Disclaimer- I do not own Heavy Rain. If I did we'd definitely be enjoying the Chronicles in their entirety right about now. :(

Hey everyone! It's been a real long time since I've decided to show my face around here, but I finally managed to tackle the lovely draft that's been taunting me for almost two years now. I could go on and on about how rusty I feel, but that wouldn't get this written faster, would it? I am however, still working my way through grad school, so I hope that won't make updates too difficult to keep up with.

This is a sequel to Complementary, of which a quick read may help in order to get an idea of how Jayden and Madison stand with each other. It also briefly introduces an OC of mine (Jayden's partner in DC) who'll be around for a few chapters. Other than that, we're working off of the Innocent, Heroine, and Case Closed endings.


Part 1


The temperature outside was ready to hit an all time low. The wind howled for all it was worth, hitting everyone it could with the worst chill imaginable, leaving most huddling indoors while an intrepid few told the weather to shove it. This was business as usual for Philadelphia on this half of the year, snowing by the bucket where it would rain otherwise.

Madison had more than a few solutions to this annual problem, which really wasn't all that bad, but layers did jack shit when she had to go from clinging to her motorcycle to sitting in a packed room. She pulled out her notepad and tried to avoid being elbowed by the group slowly pressing in on her.

This press conference was originally scheduled for last week, something Sam had reminded her to make a note of while she was polishing up her drafts on the crime, but it had been abruptly canceled hours before it was supposed to start. That made more than few eyebrows rise, causing general interest in the case to double. The robberies were already catching the eye of most news stations by targeting the smaller offices of a few of the more notorious companies present, but when an attempt to take hostages resulted in their deaths, there was nowhere you could turn without hearing someone comment on it.

Which really makes me wish I was a fly on any of the walls in this department after a discussion to postpone the conference like that. Something must've happened, but Sam would've at least given me the heads up first. Or one of my other contacts. This is just getting stranger and stranger.

The cops present were huddled together around various sections of the station when Madison was let inside with her fellow reporters and journalists, but Perry was very absent. Still Captain after the mess which tried to flare up after the aftermath of the Origami Killer case he was likely inside his office, putting the last finishing touches on his statement.

Madison pulled off her scarf and unzipped her jacket, feeling more than a little crowded as the small room housing everyone started to resemble a sardine can. She had managed to snag a seat early, but that meant little when every reporter wanted to get a word in edgewise. And not too kindly at that. Everyone would be jumping to cut in on another's time, and she had to make sure she had her timing down right. At least she was only a few rows from the front instead of being shoved to the back of the room like last time. The entourage that had camped in front of her at that conference had blocked her out completely, leaving her peeking around them to catch the odd phrase from Perry.

She didn't see the group this time around, but kept an eye out anyway just in case they decided to try the same stunt twice. Sure, what all reporters did was get information to the public as soon as possible, but it was just as much a competition as a public service. And while she didn't enjoy the idea of stabbing anyone in the back, her back was free game for anyone around her to jab at instead. Something she was unfortunately starting to become quite familiar with after the infamy granted from the Origami Killer case.

Perry made his appearance as two people sidled up beside her, questions already spilling out as he took his place at the podium. He waited for a few minutes as the room settled down, though whether he was doing so to bask in the attention or give them time to quiet down was debatable. It never got completely quiet, but the minute the scattered comments turned into whispers he cleared his throat.

"Thank you all for coming here today. I apologize for the abrupt cancellation of the conference scheduled before, because as you are all surely aware we have those responsible for the robberies committed at CompuLabs and OKC Corporation, along with the murders of Johanna Dawson, Bruce Adams, and Owen Loeb in our custody. However," Perry paused and raised his hand, "we have recently been made aware of another individual which was the mastermind behind these crimes. We already have critical information about their whereabouts, and are working day and night to ensure that they are apprehended. Since this is a matter of extreme importance, I'll take a few brief questions."

The room exploded, half of the crowd shocked dumb while the others fired questions left and right. Madison nearly dropped her pen, coming back to reality when the camera next to her went off.

What? Three sources told me that there was no chance that there was anyone working behind the scenes, but... Shit. They either left something out or lied.

A male reporter near the front stood up, getting Perry's attention. "Could the leader possibly be working at one of these companies as we speak? That could explain why they were able to operate off of what should've been insider information."

"It is a possibility. However, we don't have enough information at this time to either confirm or deny such a claim." He pointed to another reporter in the back. "Yes?"

"If this person isn't caught, other software companies and their employees might be in danger. Have they been made aware of the activity of this group?"

