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.

32. The Gift of Life

Renegades: A New Dawn

Chapter XXXII: The Gift of Life

Two days later, 3:14pm

Blair and Jade were sat looking after Maddy when suddenly she stirred. And then, signs of life after four days, as her eyelids started flickering. Immediately Blair looked over at her girlfriend. 'You're quicker than me - go get Phil and Hannah.' 'K.' She dashed off at top speed, gliding across like a skimming stone across a river.

After around two minutes, Maddy's eyes slowly opened. She turned her head towards Blair, and immediately fell asleep again. Shortly afterwards, Phil arrived, in a leather jacket. 'Did she?' His cousin just nodded. 'She opened her eyes about halfway, looked at me, and fell asleep again. I guess it means she's out of danger, right?'

He responded, not with words, but with a simple hand on the shoulder, a silent reassurance that she had done well, and that Maddy was now safe. As Blair left to try and relax a little bit, he walked over to his daughter, and sat down, just brushing her hair behind her ear.

'Why didn't you say something? This could all have been avoided. Please, just tell us if something is wrong. I promise we'll listen.' He then took her personalised hoodie from the bag he was holding, and placed it on her like a blanket. 'I'll try and bring you a blanket later. Just remember how much we all love you. This can never happen again. I can't let it happen again.'

At the police station

After four days of uncooperative questions, James was still in his holding cell when two officers walked up with a pair of handcuffs. 'What do you want?' 'They want you at the reception.' Birchall smirked hearing this, believing this would be his release. So he let them handcuff him before being lead to the front desk.

When he was there, an officer walked up with a sheet of paper. 'James Alan Birchall, you are being charged with two counts of attempted murder, and one charge of possession of extreme pornographic images. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence in court if you opt to not disclose anything which you later rely on in evidence.'

The paper was then slid across the desk. This is your Charge Sheet, and we are remanding you in custody. You will be taken to the Magistrates Court tomorrow, where you may enter your initial plea and then your case will be transferred to the Crown Court, due to the severity of the offences.'

The thug found himself totally taken aback by this. 'Seriously? You dragged me out here just to tell me you believe what a load of tossers tell you?' Before he could cause any more of a scene, he was dragged back to his holding cell, where he was now doomed to rot until his day in court.

In London

Rhydian was having his day in the Crown Court. 'Rhydian Morris, you have been charged with the Supply of Class B drugs to a Ms. Madeline Smith. How do you plead to this offence?' His reply was straightforward and calm. 'Guilty your honour.' The case was then presented to the judge.

'Your honour, from what I have established, on three occasions between March and May of 2015, Mr. Morris supplied Ms. Smith with small amounts of Cannabis. While we cannot be certain how much was supplied, a visual demonstration from Ms. Smith suggests that the amounts were somewhere in the region of 45-75 grams each time.' After this revelation, the trial continued.

In the hospital

Blair was the only person around (having taken over so Phil could grab some food) when Maddy woke up again, still totally out of it. But this time, she managed to gather the strength to utter some words. 'B… b… where am I?' 'You're in hospital. Do you remember anything that happened?'

She shook her head gently. 'You collapsed. But you're in safe hands now.' She was then sick all over her hospital gown. 'Dad… Mam' Just then, Hannah walked into the ward to take over from Blair. 'Hannah, she's awake… just.' She rushed over to see her daughter's eyes cloudy and tired.

'Oh Maddy. Give us a minute and we'll get you cleaned up. How are you feeling?' 'I… tired. Just tired.' 'Well you should probably get some rest. Don't worry, there's going to be someone here when you wake up.' She nodded, and then went back to sleep, giving the others time to talk.

'I just dread to think what would have happened if you hadn't found her.' 'She would have been fine. You know how tough she is. Besides, someone probably would have been down not long after me.' 'Why can't you take any praise?' She just looked straight at Hannah. 'I don't need praise for something anyone would do. I'm not a hero, I'm just a human. A nice human if you want to push it.'

'Well I disagree. I promise you, you are a hero to me. For what you did. I don't care if you don't see it that way, because I do.' 'I mean the thought is appreciated, but it's really not necessary. Besides, I owed her big time.' 'For what?' 'Saving Rio's life.' Hannah just shook her head.

'Missed so much didn't I?' 'Not really. But you did miss Rio's suicide attempt.' 'Still hurts to hear you say that. Hurts even more to know how it must make you feel.' Blair shrugged. 'I suppose I can look at it now remembering that she survived. I'm reminded every single day what Maddy did for us.'

In London

With the prosecution having laid out their charges, Rhydian's solicitor took the mantle. 'Madam, I would like to confirm that Mr. Morris has plead guilty to this offence. My client has admitted his guilt, he has admitted that he did provide drugs.'

'However, my client did not do this out of malice, he was attempting to provide a short-term solution for a friend. Was this the right course of action? No, however he already has accepted this, thus the early guilty plea. Additionally, he has fully cooperated with all inquiries.'

'In summary, my client is not some sort of drugs lynchpin. Rather, he was a recreational user of an controlled substance sharing some of his very limited supply with his then girlfriend. And if we are sending people into our overcrowded prisons simply for that, then what message are we sending out?'

The next morning, 10:40am

With Maddy still slipping in and out of consciousness, Phil had a nice surprise for Blair. 'So Blair, I've been thinking.' 'I don't like it when you've been thinking. Last time it ended up in a two hour discussion on Spell speeds. What is it this time - quantum mechanics of the Cyber Dragon engine?'

