Chapter 17: What's in it for you?

When Victoria finally awoke, she found herself to be in a small, dank cell. But then, she wasn't truly awake. She was in a complete daze, to say the least, thanks to the drug her father had injected her with. It seemed as if it took literal hours before the pain from the needle injection finally registered in her clouded mind. When it did, Victoria forced herself to concentrate on the reason for the pain, the reason she couldn't make herself move when she knew she had to. Her mind didn't register the door to her cell being opened. She didn't sense the presence of the two men, as she would have had she been in her right mind. Stefano smiled to see Victoria's eyes open, seeming to be so deep in concentration on the simple task of remembrance.

"Ah, you're awake. How fortunate! Well, fortunate for me at least," Stefano stated. Victoria turned her head slowly to the voice's source, for the first time realizing she was lying on a cold concrete floor.

"W...where..." Victoria tried to ask, but couldn't finish her desired question. Her eyes couldn't yet focus on his face, but even in such a state, Victoria knew exactly who had spoken. Stefano chuckled, obviously pleased with his daughter's disorientated state.

"Can't seem to focus well, daughter?" Stefano inquired knowingly. Victoria looked helplessly up at him, unaware of the young man waiting anxiously behind her father. "I suppose you wouldn't recognize your surroundings, since you are still very much under the effects of that powerful drug. Knocked you out for hours my dear! Long enough to get us the rest of the way to Ireland, into Dublin, and into my Dublin base. You've been here many times my dear, but never have you had to see it from within the confines of such a cage," Stefano said with mock disappointment. "You are in my underground stronghold in Dublin, Ireland my dear. You remember? All those lovely experiments and extensive training programs to build the perfect army of mercenaries? Why, you even trained here yourself for a year, not too long ago," Stefano stated. The thoughts didn't seem to register with Victoria. Her weak focus was now trained on the man behind her father. Or rather, the menacing pronged whip he held in his hands. Resignation began to seep through Victoria's clouded mind, her confused, unfocused gaze clarifying enough to show Stefano she knew what awaited her.

"Ah, you are quite the fighter my dear. I was rather surprised to find you awake. Most would still be in a state of utter unconsciousness from the dosage I gave you. Although, soon, you may wish you hadn't woken at all," Stefano warned. He waved his hand, signaling two more men to enter the small cell. They entered, each grabbing hold of one of Victoria's arms. She winced as the tallest grabbed her upper left arm where the needle had been plunged so roughly into her flesh. The two men hoisted her up, dragging her out of the cell. Her hands were bound together in the front by shackles and her feet bound together in the same fashion, but she was not secured to the floor as she had been before. Had she been in a stable state of mind, Victoria would have noted the place she was now in as a literal dungeon. Stefano's training base, as always seems the case with this man, lay below the earth's surface, but this particular area lay below that. Unlike the rest of the base, aside from the one dentist-office type chair surrounded by dangerous looking gismos and gadgets, there was nothing high-tech about the dungeon. If you disregarded the teched-out chair, one might believe they'd stepped back in time to a medieval torture chamber, a tortuous hell if there ever was one.

The two men dragged Victoria passed the teched-out chair, pushing her roughly up against a wide wooden board that was in the opposite corner from her cell. The board itself was slanted slightly at an angle, and the only other feature to be noted was the thick block of wood at the top. Victoria's hands were secured over that block, leaving her on her stomach and to be supported only by her bound hands, as her feet dangled slightly above the cold concrete floor. Stefano nodded to the third man, the anxious whip-wielding Merdoc. Merdoc stepped forward, grabbing hold of Victoria's collar and literally ripping off her shirt, leaving her in nothing but her black pants and bra. Stefano nodded again, giving Merdoc free pass to unhook her bra as well, leaving her back fully exposed to whatever tortures her father had in mind. Stefano signaled one of the other two men, who promptly stepped forward, a red hot branding iron in his hands.

"Do you remember when you were little, you used to love to attend horse races with me?" Stefano questioned his groggy daughter. Even though she likely could gather the strength for words, she wouldn't give her father the satisfaction of a reply. "I even got you a few of your own horses. Do you remember what you asked me when we branded them with our family symbol, the phoenix?" Stefano grinned, pausing dramatically. "You asked me, dearest daughter, if the horses felt any pain. I thought it only fitting that I finally answer your question truthfully. The best way for one to receive answers, is to experience the question first hand." Stefano waved his hand, signaling the man with the branding iron to step forward. The other held Victoria still, Merdoc watching gleefully nearby, as the hot branding iron was pressed into Victoria's skin, searing the desired symbol on the center of her back just above the waistline.

