DNA Doomsday

The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
"DNA Doomsday"
Episode no.	H00616-94016
Airdate	December 23, 1996
Chief locations	Solomon Islands, South Pacific 164.08E, 1.63S (2,856 miles from Hawaii 158.59W, 21.38N)
Vehicle(s)	Questor Questcat Snow Caterpillar
Writer(s)	Robert Goodman and Glenn Leopold Robert Goodman (Story)
Guest roles	John de Lancie (Guard) Quinton Flynn (Guard #1) Rob Paulsen (Army Doctor) Frank Welker (Scanner Voice) Robert Cait (Base Op / Checkpoint Guard) Arye Gross (Matthews / Pilot) Dean Jones (Dr. Karel) George Kennedy (General Axton)
Episode sequence	Nemesis <--> Ghost Quest
Other episodes

At the most secure military base in the Pacific Ocean, a biological computer is tested for the first time, and Dr. Quest is invited to witness—instead finding catatonic victims, security breaches, and a nuclear threat.

Plot Summary

Teaser

General Axton and the computer

At Fort Latimer in the Solomon Islands, General Axton visits Dr. Karel, who's pioneered a massive biological computer seen as a huge column of tissue inside water and glass. Axton doesn't think the project's a good use of the army's money, but Karel is eager for Dr. Quest to arrive and observe it. The Quests sail from Hawaii in the Questor as Jonny plays a Questworld game made by Hadji in which he fights chess pieces one at a time with a sword. Back at the laboratory, Dr. Karel activates the biocomputing genoprocessor, but an explosion ensues due to sensory overload. As Karel and his assistant decide to clean up and consider the matter an accident, the biocomputer attacks and kills them, along with two guards.

Act One

The computer shocks an MP

Jonny, Dr. Quest, Hadji, and Race arrive at sun-down and are greeted by General Axton, who was Race's CO in his enlisted days. Axton drives them to the biocomputer laboratory while boasting of the fort's security and research projects; he mentions storage of a live nuke and the creation of a prototype sub-oceanic missile launch silo. They arrive at the research laboratory and find the downed guards, who barely have pulses; Dr. Karel is the same—neurologically unresponsible. The monster meanwhile assaults an MP and replicates Dr. Karel's eye and hand to gain access to an alpha level part of the base. The Quests and Axton get news of the breach, and Race and Axton head over. Benton deduces that the DNA in the computer had become so highly energized that it drains the power of what it touches—electronics or human tissue. Jonny and Hadji find that the computer's last program was a simulation to test island security, and that the DNA computer is still following those directives; Dr. Quest phones Axton to inform him. Unfortunately, Axton encounters the computer immediately beforehand, and Dr. Quest ends up speaking with the computer's imitation of Axton; both agree to meet at barracks 12 to contain the threat. An evacuation of the base is called.

Act Two

The monster enters launch codes

Race tries to locate the monster while the other Quests fly by helicopter to barracks 12. Race finds the disabled, real Axton and begins running to barracks 12 to warn Dr. Quest. The genoprocessor lures Dr. Quest into a room and shocks it, then flees through a ventilation system to head for missile command. Race arrives, but Jonny tells him not to shoot, since Dr. Quest's information has been assimilated by the monster. Race, Jonny, Hadji, and Bandit go to mission control, but the door to the main control room has been sealed shut. Inside, the monster begins missile launch with the target being Washington D.C.; Race yells at him from the window, but the fake Axton and Dr. Karel heads laugh at him. Race and Jonny find their way in as Hadji prepares his laptop; inside, they stun the monster with electricity, and Jonny connects to it via Questworld, transferring the personalities assimilated by the monster to disk. He finds Axton and Hadji reads him the abort codes; Race keeps the monster busy while Jonny cancels the nuke launch. Jonny then locks in combat with the monster in Questworld while Hadji rearranges its DNA, causing it to lose its solidity and turn to mush. Jonny was assimilated, however, but some time after, Hadji successfully uses Questworld to restore the minds and personalities of the victims.

Notes

Quotes

The computer's simulation directives

• Jonny - "I hope you're calling General Axton. He'd never believe that story from me."

Goofs

• The monster replicates lungs and organs to approximate General Axton's voice, but the lungs are impossibly breathing in and out repeatedly while he talks.
• The fake organs the monster needs to speak aren't seen when Axton and Dr. Karel taunt Race.

Trivia

• Jessie does not appear at all in this episode.
• This episode does not feature a Quest Byte.

From: Episodes