Chapter 12
Revenge...Best served HOT...
As the days passed and Tiffany recovered, V's involvement with the outside world had all but ceased except for his few nightly rounds... and the one small act he had yet to finish... that reason now had him perched atop one of the stone gargoyles of the New London Arms Hotel. He watched the waves of people exiting and entering the newly constructed building, observing each and every human body that walked through the double doors. The person he had been watching over the last several weeks had left just moments earlier accompanied by a young woman. V rose gracefully, disappearing into the darkness.
The man led the girl toward the entrance of a nearby alleyway, his grip on her tightening as they stopped under the brightness of a street lamp.
"This is your corner now bitch." He smiled smugly. "Everything you make or steal comes back to me, you understand?" Alex Jackson's gold chain shone in the lamplight as he walked around the young woman. He hadn't seen a bit of body like hers since his last girl up and left him, he had no idea where she had gone but one thing he did know was if he ever caught sight of her again, he had a nice little bullet waiting for her-no one skipped out on him and lived.
The young girl shook her head.
"Then we agree?"
Once again the girl gave a quick nod.
"Then get to work." He pushed her up against the lamp post. "I'll check back in later."
V watched from the roof of a nearby building as the man walked away. Staying to the shadows he made his way to the ladder and slid to the wet pavement below quietly approaching the young woman. "I assure you, I mean you no harm." He stepped from the shadows, the white mask shinning in the lamp light. "Are you hurt?"
The girl moved away a few steps as she watched the masked figure extend a gloved hand to her.
"It's alright...I only want to help." V lowered his hand, removing his hat he bowed toward her. "You may call me V. May I ask whom I am speaking with?"
"Sarah...Sarah Jones." She answered softly, dropping her head down...her eyes not looking at V.
"There is no need for this any further." He slid a gloved finger under her chin raising it gently.
A small smile escaped pale lips. "You're...you're that terrorist that wiped Norsefire and Sutler out." She paused a moment, studying the mask. "Everyone says you're dead..."
"As you can see, my demise has been greatly exaggerated, although I do prefer the world's interpretation of my disappearance." V grinned under Fawkes' mask. "Do you live nearby?"
"No..." she paused momentarily, "my parents live in Suffolk."
"Ah..."V reached under his cloak and produced a drawstring bag full of currency. Over the last weeks he had started carrying the bag with him on his nightly visits just in case he ran into a situation such as this. "I have a friend that will take you to the nearest working bus station...purchase a ticket and go home where you will be safe." He handed her the pouch and an address he wrote down on a piece of scrap paper.
Sarah stared at the bag in her hand, then up at the mask that concealed the man that had just saved her from a life of misery. "Thank you..." Her arms wrapped around his neck gently. "Thank you..." Stepping away from him, she smiled.
V watched as the girl disappeared into the night then swiftly took to the rooftops of London...the night would become his once again, and the chaos he would bring with it would rule the darkness.
Alex adjusted the heavy gold chain around his neck making sure the shirt collar did not obstruct its view. Running a hand down the sleeve of the leather jacket, he brushed off any miscellaneous pieces of dust or lint he had picked up from outside then smiled at his reflection in the mirror. It felt good to be back in business after Creedy's untimely demise at the hands of the terrorist simply known as "V". He hated to admit it, but he and the Norsefire party head had made a damn good team. Running a private "escort" service out of the back room of the Kitty Kat Keller had been an ingenious idea of Creedy's-one that had made Alex and his deceased partner both very wealthy.
'Too bad the bastard never got to enjoy any of it!' Alex laughed as he thought about how Peter would set in his grand leather chair and brag about how he had almost caught the man known as V several times...but that was in the past and Alex had his future to think about now...his destiny lay before him, and it was as bright as the gold he wore.
Outside in the blackness a lone figure watched in silence, a gloved hand rested securely atop the closest blade in the belt. V could feel the anger growing as he watched the pompous peacock strut around the dimly lit room. Every time he thought back to the day he had found the half-dead girl in the alleyway, his hand tightened just a bit more around the pommel. What Alex had done to Tiffany was inexcusable...and he would pay for it...oh yes, how he would pay!
Alex looked up and down the street...he knew this was the place he had left her-but where the fuck was she!? "Hell!" He snarled quickly looking around. "Fuck!"
"That is quite enough of your profanity." A low voice echoed.
"Who the hell is out there?" Alex snapped, "Show yourself." He pulled his 45 out and pointed it in the direction of the voice.
