Author's Note I don't see many Killer Queen fictions up here at all. Since she's my favourite character, I went to wondering what would happen if the tables were turned, in a sense. In ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST, it displays her confidence, her power over any man she's ever been with. She thinks she can separate herself and move on easily, to get along without someone. She takes great pride in knowing how to bring a man to the ground. She's confident, and has broken the hearts of many. What happens when someone else beats her to it? My KQ is portrayed after the one portrayed by Mazz Murray, just a heads up. One shot for now, but may turn into multi-chapter.
Disclaimer God, how I wish I owned the WWRY characters, but I don't.
"Ma'am!" Commander Khashoggi announced, rushing into the room. "I bring splendid news!"
Killer Queen, surrounded by a hoard of female yuppies, all basking under the fact that they were there serving the Chief Executive Officer of Global Soft, turned her head in the direction of her right-hand man's entry. Her interest piquing, she turned to the yuppies, nodding her head in the direction of the opposite door.
"Give me a moment," She said; a simple four-word sentence that sent the yuppies grudgingly leaving the room, with a couple of nasty glances shot in Khashoggi's direction before it was just the two of them in the room. Tentatively awaiting the full attention of his boss, Khashoggi took a step forward.
"My officers have been successful in breaking up the Bohemian stronghold—" He began, but was cut off abruptly by Killer Queen, with a grin spreading across her heavily made-up face.
"—But Khashoggi—this is wonderful! Incredible!" She said, obviously thrilled. At last, they'd succeeded in ridding Planet Mall of the Bohemian rebellion. It'd been a frustrating process, since the damn rebellion seemed to stay hidden for so long. But since they'd tracked the two kids—Galileo, or whatever is name was, and the little smart-mouthed hussy who trailed him, they'd been able to find the whereabouts of the Heartbreak Hotel. Killer Queen was actually astonished that the Commander had actually pulled it off. "The resistance is vanquished! We've won!"
"Yes, ma'am. Unfortunately—" Khashoggi began, but Killer Queen was in a state of sheer euphoria. If the whole stronghold was captured…then those two that had gotten away obviously were caught, too! It was perfect, brilliant!
"Don't stop me now, Khashoggi!" Killer Queen snapped, shooting a frigid, blue-eyed glance in his direction in warning. "This is perfect! We can continue the plan. Live music will be gone forever! There is no Dreamer, no Rock, no star that'll come to their rescue…"
"Ma'am, if I might just interrupt—" Khashoggi held up a tentative finger in motion, trying desperately but timidly to put in what he was about to say earlier.
"—We've come out the victor! Those poor little Bohemians, the never even saw it coming," She said wickedly, throwing her head back with an excited, deep, throaty laugh which resembled a cackle. "Our plan can proceed, Khashoggi. It always was meant to. Things will actually be the way they were supposed to be—"
"Ma'am, I hate to do it, but—" Khashoggi moaned, knowing what was going to half to be done to get a word in edgewise with the head. He hated to destroy her excitement in this sense, but she had to find out one way or another. His life could depend on it if she found out from anyone else.
"Cyberspace will dominate the entire population. Now music can be downloaded from synthetic means. We will rule it out—"
"MAAAAAAAA'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!!" Khashoggi finally cried out. His cry reverberated throughout the chrome walls of the building and echoed through the room which had at that point gone dangerously silent. Killer Queen sighed heavily, a manicured hand placed on her corseted hip as she turned her head with an annoyed look directed toward her commander. This had better be bloody important. To interrupt her was something that she didn't take kindly to at all. The look she gave him was enough to make a dog tuck its tail between its legs, and if Khashoggi had one, it was sure to have been tucked so tightly it'd be almost invisible.
"I'm afraid you didn't let me finish," Khashoggi said quietly, averting his eyes anywhere but the Killer Queen's caustic gaze which was targeted in his direction.
"Finish now." She said bluntly, her fingers tapping her hip in an obvious impatient gesture. It was obvious that she was not pleased in the least. Khashoggi swallowed, feeling the sweat beading on his forehead.
"We broke up the bohemian stronghold, but you see but Dreamer - and his bad-arsed babe escaped! Gotta go..." Khashoggi took a couple tentative steps back, awaiting the eruption of fireworks.
