QUEST FOR THE LUNATI TREASURE
Episode #4
"Crash"
Jessica Lorrie's eyes fluttered open, as she turned onto her side. She let out a soothing breath and stretched her arms on top of the lily white down comforter that covered her. As she glanced over at her nightstand, she noticed that she had awakened at the same time she awoke every morning. It was 6:28 a.m. and she smiled a bit as she reached over and turned off her alarm clock, grabbing her glasses with the same hand.
She had never heard what the alarm sounded like, because every morning she awoke exactly two minutes before the small black device was set to sound. It was like clockwork. She sat up in her bed and took a moment, as she did every morning, to look around. When Dr. Ian Hartford offered her any room in the house as part of her job arrangement, she chose the smallest, but even this room was larger than most.
She looked down past the foot of her bed at the large wooden dresser drawer near the doorway. Above it was a large circular mirror. As she climbed out of bed, she walked over and gave herself a glance, just as she did each morning. As always, she frowned at how bad her hair looked, how unflattering her white pajamas with the little pink roses were, and how much she desperately needed makeup.
She took a deep breath, held her head up high and marched right into the bathroom that adjoined her suite. Approximately forty minutes later, she emerged from her bathroom in her gray robe. As she glanced back in that mirror, she grinned. She felt a little cleaner, a little prettier and a little more ready for the world.
Approximately twenty-five minutes after that, Jessica Lorrie emerged from her bedroom, closing the door behind her, to preserve her private sanctuary. She descended the white staircase, taking the long walk down from the third floor of the mansion. As she walked, she held onto the wooden banister. She admired Spencer more every time she touched it. It was always polished, never dusty. Despite her advanced intelligence, she could never figure out how he kept the entire place spotless.
As she reached the ground floor, she walked to the right, passing through the dining room and heading towards the kitchen, continuing her morning routine. She strolled past Spencer who was standing at the counter in the middle of the kitchen, with an apron around his waist. She glanced at the fruit he was cutting, as she walked towards the coffeepot.
"Good morning, Spencer."
"Good morning, Ms. Lorrie," Spencer said, warmly.
Jessica smirked at him.
"Spencer, how long have we known each other?"
Spencer glanced up from his work, appearing deep in thought.
"I believe it's been almost fourteen months," he surmised.
"Exactly," Jessica said with a smile. "So my countryman, how long are you going to keep calling me Ms. Lorrie?"
"As long as Dr. Hartford is signing my paychecks," Spencer said.
Jessica couldn't help but smile as she turned to the coffeepot, where she spotted her mug, sitting with two others. Spencer always arranged them perfectly. She picked up the white one belonging to her. But before she loaded it with coffee, she paused, appearing a bit confused. She turned back to Spencer.
"Where's Dr. Hartford's cup?"
"There will be no coffee for him, at least for the time being," Spencer explained. "Doctor's orders."
"We'll see how longthat lasts," Jessica said, as she filled her mug and added a few tablespoons of cream. She walked back over to Spencer and peeked over his shoulder to glance at his breakfast spread.
"Interested?" he asked her.
"You know me, Spencer," Jessica replied. "I keep it simple."
She grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl and exited the kitchen, using its second entrance, which deposited her into the hallway by the staircase. She bypassed Dr. Hartford's office and the guest bedroom, where she assumed he was sleeping. She made her way into the study, headed for the entrance to the basement lab.
As she did every morning, she descended the stairs and entered the laboratory, activated the lights and took the seat in front of her computer terminal. After activating it, she patched the monitor into the massive satellite orbiting Earth. Jessica took a sip of her coffee and began watching the satellite as it tediously scanned the entire planet for signs of the Lunati treasure.
Spencer slowly opened the door to the first floor guest bedroom as quietly as he could. As he stuck his head inside, he was not surprised to see his employer was awake. He opened the door completely, revealing himself and the rolling cart that held Dr. Ian Hartford's breakfast. While he wore a warm smile, he noticed Ian did not. He was lying flat on the bed, beneath his white sheets with one hand covering his eyes and forehead.
"Good day, sir," Spencer said, quietly, "How are you this morning?"
"My head is throbbing," Ian said, with a groan. "Feels like I collided with a freight train."
"Well, you did take a nasty fall, thanks to Tarok," Spencer said, angrily. "Hopefully, food will help. I also brought your morning medication. I hope Mr. Mason didn't wake you. He and his crew arrived early this morning to repair the front door...again. He says they will begin work on the elevator tomorrow."
Ian nodded. Spencer helped prop Ian up in the bed and then transferred his breakfast tray from the cart to Ian's lap. As Ian glanced down at the tray, he frowned.
"Where's my coffee?"
"Dr. Mitchell says caffeine would not mix well with your meds. I brought you a refreshing glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, though. Won't you give it a try?" Spencer offered.
"No!" Ian snapped. "I need coffee."
"Thank you, Spencer, for going to the trouble of making fresh-squeezed orange juice, but I don't believe I have a taste for it this morning," Spencer said, pretending to be Ian.
Hearing Spencer's sarcasm, Ian let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry," Ian said, finally. "I just..."
"I know, sir," Spencer said, with a sigh. "You've been through a terrible ordeal. I can't imagine the pain you must be in. Will you please try to eat something?"
"Yes," Ian said somberly, as he nibbled on a piece of toast.
"I take it you didn't sleep well?"
"Every time I closed my eyes all I could hear was his voice...that creature from the volcano...I'll never forget his golden eyes, filled with rage and his voice...so dark and evil," Ian said, as he stared off, remembering once again.
Realizing how haunted his boss was, Spencer decided not to press him any further this morning.
"I'll go check your prescriptions and see if it will be all right to get you some aspirin for your headache," Spencer said, as he approached the door, preparing to close it behind him.
"Spencer," Ian called out. "Thank you for the breakfast."
"You're welcome, sir," Spencer said, with a nod.
Two floors above them, Jessica found herself slowly opening another bedroom door. As she did so, the first sound that greeted her was Christian Hartford's snoring. She appeared a bit surprised, but given that her knocks went unanswered, she figured she shouldn't be. With the door now partially open, she knocked on it a few more times, as she glanced across the spacious bedroom at Christian's bed, which was raised off the ground, requiring two steps to get to it.
There was no movement there, despite her knocks. Jessica walked further in, taking a moment to glance at the luxury. It was like an electronics depot, she thought. To her right, beside the bathroom door was a large entertainment center, complete with stereo, flatscreen television, three video game systems and two different DVD players. She looked past the bed and saw the large desk on the far end of the room to her left. Equipped with a very expensive desktop computer and printer, it also sported a leather desk chair, which was dwarfed in comparison to the recliner she spotted near the entertainment center.
