Oops, I did it again! I used yet another Fall Out Boy Title. I'm sorry, but their songs and lyrics are just so good. I must thank Pete Wentz and his bi-polarity (I'm not being offensive I swear). I hope you enjoy the action sequences in this one, let me know what you think. I promised you more angst, so without any further ado.
"I'm out of time and all I've got is 4 minutes…to save the world."
Timbaland, "4 Minutes" (Video Remix)
A woman stood serenely in the hallway right in front of the penthouse suite's door, holding a sword in her hand. There was nothing remarkable about her features at all, but her eyes were like flint: steely and determined. She had an air of familiarity about her. Then I remembered: I had seen her on the day I went to meet Laurent Savoy at Des Champs when I was kidnapped by OPIUM. She had been sitting at a table directly behind us on the balcony. I had thought at the time that she had been hovering unnecessarily close to us. Now I understood why: she was Laurent's little lap-dog.
"Guys, you head back to the roof, I'll take care of this!" I yelled out over the rush of the sprinklers.
"But London-" Maddie intervened fearfully before I stopped her.
"Maddie, it's okay. I can handle this." I stated firmly, putting up an appeasing hand in the air.
Lance nodded and started to lead them away.
"London, use the lamp!" Cody instructed quickly.
As they exited through the rooftop door, I glanced quickly at one of the lamps. Cody was absolutely right, it was perfect. The woman in front of me still hadn't moved a muscle.
"I remember you," I began conversationally as I moved subtly towards the lamp.
"You were at Des Champs a few days ago, the same day that I was kidnapped by OPIUM. I had a meeting with Laurent Savoy there; you were sitting right behind us. It's funny, at the time I thought you looked like a jealous ex-girlfriend. But now I get it, you're just the Boss's Bitch." I continued in a sing-song tone, hoping to get a reaction out of her.
She moved slowly towards me, the sword grasped tightly in her hands. The closer she got, the angrier her expression became.
"I'll do whatever it takes to protect the Boss," she murmured coldly in a low voice.
"Well then, I won't disappoint you. Because I'll do whatever it takes to get to him. But first, I'm going to neuter you." I threatened menacingly, dropping my smile.
She smirked at this suggestion, the sword so close now that it was actually gleaming.
"Big talk for someone without a weapon," she sneered with a grin on her face.
"I'm full of surprises." I answered softly before grabbing the lamp.
I then swiftly smashed the bulb against the wall, causing it to shatter into a million shards on the wet carpet. That left me with an available weapon: the aluminum rod. Laurent's lap-dog charged me at that precise moment, the sword pointing directly at my chest. I dodged her advance by bringing the rod horizontally against my chest to stifle the blow. A flashback entered my head of when I was 10 years old and Daddy had forced me to take fencing lessons. I absolutely loathed the idea at the time because I had to cancel a trip with Portia and Chelsea to the French Riviera. The only reason I ended up sticking with my lessons in the end was because my instructor was good-looking. I silently thanked Daddy for his foresight.
I twirled and ducked at each turn as my assailant continued taking swipes at me with her sword. One time she narrowly missed me my head and ended up cutting off the head of the other aluminum lamp, sending the remaining light bulb onto the carpet. I noticed that a pool of water from the sprinklers was gathering in the centre of the carpet that separated the two of us. I knew that I couldn't keep up this fight for much longer with only the aluminum rod as my chosen weapon. She was now gaining some distance on me and attempting to force me into a corner. Then I remembered that I still had a taser in my pocket that I had charged just minutes ago. I began attacking her with the rod, bringing the full force of it down against her sword as I tried to force her backwards. Even though she seemed to only be a novice at sword-fighting, she was still a good deal stronger than me physically. It would take a lot more to throw her off balance.
