Chapter 11 - Past, Present and Future
By Owlhero
Thanks to Wyntirsno for betaing this.
The warmth was the first thing that London felt as she woke up. The shivering vanished as her eyes cleared.
"Awww…My back…" London stretched as far back as she could, forcing the stiffness to go away. She looked around as she rubbed her neck. The bed in her shared room on the SS Tipton would have been preferable to the damp ground she was laying on. Her bed in her suite at the Tipton Hotel in Boston with its thick mattresses would have been heaven.
The flames from the emergency kit lit the cave with a welcoming glow. Even so, the light revealed only barren rock. She looked left and remembered the emergency kit with its supplies.
The vision of a blond haired troublemaker appeared in her mindand her heart flittered as the discovery took hold, now that she was safe for the time being.
Her head whipped around as the ground moved to the sound of footsteps. A shadowy figure appeared just in sight, its identity unknown.
"Who are you? What do you want?" A strong voice echoed the cavern. It hid the fear crawling inside the young womanbut was strengthened by some unknown source.
Footstep afterfootstep, the figure moved forward, the heavy rain blending into the crunching of the sand and rock. The fire's glare revealed him….
"Daddy…" London Tipton stayed bolted to the floor, as she stared at the head of Tipton Industries, Inc.
"Londie, you're awake… good." The CEO moved completely into the light. He did not look like the head of a multibillion corporation. His usual perfect hair was dripping, sticking to his forehead. Several cuts marred his face. His ripped suit lost its former opulence, luster, and perfect tailoring as the water, sand and greenery caked his arms, and trousers. The scratched, and scuffed up black shoes completed the bizarre ensemble.
The heiress to the empire shook herselfbut confusion replaced her shock.
"Where's your security?" Tipton twitched at the question. Both remembered the security detachment, with its life sucking, protective "turtle", cutting off the head of Tipton Inc from the rest of the world, (and his various ex-wives).
But Tipton looked at the now young woman, who was his usual victim of the "turtle" and tried to talk to her. "They are not here."
London jumped all over him. "I can see that. I meant, what happened to them? I never see you without them. Alsowhat are YOU doing here? You never come to Parrot Island." Wilfred stared at the girl. The few cuts, bruises, and ragged clothes tarnished his memory of her. Not that he had a lot of memories of her… mostly just her voice over a cell phone driven by endless separation.
"I wanted to see how the progress of the island repair was…" Wilfred answered with a straight face, giving nothing away. But London looked at him with disbelief.
"You mean after you ripped the trees down? " Wilfred flinched at the venomous tone London launched at him. The absentee man tried to counterbut London continued her tirade, the hits mirroring wax burns.
"You only care about the company, and your money! Parrot Island has nothing to do with either of them, since I had to pay the money to help replant them." London's pause offered a respite.
Wilfred tried to take advantage of it. "Its wonderful to be involved in something you care about… I mean, usually all you talk about is fashion, or something related…"
London's barrage silenced Wilfred. "And whose fault is that? Yours? Mine?" London pushed her hair back behind her ears to clear it of her vision. The campfire heat blasted her face, but her face was already reddened from its own heat.
"When is the last time we had more than a five minute conversation on the phone? Or in person? Or how about, when did it not involve some meeting you were involved in, or when I got in trouble? Do you remember, Daddy?" The title was spoken not with warmth. Or love. Or even awe, or reverence. No it wasacidity, and enough bitterness to melt through steel.
Wilfred tried desperately to remember, but nothing, only conference calls, squeezed in meetings, and more meetings came to mind….
"The last time I can remember… you may have forgotten, but it was during my Sweet 16 party at the Tipton." Wilfred wilted at the answer, and the passage of time, but London was not finished. "But then you drove me crazy with exhaustion, because you..." London's chilling emphasis dimmed the light in the warm cave. "…you refused to be in the same hotel wing as mom!"
Wilfred's ex-wife brought discomfort to the surface, as London's echoes shook the cavern. The ringing in Wilfred's ears slowly dimmed as he regained his equilibrium.
In his life, he had never felt so terrible. Granted he was yelled at in the past for his decisions. It was mostly workers, who then lost their jobs. But he chalked it up to the cost of doing business. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. It was nothing personal.
