Author's Notes: Yes! I finally uploaded the new chapter! I'm sorry that I didn't upload it when I said I would; I was extremely busy and I was having Internet connection issues; (still am, technically, but for right now it is not acting too erratic). Anyways, this part of the chapter depicts the town of Salem and how the citizens organize a meeting at a local meetinghouse in an attempt to figure out their next move and what they should do to defend themselves from Mr. Sanders and his forces in case he does attempt to take over their town, (which could be likely). Depending on how long this chapter is, I might have to start another chapter with Lee Dumonde and Viola lying unconscious out in the wild many miles away from Salem. But I think we're fine for now and I'll decide at what point I should end the chapter.
I must inform you that there will be some characters from Diff'rent Strokes that will be portrayed in this section, with Sam and Maggie McKinney saying most of the dialogue. I personally think Sam is an adorable kid and I actually like him a lot better than Arnold, (who is extremely annoying and irritating, no offense), and I think it is very smart of me to have Sam and Maggie do most of the talking because Gary Coleman just passed away and I don't want to do anything to his character that might end up getting me in trouble. So for anyone who is a huge fan of that show, I'm sorry if you might not get a chance to hear Arnold say, "Whatcha talkin' about, Willis?" in this chapter.
I also like Maggie a lot because she is such a charming and attractive lady and I think she is a great mother figure for Arnold and Willis. And it tickles me pink that Danny Cooksey played Sam, (he voiced Dave from Dave The Barbarian, which used to air on Toon Disney!), and Maggie was originally played by Dixie Carter!
As for the Days Of Our Lives characters, I think I did a pretty good job with most of the characters, and I'm very impressed at how well I did the exchange between the "Diff'rent Strokes" characters and the "Days Of Our Lives" characters, but since I don't know much about some of them and I do not have much information on how to portray them accurately, they might be a bit OOC at times, especially Alice Horton, Julie, Doug, and even Abe Vigoda. What's strange is that of all of the characters from "Days Of Our Lives", I was very comfortable with portraying Doug, Julie and Hope and I had all but ignored Renee in this story for some weird reason.
This goes for the characters from "Diff'rent Strokes". Anyways, my condolences go to Shannon Price and the rest of her family and I hope Gary Coleman found the peace he had fought so hard to achieve in life.
But don't worry, there might be a chance you might see Mr. Ed Rooney and Mr. Vernon at some point in this story; I have an excellent idea on who their boss could possibly be...
You will also see some interesting characters and you will see even more bizarre twists; also, any points I may not have been able to cover in the previous chapter will be addressed in this chapter.
I did some research on Salem the other night and according to Wikipedia it appears that it has been identified as a Midwestern city since the mid 70's or so; it was originally said to be located in New England. There has been some indication that it has been said to be near Chicago and because of this it could be possible Salem might be located somewhere in Illinois. For such a quaint, innocent little town, it certainly has a lot of intrigue, drama, mysticism, and strange paranormal. As a matter of fact, Hope even compares it to Nowhere, Kansas, from "Courage The Cowardly Dog"! Watch out for that reference. And the little synopsis that Sam gives about Stitch's first adventures on Earth as portrayed in "Lilo & Stitch" is an allusion to one of the main themes in this story and in its predecessor.
And before I forget, I must thank Sand n' Sable for helping me with the information regarding the characters on "Days Of Our Lives". Without her cooperation this chapter would not even have been possible!
I must warn you though, that there might be some strange twists and also in this chapter I will put in some insight into my own interpretation of Lee's childhood because there might be an original character who is related to her that could pop up in this story, so watch out for that. If you thought the 3rd chapter was really bad, well I think the 4th chapter is going to get worse. This might be rated M in some parts because there is going to be some instances of incest, so watch out for that.
And since the Team Legacy series takes place in an alternate universe where all of the worlds combine into one nation, I disregarded Renee and Tony's deaths and instead combined both of the past and present characters of "Days Of Our Lives". And do not give me a review saying that Alice Horton is already dead because this part of the story takes place about 4 years ago, so at this point she isn't dead yet.
And if there is anything about the characters' personalities that is inaccurate in any way, just pm me or say so in a review and I'll try my hardest to do better next time.
Read and enjoy!
Chapter 4 – Lands' War
It was on a cold, dreary and stormy afternoon as the town of Salem was drenched and drizzled with heavy rain and a young woman was walking along the sidewalk while the cool and hazy mists blew about her. She had long, wavy, curling auburn cinnamon hair that hung about her shoulders and her eyes were of a hazel brown. This particular woman had a soft and delicate, innocent face and had striking and imposing, graceful body. She was also shrouded in an oversized, draping, black raincoat that completely covered her entire lanky and slender frame and nearly made her invisible to everyone around her.
As the young woman approached the meetinghouse that stood ominously before her, she noticed that a brunette was standing near the doorway in front of the window while smoking a cigarette with a crimson umbrella hanging over her head. Her young red haired son was also standing with her hunched over in a thick, leather raincoat with the hood tightened over his neck, while looking like a chubby little pilgrim. As the auburn-haired woman studied the other woman carefully, she noticed that she had stark, piercing, fierce eyes with overly arched, bold eyebrows and she also had curling, wavy, raven hair with a narrow, staunched, solemn face.
She was immediately taken by her regal and imposing demeanor and as she peered down at the young boy through the hazing and blurry rain, she could not help but feel sorry for him as he had such a sweet, puzzled, questioning face and was glancing around next to his momma to look for any more town members that might show up.
It was not long before the woman found herself freezing up as their eyes met and the little boy tugged on his mother's skirt to grab her attention. The older woman glanced down at her son as he bit his lip apprehensively and glared at him in fierce silence until he answered. "Momma, there is a strange lady staring at me," he whimpered fearfully and the young woman felt her angry eyes stare right through her as she immediately pulled her son away from her and shielded him protectively. "Stay away from my son, you damn Yankee; I don't want any strange folk crowding around my child," the woman growled threateningly in a Southern accent and that made the young woman back off immediately.
"Who are you? I've never seen you around in Salem before," the woman asked her in a soft-spoken voice. "Well if you want to know, the name's Margaret McKinney, but my friends and family refer to me as Maggie, and this is my son Sam. I was wondering the same about you," the older woman scoffed disdainfully as she kept a steady gaze at her.
"My name is Renee Dumonde, the daughter of Lee Dumonde and Stefano DiMera; I'm a resident here," the woman offered a reply as she held out her hand to shake. Maggie McKinney glared at her coldly before brusquely rebuffing her gesture with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I don't trust the likes of you, Miss Dumonde. I heard your father was a murderous, coldhearted, conniving sociopath who had this entire town in his iron grip for many, many years. I don't know if you are as much of a psychopath as he is," she hissed at her warily.
"Don't you dare judge me by who my parents were. Just because my father is the biggest drug kingpin of this land and he has terrorized countless citizens of this town with his criminal empire and his numerous lackeys does not necessarily mean I am exactly like him. I know we barely know each other but I will prove to you that I am nothing like him," Renee shot back firmly as she reproached the older Southern woman for being so judgmental towards her. Maggie McKinney stood silently in front of her as Renee could tell by the thoughtful gleam in her eyes that she was carefully contemplating her words and finally she held up her own hand and Renee gratefully took it and the women shook hands as Sam watched wordlessly.
"I apologize, Miss Renee. I should not be so judgmental towards Northerners like you, for I should realize I'm married to a rich New Yorker myself. His name is Phillip Drummond and he and his adopted Negro boys are on the other side of town taking a leisurely stroll. You should understand that I'm only trying to protect my little boy from the various shady characters that are lurking in this town; there are so many deceitful and treacherous people in Salem that I just don't know whom to trust around here."
"If you must know I was warned about your father beforehand when I first arrived in Salem about three days ago. There was a town beggar who came up to me and told me to watch out for Stefano and his goons for he was an evil and devious man with a criminal past and began to regale to me some of his exploits and misdeeds over the years. The beggar informed me of how he had once kidnapped Dr. Marlena Evans, a local psychiatrist, and held her hostage on a desolate island where she gave birth to twins and was put under his spell."
"He also kidnapped the Willamses' daughter Hope Williams Brady and held her hostage before transforming her into Princess Gina and commanding her to steal some of the most priceless artworks in the world. From my understanding he also had an ongoing feud with the Brady clan and many years ago Roman Brady was a detective who was investigating his crimes in Salem. And that's all I know."
"I know Marlena; she's a very good friend of mine. And my mother was once married to Mr. Doug Williams, so I guess you can say that Hope used to be my stepsister. So what brings you here to Salem?" Renee chuckled lightly and Maggie McKinney could not help but chuckle.
"Philip, Arnold, Willis, Sam and I came down here from New York for summer vacation; we figured that we could go out of town and have some fun for once instead of hanging around the house all day," Maggie McKinney answered cheerfully. "So you opted to come here in lieu of Hawaii or any other vacation destination most people flock to?" Renee remarked curiously. "Yeah, besides, this little town reminds me a lot of the South when I was growing up; people in here seem to be so talkative and are so inclined to know each other's business that it's very uncanny," Maggie commented wryly.
"Well, that's what folks in small towns do; we all talk amongst ourselves about all of the sordid and salacious details of our neighbors' lives. Speaking of which, why are you standing in front of the meetinghouse? You're just a tourist you know," Renee remarked wistfully before peering at her acquaintance curiously.
"My family's future is at stake here and as such I intend to attend this meeting as a way of discussing what we can do to stop the menace that is looming over us like the calm before a storm. I will not stand here and watch as the villains gradually take over our towns and cities and pillage everything we have earned while enslaving and torturing, beating and killing our people, including women and children. I will not allow Mr. Sanders to reign supreme over our lands and rule his iron fists over the heroes; I will drop dead before I allow such a thing to happen! I want to fight for this town's independence not only for myself and the Salemites, but also for my husband Phillip, my stepsons Willis and Arnold, and my little boy Sam. May God bless my family."
Renee watched silently as she saw Sam hug his mother's legs tightly and he cuddled close to her as he glanced up at the young woman shyly through the cold and chilly rain that obscured his vision of her. "Are you the mafia boss's daughter, Miss Renee?" he squeaked timidly. "I'm afraid so, Sam. I'm the daughter of one of the most notorious criminals in town," Renee sighed dejectedly as Sam blinked wordlessly while gazing at her quizzically yet wondrously.
"Well, Sam, we'll be entering the meetinghouse soon. Would you like to take a nap on my lap in the meantime, hun?" Maggie murmured to her son softly and Sam yawned as he leaned slightly against her and nodded sleepily in agreement. "You're a brave woman, Mrs. McKinney. I cannot imagine how plucky you really are; you're willing to take on a town's troubles just to provide a bright future for your new family even though you're just a stranger," Renee confessed her admiration for the older Southern aerobatics instructor.
...
"I thank you for your kindness, Miss Renee, but…" Maggie then glanced up at her watch to check the time and focused her eyes back to her companion. "My husband and his children should be here any minute now. It's raining really hard and Philip did call me and say that he would show up sometime later. Anyway, I must ask a favor of you. Renee, if anything were to happen to me or to Philip, I want you to look after Sam for me."
"I know I hardly know you since we just recently met, but I feel that you are a trustworthy and honorable young woman and I am willing to hand him over to you just in case; I also want you to protect him from Stefano and anyone that might be allied with him. I trust you to keep him safe from harm and I usually do not hand him over to strangers but you seem to be a worthy exception." "Thank you, Mrs. McKinney… Can I call you McKinney or Mrs. Drummond?" Renee interjected as she expressed thanks to the older woman. "Mrs. McKinney would be preferable, thank you," Maggie McKinney replied politely.
...
But then Renee heard a car beep from a distance and she saw a dark grey Nissan Armada pull up in front of the meetinghouse before a black umbrella opened out into the drizzling rain from the driver's side. Another black umbrella also opened up from the passenger's side and Renee felt her heart skip a beat as she saw an elderly couple emerge from the vehicle with an adult woman in tow. The man that appeared in view had a white moustache and short, graying hair with a slight slouch on his stance and had a staunched, rugged face; his wife had light golden/sandy hair and had a gracious and stunning figure with a slightly disfigured face riddled with scars from a burning accident she sustained several years before.
The young woman that accompanied them had light brown, long hair and had a lanky and slender, skinny figure with a bony and narrow face and was clad in a dark cinnamon dress vest with a white blouse inside it and a dangling, long, cotton, sable dress skirt along with black stilettos.
The elderly man had a silver/ivory tuxedo on himself and had a black tie tied around his neck and wore brown leather shoes while his wife had a lavender vest wrapped around herself with a strapless black satin dress draped around her body and a lavender lady hat with white and black feather plumes in them; like her half-sister/stepdaughter she also had a pair of stilettos on. The two women both had pearl earrings on and also had pearl necklaces wrung around their necks.
"Here we are, Julie. We're at the old meetinghouse," the old man spoke in a gruff, commanding voice as he walked over to where Renee, Maggie McKinney and Sam were and nearly started upon seeing Renee. "Renee… Renee, what on earth are you doing here? It's been so long!" the elderly man exclaimed as he rushed over to the young woman and gave her a gentle hug while his wife and daughter joined him.
Julie caught a glimpse of Maggie and Sam standing a few feet from them and tapped her husband's shoulder discreetly, prompting him to turn to her rather abruptly. "What is it, Julie?" he retorted to her. "Doug, who are those people? I've never seen them around before," Julie whispered to him nervously while pointing at mother and son, making Maggie rather incensed at her rudeness. "I beg your pardon, sir, but my name is Margaret McKinney; I was originally from the South until I got divorced and moved to New York, where I met a billionaire from Park Avenue named Phillip Drummond; I fell in love with him before I married him and became a part of his family. We were just here for summer vacation to relax and have fun and my husband and his two adopted sons should be here any minute now from their walk; it's pouring hard here as it is," Maggie McKinney introduced herself while offering her hand to Doug.
"I apologize for my wife's rudeness, Mrs. McKinney. She's just startled that a mere stranger, especially from the South, would just drop by in a quaint little town like this in this time of year," Doug returned a polite reply as he took her hand gently and kissed it like a proper gentleman.
Sam flinched as he scuttled behind his mother and cowered behind her legs fearfully, causing Maggie to turn over her shoulder and peer inquisitively at her son. "Come on, hun. Don't be afraid. These are really nice people; I'm sure you'll like them," she coaxed him lovingly as she slowly nudged him out in the open and kept a safe distance between him and the older man. "Hello there, Sam. My name is Doug Williams; I used to be the mayor here and this is my wife of over 30 years, Julie Williams, and this is my daughter Hope Williams Brady," Doug greeted him warmly as he bent down to his face level with the boy looking on at him with interest. "Hi, Mr. Williams, nice to meet you," he replied in return in a squeaky voice as he grabbed his hand and shook it forcibly, eliciting amused chuckles from the Williamses.
"He's so adorable, that young boy. How old is he?" the auburn brown haired woman ventured adorningly. "He's only 7-years-old, but he is a very intelligent, bright and sweet young boy," Maggie McKinney answered crisply in a dignified manner. Just then the meetinghouse was flooded with cars as streams of people emerged from their vehicles in crowds while shrill sirens wailed in the air and very soon the area was populated with enraged yet concerned citizens who wanted to put an end to Mr. Sanders' tyranny. "Well, we got company," Doug commented as he surveyed the vast crowd in an attempt to locate any of his old friends. "Goddamn it, Doug! I cannot hear from all of this noise!" Julie grumbled and fumed angrily while Hope covered her ears and quivered.
"Actually, Momma, I'm too excited to go to sleep. I wanna see the proceedings," Sam declared boldly to his mother and Maggie was stunned and astonished to hear these words come out of her son. "Well, he really wants those villains out of our homes and streets just as badly as we do. We really need brave young men like him today, because God knows this world is descending further into immorality every day," Doug praised Sam highly as the gang continued to hear the loud, blaring sirens ring in the atmosphere and very soon an old woman bumped into Doug and the old man nearly stumbled to the ground until his wife grabbed his arm just in time and held onto him tightly.
"Hey, watch it!" Hope snarled angrily as the mysterious woman turned around and glared at her. "Don't you sass me, young lady!" she scolded her fiercely as she revealed her wizened, staunched, and diminutive figure before the young woman and Hope's hand flew to her mouth almost immediately as her eyes popped out at the sight of her. "Gram?" she shrieked. "Hope! Julie! Doug! Thank God you're here!" the old woman chimed happily as she rushed over to her granddaughters and hugged them both simultaneously.
"Mrs. Horton, what on earth are you doing here?" Doug cried in astonishment as he went over to welcome the old woman into the group. "What do you mean what am I doing here? I'm here to take back my town and raise hell with Mr. Sanders and the rest of his scumbag goons!" Alice Horton retorted sassily at Doug as she shuffled over to the door and attempted to open it. "Rats. It's locked," she sighed as she turned to the Williams family. "Who are you, ma'am?" Sam squeaked shyly. "Aww, aren't you just adorable! My name is Alice Horton; I'm the matriarch of this town," Alice Horton proclaimed proudly to the male youngster. "Really? Cool!" Sam squealed in awe.
"I'm starting to get really worried about my husband; it's been 20 minutes since he called and I have not seen him anywhere," Maggie fretted while Doug put his arm around her and hugged her sympathetically. "Rest your mind at ease, Mrs. McKinney. I'm sure you'll find your family among us Salemites," he reassured her gently.
...
"Maggie? Maggie? Where are you, sweetheart?" a gruff, commanding voice bellowed out and Maggie spun around to see Phillip Drummond emerge into the crowd with his adopted black sons Willis and Arnold tagging along, with their maid Pearl accompanying them. "Phillip!" Maggie shrieked, overjoyed, as she raced over to her husband and threw her arms around him as he hugged her securely and tenderly and a smile spread over his face as his heart swelled with joy at being reunited with his wife.
"Man! Finally! We managed to get out of that stinking rain and we also found Maggie!" Arnold, the shorter, diminutive half of the duo of brothers, griped as he crossed his arms irritably and wiped his shoes in squeaky swipes.
"Well, at least now we know we're here," Willis replied quietly while disregarding his younger brother's acerbic comment. "Yeah, well, that's because you're not bothered by the rain, but I had to walk over 20 miles just to reach that meetinghouse! What's the buzz around here anyway?" Arnold scoffed disdainfully while casting a seething, disapproving glare at his older brother.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, honey. We have to walk several miles to get here and it was extremely windy and chilly outside and from Caroline's Fishbucket all the way here I could see miles and miles worth of cars driving over here," Phillip Drummond apologized as he let go of his wife and peered at her with a smile. "I was so worried about you. I was afraid you and the boys were caught up in that storm. I'm so glad you're safe, Phillip," Maggie sniffled as she drew Mr. Drummond closer to her and hugged him lovingly with soft tears coming out of her eyes.
"Shhh, shhh, shhh… It's all right, Maggie. The important thing is that you're safe and we're all together again," Mr. Drummond shushed her soothingly as he rubbed his wife's back gently and heard her cry softly in muffled sobs. "There he is! Mayor Vigoda's coming, everyone!" a man cried out and the entire crowd parted to allow the leader of the town to approach the door. Soon enough, a man materialized into view as he strolled over to the door with a key in hand and as soon as he got to the door he inserted the key into the hole and unlocked the door with a click. The entire population of Salem stood in an eerie, anticipated silence as he opened up the door and held it wide for everyone to come in. The entire town of Salem was soon exploding in an uproar; an earth-shattering scream could be heard all over town as everyone flooded in a single file into the courthouse and scrambled in a furious frenzy in an attempt to find some seats.
