny. I'm moving on to loathing, and quite possibly could hate you by the end of the day."
"Alrighty then, I guess I won't ask you to go boating with me at the beach later, huh?"
"Do you have any clue how far away the beach is?"
"Not really," admitted Jonny, "but we're all headed to the beach for the day…aren't you going too?"
Jessie rolled her eyes. "More than likely, hotshot, if everyone else is going then yeah, I'm gonna get sucked onto that trip too."
"Gee, don't sound so excited. I thought you liked hanging out with your dad."
"Not when he's playing kissy face with the evil bitch of the west…oh wait, or is that you playing kissy face with her? It's kinda hard to keep track these days," muttered Jessie. Jonny scowled but shut his mouth as they took their seats. Everyone else was already there. Jonny made a face as he caught sight of his dad and Grace in deep concentration.
"Y'all ready to go to the beach today?" questioned Race glancing down at his daughter and Jonny. The blonde nodded as Jessie slumped in her seat. "Ponchita, I need to talk to you for a sec."
"If it's about your crazy girlfriend," stated Jessie, "I'm not interested."
"Walk with me." Race didn't leave room for question as he grabbed Jessie by the arm and pulled her out into the lobby.
"What? Obviously it's about Jade…so spill it. Do you want me to be nicer to her? 'Cause if that's what it is I'm gonna have to take a rain check and ask for a ticket to South America…that's the only way I'll be able to live with my sanity in check."
"I need you to keep an eye on Jonny today, you got me?"
"What for? He's a big boy; he can take care of himself."
Race sighed. "Jess, Corbin…Corbin thinks you might be right about Jade."
Jessie's face brightened. "I'm beginning to build respect for the guy…maybe I will join the C.I.A."
"Very funny, now I need you to do me a favor and keep them in your line of sight, got it? We're not certain that Jade is up to something involving Jonny, but it's better to be safe than sorry. You gonna do me this one little favor?"
"You gonna give me a gun to blow Jade away?"
"Not a chance."
"Fine, I'll do it, but it would be ten times more fun if I had a gun."
"Jess, your mother would kill me if I let you have a gun. She's already gonna be gloating if it turns out Jade really isn't working with us," replied Race with a stern look on his face. Jessie rolled her eyes as she followed her father back into the restaurant.
Jonny glanced up at Jessie curiously. "What did Race want?"
"Just wants me to be nice to little miss fuckit over there," murmured Jessie airily. Race choked on a gulp of water, glaring at his daughter as Jade's eyes narrowed.
Benton cleared his throat. "Um, Hadji, did you want still want to look at the stone with Grace and me, or did you want to go to the beach with the others?"
"I think I would like to look at the stone one last time. I had a strange dream about it last night, and my conscious will not be clear until I can look at the stone with my own eyes," answered Hadji with a sharp nod. "It is a feeling I have regarding it. I feel as though the winds have changed."
"You sure you didn't eat somethin' funny last night?" teased Jonny. Jessie made a face and hit Jonny in the back of the head. Jonny glanced at her, but kept silent as she glared at him. It seemed jokes were not the order of the day today.
The Museum
Hadji stood on the outskirts of the display room, studying the case of the stone from a distance. He was afraid to walk over to it. He was afraid his dreams would be confirmed. Taking a deep breath, Hadji made him self edge closer to the display case. Soon enough he was directly in front of it, staring down at the red gem.
Beginning to relax, Hadji chuckled to himself. "It is there. I do not know what I was so worried about. The stone is still here. Perhaps I have not gotten enough sleep."
He was about to turn and walk away when he noticed something peculiar about the gem. Hadji turned to face the gem, his face set in a deep frown. The gem seemed…dull. He thought back to the day he had first laid eyes on the Immortal Stone. It had sparkled, and there had been a feeling about it that pulled at Hadji's very soul. Looking at the gem now, however, Hadji realized that he didn't feel that way about it now.
"Oh no," murmured Hadji leaning closer to the case. "This is not the Immortal Stone."
His eyes widened at the realization and he turned to leave the room in a hurry. Hadji had to find Dr. Quest and Dr. Lin to confirm his deepest suspicions. If the stone was missing then trouble was already afoot.
Later On
Grace shook her head, her forehead creased with worry lines. "I don't understand. How the hell could someone snatch the stone from under our noses? The damn thing is its own shield."
