Donely Penthouse, Port Charles
After transmitting, Sean shuts the computer down and grabs his coat, his keys and the passports from the desk and quickly leaves the room. Upon seeing Tiffany in the living room, he says with hope in his eyes, "Tiffany, I just got a message from Robert, he found them!" "Oh Sean, thank God, is she with him? are they on their way home?" she exclaims. "No, no listen, Faison still has her, but Robert needs my help, I need to fly down to Venezuela now, I already sent a message to Mac to meet me at the airport. Look, you cannot tell anyone, I mean ANYONE,not even Robin, where I am going or what I just told you, do you understand? The WSB is still trying to hunt them all down and if they find out where they are this will all end very, very badly." With that he kisses her good-bye and says "I love you, I'll see you soon". Then he's out the door.
Scorpio House, Port Charles
As Robin and Holly are coming down the stairs, they watch Mac coming in the door very quickly and going straight into the back office. As he is coming out a few minutes later shoving documents into his inside coat pockets, Holly asks, "Is there something wrong?" "No, no, he says smiling at both her and Robin. I was just coming to tell you that have to go to NYC for a few days with Dom, to settle more things regarding Taub's estate. It shouldn't take long, but I will keep in touch every day, ok." I will be back no later than the day after tomorrow." He says even though he has absolutely no idea how what is going to happen over the next couple of days. He notices the disappointed look that appears on Robin's face as he tells them his plans. "Robin, please don't worry, I am never out of contact with Sean regarding your parents and I will never stop trying to find out what's going with them understand? This trip does not change that at all, ok." She nods her understanding as he kisses her on the cheek. Okay, I am off, I will be back soon. I will call you if things change, ok?" Then he too is gone.
Port Au Prince, Punta Carton, Venezuela
As she recalls that special night, she remembers she never did get a chance to pick up the pregnancy test that next morning. The school had called regarding Robin and that boy, and the next day she was ripped from her family. Well, it doesn't matter now anyway, she knows full well what the answer is, she thinks as she places her hand on her slightly bulging stomach. Time is running out for a couple of reasons, one of them being the departure schedule and the other, the more dangerous one, is that she will not be able to hide her condition much longer from Faison. She is terrified of what his reaction will be if he does find out that she is pregnant. She thanked God and whoever intervened in preventing Robin from being brought into this nightmare. That botched kidnapping nearly put him over the edge. It took days of skillful persuasion relying on her influence over him to bring him down from the ledge and convince him that she will be better off not having Robin with her. But this is something she will not be able to explain away. Will it push him more over the edge into his demented fantasy world? Will he kill her? And even more frightening to her, will he take this out on Robert and Robin, taking her family from her, forever? She has been able to keep him physically at bay for the last two months, but only because he decided that she will eventually come to him willingly after she "realizes" that she is really in love with him and not Robert. "As if" she thinks to herself.
The only feeling she has ever truly had she has realized over the last 2 months is pity, that's all it has ever been. Well maybe guilt on some levels, but mostly it has been pity. On, that last thought, she closes her eyes, just as Faison comes through the adjoining door. He quickly notices she has her hand on her stomach, and asks "Is there something wrong Anna, are you not feeling well?" That question actually strikes her as funny, "Is something wrong?" she thinks to herself "No Faison, I'm absolutely thrilled to be here with a psychopath, thousands of miles from my family on this God-forsaken ship going God only knows where?". She doesn't say any of this out loud of course, but does respond. "No, I guess the ship's motions are getting to me, I'll be fine." "Good, I hope so, because we will be at sea within the next few days and it will get more intense the further we go out." He says while smoking his cigar. "Where are we going Cesar?" she asks. "You'll know in time my Anna. Now the cook has prepared dinner for us, so when you are ready, I'll have him bring it in, in the meantime just try to relax so you can get your sea-sickness under control." He states as if nothing that is happening is out of the ordinary and turns after giving her a lingering look and leaves. Staring at the door for a brief second "Good God, he really is nuts," she whispers out loud and scolds herself for ever feeling sorry for him and for shedding one tear for him. Over the last few weeks, her attempts at trying to convince him that his vision and his dreams of her ever loving will never happen has only made him more agitated, irrational She looks up to the ceiling and asks for the hundredth time in the last 2 months, "Robert, please don't give up on me, on us"
Dock 12, Punta Carton, Venezuela, 5 am local time, March 1st, 1992