...
Renee, Doug, Julie, Hope, Maggie, Mr. Drummond, Sam, Arnold, Willis, Pearl, and Alice Horton slowly entered the premises through the opposite door as they lingered in the shadows while waiting for the flurry of stampeding people to die down gradually.
"Jesus Christ, look at the maniacs rushing here just so they could find good seats," Doug sighed in exasperation as he watched his fellow men fight tooth and nail to find a desirable spot to sit down. "Oh my Lord! Look at all those crazy people rushing here and about! It's almost like we're in a busy beehive with all the bees flying in and about, scavenging for honey!" Pearl remarked in stunned disbelief. "That's very perceptive of you, Miss, um…" Doug commented curiously towards Pearl before she interjected, "Call me Pearl. I'm the house servant of the Drummonds. I have been working for them ever since Mrs. Edna Garrett had left their services." Doug's eyebrow arched in interest as he stood there pondering in thought.
"Honey, we better go find some seats right now. The crowd is now in their designated spots and we could find someplace to sit if you would like," Julie suggested quietly. "What a great idea! Where would you like to sit, Mr. Williams?" Mr. Drummond exclaimed cheerfully as he turned to Doug. "In the middle; everyone follow me," Doug asserted his decision to the gang as he headed towards the center of the seats with the gang trailing after him. Once he found a good spot to get a clear view of the mayor, Doug sat down in an empty chair and reclined slowly as Julie took her place beside him to his left and slung her arm around him lovingly.
Hope sat down beside her older half-sister/stepmother on her left side and Mr. Drummond, Maggie and Sam followed, also on the left. Pearl, Arnold, Willis and Alice Horton sat down beside Doug on his right and very soon Mayor Abe Vigoda ascended onto the pulpit and directly faced the crowd as the artificial lights shined down its brilliant rays on his face. He cleared his throat and prepared to begin his speech.
"My dear Salemites, we are gathered here today to discuss the atrocities of war and the sins cast down by those dastardly villains that now weigh heavily in our community. We are now under the mercy of a ruler who is a great slanderer of women and a ruthless murderer and abuser of our people. He is a philandering drunk who is prone to violent, uncontrollable rage and he is obsessed with bringing to life a special breed of extraterrestrials that have now been introduced in our planet thanks to the bold works of Dr. Jumba Jookiba. Washington, D.C. is now being overrun by these unholy and dangerous monsters and they are multiplying in great and overwhelming numbers as we speak!"
"As we are all aware, these monsters have specific functions that allow them to manipulate the inhabitants of this earth and our environment at will and most of them are capable of destructive, lethal power. These "experiments", as they are called, are usually found in dehydrated pods that can only be activated with water. And once they are freed from their miniscule little orbs, they are inclined to roam the world wildly and do as their instincts compel them to do while creating chaos, mayhem, and disorder, with severe injuries and even death! These monsters are better off locked away for safe keeping in their "experiment pods" and might as well not be activated."
"If these experiments are allowed to escape from the White House and gallivante the streets of Washington unsupervised, this country will descend into unprecedented chaos! We must locate all of these experiments one by one and exterminate them all so they will not instigate the downfall of this great country! They will be the end of all of us!"
"Not all of the experiments are bad, Mr. Vigoda! Stitch is a good guy!" Sam shouted at the top of his lungs as he suddenly stood up and Maggie quietly silenced him by covering his mouth with her hand and sitting him down on his chair.
Mayor Vigoda then switched his focus on the young boy and as the entire crowd, including his stepfamily and the Williamses, turned their curious and intrigued eyes on him, he added, "What do you say to that, Mr.…" "McKinney, Sam McKinney at your service, sir!" Sam screamed in quick response as he saluted in deference to the mayor. Mayor Vigoda chuckled in amusement as everyone else began to laugh along with him, while the rest of the Drummond family were abashed and humiliated at little Sam's sudden outburst.
"Sam, be quiet now," his mother ordered him sternly. "Mrs. McKinney, I allow your son to speak, especially since he seems to be so interested in this issue," Mayor Vigoda informed Maggie from the pulpit, and the middle-aged woman stood up and bowed to him before allowing her son to rise before the mayor. "Yes, I would like to speak my peace and my son too before this congregation if y'all don't mind," she announced to the crowd.
"Stitch was a bad alien who everyone thought that was incapable of anything other than destruction. The Grand Councilwoman was about to send him to a desolate prison asteroid for exile when he somehow broke out of his cell and fled to planet Earth using a big red police cruiser," Sam began to relate the tale of Stitch's infamous escape from Turo and his arrival on Earth as the Salemites began to whisper amongst themselves in hushed voices before Maggie McKinney raised her hand up to silence them before permitting her son to continue.
"He crash-landed in one of the Hawaiian Islands and found himself stranded on the streets before he got run over by two semi trucks and was taken to the animal shelter; he was then found by Lilo, an orphaned girl who was raised by her older sister. At first Lilo was unable to control Stitch because all he wanted to do was destroy things and he kept up with his mischievous antics. But she never gave up on him and stood by his side as a friend even when things seemed hopeless and gradually Stitch began to realize that there was more to life than just destroying buildings and with Lilo's help found the good that had been harnessed in his heart. That's how he went out to save Lilo and defeat Gantu in the first place."
...
There was not a word spoken in the room as everyone pondered the meaning of Sam's moving and poignant tale of an alien experiment's odyssey from being a rogue fugitive on the run from galactic authorities to becoming a member of an extended nontraditional family. Some of the attendees were even moved to tears while others were just plain speechless at what they heard. Maggie only chuckled and patted his head. "Oh, please don't mind my son. He just loves Disney movies," she said nervously. Mayor Vigoda scratched his chin thoughtfully as he paced his pulpit with thoughts circling his mind.
He then ambled back to the pulpit and faced the crowd once more, his mind already made up. "Master McKinney is right; Experiment 626 has indeed proven that alien experiments like him are not merely mindless, destructive machines trained to overrun the world with disorder and mayhem. They are just as capable of real, deep emotion, thoughts, feelings, strengths and weaknesses just as we are. These alien experiments also have hopes and dreams of their own and they tend to have inner conflicts of their own on whether or not to follow their most primal instincts."
"However, even with Stitch's success as a redeemed productive member of society, this still does not guarantee anything for any of his fellow experiments. The alien experiments that are lurking within the walls of the White House are still deemed a public threat to our American society and as such must be treated with caution. Even if these unholy demons have some chance for redemption, there are some monsters that are better off destroyed."
"No! Ohana means family; nobody gets left behind, or forgotten!" Sam shrieked at the top of his lungs, prompting Maggie to rub his back comfortingly and she held him tightly in her arms as the young boy buried his head in her arms and sobbed heavily. "It's all right, honey, it's all right now," she murmured softly as she whispered in his ear. "Mrs. McKinney, is your son going to be all right?" Julie whispered to Maggie in a hushed voice. "Oh, he's just fine, Mrs. Williams; he's just overcome with grief. He does not understand the ways of this world yet," Maggie answered quietly as she cuddled her son close to her body and rocked him gently to sleep.
...
The crowd was soon bustling with an uproar once more as they began to talk amongst themselves of the whispers of rumors and speculations that have passed through town for the past several weeks, including allegations that Stefano had managed to gather some alien DNA from some of the most restricted research facilities of the world in order to create some alien experiments and has hired some low-ranking villains to do his dirty work. Mayor Vigoda banged his hand on the pulpit repeatedly in order to get his audience's attention and he waited several moments for the murmuring to calm down before the people have descended into silence once again. He then cleared his throat and prepared to continue his speech.
"We understand now that some of our fellow Salemites that have been here in the past are in allegiance with this hedonistic and dastardly tyrant and assisting him in completing his vile and despicable tasks; it is even suspected that Stefano DiMera himself is affiliated with some of the most dastardly and sinister villains the world has ever seen. As a matter of fact, I have printed a copy of an America's Most Wanted list of the top 10 most wanted fugitives out there right now if anyone wants to look at it."
"Bullshit! Who the hell wants to know about that crap?" a nasally, whiny voiced woman screamed angrily as she suddenly stood up in the midst of the crowd. "Will you silence your tongue, woman? We're trying to figure out a way to defend ourselves from a potential invasion by Mr. Sanders and his soldiers of war!" Doug shot back at her in an enraged snarl. The woman snorted disdainfully before sitting back down in her seat before the prying eyes of the audience.
"Thank you, Mr. Douglas Williams. My fellow citizens, we are indeed discussing a possibility of a full scale invasion by the government. We must gather everything we have and use all of our resources available in the city if we are to stand a chance against Mr. Sanders and his soldiers of hell."
"Why don't we gather up some substantial amount of food for our people and share them amongst ourselves? We could procure some crops from the fields and sell them to others without any charge so there should be enough for all of us," Liz Chandler piped in boldly.
"We could build a fortress around the city grounds so when the soldiers arrive we could hold them off for only a little while we organize ourselves and prepare to face them off," Marlena suggested. Once again the crowd stirred as there was a loud murmur rustling from the audience and Mayor Vigoda took out a large gauntlet and pounded it on the pulpit to silence the Salemites. "Order! Order! Order in the court!" The crowd quieted down once more and turned their eyes towards him.
"Now I need all of your cooperation in this affair. Ms. Evans does have a point about a fortress being built around the city walls but we must also consider the amount of food we have available for everyone." "But how the hell are we going to build a fortress in time? We don't even know when Mr. Sanders' forces might arrive! We would not have much time to prepare!" Alice Horton exclaimed worriedly and the crowd was soon clamoring in excitement as Doug and Julie glanced around worriedly and Pearl fingered with her apron nervously as Sam squirmed restlessly while looking out at the crowd.
"That is correct, Mrs. Horton. We do not know how much time we have to prepare a fortress around our beloved city. Mr. Sanders and his soldiers could arrive tomorrow and find us completely defenseless. So we must find an adequate solution to our impending dilemma," Mayor Vigoda informed his citizens solemnly.
...
"May I please offer a suggestion?" Hope Williams beseeched the mayor earnestly as she stood up and everyone gasped in surprise. "Go ahead, Mrs. Williams-Brady," Mayor Vigoda conceded politely and Hope bowed her head slowly before she spoke before the court. "Why don't we form a militia?" she ejaculated before her fellow citizens and the Salemites were soon interjecting cries of outrage and surprise, and a few shouts of "What?" and a couple of "Are you crazy?" and a few "How is that possible?" were audible in her direction. "What is Hope talking about a militia for, Doug?" Julie hissed to her husband in a whispered voice, and Doug could only shrug in response. "Ay, caramba," Arnold muttered under his breath while slapping his hand on his face in frustration.
"Is this true, Mrs. Williams-Brady? Are you suggesting we should form a militia?" Mayor Vigoda gasped in an awed voice. "That's right, Mr. Vigoda. We are a people, and even though we have some bizarre psychological issues that we have been dealing with over the years and yes it is true our town is just as weird as Nowhere, Kansas, if not more, but we are a community and as a community, we have the right to fight against any outside forces that threaten the safety of our town," Hope elucidated her point before the audience and she could hear even more whispers of intrigue and fascination as she waited for her peers to quiet down. "What I'm trying to say is we should fight for the chance to fight for our freedom and our survival, and if forming a militia is going to do just that, then why the hell not?"
"If the American colonists could form a militia to withstand the tyranny of the British crown during the Revolutionary War, then why can't we form a militia to combat the efforts of an autocratic government to oppress us! We have had our differences for so many years but if we unite and stand together against Mr. Sanders and his army of villains, then together we could fight off his forces and prevent them from taking over our town! Who's with me?"
...
The audience finally exploded into an uproar as their anger and frustration finally drove them into a mad frenzy and there were several people voicing their support of Hope's decision, even some of the biggest troublemakers in the city. Doug and Julie could not believe their ears. Their daughter was proposing a solution that was so radical, so revolutionary, even for modern times, so outrageous, and so unbelievably insane it has to work! "And we're going to help too!" Mr. Drummond added while standing up, with his wife beside him and her son cradled in her arms. "We're going to do our part by helping these brave and resolute people fight for their right to keep their township independent!"
"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about, Mr. D!" Arnold yelled enthusiastically as he jumped up and down incessantly. "Oh my goodness, Mr. Drummond. Are you sure we could involve ourselves in this conflict?" Pearl voiced her concerns to her boss. "Pearl, this does not concern just us; it also concerns the rest of the country, so we must take up arms and fight for our precious freedom," Mr. Drummond answered with an austere and grave voice. "Well if you say so, Mr. Drummond…" Pearl sighed reluctantly. She was not sure if she and the rest of the clan should even get involved in a town's struggle to keep itself free from the clutches of an evil totalitarian government, but if he says that they must fight for their freedom alongside them, then they must follow that duty.
"Mr. Vigoda, who are the former residents of Salem that are supposedly allied with Mr. Sanders?" Willis addressed Mayor Vigoda. Mayor Vigoda's eyes clicked towards the young African American boy. "Mr. Jackson has asked a very excellent question. Who are the heathen traitors that are in allegiance with the devil Mr. Sanders? Well I have just the answer."
"Rumors are abound in cities and towns all over the country that there are a handful of villains that are working for Stefano as well as Mr. Sanders. Among those traitors are Mr. Edward Rooney from Shermar High School and Mr. Richard Vernon who is a high school principal. They have aligned themselves with some DOV agents that still remain in this country and are left over from Mr. Banders' reign; they are in charge of tracking down fugitives, spies and heroes that are on the lam from villains and capturing them in their hideouts. Once they are captured by the DOV agents, they are either summoned to Washington, D.C. and brought before Mr. Sanders or they are transported to Stefano's lair."
"We also have news from the outside that one of our own is also bound to Mr. Sanders' services, or was, until she disappeared more than a few days ago. She has been charged with trying to steal federal government property from the White House and conspiracy to overthrow the president; in other words, she has teamed up with a couple of other villains to snatch some experiment pods and manipulate them for their own selfish means. I will now summon the projector so you will see who I am talking about." "Goddamn it! Just tell us who the hell that bitch is already; don't kill us with the suspense!" rasped a gangling, lanky woman with a scratchy, shrill, nasally voice.
Mayor Vigoda disregarded the random outburst and whistled for an assistant to wheel in the projector to him and very soon an elderly man pushed in a cart containing a white rectangular machine and brought it over to him before the mayor paced around to it and turned on the machine. A transparent screen soon materialized on the wall and the moment Lee Dumonde's picture showed up in the America's Most Wanted website, a chill ran down everyone's spine, Doug and Julie particularly.
Julie's eyes widened in horror as she shuddered in dread and Doug just gaped in stunned silence as his eyes stared out into nothing with a vacant expression. Hope's eyes closed slowly as she leaned towards the floor and in a matter of moments she swooned to the ground while Renee looked down at her former stepsister and just bowed her head in shame.
"As everyone may or may not recall, Lee Dumonde used to be a resident of Salem almost 30 years ago. She came in from France after our former mayor's half-brother, Byron, and please forgive me for embarrassing you in public, Mr. Williams and may he rest in peace, passed away mysteriously and she came to Salem searching for his inheritance."
"Now you are all aware of her shenanigans and misdeeds that she has committed while she was here in Salem, including a notorious incident where she attempted to murder our previous mayor's wife by hiring a hit man to dispose of her but managed to save both Mr. and Mrs. Williams. You are aware of the fact that she is the mother of Miss Renee Dumonde DiMera and was Stefano's lover at one point as well as his associate back in France. It is also possible that she might be of French and Russian descent with a very mysterious past."
"I personally feel that even though she might have been a disturbed and insanely jealous woman, she may have had personal issues that she probably had trouble dealing with and in short was a very insecure and vulnerable woman with emotional and mental problems. Speaking of which, her last known location was in the heart of Washington, D.C., in the White House and numerous reports are swirling in that she has conducted numerous affairs with some of the other villains, including the tyrant president himself, Mr. Sanders…"
"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL? THAT FUCKING WHORE? I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE HAD HER THROWN IN PRISON WHEN I STILL HAD THE CHANCE! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I FUCKING KNEW IT!" Doug screeched at the top of his lungs vehemently while the rest of the audience looked on with shocked and mortified expressions. Julie put her hands on her husband's shoulders and patted them soothingly in an attempt to calm him. "Please calm down, Doug. Please, calm down. You're making a big scene here. Just let go of your hatred towards Lee," she murmured to him softly but then Doug abruptly got up, picked up his metal chair and flung it across the back of the room and it slammed right towards the door before clattering to the floor with a metallic thud.
...
The entire crowd was washed in with stunned silence as all eyes peered down at him. Doug's face reddened with shame as he walked away from his family and his new friends and excused himself out of the corridors of chairs before he shuffled through the hallways and walked over to the door, opened it, and disappeared out of the meetinghouse. The audience then collectively took their seats once more as Mayor Vigoda sighed in exasperation and buried his face in his arms while rubbing his temples exhaustedly and Hope felt herself on the brink of tears while Julie petted her hair gently.
Sam observed the women sadly and he turned to his mother and wrapped his arms around her neck tenderly. "Momma?" he squeaked in a plaintive voice. "Yes, hun?" Maggie importuned her son. "Why is Doug so angry at Lee? What did she ever do to him? And why is she on America's Most Wanted as a fugitive?" Sam inquired him curiously. Maggie sighed forlornly before answering, "You ought to ask Julie that. I'm sure she knows."
Sam nodded before scooting over to Julie and giving her a big hug, prompting the old woman to look down at him and smile sadly.
Mayor Vigoda sighed reluctantly as he rubbed his temples pensively and straightened himself up to face his people. "My fellow citizens, it appears that Ms. Dumonde has led a secret life ever since she left Salem so long ago. There are reports from the White House that she has had several affairs with some of the villains in Washington, including, among others, another alien experiment named Experiment 621, who is said to be the older twin brother of Experiment 626, or as Mr. McKinney calls him, Stitch."
"It appears that the two had consummated their affair and there is a good chance she could be pregnant with his offspring." There were loud cries of horror as the audience members shuffled around nervously and anxiously and once again Julie heard soft murmurs rumble in her ears as they traded speculations on how this could have been possible.
However, Julie felt a sickening and aching pang in her stomach and she immediately felt weak; the image of Lee having even remote relations with an alien experiment, especially one that was created by the same scientist who created Experiment 626, was too much to even think about. Was she even lustful enough to sleep with anything that moved, human or not?
And what if something were to happen to Lee, and she had decided to send her children to Salem and place them under Doug and Julie's custody as their guardians? How could she possibly deal with two half-alien, half-human babies running around the house dependent on her for support and guidance? Would she even have the courage to go past her anger and hatred towards Lee and put aside any resentment and animosity she felt towards her just so she could raise them?
How could she possibly have the heart to give her love and care to the offspring of the same woman that had tried to kill her and had been creating chaos in their marriage for so many years? If I could put aside my anger and rage towards Lee and at least try to forgive her for any crimes she may have committed, then perhaps Doug can too, Julie thought to herself. "Not only has Lee carried on an affair with Experiment 621 and Mr. Sanders, but rumors have circulated that she had been spotted kissing an elderly Frenchwoman who has recently immigrated to the U.S. from well, France; it is an interesting coincidence because according to our records Lee came from there as well. And that is not all!"
