Description: A reinterpretation of the closing scenes of Law Abiding Citizen and the death of Clyde Shelton. One-shot.
Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the Evil Twins production company or any other owner(s) of the aforementioned film. I am making no profit from the following. This is strictly written for fan appreciation.
A/N: I was unhappy, to say the least, with the ending of this movie. I was especially dissatisfied with the really crappy and totally NOT COOL way they just decided to blow up the main character... I mean seriously, what were they thinking when they wrote that? "Hey guys! Why don't we really tick off the audience by putting a bogus close to an otherwise epic movie"... But I've found that the end can be much easier to swallow if you re-imagine it just a tad bit. There are a few touches of AU in this I suppose, but otherwise I've kept it by the book - or in this case, by the film. So without further ado, I give you A Born Tactician:
Nick had made a mistake. It seemed to be becoming his habit as of late.
He and Dunnigan has solved the mystery of Clyde's elusive "accomplice," that was true. They had also, in fact, discovered Shelton's elaborate, underground tunnel system which had allowed the man to come and go from his cell as he pleased to commit the murders that had so confounded the authorities. Nick had even managed to find Clyde's cell phone operated bomb, planted in one of the convening rooms directly underneath the mayor's meeting chambers.
Rice had believed he was home-free when Clyde made the call to activate the bomb Dunnigan and he had moved from City Hall to Shelton's detention enclosure. He thought it was over. That Clyde would be dead and that no one would ever suffer from the man again. That the mayor and her constituents were safe.
Nick Rice had been in grave error.
Nick had made his mistake in forgetting that Clyde Shelton was a born tactician. That he had had an entire decade to plot this day, meticulously checking and rechecking the scheme for any fall-throughs. To compensate for the weaker points of his plan. To map out every possible scenario and devise a counter. To perfect.
Although "The Brain" was taken slightly aback when he found his napalm decoy ticking away under his cot, he had fully expected it to be found.
'Every move he makes, it means something... what, you think that was random?'
No, it hadn't been.
Nick had thought perhaps that Clyde had gotten lazy; that he'd grown forgetful or had become too blinded by his objective to cover his tracks anymore. But the cleaning cart that Clyde had used to smuggle the explosives into City Hall was left intentionally outside of the meeting chamber below the mayor's assembly. He had wanted his decoy bomb to be found, so as to keep the building from stumbling upon the more powerful anti-personnel he had hidden in the wall of a closet right next to the mayor's convention.
So Clyde was not disappointed to find his red herring under the bed, ticking away. Because he knew that he had completed what he set out to do ten years ago. He had won. The distraction was a success. If it hadn't been, and if City Hall was aware of the second explosive device still active and counting down at the very moment, Nick would not be here at the prison talking to him.
Clyde placed the mattress back down over the plant as Nick rushed to lock the door of the holding cell while yelling about the consequences of his choices. Clyde scarcely heard him, though. He turned for a moment to his escape hatch only to find it was barred from the other side. No matter.
He had won.
He had penalized those who he had intended. The murderers and the liars and the corrupt. Even himself.
Yes, Clyde had even planned on his own death; although, he had not imagined it coming from the ticking destroyer beneath him. From the beginning, Clyde had meant to end the whole ordeal with himself. Because by his own sense of justice and of right and wrong, he deserved to pay for the crimes he committed every bit as much as the others.
He had killed and he had destroyed families, just as his own had been. And he would suffer equally for his actions.
Finished. In just a few fleeting seconds, everything would be set right. Punishment would come to all those who deserved it.
And what of Nick? With his wife and daughter whom had reminded Clyde so much of his own lost family.
No, Nick would live. He would carry with him the memory of Brooke and Ksenia Shelton; and of Clyde's even-handed justice. He would remember the deaths of his friends and fellows for the rest of his life. He would carry with him the mistakes he had made for all time. Yes, that was punishment enough for Nicolas Rice.
He had won.
Clyde pulled the bracelet his daughter had made for him so many years ago out from his pocket and held it before his tired eyes as the bomb under his cot began detonation.
Across town, the devastating HMX explosive let off with a force that blasted through the meeting chamber and obliterated all who were in attendance.
Back in his cell, Clyde studied the precious gift from his child with an almost sacred reverence as the fires rose unnoticed around him.
I love you, both.
In the next moment, Clyde Shelton was consumed by flames.