Dr. Oppenheimer watched through a window as his men administered electro-shock therapy to his patient Chad as he fiddled with a gold coin. The blue electricity emitted was reflected off his glasses. The good doctor was immersed in his thoughts. All but ignoring Chad's horrific screams.
"Dear Chad. By the time I'm through with you you'll be the ultimate killing machine. The ultimate weapon. The perfect human specimen trained to physical perfection. Your father will reward me handsomely for a job well done. And then I will have my Abigail back even if Viki has to die to accomplish that. Once I have perfected my technology, I'll use that girl as a host for Abigail's soul. I can only hope Alistair comes through for me and retrieves Tabitha Lenox's spellbook as I requested. Combining the magic contained within that tome with the regenerative properties of my new technology, I can resurrect Abby's soul from the dead. And as for Viki, well she'll have the satisfaction of knowing she died for a worthy cause." he chuckled.
Back in Harmony, it was sunset. Sheridan had decided to take Leanne for a walk. The baby girl had fallen fast asleep.
"Ah, shoot. Why did you have to fall asleep so soon little one?" Sheridan looked at her baby daughter. So beautiful. So innocent. She had swore to herself that she wouldn't make the same mistakes with her daughter as she did with Marty. She wouldn't let Alistair get anywhere near her, wouldn't let him steal Leanne out from under her. Wouldn't let Alistair hurt his granddaughter the same way he did his grandson all those years ago. Sheridan was through being her father's victim. His days of hurting her and her children were over.
Sheridan strolled past the church though she noticed something was off. The doors of the church were wide open. Odd, especially for this time of day. She felt something. What she couldn't really describe, just that it felt evil. Dark and foreboding. Cautiously she stepped inside, a cold chill ran down her spine as she entered the church. It felt cold inside, yet the light from the quickly setting sun was illuminated through the windows and yet she couldn't feel the heat.
Sheridan let out a loud gasp as she caught site of the prone figure of Father Lonigan lying on the ground, unconscious. Sheridan parked Leanne's stroller and quickly rushed down the isle.
"Father Lonigan! Father Lonigan!" Sheridan screamed as she dropped to her knees and turned over Lonigan's limp figure.
"Oh, father! Please don't be dead!" a panicked Sheridan quickly felt for a pulse. Thankfully she found one. As if on cue, Lonigan began to stir awake.
"Oh, thank God you're alright father! I thought you were gone."
"Sha... Sha... Sheridan?" Lonigan asked weakly.
"I'm here father, I'm not going anywhere. Who... Who did this to you?" she asked.
"Who..." Lonigan asked, he could barely speak.
"Yes, who attacked you? Who would be evil enough just to leave you here like this?" she asked.
"It was... Lenox."
"A Lenox did this to you? But that can't be father, Tabitha is on our side now, she'd never do something like this to you of all people."
"Not... Tabitha." Lonigan replied.
"Then who?" Sheridan asked.
"Da... Da... Damien."
"Damien?" Sheridan asked. Lonigan suddenly let out a pain filled moan.
"Please calm down father, who is Damien? What does he want?" she asked as she held his hand.
"Death..."
"Whose death?" she asked.
"Everyone... in... Harmony..."
"He wants to kill everyone?" she asked.
"Must... Stop... Him. Can't... Let it... End like this. Must save Kay."
"Save Kay? Father what does Kay have to do with this?"
"Everything..." he replied.
At the Bennett home Kay had just arrived after an eventful day with Maria at the park.
"Maria honey, make sure you wash up for dinner and no sweets you'll ruin your appetite!" she called out as she hung up her coat. Looking up, Kay let out a loud gasp as she saw Death reflected in the mirror. She quickly turned around.
"Hello, Kay." Death stood in the doorway.
"Why are you doing this? Why can't you just leave us alone?" Kay asked.
"I already told you, I can't do that. You have to pay for your past sins." Death spoke.
"Pay for my past sins? Haven't I already paid enough?! I can't have any more children, Miguel left me and my mother died. I never stopped paying for my sins! I've changed. I'm not that person anymore, I never want to be again."