She didn't bother to peek into the walk-in closet, knowing she would find herself even more appalled by Chris's decadence. Instead, she returned her focus to the task at hand. She approached his bed, standing at the foot.
"Chris," she spoke, but received no answer.
She repeated his name, but still he snored. She took a deep breath and stepped up to the bed. She walked towards the head of the king-sized frame and as she approached, she couldn't even see his head. If he weren't snoring she would have never known he was buried beneath the sea of black sheets and the red & black checkered comforter. She pulled back a portion of the comforter and saw his head sunk into two of the large down pillows.
"Chris, wake up!" she said, this time much louder, as she tapped on his head.
Finally, he began to stir. He turned over, as his eyes squinted, thanks to the sunlight beaming in through the window next to his bed.
"What?"
"Chris, get up," Jessica said. "We've got work to do."
"What time is it?" he wondered, groggily, as he glanced at the alarm clock mounted on his headboard. "It's not even nine yet!"
"It doesn't matter what time it is. You need to get up, now. It's important," she said, her English accent loud and clear now.
Jessica instinctively stepped down off the bed's platform and walked back towards the doorway.
"Why?" Chris said, as he sat up in the bed, pulling the covers closer to cover his bare chest.
"Because," Jessica said with a smile, as she exited. "I think I just located another Lunati relic! I'll see you downstairs."
She closed the door, giving him back his privacy. With Jessica gone, Chris continued to frown, not believing he was really about to get out of bed for an ancient treasure. He collapsed back into his pillows, groaning loudly.
As the lava boiled around him, the fire demon Drakar stood on the small rock bridge high above the boiling pool. His own blood was filled with burning flames of anger and disappointment. As he held the bag of gold coins he had retrieved from Dark Shadow, he grumbled. On both sides of the bridge, a handful of Draggs watched. They seemed to cower a bit when they heard the fierce growl from their leader.
The Ferum do not fall to weaklings, Drakar thought to himself.
"Dark Shadow failed!" Drakar said aloud, his voice thundering through the towering volcano around him. "I will not tolerate failure!"
He held out his hand, still holding the bag of gold. He nodded to one of the Draggs to take the bag. As the red creature waddled onto the bridge and approached Drakar, the steam from the lava on both sides of him blew by like an inferno's breath. He took the cloth sack of gold from Drakar.
"This gold is useless now," Drakar grumbled. "Much like Dark Shadow. The crown has moved out of my grasp...for now. But, those thieves were good for something."
The lone Dragg took the bag of gold back in the direction he had come, rejoining four others by the volcano entrance. Drakar, however, proceeded to the other side of the volcano, where his rock-formed throne sat in a large cavern. Before he could sit down, he grabbed the electronic device that was sitting on his seat. He began pressing a few buttons, which caused the screen on the small monitor to light up. With each button combination he keyed in, he was given a different view inside of the Hartford mansion.
"Yes," Drakar cackled, "The surveillance is working just as I was promised. If I cannot have the crown, I will surely have the other relics and these insipid humans will lead me directly to them."
He kept pressing in different combinations, until he caught a glimpse of Jessica & Chris entering Dr. Hartford's bedroom, along with their butler.
"I brought your aspirin, sir," Spencer announced, "And visitors."
Ian nodded, as Spencer walked over to him, handing him his pills and a glass of water. Spencer examined the food tray and noticed that at least some of the food had been nibbled by Ian. He sighed and grabbed the glass of orange juice, which was still full.
"How are you, Dr. Hartford?" Jessica asked warmly.
"I've been better," Ian responded, "What's up?"
"Well, I've located another relic," she said, her voice full of optimism.
"Really?" Ian said, as his demeanor seemed to perk up a bit. "Which one?"
"It's the Lunati chalice. The satellite picked up the signature in an Amazon jungle," Jessica explained.
"Great," Chris said sarcastically, at her side. "We're going after a cup, now?"
Ian, ignoring his son, kept his focus on Jessica.
"The Lunati chalice is one of the most important pieces of the treasure. You'll have to get to it quickly, before any of the others can pick up on the signal," Ian said. "I wish I could go along."
At his bedside, Spencer almost choked on the orange juice he was drinking that Ian had neglected. He wiped his mouth and gave his employer a surprised look.
"Sir, after yesterday, I can't believe you'd actually even contemplate going after that treasure," Spencer said.
"I'm with Spencer," Chris chimed in.
"We have to keep the other factions from securing the pieces, especially Tarok. He's already got the crown," Ian said, seriously, this time looking directly at his son. "We also have this group of thieves...Dark Shadow on our back now too."
"Plus, whoever hired them," Jessica said, surprising everyone. "I've done my research and Dark Shadow is always for hire and none of their previous hits have included any lizard-based creatures like they brought with them yesterday."
"So you think whoever hired them sent the creatures to help?" Ian said, as he nodded along.
"It seems logical," Jessica said.
"You two will have to be very careful," Ian said, addressing both Jessica & Chris. "You won't be able to activate your trackers unless absolutely necessary. Now that Dark Shadow has one, we can't risk them or the Malcolms discovering your location."
"Yes, and now that the Helio Zord has also been lifted by Dark Shadow, it wouldn't take them long to get to you," Spencer added.
"All the more reason to leave the damned treasure where it is," Chris said, angrily.
"Chris," Jessica started, only to be cut off.
"No! This is crazy. If we're the ones who keep leading the others to the treasure, isn't it smarter if we don't go after it at all? I mean, we got the crown and Tarok just busted in here and took it. What's gonna stop him from doing the same thing for the chalice? Seems to me these relics are safer out of our hands," Chris reasoned.
"You don't know how wrong you are," Ian said. "If we leave the relics out there, then the others will find them. They have the technology. The trackers just don't have the scope of the orbital satellite I have in space. We're the only ones with access to it and that gives us a headstart. If Tarok, or anyone else, gets their hands on the treasure they could destroy everything."
"Plus, our security measures are all in place now," Jessica added. "Neither Tarok, Bishop, Dark Shadow or anyone else will be able to break in and get the other relics. They'd be wasting their time attacking here."
"Why's that?" Chris wondered.
Jessica reached into her blue jean pocket and pulled out a thick, black and gold card.
"This is why," she said, as she placed the card on Dr. Hartford's leg and pressed down on it, causing it to morph into a larger box. "It's virtually unbreakable and the only way to open it is with the proper security code, which I won't be giving to anyone."
"Very clever," Spencer said.
"We can thank Search Guard Successor for it," Jessica said. "They've been using this technology in Japan for years. Once the chalice is inside, no one will be able to get to it."
