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 5: Disconnect
The first sensation that Andrea had was of a gentle bouncing, of being carried by someone. She didn't need to open her eyes to know that she wasn't on Earth any more. Even under the influence of whatever drugs that she'd been given, she was enough in tune with her physical senses to be able to gauge the difference in gravity. It didn't take much to guess that she'd been brought to the Realms, since it was the only other place within the solar system that had a breathable atmosphere. Her wrists and ankles were bound by a substance that felt metallic.
That a member of the Realms community would conspire with a human to capture her should've been considered, given the past behaviour of certain others whom she'd encountered. Now wasn't the time for recriminations, though. She had to give herself the time to recover, as well as learn more about her captor.
After a time, her body was set down rather roughly on a hard surface, and she opened her eyes a crack to see that she was in a cavernous room with weak light sources spaced evenly along the walls. What appeared to be dark clouds obscured the ceiling. There was a sense of the place having been long-abandoned, like an ancient ruin that had only recently come to light. She was briefly startled to discover that she was lying on a large monument that had strange etchings all over its surface, almost like a tomb or sarcophagus. The material felt like stone but there was an ethereal, alien sparkle to it. There were five others that she could see, arranged in a line, and the farthest one had been opened.
She closed her eyes again as she tried to focus her mind. Her head felt like it was filled with cotton and the wellspring of her power, usually available readily, was out of reach. Either the drugs hadn't been cleared from her system yet, or the room was being bombarded by infrasonic waves. More likely the former, because very few people knew of her inherent vulnerability. For the moment, she was powerless.
However, she'd been in similar situations enough times to know that being powerless didn't mean she was helpless. In the case that she couldn't use her own powers because of sonic interference, it was possible that her captor couldn't either if he had abilities that required mental acuity. She also knew that Roarke would come searching for her, although it would potentially take a long time because their link was being disrupted and they couldn't feel each other. 'Have faith,' he'd always said.
"I see that you are conscious now, so let's begin with the obvious question," her captor said, jolting her to attention. His voice sounded gravelly, as if it hadn't been used often, but otherwise he looked like an average human male dressed in a beige jumpsuit. "How have you controlled our leader for so long? Even an experienced Mind-Bender cannot maintain their influence on a person without being consistently in their presence."
She couldn't help but give an incredulous bark of laughter. "I don't control him; I never did."
"But you have the abilities of a Mind-Bender!" he asserted.
"I've telepathic abilities," she corrected him, despite knowing that she really shouldn't be revealing any more than absolutely necessary. "It's not the same thing. I can't control anyone. I can only communicate thoughts and emotions."
He slapped one hand onto the stone next to her head. "Then explain to me why Leader is so often in your company instead of here with his own people?"
Snorting derisively, she said, "He visits me because he chooses to do so. He finds my company pleasant. Maybe he would attend his own people more often if they didn't demand such heavy responsibilities from him at his family's expense."
The man straightened up abruptly. "You know nothing of our difficulties," he said in a dismissive tone. "But no matter."
"If your people are having such difficulties that even Roarke can't resolve, why not ask for help?" she suggested reasonably. "You shouldn't allow yourselves to suffer for a mere point of pride."
"Look to your own predicament, Elemental," he snapped. "Tell me this: how was Leader's vitality restored? When he came to head the Tribunal, he was in a weakened state that heralded the approaching end of his years. Now, however, he possesses a power surpassing even that which he had while in his prime. A power, if I might make an observation, that is equal to yours."
Andrea leveled her gaze at him. "Excellent guess. He and I are partners and equals in every way, and that is all either of us will say on the matter."
"Nowhere in our vast archives of knowledge is it mentioned that it's possible to regain one's youth after the sundering. Not even after being restored by a Life-Giver." He raised one fist in a very human gesture of exasperation. "I must know how! You will tell me, or my Mind-Bender colleague will force you to do so."
She pretended to be unfazed by the threat, but the reality was that the knowledge she had could be used to devastating effect by one such as this. "Knowing the method would be of no benefit to you anyway," she hedged, "because of the nigh impossibility of enacting it." The deal that she'd made in good faith with her ally Spellfire to get the elemental spark for Roarke in the first place had proved to be a fiasco, and it would take a long time for her to forgive him for it. "You don't want to know how much was sacrificed to procure it, either."
Her captor leaned over her. "How can it be done?" he asked slowly and insistently.
Andrea stared at him furiously. "By being in the wake of a planar conjunction, which only happens every seventeen million years or so. Your kind don't live that long, do they?"
The man growled, "I've never heard such an absurdity! You either are trying to obfuscate or you have a delusional mind."
"Small words, from a small being trying to attack what he doesn't understand," she retorted. "I was under the impression that you people were smarter than that."
