"It's disturbifying, isn't it?"
Elphaba clinched her jaw, wanting nothing more than to shut Morrible up. She had been taunting her ever since the guards gained the upper hand.
"Knowing those you hold near and dear are in danger and not being able to do anything about it."
But talking wasn't enough for her. No, she had to saunter a wide path around the scene she had created like a vulture waiting for someone else to finish off its prey. And every time she reached the men holding Glinda, Addena and Breena she slowed down in an attempt to draw her attention. But Elphaba wasn't about to give her the pleasure. She was too busy imagining all the horrible things she could do to the guard who had his hands on her lover.
"Guns can be such tricky things."
The older woman's voice ground on Elphaba's last nerve.
"One false move and BAM!"
She nearly jumped out of her skin when Morrible raised her voice and clapped her hands.
"The trigger gets pulled and… well, I'm sure you can imagine what would happen."
Elphaba's eyes went from Addena to Breena as Morrible almost lovingly patted the blonde on the shoulder.
"What a tragedy it would be. To have such a young life snuffed out that way."
Breena growled, "You'll know what tragic is if you don't get your hands off her."
"Shut up." The guard holding the rifled poked her hard in the chest.
Glinda tried to break free of her captor. "Stop that."
"You're in no position to be giving orders." The guard holding her dug his gun further into her temple.
"See, this is why I've never loved anyone."
"Sure you have." Breena spoke up before Morrible could continue. "Yourself."
The guard poked her again. "What did I just say?"
Morrible clicked her tongue. "Getting attached only causes trouble for everyone. You know Thropp, I think you would be better off if I got rid of the whole lot of them for you."
Elphaba took a deep breath, willing herself to stay calm as one of her hands curled into a fist at her side.
"What's the matter Witch?" Boq hissed at her. "Losing control?"
"Leave her alone." Breena glared at him.
"Shut up!" The guard poked her once for each word he spoke.
"Don't listen to him, Breena." Boq switched his attention to the other Thropp. "Do us all a favor and get yourself blown away for mouthing off."
Addena clinched her jaw. "Keep running yours and see what happens."
"Oh." Boq gestured with his hands. "I'm so scared."
"You should be." Glinda joined in. "Because when Elphie and Breena are done with Morrible they're going to..."
"Done with Morrible?" Boq snorted at the idea. "Are you blind or just so delusional that you can't see what's happening here? Your precious Elphaba," he spat her name, "and her sidekick will never be 'done' with Morrible. She's going to kill them both and then you and your pretty sister can…"
"Clausis." Breena spoke over him.
Boq chose to ignore her and opened his mouth to continue but no sound came out. He shot Breena a look when she snickered before trying again with the same results.
"What's the matter, Tin Man?" Breena eyed him coldly. "Cat got your tongue?"
He frowned, his jaw emitting a loud squeak when he tried to speak again.
"That's the smartest thing I've ever heard you say."
The guards laughed at Breena's comment, earning a frown from Boq. He turned to Morrible, stomping his foot when she didn't seem too sympathetic.
"Don't look at me." The older woman waved him off. "She warned you." Boq's eyes went wide, causing her to chuckle. "I think I like you better this way. You can't whine or snivel."
He made a crude gesture with his hand.
"Now wait just a minute Tin Man." Morrible's eyes flashed as she started toward him.
"Hey Kez." Addena's guard whispered at Glinda's.
"What?" His counterpart was too busy watching Morrible shaking her finger in Boq's face as she told him off to look at anything else.
"What are we doing?"
"What's it look like?" The one who liked to poke Breena spoke up. "We're guarding prisoners."
"But why are they prisoners?" The one holding Breena's arms joined in.
"Yeah." Addena's guard agreed. "Who told us to arrest them?"
"Morrible did." Addena was more than glad to answer.
"Morrible?" Glinda's guard wrinkled his nose. "Why would we listen to her?"
Breena said, "Because you're stupid."
"Because you were under the influence of magic." Elphaba gave her sister a 'stop it' look.
"The Witch!" The one holding Breena gasped when he realized who was in their midst, tightening his grip on Breena's arms and turning her ever so slightly to shield him. "She must have cast a spell on us!"
"No she didn't." Breena was quick to correct him. "She's on your side."
"Yeah right." Addena's guard scoffed.
"She is." Glinda looked at her lover. "She always has been."
"Glinda?" The guard holding the rifle on Breena seemed shocked to see her. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm holding a gun to her head." Glinda's fellow said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world before the color drained from his face. "Sweet Oz, I've got my weapon drawn on Glinda the Good!"
"Shhh." Elphaba glanced at Morrible, who was still too busy giving Boq a piece of her mind to notice what was going on. "She'll hear you."
"But I'm holding a gun to Glinda the Good's head!" The guard persisted.
