On the docksŠ

Laura strolled along the docks, waiting to give the signal.  A hundred or so
yards away, Lizzie B. was sitting comfortably on the couch that Sonny had
set up inside the van.  Lucky sat beside her while Bobbie was busy checking
the supplies.

Lizzie B. was snuggled up against Lucky with her head resting on his chest.
She was worried that he would get hurt, and she wouldn¹t be there to help
him.

"Lucky?"   she said.

"Yeah."

"You will be careful, won¹t you?"   she asked, anxiously.

He was touched by her concern.   "Baby, I¹ll be fine, I promise."    He
said, then added with a grin,   "Just pretend like I¹m going out for pizza,
and I¹ll be back before you know it."

"We had pizza last night.  How about Chinese?"   she replied playfully.

He chuckled down at her,   "Anything you want, Baby."   He said, then he
sobered,   "I should probably get going, it¹s almost time."

Lizzie B. sighed at his announcement, and tightened her hold on him.

Just then, he picked up a voice on his earpiece.

Earpiece:   "It¹s ShowTime, Lucky.  Your mother just gave us the signal."
Luke informed him.

"I¹m on my way."   Replied into his mouthpiece, as he disentangles himself
from Elizabeth¹s arms.

"Ouch!"   Lizzie B. exclaimed, when Lucky inadvertently touched her left
side.

Lucky immediately stopped, and looked down at her in concern.

Bobbie was at her side instantly,  "Are you okay?  Where does it hurt?"
she asked.

"Elizabeth, did you take your medication?"   Lucky asked, sternly.

"No."   she admitted sheepishly,   "It makes me drowsy, and I wanted to be
fully awake and alert tonight, just in case."

Bobbie shook her head,   "You still should¹ve taken your pills, LizzieB.,
otherwise you¹ll be in too much pain to do anything."   she scolded lightly.

Lucky looked over at his aunt,  "Listen, I have to go, so would you make
sure she takes them."   He directed at her.

Bobbie nodded in reply, as she went to retrieve Lizzie B.¹s prescription,
along with a bottle of water.

Lucky leaned over and kissed Elizabeth on the cheek,   "You do what Aunt
Bobbie tells you, okay."   he said, then he stood and headed towards the
door.

"I love you, Lucky."   She whispered softly as he exited the van.

He turned and smiled at her,   "I love you too, Elizabeth."   He whispered
to her, just before he disappeared into the night.
 

ElsewhereŠ

Sonny, Jason, Mulder, and Luke were positioned somewhere under the pier.

"What¹s taking him so long?"   Mulder asked.

"I think we all know the answer to that question."   Luke said with a
chuckle.

"He¹ll be here."   Jason stated.

Just then, Lucky arrived on the scene.

"Sorry it took me so long."   He said as he joined the others in the boat.

"Everything okay with Lizzie B.?"   Sonny asked.

"Yeah, she¹s fine."   Lucky answered.

"What about your mother?  Did she make it before you left?"   Luke asked.

"Naw, I was just gonna check on her."   Lucky replied, as he reached down to
speak into his mouthpiece,   "Mom?  Can you hear me?  Where are you?"

Earpiece:   "Yeah, I hear you loud and clear Lucky."   She said,   "I¹m in
the van with Bobbie and Lizzie B.  Is everything okay, so far?"

"Yeah, Mom, I was just checking to see if you made it.  Listen, I gotta go,
we¹re heading out right now."  Lucky replied in closing.

"Let¹s goŠ"   Jason ordered.
 

ElsewhereŠ

Brenda was at the police station under the guise of giving her statement
about the accident that had Œkilled¹ her and Ronnie.

"Why don¹t you start from the beginning, how did you two come to be on the
cliff?"   Mac asked her.

"Well, when Ronnie first blew into town and announced that she was my
mother, I wasn¹t too thrilled to see her."   Brenda explained,   "You see,
I¹d thought that she was dead since I was four, and since then I¹d sort of
dreamed up this picture of how my mother would be.  So, when Ronnie showed
up insteadŠWell, let¹s just say she didn¹t quite live up to my lofty
expectations."

"Go on."    Mac prompted.

