Part Twelve

Two Deaths

January 28, 2000:

Very Early Morning

Near the Ocean,

Melpomene

"At least I can breathe out here. That didn't work out so well for you, though, Ashton," Robert Scorpio said.

Ned had a huge gash in his left side. He was bleeding pretty badly. Robert bent down over the man's body and tried to make a bandage that would keep him stable.

"Go find Alexis. Come back for me," Ned said, straining to speak. He really was badly injured.

"I'll never find you again here. We're going back to camp. We'll still get Alexis off the island somehow," Robert promised.

"If it were your wife – what's her name…"

"Anna." Robert answered. "If it were Anna…" He sighed, and proceeded to lie. "Then, I'd be glad to have someone who's reasonable enough to know that you need medical attention that we don't have the supplies for, and I need back up. And, you are in no condition to watch my back." Robert grabbed Ned's good shoulder, slung the arm around him, and started to walk with him, towards the direction of the cave they'd come from. "Maybe Jax will find her."

"Jax is probably dead." Ned said, coughing. The rock that had cut into his side had probably caused some stress on his lungs, a few broken ribs.

"Well, he probably thinks we're dead, if he is alive," Robert reminded the man as they slowly moved along. "And I've been supposedly dead for years, if that's any consolation."

Mansion:

Alexis's Room/Prison

Alexis heard the door open, from her underwater-feeling place, and tried to lift her head and look up, but her muscles were weak from the drugs.

She finally succeeded and almost choked at what she saw. "I must be dreaming…"

"No time for dreams, Alexis," Jax said, smiling as he sat down next to her. "We've got to get out of here."

"I thought you were dead," she said, putting a tired hand to his face, barely able to move, but making the affectionate gesture somehow. "They told me you were dead." She leaned in against him, and their foreheads touched for a long moment.

He leaned forward, too, and kissed her lightly, wanting it to go further than it did. It was brief enough to be just friendship, just fear. She buried her face in his neck.

"No, not dead," he whispered. "Though we're not out yet. I'm afraid we can't leave the way I came. It's high tide."

She was becoming lucid, trying to focus on his words. "You were in the tunnels when the ocean came in…"

"Yes, it was like a water ride," he said. "Come on. Time to get up. Out of bed."

"They gave me something."

"I can tell. You're like Robot-Alexis. But you've got to do better than that. I could carry you out of here, but I'm not sure either one of us would make it."

She tried to stand up, but couldn't. She collapsed like a rag doll, and he caught her.

"Damn." He sighed. "Then, I'll have to carry you."

"You go. Without me. You can still get away if you leave me here."

"Not an option," Jax said simply, lifting her into his arms.

"You'll never make it," they heard a voice from the doorway. They were both surprised to see Stefan standing in front of them. "Not without my help, at least."

South Entrance,

Just Inside

"Luke," Mac started, "put the gun away."

But Danielle just shook her head as Luke kept the weapon trained on her. "You're insane." Danielle said thickly, almost laughing at Luke. "Don't forget I signed up to be a captive. I picked a job where I knew I could get shot at any time. You think I'm afraid of being shot. Go ahead. You'll be killing yourself, too. If you're lucky to live more than a few minutes with these men here, you won't make it once you get back."

"She's Donnelly's kid," Mac said. Frisco and Luke both looked at him surprised, as did Danielle. But Luke didn't drop the gun. "Robin told me."

Luke had gotten within her reach by then, and Danielle moved swiftly, during the moment he looked over at Mac. She flattened him, using a swift fight move and dropping him to the ground. She took his gun and stood on his neck, in a spot that kept him temporarily motionless, paralyzed.

"You're lucky I'm not in heels, and lucky you're a friend of my father's," she hissed. "Cassadine's boat leaves from the North dock. Pier 5. It's thirty minutes away. You won't make it, and you'll probably get lost. But if you want to die on this island, you be my guest. You ever try to put a gun to my face again, and I won't hold back no matter how many friends you have, or how high up the food chain they are."

She put the safety back on his gun and threw it at him, hitting him hard on the shoulder.

Mac and Frisco just glanced at each other. Frisco picked up the gun before Luke could shake himself off and grab it.

"You sure you want to give him back his gun?" Frisco asked as Luke stood up. "Don't want to risk another temper tantrum."

"I'm not sending an unarmed man anywhere on this island," Danielle said. "But if you want to make that call, you go ahead. I'm going after Faison. It's morning now, and we certainly don't have all day."

