A/N: 24 November 2015: Trying to get back to this story. I did not realize that I already had 11 Chapters written! Not much will change, but I'm going to review these chapters and make some adjustments, corrections, etc. It may be slow going as I am in a remote location currently and don't have a lot of time to write, but I will try my best! Thank you!
Author's Note: 3/30/2010. I just returned to this story after a very long break and while reviewing the previous chapters I noticed all my page breaks were missing which can seriously hinder the flow of the story. So I am going back and correcting those in the document manager. However, it is slow going and as late as it is tonight I only got the first two chapters done. So please, bear with me while I clean this up to make it easier to read for any new readers and old readers for that matter. :-) Thanks and I hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Jonny Quest or any characters associated with the show. I am not making any money off of this.
Author's Notes: This is a revised version of Chapter 1. I corrected some grammatical and spelling errors and I added on to the crime scene section at the end. I did not feel that I had truly gotten the point across to my readers on where I was going, so I felt an expansion of that scene was necessary.
The New Dynasty
Chapter 1
Jonny sat in his car and waited. School had just ended for the day and he was looking forward to making it home in order to prepare for the big party celebrating the football team's championship season later that night, but he had promised Jessie that he would wait for her. As each minute ticked by and Jessie did not appear Jonny began to feel aggravated. Taking a deep breath Jonny let it out slowly. He tried desperately not to get annoyed with Jessie' behavior, but as each day wore on and her mood remained the same, or on some days sank deeper, Jonny felt his nerves were finally beginning to fray. He wanted to be supportive, but Jessie was just too stubborn for her own good. Jonny knew why Jessie was acting the way she was; three weeks ago her father, Race Bannon, began dating a woman he had met in town. Jonny couldn't blame him, after all he was a man, and he had needs just like everyone else, but Jonny's feelings for Jessie had also begun to blossom and now Jonny found himself in a precarious situation where he was torn between supporting the man who was his bodyguard and almost like a second father to him, or siding with Race's daughter, who Jonny was beginning to realize he might just be in love with.
As Jonny contemplated his situation he saw a group of teenagers, led by the football team's captain, heading his way towards the student parking lot. Jonny rolled down his window and leaned out of the car.
"Hey, Chad, you guys see Jessie in there?" He asked once the group was close enough to hear him.
Shaking his head Chad, the team captain, replied. "No, we didn't see her. Why you waiting for her anyways? Doesn't she have her own wheels?"
Jonny frowned as he remembered how in a fit of anger Jessie crashed her new car into a light pole only two miles from the Quest home last week. Race had been livid and subsequently banned his daughter from driving indefinitely. Race had even gone as far as to cut up Jessie's driver's license right in front of her. Jonny shuddered as he remembered how the rest of that evening had played out.
"No, her car's in the shop." He lied with a grin; it was actually in the junk yard. "Thanks anyway, I'll just call her."
"Alright, man. See you two tonight at the party?" Chad asked.
Jonny nodded, "Yeah, we'll be there for sure."
"Cool." Chad replied and headed off to catch up with his group of friends.
Jonny sighed as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket, but stopped as he heard the double doors that Chad and his entourage had just came through moments before slam open. Turning his attention to the sound Jonny saw a blaze of fiery red hair swirling in the wind as Jessie Bannon stomped in his direction.
Jonny shook his head and did his best to suppress the grin that had formed on his face before Jessie got to the car.
Moments later the passenger door of Jonny's new Honda was wretched open and after tossing her book bag into the back seat Jessie plopped down in the passenger seat and slammed the door.
"Hey." Jonny exclaimed. "Be careful. The car didn't do anything to you."
"Just drive, Quest." Jessie grunted as she buckled her seatbelt.
"Why were you late?" Jonny asked as he started the car and backed out of his spot.
"Mrs. McKenzie wanted to have a talk about my attitude." Jessie explained.
"What did you do this time?"
Jessie turned towards the boy and glared at him. At that moment Jonny would have sworn that he could hear his blood transforming to ice; he immediately regretted his last question. "What makes you think I did something?"
