Written By: Armina Qi Saxton

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Chapter 1: Not Here, Johnny. Not Here

There had been a point in his life that he hadn't expected anyone to forgive him for the things that he had done during Halloween, believing that the entire population wanted him dead. He hadn't even expected Edmund, his own friend that he had known since they were children, to help in the ways that he had before the events of the Ball. The surprise of finding those that wanted to help him, wanted to see him rise back into power to take down the Von Helsons, had overwhelmed him at first, but it soon died off as more and more came to his aid.

Johnny had found himself, not many hours after he had started to ask for help from the public, with more gold then he had imaged. There were those that were more then willing to donate gold to him, whether they wanted to get rid of the gold or just felt plain sorry for him. Some, like himself, wanted the sisters to hear of this, wanted them to feel like they were being cheated out of support and to know that there would be an uprising of some sort. Others just wanted to get rid of the gold rather then spend it on something they would never use again but once. Whatever it was, the gold had started to pour in at a fast rate.

"True friends, you are. I won't forget this," A happy Johnny had said to those that had donated, regardless of the amount. Even those that gave him a few spare gold coins got a rare smile out of him that didn't seemed forced or weak. That was enough for him at least, to know that those that couldn't give him more then that spent a moment or two to give him something that could help his son.

Those that did not donate to him, most of them supporters of the sisters, stared at him as though he was asking them to donate their very souls to him. There were mutters of how this was his fault that he was on the streets with a boy that had no memories and looked like a vegetable. These had walked away laughing, wishing pain and suffering upon him and Gino. Others simply did not have the gold to donate to him, their gold going to something they could spend on another item. They muttered excuses rather then insults towards him or his son, walking away before he could start babbling about something else they did not want to hear.

"Okay, then. Thanks anyway. If you happen to change your mind, you know where to find me," Johnny had told the retreating backs of those that had not given him anything, more angry at the fact that the malice laughter of others had reached his ears then the fact that no one had bothered to donate to him. He knew that there were those that didn't want anything to do with him, or even think about him, and that was expected of them.

Yet, there were those that crossed a line that they knew they had crossed when they saw the insane look that crossed his face, as soon as the insults started to drift towards Gino. That was one thing that they dared not do and they knew it, backing away slowly before turning and going as far away from the island as possible. They didn't want to be another statistic upon his hands, not when there had been so many already.

"Nice day, isn't it?" A voice asked overtop the last group of donators as they slowly drifted away from him. Johnny didn't need to look up from the gold he placed in a small pile next to him, to know it was Edmund that had walked up to him where the Gaians had once been. He figured the other had been standing there a good while, looking at what was going on before walking up to him.

"It's better then yesterday, I can tell you that much," Johnny said, looking up with a half smile. That was the truth, as far as he could tell. This day was better then the last few months combined, now that he had a way of an income without hardly making a sweat.

"I've heard a few things in passing when I came up here, more then I needed to know or ever would have guessed." Edmund seemed to be slightly amused by something, what Johnny didn't really want to know. That irritated him, knowing something was wrong somewhere else and there was nothing he could do to stop it. "All they true?"

"Is what true?" He asked before he could stop himself, staring up at Edmund unblinkingly. If he was going to hear things now, at least it would be from someone he knew rather then from the rumors from others.

"That you are trying to reclaim your fortune by donations from the public by means that just seem to be beyond me. I've seen and heard things you've done before, but not like this." He shook his head, turning towards the rubble, Johnny not asking for him to go into detail. He already had a rough idea of what rumors were floating around already. Edmund hardly even looked in Gino's direction, but he knew he was sitting there, watching the tide come in. "So, what's going to be rebuilt first?"

"Gino's memories," Came the mumbled reply. That was why Johnny asked passing people for help now, because he couldn't stand the though of Gino being like this. He would admit the lust of gold was still there, now that it was pouring into his hands once again, but Gino was the only thing he wanted to see get better.

Edmund turned from the rubble and stared at his friend, watching him for a moment. There was something about Johnny that was different, something he first caught several months earlier. He didn‘t catch right on it, mainly because he was concerned but now it was like a slap in the face. Can this be the same man I knew before Halloween/ Could this experience really have changed him that much and in such a short time? He silently asked himself, quite surprised at the answer he had been given. It would have surprised him more, if he hadn't seen the things that had happened since Christmas or had known this man since they were kids.

