So someone is apparently going bonkers wanting to know what is happening o Jonny and Jessie…Okay, here it is! Hope you like it.

TJ12398: Hopefully, I won't kill you too much with this chapter…hee hee hee

Jdcocoagirl: Watch out for the Doctor. He is pure evil. I hope you stay tuned to see what he does next.

Playlist:

Prism # 1: Stateless

Red Eye: The Album Leaf

Chapter 15

Terrified. That was the word that came to mind when he asked her the question. She wasn't afraid of him, per say, but those cold icy blues looked so threatening at that one moment, she questioned if it really was her Jonny looking at her or a double. Still, Jessie refused to feel intimidated. The one thing her father taught her was to never show fear, especially when someone tried to intimidate her.

"You know who I am," she answered with as much confidence as she muster as she sat up.

He looked at her, unscathed by her attitude, "Actually, I don't." Sighing heavily, he reached to his back with his left hand and retrieved a gun he had apparently been hiding underneath his t-shirt, "I asked nicely the first time. Let's try it again." Pointing the gun at her, he asked again, "Who the hell are you? And if you don't answer me, I'll just have to blow your head off."

Bastard! She thought as she opened her eyes in shock. But then, Jessie felt the intimidation for just a moment. Something in the way he spoke, let her know that his words were without any real promise. He wouldn't shoot her, she just knew he wouldn't. And because he had given away his sentiment without even realizing it, she would not give in to him, "You won't shoot me."

He didn't say anything, his face showed nothing.

Jessie shook her head, "You won't kill me. You could have very well left me back at the ball, but you didn't Jonny. Why?"

"I'm the one asking the questions," he retorted still pointing that gun at her.

"I didn't ask to be here," she countered back, unfazed by the firearm.

Standing up and walking closer to her with the gun on his hand he asked again, even more firmly now, "Don't waste my time, tell me who you are. What's your code name? Why have you been following me?"

"Code name? What are you talking about? You know who I am Jonny!" she raised her voice, "Don't you pretend you don't know me!"

"Why are you calling me Jonny?" he asked with an anger that she hadn't seen earlier. "Answer me!"

Now it was Jessie's turn to look at him with surprise. She had suspected, but she wasn't sure until that moment. He really didn't know who he was. What have they done to you? Carefully she lowered her voice to seem less threatening and slowly she began speaking to him, "I call you Jonny because you preferred it rather than Jonathan. Your real name is Jonathan Benton Quest. You are the son of Benton Quest one of the top three scientists in the world. You disappeared from our lives five years ago and the first time I saw you since then was at the Oasis Nightclub a few nights ago." Moments before killing the ambassador's son.

He shook his head, smiling sarcastically at her, "You really expect me to believe that?"

"Yes, I do!" Jessie stood up. Realizing that she was still wearing her long green gown, she pulled it up a bit so she wouldn't step on it. "I don't know who took you away from us and I don't know what they did, but I assure you that if I saved you last night it was because I recognized you, Jonny Quest. I know exactly who you are, even if you don't."

"My name is not Jonny, Jonathan…Quest," he put his gun down as he tried to keep his cool. He was beginning to get a headache. You don't show your feelings, you never show feelings. "That's impossible."

"Why?"

"Because we don't have names. We don't have families and we definitely don't have what you call a normal life," he unemotionally answered.

"We?" she questioned, suddenly realizing that he had shared more. "We who?"

Jonny looked at her, but didn't answer the question. Instead, he turned around without looking at her, "We need to move fast."

"We are not done speaking," Jessie began, but she was quickly silenced by him.

"For the moment, we are," Jonny told her. "There's a reason I took you last night. You're right, you saved me. I'm not sure if you work for the Agency or not, but right now you are in as much danger as I am. We need to work together and get out of this mess first before we deal with this identity crisis you seem to have."

"I don't have an identity…." Jessie's voice trailed off. "What did you mean I am in danger?"

