DISCLAIMER: see first chapter.

Many thanks to Patti and Wendy for helping!!

Shedding Light on the Shadows ch 3

Jessie yawned and looked over at January. “I’m bored. Let’s do something.”

January grinned and closed her textbook, leaning back over her chair and stretching her stomach. “Like what?”

Jessie looked out the window at the quickly approaching evening, considering. She’d gone back to school today and everything had gone fine--Dana dressed in a short-ish skirt, but nothing horrible. Jess figured that the ladycat had been right--Jonny had overreacted. “Let’s go . . . agh. Somewhere. Anywhere.”

January laughed, the sound bright and cheerful. “Wanna take my car down to Starbucks and get coffees?”

Jessie nodded and stood up, grabbing her brown leather jacket off the back of the kitchen chair.

“We’re going to get coffee,” January called into the other room, where Feb, Jonny and Kit were playing twister, “anyone want some?”

“I want a mocha double caffinated extra chocolate iced!” Kit called from his twisted postition under Jonny.

Jessie eyed him. “Do you even know what that is?”

“No!”

January chucked, shaking her head. “Feb?”

“Could you get me--”

“One of--”

“Yeah, only--”

“Okay. You want--”

“No, apple.”

“Got it.”

Jessie looked from one girl to the other, feeling like she’d just missed half of the conversation. January looked at her and smiled.

“Were you guys doing that weird mind thing again?” Jessie asked, frowning.

January nodded.

Jessie shook her head and walked out the door just as Jonny fell, taking Kit with him in a tangle of arms and legs. “How come you two aren’t in hiding anymore?” Jessie asked, opening the car door and sliding into the little Miada.

“Well, we figure that we have enough powers to take care of ourselves. And mostly we don’t want to, we’re tired of it.” January grinned and gunned the motor, racing down the service road that led to the Quest Compound.

Jessie laughed and rolled down the window, enjoying the air through her mane of red hair. Silence reigned for a time, then “January, how do you go about integrating yourself to the “in” crowd? Dana’s become obsessed with it.”

January smiled slightly, downshifting to take the corner. “I don’t know. I just do it. You wear the “right” clothes, say the “right” things, don’t ever look like a geek. Jonny did it.”

Jessie nodded, chewing her lip. “Jonny says you also have to be an idiot though.”

January chuckled. “Well, no. I’m in good classes, with good grades. You just can’t flaunt it and make other people feel dumb. If they say something wrong, you don’t correct it.”

Jessie grinned. “You wouldn’t mind telling Dana that, would you?”

January laughed, slowing the car for the stop sign. “Sure. She’ll be at the party tonight, right? I’ll tell her then.”

Jessie frowned almost imeideately. “No, she’s not supposed to go to the party tonight.”

There was a long pause before January finally said “well, she’s been tellling everyone she’s going.”

Jessie looked over at January in disbelief, shaking her head. “We said yesterday that she couldn’t.”

January lifted one shoulder in a shrug, carefully pulling herself out of the violate situation. “I think you should talk to her, not me.”

Jessie nodded, her jaw set. “I think I will.”

JJJQQQXXX

“Risk, I need you here STAT,” Race said into her answering machine, quickly giving his location and instructions for her to gather the Quest kids along with the twins and anyone else who might have been in the program.

Benton was on the other phone, talking to Jonny and telling him to lock all the doors and windows, set the alarms, and allow no one in but Risk and the twins. There was no need to panic, but it was best to be assured that people weren’t coming to pick them up for testing and what not. Agent Sinclaire had gone back down into the tomb, gathering information and the layout of the area. Agent Dane didn’t think that it would be very long before these people went to “harvest” their weapons. Even if they couldn’t make the others work for them, it was still possible with the technology they had to use their DNA. Such a great possibility, apperently, that Dane was willing to go down into the tomb tonight and start clearing things out.

“Okay, Dad, we got it,” Jonny said, finishing jotting notes as Hadji looked over his shoulder and carried them out. “Jessie and January just got back from getting Starbucks, and I’ll call Risk, so everyone’s here or will be shortly. Later.” He hung up the phone, then looked at Hadji.

Hadji nodded. “The house is locked, the alarms set.”

“Except we’re missing someone,” Jessie almost snarled, storming into the room. “Dana’s gone.”

Jonny whipped around, scowling. “What do you mean she’s gone?!”

Jessie glared at the boy. “Well, let me think. Normally when people say someone is gone that means they’re no longer here. Um, yeah, that’s what I meant,” she said sarcastically. Jonny gave her a Look.

“Thank you, Jessie. Where did she go?”

“That party,” January said, entering the conversation for the first time. “I’d bet money that she went to Adam’s.”

Jessie nodded, biting her lower lip. “We should go get her.” She reached over, snagging her car keys off the kitchen counter where she’d tossed them earlier. “Be back soon,” Jessie said as she and January headed out the door.

“Wait!” Jonny called, fishing through his backpack. He pulled out his emergency cell phone, tossing it their way. “Keep in touch, something’s wrong.”

Jessie caught the phone and nodded, heading out the door.

Jonny looked around the room quickly, thinking. “You think she’s gone? Maybe she hasn’t gotten off the grounds yet. Come on.” He picked up his jacket, pulling it on over his customary black shirt. “Maybe we can catch her.”

