"This ought to be good."
Irina nervously toyed with the hem of her white dress as she and Victor sat in the backseat of his SUV. She observed the trees and streetlights passing by as the car moved towards the warehouse district. Victor glared at his phone, pursing his lips to complete his sour expression.
"What are you reading?" she asked shakily.
"A text from one of my men," Victor showed her the message that appeared on his phone screen.
From: Unknown (5:41 PM)
WH spotted at Warehouse 22
We have perimeter guarded
Come ASAP
Irina settled into her chair, biting the right corner of her lip. Her heart began to ache at the thought of it all, and she did her best to ignore Victor's skeptical gaze.
"Don't tell me you still have some affection for that man."
"He's an important part of my life."
"He is? No, my dear, he was. I seem to recall a very passionate monologue where you pinpointed Dexter's death as his responsibility."
"We resolved that."
"You resolved things with the man who murdered your son?" Victor looked at her with faux shock, "If I were Dexter, I'd be appalled that you care more about his killer than him."
Such a foul creature you are… Irina glared at her father, her thoughts bitter. She then looked back out the window.
"What did you ever see in that man?"
Irina swiftly looked back at Victor, "Excuse me?"
"Wallace is a degenerate criminal, a man with no morals and no heart. You are a woman of higher standing and excellence. How could you ever fall for someone like him?"
"Maybe because he never treated me like an object."
Victor stared at his daughter, confusion in his features. Irina's gaze was firm and assured.
"My mother kept me locked up in different compounds, and now you're using me to eliminate your enemies. Wallace never saw me as a weapon of mass destruction or a means to an end."
"Credit where it's due, the man is intelligent. He clearly found a way to keep his hold on you after all these years. I'm almost jealous of his skills-"
"He never manipulated me, Father. Never. I know him."
"Do you now?"
"This man that you look down upon allowed me to have a connection to the world. His language, his culture, his delights are all things I've come to love myself. I'd still be a sheltered, frigid woman if not for the things he exposed me to."
"So he gave you a taste of freedom and independence. That's not a love story."
"And what would you know about it? Were you in love with Helena? Did she make you feel like you mattered, that you were more than a pile of clay to mold? Did she appreciate your flaws and quirks and always give you grace when it came to your own intricacies? Did she look out for you, protecting your interests and being more than what the world made of her? Did she show you affection openly and confidently, letting you know at every waking moment that you were the one for her? Did she even ever tell you that she loved you? If the answer to all of these questions is no, then you have no business saying anything."
"...Hmph," Victor turned away as the car parked at their destination, "We're here. You better change your tune soon, young lady. For your sake."
Irina could only roll her eyes in response as she stepped out of the car. Johann stood in her direct path, a silver handgun resting in his palm. She sighed gently before taking the weapon, trailing behind her father as he stepped inside.
"Wallace," Victor nodded with a grin.
"Victor," Wallace replied flatly.
"Bastard."
"Scum."
"Always with the pleasantries."
"Yeah, I'm a sweetheart," Wallace rolled his eyes, "I take it those buffoons in suits outside are yours?"
"That they are, but don't refer to them that way. They don't need to be reduced to your…level."
"Whatever," Wallace rolled his eyes before letting them travel to the woman nearby, "...Hi."
Irina was silent, nodding her head before glancing away.
"It would be best if you didn't make eyes at my daughter," Victor cut in.
"Or else, what? You'd shoot me?"
"No, but she would."
Wallace raised an eyebrow before looking Irina up and down. Her grip was firm around the handgun, a sharp glint in her eye as her aim was steady at his heart. He frowned at the sight before taking a deep breath.
"Hands up," her voice was shaky, but loud enough for him to hear. Wallace stood still for a moment before he slowly lifted his arms.
"You had to know this was coming," Victor stated sadly.
"I expected you to do the honors, but forcing Irina to do it is just low and lazy."
"I thought there'd be more of an impact with her putting a bullet in your body instead."
"Scum."
"Quiet," Irina snapped, tightening her hold on the weapon. Wallace noted her posture: uneven and separated with her extended arm shaking all the while.
"It's only fair you go out this way," Victor replied, "You killed her son, so in return, she'll kill you."
"He was my son too, and you killed him, not me."
"Last I checked, you took responsibility for what happened. Such a bad look to change positions."