'No. I actually wanted to show you this poster I found while shopping this morning.' The poster, all decked out in a lurid green, was for a local duelling company called North of Wales Duelling. 'Sounds pretty cool.' 'It does. Especially when there's an open challenge for the doubles titles there.' He then smiled. 'Fancy having a go?'

'But I need to keep an eye on' 'Jade's over there right now. And I'll pop over there in a bit.' 'Besides, my deck's at home, still incomplete.' This seemed to surprise everyone. 'Incomplete?' 'Yeah, I've been experimenting with a new engine to make my deck faster.'

Hannah then produced a leather pouch. 'That's my deck case. But how did you' 'Sean was at the base this morning, so Rio sent it over here with him. She spent ages going through your quite frankly awful writing, putting the deck together according to your notes… and a little bit of guesswork.'

'That's because the list only contained 27 cards.' Phil then switched back to the original subject. 'So, you want to give it a go?' She thought for a moment, and then smiled. 'It's been too long.' Hannah then grabbed the car keys. 'It's on the way to the hospital, so I'll drop you both off there.'

At Rhydian's trial

With the trial having wrapped up for Rhydian, the verdict was delivered by the judge. 'Mr. Morris, I hereby accept your guilty plea for the charge of supplying a Class B drug. We will immediately move to sentencing. Mr. Morris, I accept your argument that you are not a callous criminal mastermind, nor a drug kingpin. However, you have still committed an offence, and I refuse the claim that Ms. Smith approached you wanting the drug.'

'No, rather you saw her upset, and took an opportunity to try and make her feel the way you felt. This kind of behaviour, which in a different context could be called coercive or controlling, is disturbing. Therefore, I have to pass a sentence which reflects the crime, but also your behaviour. As such Rhydian Morris, I hereby sentence you to 24 weeks imprisonment, to be reduced by 50% depending on your behaviour. Take him away.'

Rhydian was lead away, all while begging the magistrate to change her mind, unsuccessfully. Sadly for his sake, his pleas fell on deaf ears and he got taken away.

Duel Arena, Flint

As Phil and Blair arrived, both in sunglasses, they were nearly swamped with autograph requests. After insisting they were only there as spectators, they managed to sneak into the arena, and speak with the company's director.

'Well well well, it's not everyday we have such esteemed company here.' 'It's a pleasure to be here. We've been thinking, has anybody come forward for the tag title open challenge tonight?' 'Oh yes, you're about the 7th team to ask. However, it is first come first served. After all, they did call it an "Open" challenge.'

'Thanks very much.' 'You're welcome. I will say, it is delightful to have you here. What brings you to these parts anyway?' 'We're on holiday. But I saw this invitation, and Blair's warming up for a return.' 'Yes, you've been gone for a while haven't you?' She just nodded.

'Too long. I had a real bad staph infection in my bicep, and also I needed time off for personal reasons. But I'm feeling much better now.' The two of them then dashed off, making sure they were waiting right by the entrance.

As the Tag champions came out, they were introduced. 'Please welcome, for 572 days, your reigning and defending NWD Twin Dragons Champions, Joseph Leichter and Cameron Johnson, Martial Law.' The champions walked down, to a great reception. Leichter then got a microphone.

'Everyone, listen up! There's a reason we've been the champions for 572 days. It's because we're the best around. So much so that we've started sending out open challenges to anyone around the globe. Anybody who wants to come down to this little piece of Wales, line up and come at us! So without further ado, who's up next?'

There was a momentary pause, before Fall Out Boy's song American Beauty/American Psycho started. People didn't initially react, until they saw Blair walk out in a white kabuki mask, with purple sunrays above the eyes and the Arabic for "Love and Fury" on the front.

Phil then appeared, and as he lowered his hood, the fans erupted in excitement, their suspicions realised. And Hannah was introducing them. 'Introducing the challengers, from Norden, England, they are the team of the American Psycho Blair Flannigan, and my husband, Phil Robinson-Cummings!'

By the time they reached the bottom of the extended ramp, Johnson was practically hyperventilating with excitement. 'We're going to the moon! You want to challenge us? BRING IT ON!' With Hannah filming the duel for an upcoming DVD, everyone began.

NWD Twin Dragons Championships: The Legend and The Legacy (Phil Robinson and Blair Flannigan) LP:4000 vs. (c) Martial Law (Joseph Leichter and Cameron Johnson) LP:4000

Turn 1: Blair: 'Been too long. I draw. I activate the Field spell Magical Meltdown.' Both teams were quickly surrounded with a large red square, containing a demonic pentagram. 'When this is activated, I can add Aleister the Invoker to my hand. Next I'll activate Invocation. This fuses together Aleister with Shaddoll Beast to create a new monster - Invoked Caliga (Def.:1800). I end my turn with 3 face-downs.'

Leichter: 'You're not gonna take these away from us, not without a little fight at least. I draw and summon Jinzo - Jector (Atk:800). But imma gonna tribute him and use his effect to search a Jinzo and see your face-downs. For each Trap, I can summon a Jinzo monster from my hand. Now show 'em to me!'

Leichter was delighted with his work, until he got a rude awakening upon realisation that Blair had no Traps face-down (My Body as a Shield, Invocation, The Book of the Law). And that wasn't the only revelation. 'Just so you know by the way, Caliga only allows you to activate one Monster effect per turn.' In this situation, there was little else for Leichter to do. 'I end my turn with two face-downs.'

