"Rachel"
Writer Lance Falk promised us an episode "Rachel" before the canceling of the
show. This is my version of this long-awaited episode.
"The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest" (Post-Katie comming. :-))
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::play opening theme song::
::flash of title "Rachel" on screen::
"Like I care!" Jonathan Quest briskly stomped up to his room and slammed the
door.
"What's up with him?" an astonished Jessie Bannon turned around and stared
down at the dark floor of the conservatory Jonny had been standing in just a
few minutes earllier, then back to Dr.Quest, seated in his dark-green leather
recliner.
"I don't know, Jessie-but don't take it personally. He's been that way
towards everyone." Benton sighed and leaned backwards. "I thought he would be
glad to get an exscuse to go into QuestWorld."
"You aren't the only one."
Seating himself in front of his laptop, Jonny booted up, then quickly smashed
his head down onto the keyboard.
"What the hell do ya' want this time?" Turning his head to the side, an
intimidating figure opened the door slightly, then stepped between the wall
and the doorfame.
"Well, for starters, I think we'd all like you to stop swearing so much. And
second, I, for one, would like you to throw that attitude of yours out the
window." His southern drawl seemed friendly, not harsh as Jonny would have
predicted if the person, now seated beside him, was ever in the presance of
Jonny's recent cursing.
"Sorry, Race." Jonny lifted his head up just for a moment so that he could
place his hand under it.
"Look, Jonny, somethin's goin' on in that mind a' yours, and you know that
if you ever need to talk, I'm here."
"Yeah, thanks, Race, I do appreciate it. But..." Jonny sighed as he rested
his head back down on the keyboard.
"But you can't talk to me about it? What is it, trouble with girls? You know
you're a magnet, and so does my Ponchita."
"Oh, come on, Race!" Jonny heavilly sighed and brought himself to a sitting
position.
"Alright, alright." Race held his hands up in self-defense. "Just promise me
that if you ever wanna' talk,"
"That you're here." Race slowly stood up, and casually walked downstairs,
just as Jonny slammed down the top of his laptop on his hand. "SHI-I-I-UGAR!"
Race walked into the kitchen, picked up the sports section of the paper, and
seated himelf with a cup of dirt-black coffee.
"Did you figure out what's wrong with Jonny?" Dr.Quest walked in, hands on
his hips and ready for some answers. Race brought his head up to see three
pairs of eyes glaring down on him.
"Hey, cool it, you guys!" He pushed his seat up and dropped the paper,
raising his arms in gesture of surrender. "He's like a carasine cat from hell.
He don' really look at you, got those glassy eyes, I tell ya' somethin's up."
In return, Race glared at Jessie, Hadji and Dr.Quest. "Any ideas?"
Lying on his bed, Jonny closed his eyes as harsh memories from the worst
time of his life came flooding back. It wasn't the first time he felt himself
being pulled away to the past, re-living his own horrific, but worst of all,
realistic, nightmares.
"Jonny, ready to go in and see your mom?" Jonny was frightened, walking
alone down the long, never-ending corridor with the man obtaining a face he
had never seen before. His surroundings were pale and faded, but he didn't
even seem to notice.
"Y-yep." As the man opened a white door that almost came out of nowhere,
blinding lights pierced into Jonny's eyes. He lifted his hand up over his eyes
to block some of the oncomming light. "Mom? Mom, where are you?" His voice
sounded like that of a seven year olds'- and he had to strain to look into the
face of the man escorting him.
"She's right over there." The strange-smelling man lifted Jonny up off his
feet, and placed him next to his mom on her hospital bed. Jonny wrapped his
arms around Rachel, and she tried her best to hug back.
"Mommy, are you okay?" Jonny looked over at his mom once more. Her shiney
blonde hair lost its' shine, her eyes refused to sparkle, her skin was pale
and wrinkled- she looked old. Older than she really was. Jonny destinctly made
the observation that she had lost weight. A lot of weight.
"Of course I am, Jonny. You're here."
"Okay." Jonny hugged her once more, loving every moment of it. She smelled
that smell he loved, felt that feeling he loved, spoke the words he cherished,
though only six.
"Mommy?"
"What is it, Jonny?"
"Do you love me?"
Rachel felt tears come to her eyes as he spoke those words.
"Of course I do, Jonny. I love you with all my heart."
