Disclaimer: HB owns the JQ lot, not me.   I'm making no money off this,
so
don't sue, unless you wanna waste a bit of time on lil' ol' me.  It's
created out of (a lot) of love and respect for the series.  All none JQ
characters are my own.  You're welcome to use any of them in fics, but
please ask.

Thanks loads to Becks for Beta reading this for me.  You rock!

If anyone's missed the rest of the fic, E-mail me privately and it's
yours.

Archivers: Suze and Aspen are welcome to it, of course.  Everyone else
ask
and it's yours.

Categories: Angst, mature language (gosh, I'm a naughty boy-swearing
again.), violence, HR.

Summary: It's .01 seconds from where we left off.  (Okay, so
technically
this scene is a 3 parter...)
***********************************************************************
Jonny rolled his eyes when he realized that he would need a hand free
to
open
the door. Releasing his hold on Barone, he shoved the man aside. Barone
fell limply to the floor, eyes open but unseeing. Jonny ignored him,
grabbing the door handle. The security system for the keypads appeared
to
be one way; after all, who would want to break out if unauthorized
people
couldn't get in?

Suddenly, for the third time that night, he felt Jessie's hand on his
shoulder.

*Geez, can't she take a hint?*

He suddenly felt himself being spun, Jessie pushing him back into the
door.
She stared at him with furious eyes, a look Jonny had seen turned on
Claire
almost a day ago. Both her hands were placed on his shoulders, pinning
him
to the door.

"I am getting *really* sick of you always taking your damn idiotic
anger out
on me and dad. We keep trying to help you and you keep throwing it back
in
our faces. What pisses me off most about all this is that you're trying
to
claim it's love for your mom that's making you so damn nuts all the
time."

Jonny held her gaze, but no emotion played over his face.

She didn't stop, everything coming out in a rush of words.

"Your mom sounds like she used to be a great person. Do you think she'd
want
you acting like this? It's been *ten* years, Jonny. I never knew your
mom,
but I doubt
that anyone you could care for this much would want you tearing
yourself
apart over such a dumb thing. Dad made a mistake. I'll admit I made the
same mistake. We shouldn't have trusted Claire. But Hadji is strong
Jonny,
he's going to survive this."

Her eyes softened, her hold on him relaxing.

"Jonny, I have always thought of you and Hadji as my closest friends.
The
Quests have been like family to me over the past nine years. I don't
know
what I would do if anything were to happen to any of you, and I don't
want
to lose you, Hadji and Dr. Quest because of some stupid mistake. Jesus
Jon,
I love you guys. You *are* my family."

She held his eyes, searching for some kind of emotion. Seeing none, her
eyes
dropped to the floor and she released him fully. Her voice dropped to a
whisper.

"My first family didn't work out that well either."

She reached for the door handle beside him, Jonny stepping out of the
way to
let her through.

She held the handle for a moment. She was scared, If Jonny couldn't
stand
the sight of her or her father, then it would be goodbye to the Quests.
Perversely, for a second,
she wondered if Benton or Hadji would visit.

Jonny's hand was suddenly around her wrist.

"Y'know, leaving through that door may be symbolic, but it's not very
practical."

She looked oddly at him for a moment before he suddenly wrapped his
arms
round her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Jess, what the Hell was I thinking?"

"You weren't," she pressed her head into his chest.

"I don't blame you or Race. Heck, I should be more worried about Hadji
then
whose fault this is."

She clung to him, suddenly realizing she was crying.

"Jess, I'm sorry. Don't leave," there was a sudden panic in his voice.

"Geez, it took you a second to come round."

"I'm a jackass."

"No argument."

He tried to release her but found she still clung to him.

"Er...Jess, I'm not going anywhere. Do you wanna let go?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"'Cause I don't want you to have the pleasure of seeing me cry."

He felt her smile against his chest.

Then he felt her tears soak through the thin latex of the bodysuit. He
grinned. It was once a long standing joke that Jessie didn't have any
emotion, and here she was crying with joy.

After a few minutes she pulled away. Jonny watched her, saying nothing,
but
amusement dancing behind his eyes. Wiping her eyes with the back of her
hand, she looked at him oddly.

"Go on then, make a joke."

"Nah. Not really in the mood." He shrugged but ignored the temptation
to
grin.

Benton coughed lightly into his hand, causing both of them to look
round.

"Don't you think we had better be leaving?"

His arms were crossed, his eyes holding the same amusement as his
son's, but
for a different reason, as he watched the two of them.

"Is it safe to move Hadji?"