"You lost them?" Killer Queen hissed, her blue eyes boring into him as she turned to face him, advancing on him slowly.
"Lost them? Oh, I see…lost them, oh, no, we didn't lose them, no—" He chuckled nervously with a shrug. "We just don't know where they are."
"I'm sick of excuses, Commander Khashoggi," Killer Queen said, her voice calm, but stern. Tense. "And I'm also sick of you."
"Madame?" Khashoggi felt his blood run cold, and the icy chill of fear roll through his entire being.
"Yeah, you heard me," She snapped. "With your weary, sneery, posey, schmosey, 'look at me, I'm wearing sunglasses indoors' crap. Oiling around the place with your snooty little booty in your Armani suity."
Her tone reached a higher, squeaky octave, taunting him. But Khashoggi knew that this was no joke. "Actually," He said, trying to bring a lighter air to the conversation. "ma'am, it's M&S. They've really rather raised their game recently, don't you think?"
"Need I remind you, that as well as being Business Woman of the Year, I'm also dynamite with a laser beam!" She shouted, causing Khashoggi to jump.
"Oh, nobody admires you more than I do, ma'am, your gentle manner, your quiet, unassuming sense of style, your kind and forgiving nature—" Khashoggi said, his tone pleading.
"You know what happens to people who disappoint me, Khashoggi," Killer Queen said, eyes narrowed. "I think it's time… to blow… your… MIND!"
Kashoggi flinched with a yelp as the cry of the Killer Queen echoed abruptly.
"How do you think I'm going to get along without you, Khashoggi?" Killer Queen snapped, advancing on him as she grabbed him by the collar, leveling him with a narrow-eyed gaze. "I don't need you. I've taken you for everything you've got, and now I'm kicking your ass out!"
There
are plenty of ways that you can hurt a man
And
bring him to the ground
You
can beat him
You
can cheat him
You
can treat him bad and leave him
When
he's down, yeah
But
I'm ready, yes I'm ready for you
I'm
standing on my own two feet
Out
of the doorway the bullets rip
Repeating
to the sound of the beat
Khashoggi was gone, sent to the Seven Seas of Rye. Killer Queen paced the room, eyes averting to every computer screen that gave her information on what was going on. Indeed a strong, independent woman, she took great pride in the fact that she never needed a man. She'd done twice that of what any man had accomplished, and as a woman that was definitely something that brought her arrogance up in the slightest. She could hurt easily and do it for sport. But for the most part, she was kind-natured… as long as you played by the rules.
There was a beeping as a message came through onto the big screen. She turned and headed toward the system, pressing the ACCEPT button.
"What do you want?" She said sharply. A tall, dark haired man in his forties appeared on the big screen. He wore sun glasses, like Khashoggi did, but there was something different about his demeanor. Where Khashoggi was timid he made up for in arrogance. Her eyes narrowed.
"Hello, Madame," He said, with a nod. "I must say, it is a pleasure to see you for the first time. I'm honoured to meet you."
"Who the hell are you?" Killer Queen demanded. The guy chuckled, a light, throaty, sensual sound, like someone narrating a men's cologne commercial.
"I was hired as your new Commander." He responded. His tone was fearless, but polite and respectful as well. "Rathbone, they call me."
"Commander Rathbone," Killer Queen repeated, as though trying out the name for the first time. She wasn't entirely impressed with this guy upon first meeting him. He becomes another Khashoggi, so help me… "What brought you to this position in the first place?"
"Our stunning, intelligent, strong-willed Chief Executive Officer of Global Soft, Madame," He said, responding without missing a beat. The flattery caught Killer Queen off guard, which proceeded to annoy her.
"Is that so?" She responded, a humourless grin playing across her face. Cocky son of a bitch. "Well, I'm not sure if you'll see me in the same light after a month of working here."
"I dare to disagree, Madame," Rathbone responded. That same stupid smile was on his face. He was very daunting, which infuriated Killer Queen even more.
"Oh? Really?" Killer Queen gave a single dry laugh, leaning against the system with both hands propped on the machine. "Well, Commander Rathbone, I invite you to come and really decide seeing me in the flesh. And that's an invitation you can't deny,"
Again with that damnable cocky laugh. "That I cannot indeed, Madame. I'll be there."