"Our friend from last night isn't dead," he told her as he walked over to the table and picked up a shopping bag and handed it to her. "He's going to be coming after us and we need to kill him before he kills us."

"How will he know where we are?"

Jonny calmly answered as he turned to look at her, "He'll know. He'll find a way. We don't have much time. I suggest you shower and change. I bought you some clothes and toiletries at the gift shop in the service plaza. Like I said before, the selection was not the best. If you want, we can stop somewhere in the city and get you a few items."

Taking the bag, Jessie nodded, "Okay, thanks."

"You should also eat before we leave."

"When are we leaving?" she asked as she walked toward the bathroom.

"One hour," Jonny answered, "forty-five would be best." She began walking to the bathroom when he stopped her. "Wait."

Turning around, she asked, "What?"

"What is your...code…name?"

"I don't have a code, Jonny," she answered solemnly, "I have a name just like you. My name is Jessica Estella Bannon. You always called me Jessie." Turning back to the bathroom, she closed the door, hoping that he hadn't caught the tears threatening to run down her cheeks.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hadji and Claire met Phi Corvin in Doctor Quest's study. The two quickly came up with a story that would hopefully buy them time, they just hoped it worked.

"Good morning Agent Corvin," Hadji began as he gestured the man to take a seat, "I am glad that you are here. Yesterday had to have been‒"

"What made you three disappear in the middle of a crime scene?" The man looked angry and at that moment, Claire and Hadji knew they were not going to be able to convince him that easily.

"We did stay," Claire corrected him, "We stayed for a while Agent Corvin. We had a brief conversation with one of your agents."

"Really?" the man looked intently at the Texan, "Who?" Pulling out his notepad he waited for her to answer. "I checked the logs, there's no record of any interviews for any of you three."

"Well, I guess it wasn't an official interview," she shrugged. "Listen Agent Corvin, no one told us we had to stay. If you had wanted us to, someone should have told us."

"You know the procedure‒"

"No," she shook her head, "I don't. I went to a job related event and it went crazy. Hadji was nice enough to take us home. We didn't have anything to do with this and honestly, it was way to chaotic for anyone to understand what to do and what not to do. Next time, let us know what you want instead of coming here and making demands."

The man stayed quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts. Hadji remained quiet, but he could tell that he was not going to take his side on things. His allegiance fell on Claire. "I apologize," he sighed. "It's been a rather crazy 24 hours."

"Have you been able to find something?" Hadji carefully asked.

Corvin shook his head, "I was attacked by the unsub last night. He hid me in a closet."

"Are you alright?" Claire asked worried.

"I'm good Claire, just have a nasty headache," he replied. "One of my agents found me after all the fun happened," he said sarcastically.

"So you didn't see him…or her?" Claire asked.

Corvin looked at Claire for a moment, as if recognizing the slip she had made, but he ignored it for the moment before answering, "No." Then, looking at the two, he asked, "What did you two see?"

"Nothing much," Hadji explained suspecting the agent was lying, "A lot of screaming and running."

Looking at the two carefully, Phil told them, "Some of my agents saw you two on the second floor balcony just as the unsub escaped."

Claire paled a bit, but it was Hadji who answered this time, "We wanted to see if anyone needed help. Like we said, a lot of screaming and yelling, it came from above. We thought we could do something."

"Where's Jessie?" he asked as naturally as he could.

"At a friend's apartment," Claire smiled a bit. "Red has a friend who just moved from New York here and she's helping her move in to her new apartment."

"I'll need to speak to her. When will she be back?"

"Later this afternoon," Claire answered, "Or, this evening. It's a move so, I'm not sure when they'll be finished. Would you like her to call you?"

"Yes," he nodded as he walked out of the office. "Have her call me. I don't care how late it is; tell her I need to speak to her." Standing up, Corvin looked at the two, "I guess I better get going. There are a lot of things I need to get done today."

"We are sorry for leaving unannounced Agent Corvin," Hadji said as he walked the agent to the door, "I promise to be more attentive and reach out to you, should this happen again."