"Well…" Jonny started, but decided it best not agitate her any further.
"Everyone things that this is all my fault, when it's not." Jessie announced as Jonny pulled the car onto the highway heading home.
"Whose fault is it, Jess?" Jonny asked, but he kept his eyes on the road ahead of him; he didn't dare look over at his friend.
"You know damn well whose fault it is, Jonny. Don't play dumb. It's that woman's." Jessie spat the last word as if just saying it made her ill.
Jonny sighed. He hadn't wanted to get into this now, but Jessie was pulling him in. "Jessie, maybe if you just give her a chance…"
"She's not good enough for my dad. She's manipulated him. You know the last time they went out he didn't come home till five in the morning." Jessie exclaimed.
Jonny bit back his response. He had become an expert on when Jessie was baiting him and now was one of those times; she was waiting to see how he would respond. Jonny wished the car could sprout wings so they would already be home and he wouldn't have to be a part of this conversation; as it was he did find himself pressing the accelerator a little harder.
"You know he's going out with her again tonight." Jessie said when it was obvious Jonny was not going to reply.
"Well, we won't be around to see her since we have a party to get to. So don't worry about it."
"Don't worry about it?" Jessie shot back. "You men are all the same, always supporting one another."
Jonny rolled his eyes and prayed that Jessie didn't catch the move. "Jess, all I'm saying is that Race is human."
Jessie grunted but did not reply. Jonny said a silent prayer in hopes that the conversation was over for now. The rest of the journey played out in silence and soon Jonny was pulling up in front of the house. He had barely put the car in park before Jessie was out the door and headed towards the entrance.
"Hey." Jonny yelled at her as he quickly climbed out of the vehicle.
Jessie ignored him and stormed into the house, slamming the door behind her.
Jonny shook his head as he watched her go. He wished Hadji was here; Hadji had a natural gift in easing any tension that built within the family and right now his expertise could be greatly employed. But Hadji was not here, he was back in India and he would be there for the next couple months. No, Jonny was alone in dealing with Jessie and her issues. He only hoped he'd figure out the right thing to do.
At six o'clock Jonny headed down to the kitchen, but first he stopped by Jessie's room. Banging on the door, he hollered. "Jess, come on, it's almost time to go."
Jessie did not reply, but Jonny could hear shuffling noises from inside the room. At least she was moving about. Jonny decided it best to leave her for a few minutes so he headed down to the kitchen.
Doctor Benton Quest, Jonny's father, stood leaning against the kitchen counter, a cup of coffee in his hand. Race was seated on one of the stools that flanked the massive island in the center of the room.
"Hey, dad." Jonny said as he headed for the refrigerator.
"I thought you said you weren't hungry." Doctor Quest replied.
"I'm not and there will be food at the party." Jonny said as he grabbed a can of soda and popped the top.
"Where's Jessie?" Race asked when his daughter did not appear behind the young man.
Jonny shrugged as he took a swig of the cola. "She's still getting ready. You know how women are."
"I heard that, Hotshot." Jessie said as she pushed her way through the door of the kitchen. Jonny smiled when he saw her. She had decided to leave her hair down, the way Jonny loved it, and her emerald green eyes shone with a brilliance that Jonny had only seen a few times before. The black dress that hugged her athletic frame complemented the rest of her features and Jonny felt his heart skip a beat as he took in the young woman's beauty.
"Well, we better get going." Jonny said as he chugged the last of his soda before tossing the can in the recycling bin.
"I want you home by midnight, Jessie." Race said as he watched his daughter's rigid movements. She was still upset with him, but no matter what he did the girl would not give in; Race attributed her attitude to the stubbornness that she must have inherited from her mother.
Jessie eyed her father as she stood next to Jonny. "And what time are you going to be home, dad?"
