Disclaimer: The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest is owned by Hanna-Barbara. No money is being made from this story. It is simply by a fan for other fans.
A/N: To all: Thank you to all those that have left reviews; and thank you to all those that have read my tale so far. I hope you all are enjoying it.
GoddessEvie: Thank you for taking the time out of your extremely busy life to help me with that one part I was having trouble with. You'll see that I made some changes to what I mentioned to you yesterday. Hopefully this works better, I think it will.
Chapter 7
Present Day
The sun was already high in the sky when Estella awoke in the back of the van. She squinted against the brightness that shone through the front windshield. Peering in that direction she saw that they were moving again, but slower, no longer on the interstate. She felt a rough tap on her shoulder.
"Eyes this way." Donsik growled.
"Where are we going?" She asked again, not really expecting an answer.
"We are almost there. Be quiet." The driver grumbled.
Estella huffed, but said nothing. She passed the time trying to think back on everything that had happened. Ever since she and Jessie were kidnapped in Brazil her life had been ripped up and down. She realized it must be Saturday morning. The driver's window was half way down and the van was suddenly engulfed with sounds she hadn't heard in a long time. The van rattled from a loud BOOM and moments later she thought she heard a helicopter.
The men began to chuckle. "Like being back home." The passenger said. "You don't know anything about that, do you, my brother?"
Donsik sneered at the men up front, the passenger obviously his older brother. "One day I will, Pavik."
"Little boy lusting for war." The driver's tone was steady.
"What of it, Malik?" Donsik replied.
Estella wondered if they realized they had all just given up their names in front of her, or if they even cared.
"Shut your trap, Donsik." Malik barked. "You have no idea what you are talking about."
Estella opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly another BOOM was heard. She had a feeling she knew where they were. "You all act like you were doing something brave or heroic. You invaded another country and murdered innocent people!" She spat.
"Shut it, woman." Malik warned.
"I know who you all are." Estella continued. "I saw what you all did back in Kosovo. You're nothing but a bunch of murders, rapists, and thieves!"
Without warning, Malik pulled the van into a parking lot and climbed out of the driver's seat into the back of the van. Estella sunk back, but she had nowhere to go. "I said shut your mouth." Malik snapped and quickly backhanded Estella across the face. The slap was so hard the sound echoed throughout the van. She tasted blood on her lips and tongue and felt tears well in her eyes.
"Malik!" Donsik said, just as much in shock from his leader's reaction as Estella was.
Malik turned towards the young man and raised his hand, "You want a crack as well, little Donsik?"
Donsik bit his tongue and shook his head.
"That's what I thought. You all need to learn your place and keep your mouths shut. Stop talking about things you know nothing about!" Malik proclaimed and climbed back into the driver's seat. Pavik watched Malik as he sat back down but said nothing.
Silence filled the van; the only sound was Estella's soft whimpers of pain. Malik threw the van back into drive and pulled back onto the road. "Get ready. We are almost there."
Donsik placed a hand on Estella's shoulder and leaned close to her ear. "Are you okay?" He asked. She felt that his concern was actually genuine, but she didn't care.
With her opposite hand she pushed the kidnappers hand off of her shoulder, "Don't touch me." Then she added under her breath, "I hope you all die."
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Kosovo, December, 1998
After just a short ride from the base camp, Phil pulled the civilian SUV that he and Estella rode in into a small parking lot adjacent to a row of flats. They were in a small community just on the outskirts of the city of Ferizaj. Estella knew of the town, with both a Mosque and an Orthodox Cathedral located at the center of the city, the town was known for its cultural and religious tolerance. Estella had hoped to be able to visit both sites, but the war had so far prevented her from viewing such a wonderful site.
"What are we doing here?" Estella asked as they exited the vehicle and walked towards the row of flats. They were small and quaint and were a peaceful sight amidst the ravages of the war-torn country that Estella had seen so far.
"I said I wanted you to meet someone." Phil said as he approached one of the flats and knocked on the door. Immediately a dog started barking in response.
Estella could hear shuffling and a woman's voice approaching the door, yelling something in what she assumed was Slavic to quiet down the dog. The door opened cautiously, Estella could see the security chain was still attached and an old woman's face appeared, partially obscured by the door. The woman peered at her visitors then smiled, closed the door to remove the chain, the flung it wide open.
