Elizabeth Webber's Residence on Lexington Avenue
On the quiet residential street, flashlight beams danced like moths as residents surveyed the damage to their property. Lucky's car squealed to a stop on the driveway of the dark house. He leapt out of his car yelling, "Elizabeth! Cam! Jake!"
Debris blown by the wind littered the front lawn from loose papers to garden ornaments and bigger items like the battered rowboat blocking the stairs of the front porch. But Lucky's eyes drew past all the detritus. They settled on the front windows. They were smashed in.
He clambered past the rowboat and up the stairs. He got in through the window flashlight turned on. "Elizabeth, it's Lucky! Where ... where are you? Boys! It's Daddy! Boys?!"
In his haste, he tripped over an obstacle on the floor. It was a man. He bent down and aimed his flashlight at the intruder. He recognized him as one of Liz's neighbors Brian. Blood oozed out of a cut on his cheek.
"Hey, wake up!" Lucky shook the man. First gently then more vigorously. "Wake up! Brian! Where's Liz? My boys?"
Brian's eyelids fluttered and he mumbled, "Party ... party time ... with my special lady,"
"Party? What ... where is Elizabeth?" asked Lucky speaking slowly.
"We danced ... so ... so pretty. Party ... party ... kiss from the princess ..."
Lucky's patience broke. He grabbed Brian by the collar and lifted until his head was a few inches from the floor. "You'd better not ... not have touched them! You-"
"Lucky, stop," came Liz's voice from the hallway.
Lucky blinked in the bright nimbus of her flashlight's beam. "You okay? The kids?"
"They're fine. I was checking the basement and the garage. Nothing that can't be fixed." Liz put a hand on Lucky's shoulders. "Come on. Upstairs. Brian's not going anywhere. I'll deal with the mess tomorrow."
"What happened here?" Lucky followed Liz up the stairs.
"I think the same thing that's happened in lots of other places tonight." Liz opened the door to her bedroom. Inside, illuminated by the glow of candles, lay their children asleep on the bed. "Brian kept banging on the door. High and delusional." She sat on the edge of the bed. "After a while things got quiet. I thought he'd left but he didn't. He was ... was dancing in the living room. He saw me and, well, I had to hit him." LIz raised a baseball bat as evidence.
"Good." Lucky sat down in the recliner. "You should have called me."
"Gran called. We were okay. I know you were really busy," said Liz.
"I'm never ever too busy for my family. You know that."
"I would have called you if things got worse. It didn't. He stayed down after the third hit."
Lucky grinned. "Think about switching careers?"
Liz got a blanket and handed it to Lucky. "I'm perfectly happy at the hospital. Let's get some rest. I'm on relief duty tomorrow. It's going to be insane. Jane next door is going to watch the kids."
Lucky tossed his shoes off and pushed the recliner to it's flattest setting. He watched Liz spread the blanket above him. "I'll go with you. Lulu's there. Dad said she was okay but I want to see for myself."
Liz settled herself next to the boys. "Is it serious?"
"She got a concussion getting off the Star," said Lucky. "The Star is under the harbor and the dock that collapsed on top of her. It's a total loss."
"Luke loved that boat," said Liz.
"He could barely talk about it over the phone. Got choked up," said Lucky. "I'm sure Dad will bounce back but it may take a while. Goodnight, Elizabeth."
"Goodnight, Lucky."
Villa Scorpio
Cold coffee mugs lay ignored on the bedside table. Anna and Robert lay on their stomachs on their bed. True to Augusta's instructions he and Anna had not made paper copies. They had taken turns reading the laptop screen over the other's shoulder. The data had proven to be compelling reading indeed.
"I see letters, Anna. Dancing on my eyeballs," said Robert. "I think we're done here."
"My head feels ready to explode," said Anna sliding off the bed and on to her feet. She stretched and paced to wake up her numbed limbs. She walked to Emma's crib set against the opposite wall. The baby was sound asleep.
"She wasn't kidding about knowledge was she?" asked Robert. "How much of all this does Heloise know? Did Jacques have time to tell her or Andre or Thanos? Personally, every time I get around Thanos the hairs on the back of my neck rise. We NEED to know more about him. I still can't get my head around him being O'Reilly's and Jacques' son."
