Title: The Elite 1/ Author: Heather, the Goddess of Evil Date: February 23, 2000 Classification/Rating: Adventure Episodic, J/J HR, Future/G Archivers: Have at it, you've my permission. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the JQ-niverse or any of it's affiliates. The Elite Prologue Every thousand years the best warrior from select planets is chosen to fight for the fate of their world. The last eight thousand years earth has been victorious and the reason for the destruction of the other eight planets Mars being the last to be destroyed. The time has come again for the warrior to be chosen, but this time the warrior will be fighting against tougher opponents and the fate of the planet rests on his or her back. JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB The Quest team was out on the beach enjoying the warm, summer afternoon. Benton was working on a laptop and Race had fallen asleep reading. Jonny, Jessie and Hadji were swimming in the salty, cool seawater. They raced and tried to dunk each other and got into splash fights. Finally, they waded out laughing and breathing hard, huge grins on their faces. Jessie wore a white one piece, Jonny black trunks and Hadji purple ones. They grabbed their towels and used them to dry off, then they plopped down into the sun-warmed sand and let the sun dry them the rest of the way. They laughed and joked with each other for a few minutes. "Hadji, will you accompany me to the lighthouse?" Benton asked closing the laptop. Hadji agreed and joined the good doctor. They walked up the stone steps that had been carved into the side of the cliff that led to the compound. Benton explained something scientific to his adopted son excitedly. Hadji listened intently. Jessie looked at her sleeping father and smiled. She got up and dusted herself up. "I better wake him up before he burns," she said. She walked toward him and knelt beside him, his shirt in her lap. She shook him lightly. "Wakie, wakie," she taunted. He moaned and awoke. She handed him his shirt. "If you don't cover up you're going to burn," she told him. He smiled at her and obediently put it on. "What about you?" he asked, task finished. "I'll be fine, I've been in the water all afternoon," she said. They both rose and Race patted his daughter on the back before following the path Benton and Hadji had taken only a few minutes ago. Jessie returned back to the sand beside Jonny. "Would you say this has been a wonderful day?" Jonny asked smiling at her. "Yeah, I would," Jessie answered nodding and smiling back. "Oh, I don't know. I think there's something missing," Jonny said. "What?" Jessie asked. "This," Jonny said. He reached over and kissed her a wonderfully passionate kiss. "Now it's been an absolutely perfect day," Jonny said. They stood and headed toward the cliff, Jonny with his arm around Jessie, she leaning her head against his shoulder. JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB Jessie sparkled when she laughed and she'd been doing a lot of it that evening. She, Jonny, and some friends were hanging out in a park, walking and talking. Jessie and Jonny were nicely tanned and everyone agreed that Jonny, with his tan, blond hair and blue eyes, looked like a surfer boy. Later, when the sun was setting, turning the evening sky into an array of colors, Jonny found himself sitting on a park bench with his arms around Jessie. They marveled at the beautiful sunset, then watched as the stars came out. Jessie turned toward Jonny. "It's a beautiful night," she commented "The night's not the only beautiful thing around here," he answered. Jessie blushed and smiled. Jonny tilted her face to his and kissed her. They hoped it would never end, but they were interrupted by a beam of light shining upon them. They looked up, expecting to see a policeman with a warning about the curfew, but there was no one. Then they looked toward the sky. An alien spacecraft was floating above them. It made no noise and didn't create a forceful wind like they were always portrayed on TV. It was silent, not moving up and down or side-to-side but perfectly still. Jonny and Jessie weren't scared, they'd seen aliens and their spacecrafts before, they were just amazed. "You will come with us," a soft voice said. Suddenly, Jonny felt like he was floating and he couldn't feel Jessie in his arms anymore. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was Jessie screaming, then nothing. JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB A policeman led Race through the police station. The cop opened a door for Race who entered and closed it behind him. Jessie was sitting in a chair, looking at the floor. Race squatted in front of her and put his hands on her arms. "Where's Jonny?" he asked. She didn't say anything. He searched her eyes for the answer frantically. "They took him," she finally answered. "Who?" Race urged. She didn't answer, just broke down crying in his arms. He held her and waited patiently. When she finished, they went to his car and drove back to the compound. The whole story came out, different then the one she'd told the police. JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB Jonny woke up in a room with curving metal walls. There was a window that looked out upon a field of