PC: The Lighthouse Gang: A Few Bricks Short of a Load... Part 2

[Lynelle F]

**** Note: This is Part 2 of a 3-part post …. Continued from Part 1…****

Victor said, "What you need to understand, Mary is that I never planned to live
my life like this. It was just an accident. I sort of fell into it." He said
that the summer after he’d received his master’s degree, he was traveling in
Europe and stopped off in Munich to visit his old mathematics professor. "He
was working on a problem, and he asked me to consider an aspect of it – very
flattering. I wound up spending three of the most wonderful weeks of my life,
working on it with him. And, before I knew what happened, before you could say
‘transposition’ and ‘substitution’, I found myself in COM/INT. Mary asked,
"Comment?" He explained that COM/INT meant Communications and Intelligence.
"I became a code breaker." His professor was trying to decipher a message
sent from Russia to East Germany. "It was in code, and this particular code,
as with most codes, was based on a mathematical formula. The trick was which
mathematical formula, and I solved it!" "So, you were a spy?" Mary concluded.
"I never cared for that term."

Mary asked Victor, "Why did you do it?" He said, "Well, as you may have
noticed by now, I love solving puzzles, and it turns out I have a certain knack
for it. Mary questioned the other things that went way beyond code breaking.
He said it also turned out that he had a certain gift for languages. "And one
thing led to another, and I found myself working in the field," he said. Mary
asked, "Well, does Kevin know about all this?" Victor hurriedly answered,
"Good Heavens, no! I went to enormous lengths to keep all of this from my
family." She said, "Yeah, I’ll bet knowing would make a normal family life
pretty difficult."

Victor said, "Well, not knowing didn’t help." Then he added with his voice
breaking with emotion in the middle of his sentence, "Everything that happened
between Ryan and my wife… I blame a large part of it on the fact that I wasn’t
there so much of the time. I was trying to save the world. My family was
falling into pieces. Ultimately, that’s why I got out. But, now, history’s
repeating itself." She asked what he meant. He explained that he’d tried to
help her and her family, and he’d ended up getting her into terrible danger.
And his son in Port Charles needed him, and he wasn’t there – once again!
Suddenly, they heard footsteps outside the door. Each of them stood on a
different side of the doorway, ready to ambush the intruder.

Greg, Julie, and Kevin walked through a tunnel, looking at a map. Greg said
that the tunnel wouldn’t be on the police’s copy of the construction map, as it
was built after the house was. Kevin stumbled and fell deliberately so that he
could pick up a rock. "Are you ready?" Greg asked. Kevin said, "Yeah, yeah,
I’m ready." Greg ordered him to, "Walk!"

Lucy yelled out, "Hey, Copper Boys, we want out of here. Come get us, please!"
Eve told her to save her breath. Lucy remarked that they seem to have a thing
for confined spaces, and Eve smiled a bit, remembering the shared elevator.
Lucy said they should look on the bright side. This time there was no bomb.
Then she started to worry that there might be a bomb. Eve said, "Lucy, no
talking. You’re going to yak us to death." They both admitted that they were
nervous.

Scott and Chris came into the den of the mansion. There was a noise, and Scott
realized that Chris had stepped on a booby trap. "You take your foot off that,
and we’ll be blown sky high!" Chris asked what he was supposed to do. Scott
said, "That’s a good question."

"You don’t move your foot!" Scott told Chris. "Well, exactly how long am I
supposed to stand here like this?" Chris asked. Scott replied, "I don’t know,
but if you lift up your foot, we’re gonna be blown to smithereens, and I don’t
want to walk through the Pearly Gates with you, Ramsey." Chris begged, "Well,
go get the police… or something!" Scott said he can’t go back up the coal
chute. He also doesn’t know where any other bombs are hidden, and he doesn’t
know how much time Lucy and Eve have left.

Eve told Lucy that her family lived with a circus, and that she was friends
with a contortionist. She tried some of the techniques she’d learned in order
to get out of the straight jacket. The two of them began to run out of oxygen.

No one answered the phone in the mansion when Garcia phoned Cooper. Frank
wondered if Cooper and Julie could be gone, and he thought that they ought to
rush the place. Garcia decided to play it safe and give them another half
hour. Meanwhile, he said he’d look for another exit. Frank remembered that
when he played there as a child, there were rumors of tunnels that were used to
transport slaves to Canada. The two of them started looking for a tunnel.