"That's not all? What do you mean that's not all? That Dumonde bitch is obviously a fucking bisexual who likes old farts, weird alien experiments and relishes chasing after middle-aged married men! She's obviously a two-timing, gold digging slut! And Mr. Doug Williams have never even bothered to find that out? Puleeze! I'll bet they never even consummated their fucking marriage!"
...
"That's enough!" Julie thundered angrily before the court and the young woman stood up before her and glared at her from a distance, just five seats away from her. "Don't you dare slander my husband in this disgraceful manner! Now Doug and I have known Lee for almost 2 years about 30 years ago when the Salem Strangler was terrorizing our community and even though Lee might not have been the nicest woman in town that still gives you no right to make fun of her troubles and her marriage to Doug!"
"I'm not speaking merely for Lee, of course; most importantly, I'm speaking for my husband, who I love very much and who I've been married to for more than 30 years and even though we've gone through a lot of hard times, we are still together after all these years, and if you think you can get away with insulting Mr. Williams, who by the way used to be the mayor of this city, then you're wrong, because if you insult him, then you're insulting me and all of my family members. And you are also insulting our honest efforts to safeguard ourselves from one of the biggest invasions in Salem history and in the history of our country."
"So don't you dare tell me that my husband is not an honorable and decent man because he is sure as hell is!" "You miserable bitch!" the nasally-voiced woman shrieked before she lunged right for Julie and Hope stepped in front of her older half-sister and blocked her from the older woman. "Stay away from my sister!" Hope growled to the woman menacingly. "Oh, so you're sticking up for your older sister, who also happens to be married to your own father? Ha! I see the Williams family is based on nothing more than incest!" the young, raven-haired woman smirked derisively. "Don't you dare suggest anything of that kind! Of course our relationships to each other might be a bit strange but we are still family because we love each other!"
"I still love my older sister even if she is my stepmother! And if you ever threaten anyone from my family, as God is my witness I will see to it I will put an end to you!" The scrawny-faced woman laughed maniacally at Hope as everyone stared at her with blank and expressionless faces. Mayor Vigoda then cleared his throat and went on with his speech. "And to add to more evidence of Lee's apparent bisexuality, she also had a long term relationship with Miss Chelsea Van Buren, a native living in Canada, for many years before she fled the country on a federal robbery charge."
"And I just received word that she has been staying in Seattle, Washington, for a number of years and worked as a freelancing prostitute as well as a stripper."
...
The woman then socked Hope straight in the face and pounced right on top of her as the crowd quickly dispersed from the two brawling women and surrounded them from a distance. Mayor Vigoda frantically banged on the pulpit with his gauntlet as he attempted to keep the congregation peaceful as much as possible. "Order! Order! Order!"
The woman then threw quick, sharp jabs at Hope as she dodged them quickly and she threw another incoming punch at her and struck her across the face. The woman feigned another punch before catching the young woman off guard by striking her across the face and then struck her on the other side with a powerful slap.
Hope then swung a series of swipes and punches as the two women struggled and wrestled together on the floor and very soon Mr. Drummond and Julie rushed over to the two women and pulled them off the floor and restrained them by gripping them hard on the arms. The woman thrashed and flailed her arms about as she snarled at Hope indignantly. "You will pay for this, bitch! I figured you were a little brat all along! Lee always said that you were a little brat ever since you were a little girl! It seems like you have not changed a bit, have you?"
"No, you're wrong, Bertha. I'm not the same person I was many years ago. I have a husband right here in Salem and I have a stepdaughter of my own as well. Lee might not have been the best stepmother but that did not stop me from having a good relationship with my stepdaughter. I think you're just upset that your dear older half-sister is making a huge ass of herself in public and now she's a fugitive wanted from the law."
"You are also bitter at the fact that you have never managed to become as successful as Lee has been and even after all these years you are still living in relative obscurity as a regular hair stylist back in Queens, New York. And I know you've been living in Salem for the past five years just so you could find out more about your sister's past in this town and try to figure out why she is the way she is."
"You think you know everything, Miss Williams? I don't think so. I've been up to your tricks back in Salem and I know you have been working for Stefano as Princess Gina von Amberg, stealing some of the most priceless artworks in the world, so don't you think you can take me for a fool!" Bertha snarled angrily. "Hold it right there, girls. I don't see any reason why you two should be fighting. This city is under a serious threat right now and the last thing we need is a bunch of our neighbors fighting amongst one another for the pettiest reasons. So I suggest we put this fighting aside and try to work together to survive, because any reason for hatred and ill will towards each other will be irrelevant once we fall under the cruel and vicious hands of Mr. Sanders," Julie scolded the women and Hope sighed as she turned to Bertha.
"Look, we'll settle this fight, but right now we need to work together to survive. Deal?" Hope suggested crisply an offer to Bertha, and the young woman nodded before shaking her hand as a sign of truce. "Fine, I suppose for now there is no reason for us to be fighting each other when we should be working together. I'm just trying to figure out what is my sister's legacy in this town and I'm trying to find her so we could reconcile," Bertha explained pithily. "I understand. Perhaps I can help you with that," Hope nodded in conferment as they continued to shake hands. "I would greatly appreciate that," she smiled demurely.
"Everybody, take your places! Agent Laura McKarl is entering these halls right now!" a man yelled and everyone filed back into their seats as Bertha sat down next to Hope and Hope turned her head around and smiled at her encouragingly. Renee gazed at Bertha quietly while smiling shyly at her and the young Russian Jewish woman patted her hand lightly. "Relax, little one. The FBI is not out to get us, you know," she whispered softly in her ear.
"Agent McKarl, it is a pleasure to receive you into our lovely town of Salem," Mayor Vigoda greeted her warmly as scores of FBI agents emerged into the corridors and a young female string dressed in a police officer suit and possessing short, black hair strolled into the meetinghouse in a rolling motion with a gun in hand and a sour, stern look on her face. "Top of the morning, Mr. Vigoda. I am here to screen your citizens for possible recruits in my newly formed volunteer FBI squadron. Since it appears that war might be imminent, whoever gets enlisted in this team of FBI agents are only allotted three weeks' worth of training," Laura McKarl addressed the mayor solemnly. "Three weeks? Julie, that's crazy!" Hope hissed in horror.
"Now I would like to make this quick and I do not have any ample time to waste around here since Mr. Sanders may declare war at anytime and we need to prepare as much as possible. I would like to recruit as many people as I can and I would like your opinion on which one of your fellow citizens is qualified to join my team." Mayor Vigoda scratched his chin thoughtfully before he cleared his throat and prepared to make his decision. "Well, I do have a few people in mind… I would like to recommend Miss Hope Williams to your team, since she is very capable of standing up for herself and she has worked as a police officer and a bounty hunter for some years. And I would like to recommend Doug and Julie to your team as well, if you don't mind."
"I don't mind at all; in fact, I think those are excellent candidates for my squadron. I will understand if you need to reserve your manpower to defend your town from Mr. Sanders' evil forces. Are there other people who would like to volunteer for my squadron?"
...
"I do," Bertha announced as she stood up before Laura McKarl and everyone gasped in shock and disbelief. The young FBI agent then swerved around to confront the young New Yorker and stared at her right in the eye. "You want to join my squadron? Who are you?" she interrogated her briskly. "My name is Bertha Murska. I am the younger half-sister of Lee Dumonde Carmichael and I have lived in New York for over 30 years until I came to Salem about five years ago to find out more about my sister's life here. I have not spoken to my sister in a long time and I would like to find her," Bertha explained crisply to the female federal agent.
Laura's eyes sparkled with intrigue as she sashayed over to her and glared at her fiercely. "You would like to find your sister, who is a fugitive from the law?" she repeated her words in a monotone, grave voice. "Yes I would like to find her. Even though we have had our differences and I have been extremely jealous of her because of her rare beauty and her sultry and sensuous personality, I still would like to locate her just so I could try to reconcile with her, and perhaps along the way I could reconcile her with my half-niece, Renee," Bertha continued to explain her motives before the veteran agent.
"That's very noble of you, but I would like to know if you can take on the hard and rigorous training that I provide for my potential recruits. You look spunky and feisty enough but I don't know if you got the heart and courage to take on this job," Laura remarked to her candidly. "You can bet as sure as hell that I'm qualified for this job. I am the toughest and strongest gal in New York City!" Bertha crowed proudly. "Cocky, I'm sure. I've had my share of those over the years. You are a very headstrong and free-spirited girl, that's for sure. If you think you can successfully complete your training and earn your stripes alongside me, then welcome to my team."
Bertha's jaw dropped as the younger woman held out her hand and she took it and shook it as she stared out into space, still deeply entrenched in shock. "Will that be all, ma'am?" Mayor Vigoda addressed Laura McKarl as she spun around and gazed at him. "Yes, I have everything I need, mayor. Now Hope, Doug, Julie and Bertha must pack their things as soon as they return home and by nightfall they shall depart from Salem and travel by bus, car, or whatever means they must use in order to go to my local headquarters in Chicago," Laura McKarl announced to everyone. "Chicago? Julie, that's several miles away!" Hope griped to her older half-sister. "Yeah, well, who is going to organize the militia anyway? Hope's got a pretty good idea; now we need to put it to use!" Bertha added in reply.
"Everyone will be in the militia, Miss Bertha. They will be assigned different roles and be placed in strategic locations in order to counteract any attacks instigated by Mr. Sanders' men. All of the members of the law enforcement agencies in this town will be the first line of defense and from there we will organize the other groups based on capability, strength, power, and rank. This meeting is adjourned until further notice!" Mayor Vigoda answered before slamming his gauntlet down on the pulpit, prompting everyone to spill out into the corridors and bustle towards the door in single file.
...
Hope, Renee and Bertha walked together side by side as Mr. Drummond and Maggie walked alongside Sam, Arnold and Willis as they headed towards the door. "Why were you saying all of those horrible things about my mother, Aunt Bertha? I cannot believe what you were just saying about her just several moments ago! Lee has told me that the two of you always had a close relationship," Renee snapped at Bertha in an incensed rage.
"Well, Renee, sometimes people have deep-seated problems that they just cannot seem to work out. Your mother and I had plenty of issues with each other that had been straining our relationship for many years. I was jealous of the fact that she was such a beautiful and sensational woman who always had her way with people and I was just an ugly, scrawny kid who barely had anything to offer, other than spunk and pluck. I must admit that I did not approve of some of the life style choices she had made and I also did not like some of things she has done. However, I was also envious of how she was so independent and how she was always able to do whatever she wanted without paying any mind to whatever anyone said about her."
"I guess in some strange way, even though I hated some of the awful things she did, I wanted to be her. I wanted to be as great as she was and to be just as provocative and sexual as she was; I wanted to gain much more notice and attention than she ever did. What's more, I always wanted to prove to my father that I was much more than a damn little bastard child, and that I was not somebody who is constantly stuck in her sister's shadow. My father always favored Lee a lot more than he did me; she was her favorite, the apple of her eye, the sunshine in his life. She was the legitimate child and I was the one who was the product of an extra marital affair with a Russian Jewish broad."
"Because I was a bastard child, it was almost as if I did not exist. I wanted my sister's attention more than anything; I always tagged along with her and was her constant companion. We used to play games together and we would explore some of the biggest hideout spots in our neighborhood. We would tell each other secrets and we would just tell each other some of the things that preoccupied us. She was a very good playmate and sister with me and she would take care of me and play with me when I was a little baby; it was almost as if she was my own mother."
"We were as close as can be; she loved me very much and thought the world of me. We would always hug each other tight whenever we would snuggle in bed and I would always fall asleep lying on top of her chest. I remember my father used to say to me how Lee had rushed over to me when she visited me and my mother in the maternity ward on the day of my birth and she picked me up and held me in my arms and even now I could still see her smile. I had all of the love for her in the world and she loved me just as much and I trusted her as my confidante and friend. She would always come over to me whenever she sensed that I was feeling lonely."
"Her mother never really liked me and always blamed me for the constant strain and strife in their marriage; she also thought of me as a worthless little bastard who is a constant reminder of how her husband had cheated on her with a young woman from New York and had the nerve to produce a child with her. But just the same, we always had each other and we were each other's company."
"Renee, there is something I must tell you also. I was also in love with your mother and for most of my life I have been developing feelings for her and I guess it was during my teen years that I confessed my love for her. She was shocked and appalled to find out about this and for a long time she was unable to cope with this, and we would fight constantly about my attraction towards her. I guess she was afraid about what her mother would have thought about us being together."
"But I have also suspected for some time that perhaps she might have had feelings for me too; she did not know what they were and she was not even aware of them for the longest time. I'm surprised it took an affair with a local Canadian to realize her attraction towards women. Finally I confronted her in my hair salon about my feelings for her and she became enraged and we got into a heated argument. Finally Lee struck me across the face – you know just as well as I do that she could be just as strong-willed as me – and pushed me onto the ground before she started to choke me. I spat in her eye and struck her hard across the face and she nearly recoiled from the hit."
"Lee was about to strike me again when I grabbed her hand and blocked it before I leaned into her face and kissed her softly in the lips. Lee quickly broke away from me and we just stared at each other in silence, not knowing what to do or what to say. It was not long before she said to me, 'All right, you want to go to bed with me so badly? Fine! Go ahead. But don't you dare come crying to me when my mama gives you a beating for having relations with me!' Then she bade me to come with her in her car and ride over to her house where we could have our own rendezvous while her parents were away."
...
"We drove over to our house and Lee took me inside her house and locked the door. She led me up the stairs and we walked over to her room where she locked it shut and closed down the windows to darken the room a bit. It was not long before we crawled into bed together and I lay in her arms as Lee handed me a cigarette and she took one of our own before we lit up and took some drags."
"We talked for a while about our mutual feelings for one another and we also recalled some of our favorite childhood memories and it was not long before I started to kiss her and she accepted it with a kiss of her own. It was not long before she cradled me in her arms and as we kissed deeper into our mouths, that was when we started to undress each other. As soon as we were completely nude in front of each other, I lay on top of her chest and that was when I started to neck her as I entered her slowly."
...
Renee shuddered in horror as she felt nauseous and sick to her stomach and her knees buckled and nearly gave in due to disgust and disbelief. She struggled to absorb the shocking and disturbing truth about her mother's childhood as she reflected on the severity of the information that was being passed down to her by her half-aunt.
Renee also found herself struggling to comprehend how it was possible for the bond between her mother and her half-aunt to later develop into romantic and sexual love, and these romantic feelings for each other were the center of their conflicts with each other, mainly because of Bertha's envy towards her mother's stunning and graceful beauty and her sultry and seductive charm and also because of her status as the favorite daughter of the family. Why didn't her mother tell her these things? Why did she have to find out about her mother's troubled and checkered childhood from her own half-sister?
Did Lee inherit her promiscuous and wanton tendencies from her father, or her mother, or mainly both parents? Was her grandmother's rage at her grandfather being unfaithful to her and fathering a New Yorker's child behind her back and her subsequent jealousy and resentment at his infidelity the basis for developing much of Lee's deceitful and treacherous, scheming personality later on in life? Were her feelings for her half-sister the main reason why she was so resistant towards letting her go out with Tony DiMera all these years ago, and why she was so determined to find them during the Salem Strangler crisis? Was there more to her mother's twisted and disturbed personality and her insecurity and vulnerability than she knew?
...
"Unfortunately, just as we were in the throes of passion, Lee's mother barged into her room and yanked the both of us out of bed as my older half-brother and Lee's older brother, Hollisay, stood in the doorway with a mortified and shocked look on his face. She took out her belt and started whipping and beating our bare backs before she lashed out her rage on Lee by striking and hitting her naked, tender body with the belt."
"I jumped on top of her to protect her from the welting blows but she threw me off and continued to attack her own daughter. I had to watch in stunned terror as Lee was repeatedly thrashed, belabored, and plummeted severely in relentless, devastating blows in the scarce light and as I heard her screaming and pleading to stop hitting her in the midst of her mother cursing and yelling in Russian, I could finally take it no more."
"I hurtled myself right at her mother with a loud yell and tackled her on the floor before I started to punch and clobber her in the face in a fit of rage and in a matter of minutes my father pulled me away from his wife as I screamed and protested; Mrs. Dumonde then got up from the floor and directed a cold, scathing, disapproving glare before storming out of the room with her husband in tow and slamming the door shut, leaving us alone in the dark."
"I have never seen Lee so shaken and frightened in her entire life and I could see the pain in her eyes as she hugged herself protectively and it was not long before I saw tears come out of her eyes. I moved closer to her and pulled her on the bed and cradled her close to me as I listened to her sob softly in my chest and I wiped the tears from her face. As she sniffled uncontrollably and I could feel her tremble in my arms, I kissed her on the forehead lightly and I lifted her chin up to examine her stricken and heartbroken expression and I could hear her whimper fretfully. 'You saved my life, Bertha. I cannot believe you risked your life to protect me,' she whispered in a hushed voice. 'Lee, we're sisters. We're supposed to protect each other from anyone that sought to hurt us, you know that.'"
"'Now you know that your father loves you more than me and your mother greatly despises me, so you're my only hope for companionship. I know I get insanely jealous of you because of your beauty and seductive allure, but I still love you anyway, and nothing's ever going to change that, I promise.'"
"As we lay together in each other's arms and I could hear her sobs cease gradually, I caressed her hair lightly and I stifled a choked sob from her by giving her a quick peck on the lips. As I watched her cry silently with tears running down her face, I petted her face tenderly and I snuggled close to her. 'I promise you, Lee, I will never allow anyone to touch you ever again,' I vowed solemnly and I could tell by the soft twinkle in her eyes that Lee knew I was serious. She then wrapped me tightly in her arms and I wrapped my arms around her in return as I breathed in her scent on her skin and she kissed me softly before we proceeded to go into another make-out session."
...
By this time Renee, Hope and Bertha were already standing outside of the meetinghouse with the crowd of people spilling out into the front steps and some of the citizens were now entering their vehicles to head home. Maggie, Mr. Drummond, Sam, Doug and Julie were standing near the three women while Sam was listening intently to the conversation and was greatly intrigued as his mother glared down at him disapprovingly.
"I cannot believe my grandmother could have been so cruel to Lee. How did she ever get past that, Aunt Bertha?" Renee remarked in a quiet, aghast tone. "Well, for a while, we drifted apart because she was so ashamed of what had happened and she was shunned and chastised by her own mother as being a slut and a whore and her father refused to give her any attention because he was also ashamed of what she had done. Lee was suffering from numerous emotional and mental trauma and distanced herself from her family as a way of coping with the incident."
"For many months afterward she would not even dare touch me and would lock herself up in her room and just curl up into a ball and cry. I knew she was in pain; I knew she was suffering from severe anguish because even now I could still hear her cries ring out from her room. I was at loss of what to do to comfort her; Hollisay, who was the only one to pay any mind to her, did not know what to do either. Finally I decided that I need to go into Lee's room and offer some emotional and mental support to her and that is exactly what I did."