Crouching behind stacks of crates and peering through his binoculars, Robert continues as he has done for the last twelve hours, monitor and track the movements in and around the ship. Counting and recounting count how many men are roaming on and around the Port Au Prince. Making notes on the patrol patterns, documenting the entrances or possible entrances from the dock and on the ship itself. He must be absolutely certain of the count and the patterns and the overall layout, if this plan, he and Sean had devised before he left, is going to work. As he completes this latest recon., he suddenly hears a noise, to his left. He trains his ear and cocks his head, then he hears it again, "click, click". He smiles briefly, and responds with his own "click, click". Just then he sees, Sean coming around from behind a crate in the semi-darkness, but is shocked to also see his brother, right behind Sean. As they approach, he quietly and harshly whispers to his brother through clenched teeth, "what the hell are you doing here, I told you to stay with Robin?" Mac responds just as fiercely, "Get over it Robbie, she's with Holly, guards, police presence and she's perfectly fine, let's focus on the task at hand, so that we can all go home." Robert knows he's right and quickly lays out the situation to them, where they are, how many men, the patterns and the layout of the ship, the dock. "I am convinced, that they are in a room or rooms at the stern, you see those two portholes over there with the lights on?" he points. "Last night, I definitely caught Anna's silhouette several times, so that's got to be where he is keeping her." He describes in detail his conversation with the dockworker including his description of Anna's state of mind and the apparent discomfort she was in according to the man. "You see Sean, this confirms to me that she is not here willingly and that somehow he forced her to record that message." Robert whispers. Sean closes his eyes and whispers back "I know Robert, I know. I'm sorry you know I was just thinking about all the possibilities with my main concern always being you." Robert just nods his head in understanding, and says to both of them with fierceness in his eyes that Mac has never seen before, okay, now let's go get my wife back". They assemble their weapons fixing them with silencers, and packing themselves with additional clips. They then place the communication headsets in their ears, testing them with success. They pause looking at each other one final time, saying with their eyes what they are all feeling and then they are gone.
Port Au Prince, Punta Carton, Venezuela
They make their way along the dock on the port side of the ship in cover formation first Robert, then Sean and Mack bringing up the rear. They wind their way through the dockside crates and cargo that destined for loading onto the ship. Then they begin their assault, man one down, then the second, and then the third. None of the quick take-downs make a sound or create unwanted attention. They continue on until they reach the plank to the entrance at the stern of the ship. Two men are spotted at the top of the plank passing by each other on patrol, two shots, two take downs, they continue on. The sky is becoming that muted grey as the dawn approaches, the docks are silent except for a few seagulls and the occasional harbor bell in the distance. As they approach the first a set of inside doors, they separate as planned. Sean continues on his own down an opposite corridor, Robert and Mac continue down the port-side toward the port holes to the room where Robert believes Anna is being held.
Faison finishes the last of his coffee and lights his cigar. Simultaneously, he presses the intercom button. "Simon get in here". He waits about five seconds and repeats the command again. He again waits but is becoming agitated. He then leans hard on the button "SIMON". Silence. "Incompetent fool.", he mutters. He walks over to his porthole and while taking a drag from his cigar looks down on the docks beside the ship as the cigar slowly falls from his mouth.
Anna is staring out the porthole as she sees the sun is coming up over the horizon. Another day, another missed opportunity, she thinks to herself. She looks down on the docks and notices with trained curiosity that the usual army of Faison's men that roam the docks heavily armed, are nowhere in sight. Suddenly, with horror she thinks that maybe they are getting ready to leave earlier than expected and that her options for escape have just been ripped from her once again. As soon as she finishes that last thought, she hears several muffled thumps outside the hallway door, she turns slowly and as if in a slow-motion dream, the door bursts open with such force the doorknob sticks into the wall behind it, and there he is, standing there. She doesn't believe it at first, thinking it's her eyes playing tricks on her, she briefly thinks it really is a dream and that's she too is losing it, but then she sees his eyes, those eyes that she knows as well as her own. And then she knows it's him, it's finally him after all this time. She hears her name and it's like a wind song, it causes her knees to buckle uncontrollably.
He sees her, he sees her standing there, with the semi-light behind her, and she becomes an ethereal image. He sees her eyes, those eyes. Those eyes that he wants to be looking into when he takes his last breath on this earth. He sees she's looking at him as if she doesn't believe what she is seeing, "Anna" he fiercely whispers. His world, for a brief moment is complete again, she's alive and she's looking at him. She blinks and she starts to tumble forward while whispering "Robert" on an exhaled breath. He rushes to her, when he closes half the distance, the inside door bursts open and Faison rushes forward with a gun, grabs her from behind around the waist, so that she is standing in front of him. "Scorpio, you just don't give up do you" he says pointing his gun directly at Robert. Robert now has his own gun pointed directly at Faison as he says with fierceness, "I never give up where my wife is concerned, and you of all people should know that by now." "Put the gun down Scorpio, or she will watch you die." He barks. "I don't think so, because you know I will get a shot off and all of your wonderful plans will go down the drain, one way or the other." Robert says calmly, while glancing briefly at Anna, who is looking at him as if he is a life raft that is slipping away with all the color draining from her face.
