"Thank you all for coming, and I'm sorry we all have to meet like this."
Laura Collins looks out at the people occupying her sofa and chairs, a solemn look on her face. She follows each face from left to right: Dante, Curtis, Portia, and Jordan.
"Victor's finally made his first move in his 'master plan,'" she continues, "and it's put a number of people's lives at risk," she then turns to Dante, "How many people are on the list?"
"Spencer and Ace, Trina Robinson, Dex Heller and his daughter Ciara, and according to Chase," he pulls out his phone, "Liesl Obrecht. So about six people total."
"I can't believe this," Portia shakes her head, "Victor has absolutely zero business with my daughter, and he decided to take her hostage!"
"Are there any leads?" Curtis asks, Portia's nails digging into his jacket sleeve.
"Security footage from both this complex and the Harborview Towers were scrubbed around the time Victor stopped by. We know that Victor took Dex and Ciara first, and then came here for Spencer, Trina, and Ace. Liesl was last."
"Esme was knocked out when I found her in Ace's room," Laura continues.
"The least of what she deserves," Portia rolls her eyes.
"Didn't initial reports also note that Dex Heller was injured?" Jordan questions, looking at Dante.
"Yes. When we entered the penthouse we saw the presence of blood on the floor, and DNA tests linked it to Dex. We also discovered that a hammer in the toolbox upstairs was missing, so we have good reason to think he was bludgeoned with that hammer."
"Do you even have any proof that that man is still alive?" Portia follows with.
"Nothing concrete, no."
"Okay, so, my baby is being held hostage by a member of her boyfriend's family, trapped somewhere with her boyfriend, his brother, his cousin, Dr. Obrecht, and a potential corpse?"
"Babe," Curtis looks her way, "let's be optimistic here, okay? For one, Trina's physically okay and you know as well as I do how much of a fighter she is."
"Plus," Jordan cuts in, "even though there's no proof that Dex is alive, there's no proof he's dead either."
"Laura," Curtis stares ahead at his friend, "do you know anything about Victor's plan and why he needs all these people with him?"
"Truthfully, I don't know all that much," the mayor sighs as there's a knock at the door, "but I know someone who does."
Everyone gets to their feet as she lets Alexis and Sam enter the penthouse. They each exchange hugs and greetings before taking the available seats left.
"I thought Kristina would be with you guys," Dante remarks, pulling Sam against him.
"She locked herself in her room after getting into it with Molly," Alexis replies.
"I thought they weren't talking?"
"They weren't…until Victor forced a family meeting on us and let us in on what he's trying to do."
"And that is what, exactly?" Portia asks.
"In essence, Victor wants to purge the world of people."
Eyebrows shoot up and mouths hang open as the news hits Curtis, Portia, and Jordan's ears while Laura and Dante look down in disappointment and frustration.
"Purge the world of people?" Jordan questions, disbelief in her tone.
"He wants to 'heal the planet' by getting rid of large swaths of the global population he deems 'harmful,' specifically."
"What do the hostages have to do with it?"
"Victor expects Spencer to 'take over' in the name of the Cassadine family, and then, at some point, Ace and Ciara step up and do the same."
"And how exactly is he going to 'purge' people?" Curtis asks, using his fingers as quotation marks.
"I'm not exactly sure, but whatever it is, he kidnapped Dex to make it happen."
"So what does this have to do with Molly and Kristina fighting?" Dante questions.
"Well," Sam clears her throat, "Molly put a big target on Dex's back, and that prompted Victor to take him."
"A Cassadine putting a target on someone's back?" Portia scoffs, "I'm shocked."
"Portia-" Curtis speaks up.
"No, no!" she gets to her feet, "This family has caused us nothing but trouble! I mean no offense, Alexis," she looks down at the woman, "but your family is full of petty, maladjusted maniacs. Victor wants to kill innocent people and dress it up like he's fighting climate change! He attacked a man to take his infant daughter, and he took my baby hostage because she was unlucky enough to be around Spencer-"
"Hold on," Alexis holds a hand up, "Think what you like about the Cassadines, I certainly have my gripes, but Spencer isn't in the same category as Victor. I know how much he loves your daughter, and the last thing he'd ever do is put her in danger."
