My heart raced. I couldn't believe it; he's making me… co-leader? I was speechless. He looked at me, with a scared expression, but it soon settled. "I knew you were going to be like this. It's like when I was recruited into the Syndicate – when I earned my star." Matt said, looking at the star on the left half of his coat collar. "Really? Can you tell me more?" I asked, still speechless.
We were taking a slow ride over a sleepy Steelport. "Well, it all started when Phillipe needed someone to hack his way into a website. Back then, I was just recruited into the Deckers, and there was no leader. Everyone in my team looked at me, and I stepped forward. 'I will.' I shouted. Everyone was speechless, and I sat in the tiny office chair. 'Do it.' Phillipe commanded harshly. I typed away at my keyboard for an hour, and I broke through."
"I broke through! Everyone cheered loudly for me. I looked around, and then Loren commanded me front and center. There, I earned my leadership for the Deckers – and a place in the Syndicate." Matt explained. "Must have been really horrible in the dead silence, right?" I asked when the airplane landed on the Deckers' helipad. "We're here." I said, as both of us hopped from the helicopter's cabin. "Who was driving?" I asked.
"One of the programs I put together. Wonderful, isn't it?" Matt replied, with a smile. "Yeah…" I said, as we entered the room. Everyone already in there stopped what they were doing, and got into a defensive stance. "Everyone, calm down. She's with us now." Matt explained. Everyone relaxed, and we proceeded to the NEMO chair-less platform.
"Everyone, attention." Matt hollered, and everyone looked towards us. He looked at me, as if he expected me to say something. "Hello, everyone. You may have seen me when I came here yesterday to take the NEMO chair for the Saints. Well, with honor and pain in my chest, I can say that I have left the Saints and joined you." I announced. Everyone looked at me with wide eyes, and then there was a cheer.
"Apparently they were waiting for you to say that?" Matt had told me. "Guess so." I replied, as everyone got back to what they were doing. "Alright, let me show you to your new room." Matt said, grabbing my hand. He took me up the stairs and through the hallway to a large room. "I'll take this bed, you have this one?" Matt asked, hopping on one of the blue beds, and pointing at the other one across the room.
I hopped into the bed, surprised by how soft it was. "Sure!" I shouted, as I looked up at the ceiling. To think I woke up this morning as the leader of the Saints, now I will sleep tonight as the co-leader of the Deckers. I smiled a little, before Matt grabbed my hand. "Wanna go outside?" he asked. "Sure…" I muttered, as he took me outside.
The sun was just rising as we got out. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Matt asked. "It is. Very nice indeed, over the water." I replied, in awe. The sun looked like a cooling ball of metal, dripping its shavings of warmness into the water. I inhaled deeply, and smelled a nice mix of water and morning. "Well, girl," Matt said, nudging my right arm. "Let me teach you on how we live." "Ok!" I replied, happily.
When we got inside, nearly everyone was asleep. I yawned a little, and then lied down on the floor. "Right…" I thought I heard Matt said, as the room fell silent, except the soft humming of the powered supercomputers and the gentle breathe-in, breathe-out rhythm of everyone.
When I woke up next, I was under the covers of a soft bed, and warm. I blinked, and saw Matt sitting at the foot of the bed. "Rise and shine, Maddison. We've got a long day ahead of us." Matt whispered, shaking my leg. I sat up, and we both left the room without talking to each other.
"We start with our daily check. Kirsten? Come here." Matt commanded, and the girl that greeted me before came. She looked at me, then to Matt. "Take her, and teach her about us, and some of your specialist things." he said. "A'right. Come here, Maddison." Kirsten said, as Matt left. "Follow." she said, walking towards a back door.
When we got outside, I saw some specialists running around. "I'll teach you to run." Kirsten said, as she nudged my side. I looked at her, and then nodded. "First, just relax and clear your mind." she commanded, as she did so. I followed her steps. "Now, run as fast as you can." Kirsten said, running to a barrel that was half of a mile away. I followed, but was far behind.
"Faster." Kirsten said, running back. I ran alongside her, but failed to beat her. We did this for hours as the sun rose high, but I eventually caught up to speed. Well, it did take at least three hours of non-stop running. Out of breath, I asked for a drink. Kirsten gave me a bottle, and I drank half of it in one gulp.
Kirsten smiled at me. "You're almost to the next part. One more hour." She said, encouraging me. I smiled a little bit, before running back and forth for another hour. After that hour, there was a bell over the PA system. "Maddison, that's the announcement bell." Kirsten said, taking my hand and running inside.
