My apologies as this is a little late. Chapters 10 and 11 were probably the hardest to write for me. I hope they came out well. If not, don't be shy! I can always re-write. LOL!
Anatolie: Well, here is a little bit of what happens next!
TJ2398: Hope you like this chapter. The re-write was a little painful to say the least. LOL!
Jdcocoagirl: You are right about these two coming chapters being a bridge. Everything will change a bit after Jessie and Jonny finally meet. As for Hadji, well, he will play an important part in his brother's life too. Hope you stay tuned.
Playlist:
AC/DC: This House is on Fire
Milky Chance: Running
All Along the Watchtower: The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Chapter 10
KG765 watched DR128 walk over to a hallway at the end of the bar after he gave a thumb's up to a group of bikers playing pool across the other side of the bar. As the bikers cheered for their free beer, the assassin waited a while before following DR128 down the hallway. By now, AC/DC played loudly over the speakers, the sounds of billiards hitting the billiards balls, and the smell of beer muddled with chalk filled the atmosphere around him. The bar was pretty full, despite it being in the middle of nowhere.
Getting ready to make his move, KG765 walked past the bar and headed toward the hallway. As he suspected, the male and female bathrooms were located in that area. He figured the kid would want to corner him. No matter, he was prepared. Without hesitation, he walked in to the men's bathroom. Three stalls, all occupied. Two sinks with one single mirror that extended from one end of the wall to the other was the only thing that decorated the facility. For being a biker bar, the place was semi clean. The once white tile on the walls and floor were pale yellow, he had expected them to be a deeper shade.
Two men by the sinks laughed and joked around, offering short curious glances at him through the mirror. As one of the stalls became unoccupied, he figured that one of the other two would have DR128. He would have walked out, but the guys by the sink were already eyeing him suspiciously. He walked in the stall and waited until he could walk out again. A minute or two passed by before he finally did and that's when he noticed that the men who occupied the other two stalls were not DR128. He hadn't gone to the men's bathroom.
Washing his hands as to not raise anymore suspicions, he then dried them with the automatic hand dryer before walking out of the bathroom and heading to the women's bathroom. No doubt, DR128 would be waiting for him there.
XXXXXXXXXX
When Jessie arrived at the compound with Hadji, she wasted no time locking herself in her room. Turning on her computer, she loaded Phoenix and began working feverously. Midnight would roll around sooner than expected and she wanted to have everything ready.
A knock on the door had her rolling her eyes, "Come in."
Claire walked in, "Boy, you don't waste time, do you?"
"Claire, I'm busy," Jessie said without looking up from her computer screen. "Listen, I need all the time I can get before I can load Pheonix into QuestWorld."
"Well," Claire answered smiling, "I just came in to let you know that Ms. Evans is gone for the night and you might get a shot at sticking Phoenix into QuestWorld sooner than you think."
"I thought we decided we wouldn't go to the lighthouse until midnight," Jessie replied immediately stopping what she was doing.
"Well, that's true and that was the original plan," Claire nodded as she continued, "But, what if I were to tell you that I can get you to go….oh, in about fifteen…twenty minutes?"
At that, Jessie stood up abruptly, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"What I'm saying is that no one will be home tonight. Ms. Evans is gone and Hadji just invited me to tag along to Quest industries to help him pick up some paperwork he needs for a conference call tomorrow morning. You have the entire house to yourself Red," Claire told her with a wink and a sparkle in her voice.
"Seriously!" Jessie replied hugging her friend, "Awesome!"
"What's more awesome is that if you treat me right, I can make him take me out for coffee after. I'll be giving you more time at the lighthouse. If I get lucky, I might not be back until after midnight," she replied laughing.
"You'd do that for me?"
"No, I'd do that for me!" Claire shook her head. "One on one time with Hadji…come on Jessie this is a win-win situation for both of us."
"Oh, thank you!" Jessie said giving her friend another hug. "Now, get the hell out of the house."
Laughing, Claire shook her head, "Fine, you don't have to tell me twice. I'll see you later, Red," she said before walking out.
Satisfied, Jessie began to close out the program and log off. She then went to the kitchen to make some coffee and get some snacks. She hoped that Hadji and Claire wouldn't be back till after midnight, giving her most of the evening to find the answers she was looking for.
XXXXXXXXXX
KG765 walked in to the women's bathroom cautiously. It was no different than the men's room, except for a medium sized window at a corner end of the facility. The bathroom was empty. Well almost, DR128 stood by the far end of the room, wearing a biker jacket and staring back at his assailant, "Took you long enough," he told him in a neutral tone.