"That's alright Hadji, I rather it not happen ever," the man sighed. "Have you heard from your father?"

"No," he answered, "I have been trying to call him since last night, but I have not been able to reach him. I am hoping he is out of range and has not been able to receive my calls."

"I'll put in a call to Ethan to reach out to him."

"Thank you," Hadji answered as he opened the door. "I will have Jessie call you today."

Shaking the younger man's hand, Phil Corvin replied, "Thank you Hadji. I'm sorry if I came across too strong."

"No apologies needed," Hadji answered with a smile.

"I'll see you guys soon," Corvin answered as he walked out.

Once the agent left the house, Claire walked over to Hadji, "You think he believed us?"

"I think we bought some time," Hadji sighed, "But Agent Corvin is smart. We need to work fast."

"Hadji," Claire looked at him, "Jonny attacked him."

"Yes," he nodded, "But he did not kill him. He could have, but did not. I have to know what is happening to my brother. I need to help him."

"What's next?"

"I'm not hungry, but we have to eat," Hadji said as he walked toward the kitchen. "Then, we will go back to the light house."

"We need to find them fast," she told him as they walked to the kitchen.

"I intend to Claire."

XXXXXXXXXX

Walking out of the mansion, Phil Corvin couldn't help to glance at the cars parked in front of the house, particularly the Red Jeep toward the opposite end of the driveway. If Jessie had gone to her friend's, wouldn't she have taken her car?

It was highly unlikely that she'd taken Jonny's. No one had driven that car in years. Something was happening and Corvin did not like it. He was about to take out his phone and order another pair of eyes to watch the kids, but he stopped himself.

The kids protected someone. Maybe it wasn't his imagination last night. Maybe, it really was Jonathan Quest who had attacked him. He looked back at the house. Hadji and Claire knew something, but they wouldn't be talking anytime soon. If they were protecting Jonny, he'd do the same. The one thing he did not need at the moment was I-1 knowing that Jonny Quest was the possible assassin of UN ambassadors. No, he needed to find out what was going on first. It would be the only way to protect the kids and the Quests.

He guessed that he'd have another job today. He'd be the pair of eyes needed to see what Hadji and Claire would do next.

XXXXXXXXXX

As Jessie took her shower, Jonny sat on the table, having breakfast and thinking where he'd go next. He thought about staying close. The only way to draw the bastard was to be the bait. But, he didn't want to put the red head in harm's way. There was something about her that he found interesting and maybe a bit intimidating. He was so caught up in his own thinking that he startled when he heard his cell phone ring.

Checking it, he immediately knew who it was. He thought about ignoring the call, but he knew it that if he wanted this thing to end, he'd have to find a lead and right now, it would only come from the phone call.

"I'm listening," he said firmly and seriously.

"We have two minutes before this call is traced. Where are you?" he heard Master's voice.

"Safe," was all he could say for now.

"What happened at the UN ball?" Master asked. "You don't fail, something must have happened."

"You don't know?" Jonny's voice remained calm. "I've had a tail following me prior to the second assignment. Did you not send him to finish me after the job was completed?"

"Absolutely not!" Master immediately replied, "DR128 I would never do that to you. You are my most prized possession, why would I do such a thing?"

"I'm not sure," he answered unemotionally, "All I know is that my time with you Master is ending."

"Trust me when I tell you that what you think is not true," he answered. "I never ordered a hit for you, DR128."

"You didn't?" the younger man replied as he heard the shower in the bathroom turn off.

"No," he said adamantly. "Something is corrupting the system, DR128. But, I will find whoever is doing this to you and I'll end it myself," Master replied a hard firmness. "However, I will need your help."

Jonny remained quiet for a moment before answering hesitantly, "I'm listening."

"I am all you have DR128," Master's tone changed into an even harsher tone. Jonny could feel he pushed his emotions away to make his point, "If you want to live, you will accept my help. Someone is after you, so all your equipment is compromised. You use anything, they will find you. Face it, I'm the only one who can help you. Do you understand?"

