Chapter 21
Red peered up from her glasses to the newlyweds. "You may now kiss the bride."
Everyone cheered loudly when Nicky took Lorna by her wrist and twirled her around in full circle before giving her the kiss.
Piper was standing next to Alex, although maintained some small distance between them. The last thing they wanted was to spoil Nicky and Lorna's special day. Piper put up all her skills in faking, but barely managed a full smile on her face. Alex, however, had a formal, yet consistent smile. Piper was beginning to wonder who would be the better liar between them. Alex had not once looked her way today, but Piper had daringly watched her every movement. Unless Alex would ask Nicky to get her out of the island, the woman had no other way of transportation except Piper and the ferry. Piper knew that she was certainly not one of the options.
Ferry leaves at ten. Piper reminded herself. It was a quarter past nine. She expected Alex to leave soon. God, she would sink the ferry, if she had to.
Piper glanced at Alex again, but the woman offered no response at all. Not any kind of acknowledgement of her presence. It was supposed to be a happy day for everyone here, but apparently not for them. Alex didn't even take a drink, rigid and tensed all morning.
Piper inwardly sighed. She had expected worse from Alex, and she should just be contented right now that Alex at least still stood near her. She tried to look away, and her gaze came to stop at Stella. The tattooed woman was moving out of the garden bar, disappearing behind the crowd. She was surprised by her presence, wondering if Nicky had invited her. She didn't remember Stella visiting Nicky even once during her coma.
What bothered Piper even more was Mendez attending the wedding. She didn't think that she could ever trust the lizard man, even though his conscience was being controlled by Red. Piper's gaze scanned along the tables of guests. She had been on the island for only about three months, and she didn't know a lot of them. Just how many former and current associates of Kubra were in Litchfield right now? Red was extremely confident of her own powers that she had allowed dangerous criminals to reside among them.
Nicky and Lorna began the first dance. The brides whistled and waved at Alex and Piper, inviting them to join. Alex just smiled, timidly shaking her head. It was surely an act, and Piper was just in awe to see how good of a liar Alex could be.
Nice try, Al.
Piper grabbed Alex's wrist and pulled her into the dance floor. Alex's jaw clamped shut as her feet reluctantly followed Piper's lead. Slow music played in the background, and several more couples joined.
Alex stared down her nose, but said nothing. Her gaze was as cold as ice as she lightly put her hands on Piper's waist. Her touch was distant. But she still had that smile on her face—the fake smile that Piper now wished to slap it off her face.
Piper took in a deep breath and looked down, letting their feet fall into the steps of the dance. She didn't want to look into the green eyes as emptiness swelled in her heart. She couldn't look into the eyes she loved as the years of struggles to find another love to replace Alex came rushing back to her. She didn't want to think about what she had done during those times in attempts to forget Alex. They weren't pleasant memories. They were desperate and bitter. They were painful to think back. When they met in Litchfield again, she thought that fate had brought them back together, but then she went right ahead and fucked it all up. They had come so far only to be stuck at the intersection again, unsure where they would head next. It felt almost as if the world was crushing down on them, and she couldn't do anything to stop it even with all her superpowers.
Music continued to play, and Piper involuntarily shuddered at the faint touch on her cheek. Alex ran a thumb on her skin, tracing where she had hurt Piper in the outburst of rage last night. A breath was caught in Piper's throat before she could collect herself and look up at her dance partner. Alex was staring at her hurt cheek. The bruise was covered by makeup, but it seemed as though the green gaze could see through everything.
Piper's hand shot up and grabbed Alex's, holding the touch on her face. She needed it. She wouldn't be able to go on another day, thinking if Alex would never touch her again. "I know that you're leaving," she said.
Silence. Alex just stared at her. She didn't accept or deny.
"I won't stop you anymore. I'll go wherever you'll go. I don't care where it'd be. Just let me be with you. That's all I've ever wanted." She didn't know how to make Alex believe her, but it didn't seem to matter anymore. She just had to tell Alex exactly how she felt.
