Upon the Brink
A V for Vendetta Fanfiction
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I'm merely borrowing!
Warnings: Some of the events written herein are extremely graphic and violent! Content is not suitable for underage persons! You have been warned!
Summary: What if it wasn't V who captured and tortured Evey? This is what I think could have arisen from such an event.
Note: The quote: "He who doesn't fear death dies only once" was said by Giovanni Falcone.
Chapter 1
All was silent, so silent. Evey expected to hear something, but no sound penetrated the darkness, which allowed her to dwell a little longer amidst her memories and realise what had happened. The first and foremost thing that crossed her mind was of course her betrayal to V. How could she have been so foolish as to run from him and bring someone as nice and caring as Gordon into trouble. Evey was quite certain, if she hadn't been there the confrontation wouldn't have been like this. But then again, considering what Gordon had done on his TV show, she guessed it really didn't matter anymore. That she had been found at his house only served as a swift judgement and a quick end for Gordon.
Oh, yes, Evey had heard that single shot being fired, followed by a low thump as something heavy hit the ground. Accompanied with that sickening scent of blood she could smell behind the black bag they had covered her head with made her certain that the good, caring Gordon was dead.
Which left only her. Why hadn't Creedy ordered her to be shot as well?
The answer was quite simpe actually. They wanted information, just as V had told her. They needed her. Because they wanted V, wanted to catch the infamous Terrorist and go on ruling their terror over the heads of London's public.
And again, only one thought manifested itself in the dark confidants of Evey's brain.
How could I betray V like that? He never tried to hurt me specifically, has always kept me safe, if even as a prisoner in his home, but it had been safer there than above ground.
And she had run on the first opportunity. Had tricked him into believing that she would help him in his strive for freedom. And he had believed her, oh she could still remember the sound of is voice as she had turned from him, that look of silent disbelief as Lilliman had blabbed out that she had warned him. It still haunted her every moment.
Surely he would hate her now. And he had a right to do so. She would even deserve to be on his bad side now, would deserve to be at the receiving end of this violence he showed towards people that he thought deserved to die.
Her thoughts were broken as the bag was ripped off her head and her eyes were assaulted by a blinding light pointed at her. Trembling she squinted at the light, trying to make out a feature of the person sitting opposite of her, covered in shadow. Fear assaulted her now, grabbed her with viscious icecold claws and leaned over her, leering inside her ear. She could only guess at what was to happen next, but a tiny voice inside her head told her that whatever it was, it surely wouldn't be pleasant.
"Evey Hammond. Do you know why you are here?" the person asked and Evey recognised the voice as male. The voice sounded like she had heard it before also, but she couldn't picture a face alongside the voice. Whoever it was, even the sound of that person sent shivers down her spine, spikes of fear, as if that invisible beast behind her stroked her shoulders with these icy claws. Too terrified to do anything beyond shaking, Evey didn't answer. Yet that didn't seem to bother the man too much.
"We know you are in league with the terrorist known as V. You have one chance to get out of this and only one chance. You must give us sufficient information as to either the identity or the whereabouts of this man. Do you cooperate?" the man asked and left the open suggestion as to what could be happening to her if Evey decided to not cooperate with them.
Mortified Evey stared at the face of the man in front of her, how casually he sat there, as if this question was a regular question of some trivial thing. Yet the implications he placed were enough to make the young woman quake in sheer horror.
After a few moments of silence, which he gave her to contemplate whether or not to betray V again, his patience ran a bit thinner.
"If you choose not to cooperate, we will be forced to process you and get the information we want by other means. But we will get it in the end, it is only a matter of how we will get it. The choice is yours." he said and leaned a fraction towards the light and his face, though still engulfed in shadow, seemed to tense and Evey could sense that he fixed her with his stare.
Seems like spending time with V actually gave me a new sense of what people think even though I don't see their faces...
Still unable to answer properly due to the shaking that still controlled her and a fear of fainting the next moment because of utter terror, Evey only stared at the shadowy figure in front of her. Gradually the man leaned ever more forward and emerged into the light, placing his hands atop the table, in pretty much the same motion V used to do when he sat with her and they talked over the table while she ate the meals he prepared for her. A sudden urge to cry overcame Evey as the memory washed over her. V, in that hilarious apron of his, clothed in black, standing at the stove and preparing delicious meals for her, while kindly teasing her about something.
As Evey finally looked up again, she was faced with the impassive stare of Peter Creedy himself, fixing her with those hard, cold eyes. Eyes that wouldn't blink at the prospect of torture towards her.
"Fine then. You will give us the information we want, sooner or later."
Turning around to adress someone standing outside of the small interrogation room, he said the words that would haunt Evey for years to come.
"Process her."
Meanwhile V held silent vigil above the heads of so many sleeping and unknowing people. London was deep in slumber and if he would be honest with himself, even V was a little tired. Mostly because the memory of the betrayal that cruel angel Evey had dealt him still lingered.
