Chapter 38: Frustration.

"Let me fucking see her," Piper protested.

"Excuse me," Tastee retorted, "Who here is the doctor?"

"I got my freaking PHD, so that would be me," Piper spat back, her face flaring with anger. She was going to see Alex right fucking now, or this bitch was going to get it.

"Mhmmmm, in organic chemistry or some shit. That don't make you a doctor."

"And O chem is a requirement for getting into med school. So that's shit you should know inside and out. Yet how can I use phenylethanoic acid through reductive amination to yield methamphetamine? And how can I then separate your fun vicks vapo rub from said product?"

"Look blondy, I know she's your girl and all, but I just got her to go to sleep. The last thing she needs is to have you spoil her recovery."

"Spoil… her… recovery?" Piper managed, her face twisting until Tastee was more sure she was facing an enrared mountain lion than a person. Tastee backed up a few steps; Piper moved closer towards her quarry.

"Look, I'd let you see her, but I need to make sure she doesn't have a concussion."

"You didn't check that already? An x-ray is the first thing you do after you stabilize the patient. Am I from a different dimension here or what?"

"Look, I need to get back to her. If you want to help, go talk to Caputo and the others. I'm sure they're cooking something up."

Piper wanted to protest more, but Tastee scurried away before she had a chance to.

With her gone, Piper sighed and pressed her back against the wall. She slid down it slowly, her mind still racing. The attack… it was so sudden. Now… now someone needed to pay for what they'd done. They'd missed killing her, and they were going to pay in full for that.

Rage returned her strength. She stood up slowly, looking after where the others must have gone.

Piper paced down the hallway, hearing voices in the distance. She found what had to be Alex's inner circle huddled around a table in what previously looked like a sweet break room. And food, she needed some of that.

"We need to retaliate or the whole industry will see us as weak."

"We don't know enough from them yet," Caputo responded. "They aren't giving us what we need. They aren't pros or they would have gotten away, but they knew how to follow instructions well enough to hit us hard and keep their mouth's shut. My best guess is…"

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGG.

They all turned around with the sudden interruption from the vending machine. Piper watched as her chips slowly spiraled around the metal coil that held them back, and finally fell down so she could retrieve them.

"Thanks for the interruption," Caputo scoffed. "That's exactly what we fucking needed right now."

"I'm sure it is," Piper retorted. "But on the subject of what we need, it seems to be you need these guys to talk. Otherwise we're all in the dark."

"We? Look, you're a great chemist and all, and you definitely have Alex on your side for an obvious reason, but just because you're screwing the boss doesn't put you in charge here."

"Oh," Piper scoffed. "Well fine then, I'll leave you all to plan." She marched out of the room, her rage building up even higher. At least she had a hunch where the 3 guys were being held. And they were going to talk, or else.