Alex bit her bottom lip, and eventually sighed. "I've let other people suffer in my place for far too long now, Pipes. It's my turn."
"No, Alex—"
"Listen—"
"No!"
A few guests nearby glanced over at them, but Alex ignored them. Alex cupped Piper's cheeks with both hands, their faces less than an inch apart. "Listen, Pipes, I can't let anyone else get hurt because of me anymore. I can't live like this anymore. You have to understand—"
"This is out of the question. No, I won't let you—"
"I don't want to see you get hurt. It'll kill me if that happens. I've caused enough damage, Pipes. I… I've destroyed lives. I've manipulated and killed innocent people. It's my turn. You have to let me go." Alex's face fell in guilt. "I'm sorry for everything, but I really do love you." Alex said all of it with a solemn, yet genuine smile, and Piper couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. Alex planted a kiss on her lips before retracting her hands.
Piper closed her eyes, gulping down her tears. She knew what she had to do. She knew that Alex was right. But she couldn't bear to watch. She couldn't leave, but she couldn't stay either. When darkness threatened to consume her, she opened her eyes again to find herself alone in middle of the crowd. Alex was gone.
With a backpack slung over her shoulder, Alex biked down the path towards the pier. There were about a dozen residents waiting by the benches for the 10 o'clock departure. It was almost time.
Alex squinted at the bright sunlight as she returned the bike to the mini station. It was a lovely, sunny day, but her mind was clouded with plans that seemed to lead only to dead ends. Even though Kubra's faction had recently suffered severe losses, Alex alone was likely to get past ten other superheroes at most. She knew it full well that it was next to impossible to rescue her mother, and there was only one solution. She would trade her life with her mother's. Even so, she knew that it was unlikely that he would spare Diane, but there was no other way. To know that her father was the one who sold them out only burned a hate deep into her heart. She would never forgive this man, and she would kill him if she ever got the chance to see him again.
"Beautiful day, isn't it?"
Alex snapped. She turned to her right and saw Howard walking up to her. He was in his gray sweater and a pair of khaki pants. He looked calm and composed as usual.
Howard stopped just a few feet away from her, his face grim. "Is she still alive?"
"What are you talking about?" Alex looked away.
He stared at her for a long moment. "You wouldn't leave unless it's an absolute emergency. It must be about Diane."
Alex scoffed. Of course, he had been watching her every move. "Even if it's about her, it has nothing to do with you. Now, fuck off." She began to walk past him, her fists clenched.
"You know that Kubra will kill both of you. He never spared his enemies. There's no use, fighting alone, Alex. You need help, and we can help you."
Alex spun around to snarl at him. "Help me how? Do you think the government would care about an ordinary captive? A mother of a criminal like me? Are you willing to risk your own people to help me fight him? I don't think so. You didn't help me back then. You have no reason to do it now. Stop wasting my time."
"Since when have I ever denied you? Diane asked me to take care of you, and I've always intended to honor her request."
Alex laughed. She wanted to punch the innocent look off his face. "Eight years ago, I got into trouble with Kubra, because I failed to recruit a girl. I asked Red for help, but there wasn't any. You all turned your back on me. You left me to die. But I survived Kubra, Howard. I did it once. I will survive him again."
There was a moment of silence before Howard said, "Red told me that you had cut off all contacts, and we assumed that we'd lost you to the faction." He let out a heavy sigh. "I'm truly, deeply sorry, Alex. I had no idea how much you had to suffer. Let me fix this. I want to help."
Alex chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Alex, trust me. We'll figure something out. I will talk to the officials for reinforcement. We were already in the work, and they agreed that now is a good time to strike again when the iron is hot. His faction is suffering badly, and we'll send in more troops to finish the rest. You have to be patient—"
"How long will that take? I can't waste a day longer. She's suffering, Howard. She's being tortured!" Alex was in Howard's face now, blood shooting to her head.
