Author's Notes: I'M SORRY! I know I said I'd try to do better, but my crazy muse got me started on yet another story, this time in the Transformers universe. (head meets desk) Well, on the plus side, this story is slowly coming to an end and hopefully will only take a few more chapters. As always, please enjoy and review.
"I don't get it," Dominic growls. "One minute you're telling the Inspector you'll go wherever he tells you and now you're saying you can't go because the man who killed Jones will kill us!?"
She doesn't answer him, but looks absolutely miserable as more tears ruin what's left of her makeup.
"Take it easy, Dom, I can't imagine it's very easy for her right now," Finch says in a calm and reassuring voice as he places a hand on her shoulder. "The Man's been teaching you to be your own person again, hasn't he?"
"Yes, sir," she whispers, staring down at the floor.
"It can't be easy going against your training, can it?" Finch softly asks.
"No, sir," she quietly responds.
"Given a choice, who would you rather go with, us or The Man?" Finch questions.
"The Man," she immediately answers.
"Why?" Finch inquires.
"He saved my life when he had no reason ta," she tells him. "He could o' left meh fo' Creedy ta find, but he didn't. He's kept meh safe an' he's taken care o' meh an' he's promised ta send me back ta North America. He's given meh hope."
"So that was your blood we found in the house," Finch states.
"Yes," she confirms. "Michael tried ta shoot The Man, but he blocked the shot an' it ricocheted an' hit meh instead."
"How's he going to get you out of the country?" Finch inquires.
"Ah don't know," she replies. "He hasn't told meh anythan' other than he's workin' on it."
"What's waiting for you in North America?" Finch asks.
"Just my freedom," she says. "Ya have no idea what my life has been like these past several years."
"You're right, I don't," Finch concedes. "Is the stuff on that disc everything it appears to be?"
"Yes, with Percy an' most o' his men dead, there shouldn't be enough people left at the stables ta give ya a real fight," she answers. "But watch out for Percy's widow. From what Ah understand she make's Lizzie Borden look like a real sweetheart."
"I'll keep that in mind," Finch tells her with half a smile.
"What can you tell us about The Man?" Finch asks. "Why did he kill Jones?"
"Michael done him wrong a very long time ago an' he was finally able ta get his revenge," she answers. "That's all Ah can tell ya, Ah don't know what Michael did, but it was somethan' real bad. Ah don't know nothan' about The Man. Ah don't know where he's from or what his real name is or even what he looks like since he's always wearin' a disguise."
"Where have you been living all of this time?" Finch questions.
"Ah told ya," she replies. "We were livin' in that abandoned warehouse."
"So you haven't been living in the tunnels?" Finch asks.
"O' course not," she smiles. "But you an' Percy both got it in ya'lls heads that's where we were, so we used it ta our advantage. It's a real shame that Percy an' his men were all down here when those tunnels collapsed."
"You expect me to put that in the report?" Finch nearly demands, the cop in him appalled by the idea.
"Try and prove it otherwise," she counters with a raised eyebrow.
"Where are you living now?" he asks.
"Someplace safe," she evasively replies. "Ah can't tell ya'll where since The Man makes me wear a blindfold when we're comin' or goin'."
"If you could tell us anything about The Man, would you?" he inquires.
"No," she tells him flatly. "He's given meh my life back an' Ah will not betray that."
"Do you love him?" Finch questions and she laughs.
"Good heavens, no," she chuckles. "The Man can get on my nerves somethan' fierce an' Ah'm not entirely sure he's playin' with a full deck, but that don't mean Ah'll give him up ta anyone who asks."
"Do you really think he can keep you safer then we can?" he inquires.
"No offence, Inspector, but ya'lls government hasn't exactly been kind an' understandin' to anyone who's different close ta twenty years now," she points out. "Ah'll take my chances with the loony murderer over the possibility o' Creedy gettin' his mitts on meh, thank ya very much. Besides, the only reason ya'll found meh is because he wanted ya ta. Ah doubt that ya could hide meh like he has."
"You're putting a lot of faith into him," he warns. "He could be just lying to you."
"True, but he's kept he's word so far an' quite frankly, Ah trust him," she tells him.