"Hold it!" Greg said in the tunnel. "I thought I heard something." Kevin
said, "Maybe your guilty conscience." Greg replied, "Nothing to feel guilty
about, Bro." Kevin said, "Really? You killed at least seven people that I
know of. And you don’t feel the slightest twinge of regret?" Greg answered,
"Not even a whisper." Greg said they should keep moving – they’re almost out
of there. Julie stepped back a bit and hurt her leg. That distracted Greg
long enough, so that Kevin was able to hit Greg with the rock he’d picked up
when he’d fallen. Greg was hurt, but he still fired his gun and wounded Kevin
in the shoulder, knocking him unconscious again.

Victor stood on one side of the door, with a vase poised to clobber any
intruders, as Mary stood on the other. "Move over near the door," Victor
instructed her. "As soon as whoever it is comes in, I’ll bash him! You run
down the stairs." Mary said she wasn’t about to leave him. She said she would
help, and she picked up a vase.

Just then the intruder called quietly, "Vladimir?" Victor answered, "Gunther?"
As he let Gunther into the room, he asked, "What were you doing sneaking
around out there? I was ready to brain you." Gunther said, "You asked for a
diversion." He said he’d convinced a friend – the daughter of a woman they
once knew, Katcha – to invite Schotsy to have a drink with him, and he’d
accepted. Meanwhile, Gunther has a truck out back, and said he’d drive them to
their destination. Gunther said he owed him a great deal. Victor told Gunther
that he’d told Mary everything about the old days. "You did?" asked Gunther,
and then he turned to Mary and said, "He must like you a lot. The whole time I
knew him, he never told anyone." Victor said that he wanted to get a lot of
miles between them and Schotsy. Gunther said they had no other exit except for
the balconey. Victor worried how Mary would get out that way, but she assured
him she could handle it quite well. She left first. Gunther said, "I like
that woman." Victor said, with a smile, "So do I!"

Kevin awoke and realized he’d been wounded. Just then, Garcia and Frank found
him. Kevin explained what had happened. "Is that just a flesh wound?" Kevin
asked Frank, and he said, "Yeah, you’re fine." Kevin told the two of them he’d
be okay, and that they should continue to pursue Cooper.

Chris reminded Scott of something that happened in the movie, "Raiders of the
Lost Ark" which was similar to the situation he found himself in now. While
the solution in the movie hadn’t worked for Indiana Jones, it worked for
Indiana Scott. He put a bag of mortar on top of Chris’ foot, and gradually
replaced the weight and pressure of the bag for Chris’ body. No explosion
occurred, and they were then free to go look for Lucy and Eve.

Eve continued to struggle with her straight jacket and managed to free herself.
Then she freed Lucy from hers. She said, "Listen to me, Lucy Coe. Don’t you
forget about this, all right? Don’t say I never did anything for you." The
oxygen supply continued to dwindle, and they could hardly breathe. Scott
called out, "Lucy! Eve!" The two of them told Scott to hurry because they
can’t breathe. Frantically, Scott and Chris tried to knock down the brick
wall.

Mary and Victor were sitting in the back of a truck that was filled with
medical supplies, traveling to their destination without being able to see
outside the truck. Victor wondered what was happening with his son. Mary said
that hopefully, Cooper and Julie were back in jail, and that Kevin was safe.
Victor said, "I honestly have no idea what I’d do if anything happened to
Kevin." Mary said, "I feel the same way about my kids. But, remember, we are
only believing positive things about Joe and Kevin." Victor kissed her hand.

Mary asked about all the medical equipment in the truck. Victor said it’s
actually Gunther’s business that he got into after Victor quit the espionage
game. Mary said she’d always dreamed about a trip to Greece, and here she was –
in Greece – and in the back of a truck. She said, "With all this medical gear
around, I might as well be in the supply closet of General Hospital!" Victor
replied, "Well, from where I sit, it wouldn’t make any difference if this were
the supply closet at General Hospital or the presidential suite on the QE2.
Just being with you makes me happy." Mary replied, "Victor, you always know
the right thing to say."

Scott and Chris hammered away at the brick wall, to no avail. By now, there
were no sounds coming from Lucy and Eve. They decided they should knock out
the paneling, instead, and go around the brick wall. Kevin arrived in the room
with them. Immediately, instinctively, Chris checked out Kevin’s wounded arm.
Kevin insisted he was all right. "Lucy! Eve!" Kevin called. Scott broke
through, looked in, and said that they weren’t moving.