"None of that matters. We can't tell anyone what we know," said Anna running a hand through her hair as she walked back to the bed. "She gave it ONLY to us. That has to be significant."
"Yeah. We won't be walking into any figurative buzz saws."
"This is really great though. We had chunks of information and now we have the whole map!" exclaimed Anna. "The puzzle is nearly complete for our purposes."
Robert sat on the edge of the bed. In contrast to Anna's excitement, he was drawn and worried. "We have the picture and the known players. That helps a lot. But most of this stuff is old material. Past wins and losses."
"Isn't that to be expected? The Game has been played for a while. The players are all fairly advanced age-wise. Whole lines of families have ... lost. The youngest generations were hit hard."
"That's not it exactly. We know that the gamesmasters use pawns. Like the Committee has the WSB. The Kriegs have ... had the DVX. The Court works through the British intelligence services of MI5, MI6 and Scotland Yard. The Families use Interpol. We know what they were and what they represented. But I want to know what they are in the present."
"But we do, Robert."
"Do we? I don't think we do," said Robert. "We know the Court. That's fairly transparent to us. The Committee we know is headed by Ambassador Coughlin of all people. We have names of three others. One of whom we apparently targeted. Who are the other two? Who are the rest of the Committee? We know even less about the Families other than the general information that Thanos has given to us. Given Andre and Thanos' loyalty and relationship to Jacques, do you think that they would volunteer data about the Families to us? No, they would give it in dribs and drabs as they have so far. Andre and Thanos ARE one of the Families. We have to assume that their loyalty is a tad skewed."
"You don't think Andre would be on our side?" asked Anna.
"He wouldn't do anything directly against us. No. Ultimately, he'll do what's best for his family. That I'll understand," said Robert.
"So, Augusta is right. We DO have to keep this to ourselves. If only to be able to maneuver and prevent conflicts within our own group," said Anna. "This whole thing is a moving balancing act."
"We need to be able to go right or left without falling off," said Robert.
"We do love a challenge. Who's next?" asked Anna.
"We are assuming that Faison is the head of the Krieg faction and-"
"Assuming? We know he is. It's not Peter for sure," said Anna.
"I agree that Faison is the head but I think he has others in the family way helping him like Peter. Since the gamesmasters have perfected the art of hiding in plain sight, I'm pretty confident in thinking there has to be one or two Kriegs still out there. Peter came out of nowhere, remember?"
"I see what you mean. The picture has some gaps."
"Gaps mean surprises. You know how I get about surprises."
"Process of elimination. Let's look at the gaps that we CAN do something about," said Anna. "Since the Committee figuratively owns the Bureau who are their people on the inside? They have to have a few. Pinpointing likely candidates won't be easy. The Committee has had decades of infiltration."
"Exactly! We got lucky finding out about Ross," said Robert. "As for the DVX and Krieg, how many could be left? I like to think that most have been dealt with based on the list we got from Ava and Constantine."
"What about Interpol and the Families?"
Robert grinned. "We have our own families."
Anna looked puzzled then the light dawned, "Vincent?"
"Vincent's mother Pavla is just the right person to ferret out information and alliances."
"Really?"
Robert nodded. "Gotta figure out the best way to shield her while she snoops around for us."
"She's one of your special operatives?"
"No. She's a gift from O'Reilly like Jacques was." Robert yawned. "Come to bed. I'm tired but my head is buzzing too much to sleep."
"I don't think I could really sleep either but we do need to unwind."
"I shall tell you a bedtime story. Maybe that will be relaxing enough."
Anna pulled at the duvet and slipped into bed. "Something about O'Reilly?"
Robert got into bed and tucked the blanket around their bodies. "Despite my law enforcement experience, I was unsophisticated in the ways of the world when I started at the Bureau."
"You?" asked Anna disbelieving.
"Hate to admit it but yeah. I was really rough around the edges. The WSB program doesn't teach everything. O'Reilly took me under her wing. That meant that I got introduced to a lot of her acquaintances, especially the professional ones. I soaked up as many stories and lessons as I could."
