The Ultimate Vengeance Part 3
"Dr. Mitsuma, thank you for coming to the states on such short
notice." replied Julia. "With the help of the Rachel program developed by
Dr. Quest, combined with this latest Japanese invention, we can bring
Jeremiah's mind back into reality, and make his body whole."
"What I do not understand, Julia, is why you don't go back before
his accident occurred." replied Dr. Mitsuma.
"History would be changed too much." answered Julia. "And we don't
want things changed too much, now do we? Especially with still do much
work to do..."
"I see your point." agreed Dr. Mitsuma. "When do you want to
start?"
"No time like the present. We'll go into Questworld in stealth
mode through a backdoor, enter spy mode to see if anyone's logged on,
disable security, and go from there."
Julia then put on a console, and after Dr. Mitsuma got familiar
with the program, snuck her into Questworld. After seeing that no one was
on, Julia disabled security and continued on with the program.
***********************************************************************
"Your anger has made us evenly matched, Doctor," said Surd as he
grew larger and grew six arms simultaneously, pinning virtual Benton to
the ground in Jessie's subconscious, while Surd was getting ready to take
a circular blade to Benton's throat.
"Nooooooooooooooo!" shouted Benton, attempting to resist.
"Hahahahaha! As you said, this ends now, Quest!"
"I don't think so!" shouted Jessie as she grew large and picked
Surd up by one arm and ripped off the blade.
"Nooo! How did you--"
"This is my head, you sicko! Figure it out!"
"Noooo!"
Jessie was getting ready to throw Surd into a vortex, when all of
a sudden, he disappeared.
Jessie shrunk and took Benton and Jonny back out.
"Hadji, bring us home."
"With pleasure."
"Jessie, please..." pleaded Race.
"Hey, Jess-- come on, wake up!" prompted Jonny as the console was
taken off Jessie's temple.
"Does anyone have an aspirin?" asked Jessie, opening one eye.
***********************************************************************
From that point, Surd was pulled from Questworld in the nick of
time, and all made their escape before police could find them.
"And somehow, I was able to remember everything. I thought that
once we brought you back, the time line would have been totally altered,
but instead I have two sets of memories-- what happened the first time,
and that which happened after Dr. Mitsuma and I retrieved you." explained
Julia.
"The nature of time travel and its effect on minds is not fully
known." replied Surd. "However, it is good things did not change, or
else the good doctor most likely would not be here to restore me, and my
revenge would not have a chance to be completed."
***********************************************************************
The events and minds of those on the Quest compound remained
unchanged, save the fact that following Jessie's ordeal, Jeremiah
disappeared and hadn't been heard from since.
Moniri and Miana still weren't up yet, and Hadji went to the
lighthouse with Benton to keep his troubled mind occupied.
"Dr. Quest--"
"Yes, Hadji?"
"There are signs of tampering in the system. It looks as if there
was a transmission a few days ago, but whoever did it covered their tracks
well. There is no way to tell exactly when, who did it, what was
transmitted, or to where the transmission went."
"Any other signs of illegal entry?"
"None, Dr. Quest."
"I'll have to look into this more closely-- meanwhile, tighten
security."
"Yes, Dr. Quest."
***********************************************************************
"Jeremiah, I have been doing some research into other goings-on in
Questworld, and I think you may find this interesting."
"Yes, Julia? What is it?"
"The first use if the Rachel program was used by the Quests to
stop one Ezekiel Rage from splitting the Earth apart using a nuclear bomb
he dropped two miles beneath the surface seven days prior. He chased the
Quest kids back into the time corridor to retrieve the bomb before it
went off, only to go through the wrong corridor and end up 60 million
years in the past. He was never seen again."
"Ezekiel Rage-- yes, I have heard of him. His mind is as dark and
devious as mine! And what an irony to save him, using the same technology
that doomed him to begin with... But all in good time, Julia. The good
doctor here has some work to do first."
