Renegades: A New Dawn

by Primal WolfBlood

In Part 3 of The Renegade Chronicles, follow the Renegades as they try and recover from the shocking end to The Renegade Revolution, and continue their lives with more action and suspense than ever before, as they learn who the true enemies are, and finally confront Segolia once and for all, to end their clash with each other.

31. Blackout

Renegades: A New Dawn

Chapter XXXI: Blackout

The morning after In the Shadows, the fallout was still on Hannah's mind. 'Finally rid of him. Can't believe I finally got rid of him.' At the other end of the table, Kelly agreed silently, just as Phil walked in. 'How'd you sleep last night?' 'Fitfully and barely. I think I saw every hour. I know that you slept well, couldn't fail to hear your snoring.'

As they shared a good morning kiss, Maddy walked in, still not dressed at nearly 11am. 'Not been out on that morning run with Astrid then?' 'Shit, forgot man. Thought I told someone to give me a nudge.' Everyone else looked confused by this thought process, as Hannah asked her a concerned question.

'You sure you're ok Maddy?' 'Yeah, why?' 'Well it's just… you've been forgetting a lot recently. Just last week you forgot your pin number.' 'C'mon, that could happen to anybody.' Hannah looked sternly unimpressed at the rebuttal however. 'You'd only changed your pin number the previous day.'

In a momentary break from crunching granola, Kelly added another point. 'And then there's forgetting where you parked when we went out to that nice butchers.' 'So? People lose their cars.' 'You parked it right across the road. You literally saw it when you walked out.'

'Your point is?' After some delay, Phil got straight to the point. 'We're worried that you're working yourself too hard. Between duelling, running the club, college, the stuff with Rhydian, you're driving yourself into the ground.' Sitting down, Maddy put her feet up on the oaken table.

'I promise you I'm fine.' 'Other than the fact you spent most of your duel against Shannon bleeding from the mouth.' 'Told you - I bit my lip real hard. Been stitched up. And if you must know, I've already committed to taking a couple of weeks off running the club. Well the paperwork stuff anyway. Kris said he'd do all that for me.'

'And the meetings?' 'All being well we've only got a couple of club-wide meetings. That's the easy bit of the job. Got a new sketchpad coming and everything. Might even get meself some new spikes for the Nationals. Oh, and don't worry about Rhydian.' Hannah seemed suspicious. 'Why…' 'Let's just say that I… double crossed him.'

In London

Rhydian was back from Canada to visit an associate, when he noticed a large police presence. But before he could think anything of it, he received a phone call. 'What's the news? He's locked up? Thanks. Where he belongs - and where he won't get in my way. No, this break is our time to figure out how we get her. Tell Alex that I'll meet with him next week. Wherever he likes - not like I'm pushed for time.'

No sooner had his call terminated than two men in suits approached him. 'Are you a Mr. Rhydian Jordan Morris?' 'Yeah, who's asking?' The shorter man then produced an identity card. 'PCs David Roe and Ansell Henry. Rhydian Morris, I am arresting you on suspicion of Supplying Class A Drugs. You do not have to say anything when questioned, however anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you have anything to say?' Rhydian didn't panic, instead nodding his head. 'The backstabbing traitor. She'll get what's coming to her.'

Later that day

As Maddy arrived at the base, she found Astrid with her hair down, wrapped in what appeared to be silk. 'Sorry, did I just walk into a snuff movie?' 'No… odd question.' 'Just don't normally see you around like that.' Astrid then looked down. 'Oh this? Just got out of the shower. Should have seen Kris' reaction - you'd think he's never seen a woman before.'

'Silk?' 'Why, what do you dry yourself with?' 'Er, normal towels. Made of "egyptian cotton".' 'Honestly you English, you have no sense of luxury. Try treating yourselves sometime.' Maddy then thought of an interesting question. 'Just a thought, but if the towel is made of silk, how's it staying on?'

Astrid said nothing, but turned around to reveal lace weaving around the back. 'That is gorgeous! How much did that cost you - must have cost a bomb!' She then turned back round, splashing Maddy in the eyes with water and unwashed shampoo. 'It was free - made by my mother.'

'Your mother?' 'What - you didn't believe it when they said I was born of the gods did you?' 'No no, it's just I've never heard anything about your parents.' 'Well I haven't got much to say. Mor kjære er en fantastisk dame, en syerske, men hun liker å drikke for mye.'

Maddy just shook her head. Mitt norsk er ikke så bra, oversettelse?' Astrid just gave her the thumbs up. 'Not bad. Mother dear, she's a wonderful woman. Truly I love her. Only problem is she loves drinking. And I don't mean Yak's milk.' 'So she bought that for you?'

'She would never have the money. No, she's a seamstress. Has been since she had me. She was only 17. Father, well I have one. Just about all I know. Apparently he left my mother before he knew she was pregnant, she never saw him again. But yeah, she made this for me before I moved here.'

'Did she not make you one for your hair?'Astrid just laughed, running her fingers through her long blonde locks. 'I prefer just leaving it as is. Natural.' 'It's gorgeous. Honestly like, almost never see it down though.' 'It's because I'm always duelling. And never mind you never see it down, you room with me at events!'

As Astrid continued to laugh, Maddy briefly blacked out, and slumped onto a chair. 'You ok?' 'Yeah, just feeling a little queasy.' Knowing how Maddy had been recently, her friend picked her up, placed her on her shoulders, and walked straight over to the medical bay, where Sakura was busy reading manga.

'Right back to work. How can I help?' 'We were talking and she had a funny turn.' As Maddy was placed on the raised seat, Sakura had a look over her. 'Maddy can you understand everything we're saying?' 'I'm fine, I just blacked out slightly. I've just overworked myself. I'm gonna be taking a couple of weeks off after today. Just not had chance to tell anyone yet.'

Sakura however, was unconvinced. 'Face facts Maddy - you're ill. It's not just overwork.' 'So what do you recommend?' 'Book an appointment with your GP. Talk to them, explain EVERYTHING that's going on, and then if they tell you to go to hospital, then do it.'

'I'm going on holiday tomorrow.' 'How long for?' 'Week.' The doctor rolled her eyes hearing this. 'I want you to book an appointment for the day after you get back.' 'Fine, whatever.' 'Don't whatever me. I'm here to look after all of you, but you have to be up front with me. Because otherwise, there's no point in me being here.'