"Unless the thief had gloves or some other way to carry it without touching it, it's very easy to walk out of here with the stone," replied Benton running a hand through his hair. "My question is who the hell took it? The damn thing has been under tight security since we found it. Only a master thief—"
Hadji spoke the one name the group was thinking. "Jade. She has been with us since we first found the stone. Who can say for certain how long it has been missing. I have only noticed it now because it is the first time that I have come to study it without Jonny and Jessie arguing in my ears."
"But Jade is no—she's not a—what use can she possibly gain from stealing the Immortal Stone?" asked Grace with genuine concern.
Benton sighed. "She must be working closer with the enemy than she's let on. Oh God, Jonny and Jessie! She's with them right now! Race! We've got to get a hold of Race and let him know what's going on!"
The Beach
Jessie was gritting her teeth as she followed along behind Race, Jade, and Jonny. The long trip to the beach had been pure hell for the red headed girl. Every word that came out of Jade's mouth had made Jessie want to punch the woman.
Now the group was making their way across the sandy beach. Jessie let out a small yawn, her eyes scanning the area around her as she tugged at her shorts and double checked that her bikini top looked alright. Any chance to flirt with local boys would raise her spirits. Jessie felt her heart skip a beat though upon catching sight of Julia—Surd's paramour.
"You guys go ahead, I'm gonna run to the bathroom," said Jessie. She disappeared into the crowd, not bothering to wait for a reply.
Race made a face as he looked around for his daughter. "Where the hell is she going? The bathrooms are right here."
Jonny glanced to where Race was pointing and shrugged. He wasn't on Jessie's good side anymore, so he didn't have a clue how her mind was working. Race grumbled under his breath but continued walking on the beach with Jade on his arm. Jonny cast a long glance back towards where Jessie had vanished before turning to follow Race and Jade.
In the meantime, Jessie was moving swiftly through the crowds in search of the blonde woman she had seen. If anyone had answers to Jade's loyalty, it would be Julia. Fortunately for Jessie Julia had decided to take a short cut through a narrow alley.
Jessie picked up her pace and grabbed Julia by the arm, flipping her onto her back and pressing her knee into the blonde woman's ribcage. "Hi Julia, remember me? I just want some answers—and you're gonna give them to me or I'm gonna make you very sorry you ever came to Mexico. Comprende?"
Julia glared back at Jessie with hate filled eyes, but quickly nodded in agreement as Jessie dug her knee deeper into the woman's ribs. "What do you want to know?" wheezed out Julia hoarsely.
"Everything possible about your little friend Jade."
"She's under orders from Surd to steal the Immortal Stone and kidnap Jonny Quest. They're going to use him to unlock the powers of the stone."
"When?"
Julia hissed in pain as Jessie put all her weight into the woman's abdomen. "Today. She already has the stone!"
"Fuck." Jessie was off like a bullet, leaving Julia on the ground, gasping for breath.
Struggling to her feet Julia pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. "Hey, she's on the prowl. Yeah, she bought everything. Got it." Hanging up the phone, Julia placed a hand on a nearby wall to steady herself. Everything was going according to plan.
At the same time that Julia was getting drilled by Jessie, Race was answering his own phone. "Hello? Benton? What? Wait, I can't hear you, hold on a sec." Race turned to Jonny and Jade with a pained expression. "I'll be right back; I've got to take this."
Jade nodded in sympathy. "We'll be renting a boat, okay, baby?"
Race nodded absently and turned his back on the pair, plugging his other ear with a finger as he tried to listen to Benton's fast paced words. "Whoa, slow down, buddy. Now start from the beginning. What did Hadji not see?"
Jade tugged on Jonny's hand and the two began to jog over to the docks where a couple of yachts were tied up. She conversed with a man sitting atop one, and smiled sweetly as the man scrambled out of the boat, handing her the keys. "Come on," she said to Jonny. "Let's take a ride—just the two of us."
Jonny nodded dumbly, taken in by her smile and bikini top. They boarded the boat and Jonny helped untie the yacht from the pier. Minutes later they were driving out of the harbor. As soon as they were miles from the beach Jade turned to Jonny with a smile on her face.
"You know, it's ironic how life works."
"Whaddya mean?" asked Jonny.
"Well, Race is infatuated with me, Jessie is infatuated with you, you're infatuated with both me and Jessie…and in the end, Jessie has always been right about me."
"Huh?" Jonny glanced up in confusion, trying to get over the fact that Jade thought he and Jessie were infatuated with each other.
