Of course that wasn't how it ends! Hoping to finish up soon, sorry for the longest bout of procrastination in history...
Evey paced in her office. Her head was pounding and she would kill for a drink. Her nerves one edge, she had to step away from the fervent voices of officers and Finch's steady but aimless directions for where to search. It had been almost two hours since she'd last seen V disappear into the van. The remaining safe house and Finger rebellion camps had already been ransacked with no sign of her vigilante. They were missing something and if Evey had to put a finger on it, she knew it had to be the mysterious Rich. But where to look?
Frustrated, Evey grabbed her leather jacket from the back of her chair and decided to go out for a bit of fresh air. Pacing in her office was doing no good. Breathing in deeply, Evey leaned against the outside of the building. Guilt weighed heavy on her shoulders… why had she pushed so hard against V's way of handling things? Had death sentences not been used by militia and government bodies for years? Who was she to believe the new London could be any different. The truth was that when good guys didn't wield weapons, they died. Angry tears began to brim Evey's eyes; but hadn't her parents taught her the meaning of peaceful protest? About the danger of a government that caused fear? Evey pinched her nose between her fingers, trying to keep the emotions at bay; if only V were here, he would know the answers to all of her questions. A sudden sound from the darkness caused her to snap out of her reverie.
Just making out the outline of a man in the darkness of the alley beside her, every one of Evey's senses was suddenly on alert. Fatigue forgotten, she heard the intentional noise again and realized the man was signaling for her to come over. Looking over her shoulder, Evey considered alerting Finch, but figured the shadowy figure would be long gone by then. No, Evey thought, she'd been through enough Hell tonight to be scared of someone who wouldn't even show his face. Letting her anger push away any residing fear, Evey strode forward into the darkness ready to be rid of the secrecy. She had nothing to lose.
One hand already hovering over her knife, Evey came to a stop a few steps in front of the stranger only to find to her surprise that she was nearly as tall as the man.
The boy stepped forward, for he was only a teenager from the looks of it, and looked nervously from side to side as if he were afraid of being followed. He was dressed sharply, a tailored wool coat cloaking him from the night.
"Look, you're Evey Hammond, right?"
Getting more annoyed by the minute at the boy who was wasting her time, Evey crossed her arms.
"Who wants to know?" she asked sharply.
Her tone caught him by surprise, causing the boy to narrow his eyes in disapproval. His chest puffed with self importance.
"The guy who knows where code name V is currently being held…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Evey grasped the boy by the lapels of his jacket and shoved him against the wall.
"Listen kid, if you don't tell me where he is right now, I'll…"
"I suggest you put me down before he runs out of time."
Evey dropped the boy as if she were shocked. As he straightened his jacket with impugned honor, she sighed and looked away.
"Sorry, I've had a stressful night. I would appreciate any information you could give me."
The boys eyes seemed to linger on her for a moment, as if commiserating with her pain, before nodding his head curtly.
"Don't think of it. Just follow me."
The boy began to stride purposefully back into the shadows before Evey caught up with him. Beginning to feel panicked, Evey grabbed his arm to bring him to a halt again.
"Wait. I need to alert Fitch, he'll be wanting to…"
"No," the boy shook his head. "There's no time, and I want this to be painless. You have to promise me it will simply be a reconnaissance mission. In and out. There's no need for any more killing tonight."
Evey was struck by her own noble intentions staring back at her. She recognized the determination in his eyes, knowing he would not budge. Weighing her options, Evey knew she was out of options. It was now or never. It might be her last chance to rescue V.
"Right. Lead the way."
The boy seem to relax and quickly took off again. Evey kept pace, hoping that Eric would understand. Not knowing what she was getting herself into, she prepared her heart for the worst.
As they walked, Evey could not help but find herself appraising her silent companion. He was young, and if his politics were anything to go by, naive. Yet, he carried himself with an awareness that could only come from experiencing personal tragedy. His clothing suggested he was among London's upper class, in fact, she was surprised he had wandered this far. Regardless of his character, Evey could not shake the feeling that she knew him from somewhere.
When they finally came to a stop, it was by the gates of an expansive property that could not be mistaken. Evey whirled on the boy, suddenly knowing exactly how she had placed him.
"You!"
He raised his hands as if expecting what was coming.
"You're Frederich Benson's son! I remember the story about your father, the BTN covered his push for less government restrictions on over-the-counter pharmaceuticals last year. Of course, there was always suspicion that it wasn't only prescription drugs that he was profiting from…"
The youth turned on her suddenly, anger shaking his form as he pointed a finger at her face.
"Look! You don't know the first thing about my dad..."
He straightened his jacket self-consciously before turning to unlock the gate.
"There is always more to a man than the public eye can see," he mumbled before motioning her to go first.
She walked into the darkness before waiting for him to lead her behind a row of hedges. The estate was quiet as they skirted past the house toward what appeared to be an abandoned shed. Once they were behind it, the boy paused again as if unsure.
"Listen… you have to promise to leave the equipment behind. Just pull out the IV and get him out of there. I'm going to switch off the cameras so you'll have a 15 minute window. Can you do that?"
"I can. But wait… why are you helping me?" Evey asked, "I don't even know you."
The boy paused, weighing his words.
"V gave me hope that I could believe in a brighter tomorrow. I can't betray my family, but I can stop an injustice when it is in my power to do so. Now go, we don't have much time."
Still reeling from such poignant words coming from someone so young, Evie followed closely behind as the boy shifted aside some shrubbery to unveil the entrance to a tunnel. As she climbed down into the darkness step by step, Evie could not help but wish she had alerted Finch before coming.
The instructions had been simple enough, yet Evey could not help but feel on edge as she rounded each corner. Where was everyone? About to take the final corridor voices ahead caused her to press firmly against the wall. Straining to listen, she could just make out three guards making their way toward her. Ducking into an empty room, Evey listened to their footsteps as the first one passed by quickly. She could just make out that he was carrying something very carefully in his hands but couldn't figure out what it was. The other two were taking their time talking about the most recent football match. She waited for them to stroll by before taking a steadying breath and stepping out behind them. Silently, she grabbed the taser from the guard's belt and tased his companion. Shocked, the first guard made to grab his gun but Evie was too fast for him. Her elbow found his throat cutting off all chances for cries of help before she kicked him between the knees bringing him to the floor. Knocking both men out, she began to pull them toward the empty room as quickly as her weight would allow.
Looking at her watch, she saw she only had 8 minutes left to find V. Giving the guards a last glance, she had an idea. A few moments later she was sprinting from the room, trying to remember the boy's description of the chamber. Passing more rooms and an elevator, Evey came to a stop about the same time her heart did. The number written on the door was a cruel jest and one she would make the owner pay for. Inscribed on the door was the roman numeral 5. Taking a deep breath, Evey opened the door.