"Irina knows the truth," Wallace stared at her, "She knows what happened. None of your mind games are going to work."
"Do you hear this creature, my dead?" Victor whispered in her ear, "He's trying to deflect. You and I know what happened, you and I know who set this all into motion, and here he is, trying to minimize the damage he's caused."
"Irina," Wallace cut in, "listen to me."
"Be quiet!"
"Make me!"
"With pleasure," Victor smirked, "Go ahead, my dear. Finish him."
"Irina, wait," Wallace pushed his hands forward, his breathing a bit shaky, "just…before you shoot, just hear me out."
He glanced at Victor for a moment before looking back at her.
"I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of, been a lot of things I'm not proud of, but I'm proud of what I did and who I was with you. You've changed my life for the better, and I'm sorry I didn't get to repay the favor. It's been an honor being in your life, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. I'll be spending the rest of my life burning in Hell, but my time here on Earth, as messy and chaotic as it was, was pretty good because you were part of it. I love you."
Irina gulped, feeling her eyes well with tears. Her words echoed in his ears as she pulled the trigger, "I love you too. I'm sorry."
Irina froze for a moment, taking everything in before pulling the trigger. Wallace fell to the ground in an instant, a hand on his chest.
"Dearest," Irina rushed to his side, laying a hand in his hair. He writhed in pain, gasping for air, "Oh God-"
"It's o-okay," he choked out, "I had it c-coming."
"No, no, please. Wallace, please, you can't-"
"Irina, let's go," Victor boomed as he walked towards the warehouse door, "You have more targets to strike down."
"I'm sorry," Irina cried softly, "I'm so sorry. I love you."
"I love you too…" Wallace sighed, his voice hoarse and weak. She opened her mouth to say more, but relented when she caught him wink. Eventually, she backed off and walked to the door, turning to blow him a kiss before finally leaving.
"Sir," a goon rushed up to them, "there was a noise at Warehouse 24. I think we're being followed."
"Are we?" Victor asked, "Well then, let's pay a visit to this potential intruder," he turned to Irina, "Have your gun cocked."
After a few paces towards the warehouse, a goon kicked the door in. A few men swarmed the room and pointed their guns every which way. Irina pointed hers towards the middle of the dimly-lit space. There was a moment of silence before a loud bang echoed, and the goon to Victor's left hit the ground, bleeding from his shoulder. A few more men were hit from the right, leaving only Victor, Irina, Johann, and the goon who gave the information.
"Show yourself!" Victor called out.
As if on cue, footsteps sounded in the space. They grew louder and closer the more time passed, and after awhile, Victor and Irina could make out a lean silhouette.
"Raise your weapon," Victor whispered to Irina, who did as much, "Come on now, come closer. I'll have my daughter lower her weapon if you do."
"Give me one reason I should trust that."
Irina's heart fluttered as she heard the voice, lowering her weapon on impulse. Victor scowled at her as a foot came into the light, and then legs, and then a chest, and finally, a head.
He could hardly believe his eyes: "Dexter."
"Hello, grandfather," he replied, a sharp glare on his face. Irina did her best to suppress a smile of pride.
"You're dead," Victor spat out in shock, "You should be dead. How are you standing here?"
"Well, as you can see, I'm not dead. Points for trying, though. You really did a number on me."
"You shouldn't be here."
"Oh, but I am. I mean, I'm a Cassadine, after all. If there's one thing that's true about us, it's that we don't die easy."
"Then I'll make sure you do," Victor snapped, turning to Irina, "Aim the gun."
Irina sighed, slowly lifting the weapon to be level with Dex's chest. As she did, another loud bang echoed and two figures strolled up beside the young man.
"Oh, well, it's my lucky day," Victor beamed as Anna and Valentin stepped under the light, "I get to watch my daughter kill the thorn in my side, her bastard spawn, and her traitor of an older brother."
"Not gonna happen," Valentin replied, both he and Anna raising their guns. Johann and the remaining goon raised theirs in response.
"It seems you're outnumbered," Victor looked between everyone, "and that means this victory will come much quicker than I thought. I took care of Wallace, and I can certainly take care of his happy accident."
Dex shook his head in response, keeping his calm composure. He glanced at his uncle, nodding ever-so-slightly before taking a half-step back. When he nodded again, Valentin shot past Victor, the bullet ricocheting off the steel wall.
