Doesn't it piss you guys off when your internet is shut down for no apparent reason?
In the DiMera Castle, a man in black waited at the door when he saw the helicopter arrive. The wind blown by the rotor blades made leaves fly and the sound was very noisy. He walked towards it when they started to slow down, and the door opened.
Deimos got out of the helicopter, and the man stood in front of him.
"It's so good to see you again, sir" he said in a very deep Italian accent. "It's been a long time".
"Two years" said Deimos. "Time flies".
"How's Mr DiMera?" the man asked.
"As usual, old and alive. Hopefully, for many more years".
The man nodded. "Everyone in the castello is ready for you".
"Excellent" said Deimos, walking towards the castle.
The man took out a cellphone and dialed someone. "He's here. Tell the staff Mr Tony DiMera has arrived and will check on everything".
"...alright. Thanks. Call if you got anything else we could use".
Chad hung up the phone and joined his father and brother in the living room.
"Any news on Horton?" Stefano asked.
"He should be landing in Rome pretty soon" he replied. "Don't worry, Father. He's well trained and armed to do this".
"That is not what worries me" he said. "I cannot think of a good reason why Deimos Kiriakis would be in my castle. How in God's name could he get in?!"
"A fake alias?" suggested Andre. "I wouldn't be surprised if that sleazy rat entered the castle under the name of one of our deceased relatives".
"Wait, but, shouldn't there be a security team in charge of corroborating that?" asked Chad.
"Knowing Kristen, I guess she would have decided she was enough for the castle, and let everyone go" Andre grumbled.
"But Kristen's been gone for like three years, how the hell no one bothered to check on everything?" Chad exclaimed. "Father, you went there after what happened, how come you didn't notice anything?"
Stefano sighed. "I was so angry at Marlena that day, I only focused on getting my revenge".
Chad shook his head. "Incredible. I better reach my contact and ask him to look into that".
He took out his phone and went to the lobby, as Abigail walked past him with Thomas in her arms and a smile on her face.
"And what is it that is making you so happy today?" asked Stefano, as he took Thomas from her and put him on his lap (Both Chad and Abby let him spend some time with Thomas as long as one of them or someone they trusted was there, God forbid Stefano tried to do anything like in his evil days).
"Oh just some good news" she said.
"Oh, did Thomas finally grow a tooth?" asked Andre.
"Oh, better, I..." Her smile disappeared and she turned to Andre, slightly offended. "What... That was like two weeks ago, Andre! What kind of uncle are you, ignoring these milestones?"
Andre rolled his eyes. "Forgive me for not noticing and being a busy man".
"And while we're at it..." she said, turning to Stefano.
"I did notice!" he protested.
She put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, I gathered when the 'Tooth Fairy' left a hundred dollar bill under his pillow with a 'Congrats' note attached to it".
Andre chuckled. "Father, if I'm correct, money is left under the pillows of children that lose teeth, not grow them".
"Oh, that's not it" said Abby. "Stefano, I appreciate the gesture, but isn't it too much of an allowance for a two year old?"
"Oh please" said Stefano with a dismissive wave of his hand. "This boy will receive good allowances for as long as I live".
"The God help me" Abby groaned.
Stefano let out a mocking chuckle. "If it bothers you that much, then put it on a college fund or something for him. Who knows, maybe then you'll have enough to send him to Harvard, or perhaps Oxford or Cambridge".
"Wow" said Abigail. "You'd really spend all that money on him".
"I certainly don't need that money, especially with my age" he replied. "And Chad is the only one of my children who actually lets me be a part of my grandchildren's lives".
Abby lifted an eyebrow. "Well, thank you, Stefano".
Andre rolled his eyes. "Ok, enough with the cheesy mood. You had good news, say what it is".
Abigail glared at him, but sobered up. "Thomas said 'Daddy' today for the first time"
"Ah, isn't that amazing!" Stefano said proudly, as he bounced the baby on his lap".
"How time flies" said Andre. "Very soon you'll see him pronouncing speeches or poems or singing".
"That would be great" she said. "Oh, and Sonny called this morning. He and Paul are getting married in two days!".
Stefano and Andre's grins disappeared.
Just in that moment, Chad entered the room, frowning. "What did you just say?"
The DiMera jet landed in Italy in the afternoon. It wasn't too cold, but it wasn't hot either. Fresh air could be felt in the environment while the sun was up in the sky. Malcolm got out of the plane and stretched.
"Talk about a long flight" he muttered.
He checked the map on his phone. The jet had landed on the international airport instead of the private landing track of the castle by his order, for he pretended to avoid being received by a blast of bullets, courtesy of Deimos's men.
