The Only Hope for Me Is You

I woke up alone in Frank’s bed, and blinked, looking around the room. I didn’t even know that I had fallen asleep; I was so comfortable in Frank’s arms, I must have dozed off. Smiling, I rubbed my eyes and sat up, yawning. I stood up and left the room, stretching my arms in front of me, and walked past Mikey’s room, and glanced inside to see him sitting on his bed, staring at the ceiling, glasses on the table next to his bed, hands behind his head. I stopped, and thought about talking to him about what was going on. He never really was one to open up and share his thoughts, but I would get it out of him. I knocked on the side of the doorway, and he turned his head towards me.

“Hey, Mikes…” I said. “How’s it going?”

“It’s…going,” he said, frowning. “Come on in…” Nodding, I slowly walked into his room and sat myself on his chair by the desk, and waited for him to talk. It took a few minutes of awkward silence, but he finally spoke after sitting up and putting his legs over the side of the bed, wrapping his arms around his knees.

“Cy, I miss her,” He said. “I really miss her…”

“I know, Mikey…” I said, standing up and sitting again, next to him on his bed this time, patting his back. “I can’t even imagine what you must be feeling right now…” He hung his head for a minute before talking again.

“It’s just…I don’t know if she’s okay, you know?” He lifted his head again, and looked right into my eyes. “For all I know she could be in pain right now…And it KILLS me not knowing if she’s okay…” He gazed to his right, and I did as well, seeing Lauren’s drawing of the two of them hanging next to the bed. Smiling, I pointed at it.

“She’s really talented,” I said, admiring the incredibly accurate likeness in the drawing. “She got your face perfect…down to the pointiness of your nose,” I smiling, lightly poking his nose, and he managed a smile.

“She really is…” he said, chuckling. “That’s one of the many things I love about her, though. She’s so sweet, so caring, so…I can’t even explain what I feel when she’s around me.” He smiled again, shifting his eyes up, as if he was picturing her in his head.

“I know what you mean,” I said, nodding. “Frank’s the same way with me. He’s so adorable and sweet, I can’t picture myself without him…”

“Exactly!” he exclaimed, smiling. “It’s like…you’re not even a whole person without them, you know?”

“Oh don’t I ever,” I replied, sighing.

“I hate to ask this,” he said. “But I was wondering…why did you choose Frank over my brother?”

“Mikey, what—“

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—“

“No, Mikey, it’s fine!” I said, smiling. “Everyone should know why, instead of just the three of us.”

“Okay, so why did you choose Frank then?”

“Well, it was tough, believe me,” I started. “I love Gerard to pieces, I’ll give you that. But with him, I just felt like it was a physical relationship, and I decided I wanted more than that.”

“So you chose Frank.”

“Yeah,” I nodded, smiling. “Frank was the one that saved me from the Dracs and recruited me. Ever since we met, I felt something for him, between us…”

“I know how that feels,” Mikey said. “When I met Lauren, it was like a whole new world was open for me to experience…and she was so kind and sweet to me since the beginning…and I guess that paid off…” he trailed off, smiling.

“It did, Mikey,” I said, patting his thigh. “Look at you with her. I see you SMILE. YOU NEVER SMILE.”

“I’m allergic.”

“Mikey, I’m trying to be sentimental here,” I laughed as I spoke. “Seriously, though I know exactly what you feel when you’re with Lauren. It’s like…you’re with them, and nothing else MATTERS. Like, as long as you’re with them, everything is perfect.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth, Cy,” He said. “Another question, though. Is Gerard…okay with you two together? He told me he REALLY had a thing for you, and was really depressed when you broke up…I’m just curious, you know?” I nodded, and chuckled lightly.

“Yeah, the three of us talked about it, and Gerard’s fine with us dating,” I explained. “I let him down lightly, and he understood exactly what I was saying when I said that Frank was a better match for me.” I smiled, remembering that conversation, that last look into his hazel eyes…that last kiss…I shook my head before continuing, shaking those memories out of my head.

“But yeah, Gerard and I are still pretty tight,” I continued. “We were talking about Frankenberry cereal earlier and I don’t think I ever saw him so excited before!”

“That shit is so amazing,” Mikey said. “Oh, man, I remember that stuff…so good.”

“Oh my god I know, right!” I cried, then calmed myself down. “But back to the point…I know Gerard’s still got some feelings for me, and he’s there to protect me.”