Everyone looked up, towards Matt on the balcony. He looked at me, and then motioned for me to come up. When I got there, Matt asked me something that I couldn't make a sound from. I shrugged, and then looked down. Everyone looked at us, and I looked back. "Welcome back everyone." Matt said, happily. "As you know, we have Maddison on our side now. She's to be treated as a friend, and respected as a leader. You are dismissed." he finished, turning to talk to me.
"How's training with Kirsten?" Matt asked. "Rough, but fun." I replied, with full honesty. "Go back and train more." he demanded, and I left without another word. "Kirsten? Where are you?" I shouted, and I heard an "Over here!" from outside. Walking out the back doors, I saw Kirsten with a shock hammer in hand. "Hey there," she spoke, "who kept you back?" "Matt did. He just wanted to ask me how the day is." I replied. "Got it." she said.
"Next and final part of training: how to use one of these." Kirsten muttered, raising the hammer high above her head. Bringing it down with a huge thud, she sent shockwaves through the ground that nearly toppled me over. "Woah!" I shouted, when she handed the hammer to me. "Do what I did." Kirsten commanded. I lifted the hammer above my head, and fell backwards.
"Get up and do it again." I heard Kirsten say. Getting up, I raised the hammer above my head. It stayed there. Taking a deep breath, I forced the head to the ground. It sent out a shock that I have never felt before. "Great job, I think you are ready!" Kirsten said, when she looked at the sky. "Almost night." I said, as we both headed inside.
The room was alive with supercomputers and their operators. I looked at Kirsten, and followed her to her computer. "You remind me a lot of Kinzie." I told her. Kirsten looked at me, and put her finger over my mouth. "Do not speak of the enemy unless referring to them for combat purposes." she scolded. "If you do not remember, I am co-leader here." I said, sternly. "Right…" Kirsten said, turning back to her computer.
"Maddison!" I heard Matt shout. Turning around, I braced myself to be knocked over. But I was not. "How was training today?" he asked. "It was fun. When I tried to use the shock hammer, I fell on my first try." I replied. We both chuckled a little. "Well, I wanted to take you on a trip tonight." Matt had said. I tilted my head. "A trip?" I asked. "Yeah, at night." he replied, grabbing my hand.
When we got to our location, it was nearly black out. The lights of Steelport flickered out, and the moonlight shined down on both of us on the rooftop high above the city. I looked at Matt, his face barely visible in the pale moonlight. "Why are we up here again?" I asked, confused. He grabbed my hand. "Don't fall, but look down." Matt said. I tilted my head down, and saw a beautiful, once-in-a-lifetime sight: a clear street that dazzled like a flowing river in the moonlight. "It's..." "Beautiful, indeed." Matt said, finishing my sentence. The moon was now higher in the sky, illuminating the rooftop, and all of the lights in Steelport flickered back on.
It blinded both of us for a moment, but then the lights went out again. "Why are they going out like this?" I asked. "The team is using all of the power tonight." Matt replied, as we both sat down. After a few minutes of silence, I looked at Matt. "Once again, why are we up here?" I asked. "Wait until the perfect moment, and you'll see why." was the reply I got.
It was about midnight when he motioned for me to stand up. I looked at Matt, puzzled. I heard him breathe in deeply, and then out. "Look at me." he demanded. I did so, and at that moment, I swear I felt time slow down, or even stop. "Maddison… there's something on your face." Matt said, in a near whisper. I looked at him, with confusion. "What's on my-" I attempted to ask, but he silenced me in the best possible way I could think: a kiss. No, not on the cheek or forehead. The lips.
My stomach did a complete flop. It took me a few seconds to take it in, but I eventually got it. I closed my eyes, and enjoyed the moment for as long as I could. Matt pulled back. My eyes widened. "Was that too fast?" he asked, worried. It took me a long time to compile a simple answer, for I was at a lost for words. All that I could stutter out was a simple "No."
I felt him smile. "I hope it wasn't." I heard him say, affectionately. "I am so glad I left the Saints." I said, wrapping my arms around him. "Thank you." I whispered, as I fell asleep on his shoulder. I felt him pick me up, and I guess that he was taking me back to the power plant for the night.
I woke up next morning, remembering last night. My smile widened, as I sat up in bed. I looked across the room, and saw Matt in his bed, fast asleep. I snuck out of the room, and found my way to the main room. Only a few soldiers and Kirsten were in the room. Looking at Kirsten, she walked up to me. "Hey, Maddison. You up early?" she asked. "Yeah." I replied. "Wanna talk a little outside?"