Still he wasn't that far. But the castle had been built on an area no wheeled vehicle could reach. Chad had told him a helicopter or walking were his options.
"No way in hell I'm walking all the way from here" he thought. "And a helicopter is not an option either, it's way too noisy".
He was led from the plane to a separate door of the airport, and after some minutes, he found himself in the middle of Rome.
He looked at the imposing Coliseum in front of him and sighed. "I did not think this through".
Knowing he needed to move, for he carried a backpack with his weapons inside, Malcolm started to approach people and asking if they knew how to reach the area where the castle was located, without mentioning the castle, of course. However, he was unsuccessful.
He wandered around the city for about an hour, always walking on the direction the castle was, using the map, for he thought the people who were closer would know what to do.
But nothing.
"Dammit"
Malcolm walked and walked, always through big, crowded streets. That, until he found himself lost. Rome was a big city, yes, and he was getting tired. So when he got to a small park, he sat on a bench to rest.
It wasn't until a few minutes later that he felt eyes on him. He turned around to see an old man staring at him. The man seemed strange, he used filthy clothes and a cane.
"Either he'll ask for some money or I'm about to get mugged" Malcolm thought. "Will he accept dollars?"
"Tu non sembra di essere romano" said the man, with a strange, raspy voice. "Che cosa stai cercando?"
"Of course I'm not Roman and I'm looking for a way to get to the DiMera Castle without getting caught and killed!"
Trusting his ability with languages, Malcolm cleared his throat. "Voglio ottenere su per la alta collina, fuori città".
The castle had been built near a hill out of the city, where Chad had told Malcolm to go, so it would be easier to enter it without getting noticed.
But the man's face turned judgmental, or perhaps hateful. "Vuoi andare al castello di DiMera".
Malcolm's eyes widened. "He knows about the castle".
The man shook his head. "Dovete andare a cavallo, sarà più facile di camminare, perché non si può raggiungere in auto".
Malcolm stared at him, puzzled. "Is he serious?"
Sill surprised by the man's cooperation, he nodded. "Grazie".
The man nodded at him and walked away. Suddenly, Malcolm's phone rang.
Chad had a frown on his face as he stared at Abby. "What did you say?"
Knowing about Chad's feud with Sonny, Abigail thought of a quick answer. "Um, Thomas said his first word today".
Chad's frown grew deeper. "What? No, that can't..."
"Dad'y"
Chad turned from his wife to little Thomas, who was sitting on Stefano's lap and making grabby gestures with his hands towards him.
"Dad'y!"
In a few seconds, Chad's frown turned into a big, big smile. "Oh, my God".
He picked Thomas up and kissed his little cheek several times. "You just said 'Daddy', well done, Thomas, I'm so proud of you!"
Thomas giggled, Abigail took out her phone and took a picture of them.
"Ah, this moment should have been recorded. We would have teased the hell out of the boy when he grew older" said Andre.
"I am so glad you're so happy right now" smiled Abby.
"How can I not be, my little boy just called me 'Daddy'" said Chad, snuggling his son.
"I see" she chuckled. "By the way, Sonny's getting married in two days".
Just as she said that, she quickly ran towards the door of the living room, with the intention of going upstairs. Unfortunately for her, Chad reacted faster.
"Whoa, whoa, wait, stop right there!" he said, as Abby stopped on her tracks and silently cursed. "Sonny's doing what?"
"And that's our cue" said Andre. "Come on, Father, let's go to the studio so you can finish that novel you've been reading".
Stefano stood up and followed Andre out.
As soon as they were gone, Abby sighed. "I just thought you'd want to know".
"Will is alive. Malcolm's gonna get him out of captivity. They'll be here soon".
Chad shook his head. "I don't even care. Did he invite you?"
Abby nodded. "Yes".
"I guess he didn't even mention me".
"I'm sorry" said Abby apologetically. "If you want I won't go".
"No, no, he's your cousin, you must go" said Chad. "Besides, there are so many things I must worry about now".
"Right, the business" she said. "Are you sure you won't want to come? I mean, sure Sonny won't like it at first, but who knows, it might lead to a reconciliation between you two".
"No, I'll be fine" he replied. "But take Thomas with you, I bet he'll have some fun there with Ari".
"Alright".
Chad's phone rang.
"Better take that" said Abby before kissing her husband. "Love you".
"Love you too" he said, kissing her back.
Once Abigail left, Chad picked up the call. "Yes. Oh no. Are you sure? Ok, I'll make sure he knows, alright".
Chad hung up, furious. "That son of a bitch".