"When did you find out?"
"This afternoon," DR128 answered with a small smile, "While conducting…research."
Nodding, he smiled back, "You're smart kid." Walking closer, the 'kid' pulled out his gun on him. KG765 stopped, "Not as smart as I was told, but smart," he said as he raised his hand in the air.
"Who sent you?"
"Who do you think?" he questioned back.
DR128 gestured his assailant toward one of the bathroom stalls, "Get in."
"I don't have to go," he joked before he got in as told. "So, what are you going to do?" he asked after he walked in and faced him, "Kill me?"
"Actually…" he answered as KG765 made a move to pull the gun away from him. DR128 was faster. The assassin barely made a move before four shots plugged into his chest.
The man fell back on the toilet seat. About to check for a pulse, DR 128 was interrupted by a group of drunken bikers laughing outrageously walked in, "Girl's bathroom my ass!"
DR128 closed the stall door and put his gun away as the bikers continued coming in, "Kid, couldn't get a stall either, could you?"
Shaking his head, he answered, "Nope. But, I wouldn't go in there…It's not pretty." The men laughed, too drunk, they found everything funny. "See you later guys." He said as he walked out of the bathroom. Still wearing the jacket, he walked out without glancing at the rest of the group he had spoken to before.
The window in the women's bathroom proved a useful escape. But the drunks messed up his plans. He'd have to improvise.
Going to his assailant's car, he found it unlocked and managed to open the trunk. There, he found exactly what he was looking for. He thought about loading all the artillery from the assailant's car into his car. You could never have enough guns or ammo. But, he knew that with time, he'd have to get rid of his car. Might as well do it now, he thought. Instead, he quickly went to his car and retracted everything that would identify him. Walking over to the back of the bar, he found the window to the woman's bathroom and checked for obstacles that prevented him a fast retrieval of the body. The back was clear. He walked back inside the bar, everyone was entertained and since he'd been in there so long, no one took a second glance at him.
He walked back to the women's bathroom. No one was in there; no one except for one. Walking over to the stall, he opened it to find the body still slumped on the toilet. He took off the jacket and put it on the body. Then, he picked him up in a fireman's carry and walked over to the window. Opening it, he quickly worked on taking the body out through the window. When he finally did, he climbed up and closed the window as much as he could. He checked the assailant for the car keys and found them in one of his pockets.
Walking over the car, he opened the trunk, and deposited the body. But not before picking up a specific device from the assailant's goody bag before closing the trunk and locking the car. He walked over to his car placed the device on the bottom of his car by the front of the driver's side wheel. If they find his car, he'd know. He got in the car and drove a few miles toward a forest highway. He drove the car in as much as he could and hid within a cluster of thick trees. He jogged his way back to the bar where a couple of the guys he played pool with were already out talking amongst themselves by their bikes.
"Hey kid!" one of the guys yelled, "Thanks for the drinks!"
"Anytime," DR128 yelled back. "Maybe I'll catch you guys next time I'm back." He waved at them before unlocking his assailant's car, getting in and driving out.
For a moment, he thought of where to go next. Then, he made up his mind. He'd have to work fast and get back to the city before the UN Ball began.
XXXXXXXXXX
Jessie thought she'd have an anxiety attack waiting for Claire and Hadji to leave the mansion. But once they did, she picked up everything that she needed and rushed to the lighthouse. Once she got there, she made herself comfortable and instructed IRIS to let her know when both Hadji and Claire returned. She hoped that Claire could convince Hadji to stay out longer.
Taking out a small disk, the size of the palm of her hand from a case, she took a deep breath, "I hope this works." Then, she walked out to QuestWorld's control panel and inserted the disk. Jessie waited until the program downloaded and the computer generated male voice called out, "Phoenix successfully installed. Ready to activate."
"Great," she nodded with enthusiasm. "Prepare to enter QuestWorld."
"Acknowledge," the computer answered. "Please identify area of scouting."
Jessie replied by telling the computer the exact address to the Oasis nightclub and instructed to search five yards around the establishment.
"Acknowledge," the computer repeated again. "Identify date and time of scouting."
"June 4th, time range nine pm to twelve am June 5th."
"All information imputed and relevant," the computer replied. "Ready to enter Questworld?"
Walking over to one of the chairs in the lab, Jessie lied down and placed the goggles over her eyes, "I'm ready."
