Chapter 11

The word of Listler's betrayal had apparently reached no one except for Evey and V while she remained in the Gallery. After all, the man was the director of the entire countries intelligence agency; if he wanted to remain hidden, it would not be difficult for him to manage.

Evey rejoined the world above expecting chaos surrounding the attack at the agency, but was surprised when she heard nothing, and everyone seemed oblivious. She concluded that Listler must have tidied up the mess and tied up all of the loose ends. It wouldn't have surprised Evey one bit if he was even at work right now, sitting in his office with smug satisfaction.

That thought brought a scowl to Evey's face, but she knew that it wouldn't be long before this man was where he rightfully belonged: prison. Then they would see who wore the smug expression. That thought brought a small smile to the corners of Evey's lips. Yes, this man would soon pay for his crimes.

Eric Finch's secretary escorted Evey into his office once she had arrived. She was a kind woman named Jenna, and as much as it pained her to do so, Evey often wondered if this woman could be a spy, as Melinda had been. After all, Melinda and Jenna both had a lot in common. Shaking such thoughts from her mind, Evey thanked Jenna, and sat down across from Finch.

"Now why couldn't you have sent me a nice secretary like Jenna? Are you keeping all of the nice ones for yourself?" Evey joked once she had seated herself in his office.

"Evey, have I not sent you a reliable secretary?" Finch defended himself with a smile. Evey returned his wistful smile, before her face turned serious as she reached into her purse. She produced a small, metallic object from her purse, and at a push of a button, a small red light lit up. Finch immediately recognized this as a signal jammer; he and Stone had used them frequently when they had information that they would rather keep away from the Ear. Evey knew full well that the Ear was still operational, and with Listler's betrayal, she couldn't be sure how far the conspiracy against the revolution went. It was entirely possible that Lister was in league with men from all areas of Norsefire.

When the red light blinked on, a grave expression crossed Eric Finch's face. The news he was going to be receiving was not good in the slightest if Evey had to take such precautions.

"What's going on?"

Evey took a deep breath before beginning, "Last night, V was out doing some…reconnaissance on one of the rebel cells under X. His information led him to a meeting that was happening that night at the intelligence agency. He listened in on a conversation, and found out something terrible." Evey took a pause to gauge Finch's reaction.

Eric Finch knew what the meeting place implied. Simple minded fingermen would not be meeting in a government building unless they had someone who was working from the inside. He knew from his experience that Evey was going to tell him of a mole working against them. "Who is it?"

Evey bit her lip before blurting it out: "Director Listler."

Finch's eyes widened. That was a very serious accusation Evey was making. And although he knew her source to be trustworthy, he had some difficulty accepting that this man was a traitor.

"Evey, are you certain?"

Evey nodded, "You know that V wouldn't lie about this. He encountered Listler face to face; he heard the man address him. And I think V would recognize the man who shot him." Venom was injected into Evey's voice at her last statement.

Finch knew that V would never lie about something that threatened his revolution. But George Listler was a man that everyone was fond of and had come to like. Everyone had the utmost confidence in his ability to lead the agency in times of trouble and chaos. Of course, the same could have been said of Melinda.

"I know that, Evey. But how can I arrest him on only the word of a dead man? The people would only see that as the government abusing its power as Norsefire did. I'll have to have Stone launch an investigation it we're to do this properly." Finch reasoned.

Evey saw the logic in his statement, but she recalled something that V had told her last night. He had said that Listler was leading the new police force in the wrong direction when it came to investigating X. And although she trusted Dominic Stone, she could not trust his resources, which now could have been compromised by Listler himself. If Listler had even a hint that he was being looked into, he would expertly cover his tracks and deny all accusations. This had to be handled with the utmost discretion and secrecy. She told Finch as much.

"Eric, I understand if you want to bring Dominic in on this. But you can't go to the police. V told me that Listler had corrupted police resources, so that he could steer them away from the rebels he was working with. He has certainly done the same thing to his own information. This has to be handled carefully so that we don't spook him." Evey explained.

This brought another frown to Eric Finch's face. He rubbed his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. With the revolution moving quickly, things were also beginning to spiral out of control as alliances were tested and new enemies were revealed. Eric and Evey were beginning to share mutual feelings of distrust to those around them, and it left them angry and exhausted.

"This is bad. Evey, this is bad. He knows everything about the government, and about the people working in it. He is an enormous threat to our success." The gravity of the situation was finally beginning to hit him head on.

And George Listler was a great threat to the revolution's success. As head of the intelligence and surveillance agency, he had access to all government documents, plans, security footage, and records. Not a thing happened in this government without George Listler knowing about it. And due to his incredible access to this knowledge, in addition to his own resources, Listler wielded enormous amounts of power over those who would oppose him. He was virtually untouchable, and could do unimaginable damage to the revolution.

