A/N: Hello everyone, I'm terribly sorry to have kept you all waiting so long for an update but RL has been taking up a great deal of my time. But at long last here it is: the beginning of the end. I originally had this as one long chapter, but at the wise advice of my beta had it split into two. The second part will be posted by the end of this week.
Many thanks to my beta, Uroboros75.
Music: Benedictus and Merchant Prince – both by Thomas Bergersen
Chapter Twenty-Three: Black Dove, Part One
Peter awoke hours before Olivia the next morning; he wasn't sure whether to consider it a relief or a concern. He thought that Olivia would be restless and up before the sun had even peeked over the horizon, but he realized that exhaustion cannot be evaded forever and that she may have finally capitulated to her body's needs.
He tried to search for something edible, but his search turned up nothing but dust bunnies and déjà vu. He was about to give up and take a shift at watch when a creak from the door down the hallway caught his attention; there was only one room that was occupied down that hallway.
Olivia stepped out into the kitchen slowly, still clearly bogged with the dregs of sleep. The windows allowed some sunlight in, enough to illuminate Olivia's face as she walked forward. She brought a hand up to shield her eyes when the sunlight met her face; she squinted briefly before casually moving her hand away, brushing away a misplaced strand of hair. She was still wearing her clothes from the past night, as she had nothing else with her; Peter was fairly certain that even if she did that she would have collapsed out of exhaustion before changing.
It took Olivia a few moments to realize that Peter was in the room with her, and when she did, Peter couldn't help the distinct notion of intrusion rippling up his spine; he knew that she was less than pleased with how things had gone with the other Olivia.
The feeling of intrusion came from the expression that materialized on Olivia's face when she saw Peter. Her jaw tensed, coiling beneath the canvas of her pale skin as the muscles in her neck tightened beneath the flesh. Her lips were a flat line, still as the surface of a pond. Her eyes were perhaps the most frightening thing to Peter: cold, steely, and furious in their olive intensity.
He knew that coming back would be anything but easy, and now that his life was tinted in shades of a red that he could not remove, it would be even harder. He can't pretend as if nothing happened because it would be a lie in the most blatant of senses, and he agreed long ago to leave habits of the sort in the dusty footsteps of his past.
But in a time such as this, would it be possible for him to redeem himself in Olivia's eyes? The look that possessed her at that moment gave him the distinct impression that it wouldn't be, and he can understand that. To Olivia, everything had to be insanely contorted, warped against reality's vision like melted glass; she couldn't distinguish what was hers and what was hers.
It was the sheer anger that he felt flowing off of her that startled him the most, because he'd never witnessed such raw fury from someone like Olivia before, and this had to be a rare occurrence. If anything, she was always the picture of calm, and anything beyond that was kept in the same realm as the rest of her personal demons.
When she finally spoke to him, her voice was reminiscent of ice water pouring over his skin: cold and unforgiving.
"Hello, Peter," she said.
"Hey," he answered, feigning confidence. In reality, he felt as if his stomach and heart had fallen through the floor, weighted by the guilt of what he had and had not done. He had no idea how to go forward in this, having never made such a transgression, and the fact that it had taken him so long to figure out Olivia's double only made it worse.
"I tried looking for something to eat," he said, hoping to ease some of the tension through a change in topic. "I thought that there might be some canned goods or something, but it looks like this place hasn't been used in a good twenty years."
Olivia didn't immediately acknowledge him, walking over to one of the cupboards before opening it slowly, curling her hand over the brass knob. The door opened with a soft creak, casting a shadow into the wave of sunlight in the room as she opened it. Peter watched as she reached a hand into the dark space there and swept it over the shelf. When she brought it out it was covered in a layer of gray dust, which she quickly brushed off. She turned her face slowly, looking over her shoulder at Peter with accusation.
"Are you sure about that?"
He didn't have to ask to know that there was another layer beneath her words and that she was just peeling away the layers of the proverbial onion. She was being so incredibly scrutinous now because she hadn't been able to when it was really needed. She was making a big deal out of these details; it was her way of getting to the real core of the problem without touching it. She just swooped overhead like a hawk; she got close enough for a look but not to touch.
After a moment, he nodded. "Yeah, Olivia; I'm sure." Then he paused, uncertain if he really wanted to continue his train of thought. He decided that he couldn't let words wallow between them for an eternity.