***********************************************************************
Miana and Moniri came down late in the afternoon. Hadji had left
Benton in the lighthouse, and Race took Benny out for the day. Jessie was
at work. The only other person in the house was Jonny, and he fell asleep
on the couch for lack of anything better to do.
Hadji sat down with a book when Miana and Moniri walked into the
room.
"Miana..."
"I have nothing to say to you, Hadji."
"Miana, I am so sorry-- I had no idea..."
"You were standing there in the dark, with my practically naked
sister..."
"Love, I had no idea what was going on all this time until this
last incident happened! You have to believe me!"
"Hadji, she had you against the wall! A second later, and your
loincloth would've hit the floor!"
"I would not have allowed that."
"You almost did."
Moniri saw the pleading look in Hadji's eyes.
"Miana, a moment please."
Moniri pulled Miana into the kitchen.
"Miana, he's sincere. Can't you see it in his eyes? He honestly
didn't know! Also, how do we know Mica didn't plan this?"
"You're right, Min. She could have, but Hadji never offered any
resistance, either. I find it hard to believe, even with his chaste past,
that her advances totally escaped him all this time."
"Mi, cut him some slack! I know you love him-- don't let your
pride destroy your marriage."
"I'll have to think it over."
Miana left the kitchen and went back up to her room.
***********************************************************************
Dr. Mitsuma had finished adjusting the machinery he had brought
with him to restore Surd's body. He opened Surd's chair, and layed him in
a compartment in the large box-shaped machine. A lid closed over him,
much like a tanning bed, only this was open from the chin up.
"Dr. Surd, this machine uses electricity to stimulate the nerves
in your body to regenerate. Your body will be surrounded by a magnetic
field, and when the two interact, it should accelerate the healing
process. However, don't expect immediate results, as you will have to
retrain your muscles to do everything you used to do before. In the
meantime, you will have to use electrobraces."
"Just get on with it, Mitsuma!" screamed Surd.
Dr. Mitsuma closed the lid, and turned on the machine. The
apparatus glowed with an electric blue as they heard screams emanating
from the machine. A few minutes later, they opened the lid to discover
the process had worked. He was very weak from atrophied muscles, but he
could move. Dr. Mitsuma helped him into a conventional wheelchair, and
fitted him with braces that delivered and electric charge to his muscles
that would aid in his physical therapy. After they were on and
activated, with the help of Dr. Mitsuma and Lorenzo, he stood on his feet
for the first time in twenty years.
Surd shook them away, and even though he was unsteady, he insisted
on standing by himself. He managed to get his balance, turned around, and
regarded them.
"I intend to be free of these braces inside of six months. During
this time, we are going to go back in time and retrieve Ezekiel Rage, and
together, we will get the ultimate vengeance-- first on the Quests, and
then on the world!" proclaimed Surd, with clenched fist in the air.
***********************************************************************
Hadji was in meditation in his attic studio. He saw a vision of a
restored Jeremiah Surd around a table with Julia, Lorenzo, and a Japanese
doctor. Then, a flash, and Ezekiel Rage was with them.
"Oh, this is not good!" exclaimed Hadji to himself. "Jonny!"
Everyone in the house heard Hadji's screams, and they all ran into
the living room as Hadji came bounding down the steps.
Miana looked dead into Hadji's eyes as he passed by. He motioned
them all to sit down, then told everyone what he saw.
"So, you say you saw Surd and Rage working together." confirmed
Jonny.
"Exactly." answered Hadji.
Miana and Moniri looked at each other.
"Ladies, all this happened years ago, when Hadji and I were
teenagers. Life here now is pretty quiet, but it wasn't always that way--
especially back then. Our lives are about to get more interesting, and
you ladies are about to get a taste of it."
"Good! We could use some adventure!" exclaimed Moniri.
"Speak for yourself." muttered Miana, who was still upset, even
though many days had passed.
"Waaaait a minute-- in order for them to work together, and in
order for Surd to have his mind back... they had and will have to use..."
"Questworld." finished Hadji. "A few days ago, our system
showed..."