He thought about it. It still wasn't what he wanted, but at this point, he needed Master. "I understand."

"Where are you headed?"

"New Hampshire," he replied. "Check point 49."

"Get there," Master answered, "I'll have a non-traceable phone ready for you along with a computer. Contact me as soon as you connect your devices. Do you understand?"

"I understand," he said. Noticing that the woman was going to open the bathroom door at any moment, "The two minutes are up." He hung up abruptly, just before Jessie opened the door.

He had found her a pair of thin gray leggings with the word Maine written on the side and a black long sleeve tee with the same words and a lighthouse in the front, "I look like a walking advertisement."

"I told you the selection was limited," he said. Her hair was wet and her green eyes stood out even more against her white skin. He dared to say she looked even more beautiful than she did when she slept. He gestured her to the table, "You should eat. Like I said before, we have a long drive ahead of us."

"Where are we going?" she asked as she sat down.

"New Hampshire," he answered finishing his meal. "I made some coffee, help yourself," he told her as he pointed to the coffee maker on the dresser. He stood up and began throwing away the container and cleaning up.

She opened her container and began eating a piece of toast that lay inside, "What's in New Hampshire?"

Jonny looked at her thinking whether it was a good idea to tell her, "Not your problem." Jessie was about to question more when he stopped her, "Finish your breakfast, we leave in ten."

XXXXXXXXXX

Master kept looking at the screen studying every entry his partner entered in the last few days. He had hidden his tracks well, but not that well. He couldn't believe it. He felt like ripping the man's head off. If he could walk over to his office and shoot him in the face, he would. Unfortunately, he had to play the game well and find the perfect way to exterminate the vermin without causing uproar to the higher ups.

"So you have one of my own agents going after my son, Oliver," Master whispered to himself. "Well, let's see how you like it when I enter the little game you've created." Picking up the phone, he dialed the checkpoint in New Hampshire.

"I'm listening," the voice replied without emotion.

"DR128 will be arriving to the checkpoint today," he began. "He'll need a phone and a computer. Provide whatever other supplies he requests. Make sure that all devices connect to me. I want to see what he sees, I want to hear what he hears. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"I'll be sending you my system information in a minute. Do not fail."

"I won't fail, Master," the voice on the line stated before Master hung up the phone.

Sitting back, Master thought of his son's words, All I know is that my time with you Master is ending. "Like hell it is! I'll do everything that I need to do to keep you with me son. Everything and anything."

XXXXXXXXXX

It took about two and a half hours before they were able to get Phoenix online inside QuestWorld mainframes. Entering QuestWorld, Hadji was able to see the events that took place on the second floor of the ballroom, "This is amazing," he said looking around the setting in awe. Once Questworld allowed access for Phoenix to run within its own system, Hadji was able, through trial and error, learn how Phoenix worked. Within minutes, he was able type all the specifications needed to find both Jonny and Jessie.

"I can see it from the viewing screen," Claire stated looking at the large flat screen in one of the walls of the room. "Jessie really outdid herself."

"She sure did," he nodded looking around. Hadji walked over to the image of his brother. He could see him pointing the gun at the stage, hand firmly holding the weapon as if it was part of him. Seeing him from the side, he studied every feature with a careful eye, "This is Jonny, no doubt about it. He looks older, but it is my brother."

Claire detected the sadness in Hadji's tone, "Let's not speculate. I'm sure there is a reason why he is acting the way he is."

"Right," he whispered. "There has to be a reason."

"Do you want me to go ahead and play the account?" she asked as she sat up and looked at the keyboard.

"Yes," he nodded, "Do it."