"Then why are you going to die? Don't you still love us anymore?"
Rachel choked back the tears as she replied, "I love you, Jonny. Death can
not change that. It's not something Mommy can control."
"Control? What's that mean?"
"It means that I can't do anything about it."
"Oh. But you don't want to die, do you? Are you going to die?" Jonny
longingly clinged to his mother as she explained how the doctors were doing
everything that they could to save her, but that she was very weak and sick.
She didn't want to die, and could never stop loving him.
"What are these?" Jonny lifted up one of Rachels IVs.
"That is Mommy's IV. It gives me medicine through a needle."
"Doen't it hurt?"
Rachel laughed as she told him, "You can't feel it, Jonny!" seeing his mom
laugh made Jonny laugh, but suddenly Rachel found herself gasping for air.
"Mommy? Mommy, what's wrong?"
All Jonny's surroundings bled together and his eyes traveled too fast for him
to see. Everything went grey as he repidedly asked if his mother was alright.
Rachel brought her hand up to her chest, gasping for air.
"Mommy! Mommy, what's going on!?! Are you okay, Mommy?" Rachel pounded her
hand down on the call nurse button just before swarms of doctors rushed to her
side. It felt as if Jonny's eyes were the lens of a camera being slashed from
side to side, doctor to doctor, and he covered his ears as a loud beeping
slowed down, and turned into one loud, long hum. A resident reached over and
pulled Jonny into the corner of the room, where he could only cry for his mom.
Jonny looked at an upset docor whom he recognised- he was Dr.Wildey, who came
over his house last month for the Christmas party his dad held. Dr.Quest had
shown him pictures of the event over and over, so he was certain of who he
was. A tear slid down his cheek as he whispered,
"We've lost her. My God- we've lost her."
'Lost?' Jonny thought to himself. 'No- she's not lost. Mommy's right there!'
He slowly walked over and between a couple of doctors to the side of the bed
where Rachel lay. "Mommy? Mommy, what's wrong? Mommy, open your eyes. Please,
mommy! Mommy, what's wrong? Why won't you say something? Mommy!?!" Jonny
looked up at Dr.Wildey, who slowly brought a sheet up over Rachel. Jonny knew
what that meant.
"Mommy's dead?"
*****
Jonny whipped himself up into a sitting position, sweating and feeling
flushed. He recalled what happened just a few seconds earlier. He had had
another flashback- the sixth one that week, the second that day. Jonny could
never really understand why he had the flashbacks, and every time after he was
extremely tired, annoyed easily, even though he didn't want to be. Every one
was about his mom, shortly before or after she died. But this was the first he
had at the actuall time she had died. Trying to block it from his thoughts, it
seemed nearly impossible. It was like something he was holding inside of him
that needed to be let out. He didn't know why he hadn't experienced this kind
of thing before, or why, out of all times, it was happening now, though he was
certain it was for a reason. Everything in his life seemed to happen for a
reason. The trick this time was, finding out what the reason could have been.
Walking into the bathroom off his room and splashing cold water on his face,
he snatched a hand towel, wiped himself off, and headed downstairs.
"What were you doing up there!? You closed yourself up in your room for
nearly an hour!" Jonny glanced down at his watch- one o'clock! Seeming not to
have any sence of time during his flashbacks, Jonny gathered his thoughts. He
had waisted one hour of precious spring break vacation time!
"Oh, nothing, Jessie." Jonny slumped himself into the living room chair and
hung his head.
"Jonny, are you feeling alright? You look pretty pale. Jonny?" Jonny looked
back up at Jessie, though this time, his cheeks were reddened and tears slid
down his bright pink cheeks.
"Jessie, I don't know. I don't know what's going on!" He quickly stood up
and hugged Jessie tightly, focefully trying to block his memoried from
returning to him again. Jessie held him in an embrase, and squeezed his upper
arm as she pulled away.
"Jonny, what's going on? I've never seen you this upset." Jonny started
gasping for air as he sat down and put his hands to the sides of his forhead,
shutting his eyes as hard as he possibly could. "Jonny!" Jessie sat beside him
and placed her right arm around him, trying to comfort her friend in any way
she could. "Jonny, what's going on? Jonny, you have to tell me!" Jonny
couldn't even reply when his past started to haunt him once more.