"The bullet appears to have missed everything vital, but gunshot wounds
are
notoriously unpredictable,”

Benton rubbed his chin, "But I doubt we have any choice in the matter.
Once
we move him onto a trolley we should be able to leave without further
complication."

"Except for Barone's guards."

"Of course, but that's a given,” he said as he smiled broadly.
***********************************************************************
Race looked around the corrugated iron wall, blinking against the harsh
light. He was once again at the hangar, facing the exact same problem
he
had several hours ago. However, this time the sun was rising, causing
Race
to blinded whenever he looked into the hangar.

*Typical.*

Shielding his eyes with his hands, he once again tried to look into the
hangar. He could just about make out the dark silhouettes of several
dozen
guards. Race leaned back in and sighed. Jonny had deliberately set off
the
C4 as far away from the guards as possible, which meant all of them
were
still alive and more alert than ever. Race cursed Jonny. Of course,
just
because Race agreed with what the boy did, didn't mean he had to like
it.

He crouched, ignoring the sharp pain his leg threw up in protest. There
was
no way he was going to be able to make the run this time. He had to
figure
out an
alternative route, that was all there was to it. He thought perhaps
that he
could move all the way around the outside of the hangar, then use the
sun's
brilliance to blind the
guards to his position, but he rejected the idea. All it would take was
one
of them to be wearing sunglasses to screw it up.

He suddenly heard the sound of automatic fire from the other end of the
hangar. Looking behind him he saw several dozen guards running from the
complex, all making for the sound of gunfire. He lifted the assault
rifle
he carried to a ready position and heaved himself to his feet, once
again
biting back the pain in his thigh. The only reason he could think for
the
guards to be firing would be the kids escaping.

He sprinted out into the middle of the hangar, gasping against the
tearing
agony in his leg. Reaching the same crate as he had a few hours ago, he
stopped, dropping to one knee and aiming into the hangar.

Shielding his eyes, he once tried to pick out targets despite the sun's
glare. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw.

Black figures clad in body-suits were sprinting into the hangar, each
one
armed
with their own assault rifle. Each one took up a firing position behind
some piece of cover, taking aim and firing into the packed guards.
Despite
the guards' greater numbers, they were slowly driven back by the wall
of
gunfire, their own sporadic bursts ineffectual against the packing
crates
the
intruders were hiding behind. It was over in a few minutes, the
remaining
guards simply throwing down their weapons and raising their hands. Race
winced as soon as he saw them do it.

The body suited intruders didn't pause. Every guard was shot.

Race swore under his breath.

*I-1.*

Race stopped to consider this for a moment.

I-1's timing, exactly when the Quests themselves were already in the
complex
and recovering Rachel, was too perfect to be coincidence. Which meant
someone working for I-1 had to know what the Quests were doing.

*Claire, you're dead.*

He looked over the crate again. If an I-1 agent found him sneaking
around,
he'd be shot on sight.

He raised his arms and called over the nearest group of agents, hoping
at
least one of them would recognize him.
***********************************************************************
Jonny and Benton lifted Hadji gently, placing him on the nearby
trolley.
Jessie
covered him with a blanket, then looked down at the mass huddled on the
floor.

"What about him?," she motioned at Barone.

"Load him up next to Hadji. He's not escaping this time."

Jessie nodded. They lifted Barone, placing him on the trolley, but
being
careful
not to let Barone rest against Hadji, allowing him to slump over the
side, his arm hanging down.

"What's the deal with Barone acting like that?"

Jonny shrugged, "I don't know or care."

She dropped it. Neither Benton or Jonny looked to be in the mood for
worrying about Barone.

Benton opened the door, allowing Jonny to push and Jessie to pull the
trolley out of the room. They made their way through the passages,
taking
their time. They got to the outer door with no problems at all. Of
course,
since the outer door was missing, they braced themselves for the sudden
cold.

Jonny and Jessie looked with mild horror at the rising sun. They'd be
sitting
ducks for guards, but something was wrong. Jessie snapped out of it
first.

"Jonny, where are all the guards? You blew up this place expecting to
attract attention. So where *is* everyone?"

He shrugged.

"No idea. But we've got to keep moving or we're all dead. The guards
can
spot us a mile off in this light."

She considered the logic.

"Then let's go."
***********************************************************************
One of the masked men gasped when he saw Race.

"Holy shit! Race? Race Bannon?" Race groaned inwardly. He suddenly
wished he'd been shot on sight.

The man ripped his mask off. Piercing blue eyes, an odd shade of
cerulean,
locked with his. "Well, bloody Hell. Here we are, working our way
through
some cheap "buy one get two free" guards, and we find you skulking
around!"
The man slapped Race on the arm, deepening Race's scowl.