But Alex winced when he grabbed her arms, moving her back a step. He was a small man, but his hands weighed like lead. Everyone knew of the monster that was hidden underneath this façade of a small businessman.
"I'm afraid that I can't let you go. Diane once asked me to watch over you, and I had failed you before. I had let you join them. Now, that you're back, safe on the island, I can't let you leave. Your mother wouldn't allow me to."
Alex grunted as he increased the pressure on her arms, driving her down to her knees. It hurt like hell, and she expected him to break her arms this instance, if he had to. "Don't try me," Alex growled, blue currents beginning to crawl along her arms.
Alarmed, Howard tightened his grips on her. His hands and forearms instantly grew bigger, the skin turning coarse and brownish, thick like tree bark. The true skin of a giant.
"Mr. Bloom...! Mr.—"
Alex let out a gasp of pain when Howard finally let go off her. Agitated, he turned to the source of interruption. A lanky, red-headed boy in his late teen was running towards them.
"Mr. Bloom!"
"What is it?" Howard asked. His fists unclenched, his skin turning back to the normal shade.
Alex got up to her feet, rubbing her arms.
The boy came to a stop in front of Howard, panting. "The… the wedding, sir… They're attacked…"
Alex froze.
Piper.
The chatters grew so loud, numbing Piper's ears. Her throat was dry, and no matter how many glasses of champagne she had had, it failed to soothe her. Perhaps it was her own heart that was on fire.
Swayed on her feet, Piper washed down another drink. She needed more. She needed to forget what had just happened. She needed to not think of going after Alex. She needed to forget that they probably would never see each other again. Only three months ago, none of these thoughts would have bothered her. Just three months ago, everything about 'Alex Vause' was a lie to Piper. It amazed Piper that their love had turned out to be true only to hurt her even more now than it did before.
I could fly to her now. She shouldn't be too far... Five more minutes, and I might change my mind… I could fly to her now. I think I should—
Piper's train of thoughts ceased at the loud thud and the yells that followed. Squinting, she turned to see a young man falling flat on his face, a glass of champagne slipped off his grasp. It looked like she wasn't the only one enjoying their drinks a little too much.
A few guys were helping the unconscious man up, dragging him off to the corner. Piper burped as she moved past them towards the bar for her next drink. Then her legs gave in, and she dropped to one knee before she could reach the bar. However, a hand grabbed her arm and promptly pulled her up to a standing position again.
"Thank you—" Piper stood up and turned to smile at her helper. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Christopher? What are you doing here?"
"Lorna invited me. Come on. We wanted a truce." Christopher laughed, sipping his champagne. His face was as red as hers, his eyes watery. It seemed that everyone was enjoying this morning so far. "What about you? You're here alone? Where's your girlfriend?"
Piper's mouth gaped open, momentarily stunned by the question, even though she knew that she shouldn't be. "She left. She's got an errand to tend to." Her gaze drifted off into the distance. She listened to how formal her words were, how distant it sounded, when it actually involved Alex's life and death. She should have done something, but she hadn't. She pondered how useless she was.
"On Nichols' wedding day?"
Piper noted her empty glass. "I'll need some refreshment."
After a moment, Christopher's mouth popped into an 'Oh'.
Piper tried her best to put up a smile as she carefully walked past him. The champagne glass couldn't feel emptier. Her head was spinning faster. Her vision became blurry, and series of unrecognizable sounds began to envelope her. Then her knees buckled. Her eyes rolled into the back of her skull, and she let her body free fall.
"Piper!" Christopher's shout echoed in her ears.
Eyes heavily closed, Piper could feel her back bend slightly in his arm, bouncing up and down in jagged rhythm as he shook her. It felt like a dream that was soon forwarded into series of nightmares. Her heart was pounding in her throat. She could barely breathe as the world was sucked out from under her.