:.:
Over three hours later, Killer Queen heard knocking on the great doors leading into the company. She turned her head in the direction. "Open it."
Sure enough, the same suave Commander strided inside, followed in suit by a couple of the guards. They were looking at him with rather distaste. She decided to keep that in mind. There was something about this man that she just didn't trust. He was extremely confident, but why, she couldn't figure out. But she was now hellbent on finding that out.
"Commander Rathbone." She said, handed placed on her hips as she shot him a bemused look. "How can I help you?"
"Well, you're not as intimidating as people make you out to be, if I might say, Madame," He said, hands placed behind his back as he looked her in the eye. She raised a perfectly penciled eyebrow in response with a surprised laugh.
"You're a bold boy, aren't you, sport?" She said. The same tapping of her corset consisted. A habit she'd formed. Indefinitely when she was irritated or impatient with something or somebody. But there was something she almost found appealing about him.
"People have said that, Madame, yes," He responded. Killer Queen chuckled.
"Well, I can promise you that this confidence you currently possess will almost definitely be brought down a couple of notches after a couple of days of working for Global Soft."
Rathbone took a step forward toward her, his dark eyes studying hers. For some odd reason, Killer Queen found herself slightly taken aback by this intensity of his. She noticed at that point how tall he was. He towered over her, which was made her feel slightly vulnerable. Clearing her throat, she straightened, leveling his gaze.
"I didn't come here just to work for Global Soft, Madame, but to work for you." He said, his voice lower, quieter. "You've been a huge influence in what I do." Killer Queen searched his face.
"Three things," She said, swallowing, keeping her voice firm, but found that it quieted as well. "Either this is some sorry attempt at flattery, you mean what you say, or you're trying to seduce me, which I promise you won't work."
Rathbone chuckled. He took her hand, brought it up to his face and kissed it in a gentlemanly manner. All the while, he still stared steadily into her eyes. Killer Queen felt chills roll up and down her spine. "Whichever one you see fit."
He turned with a bow and left the room, leaving The Killer Queen flabbergasted, gob-smacked, and any other confusing adjective that could possibly cross one's mind. She stared at the door he had just walked out of, sinking into a nearby cushioned chair shaped like a cube, all the while asking herself a series of questions. She knew he made her feel something, and she wanted to know what and why, and what it was about him that made her feel. Was it the fact that he showed absolutely no fear toward her? She always thought striking fear into people's hearts was appealing, while being adored as well. But the fact that she didn't seem to scare this man… for some reason that appealed to her too.
Exhaling slowly, she leaned back against the chair, staring at the ceiling. She knew she had to get it figured out and do whatever it took to avoid it. Falling for some goonball's courting ritual was not something she typically did, and she wasn't about to start. At that, she stood up and walked briskly out of the room.
:.:
Sitting at her metallic desk in her office, staring at a computer screen for what seemed like forever, The Head of Global Soft sat back with an impatient sigh, awaiting an email she planned to send to the entire company to load and send. She was just about to make a mental note to boot up the memory on the whole server… or for that matter have someone else do it, when a frequency from the telegraphic system on the other side of the room made a blaring noise. Killer Queen's head shot up with a start.
"What the hell?" She snapped, pushing the chair back with such force it wheeled back and collided with the wall behind her. She stormed over to the system, smacking ACCEPT with deadly precision.
"Madame," Rathbone said as his face appeared on the screen. "Sorry about the frequency."
"This better be important," Killer Queen growled. "That frequency about gave me a heart attack."
"Again, my apologies, Madame," Rathbone said. "But I believe you'll be pleased at the news I bring. The boy called the Dreamer and his little girlfriend have been captured."
Killer Queen's eyebrows shot up. "What? Are you sure?"
"Leather jacket-clad kid with a purple haired little witch as his girlfriend?" Rathbone said. "We got them."
"That's fantastic!" Killer Queen gave throaty laugh. "Where are you now?"
"We're on our way," Rathbone said. "What do you want done with them?"
