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GCPD: The Swan Sonata
January 31st, 2000
<...Loren wrote...>
Lennon: I don't think so.
Loren: Look, I can tranq you now, and you wouldn't really have a
choice, but I'd rather not have to do that.
Lennon: Well, alright...
Lennon starts to slowly walk downstairs, where she was being
motioned to by Loren. As they near the lower level, Lennon trips
herself up on the last few steps and tumbles, trying not to injure
herself in the process. Loren's inherent sense of decency kicks in,
which is odd, given the circumstances, and he kneels beside Lennon
to make sure she's okay.
She surprises him, kicking him into the nearest wall, and the
tranquilizer gun drops out of his left hand. The ADA reaches for the
fallen gun, but before she can grab it, the lieutenant levels his
Glock at her head.
Loren: Oooo...you're good.
Lennon: And you fell for it.
Loren: Women are my fatal flaw. It's the one way to get to me. :)
He backs away little, but keeps the gun pointed at her.
Loren: Now...let's get going again, shall we?
Loren opens the basement door, which leads to the street out behind
the Davenport Center, offering Lennon to walk through first.
Lennon: Ever the gentleman...
Loren: I do try. :)
<...Chris wrote...>
Chris walks to the opposite side of the deck, and catches some activity
out of an alley that none of the partygoers or police are paying attention
to. He notices a woman being escorted away - at gun point! Detective
Small peers though the darkness.
Chris: Is that... Loren?
<...Loren wrote...>
At the street below, Loren ushers Lennon into an unmarked car, which
he'd "borrowed" from the police impound lot a few days earlier. He
flicks on the power-locks (preventing his passenger from further
attempts of escape), starts the car, and drives away from the rear
of the Davenport Tower, while his gun remains aimed at Lennon.
Lennon: May I ask where you're taking me?
Loren: Sure. We're going to that nice penthouse of yours across town.
We'd like to have a little talk with you.
Lennon: Who's we...? Or do you have some kind of Two-Face complex?
Loren: No, but I like the irony. :)
<...Chris wrote...>
Just as Chris prepares to follow Loren, a shout in the crowd
distracts him.
Crowd: Hey! Wait! Stop that guy!
Chris is off the deck, and down the stairs in a moment. Wayne
and Owen run up to his side.
Wayne: What's this all about?
The three officers follow the ripple of commotion that waves
through the crowd.
Owen: It's him!
Chris: Who?
Wayne: Let's get him!
Owen and Chris chase a shadowy figure, dressed in a suit and wearing
a mask like most of those at the party, and watch him jump into a car.
Owen: We've lost him.
Chris: Don't give up just so fast...
Chris turns around, and right on cue, Wayne pulls up in his old jalopy.
Wayne: C'mon boys, let's catch that guy!
Owen: In -that-?
Chris is already in the passenger seat.
Chris: Coming, Owen?
Owen hops in the back, just before Wayne pulls into the street.
Wayne: Woohoo! It's time for a ride!
Chris flicks on the siren, and slaps the blues onto the roof.
Across town they speed, chasing their prey, until he turns a corner
and disappears.
Wayne: Dang! Now where'd he go?
<...Loren wrote...>
The young ADA stares out her window, and sighs, thinking to herself,
"This isn't exactly the kind of attention I wanted, when I was being
avoided back there at the party..."
Lennon: Look, Lieutenant, I don't know what you're trying to pull --
Loren: You really don't remember me, do you? Must be my hair.
She looks at him quizzically, but doesn't respond.
Loren: I guess it won't hurt to tell you now, since you won't --
Loren didn't finish his sentence, and Lennon didn't like the
implication of it one bit, but she wouldn't let that show in her face.
Loren: I better start from the beginning. Several years ago, I was
lucky enough to be recruited into a very prestigious
family.
I was one of the most efficient...marksmen in the
business.
Lennon: By family, you mean the mafia, right?
Loren: You catch on fast.
Lennon: I didn't make ADA for my spelling ability, y'know.
Loren: ...like I was saying, this wasn't one of the lesser families,
this was big time stuff - I was in with the
Bertinellis.
Lennon recognizes that name from the woman with whom Loren was
dancing earlier at the function. But there was something else...
Loren: I had great favour with Guido, the head of the family, and I
quickly became his personal bodyguard. He had this
gorgeous
daughter who I...got to know real well.
Lennon: That wouldn't be the woman you were dancing with before?
Loren smiles.
Loren: Yes. Her name's Helena. Guido even approved of the two of us,
which we thought was a miracle. Unfortunately, she
had to leave
for college, so I didn't get to see her for a while.
We planned
to get married the moment she was done with all that.
Lennon listens intently, as the Special Investigations Officer continues.
Loren: Well, at one point, I had to patrol everything from Guido's bedroom
window, to the gate out front. I heard some car
honking at the gate,
so I went ahead to check it out.
The mahogany-tressed passenger finally put the pieces together, while
Loren was reminding her.
Loren: There was this cute young woman there, in a sporty little car.
Couldn't have been more than seventeen, eighteen.
Lennon: Me.
Loren: Right. You said you were looking for some kinda place...can't
remember what it was, but I found myself getting into
your car
there and you and I drove some place more private.