"Dad, why're ya' crying? Do I have to wear this? Where are we going? Why
can't I bring Bandit!?! Why is this so important? Race, why isn't dad
answering me?"
"Because you aren't giving him a chance to answer." Race replied solomley.
"Oh." Jonny paused, tugging at his tie. "Okay, I gave him a chance to
answer. What's going on!?!"
As soon as Dr.Quest pulled into the church lot, Jonny jumped out of the car.
"Why're we here?"
Benton just hung his head low and took young Jonny by the hand. He didn't
answer, though he didn't feel he needed to. In the middle of the parking lot,
Benton reached down and picked up his son.
"You're all I've got now, Jonny."
"Bandit, too!"
"Bandit, too." As the three- Race following somewhat closely behind- entered
the chapel to where Rachel's services were being held, Jonny stopped cold. A
long wooden....thing was by a minister. A picture of his mom was on top of it.
"Daddy, whas' a pic- picst- pic'ure of Mommy doin' up there?"
"It's... Jonny, people are going to come here to say good bye to Rachel."
"Huh? You mean it's lika' fu....feu...."
"It's the funeral services for Mommy."
Jonny walked up to the picture, and tried to jump up to reach it. Instead, he
just traced his hand along his mother's coffin.
"Okay." Jonny sat down by the alter next to the minister, looking around at
the magnificent stained glass surrounding him. Looking up at the sound of the
large, wooden door in the entryway, Jonny's jaw dropped as a fire-red haired
woman and her daughter, a little older than Jonny, stepped between them.
"Eewe- a GIRL!!!"
"Aach- a BOY!!!"
The two ran behind their parents at the sight of one another. Jonny looked
back up at his omther's picture from behind Benton, and felt tears comming.
But he wasn't about to cry in front of a girl.
"Well, I'm not gonna' sit next to no girl!"
"It's ANY, ya' big dummie!"
"I am not a dummie! Who are you?"
"Someone a lot smarter than you!"
"Yeah, sure. You can go now. This is for MY mommy. I'll bet you don't even
know who I am." Jonny stepped in front of his Dad, hands on his hips as Benton
began to laugh.
"Yeah I do. You're Jonny Quest. Look, I'm really sorry about your mom."
"Oh. Thanks. But you don't haveoto be sorry. I"ll bet you you don't even
know any of us." the girl began to laugh, and Jonny couldn't figure out what
was going on. Suddenly, Race bent down as the girl ran into his arms.
"Ponchita! I"ve missed you! Jonny- this is my daughter, Jessie."
"Race- you have a kid!?!"
"Yeah, he does." Jessie stuck out her tongue and Jonny stuck his tounge out
back.
Jonny looked up at the stained glass encirciling above. The different colors
in the panes suddenly bled together and whatever lights that were on dimmed
off and candles lit. People continued to come through the doors, and Jonnt sat
beside his dad, clinging to his shirt sleeve. The preachers words stung
strainght to everyone's heart, though it didn't make much of a difference to
him. Everything continued bleeding into one another, the sounds, the sights,
the people. Everything became increadingly jumbled.
"Dad, will we ever see Mommy again?"
"No, Jonny."
"Never?"
"Not here. When we die."
"Then I want to die, too."
Die too, die too, die too, those two words repeated themselves inside Jonny
over and over even after he couldn't take it anymore. His surroundings flooded
into a total blackness, and all Jonny could do ws continue to try to force the
memories out.
Sitting on the edge of the couch, Jonny clasped his hands over his ears once
more, and screamed for anyone who might have been there by him.
"JESSIE! DAD! HADJI! RACE! IS ANYONE THERE!?!" Jessie knew something was
wrong this time, and she yanked his hands from his ears. That did nothing but
make Jonny seem even worse. Shaking him and calling for Dr.Quest, Jessie
brought herself to her last resort.
Jonny's eyes snapped open as he felt a sharp pain across his face. He looked
to see Jessie before him. Bringing his hand to his cheek, he realised what had
happened.
"This is the one time I'll thank you for slapping me."Dr.Quest, Race and
Hadji raced into the room one after the other. Benton kneeled by his son and
placed a hand on his shoulder. Jonny looked as if he had just seen a ghost.
"Jonny, I think it's high time you told us all what is going on."