Race felt his temperature rise at the snide comment from his daughter. He even saw Benton flinch visibly from the comment. "Listen, Jessie, you're only sixteen. You have no right…"
"Save it, dad." Jessie shot back, cutting her father off. "I'll be home whenever I feel like it." Without giving her father a moment to respond Jessie stormed out of the kitchen; moments later the house shook as Jessie slammed the front door of the house shut during her dramatic exit.
Jonny cringed as he saw Race's face flush with anger. "It's alright, Race. I'll take care of her. We'll be home before midnight."
Jonny watched as the man relaxed, but not completely. He could still see the veins in his bodyguard's neck that always seemed to enlarge whenever he was upset.
"Fine." Race replied. "I'm counting on you, Jonny."
Jonny winked at the man, grabbed his keys from the island and headed off after Jessie.
After the kids had gone, Race held his head in his hands and Benton watched as the man clenched his fingers through his short white hair. "She'll get over it, Race. Just give her some time."
"How much time does she need?" Race asked without looking up.
"She'll be fine, Jonny will look after her. I am confident in that." Benton replied as he sipped his coffee.
Race looked up at the man and nodded. "Yeah, you're right."
"You better get ready yourself, Race. You wouldn't want to keep your date waiting as well." Benton smiled.
Race stood. "So what are you plans tonight, Doctor? Besides Bandit, you have the place to yourself."
"A rare occurrence indeed." Benton said as he refilled his mug. "I'll probably catch up on some work and then relax until the kids come home."
Race nodded, "Sounds like a blast. Have fun." He teased and then headed off to get ready for his own date.
Benton settled into the large sofa in the family room of the Quest Mansion and flicked on the television. After spending a few hours on his latest experiment he had found himself starting to nod off and decided to call it a night with work. Now with a few hours left until he expected Jonny and Jessie to be home he wanted to catch up with the latest news. As he flipped through the channels he finally settled on CNN which was currently at commercial. Heading to the kitchen he decided to refill his coffee mug, even though he knew he shouldn't have been drinking coffee so late at night, but tonight he did not mind. The soft padded steps of Bandit's footfalls were right behind the older man and as they entered the kitchen the dog began to whine.
"What is it, boy?" Benton asked the dog as Bandit sat down next to him.
Benton looked around and saw that the little dog's food dish was empty. "Are you hungry, Bandit?"
Bandit's tail immediately began to wag and his tongue hung from his mouth as if in anticipation of the upcoming meal.
Benton chuckled at the dog's response. "I thought so."
He headed over to the cabinet where Bandit's food was kept, but his attention was drawn to the sounds of the television in the other room. Momentarily forgetting the dog, Benton headed back to the living room and stared at the screen as a breaking story was unfolding.
"This just in," The news reporter announced as the images transferred to a live broadcast. "What appears to be a multiple homicide has taken place in an upscale Washington D.C. neighborhood tonight. Authorities are releasing very little details at this time, but we have learned that at least two men appear to have been murdered. Doctor Harold Steinbeck has been identified as one of the victims and another man, as yet unidentified is also dead. Federal authorities are on the scene and they have not yet released any details about what as taken place in this home tonight. Doctor Steinbeck was unmarried and was a contractor for the federal government. We will update this story as more details arise."
Benton continued to stare at the television in disbelief. His mouth had gone dry and his hands were gripping the back of the sofa so tightly that the pain in his fingers finally wrenched him from his daze. His heart felt like it had dropped into his stomach and he had to force himself to sit down as his head began to swim.
"No." Benton said aloud. "No, this can't be happening."
Jonny glanced at his watch and realized it was getting late. He would have preferred to stay at the party since he was having a blast with his friends, but as the realization of the late hour struck him, he remembered that he had promised Race he would have Jessie home by midnight; and now was not the time to get on Race's bad side.
Glancing around the room, Jonny realized he hadn't seen Jessie in some time. Cursing himself inwardly he set down his drink and turned to his friend Chad.
Having to lean in close to the other teen as to be heard over the thumping of the music, Jonny got his friend's attention and asked, "Hey, Chad, have you seen Jessie lately?"
Chad grinned at his friend and replied. "Last I saw she headed outside with a few others. Jeez, Quest, that was like three hours ago, what have you been doing?"