"I entered her room and went over to Lee as I saw her curled up on the floor in a ball shivering and weeping and I sat down beside her and placed my arm around her. She glanced up to look at me and stared at me coldly for a few minutes before turning away from me. I was not having that."
"'That is quite enough, Lee. I will not put up with your sorry attitude anymore. I hate seeing you like this; you keep on avoiding me as if the sight of me distresses you and you do not even come out of your room at all except to eat with us. At least give me the decency to speak to you and give me the time of day! That's what you've always done. Don't ignore me like Pop has as if I was a mistake that he was ashamed of! Please talk to me, Lee.'"
"Lee just stared at me with a vacant yet forlorn expression and she wiped her eyes with her hand as a shudder ran down her back and she sniffled before she spoke. 'I know you love me, Bertha, and that is what pains me the most. How could I look Mama and Papa in the face ever again after what I've done? After they have walked in on us making love together? And after the way Mama screamed and raged at me with her wild, maniacal eyes and she kept on thrashing and swinging at me with her black belt?'"
"'My skin kept on stinging and smarting with every hit I took. I just can't stand it, Bertha, I just can't stand it! I just don't understand how I could have possibly gotten myself into this mess. I have never said no to you, ever; anything you asked of me I immediately complied with and when you begged me to love you like adults do, I just gave in to your desire even though a part of me resisted. It's almost like there was a stronger part of me that wanted to hold you and when we lay together in bed it just felt right.'"
"'But Mama would never approve of us being together, especially since she hates you.'"
"'Lee, I don't care about what she thinks about us. I care about your feelings and I care about you. You're a very intelligent and beautiful woman and you have a heart of gold. You've always been my favorite sibling out of the three of us.'"
"'You're my sister, regardless of whether or not we only share the same father and not the same mother. You should at least learn not to care about what people think; it's your life, not theirs. Your mama and papa are already being hypocrites by punishing you for supposedly doing something wrong when already they have been unfaithful to each other over the years. Your father had an affair with my ma and they ended up having me and your mother has slept with hundreds of scores of men as well.'"
"'I know you're hurting badly, and I know you feel you're being punished for whatever it is that you did but let me tell you this. It is not your fault what has happened between us; love just happens. Just like your mother and father and your father and my mother, we have somehow fallen for each other and we have chosen to come together and express our love for each other. So let me say this, Lee: whenever you feel strong enough to love again, and if you feel you want to spend some time with me again, come over to my apartment and we could arrange a rendezvous there. Or maybe somewhere else you would prefer.'"
...
"'Thanks, Bertha. You're the best,' Lee sniffled in a cracking, hoarse voice as she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and gazed at me with a smile, a smile that has always melted my heart. Her voice has gotten so hoarse from crying so much over the past several months and from not even talking to anyone. I motioned closer to Lee and peered into her chocolate brown eyes that had a tint of light green and I grabbed her hands suddenly as she turned away from me. I held them tightly even though I glanced down sorrowfully; I was being selfish again, putting my needs before hers. I should consider the fact that she was still sorely wounded from her mother's merciless attack on her and was still not ready to give her heart to another human being yet."
"'At least stay with me, Lee. Lie down with me for just a little while and just let your feelings out. I'll be more than happy to listen,' I pleaded with her earnestly before she turned on me with those stone-faced eyes and she nodded slightly with pursued lips. We stood up on our feet and I immediately began undressing as Lee looked on in horror. 'What are you doing?' she asked me plaintively. 'Come with me to the bed. I'll protect you this time and I'm not letting any of your parents walk in on us,' I answered assuring as I beckoned her to undress as well and she obeyed."
"Very soon we were standing in the darkened room naked in our purest form and Lee dashed over to the door and locked it shut before strolling back to me. 'Okay, let's head to bed,' I instructed her and we soon climbed into bed together and our bodies intertwined as we lay together. I shivered as I felt my warm skin press together against hers and I saw that she was caressing my hair tenderly. We lit up our cigarettes and began to smoke together as we cuddled in bed and I could see that Lee's eyes were beginning to droop since she seemed to be falling asleep. I removed the cigarette from her mouth and extinguished hers and mine in the ash tray before I wrapped my arms around her and I kissed her tenderly in the lips and I could feel her lips brush softly against mine."
"'I love you,' I heard her whisper as she lay in bed with her eyes closed and I laid my head softly against the pillow and it was not long before we fell fast asleep in each other's arms. We carried on our secret affair for many more years, as Lee's parents proceeded to have another child, this time a girl named Miska; every night after we ate dinner with my parents we would go up to our rooms, get undressed, crawl into bed, and just lie together in bed and talk for hours and in between those intervals we would sleep together. We held on to each other more than ever and our bond grew stronger by the day. Lee's heart began to heal from the torturous pain that her mother had inflicted on her and she became bolder and daring in her love for me and as the days passed she opened herself up more to me and gave her heart freely. I have never loved anyone so passionately as I did her."
...
"But why did you become estranged from Lee? What happened that made you two not speak to each other for years?" Renee piped in inquisitively. Strangely, Hope was completely absorbed in the sad and poignantly tragic tale and had not even bothered to ask any questions about her former stepmother, instead preferring to process and comprehend the information given to her. "Your father happened, Renee. He happened to see an ad out on the street that my father posted for Lee and he came over to our house and asked us if we had any beautiful girls to offer. He was already established as the big mafia boss of Italy and he was searching for more recruits to work for him."
"The two of us came right downstairs and we were presented before the big master and Lee immediately caught Stefano's eye. I could tell that he was very interested in her and I was furious that he barely even noticed me, just because I looked scrawny and weak, not to mention skinny. It was not long before our father negotiated the price range with Stefano and after over an hour and a half decided on $150,000 as the final price. My father agreed and Stefano drafted up a contract and had him sign it as well. Before the day was over I was informed that Lee was to leave for Italy that very night and by daybreak she would be on a plane to Stefano's famous lair."
"I had never felt so infuriated in my life; I thought it was a great injustice that I had to be picked over her; she was the legitimate child, she was the prettiest, the sexist, the most provocative, the most desirable… you probably know what I'm talking about, right?" Renee nodded wordlessly with a wide-eyed expression and Bertha continued to speak with a sigh. "And she was my father's favorite, of all of his daughters, even though she was more or less the middle child. I could not take it anymore. Lee had taken so much away from me and I felt it was time I fought for what was rightfully mine."
"That night I stormed right into her room just as she was finishing packing her things and I openly confronted her. I started accusing her of stealing my father's attention away from me, then alienating him from me and causing both her mother and my mother to hate and despise me, then seducing me into making love to her; I also accused her of a lot of other things, including constantly trapping me in her shadow, upstaging me with her beauty, sensuality and allure, and destroying my pride by making me stigmatized by my status as a bastardized child. Lee was infuriated at my allegations and once again we got into a heated argument back and forth, flinging all sorts of claims and accusations at each other and exchanging insults and catty, acerbic barbs."
"I also called her a number of choice names – and I still remember one name I called her in particular – and I even called her a streetwalker, a whore, a slut, a prostitute, and a paid escort who is prostituting herself to a foreigner just so we could bring in some extra money into the house. Lee called me an ugly duckling and the most hideous and fearsome monster she had ever seen and she even had the nerve to say I looked like a camel or even a horse!"
"We argued for over two more hours and finally Lee told me to get out of her room and to never speak to her again nor see her face anymore and she threw me out of her room. I walked over to my room in tears as Lee continued to pack her belongings. Around midnight, she came over to my room and stood over me as I lay in my bed crying. I looked up and I saw her glaring at me with cold, hateful eyes. She then told me that she was upset and furious at all of the horrible things I said in her face and will never forgive me unless I apologize to her first. In a fit of rage, I spat in her face, flung a pillow right at her face, and tossed a small white slip containing my phone number at her before walking away from me. I glared at her from a distance as we stood there in cold silence."
...
"'I loved you, Bertha. I loved you with all my heart. I came to you with my heart open and I gave myself completely to you. I repeatedly disobeyed my parents by sleeping around with you so many times I could not even count, and this is how you thank me? For all of the things I've done for you?'"
"'I would rot in my grave before you even come crawling on your knees begging for forgiveness. It will take me a little while to forgive you, my dear sister. I cannot forgive a betrayal like this, at least not now. Perhaps I will someday but now I want you out of my sight and never come back, ever! Do you hear me, Bertha?'"
"'Get out of my fucking room, Lee! Now, before I throw you out myself! OUT!' And I watched Lee pick up her suitcase and head over to the doorway before huffing at me and I watched her disappear downstairs before I heard her footsteps gradually recede until I heard them no more. She said goodbye to Hollisay and her baby sister and also to her parents, her mother in an aloof manner, and very soon she departed from the house, got into a taxi, and drove away from the house forever."
"That was a day I care not to remember, Renee. When your mother left I was devastated; my heart was broken and bleeding in four places and for months I was inconsolable. I refused to come out of my room or even go out because I was severely depressed. The next 10-20 years for me were a blur; I watched Hollisay grow, mature and move out of the house and I saw my remaining half-sister grow up before my eyes."
"My world became dreary and dull and every day I lounged around the house mulling and crying over how I had ruined a relationship with one of the most precious and treasured people of my entire life and I regretted every horrible thing I had directed at her. I wished then and I still wish now that I could have taken back everything I've said; then maybe she would still be with me."
"She probably would have still left, but at least I could have kept up constant correspondence with her. By the time I decided to return to New York to live with my mother and work at a local hair salon, my other half-sister Miska had come of age and my father was preparing to sell her off to a prospective buyer too. Before I left the Soviet Union for good, I told my sister to take care of herself and to wish her good luck. I got on a plane to New York, which took a couple of days, and once I arrived in the country showed all of the necessary documentation to federal authorities to prove that I legally arrived in the country and that I was not a spy working for the USSR and I took a taxi cab over to my mother's apartment in Queens and stayed with her."
"I got a job at one of the best hair salons in town and I earned a good deal of money but my thoughts always turned to Lee and I often wondered to myself how she was doing for all of these years. Then, in 1981, I came across a phone book and browsed through some names before I found her name. I was so excited at having found her phone number and I realized that it was listed in Salem. So, when I finished my shift for the night, I dialed her number and waited for an answer and it was not long before I got a response. Lee sounded very angry and irritable and upon hearing my voice nearly exploded in a fit of rage."
"I got the sense that somehow she was not happy with her lot in life and I asked her what was wrong. Lee calmed down after a few moments and started to lament on how her boyfriend back in France had died and she had arrived in Salem to inherit his fortune; she ended up marrying his half-brother and after he discovered what she was doing, filed for divorce, ditched her, and ended up remarrying his previous wife."
"Somehow I knew that Lee was hiding something and I quickly demanded that she tell me the truth, which she reluctantly complied. I immediately began shouting and yelling at her at how she could have been so stupid and so foolish as to get her in such serious trouble in a little town like Salem, and Lee started firing back at me angrily and very soon we were in a heated argument. Frustrated and fed up, I slammed the phone down on the receiver and abruptly hung up on her; we did not speak to each other for two more weeks."
"The truth was, I really missed her very much and I really wanted to speak to her again, so I left three voice messages for her, requesting her to talk to me. Lee eventually called back after a while and she was just as relieved to find someone to talk to as I was, especially since she was the most hated woman in Salem, which really upset me. She admitted that she was still angry at me for my insensitive comments and insults towards her and I was just as upset at her as well; however, we both wanted to try to patch things up and be like real sisters again before we could even try to resume our romantic relationship."
"So we set up a weekly correspondence; Lee would call me about her daily misadventures in Salem and all of the crazy things she did while I would chide and reproach her to be more careful. At first she would lash out at me for even scolding her but after a while she brushed it aside and just bore it for the sake of our fragile and volatile relationship. Even though our relationship had a long way to go to what it used to be, we were beginning to become comfortable with each other again and even I began to anticipate her weekly calls."
"Before I knew it, I was beginning to fall in love with her all over again, and she with me too, albeit a lot more slowly. But one day she called me earlier than expected and informed me that she had to leave town because you found out that she was your mother through a diary…"
...
"Oh yeah, I remember that. I have to remind you you're not the only one who had some sort of grudge against her," Renee interjected lucidly. "Anyways, she told me that she loved me and she would give anything to be in my arms again, even forgive me for my cruel and inconsiderate remarks on the night she was to leave for Italy. Lee also told me that on many of her lonely nights she would dwell on the memories she used to share with me and she would recall many of our sexual encounters, including the day that I brought her out of her state of depression. Lee also informed me that if I was willing to apologize for what I said to her, then she would be willing to forgive me as well and whenever we would reunite again we would start a new beginning in our relationship."
"She also said, 'I love you.' To me before she blew a kiss over the phone and that was when she hung up. After that, I never heard from her ever again but I would acquire updates of her daily exploits over the years, including when she fled Canada on that robbery charge. If you have any questions about my relationship with your mother, you are free to ask. Besides, you're old enough to understand the special bond we both share with one another."
...
Renee sighed and shook her head. "Let's just head home, Bertha and help you pack your things before you head to Chicago with Doug and Julie," she informed Bertha. Then she glimpsed briefly at Sam and gawked at the sight of him. "You were listening in on our conversation?" she yelled in panic. "We were waiting for you two to finish. It seems that Miss Lee Dumonde had a very interesting, sordid life and we could not help but overhear," Maggie McKinney explained in a crisp tone.
"Oh great," Renee groaned and Doug and Julie came over to the gang. "Mr. Drummond, would you like to ride home with us?" Doug proposed an offer to Mr. Drummond. "No thank you, Mr. Williams. We already have a hotel room reserved for us, but thanks for offering us room and board anyway," Mr. Drummond politely turned down his offer. "So Doug, Julie, Hope and Bertha are heading to Chicago to undergo FBI training to prepare to fight some goons of Mr. Sanders?" Willis importuned Mr. Drummond inquisitively. "I'm afraid so, Willis. Now in the meantime we must be hospitable towards our hosts and be kind to them, especially since their town is under threat by outside forces," Mr. Drummond sighed as he rubbed his temples slowly.
"Whatcha talkin' about, Mr. D?" Arnold inquired curiously, uttering his famous catchphrase. "Well, you don't have to stay at the hotel. You could stay at Renee's house for a while if you like and we'll commission Alice to look after you," Doug suggested placidly. "And I'll bring you boys some delicious cookies and donuts," Alice Horton added sweetly. "Cookies and donuts? Oh boy!" Sam squealed in delight.
"He is such an adorable, cute, sweet child, Mrs. McKinney. I would be more than happy to provide for him," Alice Horton chuckled cheerfully. "Well, if there isn't any trouble for you to support the six of us…" Maggie quipped tentatively. "Oh, no, no, no… It's no trouble at all. We have not had any visitors to our lovely city for God knows how many years. I will take good care of you, I'll make sure of that. And Renee will watch over your little boy as well," Alice reassured her confidentially.
"Phillip, is it really prudent for us to pack our bags, check out of the hotel, and move into someone else's home on such short notice?" Maggie McKinney inquired her husband anxiously. "I don't see why not. We really should take up their offer; they might be able to protect us. Besides, they might take over the hotel and eventually capture us if Salem were to be invaded, God forbid," Mr. Drummond replied to her earnestly. "Ah, man!" Arnold grumbled while crossing his arms with a sour expression. "Do we have to move out again?" "Yes, Arnold, we are going to have to move out again. We are going to stay with Renee for a while and hopefully we will be able to weather out the invasion," Maggie McKinney retorted sharply to her adoptive stepson.
"Will we be able to get back to New York?" Willis implored his father anxiously. "Son, I really have no answer to that. We don't know if this city would survive by the end of this year. However, the important thing is to have faith in God and pray that we will get through this crisis and also to have faith in yourselves too. You are much more than you seem," Mr. Drummond informed his children.
"All this talk of lesbianism, incestuous sex, invasions by tyrannical governments, and having to move out of hotels make me really hungry. I want some Southern fried spaghettios," Sam piped in suddenly. Pearl chuckled before replying to Alice Horton, "That's his favorite thing to eat in the whole wide world." "I can imagine that," Alice grinned with a chuckle. "Then it's settled. Alice, we will meet you at Renee's place in a couple of hours and we will head back to the hotel to pack up our things," Mr. Drummond announced his decision.
"Excellent! Renee and I will set up the guest rooms once we arrive back home and we will prepare some accommodations to ensure that you will be comfortable during your whole stay," Alice ejaculated in a hospitable reply. "Are you and Renee living together?" Mr. Drummond inquired curiously. "Of course; I'm keeping her company because I don't want her to be lonely. I am so glad that you are staying with us; Renee needs to be out more and socialize with people, you know," Alice answered serenely. "Perhaps before Doug and Julie leave for Chicago maybe we ladies can sit down and chat over coffee," Maggie McKinney added.
"Come on, children. We must head back to the hotel and pick up our belongings before we go to Renee's house," Mr. Drummond instructed his children and Sam, Arnold and Willis nodded and the family started to walk away from the meetinghouse. Sam waved goodbye to his new friends as Doug, Julie, Hope, Renee, Bertha, and Alice waved back to the red-haired little boy.
It was not long before the Drummonds vanished off into the horizon and the crowds were getting thinner and thinner; as the front steps of the building gradually became empty and Laura McKarl and her team had disappeared from the town, Marlena and Liz came over to the gang and Doug's eyes swept over his friends.
"It appears we have a new member of our inner circle; she is Lee's half-sister and regardless of any salacious connections the two may have shared and whatever Lee might have done to any of us, I would like for you to be nice to her and make herself feel more welcome with us. I hope you would be able to help us fight for Salem's freedom, Bertha."
Bertha nodded as she glanced briefly at the man who had been married to her half-sister, her half-brother-in-law at one point, and all eyes pointed to Marlena. "Bertha, if there is anything you would like to share with me about Lee, then I would be more than happy to help you. I would also be more than happy to provide any insight into your sister's life here," Marlena said to Bertha pithily.
"Thanks, Marlena. Is it all right if I can talk with you privately when we get back home?" Bertha replied gratefully. "Sure; let's help you get packing right away," Marlena nodded and everyone walked over to their respective vehicles and entered them before they slammed their doors shut, started their engines and sped off into the quiet streets. Sometime later, Doug and Julie were in their room packing their clothes into their suitcases while Bertha was sitting in a sofa chair with her suitcase standing next to her and she was smoking a cigarette with Marlena sitting a few feet away from her. Bertha took in a long drag and gazed solemnly at Marlena before she sighed and rubbed her temples exasperatedly.
"I don't believe this, Marlena. I cannot believe I just revealed my whole secret relationship with my own half-sister in front of everybody, including you, Doug and Julie. I don't even know what they're thinking of me right now. They must think I'm some sort of sick person who likes to sleep with her blood relatives, especially her half-sister. And to think Lee was married to Doug…" Bertha's voice trailed off as she inhaled another puff of the cigarette and Marlena nodded in consideration as she observed the young woman meticulously.
"I think from what you have told Renee that you and Lee were born into a very dysfunctional family. Your father was very emotionally distant and was not very affectionate towards you perhaps because he was ashamed of the fact that he cheated on his wife with your mother. And Lee's mother greatly resented and despised you because you were a constant reminder of how her husband had brutally betrayed her in a moment of weakness and you were a blemish in her otherwise idyllic family life. Your mother was no better, I suppose?"
