Madison sat on the bed, swinging her legs over the edge and watching Sam sleep on the floor. She was out for hours after Mandy and the others had left. The preteen had a lot of time to think though. Had she done the right thing in letting them go? Was trusting them the smart thing to do? She didn't know, but she wanted to trust Mandy more than anything. She was all Madison had left.
Finally she heard Sam begin to stir, moaning and putting one hand to her head. "Uhn... God... what happened...?" She pushed herself up to a sitting position, moving stiffly. She looked up and saw Madison on the bed, still wearing her purple WOOHP uniform and swinging her legs. "Madison... what happened? Where did Clover and the others go?"
"I'm sorry Sam... they got away." Madison sighed and lowered her head to her chest guiltily. "They overpowered me..."
Sam put one hand on her head, ruffling her hair. "Hey, don't worry about it. We'll catch up with them." She pushed herself to her feet, stretching until her back popped several times. She walked over to Brittany and kneeled down beside her, shaking her to consciousness.
"Oh yeah, they dropped this in the other bedroom." Madison held up the Lip Stalk so that Sam could see it. Sam shook her head when she saw it, rolling it around on her palm. The Asian girl climbed to her feet and rubbed her head painfully, leaning against the wall.
"That figures..." Sam sighed and stuffed it into her belt. "Did you hear anything about where they were going, Madison?"
"Nope." Madison replied.
"We should probably check in with Richard." Brittany stated. "He likes to know everything that happens." Sam nodded so the three girls turned to leave the hotel. Their small WOOHP transport was waiting for them in an alley nearby, cloaked to look like a pile of garbage. They climbed in and Sam took the controls, taking them back toward WOOHP headquarters.
Madison stared out the window as they flew over the city. She spotted the White House in the distance, her home for almost as long as she could remember. She'd only been five years old when her dad was elected to office. She was used to being the first girl of the country. Of course, that was over now...
She sighed as the White House faded from view. The trip to WOOHP headquarters didn't take long, their transport was more powerful than any normal jetliner. They landed in the docking bay, and Madison followed the older girls down the building to an office located next to the main intelligence gathering area. She was sure that's what it was, because she'd seen it a few times through her father's communications.
"How is your mission going spies?" An older man asked kindly from behind a desk on the other side of the room.
"They slipped away from us Richard... Sir." Sam replied. Madison stared up at the man as he approached Sam with a scowl on his face.
"You lost them? They just assassinated the President of the United State, and you LOST them!?" He screamed in her face angrily. Sam flinched and closed her eyes, but didn't pull back. In a moment he composed himself again, sneering and making a show of fixing his red tie. "You disappoint me Samantha... Jerry's records led me to believe you were far more efficient than this."
"I don't think that's very fair sir." Brittany interjected. Richard whirled on her suddenly, but she continued speaking regardless. "She's been on active duty for almost two weeks straight, since Jerry was killed. Even the best of us can only run on high for so long." Richard stared at her, stroking his chin. In a moment he smiled warmly.
"Of course... forgive me Samantha, I have been working you to the bone lately." He turned to Sam again. "Take some time off... our normal agents can guard the airports while you recharge your battery."
"Thank you sir..." Sam said softly, giving him a slight smile. Richard nodded and turned away from her, but he stopped when he noticed Madison standing beside Sam.
"Who are you?" He demanded, approaching the little girl. She stared up at him. He wasn't all that tall compared to others, but to the eleven-year-old girl his glare was like that of a giant.
"Madison, sir..." Madison replied shakily. Richard raised one eyebrow, kneeling down in front of her. "Sam said I could be an agent... for a while... so I could help them find the people who killed my dad."
"Your father... the president's daughter?" Richard cradled her chin in his palm, examining her face. "Of course... I didn't recognize you in that outfit." He moved his hand away from her, giving her a regretful smile. "I'm sorry for your loss Madison."
"Thank you sir." Madison replied. Richard looked up at Sam and Brittany, who had been watching the exchange worriedly.