After her ticking off, the president skulked off, tail between her legs. But Astrid stuck around. 'You can't seriously think going to her GP is the answer right?' 'What option do I have? I don't have the equipment here to find out what's wrong with her. I've only got the basics for first-aid at the moment.'

Hearing this, Astrid had an idea. 'What's the most urgent thing for here?' 'An X-Ray machine would be useful. As would a physio kit and cardiac monitor. Problem is the price.' No sooner had Sakura finished speaking than she found an arm outstretched with a bank card in the hand.

'Astrid' 'I have lots of money and nothing to spend it on. I live here rent free. I want to give back.' 'No Astrid. I can't take all that off of you.' 'I insist. Money is vulgar - make it beautiful.' Sakura responded by taking the card. 'I'm putting half down as club expenses. It's not your place to pay everything.'

Later that day

Astrid was going to the kitchen for her rice cakes when Jana walked by. 'I heard earlier. About paying for the medical equipment.' 'It's rude to listen in. I tell Maddy that every day.' 'Where'd you get all the money.' 'Trust fund. Father set it up. Never met him.' 'And you're willing to spend so much?'

'Money means nothing to me. I need nothing. Everyone here is family. This will be good.' Jana seemed surprised listening to this. 'She'll blow up.' Astrid responded with a shrug. 'If she does she does' was the fighting talk before she walked on by.

No sooner had she reached the kitchen than Maddy was back. 'So, looking forward to tomorrow?' 'If it means a week without you going all gaga over my hair, yes.' This stopped the teen in her tracks. 'So you're not coming with us?' 'No. I already told you last week, I'm getting to know the area. I want to meet people, do things.'

Disappointed, Maddy tried to change her mind. 'C'mon, it'll be fun.' 'Sorry, I made my decision. You just enjoy yourself. Are Lydia and Freja going?' 'No - Lyds can't get time off work, and Fre's still busy searching for a new agency because nobody would take her on until her old contract was done.'

At the house

As Phil got back from grocery shopping, Hannah was sat on their new Juliet balcony. 'Romeo, romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?' 'I be here my lovely rose, a flower by any other name would never be as sweet.' 'Did you remember my order?' 'What do you think?'

Hannah laughed at the reply. 'I want to kiss you so bad right now.' 'You'll have to wait until I come in. Any chance of opening the door my love?' 'I mean since you asked so nicely, I suppose I could. Besides, I have some news I can only tell you indoors.' Within two minutes, he was in.

'So what's your news?' 'One Rhydian Morris has been arrested. Supplying drugs.' 'So that's what Maddy meant earlier. Clever girl. Hopefully soon they will both be out of the way. Then we can focus on our family again.' They kissed again, and then Phil got to work feeding his wife and her extra load.

The next day

Phil, Hannah and Maddy had packed the bags to leave when Blair walked in. But she wasn't alone. 'Hannah, I wanted to ask you something.' 'Of course.' 'I know this is supposed to be a family thing, but… is there any chance Jade can come with us? It's just we've barely had any time to ourselves since we got together.'

Hannah turned to her husband. 'I'm ok with it. Phil, you ok if Jade comes?' He smiled back. 'If you're dating Blair, you're part of the family.' Hearing this made Jade blush slightly. 'Thank you.' He then noticed someone missing. 'No Rio?' 'She's staying behind to look after the base.' As the last bag was loaded, they were off on holiday. And what a holiday it would be…

Greenhays Police Station, Manchester

James was sat quietly in his cell when an officer walked in. 'They're ready to interview you.' 'Whatever.' He was lead to the interview room, all the while people staring at him, the whole station aware of his reputation. And he knew it. As he walked in, two officers, both male and both in their 50s, were sat opposite him.

'Right, interview with James Birchall. Time is 16:28, the officers present are Inspector Jordan Brown and Superintendent Adam Okaro. For the record Mr. Birchall, can you confirm that you were offered a duty barrister to represent you during this interview but you refused?'

Birchall took the opportunity to play games with the officers. 'I cannot confirm or deny.' 'Mr. Birchall, if you fail to cooperate it may harm your case should it go to court.' 'I don't need no barrister, I did nothing wrong.'

'Mr. Birchall, would you be able to tell me where you were on the morning of the 29th October 2016?' 'What time?' 'Around 9:50am.' 'I was at home.' 'And where is "home"?' 'Croydon.' 'Do you have anybody who can vouch for you being at home at that time?' 'Probably not, most everyone else was at work.'

'Were you not at work Mr. Birchall?' 'No, don't have a job since my last arrest.' 'Do you have anybody who can vouch for your whereabouts at all that morning?' 'I'm not exactly the socialising type.' 'So no twitching net curtains or anything? Not even anybody passing by the street? I must say Mr. Birchall, this is extraordinarily unfortunate. To have nobody able to vouch for you at all?'

'I s'pose.' Superintendent Okaro then steered the subject towards the victims. 'Hannah Cummings, or Robinson-Cummings to give her her married name. How many years have you known Mrs. Robinson-Cummings?' Trying not to let his jealousy show, he mumbled a reply.

'Sorry Mr. Birchall, I didn't understand that. Could you say it louder for the recording?' 'About 9 years.' 'You see, I know that you've known her longer than that. Because I have a statement here from a Mr. James Cope, also known as "Edger". He is someone who you associated with in your teens Mr. Birchall. And before you deny it, we know, because you were arrested together. April 19th 2003 - James Birchall and James Cope were arrested for assaulting PC Anna Kendrick. Both of you were given a caution, is that correct.'

'That's correct. Even though I did nothing.' 'Which is why you plead guilty?' By now the interview was wearing thin on James. 'Your point is?' 'Well the person who identified you as the ringleader was a Ms. Hannah Cummings of Brook Street, Stretford.'

'So?' 'This proves that you have known Mrs. Robinson-Cummings longer than you would care to divulge. Mr. Birchall, I must remind you for the tape, if you do not cooperate with our investigation then you will be charged.'All James could do is mutter a reply. 'Loud enough for the tape Mr. Birchall.' With rage, he then responded. 'Her name is NOT Robinson-Cummings!'

