R: Ultra Evolution

Book 16: A Study in Scarlet Petals

The next day, at the base

'What in the blue hell were you two thinking? We're already struggling to rescue one person, never mind THREE. Do you even know what you've just signed up to?' Astrid though, had no regrets. 'We've done what we had to. You heard what Rhydian said, he wasn't going to be there. By doing this, we've forced Maddy to be there, and given ourselves a chance. I promise you that we won't lose, the whole point of us is that we beat anybody in the way.' She then tapped Rio's back. 'Trust us.'

Reluctant, Rio took a breath. 'Fine.' 'Thank you.' 'But you're not going there on your own. The duel's under Lockdown Rules, but every other step of the event from the moment we leave here, you're having bodyguards. We're getting Roy back in, and see who he knows.' Understanding, Astrid promised her help. 'I'll talk to Phil about it.' 'Don't worry, I'll phone him after this.' They then heard a commotion involving Freja, and with a knowing nod to each other, they both walked out of the office.

As they did, they found Freja continuing to not entertain Belle's pleas. 'I'm telling you, I did this because I needed to keep an eye on Maddy.' Freja just turned her back though, so Belle went around to her front. 'I'm not going to stop trying to talk to you, you can ask Rio for how much information I got for you all.' Finally, her ex-friend responded. 'You let me think you hated me! I've cried so many tears because I lost my two best friends!'

She then pushed Belle away. 'I don't even want to know you, you're a traitor as far as I'm concerned, you should have just stayed there.' This made the already unstable Belle snap. 'I wanted to stay there, the only reason I'm not doing was because Rio told me I couldn't because it wasn't safe anymore!' She then opened her bag, and pushed a black hoodie into Freja's chest, before storming off.

Freja watched her go, and then, curious, took a look at the hoodie, before quickly realising what it was. 'This is Maddy's…' She then cried, as Rio walked up to her. 'We're going to do this Freja, trust me. And then you can give that back to her personally.' 'I just… don't know who to trust anymore.' 'You can't rush this. You need to take time to decide who you're ready to trust, until then, just focus on what you can. I'll take care of Belle.'

In the Condo, Toronto

Maddy was cleaning up for Rhydian, who was gently caressing her broken body, not that he seemed to have any concerns about the state of her health. 'Soon everything will be perfect. You just have to complete one more little job, and then you can forget about everyone and everything. We don't even need Belle, we've got something much better coming up.' He then kissed her neck, and posed 'You do still love me, don't you?'

'I lo… love Master… obey Messiah…' Maddy slurred in response, which should have been concerning, but Rhydian seemed delighted. 'That must mean the spell is almost complete.' Her hair was now completely blonde apart from some sparse patches below her hair bows, and she looked more vacant than ever, allowing Rhydian to talk blatantly in front of her. 'I'm sorry I had to brainwash you like this, but it's the only way. To get you back, I have to kill you first, so I can rebuild you from the bottom up, perfect and pure. If it means a bit of time without you being coherent, then so be it.'

While he continued to embrace what he saw as progress, Akiza walked in, uninvited. 'There's a door for a reason Akiza.' He then turned his head, and stated 'Maddy, go and worship.' 'Yes M.. Master' she continued to stumble, as Rhydian closed the door behind him and walked into the corridor. As he did though, it was clear that he was still the furthest thing from happy at the lack of consultation on the duel.

'So, have you booked me for any more events yet?' ' Think about it, this is our chance to get what we both want. You get your little au pair to serve you and Maddy, and I get Blair to do my bidding, mould her into a warrior that I can take over everything with. Besides, the worst case scenario, we lose and we still keep your little one. Not that we're going to, because of course we're not.'

Liking the sound of the plan, Rhydian decided to take control into his own hands. 'Fine, but she's not using that stupid Clear deck, she's using my deck, and I'm instructing her on every move.' Akiza clearly was miffed at this, puffing her cheeks out and rolling her eyes, 'You know how long it took me to make that deck up for her?' 'I don't care, that's the agreement. Otherwise she doesn't come.'

