Fantasy Island and all associated characters (except mine and MagicSwede1965's) are owned by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, Columbia Pictures Television, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. All persons described herein are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental. Copyright infringement is not intended.
Chapter 4: Communications
"Would you care to explain your insistence for this meeting, Rosanlodar?" the entity asked as he approached the others waiting for him. This particular chamber was not one that was regularly used and they wouldn't be disturbed.
"I understand some new information has come to light," said his deep-voiced colleague.
"I do regret giving you all such short notice," Rosanlodar said in his gravelly voice, "but the urgency warranted it."
The first voice responded, "Consider yourself fortunate that I was able to attend."
"Now then, my friends, to the reason that I called you all here," Rosanlodar began.
"Just get to the point," said the deep voice in annoyance.
"I will if you would kindly not interrupt me. Using separate methods, I and another gained access to the island that Leader once owned. Once there, we were able to learn more about the Elemental, who is known there as Ms. Trenton."
The first voice said in surprise, "That island is protected by a shield."
"Which only prohibits direct teleportation," said Rosanlodar in a condescending tone. "It was bothersome to take on a corporeal form for long enough to circumvent it, but the dividends were certainly worth it. May I continue?" When the others remained silent, he went on, "I spoke to a woman who holds a great deal of animosity toward Ms. Trenton. After I gained her confidence, she told me that Ms. Trenton is in Leader's company almost constantly when he is there. That indicates the possibility of her having powers similar to those of a Mind-Bender and she is using them to control him."
The female voice spoke then. "To my observation, Leader seemed to be quite at ease, and did not show indications of being controlled in any way. Then again, I am not a Mind-Bender to be able to determine that. He and Ms. Trenton refer to each other as partners, and they are apparently capable of a kind of non-verbal communication that uses facial expressions and eye movements. It's curious."
"Irrelevant," Rosanlodar said dismissively. "I made the suggestion to my contact that she and I could achieve a mutually beneficial goal if we cooperated to remove Ms. Trenton from Leader's vicinity. I secretly procured the ingredients for a substance that would incapacitate her for long enough to do so."
The deep voice interrupted, "How do you know if that is even possible? Some who witnessed the Elemental's rescue of Leader from his illegal incarceration claimed that she was invincible."
Rosanlodar uttered a grating sound that might have passed for a laugh. "That was mere hearsay. She is powerful, yes, but not invulnerable. Assuming an ideal resolution, once Leader is freed of Ms. Trenton's influence, he will be more amenable to acting toward the greater good for our people."
"I was under the impression that he already has been doing so," said the female voice.
The first voice put in, "What seems obvious to one is often obscure to another. We should operate under the assumption that Leader is of sound mind, and until we discover incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, I advise to forego the use of unorthodox methods. I will bid you good day, as I cannot devote any further time to this."
The others drifted away also, until the one called Rosanlodar was left alone. "It appears that our esteemed colleagues do not have the fortitude to do what's necessary," he said to the air.
A new voice spoke, with a quality that humans might describe as 'sultry'. "It's more likely they prefer to let others do the work, in order to plausibly absolve themselves of it later. We might not need them in any case."
After enjoying dinner with Roarke's family, Andrea had teleported home directly from the main house instead of walking to Coral Beach first as she usually did. Even though she'd had a reliable source tell her that Keiki Lee was at the Saturday evening luau, she didn't want to risk being followed to her special place and seen to be using her powers.
Here in Kingston, it was well after midnight and the house was quiet. She didn't feel particularly tired and entertained the thought of staying up to see if Roarke would join her. After lunch he had returned to the Realms and blocked their link shortly thereafter, which told her that his business there would likely occupy him for a long time. Often after such stints he would retire to his personal chambers in the Realms instead of teleporting back to Earth.
It startled her, then, to see him appear in her room just as she'd settled into bed with a book. Normally he would come to the front door, but tonight he had to be so weary as to make an exception. Adding to her confusion, he slowly sat on the edge of the bed but made no move to undress and join her.
"What's troubling you, aroha?" She sat up and began to rub his back in a comforting gesture, mentally touching the link as she did so, but he was still blocking. "Or is it so bad that you can't share?"
He was silent for a few moments. "My people have become increasingly resistant to my suggestions and decisions on their behalf," he said tiredly. "Their opposition has been building for a number of months, particularly since you and I chose to partner with each other."
"I knew there might be some discontent, after what I did to the one who hurt you," she recalled, "but why else would they be so resistant? Are they that wary of outsiders?"
"That is part of it," he confirmed. "The community in the Realms is quite insular. They and those who chose to live out their lives on Earth had been out of touch for centuries, for the simple reason that they feared the humans' persecution. I myself was contacted by the Realms only shortly before I arrived on Fantasy Island."