"I still think we're just asking for trouble going after another one of those relics," Chris said, shaking his head.
"You're not here to think. Just go," Ian ordered. "And remember, don't activate your trackers unless you run into a real emergency."
"I'll prep the Silverhawk," Jessica announced, with a nod.
She exited, followed by Chris, who paused a minute to look back at his father. Ian locked eyes with him and even though no words passed between them, the daggers in their eyes cut worse than any words could.
Back inside the volcano, Drakar deactivated the surveillance device in his hand and chuckled. He handed the device to one of the Draggs standing by his throne and then he approached the bridge again, this time much faster than he had before.
"This is my chance!" he shouted, as he formed a fist. "The chalice is within my grasp. I will finally have the power of the Lunati and once I do, I will crush my enemies and take revenge for what has been done to me!"
He extended the fist he held tightly until it was pointed directly at the Dragg holding the sack of gold. Drakar opened his palm, causing a stream of fire to come roaring out. The stream circled around the Dragg, who still held onto the sack of gold, even as the fire stream lifted his body off the ground.
The other Draggs watched, grumbling in fear as their comrade's body was lifted higher and higher by Drakar's power, until the stream of fire around his body fully engulfed him in flames, causing the sack of gold coins to fly from his hand. The coins fell from the bag, each one dropping into the lake of lava below the bridge, like golden raindrops. Drakar looked over at the lava bubbling even stronger on both sides of him. He opened both of his palms, causing streams of fire to shoot from them and combine with the lava below.
The lava began to bubble even more, causing the volcano to shake a bit. Many of the Draggs began to cower, while others retreated through the volcano's entrance. Soon, large bubbles began to form on top of the lava. They each appeared to be filled with flames. As some of the bubbles rose higher into the air, they reached Drakar's eye level. With a mighty roar from deep inside, he caused the bubbles to burst, leaving behind several flying creatures. Filled with fire, each of them had hints of gold plating on their skin, along with their blood-red skin tone.
Drakar cackled loudly.
"Yes! Go, my Lavadactyls! Follow the Rangers directly to the chalice and once you have located it, you will destroy them!" Drakar shouted, as he raised both of his hands into the air, beckoning the flying creatures.
Without another order, the large red Lavadactyls all ascended towards the top of the volcano, emerging from the bowels of the structure and swooping high into the sky.
As he watched Jessica pilot the Silverhawk swiftly over several mountaintops on their way to the Amazon, Chris Hartford let out a deep sigh of boredom. Jessica hadn't said a word since they left the mansion.
"So, when am I gonna get my flying lesson?" he asked aloud.
Jessica huffed at his question as she shook her head. She topped off this response with a blatant eye roll.
"What?" Chris asked, looking confused.
"I don't see why you'd want to fly the Silverhawk since, according to you, we shouldn't be trying to find the Lunati treasure at all!" Jessica sniped.
Chris sighed, "So you're mad now? I'm only thinking of our safety here."
"You're trying to put me out of a job and I don't appreciate it," Jessica said, keeping her eyes firmly ahead.
"Come on," Chris said, with a smirk. "A smart, talented, beautiful girl like you must have options."
"I came all the way from England for this job and I'm going to see it through to the end, even if I have to do it by myself," Jessica said, her voice full of determination.
Sensing that his outburst at the mansion had struck a very sensitive nerve, Chris changed tactics.
"Look, back at the house, I was just trying to—"
"I know!" Jessica cut him off. "You were trying to annoy your father. Congratulations."
"Sometimes it amazes me that we're the same age," Chris said, as he shook his head. "Haven't you ever wanted to rebel against your parents?"
"My life is a rebellion," Jessica said, quickly.
"Well, that was unexpected," Chris said, looking stunned. "I've never heard you talk about your family."
"That's because there's not much to talk about," Jessica said. "They wanted me to be something I can't. I refused."
A few moments of silence passed between them, as Chris was on the edge of his seat with anticipation of more.
"Well?" he said. "You can't just leave me hanging like that. What did they want you to be?"
Jessica took a deep breath, as her eyes began to falter on their mission of gazing straight ahead.
"My father founded a communications company...a very large communications company," Jessica explained.
"So you're rich?"
"Insanely," she responded. "At least my parents are."
"Richer than me?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Chris, don't turn this into a pissing contest," Jessica retorted.
"Sorry," Chris said, quickly. "Go on."
"Growing up I was their...prize. My mother treated me like I was a living doll, always pretty, always perfect," Jessica said, "That was the life they wanted for me. School didn't matter; having a career didn't matter. All they wanted was for me to parade around in expensive dresses and host executive parties with my mother."
"That doesn't sound so bad—" Chris spoke sarcastically, but was stopped by a slap to his arm from the pilot. "Ouch!"
Jessica sighed, wondering if she should even continue given her juvenile company, but something in her compelled her to speak out.
"I found myself talking more and more with all the executives at those parties. They were businessmen running their own companies and building their image all over the world. They were making an impact and that's what I wanted," she continued, "Those strangers complimented me more on my opinions than my parents ever did. So, I told them I wasn't going to be their princess anymore. When I got into Oxford, we kinda stopped speaking."
"Wow," Chris said, "That's some story."
He saw Jessica roll her eyes at him again.
"Don't mock me," she said.
"I'm not, really," Chris responded, "I mean, you and I have a lot more in common than I thought."
"Don't go comparing us, Chris," Jessica shot back, "I've had to make it on my own in a family where I was put down for being smart. You have never had to struggle on your own. Despite spewing venom at your father daily, you still don't have a problem spending his money at the drop of a hat. You have a relationship that could be repaired if you wanted it to be."
"And I thought I was the psych major," Chris said, as he leaned back in the co-pilot's chair.
He didn't have much time to relax, however, as the Silverhawk was rocked lightly by something outside. He jumped back to his upright position.
"What was that? Did we hit turbulence?"
"I don't think so," Jessica said, troubled.
As she spoke, she had one hand on the piloting controls, while the other was working on the aircraft's sensory systems. She accessed one of the wing cameras, bringing up a rear image over the wing which she was sure had swiped something. She could only catch a glimpse of the creature's giant wingspan as it moved out of the camera's view.
"We're almost there," Jessica said, checking the onboard navigation systems.
At that moment, a loud screech was heard above the Silverhawk. Jessica & Chris both glanced up at the ceiling of the craft, as they heard claws scraping against the top of the vehicle. Chris covered his ears, which Jessica would have done if she could take both hands off the steering column.
"What is that thing?" Chris asked, still looking above.
Jessica's gaze, however, was firmly fixed on the window in front of her.