This caused a dilemma for Akiza, as she knew Rhydian was all but ready to snatch Maddy away from her, however she was also aware that he was having financial difficulties since leaving prison. So after thinking of a plan for a moment, she played along. 'Whatever you require, the best way of achieving this is together. You get what you want, your way, and I'll get what I want.' 'Deal' he stated, before returning to the room.

Meanwhile, Akiza walked down the stairs, shaking her head, before getting her phone from her apartment and walking out of the condo into the street. 'Claude, it's Akiza. When you receive this message, call me back, we need to turn on him in Cuba, I suggest that we have a full plan to get out of there immediately.' As she put her phone away, the Black Rose looked up towards the window of Rhydian's apartment, and found him watching out of it.

In the base

Rio, Sakura and Jana were finishing an expedited lunch in the war room, when there was a knock at the great glass door. As it opened, Tee walked in, wearing a light blue shirt with "Bad Breed" scrawled on it in rough pink lettering. 'Donna's coming, she wants to talk to you about reversing the Faustian, but… just don't get too shocked when you see her, she's not in a good way.' 'Thanks for looking after her in the safe house.' 'It's fine, you've done all this for me, I'm determined to see this through to the end.'

As Rio thanked her again, Donna knocked on the dorm and then slowly wandered in, looking incredibly dishevelled, wearing a grey shirt two sizes too big, hair unbrushed, with slightly sunken eyes. Being sensitive, RIo immediately took over the situation, and put her arm around the Pole as they walked. 'It's just great to see you again.' 'Thanks, I… just want to do something to help. So the Faustian, I'm presuming it's Non-Consensual?'

'That's what Phil told us' Rio responded. 'He said that because she was under a trance when she drank the blood, and that was what led to the contract being sealed, that made it Non-Consensual.' Donna nodded along, and responded in the affirmative. 'He knows his stuff.' 'So how do you reverse it?' After thinking, she inquired to the Interim President 'Do you have the object it was sworn on? Or a contract?'

'There wasn't a contract, we've got a replica of the cross coming in the next couple of days.' 'Good, you need to perform it at the cross, otherwise you won't be able to reverse it. Then you'll need to reverse the chant.' Tee then provided a note. 'I've written down the chant on here, so you can work on that.' 'Are you absolutely certain it's right' Donna stressed, to which she replied 'As certain as it can be.'

'So we need to have the Rose Cross, have her there, and reverse the enchantment that they used.' 'Correct, but it has to be as close to total opposite as you can get, Faustians are incredibly powerful even when they're Non-Consensual, and if you don't do everything correctly, you could end up tightening it even more, and the way Tee's been talking, you've not got much time, you can't afford to get this wrong.'

With these words ringing in her ears, Rio started writing down names who she thought would be the best at reversing the spell, while Donna continued. 'After you've done that, the Faustian victim has to offer up an equal amount of blood.' 'Equal to what exactly' Tee asked, to which she was told 'An equal amount to what was ingested.' 'So it's only what was drunk, not what was offered? Because Maddy rejected several times before she was entranced into it.'

'Rejections don't count as Faustians.' Jana then started speculating. 'Remember what we've been told about Alchemy? Equivalent Exchange - how much did Maddy drink again?' 'A full shot glass, almost up to the rim.' 'Well if she took that much from Akiza, then that's how much she needs to give up as a payment. She's got this gorgeous cut glass shot glass that she got while working behind the bar at the snooker club, she didn't know what to do with it so she gave it to me as a birthday present. Well, that and paying for two tickets to Tenerife, I was supposed to be going tomorrow but the airline let me move my tickets.'