“I know what you mean,” Mikey said. “When we were growing up, he’d have hawk-eyes on me, twenty-four seven…he made sure I never got hurt to bad when we were kids, and I don’t think that ever really left him…”

“He definitely is very protective of everyone,” I agreed. “But that’s not a bad thing.”

“Oh, no not at all,” Mikey said, shaking his head. “I don’t even know how many times I would have hurt myself without him watching over every little thing I do…”

“Like sticking forks in toasters?”

“Exactly.”

“And bringing heaters into showers?”

“Haha, yeah…”

“Mikey, you could have killed yourself doing that kind of stuff…”

“I know right?” He shook his head, chuckling. “Which brings us back to the point…Gerard cares…about everyone…but especially you, by the looks of things…” I shifted my eyes back and forth after he said this.

“Wha—really?”

“That’s what it seems like,” Mikey said. “But I don’t know. I could be wrong.” He sniffled, and there was a couple minutes of silence before he spoke again.

“You know, when you were with just Gerard, I had a picture of you, me, Lauren and Gerard as a giant family…just the four of us.” He laughed at himself. “I’m crazy, I know…”

“No, Mikes, you’re not crazy…” I pat him on the back. “I had that for a moment too…and I’m sure Gerard and Lauren did to…” I paused, that image re-entering my mind. “And to be honest, I still wonder if I made the right decision…”

“You love Frank, though, right?”

“Yes, with all my heart, Mikey…”

“Then that’s all that matters.” He smiled, patted me on the leg, then stood up and put on his glasses and held out his hand.
“Thanks for listening, Cy,” He said as he pulled me to my feet. “Really, I mean it…”

“Mikey, there’s no need for you to thank me,” I said, wrapping an arm around him. “If anything I should thank you for helping me realize I DID make the right decision…” I paused, and grinned, looking up at him as he reached for a water bottle from the side table.

“So how are you two in the bed department, anyways?” I asked, half joking, and he coughed, choking on the water as he took a sip, and spit it across the room. I let out a cry of laughter, and patted his back until his coughing fit stopped.

“KIDDING, Mikes!” I said. “You don’t have to open up THAT much.” I laughed, shaking my head.

“That just caught me off guard…” He said quietly. “Damn, Cy…”

“Sorry, sorry…” I said, still chuckling. “Let’s go see what the others are up to, yeah?” He coughed one last time, then nodded.

“Alright.” I followed him out of the door, and down the hall, only to find Pony in the living room once again, my box of food for Lauren and my note on the coffee table, doubled over, hands on his knees, panting, his helmet still on.

“Pony, what the fuck?!” I cried, running over to help him breathe. “You’re having a fucking heat stroke!” I ripped his helmet off of his head, my nose crinkling from the stench of sweat that came from inside of it. He was gasping for breath, and put a hand to his chest, nodding me a thanks.

“Mikey get some water,” I ordered, and he obeyed, running into the kitchen and coming back with a couple bottles of ice cold water from the fridge. I unscrewed both of them, and dumped them on Pony’s head, the water cascading from the bottle down his neck, rolling off and eventually splattering on the floor. I helped him walk over to the couch and sat him down, Mikey looking anxious in the center of the living room.

“Pony…what happened? Can you talk?” He nodded, and swallowed before talking.

“I didn’t want to tell you before…” he managed, his voice croaking. “But that last delivery…I was intercepted by BL/ind…they said if I said anything they would kill me…but I HAVE to tell you guys…I have to tell you…” He gasped for breath, and I gave him another water bottle, and he gladly accepted it, taking a long swig, then dumping the rest of it over his head.

“I have to tell you…Lauren’s in trouble. DEEP TROUBLE.”

“WHAT.” Mikey took three meanacing steps forward, stone faced. “What are they going to do to her? TELL ME!”
“Mikey, he’s almost dying—“

“They are going to kill her.” Pony interrupted me. “They’re…going to…” He couldn’t finish this sentence, because he passed out, his eyes rolling into the back of his head, falling over into my lap, unconscious.

“MIKEY, GET THE OTHERS!” I cried, holding Pony’s head up slightly and fanning it. “YOU guys go, I’ll catch up on your bike.”

“But Cy—“

“NO! MIKEY GET THE OTHERS AND FUCKING GO! THEY. ARE. GOING. TO. KILL. HER.” I pointed at the door. “FUCKING GET UP AND GO!” He nodded, and ran out the door, screaming for Gerard. I kept fanning Pony, trying my best to cool him off in my lap, and heard the car start and zoom off, the engine roaring.