Phil: 'It's my turn. I'll set a monster and end my turn with a face-down.'

Johnson: 'I'm about to speed this up a bit. I draw and summon Speedroid Block-n-Roll (Atk:1800). And because I control a Speedroid, I can summon Speedroid CarTurbo from my hand (Atk:800). But they're about to tune together, so I can Sycnhro 7! I summon Rampaging Smashtank Rhynosaber (Atk:2400).'

'Rhynosaber, attack Invoked Caliga with Riot FIre!' Ever the opportunist though, she was prepared. 'I activate The Book of the Law. I hope you didn't get too attached to Caliga, as he's making way for another Invoked monster. Meet Invoked Magellanica (Def.:3300).'

The sight of a behemoth on the field was more than enough for Johnson to back off the assault. 'I end my turn with a face-down. You're up again.'

Blair: 'Why thanks. I draw. I'll activate a Field spell - Magical Meltdown.' The field of the challengers was quickly enveloped by a hexagram contained in a square, glowing a foreboding deep red. 'Once this magical square is set up, I can add Aleister the Invoker from my deck to my hand. But he isn't staying. I activate Invocation. I banish Aleister and Crystal Rose to Fusion summon Invoked Mechaba (Atk:2500).'

'I'll destroy your monster with my face-down' 'No you won't. Magical Meltdown protects any Fusion summoned monster when it hits the field. With that, I can crush your Rhynosaber.' Johnson then ran an intervention.

'I activate my face-down Storming Mirror Force, returning your monsters to your hand.' Once again though, the plan was foiled. 'That might work here, but at my level, not a chance. I activate the effect of Mechaba. When you activate a card, I can just discard the same type of card to negate and destroy. So that's goodbye to a Fire Trap, and also to your Mirror Force.'

With the field now mine-swept, Mechaba charged in with its lance outstretched, tearing the tank asunder (Martial Law LP:4000-3900). 'With that I'll end my turn.' As she did so, Phil looked at her, and smiled. She gave a grin back, finally back in her element.

Leichter: 'Our strategy's just getting started. I draw and activate Law of the Cosmos. You get the choice here - set a Trap from your deck and I can summon Jinzo, or decide not to, and let me search a Jinzo or it's support from my deck.' Quickly, Blair passed the decision over to her tag partner.

'I'll let you summon a Jinzo, after I set Chain Material from my deck (Atk:2400). In case you forgot, you can't activate Chain Material now.' 'I am aware.' 'Because there's a Trap in the graveyard, I can Special summon Jinzo the Machine Meanace without a tribute by dropping its Level to 6 (Atk:2400, Level:7-6).'

'You're still in the 1990s boys. Guess what - I was there, and I won there.' This seemed to light something underneath the underdogs. 'You want to see new-age? I overlay my two Level 6 monsters to Xyz summon Jinzo - Layered (Atk:2400).' 'Not bad, we've reached 10 years ago.'

'Layered's effect lets me detach a material and take control of Magellanica until the End phase.' This effect brought the big heavy over to the field of the champions. 'Since I can't do anything else with it, I'll tribute the monster I just took for Layered's effect, to destroy your Mechaba.' With no monsters to use for Mechaba's effect, Blair was unable to react to her monster being taken out by a fizzing electrical blast. 'Layered, attack his monster.' Layered wasted no time in eliminating Phil's monster (Cyber Dragon Core Def.:1500). 'I end my turn.'

Phil: 'I draw. I activate the effect of Core from my graveyard. By banishing it, I can summon Cyber Dragon from my deck (Atk:2100). Next I summon Cyber Dragon Drei (Atk:1800). The effect of Drei makes it so that all Cyber Dragons on the field are Level 5. Including itself (Level:4-5). And now I'll overlay them both. Open the door and touch the future, as I summon out the latest evolution of Cybernetic technology. Blast me into tomorrow, Cyber Dragon Nova (Atk:2100).'

Having seen this play before, Martial Law were confident in the next stage. 'Go on then, summon Infinity, and let us deal with it!' 'You see, that's the thing with me - I have a million and one tricks. But you never quite know which one I'm going to use. I activate the effect of Cyber Dragon Nova. By detaching an Xyz material, I can revive a Cyber Dragon from my graveyard. Be reborn, Cyber Dragon (Atk:2100).'

'And now I'll use the effect of Nova, to banish the Cyber Dragon on my field and give it's Attack to Nova (Atk:2100-4200).' Blair then helped to apply further pressure. 'I activate Dimension Explosion. By returning Magellanica to the Extra deck, we can summon two banished monsters. I summon Shaddoll Beast and Cyber Dragon (Atk:2200, 2100).'

'Cyber Dragon Nova, attack with Super Strident Nova.' The evolved Cyber Dragon unleashed a burning attack from its mouth, roasting the improved Jinzo form (Martial Law LP:3900-2100). 'I'm far from done. Cyber Dragon, how about we end proceedings? Strident Blast.'

At the very last moment, a counter was revealed. 'Because you're attacking for the second time in this Battle phase, I'm summoning Ogre of the Scarlet Sorrow. It's Attack is equal to that of Nova (Atk:4200).' But Blair had a sting in the tail. 'Keep up the offensive!'