"To say that we didn¹t get along would¹ve been a gross understatement.  We
argued all the time, day and night.   It wasn¹t that I hated her, I just
resented the fact that she¹d been alive all that time and hadn¹t bothered to
look for me or even to tell me that she hadn¹t died."    She continued,
"Anyway, I had a hard time dealing with it all, which is why we fought all
the time.   Well, during our last, great face-off, I told her that I wished
she¹d stayed dead.  That really hurt her.  Naturally, I regretted saying it
later and went looking for her, but she was already gone.  She¹d checked out
of the PC Hotel without leaving a forwarding address."

"Then how¹d you find her?"   he asked.

"It wasn¹t hard, as you probably know from the party, my mother tends to
stand out in a crowd.  I knew that she loved the beach, so I contacted every
beach-front resort that she¹d ever mentioned to me until I found out which
one she was staying at."   Brenda said emotionally as the memories flooded
back   "It took me a while to convince her to come back with me, but
eventually I won her over.   IŠuhŠI remember I was so excited when she
finally agreed to come with me.  I finally had the mother that I¹d wanted so
desperately growing up.  I was tired from the drive up there, but I didn¹t
want to wait until morning.  Mom was excited too; she didn¹t even argue with
me when I suggested we drive back to Port Charles the same night."

"I think I know where this is going."   Mac said,   "You don¹t have to go on
if you¹re not up to it.  I know you¹ve been through a lot, especially after
last night."

Brenda looked over at him,   "No, it¹s okay, really.  I don¹t mind talking
about it."   She assured him, before she continued with her story,   "We
packed up all her stuff, hopped in my car, and headed back to Port Charles.
I was driving, and mom was asleep on the passengers¹ side.  We hadn¹t been
on the road long, when I started to get really tired.   IŠuhŠI started to
nod off a little, but I ignored it.  I was sure that I could handle it if I
just kept my mind focused, but by the time we got to the Cliff I¹d started
to drift again.  I¹m not sure how long I¹d been out when Mom woke up and
noticed.  She said that when she woke up I was slumped over the wheel, and
the car was swerving back and forth on the road.  Anyway, she reached over
to try and take the wheel from me but I woke up suddenly and inadvertently
jerked the wheel to the right.  That¹s when we went over, I guess,
everything¹s a little blurry."

"That¹s good enough."  He assured her,  "Now, after the accident, Where were
you and your mother all that time?  And why did you let everyone think that
the two of you had died?"

Brenda took a deep breath before she launched off into her explanationŠ
 

ElsewhereŠ

Lizzie B. sat comfortably on the couch with her headset on, waiting to hear
from the guys.  Bobbie and Laura sat in chairs up front.  Bobbie was
equipped with a separate earpiece and mouthpiece, as was Laura.  Laura was
on the same frequency as Lizzie B. and the guys, while Bobbie and Brenda
shared a different frequency.

Earpiece:  "We made it, now what?"   Jason asked Lizzie B.

"Okay, you guys might want to take a deep breath and turn on those
flashlights because you¹re gonna have to swim 10 to 15 yards in the dark."
Lizzie B. suggested.   "The first tunnel is completely underwater, but as
soon as it forks you can come up for air.  Hey, Sonny, you did say that all
the equipment was waterproof, right?"

Earpiece:   "Yep, top of the line."   Sonny answered shortly.

Earpiece:   "Keep you fingers crossed, Elizabeth, here we go."   Lucky said.

Laura turned to Bobbie, and gave her a recap.   "They made it to the island
safely, now they¹re entering the tunnels."   She said,   "Keep you fingers
crossed."
 

ElsewhereŠ.

Music begins to play,  "Have a Little Faith in Me"  sung by Joe Cocker.

The guys came be seen underneath the water, swimming through the tunnel.

When the road gets dark
And you can no longer see
Let my love throw a spark
Have a little faith in me

They make their way up the tunnels by wading through the water, while
elsewhere, Lizzie B. can be seen giving them instructions.

Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me

Laura whispers encouragement to the men as they near the pool in the middle
of the clearing.  Lizzie B. continues to give them directions as the
communications start to flutter.

When your secret heart
Cannot speak so easily
From a whisper start
To have a little faith in me

And when you back¹s against the wall
Just turn around and you will see
I will catch you fall, baby
So have a little faith in me

They all paused for a moment to get the rest of Lizzie B.¹s directions,
before they lost contact.   A moment later, Lizzie B. can be seen taking off
her headset, while Bobbie goes over to hug an obviously distressed Laura.

Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in meŠ..
 