"We're about to find out," she said, as she worked the controls, "Hang on!"
Without much warning, the Silverhawk dipped even lower and spin to the right. Jessica cut speed by half, which caught their new arrival off-guard. Both of them looked shocked, as they saw the winged creature swoop past the front of the aircraft.
"What is it?" Chris asked, repeating his earlier question.
"I don't know, but it's not alone," Jessica said, as she gazed to her left and then pointed. "Look!"
Chris turned to see four more of the flying Lavadactyls coming straight towards them, each breathing a heavy stream of fire. Jessica sped up the vehicle, causing the Silverhawk to dodge the fire streams. But, the first creature was now flying straight towards them and they didn't have much time to react.
"Chris, look at the panel in front of you," Jessica ordered. "You see the red dot approaching the white dot...that's the enemy. Use your left hand to adjust the targeting scope. Once it's over the red dot, press the two green buttons on the right of the screen. Those lock the charges in the firing barrels. Then, hit the red button in between the two green buttons to fire!"
"Right," Chris stammered, "Red dot...green button...red—"
He shut his eyes, as the Silverhawk headed straight towards a collision with the beastly red creature. He pressed the red button, causing the creature to be incinerated thanks to the vehicle's powerful laser fire. The Silverhawk sped straight through the resulting explosion, coming out on the other side undamaged.
"Good work," Jessica said, "But open your eyes. We still have four more to deal with!"
She took evasive maneuvers, as streams of fire seemed to be coming from all directions. Jessica swerved in between the creatures, causing one to spew fire at his fellow monster, drawing a loud screech.
Chris got more comfortable with the weapons systems, but found himself unable to hit one of the fast-moving targets, especially given the twists and turns the Silverhawk was making.
"I can't get a clear shot!" he shouted to Jessica.
"I'm trying," Jessica said, just as the vehicle clipped the side of a mountain, severely damaging its right wing. "Hold on!"
As she tried to steady the craft, which was now spinning out of control, she could hear the flying demons on the outside still screeching, as if they were right on top of them. Just as the craft ducked into the lush jungle below, Jessica focused her eyes on the tracking system that was hooked into the global positioning satellite in orbit.
Then, everything went black.
If only they could see her now, she thought to herself. Jessica was sweaty, dirty, and bleeding from several small cuts scattered about her body. Why was she thinking of her parents anyway, she thought, as she held tight to Chris Hartford's chest, pulling him from the wrecked Silverhawk, whose rear was still on fire.
It was slow going, moving him, but she knew she couldn't give up. As she collapsed to the muddy ground with his body, she looked back at the craft. The fire seemed to die down. She breathed a sigh of relief, as she realized the Silverhawk's automatic extinguishing system was still working.
Jessica propped Chris up on a tree, sitting him upright so that she could examine his injuries. She glanced at his right leg, which was sporting a rather large gash. She ripped his already-cut pant leg and wrapped it around the wound. She turned her attention to his face, next. She studied the large cut above his right eye, just as they fluttered open.
"Ahh," he said, as he tried to move his leg. "What happened?"
"We crashed," Jessica said, as she made her way to her feet. "Your leg's hurt pretty badly. Stay still. I'll be right back."
Chris held tight to his leg with one hand and used the other to hold his head, which was throbbing. He squinted enough to see Jessica entering the Silverhawk wreckage. He waited for what seemed like an eternity for her return.
"Here," she said, as she tossed him the first aid kit. "If you keep pressure on your leg, it should stop the bleeding. The cut over your eye is pretty superficial. There's aspirin in there that should take care of your headache."
"We need to call for help," Chris said, as he snatched the tracker from his pocket.
Jessica dropped to her knees, stopping him from flipping the device open. At that moment, they heard the screeches of the flying Lavadactyls high above them. The trees seemed to hide their location, but there was still smoke rising from the wrecked Silverhawk.
"Stop," she told Chris. "I already activated the homing beacon inside the Silverhawk. If you activate your tracker, we may not get the help we want."
"I think this qualifies as an emergency," Chris said.
"It's going to be all right," Jessica said. "Look, I made a note of our location just before we crashed. We're not far from the Lunati signal I picked up."
"You're not seriously suggesting we actually go look for that cup are you?"
"I'm not suggestingwe do anything. I'm going to go after the chalice. You're going to stay here and rest. Once Dr. Hartford gets our signal, he'll send help," Jessica explained.
"You can't go alone," Chris muttered, as he tried to stand up.
"And you can barely walk," Jessica said, pushing him gently back to the ground and handing him a scope shot. "Just stay out of sight. I don't think those things can land. If they could, they would have picked us off by now."
"We should stick together," Chris said, as he moaned with pain.
"It's all right. I'm used to going it alone, remember," she said, as she walked off into the jungle leaving Chris behind.
As he lost sight of her blond hair in the dense foliage, he let out a deep breath, already worried that this wasn't going to turn out well.
Several miles away from his location, things had indeed gotten worse. Drakar stomped through the trees, just as the Lavadactyls screeched again in the air above. He growled with excitement.
"We're getting closer," he yelled to his Draggs, which appeared in the jungle around him. "Let's move!"
Jessica maneuvered her way through what appeared to be the densest area of the jungle, happy that she had opted to switch to her contacts before leaving the mansion. As her tan, suede hiking boots dug deeper into the damp soil, she couldn't afford broken lenses.
She kept her mind calculating: how far until she reached the coordinates she saw for the chalice, how long could she go before nightfall, how far she had traveled away from Chris...they were all important answers that she had foremost on her mind.
As she dodged another large tree which had fallen over, she reached into the pack she wore on her back and took out a bottle of water, knowing she also had to keep hydrated. In her other hand, she held tight to her scope shot. She looked up, happy to see the sun wasn't so bright on this day. As she made another step, she paused, as she heard the crunching of leaves behind her.
She tried to be as silent as possible, as she held tight to the scope shot in her hand, with a finger ready to activate the tool's laser function. She turned quickly causing her damp and lightly singed hair to fly away from her face. Her pulse quickened, but she saw nothing. She sighed.
"Don't freak yourself out," she said, trying to stay calm.
She continued on her way, just as a loud screech from the heavens was heard. She ducked behind a tree, as she glanced up, seeing two of the sweeping Lavadactyls fly by. She shook her head, realizing that the creatures weren't going away. She still had no clue what they were or where they came from. As she looked ahead, she noticed that the dense brush began to clear. She knew she'd have to stay close to the trees, although she was convinced the flying beasts could not get down through the trees to attack.
