"Play it." Figueroa said. His hands were folded in front of him. Eyes trained on the player.

Piper had put her gun in her pocket while retrieving the tape. She put her hand in her pocket and checked if the safety was off. She had to be close to someone important. She chose Kubra who was standing a step behind her. She would just have to buy Alex enough time to get out of here.

Piscatella fumbled with the switches to find the right one. Piper stepped back slightly. Alex had cut through the rope. She nodded to signal that she was ready. Piper blinked her eyes mouthing,

'ten seconds.'

Piscatella pressed the right button and the player came to life with white noise. Piper could see from the corner of her eye that Alex was getting up. It's not the right time, they'll see you, Piper thought.

"Just wait!" Piper said suddenly. "Ten seconds of white noise. It plays after that." She glanced awkwardly at Figueroa.

Alex got the meaning and stayed firm waiting for the right cue.

On the tenth of second, the player played a telephone ring. Kubra and Jason furrowed their brows in confusion.

"Is this Mrs. Chapman speaking?" Nicky's voice (a bit younger) said.

"Yes."

"This is to confirm your address regarding the delivery of Cocaine-"

Realisation dawned upon Alex that this was indeed not the confession tape but one of their boarding school prank tapes. At the same time Figueroa turned to Piper with rage in his eyes. But he was too late. Piper had taken out her gun.

She kicked the guy on her left behind his knees. He fell on his face. The element of surprise had worked. She was just in the right position to tackle Kubra from behind. She swayed away the gun he was holding and put him on a headlock from behind, twisting his arm in a painful way. He was just as tall as her, it took her some effort to put her gun under his chin but it was positioned in less than half a minute.

They were both panting. Kubra more so. Piper swept her eyes on the scene. Alex was gone. Piscatella was standing in front of Figueroa. At least half a dozen guns were pointed at her - which was a good thing considering it instantly drew all the attention towards her.

"I will shoot him." She pushed the gun further to prove her point. "Move one inch and I shoot him."

Kubra let out a strangled breath. Piper twisted his body in such a way that he was covering her from the sniper's range.

When none of his men moved, Piper backed away from the group, step by step, keeping Kubra upfront.

"This is a mistake." Kubra said through gritted teeth. "Jason! Tell her it's a mistake-"

A gunshot rang through the warehouse.

So close to Piper that her ears were ringing. She blinked. And blinked. Half of her face was covered in something wet. Blood. Kubra's blood. Piper blinked again. Jason was holding a revolver over Piscatella's shoulder. He shot Kubra. Jason shot Kubra.

It was hard to wrap her mind around it. But Kubra was now heavier in her arms as his dead body's weight fell right on her. Even though she couldn't hear what they were saying she could still see them shooting at her. She was barely protected by Kubra's body as they kept shooting at her.

She was walking backwards to the wall. There was no other option. She had her gun but the other side had too many. She walked back until her body was against the wall. She was soaked in his blood by now. She could see Jason getting mad over the situation.

"Where the fuck is Alex Vause?!" He shouted over the gunshots. "Where the fuck is she?"

Two men towards the exits probably to find Alex. Piper prayed that they wouldn't. She will hold them here as long as possible which didn't seem long anymore.

One of them foolishly stepped forward, giving space for clear headshot. Piper didn't hesitate shooting him. He fell down at her feet. Piscatella reloaded his gun. Piper looked at the stairs leading to the first floor on her left. A little distraction and she will be up on those.

And suddenly as if God heard her prayers, it all went dark. Completely dark.

"Fuck!"

"What the fuck?"

"Get back! Get back!"

"Where's the light?"

"Take cover! Take cover!"

"Where is she?"

"I can't see a thing!"

"Turn on the fucking night visions!" Piscatella ordered.

Piper took the opportunity and sprinted towards the stairs. Taking three steps at a time she trusted her instincts to get her up to the top. She stumbled into the oil drums. Hurting her left knee. She let out a muffled cry of pain.

Before she could get up somebody kicked her in the stomach. She punched empty air in retaliation. She couldn't hear her attacker's steps due to the commotion downstairs. He hit her again on the head causing her to fall on the rails. She waved the hands in the dark trying to find some kind of weapon. He hit her again, this time with the back of his gun.

"Son of a bitch!" She mumbled. Finally, she grabbed a steel pipe nearby.

"She's-" He started to inform his sub-ordinates. His voice told Piper exactly where he was standing and who he was. She swung the pipe as hard as she could, causing him to fall down. Her eyes had somewhat adjusted to the dark by now. She could see the outlines of his monstrous body on the floor as he withered in pain. She climbed up on top of him.