Victoria gasped in shook as mind numbing pain shot through her already dysfunctional system, but she would not allow more then that gasp to pass her lips. Stefano would take too much joy in breaking her to screams so soon. Physical pain was nothing... compared to the real torture that faced her; losing herself to the man she both loved and hated most. The man stepped back, pulling the branding iron away to reveal the new, phoenix-shaped red and black mark. Stefano waved the other two men off, leaving he, Merdoc, and Victoria alone in the dungeon. Stefano stepped forward, surveying the sizzling skin

"I do hope that cleared up any doubt, my dear," Stefano whispered into his daughter's ear. Victoria turned her head away, looking off towards the cell she had recently occupied. Stefano stepped back, placing his hand on Merdoc's shoulder. "I have other business I must attend to now. I'm putting, your... well being, so to speak, in Merdoc's hands," Stefano stated. He patted Merdoc's shoulder, turning towards the only entrance to the dungeon. "Have fun, my dear," Stefano called before disappearing out the large iron door, slamming it securely behind him.

"Fun," Merdoc repeated, an evil gleeful glint in his eyes. He stepped up to Victoria, taking pride in her helpless state. "Oh, we're going to be having lots of fun," Merdoc murmured.

"I take it..." Victoria managed to say, though it was almost so quietly that Merdoc had to strain to hear her. "That you didn't ask him." She didn't complete the full thought. But she didn't need to, for him to understand. He found himself smiling, for whatever reason. A cocky, victorious smile, that would have disgusted her had she been looking at him.

"Didn't have to," Merdoc stated. "All I had to realize is... I don't care. I don't care who Philip Kiriakis is, or who Chloe Lane is. I don't care if my name is really Merdoc, or just some meaningless label given to me by Stefano DiMera. I don't care who I am. I don't have to know my name to know... that I enjoy this life. That I enjoy seeing you in pain. I don't need to know... what my name is... to know that I want to be the one to break you." He raised the pronged whip high, bringing it quickly down on Victoria's exposed back, whipping it painfully slow across her vulnerable flesh. Victoria winced, the effects of the powerful drug giving way to a new round of mind numbing pain. But still she would not make any sound.

"How useless am I now, Victoria?!" Merdoc spat, raising his arm and lashing out again, with much more force. "You're the one now! Your sister hates you. You turned your back on your family! You're the pathetic one, Victoria, not me!" Each accusation was punctuated with a blow more fierce then the last. Victoria took the beating soundlessly, a silent tear streaming down her beautiful face as she blocked out Merdoc, blocked out each lash of the whip, blocked out the throbbing pain left by the branding iron. Victoria's own thoughts and memories hurt her more then any of Stefano's torture methods could. As Merdoc had stated, she'd turned her back on her family. Her beloved sister hated her, even if her intentions had only been for the best. Her only friend in the entire world couldn't save what little was left of his partner Victoria, she was certain of it. Not even with the Black's help. She wasn't even certain that his life would be spared, now that Stefano had proof of his betrayal. Perhaps if Elizabeth had not turned from her so quickly, Victoria could fight. But now, with the memory of Elizabeth's violent slap and heated words of hatred, all hope within Victoria was gone. It was as if... in a strange way... Elizabeth had, in that one single act, given her permission for her sister's torment, without a second of hesitation. Stefano would have his way now. She wouldn't give him the screams he wanted. No... she wouldn't give him that. But what she would give... mattered so much more. The thing she wanted most in the world. What little remained of her hope. The small fragment that had survived the sorrow, connecting her to the life she might have had with her mother and her sister. Victoria would surrender that... but Aida Kristen Miller was too dead inside to care...

John shook Gabriel's hand, thanking him for his help. Gabriel, an old family friend of Bo's, had been the one to answer Bo's call for... covert assistance. Keeping a low profile in Dublin right now was tough. As Bo had learned from his visit, most weren't too welcoming to outsiders. But Gabriel, a more trusting member of the city, was very helpful, giving them a place to stay and as much information as he knew.

"I'm sorry I don't have more to tell you. Despite the beliefs of many of my colleagues, I believe anyone with the guts to take on DiMera deserves all the help, not to mention luck, he can get," Gabriel stated with a thick Irish accent. "It's getting rather late. I have a few things I need to take care of. My wife, Michelle will serve you dinner shortly. Please forgive the sparse accommodations. I only have this one room for you, but you also have a couch so one of you can sleep on that."