Luke was the first one out of the water.   He stood up, and took a moment to
shake off the water.

"Oh, man, she wasn¹t kidding when she said that things were a little
different."    He muttered to himself as he took a quick look around.

Several tunnels were half closed off by rock while others were fully sealed.
 The stone floor was littered with little bits of rock and stone.  There was
a misty remnant of smoke and gas in the air, although not enough to required
the gas masks that they¹d used on the outside.

"Uh, dad?   Would you mind lending me a hand here?"   Lucky said.

"Sure."   Luke replied as he bent down to help Lucky climb out of the pool.

A moment later they were joined by Mulder, Sonny, and Jason.

"This place is a maze."    Mulder said, glancing around,   "How are we going
to find them, that is assuming they¹re all still down here."

"I say we split up.  We¹ll cover more ground that way."   Jason suggested.

"Lucky, you come with me."   Luke ordered.

Lucky nodded in reply as he came to stand by his fathers¹ side.

"Sonny and I will go that way."   Jason said, pointing to a tunnel on the
other side of the clearing.

"And I think I¹ll check out the ones on this side."   Mulder said as he
headed off in a different direction.

"Be careful, and keep track of where you are."   Luke warned everyone,
"That way it¹ll be easier for the rest of us to find you if and when you see
what we¹re looking for."

Everyone agreed, and then headed off in their respective directions.
 
 

Chapter 44

Jason and Sonny hadn¹t gone far when they came to a fork in the tunnel.

"Which way?"   Jason asked, looking from left to right.

"I don¹t know, it¹s not like I¹ve been here before."   Sonny said, with a
frown.

For a moment, they both just stood there looking around in an effort to
decide the best course of action.

Just then, there came a faint noise.

Sonny¹s senses immediately sharpened, as he cocked his head in the direction
of the sound.

"You hear that?"   he whispered.

"Yeah, sounded like it came from the left."    Jason replied, looking at
Sonny.

"Let¹s goŠ"   Sonny said.
 

ElsewhereŠ

Mulder moved at a very quick pace, he¹d already traversed several twists and
turns when an odd sound caught his attention.

<I could¹ve sworn I heard something.>   Mulder thought as he stood in the
middle of the tunnel.   He turned around and shined his flashlight in the
every direction, but he didn¹t see anything.   He stood very still for a
minute trying to pick up the sound again, but to no avail.

He decided to keep on moving, only this time he gait was very slow and oddly
silent as all his senses tuned in, searching for any sign of movement.

As he continued on his present course, the tunnel¹s diameter grew smaller
and smaller.  At some point, the tunnel ceased to accommodate his six-foot
frame, and he had to bent down to continue on.
 

ElsewhereŠ

"Are you sure that this is the right tunnel?"   Luke asked.

"I¹m positive.  Elizabeth gave me very specific directions."   Lucky
replied,   "This is where she was when she heard the voices."

Luke used his flashlight to take a glance around,   "Yeah, well, there¹s no
one here now."   He concluded.

"Maybe not, but there most definitely was someone here at some point."
Lucky said as he bent down to examine something.

"What is it?"  Luke asked, as joined Lucky near the floor.

"Blood, and it¹s relatively fresh."   He replied holding up his fingers,
which were covered in crimson,   "I think it¹s time we contacted the
others."

"No, not yet."    Luke said.

"Why not?"  Lucky inquired, gesturing around wildly,   "There¹s blood
everywhere, so logically, they have to be close by.  And probably bleeding
to death judging from this."

"Lucky, we still don¹t know where they are."   Luke reminded him,   "All
we¹ve found is a pool of blood, and I don¹t think that¹s something Jason and
Mulder need to hear right now.  Let¹s look around some more first, maybe
we¹ll find out who the blood belongs to."

"Hopefully Helena."   Lucky muttered vengefully.

"Now you¹re talking,"   Luke said with a grin,   "Come on."
 

ElsewhereŠ

"I¹m sorry, but would you excuse me for a few minutes?"   Brenda said with a
sniffle.

"Sure, take all the time you need."   Mac told her.

Brenda nodded slightly before she headed off towards the ladies room.  Once
there, she checked all the stalls to make sure that she was alone.  She then
reached for her mouthpiece.
 

ElsewhereŠ

"How long do you think we should wait before we bring the police in on
this?"   Laura asked.