Hadji nodded as Kit and Colin ran out the door, blending into the night. Jonny and February were about to follow, Hadji hot on their heels, when the Indian boy stopped suddenly. “Someone needs to stay here. Risk needs to be called, and if Dana comes back . . . “

Jonny nodded, running his fingers through his shaggy hair.

“I’ll do it,” Hadji said after a minute, smiling. It was obvious Jonny didn’t want to stay around doing nothing.

Jonny grinned up at his adoptive brother. “Thanks.” He turned and ran down the two porch steps, following Feb to her car. He slid into the passenger seat, pulling up the car phone from its cradle as February started the engine. Quickly he dialed Jessie’s number, then waited for her to pick up.

“Yeah?” came her clear voice a moment later.

“Which road to Adam’s did you take? We’ll take the other one and try to catch our little lady.”

Jessie quickly rattled off the route they were on as Jonny related it to February, so that they could take a different trek. Feb nodded and started down another road, her headlights catching a lithe, black, furred form as he darted into the trees. Jonny watched closely as they passed, and was rewarded with a smile of gleaming fangs from Kit. He waved and they kept on.

JJJQQQXXX

Agent Dane had very little trouble getting the five of them--Doctor Quest, Mr. Bannon, Agents Sinclaire and Madrox--into the tomb, though how she had created the hole that got them there, and how she had made it disapear was still a mystery. Benton tried not to think about it, keeping his mind on the process at hand. Rows and rows of giant tubes, made for housing people according to Agent Dane, lined the walls.

“Your cats were undoubtedly born from something like these,” she said, tapping the clear plastic with one fingernail.

Benton frowned. Such a cold and sterile begining. “There’s no need to have them know that, though,” he said after a moment. “Not unless they ask.” Agent Madrox turned and smiled in agreement.

“So, ah, if these were made to house people,” Race ventured, “Why aren’t there any in them?”

Agent Dane stopped, looking around. “Rahne? Were there people in these when you came down last?”

Agent Sinclaire looked around, slightly confused. “Aye, ther’ were. Most o’ them in various stages o’ devolopment.”

Dr. Quest bent, putting his fingers in a small puddle of some sort of green sludge. “Not anymore. But there was something in these, there are traces left behind.”

Sinclaire frowned, moving quickly to the computer banks. “It’s gone,” she said after a moment.

Race looked around the silent cavern, all his senses screaming at him to get out. “This is bad, folks,” he said quietly. “I think we’ve been led into a tra--”

Lights came on with a metalic thunk, blinding the five intruders.

“Trap? Yeah, it is. Take ‘em, boys.”

Race squinted, recognizing the voice of one of his captors, back when he’d been taken to try and emulate the Weapon X program that had worked with Risk.* But he’d been drugged most of the time, and only vaguly remembered . . . .

Guns shot out, carrying lines and small pins that stuck in their skin. Race pulled away, cringing at the pinpricks and trying to get them out of his arms and back. Then something shot down the lines, knocking out the people one by one.

A tall, dark man came forward, standing over them as they lost consiousness. “We couldn’t let you have the technology. Or the people. But we would like the things you took from us, so I sent my new creatures after them. Don’t worry, they’re too valuble to kill.”

JJJQQQXXX

“Risk?” Hadji asked as he heard a knock at the door. He opened it, only to be met by two men and a woman in black suits, their badges already out as they waited. Hadji took a look at each badge, trying to be as certain as he could that it was real. “Can I help you?” he said after a minute.

The woman looked down at him, nodding. “We’re from the FBI and looking for some stolen technology. We hoped Doctor Quest might be able to help us.”

Hadji frowned, moving back to let them in. “Didn’t you send people already? They said they were looking for stolen technology too, and they were from the . . . uh . . .” he searched his brain for the letters they’d used.

“We’ve sent no one. Is the doctor home?” a man asked impatiently.

Hadji scowled. “You *did* send people. Three of them--two women and a man.”

The threesome looked at him blankly.

“Agents Dane, Sinclaire and Madrox?”

The woman looked at the tall man, frowning. She looked slowly back at Hadji, shaking her head. “Could you tell us a little more about them?”

Hadji frowned. “They said they were from . . . the FIA,” he said, remembering. “Agent Dane had green hair, Sinclaire had red hair and either an Irish or Scottish accent, Madrox was sort of normal, wore a long trenchcoat.”

The woman looked at the man, nodding. “It’s them.” She turned back to Hadji, watching him closely. “They’re fugitives. They stole some technology of ours, we assume they sold it to the highest bidder. They’ve been giving out fake social security numbers, credit cards, unexplained accidents follow them wherever they go. We need you to tell us, quickly, where they are now.”

Hadji shook his head, bewildered. “They, uh, they went to Egypt with Dr. Quest and Race. I don’t know when they’ll be back.”

The agents shared looks, then smiled. “Thank you for your help,” said the female once more. “We’ll be in touch.” And they left.

Hadji stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. Finally he grabbed the phone, dialling Jonny’s number. “Jonny? We have a slight problem . . .”

JJJJJQQQQQQQXXXXXXXX

* Ummm . . . “Shadowy Domains” was the fic. :) If you don’t have it, ask and I’ll mail it.

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