But here, there was no business. It was… different. It touched a part of him that existed, but fell into neglect. He kept tripping over himself, as he tried remembering how to solve his current crisis. It was so hard to remember how. He knew it was easy, he knew he had done it before. But he did not feel into it. He felt nervous, even scared. Insecure. It was a different type of timidity that could not be vanquished with a simple yes or no decision.
Yes this young woman exemplified this apprehension… Wait, no, she did not. He did. Wilfred Tipton, head of the multibillion-dollar Tipton Industries Inc. This young woman was the damaged product of his insecurities, his hesitation, his inexperience, and his business passions…
"You know..." London's voice kicked Wilfred out of his stupor. "…Moseby and Carey were the two people who looked out for me during the party." London stared at the person who gave her half of her DNA, and snorted as confusion simmered on his face.
"Carey is the lounge singer at the Boston Tipton. She has twin boys who are my friends…" The confusion evaporated as London looked on. She was thinking not of the man in front of her, but of the man who taught her how to drive, her ABDs, and comforted her every time this man, this almost practical stranger, let her down.
Wilfred Tipton looked at London, his daughter, and wanted to do something, say something to help, or at least not hurt anymore. But he did nothing. Not as the tears dripped down her face. He did not know how, and he decided to stay exactly where he was.
…
"These tunnels are tricky."
Cody glanced back quickly at his twin, as they followed Simms into the deepening tunnel, their flashlights beams swinging to and fro. They intersected the soft flickering glow from the haphazard string of lighting attached to the tunnel's walls. Shadows shrouded the three male forms, as their vision was devoid of details. Their voices provided the closest thing to radar, helping them know where each other was.
"Well its obvious they were built rather quickly, or made by the water surrounding island, Zack." Cody's confidence oozed clearlybut Zack emphasized his point.
"No what I meant to say is, I just hope London did not get hurt in here. I mean, I almost tripped twice as we entered this tunnel." Zack stopped dead as Cody turned to look at him, his eyes scanning him, as the shadows danced across his face. Simms paused in his movements, and the tunnel's noise level decreased to almost nothing.
You really love London, don't you?" Cody waited his brother out, as he tossed his flashlight in-between his hands.
"To be honest, I'm not completely sure. Not one hundred percent sure. The only other girl I've felt like this for was Maddie, and I'm not sure if it's the same. This is different with London… I think. Its so confusing…"
"Love always is, Zack."
Zack snorted at his brother's comeback.
"I hate to cut the conversation short but London may be in trouble…" Simms' words jumpstarted the twins' momentum. But the pair tried to stay even with each other as they moved, to continue talking, but they constantly had to turn their shoulders slightly to fit two-wide in the tunnel.
The light and shadow played tricks on Cody until he looked at his brother. He noticed a glimmer of a smirk showing in the gloom.
"What's so funny, Zack?"
Laughter escaped from the older brother. Simms turned his head around, confused, as Zack tried to get himself under control. "I just remembered the last time we were on this island. I mean we were looking for London then too. Except we were fighting over Bailey, remember?"
Cody shook his head as the memory took hold. "Yeah, especially the spitting contest. I can't believe I agreed to that. Talk about ridiculous."
"We were young, and stupid back then. We've grown up a little."
Simms scoffed, as he added his input to the conversation. "I hope so considering you two tried to break into the jail with a crowbar…"
Cody did not object. "Yeah, it was pretty stupid, especially when you think about Zack almost making me collapse into the ground, under his weight on my shoulders."
The brother fought back with a snort. "Excuse me, Skeleton boy… it's not my fault you spent all your time doing yoga, and not any time in the weight room." Zack then looked toward Simms. "To be honest, you did have our friends in jail."
Simms fumbled with the words. "Oh… that's right, I forgot about that. But things are different now. I am no longer the constable. With the parrots coming back, we are to going hire an actual cop to deal with the job. Let's hope you've both changed some, as I have. Especially with your troublemaking." The twins did not dare look at each other, and stayed quiet.
Zack leaned into Cody, and lowered his voice as Simms started forward again.