"It¹s only be thirty minutes, Laura."    Bobbie reminded her,   "I think we
should give them more time."

"I agree with Bobbie, it hasn¹t been long enough to panicŠyet."   Lizzie B.
said,   "There¹s a lot of ground to cover, even if they¹ve split up it¹ll
still take a while to search the whole place."

"I know, I know.   You¹re right, of course, I just wish we could communicate
with them while they¹re down there."   Laura lamented,   "At least then I
wouldn¹t feel so helpless.  All this waiting is slowly but surely driving me
crazy."

Just then, Brenda spoke to Bobbie.

Earpiece:  "Hello?  Bobbie, can you hear me?"  she asked, in hushed tones.

"It¹s Brenda."   Bobbie informed Lizzie B. and Laura as she reached for her
mouthpiece,  "Yeah, Brenda, I¹m here.  Where are you?  And why are you
whispering?"

Earpiece:   "I¹m in the ladies room at the police station.  I think I¹m
alone but just in case someone comes in I thought it was a good idea if they
didn¹t hear what I¹m saying."   She explained.

"Why?  What did you find out?"  Bobbie asked her.

Earpiece:  "Well, I was almost done giving my statement to Mac when the
search crews arrived back from the Bay.  All of the different crewmen were
giving reports to the police about what they¹d found, and since I was
sitting at the next desk I heard every word they said."   Brenda told her,
"Anyway, I overheard one of them say that they¹d found some sort of
underwater structure near the bottom of the Bay.  Whatever it is, it¹s
completely enclosed.  It starts underneath the island, and runs along the
deepest part of the Bay, back to the mainland.  The guy seemed to think it
could be used to transport things or people back and forth from the island
to the mainland."

"You¹re kidding?  Did he say exactly where it comes out at?"   Bobbie asked,
while LizzieB. and Laura looked on with interest.

Earpiece:   "Get this, it runs right underneath Helena¹s yacht."   Brenda
said,   "Listen, are the guys already out of range?  Because I think this is
definitely something that they should know."

"Sorry, Hon, we lost contact with them half an hour ago."   Bobbie said with
a sigh,   "There¹s no way to tell them."

"Tell them what?"   Laura asked, unable to take the suspense anymore.

"What¹d she find out?"  Lizzie B directed at Bobbie, equally curious.

Bobbie held up her hand to silence them, while she finished her conversation
with Brenda.

"Listen, you stay there and see whatever else you can find out, and Laura,
Lizzie B., and I will try and come up with a way to get in touch with the
guys."   Bobbie said.

Earpiece:   "Okay, but keep me posted on what¹s going on."   Brenda
requested,   "Listen, I gotta go.  Mac probably thinks I fell in or
something."

"Okay, bye."    Bobbie concluded, the turned to where her two companions
were waiting.

"Tell us."   Laura ordered.

"Brenda overheard one the crewmen from the search party tell the police that
they¹d found some kind of enclosed structure running along the bottom of the
Bay."   Bobbie explained quickly,   "It appears to be some sort of
transportation tunnel directly connecting the island to Helena¹s yacht."

"Well, we have to get word to them."   Lizzie B. said matter-of-factly.

"I agree, this is really important."   Laura said.

"And how do you propose we do that?"   Bobbie asked,   "The communications
are dead, and Lizzie B. is in no condition to take another trip through the
catacombs, underwater or otherwise."

"Me and you could go."   Laura suggested,   "Lizzie B. could stay behind and
give us directions like she did with the men."

Lizzie B. gave them an indignant look.   "There is no way that you two are
leaving me here.  I go where you go."   she said firmly.

"No one is going anywhere."  Bobbie ordered sharply.   "I think it¹s time we
let the police in on this.  They¹ll know what to do."

"Yeah, they¹ll know what to do alright, but it¹ll take them a millions years
to do it."   Lizzie B. said bitterly, turning to Laura,   "Remember last
night, when we were all trapped inside of Wyndamere, with bombs everywhere,
remember what the police told us then?"

Laura grimaced at the thought, then looked over at Bobbie,   "Three hours,
they said.  If we¹d waited on them, you¹d be attending our funerals right
about now."    Laura informed her sister-in-law bluntly.

"Well, do either of you have a better suggestion?"    Bobbie asked, then
quickly added,   "That doesn¹t involve us swimming up through a maze of
underwater passages, that is."

