Fantastic S5 Episode 96(4/15/24)

At the hospital, Acerbi is sitting behind her desk when there is a knock at the door. “I do not have time for any nonsense!” Acerbi shouts. The person knocks again. “Are you hard of hearing?! I am not looking to entertain any visitors!” Acerbi snaps. The door opens and Brody pokes his head in. “Not even me?” Brody asks. Acerbi smiles. “You, my darling, are the sole exception. Please forgive me for my rudeness.” Acerbi says. Brody walks in. “No apology necessary. I understand you have a pretty stressful job.” Brody says. “You have no idea. I've been here for the past 16 hours with barely a single break.” Acerbi tells him. “Sorry to hear that. Is everything okay?” Brody wonders. “We're short staffed, so I am doing my best to carry the workload. I must admit, I do a wonderful job of it. I think that if I were to fire the entire staff and take all of their responsibilities, this hospital would be run just as efficiently, if not more!” Acerbi says. “I’d be willing to wager that you're correct.” Brody says. “So, what brings you by?” Acerbi asks. “I came to let you know that I got a new job.” Brody says. “Oh? I wasn't aware you were searching.” Acerbi says. “I wasn't, that is until Dannie tossed me out of the house.” Brody reveals. “They did what?!” Acerbi asks. “I was casting doubt on how innocent their girlfriend is and they didn't care for that very much.” Brody says. “Well I don't care for people casting my dear son aside as if he is nothing! You say the word, and I will toss Dannie out of their office and out of this hospital just as swiftly as they threw you out!” Acerbi tells him. “That really isn't necessary. I know you're trying to mend fences with the Goo family.” Brody says. “That is true…enough about Dannie's lack of decency, tell me more about this job!” Acerbi urges. “You're looking at the new CEO of IronClad Technologies!” Brody reveals. “IronClad? Is that not the company that parasite Xavier Irons founded?” Acerbi asks. “According to Dylan Stanpatos.” Brody says. “And the company is owned by Stanpatos Enterprises. Given the bad blood between you and Dylan, why would Dylan want to hire you?” Acerbi questions. “Most likely to get rid of me. The job is based in the U.K and I have to leave today.” Brody reveals!

At the Goo Castle, Andy and Rebecca are sitting on the sofa in the living room. “You gave the diamond bracelet to Ciara? Honey, are you sure that was a good idea? You could've painted a target on her back.” Andy points out. “There's no way of Lawrence knowing that Ciara has the bracelet. As far as he knows, it's still in the evidence locker at the Fantastic P.D. That's why we had to move it! The evidence locker is certainly secure, but we also know from experience that it isn't foolproof. It's likely Lawrence has bought off at least one officer at the police department, someone that could easily walk into the evidence room and take off with the bracelet, in exchange for a one way ticket to a tropical island. I admit I was skeptical of Ciara's plan at first, but she made some valid points.” Rebecca says. “I just hope giving her the bracelet was the right call.” Andy says.

