Return-Path: owner-jq@edc.ml.org
From: "LIGHTWAVE" <95-027@ids1.msuiit.edu.ph>
Organization: MSU-IIT, High School
To: jq@edc.ml.org
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 14:05:41 GMT+8
Subject: JQ: Tower of Babel---Part 2
Sender: owner-jq@edc.ml.org
Reply-To: jq@edc.ml.org
Hmmm....the first part didn't seem to stir anyone up much. But
anyway, I'm still writing. And, before I forgot: someone was messing
up with my personal name the first time I sent part one...
**********************************************************************
DISCLAIMER: I solemnly declare that I do not own JQ and any related
characters. They are used merely for entertainment
purposes, not for the big bucks.
**********************************************************************
TOWER OF BABEL---PART TWO
>Ur, Iraq
>Velaquez Archeological Dig
The Quest Dragonfly pierced through the thin blanket of clouds
high above the ancient ruins of Ur, and swiftly flew like an
arrow towards a low cluster of grey tents nestled inside a dying
oasis.
"Ah, the desolation," Hadji Singh remarked at the endless sea of
sand that stretched around the encampment below for miles. "Living at
the mercy of the sun and sand."
Bandit yelped in compliance as the aircraft suddenly plunged
downwards to land. Frowning, Jessie made her way to the cockpit, and
asked, "Dad, where do you plan to land the Dragonfly in a place like
this?"
Race Bannon kept his eyes ahead on the displays while replying.
"Seems Estella's ready for us...See that strip to the camp's right?"
He raised a finger to the glass before them. Jessie followed it
to a now-distinct strip of sand that didn't quite look normal. As the
plane descended, they could now make out that it was a hastily-
assembled landing strip of metal plates.
"It seems this dig's secrecy is no problem..." Dr. Quest noted.
"Why all this caution, dad?" Jonny asked.
His father shot him a frown, "By now, you should know the
tensions between the United Nations and Iraq."
By then, a klaxon blared, announcing that they were coming in for
touchdown. Everyone hurried to their seats and strapped in, as the
glaring surface below rushed up to meet them.
* * * * * * *
As the desert winds madly howled outside the tent's thick canopy,
a thin beam of light flared three feet from the table's surface. It
slowly widened, giving form to a miniaturized model of an ancient
structure.
It was pyramidal in form, a long flight of stone steps forming a
ring around the structure's main foundation. The steps ended in a
wide platform, on which was bored a deep square shaft. Through the
vertical tunnel pierced a long, sharp, obelisk.
This feature was projected out the last; slowly appearing as the
computer processed from the given data. But even when the structure's
base was completed, the shaft still continued to rise...higher...
higher...
Until the resulting image crackled in static.
"Amazing!" Estella gasped as the image continued no longer. "If
this image is correct, it would indicate that this structure was more
than three kilometers tall!"
Benton ignored her comment, seeking for some link that would
explain the image's impossible height. He tapped a few commands on
the Questworld computer that lay on the table, and finally declared.
"Just as I thought...Iraq was called Mesopotamia. And the scroll
you found was probably the blueprints of an ancient structure that
existed long ago."
"You mean here? In Ur?" the archeologist asked.
Benton shook his head. "No. None of the ruins here have any
similarity to this image. They have too small bases, and the obelisks
here are too thin."
Jonny continued. "Then this structure must stand somewhere else
in Iraq."
By then, Estella had made her way to the computer on the table
and gazed down at the screen's output.
"Babylon." Her lips parted with such awe that Jessie froze. "This
is the blueprint of the Tower of Babel!!!"
Race frowned, disbelieving. "You don't mean THE Tower of Babel,
do you?"
"The one and only." Estella was now moving away from the blinking
laptop as Dr. Quest slid to replace her. His fingers flew over the
controls in a blur while saying to the archeologist beside her.
* * * * * * *
>Indian Ocean
The Stiletto pierced through the strong underwater currents of
the Indian Ocean in a blur, its tapered crest aimed northward. It was
also plunging into the depths, deeper into a world of total darkness.
Wedged between the sharp crest and the submersible's main body
was a half-ring of fibre-glass, offering its passengers the
enthralling view of the world below.
"We've reached 5,000 meters, doctor," a mechanical drone's tinny
voice echoed from the loudspeaker on the right wall. "Plotting course
for Red Sea tunnel. Crust penetration in thirteen minutes."
