Lucky stood up from the bed and blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the sudden light, anticipating the chance to make Faison nervous, to make him aware that he was no longer going to be controlled by him. Faison strolled in nonchalantly and sat down on the cot. Lucky noticed he was carrying the infamous remote control.
Faison observed Lucky for several moments before speaking. "Well, young Mr. Spencer, have you had ample time to think about the assignment I have given you?"
Lucky laughed. "And which assignment would that be? Oh, and by the way, why don't you just call me Lucky like everyone else does?"
Faison seemed confused by Lucky's attitude. In the past he had always been compliant though he did have a tendency to let his temper get the better of him. He had learned that from his father, in fact, had learned much from his father.
"You know perfectly well which assignment I am speaking of."
Lucky thought for a minute and clicked his fingers. "Oh yea, now I remember. You mean that crazy notion you have that I'm actually going to kill my father? You know what? If you want my father dead you'll have to kill him yourself. But you'll never succeed. See, my father is so much better at this game than you are."
"Is he? If he is so good, why didn't he find you three years ago? Why hasn't he found you this time?"
"You were too careful last time, but you've gotten way too sloppy over the years. This time you kidnapped me in broad daylight. What the hell was that about anyway? Sonny had men all over the place, you know, more than you could even imagine. So it's just a matter of time before they figure out where I am. And the other thing you seem to forget….we didn't travel very far to get to where we are so I know I'm still in Port Charles. That's a big advantage for me once I figure out exactly where I am."
Faison was growing angry as he stood up and glared at Lucky. "I assure you, you will never figure out where you are. No one would ever guess. And as for your father, I would be more than happy to kill Luke Spencer myself. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than watching the life drain from his body, slowly and painfully. You see, I have this problem when I kill, Mr. Spencer, it just makes me want to kill more. It's that bloodlust in my veins. And there are so many more I could kill. Let's see, there is your mother, and that beautiful, precious little sister of yours."
Lucky lunged at Faison, shoving him against the door, his hand at his throat, choking him. "If you ever lay a hand on my mother or my little sister, I will kill you, do you get that?" He was astounded by his own strength.
Faison did not like this Lucky. He had definitely become a force to be reckoned with. He tried to pry Lucky's hands from him.
"Oh, I get it Mr. Spencer. Now get your hands off me or you will be very sorry."
"Why? What are you going to do me, huh? Kill me? I don't think so. I think if you were going to kill me you would have done it a long time ago. You need me for something. Why don't you just tell me what this is all about, what it's always been about, because I've been wracking my brain for four years and I can't figure it out."
Faison spoke finally in what was barely a whisper, his voice hoarse from Lucky's hand against his throat..
"You're more like your father than I thought. Perhaps I have misjudged you."
"Let's just say I learned from the master. Like father, like son."
"Your father has something I want, and I am willing to go to any means to get it. As you have seen I am a very patient man. But my patience is wearing thin."
"Tell me what he has that is so precious to you."
"That is a story for another day. But suffice it to say it is the most beautiful thing in the world. And it will soon be mine."
Lucky began to laugh uncontrollably. "That's what this has all been about? You held me captive for nearly three years, you shot Elizabeth, and now you want me to kill my father just so you can have some….some possession of my father's? You are insane!! You could have saved everyone a lot of heartache if you had told me that in the beginning."
"And how is that, Mr. Spencer?"
"My dad would have gladly given you anything he owned, no matter how valuable, in exchange for me. It could have been so simple."
"You're so certain of that?"
"I know it."
"I am not so certain. This thing he has is a highly coveted item, and I don't think even you or your precious life are enough to make Luke Spencer give it up. I suggest that you reconsider your thoughts on killing him. Because you see, there is no other option for you."
"We'll see about that. But there is one thing you aren't getting…Faison…I'm not afraid of you anymore. And I'm sick to death of your threats and your demands. In fact, you bore me senseless. You can leave now. I have nothing more to say to you and you certainly don't have anything to say that I want to hear."
Faison looked at him. Was he really letting Lucky Spencer get the upper hand? He seemed so confident, so sure of himself and he certainly saw no hint of fear in his eyes. He had changed over the years. He had become colder, and that could be a great advantage to him once he got him to see things his way. He sighed, having grown impatient with Lucky's insolence. "Very well, we will talk again when you have come to your senses. And I promise you that will happen. But before I go, I want you to see your precious Elizabeth again."
Lucky's heart pounded in his chest. That meant she was still alive. He thought he had held his own with Faison, but his stomach was in knots and his head began to swim. He pressed his fingertips to his temples as Faison made a quick call and pointed the remote at the screen. Lucky saw only the back of someone's head. As the camera panned the room, he realized it was a hospital room and the person whose head he was seeing was Sonny's. He was sitting by Elizabeth's bed, holding her hand. She was sleeping, with tubes and monitors hooked up to her. He fought desperately to keep the tears from welling in his eyes. His heart ached to see her lying there so helpless. He had to find a way out of this room and get to her. Faison's men were everywhere and he wasn't sure Sonny could keep her safe indefinitely.
Faison saw his tears, and gloated. "She is your weakness, Mr. Spencer, and I know exactly how to prey on that weakness."
Faison turned and opened the sliding door. Lucky called out to him. "I do have one more thing to say to you, Faison. I'm going to escape and you won't be able to stop me."
"There is no way out of this room."
"Oh, but there is. And I'm on the verge of discovering it. It will happen when you least expect it. So be looking forward to the day you come back and I'm not here. Man, I wish I could see the look on your face when that happens. You're not going to control my life or the lives of the people I love anymore."
"Oh, you are so young and idealistic, young….Lucky."
"We'll see about that, won't we?"
Faison left the room and the lights went out again. Lucky sat on the cot, his head in his shaking hands. He had wanted Faison to know that he was no longer afraid of him, that he would no longer be intimidated by him, but seeing Elizabeth in that hospital bed had undone all that he had accomplished. Still, he knew there had to be a way out of this God forsaken room and he intended to find it. He could not let Elizabeth be out there alone, without him to protect her. Oh, he knew that Luke and Sonny and Jason would be taking turns guarding her, and that Luke had taken his mother and Lulu somewhere safe. But Elizabeth was in the hospital and anyone could get to her. He could only pray that the only people allowed in her room were people his father and Sonny knew and trusted.
He laid back on the bed, thinking about Elizabeth, about how vulnerable she was lying in that bed, thinking about how much he needed to be with her. He dozed reluctantly, the familiar, almost sickening smell that he still could not define growing stronger and stronger. He dreamt first of Elizabeth, but soon he was dreaming of himself when he was younger, and then his cousin Sly was in the dream. They had spent a lot of time together when they were younger, exploring the twisting and winding tunnels that stretched for miles beneath the city. They were back there now in his dream. He had stayed in those tunnels for awhile when he had first arrived in Port Charles and was on his own, waiting for Luke and Laura to join him. In fact, his parents had told him tales of hiding out there in the past, before he was born.
The dream felt so real, and he could see every detail, could see the corner where he had stashed his backpack and sleeping bag, in the cleanest area he had been able to find, the one that allowed a bit of light to come in from the outside. He was lying on his sleeping bag in the dream, aware of the musty, dirty, moldy smell, the one thing he had found nearly unbearable about being there. In the dream Sly was shaking him, trying to wake him, but it was as if he were there in the room with him. Lucky awoke suddenly, a cold sweat drenching his body, his heart pounding at the euphoria he felt as the words Sly had spoken in the dream echoed in his head.
"Wake up, Lucky, wake up! You know how to get out of here! You're in the catacombs!!"