Wales

As the family turned up at their holiday destination, Jade in particular was very excited. 'Look at those hills! Don't get those in Iran.' Blair then put her arm around her girlfriend. 'You know, we should move here one day.' 'One day… yeah, I'd like that. Just us two, maybe Riri.' 'Just the three of us. If she could put up with the worn-out bedsprings that is.'

As the girls giggled to themselves, a clearly-off colour Maddy headed straight in to drop off her bags. By the time she had ventured up the stairs, she was struggling to catch her breath. 'Not like me this. I really need this holiday don't I?' Having dumped her bags, she took a sip of water and then went back down, wearing sunglasses to hide her bloodshot eyes.

As she got back down there, Jade noticed. 'Sure you're ok?' 'Yeah, I've just not been feeling too smart recently, but I think it's just stress.' Smelling the nearby sea air, she finally started to relax. She sat down on the concrete step, smelt the air again, and quickly fell asleep.

Having seen this, Phil and Hannah then dropped their bags by the doors, and then drove off again to do some souvenir shopping. Meanwhile Blair was reading through a surprisingly yellow leaflet.

'What's that?' 'It's advice on getting a permanent visa for the UK.' 'You've got visa issues? Since when?' 'It's nothing major, it's just that I only came with an initial 6 month visa. I got it extended slightly, but because I'm living here, I need a new one. According to this it should be easier because I've got a close family member in the UK.'

'Phil.' 'Yeah. Cousin's close enough apparently, so I can apply for a five year visa. Once I've got my new visa, I'm thinking of retraining as a mechanic.' 'You have to train? You're from Detroit!' 'Correction - I've been to Detroit. Besides, they don't care where you're from in that respect. But I've got to get the visa sorted soon, I've only got 45 days left on it.'

'And it didn't occur to you sooner?' Blair just shrugged. 'Been busy with my blasted arm.' 'How's it feeling now?' 'Better than ever.' Half-awake, Maddy drowsily asked a question. 'How much you deadlift?' '285. And squat 310.' 'Not bad.' 'What about you Maddy?'

'Dead 262, squat 347.' 'We are talking kg right?' 'No we're talking grams' she sarcastically rebutted, making Jade smirk. 'Hey, you're supposed to be on my side!' 'Sorry, couldn't help myself.' 'I'll remember that the next time you want something.' They then both burst out laughing.

Four hours later

It was late by the time that the other set of lovers returned. By this time Maddy had already gone to bed, taking advantage of the lack of responsibility. And with Blair having made the short journey to the nearest Fish and Chip shop, Jade was sat alone in the entrance to the apartments.

'Good evening. Where's Maddy?' 'Bed. About 15 minutes ago. She seemed a lot brighter after having a little sleep.' 'Glad to hear it. Told you she's been working too hard.' 'I'll give you credit, looks like you're right. Hey, give me a hand will you?' Phil rolled his eyes, and then helped his wife drag out a large, resin crocodile.

'What the hell is that?' 'Ask my darling wife. You know how much she spent on that? 60 quid!' 'But it's cute!' 'It can be for that price.' She then hugged him and hung off of his neck. 'Come on, lighten up. You did it because you love me.' He laughed, and pointed out to Jade 'I promise she isn't ACTUALLY drunk. Just acting it.'

'Really? She's doing a really good impression.' 'Ok, so she might have had one or two… or 5, but she's perfectly fine.' He then turned around to find her asleep on his shoulder. 'That's weird.' Jade was getting concerned at this point. 'Why?' 'It's usually at least 7 white wines before she gets drowsy. I have honestly yet to meet anybody who can outdrink my wife.'

By the time Blair arrived back with the food, Hannah had woken up again. 'So can she not just transfer the money back to you?' 'Joint account.' 'That's sweet.' Hannah then elaborated, teaching the young girls a lesson in financial management.

'So we have two joint accounts - our savings, and our free income. We have equal access to the accounts.' 'Who gets the card then?' 'I look after the card when we're out because he'd lose it otherwise. We both have an auto-pay app on our phones though, and we always pay cash.'

At this juncture Maddy wandered out again, the smell of fish and chips having roused the young wolf. 'Even I don't know where they keep the card in the house.' 'But your hearing?' Hannah then smiled at her daughter. 'We just don't discuss it in front of her. We both know where it's kept, it's never kept anywhere different.'

'So where do you pay the bills from?' 'Phil has his own account which he transfers an amount to for all the overheads for the month, and I have an account for stuff like legal fees and tournament fees.' 'What about Jack?' Blair had an answer to this one. 'He gets paid out of the club's own money.'

'So the money I paid for the course goes straight to Jack?' 'No, none of the money from the arena actually goes into the club right now. 90% goes into the arena's accounts for maintenance and upgrades among other things, and the rest is split equally between everyone who works on the courses.' 'Sounds good.' After finishing their meals, one by one they went to bed. Little did they know what would follow...

Early the next morning

Maddy was awoken early by severe abdominal pain. 'Fuck this hurts.' She then looked at the time. '2:30am? I guess I could get a couple of minutes' fresh air.' Stumbling out of bed, she managed to struggle down the stairs, the pain worsening all the time.

By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was starting to feel faint. Noticing one of Blair's satellite phones on a table, she lunged for it, barely standing up. 'Need help. Just get out there, and then phone someone.' As she stumbled to the doorway however, she found the door locked.

With the last of her fading strength, Maddy wrenched the door open, almost pulling the red plastic off of it's hinges. As the door blew open in the driving rain and howling wind, Maddy's eyes rolled back in their sockets, and she slumped to the ground, eventually letting go of the door frame and hitting her head on the way down, before lying on the cold hard ground unconscious.

6:50am

As Blair woke up needing the toilet, she rolled out of bed bleary-eyed, nearly falling over her own trainers as she did. 'Remind me to leave them downstairs next time.' She wandered down the stairs, with the toilets upstairs being in use. Reaching the base of the stairs, she turned towards the toilet, when a cold wind hit her.

She looked round, and saw the open door. 'Geezus, why can't anybody close a door these days?' Shaking her head, the drowsy young woman walked over to the door, and started to push it closed. And then she noticed something out of the corner of her eye - a figure on the ground.

As she turned, she saw Maddy lay, not moving. 'Maddy, you're going to catch something lying out here.' As there was no response, Blair playfully kicked her in the leg, to no response. It was at this moment that Blair started to realise something was seriously wrong.