Claire pressed a button and the entire scene around Hadji played as if it was happening in front of him. Everything looked real. At times, he felt the impulse to touch those around him. Hadji watched as another person, a man just about Jonny's age, walk behind his brother and point a gun at him without his brother's knowledge. He also watched as Jessie walked up the stairs and yelled Jonny's name. He watched the battle unfold between Jessie and the man- Jessie thrown to the ground losing consciousness, Jonny fighting the assailant and last, the assailant escaping. Jonny picked Jessie from the floor and headed to an elevator before I-1 agents arrived. Neither Claire nor Hadji said a word to each other as they watched the events unfold.

After, he was able to follow Jonny as he headed out of the building and into the black car, "Claire—"

"I'm copying the license plate," she answered immediately, "Got it!"

As the car drove off, Hadji watched it go down the road until it disappeared. As weird as it seemed, the man felt as if the world had once again taken his brother away from him.

"It ends here Hadji," he heard Claire's voice. "I think it is time to log off. You're heart rate has elevated. Are you ready?"

"Yes," he nodded, "Log me off."

"Questworld log off Hadji Singh," the young woman stated as she pressed a couple of keys on the keyboard and almost immediately the flat screen went black. Walking over to Hadji, she helped him sit up as he disconnected the Questworld equipment from himself. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know," he replied after a long pause. "On one hand, very happy. I found my brother. On another, worried, I don't know who he is anymore or if he is even a danger to Jessie."

"You didn't see it, did you?" Claire looked at him in surprise.

"What do you mean?" He suddenly looked at her.

"Hadji, that other guy said something to Jonny," she began, "He pointed at her. Jonny was going to leave her. But then, he turned around and took her. Don't you know what that means?"

"No," Hadji answered still trying to understand what Claire was trying to tell him.

She rolled her eyes, "He was protecting her from that guy."

"What?" he was shocked. "How are you able to tell that from the video?"

Claire shrugged, "The way he looked at her. Something made him go to her. Jessie told me that when she encountered him that first time, it was as if he didn't recognize her, but she said he couldn't take his eyes off of her. It's like he was trying to figure out who she was. Maybe, Jonny doesn't remember who she is, but something inside of him still made him go to Jessie. Maybe he's not a danger to her. Maybe, she's the only chance he's got."

XXXXXXXXXX

"How's it going Benton?" Ethan asked as he walked in to the room that Doctor Quest was allowed to use to gather more information.

"It's going," Benton shrugged, "Thank you for allowing me the use of this room, Ethan."

"I wish I could do more," the I-1 agent replied. "Have you been able to find anything?"

"Yes," the doctor nodded, "I've been able to lower the amount professionals who specialize in mind control techniques. One man keeps popping up though."

"Who?" Ethan looked interested as he sat down on a chair next to the doctor.

"An Oliver Crawford," he answered as a picture of a bald headed man with large glasses appeared on the computer screen, "Received his degree from the University of Alberta in 1967. After, he completed his training in Psychiatry, specializing in disassociation and clinical neurophysiology, and psychosurgery. The man has multiple specialties in anthropology, anesthesiology, and neurology. "

"He seems knowledgeable," Ethan replied reading along with Benton.

Nodding, the doctor continued, "He's worked at John Hopkins, Harvard Medical Center, the list goes on and on. The most interesting fact, however, is that in 1987, he was working for a research center, UltraK. His license was revoked for experimenting on human subjects without approval from the Research facility."

"Pretty daring lad," Ethan's eyes widened.

"The man was crazy," Benton snorted with disdain. "He had no regard for human life. After his dismissal, he pretty much went MIA. He literally disappeared from the face of this Earth."

"What was he doing with these human subjects?"

"He was creating cocktails, for lack of a better word, meant to control the mind. The cocktails were a mixture of several drugs like Sodium Amytal, Mescaline, LSD, Pipadrol, Scopolamine‒"

"The truth serum drug?" Ethan suddenly asked.

"Yes. Ever use it?" Benton turned to the man next to him.

"No," he shook his head, "I worked on a case a few years ago," he began, "A drug ring that basically sold the drug to the black market."

"Who was buying?"