"Damnit." Jonny mumbled. He hadn't realized he had been away from her for so long. Pushing his way through the crowd of high-schoolers Jonny made his way to the back of the house and out onto the back porch. As winter settled in the temperature had been dropped and Jonny shivered at the blast of cold air that struck his face as he stepped outside.
Glancing around the deck he saw two people that he did not recognized sitting on one of the deck chairs; they were engaged in some rather intimate kissing. Jonny didn't care, he had to find Jessie and get back home.
"Hey you guys know Jessie Bannon?" Jonny asked as he stepped up to the necking couple.
The fact that the two teens were displeased with being interrupted was not lost on Jonny, but he ignored their obvious annoyance.
"Yeah, but as you can see she ain't here." The young man replied.
"You see where she went?" Jonny asked as his teeth began to clatter together.
The boy rolled his eyes and pointed towards the pool. "She's down that way Saw her and a couple other people head down there awhile ago."
"Thanks." Jonny replied and headed off towards the pool.
He caught sight of her hair first and Jonny wanted to kick himself for allowing her to sneak off without him. Jessie sat around a table with two other boys and two girls and all were currently engaged in what appeared to be some sort of drinking game.
Jonny stormed over to his friend and grabbed her arm. "Jessie, what the hell are you doing?"
"Let go, Quest." Jessie slurred as she tried to yank her arm free; the alcohol in her system combating the effects of the cold night air.
"Damnit, you're drunk." Jonny said which elicited a burst of laughter from the other kids at the table.
"Lighten up, Jonny." One of the boys said. "She'll be fine."
Ignoring the boy Jonny hauled Jessie to her feet. "I don't know who your dad is going to kill first you or me. Let's go."
"I don't care about him." Jessie said as Jonny hauled her off. "I hope he never comes back."
"Don't say that, Jessie." Jonny said as he wrapped an arm around her waist to help her keep her footing.
"I mean it, Jonny." Jessie replied as she staggered along; Jonny tightened his hold around his friend's waist as it was painfully obvious that she would not be able to walk on her own. Jonny wondered just what Jessie had been drinking and how much of it as well.
"That's just the alcohol talking."
Jessie replied by sticking her tongue out at her rescuer. "You would side with him."
"Jessie, stop. Hopefully we can get you inside the house without either of our dads finding out."
"I want him to know. I want the mighty Race Bannon to see what he's done to his daughter." Jessie shouted, trying to pull away from Jonny as they reached the car.
"Stop it, Jessie." Jonny glared as he helped her into the passenger seat.
"I hate him." Jessie stated firmly as Jonny got in behind the wheel of the car.
"Don't say that, Jessie. You don't mean that."
"Yes I do, Jonny. I hate him." Jessie reaffirmed and then suddenly burst into tears.
Jonny started the car and pulled away. He really couldn't stand dealing with women at this point in his life.
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Special Agent Philip Corbin hated reporters; they always seemed to know what was happening before the official authorities did; and the fact that they would go to any length just for a story rattled his cage to no end; especially now, especially with this case.
Phil exited the passenger side of the I-1 sedan and met with Special Agent Roberts at the front of the vehicle. Jamming his hands in his coat pockets Phil hunched his shoulders against the brisk air that attempted to sap any body heat that he still retained.
"What do you think?" Roberts asked. The two men had ridden to the crime scene in silence, but now that they had arrived curiosity began to itch at the younger agent.
Phil shrugged, "I don't know." But in fact he did know, or at least he had a damn good idea what to expect when he crossed the threshold of the house.
The inside of the house felt at least ten degrees colder then the outside. Corbin and Roberts followed one of the local police officers through the house till they reached the kitchen. As soon as the scene entered his eyes Corbin knew it this death was related to the others.
Roberts glanced at his superior when he noticed the man visibly shudder. "You alright, Sir?"
Corbin nodded, "Just a chill."
"It is rather cold in here, almost as if the air conditioning is turned on, but in the middle on December?"