"Bring them here and have the guards put them in the prison," Killer Queen instructed. Could it be? Could it be that this new, cocky, handsome Commander had succeeded where Khashoggi could not? Whatever the reason, Killer Queen was thrilled. "I'd like to have a word with you."
:.:
Soon enough, Killer Queen heard the door open half an hour later as well as screamed obscenities from a female, and shouts from that of a young male. So it is true, She thought. The Bohemian stronghold has finally been defeated.
"Come in," Killer Queen said before she even heard the door knock. There was hesitation and the door opened, revealing Rathbone.
"I'm impressed." She said, a wry grin playing across her face as her hands were placed on her hips. Rathbone grinned, making his way closer.
"You didn't think I could actually do it, did you?" He said. A smile still on her face, she stepped forward.
"I had my doubts, I'll be honest," She said. "But I have to praise you on this one. You accomplished something we've been unable to for a long time."
"Anything to serve the Killer Queen," He said. Again, he was extremely close to her. She felt almost uneasy about it, but there was something enjoyable about it as well. She chuckled, shaking her head.
"You never quit, do you, Rathbone?" She said, searching his face. He grinned, shaking his head.
"Not if I know I did something right," He said. "Let alone two things."
"Two things?" Killer Queen furrowed her eyebrows, looking at him quizzically. Reaching into his jacket, Rathbone pulled out a VHS tape. Something Killer Queen hadn't seen in decades, but she knew exactly what this particular one was. Her eyes widened.
"You didn't." She said incredulously, taking the tape from him. It was ancient, covered in dust, but she knew what it was immediately.
"The Bohemians called it the Holy Scroll," Rathbone chuckled. "And it's of great use to us, isn't it?"
"My God, yes," Killer Queen exclaimed, taking the tape as she examined it herself. "This could—this could change everything. We'll be unstoppable with this."
"You're beautiful," Rathbone said, staring at her, shaking his head. Killer Queen felt her breath catch in her throat as he moved closer to her.
"What did I tell you about flattery?" She said, almost warningly, eyeing him warily, but her voice was low, almost husky as she found her body inches away from his. Rathbone slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her nearer to him. The amazing thing was, she actually allowed it.
"It's not flattery," He said softly with a grin. Cupping her chin in his hand, he kissed her. The kiss was long, lingering, and intense. She reached behind his neck and kissed him in return with the same amount of heat as he had provided. Still holding her, Rathbone walked forward, urging her back at the same pace as he soon had her up against the wall. Her back smacked against it and with a slight grunt of pain, she ignored it, her hands on both is cheeks as the kiss continued, fierce, predatory, and extremely heated. His arms tightened around her, holding her close to him, until the door was opened. Both of them sprang apart, but Killer Queen, not realizing she didn't have anywhere to go in back of her, smacked her head against the wall. Cursing angrily, her hand rubbing the back of her head, she looked up to see one of the yuppies standing in the doorway.
"What the hell do you want?" She growled, shooting a scathing glance at the young girl. The yuppie shrank back slightly.
"An email was sent from the dungeon involving the two captives," She said timidly. Killer Queen motioned with her arm furiously.
"Fine, I'll get to it momentarily, get out of here," She snarled. The girl turned tail and scurried out the door quick enough. With a pained groan, Killer Queen closed her eyes, rubbing her head, letting it fall, gingerly, back against the wall where she leaned. Rathbone leaned with one hand against the same wall, arm beside her, the other on his hip. He looked back at her.
"Should be pick up where we left off?" He said. Killer Queen shook her head, opening her eyes.
"No. I don't want to risk it," She said. She pushed herself off the wall and past Rathbone. She turned, however, her eyes sensual.
"I'll call you down tomorrow, maybe?" She said with a grin. Rathbone grinned, moving toward her, placing both hands on her hips as he kissed her forehead.
"I'll be there," He said, then let go and headed out the door. Killer Queen stood in the middle of the room where he had left her.
"Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea," She muttered, shaking her head as she rubbed the back of it again. She was sure that she'd probably be feeling that little incident tomorrow. It'd also remind her of the mistake that she really didn't feel guilty for. She went to her computer, clicking on the inbox which read (1) New Message(s). She clicked on the link which brought up the email from down in the dungeon.