"What you want is irrelevant, fate has other ideas in store for you. They must come to pass, they will come to pass."
"No. It won't happen. I won't let it happen. I'll protect my little girl and keep her safe, me and Miguel both will."
"Miguel can't save her and neither can you."
"Oh yeah? Watch us. Our bond with our little girl is stronger than you and it'll overcome your shadow. Love is stronger than Death can ever hope to be."
"Death is inevitable and it'll come for Maria one way or another." Death replied.
"Not today it will, not any day. Not until my little girl has lived a full and fulfilling life. Not until she finds her happy ending."
"This isn't going to go the way you think it is Kay Bennett, you cannot overcome fate or your destiny."
"I make my own destiny, not you or anyone else." she replied.
"You can't fight your destiny forever, sooner or later it will catch up to you. Death will come for her it's a matter of time. When, not if."
"Get out of my house."
"Won't you reconsider? Accept the inevitable, it will save you a lot of pain in the future when I have to take her."
"GET OUT!" she screamed. Death promptly faded away.
"What's all the commotion in here?" Tabitha asked.
"Why Kay, what's the matter dearie? You look as though you just saw a ghost."
"Yeah, you're not far off." Kay replied. "What are you doing here anyway, I thought you and Endora went out on the town?" she asked.
"We were until that old bat Barnabas Collins ditched us at the plaza. Said he had to see a woman about a music box. The man always had the worst timing imaginable."
"And don't even get me started on the ego. Why he had to commission yet another portrait of himself by Sam Evans. One hundred and three years old and still at it. At this rate that man will be painting portraits in his grave. That's if that undead behemoth Adam doesn't kill him again."
"Again?" Kay asked. "He's been dead before?"
"Why so surprised? I've been dead several times and I'm still here."
"Well, what happened?" Kay asked.
"It's been such a long time it's honestly just a blur at this point. But it had something to do with Josette and a whole lot of time travel."
"Doesn't it always?" Kay asked.
"Oh enough about Barnabas Collins and his entire extended broad. I want to talk about you. Who were you yelling at a moment ago?" Tabitha asked.
"I wasn't yelling at anyone, you must be hearing things Tabitha." Kay shrugged off Tabitha's questions as she brushed past her and into the kitchen.
"My magic may be failing me, but certainly not my hearing. I can assure you it's 20/20!"
"I thought that was your eye site?" Kay replied.
"Whatever, you know what I mean. Bottom line I heard you and you know I heard you."
"It's nothing, alright?"
"You've been acting strange for the last couple of days Kay. I love you like a daughter and I'm worried about you. Please tell me what's going on in that head of yours. Let me in, don't shut me out like you did with your mother Grace." Kay didn't say a word.
"I want to help you Kay but I can't if you're not willing to tell me what's bothering you."
"It's nothing, plus I don't want to worry you okay?"
"Somehow that doesn't reassure me." Tabitha replied.
"Tabitha please just drop this for tonight, alright?"
"Okay dearie, if you insist you have everything under control."
"I do." Kay replied.
"Okay then. Now if you'll excuse me Endora and I were just in the middle of a great game of Jumanji and I'm having a devil of a time finding her in the jungles of South America. Hang on sweetpea, help is at hand!" Tabitha said as she disappeared out of the kitchen.
Kay was immersed in her thoughts and only heard the tail end of what Tabitha had said.
"I didn't kill your Maria, Kay." she heard Julian's voice.
"Liar!"
"Kay, what is it you want from me?"
"I WANT TO HEAR YOU SAY IT!"
"Say what?" Julian asked.
"SAY IT, say that you hit my little girl and kept driving!"
"A man decides after seventy years
That what he goes there for, is to unlock the door
While those around him criticize and sleep
And through a fractal on a breaking wall
I see you my friend, and touch your face again
Miracles will happen as we trip"
"But we're never gonna survive, unless
We get a little crazy
No we're never gonna survive, unless
We are a little crazy"
"Isn't that right, Kay?" Heidi spoke.