Finch realized that once Listler had been taken care of, new checks and balances would have to be put in place on his position, so that no one could abuse that power again. It was like Norsefire all over again, and Finch shuddered to think about what could have happened should Listler take full advantage of the power he possessed. How had this gone unnoticed? Finch never would have allowed just anyone to have such power.

They had become too trusting; anyone with a charming smile and a declaration of dedication to the revolution was suddenly an un-wavering ally. And that would have to change. There had been far too many betrayals for Finch to overlook the things that were happening within their own government.

"Alright. I can do some digging; I have just as much access as Listler. I'll still call Dominic in on this. I'll need his help, and there is no one I trust more."

Evey nodded and sighed with relief. "Thank you, Eric."

"Don't thank me yet. There's a lot we'll have to discuss once this is taken care of. Things are getting out of hand, and we need to take steps to prevent things like this from happening in the future. But I'll let you get to work Evey, and I'll call Dominic right now. He'll help me set up a secure phone line so that we can communicate, and a secure internet connection to prevent Listler from watching us."

The two rose to shake hands, and Evey shut off the signal jammer and returned it to her purse. To keep up impressions, she began in a cheerful voice, "Thank you so much for your opinion on those plans, Eric. I was having trouble deciding what direction I wanted to take with the museum."

"Of course, anytime. Have a good day, Evey. I'll call you later." Finch responded, playing along.

Evey turned on her heel and strode out of Eric's office, wanting to get to work so that she actually could look at the museum plans that she had been procrastinating looking over.

Ms. Hayes was as gruff as ever, although by now Evey had slowly gotten used to her less-than-friendly attitude. Evey was polite as always as Ms. Hayes gave her the mail and told her about her daily agenda. Evey was glad to know that she didn't have any other meetings today.

All of Evey's employees had returned since the attack, and were now busy at work when she walked out of the elevator. Most looked up from their work to wave cordially at her, and a few approached her to either greet her or ask her a question. After everyone had had a chance to talk to her, Evey finally made it to her office and shut the door so that she could have some peace and quiet.

Finally situated comfortably at her desk, Evey once again dragged out the plans for the new museum. The current plan was to build it where Parliament once stood, in commemoration of the event that had freed England. They would begin as soon as Evey had signed off on all of the plans.

She had approved most of the plans already; the architectural blueprints were the first things that she had given her approval on. Most of the exhibits had already been signed off on as well. However, Evey was still trying to decide if she approved of the memorials they had planned for V.

Evey wanted a memorial for all of the people who thought V to be dead; after all, she had sworn to V that the people would always remember V as an idea, but more importantly, as a man. But with her secret knowledge of his well-being, it was strange and admittedly difficult for Evey to sign off on something that was commemorating a lie. It felt like a betrayal to the people, who trusted her to be the voice of truth in the revolution.

She knew, of course, why they had to go through with this lie. If they didn't, it would certainly jeopardize everything that V was trying so desperately to achieve. It would also be very dangerous, due to the increasing amount of rebel activity. V's existence had to be kept a secret.

Evey was sitting at her desk, staring down the papers in front of her, when suddenly, her door was thrown open, startling her. Evey glared up at the intruder; didn't they know to knock? And why hadn't Ms. Hayes paged her to let her know?

Once she recognized the man who had so rudely entered her office, Evey's face twisted into a scowl that matched that of her intruder. Now she knew why no one had bothered to alert her to his presence.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of having the esteemed Director Listler in my office?" Evey seethed. Listler shut the door with an air of icy calm. He strode over to Evey's desk and took a seat in one of the chairs she had available for guests. Evey looked this man up and down. He was tall, and admittedly quite handsome, although any positive thoughts she had regarding this man had been dashed by his betrayal.

"Ms. Hammond, it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person." Listler began sarcastically. "And to think, I thought everyone was exaggerating when they told me that you were a fierce young woman."

Evey opened her mouth to fire off her retort, but Listler held up his hand and quickly cut her off. He pulled out a signal jammer identical to the one Evey had used mere hours ago and placed it on her desk. Once the red light was one, he continued.

"Now then, before you say something you might regret later, I would like to inquire about the well-being of your friend who paid me a visit last night." Listler smirked as Evey's eyes widened suddenly. "Yes, that's quite the stunt you two have played. You had us all fooled. And to think that someone who is so dedicated to building a government on truth, would lie to her own people about the vitality of their hero."

"Mr. Listler, I suggest that you state your business and leave before I call security." Evey hissed, trying desperately to maintain her composure. If only looks could kill.

"Oh I don't think you'll be doing anything of the kind, Ms. Hammond. You see, you are not in the position to be making those kinds of decisions. But I'll state my business for you, Princess," He spat, "And my business is this. I came to warn you that if you continue to have me investigated, I won't only expose your dear friend V for the coward he is, but I will come after you personally. No one will ever know what happened to you; and no one will ever find your body."