"Enough!" he barked, and signaled at something that was beyond her field of vision.
She had undergone physical and mental tortures many times over the course of her adventures. But those paled compared to what she experienced next. Despite all her efforts, her mental defenses crumbled much more quickly and painfully than she'd anticipated under the influence of the drugs that she'd been given. Almost as if she were an outside observer, she heard herself answering questions about her origin, how she'd developed her powers, and what she had done to transform Roarke into a being like herself. All the while, her captors listened with growing wonder. At the end of it she was panting, tears flowing from her eyes, and her head throbbing with every heartbeat.
Her respite was short-lived as her interrogator leaned down once again until his mouth was almost touching her ear. Then came the dreaded command: "Give it to me."
Screaming in defiance, she fought with all that she had left. Exhausted and dazed, she could barely resist the excruciating force that was being applied by the Mind-Bender's will. In a moment of stark clarity, she realized that she had no choice but to give the man what he wanted. If she continued to fight much longer, both she and the elemental spirit would die. If she willingly released it, she might live, and there would be a chance that it could escape. But it was highly probable that her life was forfeit anyway once the elemental had been transferred.
Would she never see her beloved Roarke again?
She forced that question aside. He would find her. If she survived this, and even if she was reduced to being a powerless human for the rest of her days, that would make no difference to him. Their love was too strong to abandon.
All my love, all that I am, is yours always, aroha, was her final thought before she closed her eyes and surrendered. The brutal invasion of her mind abruptly ceased and an icy emptiness spread throughout her body and soul as the elemental left her. She descended into the darkness.
It was all Kekipi could do not to be sick as a solid surface appeared under her feet again. For several seconds that had seemed like an eternity, she'd felt like she was being stretched and then snapped back into shape like a rubber band. At the same time her vision had been blotted out by a darkness that was deeper and scarier than anything that she'd ever experienced. The only thing that she could perceive as being real was Mr. Roarke's hold on her arm.
Now she had the sense of a large open space around them but she couldn't see through the mist that pervaded the place. Beside her, Mr. Roarke gave what sounded like crisp commands in a language that she didn't recognize. There had to be people here, but she was too occupied with calming her stomach than she was with other details.
"I trust you've had enough time to compose yourself," Mr. Roarke said after a few minutes, although his voice was now uncharacteristically cold and emotionless. "I have sent word to a colleague of mine, whom I will apprise of the situation. You will neither leave my side nor speak unless directly addressed, is that clear?"
She didn't answer, partly from fear as well the fact that she didn't quite trust herself yet.
A few more minutes passed, and a slender grey-haired woman with a severe mien appeared out of the fog, dressed in a one-piece beige outfit that vaguely resembled a jet pilot's flight suit. "You sent for me, Leader?" she asked, and then blinked in surprise at the rigid stance that Roarke had assumed.
"I've reason to believe that my lady has been abducted and brought here," Roarke said. "It happened only a short time ago, and is unlikely to have attracted any attention. The one responsible went only by the appellation 'Ross' which is an uncommon human name, but might provide a clue as to his true identity."
"I believe I can answer that, Leader." A second woman emerged, wearing the same kind of outfit, but her hair was a grey-streaked dusky blonde. "I regret to say that I attended two meetings with several others, with whom I no longer wish to associate. The discussions concerned their dissatisfaction with your leadership decisions, and a pervasive belief that your lady was somehow influencing those decisions. One by the name of Rosanlodar implied that steps should be taken to remove said influence, but he was strongly advised against doing so."
"I have heard of him," said the first woman. "He is among those of a growing faction who believe that the investigation into the Golden One's identity was not proceeding quickly enough, and that she might be the solution to Earth's burgeoning environmental crisis."
The blonde woman said, "That's correct, but he also voiced a strong desire to gain more information about Ms. Trenton and her powers. If he is in fact the abductor, it's possible that he intends to make use of her in some way."
Roarke said tightly, "She will not capitulate easily, but that does not mean that we have an unlimited amount of time to find her. A search must be started at once."
Suddenly the link came alive for a few seconds, and Roarke stumbled as he experienced a sensation akin to being kicked in the back of his head by a horse. A weak thought came across: 'All my love, all that I am, is yours, aroha,' before his sense of her disappeared again. But it had been enough.
"The burial chamber," he declared, and without another word he took hold of Kekipi again and teleported them.
The chamber where the sarcophagi that contained the bones of the original clan leaders lay had become familiar to him in recent months. What motive would anyone have for bringing Andrea here? He looked around quickly and saw Andrea's unconscious and bound form lying atop one of the stone monuments. Standing over her was one of his people, whom he assumed was Rosanlodar, manifested in a humanoid body. The man had an almost manic look on his face as he raised one hand, clearly intending to strike a killing blow.
