Fan Fiction |
by MetalAZNWarrior
Ah Sing (Hawick Lau) had been so worried about Fiona (Sherming Yiu) since he heard from Nim Chi (Nancy Sit) that she had gone back to the Island with her aunt. Luckily, Ah Lam (Linda Chung) had been able to work things out with the Japanese clients sooner than expected and the two of them were able to return to Hong Kong.
Ah Lam places her hand on top of Ah Sing's and gives a gentle squeeze.
Ah Sing looks at Ah Lam, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," Ah Lam smiles. "What do you suppose happened to Fiona?"
"I have no idea... but I have a bad feeling about it."
"Ah Sing, if you don't mind me asking..."
"What is it?"
"Why were you so afraid when you heard that she went back to the Island with her aunt?"
"It's a long story."
"We're on a 'long' flight. Tell me, I'm interested."
"If you insist..." Ah Sing gives in to Ah Lam's request. "Fiona's dad, the Island Chief, was ill with a brain tumor. He wanted to pass the throne to Fiona. Her aunt, Suet Ching, was jealous and plotted against her own niece to take the throne. I'm not exactly sure how she did it, but I suspect that she faked evidence and deluded the Island Chief. Fiona was accused of being the offspring of an affair."
"Oh my goodness..." Ah Lam covers her mouth.
"He believed Suet Ching and jailed Fiona."
"How did you guys escape?"
"A masked man in black saved us from the Imperial Dungeon."
"Do you have any idea who it is?"
Ah Sing shakes his head, "No, but we owe our lives to him. If it wasn't for him, Fiona and I could very well still be in the Imperial Dungeon. Worse, we could have been executed. Those last days in the palace were so scary. To think, Fiona's own aunt plotted against her."
"Are you sure though?"
"Suet Ching is now the Island Chief... actually, she calls herself the 'Empress' now. If it wasn't she who plotted against Fiona, then who did? Obviously, the person who benefited the most is she, so it must be Suet Ching."
"Didn't Fiona's father do any DNA checking?"
Ah Sing grew bitter, "They refused to. Instead, they used the archaic method of seeing whether two droplets of blood mixed."
"You're kidding me!"
"I wish I was."
"So the blood of Fiona's father didn't mix with her own?"
Ah Sing shakes his head. "The blood mixed... but it was because of this that the Island Chief was convinced that Fiona wasn't his daughter."
"I don't get it."
"You see, he had Doctor Tsui, the man who was accused of having an affair with Fiona's mom, test his blood with Fiona's."
"Oh!" Ah Lam exclaims.
Ah Sing nods his head, "It's just so stupid. I get really angry thinking about how everything happened."
"There was no way to reverse it?"
"Fiona is too innocent. She didn't see anything coming. All of a sudden, rumors and accusations slapped her in the face. She had no way to counterattack or realize that someone was plotting against her. Plus, it was her own aunt! How could she imagine beforehand that Suet Ching would do such a thing?"
Ah Lam sighs, "And all for a throne?"
"All for stupid power."
"I suppose that's how life is."
"What do you mean?"
"We all try to get to the top, thinking that when we're there, we'll have the world at our fingertips and life will be sweeter."
Ah Sing looks out of the window and wishes the plane would go faster.
[Boat]
On Gong Gong (Bowie Lam) reports to Suet Ching (Rebecca Chan), "We'll reach the Island in a day."
Suet Ching sips from her hot teacup, "Very well. Have you fed her yet?"
"She refuses to eat."
"Make her eat. If she looks ill or thin, things won't be smooth for us."
"Your wish is my command, Your Majesty." On Gong Gong kneels and gets up. He proceeds towards the bottom of the ship, where Fiona was located. Fiona was kept in a dark room with only a couple of holes for ventilation. She was tied up and very weak. The days that she spent on the boat were nauseating and drained her of her energy. She didn't have the strength to move. She had hoped that the Kams would come and rescue her, but no light of hope reached her.
On Gong Gong grabs Fiona's face and shoves rice down her throat. Fiona spits the food back out and glares at him with glassy eyes.
"You bitch!" On Gong Gong barks. "You better eat!"
Fiona turns her head away.
"Do you want me to kill your beloved husband?"
Fiona's eyes widen and she shakes her head.
"Okay, then, eat."
Reluctantly, Fiona opened her mouth and lets On Gong Gong feed her. She felt terrible. She wanted to say so much, but she had no voice to express her feelings. Fiona held on to the hope that Ah Sing would be her savior. He had promised to always be there for her. She was confident that he would make it to save her this time as well.
[Ng Sau's Apartment]
Ah Lam joined Ah Sing in his quest to find traces regarding Fiona. He fumbled with his key chain trying to find the key to unlock the apartment door. "Calm down," Ah Lam urges. "Nothing works when you rush."
Ah Sing took her advice and calmly handled his key chain. He found the key and unlocked the door. No one was home. Ng Sau (Albert Lo) was still working in Mainland China making props for a grand production ancient drama. "Ah Lam," Ah Sing calls.
"Yes?"