"And even then, Victor never mentioned Trina-" Sam follows with. Just as the statement leaves her mouth, Portia's phone goes off, an unknown number on the screen.
"Hello?" she replies, taking a seat with the device pressed against her ear.
"Mom?"
"Trina?!" Portia stands right back up, and everyone else does the same. She immediately puts the phone on speaker, "Baby, are you okay?! Where are you right now?!"
"I'm fine! I'm on The Haunted Star," Trina responds.
"How did you end up on The Haunted Star?!"
"I followed Spencer and Ace onboard. Victor kidnapped them from Laura's penthouse."
"Dante told us that Dex Heller and his daughter were taken by Victor as well. Did you run into them at all?" Jordan asks.
"I saw Dex. He's got a head injury, but he's still alive and kicking. He and Spencer are dealing with Victor's goons while I'm using the radio phone."
"Do you know where you're heading?" Sam speaks up.
"Greenland. I don't know what side or anything, I just know that's where we're going."
"You're in the control station, right?" Curtis questions.
"Yes."
"There should be a navigation radar somewhere. That'll have the coordinates to where you're going."
"Okay…" the sharp sound of rummaging cuts into the static, "Okay, uh, the coordinates are 68.9167° N and 29.7833° W."
"Let me see…" Sam punches in the numbers on her phone, "That's a place called Gunnbjørn Fjeld; it's on the coast closest to Iceland."
"Trina," Laura steps closer to Portia's phone, "have you seen Ace at all? Or Ciara? Are they okay?"
"I haven't seen Ace since I got on the boat, but I did see Ciara. She's okay…physically."
"Have you seen Liesl Obrecht at all?"
"No. Victor took her too?"
"Trina, do me a favor, okay?" Curtis chimes in, "Stay safe. We're going to Greenland right now to save everyone."
"Please hurry, okay? Not just for my sake, but for everyone stuck here."
"We will."
"I love you, baby," Portia coos, grabbing her phone, "Be careful, please."
"I love you too, and I will."
Just as the call ends, Alexis's phone vibrates in her pocket. She raises an eyebrow at Sonny's contact on her screen.
"Hello?" she greets him.
"Why does Kristina want to use my jet?"
"She wants to do what?" Alexis sits up straight.
"She thinks she can save D-Dex and Ciara, and she wants to borrow my private plane. Do you have any leads on where they are?"
"They're on The Haunted Star. Victor's taking them to Greenland," Alexis replies before her face sours, "Are you letting her go?!"
"I'm not a f-fan either, but you know our daughter. She fights hard for the people she loves."
"Do not let Kristina take your plane! She cannot do this mission, especially not by herself."
"She can join us," Laura remarks, catching Alexis's sharp glare, "I mean, I'll be making the trip, and so will a couple of the people in this room. It's a family-led rescue mission."
"Ciara can't afford to lose both of her parents."
"She won't," Dante says, "We know where the hostages are going, so we know where to land and stop Victor in his tracks. Plus, if we can get the local authorities involved, he'll be outnumbered and outgunned."
Alexis looks between him and Laura, taking a deep breath before focusing on Sonny.
"She can go with the rescue team," she tells the kingpin, "and make sure she has protection."
"I'll send some of my guys, and the team is more than welcome to use the jet. Who's going?"
"Laura," Alexis looks around the room as people hold their right hands up, "Dante, Curtis, and Jordan."
"Okay. We'll see you when you arrive."
Time ticks by at a snail's pace as Spencer, Trina, and Dex huddle in one of the bottom rooms of The Haunted Star, and neither one is sure how many days have passed, if any. Spencer cuddles Trina to him with one arm, supporting Ace in the crook of the other. Dex sits next to him, their thighs pressed together as Ciara rests against his shoulder, both arms around her.
"How much longer?" Trina whispers, hearing footsteps pass by.
"Who knows," Spencer answers, glancing between her and Ace, "We've been stuck here for awhile."