"How interesting. It strikes me as being extremely hypocritical of them to beg you to be their leader and force you to leave the home you'd established, only to oppose your leadership after a few short years. You've done everything in your power to help them."
Roarke sighed and ran one hand through his hair in a gesture of exasperation. "One might say that they've become too possessive. As you know, at the beginning of my tenure I was placed under very strict limitations. I was not allowed to visit the surface unless it was an emergency. Since the original Tribunal was disbanded, however, I've been spending an increasing amount of time on the planet to help with clan-related matters. They resent the change, having become accustomed to being able to seek my counsel at any time."
"They're jealous," Andrea proclaimed as she hugged him from behind. "Plain and simple. They just can't deal with the fact that you have a life beyond what they can envision, and they don't seem to be willing to compromise."
He clasped her hands. "It's much more than that. You have been the greatest change of all, and for many it was the final provocation. They are afraid of the total unknown that you represent."
Andrea squeezed him as she felt his body tremble slightly. "And by extension, if they were to find out that you're now an elemental host like myself, all chaos would break loose."
"Yes, and I foresee only two possible outcomes: I would lose my position and be bid to return to Earth, or be prohibited from leaving the Realms at all."
Both of those scenarios would be detrimental to all concerned. Without Roarke the Realms would be leaderless, and others akin to Lavender and his goons might be emboldened to act against the people of Earth. Conversely, if Roarke became effectively imprisoned there, his family would never see him again and the earthbound clans would suffer.
She shivered and closed her eyes as another option came into her mind, one that she had hoped that she'd never need to consider. "If your situation is that precarious, I don't want to be the catalyst that causes your downfall. I accepted at the beginning that we might not see each other for long periods of time, as difficult as that would be. But if they are so insistent that you must be present at all times…" She swallowed hard and made herself say it. "I would release you from our promise."
He extricated himself from her arms and turned to face her with dread in his eyes. The block dropped and the anxiety that he'd been trying hard to contain flooded them both. "No," he whispered with a shake of his head as he clasped her shoulders. "Please, no. Your love, your courage, are what have inspired me to help my people become better. Knowing that you are always in my heart and mind, merely a thought away, has sustained me through all the setbacks they have caused over the past months."
"What other choice is there?" she asked him in a strangled voice. "We can't be so selfish if it would cause harm to so many, despite the cost."
"I know," he admitted, "and it goes against all that I have ever stood for, all that I am, but if I must choose between my people and you…" He pulled her to him, holding onto her desperately. "It will always be you, mi amada. May I be forgiven, but that is one sacrifice that I cannot make. You have become such an integral part of me that without you I would be a mere shadow of myself."
She knew exactly how that felt; having lived for one very long month without him while he'd been in Mephistopheles' hands. "I've heard it said that the gods use their chosen hard, but reveal little to them. We have the power to change the world, you and I, and yet in many ways we've been constrained to one small part of it. It's time to forge beyond the horizon; we must stand together," she offered as she pulled back to look into his eyes. "The next time you go to your people, I will go with you."
His expression shifted to one of concern. "That would cause an outrage. They would never accept it."
"You don't need their acceptance; you need their respect," she told him vehemently. "If you truly are their leader, you shouldn't allow them to bully you the way they have. Maybe it's time that you quit being the nice guy and remind them that they should be abiding by your will, not the other way around." He stared at her as if the thought had never occurred to him, and in response she smiled slightly. "Are you not allowed to ask others for help when you're in trouble? If you'd come to me with this sooner, it might not have become this bad."
Roarke cast his eyes downward. "I believed that you had done enough for me already, that administering my people is my own burden to bear. You have enough responsibility to this planet."
She raised his chin with one hand, her gaze a mixture of love and a little irritation. "Now you're just being stubborn. We share our burdens, remember?" Then she leaned in and murmured, "We're supposed to be partners, you idiot."
His eyebrows shot up and an awed chuckle escaped him. "Only you could get away with chastising me in such a manner."
In response she kissed him deeply.
The warm benevolence and complete devotion were intoxicating. He melted in her arms and all other thoughts fled as she guided him into a world of joyful belonging.
"One, two, three, four!"
As the morning sun hovered over the trees, the dancers began their routine in the grassy clearing in front of the magnificent triple waterfall. This spot was one of several locations around the island that they had filmed during the weekend. The footage would later be edited and synced to the Pharrell Williams song "Happy" before being submitted to the island's website for an advertising contest.
Only the pilot knew that the remote-controlled camera drone that was supposed to be used for aerial shots had malfunctioned. Only he knew that the drone had been replaced by a living cameraperson in the form of Ms. Trenton. He manipulated the controls as if he were flying the drone, but at the same time he was directing her to film certain angles by speaking to her through a wireless headset.