*****
"I got three today. Do you get it, Dad? I mean, you're the phenomenologist
here."
"The only thing I can make out of it is that this is some sort of sign-
these kind of things have happened before, you know." Dr.Quest sighed as he
haned Jonny two Tylenol.
"Dr.Quest, do you think that Rachel could be trying to tell Jonny
something?"
"But why now, Dad? Why would mom be wnting to tell me something now?"
Suddenly it dawned on him. Jonny raced into the kitchen and looked at a
calendar. The fifth....
"Dad- mom died when I was six, right?" Jonny snatched the calendar from its'
post and brought it into the living room.
"Yes, but...oh, my, God, it never occured to me," Benton whispered as he
looked down at the calendar. They seldom spoke of Rachel, and he knew Jonny
didn't remember much about his mom. Still, he didn't understand why Rachel
would be doing something to Jonny so horrible for him. His memories of Rachel
were most likely fondest around the time of her death- exactly ten years to
the day earlier.
*****
That night, Jonny lay wide awake in his bed. He couldn't sleep, and questions
swarmed about his head. Why hadn't they reembered the anniversary of his
mother's death? And, even worse, why was it that they hardly ever talked about
her? Something wasn't right...were they forgetting about her? Was she slowly
slipping away from their memories? Was this why he continued having the
flashbacks of what seened to be all he could remember of her? Jonny rolled
over and closed his eyes. Another flashback came to him, but he wasn't scared,
He felt a glow, and looked around. It was the florida compound shortly before
they moved to Maine because of the excelent hospitals. After Rachel's death,
they had moved back.
A Christmas tree was in the center of the room- the most magnificent one he
had ever seen. Golden ornaments sparkled like stars and crystal ornaments were
strewn here and there. A few held a picture of hthe members of his family.
Tiny white lights flashed and flickered, and the Angel- oh, what a glorious
Angel. Creme silk wrapped around a porcelin doll with feathered wings and a
halo that glowed. In front of it stood his mom, holding him in her arms,
kissing Benton.
"Mom?" There was no reply, and Jonny became aware that it was another
flashback. It was the only thing he seemed to remember of his mother, outside
of sickening thoughts about her illness.
"Now, Jonny, It's time for beddy-bie." Jonny smiled as he watched his mom
carry him away. She looked so healthy, full of life. Jonny hadn't thought
about this in so long- every moment was almost a struggle, trying to pull the
thoughts from him. He watched his dad, worried, sit down on the 'old couch'
Jonny could just barely make out. Some of his surroundings were blurred, as if
unaccesable.
"God, we need your help. Jonny needs Rachel, and I do to. Please, don't take
her life away from us. The doctors know so little about this- including me.
Please, please just help us get through this. Let us stick together. Please."
Around Jonny, everything blurred like before- only, it encircled him. Jonny
rapidly became dizzy, and just before everything transformed to black, he
snapped his eyes open.
He suddenly felt somehing pulling at him, leading him outside. Reaching into
his closet, Jonny pulled on a bathrobe and hurried downstairs and out the
door.
Jonny slowly came to a stop in the middle of the compound front lawn. A
short-haired woman in a flowing pink gown with a long shawl flowing behind
her.
"Um...exscuse me? Hello? Who are you?" Jonny squinted at the figure when
suddenly, a beam of golden light emered from the sky and down upon her. She
turned around and Jnny could make out her face- the blue eyes he knew so well,
the ones he looked at in he mirror each morning, her long, slender face,
short, blonde hair parted to the side. Before he could say anything, the
figure dissapeared in a burst of gold light.
Looking up into an ongoing sky purple-tinted storm cloude began to roll in.
"This is too tall for tv."
*****
"What the-" Jessie Bannon groggily sat up in her bed as she heard light
footsteps, then a door creek. "Bandit," she sighed as she rolled back over,
pulling the sheet up. Wait- that was too loud to be Bandit. And how would he
open a door? His nose? I don' think so. Jessie thought for a moment about what
she had just heard, thrying to comfort herself. But deep down she knew
something was wrong. Jonny? Hadji? Why would they be up? Dr.Quest or dad
wouldn't walk by my room. Something's up. Jessie slowly swung her legs off the
edge of the bed, stuffed her feet in a pair of slippers, straightened out her
pajama shorts, and walked downstairs.