"Look, I know that you're mad at me – and you have every right to be – but are you really going to start questioning every decision that I make?"
She turned away from the cupboard, a blank – if not slightly morose – expression skimming her face.
"Peter... if I can't even trust you to know me and who I am, then how can I trust you with anything else?"
Peter moved away from the table that he'd been sitting at and cautiously made his way over to Olivia. He did so slowly, not wanting to startle her, but he could already see the unease building in her tired face.
"Because those are times when I was in control of what I saw, not played like a pawn," Peter answered, keeping his steps steady. "She knew how to play the role, how to weasel herself into your life as if it were nothing. There were differences, but I thought that they were because of what happened here when you came after me."
"That still doesn't change the fact that you didn't notice," she snapped, her olive eyes roiling.
Peter let out an exasperated sigh. He stood at a brick wall, because he knew that trying to argue his point further would only lead to a shouting match, and simply admitting his error would appear careless.
"Olivia," Peter said gently, reaching a hand out to her. "I would never do something like this to you on purpose; that's not the person I am now. I didn't notice because she made it so that there was nothing to notice."
Olivia scoffed, her anger starting to unfurl. "There is always something to notice, Peter. She may have the same DNA as me but she is not the same person as me; she was raised in an entirely different environment than I was!"
Peter was left speechless. When he opened his mouth he found his tongue dry like parchment and hid mind devoid of words.
"How many of our moments did she take, Peter?" Olivia asked, and Peter felt his body tense at the inquiry; he had to tell Olivia about his relationship with her double.
"We did… see each other," Peter admitted with a great deal of trepidation. "A few dates together, but I never slept with her. I give you my word on that, Olivia." It was true; there had been a few dates, but between their work in Fringe Division, they had somehow never gotten tangled up in one another's bed sheets. It was a small relief in this maelstrom of disasters.
"You still let her into your life," Olivia answered, her voice trembling. "You let her become a part of your life because you thought no different of it. She took my place so easily that you never even stopped to wonder? When I was over there, I thought about you because I knew that if anyone came after me, it would be you," she said, her words snapping the air like a whip. Her eyes were tinged a slight pink against her pale skin, her blonde hair ruffled over her shoulders.
Peter felt terrible.
"I put my trust in you because I felt like I could count on you," she added, brushing something away from the corner of her eye. "Now I'm not sure if I can trust anything." Her whole face tensed. Peter moved to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but Olivia flinched away. "Don't," she said, stepping aside. "This life… doesn't even feel like my own anymore. I've done everything possible, and still, everything is taken from me, no less by someone who thinks that they're me," she whispered between soft sobs.
After a moment, she turned back to Peter, her eyes redder than before. "You may have believed my alternate when she was on our side, Peter, but she will never, ever be me," she snapped, before marching away towards her bedroom.
Peter was moving to follow her when the kitchen door opened, yielding a concerned Astrid. She immediately looked to him, her brown eyes blown wide.
"Astrid, what's going on?"
"Peter, where's Olivia?" Astrid asked, her eyes searching through the room.
Peter motioned to the hall that led to the rear bedrooms.
"She's in the back, why?"
"We need to leave, now," Astrid urged, pushing him towards the door.
"Whoa, Astrid! Slow down; what's with the sudden rush?" A knot of dread formed in his stomach.
She looked him right in the eye when she told him. "I was on watch. Out here, you could hear a pin drop. It's been silent for hours, and I knew exactly what it was when I heard it."
Peter quirked an eyebrow as the knot in stomach tightened. "Heard what?"
Astrid's response was even, smooth as a flat line. "Sirens," she said.
Peter's entire body clenched in dread, his heart beating against his ribs as the face of his vengeful father appeared in his mind.
They were coming.
They found the device exactly where they had left it, tucked away in an old cellar away from the cottage that looked similar to a tomb. The space itself had been vacant aside from a few scattered cobwebs and the odd jar of suspicious preserves tucked away on a shelf, covered with a few layers of dust. It made Peter wonder how long it had been since they'd been to this cottage over here, as the house at Reiden Lake back home was in a similar state of abandonment. It was a tie between the two universes; the very focal point of all their troubles was a place left forgotten by the two men at the very heart of the problem.