She stretched her arms out towards Phil, forcing him to bend down to hug her. "Môj drahý!" She exclaimed as the two embraced.
"Som rád, že vás zase vidím" Phil replied, then in English he introduced Estella, "This is my friend , Doctor Estella Velasquez."
The old woman, who Estella guessed was in her late Seventies grinned at Phil and said, " Priateľ? Ona vyzerá, že bude v poriadku, viac než priateľ. "
Phil blushed and said, "Stop that. Estella, this is Mrs. Biljana Kasun."
"Please to meet you." Estella replied and was shocked as the woman reached out and hugged her. She smelled like flowers. She was bundled up in a large back sweater with a colorful shawl wrapped around her shoulders. She wore a long dark skirt and her feet were padded by dark slippers. Her shoulder-length hair was grey, but full. Estella thought that at one time, in the woman's youth, she was probably quiet stunning.
Ushering them inside she said. "Come in, come in. I will make some tea." She showed them into a sitting room and as they sat a large German Shepard bounded into the room and rubbed his head on Phil's knees.
"Hello, Luka." Phil said as he rubbed the dogs ears.
"You've obviously been here before." Estella said warmly.
Phil nodded as Luka went to sit in front of the fireplace. A few moments later Biljana returned with a tray carrying a tea kettle and cups.
"What brings you here, hon?" She asked as she poured three cups of tea before moving to sit comfortably in a chair. Estella took in the view of the small room, it was still decorated from an era well past, but she liked the humblness and the cozy feel of the place.
"I wanted Estella to meet you." Phil then turned to Estella and said, "Biljana was the curator at the museum here in the city before she retired." And then to Biljana he said, "But I'm sorry to tell you that all the artifacts and artwork that you hid were stolen."
Biljana shook her head and Estella noticed her soft eyes looked sad. "I had heard and I heard what they did to those poor people."
Phil nodded and after a brief moment of silence he continued, "The stone was stolen as well."
"It was the one thing Yuri truly desired."
"Yuri Delic?" Estella asked.
Biljana nodded. "A devilish man with nothing but ambition and hate in his heart. He wanted the stone for its powers.
"What is this stone?" Estella asked.
"Hold on, dear." Biljana said and left the room.
"What's going on, Phil?" Estella asked.
"You'll see. You asked about Delic, so here we are."
She really hated it when he was cryptic like this, but she sipped her tea, which was surprisingly very tasty, and help snatch away the cold chill in her bones, and waited.
After a couple of minutes Biljana returned and handed Estella a photograph of small rectangular stone, it appeared to be about the size of a bar of soap. Etched into the stone was an image of the Virgin Mary cradling the baby Jesus within her arms. It appeared to be hand carved and Estella marveled at the detail of the two iconic figures. She could only imagine what the stone looked like in real life.
"Unbelievable." She murmured. "This must be very valuable."
"It's priceless, but that is not why Yuri desires it." Biljana replied.
"Why then?" Estella lifted her eyes from the photo to meet the old woman's gaze. Her eyes were mesmerizing.
"Because of what people believe it can do." Phil stated, doubt in his words.
Biljana shushed him with a tap on his knee and said, "Just because you do not believe it does not mean it isn't true." Estella had never seen the man be lectured so sternly before. Don't mess with old, superstitious women from the old country. Estella thought.
"What can it do?" Estella asked, truly fascinated by the piece and the bit of mystery behind a stone carving.
"Whoever is in possession of this stone can use it to transfer any of his knowledge to another person. When another person is in possession of the stone all of the original person's thoughts would be transferred into his or her mind."
"Nonsense." Phil mumbled.
Biljana gave him a stern look and Phil acquiesced. Estella thought back to why Phil understands Slavic and wondered about his relationship with the old woman.
"Umm…" She began her eyes shifting from her team leader to the old woman and back.
"Phil and I met a few years ago on one of his previous assignments here." Biljana answered in anticipation of the next question.
"Before you joined the agency," Phil explained. "A plot to destroy the St. Uroš Orthodox Cathedral."
"Our people were very grateful for the American Government's assistance in that matter, even if it was not public knowledge of the agency's involvement. But now I am just an old woman and he's like the grandson I never had." Biljana smiled. "He visits whenever he can."