"I do."   LizzieB.  stated,   "Why don¹t we just go over to Helena¹s yacht,
and use the tunnel in question to get to the catacombs."

"What if we run into Helena and her henchmen along the way?"   Bobbie asked,
  "It is HER tunnel after all."

"We¹ll handle that situation when we come to it."   Lizzie B. replied, as
she stood up from the couch.

"That¹s not much of a plan."   Bobbie said, as she reluctantly followed
suit.

"It¹ll have to do."   Laura concluded, as she looked over at the remaining
supplies to see what they would need.
 

ElsewhereŠ

Mulder was now on all fours crawling through the tunnel with the flashlight
in his mouth, in hopes of finding the cause of the sound that he¹d heard.

<This is ridiculous.>   He thought.   <I should just turn around and go
back, before I forget how to get back.>

Just then he came to an abrupt halt, as the tunnels¹ diameter continued to
decrease.  He now had to lower himself to his stomach, to crawl through the
tiny space.

<Why am I doing this?>  he thought as he shimmied along the stone floor.
<Whatever it was, if probably long gone by now.>

After a minute, he came to a dead end.  The tunnel was almost completely
closed off by a stone wall, except for a small opening about three inches in
diameter.

<Aw hell!>  he thought as he began to crawl back in the opposite direction.

Just then he heard the sound again.  He immediately stopped, and listened.
He heard a faint, but continuous sound, almost like someone was dragging
something against the stone floor.

As quietly as he could Mulder moved back toward the end of the tunnel.  Once
there, he raised his head as much as the tunnel would allow and looked
through the small hole in the wall.

On the other side of the wall was almost pitch-black except for a small
light glowing in the distance.  He tried to get a better look, but the
tunnel was too small for him to lift his body any further.   Instead he
cocked his head over to one side, which gave him a slightly better
vantagepoint.

He gasped as he caught sight of what appeared to be someone dragging a body
against the stone.   He couldn¹t quite make out the identity of either
person, because they were only visible from below the knee.

Mulder immediately started to crawl back in the direction from wince he¹d
come.
 

ElsewhereŠ

"There it is again."    Sonny said.

"I think we¹re getting closer."  Jason stated, as he quickened his pace a
little.   "It was louder this time."

"Wait."   Sonny said as he came to a halt and looked around.

"Turn out the light for a second."   Sonny ordered Jason, as he did the
same.

"What is it?"   Jason whispered, as he switched off his light.

Although both of their flashlights were off, the tunnel was still dimly lit.

"You see that?"   Sonny whispered,   "There¹s someone else close by."

Just then the sound started again.

"Whoever it is, is headed this way."   Jason concluded,   "Come on, there
was a small opening back there a little ways."

They, quickly and quietly, made their way back to the spot that Jason had
mentioned, while the mysterious light source continued to come closer.

"You realize, of course, we could be doing all this for nothing."    Sonny
said, softly,   "That¹s probably just Luke and Lucky, or Mulder."

"Or it could be someone from Cassidine¹s party."   Jason replied, as the
sound grew even closer.

They were both crouched down in a small opening which allowed them to see
the tunnel, but still remain unseen by anyone that maybe passing by.

"Shhhhhh.   I think I see something."   Sonny whispered.

Just then, Mulder spoke.

Earpiece:   "Guys, I just saw something that I think everyone should know
about."    Mulder said.

Earpiece:   "What¹d you find?"   Luke asked.

Earpiece:   "I saw a figure dragging a body through one of the corridors,
only I couldn¹t get to them because I was looking through a small opening in
the dead end wall of the tunnel I¹m in now."   Mulder explained,   "This
tunnel turns into nothing more than a tiny crawl space on the floor."

Sonny and Jason exchanged a look of realization as they silently listened to
both their earpieces, and the dragging sound that was slowly but surely
becoming louder.

Earpiece:   "I don¹t supposed you could make out who these people were?"
Lucky asked.

Earpiece:   "Hardly.  I nearly broke my neck just to see their feet."
Mulder replied, then he asked   "Did you two see anything?"

Earpiece:   "ŠUh yeah, we found a pool of blood in one of the tunnels."
Luke admitted, reluctantly,   "Maybe it belongs to one of the twosome you
saw."

Earpiece:   "I didn¹t see any bloodŠ but then again I didn¹t get a very good
look either."   Mulder said,   "Hey, Jason, Sonny, you guys are awful quiet.
 What did you guys find?"