Walter wheeled the device out to the center of a small clearing behind the house – out of the sight of potential prying eyes – so that they could cross over. Peter watched Walter fiddle with a few switches, tinkering away with diligence. The slow creak of the house's door diverted his attention for a moment, and that's when he saw Olivia.
Astrid was walking her out of the house towards the clearing by a gentle hand on the back of her shoulder, and Peter silently thanked her for it. Olivia wore the ensemble that she'd snatched from Bolivia months ago, the leather and red a stark contrast to her pale skin. Her red hair was pulled back into ponytail, the fringes of her bangs pinned away from her eyes. Even with whatever rest she'd gotten, she still looked exhausted, her face marred with the trials and tribulations of a prisoner. She saw Peter when she was still meters away from him, and once Astrid had brought her close enough to the device, the air was rippling with the tension between the two of them, undulating ferociously like a snapped elastic band.
Walter was thankfully able to interrupt the tension in the only way he possibly could – scientific explanation.
"Now, Nina said that the power supply in this device would be enough for a journey here and the return trip. So, once I check over the circuitry we should be able to return home."
"Glad to hear it, Walter," Peter said. "I don't think you'd elicit many volunteers if we had to find a power source."
"Hmm," Walter mumbled, jimmying the panel over the power source open. When he finally had it open, the panel fell to the ground, accompanied by a grim 'oh no' from Walter.
"Walter?" Peter asked, rushing forward, along with Astrid. "What is it?"
Walter motioned to the interior of the device, where a gaping hole sat in place of the glowing power source. "It's gone," he said. "The power source is gone."
Astrid stood next to Peter, her own expression bewildered and deeply concerned. "How can it be gone, Walter? No one else knew about it being here but us."
Olivia chimed in next, her voice softer than usual. "More importantly, how are we supposed to cross over and go home?"
Behind them, a voice answered her, reeking of malice and twisted intentions; it was a cold voice, tainted by the arctic winds of retribution. "You're not going anywhere," hissed Walternate from his stance on the edge of the clearing. Around them, enclosing them in the clearing were dozens of Fringe Agents, each one wearing the customary brand of their office.
It only took Peter to notice the more troubling problem. Clutched in Walternate's left hand was the power source, still glowing its ethereal blue hue.
"This is what you were using to travel between universes," he said, raising it to eye level for inspection. "Fascinating technology. It's unlike anything I've ever encountered in my experiences." He continued to turn the source in his hand while his eyes gazed at it with a dark curiosity that made Peter's skin crawl. "I'd be most interested in knowing how you acquired it," he added.
"Whatever you want from us, you won't get it from that power source," Peter answered. "The two universes are intertwined at a fundamental level; if you use that to cross over, you'll only tear them apart further!"
Walternate's gaze hardened as he lowered the source. He stepped forward towards Peter, leaving only a few paces between them when he stopped. "You would condemn my own travel, and yet you are perfectly willing to force your way back into this universe with none other than my own doppelganger!" Walternate's expression rippled with fury. "You are a selfish man, Peter. You do what you wish out of your own desires, not for the good of the many. You came back here to save someone who doesn't even belong to the same universe as you!"
Peter stepped forward then, unafraid to infringe upon his father's bubble of personal space. "This coming from the man who has launched his own personal vendetta against a universe for a single action? How can you say that when you've taken someone from the other universe, and kept them here against their will; what does that say about you?"
Walternate made no response.
"I came to get Olivia because she doesn't belong in this universe; she belongs in her universe, and if you try and keep her here it will only tip the universal scales out of balance even more."
Walternate's expression did not waver, and his response was short. "You don't belong in that universe, Peter."
Peter shook his head in response. "No, I don't. I don't belong in either universe, but I choose to be in the one where the choices I make are my own, and not dictated by some warped destiny."
"I don't understand," Astrid interjected. "How did you find the device?"
Walternate chuckled. "Oh, my dear girl. You lack some of the wittiness of your double. Any breach event of any kind within the area raises an alarm, to which we swiftly respond. I knew too well who it had to be when the signal was shown to be emanating from Reiden Lake, the very focal point of this entire debacle."
"They tracked us, "Simons chimed in. "Used the breach as a homing signal and came here to take the power source."
Peter looked to his comrades and then back at his father, his expression revelling in its smugness. The idea of his father's true nature behind his actions was dawning on Peter, painting the canvas of his thoughts blood red in their wake.