With that, she paused for a second or two to pull her hair up into a pony tail and then, stalked off down the hallway.

"Come on. I wasn't really going to shoot her, man," Luke said to Frisco. "Even if she wasn't Sean's kid."

Frisco sighed and handed Luke back the gun. "Danielle's right. We don't have time for this. We don't really have time for you going on a fool's errand after Cassadine either."

"You guys can take Faison," Luke says, not listening. "I'll get Cassadine. I want this finished. Tonight."

The Cave, Entrance,

Melpomene Base Camp

Robin, Lucky, and Sean were sitting by a fire, drying off in blankets and towels. They'd moved the boat to a secure location. They could see it from there – the cave overlooked the path.

Sean kept looking at his watch. Now, they just had to wait. Everyone was supposed to come back when they were done, or abort no later than two hours from then, which would be ninety minutes before the island exploded. That's when they were going to leave.

"This is always the hardest part," Sean told the two young people in front of him, "waiting for everyone else to finish up the fun stuff."

Lucky laughed, but Robin didn't.

"How can you joke about it, Mr. Donnelly? They could never come back." She paused. "Your daughter's out there, too."

Sean looked surprised. "She told you she was my daughter?" He almost looked happy at the idea. He didn't know Danielle had ever told anyone that.

But they were interrupted by Robert pulling Ned into view.

Sean stood up immediately. "What happened to you guys, Scorpio?"

"I'm fine," Robert answered. "We got caught in a flash flood. Ashton here took a pretty rough blow. Have we got anything to patch him up?"

Robin bent over him, taking his vitals. "His pulse is weak."

"I can hear you guys, you know," Ned murmured.

"Good, man, try and stay awake," Sean said. But he and Robert exchanged a look. They didn't have much hope of really treating him with a first aid kit, and Ned's breathing was becoming irregular.

"I'm going up to the house," Robert said.

"So more people can get hurt?" Robin asked.

"So, I can tell them to hurry up," Robert said quietly, pulling her out of Ned's earshot. "Look, you guys take care of him as best you can. But I'm not sure he has two hours if we don't get him better help."

"I just don't want to lose you again."

Robert hugged his daughter. "I've survived this long," he said, squeezing the girl tightly. "Let's see if God will grant me a few more hours of luck."

Outside the Mansion,

North Side

"I have a boat waiting. She will be safe with me," Stefan said. He'd managed to get them out of the house, through another passageway system. "You should find a way off, Mr. Jacks. We're set to explode. But you can't come with me."

"I'm not handing her off to you," Jax said. Alexis had fallen back asleep by then, unable to stay awake, though she'd fought the drugs.

"I don't want to have to hurt you. For Alexis's sake," Stefan said, pulling his gun out. "But I will. This is family business. It does not concern you."

"Like hell it doesn't. You want me to let you take my wife to God knows where. I met up with the WSB on this island. I know you're Faison's partner," Jax said. "How do I know she'll be safe with you?"

"I've taken you both this far, haven't I? To show my good faith. I could have taken just her, and had the guards arrest you."

"An act. Easier to bury me out here. No bloodstains on the marble upstairs," Jax replied. "How do I know I don't get shot by you, or some goon you have in the bushes, the second I hand her off."

"You don't. But I'm not worried about staining the floor inside, Mr. Jacks. We are, after all, blowing up the island soon." Stefan sighed. "Don't think I won't shoot you. The only thing that's kept me so far, is that I don't want my sister to wake up in a dead man's arms. I'm afraid it will bring back unpleasant memories she doesn't need to relive. She's seen too many corpses as is. We both have," he says. "But that doesn't mean I won't shoot. And you couldn't say I haven't given fair warning."

"That's the problem with villains," Luke said, catching up to them. "You talk too much."

And Stefan dropped the gun, as his body flung backward from the speed of the round of bullets that hit his chest. The first one had killed him, but Luke had fired the other six anyway.

Alexis woke up to the sound of gunfire. "Oh, my God."

Jax immediately turned her away. "A little bit of overkill, don't you think?" He asked Luke.

"You'd rather be dead now?" Luke asked. "What's wrong with Natasha?"

"She's been drugged."

Luke nodded. "Where are Scorpio and Ashton?"

"Ned?" Alexis asked confused, still confused about where she was, and everything that had happened. "He was here?"

"Yes. He was in the tunnels with me. I'm sure he just got washed out somewhere different. Probably back at the cave. Where we should be going."