Although they¹d been listening to the entire conversation, Jason and Sonny
were unable to answer for fear of tipping off the approaching form.

Earpiece:  "Guys?"  Mulder repeated.    "Jason?  Sonny?"   Luke called.

Just then, the source of the sound came into view.   Sonny¹s eyes widen in
horrified recognition of the figures, as Jason gasped at the appearance of
the bloodied twosome.

"Robin?Š"

"Carly!Š"
 
 

Chapter 45
 

Laura, Lizzie B., and Bobbie stood in the shadows alongside of Helena¹s
yacht.

"Okay, were¹re here, now what?"    Bobbie whispered to her fellow cohorts.

Laura looked around to make sure that no one was watching them.   "Well,
let¹s go.  What are we waiting for?"   she whispered back.

"I think we¹re forgetting something."  Bobbie said, looking at them in
annoyance.

"What?"   Lizzie B. and Laura said in unison.

"Uh, we don¹t know where the tunnel entrance is located."    Bobbie informed
them.

"We¹ll just have to split up and look for it."    Lizzie B. suggested,
looking from one woman to another,   "Whoever finds it first, call the other
two and spread the word.  We¹ll meet back up at the tunnel, and go find the
guys together."

Laura frowned at Lizzie B.,   "Yeah, but won¹t that mean Bobbie will have to
switch frequencies?  If she does that then how are we supposed to keep in
touch with Brenda?"   Laura asked concerned.

All three pondered this for a minute.   Finally, Lizzie B. said,   "Bobbie,
why don¹t you just call now and tell her what we¹re up to.  Then after we
find the entrance, we¹ll call and check in again before we head out.  At
least then she won¹t worry if she tries to get you and finds the line dead.
Either that or she could just switch to our frequency.  Those are the only
two options I can think of."

Bobbie grimaced,   "You know, it¹s still not too late to back out and let
the police handle this."   She said.

Laura immediately rejected Bobbie¹s idea.  "No, we have to do this.  The men
need our help, and I say we give it to them whether they like it or not."
She said sternly.

Lizzie B. smiled secretly and said,   "I second that motion."

Bobbie resigned herself to the plan,   "I¹ll call Brenda."   She said.
 

ElsewhereŠ

"What the hellŠ."   Sonny trailed off, as he stared in horror at the
bloodied mess before him.

Earpiece:   "Sonny?  Is that you?  What¹s going on?"   Luke asked

There, in the middle of the tunnel, Carly stood awkwardly.   Her left arm
was tied by what appeared to be a makeshift sling, while her right arm
encircled Robins¹ shoulders.  The top part of what was left of her costume
was ripped off, and the visible skin was completely black and blue.  Her
breathing was labored, while Robin appeared not to be breathing at all.
Both women were covered in blood.

"Carly!"   Jason repeated, equally horrified at the sight before him.

Carly jumped violently at their voices, nearly dropping her burden.  She
looked in the direction of their voices, as she adjusted her one-armed hold
on Robin.

"Jason?"   she asked hoarsely as she slumped to the ground.

Jason and Sonny, recovered from their initial shock, and emerged from their
hiding place.

Carly burst into tears as soon as she saw them, and immediately began
rambling.   "Jason!  It¹s youŠ you¹re here.  I thought they were coming to
kill me.  SheŠuhŠ.she did itŠ.shŠshe left us down here.  I kept hearing
things,Šfootsteps and voicesŠIŠ I thought I was losing my mindŠ.   Then, I
thought that she sent somebody else to..."

"Shhhhh.  CarlyŠ. It¹s okayŠ"   Jason began as he and Sonny cautiously moved
closer to her and Robin.

"JaseŠ"   she snuffled, before she started back rambling through the tears,
 "They¹re coming, JasonŠshŠshe sent them to kill usŠ."

"Help is here, no one is going to kill you."   Sonny directed at her.

Sonny and Jason bent down in front of the two.  Jason glanced over at Sonny,
and a silent look passed between the two.  It was now understood that Jason
would handle Carly and her hysterics, while Sonny tried to ascertain Robin¹s
condition.

"Carly, you have to calm down and tell us what¹s going on."    Jason said
soothingly, as he reached out to stroke her hair.   "Who¹s bleeding, Carly?
 You or Robin?  And what happened to your arm?  Do you know where Scully and
Nikolas are?"