For her part, Andrea carefully maneuvered herself in such a way as to not be visible by anyone on the ground, keeping her silver aura tightly contained. It had always been quite the challenge for her to fly around without being noticed, although here, such happenings were more likely to be accepted as part of the island's mystique. She knew of at least two occasions where Roarke had allowed guests to become superheroes for a weekend.
What nobody could've anticipated was Mrs. Lee stumbling upon the scene. She had somehow missed several signs that clearly noted that the area was temporarily off-limits for the film shoot, and disrupted an important scene. Andrea held her position with bated breath until the interloper was ejected and the crew took their places again, but she had the sinking feeling that Mrs. Lee had somehow spotted her and was going to make yet another complaint to the resort's host.
Perhaps she'd been naïve to think that Mrs. Lee would abide by the multiple warnings that had been given. Sometimes she trusted in people far too much. There wasn't time to worry about it, as some of the shots needed to be redone so the company could move to their next location before their deadline.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Lee, but you have gone too far," Mrs. Randolph said decisively after the woman had ranted about being unable to see the waterfall as she had wanted to. "The signs were there all day yesterday warning of the closure, and you had no business interfering with the production. In addition, I've cited you for harassment of several staff members, including Mr. Roarke and Ms. Trenton."
"I paid a great deal of money to be here," Keiki began hotly.
"You did," Mrs. Randolph agreed, "but that didn't entitle you to abuse the privilege of being allowed to stay the weekend after having your fantasy declined. I will expect you to be on the next plane, which departs in an hour from now. If you are not at the dock at the appropriate time, a security detail will be at your bungalow to ensure that you board that flight. Good day."
Andrea accompanied the two security officers to the Lilac Bungalow and asked them to wait outside for her. They were skeptical about her being alone with Mrs. Lee given what the woman had done, but Andrea assured them that she was in little danger.
Her knock was quickly answered; Mrs. Lee was dressed in travelling clothes and a suitcase was next to the door. "Good afternoon Mrs. Lee. I heard that you wanted a word with me before you left."
"Yes, Ms. Trenton, please come in." After closing the door, she said, "I know that I was behaving terribly this weekend, but Mrs. Randolph set me straight. I'd like to apologize for the things that I said."
Something felt off. Andrea's senses told her that there were two people inside the bungalow instead of one, plus Mrs. Lee wasn't projecting the contrition that she was trying to emulate. She deliberately walked to the middle of the room where she'd have more space to defend herself if need be. "I'm glad to hear that you've reconsidered," she replied. "I hope that you'll be able to devote yourself to moving forward now."
"Oh, you can be sure of that." Mrs. Lee smiled.
Abruptly the second person came up behind her. Andrea whirled and aimed a knife hand strike at where an attacker's neck would be, a blow that would've been extremely painful if not incapacitating to most humans. Her hand whipped through the person's neck as if it were nothing more than an image. In the split-second that it took her to realize that she was facing a being who could render their body intangible, the man's arm came up and jabbed a needle in her neck. She didn't even have a chance to call through her mental link before she blacked out.
Mrs. Lee watched as the man she knew as Ross caught Ms. Trenton's body and picked her up smoothly in his arms. "That was awesome," she complemented. "I could've sworn that she was going to hit you. I guess you dodged it."
"I do have certain skills, yes," Ross said with a smile. "You should go before the guards get suspicious. Don't worry, I'll take good care of her until you have a chance to speak to the one you love."
"Thank you, Ross. If I see you again, I'll find a way to repay you for this." She turned, picked up her suitcase and opened the door. "I finished talking to Ms. Trenton, and she went out the back way," she announced to the guards. "I'm ready to leave now." She exited and closed the door behind her.
In the next second, the bungalow was empty.
The attendants for the Coral Island ferry were somewhat befuddled by the mysterious couple's explanation that they were taking their intoxicated relative home, but allowed them to board regardless. When the ferry reached its destination, however, the couple and the woman with them didn't disembark, and were nowhere to be found on board.
After being told by Delphine of Mrs. Lee's imminent departure from the island, Leslie drove herself and Roarke to the seaplane dock. It wasn't as if they didn't trust the island's security personnel, but in light of everything that had happened, they wanted to verify for themselves that Mrs. Lee was safely gone.
About halfway there, Roarke groaned softly and squeezed his eyes shut as he felt a painful stretching sensation in the back of his head and the warm presence of Andrea in his mind winked out. "No," he whispered as he mentally probed the link in search of her. It wasn't broken; if it were, he'd be in agony. It was just somehow… disconnected.
"Father?" Leslie asked, concerned, and began to slow the car.
"Keep driving," he advised. "I'm quite all right, but I sensed that something has happened to Andrea. Given the events of the weekend, it's within the realm of possibility that Mrs. Lee knows something about it, so it's important that we speak to her before she gets on the plane."