Inside the Stiletto, beneath the fast-dimming viewport of glass,
sat Dr. Zinj. A newly-opened newsprint lay on his lap, as the doctor
raised his head from his readings and tried to make out any outline
in the darkness beyond the port. Failing to do so, he returned to the
paper.
His dark eyes scanned the headlines with a bored expression until
he caught one particular phrase: NEW ARTIFACTS FROM UR STOLEN. At
this, he frowned, and raised the paper higher. THE NEW DISPLAYS OF
ANCIENT HEBREW TEXT WAS STOLEN FROM THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL...
"Hmmm..." he thinned his lips. "It seems I'm not the only one
who's going to pay the dear Dr. Quest a surprise visit."
Zinj rose, and briskly headed for the Stiletto's bridge. Once in
range of the piloting drones, he barked, "All engines at full power.
I want to in Ur as soon as possible."
**********************************************************************
Sorry for the long time it took for me to finish the second part...
LIGHTWAVE
Although I've been in this ML for quite some time, I still
haven't familiarized myself with the categories that're supposed to
be included with FanFics.
I hope someone can enlighten me on this matter. Anywhere, here's
the third part. Comments are still welcome...
**********************************************************************
TOWER OF BABEL --- Part 3 of ?
>Questworld
>Tower Simulation
"IRIS, project two hoverpads near our present coordinates," Jessie
called out to the space around them while staring at the structure
that loomed before them. "The usual accessories."
Jonny added immediately, "With accelerators..."
In a small flash of light, the machines materialized below their
feet, and instantly raised them a foot above the surface. Jonny's pad
hummed loudly as he zoomed off for the Tower's simulation.
"What's the hurry?" Jessie quickly kept pace with him.
"I don't think Dad wants us fooling around with this file," he
frowned. "I told him we'd be checking out an Iraq geographical
simulation."
Jessie's reply was cut off as they fell within the Tower's
shadow. The wide shaft rose higher than their eyes could see. The two
halted near the structure's base, contemplating their next move.
Jonny quickly produced a pair of binoculars from thin air and peered
at the top.
"Well...?" Jessie impatiently asked. "How much higher is it?"
He frowned even deeper, "Beats me. Either this pair's damaged
or this thing's higher than its range... Why don't we just see for
ourselves?"
Without a word, the two shot up along the towering shaft.
* * * * * * *
"Lorenzo," Surd's lingua-translator crackled amidst the howling
desert air, "what are they up to now?"
From the semi-darkness inside the makeshift tent came Lorenzo's
answer, "I dunno, boss. Most of them seem to be standing around a
table...I think two of the kids are in Questworld. The mutt..."
Surd hissed, "Forget the mutt, you embecile!" He wheeled around
to face Julia, "Log me in as well...as quietly as possible."
* * * * * * *
Jonny gave a start as a shrill whine came from beside him. Jessie
was frowning as she turned to gaze at the pads below her feet.
"Our accelerators have just worn out...we'll have to go on with
impulse power."
He shrugged as they went on at a slower pace. A few moments
later, Jessie complained, "This is hopeless, it'l be forever until..."
"Whoa!" Jonny abruptly powered down his pad another monotonous
minute later. "I think we've reached the end of the line."
A few feet above their heads was a shimmering, pulsating field of
light. It spread like a protective blanket from the unfinished shaft,
which ended like a hastily-sawn piece of lumber.
"I guess this is where the simulation ends," Jessie's brows
frowned the slightest bit. "All that climbing for nothing. Let's..."
Before she could finish her sentence, another shrill whine came
from the darkness behind them. Jessie quickly wheeled around,
eyes narrowing into slits. "Jonny...?"
"Hey...don't look at me," he shrugged. "Maybe it's..."
Another whine. Behind them.
Simultaneously, IRIS intoned: "Warning, level three intruder
alert. Parameters have been breached."
"This is not good," she nervously hovered her way nearer to the
shaft. "This is really not good."
Jonny reached out for the emptiness before them, and waited. "I...
didn't include weapons in the configuration." Jessie hesitantly
reminded him. "And there's nobody monitoring us outside."
"Not even Hadji?" Jonny asked. "Oh great, then we'd better log
out right now. IRIS...?"
He could feel his blood run cold as another voice replied:
"What's the rush? I just barely got here."
"Surd." Jessie voiced out their fears in one word of revulsion
and disgust. "We're really in trouble now."
Without warning, two blood-red, triangular slits piereced the
gloom before them. In a flash, two beams flew straight for Jessie's
hoverpads.