He rolled his eyes and joked, "She makes some mean kolachkies. That's the real reason I visit. But back to the folklore about the stone."
"It is not folklore, young man." Biljana scolded.
"Look…" Phil began but was quickly cut off.
"Go take Luka out back." Biljana gave him a stern look.
"Pffft," Was the only sound the I-1 agent made as he tossed his hands up, "Come on, Luka, let's go see if any veveričky have invaded along with the Yugos."
Luka's ears perked up at hearing the Slavic word for squirrels and followed the agent out back.
Estella giggled, never having seen her boss ordered around like a child.
"He's a darling and he knows it, but he doesn't believe in these traditions. As an outsider I do not blame him, I just wish he was more open-minded at times," Biljana sighed. "Anyways, my dear, back to the story; the stone was once the most prized possessions of the Ferizaj Museum. It is believed to have been carved by a stoneworker that was present in Bethlehem during Jesus' birth and he presented the stone as a gift to Mary. After our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified it is said the stone was given to Joseph of Aramethia who placed it in the tomb with Jesus. After Jesus ascended to Heaven the stone was found to be still in the tomb and that is when it is believed that its powers of transference happened. It eventually ended up here in Ferizaj, but how it came to be here we are not sure. We decided to hide it from the Yugos, not only for its religious value but because of its powers."
"Is Delic one of them? How would he know about the stone being here?"
She shook her head, "No, he is a traitor; an Albanian that turned against his own people for power; and to pursue his mad scientist experiments." Her bitterness and hatred for the man was apparent in her words.
Estella knew about the tumulus relationship between the Albanians and the Serbs, but had never heard of anyone from either ethnic background teaming up with the Yugoslavians…at least until now.
"So you asked Phil to safeguard the stone because of the war and all the theft and looting that have been happening, but now it's gone." Estella guessed.
"He said you were his best archeologist in his organization." Then she added, "Probably the prettiest as well."
At that moment, Phil returned with the dog. "Luka wanted to come back in. It's cold out there and no squirrels to be found."
"Luka and Phil both." Biljana chuckled and Estella joined in.
He remained standing; his arms crossed over his chest and said, "So now you know a bit about Delic. He's a delusional nutcase, but also extremely intelligent and cunning. If we find him we find the stone, no doubt. We'll also bring him to justice for the war crimes he and his gang of Yugoslavian soldiers have committed here. We should get going, we have work to do."
They all nodded and Biljana saw them to the door, offering up more hugs. She waved as they walked back towards the vehicle. "So I-1 is here to find an ancient stone that is believed to hold powers bestowed upon it by Jesus Himself?" Estella asked as the approached the vehicle.
Phil shook his head as unlocked the SUV and climbed in. "No. We're here to find Delic and stop him from committing some heinous act. You are here to find the stone."
Estella thought on that and inquired, "What is Delic planning to do?"
Phil reversed from his spot and headed back out on the road. "We believe he's been experimenting with hybrid combinations of biological and chemical agents in an attempt to make some ultimate weapon which he wants to use to eradicate his enemies."
"Who are his enemies?" Estella asked.
"In his mind…everyone."
"So what about this stone?"
Phil snorted, "Fairytales."
"Your friend seems to believe and perhaps even Delic does."
"Delic is an Albanian Muslim, he doesn't care about Christian folklore. He wants the stone to sell it so he can fund his campaign of terror. He's using the Yugoslavians as his pawns to kill and steal priceless art and artifacts so he can sell them on the black market, plain and simple." He was quiet for a few minutes then added, "The only reason I thought he might have been killed in that massacre was because I assumed that sooner or later his gang of killers would have gotten wise to his true intentions and disposed of him so they could keep all the profits from the thefts, not just a cut."
Estella pondered for a few minutes then said, "But, what if?"
"What if what?" Phil asked.
"What if it's true?"
"What? The stone story? Pish posh. I love Biljana like my own grandmother, but she's an overly superstitious woman."
"Perhaps, but what if she's right?"
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Present Day
The office of the BAU at the FBI Headquarters was not much different than I-1 Race noted. It was busy, even for a weekend and the bullpen area was occupied by different agents going about their assigned duties of hunting down some of the worst criminal offenders in America. The team followed Agent Hotchner up the steps and into his team's conference room; a large room that felt somewhat cramped due to the large circular table in the center and the LED monitors mounted on the walls.