'You got it.' As Cyber Dragon charged up it's attack, the returning Michiganer revealed the plan. 'I activate Honest from my hand. Feel the Light of Destruction! (Atk:2100-6300). Strident Blast!' This time, there was no coming back, and no resisting the deadly ball of lightning coming from the mechanical menace (Martial Law LP:2100-0).

After the duel, Phil and Blair took the titles, and Blair hung her title from her mouth, while Phil lifted his belt, before they hugged. The challenges then walked over and quickly offered a handshake. 'It was a pleasure to duel you both.' Leichter then stood straight in front of them. 'Make no mistake though - we'll be back.' 'You're welcome to a rematch any time. We're not hard to find.'

As the new champions went up to the stands, Hannah was stood there with her phone out still. 'What's that for?' 'Oh you know, filming the entire duel for a certain DVD coming out soon.' 'What - you think they'll want to see that?' Hannah then tipped her tinted glasses back over her eyes again. 'Nothing sells like a rare duel.'

'Still not tempted to come out of retirement?' Hannah laughed the idea off. 'Not a chance - it's way more fun watching you.' 'Come on, surely there's someone you'd come back to face.' 'Well when you find them, come tell me.' As the three left, Phil tried his luck with his wife. 'Did I tell you about the old woman from China? She had an enormous' This earned him a well-deserved slap across the back of the head. 'Will you behave.'

The next morning, 7:30am

Hannah was by Maddy's bedside when she finally woke up properly. 'Morning sleepyhead. How are you?' 'I feel like death' she quipped woozily. 'Do you have any idea where you are?' She took a quick sniff, and replied 'Smells like Wales.' 'And do you have any idea how you got here?'

'I collapsed… I was told some stuff. Don't remember most.' 'What's the last thing you remember?' 'Remember the bottom of the stairs. I felt terrible.' She then tried sitting up. 'Don't do too much too soon. Do you know what happened?' She shook her head. 'Ok. Well you collapsed outside where we're staying, you suffered a ruptured appendix, which has been removed. So you should be on the right side now. But we're here all the way.'

Maddy then went to lean over, but was rendered unable by the pain. 'I'll come over to you.' As Hannah leant over, Maddy grabbed her in a hug, clearly unable to apply full pressure yet grateful for the company. She then turned over and fell asleep again, as Blair walked in carrying a coffee. 'Was she just awake again?' 'She's talking now. But the poor thing's still exhausted.' 'Don't blame her.'

Two days later

As Phil walked into the ward to take over vanguard, Maddy was lay up in her bed, eyes closed. He brushed her hair from over her eye, and then sat next to her, speaking gently. 'Nobody will ever abandon you. Never forget it.' She smiled, and whispered 'I am awake.' He smiled hearing this, and straightened his body position.

'How are you feeling now?' 'I'd be better if I wasn't stuck here.' 'Take after me in that respect.' 'No trust me, I'm way worse.' 'So how are you other than that?' 'Breathing hurts… so much. My back and my ribs as well. And my ankle feels weird.' As Phil removed the blanket from her body, he saw that her ankles were both swollen to nearly twice their normal size.

'What's up with it?' 'They've both shot up to twice their normal size. I'm just going to get a doctor, just confirm with them that everything's fine.' 'Thanks Dad.' 'For you, anything.' He hastily left, to find a doctor, which being in a hospital, wasn't difficult. 'Hi, would you be able to do some sort of check up on my daughter Maddy? She's just in Ward 18.'

'Certainly. Can you tell me why she's in?' 'She's recently had her appendix removed after collapsing on holiday, but her ankles have swollen by a good 8 to 9 inches. Also she's in crippling back and rib pain.' 'That sort of pain isn't uncommon after surgery, but I will take a urine sample and then run some tests.' 'Thanks.'

As they walked in, Maddy was just finishing another bout of vomiting, face as pale as porcelain. 'Ms. Robinso' 'Just call me Maddy.' 'Erm… your father has explained that you are suffering from some pain?' 'Understatement.' 'Well to try and pinpoint a potential cause, I was wondering if you could provide me with a urine sample?' 'Anything.'

After the sample was provided, the doctor walked off, promising to have the results within the hour. Meanwhile, Maddy took a few deep breaths, each one hurting as bad as the last. 'Why me, why now? Got the trials in a few weeks, I can't miss them.' She rolled her eyes, and punched a cushion out of sheer frustration, the annoyance painted all over her face.

Back at the base

Taylor was just putting a fleece-lined coat on before leaving the base, when Daniel Smith (Maddy's biological father) ran up, almost blowing her over with the force. 'Woah, steady up.' 'Sorry, I just heard about Maddy. Is it true she's in a coma?' 'Sorry, you're kind of late to the party - she woke up two days ago. Who are you again?' 'I forgot to mention, my bad. I'm Dan, I'm Maddy's biological dad. I went to the Victoria, but she wasn't there.'

'Yeah, she was taken ill while on holiday, I think she's in some place called Connah's Quay? I was actually just going out to buy her some sort of distraction. If you want, sit down and I'll let Rio know you're here.' 'Thanks.' Taylor then turned around and told Kelly, whose voice went up several octaves in informing Rio.

'Hey Rio, Maddy's other Dad is here, he heard about what happened!' 'K, give me two minutes! Also, could you not deafen guests please.' 'Had to get your attention somehow.' She then turned to Dan. 'Take a seat, she'll be with you shortly. Tay, you go do… whatever it was you were doing.'