"But you don't trust us," he states.
"Would ya in my place?" she asks. "Ya'll are too close ta the spider waitin' in its web fo' my likin', so I'll just stick with the crazy person, thank ya."
He nods his understanding as he reaches inside his coat and pulls out her ownership papers again. The men can see her visibly trembling with a look of longing and hope on her face while the Inspector gives the papers one last going over. After spending several minutes staring at the pages, he carefully folds them up and places them in her shaking hands. She lets out a sob of relief as she clutches those precious papers to her chest and Finch helps her sit down again.
"Thank ya," she whispers when she's finally able to pull herself together.
"Are you sure about this?" he inquires worriedly.
"As sure as anythan' else in my screwed up life," she softly answers. "Thank ya for all you've done for the twins and Ruth. Please, keep them safe."
"I'll do my best," he assures her, resting a hand on her shoulder one last time. "If you change your mind, you have my email."
"Thank ya, Inspector, but don't be holdin' your breath for that email," she says with a small smile.
"I won't," he replies. "Good luck, Audrey. I hope everything works out for you."
"Thank ya, Inspector, Detective, and goodbye," she responds as she stands up, her head held up proud.
Without another word, she walks away from the two men, never looking back and then she disappears around a corner.
"So that's it," Dominic states in a huff. "You're just going to let her walk away."
"What would you have me do, Dom?" Finch questions as he stuffs his hands into the pockets of her overcoat. "Drag her into protective custody kicking and screaming? What if she was telling us the truth about The Man being somewhere nearby, ready to kill us if we did try to take her? Creedy's got too many spies in our department for us to be able to keep her safe for long and if The Man can get her out of the country, then I wish him all the luck in the world. Now come on, we need to report this tunnel collapse and get the clean up crew in here and then we have a raid to plan."
Before Dominic can form a response, Finch starts back the way the came, pausing at the bend in the tunnel to look behind him and sees Dominic standing there, staring at the corner she vanished around only a few moments ago. Some small part of him wants to go after her and assure her that they can keep her safe and help her get back home, but his sensible side knows it's not true and he turns back around to find Finch sadly watching him. With a frustrated sigh, Dominic follows his boss, hoping that maybe someday this screwed up world that they live in won't be so messed up anymore.
"I must say that I am most impressed with your performance this evening," V states after he shuts the outer most door to the Gallery.
"Thanks, but it wasn't an act," she tells him as she follows him through the nearly dark tunnel, still clinging to those papers with a death grip.
"I know," he says quietly while they move closer to his home. "It is fortunate that the good Inspector never told you to tell him the truth."
"Ah would have found away around tellin' him the truth without completely lyin'," she tells him. "I've spent nearly nine years of my life livin' a lie. Ah've gotten rather good at not tellin' the whole truth."
"I do have to take exception to something you did tell the Inspector though," he mentions while he unlocks the final door.
"What's that?" she questions.
"Loony murderer?" he asks as soon as the door is shut. "Not playing with a full deck?"
"Ah just call 'em as Ah see 'em, V," she responds with a smirk as she walks past him.
"You know, I should be taking offence with that," he replies while he follows her.
"An ya'll are gonna tell meh that dressin' up like Guy Fawkes every day and livin' like a gopher is somethan' a sane person would do?" she counters as she steps into the kitchen.
"Touché," he replies with a nod of his head. "What are you planning on doing now?"
"Right this second?" she questions as she picks up a box of matches off of the back of the stove. "Right now, Ah intend ta commit arson."
Bemused, he watches as she takes a match out of its box, lights it and then proceeds to burn her ownership papers over the sink. She holds onto those sheets for as long as physically possible until the flames finally force her to release her hold on them and she drops the burning debris into the sink. She turns the water on a few moments later and he can hear the fire extinguish with a hiss.
"How do you feel?" he asks as she sinks down into a chair.
"Like for the first time in nearly ten years Ah can breathe again," she softly answers with a relieved sigh. "Thank ya, V."
"You are most welcome, Audrey," he responds with a little bow. "I suggest you get some rest now. Tomorrow you start working towards your trip to North America."