They and the jeep containing the security team and Mrs. Lee arrived at the clearing near the dock almost at the same time. When Mrs. Lee recognized Leslie as she got out of the car, she strode forward and launched into a tirade. "You! This is all your fault, you know! My life would've been so much better if you hadn't let that guy rough me up and then have your father force me to leave!"
"Well, hello to you too, Kekipi," Leslie said sarcastically. "In case you don't remember, 'that guy' was possessed by a demon at the time and couldn't control himself. You were fired because you couldn't or wouldn't do your job properly, not because of anything I said."
"You wouldn't have believed the tongue-lashing that I got from my family when I got home," the woman rambled on. "Not to mention, to be fired from Fantasy Island is like a death sentence as far as the hospitality industry in Hawaii is concerned. So, I had to start over completely. I even changed my name because nobody would see beyond Kekipi the rebel."
Roarke came up to his one-time assistant and grabbed her shoulders. "I just spoke to the officers. Andrea is missing, and according to them, you were the last one to see her. What do you know of this?" His eyes showed the intensity of a storm.
Kekipi writhed as she stared defiantly at him, although she had to wonder how he found out so quickly. He wasn't hurting her, but his grip was strong enough that she couldn't break away. "I know who you really are, and I will have my fantasy, Mr. Roarke. I've loved you since the moment we met, and I want us to be together like it should've been. Besides, do you even know what that woman is? She's not human!"
"Strange to hear that coming from you," Leslie said harshly. "Since you once worked here, you should know that this place is reputed to be magical. Especially after what happened back then!"
"I spent ages in therapy after that, to be convinced it had to all have been fake," Kekipi insisted, clearly in denial. "That the so-called fantasies were nothing more than play-acting and illusions. But what I saw earlier, was that woman doing things that no human could possibly do, like having this shining around her, and flying. I mean, actually flying! I couldn't see any wires or anything. She must be some kind of spirit or demon, and I'll bet she has Mr. Roarke under her control!"
At these words, Roarke immediately knew that Kekipi must have seen Andrea using her powers and couldn't reconcile that with what she'd been led to believe. "Andrea is neither; she is a woman who possesses great power and responsibility. The only control that she has over me is our love."
Kekipi's mouth hung open at the unexpected reaction. "Why aren't you bothered by all this?"
Leslie said, "Because we deal in fantasy every day, so little is surprising to us any more."
"All that aside," said Roarke angrily, "Where is she?"
His former assistant smirked. "In Hell, if she's unlucky."
He let her go and recoiled, reaching out once again with his senses for his beloved's presence, but he could feel nothing.
"Do you think…?" Leslie asked with a worried expression as she pointed one finger downward.
With a shake of his head, he replied, "No, he wouldn't be involved. The last time we spoke, he told us that due to mitigating circumstances, both Andrea and I are in no further danger from him. I'm certain that Andrea's not dead, but she's either so far away or so deeply unconscious that I can't find her." His dark eyes bored into Kekipi's. "You will voluntarily tell us what you have done, or I will ensure that you have no choice but to tell us." Forcing someone to speak was anathema to him, but at this point he would break his own personal rules to get Andrea back safely. She had done no less for him.
The woman flinched and bit her lower lip. "You wouldn't believe me even if I did tell you."
"Don't presume to know my mind!" he roared, in a mighty rage of the like that startled even Leslie. Both women stumbled backwards in alarm when the irises of his eyes flared from deep brown to cobalt blue. "I will tolerate no more obstruction from you. Where is my partner?"
Finally, she wilted under the power of his fury. "There was this guy Ross who knocked her out and took her to the Coral Island ferry. He said he would take her to a place called the Realms. I don't know where that is, but I thought it had to be somewhere far enough away so that she couldn't get between us any more."
Roarke and Leslie exchanged a knowing glance.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Roarke," Kekipi said, but the look on her face was hardly apologetic. "You humiliated me, and I suppose you think I deserved it. But all I wanted was to be loved by someone who would respect me."
"Respect must be earned," said Roarke, his voice even once again but his body still bristled with anger that he had no desire to rein in. "Your cruel act might cost two lives. If Andrea dies, I will suffer so terribly that I would wish to follow." He heard Leslie's astonished gasp but ignored it as he took Kekipi firmly by the arm. "You will accompany me so that you may see the price of your selfishness."
The two of them vanished.
Leslie shivered involuntarily and wrapped her arms around her body, her mind going over what she'd just witnessed. Her father had not been himself from the moment he'd felt that something had happened to Andrea. She'd never seen him so impulsive or wrathful. He hadn't even extended the courtesy to Kekipi of advising her to close her eyes during a teleport. And his eyes changing, what had that been about? Did it have something to do with what Andrea had done to him a few months ago?
Through all the years and everything that she'd ever witnessed on this island, her father had always been a pillar of calm and support. But now, she couldn't figure out what was worse: that he had really scared her, or that she could actually be scared of him.