"Jesus, are you all right…? Piper!?"
With much efforts, blue eyes finally fluttered open. Piper coughed violently for air. She had no idea how long she had been out. She had no idea what was going on around her. There was fire on the small stage, where the hired musicians had been playing. The burning Pom-poms and tablecloths. The stumbling, drunken guests. The unconscious guests lying on the ground, and the screaming guests around them.
What the hell… is going on? Piper absentmindedly wondered. It was as if she had wakened up to another party altogether.
Piper shut her eyes again at another blast of fire. The inferno heat scorched the skin of her arm and shoulder, and she screamed at the burn.
"Come on, we have to leave now! Come with me!" Christopher grabbed Piper's arms and pulled her up.
Piper staggered, coughing. There was so much smoke. The whole area was curtained with thick layers of gray. Where did the fire start? Why?
Lorna?
Draped around Christopher's side, Piper looked over her shoulder, trying to find the brides. There they were, struggling through the fire themselves. Lorna's dress was burnt around the edges, tars on her pretty face. Lorna's dark eyes looked determined, unlike Nicky, who looked absolutely dazed by what was happening. Nicky could barely make a stable step forward without Lorna's lead.
Then, Nicky's short cry managed to break all the chaos around them. A scaly, thick, pointy tail had penetrated through her back and exited her chest. Her wide eyes rolled to the back as her body was lifted by the foreign intrusion. Blood poured out of her chest wound, while Lorna screamed on, reaching for her wife. The giant lizard retracted his tail, dropping Nicky as he flew up into the sky, tearing down the burning tents.
Piper couldn't feel her legs anymore as Christopher tried to drag her as far away as he could. "Nick… Nicky," she croaked. Her throat was burning.
"She's gone!" Christopher grunted.
"But—" Piper couldn't speak anymore as her lips were numbed. Her body failed to function. She looked back at the burning backyard. She could only watch as Red was still sitting on the chair, unconscious amidst the angry blaze, her head resting on the table. Then, Stella approached the woman from behind. The thief raised the knife in her hand and stabbed down on Red's arms and thighs as if the old woman was a ragged doll, further cementing Red's weak state even if she happened to regain consciousness.
The champagne… That fucking Carlin…
Christopher failed to make it beyond fifty feet away from the tents. His body finally gave in to the drugs. He lied down next to Piper, gasping for air. Even his death air failed to emanate.
Piper could still hear Lorna's screams, and the sounds tore a hole through her heart.
You have to get up. Get up, Piper. Get up. Move!
Piper took in a shaky breath as she struggled to push herself up. Her head was heavy and her vision was swimming. Little by little, she was on her knees again, but was quickly shove back down to the ground. She winced and glanced up to see Stella looming over her, a foot planted on Piper's shoulder. Piper noted the big fume of smoke spiraling up to the sky in the background. It felt like doomsday right now.
"All right, pretty, you're coming with me," Stella said, winking.
Piper growled, her fists weakly clenched. She wanted to yell at Stella, but her lips could barely move. "Fuck… you—" Her voice suddenly trailed off as a lightning bolt flashed right above them. Piper had to squeeze her eyes shut from the bright light. She could feel the ground tremor as the lightning struck near them, the heat catching her skin, sizzling. But the pain wasn't too bad as Stella was above her, partially shielding her from the impact.
Out of breath, Piper opened her eyes again. Stella was gone, disappearing fast into the ground for cover. Instead, she saw the lightning striker rushing towards her. Alex scooped her up in her arms, shaking her. Alex called her name again and again, but Alex's voice sounded as though she was speaking underwater.
With difficulty, Piper lifted her hand up and touched the pale face. Alex frowned, worries clouding her gaze. Piper wanted to tell her that she was all right, but her lips would not listen.
Alex pulled Piper into a tight embrace, and Piper felt relief wash through her. Even with the pain on her body, Piper had never felt safer anywhere than in these arms.