Ethan thought for a second, "Come to think of it some of these buyers could have been the average unorthodox scientist. We couldn't catch them all and we were more focused on the dealers."

"Can you pull out that case, Ethan?" Benton asked, "Crawford might be one of the buyers."

Standing up, Ethan nodded, "It's a start. Give me some time, I'll find something."

"Good," Benton nodded, "I have a few other databases I can look into. Perhaps I'll find more on this Crawford character. By the way, I'm having some issues with my phone. I've been trying to contact Hadji to check up on him and the call keeps dropping."

"That's strange," Ethan answered curiously, "It's never happened here before. I'll get you an access code to call from headquarters. Give me a few minutes."

"Thanks Ethan, I appreciate it," the doctor smiled a bit, "It means a lot that you're helping us find Jonny."

"Anytime my friend," the man gently tapped the doctor's shoulder, "By the way, Race and Zack landed an hour ago in Spain. Let's hope they find something."

"I hope so," Benton answered as he looked at the computer screen, "I'd hate to think what Jonny's been exposed to."

XXXXXXXXXX

As they drove down I-95, Jessie tried different ways to begin a conversation with Jonny. During the first hour of the trip, the silence was deafening. Neither spoke. She had been intimidated by him. This was not her Jonny. The man driving next to her was a cold, dark man focused on whatever he needed to do, nothing else. He never looked at her, never spoke to her, never did anything than drive. It was like he had lost any interest in the life around him other than what he was told to do.

During the second hour of the trip (after a pit stop at one of the service plazas), Jessie began asking simple questions, "What's the checkpoint?" She could tell that he already felt uncomfortable with the question. Oddly, one wouldn't be able to tell exteriorly, but Jessie, somehow knew that the question would open the opportunity for more questions. "Do you want to answer the question?"

"No," he simply said.

"Why?"

Jonny remained quiet and kept driving.

"Do you always rely on silence when you don't want to answer a question?" she asked again, hoping he'd answer.

"Sometimes."

"Why don't you want to answer me Jonny? I'm here with you. I'm not going to go away and I'm not going to leave you. You're stuck with me whether you want me here or not."

Jonny looked at her oddly, trying to understand the meaning of the words she told him. Did she really understand what her words meant? Especially when things would get worse and he knew that if he didn't stop his adversary, they would. Again, he remained quiet. Not because he didn't want to answer her, but because he was still trying to understand who this woman was.

The rest of the ride was again silence. Jessie knew she wouldn't get any answers regarding the infamous checkpoint in New Hampshire. Her mind drifted on what happened to her boyfriend five years prior that led him to be the man he currently was.

By the third hour (and another stop at a different service plaza), Jessie couldn't stand the silence any longer. She thought that maybe a different set of questions would spark attention back at him.

"Where have you been for the last five years?" she suddenly asked.

"What do you mean?"

Not one word answers, improvement. Jessie thought, "Jonny, you've been gone for five years. Your father, your brother, my dad…me, we've all been looking for you."

He calmly looked at her, "Jessica, I think you are very confused as to who I am. I am not this Jonny person you think I am."

"Don't patronize me Jonny!" she snapped, "I can prove to you who you are. Give me a computer and I'll show you your damn family tree! And it's Jessie, by the way. That's what you've always called me."

"No need. Besides, I can't use any of my equipment at the moment. We need to be off the grid for a while."

"Is that why you are going to the checkpoint?" Jessie couldn't help to smile. "To get new equipment?" When she received no answer, she knew what the checkpoint held.

Her smile faded, however, when she watched him turn to her, "The less you know the better, Jessica."

"Why is that Jonathan?" she was being sarcastic, but she couldn't help it.

"Because, the less you know, the more chances you have to live," he stated as firmly as he took a quick look at the road ahead before turning back to her.

"I thought you were protecting me from that lunatic at the ball?" she replied with a hint of fear in her tone.

Looking back at the road, she noticed his tone laced with concern, "He's not the one I'm worried about."