"And she'll use her powers against you if you don't shut up." Breena snapped.
"Listen, Kez was it?" Glinda, ever the diplomat, decided to step in before things got out of hand. "Are you going to follow orders from Morrible any more? No, no." She stopped him when he started to lower his weapon, knowing it would draw the former press secretary's attention. "Keep that right where it is and answer the question."
Kez frowned. "But…"
"We don't want to let on that anything has changed but I need you to answer my question. Are you going to follow orders from her anymore?"
"Of course not."
"Then I forgive you."
He was shocked. "Really?"
"Yes." Glinda assured him. "You're all forgiven."
"If you agree to help us take her down." Addena added.
Glinda shot her sister a look. "What?"
Addena shrugged. "Having some backup can't hurt."
"She's right." Breena agreed.
"And just who are you to question something Glinda the Good says?" The guard pointing the gun at her chest gave her another poke.
"I'm her sister." Breena indicated Elphaba with a slight nod of her head. "And I'll turn you into a toad if you ram that thing into my chest one more time."
"Bree." Elphaba chastised her.
"Sorry, but getting knocked out by a flying brick and then clocked with the butt of a gun tends to make me cranky."
The guard behind her looked confused. "I could have sworn a whole house fell on you. Isn't that why the Witch went after that poor little girl Dorothy? To get your shoes back?"
"Don't call her 'the Witch.'" Glinda realized how harsh she sounded and softened her tone. "That was her other sister, Nessa."
"Other sister?" The man holding Addena furrowed his brow. "How many of you are there?"
"Look, either you're going to help us or your not. Make up your minds." Breena caught the expression on Elphaba's face. "What? I thought I would cut the genealogy lesson short before they find out the Wizard is our father and really freak out."
Kez's eyes got big. "The Wizard is your father?!"
"Shhh."
He flinched as all four girls shushed him. "Sorry."
"Was he the other witch's father too?" The guard holding Breena looked intrigued.
"Not now." Kez reprimanded him. "They're right. We can't have Madame Morrible running around loose." He looked at Elphaba. "We'll help."
"But don't try anything funny." Addena's guard wearily eyed the green witch. "I'll be watching you."
"To hell with helping, let's take care of her ourselves."
"No." Glinda looked at the man behind Breena. "That's not a good idea at all."
"Sure it is." The guard with the rifle disagreed. "We'll be heroes."
"No, you'll be dead." Addena corrected him.
Kez raised his eyebrows at the thought. "Maybe we should listen to them. They…"
"You're going to side with the Witch?" Rifle man looked disgusted.
"No," Kez shook his head. "I'm siding with Glinda. She said…"
"She's probably under the Witch's spell." The one holding Breena interrupted him this time.
Breena sighed. "How many times do you have to be told that Elly hasn't put a spell on anyone?"
Addena's guard frowned. "Who's Elly?"
Morrible looked over at them. "What are you whispering about?"
"What do we do now?" Kez panicked.
"This." The guard with the rifle turned it on the portly woman.
She looked amused. "What are you doing?"
"Arresting you."
"Arresting me?" Morrible chuckled.
The guard nervously licked his lips. "Yes." He tightened his grip on his gun. "For escaping from Southstairs."
"You must be joking."
"He's not." Addena's guard abandoned her to join his comrade.
"Yeah." The one holding Breena followed suit, drawing his sidearm and leveling it on Morrible. "Don't move or we'll shoot."
"This is ridiculous!" She glared at them.
"I'm sorry but I have to help them." Kez whispered in Glinda's ear before stepping around her. "You're not in charge here anymore."
"Not in charge anymore?!" Morrible bellowed. "Of course I'm in charge!!"
"Elphie, what are we going to do?" Glinda came to stand next to her love.
"Take her out while she's distracted." Breena answered.
"Exactly." Elphaba agreed. "Bree, do you still have your copy of the stripping spell? I lost mine somewhere between here and your place."
Breena reached into the pockets of her pants, rolling her eyes when she came up empty handed. "That's just great!"
"Can't you come up with one?" Addena asked. "I mean, you're always saying new spells."
"But those come to us as we need them."
"I'd say you need one now." Addena reasoned with Breena.
"Don't ask me." Elphaba held up her hands. "You've had spells popping into your head a lot longer than I have."
"All I can do is try, right?" Breena closed her eyes, her brow slowly furrowing as she concentrated.
"You fools." Morrible's words drew Elphaba, Glinda and Addena's attention. "You'll pay for your disobedience."
An energy started to build in the room. One that made the hair on the back of Elphaba's neck stand on end.
"What's going on?" Glinda felt it too, gripping a green hand between both of her own.
Elphaba looked at the blonde. "I think..."