Immediately she got her head together, and knelt down to check on Maddy's breathing. 'She's breathing. Slightly forced. Pulse is strong.' She then noticed blood coming from the president's mouth. Immediately, she grabbed the satellite phone from Maddy's grasp.

Instinctively, she dialled 911, before realising her mistake. 'That's the wrong number. Why can't I remember the damn number? Try 999.' Ringing that number, she got through to the emergency services. 'Emergency services, which service do you require?' 'Medical.' 'I'll pass you on then.'

A far more masculine voice then emanated from the other end. 'Hello, how may I help you?' 'My friend, she's collapsed outside. Bleeding from the mouth, but she's breathing. She's got some… what looks to be puke and blood near her.' 'Ok, what's your friend's name?'

'Maddy - Maddy Robinson-Cummings.' 'Ok, and where are you?' 'I… i can't remember' She then noticed a woman walking by on her way to work. 'Excuse me, what is this place called?' 'Glanfarwhyn Park.' Seeing Blair's pronunciation issues, the woman took the phone for a moment. 'It's Glanfarwhyn Park, just outside Connah's Quay.' 'Ok, thank you, an ambulance is on it's way and should be with you in just short of 7 minutes.' 'Thank you.'

After that, Blair looked over at the helpful woman. 'Is there any chance you could look after her for just a moment? I need to wake her Mom and Dad up.' 'Of course.' She rushed off, skipping half the stairs on the way up, and then almost flattening the bedroom door, only to find it was the wrong room, and to be confronted by a very annoyed Jade.

'What the hell Blair, I told you not to disturb me before 10.' 'Sorry, wrong room.' 'You look… frantic.' 'It's Maddy, she's collapsed outside. I meant to wake Phil and Hannah up.' Jade got out of bed, and pointed Blair to the right room. 'It's just over there.' 'Thanks.'

Rushing around, Blair found the correct room, and booted it open, before shaking the sleeping pregnant woman in her bed. 'Uh… when did they have earthquakes in Wales?' 'It's Maddy, she's collapsed. Come quick please.' As Hannah woke her husband up, Blair sped down the stairs.

Arriving outside, she immediately checked on Maddy. 'Breathing's slower. Pulse still good.' As the helpful woman left, Blair whispered to Maddy. 'I promised I'd repay you one day. Maybe this is the start of that.' Shortly after, the ambulance arrived, just as Phil and Hannah reached the bottom of the stairs.

Immediately the paramedics rushed over, with Maddy now being sat up against the wall. 'So what happened?' 'I don't know, I came downstairs about 20 minutes ago, the door was open and when I went to close it I found Maddy lay here. 18, no medical conditions, but she has been feeling ill for a few weeks.'

'Ok, we'll look after her. Maddy, can you hear me?' This time, she gave off a slight groan. 'Right Maddy, we're going to get you to hospital.' They lifted her onto a stretcher as Blair took her phone and threw it to Hannah. 'Could you call Astrid? I'm going in the ambulance.' While Blair ran off, Hannah made the call.

Renegades HQ

Astrid was just returning from her morning run when Kris came running up. 'Astrid, your phone's ringing.' 'Must be Maddy, nobody else has my number. 'God morgan, Odin snakker, hvordan kan du tjene meg?' 'Astrid, it's Hannah.' 'Ooh… sorry.' 'Listen, Maddy's collapsed this morning while on holiday. She's on her way to hospital, she's breathing but unconscious.'

Hearing this, the blonde dropped her phone. Kris, sensing something was majorly wrong, immediately put his arm around her. 'Speak to me Triddle.' 'It's Maddy... it's Maddy' 'It's Maddy what? Is she in trouble?' She's collapsed.' Kris responded by sitting Astrid down to try and calm her down.

In the hospital

With Maddy having been rushed to intensive care, Phil visited Blair, who was sat in the relatives room. 'Thank you.' 'For what? I did nothing.' You looked after her.' 'I guess.' 'Nevermind doubting yourself, you did. Without you nobody would have had any idea she was there.'

It was at this moment that something she'd said earlier suddenly started to resonate with the founder. 'Say, you mentioned to the paramedics about her being ill lately.' 'Yeah, she's been in really bad shape. Not just the mid pain either - she's been vomiting, like a lot, she's had horrible back pain for weeks, and she seemed way off her food yesterday.'

Listening to this, he was starting to put the pieces together. As he was about to leave again, Blair unwittingly gave him the final puzzle piece. 'I thought she'd feel better after last night.' Why, what happened last night?' Head still hung, she completed the enigma. 'She had a dump for the first time in about 2 weeks. She was complaining about how she was feeling afterwards though.' Hearing this, a single word crossed his lips. 'Appendicitis!' He then dashed off.

Reaching Maddy's bedside, he spoke to one of the doctors. 'She's been suffering from what sounds like appendicitis lately. Feeling sick, constant back pain, constant stomach pain, and severe constipation for around two weeks.' The doctor then gathered two advisors, before returning to Phil and Hannah.

'We are going to conduct an ultrasound shortly, to see if we find anything. If we do, then we will take her for surgery immediately. Any questions?' 'If it's not appendicitis, how will we know what caused this?' 'We will continue to run tests. Other than that, I am unable to guarantee anything.'

20 minutes later

As the doctors finished up the ultrasound, they confirmed the suspicion. 'Her appendix has indeed burst.' 'So it's surgery.' 'Yes. It's a routine opertion, we should be complete within an hour. We will get her in immediately.' This took them both aback. 'Are you sure you can do that so quick?'

'Yes, it's a very routine procedure. We will however, require you to sign off on it as her legal guardians.' This confused Hannah. 'You do realise she's 18.' The doctor seemed rather confused by this. 'She doesn't look that old. Maybe 14? In that case, we will prepare her for surgery now.'

In the base

Rio was just passing by when Astrid caught her, having regained her composure. 'A word, please.' Taken by surprise at the usually brash Astrid's quiet demenour, Rio immediately had a sixth sense that something had happened. 'I've got a spare key for the interview room.'

After they went in, all was explained. 'There's no nice way to say this - I got a call about half an hour ago from Hannah - Maddy's in hospital.' 'What's happened… i mean is she ok, was she attacked' 'She collapse, she's in hospital.' Just then, Astrid got another call.