"Jonny...!!!" she screamed in alarm, arms flailing for purchase
as she plummeted to certain death.
Just then, Surd appeared: a faint resemblance to his features
perched above a hawk's body. His mercurial wings spread out with a
metallic `snick', as he swooped for where Jonny stood frozen in
surprise...
I still haven't received any help on how to categorize fics, can
somebody out there please help me?
**********************************************************************
TOWER OF BABEL---PART FOUR OF ?
> Ur, Iraq
> Velaquez Archeological Dig
"We can't risk going deeper into Iraqi territory!" Benton
exclaimed, hands opened pleadingly as he faced Estella. "WE can't
risk escalating the current crisis!"
"But don't you see the significance of this find?" she countered.
"If we can prove that the Tower of Babel did exist...it would confirm
the beliefs of millions of people all around the world!"
As the rest grouped around the two debating doctors, Hadji cast a
quick glance around the tent and frowned...there was something wrong.
* * * * * * *
>Questworld
>Tower Simulation
Jonny barely had time to give his hoverpad a burst of speed, when
a massive, metallic blur swept past his shoulder. He abruptly wheeled
around to see Surd round the tower once, then return into the
surrounding darkness.
"Jessie!" he suddenly remembered, and burst his way downward. The
shaft sped below the pad quickly, when a weak call caught his
attention.
He deccelerated, tuning in to the weak call, and rounded the
shaft to see Jessie weakly clinging onto a nook on the seemingly-
smooth tower wall.
"Hang on..." he guided his pad below her location, and reached
for her waist. "I've almost got you."
She gave a weak sigh of relief as her feet touched the pad, "That
was way too close, Jonny. Now let's get out of here."
"Can't," he shifted behind the controls as her arms grasped
securedly around his waist. "He's gained control of IO systems. Right
now, let's make sure we stay alive until anybody out there finds us."
Another metallic snick. "On the contrary, Jonathan..."
"Move!" Jessie threw her weight to the left, tilting the hoverpad
to a precarious angle.
Surd soared past them again; this time, his bladed wingtips
grazed the machine's anti-grav thrusters. With a fullisade of sparks,
the pad's bottom gave off a tell-tale plume of smoke.
"We're a couple of sitting ducks!" Jonny gritted his teeth as he
fought to regain control of the pad. "Come on, think of something!"
Suddenly, a slight tremor rocked them. Jonny frowned, "What was
that?"
"Don't look now..." she cast a quick glance to their rear. "But
Surd's snagged us with a line."
After a split-second of contemplation, his lips curved up in a
grin, "Perfect...hang on, Jess."
She nearly lost her grip when Jonny gave the hoverpad's thrusters
all it had left. He aimed the vehicle upward; towards the
simulation's end.
"No use running, kids!" Surd called out from behind them, winding
the line slowly to pull himself closer. "I've finally got you where I
want you!"
The flashing field rushed up to meet the two, closer, closer...
"Jonny...are you nuts!!!"
"Jump!" Jonny seized one of her arms, and let go of the controls.
They seemed to float for a minute; long enough to see the
hoverpad crash against the field in a glorious blaze of light.
"What the...!?!" Surd's wings flapped furiously to halt his
ascent in vain; he was going too fast.
Then they saw no more...and felt themselves plunging at an
incredible rate.
"You idiot!" Jessie screamed as Jonny held fast to her hand.
"You'll get us both killed!"
Before he could reply; they were enveloped by a blazing tunnel of
light...
**********************************************************************
PLEASE, PLEASE!!! For the umpteenth time, I need help for Fanfic
Categories!!! Comments are still welcome. Anyway, I reviewed a few
dusty mail messages from last year, and found a category list by
Susan Howe. I'm using it for the time being, and I hope there hasn't
been any revisions.
**********************************************************************
DISCLAIMER: I don't write this stuff for money, and since HB owns the
characters, they should be thankful that we're furthering the
franchise this way.
CATEGORY: E (I hope this still holds...)
**********************************************************************
TOWER OF BABEL---PART FIVE OF ?
>Iraqi Airspace
>Baghdad, Iraq
"Fifteen minutes before touchdown at Babylon, Benton," Race turned
slightly from the Dragonfly's cockpit. "And we're dead above
Baghdad."
Dr. Quest worriedly glanced at the display's before Race, "I hope
the Dragonfly's cloaking systems hold."