"Which reminds me," the man stepped back and pointed his gun in Race's
face
with one movement. "Whose side are you on?"

Race raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Taylor tell you? Manning, I'm
surprised.
Imagine *you* going into a situation like this uninformed."

Manning chuckled. He had always been notorious for not going to
briefings.
Ever.

"Jesus Race, small world," he said as he suddenly noticed the group of
agents waiting
impatiently for him to finish.

"You buggers go and finish whatever it was we're supposed to be doing."
The
agents turned to leave.

"Just a minute." Race grabbed the nearest man, and turned on him with
sudden ferocity. "There's a couple of kids..."

"We know. We're on orders not to shoot them or you." The man pushed
Race's
hand off and sprinted to rejoin his colleagues.

"Now, Race. What the bloody heck have you been up to lately?"

"Where's Taylor?"

"Taylor? Jesus man, I though you and Claire were on a first name
basis."

"Were is the operative word. Where is she?"

"No idea mate. What the Hell happened between you two?"

"She works for you guys, doesn't she?"

Manning grinned. "Hell, you always were a goody two shoes. So how's
that
working out for you?"

Race was patiently trying to ignore the man's attempts to change the
subject and strike up a conversation.

"Manning, do you know how I can find her?"

"Nah. Sorry mate." Race cursed. "Jesus Race, lighten up. Look, you and
me can go pick up those kids you mentioned, and we'll get out of here.
I'm
not really in the mood to shoot you."

Race rolled his eyes. *Shame.*
***********************************************************************
The trolley trundled slowly on the grass. It took Jonny a moment to
realize
it, but every time they went over a bump he'd been holding his breath.
He
rechecked Hadji's pulse. It felt faint.

"Dad, I'm not sure we should keep Hadji on the trolley. It keeps
bouncing."

Benton caught Jonny checking Hadji’s pulse again.
"Jonny, Hadji will be fine." He checked Hadji’s pulse himself. "There
aren't
any problems, his pulse is strong Jonny, try to calm down,” he said
soothingly.

Jonny frowned. He was certain Hadji's pulse had felt faint, but he also
trusted his father without question.

*But what if dad is just trying to get you out of here? Sure he cares
for
Hadji, but it's you he's really concerned about. He'd let Hadji die to
save
you.*

Jonny looked up at his father. There was no way that could be true. He
suddenly stopped.

Jessie and Benton looked round at him, concerned.

"Jonny?" His father was beside him, looking into his eyes.

Jonny shook his head violently.

"I just...thought..." He closed his eyes. "Every time something happens
I
lose it and try to blame one of you guys."

Benton looked over at Jessie, who shrugged.

Benton turned back to his son. "I'm sorry Jonny, but I'm having trouble
understanding. What do you mean?"

"I've had a go at Race, Jessie, you..." He suddenly looked up at his
father. His breath was coming out in raggedy gasps.

"I just tried to make myself believe that you're trying to kill Hadji
to
protect me."

Benton's brow raised slightly in mild surprise. "Jonny, Hadji's
fine..."

"I know!" Jonny took a step back.

"But I just can't stop myself. It's like what happened with Jess. I
know
what's happening, I know what I should be thinking, but I can't stop. I
blame you, and you 're only trying to
help..." The rush of words suddenly stopped. His breathing slowed.

He took a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm okay now. No idea what that was all
about."

Benton gripped his shoulder. "I do. Jonny, your mother would not want
her
memory to affect you like this. You won't let go of the memory of her
death."

"Neither will you." He replied flippantly.

"Why do you say that?" Benton was patiently talking in a soothing
voice.

"'Cause every time anyone mentions her name you just go all quiet and
won't
talk about it."

Benton gripped his shoulder. "Jonny, I can't. I'm sorry...but try and
look
at what you have now. Race, Jessie, Hadji, me, we all love you. You can
spend your time worrying whether the same thing is going to happen to
us as
it did to Rachel, or you can live your life. You know what Rachel would
want you to do."

"Y'know, it's at times like these I wish I'd gone to therapy." Jonny
said
sadly. Then he grinned and suddenly hugged his father, who took a step
back
out of reflex.

"Thanks dad. I'm sorry I did all this."

"This isn't your fault, Jonny. It's mine. I should have talked to you
years ago..."

"Dad, it's fine. I'm fine. Everything's...fine."

Benton straightened and smiled. "We'll talk more about this later. We
have
to get out of here, now."

Jonny nodded. The depression that had been threatening to overwhelm him
over the past week passed. He honestly felt...good.
***********************************************************************
Race struggled to keep up with the agents, who were keeping up a steady
pace
as they made for the complex.

Manning caught it.