"Ah, enter Ava and Pavla Nemcova." Anna relaxed against Robert's lanky body.
"I've only met Pavla twice but both times were memorable. You know what Ava is like. Imagine someone just as lovely but with the innocence of a cherub on the surface. She's a bit scatterbrained, too, but in a good way."
Robert's arm tightened around Anna as he began the tale. It was relaxing to think of something else besides historical cabals and global maneuvers played on a virtual chess board but they didn't sleep. They couldn't. In a matter of hours, their worldview had changed. There was no going back.
Port Charles Main Street
Sunrise played escort to calm winds and clear skies. Helmets were secured. Vests were tightened. Holsters were strapped on. A line of tired but determined police officers formed on one end of the street readying their riot gear. Several ambulances were parked behind the line. Firemen and paramedics were preparing tools and gear. In front of all of them was the chaotic sight of Main Street. Burning and upturned cars made for an urban obstacle course. Masked looters ran out of stores with boxes and bags. Mixed in with the looters were the injured, the dying and the intoxicated on alcohol or drugs. In the distance, the outline of City Hall could be glimpsed in the smoky haze.
Chief Wells shouted into a megaphone, "Use the least amount of force necessary to conserve energy. Our first priority is to clear the area of the criminal and violent. Fire will follow us on a building by building basis. They will handle ALL search and rescue. Medics will be the last wave in to deal with the injured. PCPD will divide into two groups. Group Alpha will follow Detective Spencer on containment detail of the intoxicated individuals. They are a danger to everyone until they're under control. Group Mercury will follow Sargeant Jardane to secure property block by block. Questions?"
The officers murmurred some funny remarks but no questions. They divided into their group assignments.
Wells watched the groups split and reform into teams and new lines. Next to her, Detective Alvin Martinez listened to dispatch and wrote down more hotspots in the city. They would be next after City Hall was secured.
"Let's go!" commanded Wells. The teams began to move forward.
Temple Court - Donely Penthouse
Sean shuffled into the kitchen glad to smell the coffee percolating in the coffee maker. Tiffany was nowhere to be seen. But she did have a covered plate on the breakfast table with a note that said: Sean - Breakfast.
"She's probably out doing press coverage. Nothing like a disaster to provide all the news you could want," said Sean. He filled his mug with coffee only half listening to the television.
GNN The Global News Network station was playing on the television in the kitchen. The announcer looked up with a wry smile, "Here's news that you don't see all the time. Port Charles in New York state experienced twenty-four hours of the strangest weather event on record. Meteorologists across the country have been left baffled by the hurricane level storm that battered the city on Valentines Day. Only the city and its suburbs were affected. Bizarre to say the least. The storm dumped two feet of rain and wind damage estimates have reached in the millions. Key land routes into the city have been damaged delaying delivery of aid and supplies. Water routes are unpredictable as the majority of docks are unusable for loading and unloading. There is also the danger of navigating through large sections of debris floating in the harbor. New York's governor has declared a state of emergency in the city."
"In international news, Interpol has issued a statement urging all governments to issue a full ban on the substance Compound X. Interpol, working extensively with the Andrassy Foundation, has detailed the devastating effects of this chemical formulation. Interpol has taken a further step and classified Compound X as a high potential biological weapon. Reporter Jackie Templeton will be having a special report at our evening news program World Today. The-"
"Jackie Templeton hits the big time. The girl does know her stuff. I'll give her that." Tiffany came bustling in mug in hand. She planted a quick kiss on top of Sean's head before heading for the coffeemaker. "Good morning, my darling!"
"I wasn't exactly your favorite person last night. What happened?" asked Sean.
"We were both tired. We said things we shouldn't have. I know I should stay out of your business until you're ready to tell me all about it. I'm sorry for forgetting that."
"It's just the wrong time, sweetheart. I hate keeping things from you unless I have to. Right now, I have to."
"You were talking, well, screaming, in your sleep. Again." Tiffany took her coffee and sat down beside her husband.
"What was I saying?"