"I'm afraid so; even though she did love me and was willing to keep me even though my father refused to take any part in helping her raise me, she was devastated at the fact that he walked out on her and ended their relationship shortly after my birth and mainly ignored me, which was why I ended up going to my father's house a lot. My mother mostly neglected me and I had to learn how to take care of myself and teach myself all of the skills I needed to know, including using taekwondo," Bertha answered in conferment.
"Well then, it seems that there were no adults in your life that were willing to help support your emotional development, and since there was a clear lack of a male presence in your life, with your father paying little to no attention to you, you immediately turned to Lee as your main source of emotional support, and from there you developed a strong and close bond. I don't find that surprising, especially since you are around the same age, and I don't fault you for anything that has happened between you."
"Sometimes these things happen and people need the company of others in order to survive, and Lee was with you from the very beginning. And I think Lee had some internal struggle with her feelings towards you that has stemmed from the merciless beating that her mother had inflicted on her, and I know because she came to me while your half-niece was out of town with her stepbrother. She was very desperate to find her because she was afraid that she and Tony might have been carrying on an affair."
"I think this is due to her feelings of shame and guilt that she must have developed from perceiving her mother's sharp disapproval of your unusual relationship. I can only wish she was here so I can tell her of my assessment of your psychological struggles together in childhood. I respect the bond that you two share and as grown, mature adults I wish not to interfere and let you solve out your differences if possible. It seems that you have some strong lesbian tendancies and you have a very consistent attraction to your sister, and she has loved you as well, even though she would often struggle with her feelings; it seems that you neither seemed to have married nor had children."
"Neither of those things has ever interested me to tell you the truth, Marlena. All I wanted to do was spend my days working in a hair salon and work on my secret dreams and ambitions; you could say I'm more of a career woman more than anything else, but at the same time I want Lee back in my life. I want to tell her how I feel about her and I want more than anything else in the world to be with her again, to hold her in my arms, to lie down with her and to be by her side no matter what," Bertha confessed frankly. "So you do love her with all your heart?" Marlena importuned her inquisitively and Bertha nodded in response.
Marlena then took a sip of her coffee before reclining in her seat. "I can only say this, Bertha. You must follow your heart and listen to what it tells you. Even though no one has any idea where she could be, chances are you might, since you know her a lot more than any of us do, even Renee and Doug. Let your heart guide you and listen closely to what it tell you; soon enough you'll be able to find her and hopefully you'll have a chance to reconcile with her. You two have such a special relationship that I don't think it is worth throwing away over some stupid dispute over Stefano, and believe me, I know what a horrific bastard he is."
"But how can I fight out there on the battlefields of America? Who am I actually going to fight?" Bertha fretted nervously. "You'll fight all kinds of people, Bertha. You will find many villains that will try to screw you on purpose, but there might be some of them that are willing to betray their comrades in order to help the heroic cause. I don't think you should worry about your ability to fight. You seem to be a very strong, resilient and determined woman and as such I'm sure you'll do fine."
"It takes a lot of courage for someone your age to actively volunteer to join an FBI squad that is dedicated to fighting many members of Mr. Sanders' regime and anyone remaining from his father's regime. Take heart and do not lose your courage; you're going to need it." Bertha nodded and reclined slowly into her chair and as she did so, her mind drifted into memories of long ago.
...
In one of those memories dating from her childhood, she saw a skinny, scrawny little girl chasing after an older little girl with dark mahogany skin and jet black, raven hair tied in a black ribbon and the younger girl tackled her older female companion before they rolled together down a bunny hill shrieking with laughter and landed on top of each other down the embankment in a fit of giggles. The curly haired little girl peered into her older playmate's eyes lovingly and Bertha could feel her heart skip a beat before she heard the words that brought a smile to her face: "I love you, Lee."
"I love you too, Bertha," the dark skinned young Russian girl replied back in a seductive whisper and one again she saw a light green spark reflected in her eyes and Bertha saw her younger self give a peck on the cheek before she giggled briefly and lay down beside her. As the young Bertha gazed into Lee's eyes and started to fall more in love with her sensuality and seductive allure, Bertha's thoughts were abruptly interrupted and she muttered to herself, "I'll find you, Lee, even if it takes the rest of my life, but I'll still spend every day possible looking for you and I will not give up until I have you in my arms again."
...
"I cannot believe this, Julie. How could this be? Lee? A lesbian? How can someone even fathom that possibility? I never thought that she would be so strongly attracted to women. Do I have to worry about her seducing you away from me now?" Doug rambled on nervously as he continued to fold his attire and place them carefully in neat little stacks in his suitcase and Julie sighed as she closed her suitcase and zipped it closed before glancing at her husband.
"Doug, I thought I was the one who had to worry about her stealing you. Do you really think she would possibly try to steal me from you? I don't think so; she's only attracted to certain types of women, and you know that," Julie retorted crisply as Doug was finishing up packing his belongings. "Yeah, that is possible; she is only attracted to certain types of women that we cannot even pinpoint but I still cannot get over that. I've been married to her for some time and she never showed any signs what-so-whatever that she even had an inclination towards women! And I thought I figured everything out about this woman," Doug moaned apprehensively.
"Doug, Doug, Doug; everyone finds out what their true sexual orientation is at different points in their lives. Some people do not know they might have feelings for the same sex until they have already married and borne children or even later on in their lives. Look at Ellen DeGeneres. She revealed to the world that she was gay just by doing an episode on her show. And that cover on TIME magazine?"
Doug rolled his eyes at her persistent comments and paced around the room pondering the latest information he had learned about his ex-wife. "I still don't understand how Lee did not run around with women as well as men while she was in Salem. What on earth was she doing with that Chelsea van Buren woman anyway for all of those years? And why was she selling herself to prospective men in Seattle, Washington like she was a prostitute? Was she really unable to find any other job?"
"Doug, you heard what Bertha said. She was ashamed of herself and her feelings for her half-sister after she was caught in bed with her by her parents. How would you feel if your parents were to catch you in bed with someone? Now the only possible reason why no one suspected she might have had feelings for women was that maybe she felt deep shame and guilt about them and probably thought she was going to get further backlash by the townspeople if anyone were to find out her secret. I would not blame her; she was raised in a traditional family that would not allow such ideas."
"She was raised in a dysfunctional family with numerous mental and emotional health problems," Doug shot back in a fiery rejoinder. "I'm fairly certain that the unsavory behavior of her parents must have influenced her somehow. I think one of the main reasons why she had a sexual relationship with her half-sister was not only because she loved her, but it was also because she wanted to rebel against her parents. She was devoted to her and trusted her completely."
"I don't completely dismiss the possibility of Lee being bisexual; I guess it's because we live in a small town and we are not accustomed to such ideas. Doug, I'm sorry you have to find out this way, but it's the way of the world now. Maybe Lee did not confess to you that she might be bisexual because she thought that by doing so she would forfeit her right to inherit Byron's fortune," Julie suggested speculatively.
Doug spun around to gawk at his wife in astonishment, his jaw gaping with a stupefied expression on his face. "You really think that, Julie?" "Would you have cut her out of the fortune if you knew then that she was a bisexual?" Julie persisted with her questions. "Well, I would definitely cut her off of every penny I ever earned for several other reasons but certainly not for that. Either way I would have divorced her; if she wanted to run away with… say, Marlena for instance, I would have told her to get the hell out."
"You know we are having a very strange conversation about a certain little vixen that has been trying to destroy our marriage for years. I guess we didn't know Lee as well as we thought we did, including you," Julie commented wryly. "Jesus Christ," Doug groaned as he continued to pace around the room and he strolled back to his suitcase and packed the last of his belongings. Then once he and Julie had finished packing their stuff, the couple sat down on the edge of their bed together and Julie placed her hand on Doug's shoulder sympathetically as she gazed at him. "Doug, would you throw me out of the house too if you were to find out that I was a lesbian?" she questioned him innocently.
Doug whirled around and cast her a blank stare at this particularly odd question. "Julie, why would you ask me a strange question like that?" "Tell me the truth, Doug. Would you have divorced me if I were to confess to you that I was a lesbian?" Julie asked him again. "No, Julie, I would never do that; I've known you for many years. I know that event is unlikely to happen."
"If you were a lesbian, you should have told me that a long time ago. Besides, I love you and I will never leave you, because together we will face Mr. Sanders' hellish army and we will fight for the sanctity of our land, untrained or not." He kissed her lightly and grabbed his suitcase as he walked through the bedroom before beckoning her to follow him. "Come on; Marlena will escort us to the airport and we should catch our flight or we'll miss it. We'll talk more about this on the way over there." Julie grinned and she raced over to her husband with her suitcase in hand and together they walked through the hallway and descended down the stairs to meet their guests.
...
Marlena and Bertha were drinking coffee together and were sitting quietly in the living room when Bertha suddenly put her cup down and looked at her new friend. "Marlena, you seem extremely calm with this. I thought you were going to freak out about the fact that I have been having a sexual relationship with my half-sister from the time that we were teenagers, especially since you are good friends with my half-niece. Renee seemed very startled and shocked to hear the truth."
"Well, Lee had not been very honest with Renee and to hear that Lee was not her sister must have been extremely hard to take. And to hear that her mother was a bisexual who carried on an incestuous affair with one of her half-siblings makes it even harder to cope with her mother's past choices. I have every reason to believe that her mother was very influential in her life and had very high expectations for her daughter, especially since she was her parents' pride and joy," Marlena explicated her thoughts towards Bertha. "Yeah, you're right. Mrs. Dumonde loved her daughter more than me and she took great pride in teaching her all she knew, including several tricks on how to seduce and sleep with men."
"I remember my father said to me once that the day Lee was born was one of the best days of his life. He was pleased at what a beautiful and stunning baby she was and he wanted to give her a strong yet beautiful name, so she was named Lee." "Well then, what did her name mean?" Marlena inquired curiously. "Well, the name Lee meant forest clearing or meadow, while Bertha meant bright or famous. Pretty ironic for someone who has been shunned by her family for most of her life, huh?" Bertha scoffed bitterly. "Well, you must have lived up to your name somewhat. I've heard that there is a legend of the White Lady who would slip into nurseries and watch over the children as their mothers slept."
"I'm sure that you were very motherly to Lee, especially since you helped her cope for her feelings for you." "No, she was like a mother to me more than anything else. I would give anything to be with her again," Bertha disagreed while shaking her head. "You really care about her, don't you?" Marlena retorted. "Yes, I do love her. She's my soul mate and my best friend. I know we've had plenty of disagreements before and we would jump at each other's throats, but she is still my sister and I'll do anything to find her," Bertha declared boldly.
"Your loyalty towards Lee is very strong. I admire your dedication and love towards her; you are lucky to have a sister like her. I wish we knew more about her caring and loving side," Marlena remarked wondrously. "How would you know about this? You don't even have anyone as far as I'm concerned," Bertha snapped angrily. "I know how you feel about your sister and I understand the personal struggles you two went through. It is very common for sisters to fight for a variety of reasons and for tensions to run high between them."
"It's part of the unique bond they have. I should know; I once had a sister too." Bertha dropped her cup of coffee on the table and stared at her in cold silence. She did not move a muscle for several moments and struggled to find the nerve to speak. "You had a sister? Whatever happened to her? Did you guys get estranged or something?" Bertha retorted inquisitively.
"Well, her name was Samantha and she was my twin sister. Many years ago she came to Salem in order to take my place as a psychiatrist and she wanted to become an actress. She struggled a lot with drugs and alcohol and she was jealous of me because I was very successful in my career and she was struggling to get by. I guess now if you think about it, it's fairly similar to you and Lee. You were jealous of Lee because she was more beautiful and striking than you were and she possessed a lot of qualities that you lacked, and that made you inferior towards her."
"Anyways, I guess her jealousy got the better of her and one day she kidnapped me and had me shipped out to Bayview Sanitarium. After I was committed to the sanitarium, Samantha took over my identity and my job and impersonated me for a while. I sought my fiancé Don Craig's help and I attempted to escape from the sanitarium several times, but Samantha would always foil my plans by insisting to Don that my phone calls were fake. Finally, Samantha fouled up her schemes by dumping my fiancé and leaving Salem to pursue an acting career; he became suspicious enough to enlist Laura's help and eventually they found me in Bayview and caught up to Samantha; it was then that she confessed to everything she did and she was transported to a sanitarium in Colorado where she stayed."
"But eventually I went over to see her and the two of us reconciled our differences and patched things up. I'm glad I did, because a couple of years later she was killed by the Salem Strangler with me as the intended target. However… she did star in a lot of television shows and obtain plenty of acting gigs once she got back to Salem and she even received a kidney transplant. It goes to show you that if you give someone a chance, you might be able to repair your relationship. And another thing: she was my younger twin sister, so I also know how you feel about Lee being the most successful one."
"No wonder you're such a good friend to Renee; you are such an understanding and compassionate person," Bertha remarked in awe. "That's why I'm here, Bertha. That's why I'm a psychiatrist in this town," Marlena smiled sweetly. "Okay, ladies. We must be going or we'll miss our flight," Doug interjected as he and Julie materialized on the landing of the stairs. "Okay, Bertha; I guess we'll be heading to our car then. Come along now," Marlena declared and she sauntered over to the door and opened it before letting the rest of the gang exit the home. She then flicked off the light switch, got out of the house and closed the door, leaving the house dark and quiet.
...
As the four adults ambled over to the car, a gang of DOV agents jumped out of the blue and aimed their machine guns at the adults. "Everybody, run!" Doug shouted at the top of his lungs as he pulled Julie away from the car and they bounded towards the bushes towards their next door neighbor's house, with Marlena and Bertha trailing after them. Bertha brandished out a shotgun and fired a couple of shots at the DOV agents as she ran, causing a couple of the agents to duck to evade the bullets. "Holy shit! Who was that?" commented one of the DOV agents. "Dunno. Must be Lee Dumonde's half-sister or something. The boss says that her name is Bertha Murska. Very high strung and feisty bitch if you ask me."
"Rumors are swirling around that she and Lee had a thing going way, way back and the town never even knew about it," his comrade replied crisply. "You think Stefano knows about this? That Lee's own sister is teaming up with those Salemites to stand against Mr. Sanders?" the DOV agent quipped sassily. "I don't know, and I'm not about to ask," his comrade answered with a hint of a scoff in his voice. "Well, we better stop Mr. Doug Williams and his friends from reaching Chicago. Who knows what Agent Laura McKarl and her ragtag squad of FBI agents might be doing over there to overthrow our lord and king Mr. Sanders."
"Jeez, do you remember the last time we had a king in this country? Mr. Banders gave up everything he ever had just so he could be with this old lady actress and then we had King Simon and Queen Medea for a while, until a couple of crooks decided to assassinate the both of them." "Yeah, you're right about that. Damn that was a really crazy year. And I thought Mr. Banders was a crazy asshole. But now I think his son is even worse."
"Yeah, no shit," his companion scoffed with a sarcastic laugh. "Come on, we better stop those heroes or else Stefano will have our asses cooked on the spit in his fucking lair," the DOV agent urged his partner and the rest of the group dashed out after Doug and his friends and proceeded to fire after them once again in a hail of bullets. Doug soon reached an abandoned SUV and fished out his keys before he unlocked the car and hopped into the driver's seat; he then turned to Julie and patted the passenger's seat to beckon her to sit with him.
"Doug? Are you crazy? We're stealing someone else's car! We could get arrested!" Marlena admonished him firmly as she spun around and saw the DOV agents advancing towards them with machine guns cocking. "Well, this is wartime, and we must do whatever we can to survive. Come on, get in the car!" Doug answered informatively and he yanked his wife into the vehicle and sat her down on the passenger seat as Marlena and Bertha jumped into the back and slammed the door shut; Julie also slammed the door shut as she and her husband put on their seat belts.
Marlena and Bertha also put on their seat belts as Doug adjusted the rear view mirror and looked over his shoulder as he put his right arm on the arm of the driver's seat as he began to pull out of the driveway. But then Julie saw Roman and Bo racing after the departing car and she tapped Doug's shoulder to get his attention. "Doug! Doug! Stop for at least one second! We got the Bradys coming!" she yelled urgently. "Oh, goddamn it," Doug sighed in exasperation and he turned around and gestured for Marlena to open the door; as soon as she opened it, Roman and Bo leaped into the car and the women moved over for the men to sit down. Doug then backed out of the driveway and sped into the streets as the DOV agents hijacked the Williamses' vehicle and drove off after them.
"Shit! We have federal agents trailing after us and now there's going to be a big shootout right here in Salem!" Marlena grumbled as she stared down at the floor, barely acknowledging Roman and Bo. She then focused her attention on Bertha and gawked at her with an astounded expression. "And you… you were so badass out there, Bertha. You were shooting at the DOV agents as if it were nothing. You are pretty handy at using guns; how did you learn how to use them?"
"Oh, it's long story short; I used to practice with guns all the time when I was in New York; one of my favorite places to go in the summertime was to a firing range in the Catskills. I would shoot off targets and I would knock off every target you can imagine. I also toyed a lot with weapons while I lived in the Soviet Union with the Dumonde family. I would watch my father clean and tinker with his rifles for hours and I would be fascinated with them."
...
"I remember one day I snuck into his workshop and I made off with one of his rifle before running off into the woods and starting to shoot deer, elk, and moose with it. Of course, Lee being the concerned older sister, noticed that her father's gun was missing and went after me in the woods, knowing that I had been eyeing it for quite some time and was vying for it so badly. When she finally caught up with me in the forest, well you can imagine her surprise when I pointed the rifle at her and nearly shot her. She was so frightened at the sight of the rifle and I felt so guilty at scaring her so much that I vowed that I would immediately return home with the rifle and I would put it back where it was before her parents were to find out, mostly my father."
"And so we journeyed back home and when we entered the house, we were surprised to find our parents and our brother Hollisay sitting in the living room waiting for us. Lee immediately stood up for me and begged her parents to spare me on the basis that I was only curious and wanted to play with the gun. Well, you can imagine how furious her father was with her and with me and he walked up to me, grabbed the rifle from me, cast it aside, and grabbed the two of us and proceeded to spank us both simultaneously. After that we banished us to our rooms and forbade us from eating supper that night. I had to comfort and soothe as she sat there on her bed crying all night."
"It was only then that my father was motivated to spend at least some time with me and the next day he went up to me and apologized for his behavior and offered to take me out into the woods to learn how to hunt. I nodded and I went out of the house and into the forest and for the rest of the day my father taught me the basics of using a rifle and also how to be an efficient hunter. Long story short, if he had not taught me how to be a good hunter, I would have not been able to save your asses today." "Holy shit, was that a true story?" Bo remarked in astonishment. "Of course it's a true story, bub. Would I be lying to ya if it ain't?" Bertha growled belligerently.
...
"Sorry," Bo apologized as he backed down from her, seeing that she was preparing to fight him. "You know, that "bub" you were talking to happens to be my son-in-law; he is married to my daughter Hope," Doug sternly informed her. "I never thought I'd say this, but lady you got pawned that time," Marlena chuckled good-naturedly. Bertha just growled detestfully.
"So we have bodyguards to protect us?" she ventured curiously. "Yes we have bodyguards to protect us. Why do you think my ex-husband and Bo are sitting here in the first place?" Marlena answered tartly. "He's your ex-husband?" Bertha exclaimed as she pointed at Roman, at which he tipped his hat politely towards her. "Yes he's my ex-husband and I'm not about to explain how the hell that happened," Marlena sighed petulantly as she rolled her eyes.