He was beginning to scream. She pulled his gun out of his hand, put it in his mouth and pulled the trigger. His body went limp instantly. Piper panted. Breaths coming in short. She rolled away from his body and laid beside him.

Four down, twelve to go.

She took out the torch from his belt, gripped it underneath the gun and got up. The sniper was here somewhere. She looked around with the torch. In soft careful steps she found him, laying there with his eyes on the scope, trying to make sense of the dark. Little did he know that his life was going to end soon.

Piper shot him through the head. His brain scattering and body going motionless even before he could think of retaliating. She pushed him away and took hold of the rifle, picking it up and going around the floor to get a better vantage point using the torch.

Eleven more to go.

The light came back on.

—

The moment Piper captured Kubra, Alex had ran away. Backwards, stumbling, startled by the events unfolding. But it was an excellent distraction. Nobody saw her swift exit as she crawled halfway and ran the rest, passing the unconscious body of the young guard that Piper must have knocked out. Alex didn't feel bad for him. She was more concerned about the single gunshot that rang throughout the warehouse minutes after her exit.

Someone shot someone. She hoped that Piper wasn't the one on the receiving end. But still she could feel fear roaring its ugly head in the back of her mind. She spotted the red speedboat on harbour, going and down on the waves.

The wind on her face felt good but the fight was not over. She heard the dut-dut-dut of machine gun echoing inside.

I should've never left. I should've never left. This is my mess. I should've never fucking left. Fuck. Piper wouldn't be here if I weren't so useless. Fuck. Fuck. I am not fucking leaving.

She went back and knelt down in front of the unconscious guard and shook him. He mumbled incoherently. Alex took away his gun and nudged him again. This time he woke up.

"What the f-fuck is happening?" He grunted, pushing up on his elbows.

Alex kept the gun firm and pointed at his head.

"Don't move." She said.

"W-what?"

"Don't you fucking move!" She shouted.

"Okay. Okay. Okay." He said showing his hands above his head.

"Okay. Now show me where the power switch is!"

"Power switch?"

"Yes, to turn off the electricity! Where is it?!" She pushed the gun into his face.

"Left! Left! That way!" He answered, shocked and sacred for his life.

"Get up and show me. Hands where I can see them." She barked.

He got up slowly. Piper must have hurt his leg badly. He limped through the side to the power switch and stood beside it.

"Open it!" She demanded. He did. "Turn off the power."

He hesitated. His eyes wandering over to the main switch and then back at her.

"Do it. Now."

He pulled down the lever which in turn made the whole place dark. Before Alex could adjust to the dark, he jumped at her catching her off guard. She stumbled, almost falling. In seconds, he lunged at her again but Alex had braced for the impact. She stood upright and shot at his moving form wishing she hadn't killed him but at least injured him.

Indeed she hadn't killed him. He screamed in pain as the bullet went through his bicep. He panted as they both stood face to face contemplating the next step.

But the scream turned out to be bad news for Alex.

"Kid, is that you?" Someone from inside the asked.

"Over here! She has a gu-"

Alex grabbed his wounded arm and pushed him into the water. But it was too late. It created a splashing sound loud enough to locate her. Alex knew from experience that running now was futile. She wouldn't know where to run anyways.

She lifted her arms over her head, surrendering as two men rounded the corner. One of them gestured the other to take the weapon and turn on the power switch. Alex submitted willingly.

"We have her." One of them said into the radio.

"Bring her in." It was Jason. By the frantic breathing in his voice, she could tell he was desperate. Desperate enough to forget that having Alex and Piper in the same room and being a barrier between them was in fact a death warrant.

One of them grabbed her by her elbow and the other walked in front. Alex tried to trail behind to give Piper enough space to have a shot but the guard wouldn't let her go.

Once inside, Alex saw the rampage. One corner was entirely covered in bullet holes, so much so that the wind coming in from them rattled the insides. Alex doubted how anyone could have gotten out of there.

Following a fresh blood trail she saw two bodies down on the floor. If it weren't for her observational skills she wouldn't have recognised Kubra's severed body lying just below the bullet holes along with a guard's. She exhaled in relief. Piper was still alive.

A gust of wind and a tiny phew was all she heard when the guy in front of her dropped dead. A wide hole could be seen on his throat. Alex looked up to the upper deck. It must have been Piper.

The shot, however, alarmed her captor as well. He pulled her even closer, hiding behind her scared for his life. But Alex had just found her reason to fight back again.