"We've already had several discussions on the matter about possible precautions that could be taken to avoid problems like this in the future. Companies are aware and are paying attention."

Madison shot her hand up, feeling her window of opportunity closing up fast. Perry luckily didn't seem to recognize her from this distance, and gave her the go ahead. "The case seemed like it was ready to wrap up without any knowledge of this so-called leader a week ago. Is there any chance that this is an attempt to throw you off further in the hopes of keeping you from convicting them?"

Perry sighed. "We have credible sources ready to back up the information given. No tricks are being played, and I want to reassure the public that we have this situation under control. Everything will be resolved as soon as possible, and the leader will indeed be apprehended. Now, are there any other questions?"

A couple other reporters got their questions in, each receiving a vague answer in turn, while Madison sat back and sighed. Like a couple of other conferences before this, this just felt like it was built to feed them just enough information to keep them distracted. Whatever was going wrong behind the scenes, if there was something going wrong, had to be wrapped up fast.

And I need to get Sam on the phone before anything else comes up. We've only got a couple of days left at the most before this gets finished and shoved into a filing cabinet.

She placed her notepad back inside her jacket before zipping it up and began the process of getting ready to face winter again. Perry disappeared, likely running back to his office before he could get overrun by some of her more overzealous peers. She slipped her gloves on as she followed the train of people outside the double-doors at the entrance to the station and broke off from the group a few steps out to dial Sam.

It was not the best spot at all. The cold was already creeping through her layers, and she had to wrap an arm around herself to stay warm.

"Come on, Sam! Pick up!" Her phone told her it was 7:23 PM, so there was no way that Sam was asleep yet. The ringing ended up cutting straight to voicemail, and she fidgeted in place as she listened for the beep. "Hey, Sam it's Madison. We need to talk. I just hit the conference and we need to clear a few details up ASAP. Get back to me as soon as you can."

She turned back around as a spark by the entrance caught her eye. One of the officers on break was lighting up a cigarette, seemingly unfazed by the weather.

Hey, isn't that Blake's partner? The man put away his lighter as she wandered over, weighing her options. Maybe he might know a thing or two. ...Or maybe he might just tell you to fuck off due to getting Blake slapped with a demotion? Remember that wonderful little detail?

Ash looked up as she stopped, exhaling a thin stream of smoke. "You really don't want to talk to me."

"I...can think of a few reasons why I probably shouldn't." Madison replied, channeling her nervous energy into rubbing her hands together. "But I can also think of a couple that might work."

"...Right." He didn't eye her with distrust, but he barely seemed to be paying her much attention either. "And that won't get my name dragged through enough shit to bury me."

She bit her tongue to keep from replying to that. Then changed her mind. "You only get buried if you give me a damn good reason to do so. Look, I'm just trying to get a clear idea of what's going on with the corporate robberies going on right now. The only person I want to hang is the one who's apparently still on the run from you."

He glanced at his watch and took another drag off of his cigarette. "As much as I love using my smoke breaks to entertain reporters, you'll have to talk to Blake about that one. I can't help you."

"Don't you work with him?"

Ash shrugged. "I do." Madison's increasingly frustrated posture did little to move him beyond what could've been a look of faint interest. "But you're wasting your time here. You really want to figure out what's going on? Collaborate with one of your reporter friends. Maybe you can share notes."

The cigarette fell to the ground, the embers blinking briefly before being stomped out. "You should probably start heading home. Supposed to ice up tonight."

She forced a smile, her words barely escaping her gritted teeth. "Thank you, officer."

"No problem."


Well, that went well! Sure, just walk right on up to Blake's partner. He'll have information, right? Shit.

She pulled her arms closer to her as she trekked back to her bike, her footsteps echoing as they hit the concrete. What if Blake had shown up during that? Even if I had managed to get something, the last thing I want to do is get dragged into a mess like that again. *sigh* ...Things were a hell of a lot easier before they actually knew what I looked like.

The group she had originally walked out with was long gone. The fact that she could hear her footsteps, along with the occasional skittering of a kicked rock told her that she was one of the only people left, and that paired with the cold made her walk a little faster. By the time her bike came into sight she was lightly jogging, building up some excess heat for the trip back. Only a couple other people were in the immediate area starting up their cars for the ride home.

Maybe it was the black sky hanging overhead, or the brief chill that got to her while she fiddled with her scarf, but pinpricks began to travel slowly down her spine.

Relax. It's one of those nights where you won't see a lot of people, and you are in the Police Department's parking lot. Unless they're all ready to come back from their patrols just this instant, you're going to be all by your lonesome. Still...