To:
From:
Message:
Prisoners relented. Admitted whereabouts of the Sacred Instruments. Will be kept for further investigation.
Killer Queen grinned, clicking out of the message as she stood back up. She knew one way or another, things would indeed fall into place better than she ever imagined.
:.:
It had been at least a month since Galileo Figaro and Scaramouche had been captured. The plans of Global Soft were falling into place, and the Killer Queen and Rathbone had been together since that moment. She was actually happy, for once in her life, fulfilled in a personal sense, she supposed. Being loved by the people was one thing, but being loved by a man who actually cared was a completely different thing. Something she wasn't used to, but she treasured every second of it.
She stood in the room, going over emails she'd been sent when a knocking on the door caught her attention.
"Knock knock," Came the familiar voice on the other side of the door. Killer Queen chuckled, leaning back in the chair.
"Come in," She responded, her eyes on the door as Commander Rathbone walked in.
"Commander Rathbone," She said, emphasizing on his last name teasingly, a playful, yet, sensual smile on her face. Rathbone grinned, moving toward the chair where she sat.
"Killer Queen," He responded in the same joking, taunting tone. She chuckled, running a long, glittered nail down his neck seductively.
"I'll show you Killer Queen," She growled teasingly, pulling his head toward her as she kissed him. A bit of a forceful manner, but did he expect anything less? Rathbone kissed her back, his hands on her leather-clad knees. After breaking the kiss, Killer Queen studied his face, her blue eyes firm, searching his dark pair.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" She said.
"Do what?" Rathbone responded. Killer Queen couldn't entirely tell if he was being coy or not. It irked her in the slightest.
"Get involved with me," She said. "You're taking a risk few people want to take."
"It's all going to be worth it." He responded with a chuckle, moving his head in to kiss her again, but she pushed him back lightly.
"I mean it," She responded, her voice a bit more curt than she had planned. "And what the hell does that mean?"
He seemed to hesitate for a second, the first time Killer Queen had ever seen him hesitate. It worried her in the slightest. If anything, she knew she had been the one putting herself at risk. She'd allowed herself to actually care deeply for this man, which she knew was a dangerous thing. But she was convinced she could handle it.
"What I mean is…" Rathbone began. He was hesitating way too much. What the hell did his comment mean, anyway? Killer Queen's blue eyes bore into his face.
"You're beautiful," He said. "And I love you, you know that."
"Flattery. Again." She said, standing. She made her way over to the window, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You would question that?" Rathbone said, looking at her, with her back to him. Killer Queen shook her head.
"When you're in a position that I'm in, you don't let yourself get attached," She said, looking over her shoulder at him. "You're the leader of a massive company and a ruler of millions of people. You get attached and things go badly, and it winds up destroying you. I've seen it happen to people and I refuse to let it happed to me."
She felt arms slip around her waist from behind and a chin place itself on her shoulder, with the heat of another body in back of her.
"That won't happen to you," Rathbone's voice was heard in her ear. She could feel the warmth of his breath on the side of her face. Hands placed over his, she pressed his arms to her, leaning back against him lightly, but lowered her eyes.
"Easier said than done," She said quietly.
:.:
"Madame!" Killer Queen's head shot up as a GaGa police officer came running in. "There's been an obstruction!"
"An obstruction?" Killer Queen stood abruptly. "What kind of obstruction?"
"By our own staff, Madame," The officer said, shaking his head. "I always knew the man wasn't to be trusted."
He turned and ran, and Killer Queen's stomach knotted itself immediately. It couldn't be… he wouldn't.
Exhaling slowly and straightening, she went over to her desk, sitting down at the computer to read email and saw the EMERGENCY title in her inbox. She opened it.
Warning
There has been an obstruction of security, privacy, and property at Global Soft. Commander Rathbone is responsible for hacking into the system, stealing information, and above all, copying the VHS tape that was confiscated from the Bohemian stronghold.
Reading this made Killer Queen absolutely sick. Not only that, but furious. Rathbone dared steal from Globalsoft? He actually had the audacity to use her to get what he wanted for some other company—
"So, news does travel fast here," Rathbone's voice was heard as he walked in the door, coming up from behind.