You're here.
Another blast of fire hit the tent, and Alex looked up, searching. There was confusion in the green eyes, followed by horror. Piper's gaze followed and met with the sight of Lorna crying, holding Nicky's body in her arms. Piper could feel Alex trembling, transfixed by the horror.
Alex watched the scene unfold before her eyes, horrified by the burning tents and the injured guests crawling around. Many were unconscious, but without anyone helping them out of danger zone. Tables and chairs were knocked down, burning. What had happened in just half an hour after she left? Alex tried to identify the attackers amidst the fire and the screaming guests. Then, she saw the brides.
Nicky.
Alex couldn't form a single word, or processed a coherent thought. She didn't want to acknowledge what had actually happened. Dazed, she walked up to Lorna. The heat was scorching her skin, but she couldn't walk away.
Nicky was lying motionless as if she was just sleeping, and the blood on her wedding gown was just a crimson paint. She looked peaceful in her slumber. Painless. It was the only consolation Alex could think of. Tears welled up the green eyes as she knelt down next to Lorna, and wrapped her arms around the tiny woman.
"It was the lizard man! He hurt Nicky! He drugged Red, and hurt Nicky. My Nicky!" Lorna howled hysterically.
Alex feverishly rubbed Lorna's arms, trying to calm the bride. She then held Nicky up in her quivering embrace. Her heart broke into pieces, and she didn't know if she could ever mend it. If only she had stayed a little longer. 'If' came with a big price.
Many thoughts rushed through Alex's troubled mind. Mendez couldn't have done it all by himself as he was supposed to be under Red's command. It must have been Stella who drugged the guests. Yet, it seemed too easy for only Stella and Mendez to cause this much chaos. There had to be more accomplices.
"We have to get out of here, Lorna," Alex eventually said, looking around. With Nicky in her arms, she led the way out of the burning backyard, heading out towards where Piper was.
THUD!
A tremendous impact hit the ground, throwing Alex off her feet. She and Nicky unceremoniously rolled along the grass, Lorna after them. Lying flat on her stomach, Alex squinted up and saw the giant wrestling with the lizard. The ground shook as they moved about, dust fuming everywhere.
In his mutant form, Howard was seventeen-foot tall with thick, broad shoulders, muscular body. His eyes were blood crimson, and his skin was as thick and coarse like tree bark. He could jump as high as thirty feet for a few hours at a time. He was a giant that ran fast and hit hard, a natural-born destroyer.
Howard grabbed Mendez's by the tail, dragging him down before he could fly off again. The lizard turned to hiss at his captor, clawing at Howard's left cheek, narrowly missed his left eye. Howard swung his right fist at the lizard, but pulled back just in time before the impact. Mendez was using the unconscious Red in his grasp as a shield. If Howard wasn't careful, he could have broken Red's neck in the powerful fight.
"Vause!" Lorna shouted.
At the warning, Alex turned around. The steel man emerged from the heavy curtain of smoke, walking towards Piper. At once, she blasted a blue bolt at him, sending him rolling on the ground. It bought her some time before he got up again, racing against Alex towards their target. His steel body was immune to her lightning strikes. It was a lesson learned from their encounter at Queens Comfort.
Alex reached Piper first, holding her up with both arms and swiftly moving away. Series of lightning bolts blasted down between Danny and them, keeping him at bay. The last bolt gathered for a few moments, flashing and thundering high above before striking him deep into the ground. The string of strikes seemed to finally take a toll on Danny. His movements slowed down a great deal, and he failed to crawl up from the trench. Eventually, his body transformed back into his human form.
Alex's chance was now. She had to strike when he was in his most vulnerable state. She let Piper down on her feet, one arm wrapping around the slim waist to keep the blonde standing. Blue currents gathered and enveloped her right hand. Danny would not get away this time, and she could see it in his defeated, bloodshot eyes.
"No, Alex—he... he's my brother," Piper whispered, her arms loosely hanging around Alex's neck.