stars. They were so real. Jonny wondered how that had been achieved. He sat up, then stood. As he did the door to his room slid open like the ones on Star Trek with Patrick Stewart. Two of what appeared to be spheres of light entered. "Please, come with us," a voice sounded from seemingly nowhere. The two balls left, and Jonny figured the voice meant to follow them. They led him to a huge room, which appeared to be an arena. It had a high domed ceiling and a place in the center that looked like it was used for matches of some kind. There were fifteen other humanoid beings around the huge room dressed in the same uniform of different colors: red and purple, gray and red, yellow and blue, purple and blue, orange and yellow, green and yellow, blue and orange, yellow and purple, red and yellow, red and orange, green and purple, gray and green, blue and gray, green and orange, and gray and purple. Then he realized he too was wearing the same kind of uniform in green and blue. "This is where you'll prepare for the fight. You have twenty four hours," the same voice as before said, then the two spheres of light disappeared. Jonny looked around. The beings were going through different dance-like motions. Jonny guessed they were similar to the martial arts of earth. Jonny began to do as the others, going through the routines Race had taught him. He thought as he worked. He wondered what he was doing here and where "here" was. Why did he need to train, who was he going to fight and why? He figured it was probably the other people in this room. He thought of his family, knew they'd be worried about him. He wished he could communicate with them. He also wished there were someone he could ask questions and get some answers from. "Hey, you must be the last one," a voice said breaking his concentration. Jonny turned toward the voice. A young man stood there. There were spots that traced his hairline around behind his head and down his neck. He had his hand extended. Jonny reached out slowly, but the man reached forward and grabbed his wrist. "I'm Lonnis," he introduced. "Jonny," he replied. "You are from earth," he guessed. "Yeah," Jonny said nodding his head. "And you?" "I'm an Andromedan, from Andromeda," he answered. "Do you know what's happening?" Jonny asked. "It's a fight, for your planet. The overall winner decides the fate of the planets of his opponents," Lonnis replied. The news hit Jonny like a rock. His jaw dropped and his eyes went wide. He wasn't sure eh wanted to be here anymore. JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB The Quest Team was gathered in the living room watching the news. They story of Jonny's abduction was on, though it credited a mysterious man as Jessie had told the police not aliens. After it was done Benton turned the television of and they sat in relative silence for a while. Finally, Jessie rose to get to bed. However, she only made it half way across the room before she slumped to the floor. Race and Benton were at her side immediately. Benton had just checked her vitals and determined that she was fine when Hadji pushed the two men aside and picked Jessie up. He left the room with her in his arms as Benton and Race watched him in amazement. Then, gathering their senses, they rose and followed him. Once in the lighthouse they found Hadji had already hooked Jessie into Quest World and the wall of screens showed a very unique sight. JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB Jessie awoke from the sudden blackness to find herself in a very different place. She was surrounded by alien beings and the room was big enough to fit the compound into. They she spotted him. He was on his own going through some practice routines. She called his name and headed for him immediately. The surprise on his face was expected and when they reached each other they just stood looking at each other. "Where are we?" Jessie finally asked once again looking around. "On a space ship," Jonny answered not taking his eyes off of her. He raised his hand to her cheek just as she was asking "Why?" When his hand went through her cheek, however, he gasped and pulled it back. Jessie frowned and waited for the answer. "I'm here to fight to save the earth," Jonny said. "Wow," was all Jessie found she could say. "I'm up next," Jonny informed her as he gestured to the ring where two beings were currently in the middle of a fight. "Don't fail me," Jessie said seriously. "Never," Jonny assured in a whisper. His eyes glanced at the ring only for a moment, but when they returned to Jessie, she was gone. JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB "This is an amazing responsibility for Jonny," Benton breathed as he settled into his favorite chair in the study, a cup of coffee in his hand. Race lounge don the couch, also sporting a cup of coffee. He took a sip, but made no comment. Jessie was now on her way to school. She had decided, against any argument Race had thrown at her, that she would go to school with finals next week. "We just have to trust Jonny that he will do his best to save his planet," Race finally commented. "Again," he added as an after thought. "It's just that I'm worried about Jonny, having to carry the weight of saving the earth on his shoulders." "It wouldn't be the