"If you two don't mind, I would like a word with Madison... alone." Richard said. Sam and Brittany exchanged a glance, but nodded silently and turned to leave the room. Madison gulped as Richard turned his piercing brown eyes back onto her. "Now... you know we don't let just anybody join WOOHP." Madison nodded. "What makes you think I should allow you in?"
"I don't know, sir..." Madison replied truthfully, shaking her head. "But without Sam... I have nobody else to stay with." She informed him. Richard nodded gravely, his eyes scanning her body, as if seeing how fit she was to take on a position in his organization. The WOOHP uniform didn't hide any more on her than it did on Sam, though she didn't have much to hide yet.
"Alright... I'll trust her judgment in letting you tag along with her." Richard smiled slightly and moved his gaze back to her eyes. "After all... if anyone has reason to want to find these damn fugitives, it's you." Madison nodded gravely. He slapped one hand on her shoulder, turning her toward the door. "Go ahead, tell Sam and Brittany you're free to go until I summon you again."
Madison nodded and left the office, finding Sam and Brittany waiting a small way down the catwalk around the intelligence area. "He says we're free to go until he needs us again." She told them as she approached.
"That's good to know." Sam smiled. "Come on girls, let's get out of these uniforms and relax for a little while." Sam turned to head away from the office. Technically neither Brittany nor Madison had been at this as long as Sam had, but they were a team for the moment, so they couldn't do anything without Sam there.
They made their way down to the locker room to take off their hot and stuffy WOOHP uniforms. Brittany glanced over at Madison as she pulled her normal shirt on, sliding it over her head. "Have you always been wearing that earring?" She asked curiously.
"Uh... yeah... it's just usually covered by my hair." Madison explained, pulling her hair back around to cover her ear. Brittany shrugged and finished getting dressed. When they were all dressed they turned to leave, finding one of the many WOOHP tunnels that led to various parts of the country and using it to get to Beverly Hills.
Sam led them into her rather large mansion, stretching her arms out as she entered. "Aaahhhh... home sweet home. I haven't been back in forever." She looked back to see Brittany and Madison looking around. "Come on, make yourselves at home girls. I'm just gonna get us all something to drink." Sam made her way to the kitchen, leaving Madison and Brittany alone in the living room.
Madison walked to the couch and sat down, leaning against the arm. This was a fairly big and luxurious house... not nearly as impressive as her old home of course, but not bad for someone who wasn't the daughter of the most powerful man in America. Brittany sat on the couch across from her, crossing her legs in front of her.
"Here, take your pick." Sam walked in with an armful of cans, each a different flavor of soda, and placed them on the coffee table. Brittany snatched up a Vanilla Coke while Madison grabbed a Pepsi, popping it open and taking a sip. Sam grabbed a Sprite and plopped down between them, popping it open and leaning back against the couch.
The rest of the day was spent doing absolutely nothing. Madison wasn't used to this, having her entire life scheduled up to that point, but it was pretty fun. Sam was a fun girl, with some fun stories to tell about her life with WOOHP. Brittany had a few of her own, though she wasn't as experienced in spying as Sam was.
By the time night rolled around, Madison was practically asleep on the couch. She hadn't slept at all the previous night, helping Sam and Brittany with their nighttime raid on the hotel. She wasn't sure what time it was when she felt Sam's arms slide under her body to lift her up from the couch. Her eyes opened with a start, and she stared up at Sam's emerald green eyes.
"Get some sleep, a lot's happened to you lately." Sam told her as she turned into a fairly large bedroom and walked to the bed. She laid the pre-teen girl gently on the bed, pulling the sheets up to her chin. "Goodnight Madison." Sam smiled slightly and turned away, but Madison sat up and grabbed her wrist.
"What makes you think Mandy and Clover did what everyone says they did?" Madison asked curiously. "I... I didn't actually SEE them kill dad... I mean..." She trailed off nervously. Sam gave her a warm smile and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Well, there's plenty of evidence to show what Clover did, Madison. I didn't want to believe it... but you can't close your eyes to facts." Sam told her softly.
"But what if you just... think something different from what the facts say?" Madison asked.