Hotchner's team of profilers was assembled. Race recognized the two agents, Morgan and Dr. Reid, from the crime scene back at I-1, but there was also a dark haired woman who introduced herself as SSA Emily Prentiss. Standing next to one of the monitors was an eccentrically dressed blonde woman who wore dark rimmed glasses framed like the outline of a cat, large hoop earrings, and a colorful dress. Her exceptionally tall heels were a mix of turquoise and yellow flower design. Race couldn't imagine that she fit in with regulations, but the BAU was quite a different type of division.
As the guests took their seats, Hotchner sat down and said, "This is our tech analyst Penelope Garcia," he motioned towards the blonde. "Let's get started."
Garcia, just like Dr. Reid, was having difficulty keeping her eyes from drifting towards the infamous Doctor Quest and his prodigal sons, but she cleared her throat and started. She clicked a button on the remote control she was holding and satellite images appeared on the screen, "Sir," she addressed her superior, "I was able to download the satellite imagery of the archeological site where Doctor Velasquez and her daughter were kidnapped." She clicked through a number of pictures. "The images show activity around the camp, however on the next pass there was nothing. Intelligence One dispatched a team and reported back that all the workers, both local and American had been murdered." Her tone had turned grim.
"Unfortunately we expected that." Doctor Quest said. "Whoever kidnapped Estella and Jessie did not want to leave any witnesses."
"The next question is how did they escape?" Race asked.
"Due to the terrain we have to assume they infiltrated and ex-filtrated the camp by helicopter." Emily Prentiss stated. "The next step is figuring out how they got into the United States so quickly and where they are hiding."
"There are a number of possibilities," Dr. Reid stated, playing with this fingers as he spoke, Doctor Quest noticed the young man's fiddling and chalked it up as an involuntary nervous habit. "The most likely being they chartered a private jet. There's also the possibility of securing passage on one of the cargo vessels leaving the ports, however due to the time constraints that doesn't seem likely."
"We'll investigate," Hotchner stated, "If we can determine how they left we might be able to find out where they are here in the U.S."
"Anything from Director Corbin's office?" Race asked.
Morgan shook his head, "Nothing more than what we already discussed. There wasn't much evidence left behind for us to figure out more than what we already know."
"Have you gained access to the I-1 database?" Hotchner directed the question to Garcia.
She shook her head, "No not yet."
"And I've been cut off." Race growled.
"Perhaps we can be of assistance," Hadji chimed in motioning to Jonny, "I-1 built its security protocols around those that were used to develop IRIS."
"What's IRIS?" Garcia asked in an excited tone.
"It is Quest Industries' security system." Doctor Quest replied, "Jonny and Hadji helped write the code."
"Okay, yeah," Garcia nodded vigorously, suddenly a tone chimed on the tablet she cradled in her arm. She looked down and then looked to her superior in surprise, "Sir, I just got a hit on Estella Velasquez."
"How so?" Race perked up, practically jumping from his seat.
"Her name was used to book a hotel room in the area."
Hotchner was on his feet, along with Morgan, Reid, and Race. "Garcia, send the location to the GPS system in my vehicle. Morgan, Reid, you're with me and Race."
"We're coming too!" Jonny exclaimed.
"Negative," Hotchner said, his voice stern, "You two work with Garcia, get into I-1's system and find out everything you can on this Yuri Delic that Corbin mentioned. He's the key to all this, he has to be."
Jonny looked away, obviously wanting to be involved in the action. Glancing at Garcia he noticed she was gitty with excitement.
"Emily, see if you and Doctor Quest can get a lead on the transportation these bastards took to get here."
"Got it." The dark haired woman responded.
With the teams assembled, Hotchner, Race, and the two agents quickly headed for the exit. Race kept stride with Corbin's cousin and said, "Agent Hotchner, I need a weapon."
"Call me Hotch," he replied and nodded towards Morgan in stride, "Get Race a sidearm. The vests are in the suburban. Let's move!"
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"What you did was risky, Drazen." Kosta said as his boss entered the room.
Drazen smiled, dismissing his lieutenant's apprehensions. "It was worth holding on to the room."
"The FBI is investigating now. And now you are playing games with this girl's father. It is unwise."
"We can handle the FBI and Agent Bannon."