Madison glanced over her shoulder before slipping her helmet on, making sure to start the engine as quickly as she could. The sooner she was out of here the better.

Besides, I've got a few papers over at the Tribune that I want to have on hand when Sam calls, and I do have one killer comforter to curl up in back at home...

The roar of the engine started and she sped away, running off into the night. The silent figure watching from a distance lowered their camera, tenderly touching the display screen on its opposite side.

One Madison Paige. Photojournalist. Completely unaware of what was going to happen next.


There was such a thing as too much bass. If it's able to reach a certain pitch or frequency that makes you wonder if your head's about to explode, it might be wise to dial it back a notch or three. Or four, especially if your sternum was joining in the party.

Jayden did his best to ignore the pounding running through his ears, but it was damn near impossible. It was like a migraine that refused to go away, made worse by the neon green lights cutting through the club's foggy interior. He wanted to stop where he was and press his hands to his temples to counteract some of the pressure, but he had no time. This was a case, an important one at that, and he needed to be at one hundred percent...or at least as close to one hundred percent as he could get.

His partner, Matt, walked a few steps ahead of him, cutting through the dancing crowd with ease.

Shit, he may as well be parting the goddamn Red Sea. Way too many people here. He ducked by one group, only to narrowly avoid getting crushed by another. Nobody seemed to be paying any attention to the pair cutting across the dance floor and Jayden idly wondered if he could count the number of sober people present on one hand.

A drink flew by him, missing him by inches. Well, you can't ignore concrete evidence.

On the other side they met up with a rather large bodyguard posted at the doorway to what was supposed to be the lower level of the club. Jayden did his best not to grimace as the strobe light overhead tried to drop kick his senses, but he wasn't the one who needed to smooth talk the guard. That duty was Matt's this time around.

"Hey, how's it going? My buddy Dan and I have an appointment with one of your lovely ladies tonight! " Matt clapped Jayden on the shoulder while giving the guard his best grin. "Miss Clary, in fact!"

The guard at the front did nothing, but the one beside him opened the giant red door and disappeared. That left the two of them with one rather imposing obstacle. The large man had more than a few inches on the two of them, reminding Jayden more than a little of Mad Jack and the resulting brawl which left him crawling around in the mud for a good ten minutes. He raised a hand to his forehead as it began to throb and the guard gestured towards him. "What's his problem?"

Jayden snapped to attention, his hand freezing in place. His partner, however, reacted much more gracefully. "Oh, him? Long work day. I think he's nervous because well, you know."

The guard laughed and Jayden dragged his hand down his face in annoyance. He may have not felt much like talking, but the finger he gave McGinnis said more than enough.

Soon enough the door opened again, and the man who came back nodded his approval. With this last confirmation given the guard in charge stepped back and allowed them to enter the dark hallway themselves, closing the door behind them. Black-lights ran through the ceiling and stairs, replacing the rapid-fire movements of the strobe light outside. The walls themselves were left bare, but a large spiraling design curled around them, bright white against the black floor.

Matt groped for the walls beside him, feeling slightly disoriented by the twisting of the lights around them, but made it down to the final step in one piece. Jayden kept a hand on the wall and focused on putting one foot in front of the other, closing his eyes briefly to get rid of the phantom pulling sensation that kept trying to throw them off. The eerie glow was bit more difficult to ignore, the patches of white winding around them more than a little reminiscent of a certain device.

Once at the bottom the guard ushered them into a hallway lined with undecorated white doors. Here the only lights were the fluorescent bulbs hanging from the ceiling, giving their eyes time to adjust to something borderline normal. The burgundy carpet stared up at them as they walked along, its deep red a little too reminiscent of blood. The three took a turn before stopping at a door marked with the numbers 906.

"Stick to the deal." the man with them ordered, crossing his arms. "Break anything, and we'll fucking break you."

Jayden smiled weakly, noting the glint of the brass knuckles just daring him to slip up. "No problem. I'm pretty good at following instructions." Money exchanged hands quickly then, from one lightly shaking pair to another much more steady one. As he reached for the door handle Matt gave him a thumbs up, and Jayden wondered if he would ever get a normal case for once.

Probably not, because murders are hardly ever normal cases. You picked your poison, Norman. Live with it. Fucking strobe lights or no strobe lights. Now go in there and get the ball rolling. The last thing we need is for someone to figure out we're not exactly the typical clientele.

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving him in a dimly lit room mostly occupied by a large circular bed. The woman lying down on top of it looked up at him, a slow smile spreading across her red lips.

"You're late."