Down at the docks, Lawrence is pointing his gun at Ciara. “I'm going to need you to explain why you provided me with a counterfeit bracelet.” Lawrence tells Ciara. “What the hell are you talking about?!” Ciara questions. “Do not play me for a fool, my dear. It won't end well for your precious brother.” Lawrence warns. “I'm not playing you for a fool! Obviously your eyesight must be on it's way out, otherwise you'd know that bracelet is real!” Ciara tells him. “Do you really think after spending all this time searching for the three diamond jewels, that I wouldn't be able to differentiate between the real jewels and replicas? Now I will admit, this bracelet is remarkably close to the authentic version, almost exact! But not quite.” Lawrence says. Ciara smirks. “You're bluffing. Is this some sort of test or something? Are you trying to bait me because you still aren't sure if I can be trusted?” Ciara questions. “I didn't have to bait you. It didn't take you very long to prove that you can't be trusted. One simple mission I gave you, and you couldn't even accomplish that without attempting to betray me.” Lawrence says. “I did not try to betray you! That bracelet is REAL!” Ciara states. “You still wish to play that game? Very well, allow me to elaborate to you how it is I know that this bracelet is not the real one. You see, each of the three diamond jewels has a piece of technology implanted in them, it's what provides them with their power. Now, if you look closely enough, you will be able to see a faint red light blink every 8 seconds. I examined this bracelet quite closely, there is no such light.” Lawrence says. “I don't know what to tell you, Lawrence! These jewels are older than dirt, maybe the battery died or something!” Ciara suggests. “Impossible! The only possible explanation is that this was a misguided attempt on your part to try and double cross me. I'm disappointed in you, truly. Not because I ever believed for a moment that you were trustworthy, but because I truly believed you cared about your brother, that you wouldn't be reckless enough to do anything that could endanger his life.” Lawrence says. “I didn't!” Ciara argues. “Argue all you'd like, Miss Goo. I'm afraid you just sealed Brady's fate.” Lawrence says. Still holding Ciara at gunpoint, Lawrence uses his other hand to pull his phone out of his pocket. “Who are you calling?” Ciara questions. Lawrence begins dialing a number. “Lawrence, answer me! Who the hell are you calling?!” Ciara questions. Lawrence ignores her. Ciara goes to charge at Lawrence, but two men appear out of nowhere and restrain her. “DAMN IT, LAWRENCE! ANSWER ME!” Ciara screams. “It's me. I'm afraid I have some bad news. Mr. Goo's sister has proved to be that she only cares about her own interests, which means we're left with no other choice. Take care of him.” Lawrence orders. “Lawrence, NO!” Ciara screams. Lawrence takes the phone away from his ear and puts it on speaker. Suddenly, an agonizing scream can be heard on the other end of the phone! “BRADY!!!” Ciara screams.

“You cannot be serious! Dylan Stanpatos offers you a job in a different country and you are just accepting it?” Acerbi asks. “It's a CEO position, mother.” Brody points out. “It is an attempt to drive you out of town, which you pointed out yourself earlier! He didn't give you the job because he thinks you're a good fit for the company! He did it because he wants you gone, because he is still holding a grudge from when you were working with The Evil Force!” Acerbi tells him. “Obviously Dylan despising me is part of the reason he's offering me this job, but I don't think he would give it to me if he thought I wouldn't be able to run the company successfully.” Brody says. “Are you certain? I read the business section of the newspaper. It's my understanding that IronClad has been bleeding money ever since Xavier's timely demise. Perhaps Dylan is counting on you tanking the company!” Acerbi suggests. “Then I'd be delighted to prove him wrong. I am going to run this company, and I'm going to do it successfully, contrary to what Dylan probably thinks.” Brody says. “I know you will. It's just…I am going to miss you desperately.” Acerbi says. “This isn't goodbye for good! I'm only going to be a continent away.” Brody says. “Only?” Acerbi asks. “I will come and visit you whenever possible. I'm sure as the CEO, business will take me to Fantastic every once in a while.” Brody says. “Not if Dylan has anything to say about it, I'm sure.” Acerbi says. “Lucky for me then that I have personal reasons to come back as well. This isn't goodbye, it's merely I'll talk to you later.” Brody says. Acerbi smiles. “You better mean that. With your sister living out of town now, you are the only child I had left here.” Acerbi says. “And I will never be far away. I'm only a phone call, a video call away. Before I go though, I'd just like you to know how happy I am that you and I were able to mend fences and give our relationship another shot. My latest run in this city may not have been the most chaotic, but at least I can say that I made up with you. That makes it all worth it.” Brody says. Acerbi stands up and opens her arms. “Come, my dear.” Acerbi says. Brody stands up and hugs Acerbi. “I love you.” Brody tells her. “I love you too.” Acerbi says.