I saw an opportunity when she tried to force my back against a table standing in front of one of the walls. Before she could pin me against it, I managed to twirl my body around and crouch under the table. I heard the wood splinter above me as she brought the sword down violently onto the table overhead. I managed to roll to safety out from under it, still clutching the rod in my hands just as I felt the blade miss me and embed itself into the carpet. I deftly ran my thumb over the taser in my pocket and switched it on, causing it to begin charging. Then I distracted my assailant by throwing the rod right at her. Just for one second she took her eyes off of me when she ducked for cover. That's when I aimed at her stomach and kicked as hard as I could, using all of my lower-body strength. She toppled backwards, but didn't lose her balance entirely. However, she was standing exactly where I wanted her, smack bam in the centre of the puddle on the carpet. That's when I whipped out the taser and stabbed it into the carpet. The result was instantaneous: the spark coursed through her body and she began writhing rapidly as the electricity and the water mingled in a rippling effect. Then her eyes rolled into the back of her head before she collapsed, her cheek making a splash as she fell onto her side into the puddle.
I caught my breath as I stared at her lifeless body.
"Cocky bitch," I muttered dryly before running back towards the rooftop entrance.
The helicopter had arrived and Lance was opening the doors for the twins and Maddie.
"London, oh my God! Are you alright?" Maddie asked worriedly.
"I'm fine." I responded dismissively.
"I was just about to come get you. What happened?" Lance demanded hurriedly.
"I neutered the bitch." I responded sardonically which made them all stare at me in confusion.
The helicopter was preparing to take off any second. It was time to make my move.
"Lance, give me the remote for the emergency lock-down." I commanded gently.
He gave it to me without any hesitation, but his eyes widened when he saw what I was doing.
"London, what are you doing?" he demanded incredulously.
"Re-routing the mechanism like we talked about." I answered quickly while keying in the number 23 on the device.
"London, I didn't agree to this. What was the flare for if you're going to lock down the entire Tipton? This was not part of the plan!" Lance snapped angrily.
"This was always the plan Lance. I'm just going to put the 23rd floor on lock-down. After I get my father out, I need you to wait for him on the roof and take him with the helicopter." I explained quickly.
"What about you?" Lance demanded hurriedly.
"I have an appointment with Laurent Savoy that I can't miss." I said simply.
"So you're going to lock-down the 23rd floor while you're still up there?" Lance asked despairingly.
"The only thing I set out to do was to get all the important people out of the hotel. I've succeeded so far. That just leaves Daddy." I stated, a lump rising in my throat as I spoke.
"London, you can't bargain with Laurent Savoy. Besides, what makes you so sure you can convince him to release your father?" Lance demanded knowingly.
"He'll agree to it when he realises just how high the stakes are. I'll make him an offer he can't refuse." I replied seriously.
"And what about you? If you think I'm going to let you-"
"You have to Lance. I'm not that important." I remarked stoically with a wry smile on my face.
"Yes you are," Lance murmured vehemently, coming towards me to cup my face in his hands.
"Think about what you're doing," he whispered in my ear.
"I have thought about it. And I've made the necessary provisions in case something happens to me. You get my secret room" I added with a twinkle in my eye which made him chuckle for a split second.
"You're making me break my promise London. We're supposed to be in this together. I walked through a goddamn sewer with you! And now you want to just leave you here." Lance mumbled angrily, his eyes becoming strangely moist.
"You haven't broken your promise; you've held up your end of the bargain. You've done everything in your power to keep me safe and I'm grateful. But this is something that I have to do, I have to finish this. I'm doing this for Brandy too." I whispered frantically, the tears spilling freely from my eyes.
"London-˝ Lance persisted, but I put my finger to his lips.
"I need you to know that I don't regret anything that's happened these past few days."
With that, I kissed him forcefully on the mouth, my hands coming up to caress his face. I pulled away just as quickly and began walking towards the rooftop exit.
"Take care of the people I love. That's all I can ask of you now," I added as I wiped the tears off my cheeks. I glanced over one last time to where the twins and Maddie sat in the helicopter, their expressions sombre.
Then I closed the door firmly behind me. I was well and truly alone now…
I was walking as slowly as possible towards my destination, hoping that time would slow down for a fraction more. I passed by Laurent's lap-dog, her body lying pathetically in the puddle on the carpet. I just hoped that whatever happened, I would go down swinging. It was amazing how at this possible moment I'd never felt more alive. Isn't it ironic that when the last few hours of your life might just be seconds away, you feel like you could live forever? Brandy was foremost in my mind now. What would she think of what I was doing? Would she be proud? All I wanted now was for the nightmares to stop so that I could finally be free.