Jessica began to walk at a brisker pace, heading in the right direction...she hoped. Without her tracker or a compass, it would be hard to target the exact location she was looking for. As she made it a few more meters, she heard the slight rustling behind her again. This time she did not stop. She only slowed her pace and pressed the sliding trigger on her scope shot, causing a small blade to slide out of the device. Jessica walked slower and slower until he heard the noise again. She whipped around quickly and saw no one standing at her level.
As her eyes veered downwards, she saw what had been following her. She struggled not to laugh, as she went down on one knee to look at the small brown chimpanzee.
"Well, hello there," she said, with a smile. "Are you following me?"
The chimp let out a small squeal, bearing its teeth for her.
"Well, you're starting to creep me out," Jessica said, knowing the creature could not understand her. "So, why don't you run along home."
She returned to her feet and gestured for the creature to scram.
"Go on," she said. "Go!"
The chimpanzee ran back in the direction it came, but stopped at the nearest tree and climbed up onto its lowest branch. Jessica nodded her head and continued on her way. She didn't get very far when she heard more screeching. But this time, it wasn't coming from the creatures in the sky. It was coming from the monkey. It seemed to stop when she stopped.
She turned back to the creature, which had climbed over to another tree, headed in the opposite direction.
"I need to go this way," Jessica said, continuing on her way, which caused the monkey to squeal even louder. She stopped again and turned to it. "Look, I don't know what game you're playing, but I don't have time. I've got a sick friend to get back to. So, it was nice...meeting you, but I have to go. Bye now."
Jessica continued on her way, not stopping at the sound of the monkey's call. Once she was out of sight, the chimp took off, climbing higher into the tree and swinging from branch to branch quickly.
Meanwhile, Jessica continued on her way, this time walking with determination, assuring herself that she would not stop again. She was wrong.
As she reached the clearing in the trees, six of the wild Draggs surrounded her. The demonic red creatures caught her off-guard. The last time she had seen them was in California, outside the Hartford mansion. She took a defensive stance immediately, with her scope shot drawn, but the creatures weren't waiting for her shock to wear off.
One of them, carrying a sword, brought the weapon down on her, but she blocked the blow, kicking it fiercely in the stomach, which sent it flying into one of its comrades, crashing to the ground. She turned and ducked a punch from one of the other creatures. She scored a swift kick to its head. Another grabbed her from behind, but she used her weight to hoist his body over her head.
The creature scurried to its feet quickly, pulling its sword. Jessica grabbed hold of its armed hand and twisted it around the creature's body. She saw two of its friends approaching and aimed her scope shot over its shoulder, firing laser pellets at both the running creatures. As the lasers hit them, their entire bodies flipped over, sparking with damage, as they fell.
The Dragg she had caught hold of broke free of her grasp. She kicked away his sword, but the creature shot fire at her from its mouth, sending her diving backwards, right into a tree. As she grabbed her head, which collided with the trunk, she didn't notice the Dragg lurking behind it. The foot soldier grabbed her arms, pinning her there, as the one who had breathed on her came running. She put both feet up, kicking the approaching creature away. Then, she used all of her strength to pull forward, slamming the Dragg behind her into the tree trunk.
The action also caused her to drop her scope shot. As she reached for it, one of the Draggs stepped on it, preventing her. She came back to her feet and heard the creature cackle a bit. She punched it across the face, sending it falling to the side. She picked up the scope shot and fired at two more of the Draggs. But, her fight was soon over, as the remaining Draggs grabbed her from behind, wrestling the scope shot from her hand. She grunted in anger.
"Let me go!"
Unable to break free of their grasp, Jessica could only watch as two of the Draggs were coming towards her, wielding their swords and aiming directly at her.
Ian Hartford was seated at his desk, glancing at his computer, when the homing signal came in from the crashed Silverhawk. His eyes grew wide. So wide, in fact, that Spencer could tell something was wrong from across the room, where he was dusting some of Hartford's artifacts. He dropped his rag and bottle of cleaning solution and walked quickly over to Ian's location behind the desk.
"Sir, what is it?" he asked.
"It's a homing signal," Ian said, as his fingers feverishly typed on the keyboard. "The Silverhawk crashed in the Amazon!"
"Oh no," Spencer said, worried for the safety of the passengers. "Are they all right?"
"I'm not sure," Ian said, "Jessica sent the signal. She says Chris is hurt."
"This is not good," Spencer surmised.
"I'm calling them."
"Won't that activate their trackers, sir?" Spencer wondered.
"I'll open a communications link to the Silverhawk," Ian explained, "If they sent the homing beacon from there, they should still be inside."
Chris Hartford was overjoyed that the aspirin he took was starting to have some affect on his throbbing pain. As he began to doze off, he smiled a bit, forgetting about the pain in his leg, if only for just a moment.
After that moment had ended, he heard rampant beeping coming from inside the Silverhawk. He groaned in pain.
"I wonder who that could be," he said, sarcastically.
As he began crawling towards the jet, he could feel his headache beginning to get worse because of his movement. He continued to crawl.
"Chris, Jessica!" he heard his father's voice coming from inside. "If you can hear this, know that we've received your message. I've overridden the Silverhawk controls to open a two-way communications link. If you can hear me, say something. We'll be able to hear you without using the control panel."
"Dad!" Chris yelled in pain from just outside the entrance to the jet. "We crashed! We could use some help."
"Master Chris, are you all right?" Spencer yelled.
"My leg—"
Chris was cut off as he was lifted off the ground, by something that had great power. As he winced in pain, he could feel the creature's grasp on him. As he opened his eyes wide, he saw the identity of the creature that was holding him up by the collar of his red t-shirt.
"It's you!" Chris shouted. "I killed you!"
"We meet again, Red Ranger!" Drakar yelled, his voice full of fury. "This time, you will not escape my wrath, so easily!"
Back at the mansion, Spencer & Ian shared troubled glances. Ian's eyes grew even wider.
"Oh my god," he said, causing Spencer to worry even more.
"Who is that, sir?"
"It's him," Ian's face returned to the computer screen, as his ears opened wider to hear everything happening on the other end of that communications link. "The demon from the volcano. The one who did this to me."
"Where is the chalice?" Drakar said, shaking Chris in his grasp.
"I—don't have it," Chris groaned in pain.
"Your female friend must be in possession of it, then. That makes you worthless to me!" Drakar said.
Chris reached into his pocket, grabbing his tracker. He whipped it out and slid the device open with one hand, but Drakar grabbed a hold of it, tossing it into some nearby bushes. The quartet of Draggs he had with him all chuckled at the Red Ranger's misfortune.
"No!" Chris yelled.
Drakar laughed loudly.
"You will not escape Drakar this time!" he said, as his grip tightened.