“Lauren, please be all right…” I said, still fanning Pony, trying to get him to wake up. I leaned to the side to look out the door, and saw the car zooming off into the distance, leaving a cloud of dust behind in its wake. I sighed, and continued to wake Pony up. It took a few more minutes, but he eventually came to. Groaning, he blinked his eyes rapidly, squeezed them tight, then opened them fully, staring up at my face.

“Wha…what happened…?”

“Pony…you got a heat stroke, and fainted.” I explained, sitting him up. “Thank god you didn’t die from it. I was worried…”

“Why the fuck are you worried about me right now, when Lauren is about to be executed.” He said. “I’m fine, go help the others…”

“Fuck, you’re right…” I said, standing up and putting my mask on. “Look after Revenge, okay? I’m taking the bike.”

“Good luck,” he said. “Exploder’s behind all this, you’re going to need it.”

“Thanks,” I said, grabbing Mikey’s keys. “Hopefully, we’ll be back…” I said, and walked around the building, got on the bike, and kicked the motor on, and zoomed off, following the car’s tracks, until I eventually caught up with them. I drove up to Gerard’s window, and motioned him to roll it down, my hair flying in my face; we must’ve been going at least 80 miles an hour.

“MIKEY FILLED YOU IN?” I yelled over the motors, and he nodded.

“YEAH, AND FUCK THIS SHIT.” He yelled back. “WE’RE GOING ALL OUT ON THIS ONE. I DON’T GIVE A FUCK WHAT LAUREN SAYS, EXPLODER NEEDS TO BE KILLED.” I nodded.
“I’LL MAKE SURE OF THAT!” I nodded, and saw Frank in the passenger’s seat. “GEE TELL FRANK I LOVE HIM AND WILL SEE HIM IN THE BATTLEFIELD…I’M GOING AHEAD!”

“HEARD YA BABE!” Frank yelled, and blew me a kiss. “BE CAREFUL!” I nodded, and revved the engine, increasing my speed, leaving them behind me and made my way to the gates, ignoring the empty security booth and just drove straight through the tunnel, across the bridge, and parked the bike on the end of the bridge, quickly jumped off of it and ran into the building, not caring about if I was seen or not; I wanted revenge. I wanted to see blood be spilled from my ray gun. I wanted bloodshed. I walked down the empty hallways, and spotted marks from an earlier battle; there were bullet holes in the walls, and an abandoned white ray gun on the floor, which looked like it was hardly used. There were scattered papers on the ground as well, and as I crouched down to see what they were, I came to the conclusion that Lauren must have been caught, and she was trying to escape, and failed. I hung my head, letting out a loud sigh.

“PLEASE don’t be dead…” I said quietly, and as I lifted my head up, I felt a barrel to the back of my head.

“Oh, she’s not dead…yet.” I heard a voice from behind me, and knew exactly who it belonged to.

“Exploder,” I said, not even phased. “You motherfucker.”

“You always had the most colorful language,” he said, and grabbed my arm, pulling me up, jabbing his gun into my back. I growled in response.

“You’re an animal when you’re angry, Cyanide,” he said. “Color me impressed…” He leaned forward, and kissed my neck, and I tried to bite him in response, making him flinch.

“Feisty, are we?”

“FUCK YOU!”

“Ah, and who’s the one with the gun?” He said. “Watch your language…”

“Just WAIT until the others get here,” I said angrily. “They will FUCK your SHIT up, you pussy!”

“Until then, I have the gun, and you are going to do as I say, or else I will pull the trigger, and you will be dead in ten seconds.”

I growled in response, knowing I had no defense right now. He had both of my wrists in his hands, crossed behind my back, the gun pointed at me. He shoved me down the hall, and into a cell, where I saw Lauren, tied up to a chair, unconscious, a bullet hole in the square of her back. Her head was down, her hair in front of her face, eyes closed, mouth slightly open.

“LAUREN!” I cried, trying to escape from Exploder’s grasp, twisting my body back and forth, only to get a laser in my chest, and I felt the beam go right through my body, striking my heart. How I didn't die right there, I have no idea; I saw blood spurt from my chest as the beam went through, yet I was still living and breathing.

Screaming in pain and seeing nothing but black for a few seconds, I fell to the floor on my knees, and felt Exploder tie my hands behind my back, as well as tie my ankles together, and gagged me with my own bandana after I tried biting him again.

There we were, two damsels in distress, waiting for our princes to come save us once again.

I could not contain my enthusiasm when I heard the door being kicked open from the outside.