'How is she?' 'She's suffered a ruptured appendix, and needs surgery to remove it. But she should be absolutely fine after that.'

In the base

Rio was just passing by when Astrid caught her, having regained her composure. 'A word, please.' Taken by surprise at the usually brash Astrid's quiet demeanor, Rio immediately had a sixth sense that something had happened. 'I've got a spare key for the interview room.'

After they went in, all was explained. 'There's no nice way to say this - I got a call about half an hour ago from Hannah - Maddy's in hospital.' 'What's happened… i mean is she ok, was she attacked' 'She collapse, she's in hospital.' Just then, Astrid got another call.

'How is she?' 'She's suffered a ruptured appendix, and needs surgery to remove it. But she should be absolutely fine after that. She'll be going for her surgery immenently.' 'I can't believe I didn't notice it.' 'Nobody did. We knew she was unwell, but we didn't realise how seriously. Anyway, that's the update. I promise you she'll be fine.' 'She's strong.' 'Incredibly so.'

As the call ended, a thought came to Astrid's mind. 'Rio.' 'Yeah...' 'With Maddy out of action, we need a leader.' 'And you're telling me because?' It then came to her. 'The constitution says that the VP takes over if the president is out of commission.' Astrid just nodded. 'We need you.'

Hearing this, the truth firmed up in Rio's mind. 'We need to call a meeting immediately.' She let them into the office, and Astrid opened up the tannoy system. 'This is a Red Alarm. All Renegades members must immediately report to the Grand Hall. All Renegades to the Grand Hall immediately for an urgent meeting.'

Within five minutes, everyone was gathered in the hall, and Rio made the walk down from the office to the podium. As she arrived, she steadied her nerve, and spoke. 'I have an urgent announcement to make. This morning, we received a phone call. Our great president and protector Maddy has collapsed and is in hospital.'

The spacious hall fell into a stunned silence as the words were spoken. 'But now is not a time for crisis. Maddy is unwell, but her condition is stable. We will give Maddy every last bit of support she needs. I need to address you all regarding the position of President of the Renegades.'

'Under Chapter Four, Article Six, subsection 19, and I quote "If the president is unable to maintain the position, be it due to injury, illness, capture or otherwise causes, EXCEPT in the occasion in which they would be unable to return to the presidency in the long-term future, the Vice-President is to be offered the role of Interim President, provided that they meet the following criterion:

That the Vice-President has been a member for at least three full calendar months.

The Vice-President has not served any form of suspension within the last three calendar months, excluding those which were later overturned upon appeal.

The President has not nominated anybody different to become Interim President in writing and officially signed (as stated in Chapter Four, Article Two, Subsection 3) in the last three months.

'As you are aware, the Vice-President is myself. As I meet all three criterion, I hereby request your understanding and support, as I put myself forward for the role of Interim President. As I do, I make one fact clear: When Maddy is fit and healthy to return, I will allow her to take the mantle back from me, so long as she gracefully accepts my challenge to her to decide the permanent president, in a contest of her choosing. If there are any objections with me becoming the Interim President, please raise your hands now.'

No hands were raised in objection, and Rio took a deep breath of relief. 'I promise you that Maddy will return to a club that has continued her good work. And if I have any significant updates on her condition, I will summon everyone for a meeting. Thank you for listening.'

At the police station

'Mr. Birchall, do you have an issue with the way we are referring to the woman who, may I add, has accused you of attempted murder?' 'He… stole her.' 'In a legal sense or' 'He manipulated her, he forced her into all that!' This brought up a serious allegation. 'Mr. Birchall, am I right in thinking that you are accusing Mr. Phil Robinson of rape?'

'Damn right he's raping her! Forcing her every fu**ing night!' Hearing this, the Superintendent turned to his subordinate. 'Inspector Brown, could you arrange for an officer to visit Mr. Robinson? And Mrs. Robinson-Cummings while we're at it. Just to get this cleared up.'

The inspector nodded and then returned nearly 15 minutes later. 'We are in luck - we can pinpoint their exact location. Their daughter was taken into hospital earlier today. I've got PCs Brophy and Staunton on their way to the hospital now. They may be a while however - the hospital is over the border in Wales.' The Superintendent seemed perturbed by this development. 'What are they doing over there?'

At the hospital

Around 80 minutes after going in, Maddy was wheeled out of surgery to her petrified parents. 'How did the surgery go?' 'The surgery went as well as could be expected. The ruptured appendix has been removed, it appears to have been leaking for some time.'

'That would explain why she's been feeling so unwell recently.' 'So when she wakes up, what happens then?' 'We will keep her in for 48 hours, just to make sure she recovers from surgery and she has full organ function, and all being well we can then look at discharging her. But first we will see how she progresses. Just to warn you however, it may be some time before she wakes up.'

With her still unconscious, Astrid arrived. 'How's she holding up?' 'Surgery was successful, she's just resting up now.' 'What happened?' Hannah just shook her head. 'I don't know. All I know is Blair found her lying outside this morning. And she's not talking either.'

Just then, the officers walked into the hospital. 'Looking for a Mr. Phil Robinson?' 'That's me.' 'We have had a serious allegation against you Mr. Robinson. Could we speak back at the station?' 'Can it be a local station? As you can see my daughter is quite ill - severe appendicitis.'

Hearing this, they nodded. 'We will clear it when we get to the station. Mrs. Robinson-Cummings, we would like you to come separately.' 'Of course. How about I come in the car with you and Phil drives down behind us?' 'That seems reasonable.' Astrid then turned to the concerned father. 'I'll look after her. And if I see Blair, I'll explain.'

At the station, 15 minutes later

Phil was waiting when PC Staunton walked in. 'For the purposes of the tape, the time is now 16:29, my name is PC Amanda Staunton from Greater Manchester Police, interviewing a Mr. Phillip Robinson. Mr. Robinson, can you confirm you came here of your own free will?'

His reply was blunt. 'Yes.' 'Now Mr. Robinson, any idea why you're here?' 'No.' 'We have had an allegation from a source we will not name for witness protection reasons, that you have forced a Mrs. Hannah Robinson-Cummings to have sexual intercourse with you on several occassions.'