I was outside the penthouse suite. There wasn't a guard in sight. I grabbed a tiny grenade from my back-pack and duck-taped it to the door. Then I ran a few paces away from the door towards the window. I pulled out the detonator and flicked a switch. The explosion blew the door right off its hinges and it crashed into the adjacent wall. I shot the first guard who came to inspect and he pitched face-down into the broken door. One down, seven more to go. Then I walked calmly into the penthouse, my gun pointed in front of me. There was no one in the living room, so I continued towards the study on the second floor landing. The minute I crossed the threshold, I heard the clicks of multiple cartridges being loaded. At least seven different guns were all pointed at my head. I guess some things never change. At least there would be no surprises in the final throes.
Laurent Savoy was sitting in Daddy's chair at his desk while Daddy sat opposite him. It seems I had interrupted a meeting between them. Daddy looked alarmed at my sudden appearance while the guards looked nervous. Laurent, however, smiled at me, showing no surprise at my sudden appearance.
"London Tipton! Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" he greeted amicably without rising from his seat.
"London, what are you doing here?" My father asked in bewilderment while staring at my attire.
"Daddy, it's okay. I'm here to rescue you." I explained nonchalantly without lowering my gun.
This admission was met with a laugh by Laurent Savoy.
"Is that what you've been up to downstairs? Executing a rescue mission? And here I was thinking you were causing chaos and mayhem in my hotel just to annoy me," He replied lightly with a chuckle.
"Nope, just chaos and mayhem in my hotel." I corrected firmly.
"Speaking of mayhem, what have you done with Consuela?" Laurent enquired nonchalantly.
I assumed he was referring to his favourite swordsmen. I grinned maliciously in his direction.
"She's cooling off in the hallway." I responded brightly.
"Pity, I was quite fond of her. She was an excellent fighter. Not as good as you are I'm afraid." Laurent commented lightly.
"Where have you been hiding these last few days London? I've been anxious to see you so we can clear up this misunderstanding," he added smoothly.
"There's no misunderstanding here: you're trying to take what doesn't belong to you and killing innocent people in the process. Anxious to see me? Or just anxious to take me out of the equation. Well I'm here now." I replied softly.
"Yes you are. So what's your next move? Are you going to join your father in trying to derail my plans for the Tipton?" Laurent asked searchingly.
"On the contrary. I'm here to make you an offer." I responded promptly.
Both Laurent and my father straightened up in their seats while the guards continued pointing their guns at me.
"What kind of offer?" Laurent probed in a low voice.
"We both know that the Tipton is rightfully mine. My father signed it over to me when I was 13 years old. Arthur Trent, an old family friend, witnessed this agreement between my father and I. My father in fact has no legal entitlement to the hotel except in name. I was previously adamant that the hotel remain in my family. But I've been thinking it over and I've decided to give the hotel to you-"
"London, no!" my father roared, rising to his feet.
Some of the guards pointed their guns at him instead, but Laurent waved a lazy hand at them to relax their stance.
"In exchange for my father's life." I concluded seriously.
"What's the catch? Laurent demanded suspiciously.
"No catch. There's a helicopter on the roof waiting to take my father to a safe location. One of your guards will escort him out there while I stay behind and negotiate the terms of a new contract of sale for the Tipton." I answered simply.
"How do I know you're not bluffing?" Laurent questioned impatiently.
I carefully removed one of three envelopes from my jacket and tossed it to him.
"A copy of the original deed as well as a revised draft of a contract in which I agree to divest all my interests in the Tipton to you, Laurent Savoy, CEO of OPTIMUM Pharmaceuticals. Arthur Trent is a corporate lawyer who has looked over this contract as well. Everything's in order." I stated confidently.
Laurent scanned it for a few seconds before he was satisfied.
"It looks legitimate." He agreed reluctantly.
"London, don't do this! Do you know what he has planned for the Tipton? He's going to turn it into OPIUM's private headquarters for all of their criminal endeavours!" My father exclaimed angrily.
"I know Daddy, but I don't care. The Tipton isn't more important than your life." I answered genuinely.
"And what about your life, huh? Do you honestly think I'm going to walk out that door and leave you here with these terrorists?" My father demanded furiously.