Evey was shocked at the brazenness of this man's threat; but she was not scared in the least. Most people would assume that he was crazy if he claimed that V was alive, and Evey would give a tearful speech about how terribly she missed the fallen hero, and V would be safe. As for his threat on her life, Evey would like to see him try anything and face V's wrath.

"If you think I will be intimidated by a simple-minded thug like you, you are sadly mistaken Mr. Listler. Now I highly suggest that you get out of my office, before I have security forcibly remove you. It's your choice, Director." Evey glared at the man until he finally laughed, and rose from his seat.

"I admire a woman with such confidence. It's a shame, really, that you ended up on the wrong side of this. We could have made an excellent team, you know. But I trust that you're a smart woman as well. So I suggest that you take my advice, unless you want your beloved V on the front page of every newspaper in the country."

George Listler reached down and grabbed his signal jammer, turned it off, and returned it to his pocket. With a confident smirk, he nodded and left Evey to stew. She burned holes into his back as he walked out of her office, and it was only once he was out of her sight that she released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

"The bloody bastard," Evey cursed under her breath. Evey was now so entirely incensed that she doubted that she would be able to get any more work done that afternoon. Evey also thought that she should contact Finch; not because she was going to call off the investigation, but because Finch needed to know about this altercation.

But Listler had known about his investigation; if he had known about Finch's secure computer connection, he had most certainly tapped his phone. Deciding that it would be better to simply visit him in person, Evey gathered her things and walked out of her office.

Ms. Hayes was hardly interested about her story regarding going to lunch, and asked her no questions as she left the building. The security guards gave her a curious look, but did not try to stop her or ask where she was going.

It took her around fifteen minutes to arrive at Eric Finch's office and park her car, and another five to finally knock on the door to his office. She heard him call out, "Come in", and she opened the door. Stone and Finch were both hunched over a computer, each with several case files resting next to them. Disposable coffee cups littered the room.

Both men looked shocked to see her, and they immediately thought that something was wrong. In a sense, they were right. "Evey, has something happened?"

Ignoring his question, Evey countered with one of her own: "What have you found out about Listler?"

Now it was Dominic Stone who spoke up. "Honestly, the man is good at covering up his tracks. The best we have found were some discrepancies in his bank accounts and some holes where other data should be, as if it were erased. Really, it's circumstantial at best. We can't arrest him based on these facts, and even if we could, it would never stand up in court."

Stone rose and handed Evey a few files to look over, which he explained were the anomalies in his bank account. She glanced over it, although the numbers that blurred on the page made little sense to her. Besides, she hadn't come here to look at bank statements. She had come to deliver some news. Without anymore hesitation, Evey pulled out her small signal jammer and turned it on. This brought looks of concern to the men's faces.

"Listler knows about our investigation."

The two men glanced at each other in shock, and then back again at Evey. Finch was the first person to speak, "How can you be sure?"

Evey relocated a stack of papers and sat down across from Finch and next to Stone. "He just left my office. He told me that you needed to stop this investigation, or else…" Evey paused, unsure of how to continue. Finch knew about V, but that was only due to dire circumstances. Dominic Stone did not, and although Evey knew she could trust Stone, she refused to reveal V to anyone else.

"Let's just say he made some threats against me and some of my…colleagues," Evey stated carefully, trying to give Eric a knowing look without giving anything away to Stone. Finch's eyes widened; he seemed to understand what she was trying to say. He took that moment to excuse Stone so that he and Evey could discuss this in private.

"Dominic, why don't you go grab us all some more coffee?" He suggested. Stone took the hint and nodded before quickly leaving the room, leaving Evey and Eric alone.

"What exactly did he say to you, Evey?"

"After he revealed his knowledge about the investigation, he told me that if we didn't stop it, he would reveal to the world that V was actually alive. He knows, because he escaped the night V tried to stop the meeting. And after that, he threatened to kill me personally."

Eric let this information settle in his mind. He should have known that his connection wasn't secure enough to get around the director of an intelligence agency; he should have just done the digging the old fashioned way, and he was regretting this choice more and more by the second. But regardless, what they had discovered helped them very little. However, the fact that Listler had threatened Evey brought an idea to mind.

It was a long shot, but at this point, it was the only chance they had of bringing Director Listler down. Although they couldn't arrest Listler on grounds of treason, they could arrest him for harassment and making a threat against a government official. Once he was in custody, they would have enough probable cause to get the warrant they needed to search his personal computer. And with Listler in custody, there was nothing that he could do to stop it.

"You're telling me that he threatened to kill you?"

"Oh, Eric, you don't have to worry, nothing will come of it…"Evey began, thinking that the man was concerned for her safety.