Before she can ask what he has planned, he spins around, his cape twirling around him and he disappears down one of the dark hallways of the Gallery.
"No rest for the wicked," she sighs before wearily hauling herself to her feet and seeking her own bed.
"What's this thang supposed to do?" she asks a bit nervously.
"It's to simulate the deck of a ship at sea," he answers.
"Ok, now Ah know ya're completely plum loco," she states while she nervously eyes the strange and rather large contraption he's created and he simply chuckles in response. "What exactly am Ah supposed to do on this thang?"
"Just stand there," he tells her as he leads her over to the steps that will help her onto the platform.
"Are ya getting' up here with meh?" she questions while she gingerly steps up onto the ten by ten area and she idly notes that the surface is covered in some strange textured tiles that appear to be washable.
"No," he replies as he moves away, taking the steps with him.
"Ok, so what am Ah doin' up here?" she inquires while she watches him go over to a board with a switch and a dial on it.
"You are to learn to balance as if you were on a sea going vessel," he tells her as he flips the switch and the sound of an electric motor fills the room.
"Jesus H. Christ on a pogo stick, V, why the Sam hell do Ah need to learn that?" she demands as the platform starts to dip and sway back and forth.
"It will be vital for your trip back to North America," he replies, the amusement evident in his voice.
"How long are ya plannin' on leavin' meh up here?" she shouts at him as he heads for the door.
"Until I feel you've mastered the skill," he answers just before he disappears around the corner.
She mutters a few choice words under her breath as she tries to keep her balance on the gently swaying board. She finds herself stumbling from side to side, trying to stay away from the edges so she doesn't fall off and thinking many unkind thoughts about a certain masked man's parentage. It doesn't help that within minutes she feels her stomach rebelling and she's sure that her breakfast is going to come up for a visit at any moment.
"Well, at least you're still upright," he observes when he steps back into the room a short eternity later.
"V, thank Gawd ya're here," she moans as she stumbles across the platform again. "Get meh off o' this damn thang."
"I'm afraid that will not be possible," he tells her as he walks over to the panel and places a black gloved hand on the dial.
"What do ya mean it's not possible?" she yells and he turns the dial up a notch. "Damn it, V! That just made it worse!"
"Yes, I know," he says as he heads for the door once more. "You might find it easier if you bend your knees and let the platform move underneath you instead of fighting it."
"V, YA GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT AN' TURN OFF THIS CRAZY THANG!" she screams as he leaves her again and her only answer is his chuckle.
Scene change
By the time he comes to check on her again, she's given up trying to remain upright and is lying in the middle of the platform. She's thrown up more times than she can count and she doesn't think that she'll be able to keep food down ever again. When the platform finally stops moving, she bursts into tears, relieved that the torment is finally over.
He places the steps back where they belong and then goes up to assist her down. He's a bit surprised by all the spots of vomit covering the area and he's glad that he had covered it with the same tiling they use on boats making it easy to wash off. After ascertaining that pretty much the entire platform is covered by the contents of her stomach, he gets back down and leaves.
A short time later, he returns with a couple of large buckets of water. He climbs back up onto the platform and tosses the contents of the first pail so that the water splashes from him to her. She doesn't even flinch when the water hits her and he frowns behind the mask. Carrying the second bucket with him, he carefully makes his way to her and gives a puff of disappointment when he looks down at her.
She lies there in a fetal position trembling and lying in her own vomit while tears silently escaping her closed eyes. He takes the second pail of water and dumps it directly on her and she barely even moves. He drags her to her feet and hauls her to the edge of the platform as she tries to cling to him so as to remain upright should he let go.
He half carries, half drags her down the steps and out of the room, not caring about the trail of water she's leaving behind. He marches down the hallway, never slowing his brisk pace until they reach the bathroom. Without a word, he lifts her up and unceremoniously drops her into the tub just before he turns on the shower, not caring what the temperature of the water is.
"Get cleaned up and then meet me in the kitchen," he instructs just before he exits the room, firmly shutting the door behind him.
She lays there for something shy of eternity trying to get her world to stop spinning around, not caring that the water is just shy of freezing cold and once she's sure she's not going to throw up any more, only then does she start to try and get cleaned up.