The computer took a moment to scan Jessie before replying, "QuestWorld sign on, subject Jessica Bannon."
Taking a deep breath, she answered, "Going hot."
Within seconds, Jessie saw a surge of lights before suddenly finding herself inside the Oasis Nightclub.
XXXXXXXXXX
"This is Doctor Quest's office, wow…." Claire whistled as Hadji led her in to his father's office. She didn't expect anything that should be surprising. Doctor Quest was one, if not, the most accomplished scientist of his time. Not only that, he was an extremely savvy businessman and entrepreneur. Why wouldn't he have an office the size of an entire floor? Okay, maybe she was exaggerating, but an office with a conference table that sat six people, a living area, a bar, a bathroom, a very large desk with a state of the art computer equipped with three wide screen monitors and a number of screens on wall that overlooked different research and development departments…well, Claire felt like she was on a mini floor of the building. She turned and looked at the floor to ceiling window that overlooked the entire downtown metropolitan area. "With an office like this, I wonder why he spends more of his time at the compound."
"Well, he concentrates better when he is inventing something at the compound, but once all that is complete, then he spends equal amounts of time during the development phase here. I am amazed he can handle so much," Hadji answered realizing that he did this to take his mind off of Jonny.
"It's an incredible office," Claire replied still walking around. When she reached his desk, she found a large eight by ten picture frame of Dr. Quest, his wife and Jonny, probably at age five and another of Hadji, Jonny and him in formal attire, probably a family picture. There was also a third with Jessie and Race wearing ski gear. Then, she noticed another one of the doctor and Jonny, much more current by some ruins. It looked like they were somewhere off in South America.
Walking up to her, Hadji smiled sadly, looking at the same picture, "That was taken about three days prior to his disappearance."
"In Peru," Claire nodded. Both men were smiling. The background, a Mayan temple, the sun casting its light made the picture even more remarkable, "Jessie took this picture, didn't she?"
"How did you know?" Hadji asked curiously.
"She's described every detail of that trip to me over the years," Claire replied, putting the picture down where she found it. "She didn't talk much, but from the little that she did…I could tell."
"What else has she told you?"
Claire inwardly froze. Maybe it was she who had spoken too much, "Well, only that she still feels responsible for what happened."
"Nonsense," Hadji shook his head, "She is no more at fault than he is. Whatever happened….no one could have prevented it." Nodding, Claire agreed. He walked over to the other side of the desk and picked up a dark blue folder that he needed for tomorrow night. Then, looking over at the blond woman who now had made her way to the large window, asked, "Would you like to see your office?"
That made her turn around immediately, "What?"
Hadji laughed, "Well, you are going to be doing most of the research at the compound, but you will also be involved in the development of father's inventions…he made sure you got an office here too."
"No way!" she screamed, "Are you serious?"
"You better act this surprised when he shows it too you," he warned with a smile. "It was supposed to be a surprise for you and Jessie. He is going to need her for most of the interface work involved in moving some of the future prototypes to our factories. He wanted her to have an office here as well. "
"We are getting our own offices?" her eyes wide with shock.
"Well, yes," he nodded. "But, they are not as big as his." He could not stop smiling at seeing Claire's twinkling eyes. "Come on, I will show you."
XXXXXXXXXX
He continued driving through the dark highway, down the forest highways in a killer's car with a body in the trunk. Looking at the signage on the road he noticed that he still had sixty miles to make it to his destination. Another hour or two, he said to himself as he kept driving. "Well, there's still time to plan."
XXXXXXXXXX
Jessie and Claire's offices were right next to each other. They were not big or as glamorous as Dr. Quest's (or even Hadji's for that matter), but they were nice. And truth be told, rarely did twenty year olds get offices in their first jobs. After leaving the office, Claire, wanting to give Jessie more time for time on QuestWorld, convinced Hadji to take her to the local Starbucks. The two sat down at one of the tables after they ordered their coffee just enjoying their drinks and listening to the jazz music playing overhead, "Enjoying the coffee?" Hadji asked looking at the blonde who hadn't stopped smiling since they had left Quest Corp's corporate offices.
"Very much so," she answered. "It's the best way to end the day. Don't you think?"
"Well, I think I created a coffee addiction during my first year in the Ph.D. program. I do not know how many late nights I spent during my first year trying to stay awake and having this," he replied lifting his cup, "be the only thing keeping me awake."
"Is that what I have to look forward to?" Claire asked cringing.
"I wish I could tell you different," Hadji shrugged. "But, look at the bright side, you still have some time before you commit to the program, am I right?"