"Is she still alive?"   Sonny asked Carly, as he tried to ease Robin¹s body
away from her.

Carly¹s hysterics began to abate as the calming sounds of their voices
convinced her that she was no longer in danger.  Relief replaced the
terror-stricken look in her eyes as she finally relinquished her hold on
Robin.   Her tears subsided, and she began to respond to their questions.

"Can you tell us what happened, Carly?"   Jason asked, while Sonny bent over
Robin.

Carly took a deep breath,   "They shot at us, and Robin got hit."   She
said.

"They who?"   Jason asked.

"Where¹s she hit?"   Sonny asked.

"Helena took Scully and Nikolas with her, and left me and Robin behind.  She
gave us a five-minute head start, and then she sent two of her goons to kill
us.  One of them got Robin in the chest somewhere."   Carly explained
shakily, looking over at Robin,   "She was talking before, telling me which
way to go, but then she passed out."

"Why didn¹t you two split up?  You¹d have had a better chance that way."
Jason asked.

"Because Robin knows the way out of here, and I don¹t.  Even if I¹d gotten
away, I could never find my way out of this maze without her.  Besides, I
didn¹t want to be alone."   She said.

"What¹s wrong with your arm?"   Jason asked, concerned.

"One of Helena¹s henchmen threw me against the stone, and the bone popped
out of place."   She explained,   "Scully put it back in and made the sling
for me."

Sonny sat up, and looked over at Jason and Carly,   "She¹s alive, but she
has a hole in her chest.  We need to get her to a hospital before she bleeds
to death.  I stopped it temporarily, but I don¹t know how long that¹s gonna
last."   Sonny told them.

Jason looked at him,   "Sonny, there¹s no way that they¹ll be able to get
out the way we got in."   he stated,   "Carly¹s arm is in a sling, and
Robin¹s in and out of consciousness."

"Yeah, I know."   Sonny agreed, with a frown,   "I think it¹s time we call
the others and let them know what¹s going on."

Carly perked up at this,   "What others?  Who else is here?"   she asked,
"And how did you get down here?"  she asked looking from one to the other.

"Mulder, Luke, and Lucky came with us to look for you guys."   Jason said,
"Lizzie B., Laura, Bobbie, and Brenda are all helping us out over on the
mainland.  Lizzie B. told us how to get here, by swimming through the
tunnels under the catacombs."

Carly eyes started to shine,  "Jason, that¹s not how Helena left.  They went
through an underwater tunnel alright but they weren¹t swimming."   She said.
 

ElsewhereŠ

"What do you suppose happened?"   Luke asked,   "I know they heard us."

Earpiece:   "Maybe they ran into the twosome that I saw?"   Mulder
suggested,   "They obviously found something."

"Yeah, but what do we do now?  What if they¹re in trouble?"   Lucky asked,
"Shouldn¹t we look for them?"

Just then, Sonny joined the conversation.

Earpiece:  "I¹m back, did you miss me?"   Sonny said.

"Sonny!  What happened?  Don¹t keep us in suspense, what¹s going on, Man?"
Luke asked.

Earpiece:  "We found Carly and Robin.  They were the two that Mulder spotted
through the hole in the wall."   He explained,   "Robin¹s been shot, and
Carly injured her shoulder, so they won¹t be able to get out the way we
came.  Robin knows a different way, but right now she¹s unconscious.

Earpiece:   "Where are you now?"   Mulder asked,   "I think it¹s best if we
all meet back up.  Then we¹ll figure out what to do next."

Sonny proceeded to give them directions.
 

ElsewhereŠ

Earpiece:  "You see anything yet?"   Laura asked

"Naw, I¹m coming up empty."   Lizzie B. said

Earpiece:  "I¹m not finding anything either."   Bobbie said.

Just then, Lizzie B. entered a new room and looked around with her
flashlight.

"Oh, this is weird."   Lizzie B. said,   "Hey, you guys, you¹re not gonna
believe what I¹m looking at."

Earpiece:   "What?"   Laura and Bobbie asked in unison.

"There¹s a ton of bricks here."   She said,   "I mean literally, a ton of
bricks.  There¹s mortar, too.  Weird huh?  I never would¹ve pegged Helena as
one to do her own remodeling."