She elbowed him on his side with all the force she could muster. He loosened his grip,surprised by the sudden force. She toppled over and landed on the floor, lowering herself.

"You bit-" Another phew and he fell backwards with a bloody red hole in his face.

Eight.

Alex didn't know in which corner Jason was hiding in but she stayed down when two of them came out shooting everything up there. They kept firing at nothing. Piper was running around the whole perimeter. But as soon as their rounds ended and heads went down to reload, their bodies went down too. Two clean headshots.

Six.

Alex heard the scuffle behind the shelves. Someone was trying to hide over there.

"Behind the shelves!" She shouted. Next thing she heard was a thud. Another gust of wind and swoosh behind her resulted in a thud.

Four.

Alex ran to the centre of the place. If anyone tried to approach now, they will be dead.

—

She should've left. She should've left. She should've left. Piper kept repeating to herself.

This was hard. The hardest thing she had ever done. This wasn't as easy as it seemed. One mistake, one wrong angle, one bad aim and the bullet could be in Alex. Or her for that matter.

Alex shouldn't be down there. She should have been away from all this. Safe. Not in the middle of a fucking shoot out. Piper was angry at herself, at Alex and mostly at them as a whole. Why was she so stubborn? Why not take the easy way out? Why so much love that it complicated things? But she would be lying if she said Alex didn't help.

Alex helped. She really did. She gave her the clues and options to clear those guys by being a bait herself. It pissed Piper but there wasn't much of a choice. She would've done the same thing down there. She was glad for the quick thinking and ample co-ordination but infuriatingly stressed out by the way Alex risked herself.

"Behind the shelves!" Alex shouted.

The guy was so startled by her shouting out his location that he gave up a clear gap for Piper to shoot him.

Four to go.

Piper picked up the rifle and ran again like she had been doing. She was tired by now. The rifle getting heavier every second. She could feel her body giving up on her. Still she quickly changed her position and held her breath.

Alex had come to the middle now. Good and bad. What if someone shoots? Piper swore under her breath. So fucking stubborn. But whatever Alex had thought, worked.

Jason Figueroa stepped forward.

"Shoot me and she dies." His voice echoed into the silent night.

He pulled out his revolver and shot in Piper's general direction ignoring Alex. He missed. Mostly due to the short range of his revolver.

He shot again and missed. But Piper didn't. She got one of the guys backing him up.

Just three now.

The other two behind him came to a halt as he went onwards, gun now pointed on Alex. His guards recoiled letting him go alone. He stopped and looked at them in disgust.

"You coward little pieces of shit!"

He pulled the trigger three times on his own man's face. The guard on his left dropped dead.

Piper pulled the trigger of her own rifle taking advantage of his distraction. She missed him by inches but recoiled quickly to hit the other guard easily because they were practically in open field now.

One

But Jason was fast. He dashed to Alex and pointed his gun at her head at an arm's length. He kept the gun pointed and started moving around her. Revolving around her. Turning quickly so that Piper couldn't aim at him.

"No more hide and seek! It's just us now, Piper." He said with a menacing grin. "This is a good time to come down. And if you don't, trust me I'll shoot her." He moved clockwise and then anticlockwise randomly.

Piper couldn't aim at him. He was too close and too fast. Definitely too fucking smart. If she could just have some time to predict his movement.

"Jason-" Alex started. "It's over now. Why don't you just let us go?"

He cracked up. "What-what did you say? It's over? Oh, it's not. It's not until I say so. I am going to kill you so fucking painfully. I am going to make her watch till she begs me to spare you the pain and actually kill you." He laughed again.

Piper felt fear snaking up in her spine. What was she going to do? It was just them now. One wrong judgement and she will have to pay the price.

She lowered the rifle and stepped back tucking her gun into her waistband. She took fast but soft steps towards the stairs trying to keep her element of surprise.

"C'mon Piper," He said tentatively. "Get out of your hidey-hole…"

Three seconds passed. He stopped his movement abruptly, surprising Alex.

"Alright, enough of this fucking bullshit-"

He pulled the trigger.

—

A/N:

Huh.

That's it for this chapter. Sorry for the cliffhanger. Please don't get mad :)

And yes, guest, you got the Clexa reference.

Yes, I have read My Beloved. I love it. It's very unique and amazing.

If anyone's interested in action packed Vauseman I'll suggest law and drugs by Mindoir. I kind of got inspired from that book. Also, it is like the most brilliantly written Vauseman fic. Also very close to my heart.

Thanks for reading. Have a great day.