"Mica!" exclaimed the girls in unison.
Benton, Jessie, and Race same into the room after after some time
out on the Questor, and noticed the grave looks on everyone's faces.
"By the looks on your faces, it looks as if something serious has
come up." observed Benton.
"It has, dad. Have a seat-- Hadji will tell you all about it."
Hadji then explained the situation.
"A few days ago, Jessie handed me a report that she had come up
with on Mica, and apologized for the delay, as she hadn't had time to get
it to me when everything was going on." said Benton as he produced the
paper. "Jessie first went into local records . Somehow those records
were falsified, but when Jessie got the story from Commander Bennett,
Mica's story sang a whole different tune."
"What does the report say?" asked Jonny.
"Mica was educated in computers from Oxford, but she was not
married to English nobility. She was involved with a man named Thurston,
but in criminal activities. She has done everything from drug trafficking
to espionage."
Benton passed around the report for all to examine.
"I wonder who Mica was working for all that time..."asked Race.
"My guess would've been Julia." answered Jonny. "I did some
research on her a while back, and she has quite a past-- and a lot of
connections."
"I wonder what she sees in that guy..." muttered Race.
"Well, it can be assumed that Surd has probably regained use of
his mind and body by now. But how..." started Benton, then his eyes grew
wide. "RACHEL!!!!"
"Oh, my God..." whispered Jessie, as mouths dropped around the
room.
"Rachel?" asked Moniri.
"A time travel program developed by Dr. Quest." answered Hadji.
"Regained the use of his mind?" asked Jessie.
"Wait a minute-- there are conflicting memories here." started
Race. "Jessie, you banished Surd's mind into Questworld following that
incident in which he tried--"
"But he was pulled out of Questworld before I could finish it!"
explained Jessie.
"Interesting!" observed Benton. "We are experiencing the
overlapping of two timelines-- what happened before, paired with what
happened following Mica's tampering-- which is theoretically impossible!"
"With all due respects, Benton-- we haven't time to analyze this.
We have to stop them before they use the program again to go after Rage!"
exclaimed Race.
The Ultimate Vengeance Part 4
Months passed. Surd had anticipated that the Quests would catch
on somehow to the fact that he was "back", and decided to let things "cool
down" before his next move. He would wait for them to drop their guard,
and then he'd act. Over this time, Surd had regained full use of his
muscles and no longer needed the electrobraces.
On the Quest compound, things were unchanged between Hadji and
Miana, except for the fact that Hadji was thinking of returning to India,
and Miana and Moniri were considering going to school either out west or
down south.
The impending end of their marriage hung like a cloud over the
compound, coupled with the fact that they were waiting for the other shoe
to drop where Surd was concerned.
"I don't understand it, Benton. It has been quiet for months."
commented Race.
"It could be that he is lying low, waiting for us to drop our
guard." replied Benton.
"But we never had any proof to begin with that Surd is back in
action."
"I trust Hadji's intuition, Race. If Hadji says Surd is back,
then I believe him. What scares me is somehow, Surd is always one step
ahead of us. No matter what we do, no matter what precautions we take, he
is always one move ahead in the game."
Just then, the phone rang.
"Dr. Quest, it's the foreman from Project X?" replied Mrs. Evans.
"Hello? Richard! I have been waiting for a long time to hear from
you. How is the project going? Yes..mhmmm...yes...yes... great! Thank
you, Rick. Good-bye."
"Is it finished?" asked Race.
"Yes. The last of the men are leaving tonight."
The phone rang again, and Benton picked it up.
"Hello? One moment please." said Benton into the phone. "Race,
could you get Moniri please?"
Race went and got Moniri and she took her call.
"Hello? Hello, father! What? Going into the hospital... for what?
Yes, I'll fly out immediately. Thanks for calling. I love you. Bye."
"Something wrong?" asked Benton.
"I have to leave immediately. My father is going into the
hospital. Could someone give me a lift to the airport?" asked Moniri.