How foolish of me... to think she would understand...
She had run away the first chance she got, trying to protect a paedophiliac priest, who didn't deserve to be called a servant of the Allmigthy. And V, the silent avenger, had been foolish enough to believe Evey would actually help him. The moment these accursed words left the priests mouth, he had frozen and a large part of his humanity had died, as he looked into those blazing blue eyes, filled with fear and the realization of what she had done. For a moment he was stunned into utter silence, into total and complete disbelief.
He had hoped that the time within the Shadow Gallery would help her in more than in the prospect of keeping her safe. Because when he was honest, it was mostly his fault that she was a wanted felon. If he hadn't invited her along that fateful night to the roof opposing the Old Bailey, she wouldn't have been in trouble.
But when he had felt her hand grab his gloved one, so dainty and frail, he simply couldn't control the urge to invite her and spin the ever-moving wheels of fate.
And now this!
Foolish girl!
He had seldom felt so dissapointed in another human. And at the same moment he felt such immeasurable hate and wrath that he would have nearly been ready to tear the first person apart that crossed his path tonight.
And yet, he simply had the irresistible urge to find out where she was, to make sure that wherever she could be hiding, she was at least safe and not in the clutches of the Finger.
So what if she is, she left you the moment an opportunity presented itself, let the Finger have her, let them get rid of her! the darkest part of his mind whispered to him and consciously V realized that it was only his dissappointment in her actions that made him harbour such thoughts.
And we have played a rather large part in that, haven't we? another voice piped up. V had to agree with that. He supposed it had not been easy on her, to know she was a prisoner, only about to be released in one year.
Deliberately ignoring the thoughts running through his mind, his hatred battling with his unnatural desire to protect her, he silently moved through the shadows over the rooftops of London.
There was really only one place he could think of where little Evey might be hiding. Partly because he had seen that small scrap of paper Evey had in her possession, with Gordon Deitrichs number and adress on it. And so, he moved among the shadows, crept close to Deitrichs house and peered cautiously over the wall in the backyard.
And what he saw, didn't really assure him that Evey was safe and sound, merely hiding in Deitrichs house. Instead he could spot a large puddle of blood on the ground next to the small terrace. Closer inspection told him that the blood was at least a day old, perhaps longer and the amount of it spoke for a deadly injury.
Presently a sound emanated from the silent house and voices drew closer, forcing V to retreat back into the shadows and watch them from a corner under the shade of a grand tree.
Then, two men stepped out of the house, carrying "God save the Queen" between them and talking animatedly with each other. So Deitrichs hidden cellar had been discovered. More and more facts to add to the assumption that Gordon Deitrich was dead, especially after what he had done that fateful show, making fun of Chancellor Sutler no less.
Of course, V had been immensely pleased with what his Vendetta enforced people to do, and that a man as important as Deitrich had dared to raise flags at the regime itself by making fun of its leader, made him suddenly proud of the man. But still, V had suspected that the Finger would come for him, which was part of why he was here tonight. He knew that if Evey indeed was hiding here and they would come to take Deitrich into custody, they would find Evey also.
The sound of sickeningly pleased laughter yanked him out of his thoughts and he focussed on the men again.
"Who'd think that the old bloke would be one of the gays?" one said, crunching up his face in disgust.
That doesn't sound well for Gordon...
"And being on of these Muslims no less! Right under our nose! And he even hid that terrorist girl!" the other exclaimed, leaning on the frame of the large picture.
Now it gets interesting... V thought as he strained to hear more, gather more information regarding young Evey.
"Well, no good did it bring him,eh? Bet the crows are already picking at his liver."
That did indeed confirm his suspicions, Gordon Deitrich was dead.
"What ya think the finger will do to the girl? Wish I could help them, wouldn't mind giving her a piece of me." the other man said, grabbing his parts and laughing sickeningly. A surge of anger washed over V at the things this men implied and part of him wanted to kill him at the spot for it. But the concern for Evey grew. From what these men said, Evey had been caught by the Fingermen no less. Without doubt Creedy would make it his personal pleasure to "interrogate" Evey for information.
Young, little, innocent Evey was a prisoner of the Finger now and V could only hope she wouldn't reveal him soon. The only possible way to ensure both his survival and the survival of his vendetta and Evey would be to "reclaim" her. Bring her back to the Shadow Gallery and making sure she wouldn't run away again.
As V turned and vanished among the other shadows of night, he allowed himself to hope against better judgement that Evey would hold out a little against them, only as long as it took him to locate her whereabouts and save her from Creedy.
Although he wasn't entirely sure that he wouldn't do something he might regret to her, he simply needed to help her. If anything, to make sure she understood that this fight belonged to her also from the moment she maced Detective Stone in that foyer of Jordan Tower.
Evey, hold on for a little while... I come to find you...
Read and review, please! Need to know if I should continue!