Rio locked the office up less than five minutes later, looking rather different, as she was now wearing an ice blue jacket, with a green skirt over long, jet black stockings. 'So what have you already heard?' 'Just read what it says on the Duel Screen website - Maddy's been rushed to hospital, she's in a coma, and survival is 50/50.'

'Right, that's quite dramatic.' After taking a pause to steady her nerves and her shaking hand, Rio explained. 'She collapsed outside where she was staying on holiday, she was rushed to hospital.' 'Was it by air ambulance?' 'Yes, but it was because of the location.'

Jana then walked over to provide context. 'Glanfarwhyn Park. It's out in the sticks past Connah's Quay. Scenery's beautiful around there, but it's a pain to get to. Great if you've got a rally car, awful if you're driving a 2 ton Ambulance.' 'Well that would explain it.'

'As I was saying, she's in hospital, she is awake but still a bit touch and go with her. If you want I could phone the hospital, see if she's available to talk.' 'Thank you. First though, I heard she was unwell before this?' 'She'd been suffering with severe stomach pain for a few weeks, and she was tired all the time, but we thought she was exhausted. That's why she was on holiday.'

Rio then gave Dan Phil's phone number, and he rung up. 'If this is car insurance, I already have some.' 'It's Daniel - Daniel Smith.' 'I'm guessing you're at the base considering you have my number. Have you been filled in?' 'Yes. Is Maddy awake?' 'She's awake, but not exactly talkative. I'm not sure she's totally with it to be honest, she's got quite a lot of Morphine in her system. I'll ask her to contact you when she's a bit more… copus mentus.' 'Ok, I understand, thank you.' 'You're welcome.'

Back at the hospital

Maddy was lain in her hospital bed, still not looking all that comfortable when two doctors walked in solemnly. Blair smiled at them, but they remained close to emotionless, which got her back up pretty quickly. 'Has something happened?' They then walked towards Maddy, while Phil and Hannah watched on from nearby.

'Miss Robinson-Cummings' 'Please just call me Maddy, and if something's wrong, spit it out.' The news then came. 'We've been running some tests as you know, and… well I'm afraid we have some bad news.' Now concerned, she looked on warily. 'Go on…'

'We've found some irregularities in your blood tests. That's why we asked you for a urine sample yesterday. We've also noticed how tired you've been.' 'Well I have been through a lot.' 'All our tests have pointed to one diagnosis. Miss RObinson-Cummings' 'Maddy!' 'I'm afraid, you're suffering from what we call End-stage Kidney Failiure.'

Strangely, she didn't seem too concerned about this. 'Well I've still got 1, and that's all I need. Knew the left one was dodgy.' 'Your right kidney is failing as well. It is no longer capable of sufficiently filtering your blood. We believe that your appendicitis may have in fact, saved your life.'

Silence followed, with Maddy unable to speak. So Phil spoke for her. 'Is dialysis an option?' 'It is an option, however with the severity of the damage, it isn't to be recommended. You wouldn't be able to leave the country for any significant length of time for up to a year. The option we recommend is a full kidney transplant.'

'Where do we get a kidney from?' 'If Maddy agrees to it, we need a donor who is the same blood type as her to make a successful transition more likely. I'll leave you to they left, Maddy covered her eyes. 'So what happens now?' Blair's question was quickly answered by Maddy.

'I'll have to do the dialysis. I'm not putting anyone through that.' Frustrated, Phil left the ward at that point. But instead of reacting angrily, he took a moment of contemplation, and then in a desperation move, he picked his phone up and rung the base himself.

In the base

Lydia was closest to the phone when it rung. 'That's… odd.' The nearby Astrid heard this and got curious. 'What is?' 'Phil's ringing the base. He never does that.' 'You think it could be an update on Maddy?' 'Dunno. Hello, this is Lydia, I know who you are but I'm supposed to give you the whole intro anyway'

'Another time, ok?' 'How is she?' 'Not good - she's in total renal failure.' 'Renal? What's that?' Astrid then shouted over. 'It means kidneys. Who's askin?' Quickly though, the penny dropped, and all she could do was mutter expletives in her mother tongue. 'So what exactly's happening?'

'Her kidneys are both shot. She's either got a year of dialysis, which would mean going to hospital every week and stop her pretty much doing anything else, or a transplant. Which is why I'm phoning. Is Rio around?' 'Yeah, she's… somewhere.' She then took the phone down from her ear for a moment. 'Hey fox, could you go and find Rio for me?' 'It's Vixen, but sure.'

Astrid then ran off, her legs brimming with muscle as she bounded across the base. Less than two minutes later, she returned with Rio in tow. 'Could you pass the phone Lydia?' She gave a knowing nod, and handed it over.

'Who is it?' 'It's Phil. Listen, I'll tell you more later, but long story short, Maddy's in total kidney failure, and transplant is the only realistic option unless she's going to be in and out of hospital for a year.' Immediately, Rio understood. 'What do you need?' 'I need someone to cross-reference everyone's blood type, see if anyone shares one with Maddy.'

'I can't - only Maddy has access to the database.' After thinking for a moment, he came up with a solution. 'There's some administrator login details, Jodi has them.' 'Thanks. I'll go and sort that. How's she holding up? Is she conscious?' 'She's conscious, but obviously she's quite upset.'