"We have to be hitting land soon, right?"
"Hopefully," Dex sighs gently, "Do you think the rescue team made it to Greenland already?"
"I don't know. If they took a plane, probably. If they didn't…"
"You called them a couple hours or so into the trip, right? They'll be there," Spencer cuts in, "they'll have to be."
"Yeah," Trina looks up at him, "How's your face?"
"Fine," he flinches when she feels his hand touch his left eye, "The swelling will go down. At least it's just a little black eye and some bruising, right?"
"You took a pretty nasty punch to the face," Dex says, "and his men weren't even supposed to touch you. According to them, anyway."
"Yeah, but it was worth it. We got Ace and Ciara out of trouble," he smiles at both his brother and cousin. While Ace's attention darts around, Ciara looks back with a muted curiosity.
"So far, so good. Once we reach the shore, then we'll all be free."
The ship comes to an abrupt stop, throwing the three adults forward, with Spencer and Dex shielding the infants they're carrying. The door flies open, and Johann's, Victor's lead muscle, looms over them with black jackets in hand, taking in their startled expressions, "Get up."
The grip on each of their arms is tight as they're dragged off the ship, forced to stand at attention in front of Victor. Trina reaches for Spencer's hand once they're released as Dex cuddles Ciara against him, keeping her as tucked inside the jacket as possible.
"There's…" Trina looks around, her voice a heated whisper, "There's no one here. It's just us."
"Dex," Spencer looks to his left. Dex doesn't look back, his eyes fixated on Victor. The cold air bites at the open wound on his head, and it takes everything in him to resist flinching in pain.
"Welcome to the first," the elder looks at his great-nephews before turning to the young man beside them, "and last day of your lives."
"What are we doing here?" Trina asks.
"Well, I'm here with my family. You seemed to have hitched a ride."
"Watch your mouth," Spencer snaps.
"What do you want, Victor?" Dex asks, trying to stand firm.
"I've brought you all here for a very specific purpose. I doubt any of you would disagree with the fact that our world is…upside down, to say the least. There's so much strife and chaos and pollution tainting the very planet we live on. I'm looking to correct all of that, and every single one of you will help me."
"Absolutely not," Spencer shakes his head.
"Well, unfortunately, my dear boy, you don't get a choice in the matter."
"How exactly do you plan to 'correct' what's going on in the world?" Trina asks, her tone sharp.
"Global purge."
All three adults stop in their tracks, eyes wide and jaws open. Dex is the first to gather some composure: "How exactly do you think you'll get away with that?"
Victor gives him a sickeningly saccharine smile: "You."
Spencer and Trina immediately turn his way, mirroring his reserved yet frightened expression. Ace eventually joins their focus, and Ciara gazes up at her father curiously, tugging on his T-shirt.
"What are you going to do to me?" Dex's voice cracks, his delivery full of air.
"I will actually make you useful," Victor steps closer to him, standing mere inches apart. Dex instinctively cuddles Ciara against him, "What exactly have you offered the world, Dexter? What has your existence made better?"
"I'm not going to answer that."
"Good, because there is no answer. I suppose I should thank you for producing another Cassadine through Alexis's family tree, but in reality, any man can do that," Victor gets in his face, "But now, you have the chance to be a force of good. You can bring about a world that Ciara can not only inherit, but be proud of."
"Back off."
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Victor snaps his fingers, and Dex instantly feels his arms in a dual vicegrip. He jostles Ciara, prompting Victor to step in and catch her. She looks back at her father, reaching a hand out.
"Let's go," the old man nods.
Goons push Spencer and Trina forward as they march towards a red A-Frame house a couple miles from the shore. Spencer keeps Ace secure in the crook of his arm with Trina on the other side, gripping his hand tightly.
"Where are we going?" Trina asks, her tone hostile.
"To the start of a new day," Victor unlocks the door, leading the way as they walk down a steep flight of stairs. The group turns left and right at a number of corners until they arrive at a wide open room littered with gray tiles on the floor and ceiling. Liesl Obrecht stands by a separate room with glass windows, a stainless steel container in her hand and a sour expression on her case.