He dialed Malcolm, who he presumed had already landed in Italy.
Malcolm answered almost right away. "Hey".
"Hey, you in Rome yet?".
"Almost out of Rome, actually. I've been trying to find a way to get to the castle without being noticed. I obviously can't walk all the way there, and I can't use a helicopter because of the noise it'll make once I arrive".
"Have you come up with something?" Chad asked, almost impatiently.
"I did. I ran into this creepy dude who noticed I wasn't Italian. I asked for a way to go to the hill that's close to the castle and he instantly knew I was referring to it! You know what he suggested? A horse. Because no cars can reach the place. Where the hell am I gonna find a horse?"
"So you speak Italian, Father's gonna love that" Chad mused, as he opened the online map on his laptop. "Alright, there should be a ranch no too far away. You could rent a horse there. Do you even know how to ride?"
"I do, I just haven't practised. Anyway, thanks. See ya".
"Wait!" said Chad. "There's a reason why I called you. I have a man infiltrated in the Castle, he was there to check on Kristen, actually. But while you were flying to Rome, I sent him a picture of Deimos to confirm if he was there. After some research, he called me back. And you're never gonna believe this".
"What is it?"
"Deimos entered the castle claiming he was Tony DiMera and that he had gone under surgery for some private plans. I think he did some research in him because all the staff tested him. Kristen never knew because Deimos ordered them not to say anything. I told my man to help you as soon as you get there".
"Why doesn't he just rat him out?" Malcolm wondered.
"It's been two years since the first time he got to the castle. My assumption is that Will was abducted and placed there by Deimos's orders while he was still in prison, because my man told me Deimos has only been once at the castle. This would be the second time".
"So Deimos wasn't working alone. He has an accomplice. Be careful, Chad. He knows we're onto him, he probably has his guy in Salem while he's gone".
"I'll be fine" said Chad, as he heard a few knocks on the door. "You be careful ok? And you might want to hurry".
"Why?"
"Sonny and Paul are getting married in a couple days" Chad said. "If you bring Will back, it's gonna get messy. I don't know, I think I wanna mess with Sonny's head when Will's back".
"Damn, so soon? Alright, wish me luck then".
Chad cringed when he heard heavier knocks on the door. "Good luck, man".
He hung up as more knocks were heard. "Coming!"
He went and opened the door, where EJ was standing with a stern face.
"We need to talk".
Sonny walked into the living room of the Kiriakis Mansion, where Victor was waiting for him.
Sonny approached him, for Victor was showing his back to him, resting his hands on his cane, and poked his shoulder.
Victor, however, didn't react. He was staring at a picture of him and Maggie on their wedding day.
"A great day, wasn't it?" said Sonny.
Victor nodded.
"You know, Aunt Maggie had one of me and..."
"I destroyed it" said Victor. "The moment I found out he had hurt you, I tore it into little pieces".
Sonny seemed sad. "You didn't have to do that".
"The hell I didn't".
Sonny just looked down and at the rug. As he turned around he noticed a small dark reddish spot on it. He turned to Victor, who was still not looking at him. "That blood?"
Victor shrugged.
Knowing it must had been one of his uncle's hitmen, Sonny raised an eyebrow. "Is he at least still alive?"
"For God's sake, Sonny, he was shot on the shoulder, he'll be back to work in a week" said Victor.
Sonny raised his hands in surrender as he sat on the couch. "Ok".
Victor finally turned around and sat on the other couch.
Uncomfortable by the way his uncle was looking at him, Sonny rolled his eyes. "I guess you heard the news".
"The 'good' news, I'd say" Victor replied. "What are these news of you getting married out of the blue?"
Sonny sighed. "Paul and I have decided it is time for us to settle. And there's actually no rush, but I can't deny the idea of doing this right away is kind of exciting".
"Really?"
"Of course" he replied. "You know I've always been an adventurous guy".
"Right, but that doesn't mean making a desicion this big untimely is an adventure" he argued.
Sonny looked at him. "Uncle Vic, Paul and I want to do this".
Victor stared at him for a few seconds. "Was it your idea?"
"Of getting married? Yes".
"That's not what I'm talking about".
"The rushed wedding? It was Paul".
"Why?"
Sonny shrugged, not because he didn't want to answer, bit because he didn't know why either. "This is going to happen. Seriously".
Victor seemed to soften a bit. "Will you do it here?"
Sonny shook his head. "We'll do it at the park. Here would be... I don't know. Despite everything I don't wanna replace the memory I have here".
Victor nodded. "I understand".
They stood silent for a while, until Sonny pointed to the blood stain on the rug. "About that..."