"How are you going to do that exactly? It would take all you have left to get his memory back, with the way the hospitals can fix memories now," Edmund told him, gesturing in the general direction of Durem where one of the large hospitals was located. "Even the best hospitals in Gaia couldn't compare to what G-Corp did in the medical field. I know, Johnny. I helped build G-Corp, remember?"

"I remember. We were partners in it, before it was destroyed," Johnny said with a nod. That's when the idea hit him, like the donation idea had. Why shouldn't he rebuild G-Corp? The best medical care in all of Gaia wouldn't get his son's memories back, so why couldn't he get the company working again? If he kept asking for donations, then he would be able to rebuild it again. And he could do more with it, with more gold then he had before, if it was possible. "Wait, that's it. I'll rebuild G-Corp! That way, Gino will get his memory back, the company will be restarted, and I'll have my fortune again. All this at the same time!"

A wild look came into Johnny's eyes, something that Edmund hadn't seen in years, something that he didn't like. He took several steps back, uncertain as to what his friend was thinking but knew that it was something in which wouldn't be good. If anything, it was an indication that something would eventually happen, whether it was in a couple of days or in a couple of weeks. That made the lapse into momentary insanity all the more realistic and any thoughts that his friend had changed went with the passing wind.

"And where are you going to put it this time, Johnny? It can't be in Durem, not as long as the sisters are still in Gaia, or alive for that matter. Barton is out of the question, as Leon wouldn’t allow it even if it were for Gino." Edmund took a breath before continuing on. "Logan wouldn't want anything cluttering up the lake, and I don't blame him one bit. Aekea is out of the question, even though it is an ideal place for it."

"Then I'll rebuild it here, where I had it before." Johnny spread his arms out, indicating the rubble behind him. "I'll be close to it and there wouldn't be any time wasted on traveling."

The other man sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Didn't you learn your lesson from Halloween? Your mansion sat upon G-Corp's labs and something went wrong. You can't afford another disaster like that, Johnny. You'll get yourself killed for sure this time around. If that doesn’t do it, then the population will do it.”

"Then I'll have something better to protect from anything like that again. Like a tower," He said, a defiant look on his face. Then his eyes lit up once again, a smile creeping onto his lips. "That's perfect!" He jumped up, looking as though he had just won all the gold in Gaia. He turned towards the rubble, his arms opening wide. "G-Corp will be in the tower and my mansion will be on top of it! It's wonderful!"

"That's another disaster waiting to happen," Edmund pointed out, but soon found that his words most likely hadn't been heard by his friend. He stood there for a moment, listening to Johnny laugh at the thought of restarting everything he had before, shaking his head as he turned around for the port-side. If there was going to be another disaster like Halloween, then he didn't want to have any part of it. Not even at the expense of helping his friend through the beginnings of insanity.

Edmund started for the port, not even looking behind his shoulder. Johnny didn't even seem to notice that his friend had left, smiling at the rubble in what would appear a maniacal smile. If anyone knew that mad glint in his eyes meant at the moment, or had seen it before, then they would have stopped him right where he was and put an end to any plans he had. Instead they left him be, content on muttering a few passing sympathies and dropping coins on the ground next to him. They didn't want to bother him in this thinking, not when they believed that his eyes were watching his son play at the ocean front. Those wild, deep purple eyes were looking at something entirely different, something that no one else could see.

Something that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

****

The next several days saw a slight increase of donations for him, but they soon remained at a constant rate for the most part. Johnny saw the amount slowly increasing, not only in his pockets but his once nearly broke bank account, a smile coming upon his lips at what this meant: his riches were restored, maybe even more so then before. All of it could be used towards something, anything he wanted, even perhaps buy his son new memories, if that were ever possible.

However, the first thing he would do was to build his mansion over again, just like it was before. Unknowingly to the public at the time, he had ordered two mansions to be built: one concealed on the inside of a very large tower and one on the very top of it, once it was completed. He had uses for both of them, he was sure of it. What worked in his mind seemed almost like an insane plot to others, even to his own son, who seemed to be distancing himself even further away now that he saw what was being built into the sky.