...
Just then a shower of bullets pelted through the car and everyone in the car ducked as Doug swerved away from an oncoming car. "Ah, shit! The agents are shooting at us again!" Bertha snarled angrily as she turned towards the back window and shot back along with Roman and Bo. "How the hell did I ever get into this crazy family?" Doug muttered under his breath as Julie tapped him slightly across the head. "Drive, goddamn it!" she yelled and Doug barreled out of the neighborhood as they cruised through the highway in the dark of night.
"I'll take care of this," Bo growled to himself as he bit off the pin from a grenade and tossed it over the car window as it landed on the hood of the DOV agents' limousine. "Ahhh, f…" the DOV agent started to say but then the limousine combusted into a fiery inferno and shards of metal and glass flew through the air as it crashed into nearby stores and some of them went up in flames. One of the huge chunks of metal hurtled right into another car and the male driver screamed in terror before his vehicle exploded into a fiery blast and he was incinerated to death. Marlena watched with her mouth gaping open and Bertha closed it shut for her as she peered around the seats looking for more DOV agents to kill.
"Holy shit, Bo. We just killed off a couple of DOV agents," Roman laughed, pleased with his work. "And you just caused one of the drivers out here on the streets to be burned alive," Marlena sobbed in horror. "I know it's awful, honey, but we have to do this. This is war and in war we must fight off the enemy with all we've got," Roman reassured her calmly and sympathetically as Marlena nodded numbly.
Just then a loud rumbling of thunder boomed in the air as a crack of lightning gave off a mauve, ultraviolet hue in the otherwise dark and ominous sky. "Oh great, now we're going to have a really bad thunderstorm. And from the looks of those clouds illuminated by the lightning they don't look very good," Doug observed wryly. "Look out!" Bertha yelled as a missile was hurtling right for them and Doug veered out of its path to avoid being hit and accelerated his speed to avoid having the DOV agents catch up with them.
Unfortunately, the missile smashed into another car that was driving along the road and the driver screamed before he completely vanished into a ball of flames; as the demolished and incinerated car lay there in a burning heap, a squadron of police cruisers surrounded the scorching bonfire and one of the officers stopped his vehicle and stepped out into the open to survey the damage.
He then took out his walkie-talkie and clicked it on to report to his superior. "Hello, this is Lieutenant Swagger here. Yes, I'm here to report on a burning vehicle in the middle of Interstate Road and Highway 91 with the driver of the car deceased and burnt beyond recognition. It also appears that there are reports of DOV agents swarming the town of Salem and we might have to prepare for a war with Mr. Sanders' men. It appears that this country might be heading into another epic war, perhaps a civil war, and I feel that the villains might be coming on to us…"
"Oh my God, sir, another missile!" one of his subordinates yelled and as Lieutenant Swagger swiveled around to see what he was talking about, a wave of shock, disbelief and horror swept over his face and his mouth twisted and contorted to let out a blood-curling yell.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Then when the missile crashed head on into the police squadron, the entire team disappeared into a haze of smoke and fire and another flash-out sent out sparks of ember into the sky. Very soon fighter planes were roaming the skies in the midst of flashes of lightning as fire trucks swarmed onto the scene and fire fighters congregated around the flames and extinguished them with water gushing out of their hoses.
Very soon the town of Salem was bombarded by a series of explosions as bombs were dropped into the streets and most of the buildings there were destroyed almost instantaneously. As the huge barrage of bombs crashed and blasted into various stores, schools, hospitals, restaurants, ports, etc., the townspeople scrambled out of wherever they were in and raced home frantically to escape the explosions that were now plaguing the town. Several lightning bolts struck on the ground, electrocuting a handful of people and even killing some of them on impact.
One of the lightning bolts caused one of the hotels to disintegrate and combust into flames as the fire spread into other nearby buildings.
...
As Todd Foster saw the billowing, thick smoke float up from the scenic town of Salem from the window of a Cessna 747 plane flying in the sky, he was mortified at the squadron of planes that were now attacking the city. "Jesus Christ. This is insane! I cannot believe Mr. Sanders would order such a thing as to destroy the entire town of Salem!" he yelped in trepidation.
"I have every reason to believe that Mr. Sanders might have ordered the attack as some sort of personal revenge for one of his associates betraying him," Jack McGee theorized. "Maybe, but I think it has a lot to do with Laura McKarl visiting the town and recruiting some people from there. I think they are trying to wipe out the newly chosen recruits and to foil Agent McKarl's plans to organize and initiate a rebellion to usurp Mr. Sanders from the presidency," Todd Foster added speculatively.
"I suppose so, but I hope those chosen ones get out of there alive, for tonight Salem will be burning in the pit of hell," Jack McGee replied solemnly. "Amen to that," Todd Foster agreed and the two clinked their cups of coffee together before they sipped them. As the entire town of Salem was burning up in flames, the heavy downpour started to smother and extinguish the flames little by little, but more bombs caused some of the other buildings to disappear in subsequent blasts. Some of the Salemites were now running on foot to find sanctuary in the Bayview sanitarium.
...
Renee was watching the chaos unfold from the window as she heard sirens blare out in the streets and she could hear the distinct whirl of helicopters hovering over the house. She turned towards Alice, who was sitting on a sofa watching the nightly news and she had a thin frown on her wrinkled and elderly face. "My Lord, what has this world come to? I cannot believe someone so cruel and heartless would resort to such a brutal and vicious attack on our own city," Alice lamented the disorder and destruction that now plagued Salem. "I hope the Drummonds show up soon; I really would hate for them to get caught up in the violence out in the streets," Renee returned a loyal reply.
"By the way, where is Tony?" Alice inquired curiously as she glanced over at Renee with her eyebrow raised. "I wonder why he did not show up at the meeting today." "He said he had to take care of some important family business involving his father," was Renee's answer as she continued to stare out at the window. "Now why would he get involved with his father's shady dealings and his crazy schemes? You know as well as I do that man is nothing but trouble," Alice barked fiercely as she turned her focus back to the television. "Well, I do hope he's all right. He did say that his father had obtained some alien DNA from Mr. Sanders and he had some of his goons bring it over to his lair so he could create a new experiment to spy on his enemies," Renee explained crisply.
"Good God! Don't we have Dr. Jookiba and all of those crazy nuts creating all kinds of monsters already? We don't need Stefano to use some rare DNA to create some illegal genetically mutated experiments," Alice shrieked in horror. "Well, I suppose he thinks it is a very lucrative business to create some aliens that are capable of taking over the world," Renee replied thoughtfully. Just then, a bomb crashed right through the window as Renee quickly raced to the sofa and huddled there with Alice on her knees. The bomb then triggered a stream of smoke that spilled all over the living room and soon the room was shrouded in a thick haze of smoke as the ladies began to cough.
As they heard the knock on the door, Renee raced over to the door and opened it, revealing the Drummonds. "Man! That bomb just blasted near my ear! I think I could hear ringing in my eardrums!" Arnold griped as he covered his ears and winced. Just then, a loud beep could be heard and Alice rushed Renee and the Drummonds away from the house. "Run! I think that bomb is going to explode!" As soon as she has said this, the bomb beeped once more before it disintegrated in a huge blast and more shards of glass clattered onto the pavement.
The house then exploded into a fiery inferno as it was swallowed up into an enormous ball of flames and the gang raced towards the sidewalk as the fire continued to consume the house. "What's happening, Mr. Drummond? Where are we going?" Sam whimpered as he, his family and friends ran manically for their lives.
"We have to find shelter, Sam. We must find somewhere to hide out from this invasion or we will all become casualties. Everyone must stay together!" Mr. Drummond bellowed at the top of his lungs. Another projectile exploded in midair, sending the heroes flying through the air and as they were launched off the ground Mr. Drummond grabbed Sam by the hand and curled around him as he safeguarded him with his body; Maggie did the same with Arnold and Pearl with Willis. Maggie rolled onto the ground upon landing and her friends also followed, with her husband close behind her.
"Jesus Christ," Renee mumbled under her breath. "RUN! RUN! RUN!" Sam squealed as the entire family took off once again, with more and more projectiles exploding around them. "Arnold, take my hand! Phillip, you keep an eye on Sam! Pearl, you watch over Willis," Maggie McKinney barked her orders as she panted breathlessly, directing her attention first to Arnold, then to Mr. Drummond, then to Pearl. "And you…" she growled, turning to Renee and Alice. "Tell us where we must go. Where is everybody heading?"
"Everybody's heading to Bayview. That's the only place where we can go to now," Alice answered candidly. "Okay then. Everybody follow me! And Alice, lead the way!" Maggie commanded her friends boldly. "Yes ma'am!" Alice saluted to her in deferment and everyone kept on heading north as the skies of Salem were illuminated with a fiery, crimson red and were mixed in with black, hazy smoke hovering over the town.
...
Meanwhile in the Forrester mansion, scores of DOV agents were now surrounding the perimeters of the mansion as Eric, Stephanie, Ann Douglas and Pamela were now barricading themselves in their own house by pushing various pieces of furniture against the door. Stephanie was meditating in thought on what to do as Eric paced around in circles and Ann Douglas wrung her hands nervously. "What on earth are we going to do, Stephanie? We've got federal agents swarming around the mansion from all sides and we are trapped in our home! If we don't do something quick we will be dead before we even hit the door!" Ann Douglas fretted fearfully.
Stephanie glanced around the room before she beckoned Eric to come to her and she leaned towards his ear. "Here's what we're going to do. We're going to fetch some guns and we are going to arm ourselves. Then we will open up the windows in certain areas of the house and we will pick off the agents one by one. Got that?" she whispered to him and Eric nodded before he turned to his family.
"Okay, everyone. Listen up; we are going to take up arms and we will go to our designated areas and go to each window and shoot down any DOV agents that attack us. We will go from room to room taking down any agent we possibly can. Is that understood?" Everyone nodded and Eric ran off into his study to fetch some weapons.
A few minutes later he returned with three sniper rifles and tossed them first to his wife, then to his mother-in-law, then to his sister-in-law. He brandished out his own sniper rifle. "Okay, let's move," he ordered sharply and the Forresters and the Douglasses headed upstairs to fend off the DOV agents.
Sometime later, Stephanie and Pamela were standing in the Forresters' bedroom and Stephanie was peering silently through the window as she saw a couple of DOV agents lounge around the house smoking cigarettes with their machine guns sitting up with their barrels pointing skyward. She drew in the curtains, cocked her rifle, and turned to her sister. "All right, Pamela. Are you ready?" "I'm ready, Steph," Pamela nodded in agreement and Stephanie opened up the window, poked the rifle out into the open, aimed at an unsuspecting DOV agent, and fired.
The DOV agent shuddered in pain before he toppled towards the ground and he slumped lifelessly in the grass, slightly curled up. "Nice shot, Stephanie," Pamela remarked admiringly while Stephanie smirked evilly at her but then she and Pamela moved out of the way as they dodged an incoming bullet. "NOW!" Stephanie yelled as she and Pamela raced to the window and opened fire on the attacking DOV agents. The DOV agents fired back by shooting at the window where Stephanie and Pamela were standing while the women jumped out of the way and fired back just in time to see two more agents fall to the ground.
Stephanie then took out a grenade and bit a pin off it before she flung it right outside and once the grenade hit the ground, six of the agents disappeared in a cloud of smoke and swooned to the ground dead. Stephanie and Pamela jumped for joy victoriously and gave each other a high five. But then one of the DOV agents shot out a missile from a bazooka and the sisters fled for cover. "Stephanie, run!" Pamela shrieked as she pulled her sister out of the way and they bolted through the hallway as the room was disintegrated in an explosive blast.
...
Meanwhile, Eric and Ann were in a quickly collapsing room as Eric was shooting down some of the agents with his sniper rifle while Ann looked on with a stricken, terrified face. Then he tossed his gun aside and took out a machine gun before he started firing at more DOV agents. The room started to shake and tremble with a frightening roar as Ann darted towards the left side of the room to evade a piece of the ceiling that just fell. "What is going on, Eric? Why is this room suddenly collapsing?"
"That's because some of those damn agents are firing rockets at our mansion and now it is starting to fall apart at the seams," Eric growled as he continued to blast away with his machine gun. But then a ladder materialized on the wall and Eric saw that one of the DOV agents was climbing on it and he was about to enter the room through the window when he smacked him across the head with the barrel of the machine gun; the agent then tumbled down towards the grass and landed near the bottom of the ladder.
Unfortunately, more and more DOV agents clambered up the ladder and slipped into the room. Eric then draw kicked one of the agents out of the room through the window and when another one of the DOV agents lunged at him with a sword, Eric blocked his attack by holding up his machine gun horizontally. He then turned towards Ann and said to her, "Ann, run! Get out of this house and find Stephanie and Pamela while you three find a safe place to hide! I'll hold them off!" Ann nodded and bolted out of the room and was soon joined by Stephanie and Pamela. Once all of the DOV agents spilled over into the room and gathered around Eric, Eric took out his machine gun and shot all of them down.
Then when more and more DOV agents charged straight at the elderly man with swords at hand, Eric grabbed one of his antique swords that hung on the wall as a centerpiece and countered the hit with a block. He then swished and swung his sword around as he dueled and fought with several of the agents as they were closing in on him; as he was being attacked on all sides by more of the agents, he counterattacked and struck at them with his sword and with a spin and a flourish he managed to block another hit by another agent.
He then slit one of the agent's throats and once one of the agents jumped at him with a sword over his head, Eric slashed him several times in the face and plunged the sword into his chest, killing him. Then at the corner of his eye he saw more DOV agents coming straight at him and this time he took out two machine guns and blasted them with more bullets.
As soon as he studied the pile of bodies that littered the guest room, he rushed out into the hallway and galloped through the narrow and dark corridor as he saw more DOV agents entering the house through open windows and there were several grappling hooks hurtling through the rooms. As several of the DOV agents began to scale up the ladder into the house with machine guns, bazookas, grenades, rocket launchers, and smoke bombs in hand, one of them lassoed a grappling hook onto the shingles of the roof and once the hook took hold of the edge immediately started climbing as if he were ascending a mountain.
Ann cowered fearfully as she saw that her daughter's mansion was crawling with federal agents and she glanced worriedly at Stephanie, but the elderly woman scoffed disdainfully at her mother. "What's going to happen to Eric? Is he going to be all right?" Ann importuned Stephanie fretfully. "Don't worry. Knowing Eric, I am fairly certain he will get out of this. He will be running like hell and dispatching those agents before he lets any of them capture him," Stephanie reassured her in a cool and brisk voice, keeping a stern glare at her.
...
Just then, Eric raced out of the house panting breathlessly and he reached his family just in time as he bent over to catch his breath. "I got some bad news. The DOV agents have planted a bomb in the living room, and this mansion is going to explode." "What are we going to do? Where can we possibly go? Los Angeles is not the only city that is being attacked you know. There are a whole bunch of big cities that are about to be attacked too," Ann beseeched Eric. "Well, there are reports that Salem is being attacked, so we cannot possibly go there. I guess for now we might have to check into a hotel in Lake Tahoe, Nevada," Pamela reminded everyone. "I suppose Lake Tahoe is a safe bet at this point. What do you think, Stephanie?" Eric considered the option briefly before turning to his wife.
"Well, it is very likely that some of the other cities in California might be invaded sooner or later, so perhaps it is best to go to Nevada and hide out for a while," Stephanie replied. "Well, it's settled then. We are heading off to Nevada and we are checking into a local hotel there. Everyone get into the car," Eric announced as he ran over to the car and unlocked it by inserting the key into the door. He then opened it and pressed a button inside the door to unlock the rest of the door. The Douglas women rushed over to the van and Stephanie jumped into the passenger seat and clicked on her seat belt while Ann and Pamela shuffled into the back seat and put on their seat belts.
The doors slammed shut and locked tightly as Eric pulled on his seat belt and started the engine. He readjusted the mirror and placed his hands on the steering wheel before he pulled out of the driveway and drove off into the streets. As soon as the Douglasses and the Forresters departed from the mansion, the building exploded in a flurry of debris of concrete, stone, marble, and glass as the materials showered over the pavement like a tidal wave, killing all of the DOV agents inside. A blast of fire flared up from deep within the burning rubble as the overcast sky was being overshadowed by a plume of smoke. Sirens began to wail in the Los Angeles skies as fire trucks pulled up in front of the demolished mansion in order to put out the blaze as car alarmed being to blare in the hellish atmosphere.
...
Meanwhile, Doug Williams and his friends were almost out of Salem as they darted and dodged incoming cars that were scrambling to get to Bayview in time. Marlena's hair was hanging over her face and she was panting softly as she cocked her machine gun and Roman and Bo were sleeping soundly on either side of her. Bertha was also sleeping next to her and was covered in a blanket. Marlena heard the soft pelting of rain drop down the window as the town was drenched over with heavy showers that were now generating fumes of smoke that resulted from the numerous blazes prevalent in Salem.
"Doug, look at our beloved little town. Now it's nothing but a pile of rubble and ruin," Julie murmured sadly as she watched more smoke billow into the incarnadine night sky. "Don't you worry, Julie. We'll get out of this town and we will catch a plane to Chicago soon enough. Look! We're very close to the airport right now as a matter of fact!" Doug reassured her as they were now approaching the airport a few miles away. Julie then turned around to look at Marlena and gave her a sad smile. "Are you all right, Marlena?" "Tired but otherwise fine. And you?"
"I'm fine, I guess. I don't know what to do about Lee's sister, Bertha. I mean for about two years we all thought that Renee was her sister but it turned out that was not the case," Marlena sighed as she looked over at Bertha's sleeping form and was petting her hair. "Well, I don't think Bertha really is as bad as Lee was. Sure she might be pretty headstrong and aggressive at times but that does not necessary make her evil," Julie replied back assuring. "I suppose you're quite right. Do you think we might be able to catch the flight on time?" Marlena mused as she importuned her friend further. "Leave it to Doug; I'm sure we'll be fine. Since everyone is scrambling for Bayview right now the airport should be pretty empty," Julie grinned confidentially and Marlena sighed as she brushed her hair off her face.
...
The gang was now entering the parking lot of the airport in the dead of night as the rain was gradually slowing down and low peals of thunder could be heard. Doug stepped out of the car and had everyone get out of the vehicle before they all closed their doors shut. He then locked them by pressing the lock button on the key and they all walked through the street towards the building. A few minutes later, the gang was now sitting in the chairs in the waiting section of the airport and was waiting for their flight. Doug was reading the newspaper with his glasses on where the headline read, "Salem Raided By DOV Agents." while Julie and the others were dozing off quietly.
Then a speaker clicked while a screeching noise could be heard. "Incoming flight, incoming flight. Doug Williams and company, you are now about to board Flight 101. I repeat, you are now about to board Flight 101, flying from Salem to Chicago." "Come on, guys, we better head off," Doug sighed as he shook his wife and their companions awake and everyone got up from their seats and walked over to the clerk to show their tickets.