Meanwhile, Sam had made his way inside the prison where he surveyed the handiwork and what was left of the three dead guards.
"Quite a grisly site, isn't it?" A large heavy-set African American man with a deep booming voice spoke. Sam turned around.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Sam asked.
"Detective Harmon Brown, Boston PD." the man spoke as the two shook hands.
"Boston PD?
"Yeah, the department had sent a few inmates here for treatment and rehabilitation our jail wasn't exactly the Ritz Carlton if you catch my drift, plus this place has the resources that we simply don't have the luxury of having."
"Yeah, I can understand that." Sam replied.
"Sam Bennett, right?"
"That's right."
"How about that! The infamous chief of police of Harmony, you know I read all about you." Harmon said cheerfully.
"All good I hope..." Sam said nervously.
"Well, not exactly... Then again you have my sympathy what with all the strange goings on in your little hamlet. Murderous teenagers with itchy trigger fingers, homicidal hermaphrodites and elaborate plots by Alistair Crane straight out of a Silver Age comic book. It can't be easy dealing with all that chaos on a regular basis."
"It's not. Then again you don't really have it easy in Boston."
"No police department has it easy, I'm afraid." Harmon replied.
"So what do you think about those dead guards? Never stood a chance. He gutted them up like fish and then carved them up like pumpkins."
"I know, it's awful. The saddest part is they had families. The one in the middle Parker Hanson, tomorrow was his daughter's birthday. She would have been seven."
"Man, I'd love to get my hands on the freak who did this."
"You're not the only one, detective."
"Any idea who could have done this?" Harmon asked.
"Well, there's only one person I know twisted and evil enough to have done something like this." Sam said.
"Care to share?" Harmon asked.
"His name is Vincent Crane."
"Ah, the infamous costumed Blackmailer from way back when. I read his case file, a real nutjob with mommy and daddy issues." Harmon replied.
"You don't know the half of it." Sam said.
"Get out of my way!" Julian could be heard.
"Sir, you can't go in there it's a crime scene!"
"Either you unhand me or I'll have your badge and you'll be pushing a shopping cart inside of a week!"
"Oh, Sam, Sam!" Julian said as he entered the chamber along with Pilar.
"I'm sorry chief Bennett, I tried to stop him but he wouldn't take no for an answer."
"It's okay Gunner, I can handle Mr. Crane. Julian, what the hell are you doing here?! Didn't you just hear Deputy Gunner? This is a crime scene and you have no business dragging civilians into the perimeter!"
"I wanted to come Sam, Julian didn't drag me anywhere." Pilar replied.
"She's right, Sam. We saw the jail break on the news and Pilar insisted on coming with me. I tried talking her out of it but you know the Lopez-Fitzgeralds, stubborn until the bitter end." Pilar gave him a dirty look.
"What?! You are!" Julian replied.
"Enough you two this is no time to squabble. In case you haven't noticed we have three dead guards along with at least thirty dangerous criminals on the loose!"
"Oh, my God." Pilar covered her mouth at the site of the bloody scene.
"Did my son do this, did Vincent do this to those guards Sam?" Julian asked.
"We're not sure yet. Although we suspect it we don't have any concrete proof yet. I'm waiting on surveillance footage. Why did you two come here anyway?" he asked.
"Why did we come here? You of all people should know better than to ask me that, Sam! I came here because I was concerned for my son's wellbeing and the circumstances behind his escape from this wretched place!" Julian shot back.
"We have things well under control here and you have my word we'll move heaven and earth to find your son and get him the help he needs."
"I'm afraid 'help' is too far out of reach for my deranged son, Sam." Julian replied. "If I couldn't reach him and Eve couldn't reach him then no one can. Vincent may in fact be lost to us forever."
"You telling me your own son is a lost cause, Julian?" Sam asked.
"I wish it weren't true, I wish with all my heart it weren't true, but I have to accept it. Vincent is simply too damaged to be saved at this point."