"I'm not a good girl, Jonny," murmured Jade. "I'm the enemy. You should never have trusted me." With those words Jade gave a powerful roundhouse kick, knocking Jonny squarely in the head and out cold.
Jessie was breathing raggedly by the time she found Race who was still trying to make sense of Benton's words. "Benton, put someone else on—I haven't gotten the last fifty words you've said!"
"Dad! Where's Jonny?" demanded Jessie tugging at her father's arm to gain his attention.
"Not now, sweetie, Grace is getting on the phone."
"Dad, I just talked to Julia—you know, Surd's Julia? She said that Jade has stolen the Immortal Stone and that she's gonna kidnap Jonny!"
"Whaddya mean Jade has the stone? That's impossible—she and Jonny are waiting at the docks as we speak—" Race's eyes widened as he listened to Grace on the other end of the phone. "What? The stone is missing?"
Jessie was already running towards the docks, searching for Jonny. Minutes later Race joined her. "Corbin's on the way," murmured Race running a hand through his hair. "I can't believe I let them go off together. Anyone here know where they went?"
"I think this guy might," stated Jessie as a man came walking down the dock whistling away. Race grimaced and grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt.
"Hey buddy, you see a pretty woman come by with a boy with blonde hair?"
The man's eyes widened. "Uh, sure, they just rented my boat. Promised me two grand if I let 'em go without me. Oh no, they ain't gonna jip me, are they?"
"Not if I can help it," muttered Jessie. "What's the name of your boat?"
"La Sirenita."
Race groaned as he glanced around the docks. "Is there anyone else here with keys so we can borrow a boat?"
The man shook his head. "They usually don't come 'til later in the day."
"Shit!" Race let go of the man and turned to Jessie pointing at the beach behind her. "Alright Ponchita, you see that Jet Ski over there, I'm gonna take it out and look for Jonny."
Jessie shook her head. "No way, I will. Jade's smart—she'll have the boat she took hotwired by now to blow if she catches you. Besides, I hate her; I have a much better chance of not being taken in by some sob story she cooks up. Hijack one of those speed boats over there, and come after us with Corbin and some guns. I'll be alright, daddy. You taught me well."
"That's what I'm afraid of." Race took a deep breath and nodded as he led Jessie over to the Jet Ski sitting on the beach. He helped Jessie onto the small vessel, nodding in approval as she slipped on the bright orange life vest.
"Hey!" called out a man walking up to the two. "That's my Jet Ski! You can't take that!"
"Wanna bet?" said Race turning around and punching the man in the eye. "Official business, bucko, if you've got a problem you're more than welcome to take it up with my superior when he gets here." Turning back to Jessie, Race began to offer up some pointers as he pushed the Jet Ski into deeper water. "Now remember, don't let down your guard—and don't do anything Jonny would do, huh?"
"You can count on me." Jessie grinned at her father and started up the Jet Ski.
La Sirenita
Jonny glanced around warily as his eyes flickered open. He groaned and tried to move, but not only was his head swimming, his arms were tied to a chair. "Shit, I really walked into this one," muttered the teen to himself.
Jade chuckled as she entered the small cabin. "You did. It's amazing really. You're father is one of the smartest men on the planet—and you didn't get any of his brains."
"Lemme guess, you're gonna hand me over to Surd and use me for the Immortal thingamigummy, aren't ya?"
"Something like that."
"What are you gonna get out of it?" demanded Jonny.
"Immortality. Part of it anyway."
"You're crazy."
Jade shrugged. "Too bad you found out a little too late."
"I shoulda let Jessie maul you the other day. She's had the right idea about you all along."
At that Jade's face darkened, diminishing her beauty. "That brat is a thorn in my side. She's gonna pay for crossing my path—I don't show mercy."
"Yeah, well you're in luck," murmured Jonny. "I don't think Jessie shows mercy either."
Meanwhile, Jessie cut the motor of the Jet Ski, letting it float in the water as she came across the stolen yacht. Taking a deep breath, Jessie pushed against the hull of the yacht so as not to let the Jet Skit bump against it. She gripped the metal ladder rungs and slowly began to edge herself up the ladder after securing her Jet Ski to the bottom rung. Jessie peeked over the railing of the yacht, and silently slipped on board seeing that the coast was clear. Her ears perked at the sound of murmured voices. Peering through one of the cabin windows, Jessie rolled her eyes at seeing Jonny unconscious. She glanced around the yacht deck studiously, before laying eyes on the roof of the cabin.