"You know, I hope he learned some new Pilates moves. I still have nightmares from the ones he demonstrated while we were in that jail cell….'Work from your core, Gertrude'…" Zack mimicked Simms' voice, until both shuddered as Simms' moves overloaded their brains.
Silence became their fourth companion for a few moments, until Zack broke it.
"You know I'm not even sure where my feelings for London came from." A shoulder shrug completed his bewilderment.
"We've known London since we were twelve, so that might have something to do with it. We know her as an actual person, not just by her beauty, or money or her father," Cody said trying to help his twin.
Zack just stared at Cody, as her profile flew out of his mouth, but Cody only shrugged. "I mean, yeah she has her quirks, we all do…"
Zack could not miss the perfect opening given to him. "Like your nerdy computer brain for instance…"
Cody bit his tongue, and continued on from before. "We talk to her often, not just see her on TV, or the Internet, or read the tabloids about her (even though she shows us those every chance she gets)…."
Zack accepted Cody's idea. "I can see that, but it's not just that. At least not to me." Zack's response drew a surprised look from Cody, but he continued. "I think it's that she's always there. Talking to us, sometimes causing trouble with us, she's become a part of our lives. I think, I realize now that I don't want her to leave. And she would be gone forever if something happened to her and we could not save her, you know? I don't know if I truly love her, or if it's just the emptiness her absence would make in our lives, that allows me to feel this way…."
Cody's mouth dropped as Zack finished. He never heard his twin speak about anyone like this. Except for maybe him, and that was only when they were alone. Such drive. Such passion. Even when it was Maddie, he almost always shrugged it off to just being a crush. But now he wondered if he was wrong about Zack and Maddie. Or even now possibly with London… maybe Zack "the player" did grow up. Or at least got more emotionally evolved…
Cody did not even try to stop himself from smiling at the split-level thoughts, but he was able to get his mind under control.
"You know, Zack, London comes with her own unique set of baggage?"
Zack's smile brightened the tunnel. "That's true Codes, but at least she has enough money to have someone else help with it." Cody shook his head.
Some things never change….
Realization hit Cody, and he felt guilty for pointing it out.
"I hate to be a killjoybut you do realize for you to have any deep relationship, you will have to get past Moseby first."
Zack shrugged it off. "I think protecting her, and saving her life might put me in his good graces…."
"You can only hope…"
Zack groaned. "Thanks for dousing my fire, bro…"
Cody smirked as another memory reared its not so ugly head. "Remember when we saw the Starlight Follies…" Zack's best flirting smile emerged at the mere mention of the showgirls and the trouble the twins got into. Cody went on
"Maybe your feelings toward London started then? " Cody raised his eyebrows to point out the obvious.
Zack only shrugged. "No clue… of course there was all those times we saw London by the pool in Boston during the summer…"
Cody stayed quiet as he absorbed Zack's response. His focus, the casting shadows from the lights, and their walking prevented him from spotting the eclipsing seditious smirk on his twin's face. The spell was broken as Zack put his arm around his little brother's shoulders, an act rarely done.
"Hey Codester, I admit seeing all the women at the show would make any man's night. "
Zack stopped dead to make sure he had the younger twin's attention. He did. Zack slyly waited for Cody's face to change, and he could see a cheerful expression brewing, as his eyes glazed over.
"You seemed to be really into that plan as well. Almost like a fanatic… especially after Bailey was involved." His girlfriend's name killed the smile, and the boyfriend turned toward, the often joint troublemaker-in-action. Then his head swiveled toward their front, and paled as he saw Simms's head turned slightly in their direction. His left ear clearly shown… Cody's brain refused to operate at its normal efficiency, but Zack's motor mouth kept on going…
"Of course the part you probably remember the most is where she had to wear the outfit."
"I don't want to talk about it Zack…" Zack sidestepped the weak counter, and dug in, with a lion's ferocity, to the young human antelope.
"You remember it, don't you Cody? You kept saying over, and over again how it was a really great plan." Cody would love to throttle his brother right then and there. But he was not sure if it was his non-violent nature, or his body that stopped him. His physical form being tormented by euphoric images, soaked in testosterone. Primal suggestion shredding whatever civilized culture taught him. Heat rose up from his insides.
