TRA:JQ
Fine Line-1
By Schmitt Van Dean.

Disclaimer: I don't own JQ, HB does. I do own all non-JQ characters and
the storyline, however, and everyone is free to use them, so long as they
ask. Please don't sue me, 'cause I'm making no moola off this, otherwise I'd
use the money to buy HB & CN and make them continue TRA, in which case I'd
own the company anyway, so would, in fact, be suing myself. Which I wouldn't
do, 'cause I'm a nice guy.

Anyone following that deserves a cookie.

Becks Beta'd it, for which I am eternally thankful. BECKY ROCKS.  (small
note: she found and fixed more plot holes than storyline in here.)

Archivers: Aspen and Suze - it's yours. Everyone else, can you please ask.
My E-mail addy's at the bottom.

Categories: Angst, mature language, violence.

Continuation: It's still the sequel to Insanity's Edge. No, really.

Back story: since I haven't posted this in a while, I left off HERE.

Jonny shoots bloke. CRIES LIKE BABY. Rachel gets shotteded in the past.
Everyone flips out for a while. J & J HR? Nooooo! Both drugged up. ^_^
Everyone goes GASP, Benton gets himself kidnapped, Jonny, Jessie, and Race
save his cute little butt. Davey-boy's lil' girl gets DEADED, Hadji gets
SHOTTED, and Claire goes TEE HEE...I WIN.

Then Jessie fell asleep in the hospital hallway, and Race went somewhere.

AND NOW THE STORY CONTINUES...

Summary: READ IT OR I KILL THE PUPPY.
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Jessie awoke with a start. The doctor hovering over her smiled.

"Sorry Miss, visiting hours are over. You're going to have to leave."

She blinked at the woman, the harshness of the hospital lights were a sudden
and sharp contrast to the darkness of sleep. Jessie yawned, then shook her
head free of the grogginess. Suddenly awake, she looked around for Race,
before realizing he had already left.

Mentally cursing, she uncurled from the seat and, pushing herself out of it,
thanked the doctor quietly. The doctor, shaking her head, smiled and
continued down the corridor. Mutely, Jessie padded over to Hadji's ward. She
knew that at least Jonny would still be there because he had requested a
mattress so he could stay with Hadji during the night. Her sneakers did not
make a sound as she crossed the white tiled floor, the busy hospital dead to
her. A movement at the edge of her peripheral vision caught her attention,
causing her to tilt her head slightly.
The woman breezed past Jessie, her movements smooth and calculated. She was
wearing black pants of some soft fabric, and a blue denim jacket.
She reached for the medical chart on the wall outside of Hadji's room,
blocking the doorway. Jessie moved to pass her, irritated by her impudance.

"Well, excuse *me*," she muttered.

The woman ignored her. Jessie paused for a moment, flushing slightly with
irritation. The woman was cloaked in the shadow of the doorway, and as she
let Hadji's medical chart drop, she moved to open the door. As she turned to
face the young, irritated girl in front of her, Jessie could see the corner
of her lips raise in a smile.

"Hi, Kid."

The voice took a moment to register. She resisted the urge to take a step
back, her green eyes narrowing.

"Claire." She almost spat the word.

Jessie shifted her weight, suddenly alert. In one movement, Claire stepped
out of the shadow and snatched at Jessie's wrist, catching it and twisting
her arm behind her back. She slammed Jessie into the wall, face first.

"Kid, I need to know where your father is."

Jessie struggled, using her free arm to push against the wall. Claire
caught it deftly, then forced both her arms behind her back. Jessie writhed
in her grasp, but Claire was using her leverage to keep Jessie firmly in
place.

"Kid....I *need* to find Race."

"What? No way am I - "

"I need to find him. And keep your voice down," Claire hissed.

"Get off me!" Jessie's voice rose.

Claire twisted her arm sharply, Jessie gasping in pain.

"Tell me." A door creaked further down the hallway. Claire gripped both of
Jessie's hand in one of hers, then grabbed the nearby door handle, turned it
and pushed Jessie through the door.

Jessie saw her chance. As Claire released her grip, she twisted her arms and
broke free. She sprang into the ajar door, landing squarely on her feet in
the room, pivoting and facing Claire.

Claire strode in through, perusing the room with a quick glance. Jessie
took the opportunity to do the same.

Other than Hadji and the beeping machinery, the room was empty.

She had counted on Dr. Quest or especially Jonny to still be in the room.
She forced down her confusion and prepared herself for what was to come.

Her eyes flashed back to Claire, whose face was blank.

"Murderer."

Claire's statement remained neutral. "Jessie, please, I need to find your
father. I need his help."

"WHAT?" Jessie exploded. "After what you did what the Hell makes you think
my father would help you?"

Claire's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Look, this is urgent, I need to find
your father. Now where is he?"

Jessie glanced around again. That woman was almost certainly armed, she had
no means of escape...and where the heck was everyone?

"Look, Jessie, I don't have much time. What happened to the boy was an
accident - "

"Did you shoot him?" Jessie faced the woman again. Claire's relative lack of
force was coming as a complete surprise.

There was a mild hesitation. "...I...had to."

"You *had* to shoot Hadji?"

"You don't understand - "

"No way are you getting any info out of me."

Claire's eyes hardened. "Little girl, I'm growing impatient. I don't want to
hurt you, but I will if you continue this idiocy. You presume to judge me,
that I would deliberately shoot Hadji. That is your perrogative - fine. But
do NOT allow your pettiness to become dangerous."

Jessie faced her wearily. The only time she had seen this woman fight was
when she and Jonny had caught her after she had exhausted herself breaking
into Barone's facility.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't have the time! Look, you already know your father trusts me.
Neither you or him are aware of the circumstances surrounding my shooting
Hadji. There are more important things to be thinking of right now."

Jessie paused; uncertain. She had been so sure about Claire, had her
figured out...

"I don't know."

Claire held her eyes for a moment, then broke contact, cursing. She turned,
opened the door and stalked out of the room.

Jessie's mind was jumbled. She sat down carefully besides Hadji's bed,
trying to sort out her feelings about the woman. She hadn't told her
anything useful, she hadn't betrayed her friends...but her instincts told
her that she didn't know how far this woman could be trusted.

She needed to see the others, and quickly.
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Race hung up the phone, grimacing. Then he dialled another number, his eyes
glancing along the street which was illuminated only by lamp posts. He knew
this was a bad idea, but it was for the best...he couldn't let Jonny do
anything stupid.

The phone stopped ringing, and a female voice on the other end come through
clearly.

Race took a deep breath before answering.
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My e-mail address: SchmittVanDean@hotmail.com

This fic hurts meet deep down inside. Especially since the tiny amount of
American words I threw in there clash horribly with the sheer Britishness of
it all...

Small, I know. But I'm slowly coming up with ideas now...

-Schmitt. Stealing all the good quotes, so you don't have to.

*********************
"Today, if you are not
confused, you are just
not thinking clearly."
-U. Peter
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