1988 Eterna

Eterna

In 1988, Viki made a discovery that would change her understanding of her own past: as a teenager, she had given birth to a daughter she did not remember having. Her father, Victor Lord, had arranged for her memories of the pregnancy and childbirth to be erased through hypnosis. Viki began searching for the child she had unknowingly lost.

That search left Viki vulnerable to Leo Cromwell, who deceived her into believing that he was the father of her missing child and that his daughter, Christine, was the daughter Viki had lost. Christine became caught up in her father’s deception, unaware of the full truth behind Viki’s past.

At the same time, several Llanview residents became caught up in the mystery of Eterna, an elaborate underground city hidden beneath Llantano Mountain. Eterna had been created years earlier by Danton Gordon, Roger Gordon’s father, with the involvement of Victor Lord. Roger Gordon and Michael Grande both carried childhood memories of the mysterious city, while Leo Cromwell became obsessed with finding Eterna and the fortune in gold supposedly hidden there.

1988: In another daring plotline Viki relived her high school years. Viki learned many things about herself there, including that she had a daughter, Megan.

The search eventually led Viki, Roger, Tina, Cord, Gabrielle, Michael and others deep beneath the mountain, where they became trapped inside Eterna. What they discovered was an extraordinary self-contained city filled with sophisticated technology, hidden passages, booby traps—and a vast cache of gold. Cut off from the outside world, the group struggled to survive while their families desperately searched for a way to rescue them.

Viki encounters the dangerous Leo Cromwell, who was willing to kill to get his hands on a hidden stockpile of gold.

For Viki, however, Eterna brought an even more astonishing discovery. Roger revealed that he and Viki had fallen in love when she was a teenager. After Viki became pregnant, Victor intervened. Viki’s alter ego, Niki Smith, had emerged during the pregnancy, and when Viki resurfaced during childbirth, Victor arranged to have her memories erased. Dr. Larry Wolek had delivered the baby, and Victor gave the child to Roger, ordering him to leave Llanview and never tell Viki what had happened.

Roger then revealed the truth Viki had been searching for: their daughter was Megan Gordon. The young woman Viki had already come to know—and frequently clash with—was actually the daughter she had been searching for.

Meanwhile, Eterna itself was becoming increasingly dangerous. Leo’s obsession with the hidden gold ultimately led to his death, and the underground city began to collapse around its trapped inhabitants. As explosions, falling rock and fire destroyed Eterna, Viki and the others believed they might never escape. A final explosion opened a passage to the outside, allowing the survivors to reach safety and reunite with their families.

"That was the only time I ever got an angry with Larry – when I found out that he had delivered my baby, Megan, when I was under hypnosis in the back seat of Daddy's limousine," notes Slezak.

Although Eterna was destroyed, its greatest revelation permanently changed Viki’s life. She returned to Llanview knowing the truth about the daughter Victor had taken from her. Viki and Megan initially struggled with their new relationship, but in time the two overcame their difficult beginning and developed a deep and loving bond.

From Article Entitled "101 Fabulous Facts About OLTL"

“We had a week of filth and dirt thrown at us” Erika recalls. “There was about 20 zillion dollars in gold bullion hidden there. I've always said Viki should go back and get it.”

Fact #16: The largest set ever created for a daytime drama was OLTL's Great Hall of Eterna. The multilevel, 32 foot high, 360-degree set was so huge that it had to be erected in a separate studio from the place where OLTL usually tapes.

Fact #70: The most elaborate prop ever used on OLTL was well-drilling equipment obtained for the Eterna storyline. The men who feverishly dug the characters out of the underground city were not actors but actual well-drillers who were hired to operate the heavy machinery.