'I was still under the impression you were going' Rio mused, surprising the Welsh wolf. 'She's going to need all the support she can get when she gets back. She's way more important than some summer holiday. Not sure the person I nearly sold the tickets to was too happy though.' She then diverted the conversation back. 'So Donna, you were saying about the Faustian?' 'Erm… yeah, so you need to have her give an equal amount of blood to equalise the spell. Has to be consensual though, as does the last step.'

'There's another one?' Sakura moaned in dismay. 'Yes. In order to break the spell completely, either the recipient or the victim as I'll call her, has to give up something of equal value to the spell. Tee, what did Akiza exactly ask for?' 'Control over her mind and soul, and unlimited power for Maddy when she was brainwashed.' 'In that case, Maddy will have to give up the power that Akiza was trying to enhance.'

'So to get this straight' Rio surmised 'We have to burn the Rose Cross, then we have to reverse the chant in a very specific way, then Maddy has to offer a cup of blood of her own mind… how's she supposed to do that if she's being controlled by the Faustian?' 'Not entirely sure, but from people I've heard talk about it, reversing the chant helps to reverse the spell, or at least suppress it.' 'And then Step 4 is to make her give up an "equal power"?' 'Got it in one.'

'But what's the equal power?' Confused, they tossed around several ideas. 'Icaron?' Sakura suggested, but Donna denied this. 'It's not linked enough to Maddy specifically.' 'Her ability to hypnotise?' Tee inquired, but Rio wasn't convinced. 'Not really a power so much as a technique.' 'That supersonic hearing thing she does?' Donna mused, but Jana wasn't buying it. 'That's more of just a Wolfblood thing, it's not really something to give up.'

A few minutes of silence then followed, until Jana suddenly whacked the table. 'I've got it! Tee, didn't you say Akiza was trying to enhance Maddy's power?' 'Enhance and control it, use her as a weapon.' This confirmed Jana's suspicions. 'So if Akiza was trying to enhance Maddy's powers, then maybe it's that she has to sacrifice to be free - maybe she has to give up her primal powers?'

In the arena

Astrid and Blair were busy practising, ahead of their crucial duel at No Mercy, but not all was well. 'Activate Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon's effect in the backrow, I'll banish it to summon Sapphire Pegasus (Atk:1800), and' 'Torrential Tribute!' Astrid declared, severely annoying Blair. 'You're supposed to wait until the end of the chain, I add Rainbow Dragon, summon it, and then you Torrential, so I can summon Overdragon with Dragon's Mirror.' 'Sorry, I'm just struggling a bit, let's do it again.'

After resetting the game state, they gave it a run-back. 'I activate the effect of Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon, banishing it to summon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus (Atk:1800).' The drone on the other end then declared robotically 'Bottomless Trap Hole, banish Sapphire Pegasus.' This was Astrid's cue to activate her Trap, but instead, she declared 'Activate Burial from a Different Dimension, returning three banished cards to the graveyard.'

This confused Blair no end. 'Why are you activating that now? Wait until Sapphire Pegasus is banished.' 'Ok, I've got it now' she insisted 'Let's go again.' Blair wasn't entirely keen though. 'Look, we've been through this same line 8 times, and you're not even paying attention, I need to you be on top form, get your fucking head together!' Unable to cope with the pressure, Astrid stormed out of the arena, as Blair scratched her head. 'What's up with her?'

Upstairs, in Lydia's bedroom

Freja invited herself into Lydia's room, so they could discuss what was happening with each other. 'So, any idea when you're allowed out of here yet?' 'Rio says I can come out tomorrow, if I promise not to "cause more trouble".' 'To be fair I can't understand why you'd be phoning that rat for anything other than hurling insults. It was a little mean calling you out in front of everyone though, I'll give you that much.'

'Thing is, I've been doing everything I've been doing to protect you, to make things better and easier for you' 'No, you've been doing it because you still think I'm a kid' Freja retorted. 'I do get it though, you've always been the one looking after me, making sure I don't do stupid shit, getting in trouble for the stupid shit I've done anyway, watching over me when I say things I don't mean, I totally get it, and I am grateful, but I'm better now.' As they talked, they heard an announcement from the tannoy. 'Belle Draper into the president's office please, that's Belle Draper into the president's office please, thank you.' After a slightly awkward silence at this, Lydia continued the conversation.