Seething, he mumbled 'I would never do that.' 'So you are saying that you have never forced Hannah to have any form of sexual contact or intercourse with yourself?' 'Never. She could tell me as soon as we get out of here that we were never having any intercourse again, and I would not care. All I care about is her.'

Seeing the truth in his eyes, Staunton switched to a softer approach. 'Do you have any idea who made this allegation or why?' 'I can think of plenty of people who would like to discredit my name. At least two who happen to have been arrested recently.'

In a different interview room

'Ms. Cummings' 'Mrs. Robinson-Cummings.' 'Considering the allegations against your husband, I was going to refer to you by your maiden name.' 'No, you can refer to me by my married name. Because I am a proudly married woman. Now what do you want with my husband?'

The officer didn't appear interested in her request. 'Ms. Cummings, has Mr. Robinson ever… forced you into anything you don't want to do?' No. Why, what's he been accused of?' 'We've had an allegation that your husband has sexually assaulted you on a number of occassions.'

Hearing this nearly made her sick. 'He has never done anything like that to me. He is the biggest gentleman you could ever ask for.' 'Ms. Cummings' 'For the purposes of the tape, I have requested my married name be used.' 'If he has done anything to you' 'Which he hasn't' '... as I was saying, if he has done anything to you, if you report it we can offer you protection from him. Would you like that?'

'I don't need protection from my own husband. He has never done anything like that to me and he never would. Why would I have married him if he was like that? I've spent my entire life trying to prove that I am capable of looking after myself. If anyone did that to me the first thing I would do is report them.'

'So he hasn't hurt you then?' 'No! He has never done anything like that at all.' She then started to break down. 'Why can people not just leave us to get on with our lives?' 'Do you have any idea who may have made such an allegation?' 'Yes, I know exactly who would have done.'

20 minutes later

PC Staunton walked back into the room with Phil with some good news. 'Mr. Robinson, you are free to go.' He said nothing, but stormed out, finding Hannah right outside. She waited until they were outside to speak to her husband.

'Was it as bad for you?' 'Depends how bad it was on your end.' 'I spent 10 minutes basically being told that you had assaulted me and I was just protecting you.' 'I would never do anything' 'I know. I told them that.' She then pushed him against a wall. 'Nothing will ever get between us. I promise.'

On the journey back, talk turned to Maddy and her Young-Gun Title. 'So if Maddy's unable to duel when the tour resumes, are you going to try and negotiate something with her title?' 'No need. I've had Frances on that just in case she needed some time off. She's got 30 days to defend her title if we register her as unable to duel. So if she can't when we resume, we inform them the day of.' 'Clever idea.' 'Have to protect her. If that means protecting her title, then I'll do that.'

'Any idea what you're doing in terms of the course tomorrow?' 'I've sent everyone an email telling them that it's been moved an hour earlier, so 1pm. That way I can be back at a reasonable time. If Rio's unable to be there, I'll go it alone. I know what I'm talking about anyway.'

'You sure you're ok driving that long?' 'I'll be fine. Can always take a short stop-off somewhere. Week 10 of 13. Next week we determine who will be facing each other in the final exams. If they get that far of course.' He then winked at her and continued driving. After visiting Maddy again with little in the way of progress, they headed back to the complex for some sleep.

The next day

As Phil and Hannah arrived at the hospital, Blair was still there. 'Have you been up all night?' 'Pretty much. Just in case something went wrong.' 'So how is she?' 'Not a lot's changed. She moved slightly about an hour ago, but the doctors said it was probably just a muscle spasm.'

As if on cue, one of the doctors then walked over. 'Any updates?' 'She's in an induced coma for now. Just while her body recovers. We won't know what damage, if any, the rupture has done until she wakes up. But early signs are that she's going to be ok. We've got her on a course of antibiotics to prevent her going into septic shock, just until her blood poisoning subsides. Hopefully that will be only a couple of weeks.'

This consultation was interrupted by Phil's phone. 'Who is it?' 'Rio. I had better get going anyway, I want to be there in plenty of time.' Having kissed Hannah goodbye ad left the hospital, he took the call. 'Sorry, I was in the hospital and they get quite irritated if you have your phone on there.' 'It's fine - how is she?' 'Her condition is stable and if anything, she looks a little better.'

'Just wanted to let you know that I won't be able to take the class with you later because I'm sorting out running the club while Maddy's off.' 'Understand, that's fine. I can deal with them myself.' 'But… I have laid on a supply teacher.' 'I'm fine I promise.'

She then laughed. 'Too bad - they're really looking forward to it.' 'Is this going to be one of those things where you refuse to tell me who it is because you're being "playful"?' 'Yep! Bye!' Before he could say anything, the call terminated. 'I wonder who she's got in mind…'

In London

The WDC's board of directors were holding an emergency summit to discuss the WDC Championship. 'Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for delaying your mid-season breaks. As circulated in the email, I have requested your presence to discuss the situation regarding the WDC Championship.'

'As you are fully aware, Rule 16 Article 7 of the PWDC Code of Conduct decrees that the honour, prestige and dignity of the WDC Championship must not be brought into question as the result of a wilful act by the champion or a challenger.'

'We have video evidence which strongly suggests that our champion, Rhydian Morris, has paid off a challenger in his recent WDC Championship duel to fix the duel in his favour. We need to have a serious discussion regarding whether a) this is classed as damaging the dignity of the title, and b) what further action must be taken to rectify the situation.'

Wetherby Services, Leeds

As Phil was getting a cup of coffee at the motorway services, he received a call from Rio. 'Hey, it's 2 hours before the class, and I've heard nothing from you.' 'Relax, I'll be there. I'm at the motorway services near Leeds right now. Just going to grab a bite to eat and refuel. I should be there in about 90 minutes.'

'You sure?' 'Rio, I've done this route more times than you've had hot dinners. I promise I'll be there in time.' 'Ok, I trust you, just make sure you do.' Phil responded by terminating the call. 'Might have to get my lunch to go.' After grabbing something from a nearby burger van, he drove off again, fuelled by caffeine.

12:52pm

Phil pulled up at the base right in time. But seeing Sean's car alread there, he parked on the street, before walking up to the base. 'ID Number 0001.' After completing the iris scan, he was allowed into the base, to be greeted by Sean. 'I heard about Maddy - how you holding up dude?' 'I'm ok, but we'll talk more later.' 'I understand - things to do, people to see.'