"If that's true, then you've really just been corralling us," Peter said. "You've been driving us back here the entire time, because with the power source you knew that you would be able to capture us," Peter said with a bit more brashness. "But then, why did you chase us across the city and terrorize us? You pulled us into a firefight!" Peter raged, remembering the blood spilt on those grounds.
"In matters of war, Peter," Walternate said, "it is imperative that you never reveal any of your advantages until their proper time. I was not about to let you know that I had the power supply because then you'd go off the map, taking the fugitive with you," he said, motioning towards Olivia. "I will not allow it."
"And yet you're willing to allow destruction and death simply to protect your universe," Peter snapped. "Your side is not the only one walking a tightrope."
"And what would you have me do?" Walternate quipped. "Abandon my universe to aid yours on a fool's errand?"
Peter shook his head, the sheer stubbornness of this man appalling him. "No. If both universes worked together, we may be able to save both of them."
Walternate scoffed. "Out of the question. Their side incited the destruction over here and made no move to aid us in trying to cope with it; they have no idea of what has happened here because their side has been spared the tragedy of this universe. But soon enough, they will learn; reciprocity is one of the most beautiful things in nature. What is given must eventually be returned."
Peter swallowed; Walternate was set in his ways, and it appeared that there would be no way to sway him otherwise. He stepped away.
"You may be able to accept those conditions," said Peter, "but I won't. I'm not going to let this become a matter of revenge because that's not what this is about; it's about saving the lives of innocent people."
Walternate remained in his stance, his form emitting intimidation and anger; he was not one to be tried like this, Peter knew.
"Very well... You have made your choice, Peter," Walternate said before turning to the Agents at his side, one of which was Lincoln Lee.
"Kill them," he ordered.
Peter felt as if every part of his body had just been slapped by a sledgehammer. His own father had just ordered his execution; how could someone be wreathed in so much cruelty? Despite the tension between the two of them, Peter still reached for Olivia and curled a gentle hand over her shoulder.
This was how it was going to end, he thought.
Amongst the darkness of the surrounding trees, Peter heard dozens of safeties click off, pins unlocked and weapons loaded. Every moment was filled with a dark and unbearable heaviness, filling his throat with a tightness that made breathing difficult.
He was going to die.
It was something that he'd always known but never considered, because he'd never wanted to imagine an end to an existence that still had so much left in it. But every thread had an end, the point where the scissors of mortality have clipped it off, and Peter was sure that he had just found his.
He flinched when the first gunshot sounded, ripping through the air like a knife.
He felt nothing.
He opened his eyes as a second shot rang out, and then another. It took him a moment to realize that the shots were not being fired at them, but being exchanged between the two lines of Agents behind the tree line.
More shots rang out as a figure dashed out from the shadows and neared them, tattooed with the Fringe Division insignia. Peter pushed Olivia aside to protect her as the man neared them.
"Beatty?" Olivia asked when the man's face became clear; Peter had never seen him before.
"We meet again, Olivia," he said.
Peter was confused as he looked from the Fringe Agent to Olivia and knew that he was missing some of the details. "Olivia, do you know this guy?"
She nodded, her crimson ponytail bobbing behind her. "He helped me escape from Liberty Island." She looked to Beatty. "What are you doing here?"
Beatty shrugged as a shot whizzed past his head. "Let's just say that I don't entirely agree with the Secretary's plan of action. Are you alright?"
They both nodded. "Fine," Peter answered. "I'm just tired of walking around with a bull's-eye on my back."
"I can imagine," he quipped. "We need to get Olivia out of this clearing until the fighting dies down. Where are the others?"
Peter looked around quickly. Simons was backed behind a large oak, firing off shots across the clearing. He checked around the clearing, but saw no sign of Astrid or Walter.
That was until he looked towards the house, where Walter was pursuing Walternate with Astrid hot on his heels.
Oh no.
"We need to get out of here," Peter said, torn between chasing Walter and guarding Olivia. This man Beatty may have helped her escape from the depths of Liberty Island, but Peter was not about to trust him with her life on a shooting range.
As they stood, a Fringe Agent stepped out to block their path, gun raised in the gloomy sunlight. It was Agent Lee.
"You're not going anywhere, Bishop," he said, and clicked the safety off.
Dun dun dun dun...
What happens now? You'll have to wait and find out.
Feel free to leave a review on your way out :)