"I'm sorry, Julian." Sam said somberly.
"So am I, Sam. So am I. When I think about what father did, twisting Vincent's already fragile psyche and turning him into this ugly, evil thing. A soulless killing machine with no sense of right or wrong it enrages me."
"I know what you mean, if someone had done that to Kay or Jessica I don't know what I would have done."
"Let's pray you never have to find out, either." Julian replied.
Back on Earth-2, Professor Everett was fiddling with some formulas. Immersed in deep thought, the professor never noticed the presence of Zombie Charity spying on him.
"Alistair Crane, and my Tabitha... Together. After all this time I still can't believe it." he said to himself.
"It should have been me." He continued. "Alistair was never good enough for my Tabitha. No one is good enough for my Tabitha. Except for me of course."
"I mean, what does Alistair Crane have that I don't? Besides money. Tabitha and I. We had it all, just like Bogey and Bacall. Starring in our own Late Late Show. Then Alistair came along and ruined everything for us." Harold pulled out pictures of Tabitha and Alistair.
"Damn you, Alistair. Damn you to hell." he said as he looked at the picture of Alistair. "Stealing Tabitha away from me. Ripping away our happy ending." he took out a knife from his drawer next.
"Die, Alistair! Die!" he said as he stabbed Alistair's picture.
"Wow, this old fossil really has a lot of pent up anger for Alistair Crane." Zombie Charity said to herself. Suddenly the Professor began to sing.
"Soft and sweet"
"Wise and wonderful"
"Oooh our mystical, magical Tabby"
"Since the day that Tabby came to stay with me"
"Fantastic things kept happening."
"Is there really magic in the things she does"
"Or is love the only magic thing that Tabby brings to me?"
"You know my Tabby showed me you can make the impossible happen. Well I'm about to make the impossible happen. I'm about to make Alistair Crane go bye bye straight into his grave and then I'm gonna dance on it!"
"Wow, this guy is totally unhinged and insane." Charity said to herself.
"Alistair, Alistair Alistair... I'm about to give you a one-way ticket straight to hell. Isn't that right, my love?" Everett talked to the picture of Tabitha.
Meanwhile, in Kay's subconscious.
"No, no no no. This can't be real. You cant' be here." Kay said.
"And why is that?" Hecuba asked.
"Because you're supposed to be long gone, that's why!" Kay replied.
"Then why am I standing here, dearie?" Hecuba asked.
"I don't know." Kay replied.
"Oh, I think you do." Hecuba said.
"No, I don't. You can't do anything to me, I got my soul back from you a long time ago."
"Yes, and no."
"What does that mean?" Kay asked.
"You may have gotten your soul back my dear, but not without conditions."
"Conditions?" Kay asked.
"What, you thought you could sell your soul to an evil witch and there wouldn't be any lasting consequences? Dearie, you don't know the first thing about how the Dark Side operates, do you?"
"I know enough."
"Obviously not, if you did you'd know what happened to the last mortal who was foolish enough to make a deal with me."
"What?" Kay asked.
"It's too horrific for a mortal like you to possibly comprehend. Let's just say it didn't end well for him at all. Let's say he ended up falling into a pit of flaming fire ants."
"You can't scare me, I'm a witch now too remember?" Kay asked.
"Yes, a witch who can't even control her powers. A witch who was overcome by a split-personality and is now locked away inside her own subconscious. Oh yeah, you have things well under control, I must say."
"What are you trying to tell me, Hecuba? Just spit it out." she said.
"It's really quite simple: when you got your soul back a little part of me came with it."
"What?" Kay asked.
"My soul, I implanted just a small fragment of it within you, I've been with you this whole time and you were none the wiser." Hecuba explained.
"No I don't believe you."
"Well, it really doesn't matter whether or not you believe me, it's the truth. In fact, you could say I'm a part of you now. You should never have played with the Dark Side, anyone who does usually ends up getting burnt in the end. Severely burnt. And you have no one to blame, but yourself."
End of Chapter 28