"Get them!" Victor demanded. They all split off into three: Anna and the unnamed goon, Valentin and Johann, and Victor overseeing Irina and Dex.
"Die!" the goon huffed as he fired his rounds. Anna hid behind a steel column, waiting for a moment to strike. When she heard the gun gently click, she stepped out and fired. The goon dropped to the ground immediately, grabbing his shoulder and whining in agony. She rushed to his side, taking the gun from his now-unusable hand.
"It's just a graze," she muttered as she stepped away, "you'll be fine."
"Anna!" Valentin called as he fired rounds at Johann. The right-hand expertly dodged the bullets, firing a few back. Anna ducked between the crates and barrels that led to Valentin, sitting with him behind the objects.
"I got the goon's gun," she replied, opening the weapon, "It's still got some rounds in it. I'll find a way to get this to Dex before coming back to help you deal with Johann."
"I wish you luck, darling," Valentin replied, "Be careful."
"I will," Anna nodded. When Valentin got up and fired, she sprinted towards the back of the warehouse, seeing the backs of Victor and Irina come into view. She ducked behind more crates and barrels, sneaking her way towards the back. She caught Dex hiding behind a beam in her peripheral vision.
"Dex," she hissed as she came from his left. He snapped his head her way and sighed, dropping to his knees.
"Oh, Dexter?" Victor's voice was melodic, "Come on out, young man. Spend some time with your mother before she corrects the course."
"Anna, hey," Dex whispered back.
"Take this," she passed him the gun, "I know you said you didn't have to use a gun, but use it here if you must."
"I'm not going to shoot my mother," Dex remarked, looking the weapon over.
"Are you a good shot?"
"My father's an excellent marksman. He may have screwed me up, but he made sure I knew how to shoot a gun."
"Great," Anna nodded, before scurrying away, rushing back towards Valentin, who was still engaged in a stalemate with Johann.
"Come out, Dexter," Victor commanded, "Be a man and face me."
On cue, the young man appeared from around the corner of the beam and pointed his weapon at Victor.
"Irina," the older man boomed. She lifted her gun in response. Victor took a step closer to the young man.
"What a fun sight," Victor grinned, "a stalemate between mother and son. I know you wouldn't dare harm your mother…but she'll do what I say if she knows what's good for her."
Victor took a step closer, covering his daughter, "This is it for you, dear boy. Whatever plan you came up with to subdue me won't work. I had your mother take your father out, and I'll have her do the same to you. It would've been more prudent to have stayed in the shadows, because now, all that recovery will be for nothing. Goodbye, Dexter. I hope you enjoy burning in Hell."
He held up a hand, "Now, my dear. Fire!"
The room stood still for a brief moment. Dex's eyes widened as he saw the bullet rip past him, striking the wall. Victor grabbed his side, clutching it as he fell to his knees. The young man looked between his grandfather and mother, who lowered her gun and rushed to them both.
"Mom-" Dex began as she pulled him away.
"Shh," Irina hissed, "we need to go. Let's get Anna and Valentin and-"
The world stopped again. Irina let go of her son's arm, her hands clutching her stomach. She doubled over in pain, lying flat on her back.
"Mom," Dex crouched down, taking off his jacket. He bunched it into a ball and pressed it against her torso, "Mom-"
"Baby," Irina coughed, blood hanging from the corner of her mouth as she lifted a hand to touch his cheek, "it's okay. Go, get out, save yourself-"
"I'm not leaving you."
"Dexter, please. Please-"
"I'm not leaving you!" Dex repeated, pressing harder. He tied the jacket around her, leaving a tight, large knot against the gunshot wound before two hands yanked him up by his neck.
"Let me go!" Dex squirmed before being violently shoved against the warehouse wall, "Gah!"
Johann's glare cut through him, one forearm pressed against his stomach and the other against his neck. He could hear his mother's whimpers behind the man just as Anna and Valentin appeared, stuck in headlocks by two new goons.
"You…" Victor hissed as he got to his feet, "you worthless bastard spawn."
Dex felt Johann's forearm press harder against his neck. Anna and Valentin squirmed, trying to free themselves.
"All you have done is cause misery," Victor growled, "You broke apart the family, you actively interfered with my plans, and above all else, you still have air in your lungs."
"You-" Dex choked out, "Y-"
"Leave him be, Father!" Valentin shouted.