'I guess you would be.' 'Oh, and could you send a message to Astrid?' 'You can talk to her yourself - she's right here.' A third person then received the phone. 'You wanted to speak?' 'If you want to come down here, I've arranged train tickets to come down. The train leaves from the station in about 35 minutes, so you should have plenty of time to get there, I'll pick you up from Shotton station.'

'Why are you doing this for me?' 'I think Maddy could do with some more moral support. I'm no forcing you to come, and I've not told her.' 'Don't tell her, it will be a surprise. A nice one.' 'That's a sweet idea, thank you.' He hung up, and Astrid turned to Lydia. 'I'm going down to see Maddy. Could you let Rio know?' 'Yeah yeah, absolutely.'

40 minutes later

As Maddy slept off the stress, Phil recieved another call. 'Jodi, is this about what I said earlier?' 'About the blood types? Yes, I've had a look and Maddy is Blood Type AB. On the books, we've got Hannah and Kris. But Jade, Blair, Sean, and Dylar haven't got complete bios. In fact, Jade and Sean barely have a bio at all.' 'Well Sean is because he's not an official member of the club. And Dylar's understandable considering she's not long arrived.'

'Only thing is, neither Hannah or Kris can do it.' 'Agreed, what with Kris being immunosupressed and Hannah being heavily pregnant.' 'So what do we do?' 'I honestly don't know.' The conversation continued with ideas being batted about. Little did he know that the moment the conversation started, it was already settled.

As the doctor came back from doing some checks on Maddy, Blair bumped into him. 'Excuse me, I'm a friend of Maddy's.' 'How can I help you then?' 'Is all you need for the transplant someone with two working kidneys and of the same blood type?' 'In theory yes. In practice nothing is 100% certain, however having the blood types match up is of vital importance.'

She nodded, a steely gaze coming across her eyes. 'I'd like to put myself forward for it. As the donor.' The doctor smiled at her determination, nodded, and handed her a three page form held together with a single staple. 'If you could fill this in, we can then arrange the transplant. But it shouldn't be more than a couple of days.' She took the form, smiled politely, and then hastened off.

When she reached Maddy's bedside, she produced an expensive-looking fountain pen, and then started to fill out her details. As she did, Hannah walked by and saw her. 'Are you still working on that visa form? I told you, just give it to me and I'll sort it.' 'No, I'm putting myself down as Maddy's kidney doner.'

Silence then filled the room as Hannah was dumbsruck. But before she could speak, a hoarse voice whined 'Consider the debt repaid.' Hannah just shook her head, before exhaling loudly. 'I'll tell Phil once you've filled the form out. Just in case he tries to talk you out of it.'

As she finished writing out the form, she took one look at the last line, and provided the all important signature. She then left to hand the form in, while Hannah contacted her husband.

At the train station

As Phil pulled up at the train station, Astrid was just coming out of the station. After flashing his headlights in the driving rain to attract her attention. As she got into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt, he shot out of the parking space backwards, before roaring off into the distance. Quickly, she noticed a title belt next to him.

'Right first question, what's that?' He just batted her question off with the response 'Long story.' Before he got any chance to elaborate, the hands-free went off. 'Hannah, what can I do for you on this… quite frankly awful-looking evening?' 'We've found a donor.'

'That was quick' 'He was just phoning the base a couple of hours ago trying to find anyone with the right blood. What happened?' This very much came as news to Hannah. 'He was doing what?' 'I'll explain later. So what's this about a donor?' 'Blair's put herself forward for it.' 'Tell her no. I don't want her going through that.' 'Too late - she's already signed up.'

Astrid at this point became the voice of reason. 'You think you can talk her out of it?' 'Absolutely not.' 'Exactly.' Hannah reiterated the point. 'You're not going to talk her out of it, I can tell you that for certain. You might as well just support her decision. Because what she's doing takes balls.'

'I just don't understand why she's doing it.' 'I will talk to you when you're back here. Until then, drive safe. Astrid, if he doesn't, permission to take over.' 'But I can't drive!' She just laughed. 'Extra motivation for him then.' As the call terminated, Astrid looked concerned for once. 'Don't worry. I'm perfectly safe.'

20 minutes later

Phil's car pulled up in front of the hospital, with Hannah waiting in the cold and the rain. 'Get in, you're going to catch your death out here.' 'I just wanted to know when you got here. Did he drive safe?' Astrid just nodded politely. 'Thank you both.' The three then walked in to find Maddy.

Maddy was just lay quietly in Intensive Care, waiting for her next tests and an update on her operation when she saw Astrid walk into the ward. 'Good evening sleepyhead.' She walked over, and Maddy immediately hugged her tight. 'Any… any chance I can have my neck back? Still kind of dodgy.'

As she sat, the blonde yawned noisily. 'You ok?' 'Yeah, just not been sleeping too well.' 'Same here.' 'You're tired? It's ok for you, you've been asleep for four days.' 'Yeah… I think they call it a coma.' Astrid then hugged her back, and started crying. 'Never thought I'd see Astrid Hofferson cryin.'

'I've been so worried. I didn't know when I'd get a phone call telling me you'd got worse.' Maddy just giggled. 'You can't get rid of me that easily. Gotta make you work for it. But it's all going to be ok. Blair's letting me have a kidney.' 'Hope you're paying her for it.'

While this conversation was going on, Hannah tapped her husband lightly on the shoulder. 'We need to talk, don't we?' 'We do.' The two of them then found a deserted Relatives Room, and locked it in order to talk to each other in private.