"Jesus—" Killer Queen spun around with a start. She shot upward automatically. "So it is true. What they're saying is true."
Her tone was caustic, vicious. She stared at him as though her eyes would send sparks any second. The side of her that wanted to treat him like any other traitor or disappointer silently hoped him dead, but the other side couldn't have felt worse. He had purposely betrayed her…
"It's survival of the fittest, Madame," He said, his tone emotionless, cruel. Killer Queen's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"And you think you're fit to survive in it more so than the rest of us," She spat with disgust, slamming down on the alert button on her desk which would summon the guards.
"Oh, but you can't. I love you, you wouldn't call the guards on me, Killer Queen, would you?" Rathbone mimicked with a cruel laugh. Killer Queen at that point lost every ounce of patience she possibly had.
"You dare mock me?" She roared furiously. "You made a mockery out of the entire corporation. You stole from the company. For who?!"
"That's no matter to you," He responded. "It won't ruin Globalsoft, but it definitely brought my company up in rank, and I can thank you for that."
"Do you have any idea what kind of mistake you've made?" Killer Queen said, her voice quieted down, in sheer disbelief. "No one else would have dared—"
"Yes, nobody else would have," Rathbone cut her off just as the guards walked in. "But nobody else knows you."
Killer Queen felt sick upon hearing that. She studied him, her eyes frigid. "And what do you mean by that?"
"You take so much pride in hurting other men. Maybe it was your turn to see what it was like, to know how it feels to trust and be betrayed and abandoned."
"Where is the VHS tape?" Killer Queen snapped, trying to push what he said out of her mind. Rathbone chuckled.
"You still have your precious tape, but you're not the only company who has it now." He said. "To think how easily the Killer Queen was—"
"—Shut UP!!" Killer Queen screamed. The booming of her voice caused every guard in the room to flinch. "I will never be taken advantage of. You've had your fun, but you haven't gotten away with it. You'll never see the light of day again—"
"My point exactly." Rathbone responded. "I had my fun, and I now know what I was able to achieve. And you know what I'm talking about."
Killer Queen was enraged, but fell silent. It wasn't worth asking if he had ever actually loved her, but she couldn't resist. She had to at least know.
"So it was for the sport." She said, hands placed on her hips promptly, although she was well and painfully aware that she was shaking. But nothing was visible to anyone in that room. She refused to give Rathbone that satisfaction. "I take it none of it meant anything to you. Nothing. Nothing you said, anything. Correct?"
Rathbone sneered. "I'd be lying if I said it didn't mean something to me, but not what you're thinking."
"Then so be it," Killer Queen snapped. "Get him out of here! You're a disgrace to the human race, Rathbone. You don't deserve a penis, you spindles, conniving little prat. I SAID GET HIM OUT OF HERE!!"
The guards grabbed Rathbone by different limbs and hauled him out. What infuriated Killer Queen was how proud he seemed to go. She swung the door shut behind them with a loud crash, feeling slightly satisfactory in doing so. After they left, she was alone.
As she thought things through, the reality of if hit her. She became painfully aware of how badly he had hurt her. Hands still placed firmly on her hips, she moved to the window, staring out as the guards hauled a now handcuffed Rathbone to the Seven Seas of Rye. Watching this, it all hit her at once. The times they had together, the security she felt, and realized all of it had been a lie. A lie that she should have caught in the first place.
Something in her chest felt like it was being ripped in half, and almost immediately realized it was her heart breaking. A heart that it seemed to some she never even had. Taking one hand off her hip, watching Rathbone being hauled out, her hand covered her mouth, and the Killer Queen, the dynamite with a laser beam, began to sob. Tears that started off lightly, almost unrealistic, and gradually escalated. She sank into a chair, letting her head fall into her hands as she finally cried for the first time since she was twelve. Cried for everything that had possibly built up over the years, and cried for the man who she thought actually cared about her and had betrayed her. The tables had turned, Rathbone was right. She wasn't standing on her own two feet anymore. She had been taken advantage of and abandoned. She wasn't ready for that love to die and it had.
End
Author's Note: Maybe, unless this hits it off well. I'll have to talk to my Beta reader and see what she thinks should be added. REVIEW, guys, tell me what you think.