"Thank you, Gabriel, this will be more then enough. We're very grateful for your help," John stated. Gabriel just nodded, closing the door behind him. Brady tossed his bag down on the floor beside the bed, flopping down on the bed. John turned the only chair in the room to face Brady while Jordan took his laptop with him to the couch.

"So, we're here. Now what?" Brady asked wearily.

"I'm honestly not sure, Son. I'm gonna make a call. Bo asked me to check in when we arrived safely in Dublin, and I want to see if he has any new information for us," John replied. He took out his cell phone, frowning when he checked the power. "Dead."

"Gabriel has a charger in the living room, but I doubt Michelle would mind you using the phone in the kitchen," Jordan pointed out, not looking up from his typing.

"Very observant..." John muttered. He glanced over at Brady before he too retreated out the door towards the kitchen, where Michelle was preparing dinner for her unexpected guests. Brady sighed, kicking off his shoes and sitting back, his legs up on the bed with his back against the headboard. He studied Jordan for a moment as Jordan kept working on his laptop. Jordan had earlier mentioned that he kept detailed logs on the laptop, describing all of either he or Victoria's missions in depth. He then backed up the files on his own computer, and sent a copy to another confidant of his. "Blackmail in a box" Jordan had called it, although he honestly had no idea why he'd keep such incriminating evidence. Perhaps it was one of those "if I should ever go down, I'm bloody well taking DiMera down with me, damn it!" kind of things. John had asked Jordan if the information could be used to bring DiMera up on charges, to which Jordan replied "Not without sending Victoria and I to jail for life."

"I've got a question," Brady suddenly spoke. Jordan still didn't look up.

"What's that?"

"What's in it for you?" Brady asked. Jordan continued to work, appearing unmoved by the question.

"Do you mean, why do I work for DiMera, or why am I working against him to help you?"

"Both."

"Well, as to working for DiMera... I didn't have a choice. That's a similarity I share with Victoria. My father, one of DiMera's many associates, basically sold my older brother and myself into servitude to Stefano," Jordan stated. Brady nodded, satisfied with the answer. Jordan hadn't shown any reason why he couldn't be trusted. Actually, he'd shown little emotion at all, but, Aida had told him to trust and her, and that was about the only thing Brady could do right now. Trust in Aida's judgment.

"So, you're like Aida then."

"That's right. I despise the life I've been forced into. It's the same way with Vicky, we don't have a way out."

"So, if you know what Stefano will do if you try to leave this all behind, why help us?"

"You can bring him down, with our help," Jordan replied. Brady didn't seem convinced.

"I get why Aida hates Stefano. He took her away from her family and forced her into a life that she didn't want to lead, disregarding all thought of what she wanted. But you, you were forced into this by your own father. Why focus that anger on Stefano, instead of him?" Jordan sighed deeply, closing his lap top and placing it on the couch beside him.

"Do you have any siblings, Brady?" Jordan asked. Brady nodded, briefly remembering the look on his Tinkerbelle's face as he and John rushed out of the house after Aida's surprising, out of the blue, phone tip. "My only brother, Michael, didn't like being under Stefano's control either. So he tried to take DiMera down. But he failed. Do you know what happens to those that try, and fail?" Jordan asked. Brady didn't need to be told, he knew exactly what Jordan was getting at. "When Michael was on his way to see me one day, someone shot him. He was able to make it to my apartment, but ultimately, he bleed to death before I could get him help. Of course, it can't be proved the guy that shot my brother was connected to Stefano. But everyone knows who ordered Michael's death. Michael was the lead witness in the trail he brought up against DiMera. He wasn't even suppose to be out by himself, but Michael refused to be guarded like some helpless child. With him gone, the charges were dropped and Stefano again walked away free and clear."

"So in answer to why I'm helping you, I have only this to say. I'm keeping all the promises I made to Michael that night. Before he died, he made me promise I would continue his fight for him. He asked me to get myself and Victoria out from under Stefano's hand and put him behind bars. I wasn't going to make even him such promises. I'd grown to accept my fate by then. But... I made the promise, for Victoria's sake, and because, I knew how Michael felt about her. We've been training together off and on since we were little, although for the most part Victoria thought of both Michael and I as little more then trusted associates. Or maybe, at the very least, the closest things to friend's someone like us can have. But I knew Michael was in love with her. His love for her is what really motivated him to try and beat DiMera at his own game. Even then, I could see how much this life was killing her, and that was well over three years ago. So, Michael made me promise to get Victoria out, and get Stefano out of her life for good." Brady nodded, processing what Jordan had told him. Even in their brief meeting, Brady could tell how special Aida was. Or perhaps, how special she had been before Stefano tainted her beautiful, pure soul.