"This is good, Evey."

"Excuse me?" Evey narrowed her eyes at Finch, who sat directly across her. Apparently, she had misinterpreted his worry. Eric realized how harsh this statement must have sounded to her.

"I didn't mean it quite like that. All I meant was that now, we have a chance at catching Listler. If we arrest him for making these threats against you, then we might just have enough time to find some more incriminating evidence." Eric explained.

Evey nodded in understanding. At this point, it was really the only play they had on him, since he could deflect any attack directed at him. Listler knew everything, but if he was removed from his resources, he would be powerless to stop the investigation. Evey liked this idea, but doubted that it would work.

"Do you really think that will work? You won't be able to hold him for long, especially if he calls in his lawyers."

"I know, but we'll have to take advantage of whatever time we can get. You know the risks of continuing with him watching." Finch reminded her. Yes, although most people would think him insane for claiming that V was alive, it would but a seed in the minds of the people. But more importantly, it would start rumors amongst rebel organizations, which would only spell trouble when they decided to investigate the truth of his claims.

The two stared at each other for a few moments before Evey let out a sigh. "Alright. It's the best we have at this point. What will you need me to do?"

"Nothing for now, although I would expect that if this works, you'll have to testify against him at some point. But until we've found something, just continue on as normal. And you should let V know what's happening as well, so that he doesn't try anything to risk this operation." Finch suggested, knowing full well that V's mind would be completely occupied with thoughts of revenge.

At this point, Dominic Stone returned, knocking tentatively at the door. Finch called him in, and he placed three hot mugs of coffee on the desk. Stone looked slightly uneasy, knowing that a private conversation had just taken place, and kept glancing at Eric in concern. Evey knew that the two needed to get back to work, so she finished her coffee and thanked them both for their time.

Feeling far more at ease now that they knew of Listler's surveillance, Evey decided that it would be best to return to work and get some things done.

Ms. Hayes paid her no mind once she had returned. She walked right into her office, and stared down the pile of papers in her inbox that was growing by the day. With a sigh, Evey threw herself into her work, trying to get as much done as she possibly could. It would be a long day while she waited for news from Finch.

Later that evening, V was sitting alone in the Gallery, enjoying a cup of tea while he watched the evening news. After he had secretly escorted Evey home, and had seen that she had brought work home with her, he had returned down the Shadow Gallery to watch for any news regarding the incident at the intelligence agency. He doubted there would be, due to Listler's ability to cover things up.

But V was quite shocked when Philip, who he had learned from Evey had regained his anchor position, began talking not of a murder, but of an arrest at the agency. Carefully, V set down his teacup and sat upright as he listened intently to the news.

"And in other news, the director of the English Intelligence Agency, George Listler, has been arrested by authorities. No details have been released by the police, and it is currently unknown as to why he was arrested. We will keep you updated as the situation progresses."

This was news indeed. Something must have happened, he reasoned, because he knew that Finch wouldn't be able to find anything without Listler finding out about his investigation. He was sure that Evey would know what had transpired up above, but she had not come down that evening.

V was desperate for answers, especially since he had wanted to be the one to take the traitor down. His gunshot wound was an angry reminder that the man who shot him and betrayed the revolution was still at large. He had wanted revenge. Of course, this wasn't shocking coming from the man who had dedicated twenty years to a vendetta. He should be happy, but it was hard, knowing that he had not delivered justice to this man personally.

V sighed. Yes, he would let this matter go, because he knew that this was the kind of justice that Evey wanted, and the kind of justice that the people needed to see. He reminded himself that this was their world now. They needed to have faith in their government. And V was trying to remain uninvolved, which was proving to be more difficult than he had ever imagined.

But for now, V would relax and try and enjoy his quiet evening. He had selected several books from his vast library to keep him company that night while Evey focused on her work in the world above. Turning off the tele, V rose to put his cup in the kitchen before he settled himself on the chaise lounge. Although he would prefer Evey's company to that of a book, it would serve him well enough until they were reunited in a few days time.

A/N

Hmm. Well, this chapter gave me some trouble, especially with the ending. Oh well. I hope you enjoyed it, please let me know what you think. (Constructive Criticism always welcome) Now the NEXT chapter is one that I am super SUPER excited to write out, and one that I think you guys will definitely enjoy as well. ( DestielJunkie, get ready!)Also, I start school in exactly 7 days (ugh) so updates are gonna be a bit slower after that point. They WILL happen though, I swear. R&R, really makes my day guys!

Vampiyaa and Krystal Jaymes, ahaha both of these reviews cracked me up! You guys are just gonna have to wait and see ;D

Firefly, I would love it if my chapters could all be longer, (sorry this one wasn't) but some of the chapters are spaced out to be shorter, just because there isn't a lot going on anyway. Hope you enjoy anyway! :)