"Horton did it" Victor said, annoyed.
"And you haven't slaughtered him?" Sonny asked, amused.
Victor shrugged. "It's something he said. It's had me thinking since yesterday".
"What did he say?"
Victor looked at him. "That Deimos had me fooled 'too'. He seemed to be in a rush, because he shot my hitman and ran away".
"Huh" said Sonny. "You were planning to kill him".
"That doesn't matter anymore" said Victor. "I believe Deimos is up to something, and getting me to get rid of Malcolm Horton was a way to cover himself".
"EJ, brother, what am I good for? greeted Chad as he stepped aside to let EJ in.
"Is Malcolm here?" he asked.
"Um, he's actually out of town" he replied. "Why ask me?"
"You two seem to get on pretty well" said EJ. ,"Which is why I'll need you to deliver him a message right away".
"What is it?"
EJ lowered his voice. "Yesterday, a man approached me and Samantha asking if we knew of his whereabouts. We of course said no".
"Did he say his name?"
"He didn't have to" EJ replied bitterly. "We already knew him, especially Samantha. Percy Ruggles. Given our history with him, we have reason to believe that he has a plan involving Malcolm".
"I'll call and ask" said Chad. "I heard about Sonny's news. Will you go?"
"I'm going to support Samantha, who's going more for her granddaughter than for her ex-son-in law" he replied. "I understand that given your feud you won't attend".
Chad chuckled. "That's correct".
Malcolm found going by horse to the castle ridiculous. But he felt relieved that at least he could ride.
And so, he galloped all the way through the European valley, passed by a few houses and one or two farms, until he saw the high hill, which was all covered by trees. The closer he got, the most he saw, and even got to catch a glimpse of a tower.
"I'm here".
He looked behind, and saw the shadow of the city as the sun set. "And it wasn't that far".
The horse slowed down when it reached the trees, and once Malcolm saw the back of the castle, he stopped and got down of the horse.
After putting on his CIA suit and getting armed, he looked at the animal, which shook the head and leaned down to eat some grass.
"Now what am I gonna do with you?" Malcolm muttered as he caressed the horse's neck. He looked a the castle. There was a small door, where a man in black was staring at him.
Malcolm clung onto his machine gun, and slowly approached.
"You Malcolm Horton?" asked the man, in a slight Italian accent.
"Who's asking?"
"Mr Chad DiMera said you were going to get here around this time" the man replied. He opened the small door. "I'm at your disposal".
Malcolm nodded, but gave him his backpack. "I appreciate it, but I gotta do this alone. Listen, take the horse and return it to the ranch just outside of the city. Then take my backpack to the DiMera jet in the airport and tell the pilot to wait for me at the landing track here in a couple hours. If God's on my side, I'll be bringing someone with me. Make sure to have medicines and stuff, 'cause I don't know how his condition is".
The man nodded and gave him a folded paper he tookwas out of his pocket. "Yes sir".
He took the backpack, got on the horse and galloped away.
Once they were gone, Malcolm unfolded the paper. It was a detailed map of the castle. Smirking, he entered, closing the door behind him.
He found himself in a dark hallway, which was only slightly illuminated by some torches. He walked slowly and quietly, knowing the hallway led to a secret door, which led to the main room. The hallway Malcolm was in was actually an escape route, to be used in case of emergency.
The closer he got to the end of the hallway, the clearer he heard some noises coming of the main room. He finally reached the secret door, and quietly opened it (inwards) only to find it covered by something white and soft.
"A painting" he thought. "Classic".
Malcolm placed his ear close to the canvas, and heard a voice. A known voice.
"So, the prisoner's still here then. He seems to be in not such a bad shape after all".
"Deimos".
"However, the reactions I was expecting in Salem weren't shown, so I guess he has no use for me anymore. Actually, he hasn't been useful for quite some time. Ah, well. I'll be flying to the States today. I want him dead by tonight".
"Over my dead body" Malcolm muttered.
He loaded his machine gun and started firing through the painting, destroying it completely and revealing himself.
No time was given to Deimos's men to react, and one by one they started falling to the ground. Deimos had sheltered himself behing a couch.
Once the shooting stopped, Malcolm kicked aside a body as he reloaded his machine gun. "Get out of there, Deimos! I know what you did. I know you have my brother here. Tell me where he is, and I may let you go alive".
Deimos, slowly getting out of his hiding spot and putting his hands in the air, let out a soft, evil laugh. "Ah, Malcolm Horton, here to save the day once again".
Malcolm had Deimos at gunpoint, and it took all of his willpower not to shoot. "Why did you kidnap Will? How did you do it, if you were in prison by the time it happened?"