"I seriously need a year or two of experience under my belt before going back to school," she replied. "For now, I need to concentrate on this new job."
"You will do great, Claire," he responded, "You have nothing to worry about."
"Well, the actual work doesn't worry me," she told him, hopefully extending the conversation, "It's the social gatherings like the one tomorrow that do."
Hadji laughed a bit, "What do you mean? The ball? You expect me to believe that you, out of all people, would be nervous about a social gathering?"
"Yes," she nodded excitedly. "You…you're used to going to those things, mingling with the VIP's….I go to keg and sorority parties."
"I was not used to them at the beginning," Hadji confided, "But after a couple of them you get used to them."
"Right," Claire nodded skeptically. "If you say so."
"Well, how about this," Hadji suddenly sat up. He looked nervous almost hesitant.
"Hadj…you ok?" Claire looked at him.
"Yeah…"
"You sure? It looks like the cat suddenly caught your tongue," she tried joking before realizing what he was attempting to do. She went cold and hated that she hastily spoke before he could. "Hadj…what were you going to say?"
"Actually….I was going to ask you if you wanted to go to the ball?"
Claire smiled as she whispered to him, "Hadji…I am…"
He laughed nervously, "I know…I just…."
"What?" she whispered again.
"I was wondering if you would be my date."
Claire grinned from ear to ear, "I'd love too." She picked up her coffee cup and toasted, "What took you so long?"
XXXXXXXXXXX
Jessie stared in awe around her. She stood in the middle of a 3D image of the club. People were frozen in the act of dancing. It felt eerie. She could walk through these people as if she were a ghost, yet they were there as clear as if she were standing next to them in real life. She knew it was a satellite recording from that night, but she never thought she'd be able to create a program that could create a holographic image of the recording perfectly. The entire club was at her disposal without worrying about anyone checking or looking at her back, "Wow…" she whispered in between breaths. "Initiate scan demographic profile," she ordered Phoenix.
"Acknowledge," Phoenix replied.
"Male, age range, twenty to twenty five, blonde hair, blue eyes, height, possible five feet nine to six feet one inches."
"Running scan…." The computer answered and little by little images of most of the people at the club dissappeared in front of Jessie. "Matching description of possible subjects, forty two." Soon, only those fitting the description she had said to the computer stayed. There were still many people and she began walking around trying to see if she could find him. She looked at every one of the young men frozen around her.
"Where are you?" she whispered as she inspected each face with scrupulous detail. "You have to be here. I know you're here somewhere Jonny."
Jessie continued searching around the club. Soon, she reached a gentleman closely matching Jonny's features, well, at least the ones she remembered. But, upon closer inspection, Jessie shook her head disappointed. It wasn't Jonny. The man before her had a more chiseled chin and a narrower face, dull blue eyes. Turning to check the other side of the club, Jessie was suddenly startled when she almost ran into another man. She had almost forgotten that she could walk right through them.
Her heart stopped. The man before her was about six feet, maybe six foot one. He wore a dark blue blazer and pair of slacks that matched the jacket. The clothes looked very expensive. His blonde hair was medium length, parted in the center with brushings to the sides and back. It was styled in a way that gave it a messy, but sexy look. Jonny's eyes were just as she remembered them, a deep blue, almost violet in color. She could never forget his eyes. They were his mother's eyes. It was one of the things he had inherited from Rachel Quest, aside from the blonde hair. Jessie couldn't stop looking into Johnny's eyes. Aside from the beauty she saw in them, she also saw something that scared her. She saw in them darkness that she couldn't comprehend. It was as if he possessed no feelings, no attachments, his gaze deeply disturbed her.
"Jonny, what are you doing here?" she spoke to him knowing he wouldn't answer her back. Studying him further, Jessie mirrored his gaze at nothing, "What are you looking at? Is it me? Did you see me?" Suddenly looking up, Jessie ordered, "Phoenix, activate playing mode."
"Acknowledge," the computer stated and suddenly, everyone at the club reappeared. Even Flo Rida's song, Wild One" blasted in Jessie's ears. Turning towards Jonny, she followed him as he began walking toward her recorded version dancing with Remini. Jessie watched and followed Jonny throughout the scene. She even watched herself from far ahead when she had first seen him. Jonny walked through those dancing with such ease that no one paid attention. Then, he retrieved his cell phone from his pocket as he got closer to them. He dialed three numbers and within seconds the man Jessie danced with fell down on the floor. She still couldn't understand what happened, "Phoenix, replay! Slow motion."