"Jonny? Hadj'? Come on you guys, what's up?" She looked around the main
level of the Compound, but to no prevail. "Great. Now I'm hearing things!"
*****
Jonny continued to stare along the front lawn. He didn't know what, or why,
but something was keeping him there.
"Okay....flasing lights, someone who looks identical to my mom, I don't know
about this..." Starting to turn around, Jonny stopped cold as he felt a hand
on his shoulder. He gasped, and slowly turned around.
"Who're you?" A man of about twenty stood there, dressed completely in
white. He looked, well, like Jonny. His blonde hair and ravishing blue eyes
sparkled in the little moonlight, and his pearl-white teeth shone as he smiled
at Jonny.
"The question that needs to be answered is who...are you?" The man started
to laugh a little, and put a hand on Jonny's shoulder. "Lord, you have a lot
to learn about life."
"Yeah, I guess I do. So then maybe you can teach me something. You can tell
me who you are!" Jonny looked down at his shoes and the figure stepped in
front of him, placing both hands on his shoulders, grasping at arm's length.
"Jonny, you really wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me." Jonny looked up to greet the man's eyes, but when he did, a bright
flash of light bursted and he dissapeared. Jonny quickly jumped backwards and
fell onto the damp grass. Dusting himself, Jonny looked into the clouds,
which, started to turn pinkish. A hole seemed to be created in the center of
the clouds, and, slowly, golden sparks hit the ground all around Jonny like
raindrops that bounced around him. Pulling his arms from his sides, a strong,
ongoing wind pulled at him. The number of sparks increased, and so did te
friction of the wind. All of a sudden, an immense, blinding light pierced upon
him from the circle, and Jonny lifted up his hands to shield his eyes. As soon
as he did, Jonny realised that there was no need to. The harsh light rapidly
faded into a glow. Brighter sparks continued to show amist it all, and,
staring into the middle, Jonny saw the person he longed for more than anyone
else in the world.
"Mom? Mom- is it you?" The figure continued to float in the light as yards
of silk floated in a style like no other. Rachel stepped from the light, and
the glowing faded into nothing, the wind stopped, and the many layers of silk
calmed themselves.
"Jonny, I've missed you so much. I can't stay long. The only way to first
get to you was making you have those flashbacks- I'm so sor-"
Jonny lapt into her arms in embrase, and Rachel smiled.
"Jonny, you have forgotten me." Rachel pulled away and stroked his light
blonde hair.
"No way, Mom! How could I?" Jonny felt tears start to come, and he didn't
try to hold them back.
"You seldom speak of me. What is going on?" Her beautiful voice seemed to be
accompanied by an orchestra of violins and harps with every word.
"Nothing, Mom- it's just that It's kind of hard for dad and me."
"If you want to ease this pain, you must let my memory live on. You have
pain," Rachel pointed to his chest, and sighed a heavenly sigh. "You have just
been pushing it away. Let it out, Jonny. You know it is there. I have come
because this is a very hard time for you- life. There are many challenges for
you now, and I want you to know that I am here for you. I always will be.
Never doubt that."
"I never have."
"I was starting to become afraid that you had. I only want what's the best
thing for you. You know that. Listen.... to who you are. You are my son. And I
love you more than I could ever love anything else." Jonny started to cry upon
her shoulders that felt so real, with a warm glow he had never experienced
before. It was something he longed for. That craving he always dremt about but
never could fofill.
"Jonny, I have to go now..." Rachel's blue eyes slowly drifed, and Jonny
lept into her arms once more.
"Mom, if I ever, just...wanna' talk.."
"Let's make a deal. You talk, I listen."
"Right. Mom?"
"What is it, Jonny?" Rachel's eyes softened as Jonny whispered,
"I love you, Mom."
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::Pull out as Jonny and Rachel embrase::
Afterword: After that Jonny was much more secure about himself. He never did
tell anyone about why he was out there that night- the only person who needed
to know already did. Whenever Jonny needed to, he would talk to his mom. It
made him feel better than he ever could otherwise.
He was replanted.
He never felt better.
In memory of Don Messiak
1997 Katie "Jessie" A.-Valasquez
::play next time on TRA: "Darkest Fathoms"::
::roll end theme song::
::Show Hanna-Barbera Sign::
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