At that moment, a piercing scream was heard in the distance. Drakar tilted his head to glance in that direction.
"It appears my Draggs have located your friend," he said, as he looked down at Chris's injuries.
He laughed, as he tossed Chris aside like a bag of trash. He fell to the ground, thankfully landing on his left side. He was still in pain, however, as his loud moan could be heard all the way back in California.
"No!" Chris yelled, as he tried to get up.
Unable to make it to his feet, he was forced to watch Drakar march off into the jungle, heading for Jessica. The remaining four Draggs surrounded Chris.
"Stop!" Chris shouted. "Leave her alone!"
On the other side of the communications line, Spencer listened in stunned silence. He looked back at Ian and noticed his employer appeared to be frozen, staring at the computer terminal.
"Sir? Sir!" Spencer said, shaking his shoulder. "We have to do something! That was Ms. Lorrie's scream. I'm sure of it!"
Ian still seemed unmoving. He sat stone-faced. He didn't even appear to be listening.
"Dr. Hartford, snap out of it!" Spencer yelled.
"He's still out there," Ian said, referencing the creature that had paralyzed him.
"I know that, sir. And, I know it's disturbing for you, but if you want to spare those children the same fate, you have to do something!" Spencer said forcefully.
Ian's eyes fluttered a bit, as his mind began to finally defrost.
"Yes," he muttered, as he looked around. "I—I need to get downstairs."
Spencer stared back at Dr. Hartford, wondering how he intended to get down a flight of stairs in a wheelchair to get to the Tracking Lab.
A scream of fury, fear and futility was all that Jessica could muster, as she watched her fate unfolding before her very eyes. The two Draggs were so close. She tried to kick them away, but they dodged her efforts. Two of the Draggs that were holding her arms dropped to their knees and grabbed her legs, preventing that action from happening again. As she prepared for the inevitable, she hated the fact that she would perish in an Amazon jungle, without anyone there to care.
Then, she saw a figure fly towards her. So fast, that it appeared to be only a shadow, the being grabbed a hold of Jessica, while kicking the two Draggs at the exact same time. She felt the strong grip around her, as she landed in a tree several feet away from the Draggs.
It all happened so fast that not even the Draggs could pinpoint where she had flown off too. As she saw them scattered through the trees looking for her, she looked over at her savior and was stunned to see it was a human man...and he wasn't flying at all. He had been holding onto a strong vine. Jessica's jaw dropped.
As she stared at the young fellow, who was wearing little more than a loincloth, she wondered who he was.
"Thanks," she said.
He put a finger up to his mouth, signaling her to stay quiet, as he crouched down with her, out of sight of the searching Draggs. Jessica saw the creatures heading further away from the large tree she was currently hiding in. She looked back at him.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
"Pan," he said. "My name Pan."
"Nice to meet you, Pan," she responded.
As she assessed his lack of clothing, his unkempt hair and the stench coming from him, she couldn't help but be curious.
"What are you doing out here?" she asked.
"I live...out here," he said, simply. "This Pan home for long time."
"Look, Pan, I have to go. I can't stay up here with you," she said, speaking slowly.
"You talk funny," he said, his accent clearly American.
"I'll take that as a compliment," she said, as she looked below. "I have to go, really. There's something that I need to find and I have to hurry because I left an injured friend behind."
"Hurt?"
"Yes, exactly," Jessica said. "He needs me, but I have to find the chalice first."
"He need water," Pan surmised.
"He's got water," she said, as she pulled the water bottle from her pack, showing it to him. "See? We have water. He needs medical help, like a doctor."
"Water can help," Pan said, as he took the bottle and opened it.
Jessica watched as he began to sniff the water inside. He poured some on his tongue and his face contorted.
"Not water," he said, looking troubled.
"It's purified," she explained. "Probably not like the kind you find around here."
"I know better water," Pan said, as he grabbed hold of Jessica and used the vine to lower them to the ground. "Come."
He pulled her off in the direction she didn't want, so she resisted.
"Stop," she said. "I'm not looking for water. I have to find a chalice. It's a cup."
Pan appeared confused.
"You put water in it," she said, using her hands to form the shape and simulate drinking. "A cup?"
Pan smiled widely and nodded. "It is with the water!"
He pulled her off in the direction she had already come from and she sighed as she reluctantly put her trust in the jungle boy.
Back in Silver City, Spencer helped to prop Ian Hartford up in the chair that sat in front of his computer terminal in the basement Tracking Lab. Spencer let out a large huff of accomplishment, having gotten Ian all the way down the stairs.
"Spencer, you'll never know how grateful I am for what you just did," Ian said, as he began typing on the terminal.
"It's...all...right...sir," Spencer said, still trying to catch his breath. "In fact...let's never mention it again...to anyone."
"You got it," Ian said, as his mind was focused on the task at hand. "It looks to be in working condition. This is great."
"What is, sir?" Spencer said, as he leaned in closer to get a better look at the monitor.
They both stared at the rotating 3D image of a red aircraft. It was sleek, red and silver in color, with accents of black in certain places. The jet's engines seemed more powerful than anything they had installed on the Silverhawk. It was smaller, and more easily maneuverable.
"What have you been hiding?" Spencer said, surprised.
"It's the Hyper Jet," Ian said, with a smile. "It's not only fast, but it's equipped with the most updated weapons systems I've ever seen. This thing could dodge any firefight!"
He turned in his chair, still smiling at Spencer.
"I think it's time for its maiden voyage," he announced.
"Oh, sir. If this works, I will personally send a letter of praise to Mister Makino at Search Guard Successor," Spencer said, as he began walking towards the aft hallway, leading to the zord bay.
"As long as you don't mention the loss of the blue tracker," Ian said, as he began the pre-launch sequence on the jet from his computer terminal. "I don't think we should expect anymore tracker assistance after what's happened."
As Ian continued to prep the Hyper Jet for launch, Spencer made his way to the zord bay. Standing on the platform across from the zords, he saw a large door open behind the landing pad where the Blue Ranger's Helio Zord was formerly located. Spencer watched in awe, as the red jet slid forward and then sped off towards the exit doors.
"Hurry," Spencer said quietly to himself, as his thoughts rested once again on Chris and Jessica.
Pan pulled Jessica swiftly through the jungle, dodging each tree as if he knew the area like the back of his hand, which Jessica figured he did. She kept up with him as fast as her feet could. She was glad she had opted for jeans on this day, given the wayward branches that hit her legs as she ran past them, protecting her head wherever she could.
Then, Pan's pace slowed dramatically, grabbing Jessica's attention. He seemed to slow almost to a halt. Jessica leaned over to him.
"What is it?" she whispered.