Earpiece:  "That is odd.  Where exactly would Helena be brick-laying
anyway?"   Laura asked perplexed,   "It¹s not like she lives in a house."

Earpiece:   "She obviously has some sort of Œmaster plan¹, and I wouldn¹t be
surprised if brick-laying had a part in it."   Bobbie said,   "Nothing that
woman does surprises me."

"Shhhh, wait.  I hear something."   Lizzie B. whispered.  She turned her
head in the direction of the sound.

"Hey, guys, this is gonna sound even more weird, but I think I hear voices
behind the wall."  Lizzie B. whispered after a moment.

Earpiece:   "The tunnel entrance must be there."   Laura said,   "Where are
you?"

Lizzie B. proceeded to describe her location as quickly and quietly as
possible.  Suddenly, she cut off in the middle of her sentence.  "Oh, geez,
I gotta bale.  They¹re getting closer."   Lizzie B. whispered hastily.

Earpiece:   "You¹d better get out of there before they see you.  It might be
Helena."   Bobbie advised Lizzie B.,   "Laura and I will be there soon."

"Hurry!"   she exclaimed in hushed tones.
 

At the PC HotelŠ

"I¹m sorry, Steffy, really I am."    Ronnie said, as she looked across the
room at Stephan¹s sleeping form,   "I promise it¹ll never happen again."

"This is so  unlike me.  I never used to have to drug men to get them into
bed."   She lamented,   "It¹s a good thing Brenda still thinks I¹m crazy,
because I have a feeling that she would really be horrified to know that my
behavior is that of a perfectly sane woman."

Ronnie giggled at the thought, then sobered as she thought about the
consequences when Sonny¹s lie finally came out.

"You know, I hate deceiving her like this, but it¹s not my secret to tell.
Sonny started this lie.  When I realized what he was up to, I merely
continued the charade."   She justified, then continued on flippantly,   "I
don¹t know why my darling son-in-law thought I¹d actually be fooled by that
two-bit shrink, anyway.   All he ever does is drink coffee and ask me how my
day went.  I¹d really have to be crazy not to see through him.  Next time,
Sonny should hire an actor instead of a doctor."

She pouted as she looked over at Steffy¹s blank expression.   "Oh, come on,
what else was I supposed to do, just stand around and let her married that
old stick-in-the-mud, Jax.  Anyone whose first name is ŒJasper¹ couldn¹t be
too much fun.  I mean, don¹t get me wrong, I¹m not speaking ill of the dead.
 I¹m sure, had he lived, Jasper could have made some woman a very nice
husband, just not my Brenda.  She¹d have died of boredom within a week."
She said, then proceeded to explain,   "My daughter and I are a lot more
alike than she realizes.  We both need excitement, passion, fire, and even a
little reckless abandon to feel truly alive.  And Sonny Corinthos spells
passion with a capital ŒP¹, and so do you for that matter.  Why else would I
be attracted to you."

Ronnie paused for a minute, as if waiting for an answer.   "I am, you know.
Despite your pathological devotion to all that is politically correct, I
still find you very attractive.  I don¹t mean to be forwardŠ. well, actually
I do, but not forward in a bad way."   She said with a sigh,   "I wish your
fiancée hadn¹t been killed, at least then it¹d be a fair fight.  I could
teach you how to live a little and be happy if you¹d just let me.  But, how
can I win you over if I have to overcome your memories of her."

"You ever notice how people always remember dead loved ones as being
perfect?  That¹s how it was with Brenda when she thought I was dead.  And
then when she found out I was alive and well, it¹s like she was disappointed
in the reality.   She had this perfect little picture in her head of how I
was ¹supposed¹ to be, and then when I was just myself she got angry with
me."   Ronnie explained, giving him a perplexed look,   "I don¹t know who or
what gave her the idea that I was some sort of angel because I can assure
you I wasn¹t and I¹m still not.   And I¹ll tell you a little secret, I don¹t
want to be."

Ronnie took a minute to look at him thoughtfully.   "I bet you¹ve been like
this your entire life; formal, proper, and always doing and saying the
appropriate thing at the appropriate time.  What a waste!  Just so you know,
it¹s much more fun being inappropriate."   She informed him, with a
mischievous grin,   "I could show you how if you like."

Just then, Ronnie¹s grin widens,   "I have an idea!"   she said excitedly,
"Ooh, this could be fun for me tooŠ."

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