"What is Dr. Obrecht doing here?" Spencer asks.
"She has so graciously agreed to help me," Victor approaches her, bouncing Ciara in his arms. She squirms around in an effort to free herself, which he resists.
"I did no such thing," she spits, "I was forced to be here, just like all of you."
"What's in the box?" Trina questions.
"The key to a new world-" Victor grins.
"Ugh," Liesl rolls her eyes, "It's a biological pathogen he created. I was told that the 'patient zero' is here?"
"Bring him forward," Victor bends his fingers inward, and Dex feels his feet drag across the ground.
Liesl looks at him for a moment before turning her attention to Spencer, Ace, and Trina, "Why are they here?"
"While I can't account for Trina, Spencer and Ace play a big role in what's to come. How many vaccines do I have?"
"Four."
"Ah yes, one for Spencer, one for Ace, one for Ciara," he grins at the baby, who averts her eyes, "and-"
"One for Trina."
Spencer holds her hand tightly, spine stiff as he shoots daggers at Victor. The old man scowls at his great-nephew.
"I'm sorry?" he asks.
"If you really want me to be part of this 'new world' plan, you're going to let Trina be part of it too. She's getting your vaccine," the young man narrows his eyes, "And wouldn't it be noble to die for your cause? You're leaving everything to me, Ace, and Ciara, aren't you? So why do you need to be around?"
"...Fine," Victor snaps, "One for Trina."
"What is the pathogen?" Dex asks, staring directly at the container, "What is it going to do?"
"I'm glad you asked! It'll eat its host from the inside out, spreading to the major organs through the blood. Think of it as an…internal immolation, if you will. And once you pass on into the afterlife, those of us lucky enough to be immunized will have the task of watching as the disease spreads from man to man until the world is afflicted. After that, it's survival of the fittest. In essence, young man, you'll become a bioweapon."
"How do you think you'll pull this off?" Spencer asks loudly, "What, do you expect us to spread what's left of Dex around like he's a party favor?"
"Don't worry about that-" Ciara's whines cut Victor off as she continues to squirm, reaching a hand out towards Dex. Victor tightens his hold on her and yanks her back, her gasp coming out as a choke. Spencer and Trina instinctively take a step forward as a result.
"It's okay," Dex coos at her as she continues to cry, "Hey, little one, it's okay. Dada's okay."
"Shut him up!" Victor orders. The goons squeeze down on Dex's arms and jostle him, causing a splitting migraine to surface. His breathing is heavy, an edge to his groans as he exhales. The sight only upsets Ciara more, which causes Victor to cringe at her high-pitched screaming.
"Stop it!" Liesl snaps, glaring at Victor.
"Get him in the test room. Now."
"Wait, wait, please!" Dex begs as the goons begin to move, "Please just…just let me be with my daughter one last time. Let me say goodbye."
"Make it quick," Victor says, passing her off to a goon, who then gives her to Dex. He holds her close, kissing a number of different places on her head as he feels her relax.
"Hi, baby," his voice is gentle, "I know things are crazy and scary right now, but it's just temporary, okay? We'll get out of this and go home, and this will all be behind us. I'm not going anywhere, I promise," his cheek rests against her head, "I love you so, so much, little one, and I am eternally grateful that I got to be your father."
"Time's up, Dexter."
Dex approaches Spencer, and out of instinct, Spencer passes Ace to Trina, "If I don't make it, please…please make sure Ciara is reunited with her mother."
"Of course," Spencer nods, pulling Ciara into him, "and for what it's worth, while you're not a good guy, you're a good dad. Not a day will go by where Ciara doesn't know how much you loved her."
Dex dons a sad smile, tears forming in the corners of his eyes before the goons grab him from behind and drag him into the separate room. They slam him down on the leather bed, crying out at the impact against his head wound as they use large brown belts to restrain him. He struggles to move around, the material from the straps digging into his skin.
"Now then," Victor claps his hands together, looking between Spencer, Trina, and Liesl, "let's get this show on the road, shall we?"