Pan's eyes seemed to move in a circular rotation, but his head never moved. Within a split second, a red sword flew past his face, grazing his dirty brown hair and piercing the tree at his side. He pulled Jessica out of the way, as the Draggs began to swarm.
"Not again," Jessica muttered, as she took a fighting stance, only for Pan to jump in front of her.
He jumped into the air, grabbing hold of a branch and swinging himself into the group of Draggs, taking two of them out completely. He tried to fight off the other four, impressing Jessica with his attempt, but he needed help, as they held him tight. Jessica grabbed her scope shot, aiming. She fired at one of them, but the other fallen two were already back on their feet.
"No!" Pan yelled. "Go! Find water cup! In cave! That way! Go!"
Jessica watched the direction he nodded in and sprinted off towards it, with much reluctance. She hated to leave her savior behind, but she had a feeling that the Draggs didn't want him at all and would soon give up to chase her. So, she quickened her pace, not even noticing the tall red figure that stepped out in front of her from behind a tree.
Jessica collided with Drakar and fell the ground, dropping her scope shot. She looked up at him.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I am the embodiment of fire!" Drakar shouted, as he grabbed her by the arms, picking her up off the ground.
As he lifted her, she could see the cave that Pan had described. It was only a few feet behind Drakar. Her eyes widened. Drakar whipped her around so he could see what she was looking at.
"Let me guess," he said, "The chalice is inside!"
"How do you know about the chalice?" Jessica said, angrily.
"That is not your concern," Drakar said, "Right now, you should be worried about your life. I left the Red Ranger behind, but he will find my wrath once I'm finished with you and once I have the chalice!"
Jessica's eyes grew wide. She knew Chris hadn't morphed. Her tracker would have picked it up. This creature knew Chris was red. It was then that she put the pieces together. She had come face to face with the volcanic demon Chris & Ian had described to her.
"Never!" Jessica grunted, as she brought a knee up, kicking the creature in the chest.
Drakar was caught off-guard, as he released her, causing Jessica to collide with the muddy ground, landing on her stomach. She groaned in pain and in anger, as she realized the long-sleeved white shirt she was wearing was now stained, along with the denim vest she wore over it. She had little time to think of fashion, though, as she saw the cave so close. She prepared to get up, when she felt a large foot step on one of her ankles, stopping her. She winced in pain.
Jessica glanced behind to see it was Drakar, cackling.
"Where do you think you're going?" he said aloud.
"Away from you," she said, as she grabbed the tracker from her pocket and used her free leg to kick him off of her ankle.
Jessica tried to get up again, but this time, Drakar grabbed a hold of her leg and began pulling her away from the cave. She grunted in fury and stabbed her tracker into the ground, as he pulled her, causing the device to rip across the ground, morphing her.
She used her momentum to spin off of the ground, kicking Drakar in the chest with her free leg. She flipped over completely, landing on one knee on the ground. She looked up to see Drakar on the ground. She pulled the red and white hand blaster from her side, pointing it directly at him, as he got to his feet.
"Don't move," she said, as she backed up, still moving in the direction of the cave.
"I fear nothing about you," Drakar said, as he pulled the twin blades from behind his back and began rushing towards her.
Jessica fired the hand blaster repeatedly, but the blasts seemed to do little damage, as she backed up closer to the cave. Just before Drakar got close enough to strike, he was attacked viciously in the face by a small monkey. The creature caught him off guard and he dropped his swords, in order to swipe at the creature, which had attached itself to his head. Jessica watched closely, realizing it must have been the same chimp that had tried to warn her earlier. She smiled.
"Thank you," she said under her breath, as she re-attached her weapon to her belt and ran into the cave.
As she got deeper into the darkness, she activated the searchlights on the front of her helmet, providing the vital light she needed. She had only come in a few feet before she saw it. The chalice was sitting on top of a large rock, as droplets of water fell into it from above, filling it. She got closer and tried to find the source of the water, which she couldn't detect. It just seemed to be falling from the cave's rocky ceiling.
She used her tracker to confirm that it was indeed the Lunati chalice. She smiled beneath her helmet as she picked up the silver cup, causing some of the water to spill out. It was wider than she expected and her hand could not fully reach around it. She wanted to study the markings on the chalice and the small light red jewels that adorned the rim of it, but she knew she didn't have much time. She made her way out of the cave just in time to see Drakar violently throw the small chimp into a tree.
Jessica changed tactics, using her helmet to activate her Hydro Cannon, which materialized right in front of her helmet. She took hold of it with one hand, holding the water-filled chalice in the other. Drakar turned to her and extended his palm, firing at her.
Jessica dodged the attack, but the cave wasn't so lucky, as it completely collapsed from the weight of Drakar's electrical blast.
She fired on him, as he came towards her. This time, the creature showed damage. His body sparked, as the electrified water stream hit him, sending him flying into the air and crashing to the ground.
The Pink Ranger ran to the side of the fallen monkey. The small creature moved only enough to point to the cup in her hand. She thought back to Pan's words about Chris needing water. She felt it couldn't hurt. She gently poured some of the water into the monkey's mouth. Beneath her helmet, her eyes grew wide, as his body began to glow a bit. Jessica was stunned to see the creature transform into Pan, her jungle savior.
"Pan?" she muttered, as he gained his bearings.
"Water work," he said.
But, Jessica had little time to contemplate the supernatural occurrence happening right before her eyes. She heard the Draggs approaching. She helped Pan get to his feet and she held tight to her Hydro Cannon and the chalice, as they ran through the jungle.
The Draggs swarmed around Drakar, attempting to help him to his feet. He threw one of them into a nearby tree with so much force that the tree almost collapsed.
"Don't stop, you mindless drones!" he said, "They have the chalice. Go after them!"
The Draggs rushed off into the trees, as Drakar grabbed his swords and followed them, slicing through any piece of foliage that stood in his way.
Back at the crash site, Chris stared up at the Draggs standing around him, grunting and cackling. Every once in a while one of them would kick him, further tormenting him. He glanced at the wrecked Silverhawk and his tracker, which two of the Draggs had retrieved from the bushes.
"Dad" he called out, having not heard his father's voice or Spencer's in a long while. "If you can hear me—nevermind."
Chris grunted in frustration. He reached out to try to grab the tracker, but was promptly kicked back onto the ground. He looked over at the two Draggs who had kicked him.
"Haven't you ever heard that you shouldn't kick a man when he's down?" he snapped.
The Dragg spewed fire down towards him, causing him to roll away, before he could be burned. As the two Draggs came closer to him, they both burst into sparks as they were hit by the Hydro Cannon. Chris turned his head to see Jessica approaching him morphed, along with a half-naked man. He looked confused, as she hopped over him, handing Pan the chalice. She pursued the two remaining Draggs who were holding Chris's tracker.