"Silence!" Victor snapped, the headlocks growing tighter, "Another word and necks will be snapped!"
"Mom…" Dex struggled to get out, seeing her eyes close and her face relax.
"I tried to include, tried to give you a place among our ranks," Victor began, "I allowed you to be a part of something bigger than yourself, to actually provide an act of service, and yet here we are."
The young man tried to wrestle himself free, his face reddening from anger and a growing lack of oxygen.
"Your very existence is unnatural," Victor got in his face, "a black mark on our legacy. Helena should've gutted you when she had the chance, and I should've followed through after using you to bring your bleeding heart mother back. You won't evade death this time, young man. Your father's dead, your mother's dying, and you're the next to go. Enjoy these final moments while you still can."
Victor shakily aimed the gun at his grandson's head, his finger slowly pulling the trigger. The gun fell to the ground, going off and striking Johann in the leg. Dex fell to his knees, gasping for air. He looked at Johann, who struggled to get up, before looking to Victor, his eyes widening at the sight.
The old man laid still, a bullet wound present on his neck. His eyes were wide and glossy, blood leaking from his mouth. Dex looked to his left, seeing a pair of dark brown hiking boots. His eyes traveled up until he saw Wallace's face, determined and cold as the gun was perfectly aimed. There was a hole in his shirt, exposing a bit of his bulletproof vest's black padding. In the shock of the incident, Anna and Valentin seized the moment to free themselves, twisting the goons' arms and knocking them to the ground. They rushed into the middle of the action.
"Oh my God," Anna sighed, looking at Wallace, "You…you-"
"I know what I did, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat," Wallace replied, his voice deep, "His reign of terror is over…for good."
"Thank God," Valentin sighed before looking down at his sister, "now let's get the hell out of here."
"Irina?" Anna knelt down, gently placing two fingers against the woman's neck, "Irina?"
"Liebling…?" Wallace lowered his weapon.
"She has a pulse, she's still breathing," Anna remarked, continuing to shake her.
"Irina," Valentin sighed out as he rushed to Anna's side, "Irina, wake up. It's over. Victor is gone. Come on."
"She's bled out," Anna remarked, observing the blood soaked jacket. She pulled out her phone, "We don't have much time."
"...Mom."
The trio looked down at Dex, who tried to crawl over. His knees scraped against the ground, moving in inches. Without warning, he stilled and gasped in agony, rolling onto his back.
"Dex," Wallace called out, stepping over Johann's body and dropping to his knees, "Dex, hey."
The young man's vision began to blur, a hand slowly landing on his chest, "D…Dad-"
His heart…verdammt… Wallace thought anxiously as he pulled Dex into his arms, "It's going to be okay."
"M-Mom-"
"I know, I know. She's getting help."
"But-" his breathing was shaky as his chest ached. Black spots clouded his vision as his father cradled him from the waist up, "Aah-"
"Anna and Valentin are with her, they're getting her help. Your mother's going to be okay. Worry about you."
"She…she was sh-shot-"
"And you're having a heart attack. Please, son, worry about yourself."
"Help's on the way," Anna walked over to the men, "The WSB's sending agents to take in the rest of Victor's grunts and ambulances are on the way."
"Anna-" Dex gasped out, "My…m-mother-"
"She's still alive," Anna crouched down, "She's hanging on; she's not going anywhere."
"I…I-" Dex blinked slowly before looking up at Wallace. The man stared back, a reassuring smile on his face. On impulse, he wrapped his arms around his father's shoulders, holding him close.
"Thank you," he sighed.
"No need," Wallace replied, hugging him back, "This was all you."
"It's over…it's-"
"Relax, relax. You're okay, your mother's okay. We're going to get out of here and all of this will finally be behind us. Your mother will heal, your body will relax, and when you two are healthy again, you're going to live your life the way you want, just as you told me you would. It'll all be okay, son. You can trust me on that."
He squeezed Dex a little tighter, "Ich liebe dich, mein kleiner Bär. Ich liebe dich so sehr."
"Ich…liebe dich auch…" Dex felt a wave of relief rush through him, his vision blurring further before his eyes fluttered closed. His hold on Wallace loosened, and the hand he left on his father's shoulder slid off, going limp. Wallace felt his son slump against him, and he slowly pulled away to examine him. He gently shook the young man, panic slowly but surely coursing through his veins.
His voice cracked as he spoke: "...Dex?"