"Who is but the form of what, and what I am is a man in a mask." V emerged from the foggy mist, the light from above catching the Fawkes mask in luminous shadows. V looked like an avenging angel from hell.
Alex's face drained of color as the black figure moved toward him. "Stop right there, or I'll blow your fucking face off!" He aimed the gun.
V observed the man from beneath the mask, all the while his mind made the calculations for evenly slicing the man's wrist tendon. In a matter of seconds, the gun clattered onto the bricks and Alex was holding a profusely bleeding wrist.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"Not as much as I would like too at this time..." V's leather covered fist connected to Alex's face...the mask the last thing he saw before darkness engulfed him.
Tiffany waited patiently in the media room for V's return. He had been gone for hours but to her, it was a lifetime. With Viola and Mondego curled securely at her feet on the couch there wasn't a lot she could do...until the gallery door began to open and the cats looked up. Tiffany bound from the couch and to the door.
"I was so worried..." She threw her arms around V.
"There was no need to worry my love...I was perfectly safe." He gently removed her arms and stepped back.
Tiffany stared at him. "V, is everything ok?"
"Everything could not be better..." His head tilted toward her as he removed the hat and cloak laying them on the piano top. "I have a gift for you."
Tiffany's eyes grew large and she stepped toward him. "V, you have given me so much already..."
"This is a special gift Tiffany one that I hope will help you put your past to rest." He took her hand in his leading her toward an old hallway on the far right of the Gallery's main room. Tiffany had seen the opening many times as she had explored the main rooms and cubicles but had never areas she knew were off limits to her.
"Where are we going, V?" She glanced at the man beside her.
"To an unused portion of the Shadow Gallery." He answered.
"My gift is in there?"
"Yes." A simple answer...nothing more.
They continued down the hallway coming to a stop before an old wooden door. V produced a rusty key, placed it in the door lock and turned it slowly. The door screeched open and he stepped back allowing Tiffany access to the opening.
Tiffany entered slowly a large breath escaped her lips as she recognized the figure chained by the wrists from the ceiling. "Alex."
V watched from the doorway as she reached out to touch the bruised side of his face.
"Tiff?"
"Yes?"
"Get me outta here...he's gonna kill me." Alex whispered.
Tiffany backed away, taking a deep breath.
"Get me down from here!" Alex snarled jerking the chains.
"After what you did to me..."Her eyes narrowed. "What makes you think I give a fuck what he does to you!?"
Alex exploded. "You bitch! You fucking little whore! I should have made sure you were dead when I threw you in the alley like the piece of trash you were!"
V was by Tiffany's side in a wink of an eye, a knife blade lying across Alex's neck. "You are very privilaged to be alive under the circumstances that I have been left to deal with..." The mask tilted to the right slightly...one swift slice and Alex would be no more.
"V...can you do me a favor?"
"What do you wish?"
"Call Finch and get rid of this trash will you?" Tiffany turned and walked away.
A sly smile appeared on Jackson's lips. "Guess she fucked up your plans, huh asshole."
"Oh no...not tonight my friend, not tonight." Fawkes smiled.
Tiffany sat at the kitchen table, a warm cup of tea in her hands. It had been hours since she had last seen V. The sight of Alex hanging from the wooden rafters of the ceiling had suddenly brought back all the hell she endured with the man over the last several years. She had once loved Alex, but now, her love and loyalty lay with a man who wore all black clothing, a wig and a Guy Fawkes mask. Lifting the cup to her lips, crazy thoughts raced through her mind until the sound of the Gallery door opening brought her back to reality. V entered the kitchen a few moments later to stand by the table, watching the woman sitting before him.
"Well?"
V breathed a sigh of relief. "My vendetta is complete."
"Alex?"
"Mr. Jackson has been delivered into the capable hands of Inspector Finch." He answered.
Tiffany rose from the chair and placed her hands on his chest. "Then there is no need for this any longer." Her fingers found the leather straps of the mask and untied them letting Fawkes face gently slide into V's waiting hands. "You can keep the wig for a while..." she smiled up at him. V's damaged lips twisted into a smile as he took her into his arms and kissed her as the mask bounced onto the couch and to the rug.
Several feet away, a pair of green eyes watched from the shadows. Curious, he moved a few inches closer. Whatever this was on the floor-his floor was now in deep trouble. Concentrating on his plan of attack, he closed the distance between the prey only to miss it completely and smash face first into V's boot.
Bending down, gloved hands picked the kitten up. "Ah, Mondego..." V grinned, " you will never learn will you...Dante's always wins."