Jade was still ranting about Jessie when she suddenly fell silent. "Did you hear that?" she asked of Jonny.
Jonny snorted derisively. "Hear what? Your voice? I'm sure everyone and their mother could hear it. So you hate Jessie, I think I get it now."
Jade was at the doorway of the cabin, but after hearing the tone of Jonny's voice she turned to face the blonde with an angry glint in her eyes. "I'm about ready to feed you to the sharks, Quest, if you don't shut your fucking—"
Her sentence was never finished as she was sent headfirst to the floor as Jessie swung herself through the door feet first from the roof of the cabin. "Oh, I'm sorry," said Jessie bringing a hand up to her mouth. "Was I interrupting something?"
"Only your death!" snarled Jade scrambling back onto her feet.
"Well in that case don't let me stop you."
Jade let out a sharp cry as she lunged at Jessie. The red head met the lunge with an upward thrust of her palm into Jade's chin, knocking the older woman's teeth together. Jade grabbed Jessie's neck just as Jessie turned around and flipped Jade over her shoulders, but Jade quickly used the momentum to bring Jessie crashing to the ground after her.
Jessie cursed as she hit the deck outside of the cabin, rolling in time to avoid Jade's next attack with her feet. Jumping to her feet, Jessie was pushed against the railing of the ship as Jade tried to make another mad grab for the red head's neck.
"Wrong move, lady!" hissed Jessie. With a low growl Jessie rammed her shoulder into Jade's chest, driving the woman backwards to the other side of the ship. Winded, Jade made a feeble struggle as Jessie knocked her over the railing and into the ocean below. Jessie gazed down at the water below breathing heavily as Jade didn't resurface. Feeling the first amount of relief in a long time, Jessie headed back inside the cabin where Jonny was untying his ropes with a knife Jade had left on the cabin table.
"You were right," he said simply.
"'Course I was," replied Jessie as she helped Jonny undo his wrist bonds. "Are you okay?"
"Well my ego's a little bruised. A chick knocked me out and tied me up. On any other occasion that would be hot…but not so much anymore."
Jessie felt a smile tug at her lips as Jonny chuckled at his own words. Things were going to be okay between them. Reaching for her shoulder, Jonny pulled Jessie into a tight hug, squeezing her to reassure himself that they were both fine. "How 'bout you? Are you okay?"
"Hotshot, I just got rid of the wicked witch of the west—I'm doing great," murmured Jessie. Jonny nodded and pulled far enough away to study Jessie's face.
He brought both his hands to cup her face, whispering, "Jess, I'm sorry. I screwed up."
"You're a guy. All guys screw up."
Jonny didn't answer right away. His head lowered towards Jessie's, his lips almost on hers when the sound of a motor brought them back to attention. Jessie was out of the cabin first with Jonny right behind her. Together they watched as Jade rode off on the Jet Ski.
"Dammit! Is she a roach or something? Why can't she die?" grumbled Jessie making a face.
"Well, we still have the yacht," pointed out Jonny. "I'm sure you can figure out how to drive this thing, don't you?"
Jessie made a face but followed Jonny over to the wheel of the ship. They both stopped in their tracks however at the sound of a ticking noise. Dropping to her knees Jessie peered under the control panel where the sound was coming from. A time bomb stared right back at her.
"Oh shit. Off the boat!"
"Huh?"
"It's gonna blow, Hotshot!" Jessie grabbed Jonny's hand and pulled him down the deck towards the back of the boat. They scrambled over the railing and dived into the water just as the yacht exploded.
Underwater, Jessie and Jonny were sent through the water with the impact of the explosion. Jonny grabbed Jessie around the waist and pulled her to the surface, both teens gasping for air as they began to tread water.
"I'm gonna kill her!" seethed Jessie coughing some water out of her lungs.
"Gotcha." Jonny kept a grip on Jessie and looked around the surface as the sound of a motor could be heard coming their way. The approaching vessel was a speed boat.
"I knew the good fish would be out this way," joked Race as he and Corbin appeared at the railing of the speed boat as it pulled up beside the two teens.
"Very funny, dad," said Jessie. "Now get us outta here before the sharks come out to play."
A/N: Another chapter…this is one of my favorite ones, so I hope it turned out alright. Enjoy!