'So, where's your head at?' the question was posed. It was a predicament that Freja was still unsure on though. 'I don't know, like I still think, and don't take this the wrong way, I still think that maybe Belle wouldn't have done what she did if you had made an effort to get to know her, I know she's saying she did it because she felt like she had to, but… maybe we would have found a better way, or maybe this would never have happened. I just don't know, I… don't take this the wrong way, but I think I need to be away from both of you for now.'

In the office

Belle walked in, hair down and brushed for the first time in weeks, as Rio signalled for her to sit down. 'So what did you… who am I kidding, you're going to suspend me, might as well just get it over and done with.' 'I'll be totally transparent with you, because that's something you apparently forgot, I'm not suspending you. But we do need to talk, there are a few things that I need to know from you.' 'I'll do my best to answer them.'

'Firstly, when did you decide to play double agent?' 'It was a couple of days after we found out Maddy had been brainwashed, I just kept thinking of whether there was anything I could actually do to help, because I just felt so useless. And then it was something that Blair said, she was talking about how we needed to have our eyes and ears out at all times to find out how to get Maddy back, and I had the idea of going in there myself and making them all paranoid so they'd make mistakes.'

'And?' 'I made him paranoid alright, but it almost backfired, he hypnotised me, or at least he tried to' 'Did it actually work?' 'Kind of, I was basically under for a couple of days, but it wore off, they got distracted by some thugs breaking in and attacking.' 'I think they're the ones who Phil hired, didn't they get obliterated?' 'Yeah, by Maddy, she's just been this absolute destructive weapon. She just kept attacking them though.'

'Next question: has Rhydian been abusing her?' The answer was surprising. 'No, he genuinely loves her, and… he wants the "old Maddy" back, but somewhere along the way, he lost sight of who the "old Maddy" was, and just started trying to turn her into the perfect wife. He's always cherished her, she's his girl and that's what matters. He's even turned away from Akiza in favour of her, because I told him that Akiza and Claude are plotting against him.'

This surprised Rio as well. 'Claude? Where does he come in?' Belle started to become visibly uncomfortable with this, but a stern look from Rio was all that was required to straighten her up. 'Akiza's been selling nude pictures of Maddy to Claude, Tee wouldn't know because as far as I know she never said anything about it in front of her. It sounds like they've agreed that Claude can have Maddy for sex if he helps Akiza get her away from Rhydian when the time's right.'

Disgusted, Rio took a minute to digest the news, and then returned. 'Right, so Claude's been buying… these pictures. Why's Rhydian letting it happen?' 'He doesn't know, a few of the pictures are ones Rhydian asked her to take, and the rest are ones that she took while he wasn't looking, or while his view was blocked. It's all really creepy though, there's even this altar at the apartment where Maddy is expected to just worship Rhydian, it's full of pictures of them together, it's all so strange. I wanted to stay there, but at the same time, I'm kind of glad to be out of there.'

As Rio wrote this information down, Belle had yet more revelations. 'I'm concerned about her health though, she hasn't eaten at all while I've been there, and she's been getting all sorts of injections. There's been an injection to stop the screaming as a result of that serum rose thing, there's one with some kind of nutrients just to keep her alive I suppose, and he's been injecting her daily with Ritalin because it keeps her awake, she doesn't sleep, she just works all night long for him. Aside from all that I don't think there's much I can tell you that you don't already know.'

'Ok, thanks' Rio muttered, before taking a minute to compose herself. 'So you're not being suspended. What you did was incredibly irresponsible, it was incredible dangerous, and you ABSOLUTELY should have told me and not just Blair. However, I have to admire you.' 'Really?' she responded in utter shock. 'I would never be as brave or have as much intelligence, ingenuity and honestly skill like you did, you absolutely had everybody totally fooled. So I'm going to give you a warning to actually tell the President next time and not her best friend, but other than that, you… did good. You can go now, but don't expect people to forgive you straight away, they'll at least want to see results.' 'I wouldn't forgive me either.'