As they walked over to the counter and showed their tickets before the clerk, he grabbed them and studied them carefully before he stamped a mark of approval on each of them and handed them back to them. Doug thanked the clerk before he and his friends walked past him and they were on their way to board the plane. However, a mysterious figure lurked beneath the shadows behind the row of pillars and possessed a womanly figure and had a short, wavy bob on her head and her narrowed eyes glowed maliciously in the dark as she watched them very carefully and slunk on her way to trail them.
Doug and the gang were now entering a plane through a narrow tunnel and as they boarded the aircraft they showed their tickets to an inspector and he scanned them before accepting them. "Where are you heading off to, sir?" he inquired Doug. "I'm heading off to Chicago, that's where I'm going," Doug answered in reply. "And may I ask what is your name, sir?" the man interrogated him austerely. "Doug Williams. This is my wife Julie, a friend of mine named Dr. Marlena Evans, who is a psychiatrist, this is her ex-husband Roman Brady, my son-in-law Bo Brady, and this is Bertha Murska-Dumonde, half-sister of Lee Dumonde."
"What an honor to meet you, madam," the inspector commented while addressing Bertha. "I must say your sister has a cushy position back in the White House." "Thank you so much, sir. I would like to find my sister and be reunited with her," Bertha accepted the compliment while shaking his hand graciously. "Is that so? You two must be very close," the inspector remarked with intrigue as Bertha nodded in conferment. "I would rather you not inquire as to the nature of their relationship. You would not understand what they have gone through if you asked," Doug admonished him softly and tactfully. "No trouble at all, good sir. I am happy to serve the former mayor of Salem and his family and… friends, I shall say. I hope you all enjoy your flight."
"Thank you so much, sir," Doug nodded his head respectfully before he and the others got into the plane and got into their seats in the A section. Doug sat next to Julie on her left while Bertha sat next to Julie on her right; as for Marlena, she was sandwiched between the Brady brothers, which irked her. The inspector left the room while the pilot entered the cockpit and took out his overhead speaker and prepared to make some announcements. "Attention all passengers. This is Captain Mullusk speaking. I will be your pilot captain for much of the ride."
"Now I would advise you to turn off all cell phones and related electronics and fasten your seat belts, for this is going to be a bumpy ride. Now also we are to be serving lasagna, chicken salad, mashed potatoes, chips, cookies, slices of chocolate cake…" "Hell no! No fucking way!" Bertha exclaimed excitedly. "And also some baked ziti with cheese. For dessert you will have the choice of four flavors: butter pecan, chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, and added bonus flavors of cookies n' cream and chocolate chip mint."
"The movies we will show today are "The Godfather", "The Blue and The Grey", and "The Duchess". I hope your flight is enjoyable and I wish you a pleasant evening." "Good God, do we have to watch "The Godfather", Julie? Don't we have our own Mafioso back home already?" Doug grumbled displeasingly as Julie rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Doug, you worry too much. It cannot be that bad compared to some movies they show nowadays." "Yeah, Julie's right. I heard The Duchess is such a tragic story about a British duchess who is stuck between her husband and his mistress. I mean who wants to live with that?" Bertha retorted snarkily as Doug groaned even more.
This synopsis reminded him of when he cheated on Lee with Julie while he was still married to her, and it hit way too close to home. Besides, he was not ready to tell Bertha that he was being unfaithful to her sister by having an affair with Julie; if she were to find out this information too soon, especially since they were just really getting to know each other personally, she might become enraged and be inclined to betray him and Julie, considering how fond she was of Lee. And if you're dealing with a seductress with a fiery temper and great cunning, and with a sister with a similar temperament, then it was best not to double cross them. He was not even sure if she was that trustworthy yet, since she was Lee's blood relative, even if they did share only the same father.
Still, although he was somewhat wary and cautious of her, he was not even afraid of her and was actually appreciative of her company; he was even impressed that Bertha was this determined to find her sister at all costs, even if she might have to take some desperate measures. Bertha then took out some sushi from a brown bag she kept hidden in her handbag and Julie grimaced in disgust as she started munching on it with chopsticks. Marlena nearly recoiled in horror as Roman and Bo stuck their tongues out in repulsion. "God! Why do you keep your food in there?" Roman groused.
"I have to keep it somewhere, don't I?" Bertha sniffed demurely as she kept on eating her sushi. Then once she finished eating, she tossed it into a trash can that was being wheeled by a stewardess and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I think I'm going to be sick…" Julie groaned. Then the Godfather started to play as the lights dimmed down for visual clarity and everyone quieted down in order to watch the film for a large portion of the flight.
...
Meanwhile, in Stefano's lair, Tony DiMera entered his father's lab through a small door and as he walked over to where his father was, he saw the elderly man standing over an experiment making containment that contained a sable colored experiment. Near the veteran drug kingpin were Mr. Rooney and Mr. Vernon, inspecting the newly created experiment.
Tony then strolled over to the machine and saw that his father was making some last touches on his latest creation and was astonished on how this new creature resembled so much like Sparky. "Father! Who is this?" Tony inquired him suspiciously and Stefano turned around to meet his son before smiling evilly with a chuckle. "My dear Tony, you are just in time to witness the birth of my very first… uh, what do you call these things?"
"Experiments, sir," Mr. Vernon corrected him. "Ah, yes! Experiments! That's who Electra is," Stefano smirked gleefully as he turned his intrigued and fascinated eyes towards the new specimen. "Electra?" Tony reiterated, confused. "Ah, yes, did I ever tell you the story of Electra, Tony?" Stefano replied softly to his son as he turned his intense gaze on him, prompting him to shake his head no.
Stefano scratched his chin thoughtfully for a minute before answering. "Well, the story of Electra goes that her mother Clytemnestra and her lover conspired to murder her husband Agamemnon because he had her daughter sacrificed to the gods and Electra was furious that her mother had slain her own father, so she tried to persuade her brother Orestes to kill her. Of course, being a loving, devoted son, he could not bring himself to do it but of course he eventually does the deed," Stefano explained one of the Greek mythical tales to his son, who nodded apathetically.
"So the point is that Electra was a scheming, wily girl who just wanted her mother killed because she killed her father?" "If… you put it that way, yes…" Stefano gestured with his hands as he nodded slightly and turned his attention back to the containment and he brought over his son to examine Electra.
...
Tony was immediately intrigued by what he saw. Electra had an elfin-like, delicate, soft face and not only was reminiscent of the famous voice actress/singer E.G. Daily, but resembled a lot like Sparky, aka Experiment 221, especially the head, but also had the diminutive and slender figure of Bonnie and had six retractable arms that were shaped like Angel's; she also had six spiky, retractable spikes with mocha colored tips and a mahogany underbelly.
Additionally she had short and slim, elfin ears that resembled a lot like Chopsuey's but had dangling, long, retractable antennae that reached all the way to her lower back with the tips curling at the ends that resembled Angel's. Electra had a scruffy overbite and doe-like, innocent tawny eyes; she also had long, curling, wavy, lavender hair with incarnadine highlights and bangs hanging over her eyes along with fangs and a long, skinny tail shaped like Belle's with a mocha tip.
"Wow, I cannot believe this, Father. How did you make this experiment?" Tony gasped in awe. "Well, let's just say that I got some of the necessary materials from Mr. Sanders' office, courtesy of Dr. Jacque von Hamsterveil, who apparently has some database information on some of the experiments that make up Electra. For example, Experiment 221 is designed to cause crippling, electrical surges that trigger blackouts, Experiment 149 is designed to steal people's stuff, Experiment 624 is designed to turn rehabilitated experiments back from good to bad, Experiment 604 is designed to turn people and objects invisible in a blink of an eye, Experiment 248, who is designed to scream a loud, high-pitched shriek to scare people, and Experiment 621, who was originally in league with Mr. Sanders and his crew before he ran off with that psychic woman and her strange friends, is supposed to possess all of 626's powers and is going to be the father of Lee's children."
"You know this is illegal, Father. You cannot go around creating experiments behind the government's back without anyone knowing it. What is this experiment designed to do anyway?" Tony scolded Stefano firmly and Stefano snorted contemptuously. "Well, Experiment 9009, aka Electra, is designed to have a photographic memory, capable of absorbing and assimilating any images she sees."
"She has the ability to run at the speed of sound and possesses a beautiful singing voice that allows her to entrance people and draw them under her spell whenever they hear her. Electra is very handy at stealth, sabotage, espionage, and grand theft; she is immune to most elemental attacks but is very sensitive to loud noises; music in general is her only pleasure."
"Electra responds positively to just about any genre of music except for rap, which many people consider to be nothing more than mere noise. She is also very physically well built and equipped and is able to use various types of weaponry as well as possessing knowledge of several fighting arts, including taekwondo, kickboxing, and judo."
"Electra is also able to manipulate time by speeding it up, slowing it down, or even freezing it altogether; whenever time moves quickly around her, everything is happening so fast around her that at times it seems like she is teleporting as she moves and one minute you might see her at point A and the next minute she is at point B before you can even blink your eyes."
"When time is slowing down, she is able to manipulate the variables within the environment around her and this allows her to dodge and evade anyone that is trying to capture her by gradually slowing down their speed as she is accelerating hers. Stopping time really is self-explanatory; when everyone else is at a standstill, she will be the only one moving and unless she frees people from her mental grip, no one would be allowed to move anywhere; of course she is able to use bullet time as well."
...
Tony stared blankly at the experiment as he gaped in shock and disbelief at what he was seeing. "Jesus Christ, Father. You're actually making a monster that is actually like some ninja/Neo-like femme fatale that could prove to be more dangerous than all of Jumba Jookiba's experiments combined. What exactly are you going to use her for? You're actually going to make her a spy for you?"
"That's correct. I will use her to gather intelligence about some of the most prominent rebel forces that are prevalent in this country and she will use her charm and allure to enchant them, especially any prospective males, and gain their trust as not to arouse any suspicions and when they are not suspecting a thing…"
He then snapped his fingers and a couple of cages drop down on both Mr. Vernon and Mr. Rooney and the two men yell in terror as they are soon trapped in their own prisons and Stefano cackles evilly as he relishes in their suffering. "Then, they will walk into my trap and I will have them captured right in my lair where I want them and eventually I will have them extradited to Washington, D.C. as slaves." He then snaps his fingers again and the doors swung open for the men to walk out of their temporary prisons and the grateful school employees soon jump out of the cages and were busy kissing and smooching the ground that they walk on as if they have not been on land for more than a decade.
Tony then gaped at his father in stricken horror as Stefano chuckled in devilish delight and he reached for the lever and was about to push it down to activate the experiment. "Stefano, you are a sick fuck, you know that? You are manipulating people for your own means and now you're using this innocent experiment to deceive and trick a group of unsuspecting heroes just so you can lead them into your dastardly trap."
"Quite right, my little boy. Now I will activate this experiment and I will unleash her into Salem and the world and once those dimwitted little Salemites find out what had hit them I will already have power over the entire earth!" He then started to laugh maniacally as he grabbed the lever and just when he was about to push it down, a voice said, "Activate Experiment 9009."
...
Then, Stefano pushes down the lever with all his strength and the machine was soon brimming and crackling with life as electricity surged and danced around the smooth, light grass as the experiment was beginning to take shape; as the light began to glow brightly and was illuminating with a brilliant glare, Tony began to feel panic surged in his soul and he stood there and watched in fear yet wonder. As electric sparks crackled and leapt on the smooth surface, the glow began to glow with more intensity and energy than he had ever seen light glow before and when a sudden blast of brilliant, incandescent light flashed in his eyes, Tony thought he was going to stumble over and fall on his back because the light flashed so suddenly and he was momentarily blinded.
As the light gradually dimmed down into nothing, the female experiment was then revealed in all of her splendor. Tony blinked for a few moments as he tried to get a good look at her; however, as he glanced warily at his father, he could see a gleefully smirk playing in his lips. Mr. Vernon and Mr. Rooney just exchanged bemused and puzzled glances at each other, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Electra was banging her fists incessantly on the glass as she got her very first look at her surroundings and then started to wipe her tongue all over the glass container she was imprisoned in as her slobber dripped all over the surface like splashes of rain on a stormy day.
She then skittered and scuttled all over the sides as she was moving around, studying her environment, and then landed on the bottom before she started to pull her spikes and her extra sets of arms into her body, making her look like a normal kind of animal.
"She looks like some kind of Chihuahua," Tony observed as she saw her eyelids fluttered in a nanosecond and her ears flickered before she turned her head to gaze at Tony, and a smile spread on her face. "Yes, she is very beautiful, Tony, a most exquisite experiment. I am proud to have made her," Stefano chimed happily as he examined his experiment closely. Electra then drew back in fear as her ears hung low and she cowered as she curled up into a ball. "Look, Father, just give her some space. She is obviously not comfortable around us humans," Tony advised him sternly. "Watch, Tony," Stefano replied gently to him as he pointed to Electra.
Electra finally straightened herself up as she looked at her surroundings once more and that was when her fur bristled and she charged right into the glass containment and snarled at the two DiMera men as she retracted out her extra sets of arms and spikes. "Agata nala queesta!" she hissed in a sweet, scratchy, raspy voice. "Yes! That's the spirit! Show us your true power!" Stefano exclaimed excitedly with glee. Electra then smashed the glass wide open with her head and stormed out into the open in the midst of the alarm blaring. "Warning! Warning! Experiment container disabled!"
Electra then bolted towards the room as she sped around rapidly in an indistinct blur; Tony could not quite tell where she was. Then she hurtled herself right at the middle-aged man and battered him with a series of alternating jump kicks and flying punches and added a jumping sidekick to his face before Tony recoiled in pain. "Come back here, you little bitch!" he snarled as he ran off after her. Electra laughed maniacally as she grabbed a huge electrical pipe and ripped it off its seams before flinging it right at her opponent; Tony then dove out of the way as the pipe crashed right into the experiment containment, completely dismantling it. "YES! That's it, Electra! Finish him!" Stefano continued to cheer her on. "Feed your lust for destruction by defeating my son Tony!"
"Tony?" Electra whispered quietly with a puzzled, raised eyebrow, with a voice very similar to E.G. Daily's. "You fucking bastard!" Tony yelled angrily at his father. "You think this is funny? Getting my ass kicked by a mere experiment?" "She is not just a mere experiment, Tony, she is my greatest creation," Stefano proclaimed proudly as Tony scowled in frustration.
"Greatest creation my ass! She is nothing more than a fucking little shit!" Tony griped petulantly as Electra felt his contemptuous words sting her heart and she was quickly filled with rage and a scowl developed on her face. She then dashed at Tony at a quick speed and soon began to swing frantic, wild punches at him with a loud yell. Tony effectively blocked her punches either with his hands or arms as he fought with her and every time Electra would deliver a fast punch or even a swift kick, she would always end up hitting his arm. Then she delivered another flying kick to his face and Tony nearly stumbled in shock as Electra somersaulted through the air in devilish little cackles and then took out six plasma blasters. "Oh, fuck this shit," Tony snarled and that was when he took out his shotgun and started firing at Electra.
Electra then zapped away from her enemy as the bullets whizzed by her and Tony continued to fire at her relentlessly as Electra landed on the wall and started to shoot at the middle-aged man with her plasma blasters. Tony then dodged her blasts rapidly as he spun around in midair with bullets hurtling right at her. As the bullets were flying right at her, they soon began to slow down as Electra moved away from them and saw ripples of the time membrane materialize right before her eyes. A bullet shell clinked to the ground as Tony approached the newly created experiment menacingly. "Come on, you little upstart. Fight me if you dare," he growled threateningly and Electra snarled as her eyes flashed a malevolent glow.
"GET HER!" Stefano yelled as his agents and minions spilled out into his lair and started to shoot simultaneously at her, as the song "Where Do You Go" begins to play in the background. Electra then tosses aside some of her guns onto the floor, jumps onto the ceiling and crawls through it as she clutches two of her plasma blasters tightly with her second set of arms. She felt a surge of panic in her blood as her head was spinning and her arms were flailing madly as she tried to let her instincts guide her in the right direction.
Tony just stands there and watches her sadly as she fights valiantly for her survival and could only feel pity and sorrow for her current predicament. Mr. Rooney and Principal Vernon only laughed and jeered as they snickered and watched the battle play out in front of them.
"Come on, Electra. Don't be afraid. Just fight; let your instincts take over," Tony urged her as he shouted at the top of his lungs. Electra clung to the ceiling for dear life as she hesitated for a few moments and surveyed the numerous barrage of machine gun barrels pointing at her, as if there were thousands of laser ray cannons preparing to vaporize her. She then took a deep breath, let go of the ceiling, and plummeted towards the ground as Tony watched with his jaw agape.
The minions immediately began firing at the young female experiment in a hail of bullets as Electra instantly disappeared in the midst of the crowd and sped towards the door. "Shit! She's gone!" one of the minions cried. "Where could she be?" asked another one of the minions, scratching his head. "Hey boys, you missed me," piped in a scratchy, sweet voice, and everyone turned around to see Electra twirling her gun around with her index finger with a cocky smirk in her lips. "Let's get this rolling."
She then zoomed right into the crowd of minions and agents as she sped past them at a furious speed as the agents tried their best to apprehend her, but to no avail.
Electra then smacked one of the agents with the butt of her plasma cannon and then performed a spinning kick, sending him toppling to the ground. She then tumbled in midair as she performed a rolling kick vertically in his face three times before she knocked him into the ground with a sidekick; she then knocked back another minion with a backwards kick and slammed her heels into another minion's face as she started to knock back more of Stefano's minions back and forth with each successive kick. As another one of the agents rushed at her with a gun in hand, Electra spun around him in a rapid circle and did a leg sweep and ducked under his legs, causing him to slam onto the ground facedown.
She then performed two flying sidekicks before she somersaulted in midair and pushed another minion down to the ground upon doing another back flip. Electra then ducked down as two of the minions collided into each other before dropping down to the floor; she then performed another somersault before she did a spinning kick on another one of the minions and knocked him to the ground. As three of the minions charged right at her and hurtled themselves at her, Electra leaped over them and raced out of the crowd and waited for them to reach her as Stefano supervised the fight sitting in his chair while rubbing his hands gleefully with a sinister smirk on his wrinkled and weathered face.
As soon as they advanced towards her and were about to jump on her, Electra then jumped kick one of the men in the stomach as she stepped aside towards another one of his comrades and delivered a swift sidekick towards his abdomen.
Then when the third men lunged at her, she dodged him and struck him on the side with a powerful sidekick before she started to move in slow motion and grappled her enemy with her arms and they spun in midair before she swung him around and delivered a swift kick onto the ground. Electra then performed a series of back flips as she scaled up a wall and got onto the ceiling with a plasma gun in hand before she spun in midair and began to shoot at her foes in slow motion as the plasma blasts rained down on the men in conspicuous ripples of the time membrane.
As she was assailed by another stream of bullets she whizzed and meandered through them as they darted and grazed her narrowly several times and one of them ricocheted off the ceiling and clattered onto the floor with a hollow clink. As Electra plunged downward onto the ground and was falling into the massive crowd of minions, she saw her world spiral around her and she spread her arms out with the plasma guns in her hands and once she landed on her feet, she began to spin around and fire a flurry of blasts at her enemies.