"You got more and more agitated. You were saying phrases like "gotta get out of the corner", "find another way" and "have to end my mistakes. I know you have nightmares a lot, but, honey, I'm worried. You don't look well. You're stressed out." She touched his arm. "We're not kids anymore. And we have one kid that I want you to walk down the aisle however many weddings she has. Do you hear what I'm saying?"
Sean sighed. "Yeah, I do. You and Belle are the most important things to me. You're my life."
"And I wouldn't have ... want this life without you. Whatever you're involved in, please get it done, I don't know, quicker."
Sean covered her hand with his. "I'm doing my best to do just that. I want our lives to get back on track. Be like it was."
"Promise me you're not in bed with the WSB? Faison? In danger of getting shot, burnt or stabbed?"
"You asked me that before. No to all of that, baby," said Sean returning to his meal. "And I'll start taking better care of myself. Working out. Eating better. Getting enough sleep. The works."
"All right then. I hold you to everything," said Tiffany watching Sean finish his breakfast as she sipped her coffee. "I've been getting good feedback this morning. It was a nice touch to let our residents know we had generator power for hot morning showers and meals. I was surprised. Can you imagine what everyone else is going through? Freezing showers, no thank you!"
Sean grinned. "I know you like your creature comforts, honey, if only for a few hours a day. Didn't you put generators and backup power in the sales brochures?"
"I did but in really tiny print. Who would think we'd have a disaster like this here?"
"Disasters can happen anywhere. That's why it pays to be prepared and have experienced staff like we have here. Disasters can be a wake up call in a way. They force you to gain some perspective." Sean finished his eggs. "What's on your schedule today?"
Tiffany looked at her watch. "Oh, god, look at the time. I have to get to the theater and take over from Dia. She and Mac stayed over to help with the press and everything."
"Talk to Anna or Robert over the network please. Tell them I want Belle home today," said Sean.
"Wouldn't she be safer at their place? The city is a mess."
Sean's expression hardened. "I want my daughter home where she belongs. Robert's not the only one who has security and experienced people. Did you forget that I took care of us in Boston with no Robert or Anna around?"
"All right. Don't shoot the messenger," said Tiffany.
"They have a lot on their hands right now. They don't need to worry about Belle. That's our job," said Sean. "Maybe Anna or Robert will be coming into town later today. She can ride along and get dropped off. I'm going to be at my warehouse most of the day but I'll be home for dinner. My foreman says my docks have only minor damage. The satellite phones are working and we're going to be taking ships in. I expect my docks to be very busy, very soon. Have Belle brought to the warehouse. I could use her help in the office."
"Crisis alway brings out my Action Man. It's kind of a turn-on." Tiffany winked at Sean.
"Yours and only yours, baby," said Sean. "Come on. I'll drive you to the theater. Crisis always bring out the crazies."
Emergency Room - General Hospital
Dozens of dozens of palms slapped against the glass doors. Bodies pressed so close that faces became distorted images. Pleas for help and angry demands grew louder as more and more people gathered outside the entrance of the ER. The scenes were the same at all the closed entrances of the hospital.
Tom Hardy viewed the closed sliding doors. He looked at the hospital's chief of security, Frank Hollis. "Frank, pull the security mesh across the doors."
"That might send the wrong message, Doctor Hardy," said Hollis.
"I know but I don't have a choice." Tom's jaw set in determination. "The hospital is full. We have patients lying down in the corridors. There's a mob out there, Frank. I suspect some of them are high. That makes all of them dangerous. I'm not going to expose staff to that. I just can't."
"I understand. We'll do the same to all the hospital doors." Hollis began to issue orders.
"Once the PCPD sees the situation, I'm sure they'll clear them out or at least restore order. We wait it out," said Tom. "We don't have much of a choice."
His son Tommy appeared with a plastic cup of tepid coffee. "Here, Dad. It's warm but it's real coffee."
"Thanks." Tom took the cup and looked his son from head to foot. "You all right? Get enough sleep?"
"More than you did or Gran," said Tommy. "You're doing too much. You need to rest."