Alex immediately stalled at the plea. She clenched her right fist, the blue light intensifying as her anger over Nicky's death simmered. She was deeply hurt, and she wanted to hurt someone. She wanted to let it out. She wanted to kill.
"Please…"
At the whisper, Alex allowed herself to breathe. After a moment, the electric currents disappeared from her hand. Her rage was dying down, but her pain lingered. Piper seemed to have seen through her, and tightened her weak hold around her, whimpering against her neck. She could feel Piper's warm tears sliding down her skin, and tightened her arms around the blonde.
Alex sighed. "I'm sorry—"
"Vause, look out!" Lorna warned, holding her bride in her arms.
Alex felt the heat erupting behind her. Lorna must have struck fire at the target, but it wasn't what concerned Alex. It was the pain tearing through the flesh and muscles of her left shoulder. She cried out and let go off Piper.
Her knees weak, Piper was on all fours. "Al…" she wheezed.
Alex looked over her shoulder and saw the attacker. She remembered him to be one of the South residents with the infamously long, sharp claws that grew out of his fingertips. They never talked, but his claws had surely left a mark on her. She pressed her right hand over her shoulder wound, retreating a few steps. The clawed mutant was being burn alive by Lorna's strike, but he quickly became the least of Alex's problem.
Alex turned around to see Lorna falling unconscious next to Nicky. There was blood on her face that wasn't there before. "Lorna? Lorna!"
However, before Alex could locate Lorna's attacker, she felt a heavy punch at the left side of her head, the force driving her down to the ground. She grunted in pain as she tried to get up. But the cold, steel fist smacked right down at the same head wound again and again. Her vision blackened, Alex was seeing stars right now.
"Danny, stop! Danny! STOP!" At Piper's yell, the beating suddenly ceased.
Danny was sent flying into the sky and fell back down to earth. Hard. He was splayed on his back, remaining absolutely still. His steel body turned back into its human form.
Dirt and blood on her face, Alex was slumped on the ground, blood in her swollen, left eye. She tried to conjure her powers, but weak blue lights licked along her fists for a few moments before dying down. Her head was splitting, and she began to tremble at the nasty pain.
"Alex." Piper dazedly crawled towards the taller woman. Her movements were slow at first, but she seemed to break the spell and took more control of her own body. She reached for Alex and helped pulling her up. "Al, are you all right…? Alex…? Alex, please, talk to me."
Alex spat out some blood, trying to wipe blood from her eyes. At Piper's pulls, she felt like throwing up. "Ah," Alex cried at the sharp stinging on her head wounds.
"Oh, my God, Alex." Piper tore out her left sleeve and used the clean side to press down on the bleeding wounds. "We need to get out of here. I'll get you out of here."
Alex tried to remain on her sitting position. The pain throbbing on her head and shoulder threatened to make her cry. Leaning against Piper, she could only watch as Mendez flew low, snatching Danny with his right hand, while the bleeding, still unconscious Red in his left hook. The lizard flapped his gigantic wings and ascended again at breakneck speed, narrowly escaping Howard's reach at his highest leap.
The giant landed on his feet, panting, watching as the lizard flew away, disappearing behind the thick cloud of smoke. Kubra might not have Piper today, but he got Red. Once again, he won the cruel game, and left his losers to lick their wounds.
Green eyes watched as Howard gave up on chasing the lizard and turned his attention back to the wedding crowd. Some were trying to put out the fire. Some were helping the unconscious and the wounded out of danger zone. Away from the backyard, the two brides were lying next to each other. Their eyes closed, they seemed peaceful even in their bloody and tarred, white gowns.
Her eyes half-closed, Alex glanced down at her own bloody, trembling hands. She tiredly rested against Piper before letting her mind slip into oblivion. The sounds of yelling and crying from the wedding guests became distant each passing moment, and then everything became muted.
Numbed.
Gone.