"How touching. And here I was thinking that Wilfred Tipton didn't have a paternal bone in his body." Laurent murmured nastily.
On another day, I might have actually agreed with him.
"That's exactly what I expect you to do Daddy. I can take care of myself. I've been doing it my whole life." I answered grimly.
"But London-"
"Do we have a deal or not Savoy?" I demanded, ignoring my father.
Laurent pressed his fingertips together against his chin while he thought it over.
"Alright, we have a deal, I don't want to continue this stalemate. Your father's free to go. You stay behind and we'll discuss our new business arrangement. Wallace, take Mr. Tipton to the rooftop and come straight back to the suite." Laurent instructed forcefully.
The guard identified as Wallace took hold of my father's arm and hoisted him onto his feet. Then he began dragging him towards the hallway.
"London-" My father pleaded once more, but I interrupted him.
"Daddy, it's okay. I love you." I answered firmly.
And then he was gone. My heart was thumping violently in my chest while Laurent read through the contract more thoroughly this time. Neither I nor the guards relaxed our stances. The 5 minutes it took Wallace to take Daddy outside was absolute agony. H returned to the suite soon after.
"Has Mr. Tipton been safely escorted off the premises Wallace?" Laurent enquired politely.
"Yes Boss." Wallace responded promptly.
"Excellent, now onto business. Are you ready to put your money where your mouth is?" Laurent questioned maliciously of me.
"Not quite. First, I'd like to set the mood."
I grabbed the lock-down remote from my pocket and keyed in the number 23 a second time. As expected, there was a slight fluctuation in the power surge, causing the lights in the penthouse to flicker momentarily. Laurent and the guards glanced around the room in confusion as the sound of an alarm going off in the distance.
"What have you done?" Laurent asked me softly.
"I wanted to ensure that we have some privacy so that I could offer you the real deal. I deactivated the Tipton's emergency lock-down mechanism and re-routed it to this remote. But instead of locking the entire hotel, I've chosen to just shut down the 23rd floor. No one's leaving this suite." I responded cryptically.
"And why would you do something so absurd?" Laurent pressed curiously while relaxing in his chair.
"So I could make you an offer you can't refuse."
Then I tossed yet another envelope towards him. He opened it up hurriedly and frowned at its contents.
"What is this?" he demanded impatiently.
"The last will and testament of London Tipton. As you can see, I've made a few changes to it in the past few days. Instead of bequeathing the Tipton to my father, Wilfred Tipton, I've decided to give it to Marion Moseby, the hotel manager. Arthur Trent has the original will in his possession as well, you can keep the copy." I pointed out cheerily with a grin.
"What about your agreement to give me the Tipton?" Laurent demanded in a livid tone.
"Yeah, about that. This is going to sound clichéd, but I lied. I told you before that you're getting the Tipton over my dead body. Maybe now, you might have some motivation to make that happen."
With that, I retrieved yet another envelope from my jacket and tossed it towards him.
"How many more of these do you have?" Laurent asked wearily while scanning the latest set of documents.
His eyes widened at the contents.
"Is this some kind of joke?" he asked lightly, but his eyes betrayed his sudden alarm.
"Not in the least. I've been doing some digging and I bumped into your personal accountant and blackmailer Kevin Moran. He's quite the conversationalist." I remarked airily.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know a Kevin Moran." Laurent answered without blinking.
"Really? That's weird. 'Cause he seems to know a lot of about you and OPIUM. Much more than an accountant would usually know about his employer. It looks like he took out some insurance not covered by his company benefits in case you decided to get rid of him. I guess he trusts you about as much as I do." I stated sardonically.
"And if you'll notice, he was very succinct in outlining every single criminal endeavour he did while in OPIUM's employ as well as ones he wasn't personally involved in. Let's see: the Panacea Project (yip, that was his baby), the drug mill in Beijing, the Shangri-La Hotel, the hit placed on Reuben Marshall. Ooh dear, accountants can be so thorough at the worst of times." I mused, feigning a scandalised tone.
"You can't prove a thing. You have the word of one of OPTIMUM's disgruntled employees. You've got nothing." Laurent sneered vindictively.