Meanwhile, Chris was staring at the fellow kneeling above him.
"Dude...what happened to your clothes?" he asked.
"Drink," Pan said, as he pushed the chalice towards him.
Chris drank the last of the water from the chalice and winced, as he could feel his wounds healing. He looked down at his cut leg and unwrapped it to find the wound was completely gone.
"Whoa," he said, as he got to his feet, with Pan's help. "Thanks."
He looked over at Jessica, who had knocked one of the Draggs out with a swift kick to the face. She nailed the other in the head with her Hydro Cannon, causing him to release the tracker, as he fell to the ground. Chris saw the device fly into the air and he caught it, as he stepped up to Jessica.
"I thought we weren't activating the trackers?" Chris said, smugly, as he ripped his across her Hydro Cannon, morphing instantly.
"You'll need them!" Drakar yelled.
They both turned to see Drakar holding Pan hostage, with his sword at his throat and the chalice still in his hand.
"Now, the chalice is mine!" he cackled.
Jessica locked eyes with Pan, who smiled. She nodded to him and he transformed once again into the small chimpanzee. He slid right through Drakar's grip.
"No!" Drakar yelled, as the chimp scurried over to Jessica and climbed into her arms, handing her the cup.
As the Draggs attacked, Pan jumped into a nearby tree, safely out of the way. As Chris called upon his Power Staff to fight off Drakar, Jessica kept the Draggs at bay, still with only one free hand.
"We could really use the Silverhawk right now," Chris grunted beneath his helmet, as Drakar bore down on him with his sword.
"How about something a bit smaller?" Ian's voice came through on the Silverhawk communications system.
They all heard an arriving craft, going so fast that it sounded almost like the metal was scraping the sound barrier itself. The craft hovered above the trees.
"I think that's our ride," Chris said, as he kicked Drakar away and joined Jessica at her side, as she fired on the Draggs again. "Gotta go!"
Drakar yelled in fury, as a tow cable lowered right to them. Chris hooked the end of it to the Silverhawk, as he and Jessica climbed up into the Hyper Jet and he took the controls.
"Now, this I can handle," he said, as Jessica stood at his side, glancing out the window into the forest below.
She saw the chimpanzee staring up at her from his tree, smiling. She waved.
"Thank you," she yelled, knowing that he couldn't hear her.
"Who was that monkey boy anyway?" Chris asked.
"I couldn't do it alone," she said, as she patted him on the back. "He helped me."
"Well, it's my turn now," Chris said, cockily, as he took control of the jet and sped off.
The four Lavadactyls were still lurking. They attacked simultaneously, causing Chris to maneuver the jet swiftly past each of them, firing the jet's lasers whenever he had a clear shot. Within moments, two of the flying creatures were nothing but ash.
"Good shot," Jessica said.
"I ain't done yet. Hold on!" he said, as he sent the craft into a spin.
As the two remaining Lavadactyls tried to emulate the jet's movements, they spun into each other. As they were off-balance, Chris spun the jet upside down and took up a position behind them, firing on both and destroying them.
"All clear!" Chris shouted. "Let's go home."
"Yeah, and when we get there, we can talk about your flying," Jessica said, as she held her stomach, holding in her queasiness.
Several hours later, Ian Hartford sat in the Tracking Lab holding the Lunati chalice in his hand. It was once again filled with water.
"I hope this works," he said, as he looked over at Chris, Jessica & Spencer who were present with him.
Ian drank from the cup. He looked down at his legs in the chair.
"I don't feel any different," he said.
He tried to stand up from the chair, but promptly fell to the floor. Spencer & Chris helped him get back into his chair.
"I don't understand," Chris said, looking confused, "I drank from the chalice and it completely healed me. I feel great."
"I don't know," Jessica said, "Maybe it's the water that caused the healing, not the chalice."
"That does seem to be the logical explanation," Spencer said.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Hartford," Jessica said, as she pulled the gold and black card from her pocket and laid it on a nearby desk. "I didn't mean to get your hopes up."
She retrieved the chalice and placed it on the card, causing it to form a secure box around the relic. She placed that box in the storage locker.
"It's all right," Ian said, somberly. "We'll figure it out. For now, we have more important things to worry about, like the fact that Drakar is still out there."
Jessica nodded. "He's the one who hired Dark Shadow to steal the crown," she revealed. "Those soldiers of his were the same ones from before."
"He wants the Lunati treasure," Spencer said.
Chris also appeared serious.
"And, he wants us dead," he added, as he stared into his father's eyes. "I for one am not gonna let that happen."
"Sounds like you've decided to stay," Spencer said, with a smile.
"I'm not going anywhere until this is finished," Chris admitted. "Drakar thinks I started this. I'm gonna end it."
The next morning, Jessica Lorrie woke at her normal time of 6:28 a.m. and she showered, and dressed as usual. She descended the grand white staircase and found Spencer in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. She promptly poured herself a cup of coffee.
"Good morning, Spencer," she said.
"Good morning, Ms. Lorrie," he greeted her.
As she passed him on her way out she stopped. Spencer noticed.
"Is something wrong?"
Jessica sighed, as she changed course and walked into the dining room. She took a seat, as Spencer joined her.
"I guess I just had a long day yesterday," she said, "It's not so hard to leave it behind after all that happened."
"I can understand that," Spencer replied. "It's not everyday that you traverse the Amazon, fight fire-breathing demons and get rescued by...how did Master Chris put it...a monkey boy!"
Jessica smiled.
"I thought I could do it alone," she said. "But I couldn't. If Pan wasn't there, I wouldn't be here now."
"I guess you forgot that Dr. Hartford hired you to be part of a team."
"It wasn't that hard after Bishop & Addie left," Jessica said, "But, I guess I can't really do it alone."
"Some might see that as a good thing," Spencer said, as he stood up from the table and began walking back to the kitchen to finish breakfast.
Jessica smiled, as she let out a tired sigh. Spencer paused, as his mind wandered.
"You know, I wonder if Pan was really a man or was he really a chimpanzee. What do you think?" he asked, as he turned back to Jessica.
He smiled when he saw her head was lying on her arm on the table. He walked over and saw she had fallen back asleep. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Enjoy your rest...Jessica," Spencer whispered, as he left her to sleep.
THE END
Next time on
Quest for the Lunati Treasure
Feeling less useful to the cause, Addie is the first to
volunteer for Tarok's latest plan to infiltrate the Hartford
mansion. But once she's inside, she finds herself haunted
by memories of her past, her loss and her life.