"So, you made an alliance with Aida outside of your partnership under DiMera?"

"Yes. After Michael's murder, Stefano stopped sending me out with Victoria. He didn't seem to distrust me, but he never included me in Victoria's missions again. So, Vicky and I kept in contact outside of the training base. That's also where the necklace came in. She always wore it on every mission so I could track her and back her up if need be. Victoria and I came to know each other as more then just partners. She's honestly my only true friend, now that Michael's gone."

"Your in love with her." It was not a statement, it was pure fact. For the first time since they met, Jordan showed real emotion when he spoke of Victoria. A few of his comments had been spoken in praise, admiration, or assurance, but it was clear to Brady now that Jordan was very much in love with Aida. Jordan hesitated. He'd never really meant to be so honest with Brady Black, but, Victoria had assured him that the Blacks were their best shot for rescuing Elizabeth, and maybe even extracting them from the retched life of servitude to the evil Stefano DiMera. Jordan nodded slowly, adverting his gaze down to his laptop.

"Yes, I am. I have been for longer then even I can tell," Jordan replied. "It's not the smartest thing to do, falling in love with someone who's in our line of work. I don't even think she could ever feel the same way. But, it's hard not to, you know? I've known her for so long. I know what she used to be, what she would have become had it not been for DiMera. The way she was... when it was just the three of us... We were just kids, but it was... a simple existence, at least in the very beginning. Although honestly I don't think the word "children" could ever truly be applied to any of us. Michael used to joke that we were all born old. I always just teased him, saying that was just his way of getting around lusting after someone so young. Michael was quite a few years older then us, you see," Jordan said with a small smile. Jordan himself was older then the 17 year old Victoria by 3 years. Had he lived... Michael would be 23 now. His eyes were staring off in the distance now, not really seeing the room he was in, or even really aware Brady was there. It was as if he was lost in a memory, long pushed aside. "That's why I want to keep my promise to Michael. I want to save that... that light that used to shine so brightly in her eyes," Jordan stated. Brady nodded, noting that Jordan no longer appeared cool, calm, and brave, but rather nervous, and worried.

"I know the feeling," Brady muttered.

"I only wish... I wish I hadn't let her get on that damn ship! She and I know DiMera very well, I should have known something would go wrong!" Jordan cursed himself.

"There's no use in blaming yourself now, Jordan. There's little any of us can do now, but wait. It's so damn frustrating, but we have to do everything we can to ensure Chloe and Aida stay safe."

"That's just it! Your Chloe Lane, she's as safe as she can be, given the situation. I mean... I don't mean to offend you. I know the situation for her isn't exactly... pleasant. Being as she has no memory of, well anything. But so long as she's continuing to live that fake persona that Stefano forced upon her, Chloe is safe from physical harm. But Victoria doesn't have that luxury! Stefano doesn't tolerate disobedience, least of all in his own family. I'm afraid of what he's going to do to her, now that he knows she went against him." Brady's brow furred in concentration. Brady too had worried about what DiMera would do to Aida.

"I'm honestly having the same concerns as you. There is no telling what DiMera's capable of. Jordan, I know you said you gave us all the information you had, but, think. Where in Dublin might Stefano be?" Brady prodded. Jordan had begun to pace. He hadn't even remembered standing, but his opening up to Brady had released all the inner fears and emotions he'd been raised and trained to hide.

"I don't know! I never had anything to do with the dealings in Ireland. Stefano kept me in Europe mostly," Jordan replied. He paced a moment longer, racking his brain for something Victoria might have mentioned to him in their many late night discussions. "Wait a minute!" Jordan exclaimed, practically lunging for his laptop. It took a moment to find the file, but he eventually did find the one he was looking for.
"I remember now, that Victoria spent a year in Ireland, four years ago. She mentioned that the training base was located in Dublin. Here, this is what I noted about the conversation," Jordan said, walking up to the bed and handing the laptop to Brady. Brady read over it, quickly standing as he finished reading it for the third time.

"We have to show this to dad," Brady said simply, taking the laptop with him out of bedroom and into the kitchen where John was still on the phone with Bo. Jordan followed, a glimmer of hope finally gracing his once emotionless features...