"They have to," Estella, sitting just behind the two, firmly
assured them. "We can't let Surd get to a find as great as that. Who
knows what he can do?"
After an unsettling moment of silence, Dr. Quest rose rose from
his seat, and scanned the rows of seats behind them. Jonny was
distractedly glancing out the window into the night sky; his right
hand scratching a lying Bandit's ear. Jessie and Hadji were hunching
over a laptop, intently reading the screen.
"Remember, NO log-ins," he warned before returning to his seat.
"I can't risk any of you stumbling into Surd in our systems again."
Jessie raised a hand, with two fingers forming a circle while the
rest standing up. She quickly returned to Hadji's side the moment the
doctor returned to the cockpit.
"Have you got him?" she frowned while reading the new data that
scrolled in a window beside a world map. Randomly crisscrossing the
map was a red crosshair.
Hadji calmly shook his head, "No, not yet. It has checked out 67%
of possible locations...The FBI won't like us hacking into their GPS
satellite systems, though."
She shrugged in reply, and settled down beside Jonny. He still
remained in his silent gaze on the plane's window, not even flinching.
Biting her lip guiltily, Jessie started, "Look, I'm sorry about
what happened back there...about what I said. I guess I was just
over-reacting."
"No," he bluntly replied, his eyes on Bandit's nape as he gently
resumed his scratching, "it was all my fault. If dad didn't pull the
plug in time, we would've been...Well, we wouldn't be here."
Jessie frowned, confused. The Jonny she knew normally wouldn't go
down without a fight. "If you didn't act that quick, Surd would've
finished us off."
She slowly laid an arm on his, and smiled faintly, "Thanks...I
owe you one, I guess."
As if on cue, Bandit stretched himself, and sleepily climbed out
from under the two's hands. Jonny found himself smiling as well, "No
problem."
Abruptly, the cabin was flooded with the klaxon's red glare. The
two hands parted, as Jonny strode quickly to the front. Race was
intently studying a display panel, where three red dots brightly
blinked.
"What's wrong?" Estella asked for him, leaning past a worried Dr.
Quest.
A troubled look etched itself on Race's face, "I'm picking up
anomalous readings...six o'clock."
He shifted in his seat, and flipped a couple of switches. "Either
our sensors are not working right. Or..."
"Or?" the doctor grimly waited.
"We've got three hostile aircraft behind us with a cloaking
system similiar to ours." He then turned to face them. "Fasten your
seatbelts everyone...it might get bumpy."
As Jonny returned to the rear, Dr. Quest warned, "If we reroute
too much power to our engines, our cloak may drop."
"And if they direct too much power to weapons, their cloaks might
fail as well," Estella countered.
Suddenly the Dragonfly lurched sickeningly to the right; Race
struggled to regain control. A plume of smoke billowed across the
cockpit, followed by a blinding stream of light that barely missed
the ship.
"We're hit!" Race said between gritted teeth. "Doctor, we've got
no other choice than to direct power to engines for evasive!"
The plane shook harder as another beam grazed its left wing. The
doctor haltingly read a display amidst the tremors, "They must be
crazy! They've got no cloaks up...and we're still in Iraqi
airspace!!!"
"We've got to do something quick," Race warned. "I don't know how
much longer the Dragonfly can take this."
*******************************************************************
Thanks to all the MLers that took the time to send me category
help...Susan Howe, Chris, and the rest. Well, I truly don't have much
time to waste, so here's Part 6.
**********************************************************************
DISCLAIMER: Once more, I have to reassure everybody that I'm not some
greedy individual engrossed with using any of HB's
characters for cash.
CATEGORY: E
**********************************************************************
TOWER OF BABEL---PART 6 OF ?
>Iraqi Underground
>Baghdad, Iraq
The Stiletto's hull shook slightly, as the multi-terrain vehicle
sliced its way through porous, subterranean rock. It slowly tunneled
its way downward, the Persian Gulf's waters blocked by a landslide of
mud as the tunnel caved in behind it.
"Diamond drills are working at 97% efficiency, doctor," a drone
intoned, standing expectantly beside the bridge's main controls. "At
the current speed we are in, we will penetrate the site within thirty-
five minutes, sixteen seconds."
Zin's eyes narrowed at the thought of triumph. He ignored the
drone beside him, and punched a control on the console before him.
"Stiletto to Scourge, do you copy?"