"Cease at once!" Roarke bellowed. He ran forward in a blur of speed, grabbing the man and slamming him against the far wall in a move that, had he been in his normal frame of mind, he might not even have considered. "What have you done?"
Derisive laughter answered him. "So, our illustrious leader has chosen to join us. You're too late; I already have what I want." Rosanlodar flung his arms outward and a swirling aura surrounded him, its colour a sickly grey. "Such vigor! Such power! I've become a god!" In a flash he closed one hand around Roarke's neck. "And you will be witness to my ascension."
As his opponent's presence blazed through his senses, Roarke snapped back to a more controlled state, his eyes reverting to brown. There was something very familiar about the essence… and he came to the awful realization that Rosanlodar had somehow absorbed Andrea's elemental spirit. That would mean… "No…" he choked out.
The man smiled evilly. "Your dear human is alive, but not for much longer. I'm not without mercy, however; I will allow you to make your farewells before you both die."
Power surged around him, and Roarke cried out as his body was forcibly aged beyond its natural span. He'd known that Andrea possessed the ability to project something forward through time, but she would never have used it with such disregard for life. After a few seconds, Rosanlodar released him and he crumpled to the floor, utterly bereft of strength.
Across the chamber, Kekipi screamed in horror.
The sounds were enough to wake Andrea. She stirred, and then stared blankly toward the ceiling as she registered the hollowness inside her. "Empty…" she lamented. "So alone…"
Roarke felt an intense relief when he heard his beloved's voice. She had indeed survived having the spirit extracted from her, possibly by virtue of the fact that she had remained partly human instead of accepting it totally. He tried to move, but was unable. "No," he managed to whisper instead, "you're never alone."
Miraculously, she heard him. She turned her head and her eyes gradually focused. "Roarke?"
Cackling, Rosanlodar proclaimed, "See, humans, this is what your so-called love leads to. Power is the only truth." With a grandiose gesture he indicated Roarke's body.
Kekipi inched forward, and then squeaked, "That can't be him!"
"Already you deny the evidence of your own eyes!" the villain told her. "How typical. You helped us because you claimed that you loved him, and expected that your reward would be to have him 'like it should have been' – your very words. So, now he is as it should have been: with a body that matches his three millennia of wisdom."
"No… what am I seeing? I can't…" Kekipi shook her head slowly, eyes wide.
Rosanlodar stalked over to the sarcophagus where Andrea was lying. He tore her bindings off, eliciting a pained yelp from her, and yanked her to her feet. "As that one has just proved, humans cannot care for that which they believe to be infirm or unsightly. They conveniently ignore all the destruction they have caused to their planet, and yet continue to run roughshod over it." He shoved her in the appropriate direction. "Look upon him and cower."
Andrea stumbled over to where Roarke was lying and gasped as she beheld the form in front of her. The white suit appeared to be many sizes too large for the feeble and wizened body. It was barely recognizable as human, with sunken eyes, a mere wisp of white hair clinging to his scalp, skeletal fingers. "Oh, aroha," she murmured as tears welled up. She knelt next to him and ever so gently placed her hands on his cheeks. His skin felt as dry as tree bark. "Please don't believe that my love for you could be swayed by this, or anything else."
"Never, mi amada," he replied with a ghost of a smile on his lips.
Now Rosanlodar was bewildered. "What?" he yelled in disbelief.
Andrea turned to him angrily. "You know nothing!" she insisted. "True love can't be altered or taken away. It transcends all barriers, overcomes all obstacles, and is worth fighting for."
"Are you crazy?" Kekipi cried. "How could you possibly love that? He can't even move, let alone…" She clapped one hand over her mouth in disgust and turned away.
Despite the absence of the elemental, Andrea seemed just as strong as she ever had been as she shouted at the other woman. "It doesn't matter. It never mattered. Unlike you, I didn't fall in love with him for his looks, his power, or any other material reason. It's not the body, but the soul of the man who inhabits it. His kindness, his strength tempered with gentleness, his courage bolstered by wisdom. I gave him hope, and in return he gave me his entire self. That is what love means, not your selfish, pale imitation thereof!"
Upon hearing Andrea's affirmation, Roarke's heart expanded. Through all the hardships they'd endured, she loved him truly. Not that he'd ever had any doubt, but to hear it once more was uplifting. The spirit within him swelled as it began to heal his withered body, but it would take some time. Mustering what little strength he could, he lifted his head and said, "Rosanlodar, you failed to understand because you've spent so long as an incorporeal being that you don't know how to experience life. You might have robbed us of our powers and strength, but you can never quench our love. Even if you were to kill us both, it wouldn't change that fact." He wrapped one stick-like hand around Andrea's.