"I don't think so, keep reading Smarty-Pants. It's not just Kevin Moran's word against you. On page 10, I've got statements and signatures of several employees from OPTIMUM's lower levels who swear to testing out the artificial peptide that killed Reuben Marshall. Then there are all sorts of inventory lists and contracts with airlines for illegal drug exports with your signature on them. Not to mention the fact that Alexei Novak is willing to testify against you; you were his errand-boy not too long ago correct? Apparently he didn't take too kindly to being replaced as CEO of OPIUM." I continued snidely.
"You're bluffing." Laurent hissed angrily.
"I don't bluff when the stakes are this high. I'm a Tipton and I play to win. It's in my blood. Plus, I'm trained to be thorough and to always get my man. And I've got you this time. Didn't I say you'd have some motivation to kill me once you found out what the real deal on the table is?" I asked dangerously.
"You haven't told me what the real deal is yet," Laurent snapped impatiently.
"There is only one deal on the table, for you anyway. Sign a confession and turn yourself in. OPIUM's days are numbered. Best to climb off a sinking ship while there's still time." I answered carefully.
"And if I refuse? What if I decide to kill you instead? After all, we are trapped in this suite with no visible way out." Laurent sneered menacingly, coming to stand just inches away from me.
"Then go ahead, pull the trigger. But know this: Arthur Trent has the originals of every last document I've given to you today. If I don't exit out of this hotel by 15:00 exactly, then he'll take those documents straight to the appropriate authorities. So even if you kill me, it will only confirm your crimes. Whichever way you look at it, you're screwed and I win." I murmured softly.
Without warning, Laurent cried out sharply. He grabbed a crystal paper weight from Daddy's desk and threw it haphazardly against the back wall, causing it to break into dozens of pieces.
"That was one of a kind," I added facetiously.
"You little bitch," he muttered with ragged breaths.
"I've been called worse." I replied dismissively.
"Should we kill her Boss?" Wallace asked threateningly.
"No." Laurent mumbled wearily.
Instead, he whisked my gun from my hand and pointed it directly at my forehead.
"I'll do it myself," he added quietly, the sweat running down his face.
"So I guess you will be getting the Tipton over my dead body after all. Wouldn't it be easier to just confess?" I asked slowly.
"I'll take my chances. Any last words?" he asked in an alluring voice.
"This is for Brandy. Go to hell, you bastard." I hissed maliciously.
"You first," he whispered.
That's when he cocked the gun. I closed my eyes as the cartridge clicked into place. This was it. No more regrets, no more lies.
But then something unexpected happened. The lights went off, plunging the entire suite in impenetrable darkness. Did I just press something? I instinctively dropped down and crept underneath Daddy's desk amidst the chaos. Whatever was going on, it must be a sign that I wasn't going to die today. The lights went back on once more and I heard the sound of a generator buzzing faintly in the distance. Then I heard a series of alternate sounds which very nearly deadened my eardrums permanently. The first was the sound of Laurent firing my gun. The second set was the sound of glass breaking all around me, which was then followed by more gun shots. I stared in horror as unknown figures closed ranks on Laurent's guards and took them down swiftly. The gun was wrestled from Laurent's hand and he was brought to ground and cuffed. The figure pinning Laurent down ripped off his mask and my heart leapt as he smiled back at me.
"You didn't honestly think I was going to leave you behind you silly rich girl?" Lance asked quizzically with a knowing look in his eyes.
"What took you so long?" I demanded impatiently, hands on my hips.
Hoped you all enjoyed the chapter. I was listening to my iPod about 2 weeks ago while doing the dishes when '4 Minutes' came up on my playlist. I thought Timbaland's line from the intro was just too cool to pass over. I thought it lended to the dramatic effect I was aiming for. This chapter was definitely more of the angst you're used to in former chapters where London is trying to confront her demons from the past. Hope the action and emotion was plausible in this chapter, let me know what you think. It's been a love-hate relationship with this story. A part of me's been really anxious to finish it so I can move onto other future Fanfic stories in other categories. But at the same time, I've loved writing about London's smartitude, especially in this chapter. I feel like everything's that's transpired in this story so far finally comes together in chapter 10. There are only two chapters left in this story, I'm happy I could prolong the ending. They'll be much shorter than the last few. Thanks for sticking with me fellow readers and writers. You're beautiful!