Jonny struggled to keep his eyes open. He and Jessie had agreed to sleep in shifts so that one of them would be able to watch Dr. Bernard. Fortunately, it did not appear that the good doctor would have a chance to do anything. As far as they both could tell, he was no pilot. He wouldn't dare turn his attention somewhere other than piloting the plane. They would have ended up splattered on the ground.

Jonny wiggled his fingers, trying to get some circulation going. His hands were bound together tightly with wire cables. Every time he moved his hands within their bonds they would cut into his skin. He could feel a few drops of blood sliding towards the floor.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked conversationally.

"I explained it all to your father and his guard dog," Bernard replied.

"They didn't tell me."

"I went to college with your father, as you know. He wasn't as smart as I was, so he used me to make his way up the academic ladder. He wasn't well known either, so I helped him make better impressions with the right people. I made him the way he is. Now look at me. A poor, unknown professor who lived in a country where people cared even less about him. Look at your father, rich and famous. And all because of me."

Jonny's eyebrows rose. "You really believe that?"

Next to him, Jessie had woken up and heard every word Bernard had said. She looked at him and her eyes said it all.

"It's the truth."

"My Pop didn't need you to get where he is."

Be sympathetic. Don’t rile the psycho, Kid, he could almost hear Race saying.

"I suppose you're going to say that he's a great man and made it all on his own," Bernard scoffed.

"I was, but it's not because he's my Dad. It's because it's the truth."

"Loyal to the end. Too bad you weren't my son, Jonathan."

"I'm happy with what I got." Jonny frowned. "Now I understand why you took me, but why did you take Jessie?"

"I wanted to hold something over your head."

"What did I do to you?"

"Oh, it wasn't you. I just decided to rile her father. He insulted my intelligence."

"Why didn't you just take Dr. Quest and my Dad, then," Jessie said. "That would have gotten right to the point."

"This is my way of taking revenge," Bernard answered. "Losing someone you love is worse than death itself."

"Did Dr. Quest kill someone you loved?" Jessie asked, realization dawning.

"You're an intelligent girl. More intelligent that I thought you to be. I didn't think Bannon's spawn would be able to be astute as you are."

Jonny rolled his eyes and leaned his head back. "I don't believe this."

Jessie silenced him with a look. "What happened, Dr. Bernard?" she asked.

"A long time ago, I fell in love with a young archaeologist named Rachel Martin. She went on a dig to Brazil with your father. When they came back, they were married and I was alone."

"Oh God," Jonny groaned. "You're kidding. What is this? A cheap novel?"

"Shut up," Jessie said between clenched teeth.

"You should have been my son," Bernard snarled. "But Benton took her away from me. He took everything away from me. So now I'm doing the same to him."

"Do you think Rachel would be proud of you now?" Jessie hurled at him. "Do you think that she would love what you're doing to the man and son she loved? You are disgracing her memory. She would spit in your face if she was still alive."

Bernard turned away from the controls. His eyes blazed with madness. Jonny recoiled at the sight of him. He was insane.

"My Rachel loved me until Benton turned her head. She should have been my wife. I was going to ask her to be my girlfriend when she came back, but instead she wore Benny's ring."

"You're crazy," Jonny hissed angrily. "My mother was a strong woman. She would never allow herself to be taken advantage of. She loved my Dad. That was why she married him. She didn't love you. If she loved you, she would have been with you. You knew her. She was a smart woman. She knew who she was."

"SHUT UP!" Bernard yelled, spittle flying in all directions. "RACHEL LOVED ME!"

"About as much as a toothache," Jonny yelled back.

Bernard released the controls and grabbed the gun he had rested on the dashboard. He pointed it at Jonny's head. He looked the younger man in the face and his resolve crumpled. He looked like Rachel. He had Rachel's eyes and hair. As he stared at him, Bernard could see her strength. He was his mother, reborn. Rachel had loved this boy and she loved the life she had with Benton. He felt his life crumbling around him. Maybe she hadn't loved him after all.

"Rachel," he whispered, the madness leaving his eyes, leaving behind a haggard old man. "Rachel."

There was a loud report.

"NO!" Jessie yelled.

Dr. James Bernard had blown his brains out onto the windshield. His body fell backwards into the controls and the plane did a steep nosedive. Jonny was thrown against the back of the co-pilot seat. Jessie fell against him. They struggled to seated positions and stared helplessly at each other. There was nothing they could use to cut away their bonds.

"I think this is a good time to revisit some of Hadji's teachings," Jessie said.

"Looks like," Jonny agreed.

He relaxed his body and swung his legs up, tucking them against himself. He was not as young as he used to be and was definitely longer, but he managed to get his arms over his legs from the back to the front. Jessie did the same. Jonny rushed to the cockpit and grabbed the controls. The plane leveled off and he breathed a sigh of relief. Jessie grabbed Bernard's body and dragged it to the back of the plane.

Then, there was a loud beep.

"What is it now?" Jessie groaned.

Jonny's eyes scanned the dashboard. They landed on dim red light next to the fuel gauge. The needle pointed to empty. He tapped it with his finger. It didn't move.

"We're out of fuel," he told her.

He heard a few choice expletives explode from her mouth.

"I can't believe this. As if I haven't been through enough," she groused. "Well, come on. Looks like we're jumping ship."

She dug around the small area for parachutes. There were none. She swore some more.

"Jess!"

"What? If there was a time for everything, this is definitely the time to say fu-"

"Alright, alright."

"There are no parachutes."

Jonny struggled to keep his cool. They had been in worse situations.

"Strap yourself in," he said to her. "I'm gonna land this baby."

Jessie moved to do just that, then she stopped and stared at Jonny. He felt her eyes on him and turned his head.

"What is it?"

Before she could change her mind, pressed her lips against his, releasing the tension that had built up between them, tinged with the relief she felt that he was still alive. Jonny was shocked frozen at first, and then he kissed her back with all the feeling he had been holding back inside for ten years. When they parted, he smiled at her. She smiled back. No words could describe the moment so they didn't say anything.

She moved to strap herself into the co-pilot's seat, but found it covered with Bernard's blood. Jonny tossed his head towards the seats in the back. She opened her mouth to argue, but he shook his head. She turned away to strap herself in and he turned back to the controls to land the plane. She reached forward and rested her hands on his shoulder. He held his breath and wished for the best. The engines sputtered one more, then and died.

The plane began to fall.