Now *that*
part, I *do* remember. :)
Loren stops the car in front of the building where Lennon lives, and
instructs her not to try anything funny. They walk through the revolving
doors as calmly as possible, and enter the elevator. Loren presses the
button for Lennon's penthouse, the door closes, and they begin their ascent.
Lennon: I can't believe it. You mean you're --
Loren: Whatever. Like you haven't known all along. Stop playing around.
Lennon: What do you mean?
Loren became impatient and a little frustrated.
Loren: You know *exactly* what I mean! The moment I left the place,
that assassin moved in and killed the whole family!
Every one
of them!! And it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't
for one
man... Your father, Richard Johnson!!
Lennon thought she knew what was going on, but after hearing that
revelation, all she could do was sit there in shock.
Lennon: What're you talking about? What does my father have to do with
this?!?
Loren: You know as well as I do, Lennon, that your slimeball father
was a defense attorney for the mafia. But it was with
a rival
family! He sent you over to the Bertinelli estate to
lure me
away, so that the assassin his boss hired could make
the easy kill!
Lennon: What?!? You're not serious...
Loren: You mean you deny it?
Lennon: Yes, you idiot! I wasn't working with my damn father, I was
lost! Lost, you understand?!? I didn't know
where the heck
I was going, so I pulled over to that big house
and tried
beeping the horn for help.
Loren slams the emergency stop button on the elevator, two floors
away from the penthouse suite. He gets a little anxious, waving his
gun around haphazardly.
Loren: You really expect me to believe that?!?
Lennon: Look, obviously you don't know me, no matter what happened
between us that day. If there's *one* thing
that I've been
adamant about in my life, it's that I've tried
like hell to
distance myself from my father. I didn't become
a lawyer to
continue his dirty line of work, I wanted to
*destroy* everything
he was trying to do. How else do you think I
got into the district
attorney's office?!?
Loren: You mean...you had nothing to do with it...? It was just a fluke...?
Lennon: For a cop, you sure are slow.
Lennon was fed up. Her whole night hadn't been going well, and she
refused to get yelled at anymore. Accused of being in league with her
father! That was too much, and she just wanted it all to be over. She
pressed the button on the panel, and the elevator resumed its course.
Loren: ...Lennon.
Lennon: What?!?
Loren: I'm sorry. I...I guess I was looking for a way out...trying to
shift the blame on someone else. It's just that she
told me --
And that's when Loren remembered the plan.
Loren: Oh crap...!
Lennon: What...? What's going on?
Loren: Hit the ground button! We've gotta get you out of here!
But it was too late. The elevator door was already opening onto
Lennon's penthouse.
Helena: Well, well...if it isn't the last woman I've gotta kill...
<...Lennon wrote...>
Lennon knew it was futile to try and dissuade Helena, but Loren
tried anyway. As the cop talked quickly, she eyed the display table
next to her for something that could be useful.
Loren: Helena...think this over. Lennon had nothing to do with what
happened that night. She explained it to me...she
hates her father.
Helena: You've gotten soft, Loren. If you're not with me, then get out of
the way, or I'll kill you too. You're partly to
blame as well...
Lennon: Yes, Loren...get out of the way...
In one swift move, Lennon violently pushed Loren to the side and threw
a large paperweight from the table at Helena. Though the Huntress was
caught off guard, she moved swiftly enough so that the paperweight only
nicked the side of her head. She staggered for a few seconds, giving
Lennon enough time to charge her with a kick. When Helena fell, Lennon
jumped on her, pulling her arms behind her back. She found some loose
clothing on the couch near them and tied Helena up.
Everything happened so quickly that Loren didn't have time to react.
One minute he was talking to Helena, the next he was on the ground
watching Lennon beat her up. He got up slowly and dusted himself off,
seeing that Lennon had things under control. He approached the ADA,
who was still sitting on a struggling Helena.
Loren: Wow...you're *really* good. I'm impressed. Any more surprises
up your sleeve?
Lennon: There's a lot you have to learn about me, Loren. ;)
Lennon got up and forced Helena to sit on the couch.
Lennon: Now, let's talk... I'm truly sorry about what happened to your
family that night. You don't know how many
times I've wished
that I could turn back the clock and stop my
father from commiting
murder. I loathe Richard and his criminal
activities and I've spent
my life trying to escape his reputation. I
understand how you
feel...*believe* me, I know how you feel...but
violence and
revenge don't solve anything...
Helena spat stubbornly in Lennon's face. She calmly wiped it off
and then knocked Helena unconscious.
Lennon: ...though violence *can* be slightly therapeutic.
Loren grinned.
Lennon: Let's get rid of this baggage. I think you and I have
a lot of catching up to do...
They carried the unconscious woman to the elevator and hit the
basement button. Lennon walked back to the couch, flopped down on it,
and sighed. Loren followed her.
Lennon: Whew...what a night. So...how did you go from being a top mafia
man to being a cop?
Loren: That's a long story.
Lennon: I'm not in any hurry...unless you *want* me to tell your boss
about what happened here tonight. ;)
Loren: No, no...of course not. Well, it's like this...
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