'So what's going on then?' She soon put him in his place. 'Don't get snotty with me, I know you too well mister.' 'Ok, I apologise.' 'Well you remember when Rio tried to top herself?' 'How could I forget? I still feel guilt every day.' 'And you remember how she survived?' 'Maddy wrapped that headband around the wound.' 'And you know that Blair and Rio are super close?' 'Either that or cracking actors.'

She then smiled. 'Connect the dots.' After a couple of minutes, it suddenly dawned on him. 'You have to be kidding me… that bloody girl! Sometimes I really hate the way her mind works.' 'You and me both. But what can we do? She's deadset on it.' He then turned to her. 'We do nothing.'

The response came rather as a surprise. 'Am I still talking to the same person?' 'It's useless trying to talk her out of it. She'll do this whatever I say, whatever you say, whatever anybody says. I just advise not telling Rio. Nobody deserves that amount of earache. But I want to see Blair before she does it.'

As they walked back in, Blair groaned, holding the side of her head. 'Is everything ok?' 'No!' she snapped back, clearly ill-at-ease. Astrid then grinned. 'She's spent the past 40 minutes having Rio shout at her.' The soon-to-be kidney donor then looked around, looking for somebody to blame. 'Who told her I was giving a kidney?'

Phil held his hands up in innocence first. 'Not me - I've not spoken to her since I mentioned about finding possible donors from the club.' Hannah was next. 'Last time I spoke to her I was at home.' Cheekily, Astrid then pinned the blame on the patient. 'Have you asked Maddy?'

'Gee thanks.' 'Serious? She can barely sit up, never mind ring someone. Besides, I've been with her most of the time. It isn't Astrid because I'm convinced she doesn't even know how to use her phone. Oh, and if you've come to talk me out of' 'I've not.' Blair seemed somewhat surprised at this.

'What - really?' 'Yes. I've not come to talk you out of it, because lord knows I'm not qualified to do that. I've come to support you, and tell you that I'll be here when you both go in, and when you both come out again.' 'Already done that bit thanks.' Everyone laughed at the cheeky comment.

The next morning

As Blair sat alone, Maddy looked over at her. 'You… do know you don't owe me, right?' 'I owe you the world. For what you did, I owe you the world and more.' 'You sure about doing this?' Blair just looked up, clearly fearful of what was to come. 'I've never been more sure.' 'I mean you just look kinda scared.'

'I'm petrified. But if I don't do this, I'll never forgive myself. I won't back out on you.' 'Just like I never gave up on you. When you had all your issues with your Gramma, I never doubted you once. Even when we couldn't get in contact, I always trusted you.' 'Glad you did.'

A doctor then came in to speak to Maddy. 'Would you still like to be addressed as Maddy?' 'Yes.' 'I have been having some conversations, and I understand you live in Newcastle?' 'Yeah, not too far.' 'In which case, we would like to offer you a transfer. If you stay here it will take around a week for the transplant to be done.'

'Right.' 'However, if we were to transfer you to the Freemans Hospital in Newcastle, they have a specialist department which can book you in around 48 hours from now. It's entirely up to you.' Maddy smiled hearing this. 'Blair, you ok with transferring?' 'Sooner the better.' 'I'm asking to be transferred.' 'That should be fine, I will arrange for you to be moved tomorrow.'

2 hours later

As Phil and Hannah returned, Blair briefed them on the update. 'Right, so Maddy's being transferred to the Freeman in Newcastle tomorrow, doctor asked if she wanted to and she agreed, they can have the operation done in two days there.' After taking a moment to understand the randomly garbled words, they both agreed.

'If it's where she'll be more comfortable. And it's easy to get her home when she's released. So what are you doing?' 'I'll just stay at the hospital, it's only going to be for a day or two. After the transplant's done with, I'll probably go back to the base.' Hannah then put her arm around Blair. 'I'll have a word with Rio, see if she'll cut you some slack.' 'Thanks.'

Maddy's doctor then came up to them, with a clipboard in hand. 'Mr. and Mrs. Robinson?' 'Yes.' 'I've spoken to Maddy, and she's agreed to transfer to the Freeman hospital in Newcastle. They have a specialist transplant ward there, and she's been booked in for 8:50am on Tuesday.'

'How long does it take the patient to wake up afterwards?' 'So the operation itself, is around 3-4 hours, and the patient should wake up within a couple of hours. As for exactly how long, that depends on the individual. We have no way of telling you, it may take less time, it may take longer.'

'And what are the chances of long-term survival?' 'We generally estimate that between 70 and 80% of patients who recieve a kidney from a deceased donor will still be alive five years after the operation. But as she has a live donor, the prognosis is significantly better. I would estimate she has around an 85% chance to lead a normal life.' With their fears somewhat alleviated, Phil and Hannah went to start packing Maddy's belongings.

At the base

When Taylor got back nearly two hours later, Rio was confused. 'You realise there's a high street literally 20 minutes away.' 'I know, but there was so much choice. I never realised England was the world's best shopping destination!' As she said this, Freja wandered past, having taken a new photo for her ID card. 'Trust me, if you've never been to Trafford Centre, you've never been shopping in England.'

'Ooh I'll have to try that one. Anyway, so I got a little sidetracked, ended up at a butchers and 300 bucks later, had enough meat for a lifetime… if you're not a wolf that is. Any word on her?' 'Yeah, she's transferring to Freeman Hospital for her transplant. They didn't say why, but apparently it was her choice.'