Zack watched as Cody's face turned a shade that would beat even a freshly boiled lobster. He showed no mercy as he leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"You remember the orange feathers they wore, and the small pink mask over their eyes? Imagine Bailey wearing them. Then add in those skimpy orange gold outfits. Glitter just falling off them…" Cody's heart pounded in his chest as sweat started to run down his face. "Beads, and threads just bouncing everywhere. To top it off, add a fluffy red boa, to whip around and pull you in."
Zack backed off, and waited for his brother to come down from the high. Only then did he notice Simms' raised eyebrow, as he shook his head. Simms paused, then turned around and left the two teenagers to their own devices. Zack watched as Cody's color slowly turned to normal. Then an epiphany struck him. He wondered how far in to stick the knife, and decided to go all the way to the hilt.
His hand covering his mouth, as he leaned in again towards his brother, "You know between us, Codes I wonder if you ever had a dream with your little Haybale in that costume?" The question spiked Cody's color again. "I mean I would have in your situation. The girl I had a crush on, looking likethat." Zack's emphasis screamed his opinion as he smirked at Cody's discomfort. "Did it drive you into falling for her more, or was the showgirl thing just icing on the cake?"
The teens froze in place as Cody digested the question. But Simms' voice boomed down the tunnel.
"Hurry up you two. We need to find London fast. For all our sakes." Zack looked up, and started to walk faster. Until his brother's outstretched arm crossed his path. He looked up to see a cold hard look on his other half's face. Not one hint of embarrassment. He swallowed.
"To answer both of your questions, Zack…its none of your business." Cody turned and walked away. Zack stared at Cody's head as he bit his lip, ideas, and doubts swirling. But he simply followed his twin and Simms down the tunnel.
….
The quiet would have unnerved anyone but London and Wilfred Tipton. It became too comfortable, especially when they were related. Even though law, and biology were the only things that related them.
The tear streaks had long ago disappeared from London's face, but depression still filled every pore, line, and lash to the brim. She looked at the man sitting nearby, and a thought wandered through her brain. She wondered if he even knew how to treat her like a normal child… like a normal single father-daughter relationship with its ups and downs, the wars, the mixed messages, and the constant worrying for her. A tremor awoke inside her…
"Did you even know I was kidnapped? That the kidnappers were asking about you?" Wilfred looked shaken by the questions, but his self-control answered for him.
"Yes, I knew you were kidnapped. I started trying to find you when Moseby told me the news." The businessman stared at the young woman in his midst. "I do care about you London, even if it may not seem like it sometimes."
"Sometimes a phone call is not enough." Wilfred did not answer right away, his expression full of loss. London continued. "Sometimes I felt like I was an accessory to you, something not very important. Like an old outfit you pull out of the closet, to look at when you want to remember something." Red colored Tipton's cheeks as the words hit him.
"Hey, how can you say that? I mean you have a private jet, a submarine, and even a blimp! You have a clothes closet that takes a whole floor of the Boston hotel. You have everything a girl could want…"
London's eyebrow ran almost into her hairline. "Except my father." Wilfred's head snapped back as he started to respond, but the steel in London's voice stopped his anger. "Who is always going to or from meetings every time I call you…"
"London, I run a multibillion dollar corporation with assets all over the world…." Wilfred's answer teemed with frustrationbut London's was flat.
"I understand that. I really do, even if it may not seem like it sometimes. I mean with the cosmetics line, and the time I ran the clothing store, I understand what it means to be responsible for something…" Wilfred seemed pleased as London toted her accomplishments. "I just wish you did not spend all of your time on the company."
The CEO's mood changed instantly, explaining himself, empire builder to heir. "But I do what I do for the company for you, London… I want to give you something for your future." A mime could not have mimicked London better until her brain kick-started itself.
"I'm sorry father, but I just don't really care about the company. At least not as much as you do." London followed through. "I mean I love the money I am allowed to spend to go shopping. It makes me happy. But I do not want to run the whole thing. Actually I am not sure I ever want to run the company."
Wilfred looked at his attire and simply shrugged and waited for the last three-inch stiletto heel to drop.