"Hey, Race. Something up with your leg?"

Race fought back the urge to punch him.

"Yeah. It's been shot."

Manning grinned. "Wow, the great Race Bannon gets shot by one of these
turkeys."

Race ignored the comment. His leg was in agony but he wasn't about to
let
I-1 anywhere near his family alone.

They reached the complex's wall.

"They went round the side to look for a way in. That's where I left
them."

"Right." Manning signaled to two of the five agents with him. "You guys
go into that courtyard thing. Taylor said that was the easiest point of
ingress."

Race said nothing.

*Let 'em figure it out for themselves.*

Manning turned to him. "Don't worry Racey-boy, the rest of us are gonna
be
backing you up." He slapped Race's arm. Race's eyes narrowed. Killing
this man would be so easy...

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Jessie coming round the
corner.
Jessie grinned but didn't let go of the trolley she had behind her.

"Dad!"

Race ran over and pulled her into a powerful hug. She gasped but didn't
try
to break it.

"Hey Race!" Jonny was oddly energetic. Race spotted Benton. *Hardly
surprising.* He dropped his daughter lightly to the floor.

"I thought you kids were supposed to be recovering Rachel and leaving
Benton
for the swap." It took a moment for his brain to catch up with what he
said. "Not that I'm not happy to see you..."

Jessie answered. "Well, we were kinda about to, but Jonny spotted
Ben....I
mean Dr. Quest, then we found Rachel, and..."

Jonny broke in. "Then dad shot it, and then there were loads of guards
and
we had to leg it, then we found Hadji, and then Barone..."

Race looked down in shock at the trolley. Barone and Hadji were both
unconscious.

"What? Who the hell did this to Hadji?" His eyes flashed dangerously.

"We're not sure, but Claire has to have something to do it." Jonny's
voice
was still springy.

"Man..." Race's fist clenched. He had trusted that woman...

Manning laughed. "Cute reunion. And you brought us a little present."
He
pulled Barone off the trolley.

Jonny looked as if he were about to stop him before he felt Benton's
hand on
his shoulder.

"Dad, I thought we were gonna hand in Barone to the proper
authorities."

"This man is the proper authority."

Jonny shook his head. After all of Race's horror stories about I-1 he
had
forgotten that I-1 was a government organization.

"Well, that's it." Manning handed Barone to one of the other agents,
who
slung him casually over his shoulder. "You lot should leave. There's no
reason to stay."

"Why did I-1 get involved?" Benton's voice had dropped to icy levels.

"Barone's been giving us gripe. He's been stealing from the
government."

"That's not all, is it. You wanted Rachel."

Manning grinned. "'Course, there is that."

Benton turned on his heel. "We're leaving, kids."

Race wheeled Hadji's trolley in behind them.

"Benton, we've got some rooms at a local hotel."

He nodded but didn't turn round, brooding.

Jessie dropped into step with Jonny.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes." He answered without looking at her.

"I know this has really been screwing with you-"

"Yes, it has." Her eyes dropped sadly. He looked up at her.

"I'm sorry. I'll be fine now that Barone's...gone."

She nodded but didn't answer.

Jonny frowned, then smiled. "Thanks."

She grinned and looked back at him. "Don't mention it."

The quintet continued trudging across the field in a companiable
silence.
They were silhouetted against the sun, which was slowly rising above
the
horizon.

Jessie clicked her tongue. Something had been bothering her. "I wonder
why
Barone wanted Rachel so bad? And why did he break down like that?"

Jonny looked over at her. "No idea. Must've been something pretty
important."
***********************************************************************
Comments?  Suggestions?  Flames?  Praise?  Send 'em all to
SchmittVanDean@hotmail.com

Next part's a flashback, just to tie up the final sentence in the last
scene
in that clever style some really good writers sometimes use.  Which
makes it
a cliche...damn!  After that's the Epilogue!  (Yes, I know I said that
last
time, but I'm me.  No other explanation is necessary.)

Tip For The Day:  Don't try to write Tips For The Day at the bottom
unless
you can make a new one for each time you write.  I can't.

Bandit sucks!  Only kidding.  Actually, no I'm not.  How the Hell am I
supposed to stick him in a fic?  "Woof woof" says Bandit, adding his
support.  See?!  Bloody rat dog...(he's in my next fic, 'cause he's
still
part of the Quests, no matter how much I hate him.)

You may or may not have noticed that Claire is still alive.  I *am*
doing a
sequel to this, you know.

-Schmitt

******************************
Whatever our creed, we feel
that no good deed can by any
possibility go unrewarded, no
evil deed unpunished.
-Orison Swett Marden
******************************