Taylor then took an imposing-looking book out of the shopping bag, which Rio immediately grabbed. 'The history of the American mafia?' 'Yeah, it's for Maddy. She mentioned a few weeks back that she was interested in the mafia. When I saw that I just had to pick it up for her. So Rio, how are you finding running things?'

'Yeah, hard work but I kinda like it. Gives me something to do. The paperwork's being covered by Kris mostly, and I've got the acc…. Acc…' She then stamped in frustration, before Taylor put an arm on her shoulder. 'Calm down. You're doing great, just calm down, ok?' Clearly flustered, the interim president made a swift getaway. 'She's really feeling the pressure isn't she?'

The next afternoon

Just before 2pm, a pair of hospital porters arrived at Maddy's bedside, while she was lay quietly, patiently waiting for something to happen. 'Maddy is it?' 'That's my name, don't wear it out.' 'We've come to transport you to the ambulance, so you can be transferred.' She saw the wheelchair with them, and made it clear she didn't want it, instead walking under her own power, with Blair silently having a hand under her arm just in case.

As the young wolf reached the Ambulance, Phil gave her a little boost up the step, and she sat on the bed, eventually laying down, and gave a thumbs-up to her parents and her donor, before the doors slammed shut. As it drove off, Blair got her phone out. 'Did they say which ward she's going to be on?' 'Yeah, Ward 7.' 'Thanks.' 'Why did you ask?' 'You'll see.' Shortly afterwards, they set off, following the Ambulance all the way down.

Over three hours later, they finally arrived at the new hospital. As they walked onto the ward, Taylor was stood there alongside Astrid, bag in hand. 'See I've got a welcoming party.' Astrid helped her onto the bed, and then smiled, while Taylor explained. 'Blair let us know which ward you were going to be on, so we could get here early.'

Quickly, the patient noticed the bag Taylor was carrying. 'What's that?' Astrid then laughed. 'She's been shopping.' Taylor then dragged the book out of the bag, almost dropping it on Maddy's chest, a well-timed catch by Astrid avoiding catastrophe. She then looked at Maddy, and slowly dropped it down into her hands.

'Thanks Tay, how'd you know?' 'Because you've not stopped banging on about it for at least two months. But seriously, enjoy that, and I hope it brings you some luck tomorrow.' 'Thanks. Does Jana know?' 'Yeah, she was there with you on the scene, I think she saw the flashing lights. You got a time yet?'

'Yeah, tomorrow morning.' Rio then turned up, in the same clothes as the previous day. Blair turned around, but the interim president put her finger over her friend's lips, and walked to Maddy's bedside. 'I know you're not supposed to eat 24 hours before the op.'

She then produced a gold bag, and put it by Maddy's bedside. 'That is for after you get back.' Maddy smiled, and they exchanged knowing glances. She then turned around. 'B, I'd like a word.' 'Sure.' They quickly ushered themselves out of the ward, and into a nearby relatives room.

'B, what happened to talking to each other?' 'I didn't want to know your reaction. You're always worrying about my health. Unnecessaliry I might add.' Rio sulked hearing this, sucking her cheeks in and sticking her bottom lip out. 'I'm not an ogre. If you're doing something like this, at least tell me.'

'I know, I know, and I'm sorry. I should have told you.' 'Too right.' The tone then flipped entirely. 'I just want you to know, I'm proud of you. If I'd been in your situation, I don't know if I'd have done the same. And let's face it, I literally owe her my life. I just don't want you doing this out of guilt.'

'I have to' 'It's my debt Blair, not yours! You don't owe Maddy for saving me, I owe her for saving me from my own stupidity, that I have to live with everyday for the rest of my life! I will never repay that debt. You don't owe her for me though.' Blair then stood up for herself.

'Well perhaps you need to get your head out of your butt and realise I'm not just doing it because of you, I'm doing it because she needs somebody! I'm not going to let our president die when I can avoid it, I've already lost one person and I thought I'd lost another two, I'm not going to let it happen again! I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this for me, because if I save a life, maybe I'll feel better for losing a life!'

Oddly, Rio then smirked. 'Job done.' 'What?' 'I wanted to know that you weren't doing this just to repay my debt. I've got to find a way to pay her back myself, and if that means running the club for her, I'll do that. But I'm doing it, not you.' 'But you're not trying to stop me doing it?'

'Hell no. I'm proud of you B. I just don't want you doing it for the wrong reason. I'm more annoyed that you felt like you couldn't talk to me.' 'And from now on, I will do.' 'So are you coming back to the base then…' 'No, the operation's real early tomorrow, about 9 I think. So I'm just going to stay here overnight.' 'Just remember not to strip before you go to sleep.' Both girls then laughed.

Early the next morning

An hour before the transplant, Maddy was reading the book Taylor had delivered to her when one of the doctors walked in. 'We're ready to transfer you to theatre now.' She looked over at Blair one last time, and whispered 'Thank you', before being injected with the anaesthetic, quickly putting her to sleep.

Blair followed the doctors down, until they reached the operating theatre. She took a deep breath, and then looked at a silver khamsa hand which Jade had left her as a symbol of luck. 'I hope you're right about this.' She put the hand in her trouser pocket, took her jacket off, and lay on the bed, before being put under as well.

Next time: The results of the operation are in, James gets a trial date, and some news leaves Blair at a crossroads in Renegades: A New Dawn Chapter XXXIII: Diamond Skies