Rossiter can hear the measured footsteps coming down the hall. The quiet clicking of boot heels on stone, the gentle creaking of leather, noises that over the past few days he had come to associate with nothing but fear and pain.
The cell door unlocks with a gentle snap and slowly opens, revealing a tall cloaked figure filling the space.
"Good evening Mr Rossiter,"
"Mmmph"
"Indeed."
V reaches inside his cloak and pulls out a small transistor radio, regarding it with his usual smirk before placing it deliberately on the table.
"Tell me Mr Rossiter, do you ever listen to K Billy's Super Sounds of the Seventies?"
Shit. Suddenly the strange familiarity of the situation makes sense. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.
A leather-gloved hand twiddles the radio knob until the music comes through, tinny and a little distorted but unmistakable.
Well I don't know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain't right,
I'm so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I'm wondering how I'll get down the stairs,
Guy Fawkes' grin is matched by V's own - he's going to enjoy this one. Humming quietly to himself, he removes his cloak, carefully folding it and laying it on the table. One tall boot tapping in time with the music, he fingers his knife belt before selecting his favourite and drawing it with a flourish.
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you.
Rossiter squirms in his chair, every muscle flexing against the duct tape that holds him tightly in place, eyes wide in raw fear. The last couple of days have taught him that V can be nothing short of psychopathic when the mood takes him.
Yes I'm stuck in the middle with you,
And I'm wondering what it is I should do,
It's so hard to keep this smile from my face,
Losing control, yeah, I'm all over the place,
V is getting into his stride now. Cradling his blade as if it is a dance partner, he sashays across the cell echoing the lyrics in his rich barritone. Approaching the wall, he does a neat spin before grooving back towards his guest.
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.
Reaching the chair, V pushes himself close to Rossiter's face, gripping the man's knees between his own and giving a little wiggle of the hips before bending forward to trace the dagger down the man's face. Finding that his prisoner's muffled objections aren't really cutting the artistic mustard, he reaches for the gaffer tape gag and rips it off abruptly.
"Aaargh. You fucking freak, don't do this, please god don't do this!"
V just smiles and twirls his blade.
Well you started out with nothing,
And you're proud that you're a self made man,
And your friends, they all come crawlin,
Slap you on the back and say,
Please... Please...
I don't own V for Vendetta, Reservoir Dogs or 'Stuck In The Middle With You' by Stealer's Wheel. Obviously.