"Sure." Kirsten replied. We both walked outside to a sunny morning. "How was last night with Matt?" Kirsten asked. I looked down at the ground, and felt myself blush a little as I kicked a rock far. "Did he… did he make a move?" Kirsten asked, as we got to a bench nearby. I smiled a little, and replied with a "Yeah." "No. Way." Kirsten replied, with astonishment. "What did he do?" she asked. I looked at her, and touched my lips with my middle and index fingers.
I saw her eyes widen. "Really?" Kirsten asked, with astonishment in her voice. "Yeah, I did." I heard Matt said, surprising me. There he was, standing in front of both of us, with a smile on his face that sort of scared me. Kirsten looked at him, wide eyed. I smiled as well, as Matt shook his head. "Anyway, what do you two have planned?" he asked. "We were just getting to that. Maddison, what do you want to do?" Kirsten asked.
"How about we go for a ride? I'll show you a slice of my old lifestyle, since you showed me some of yours." I replied. "Sure!" Kirsten said, hopping up from the bench. "Goodbye, Matt!" I said, waving goodbye. "Alright, bye!" he replied. I looked back, as the doors closed. "Kirsten, let's just ride in the motorcycle?" I asked. "Sure…" she replied.
As I got onto my motorcycle, Kirsten pushed me off. "What was that for?" I asked. "Nothing, just wanted you to ditch that pink scrap pile." She replied, taking my hand and pulling me to a blue (and better) version of mine. "Nice…" I said, hopping in. "Now we can ride." Kirsten said, as I pulled out and started driving.
The first building we stopped was the Saints headquarters. I looked up, and then felt a small pain inside. "Why are we here? We could be killed!" Kirsten shouted. I looked at her with an assuring face. "They won't mind. I'll just say that I'm picking up my personal things of value." I told her, as we walked in the front doors.
I called the elevator down, and was greeted by Kinzie. "It's you again? Get out or I'll-" "Kinzie. I'm just here to grab my sentimental items and leave. My friend is here to assist me." I interrupted. Kinzie's eyes narrowed, but she nodded. "You got one hour." She said, stepping out. "Let's go." I said to Kirsten, and we took the elevator up to my old room.
"This was my room before I came to the Deckers." I said, leading Kirsten into the small room. "Damn, this is small." She commented. "I know. Let's grab my things and leave." I said, walking to my closet. Opening the door, I grabbed my Genki Girl earrings, and my sonic screwdriver (that looked like the Ninth doctor's). Kirsten picked up the coffee maker and a few bags of coffee. "Is that all?" Kirsten asked. "Yes, it is." I said, walking to the window.
Placing my hand on the window, I started to cry a little. Everything I knew, every Saint I met, and even my colleagues… all of them are gone. Kinzie and the rest now hate me. Tears were falling down my face when Kirsten placed the coffee maker on my nightstand and walked over to me. "It's alright." She said, hugging me. I sobbed a little harder, but there was a ding of an elevator nearby.
Kinzie appeared from the elevator. "Time's up. Leave." she commanded, but was silenced when she saw me. "Maddison… if it makes you feel better… everyone else forgot about you." Kinzie said. I looked at her from Kirsten's shoulder, and smacked Kinzie right on the side of her face in a blur of rage and sadness. "Call for backup. We'll need it." I commanded Kirsten. She did so.
I looked at Kinzie with a blurred vision. She came up and attacked me as well. We got into a huge fight just as Pierce, Shaundi, Viola, and the rest went down to check on Kinzie. At the same time, though, the Deckers were waiting outside for the next command. I yelled out as loud as I could. "Everyone! Come up and assist!" I heard a loud crash, and moments later, some of the Deckers were here to assist.
It got out into a full on fight. It ended when my coffee maker was destroyed, and I heard Matt's voice over the megaphone. "Maddison! Jump from the window, and onto the helicopter!" it sounded, and I did so. Making sure that I had my sonic screwdriver and my earrings, I jumped from the window and onto the waiting helicopter below. I smiled when Matt assisted me up, and Kirsten followed.
I took the megaphone from Matt's hands, and gave it to Kirsten, sitting next to me. "Deckers, retreat! Retreat!" she shouted. Everyone with even a hint of blue rushed back to their vehicles, and drove back to base. I grabbed the binoculars from a nearby box, and looked through them. I saw an emotionless Kinzie staring in my general direction, and it was clear that she was really mad.