In the Goo Castle living room, Andy puts his hand on Rebecca's knee. “You know, I'm getting tired of talking about these stupid jewels.” Andy says. “I'm getting tired of talking about them! I'm getting tired of hearing about them AND thinking about them too!” Rebecca says. “So how about we take a break from all that? It's a beautiful night, we should go out for a walk through the garden, get some fresh air.” Andy says. “I think that sounds like a fabulous idea. Let's do it.” Rebecca says. “Let's do it.” Andy says. Andy and Rebecca stand up just as King Beast walks in. “Ah, good evening you two!” King Beast says. “King Beast, hi!” Andy says. “How are you? How's everything going?” Rebecca wonders. “I'm doing fine. How about yourselves?” King Beast asks. Andy puts his arm around Rebecca. “We're happy and in love, there's no way we could be doing any better.” Andy says. “I'm glad to hear that. I'm happy I ran into you both, I was hoping we could talk.” King Beast says. “Sure. Is everything okay?” Andy asks. “I'm not sure. Has Dannie mentioned anything to you about their new girlfriend?” King Beast asks. “They've mentioned her. I think her name was Jenna, right?” Andy asks. “Right.” King Beast says. “How are things between those two? Do you know?” Andy asks. “They're progressing. Dannie seems quite smittened with them.” King Beast says. “I'm glad to hear that. Dannie deserves some happiness, especially after that whole debacle with Corey Cambino a few months back.” Rebecca says. “Out of curiosity, why did you bring this up?” Andy wonders. “Brody McKay brought some concerns to me regarding Jenna.” King Beast says. “I wouldn't believe anything that man has to say.” Rebecca says. “Normally I wouldn’t, but given that Brody has a long history of underhanded behavior, I do have to wonder if he has a special gift of spotting that sort of behavior in others.” King Beast says. “You think Jenna might have some kind of agenda?” Andy asks. “I'm not ruling it out. The reason I'm bringing this to you is because I'm hoping that you may be willing to look into Jenna, you know, just to provide me with peace of mind.” King Beast says. “I don't know. I'm not sure how I feel about looking into Jenna behind Dannie's back, it doesn't feel right.” Andy says. “You were fine with looking into Caleb Cooper, AKA Corey Cambino, back when he was inserting himself into Dannie's life.” Rebecca recalls. “That was different. Dannie was dealing with a stalker, and even though Meow Cat had confessed, I still wasn't too sure it was true.” Andy says. “And your instincts were right.” Rebecca says. “Andy, I'd completely understand if you don’t feel comfortable doing this for me. I'm not going to be angry or anything. If you choose not to look into Jenna, that's fine.” King Beast says. “I'll tell you what I'll do. I will look into Jenna, just like you asked. But once I gather all my info, you need to go to Dannie and tell them that you had me do it. Even if I don't find anything, I don't want them being kept in the dark about this.” Andy says. “Absolutely, I will do that.” King Beast says. “Alright then, I'll do it.” Andy says. “Thank you, I very much appreciate this.” King Beast says. “You don't have to thank me. You're family, of course I'd help you.” Andy says. “In that case, I'll leave you two alone. I apologize for interrupting your evening.” King Beast says. “No need to apologize! You know we're always happy to talk with you.” Rebecca says. “And I'm always happy to talk to the both of you. Have a lovely evening.” King Beast says. “You too. Good night.” Andy says. King Beast turns around and walks out. “I guess you better get started on this new case of yours.” Rebecca says. “Hold on, let's back up for a second. I'm off the clock.” Andy tells her. “I didn't realize your PI firm was official enough where you would have a clock.” Rebecca says. “It isn't, but I have time set aside for my investigating, and then I've got time for just my family. This time is our time, and I'm not gonna use it on anything else.” Andy says. “But what about King Beast's favor?” Rebecca asks. “King Beast didn't make it sound like Dannie was in any kind of danger, I'm sure it'd be fine if I waited until tomorrow to look into Jenna. In the meantime, I have a wife who needs to be the center of my attention.” Andy says. Rebecca smiles. “Thank you for being such a wonderful husband.” Rebecca says. “I'm not anything special. You on the other hand are a rock star, and I'm so happy to call you my rock star.” Andy says, before leaning in and kissing Rebecca.