"I'm going back up to the house," Luke said. "Catch up with the rest of them. I'll meet you both back there. Here," he said, handing Stefan's gun to Jax. "You'll need it."

Hallway,

Mansion

"Robert?" Danielle said, seeing him. "What are you doing here, looking for Alexis? She's been moved already. I don't know to where." She paused. "I was hoping you guys had found her."

He shook his head. "No. And Ned Ashton's fading fast. He got hurt. We need to get off soon if he's going to get medical attention in time."

Mac and Frisco caught up to her then.

"How much time can we spare? She thinks Faison should be back to his study soon. That's where we're headed," Mac asked Robert.

"We should leave now. We can catch up to Faison again." Danielle shook her head, and Robert continued, "Look, I want to get the bastard as much as anyone. But I also want to keep the body count down."

"Then, tell my father to leave without me," Danielle said, noting Robert raised an eyebrow. "I know you know," she added. "But you convince him to leave me here. Look, it's not suicide. I'll find a way off. Just as soon as Faison's dead."

"I'll stay with her," Frisco offered.

"Sean would kill me."

Mac sighed. "And Felicia wouldn't be happy either," he said, offering up the name he and Frisco had not discussed. "Neither would your girls."

"They're your girls, Mac," Frisco said quietly. "Have been for quite some time, and we both know it. You take care of them. I'm doing the only thing I've ever been able to do for all three of my girls – keeping people like Faison away from them."

"We'll all go for now. Fifteen minutes." Robert said, "No more discussion about anyone staying behind. If I have to drag both of you off of this island, we're all leaving in time. With or without Faison dead."

"Didn't your mother ever say you shouldn't talk about people behind their backs?" Faison asked, coming out of a doorway, with his gun poised.

Suddenly, they were surrounded by guards. Three behind Mac and Robert, three behind Danielle and Frisco.

"I suggest you all disarm."

Frisco and Danielle looked at each other and nodded quietly. They knew there was no happy ending here. Shots were going to be fired either way.

"No," Danielle said coolly. She was closest to Faison, and she got within reach of him easily, quickly, gun to his temple before anyone could fire. "I suggest they do."

"You'll never make it."

"Neither will you."

"I know if they drop their weapons I'm dead."

"I know if we drop ours, we're dead."

"So, we all die together, then?" Faison asked.

"I guess so, you melodramatic son of a bitch. Except you forgot one thing," Danielle said.

"What's that?"

"To see who these men were loyal to." Danielle looked over the six guards. "I'm willing to bet they're loyal to the winner. No one likes you."

She goes to pull the trigger on Faison, but he's still holding his gun out, and he fires as well at the same time, sending out a shot, before he crumples to the ground, dead.

Robert and Frisco both jump in front of Mac – who doesn't seem to be reacting though, he's liable to get hit by Faison's final bullet – trying to push him to the ground. As the three of them roll out of a pile, a line of blood runs across the floor.

"What happened? I heard the shots?" Luke ran in towards them.

"It's me," Frisco said weakly, barely speaking. He'd been shot in the chest.

Danielle ran to the floor beside him. "What are you, a lead magnet, Jones. Jesus," She said, examining the wound, knowing how bad it is. "What am I going to do with this?"

"Nothing you can do. It's getting cold. I know what's happening, Danny."

"Shut up, Jones." She looked at the other men. "We have to find something to make a gurney from. We have to carry him flat back to the cave."

They looked around for something, as she held the wound closed, using what was left of her slip as a bandage.

"It'll take too much time. Robert said… we didn't have much."

"You're determined to die for someone tonight, aren't you?" She said, leaning over him. "You know the guy could have just ducked."

"I couldn't let Mac fall. I couldn't let my girls be left without a father." He was starting to choke on his words now.

"Stop talking. You're making it worse," She said softly, leaning over him. She laid her head on his chest, her blond hair mixing with his blood. She knew there was no way he was getting off this island alive.

"Leave me here. You don't need to haul a body home with you."

"Frisco," she said softly, the first time she hadn't called him by his last name. But there was nothing else to say. He was fading fast. She wanted to be someone who had some great revelations to say to a dying man, and they both wanted to have something – in that moment – that they didn't have. But she just touched his hair.

He just nodded and closed his eyes.

She wanted to tell him to fight, but even Danielle knew when it was time to give up. She grabbed her gun and went after the others. "Never mind. It's too late. He's already dead."