Morrible gestured with her hand, throwing a massive gust of wind at the other occupants of the room. The guards acted as a buffer of sorts, taking the brunt of the blast as they flew threw the air, hitting the far wall with such a vicious impact that none of them got up. The girls ended up together in a heap of arms and legs.
"Ow." Breena groaned as she tried to untangle herself from the others. "Someone remind me why I got out of bed this morning."
"Is everyone all right?" Elphaba ignored her question.
Glinda was quick to assure her with an, "I'm fine."
"And I'll live." Addena groused.
"How did you do it?"
They all four looked up to find Morrible looming over them.
Breena frowned at her. "Do what?"
"Not you." Morrible dismissed her without so much as a glance. "You." She addressed Elphaba. "How did you get those guards to turn on me?"
Elphaba gave her a half shrug. "I didn't."
"Don't be coy with me, Thropp. Did you cast a spell to make them listen to you?"
"No."
"Well it wasn't her," Morrible gestured toward Breena. "She's been otherwise occupied since she got here. And those two can't do anything without a wand." She sneered at Glinda and Addena. "So that just leaves you." She stressed the last word as she returned her attention to Elphaba. "Now tell me what you did."
"She's already told you she didn't do anything." Glinda insisted as she climbed to her feet.
"You're both lying!!" Morrible snapped. "Someone had to have done something! They were under my boy's influence! Everyone is! They should all do exactly as I say until the day I die!!" You could almost see the wheels turning in her head. "No." She looked from Elphaba to Breena and back again as they both stood. "Where's your father?" She didn't give either of them a chance to answer. "He's here, isn't he? He killed my boy!!"
Addena accepted Breena's hand up, surprised by the woman's hysterics. "What's she talking about?"
"You already knew that Nevin had the power to control people's thoughts." Breena answered. "His influence lasted until the person either completed the task he planted in their head."
"Or Nevin died." Elphaba finished her thought for her.
"Died?" Glinda tried to get a handle on what she was hearing. "Are you saying the Wizard killed Nevin to free the guards of his power?"
"Not so much killed him as put him out of his misery." Breena shot Morrible a look. "She already gave him a living death potion."
"A what?" Addena looked confused.
"A living death potion." Elphaba reiterated what her sister said.
Glinda swallowed hard. "I don't like the sounds of that."
"You shouldn't." Breena agreed. "It destroys their brain, leaving just enough for the body to function."
"You mean she gave him a potion that put him in a permanent coma?" Addena turned toward Morrible, disgusted. "How could you do something like that to your own son?"
"Shut up!" Morrible had regained enough composure to speak again. "We had an agreement! We were going to rule Oz together! But he went back on his word!" She nodded, almost as if she was trying to convince herself of what she was saying. "He was trying to rule by himself... always whispering with the guards and holding meetings without me." She clinched her jaw. "He even came up with the ridictifying idea of marrying Glinda so the people of Oz would like him better because who wouldn't like someone associated with precious Glinda the Good?!"
"That's why the Gale Force at the cavern said they were sent for you." Elphaba put a protective hand on Glinda's shoulder. "He wanted you."
"Well he didn't get her!" Morrible interjected. "That's when I took matters into my hands. When I decided I was the only person fit to rule this ungrateful land." She looked at Elphaba again. "And you ruined it!"
Something crashed through one of the french doors leading out to the balcony, startling them all.
"Morrible!" Someone yelled. "We'd like a word with you!" The statement was followed by a chorus of agreement.
"It sounds like half of Oz is out there." Addena looked toward the doors.
"They probably are." Breena agreed. "With Nevin gone they're going to realize who's been ruling. They haven't been able to stand Morrible since Glinda threw her in Southstairs."
"Shut up!" Morrible gestured wildly with her hands. "Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!!"
All four girls flinched at the intensity of her screaming.
"I'm not going back there." Her voice held a steely edge. "I have to get out of here."
Breena chortled. "You're crazy if you think we're going to let you get away."
Morrible suddenly smiled. "All I need is the right distraction."
Glinda shook her head. "What distraction?"
"This!" No one noticed the mini twister forming in the woman's hand until she threw it at Elphaba. Her laughter bounced around the room as the green girl was lifted off her feet and thrown through the french doors.
"Elphie!" Glinda shrieked.
Morrible continued to laugh. "If there is one person they hate more than me, it's the Wicked Witch of the West."
"No." Glinda's eyes grew wide with terror. "No! ELPHIE!!" She ran in the direction her lover had flown.
"You bitch!" Addena glared at her for a half second before hurrying after her sister.
"You better run along if you're going to help her." Morrible made a shooing motion at Breena.
Breena never took her eyes off of the older woman. "I told you you're not getting away."
Morrible's face plit into another brilliant smile. "We'll just see about that."