Deimos chuckled. "I see I have no other option but to tell. Fine, either way you and your poor big brother will be dead".
"Don't be so sure" said Malcolm.
"I studied my dear family in Salem very well while in prison" Deimos started. "It's not a secret that I wanted revenge against my brother for putting me there all those years for a crime I didn't commit. So, a few years before getting out, I met someone, a very kind gentleman who offered to help: Mr Percy Ruggles. He even inspired this idea. One of the best ways to make Victor suffer was to hurt the ones he loves the most. And that included his beloved nephew".
"Jackson".
"That's right. Ruggles helped me well. And how could dear Sonny suffer the most? By being hurt by a man he loved oh so much".
"My brother".
Deimos smirked. "That guy was more loyal than a dog. So we got a lookalike, who, after some surgery, was his living image. We gave him all his information. Ruggles made the change when he was alone with your brother, and Sonny took our guy home, believing it was Will. He played his part very well, and fooled everyone when that other guy was murdered and he tried to take the fall for it, believing it had been his dear husband. After the wedding, Ruggles called him to California for further instructions from me. We used EJ DiMera's 'death' and Samantha's grief as an excuse. The baby girl was unharmed. When he came, he made the move. He 'cheated', with Sonny's ex".
"That's not possible" said Malcolm. "Paul came from San Francisco, while your doppelganger went to Los Angeles. They didn't know about each other, Paul had nothing to do with your plan, he came to Salem for physical therapy".
"Oh, Paul was a happy coincidence" said Deimos. "Who do you think suggested him Salem. We found out about him while in California, and told him about the good treatment he could get here. Well, Ruggles did".
"You bastard" growled Malcolm. "All the hell they went through, it was all you".
"But then our plan hit a snag. Morality caught up with him. Not to mention Sonny left him. And next thing we knew, he had been murdered".
"So your plan failed".
"Oh no" said Deimos. "Victor did suffer for his beloved nephew. Even more after the death. But they forgot easily. They moved on pretty quick".
"Then why did you still keep Will here?"
"You want honesty?" he asked. He laughed. "I forgot! How stupid I was, I did not remember about him until you mentioned 'Bill Robin'!"
"And the letter?" asked Malcolm.
"Oh, I got it a long time ago. You see, after getting out of prison, I stopped by the castle to check on things, I believe he heard my name and figured I had taken him, because I got the letter a few days after I came to Salem. Of course, I did not know who Bill Robin was until later. By that time, I had had two people hostage, and even though one of them had already died, I figured it had been sent while he was still imprisoned. How the letter got to me is beyond me".
"Right. Hope told me you were also responsible for my uncle Bo's disappearance" said Malcolm. "You have no idea how bad I want to pull the trigger right now".
"But you won't" said Deimos with a smirk. "Because you don't just do an extrajudicial execution, and because we are not alone".
As in cue, more armed men came into the room, and fired at Malcolm, who, fast as a cat, jumped and sheltered himself behind another sofa. Deimos took advantage of the shootout and ran away.
Malcolm fired his machine gun furiously, leaving a lot of Deimos's hitmen out of action.
He caught a glimpse outside the window, and saw Deimos about to get in a helicopter that waited for him, not before throwing something small at the castle.
Whatever that was broke the window, and Malcolm saw it clearer in seconds, and his eyes widened. It was a grenade, which, to everyone's bad luck, impacted in the fireplace. Malcolm sheltered himself again, and the explosion was so hard it killed many more men, and left seriously injured others, but now the room, probably others, were on fire.
The fire spread rapidly, for a big part of the castle's structure was made of wood, so Malcolm had to find his brother quickly.
He got to many hallways, as the heavy smoke invaded everywhere, kicking many doors open, unsuccessfully.
But finally he got to a wooden door. He remembered Caroline telling them about her dream, and got closer. There was a Phoenix engraved in the doorknob, and there was also a sign underneath the small window the door had, although nothing could be seen through it.
"Non disturbare. Stanza privata" he read. He pressed his ears against the doorcastle, and his eyes widened when he heard some weak coughs from inside.
He tried to open the door. He kicked and hit thethe door, but it was locked. He triedwas to break the window but was made of tempered glass.
"Oh, that's it!" he exclaimed. He took his machine gun and shot as much as he could, practically destroying the knob.
He finally kicked the door open and entered. He inhaled sharply at the sight.
"My God".
Someone was indeed there.
"It's you. I found you".
Still with no wifi. I must have spent a good part of my mobile data while writing this. Totally worth it.
Please review and thanks for reading!