Walking into the main base, Rio was waiting. 'And where have you been?' 'I had to take a different route - there was a major accident so the Junction I'd normally turn off at was closed. So, where's the "supply teacher"?' Rio grinned. 'In the arena, with the students.' The interim then leaned towards him. 'She's really looking forward to this.'

Phil seemed puzzled at this, having expected Kris to be the supply teacher. After unzipping his fleece, he walked into the arena, and was shocked to hear everyone laughing. He was equally as shocked, if not more, to realise who his deputy for a day was to be.

'Astrid. Why am I surprised, of course it's Astrid.' She was sat, cross-legged, with her luscious golden hair down to the side and uncharacteristically wearing skinny jeans and a purple vest with her family crest on. 'You could sound happy to see me' 'Well excuse me, I thought I was walking into a duelling course, not a comedy club.'

After walking in, he took his jacket off, and threw it down. 'Right, Rio's busy this week, so you've got Astrid instead.' Awkwardly, Denzil raised his hand. 'Like, I heard people outside talking about Maddy. Where is she?' Realising the subject would never be dropped, Astrid took over, her demeanour turning increasingly serious.

'Maddy's not here, because she's in hospital. We don't want to go into detail, but she took a turn for the worse while on holiday, so she's been taken to hospital in Wales. She's in an induced coma, just while they find out what's wrong with her. But she shouldn't be in too long.'

'So like, is she losing her title?' 'It's too early to say. We don't know what's wrong, so we can't say.' Just then, Jade barrelled in. 'Sorry I'm late! Just sprinted from the train station.' Astrid smiled. 'Techincally you're three minutes early.' With a full house, the session began.

'Right, this is Session #11 of 13. This is the last week before the exams. As such, you know everything you need to know already. Therefore, this is just a session to teach you some intricacies that will be useful to you. To start off with, we'll go through a few practical scenarios. Astrid, could you pass the whiteboards around please?'

She hopped off of the table, and without hesitation, launched them around the room, each one hitting its target (even if Donny did narrowly avoid decapitation). 'Here's how it works - I give you a scenario, you tell me what you think happens. Example Uno: El Shaddoll Construct attacks into an Ally of Justice Catastor. Which gets destroyed and why? Write it down.'

A minute passed and then he asked them to reveal. 'Right, so we have 8 people saying that Construct would be destroyed, two saying that neither would be destroyed, and one saying Catastor would be destroyed. I must say, I'm disappointed.' 'So like, who got it right?'

'Denzil, none of you got it right. Catastor's effect destroys any none-Dark monster it battles, and Construct destroys any Special summoned monster it battles. Both these effects are Spell Speed 1 Trigger Effects. Therefore, the effects will resolve simultaneously, and both monsters would be destroyed at the same time.'

'Right, next one. I've got a Princess of Tsurugi on my field face-down. I flip-summon Tsurugi, then Astrid chains Barrel Behind the Door to it. I respond with Seven Tools of the Bandit. Who takes damage and how much?' After dragging up a picture of Tsurugi for the unfamiliar students, he gave them a good two minutes to answer.

'Right, time's up. Show me your answers.' As the boards were shown, he nodded to himself. 'Right, so we have a variety of answers here. Denzil, Kenzie, Myka and Belle are the only four to have got it right. Kenzie, care to explain?' The nervous Scot didn't sem comfortable with sharing her working however.

'Do I have to?' 'Come on Kenzie, you've already got the answer right. I just want to know how you got your answer. And let's face it - there's over half the group who have no right to laugh at you.' 'Well, Barrel was the only Spell or Trap on Astrid's field. But it went to the graveyard after Seven Tools negated it. So Tsurugi couldn't do any damage because there were no Spells or Traps out.'

Phil then walked up to her. 'You have good instincts. That's as powerful a weapon as any Chaos Emperor Dragon.' After walking back, he sat down. 'Kenzie was exactly right. The chain resolves backwards, and I'm looking at your answer Jade, so Barrel was negated and sent to the graveyard. As such, Tsurugi had no cards with which to deal damage.'

At this point, Astrid had her own exercise. 'How about some lovely timings? I have 2700 Life, one set Trap, and the Chicken Game Field Spell out. He has 3700 Life and Cyber Dragon on the field. He attacks with Cyber Dragon, I activate Memory of an Adversary. What happens?'

As several seemed to be struggling to keep up, she made it a tad easier. 'Multiple choice. A) The trap gets negated. B) I lose all my points. C) The attack gets negated. D) None of the above' After everyone wrote their answers down, Phil had a look at them. 'Two people got that right. Myka, and Kenzie.'

He then proceeded to explain. 'Memory's effect triggers when you are attacked, then you take damage equal to the attacking monster's attack, and the monster is banished. Myka, care to explain why your answer is correct?' She gladly took the opportunity.

'Memory of an Adversary is a Conjunction effect where A must happen to achieve B. In this case, A is negating the damage and B is banishing the monster. Due to Chicken Game, Astrid would take no damage, due to her Life points being lower than his. As such, the attack would go through, and Cyber Dragon wouldn't be banished as the first half of the effect didn't go through.'

'Very good Myka. We appear to have a couple of very skilled tacticians here. Another Astrid?' The sparky young woman quickly thought of something else, and wrote it down in beautiful writing. 'It's simple, but difficult. I control Number 53 - Heart-eartH with 0 materials, and it has 800 Attack from United We Stand being equipped. Phil controls Galaxy Stealth Dragon with 0 Attack. I destroy his Stealth Dragon, and he activates Tachyon Chaos Hole. What happens next?'

With everyone's answers down, they waited with baited breath. 'Right, what does everyone have? I'm seeing a lot of answers. Kenzie, Myka, Denzil, and Belle, congratulations. Heart-eartH's effects are considered to happen simultaneously. As such, the second effect cannot happen without the first. Now it's summoning effect specifically states when it goes to the graveyard. As when the effect resolves it has been moved to a different place, i.e. the banished pile, that effect is deactivated.'

'Now I've been keeping score, and it's become clear that two of you can't be separated. However, with the positions where they are in terms of your rankings, I need to find a winner. Therefore, I'll ask one more question, which is just for you both, Kenzie and Myka. The first person to write the correct answers down on the bigger boards being handed out is the winner.'