As the plasma exploded and fired right into their faces, several of the men were knocked down into the ground and even some of them fell flat on their backs; the force of some of those blasts sent others flying towards the wall with a yell and they crashed onto the other side of the wall before they slumped onto the ground and fell flat on their chests. One of these men were hurtling straight at Mr. Rooney and the Dean of Students quickly panicked and he and Principal Vernon scrambled for cover and took refuge behind some of the gigantic machines. Several flares of plasma were flying through the air in a flurry of embers and were detonating onto the ground upon contact.
Finally Stefano held his hand up and cried, "Stop! That is quite enough! I think Electra has been thoroughly tested of her abilities already so we can stop right there." The minions then bowed before him respectfully and flooded back into their rooms, with some of them carrying their wounded and injured comrades to treat them of their serious injuries sustained during the brawl. Stefano rose to his feet and walked over to Electra and petted her hair fondly with a simper as Tony watched his father caress her lightly.
"You were a wonderful fighter, Electra. I could have not asked for a better fighter than you. You are my most successful experiment that I have created and you are more advanced and superior than all of Jumba's creations; for that, I am proud." He then took out a microscopic computer chip and slipped it into Electra's fur as he patted it down to keep it concealed and he took out a lavender collar and snapped it around her neck and Electra held it in her hands to study it. The golden tag read, "Electra Suzanne DiMera; Experiment 9009."
She glanced over at Stefano and stared at him blankly as Stefano chuckled with amusement. "You are a DiMera, and as such you are an official member of my clan and you are related to me by blood. You are to carry on my legacy and to show the entire world what it truly means to be a DiMera. I am counting on you to help my criminal empire flourish and endure and to aid me in this endeavor I would like for you to complete a little mission."
"I want you to keep an eye on a Miss Annie Caplan and her friends and I want you to spy on them and gather important information about their whereabouts and their upcoming plans for any form of heroism they might want to commit, especially if it means overthrowing Mr. Sanders from power and putting Mr. Brush back in power. Any interesting and relevantly paramount intelligence you are to gather about their machinations and plans you report back to me and I will make my decision on what to do with them."
"You will also keep track of Mr. Doug Williams and his friends and you are to follow their every move and find out what they are planning and how is Mrs. Laura McKarl training her new recruits and organizing a rebellion against Mr. Sanders so I could send my army into Chicago and have all of them apprehended and captured and brought back to Salem. This computer chip I have embedded into your fur will allow me to keep track of your movements and I will be able to pinpoint your exact location at all times as to ensure you will not betray me. I am your owner, creator and father and as such you are bound by loyalty into me. If I were to find out that you have double crossed me in any way, I will make sure you are immediately dismantled. Is that understood?"
Electra nodded fearfully and Stefano patted her head softly while murmuring, "That's a good girl." She turns towards the door and starts to walk out of the lair as she swerves her head around and peers at Tony inquisitively; Tony then smiles at her and strolls over to her before drawing her in a warm and open hug. Electra smiled as she purred sweetly and she nuzzled on his chest lovingly as she grinned at him and turned away from him to leave the lair. As soon as the door swung open for her, she ascended up the slope and went out of the lair before she disappeared entirely from view. Tony and Stefano stare at the door for a few moments before turning to each other.
"She really is a beautiful little girl, Father," Tony remarked proudly to Stefano. "Yes, I know, Tony. She is your sister after all and I'm your father," Stefano grinned back while Tony rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Renee was never my sister and you should have known that; you were never my father either and I've spent my entire life thinking that you were!"
"Tony, Tony, relax. I do not want any harm to come to Electra; after all, I have spent all my waking moments creating her. I understand that you seem to be developing a special bond with her. I like that, Tony," Stefano tried to calm down his son as he scowled at him but Tony could only snort at him in disgust. "Listen you; I don't know why the hell I'm even involved in this scheme and to be honest I wished I have never gotten myself into one of your dirty little schemes. If you ever do anything that will put Electra's life in danger, I will make sure you will never see the light of day ever again, because that will be the end of you!" Tony threatened his father indignantly.
"Now don't you dare threaten me, Anthony…" Stefano growled at him warningly. "No, you listen! I cannot believe you are still going on with your crazy ass schemes and you are plotting Salem's downfall along with Mr. Sanders. You two are in on this, aren't you? And very soon you will move on to neighboring cities that are near and far away from Salem and eventually you will reach Chicago and as far as Detroit and Lansing! And your little queen Lee Dumonde is sitting there in Washington, D.C. sitting pretty and calling all of the shots as she goes around sleeping with God knows how many people she's been with! I've even been hearing rumors that she's a lesbian who has had lovers in Canada and Washington and she could be possibly carrying the offspring of one of Jumba's experiments! Are you happy that she is a fucking whore?"
"That's enough, Anthony!" Stefano thundered in a loud, commanding voice at his son and smacked him across the face in a fit of rage. Tony staggered backward slightly as he gawked at his father in crestfallen shock. Stefano suppressed a muffled growl as he wiped his face with his left hand and paced away from him in thought. "You never say that about Lee, do you hear me? She is the mother of your stepsister Renee and as such you will treat her with respect! She is also the love of my life!"
Tony then began to laugh bitterly and hysterically as he bent over howling and shrieking in cackles and he glared sideways at his father as a sneer curled up in his lips. "The love of your life? Your LIFE? That is such fucking bullshit. That is fuck-ing classic! Do you really believe she will be faithful to you forever, Father? Look at the facts that lay before you, Father! She has clearly moved on from you since she left Salem! She has had a bunch of other boyfriends and girlfriends and last I heard she is courting Ms. Viola Beautacroft, who is a French immigrant who used to work at a law firm several years ago."
"I even checked some of her records and she has been married to a lawyer and a realty investor for more than 50 years before he died of a sudden heart attack! She has even professed her love to an outcast alien experiment after having a one night stand with him and is now running around with an elderly woman! So do you see, Father? Lee is about as loyal as an iterant prostitute who is roaming the streets of Paris looking for a good time; she is a refined hooker who sells her body to anyone who wants to spend time with her. She would be extremely lucky to find someone who will accept her and love her for who she is no matter what her flaws. Are you ready to deal with that kind of infidelity? I don't think so."
Stefano's body trembled and shook with raging anger before a snarl erupted from his lips and his eyes flashed a mean glare as he roared at his son. "Get the hell out of my lair! Out now, Anthony! Get out of my sight! Out of my lair and don't you ever come back! I wish to never see your face again and if you want to carry on an incestuous relationship with your stepsister, the hell with that! I don't care!"
"Fuck you, Father! I don't give a rat's ass either!" Tony shouted at the top of his lungs as he stormed out of the lair with several of his soldiers gawking in amazement at the huge blowout fight that developed between the two men. "I will find help and I will stop you at all costs and I will make sure that Electra does not accomplish the mission you sent out for her and I will make sure she is not corrupted by you!" He whisked out of the door and slammed it shut as the lair trembled and shook with a rumbling roar briefly before settling into cold, somber, silence.
Stefano then spun around with his cape fluttering and swinging in tandem as he marched over to his chair and sat down. "Sir? What should we do now? Your son may be heading into Salem at this very moment and he might try to warn the people there of your latest plans," one of his minions informed him as he sauntered over to his master and knelt before him.
"Let him run for now. He is no longer a son of mine. I will make sure he and his pathetic friends are dealt with eventually but for now I shall turn to a new plan. I will make an entire army of experiments that are far more advanced and deadly than any of the experiments created by some of the most famous mad scientists alive! I will rival the greatness of Dr. Jumba Jookiba himself! In the meantime I will have Lee's cousin, Quinntasha, aka Quinn, assist me by following Doug and his friends all the way to Chicago to gather some important information from that trip; this way she would be able to keep tabs on Electra as to discourage any opportunity for disobedience."
"As soon as I create more experiments that will be better than Electra, I will send them out of the world and overrun the entire town of Salem and eventually they will spread to other towns and cities before they will ravage the entire country altogether! However… I have a task planned out for you. I want you to go after Tony and chase him out of the city limits and out of the state and when you have caught up with him you must kill him. Is that understood?"
The minions then nodded and they loaded up their machine guns, grenades, rocket launchers, smoke bombs, net guns, icy ray cannons, flamethrowers, etc., and they soon filed out of the lair in single motion with the soldiers in tow. As soon as everyone departed from the building, Stefano sat back in his throne and whistled for his dachshund and the tawny/fawn colored dog crawled out of the shadows and trotted over to the elderly man before he climbed onto his lap and settled down on his legs.
"Ah, yes, Fabian. My loyal, precious pet. My son has rebelled against me and is now heading off to Salem to warn his little friends about my dastardly, ingenious plans. But I will stop him at all costs, even if it means sending out a huge army after him. As soon as I dispose of my son, I will watch over Electra and make sure she follows through her mission successfully. I suspect that even though she is shy and timid like little Renee, she has a very pure heart and she might have some feelings for Tony."
"I suspect with her ravishing beauty and her sensual allure there might be some male experiments flocking to her soon enough… and I know the one experiment that might be capable of falling for her…" A smirk stretched on his face as he stroked Fabian lovingly and the slender, lanky and gangly dog wiggled around in his arms before he rubbed himself against his master and Stefano continued to pet him as he drifted in his thoughts.
"I suppose Experiment 621 would benefit very much from a female companion. Electra might have the potential to capture his attention yet; her powerful and emotional voice might be able to entrance and bewitch him into her spell and once he falls madly in love with her, she could seduce him into loving her all the while keeping him in ignorant bliss and plotting his eventual downfall. What do you think, boy?" Fabian barked and yapped in agreement as Stefano rubbed his fur amusingly.
"I suppose that is a yes. Well then, boy, how about a treat? I'm sure you would enjoy that," Stefano offered plaintively and Fabian barked excitedly as he waggled after his master and he walked back into the shadows. As soon as man and dog disappeared from the main room, the entire building was silent and no more sound permeated through the walls as it was washed in with deathly stillness.
Stefano emerged into the darkness as the room he entered in was lit up in little lights and he was holding a manila folder contained with pictures and top secret documents containing information of some of the most famous alien experiments known on earth; these particular set of documents chronicled the exploits and misadventures of Dr. Jumba Jookiba's 626 experiments, with Yaarp, Splodyhead, Houdini, Belle, Millie, Sparky, Jam, Mary, Carmen, Squeak, Frenchfry, Butter, Checkers, Wishy-Washy, Leroy, Reuben, Angel, Stitch, Experiment 627, Tickle-Tummy, Precious, and Chopsuey among them.
The moment he came across Chopsuey's file, a villainous smirk developed on his face and his eyes radiated a brilliant glare as an evil plan began to form in his mind. "So I see that my mistress Lee Dumonde has become fond of you, Experiment 621, and somehow you have managed to win her heart. It appears that all of your other cousins are allied with Miss Rhonda Petrie and her Legacy. How heroic of them, but it appears that you are the one they left behind."
"You think you can get away with stealing her affections from me? Well you are wrong, because I will find you and your little friends and I will put an end to your little odyssey to prove yourself worthy before God by having my experiment hand you over to me and when I ship your little friends to Mr. Sanders' office in Washington, I will detain you here and I will have my men take care of you. Soon you will be mine and no one will put a claim on Lee, not even fucking little upstarts like you…" Then as Chopsuey's mug shot is gradually shrouded in darkness Stefano's evil laughter could be heard and as he continued to laugh maniacally the screen faded into black and he continued to laugh sinisterly until it too died down into nothing.
Author's Notes:
Well, here we are! I finally managed to get this chapter done! I'm sorry that I have not been able to cover the points I wanted to capture in this chapter but I realized how much I have extended the Salem sequences and the numerous flashbacks and anecdotes of Bertha's life and romance with Lee. It's funny that Bertha originally appeared as a very aggressive, combative, loud-mouthed young woman who was very bitter and envious towards Lee because she was the attractive one and she wasn't.
I mean if you try to visualize her with the description I have written for her, she looked very ugly and shrewish if you asked me. I imagine her to have a New York accent because she had lived in New York for many, many years and she was born to one. I'm still trying to figure out other aspects of her life because some of the stuff does not make sense and I wanted to write down all of the details of her childhood but I did not want to condense it all at once, therefore making the writing chaotic and jumbled, so I decided to introduce each scene of her life piece by piece that corresponded to each relevant scene that is being presented.
I'm pretty sure she knew some people but I don't think she knew everybody really; I think she was mainly a loner who spent much of her time in Salem digging and searching for information regarding Lee while asking around every so often. I think it is fair to say that she and Lee shared a love-hate relationship that somehow branched out into a passionate romance that constituted incest in many ways. I think a lot of the events that happened to Lee is my interpretation for her later actions and behavior in Days Of Our Lives; I mean, how did she come to be so promiscuous in the first place? And why was she so opposed to Renee going out with Tony? I figured that the answers to those questions must lie in her childhood, because that is the most crucial time in anyone's life that shapes their behavior and molds them into the person they would later become, besides the teenage years.
This was also more or less a test run for a biography-themed fanfiction I was thinking of writing about Lee Dumonde's life dating from when she was born to when she left Salem; this story might be called "Alone: A Lee Dumonde Story" and its title is taken from a song by Heart and the reason why I named it that because everyone was so against her that in the end she never really had anyone to back her up and in reality she was all by herself with practically no family or friends to support her, and to me that's sad.
I already planned a story for her adventures in Canada ("Reservations At A Cafe") and this story documents her sordid exploits in Washington, D.C. So far, these scenes are good enough to actually include in the future tale. I think it is highly likely that Lee's father is Russian while her mother was of French descent, since I don't think Stefano is inclined to deal business with Frenchmen. And if you were wondering, the shadowy figure that was trailing Doug and his friends as they walked through the airport is most likely Lee's cousin, Quinn, (I really like that name), so either Lee's mother or father have at least one sibling.
I actually thought that Bertha was going to be a good match for Lee as a villainess, (and in many ways she is), and I thought she was going to be ten times more evil than her, but then something told me that Bertha actually has a heart of gold and she is a very compassionate and sympathetic soul who just happened to be as fiery and hot-tempered as her sister; therefore, she has a very complicated personality, one that is very interesting to do. I must admit that incest is one of my favorite themes to explore and the whole story of Bertha and Lee actually fits the whole history of Days Of Our Lives since it is filled with drama, mystery, suspense and a whole lot of insanity, and I will actually get freaked out if the producers come across this story and actually consider this as a potential story arch for some of their new episodes. If this actually becomes an actual storyline on the show, they might have to use any archive footage of Brenda Benet that exists and hire some child actor to do the flashbacks and what not.
I think their relationship is so interesting and yet so tragic because they loved and hated each other at the same time with so much passion and tension going on between them but they can never live without one another, especially Bertha. I'm pretty sure she's a lesbian and she is one of my few lesbian characters; I tend to do more bisexual characters than lesbians. And as for the parents' last names I have not figured out that part but I do know that Lee's mother's name was Dumonde, which must be French, so that means her father must have a different last name. And according to Sand n' Sable, Russian women tended to take on French surnames so I decided to go on with the theory that Lee took on her mother's name when she was born due to the fact that she is primarily Russian with some French blood mixed in as well; I think her mother must have made that suggestion to her father; besides, I think it sounds pretty when you say it.
As for Bertha's name, I thought it suited her because she was considered to be the ugly duckling of the family and she does look somewhat homely, (although Fran Drescher, on whom her physical description is somewhat based on, is definitely not ugly), and it is very ironic that people seem to think it is the kind of name a fat woman would have. I also liked it because it sounded Russian even though it is actually British and I wanted to give all of the kids Russian-sounding names as much as possible. Hollisay is a name I just made up - nothing more - and Miska means "gift from God" in Finnish for boys; however, I tried to find a Russian name that meant bitter with the letter M and although I found a couple of those, I did not like them too much and I eventually decided on Miska.
I originally envisioned Electra, aka Experiment 9009, to have more lines than she got and to be more assertive and outgoing but when I started writing down her characterization, she came out as shy and timid who barely spoke at all and I thought it was very strange to start out like that but it was still interesting. Perhaps she masked that shyness with her singing talent. I slightly modeled her after E.G. Daily, who voices Tommy Pickles, and I watched a couple of clips of her singing in a 1981 movie called "Street Music" and after listening to one or two of her songs I was so impressed with her work that I decided to create an experiment based on that persona.
As for the name Electra, I recalled a story about the Electra myth that I read in middle school and I also remembered that Electra wanted to murder her mother because she murdered her father for sacrificing their other daughter to the gods; I also recall there was a movie about it too a long, long time ago that they used to play on the movie channel. Coincidentally, I also watched the James Bond movie "The World Is Not Enough", (ironically the former title of this story's predecessor), and there was a female character named Electra King, and somehow that name stuck in my mind and although I detested the name at first I decided to name my new experiment Electra and that's how her name came to be.
Coincidentally, I also wrote down an idea of a possible Bold & The Beautiful/Days Of Our Lives crossover in my profile and I decided to put in some of the characters from the former show to add some spice and pizazz to the chapter and to illustrate the point on how the ongoing chaos and destruction does not only affect Salem, but it also affected many other cities as well, including Los Angeles; it also demonstrates on how far Mr. Sanders would go to assert his power and dominance over the country, even if it costs plenty of lives and destroys everyone's livelihoods. Since the characters from both shows seem to work out very well, I might actually take the idea and write a story using both shows. I liked how the Salem sequences turned out, especially with the car chase scene that resulted in some drivers getting killed. I felt that I kind of botched the first car chase scene in the previous chapter since I did not know what else to do with it and I wanted to make up for it.
I think there might be a possibility that Hollisay and Miska might both show up in this story; Miska might end up working alongside her cousin Quinn to oppose Doug and his friends on their valiant quest to reach Chicago to prepare for war while Hollisay might end up with the good guys; I don't know if he is going to wind up working for the FBI or not but I would like to see what happens. Hollisay might be an honorable and noble man who has managed to avoid the mistakes of his parents and is one of the only one of the four Dumonde children to have a decent life, besides Bertha. As for Miska, I think her parents have ended up corrupting her soul and the fact that she was sold off at an early age to prostitution did not help matters. I think Stefano somehow remembered Miska and saw some great potential for her, seeing that she reminded him of Lee, which is how he might have managed to hire her in the first place. I think Miska has a very dark and sinister personality that might rival even Lee. It is possible that by now Lee's parents might be dead so now they cannot oppose her relationship with Bertha. On the other hand, they could still be alive, depending on their age, so I really don't know. Wow, what a messed up family.
I actually thought that Marlena was a very interesting and attractive character who happens to be a psychiatrist and I thought she would be perfect to do a psychoanalysis on Bertha, since she seems to have a convoluted past. I actually did a very interesting and fascinating conversation between the two women and it results in another flashback for Bertha that demonstrates their resilient and special bond and it showed how much they loved each other.
I felt that Tony and Stefano's characterizations were decent and to some extent somewhat accurate but I think they could have been done better. I didn't want to give Stefano a cat because I thought I would be ripping off one of the James Bond villains so I decided to give him a dachshund instead, which is just as better. I actually ended up introducing another plot point to the story: now Stefano is going to create more experiments besides Electra. Has he gone obsessed with creating experiments? I think so. Will Jumba's 626 experiments be enough to actually withstand them? And will Mrs. Russia's experiments be able to help at all?
Hopefully I'll be able to post up Chapter 5 soon; I don't know if I'll start some other stories but I might. I was thinking of a story to write today as a matter of fact. I don't know if I could still do it. Rate and review!