Unspoken

Chapter 20

October 30, 1992

Dr. Wilhelm Rolf stared up at Anthony DiMera with defiance in every line of his face. He'd been dragged to Maison Blanche by masked men, and locked in the dungeon where Stefano used to give him free reign. He was the prisoner now, and Tony was demanding answers that he didn't want to give. He tugged at the zip ties binding his wrists and ankles together, but he knew it was fruitless. Tony stared down at him, and Peter hovered in the doorway. Rolf knew he wasn't going anywhere. Practically spitting, he said, "What do you want to know?"

"The micro chips in John Black and Marlena Evans' heads, they block their memories, correct?" Tony asked him. "I was reading my father's records on them, and I need specifics."

"Yes! Yes! Now let me up, and undo my hands and feet!" Rolf yelled.

"You're not in a position to be making demands," Tony replied, coming to stand over him. "Can the devices be removed without damage? Would they regain their memories if the devices were removed?"

Rolf glanced over at Peter, unsure how to respond.

Peter wanted to insist that Rolf keep his damned mouth shut, but Tony was right. He was the head of the family since father had died. Peter said, "Answer him Rolf. The truth."

"But, Peter!" Rolf tried to argue. He had fully believed that Peter would be the one to get him out of the mess he was in. He tried to plead with Peter again. "All of my research–"

Tony looked at his brother with suspicion, and Peter took a deep breath. He had to accept the changes. Tony was nothing like their father, but as far as he could tell he was fair, and less inclined to manipulation. So Peter made a final decision to trust Tony, and he told Rolf, " –answer him."

Rolf rolled so that his cheek was pressed against the hard stone floor. It felt cool against his heated skin. His head was too heavy to continue to hold it up while staring at Tony. He stopped fighting the restraints, and allowed his body to relax as he sighed in frustration. He closed his eyes for a moment thinking. Peter wasn't going to save him. Which meant that Rolf had to tell the truth. He could do that, while strategically omitting a few key details. He glanced up at Tony standing over him impatiently. He'd never proven himself to be as evil as Stefano, but that didn't mean Rolf was willing to test him.

With a heavy sigh of defeat, he told Tony, "John Black has the first incarnation of my memory chip. Removal could be difficult if there is scar tissue. I had trouble with placement the first time, and he will likely never be able to retrieve his past memories... although I can't be certain. I surgically placed it in 1983. It has been in place for nine years."

Tony was furious. His father was a monster. He gritted out, "And Marlena?"

"Marlena was implanted with my fourth incarnation of the memory chip. I had advanced the technology enough to be able to selectively block memories, specifically her time with Orpheus and Stefano. If the memory chip were removed, I do not believe that there would be lasting damage," Rolf said. "She would likely be able to regain her memories of that time..." He glanced over at Peter warily. Would he tell Tony he was leaving information out?

"You don't believe there would be lasting damage?" Tony demanded. "You and my father were toying with people's lives, Rolf! Human experimentation!"

"I–I can't be certain of the damage!" he cried. "You're father– he wasn't one to accept failure. I had no choice but to keep trying! And... after mistakes with Roman Brady, I thought I'd perfected it with my third incarnation, but Gina Von Amberg never recovered. I miscalculated."

Tony's eyes went wide. Roman Brady, and Gina Von Amberg. Gina had disappeared in 1984. No one had seen her since. Her daughter Greta had grown up without her mother. Finding out his father was somehow involved was another wrench in his life. "What happened to Princess Gina?"