But it won't be on chains. Instead it will be on a different form of strategy. I want you both to name me five different lockdown strategies which are NOT the Yata-Lock, and what board you end on to achieve them.' With the girls both understanding, they started, and Phil sat back down again.

It took a good seven minutes for Myka to emerge with an answer. 'Let's see… first one's good, second one's fine, third one, I'm impressed you got that, the fourth's great, and the last one is excellent. Myka, well done. Kenzie, let me see what you've got.'

As Kenzie handed hers over, he had a good look. 'First one is good, as is the second but watch your spelling, I'm quite frankly amazed you've even heard of the third, fourth is unconventional but it works, and the fifth is incorrect, but I think you knew that already. Impressive showing though.' 'Thanks.'

Phil continued watching while Kenzie sat down, and got a pat on the back from her former sworn enemy in Denzil. The session then continued, with revision on chains, timings, and strategical activations.

In the main hall, 40 minutes later

Ashley was walking back towards her bedroom when Rio walked past her. 'Ashley, could I ask you a massive' 'Whatever it is, of course.' 'Could you or one of the others just look after the office for 10 minutes? I'm needed at the arena.' 'Absolutely.' 'Thanks.' She then rushed off, arriving swiftly at the arena.

When she got there, she composed herself, and walked in. 'Thanks for coming down here RIo.' 'Can we make this quick? I've only got 10 minutes of spare time. Thankfully Ash is looking after the office. So, I read through the placements you sent me, and I agree with them.'

'Excellent. As you all know, the final exams involve you duelling each other. We can now reveal how they will work. We will repeat these instructions before the duels begin in two weeks' time, but listen up now.'

'Each duel will be held under matchplay rules. Therefore it's best of three duels, each one starting with 8000 points. Once you have entered the battle arena, you may not step out of it until the end of the match. Astrid, care to continue?'

'Certainly. All decks must be between 38 and 42 cards, with a side deck of up to 15 cards. Before you enter the arena, your deck will be scanned according to the current banlist, a link to which has been circulated to you. If there are any infractions, you will be given until the first match commences to change the cards. Additionally, it goes without saying that all Match-Winners are automatically illegal.'

Phil then took back over. 'I will be the referee for all duels. And what I say goes. If I deem a move illegal, you can question it, however if I don't change my mind, my decision is final. After each duel, you will have a 10 minute reconnaissance session, during which you may change up to five cards from your deck, swapping them with cards from your Side deck. However you must keep the amount of cards in your deck the same.'

'For the first duel, and for tied duels, a coin toss will determine who goes first, with the winner of the toss choosing. Afterwards, the choice will go to whoever lost the previous duel. If someone is 2-0 up, then the third duel will not be played out.'

'Finally, all rounds will have a 60 minute time limit. If it is in a non-deciding round, then that round will be declared a draw. If it is a deciding round, we go to Sudden Death, where both duellists' points become 2000, and all effect damage automatically becomes 0. Any questions?' Several hands shot up. 'Denzil.'

'What happens if it's still a tie after Sudden Death?' 'In that exceptional circumstance, we go back to Sudden Death, and keep going until we have a winner. Donny.' 'Can people… i mean not me obviously, but can people argue with you to stall time?' 'No, because the clock will be paused during any such discussion. Also, if you keep ignoring me, I'll just dock you 4k Life points to teach you a lesson. Emma.'

'What if one of us needs to go to the toilet but is sat on the wrong side?' 'There's toilets on the other side, through the red door. Kenzie.' 'Will I still be able to use my earphones?' 'Yes, as long as you can confirm that you can hear me. Your earphones will be plugged directly into your duel disk. Jade.'

'Is there anything we can't bring in?' 'No. However you will be asked to hand over all electronic devices other than hearing aids and Kenzie's earphones before you duel. You will be frisked as well. And that's the end of the questions. So we're going to reveal now who ranked where.'

'FIrstly, well done for making it to the end of the main course. You should all be extremely proud of yourselves, and you will get your certificates just for turning up to your duels. So in 11th, is Fleur.' She looked a little confused here. 'Who do I face then?' 'As there's an odd number, I've asked Arin Rin to come in. He finished top of the Pro course. Do not underestimate him.'

'So then we have 10th vs. 9th. That is Emma vs. Mike.' As their names were announced, they stood up, with the lower ranked duellist stood with Rio, and the highest ranked with Phil. '8th vs. 7th - Mitchell Travis vs. Donny Anderson.'

'We're up to 6th vs. 5th, which will be Denzil Davis vs. Kenzie Calhoun.' The two of them seemed excited at facing each other specifically as they stood up. '4th vs. 3rd - Brooke Angharad vs. Myka Grainger.' Myka seemed a little disappointed being in third, being unaware of how far away from 2nd she was. 'So that just leaves the Top 2. 2nd was… Jade. Which means that Belle came top overall. You're going to be duelling for a chance at a WDC Tour Card.'

There still remained one question though, as mentioned by Belle. 'So if we're facing each other in two weeks, what happens next week?' Astrid giggled, knowing the plan. 'Since she's so excited, Astrid can tell you.' 'So, next week you're going to face the Ultimate Challenge. And anybody who can win the Ultimate Challenge will get a Tour Card.'

This announcement caused much excitement and giddyness from the students. 'So who are we facing?' Astrid then laughed. 'You're going to be facing… ALL OF US!' Suddenly the giddiness stopped as Phil stepped in. 'We're going to choose a suitable opponent for each of you from within the Renegades. No restrictions on your deck - you're going to need all the help you can get. Group dismissed.'

With everyone else leaving, Myka stayed. 'What's going on with Maddy? I've got a right to know' 'You absolutely do. She's in hospital, because she collapsed in the early hours of yesterday morning due to appendicitis. She's in an induced coma at the moment, but hopefully it won't be for long.'

Astrid was more hostile however. 'Since when were you bothered? As long as I've been here, you've not contact her once.' 'Just because we ain't mates, doesn't mean that I don't care.' 'Well if you cared you would have shown any kind of support. And right now, she needs support.'

Next time: Maddy wakes up, but she isn't out of the woods yet. And this time, she'll need the ultimate sign of trust in Renegades: A New Dawn Chapter XXXII: The Gift of Life