Kosta was unsure of the latter. "I've heard of this man, Race Bannon. He's dangerous. You've awoken a force within a foe that we do not need to deal with right now."
Drazen was no longer amused with Kosta's constant criticism. Why could his lieutenant not see the fun in all of this? "You overestimate the American's abilities."
"You underestimate him, Drazen. He will stop at nothing to get his daughter back. Best we dispose of her now."
"No!" Drazen proclaimed, slamming his fist on the table where Kosta was seated. "We need to keep her."
"Why?"
"I grow tired of you questioning and doubting me, Kosta." Drazen's voice was low and cunning. "What is really on your mind?"
Kosta was un-phased by his superior's demeanor and Drazen attributed it to the man's years as a soldier and then his time in prison. Kosta was a hard man. "Our backers are getting impatient."
Drazen straightened and dismissed Kosta's statement with a wave of his hand. "We need to get our hands on the girl in order to satisfy our debt to them."
"Perhaps Malik and Estella will have luck with the next target."
"Let us hope so."
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Twenty minutes later the FBI suburban grinded to a stop in parking lot of a seedy hotel located just off of Interstate 95. The four men exited, vests strapped on and weapons drawn but held at their sides.
"Garcia said it was room 104." Hotchner stated and motioned in that direction. The hotel was a U shaped structure with all the room doors located outside facing towards the parking lot. A few cars occupied the lot, but no civilians were in sight. It was the type of hotel where people with little money or those needing to hide out due to illegal activities could find a place to stay with no questions asked.
Stacked at the door, Morgan was first and was about to kick the door in, but Race moved forward, "I'm going first. If she is in there and sees me we might be able to avoid any unnecessary confusion."
Morgan glanced at Hotch, who nodded. Morgan pounded on the door, shouted, "FBI!" and moved aside as Race launched a hard kick to the door, near the handle and strike plate. It flung inwards and the team moved in.
The room was small, the bathroom was off to the left, the door open, Race gave it a quick glance, did not see any threat, then moved forward, weapon raised. The main area of the room was empty except for furniture. "Clear!" He yelled and heard Morgan behind him say "Clear!" in regards to the bathroom.
The four men holstered their weapons and looked around. "She's already been moved." Race stated to no one in particular.
"It was wishful thinking anyway that she might still be here," Hotch replied, "Reid, go talk to the manager, see if he remembers anything."
Reid nodded and left the room.
"Hey, check this out." Morgan said from the bathroom. Hotch and Race moved to the doorway. Morgan had put on gloves and was holding an empty box of hair coloring. "Looks like she dyed her hair; I'll go grab some evidence bags and check on Reid."
Race watched as the FBI agent left and he was left with Hotchner who was studying something on the dresser. Race moved to his side and discovered a metal box. He crouched down in front of it and visually checked it for traps. Race noticed that a yellow sticky note was sitting next to the box; in block letters it said "FOR RACE".
"Let me open it." Race said, growing impatient with procedure.
"Are you sure?" Hotch asked as he stood and took a step back.
Race nodded and moved forward. His hands were steady, but his heart thudded so hard in his chest that he felt it was ready to explode. Cautiously he flipped the metal clasp and lifted the top of the box. His anticipation was gnawing at his nerves. He let the lid fall back on its hinges and saw the box contained a DVD in a white sleeve.
"Careful." Hotch said, the sudden sound of the man's voice filling the silence made Race flinch. He lifted the sleeved DVD out of the case and felt something sticky on his fingers. Pulling his hand and the DVD away, Race was suddenly overwhelmed by anger and rage. His vision blurred and his teeth ground against each other.
He reached into the box and withdrew the source of his rage.
"What is it?" Hotchner asked. He was a man that, due to his profession, was used to seeing and dealing with the worst things that humans could imagine doing to each other.
Race turned towards the FBI agent, his face so flushed by anger that his white hair seemed to almost shine. His eyes were set, pure fury seethed from his pores. He held up the item from the box; a clump of fiery red hair, stuck together by clumps of dried blood.
"My daughter's hair."
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To Be Continued….
A/N: Thank you for reading thus far. I decided to stop this chapter here, even though there are still some unanswered questions. I could have kept going, but I didn't want to make the chapter too long!
I hope to start working on Chapter 9 here tonight or tomorrow.