"So soon? You won't even get to say good-bye to Miana." replied
Benton.
"I know, but my father has been diagnosed with cancer, and it
doesn't look good."
"I'm sorry." said Benton. "Race, could you take her?"
"Sure, Benton. Moniri, whenever you're ready."
Moniri packed her things, and Race took her to the airport.
"Miana, are you sure you want to do this?" asked Jessie, taking
Miana into the inner offices of Quest Enterprises.
"I have to, Jess. I need to be able to stand on my own, without
Hadji. And I'm NOT going back to work at Sam's Pub. I really appreciate
you getting me this job."
"No prob, Miana. Anything for my best friend."
Miana started her new job as Jessie's executive administrative
assistant.
Hadji resumed his classes, both teaching and attending.
That evening, all returned to the the compound, and Miana was
disappointed that she didn't even get to see Moniri off. The evening was
uneventful, and everyone went to bed early.
That night, Surd made his move.
********************************************************************************
"Julia! Log me into Questworld!" demanded Surd.
"Questworld logon: Subject: Jeremiah Surd. Going hot!"
"Open Rachel program-- time period: sixty million BC."
A time vortex that was carefully calculated down to the very
millisecond appeared before him, and a virtual Surd ran through.
His physical form appeared right behind a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and
he ducked behind a tree and remained perfectly still. Just then, another
time portal opened up, and a truck with a very disoriented Ezekiel Rage
rumbled through. Surd jumped out from behind the tree.
"Rage! Over here! Hurry!"
Rage looked at the bomb: thirty seconds. He saw Surd, and his
only way out. Rage jumped off the truck, and the two of them jumped back
through the portal in the nick of time. The portal disappeared behind
them, and they got up and dusted themselves off.
"What is going on?" asked Rage. "Who are you? Where am I?"
"I am Jeremiah Surd. My associates and I came across a time
program developed by our mutual nemesis, Dr. Benton Quest. And since we
both have scores to settle with him and his family, I went back in time to
get you..."
"'And the forces of darkness will merge and conspire the downfall
of the infidels', so sayeth the Book of Rage."
With that, they shook hands, and the dark alliance was formed.
********************************************************************************
Early the next morning, Benton woke everybody and called them down
for a "surprise".
"What's the surprise, dad?" asked Jonny.
"Son, you remember the 'project' that has been underway for so
many years?"
"Yeah?" answered Jonny.
"It's finished." answered Benton. "We are going to our
underground research compound in an island in the South Pacific. It is
top secret-- only Race, Hadji, Jonny, and I know about it, and the
construction crew have all signed non-disclosure statements. There is no
record of it in the Quest database. It was created in the event of war--
my main objective was in case of biological warfare, so research on the
contagions could be done with no danger coming in from outside. It also
doubles as protection from a nuclear threat."
The Dragonfly landed safely in the underground entrance to the
small, unnamed island off the Pacific coast. The entire family was amazed
at the size and technology that this place presented. It had full living
quarters very similar to the compound mans ion, and the underground
environment was sustained by an enclosed oxygen system that recirculated
both air and water. There was a large greenhouse complex that grew enough
food to last the family for years. The complex resembled a small city, as
there w ere multiple buildings-- one that served as main headquarters, and
others for research and development. The complex was entirely automated.
There were even trees and plant life, and an artificial light source that
was timed like night and day-- all powered by a thermal connection that
went straight into the earth's mantle.
"Dr. Quest, why are there so many buildings here?" asked Miana.
"Of there was a biological threat, I had plans to bring the finest
minds both in and out Of Quest Enterprises here, along with their
families. There is a roadway that leads further back, where there are
living quarters separate from the research area. The only living quarters
in this area is ours."
"Dad, I have a somewhat trivial question."
"Yes, son?"
"What do you do with all this food, with no one here to eat it?"
"I have it secretly exported to needy areas, only I canceled that
order last night."
