And, the story comes to a close the only way it could-- with action.

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Archiving permission granted.

THE REAL ADVENTURES OF JONNY QUEST

Synopsis: Jessie follows where Jane seems to be leading her.

Categories: E

"Blood Money" - Chapter 6

by Eric R. Umali

"Showdown"

Both Jessie and Jonny looked up in surprise.

"Do you think it's hers?" he asked.

"Whose else could it be?"

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

Jonny shook his head.  "Well, pick it up already!"

Holding her breath, Jessie reached in and gingerly extracted the whip, holding it coiled, with both hands.  They both stood.  Jessie held the whip in one hand, ready to let it fall loose.  Suddenly, Jonny looked up.

"Do you hear that?"

It was low- barely audible.  *Thp-thp-thp-thp*  They searched the sky, trying to find the source.  Jessie pointed south.

"Do you see something?"

The sound grew louder, and so did the dark shape in the sky, blotting out more and more stars as it approached.  Jessie squinted, trying to identify it.  "A Bell Texas Ranger.  What's a helicopter doing in the middle of a National Park?"

"And why's it running so quiet and without lights?" Jonny added.

Suddenly, the sharp crack of a gunshot split the air.  The two teenagers spun towards their camp, where the rest of the family were in the middle of a fight.

The men had descended on the tents, waking Benton, Race, Doug and Hadji by dragging them from their sleeping bags.  True to form, they put up much more of a fight than their assailants expected.  By the time the first shot was fired, two of the black-clad gunmen were unconscious, but there were six more, and though Race had commandeered a weapon for himself, all of them were armed.

The sound of the helicopter rose as the machine came to a hover twenty feet above the top of the butte, kicking up a low cloud of dust.  With an audible snap, the Bell's searchlight came on, illuminating the scene of the fight.

Race, struggling with one of the men, twisted him towards the light.  The man was blinded for a moment, and Race shifted his weight, sending the man tumbling away.  He righted himself quickly, but turned immediately into Jonny's well-placed foot.

"Where've you been, Jonny?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you!"

The pair of them dove to the ground, rolling away from a spray of bullets.

"And where's my daughter?"

In response, another crack sounded.  In the shaking glare of the helicopter's searchlight, they looked up to find the weapon that had just been fired at them falling to the ground.  The gunman who had held it was now clutching his arm in pain.  A few yards away, Jessie flicked the long bullwhip back behind her, ready to use it again.

The opportunity came quickly.  Jonny spotted the man first.  "Jessie!" he called out.  "Eight o'clock!"

Jessie spun, folding her legs under her.  The bullets flew above her, and the whip snaked out, catching the gunman's ankles.  Hobbled, he fell heavily to the ground, striking his head on the hard rock floor.

Another blast of gunfire sent Hadji and Benton diving.  "That came from the helicopter," said the older man.  Across the butte, the Bell had lowered to within a few feet of the rock, and another man was leaning out of the open door, firing.

The gunman in the helicopter shouted something to his pilot, the only other person aboard, and the Bell turned towards the camp.  Race raised his stolen weapon and fired a burst at the helicopter.  The big searchlight exploded with a shower of sparks and glass shards.  The gunman threw up his arms to protect his face, dropping his rifle.  The helicopter began to rise.

"They're getting away!" shouted Jonny, as he sprang forward, running towards the rising vehicle.

"Jonny, no!"  Race tried to catch the teenager, but was too late.  Jonny jumped, grasping the Bell's skid and scrambling up and into the cabin.

Down on the butte, the fight was over.  "That blasted, headstrong..." Race fumed as Benton and the others arrived at the edge, where they watched, unbelieving.

"Can Jonny take care of that fella?" Doug asked.

"I think so," Benton answered.

They heard a gunshot from the helicopter, which immediately began to lose altitude.  It slewed to one side, and a figure fell from the still open door.  Jonny again caught the skid, the helicopter still falling.

Jessie cupped a hand to her mouth, yelling, "Jonny!  Jump!"

Everyone stood aghast.  "What?!" they shouted.

Jonny swung his legs up and braced them against the skid.  He pushed himself up and away from the machine as it passed the edge of the butte.

Jessie cocked her arm back and let Jane's bullwhip fly.

With a snap, the leather coiled around Jonny's arm.  Race threw his arms around his daughter, bracing her as she was pulled forward.  Jonny's momentum swung him forward, and he collided with the side of the butte, as the helicopter crashed to the ground below, crushed.

Hanging at the end of the whip, Jonny looked up to see five faces peering down at him.

"Jonny," Benton called.

"Yeah, Dad?"

"You're grounded."

"Gotcha, Dad."  He smiled.  "Jessie?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me.  Thank Jane."

**********

The family sat around a large conference table in the park's offices, joined by representatives of the National Parks Service, the local police, and the FBI.

"He pulled a gun," said Jonny, filling in his part of the story.  "We wrestled for a second, and he pulled the trigger.  The shots went into the controls, and sent us crashing."

"That's all for the questions," said the agent.

"Do we know what those men were doing?" asked Race.

"A currency exchange.  The helicopter was bringing in cash from a group in Las Vegas.  The folks on foot take the money south across the border to be laundered.  We recovered more than three million dollars."

"Where did the money come from?"

"One of the mid-level organizations in Vegas," the man answered.  "The money came from a bunch of different places- all illegal- but mostly from drugs."

"Blood money," said Jessie.  It had been one of the few things she'd said the whole time.

The FBI agent nodded, then scrawled a few notes on his pad.  "I guess that takes care of it, Dr. Quest."

"So we're finished?" Benton asked.

"That's right.  We've taken the liberty of arranging some accommodations for you all for the night."

"Thank you."

Hands were shaken, and pleasantries exchanged as they filed out of the room.  Jessie had been silent and distracted during the interview with the authorities, and stayed so the entire ride to the hotel.  After saying good night to her father, she closed the door to her room of the suite.

Jessie stood staring at the bed for a few moments before climbing under the sheets.

**********

Sunset again, and once more, Jessie stood beside the woman known as Calamity Jane.  Facing the slowly setting sun, they watched from the top of the butte as the Painted Desert was washed in the fading light.

"You did good, Jessie," said the older woman, clapping a leather-gloved hand on the younger's shoulder.

"Why did you leave the whip behind?"

"I didn't.  It was stolen by one of Bill Doolin's old cronies after I'd... retired from the adventure business.  I found out where it was, but it was just before..."  Jane's voice trailed off sadly.

Jessie turned to her.  "Before you died."

Jane nodded.  "I guess it needed to be used one last time.  What're you going to do with it?"

Jessie shrugged.  "What do you want me to do?"  Jane didn't answer.  "Well, I'm sure the Smithsonian would be glad to have it."

"Why would a stuffy old museum want my whip?" Jane asked, chuckling.

"You're a hero, Jane."

She smiled.  "The Smithsonian."  Jane turned to face Jessie.  "Thank you."

**********

A few days later, Jessie stood in a lonely, dusty cemetery on the outskirts of Deadwood, South Dakota.  A few feet before her were a pair of weathered headstones.  On one side lay James Butler Hickock, known as "Wild Bill."  Beside him was Martha Jane Canary.

Jessie laid a few flowers on Jane's grave.

"You're welcome."

THE END.