"Look around the house for anything suspicious."
The two of them examined the 7B apartment closely for any clues that they could find.
"Strange," Ah Lam comments.
"What?"
"This couch and the coffee table are skewed... Who would leave the house in such a state?"
"This must mean that Fiona was likely attacked in this apartment."
"I don't get it. Why would she attack Fiona? Doesn't she already have the throne?"
"That's what I'd like to know..."
"Let's ask Mrs. Ma in 7A if she saw anything odd happen," Ah Lam suggests.
[Hallway]
"Michelle? It's been so long since I've last seen you! I thought that ever since you married and moved out, I would never see you again." Mrs. Ma (Christine Ng) is delighted to see Ah Lam. "Care to come in? We're missing a person for mah-jong."
Ah Lam refutes the offer, "I can't."
"Aww! Why not? The girls and I are really itching to play!"
Ah Sing speaks up, "Mrs. Ma, we want to ask you a question."
"What is it?"
"Did anything strange happen ten days ago?"
"Ten days? Are you trying to boggle my mind?"
"Mrs. Ma, we think something might have happened to Fiona," Ah Lam explains.
Mrs. Ma gasps, "Don't pull my leg!"
"Please, it's really urgent. Do you remember if anything happened?"
"Ten days..." Mrs. Ma thinks to herself.
"Did anything peculiar happen?"
"Well, the only thing 'interesting' that happened was that the girls and I were on our twentieth round of mah-jong and I was winning big. Suddenly, the fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate. I was so angry! When we got downstairs, it turned out to be a hoax, which made me even angrier. Luckily for my health, I wasn't angry for long. Some men in sunglasses handed out stashes of money to everyone and told us to stay out of the apartment building for the rest of the day."
"Thank you, Mrs. Ma."
Mrs. Ma smiles, "I'm glad I could help."
"Someone must have pulled the fire alarm and everyone evacuated the building..." Ah Sing says.
"Those people in sunglasses. Do you suppose they're Suet Ching's men?"
"They very well could be. Handing out money and telling people to stay out of the building... it must be Suet Ching."
"Do you think she had her men pull the fire alarm so that the building would be clear and it would be easier for them to attack Fiona?"
Ah Sing snaps his finger, "That could be it!"
Ah Lam turns towards Ah Sing, "What are we going to do now?"
"Ma Chi told me that Fiona left a note. I want to see it."
Abruptly, Ah Lam's cell phone rings. It was Ah San (Steven Ma). He called to ask why she hadn't come home yet. Ah Lam wanted to help Ah Sing on his investigation, but she wanted to see Ah San as well. She apologizes and parts with Ah Sing.
[Kam Family Apartment]
"Ma Chi!" Ah Sing exclaims.
"Ah Sing! When did you come home?" Nim Chi is surprised.
"The note from Fiona. Where is it? I want to see it!" Ah Sing pleads.
"Big big brother, is that a way to greet Ma Chi? She hasn't seen you for nearly two weeks!" Ah Yat (Joyce Chen) says.
"Please, Ma Chi, it's important. I think something happened to my wife."
"Fiona? I told you many times that she's fine!" Nim Chi insists.
"I want to see the letter... please."
"I'll go get it."
Ah Sing notices the family was gathered around the couch watching "Where the Legend Begins."
Nim Chi returns to the living room holding a white piece of paper and hands it to Ah Sing. He eagerly takes it and starts to read it. "'To everyone, don't worry, I'm only on a vacation. Hesitate please and keep living your normal lives. I am on the Island and will be back soon. Need not worry, I am safe. Help, okay? Please keep my apartment clean,'" he reads aloud.
"See! What did I say? The letter is not suspicious!" Nim Chi smiles proudly.
"Aiya! Jee Jik, how can you be so stupid to not see Yan Fuk's real meaning of the letter?" Ah Lo (Bondy Chiu) exclaims.
Ah Sing remembers how Yan Fuk had written the letter to Jee Jik to be read horizontally instead of the traditional vertical way. Jee Pei had forced her to write a letter to Jee Jik to ask him to come to the capital. Yan Fuk knew that Jee Pei wanted to kill Jee Jik, so she wrote the letter in such a way that it would go pass her husband's suspicions, but would stop Jee Jik from coming to the capital after he saw what the letter really read. However, Jee Jik failed to read the letter correctly horizontally as Yan Fuk had hoped. Ah Sing gasps and reads Fiona's letter again. This time, he read it vertically.
The real meaning of the letter became clear to Ah Sing. Fiona had intended the first two lines to be the cry of help. Her letter actually said, "Don't hesitate! I need help! Worry please, I am not okay." Ah Sing's eyes turn red and start to water. He looks up at Nim Chi and his voice cracks, "Ma Chi... it's really not okay! Read the letter again." He points vertically down so that it would be even clearer for Nim Chi to see.
Nim Chi stares at Ah Sing and blames herself for her own foolishness.
"Ma Chi!" Ah Sing wails. "Fiona! She..."
Nim Chi holds Ah Sing in her arms and tries to soothe him.