"Okay, what do you want? Your own design company, your own clothing line… Fashionably London?"
London hesitated for a few seconds, her fingers drumming on her torn Arturo Vitali pants. But then she shook herself, and looks Wilfred straight n the eye.
"Just you." Wilfred's chin drops as he collapses to near-incoherence.
"Me?"
London smiled as she realized the cutthroat businessman was stumped by a simple request.
"Yep, and I always get what I want. I want to spend time with you. I mean these quickie hello's and goodbye's over the phone are ridiculous."
The pair squared off until Tipton decided to end it. "Do you realize how busy I am? I can't just say I am taking a vacation this second."
London's eyes narrowed as the excuses flowed and she decided to put a stop to it. "Are you telling me there's no name, you can hand the company off for a week to spend time with your own daughter? No one at all?"
"Not in an instant. I would have to set it up. But I promise to see if it can be done as efficiently as possible."
"Okay, deal." An expression of symmetry appeared on both faces. Perhaps they were similar after all.
Now if I am able to set it up, what do you intend to do with this free time… father-daughter time?"
London's eyes wondered at her father's obliviousness to the whole thing. "I don't know… Perhaps friends, school, rumors, fashion… I mean Moseby and my friends deal with me all the time, but I see its only fair that you have your fair share. Especially with our rough edges." London could already see the trepidation in the man's stature. He was out of his element in more ways than one.
"I also forgot there's one little topic that's bound to come up. And its one we've argued over before, since I was attracted to the son of St. Marks' Hotel chain…." London swore horror ran across the man's face, as he realized where she was going with this.
"Boyfriends…" London held in a laugh, and looked outside. It was still raining.
"With the horrible weather, I am not getting wet so we have all the time in the world to get started… How about friends?"
…
"Well here we are…" Relief spilled from Simms' words, as the would-be rescuers escaped from the secret tunnel.
Thank goodness, I thought we never get out of there…" Cody looked at his twin, incredulously but before he could say anything, he turned his head.
"London!"
Zack and Simms followed Cody to the young heiress.
"Hey Zack! Hey Cody! You would not believe the time I've had. Some guys in awful clothing kidnapped me, and asked me a million questions. I escapedand my clothes are ruined…" The twins smiled at London's rapid fire chattingbut Zack stepped forward.
"London, are you okay? You're not hurt or anything?"
The tycoon's daughter looked at Zack. "My clothes are ruined. I need to get to the boat to change. I think I've lost my shoes from all the running. I can't remember the last time I sweated this much. I need to spend a week at the spa..." Zack grabbed her arms, and the rambling stopped.
Zack's eyes stared into her. Focused, determined, worried. "You don't have any broken bones or anything like that, do you?" Sincerity reached out to herand she returned it.
"No, I'm just really sore and tired, even after I took that nap. You know, Zack… I remember hearing your voice." Zack bit his lip and searched for a way to explainbut London's impatience saved him as she noticed someone else. Zack held onto London's arm as she turned.
"Hey, Cody who's that?" Her friend pointed at Simms and London nodded.
"Oh, its Simms, you met him before when you gave him the check for 10 million after he threw you, then us in jail for what your father did to the island." Recognition finally dawned on London. "You're the one that wore all those hats. I see your style has improved a little."
"Thank you Miss Tipton. I am glad to see that you are alright."
London cut him off. "Wait you were one of the kidnappers!"
Simms reacted calmly. "Yes I was hired by your father to make sure you were safe. But I'm sorry I wasn't able to reveal myself to you." London accepted the account without further questions. But someone else interrupted.
"Well we finally meet in person, Mr. Simms. I hired you to protect Londonand you failed to do that!" Zack darted in front of London, and in-between her and this unknown person.
"Stop it, daddy, he did the best he could. Besides I was able to escape." The man said nothing, and watched as a cascade of emotions broke in front of him. Zack repelled from London, subtlety trying to put distance between the two of them. Cody stands frozen until his face turned to puzzlement, and concentration. Simms starts to sweat. Cody sidesteps over to his brother's side and whispers in his ear.