Benton took everyone inside the main house, which was almost an
exact duplicate of the mansion house. Everyone smiled as they went in, as
they could appreciate the familiarity this new place presented. All went
upstairs and assumed the rooms that corresponded to their own at the
compound.
Early the next morning, Hadji made his way to the "lighthouse" to
check the computer systems. Hadji turned on the computer, and his eyes
grew wide at what he saw. He immediately called the family, and they all
came to see that had him in such a panic.
They all came in as Hadji sat behind the screen, and he showed them a
message that popped up.
"'The Ultimate Vengeance is at hand-- doom to all non-believers',
so sayeth the Book of Rage."
"Hadji, see if you can get past the message and access the
system." said Benton.
"I cannot, Dr. Quest. It seems as if our access has been
blocked."
"It seems Hadji's vision has come to pass." replied Race.
While Benton and Hadji were trying to get back into Questworld
systems, Race decided to turn on one of the many monitors in the room and
watch the news.
"And the latest news this morning. A national bulletin is
released from Washington, DC. Dr. Benton Quest is wanted by the Federal
Government. Last night, Dr. Quest hacked into the top secret files, and
made numerous threats against both the President and the United States
Government."
The news broadcast caught the attention of everybody, and they all
gathered near Race in total shock.
Just then, the "image" of Benton broke in on the news broadcast.
The image started to reveal top secret facts openly, many of which were
incriminating to the government. The largest secret that was leaked was
the truth about the government's involvement with extraterrestrials.
Video footage that was irrefutable proof was shown, including full details
of government involvement with the beings known as the Zeta Greys, who
were permitted to abduct citizens in exchange for technology. Government
footage showing actual aliens was broadcast, along with examples of alien
technology given to the government, including stealth aircraft and other
advanced military equipment.
"My God, Race. Not only does that broadcast imply that I am
responsible for what is being shown, the material that has been broadcast
nationwide is likely to cause a national incident." replied Benton.
"It also means that we're stranded here." added Race.
Everyone stood in shocked silence.
********************************************************************************
"Operation successful, Jeremiah. The broadcast is complete, and
Questworld is inaccessible to everyone but us." said Julia.
"Good! Program Rachel for the year 2194. Rage, whenever you are
ready."
"'And the knowledge of the future will seal the fate of the past'
so sayeth the Book of Rage."
Rage sat down and put on a console, and he logged into Questworld.
He went through the time corridor that Julia opened up, followed by hired
thugs of Surd's to assist him in his task.
"Jeremiah, what exactly is Rage going into the future for?" asked
Julia.
"Rage has been doing covert research into future times for a
weapon. He found what he needs in the year 2194-- a war-torn era in which
there is still technology present-- and in Rage's case, just what he is
looking for-- anti-matter weaponry."
The world that opened up before Rage was that of a devastated,
war-torn landscape. He met little resistance as he found his way to an
all-but-destroyed laboratory, and it was there that he found all that he
needed. While there, he constructed numerous small devices--small
magnetic bottles with detonators and containing single atoms of
anti-matter-- enough to destroy everything from single buildings to entire
continents or even larger, depending on the amount of anti-matter in the
bomb. Rage took his arsenal back through the time portal.
*************************************************************************************************
Many hours passed has Hadji and Benton continued attempting to
regain access to Questworld. Benton asked Race to keep and eye on the
news for any more "tricks" that Surd and Rage might pull.
"Benton, I think you should see this." replied Race.
Benton went over to watch the monitors.
"The entire population is in a panic, Benton. There have been
uprisings and revolts in every major city. People are in a panic about
what is being referred to as an "outrage" on the part of the government.
The worst occurrences are happening in Washington , DC."
"...And police and other authorities are responding accordingly.
In the most extreme circumstances, military intervention has been
implemented."
Race turned off the newscast.
Benton turned around with tears in his eyes.
"Dad?" asked Jonny.
Benton turned around and regarded him.
"For the first time in my life, I am at a loss. I am at a loss."
(
geocities.com/televisioncity)