"Which do you think is more reliable? A video tape of someone doing something, or an emotion?" Sam countered. Madison sighed and looked down at the bed. One of Sam's hands pressed against her shoulder, squeezing it softly. "Is there something you want to tell me, Madison?"
"No." Madison shook her head quickly. "Thanks, Sam... I'm pretty tired, I didn't sleep last night." She explained. Sam nodded and leaned down to kiss her forehead before pushing her back down on the bed with a hand on her chest.
"Goodnight, Madison." Sam turned to leave, turning off the light before closing the door behind her and plunging the room into darkness. Madison reached up to her ear and unclipped the earring, staring at it in the palm of her hand. The facts said they were all guilty, but she still wouldn't turn them in. She wanted Mandy to be innocent... maybe that was a mistake, but for now it didn't matter. While they were relaxing away from WOOHP, she wouldn't have to worry about it. Just enjoy this time with Sam...
She tried to sleep, but it seemed like that was nothing more than a fleeting dream in itself. She tossed and turned underneath the thick comforter, but to not avail. Her body refused to relax again with so many questions bombarding her mind.
Finally she gave up and pushed herself up from the bed, turning to head out of the large guest bedroom. She rubbed her eyes as she made her way down the long hallway to the top of the stairs, stopping when she saw Sam sitting on the couch in the living room with her head in her hands. Her shoulders quaked with the force of her sobs, echoing up the stairs to the young girl.
Madison leaned against the wall, hiding as Brittany approached the bed and set a small tray down on the end table beside it. She sat down beside Sam and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a tight comforting hug. "Sssshhhhh..." Brittany cooed softly, holding her redheaded friend close. "I know..." Her hands ran over Sam's back.
The silence was broken only by Sam's light sobs until Brittany pushed her back lightly and reached over to pick up a mug from the tray she'd brought. Her hand hesitated for a moment over the first one... then suddenly moved to the second mug and picked it up. "Here... this should help calm your nerves." Sam nodded and took the mug from her, taking a small sip.
"Thanks Brittany... it just gets to me you know? I've known them both for a long time now..." Sam trailed off, the mug shaking in her grasp. Brittany smiled and put one comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I know, just relax for a while. We don't have to worry about it until Richard drags us back again."
"I know..." Sam sighed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Thanks Brittany... I'm glad you volunteered to help me."
"I wouldn't rather be anywhere else." Brittany smiled and turned to pick up the tray from the couch, carrying it back into the kitchen. Sam lowered her head to her chest again, her fingers sliding around her mug while Madison watched from the top of the stairs. The little girl thought to go comfort her, but she had no idea what to say.
Still, she walked down the stairs and approached the couch, walking around to face Sam. The older girl looked up, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw her. Her eyes were bloodshot and there were tear streaks running down her cheeks. "Oh... Madison..." She wiped at her eyes quickly. "Couldn't sleep...?" Madison just silently walked up to her, wrapping her arms around her neck.
Sam pulled Madison onto her lap, letting the little girl lie cradled in her arms like her own daughter. Sam smiled slightly and leaned her forehead against Madison's. "No... I couldn't sleep." Madison stated softly. "I miss my dad... I miss my sister... I miss everything..."
"I know it's hard Madison..." Sam told her softly, stroking her cheek gently with one hand. "And it'll always be hard. But you haven't lost everything." Sam replied softly. "You still have me... you have the future... and you have your memories." Madison stared at her, lying against her like a frightened child, basking in the comfort of Sam's embrace. She didn't want her memories right now... but Sam was right. At the moment, they were all she had...
TO BE CONTINUED ("It's So Hard to Say Goodbye To Yesterday" by Boys 2 Men)
How do I say goodbye to what we had?
The good times that made us laugh I'll always remember.
I thought we'd get to see forever but forever's gone away.
It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.
I don't know where this road is going to lead.
All I know is where we've been and what we've been through.
If we get to see tomorrow, I hope it's worth all the wait.
It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.
And I'll take with me the memories to be my sunshine after the rain.
It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.
And I'll take with me the memories to be my sunshine after the rain.
It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.