Greg and Julie were lost in the tunnel. They studied the map, and started to
get cross with one another. They argued over Kevin. Julie said she thought
Greg was watching Kevin. He said, "You thought? That little pinheaded brain
of yours doesn’t have a thought that I don’t give it." They argued more. At
that moment, Garcia and Frank arrived. Garcia held a gun on them. Greg still
had his gun, and he grabbed Julie as a shield. "Hold it right there, or she
dies!" Greg threatened. "I’m not kidding. Come one step closer, and there’ll
be one more dead doctor in Port Charles!" Julie asked, "Greg, what are you
doing?!" He told her to act scared. Frank told her that a good brother
wouldn’t use her as a shield. Julie wouldn’t cooperate with Greg and told him
it was over. "Thank God I’m not really related to someone as stupid as you!"
Greg yelled as he shoved Julie toward Garcia and Frank. He then tried to fire
his gun, but it didn’t fire. Frank grabbed him and did his best to strangle
him. Garcia finally convinced Frank to let him go. Garcia carted Greg away.
Frank asked Julie if she was okay. She said, "He tried to kill me!"

The truck in Greece had come to a stop. Mary insisted that Victor go to the
states to see about Kevin. While Victor didn’t want to leave her, he promised
he’d be back. He said that once they’ve found Joe and Neal, the two of them
will take that romantic Mediterranean cruise – just the way she’d always
wanted. Mary asked him how many more enemies he had in this neck of the woods.
"Hardly any at all," Victor replied. There was a commotion outside of the
truck. Not knowing what was happening, Victor tried to look out of the back
door of the truck, but he found that the door was locked. They were now
trapped inside the truck.

The paramedics were working on both Eve and Lucy. Scott told Kevin, "Well, the
good news is Garcia got Cooper and Julie." Kevin asked, "They’re both alive?"
Scott said that they are, and then he asked the medic how Lucy was. The medic
said that everything’s coming back to normal, and he said Lucy should be fine.
Scott said, "Good," and he looked at Kevin.

Chris, who was beside Eve, stroking her hair, asked, "Eve, Eve, are you with
us?" Eve asked, "Scott, is that you?" Chris said, "No, guess again." Eve
said, "Kevin?" Chris said, "0 for 2, roomie!" She asked, "Chris, what are you
doing here?" He said he just thought he’d drop in to see her. She asked, "Is
Kevin okay?" He told her that Kevin was fine. He said for her to rest and
that he’d get Kevin for her.

Chris called, "Kevin, she’s asking for you." Kevin said, "Thanks." He left
Lucy’s side and moved over to where Eve was and sat beside her. He said with a
smile, "Eve, I’m here." "Are you okay?" she asked, with a smile. Then she
noticed, "You’re bleeding…" Kevin said, "No, no. That’s nothing. The
paramedics patched me up just fine." "How’s Lucy?" she asked. Kevin said,
"She’s coming around. You’re both going to be just fine. Guess what? They
caught Julie and Greg. It’s over." Eve asked, "It is?" "Yeah," Kevin
confirmed. They both smiled, holding hands, as Chris watched sadly, buttoning
up his jacket.

Scott was beside Lucy when she came to. "Kevin?" Lucy asked. Scott said,
"No, no, it’s me." "Hi, you! I never thought I was going to see you again."
"Fat chance," Scott said. She asked how he got in there. "The same way you
did – down the coal chute." She said, "You are amazing!" He replied, "Well, I
guess I’m just getting good at saving girls in trouble." She said, "You saved
my life – again!" Scott said, "Well, I guess it’s just getting to be a habit."
Lucy said, as she stroked his face, "I am so very, very glad to see you." He
said, "Not as glad as I am to see you, Lucy. Come here." They hugged. Lucy
smiled, and then she looked across the room and saw Eve and Kevin hugging. She
could see the smile on Eve’s face. Then Lucy and Eve exchanged looks, after
which they both hugged the man they were with a little harder.

Mary told Victor that maybe the lock on the door of the truck was jammed. He
said, "This is not an accident." He reminded her that they’ve been hiding in
the truck all night because someone wants to do him in. Victor said he’d bet
that their driver was no longer Gunther. Just then, the little window between
the cab and the back of the truck opened, and a face appeared. Victor said,
"Schotsy!" "We meet again!" Schotsy said and closed the window. Mary asked,
"Shot Who?" "Schotsy. That’s the man who wants to see me dead!" Victor
replied.