first time," Race repeated. "If he loses Race," Benton reminded. "That's not very likely, Benton. Jonny's not stupid, and he's not helpless. Earth has a fighting chance with him. He's got experience, he can do it." Race sounded like he was trying to assure himself as well as Benton. Benton wondered if that pep talk had worked as well for Race as it had for himself, which wasn't very. He took a sip of his coffee and then set the mug down. He'd be up all night worrying about what he'd witnessed the night before. It was an uneasy feeling knowing that the fate of an entire planet rested solely on your son's fighting ability. Title: The Elite 2/2 Author: Heather, the Goddess of Evil Date: February 24, 2000 Classification/Rating: Adventure Episodic, J/J HR, Future/G Archivers: Have at it, you've my permission. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the JQ-niverse or any of it's affiliates. The Elite Jessie drummed the steering wheel nervously as he drove down the rode. She was mostly worried about Jonny. But, it was partly that she knew any time she could faint like she had last night and she just didn't want that to happen in the middle of class. "What's wrong?" Heather Pavarelli asked from where she sat in the passenger seat. Jessie only sighed as she pulled into the school parking lot and found a parking spot. "Come on, you can tell you're psychiatrist," Heather persuaded as the girls walked toward the school in the cool spring morning. "No," Jessie responded, "I can't." Heather frowned, but left the subject alone. The girls headed toward the usual spot that they hung out with their friends before school. Amanda and Vannie were talking about something while other friends chatted in their own little groups, conversations sometimes overlapping. The four best friends, Jessie, Heather, Amanda and Vanessa (Vannie for short), sat on the worn couch in that order. Jason sat on the arm of the couch next to Vannie. Jonny would have been sitting on the opposite arm next to Jessie except for the fact that he was in a fight to save the planet. "Let's cram Wednesday night," Amanda suggested. "My house, who's coming?" Jessie asked. Lot's of people made commitments, some said they'd check their schedule and then some said they weren't coming at all. It was a date. JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB Jessie returned home after dropping Heather off at her house. She'd gotten through the day without fainting and returning to Jonny. She was happy, but at the same time sad. She missed him a lot, and was worried about him even more. "Hey, dad," she called as she walked past the living room and saw him. He looked up from the gadget he was tinkering with and smiled, then returned to his work. Jessie smiled and rolled her eyes, figuring it was some new toy for his car. She went to her room and began to study for her finals. She didn't faint at all between that time and the time she went to bed. It wasn't long after she was asleep that she was back on the spaceship waking up in a weird bed in a weird room. JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB Jonny walked into his room to find someone sleeping in his bed. He wondered if it was Lonnis. He was proved wrong when the figure began to move and it turned out to be Jessie. He smiled unconsciously when he recognized her. He also realized she looked less like a ghost, not as faint. He sat on the edge of the bed. She turned and saw him a smile appearing on her face too. She ran her hand through her hair to straighten it and sat up. "Morning sleeping beauty," Jonny greeted. She looked at her watch. "Actually I went to sleep only an hour and a half ago." Jonny laughed and grabbed her hand to help her up. They were both surprised when they realized that last time he had gone right through her and this time she was solid. Jonny did something he'd wanted to do for a while now and kissed her. When he was finished with that task he sat down and pulled her into his lap. She sat with her head on his shoulder and feet tucked in. The door opened and Lonnis entered. "Woah, Jonny, who's the girl?" he asked. Jonny looked at his friend, smiling. "This is Jessie." Lonnis extended his hand and Jessie accepted it. "I'm Lonnis," he introduced planting a kiss on her hand. "I'm also his girlfriend," Jessie informed. "Ah, well," Lonnis sighed falling back onto Jonny's bed. "So how long have you been here and how long are staying?" "Five minutes and I don't know." "Doesn't give me much time," Lonnis commented. "For what?" Jonny asked. "Stealing her for myself," Lonnis answered with a huge grin. The three laughed. "So how are the fights going?" Jessie asked. "Just won my fourth," Lonnis answered proudly. "I'm four for four. We should be fighting each other soon now," Jonny said. "I think you'll be fighting each other next," Jesse corrected. "Huh?" Jonny and Lonnis asked at the same time. "How many fighters?" "Sixteen," Jonny answered. Jessie thought for a moment, then began to nod her head. "Yep, you two fight each other for the championship." This news shocked both boys. Neither wanted to fight the other. They had become good friends, but they knew they had to for the safety of their worlds. What choice did they have? Then, Jonny realized he couldn't feel Jessie on