"The air conditioning is not on." Corbin replied through pursed lips. Mindful of his steps he moved through the kitchen and over to the body. The I-1 forensics team was still working the scene so Phil kept his distance as best he could. He found that he was grateful that the teams were still working, it meant that he did not have to examine the body any closer that this moment. But he didn't need to, Corbin already knew what state the corpse would be in.
"Roberts," Corbin addressed the other agent as he turned his attention to the rest of the kitchen. "There were two agents assigned to Doctor Steinbeck, any word on Agent Holton whereabouts?"
"No, Sir, but the locals have already marked off their vehicle and conducting a search of the surrounding area."
Corbin contemplated the information for a moment, "What could possibly bring Holton out of his vehicle on a night like this?"
Roberts stared at the other man, but had no answer. He watched as Phil blinked and then turned his attention towards the wall next to the refrigerator; Roberts was a little perplexed how his boss seemed to not only jump from fact to fact, but also that he did not seem at all surprised at the horrendousness of the crime scene.
Corbin pointed to a spot on the wall and Roberts turned around, seeing the spot for the first time upon entering the room. "What's that?" Phil asked to no one in particular.
Scrawled in what appeared to be blood, more the likely the victim's blood, were what appeared to be letters, but they were unlike any letters that Corbin had ever seen before. The blood was still fresh and some of the letters had begun to run due to gravity, but the images on the wall appeared similar to this:
Τα Ancients έχουν έρθει. Μας φοβηθείτε.
After the forensic team had snapped the appropriate number of photos they required and also taken a sample of the liquid the letters were written with Agent Roberts moved in for a closer look.
Corbin didn't know why, but something about the markings disturbed him; an unexplainable sense of dread welled inside him as he stared at the letters. If he hadn't known better he would have sworn that it was the letters themselves that were causing the strange feelings inside his mind and his heart.
After a few moments, Phil felt the feelings pass, but he still wanted out of the house as fast as possible just to be away from the cryptic symbols. Strangely enough, no other markings like these had been found at the previous crime scenes.
"What do you make of it, Roberts?"
Roberts shook his head as he turned to his superior. "It looks Greek, but some of the letters are wrong." He paused as he studied the phrase again. "It just doesn't make sense." Roberts mumbled.
"What do you think it says?" Corbin asked.
"Well, Sir, if I was to make an educated guess I would translate it as 'The ancients are coming. Fear Me.' But I don't speak fluent Greek."
"I don't get it." Corbin said.
"Me neither." Roberts agreed.
"Well, we can figure it out later. Come on, let's get going." Phil said and headed towards the front of the house.
As he stepped outside Phil squeezed his eyes shut. He had thought this day would never come, but now on this cold night it was upon him. This was the fifth death from the group. Phil had tried to convince himself that the previous deaths were not related, but he knew the truth in his heart. The first death was so long ago and the second took place a number of years after the first, however the last two and now Doctor Steinbeck's death has all taken place in a time span of only two months. Phil had tried to convince himself early on that it was just coincidences, but the sudden frequency of the murders and the similar fashions of the actual deaths, with the exception of the first, told him that they were related, he just didn't want to admit it. Now there was only one remaining member, Doctor Benton Quest. He would be next unless they discovered a way to save him, but Phil had no idea how to stop the force that was currently working against them. Not many things could scare a man like Philip Corbin, and even though Phil had never laid eyes on the perpetrator he was still terrified.
Even though Doctor Quest knew of the threat he may not have known that his former co-workers were being murdered. Benton was next on the list and he had to be warned. Phil pulled his phone out of his coat pocket and called in an emergency flight; he was headed to Maine.
To Be Continued…
Author's Notes: Well I hope you all like…please read and review for me and I hope to have the next chapter up soon.
Also, for any that speak Greek or are curious about the phrase or know about the phrase PLEASE DO NOT say anything about it in a review (if you leave one). There is a reason that the phrase is what it is and that the dialogue between Roberts and Corbin is what it is. (I don't want to say more and ruin anything)