"Acknowledged."
Jessie watched as the video rewind and start again, very slowly. Once again Jonny walked through the crowd, this time slower. Once he was close to them he retrieved the phone and dialed, but Jessie watched something very different. The phone ejected a small needle like object that flew toward the Italian causing him to fall to his death, "Oh my God, Jonny." Shocked, she then called out, "Phoenix. Play again. Normal speed."
"Acknowledged."
The video began playing regularly and Jessie watched as Jonny walk off of the dance floor as people screamed. He took off towards a back door of the club and disappeared.
Jessie began running after him noticing that she couldn't go further as he closed the door from where he left, "Damn it!"
"Phoenix! Show outside of club!" It took the computer a couple of minutes to show the outside of the club. Moments later, Jessie found herself outside the club, right behind Jonny as he made his getaway, "Play scene."
She followed Jonny out of the alley to the street where he casually walked to a car while she heard the sounds of ambulances and cop cars by the club. Jonny entered the car and drove off, Jessie watched it all. She knew it was a program, she knew it wasn't the real Jonny, but it looked so real.
Thinking her next move, Jessie spoke out, "Phoenix, log me off."
"Acknowledged. Jessica Bannon, logging off Questworld."
Opening her eyes, Jessie got out of the chair and walked over to the computer. Looking at her watch, she noticed that she'd been on QuestWorld for over two hours, "Phoenix runs slower on Questworld," she told herself. Claire and Hadji would be back soon, she'd have to work on the program some more so it would run faster next time.
XXXXXXXXXX
It had been hours since they had taken off to Russia. Zack had fallen asleep, Race worked on his laptop putting together an itinerary and Benton stared off in space as he looked out the window, "You know, you should really get some rest," he heard Race tell him as the man continued to look at the screen.
"I don't believe you are following your own advice Race," Benton responded without looking at his friend. "To tell you the truth, I'm not really sleepy."
"I can see that," Race answered closing the laptop. "But once we get there, we may not have too many chances to rest. Maybe you should try to grab some Z's now that you have the chance."
"Race‒"
"I'm serious Benton," the white haired man firmly stated, "Get some rest. You will do no one good if we have to drag you off the floor because you can't keep yourself together."
"I wish I could Race, but I can't. My mind keeps going over and over that video…what we saw. What if it isn't Jonny," he sighed. "Will we have another disappointing outcome? Or, if it is, then who the hell has him doing…"
"Don't get ahead of yourself Benton," Race shook his head, "We don't know what's going on. Let's not jump into conclusions yet."
Benton turned his head to watch the seat across from him. Zack was on the aisle seat sleeping peacefully just like a couple of other passengers, "Looks like Zach has no problem."
"He's never had a problem," Race sighed. "That guy can sleep through a heavy metal concert."
The doctor chuckled. Then, he laid back on his chair and closed his eyes, "You're right, let's get some rest. But once we get there, don't ask me to rest Race."
"I don't expect you to tell me the same either, Benton," he replied as he too laid back and closed his eyes.
XXXXXXXXXX
At first his line of sight was just blurry and he felt nauseous. He tried moving but found that he couldn't. His hands were tied to something…
"I made sure you can't move," KG765 heard a familiar voice said.
Suddenly, the blurriness slowly dissolved around him, "What did you shoot me with?"
"Enough tranquilizers to put you out for the two and a half hour drive," was all DR128 said.
The assailant looked up and found his target staring curiously at him, "Where are we?"
"You didn't think I would get you?" DR128 asked calmly.
"You haven't."
DR128 didn't answer for a moment, "Who sent you?"
He didn't answer. Instead, KG765 looked around. It looked like he was inside a cabin of some sorts. He was in the living room, tied to a chair close to the fireplace where the fire cracked lightly.
"Who sent you?"DR128 repeated.
"You know who," the assassin smiled a bit. "Shouldn't be a surprise."
"What was the plan?"
"The plan is to kill you after you complete your assignment at the UN ball," he answered with a cool, eerie tone.
DR128 smiled and walked away from him. Going over to the kitchen he picked up a rather large red container from the counter, "I'm sorry to have ruined your plans." He opened the container and began dumping out the liquid on the floor and around the furniture, curtains, and other areas of the living room.
"It is quite a shame," the man tied up on the chair answered calmly without any indication that he was frightened by what he knew came next.
After emptying the contents from the container DR128 tossed it somewhere in the room, "I guess this is goodbye," he said as he began walking towards the door.