"I will when Monica wakes up. She'll spell me and I'll take a nap. Don't worry about your old man."
"Tell me what I can do," said Tommy. "I need to keep busy instead of thinking about what's going on out there."
Tommy rubbed at his head. "Um, Elizabeth Webber is in charge of the orderlies moving patients around. Doubling up in singles and adding an extra bed into doubles. Go help there. I'll put patients in sleeping bags if I have to but we will help as many as we can."
Tommy ran off to do as he was bid. Had he turned back to look he would have spied the proud expression on his father's face. Tommy was a Hardy. No doubt about it.
BANG! CRASH!
Tom whirled around. Bright headlights blinded him. The roar of the oncoming car paralyzed him on the spot. Instinctively, he brought his hands up.
Mersin, Turkey
GNN played on the large television mounted on the wall. "Reporter Jackie Templeton will be having a special report at our evening news program World Today. The United Nations Security Council will be briefed on this matter later today."
Helena sipped her tea. "It has happened far sooner than I had expected but it was inevitable."
"It was the packets delivered to the agencies and media that spread the news too fast to contain," said Charlotte. "As you say it was inevitable. What contingencies are in place?"
"Elena had plans but I fear she did not have the time to fully execute them. This facility was the first item on her plan. This is as far as she got."
"That is unfortunate. However, this is a crucial accomplishment. We can build upon it," said Charlotte. "We must assume that supplies will be constrained."
"Naturally. Highly restricted no doubt."
Charlotte poured more tea into her cup. "But not entirely unavailable. I expect black market availability very soon."
"Prices will be prohibitive. Is there another way?"
"We could purchase a supplier outright."
"Better."
"Do we have the means to make such a purchase?"
"Not enough. However we are not without expendable assets." Helena gave Charlotte a knowing look. "We must consider an advantageous exchange, Charlotte."
"I agree," said Charlotte. "We have the stable formula for Compound X and that is sufficient to create Fly. Demand for Fly is beyond our projections. We cannot stop production now."
"Fly?" asked Helena.
"Arielle told me that it was the street name. Customers commonly use the phrase 'get ready to Fly'."
"I see. Very appropriate," said Helena. "Increase production tomorrow. We must raise as much revenue as quickly as we may. I will investigate suppliers to purchase and seek other immediate funding sources."
Charlotte moved to her desk and logged into her laptop. "Shall I handle the exchange arrangements?"
"Do you find it ... distasteful?" asked Helena carefully. "Given your ... closeness of late."
Charlotte laughed. "Peter is amusing. Nothing more." She looked at her display. "It will take me a day or two to plan an exchange."
"Is there anything further we need from him?"
"He does not have the correct formulas. We do not require him to produce the product. His scientific expertise can be replaced," said Charlotte. "His relation to Faison is a potential tactic I am loathe to lose however. It cannot be duplicated."
"His presence makes us more of a target. That is unacceptable to me," said Helena.
Charlotte tapped some keys. "I must concur. I am certain that his special delivery in London has not endeared him to the Gem Group. We do not need more organizations looking for us. We must consider an alternate location, Helena."
"I will see to it. Do we need similar facilities?"
"Ideally, yes, but we can make do with half of the space. A small commercial warehouse or a multi-story office building would be sufficient," said Charlotte. "We must make a decision on Peter. Who should we approach for an exchange?"
Helena arched a brow. "Why not all of them? Let us see who wants him most - Faison, the Scorpios or the Gem Group?"
Majestic Theater
Chase and Arn joined the lines to get breakfast - coffee, croissants and scrambled eggs. They were both red-eyed from working nearly all night writing notes for their imminent presentation to the WSB Executive Panel.
A husky man in a gray suit nudged Chase's elbow. "Gentlemen, please follow me. Mr. Donely's orders."
The two Gem men followed silently. After events of the last twenty-four hours both men were expecting anything. A car was waiting for them two blocks away. Sean was in the back seat. Arn and Chase were barely inside before the car careened away.
Sean pointed at two sports bags. "Changes of clothes in there. I'm getting you two out of town. Have you heard the news about Compound X?"
"Yes," said Chase.