How exactly he expected a tower to be built in a few days was anyone's guess, even when teams of workers had come from Aekea to the island before the dawn broke on the first day. Local residents were rudely awaken at some unknown and hellish hour by pounding, sawing, and shouts of mixed profanity on the first day of building. It wasn't until morning rolled on did they see what was going on and why there was so much noise. Some just rolled their eyes at the construction that was being done where the former Gambino mansion once stood, wondering why the owner was trying to re-build it again when he should have been using that gold for something else. Others shook their heads and went on with their lives, determined not to wonder what was going on happen next or if it would disrupt their lives like Halloween had.

Others seemed amazed at how fast the tower was being built, quite content at staring at the fast the workers were going but never really questioned as to why the tower was being built. Johnny took note of this, smiling even brooder then before at the fact that he had diverted some attention from Durem for the time being. It was a small satisfaction that boosted everything, even his confidence. If the sisters knew what he was doing, there was nothing they could do to stop him. Not now, with them being in Durem and him being on the island.

Those that wondered why the tower was being built, failed to remember that the floors inside of it would contain nothing less then G-Corp and Gambino Insurance, Inc. Johnny knew that there was no point in hiding either one any longer, since the public had become aware of both last October. Perhaps now that he was able to build such a creation, and with the public knowledge, G-Corp could help the rest of Gaia with things that couldn't be done anywhere else. Right after Gino got his memory back first; that was the priority that he held first, even if he strayed from it slightly.

The other reason he had a tower built, was so that he could attempt to watch what the sisters were doing while still maintaining his distance. Edmunds eyes and ears could only see so much and he most likely wouldn't be one to tell things, even to an old friend. After the tower was completed, and G-Corp reinstated, he would have things built around the top so that he wouldn't have to wonder what was going on in Durem. He would know, without setting foot inside the city or having too many people risk their own lives to be on the wrong side of the sisters.

And the tower continued to rise.

****

On the other side of Gaia's Territories, a single figure stood outside on a balcony that overlooked Durem. She had her arms wrapped around her bare arms loosely, her eyes looking towards Isle de Gambino sadly, a sigh escaping her lips. Although she couldn't see the tower fully at the moment, it soon would be seen clear across the land and perhaps into other places as well. That sickened her, to know that the ocean just beyond it would be blocked from any remaining view she had. She also got a laugh out of the speculation on how big it would be, mostly on thoughts on what the man that was having it built, was compensating for.

She had been angry at first, when the whispers had started to come from the island, about the donations being sent to the man she was supposed to be hating. She honestly didn't hate him, just had a dislike for him, which had stemmed from other things then family issues. Maybe it was because she truly didn't see what her sister saw or perhaps it was something different altogether. Whatever it was, she couldn't hate him despite what he had become.

And she couldn't blame him for wanting outside help from the same people he had hurt many months before. It even surprised her at how many were willing to give up their gold and items for him, despite what he had done and would eventually do. Maybe that was why he had been at the top of everything before it came crashing down around him, because no matter what he did to the population, there would always be those that still supported him. He had picked up the pieces and was slowly placing them back together, hoping to regain what he had lost and still manage to come out on top. It was unfortunate that others couldn't do the same.

"Marie!" A voice shouted from the doorway of the balcony. She jumped, jolted out of her daydreams as she turned around to see her sister standing there, giving her an icy start that would even freeze Death itself. "I've been calling you fro the last ten minutes. What the hell is wrong with you?"

There were so many retorts that she could possibly say, but none would get the point across to her. Sure, her sister was the cunning one, smart enough to know how to work through plans and make them work as best as she could. But there was a downfall to her, a more clumsy side that she tried to hide so much. That was what she saw every time they were in public together, the ditzy sister who, if she could, would leak any information out that would harm their secrets. But even she had her limits.

"Nothing at all, Anna," Marie said hotly, fingers tapping on her arms. "Are the flyers ready to be sent out, eggs placed in the mansion by that damnable robot, and signs finished?"

"Yes to all three." Anna's voice still had that icy tone to it, but her deep frown slowly turned into a wicked grin. "It's so easy to sway the herds. So very easy."

"Yes, indeed," Marie echoed, although there was something in her voice that her sister didn't seem to catch. Perhaps it was something to do with falling off the battle and not wanting to get back up and fight. She certainly didn't want to drag the known feud out any longer then it already had, but never had the chance to end it on her own terms.

Maybe soon it would be.