As Belle pushed the door back open though, Rio shouted after her. 'Hey Belle, one more thing.' She turned, and Rio smiled, before telling her 'Please start taking your medication again, it's for the best for you and for everyone else.' She nodded in agreement, quietly whispering 'Thank you', before walking out, and when the door shut, she briefly played the video of Maddy being assaulted by Lukas again. 'I'm not showing anyone this, it's the last thing they need.'

In the library

Jana walked into the library for some peace from the madness, only to find Astrid sat in a corner, knees held tight to her face, rocking back and forth. After watching her for a few minutes, she decided to leave the library, coming back a few minutes later carrying a glass of warm milk. She gently placed the glass on the carpeted floor next to the Norwegian, and after a slight awkward silence, Jana spoke.

'You know, Blair's proper worried about you. Everyone is.' 'I just can't do this, I don't have what it takes to help Maddy, it needs someone with special powers or superhuman speed or someone with unreal resolve and discipline. I'm just not the person who that fits, I'm just going to let Blair down, and I… can't do that, too much is on the line for her, I can't put everything at risk like that. If I can't even perform here, what chance do I have out there with no take backs?'

Jana just put her cold hand on Astrid's neck, and calmly but sternly told her 'Remember what the legends told you. You're the chosen one, but you need to find the solution. You're not superhuman, but you have unique talents and weapons which can combat the situation. Your weapons are supposed to be the power of your voice, something that speaks to Maddy on a personal level.'

'Speaks to her?' Astrid asked, confused. 'It's something small, intimate, to most people it's nothing. But to you and her specifically, it's something that binds your hearts together, makes you feel something special that you can't replicate.' It was the last part that triggered something in Astrid. 'I… think I get it now. Jana, this is a huge ask, but are you able to use Primal Eolas to take me somewhere later?' 'As long as it's not international, yeah, mine is nowhere close to the level Maddy's is.' 'It's not international, don't worry.' Jana then smiled at her. 'Sure.'

She then downed her milk in one shot, and rushed out of the library, and into the car park, where Phil was stood talking to Hannah, and immediately pulled him to one side. 'Hey, can I have Katie's address? You know, clothing Katie.' Surprised, he questioned 'What do you need' 'I just need it, please.' Shrugging, he got a note out of his car glovebox, and handed it to her. 'Thanks, you're amazing.'

As she ran off to find Jana, the parents continued their conversation. 'So you wanted me at the event?' 'I think we're going to need every single body we've got, and while you might not be able to duel, you've got a manager's licence still, so they can't stop you entering the building.' 'But we've then got the issue of what to do with Skylar.' 'Well we can either hire a childminder for the day, or we could ask Megs' 'Apart from the fact that she's insisting on being there as well.'

'She never told me that.' 'We were discussing it this morning, she said she wanted to be there to help, have bodies and all that jazz.' 'So it looks like we're dropping Sky off at a childminder then' Hannah puffed 'Why that girl can't just discuss these things with me I don't know. I'm not exactly an ogre am I?' Phil laughed, and responded 'Do you really want me to tell you?' This earned him a playful slap on the chest, but as this was going on, neither of them noticed Freja stood by the entrance, listening into the conversation.

Astrid and Jana then rushed out, with the Welsh wolf almost knocking Freja's slender body over as she did. 'Sorry, didn't mean to catch you.' 'It's fine' she brushed off before walking back inside. 'So you've got the address?' Jana asked, and Astrid nodded. After taking a short look, Jana put her left hand on the ground, looked to the sky, and after taking a breath, her eyes glowed with her primal side, and they vanished. 'Never gets old that' Phil joked upon seeing it. 'Wonder what she wants with Katie's address?'