Rosanlodar's face contorted in rage. Brandishing one fist, he summoned time-energy around it and formed the energy into a blade. "Then you may die together. And afterwards, I shall use this power over time to resurrect Aymandinera and prove whether she is the Golden One as the inscription on her tomb implies."
"That's not possible!" Andrea yelled. "Reversing someone who's already undergone total brain death is like putting a newborn baby into an adult's body!"
Such a limitation made sense to Roarke. The brain was a fickle organ. When the brain ceased, the soul had nothing more to hold onto and would depart. Unlike a Life-Giver's power that could both heal the body and restore that soul, turning back time apparently could not. The anguish in Andrea's voice indicated to him that in the past she must have tried, and failed. "Bringing back Aymandinera would solve nothing," he said. "The pursuit of a higher being has been the cause of an untold amount of strife among the humans. Do you wish to further divide our people with the same?"
"If she was the Golden One, it was said that she had possessed the powers of all the clans. Only she would be able to bring about the changes needed to save the planet below from its uncaring denizens," said Rosanlodar, and then he regarded his energy blade pensively. "Then again, with this power, perhaps she wouldn't be needed after all." Abruptly he groaned and doubled over as if in pain. "No… You are mine… I am your host now…!" He stumbled backward and collided with one of the sarcophagi; the blade vanished as he scrabbled for balance.
"What's happening?" Roarke asked.
Hope flared on Andrea's face. "He's trying to control the spirit by sheer mental dominance instead of accepting it as part of himself. His hold on it is failing." She gazed into his eyes as she leaned defensively over his body. "We might still be able to get out of this alive. I have an idea."
He gave a weak nod and said, "Whatever happens to you, happens to both of us."
Carefully she took him in her arms, lowered her lips to his, and their love for each other overflowed. Human love, while wonderful, was often fleeting. When an elemental gave their love, however, it was all-encompassing and eternal. Nothing would separate them, not even death.
Rosanlodar forced himself upright with a rebellious shout. "You will submit! I have the power!" he mumbled through clenched teeth. He shuffled toward the pair and summoned another energy blade, but as he drew back to strike, he let out a choked cry and fell to his knees. The blade fragmented as he clutched himself in a futile attempt to regain control. "No… no!" he cried as a gleaming silver spark rose out of his chest, and then he keeled over and lay still.
The spark zipped through the air and infused itself into Andrea's body, to be welcomed and empowered by a dual love so extraordinarily strong. Strands of silver and cobalt blue wrapped around them both protectively as their bodies were restored and their minds reunited.
There was silence in the chamber for a few moments as nobody moved. Then Andrea and Roarke stood together; she had assumed her elemental form, and he was younger and vibrant once more.
Kekipi stared at the tableau in front of her in shock and incredulity. "What are you?" she whimpered at last. "What did I see? What did I love?"
"I am only a man, Mrs. Lee," Roarke said in a soothing tone. "I am every inch a man, but with a power that sets me apart from others."
"We are people who were chosen to bear the responsibility of protecting everyone," Andrea explained. "Your willful ignorance and malice almost cost us everything. When we return to the island, your fate will be decided by human justice. Consider yourself fortunate that I won't employ mine." She gave a blistering look at the woman, who shrank back.
Roarke glanced at the unmoving form of Rosanlodar on the floor. "Will he survive?"
"Yes," Andrea confirmed after quickly checking the man over. "But he will feel the loss for the remainder of his existence, even though he housed the spark only briefly. I wonder what caused him to become such a zealot."
"Like many humans who believe in the existence of a deity," he said, "there are a number of my people who believe that our story of the Golden One has some truth to it. This is unlikely to be the last attempt by someone to prove it."
"Not to mention, this won't discourage people from hating us, either," she observed.
"No, but at least now there is one fewer dissident who would consider violence." He regarded her then with a querying expression. "Tell me please, how did you know that your elemental would return to you? It seems quite improbable."
"I didn't know for certain if it would," she replied, "but it was attracted to me initially by strong emotions. I had to hope that our love would persuade it to come home."
"To my eternal gratitude," he said as he embraced her. "Even if it hadn't, I was quite willing to accept whatever fate that followed." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I have always believed that love is the creative force of the universe. Not until today did I realize how truly powerful our love has become."
They stood in each other's arms until their senses registered more entities approaching, one of whom was recognizable as Blue. "Others are coming," Andrea said. "Should we let them deal with this now?"
Roarke released her and straightened his shoulders. "I must explain my own part in these events, and it might be best if you were not present. Please return Mrs. Lee to the island and wait for me."
"Oh, no you don't," she chided him gently. "Remember what I said about standing together? This is my domain now as much as it is yours. I'll just be a short time, I hope." She walked across the chamber, took a hold of Mrs. Lee's arm and teleported them to the front of the main house on the island.