Disclaimer: See first page.
The masked man swept Evey off her feet and they stole away into the darkness of a neighboring alley. Stationed beside an emergency exit lay a rickety steel fire escape ladder against the wall and Evey quickly grabbed at the light rungs as she was nudged up on to it, pulling herself up and quickly setting her clunky boots to course. She scrambled up the ladder in a mad flourish and when she finally clambered an arm over the ledge the masked man was standing at the top waiting. Her offered an arm and she took it promptly, heaving herself up over onto the roof.
Standing up on the several-stories high roof Evey stopped a moment to catch her breath. The other rooftops of neighboring buildings spanned wide around were all the same height as hers and the night horizon was unadulterated by taller fixtures. Evey was not afraid of heights and with relative ease she set to reaching into her purse for a cigarette. Her hands were nervous and the purse had somehow remained miraculously affixed to her shoulder the whole time.
"You… you rescued me!" she exclaimed aloud, breaking the silence the peace had set. "Like in a story!"
She struggled with a light and finally got a spark off the match. " I don't believe it."
With the peace of mind the smell of the burning tobacco afforded her, a wave of curiosity began to dawn on her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her rescuer staring out across the river Thames, resting casually on his leg stooped up on the knee-high ledge.
"Wh-who are you?"
"Me?" he turned his painted smile to her. "I'm the king of the twentieth century. I'm the bogeyman. The villain… the black sheep of the family."
Evey considered her companion and when he turned his gaze back across the river she sat herself on the cool ledge and pensively took another a long drag. "Uh… yeah. But what were you doing around here? I didn't think anybody came to Westminster at night except…" she paused. "You know… women."
"Ahh, but tonight is special," the masked man explained, never taking his eyes off the distant cityscape. "Tonight is a celebration. A grand opening. Were you never taught the rhyme?"
Before Evey could inquire as to which rhyme he meant he started softly into verse.
"Remember, remember the fifth of November,
The gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason…"
A low rumble resounded in the distance and a great fiery explosion erupted across the Thames river.
"…should ever be forgot."
Evey stared out at the massive destruction and her eyes widened as the gravity of what had just happened began to register.
"Oh. Oh. The houses of Parliament! They've… they've been…"
Evey turned her head to see her companion and saw him standing calmly regarding the spectacle.
"Did you do that?" she asked.
"I did that," he answered.
"But that…" she stammered, distracted by the growing flames and smoke, "That's against the law! They'll kill you… they'll…"
The part of Big Ben that had survived the initial explosion toppled into itself and a gulf of flames licked the air where once was stone and masonry
"…did you really do that?"
"I really did that," he assured. "Now hush. There's more…"
Stupefied by what her companion could possibly be implying she looked inquisitively all around her and was shocked to see a myriad of brilliant orbs launch into the night sky with an ear-splitting whistle. At the zenith of their trajectory they exploded into bursts of light and color and rained down torrents of dazzling sparks.
"Fireworks! Real fireworks!"she exclaimed, laughing. She drew her head up to reach as closely as possible the celestial spectacle and her face basked in the light of the glorious explosions. "Oh God, they're so beautiful!"
For several minutes the night sky was alit and when the last sparks had faded into smoky oblivion the mysterious masked man contemplated the still-burning effigy of Parliament one last time.
"There. The overture is finished. Come. We must prepare for the first act."
We?
"Me?" But…"
Evey hesitated at the mysterious man's invitation. But when she could find no reason to decline, and saw no better option to pursue, she found herself following after his retreating back.
"Oh. Okay," she said after him, and she ran to catch up as he opened the rooftop entrance door to descend the stairs below.