"I did not see this coming… We might be in trouble. Or should I say, you might…" Under other circumstances, Zack would normally have laughed. Not now, he simply nodded.
"You'd think… wonder what he did to potential boyfriends he disapproved of? Remember what London did to people who annoyed her, or made her angry?" Zack winced as he remembered something. " I think she sent Moseby to South America once…"
His brother's silence ended the conversation. They watched as London stared down her father until he backed down.
Cody waited a few seconds then looked toward London. "London, how do you know this man is your father?" Cody did not see Tipton's head shoot up at the simple question, as London looked confused.
"What do you mean, not my father?" Cody started to answer, when London jumped ahead of him.
"Trust me Cody. It's my daddy all right. I have seen him without his bodyguards before." London saw the tension decrease in Cody, only to watch it increase in Zack.
But Cody now turned toward Wilfred Tipton. "Excuse me, Mr. Tipton, what happened to your bodyguards. I mean we've never seen you without them… ever." The head of Tipton Industries looked this young man over, and then did the same for his carbon copy. "Carey Martin, the singer at the Boston Tipton's twins?"
The question threw Cody for a loopbut he recovered quickly. "Yes sir, how do you know us?"
Tipton's eyes narrowed. "Moseby talks about you all the time. About all the trouble you've caused him. Both of you." Cody fidgeted under the businessman's glare, and started looking around for places to hide. While Zack's valiant effort to look nonchalant was starting to crack.
"And me, too with the phone calls once a week at least…" London proudly added.
Tipton just shrugged his shoulders. "But that's for another time…"
"My boyfriends were eliminated…"
Zack looked as if he might faint, but Cody's courage returned while he tried to keep his brain in check. "Eliminated?"
"Yes, Eliminated…" Cody stopped as he heard irritation starting to creep into Tipton's voice. Then Tipton asked Cody a question. "Since we are asking each other questions, I have to wonder what are you doing here, now, unless you snuck off the boat."
Zack spoke up. "Actually, sir, we were hired by Mr. Ming, one of your associates…" Cody cut his twin off. Tipton's stare juggled between the two twins for a few seconds, as Zack's head turned toward his twin, Cody spoke.
"Mr. Ming Hyun figured it would be wise to use all available resources to help find London, so that she returned safely." Wilfred looked at Cody as he finished, only to snort in their direction.
"He figured two people with your set of skills could help?"
Cody's strained smile answered him. "Well, yes… plus since we were London's friends…" Cody paused as Wilfred nodded his head.
"Why, it kills two birds with one stone." Everyone looked at him strangely. "It uses whatever troublemaking talent you have for our side while trying to solve the crisis… damage control."
Zack decided to add his two cents to the conversation. "Mr. Tipton, Mr. Hyun was worried about the possibility of someone going after you as well, taking advantage of the situation…" Tipton's pause could have filled a chasm, and his frown, the whole universe. "A wise deduction…"
The crowd waited for Tipton. But not London.
"What do we do now?"
Tipton smiled at his daughter.
"What we need to do is to get out of here, and figure out who did this, and why?" The twins caught his attention.
"Is it just the three of you?"
Zack answered quickly. "No there's another group who split with us to find out more information at a woman's house, we think was killed for trying to tell on the kidnappers. They have a walk-talkie with them. It consists of Moseby, Mrs. Tut…" Tipton stopped him.
"That's fine. Maybe we can meet up, figure out what's going on, and find a way off this island."
"We used London's shoe sub to get here. That can take us home," Cody piped in.
"I may know of another way as well." Tipton moved on after speaking, staring at the now clear view of the ocean.
"In the meantime, after you contact the others, I need you all to tell me, including London, what's been going on since you landed on the island. London, I need you to explain what happened when you were with the kidnappers."
"They asked about you and the company a lot."
Well that's a start…" Wilfred looked at the twins. "Contact your friends…"
Zack grabbed the walkie-talkie.
Okay this has been a long time in coming. I was assigned several months ago. But due to time constraints and my stories, this got pushed back. To be honest, I also had no clue where to with the story at first. But after a conversation with Wyntirsno, I was ready to go. So after about two to three weeks, here it is. Enjoy. As always, please review.