"I will find you and I will complete my mission," the man answered unemotionally unfazed by anything around him.
DR128 shrugged, "One can wish." Then, taking out a lighter from his pocket, he ignited it and tossed it to the floor. On impact the floor lit up with a blaze that travelled quickly around the room. He then turned and closed the door, locked it and quickly left the cabin.
His hideaway cabin, the one where he would hide to think about what to do next blazed and ignited the night.
XXXXXXXXXX
The next morning…
"Wake up Claire!" Jessie shook her friend awake the next morning as she walked into her room and opened up the curtains before making her way to her friend's bed, "Get up woman! We have a lot to do today."
"What the hell Jess!" the blond grumbled as she desperately tried to take control of her duvet, "What time is it?"
"It's eight in the morning. This is not the time to hibernate," she replied as she stood up from the bed. "Breakfast is almost ready and I need your help."
Sitting up finally from her bed, Claire noticed her friend. Jessie looked more alive than she had ever seen her. Her green eyes sparkled, her hair shined….she looked like she had been reborn, "What…what's going on with you?"
"I found Jonny," she said with a smile. "I found him Claire."
"What?" the girl exclaimed in disbelief, "What..how?"
"Phoenix and Questworld…it worked."
"Why…why didn't you tell me last night?" she asked finally getting up from her bed and sitting on the edge. She wore a turquoise tank top and matching panties. Claire believed in sleeping as sexy as she could, as she put it, 'You never know'. "When we got home last night, you were already in your room fast asleep. I thought….I thought nothing incredible happened."
Jessie, shook her head and with a radiant smile answered, "It did. Claire, he's here, or least he was here on Thursday. I want to go back into QuestWorld again and find out more. But I need your help. I need you to help me with Phoenix. She runs slow on Questworld. I need someone on the outside monitoring and running the program in the live world."
Claire looked at her, "Jessie, I don't know how to run QuestWorld"
"I'll teach you,"
"Why don't you ask Hadji? He knows…"
Jessie immediately interrupted, "Absolutely not. I'm not telling anyone about Jonny until I find him and talk to him. Only when I know enough."
"Jessie!"
"Claire, you didn't see what I saw last night. Jonny….Jonny is not the same. There's something different about him and I need to find out what it is before he comes back to us. I need to know what is going on first."
The girl looked at her studiously before speaking, "You saw Jonny last night? Are you sure it was him? I mean, don't get angry Jessie, but I find it hard to believe that you, out of all people, wouldn't pull an all-nighter to find out more."
"Believe me, it was very tempting," Jessie replied as she sat on the bed, "Claire, I wanted nothing more than to stay inside Questworld and find out more. But, it was late and you and Hadj were on your way back….I couldn't take the risk. Then, I thought I needed to get some sleep to be at my best so I took a sleeping pill I found in my father's room and pushed myself to get some rest for today."
"A sleeping pill? What was in that thing? I've never seen you look so….good."
Jessie laughed, "Oh come on."
Claire laughed, "I'm serious. I've never seen you look more alive than I do now."
"It's not the pill. It's the fact that after so many years, I finally found him," she sighed. "Claire, come on. I need you up and ready."
"What about Hadji?" Claire asked as she walked over to her closet.
"He left early this morning to QuestCorp for a couple of meetings and to run over the guest list for tonight."
The blonde cringed a bit, "That must be fun."
"Either way, he'll be there most of the day, which is perfect for us," Jessie answered.
"You do know that we still have to get ready for the ball early, right?"
Sighing, Jessie answered, "Yeah, about that…I was wondering if maybe you and Hadji could go…."
"Absolutely not!" Claire adamantly replied as she turned around. "No way Jessie! I'm not about to go out on this first…job assignment on my own. Hadji will be busy entertaining those people, covering for Doctor Quest and I'll be all alone….no. You promised!"
"Didn't you text me last night saying that Hadji asked you to be his date?"
"That doesn't mean there won't be times where he will need to be on his own and he'll have to leave me. Come on Jessie!"
"Fine!" the red head responded widening her eyes. "It was just an idea…"
"A very bad one!"
"Alright Claire!"
Taking out a pair of jeans and green blouse, she asked, "What's for breakfast?"
"Pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon," she responded as she began walking out the door.
"What?" Claire chuckled, "A bribe?"
"Thought it was the only way to get you out of bed," Jessie smirked as she walked out the door, "Come down quickly, I want to get started as soon as we can."