"I called a few favors in. Interpol is deadly serious about pressing for and getting it banned. Orders have gone out to increase monitoring of supplies of key ingredients. A high tariff tax will be imposed on those ingredients within the week. Some ingredients will be labelled as hazardous in order to put them on the global watch list. One way or the other there will be regulated bottlenecks in the supply chain. The formulation itself will be declared illegal and banned for any purpose," said Sean. He tapped the driver's shoulder. "Take a left here. I know a shortcut. Two lights down, take the alley on the right. That goes straight to my docks after a half mile."
"Yes, sir," said the driver executing a smooth turn.
Sean turned to Chase and Arn. "Your supply will be cut off. If it hasn't already. There's no point in proceeding with a certain project."
"Once we have Sinclair, we won't have to worry about bans. We can stockpile supplies now and-" began Chase.
"If you get him," said Sean.
"We have some good leads."
"How good?"
Arn cleared his throat then said, "Just before the show last night, we got a tip from one of our ... internal sources working for a chemical supplier. She passed to us information of a single customer placing two separate but large orders for many of the same ingredients. The orders were a day apart but the quantities ordered caught our agent's eyes."
"How convenient. Where's the customer? The delivery address?"
"A private chemical products company in Mersin, Turkey called NurChem. It makes industrial cleaning solvents," said Arn.
"A reconnaissance team will be sent to Mersin today. If they confirm that Sinclair is there, we'll send an extraction team. We WILL get him out of there," said Chase.
"Nothing I say is going to convince you that this could be a big waste of time?" asked Sean. "Interpol has him first on its most wanted list. You're going to tangle with them?"
"Our agents are loyal and they're trained well. This lead is good," said Chase. "We'll have him before anyone else."
"Once you have him then what? You going to have your own mad scientist on staff?"
"We know he's too hot to keep," said Arn. "Once we have the correct formulas, we won't need him." He looked at Chase. "We shouldn't forget that he's responsible for the deaths of our Vladivostok team. I want him to pay for that."
"We can talk about that later," said Chase.
Arn shook his head. "You've made up your mind?"
"It's the best option, Arn. Turn off the emotion and think!"
"What option?" asked Sean.
"Turn him over to Scorpio. He's looking hard for him. We show up at his doorstep with a little present," said Chase with a sly smile. "We help them and it's a win for us on all angles. What he's going to do to Sinclair for keeping his daughter all this time, I don't even want to imagine."
"And Robert AND Anna would owe you. Owe you big," said Sean.
"Exactly. I know our project is risky. There's no guarantee that we could create the right ... product. A Plan B is always good to have. Sinclair could be it."
"And we would be seen in a more positive way by the Scorpios," added Arn. "I'd rather stay on their good side."
Sean nodded and looked approving. "It's well thought out."
"Thank you, Sean."
"Give it a try. That's all you can do," said Sean. He tapped the driver again. "Go towards warehouse four. Park in the back. After we get off, return to base."
"Yes, Mr. Donely."
Sean turned to the two younger men. "Most highways are closed for damage. Where they're not, traffic is open only to public safety or rescue personnel. Air is out of the question. You're getting out by water. You get out here. Go into the warehouse and change into the coveralls in the bags. One of my people will lead you to my small private dock where a boat is waiting. The captain is a friend of mine. He'll keep his mouth shut. He'll take you out of the city perimeter and drop you off at a small marina. You can get transport from there."
"Thanks, Sean," said Arn.
"I look after my own," replied Sean. "You both look like you ran back to back marathons on a hot summer day."
"You don't."
Sean grinned. "The benefits of a hot water shower, my own bed and a hot breakfast with my lovely wife."
The car stopped at the designated warehouse. With casual salutes to Sean, Chase and Arn ran towards the warehouse. Sean exited the car. As expected, there wasn't anyone around this part of his property. Most of his workers were concentrated in the dock area helping with relief efforts.
Tiffany was right. Action Man had been released. He had a plan. He was moving forward. He was in control again. It felt very, very good. Whistling, he made his way leisurely to his shipping office. He had a few things to arrange before his meeting with Anna.