The static on a screen resolved to a figure's outline. After a
muffled click that came from the speakers, a cold, reverberating voice
replied, "I read you, doctor."
"State your current location."
"As planned, I am intercepting the Quests," came the answer.
"They are a few meters ahead, and we are preparing to de-cloak and
open fire."
Zin frowned, "Are you crazy? You're above Baghdad...and you are
going to de-cloak?"
"You are not telling me what to do, are you, doctor?" Ezekiel
Rage countered softly, a softness that covered steel. "Our plans were
to intercept them before they reached Babylon...which is exactly what
I am doing.
"Good day, doctor."
Zin saw Rage reach out for the termination button beside the
screen with an enormous finger. The last thing he saw was a cold
smirk on Rage's pale face.
The comm-link chirped. "That fool!" the doctor rose from the
controls, fuming. "He'll spoil everything with his arrogance! I told
Surd he couldn't be trusted..."
"Excuse me, doctor," the drone laid a metallic finger on his
shoulder before he could leave the bridge. "There is another
incoming transmission."
His fierce features slightly softened as a familiar figure
flashed on the screen before him. Jeremiah Surd was sitting in
darkness, the metal of his wheelchair clearly outlined.
"I've been waiting in this cave for an hour, Zin," the cripple's
CG voice rasped loudly in the bridge. "Where is Rage and his so-
called superweapon?"
He paused for a moment, comtemplating. Any more misunderstandings
and this uneasy alliance would be over before it barely started.
"He's...tailing the Quests over Baghdad at this moment."
"Is he aware of the condition he has foolishly placed himself
in?" Surd's eyes narrowed.
Zin breathed deeply, then faced the screen, "I am assuming
Ezekiel knows what he is doing. We can do nothing if he does
something foolish...Remember, HE has the disruptor."
* * * * * * *
"They're opening fire!" Race warned as he swerved the Dragonfly
in a tight arc, barely avoiding a SAM that sliced through the night
sky.
Estella breathed a sigh of relief, "They must be crazy to de-
cloak over Iraqi airspace!"
"That might be true," Dr. Quest frowned. "But the inconsistent
engaging of their cloaking systems has apparently confused the
surface defenses...they're firing blindly! They could hit us any
time!"
"We've got to divert all power to our engines, Benton!" Race
pleaded.
The doctor paused for a minute, then sharply nodded. "Go for it.
Take us to Babylon at maximum speed."
The Dragonfly's outline abruptly appeared on the surface radar.
But before a SAM could fire, the vessel's thrusters gave a brilliant
glare...and the Dragonfly streaked out of view in a second.
>Iraqi Underground
>Babylon, Iraq
"Scourge One to Stiletto," Rage's normally cold voice was now
laced with a sliver of anger. "The Quests have escaped! I am
proceeding to rendezvous point."
Zin quickly reached out for the console and punched the reply
switch. "You fool! I told you..."
"I am now fully cloaked: the surface defenses won't even know if
the targets even existed. There was no harm done."
"You wasted precious time!" the doctor hissed. "The Quests have a
tendency to totally ruin our plans, and what you did gave them TIME!"
Before he could utter another outburst, the screen plunged once
more to darkness. Zin breathed in deep breaths to calm himself, when
the expectant drone behind him intoned.
"Doctor, we have reach the subterranean cavity. Commencing with
approach pattern Sigma, releasing pressure constrictors..."
>Babylonian Desert
>Babylon, Iraq
Surd impatiently wheeled his chair to the tent's entrance, eyes
narrowed to adjust to the darkness outside. Dunes cast long shadows
on the purple expanse of sand, as midnight approached.
"Still nothin', boss," Lorenzo voice drifted from a cluster of
rocks a few feet from the tent. "I don't think anything's going to
happen."
Releasing a weary mental sigh, Surd let his eyes rest on Julia's
chronometer resting on a makeshift table, watching the seconds blink
on its flat face.
11:59:57
11:59:58
11:59:59
Without warning, the sand beneath their feet shuddered; the table
tilted, throwing the chronometer off its surface. Surd frowned, and
then realized: Zin was finished.
He swiftly steered to the darkness outside, stopping beside a
dumbfounded Lorenzo.
The tremors intensified, stronger, stronger...until an
earsplitting crack echoed across the night sky. A long, piercing
shadow towered over them, as the sharp outline of an immense obelisk
sliced its way from the sand...
"It has been done," Surd narrowed his eyes and sneered.
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(
geocities.com/televisioncity)