Revenge

"Level 4, Birds of Song!" the PA system chirped as the elevator doors opened. Scorpion grinned. He'd finally found the floor he was looking for! He knew he should be back on the prison floor with his fellow carnies, but he had important business to attend to. He was looking for an angel by the name of Cora Stein and he'd learned she was a four. He was looking for Cora because she'd helped betray his lover, Painted Doll. Years ago, Painted Doll had been called June Freeman and she and Cora were angels in training. Eventually, though, June's ambition got her sent to Hell and that was when she became Painted Doll. During June's exile to Hell, neither Agent nor Cora had done a thing to help out.

When Scorpion heard this tale, his sympathy for Doll and desire for revenge against the two fiends who dared hurt her grew every single day and he vowed to avenge Doll. His goal was half over. Just a few days ago, Agent had been wiped out by Doll. The memory was like pure bliss in Scorpion's mind. Finally getting that lowlife suck-up to pay for his own sins and knock him from his lofty position had been fun. Seeing the fear creep into his perfect face and see the life leave his once-bright eyes was even better. Seeing Doll looking satisfied and sated was best of all. Now Scorpion was planning to finish it by finding Cora. He was getting closer to her, he could sense it...

A few minutes later, Scorpion entered a music room in which Cora stood. She was busy sorting music. Scorpion slid in and hid behind a large piano. A few more minutes later, Cora finished her work and made to exit the room. Before she reached the door, but after passing the piano, Scorpion struck. As quick as the creature he was named for, Scorpion tackled Cora to the cold, hard floor and flipped her over so he was straddling her hips and leering down at her. She began to cry and fight, but it didn't last long because Scorpion held her mouth shut with one hand and pulled out his trademark knife with the other, holding it to her neck.

"You make a peep or move a muscle and I dissect you like a frog. Got it?" he snarled. Cora went limp. "Good girl," he released her mouth.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Cora whimpered once her mouth was free, blue eyes wide with fear.

"I'm just somebody here for a bit of revenge, straight outta Hell," he purred, his trademark laidback persona returning.

"Why? I didn't do anything!" Cora whimpered. For a moment, the devil inside Scorpion returned. Didn't do anything? She let his Doll suffer!!!

"You. Let. Her. Fall," he growled, enunciating every word as he pressed the knife back to Cora's neck. Cora's eyes widened. Now she understood. Scorpion fought the urge to roll his eyes. He'd met a lot of dumb women in his day, but Cora was one of the dumbest. Why Doll had befriended such an empty head was beyond his understanding. Oh, she was pretty, Scorpion wouldn't deny it, but jeez!

"Please, where is she?" Cora gasped. "Where's June Freeman? Let me speak with her, please!" Scorpion smirked down at her, millions of witty comebacks in his head. You know where she is. And you want to speak with her? You don't even deserve to see her! Besides, she might not be as chatty as you expected. Ha! I bet you'd be too scared to look at her! Really, would you even recognize her? Or was she only a trophy-friend? It's not like she cares about you anyways! And I don't know June, but I know Doll. And she's MINE! But don't worry, you'll get your chance to see her because I'll be more than happy to send you there!

In the end, all Scorpion could do was shake his head.

"What? Please! I just want to see what's become of her!" Cora whimpered again. Scorpion lowered his head to Cora until their noses nearly touched. Then he shook his head again, just as slowly and taunting as before.

"I didn't want this to happen," Cora murmured in defeat. "She should've been an angel," Scorpion withdrew his face from Cora's and a flash of pity crossed his face. For once, he agreed with her and he sensed real remorse radiating from her. "But I didn't do anything. It's her fault for not listening!" Cora added a moment later. In 11 words, she had totally changed her fate. Scorpion's pity evaporated in a flash and his hatred returned tenfold. Didn't do anything? How dare this girl admit that Doll deserved to be an angel and then say that it was her fault for winding up in Hell?

"You. Let. Her. Fall," Scorpion repeated, but somehow, the poison in his voice doubled. Cora knew she'd just screwed up royally.

"You! Let! Her! Fall!" he snarled, still whisper-yelling. After that, he blacked out in a haze of fury and he began to stab Cora to make her pay. How dare she play the victim when she'd hurt Doll so badly? How dare she say she loved Doll but then go and blame Doll for her own pain? "You had her! She trusted you! She loved you! And then you threw it away! You let this happen! You did this! You deserve to be hurt back!!!" Scorpion had never lost control before. Cora's struggles and cries of pain grew weaker with every blow. Prick! Went the Scorpion's Tail.

Finally, Scorpion came around. When he did, he inwardly cursed. He hadn't meant to lose control. Now he wouldn't be able to bring Cora to Doll because she was already half dead and she was bleeding too much. She'd leave a blood trail leading right to the war party and that wouldn't do. The blood covered her, him, the floor around them, and even some parts of the walls. Scorpion uttered a cuss as he realized just how violent he'd gotten. It really wasn't his usual style. He preferred slow and planned attacks but this was just mindless brutality. It just went to show how much he loved Doll, though. She was the only one who ever got him this riled up.

Scorpion spat one last time before getting off Cora's mutilated body. As he stood over her bloody and mutilated figure, a demonic grin graced his face. She was ugly and beaten, but there was a beauty in it. From her hips up she'd been mutilated and lacerated with lines of blood crisscrossing everywhere. A large pool of red welled under her limp figure. It looked like she was lying in a pool of rubies and the blood that covered her skin looked like some of the makeup Scorpion had seen on his fellow carnies. Best of all though, Scorpion had gouged out her right eye and scarred her right face. Just like Doll. He leaned down to her again and saw tears still glittering in her one blue eye.

"Oh don't cry, Crybaby," he mocked coldly before rising again and returning to the elevator. So maybe Doll couldn't destroy Cora, but Scorpion had and for her, that was enough.

"This isn't over though, Cora," he vowed as the doors shut. He cleaned his knife until it went from ruby to silver. "Trust me."

AN: I like to view Scorpion as the boyfriend who knows Doll is a badass all her own and genuinely respects and admires her for it, but still loves to get back at anyone who hurts her. I mean, did you see how happy he was when Doll was tormenting Agent? I can only imagine how he'll behave when Cora gets her just desserts. In this story, I just wanted to write a fic where Scorpion meets Cora and a fic where Scorpion gets to avenge Doll because even though he did help restrain Agent, he didn't really do much else. Agent was mostly Doll's kill so, in this fic, Cora is mostly Scorpion's kill. But the last line refers to the fact that since they're already in Heaven/Hell, they can't die and Cora will be brought back to full health, meaning Scorpion can just bring her to Doll then.