his lap anymore. He looked at her again and saw she was fading. "Looks like I'm leaving." "Come back soon." "As soon as super-humanly possible." JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB Jessie didn't go to school the next day. She called Heather to say she wouldn't be picking her up. She told her father and Hadji everything when they awoke, and later told Benton. About four, Amanda called, inquiring why Jessie hadn't been in school that day. Jessie didn't lie too much. She tried to be as truthful with her friends as possible. But, there were some things that happened in her family that they just didn't tell anyone. About half an hour after she got off the phone with Amanda, Jessie dozed off and found herself back with Jonny. He was just about to start the fight of his life. One he wished he didn't have to participate in. JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB Hadji took Jessie to the lighthouse again. He had Iris call Benton and Race to join him. After what they'd been told by Jessie, he knew it was something they'd want to see. They watched as Jonny kissed Jessie for luck then entered the ring. It was obvious by the look on his face that he didn't want to fight. They knew his opponent was a friend. The one Jessie had told them about, Lonnis. A sphere of light entered the ring and Jonny and Lonnis took their fighting positions just as Benton and Race were entering. They ball left the ring and the boys began circling each other. "So, this is it?" Race asked. Hadji nodded slowly. They were witnessing the fight that would decide the fate of their, and fifteen other planets. The three men found they had never been more scared in their life. But, their fear was nothing compared to Jonny's JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB Jonny hated this. He was fighting Lonnis, a friend, to save his planet. Neither wanted to attack so they waited for the other to. He glanced at Jessie who stood at the side of the ring with an anxious look on her face. "I'm sorry, pal," Lonnis said before finally attacking. The fight would most likely last for a long time. The boys had sparred for practice before and knew they were equally matched. Neither was about to give up and watch their planet die no matter how good of friends they were. Lonnis was awarded the first take down. Only two more, he thought to himself. He was taken down twice in a row by Jonny. Then Lonnis got Jonny one more time, but not without a fight. They were tied in a match for the life or death of their planet, the ones they loved. It made both of them ache inside. Lonnis lunged for Jonny who moved aside. Lonnis rolled to a crouching position ready to attack again. He sprung forward. Jonny used his friend's force to place him neatly on the mat, but Lonnis was up again in seconds. "I'm not about to just give you this match," Lonnis let Jonny know. "I'm ready to do whatever it takes, no offense," Jonny assured. "I know, I'm in the same position," Lonnis responded. JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB The screen blanked out just as Lonnis was lunging for Jonny the second time. The anxiety and nervousness in the lighthouse rose to unbearable heights. Race looked after Jessie, but it was obvious his full concentration wasn't on her. He knew she would be okay, at least until the match was over. After that, who knew? That was the problem. JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB Jonny looked away from Lonnis and toward where Jessie was standing as he was being declared the winner, but she wasn't there. He hung his head, not disappointed that she hadn't been there to witness his victory, but that he had won at all. He looked back to Lonnis still lying on the mat, but he avoided Jonny's eyes. "I'm sorry Lonnis," Jonny apologized. "Don't worry, I would have done the same to you," Lonnis assured still avoiding any eye contact. Jonny felt like crying, despite the fact that he'd just saved his planet. "What do you decree as the fate of your opponents' planets?" the soft voice asked silencing the whole room. Jonny stood, not knowing what to do what to say. He looked around at the faces of all the beings that had lost and saw the despair in their eyes. Like Lonnis, not many would look him in the eyes. He once again looked at Lonnis and stuck his hand out to help his friend up. Then, he smiled. "The fate of their worlds is," Jonny paused for the drama, "that they should continue to live as they were before these cruel games." A cheer went through the fifteen warriors. Lonnis looked at Jonny with eyes full of amazement. He took Jonny's hand and raised it above their heads as a sign of victory. "Finally," the soft voice said, "the lesson has been learned. And Jonny was suddenly seeing nothing but black. JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB JQ JB "Jessie, wake up," Jonny cooed. Her eyelids shifted, then fluttered open. She saw him and smiled. "You did it," she whispered. "Yeah, I did," Jonny answered. Jessie frowned. "What about the others." "Their fine. I've decided their fate," Jonny said smiling. Jesse looked at him quizzically. "Come on, I'll tell you and everyone else all about it," Jonny assured pulling her out of her bed and leading her to where their family waited. The End