Down at the docks, a sobbing Ciara attempts to charge at Lawrence, but his men restrain her. “YOU EVIL SON OF A BITCH! YOU ARE DEAD! YOU HEAR ME?! DEAD!!!” Ciara screams. “Calm yourself, Miss. Goo. Your over the top theatrics aren't going to help anyone.” Lawrence says. “Over the top? OVER THE TOP?! You are the most despicable human being I think I've ever met! You don't give a damn about anyone, every person is just another pawn to you! Even your own family! You don't have a single shred of humanity, just a blackhole that consumes everything and everyone that ever enters your path! My brother has never done a damn thing to you, but because I got in your way, you decided to target Brady just so you could control me! HE WAS INNOCENT! He was just starting to get his life back together when you uprooted everything and kidnapped him!” Ciara yells. “I never would have been forced to take such drastic measures, had you left well enough alone. Your brother's unfortunate circumstances are your own fault.” Lawrence claims. “Don't you dare try to pin this on me! I never would've ended up on your trail if you weren't such a garbage human being with an addiction to power and control! You got a second chance at life after Rebecca shot you all those years ago, but instead of actually trying to reinvent yourself so you didn't end up in another grave, you reverted back to form! Well this time, there won't be no second chances! I'm gonna take you out, and I'm gonna make sure you stay dead this time!” Ciara yells. “It's so funny that you would mention second chances. I understand you yourself were granted one after Stefan Cat shot you. You left your position at the WPA, freeing it up for me, and decided to devote your life to spending time with your daughter, my lovely granddaughter. But rather than continuing your charade as the doting mother, you got bored and decided to go searching for trouble.” Lawrence says. “No! I received cries for help from some of my friends that still worked at the WPA, people who do have some decency that knew something crooked was going on at the agency!” Ciara says. “And you decided to play the role of the hero. Tell me, how exactly is that working out for you? Better still, how is it working out for your brother?” Lawrence questions. “SON OF A BITCH!” Ciara screams. Ciara attempts to charge at Lawrence again, but his men hold her back. “Are you finished yet?” Lawrence wonders. “An eye for an eye, Stanpatos. You killed my brother, so now I'm gonna kill you!” Ciara says. “Oh, I'm sorry, it appears we've had something of a miscommunication.” Lawrence says. “What the hell are you talking about now?” Ciara asks. “Brady isn't dead! He's still very much alive! Well, at least to my knowledge.” Lawrence says. “But I heard-” Ciara begins to say. “What you heard was a warning shot on my end. My associate cut Brady's leg off.” Lawrence reveals. “YOU WHAT?!” Ciara asks. “Oh calm down. When my associate and I discussed this course of action, he assured me that Brady would survive. He will be patched up and he'll be good as new!” Lawrence says. “But he's missing a leg!” Ciara points out. “He still has the one! There's nothing to worry about! Well, so long as you don't disappoint me again. This time I cut off Brady's leg, but the next time, my associate has orders to cut off his head. I suggest you keep that in mind the next time you consider double crossing me.” Lawrence says. “You sick son of a bitch. Do you not realize you just had my brother's leg cut off for nothing? I DID NOT KNOW THAT BRACELET WAS A FAKE!” Ciara screams. “Maybe you did, maybe you didn't. What's done is done. I'd much prefer to focus on the future.” Lawrence says. “You can't serious expect me to keep working for you!” Ciara says. “That is exactly what I expect. You do want Brady to keep his head, don't you? Of course you do. Despite your checkered history, you are a good older sister. You wouldn't want to do anything that could further endanger Brady's life, would you?” Lawrence says. Lawrence turns towards his men. “Release her. I don't think Miss. Goo poses any sort of threat.” Lawrence says. Lawrence's men let go of Ciara. Lawrence walks over to Ciara and returns the fake bracelet to her. “As for your next mission, I want you to return this bracelet to my darling niece, tell her that it is a fake, and find out for me where the real one is! You know what to look for this time, Ciara, I don't want anymore mishaps! Fail me again, and Brady dies.” Lawrence warns. “This changes nothing. Brady might still be alive, but you won't be for much longer.” Ciara says. “You aren't going to kill me, not while I still hold your brother's life in my hands.” Lawrence says. “Not now, but later. You screwed with the wrong person. I don't give a damn about law and order or any of that crap. When my brother is in the free and clear, and he will be, I am coming for you. And trust me, when they find you, your family won't even be able to ID your body.” Ciara says. Lawrence smiles. “I do adore your fire, it’s something I look for in every employee. Just be careful where you direct that fire, you may accidentally burn yourself. Have a lovely evening, I'll send your regards to your brother.” Lawrence says, before walking off, followed by his men. “I don't care what it takes, when this whole mess is over…Lawrence Stanpatos is a dead man.” Ciara coldly growls…