It's now or never he thinks to himself, because she's not looking good. Then he notices Faison, moving the gun, to point the barrel directly at Anna's head while he is saying "You would risk her life, to kill mm…"Just then a muffled shot rings out, and Faison's face is in wide-eyed shock with a bleeding bullet-hole directly in the middle of his forehead. He begins to collapse backward to the floor, taking Anna with him, until Robert rushes forward to pull her out of his grasp. He's successful, but just barely. He stares down at the floor at Faison, who is completely motionless, with his eyes still wide-open but unblinking. He is not breathing. Robert steps on his hand that holds the gun so that it releases and he kicks the gun far to the side, while still holding Anna. He realizes that she is saying his name over and over again while sobbing uncontrollably and clinging to him as if she is drowning. He holds her more tightly, kissing her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks, her lips, tasting the tears that are both his and hers. He is whispering her name over and over again and saying "I've got you Love, I'm here, it's over, it's finally over." He realizes he's saying it for both their benefits because he can't believe that this nightmare might truly be over, forever. Finally, she seems to be holding herself up with her own strength, so he stops and pulls back with his hands on the sides of her head, so that he can just look at her beautiful face, into her eyes and believe this is really happening. She stares into his eyes and says "It feels like a dream, I can't believe you are here with me". "Well, believe it, because it's not a dream, I'm really and I'm here, God Anna I love you so much, I thought I had lost you this time for good." And with that he kisses her deeply for the first time in what feels like an eternity. Just then, he hears Sean in his com piece. "Robert, Robert we have to get out now, what's the status?" "Got her, she's alive, he's dead" he responds. "Thank God. Get out now, more company on the way, go toward the bow, we're on our way there." Sean responds. "We're on our way." With that he looks at Anna, "We have to go now, Sean says more men are on the way, can you walk?" "Yes, I'm okay, let's go." With that, she takes one last look behind her at Faison's lifeless body and closes her eyes briefly, it's really over, it's really over she repeats in her head, this time with no pity or remorse.
"Here, take this" he says pulling another gun from his back holster and handing it to her. "Let's go." And he grabs her hand and they proceed down the corridor. She notices five heavily-armed men dead on the floor along the corridors. "You did all this?" she whispers loudly with a hint pride in her voice. "Well no, not exactly" he says peering around the corner of the next corridor, spotting the staircase to the upper deck. "I didn't realize until now what a good shot my brother is" he says with a wink and smile while looking back at her. "Mac's here too?" she asks with a surprised smile. "Yes, I'll explain it all later, but yes, the Scorpio cavalry came to rescue you." With that, they proceed up the staircase and open the door to the deck of the bow where they spot Mac and Sean crouching in the corner. They duck down and proceed to run quickly over to them. Mac and Sean look back and see them and with relieved smiles on their faces at the sight, they move over to give them room. Anna again has tears in her eyes as she crouches down next to them and stares at both of them. All four friends look at each other with teary-eyed smiles as Sean grabs her hand and gives it an emotional squeeze. Robert says "What's the story, how do we get off this damn boat?" Sean begins to detail their escape route, pointing out the newly arrived fuel truck and the extra men that have disembarked the accompanying trucks. They proceed to follow him and Mac down the plank.
The sun is almost fully up now, so they are proceeding extra cautiously, so they are not spotted. They make it safely to the truck that Mac and Sean arrived in hours earlier, get in and take off from the docks and into the country side. They are headed toward the waiting prop plane, Sean and Mac arrived in from Aruba. Robert and Anna are in the backseat just holding each other, with Anna's head on Robert's shoulder, she is crying again, but softly and he is shushing her telling her it's all over, it's all over. He's growing concerned that she might be going into shock, but finally she calms and appears to have fallen asleep with a steady breathing rate. Finally, after about 30 minutes of silence, Anna is awake and breaks the silence. "Robin, where's Robin, how is she, is she okay?" She asks. All three men are startled from their thoughts at the surprised sound, but Mac is first to respond and he says, "Don't worry, Anna she's is completely fine, she's been terrified for both of you, but she is safe and Hol..Tiffany is looking after her," he quickly corrects. He just realized, she has no clue what happened since she has been gone and he seriously doubts Robert has told her, that his ex-wife, wife or whatever is actually alive and well living in her house. He quickly glances up into the rearview mirror and sees Robert's wide-eyed stare, confirming his doubts. "That was good, nice save brother" Robert thinks to himself. He closes his eyes briefly. He completely forgot about Holly. Holly, how the hell is he going to explain this one? "Good, that's good, I can't wait to see her, God how I have missed her" Anna says wistfully, not noticing the almost-slip or the internal struggles in the car.