Disclaimer: I don't anything. Not the quote, and not the characters.
Hanna-Barbera owns them all!
Archivers: Sure just tell me where if your not Suze!
Dedicated to Jubilee, whom without her voice of encouragement, this piece
would be none.
1-13-01

A Promise of Yet To Come
By Kara Estes

"I was an American Agent abroad on a covert operation. I was speeding down an
impossible dirt road,  my wife and daughter at my side.
I radioed for back-up but I'd become a political liability. The car blew up,
turning my family into a memory. Now the world must pay for my pain. So I
have sworn it - In the Book of Rage."
--Ezekiel Rage--Jonny Quest 1996 Calender.
 

  The air was saturated with the smell of stale donuts and week old coffee.
In the small square room, which was no bigger than the average bedroom, was a
table, which was placed in the middle. The table was long and streched from
one end of the room to the other; it was dark gray and was littered with
newspapers, and magazines. Along the left side of the wall of the small room
was a long gray countertop, which had a sink in the farthest right corner,
and scattered among the countertop was various containers: a coffee pot,
which had stains on it showing that once coffee was made, it was made to last
for days, and a various cups and plastic dining utensils that were placed in
no particular order. The room was built to occupy 20 men at any given point,
but at the current time, only one man occupied the room. He was in his late
twenties, had light brown hair, and wore a pair of thin glasses that accented
his square face. He squinted in the dark florescent light as he concentrated
on a small section of the newspaper. Even though all his concentration was
focused on one object, he did not fail to hear the sounds of a fellow man
joining him in the room of silence.
       "Hey Bannon, what's with all the sulking?" He asked without looking up
from his newspaper. He did no need to look up to know who had come to join
him. From the sounds of his fellow agents footsteps, and the speed he was
traveling, he could tell that something wasn't right. From experience, he
figured out from prior events in his fellow workers life, the white haired
man was getting a heavy dose of reality and was having problems in his
marriage.
        "How do you do it, Zeke?" Race Bannon asked as he pulled the plastic
chair out from the table. He was tall, and built. He had white hair, that
made his baby face appear to be older. He was no more than 29, but with his
white hair, he appeared to be at the steady age of 35.
       "Your footsteps are a dead give away." Ezekiel Rage said. He knew that
his answer wasn't what his fellow agent wanted to hear, but at this moment,
humor was the best weapon a man could have.
       "You know what I mean. How do you keep your marriage with Abby going?
Stella and I can hardly say "hi" to each other without having an argument."
       Ezekiel paused as he pondered his friend's question. He sighed and
said the first thing that came to his mind: "I guess Abby is just more
patient, plus, not keeping her in the loop helps."
       "You know buddy," Race said as he leaned over the table to be closer
to his friend, "someday that's going to catch up with you."
       "And when it does, I'll deal with it then." Ezekiel said, as he
glanced up for the first time from his paper. His eyes were dark and had
looked like they had seen better days. His face looked far more mature than
his physical age of 30. He looked deep into Bannon's eyes and for the first
time, he saw the pain that his soul was feeling. Being an I-1 agent meant
many things. It meant both honor and resentment. The men who knew about them,
were honored to ever be in their presence, yet, the people who loved them the
most, and knew what they did, always resented them. They were trained to show
no emotions, yet, somehow, their brightest agent was able to forget all his
training, and was pouring his heart out to the one person he could trust.
       "You know Zeke? I wonder every day if this is worth it?" Race asked as
he sat down across from his friend.  "Is it worth it to loose the woman who I
love the most, and my pride and joy, Jessica? Is it worth it for them to go
through so much pain. I mean, we were always told that this is for the good
of our country, but, does this country deserve to loose two souls who never
asked to serve their country?"
       "Everything will be all right my friend. Everything happens for the
best."
       "Then what's the best part of having to sign divorce papers?" Race
asked as he put his head in his hands. At that moment, he had given up all
hope of a positive future.
       Ezekiel Rage sat there for a while, not knowing what to say. He had
never felt that much pain as the man in front of him was feeling. In his
years of being a spy and fighting the bad guys, he had never seen a mans eyes
look so empty, his eyes looked like his soul decided it couldn't take anymore
and died. He moved his stare off of his friend and looked down at a small
crack in the table. He was ashamed to be in the same room. He had almost the
perfect agent life. A wife, a newborn girl, and the thought that his family
and everyone around them thought that he worked with computers, and not for
the government. Everyone was oblivious, and thought their own thoughts on how
the Rages were a perfect family.
       He shook his head and gave his companion a  sincere look. He rose from
his chair and walked over to where his partner was sitting. He placed his
hand on his back and said: "I'm sorry, it happens to the best. If you ever
need anything, Abby and I are always willing to help you."  With that he
walked out of the lounge and to his office. The walk was a short  and only
took a few seconds before he would reach his destination. The floor they were
on only held about 6 different offices, one was his, another was Race
Bannons, and the other four was various other agents place of rest after a
long adventure.
       He walked in his small office and glanced around, looking at every
piece of furniture. His eyes quickly scanned over his small couch, and then
to his desk, which was only a few feet away. He then walked over and sat down
in his soft black leather chair. He rested his head in his hands and looked
at a picture that was on his desk. It was a photo of him, his wife, and their
newborn daughter, Carla. He picked up the silver frame and stared at its
contents. At that moment, he made a vow in his head, to never let what his
friend was going through ever happen in his life. He vowed to protect his
family, and if anything ever did happen, he would seek revenge on the man who
was stupid enough to mess with Ezekiel Rage.

C and C's are always welcomed!

Kara
Whose in training to be a kick arse Princess!
"I'm a woman. We don't say what we want, but we reserve the right to be
pissed off if we don't get it. That's what makes us so fascinating and not
just a little bit scary." Sliding Doors