Keysmith [NOT FANFICTION] ✓completed

// INTERRUPTION \\

WE NOW INTERRUPT LEX'S NARRATIVE WITH A MOSTLY UNIMPORTANT SIDEPLOT, WHICH IS IN THE BOOK SOLELY TO ANNOY THE READERS AS THEY AWAIT THE GRAND CLIMAX.

BUT FIRST, THIS VAGUELY RELEVANT MEETING.

"We're not doing it, and that's final." Marshall crossed his arms angrily, glaring at the people sitting around the conference table with him. This was made considerably less threatening by the fact that the conference hall was shrouded in darkness, making it almost impossible to make out his fellow conspirators-- let alone bring across a commanding glare.

"With all due respect, sir--" Joey began, before being rudely interrupted.

"We don't have time for etiquette, Rivers," Levi snapped, "Marshall, why the cuss not?"

"Because if we break him out now, he'll never get his freedom back. He'll be a wanted man for the rest of his life," Marshall explained.

"At least he'll have a life," someone else pointed out, "which he won't, if he stays here any longer."

"She makes a fair point, Marshall," another feminine voice agreed, "there's no way you'll be able to break him out of Lowlands. It's now or never."

"I realize that," Marshall replied impatiently, "but this is his last chance at redemption, don't you think we should wait before doing anything rash?"

"All this has ever been is stalling for time, Marshall," Jordan clarified, "we all knew that our little petition for his freedom was never going to get him out-- the BRSS holds too many grudges against him. The best we can do is use the time we've bought to break him out."

"Wait, who are we breaking out of where?" a groggy voice at the opposite end of the table enquired, and everyone in the room seemed to freeze.

"Wait, who is that?" Marshall hissed to the person to his right, who happened to be Jordan.

"No idea," Jordan hissed back, "I don't recognize the voice-- they must've been here before we came in."

"Who we are breaking out? We're um, not... we're... we're... breaking out the champagne!" Levi improvised, not sounding particularly convincing, "you know, because Lex London has been declared innocent? Yayyyy..."

"He has?" the vague silhouette at the other end of the room sat up slightly straighter, "oh, that's fantastic! I was starting to think this meeting would never come to an end, I even felt like I might doze off for a moment-- hold on, why is it so dark in here? Who switched off the lights?"

There was the sound of someone stumbling and tripping over a couple of chairs as they made their way towards the light switch. Three people jumped to their feet to stop the half-asleep figure, but none of them were fast enough.

The lights above the conference table flickered on almost hesitantly, before temporarily blinding everyone as they radiated out their bright white light at full power, illuminating the people gathered around the conference table like criminals caught by the beam of a powerful flashlight.

The woman with her hand still on the light switch was the first to speak.

"Marshall? You're not in Analytics."

"Way to state the obvious, Edith," the person sitting on Marshall's left drawled.

"Edith?" the kid sitting beside Levi repeated softly, "wait a second... Mom?"

Marshall sank back into his chair with a sigh, running a hand through his dishevelled hair.

"This is going to be a looong meeting."