"Mary, we have got to get out of here immediately!" Victor said. "Schotsy’s
that dangerous?" Mary questioned. Victor said, "I wouldn’t frighten you if he
weren’t." The two of them looked around the truck for something in the medical
supplies that might help them escape. Mary said she saw nothing except nitrous
oxide. "Maybe we can make him laugh himself to death!" she suggested,
jokingly. "That’s brilliant!" Victor replied. "Those James Bond ladies have
nothing on you." Mary asked, "We’re going to use laughing gas?" Victor said,
"It worked in Istanbul." He suggested, "We’ll pipe the gas right into the cab.
Nitrous oxide – it’s an anesthetic. It’ll give us the edge we want."
"Tubing," Mary said, as she handed him the tubing she’d found. When he
questioned it, she said, "Use this to direct the gas into the cab so we won’t
breathe it ourselves." Victor said, "Be still, my heart. You are the world’s
most perfect woman!" She said, "Oh, thank you, Victor," and they hugged.

As Victor cut the tubing, almost the way a surgeon and his assisting nurse in
an operating room might do, he said, "I’m going to attach it to the petcock,
and then there’s a small opening between the panes of glass. If I can slip
this between them, it’ll be aimed right at Schotsy." He attached the tubing,
and turned on the valve to the nitrous oxide canister. Then he said, "Now it’s
only fair to warn you. Even though he may start laughing out of control,
Schotsy is deadly dangerous." She said, "Imagine the headlines! American
Couple Killed by Jolly Ex-Spy!" Victor said, "Listen, I think I heard him
chuckle." Schotsy was beginning to laugh. "It must be working!" Mary said.
"Oh, Mary, Mary, Mary! Just a few more minutes, and you and I are going to be
out of here!" Victor said. They waited. What they didn’t notice was that the
tubing lost its connection with the canister, and the nitrous oxide began
filling the back of the truck. They both began to giggle.

At the hospital, Frank told Karen that he felt guilty for not having seen
Julie’s warning signs. Karen asked if Julie has multiple personalities. Frank
said, "No, no, that’s not what Kevin says it is. Cooper just did this
incredible brainwashing job on her, so that she believes everything about her
life was a lie." Karen asked where Greg was now. Frank answered, "He’s at
PCPD, awaiting evaluation to see if he’s sane enough to stand trial." Frank
told her that he thinks Julie is sick and she needs help, but she’s not
blameless. He said he still wanted to get her help, but now he thinks that the
whole pregnancy thing was a lie.

At this point, the cab window of the truck opened again, and someone resembling
ABC’s Peter Jennings poked his head into the opening and said, "Boo!" Whoops,
guess that was some kind of hallucination on the part of this recorder – must
be the laughing gas! But thanks to the wonderfully kind efforts of lighthouse
friends, this lighthouse recorder can fill in the storyline blanks for now with
the help of Charma’s "transcript", and will eventually see the rest of this
hilarious scene with Eva’s tape. Peter Jennings, you can’t catch those of us
in the Lighthouse Gang, no matter how hard you try! But we do wish you’d use a
bit more discretion as to when it’s necessary to interrupt what the Lighthouse
Gang is doing!

Victor and Mary were leaning against the side of the truck, with the laughing
gas having taken full effect. Mary said, "Shut it off!" as she laughed.
Victor, laughing, said, "I can’t – it’s stuck!" They could hardly stand up
because they were laughing so hard. Mary said, "I always wanted to die
laughing." "Me too," laughed Victor. Mary said, "Good, because we are never
going to get out of here alive!" They continued to laugh. Victor said,
laughing all the time he talked, "He’s going to pulverize us!" Mary, making a
gesture like cutting off the head, said, "He is going to rip our thumbs off!"

Suddenly, there was a screeching sound. Mary and Victor fell over a bit, and
the window to the cab opened. Schotsy said, "Now you’ve done it!" Mary
laughed and asked, "Are you going to rip our thumbs off?" Schotsy said, "I’m
considering it." The laughter continued. Victor asked, "Is all of this in
retaliation for one small incident?" Schotsy asked, "A small incident! You
call faking your death small?" Victor said, "It was the only effective way
that I could resign from the game. And besides, it made you infamous, huh?
You became the man who killed the unkillable Vladamir. Schotsy said, "All the
more reason to dispose of you now – and get to remain on top and take my
revenge at the same time."

* * * To be continued in Part 3 of The Lighthouse Gang * * *

Lynelle