As Astrid and Jana arrived on a grassy patch behind the store, Jana shook her head. 'I hate doing that, scrambles my brain. So you going in?' 'Yep. Where are we meeting up?' The Wolfblood looked around, and saw a nearby coffee shop. 'I'll just be waiting in there for you, you want anything?' 'Caramel Latte.' 'Funny, had you down as a Mocha girl' Jana laughed. 'To be honest I'll drink anything right now, as long as it tastes nice and wastes time.' 'Gotcha.' Jana walked away, knowing that behind the facade, Astrid was still incredibly vulnerable, and planned on how to help.

As Astrid entered the store meanwhile, Katie was sat on a stool in front of the counter, finishing a hefty slice of banana bread. Seeing the blonde walking in though, she freaked out, swallowing the slice in one huge gulp, and necking half a take-out coffee, before returning to the other side of the counter, which Astrid couldn't help but burst into laughter at. 'Looks like I caught you at a bad time, sorry.'

'No it's fine, it's been a slow day to be honest. How can I help you?' 'Erm… I don't quite know how to say this, so… you remember Maddy' 'Astrid, I do know who you are. Don't forget, I'm a Renegade as well. Have been for a while in fact. And I know the situation that's going on, I've been on the phone to Rio virtually every day about it. So if there's any way I can help you, then just shoot away.'

Astrid smiled politely, and pulled out a drawing depicting Maddy in her wolf form and Astrid as an Arctic Fox, holding paws and snuggled up tightly to each other in a snowstorm. 'You do that?' 'Yeah…' 'That's so cool' she wondered in adoration. But the next request would prove to be a major shock. 'Yeah, I was wondering if you could put this onto a shirt for me? Just because it's Maddy's favourite picture that I ever drew, and (fighting back tears), I thought it might just bring something back to her.'

Intrigued, Katie tapped her fingers on her chin for a few moments. 'I'll just talk to someone' 'You can't do it…' 'It's certainly possible, I just don't know the best way to do it, I've got a friend back in Malta called Andreas, he's an absolute master at getting unconventional designs onto clothing. I'll just be a couple of minutes.' While Katie ran to the back to get her tablet, Astrid looked around the shop, admiring the patterns and materials on display, and thought back to her childhood with the materials her mother used.

While she was doing this, Katie returned with the tablet in an electric blue shockproof case. 'I'm just giving him a video call now.' After a tense wait, a somewhat Arabic-sounding voice came from the other end. 'Hello Katie?' 'Andreas, sorry to be interrupting your time off' 'It's fine.' 'I wanted to run something by you. I have someone in here, a friend, she wants a brilliant sketch that she's done putting on a shirt for a good cause, but I'm concerned about damaging it, so I don't know what ideas you have?'

She then placed the drawing in front of her, prominent enough for him to see all four corners. 'Someone fancies themselves as an artist, they can draw for me any day.' He then had a think for a few moments, before coming up with an idea. 'Your best idea is to scan the drawing onto your tablet, so we don't lose any definition. Then you will be able to digitally transfer the print onto the shirt, and create in that way.' 'And it wouldn't damage the drawing?' 'No no, perfectly safe.' 'Ok thanks.' 'No problem, send my compliments to the artist.'

As the call ended, Katie put the picture straight, and stepped back, before taking several pictures of it from different angles, before sliding it back across the splintering wooden desk. 'That'll be' Before Katie could even tell her the price, Astrid slid across an envelope in return, with £1000 written on neatly in cursive handwriting, taking the tailor totally aback. 'I need it done and ready to go within six days, I know it's tight, but' 'I can get that done easily, but… it won't cost nearly this much.' 'Trust me, if you get it done, you're worth far more than you could ever know.'

As she turned to leave though, Katie called her back. 'Sorry, you didn't mention what materials you wanted' 'Just a standard cotton v-neck, 66cm wide, 74cm long, slightly wide at the shoulders, any kind of dark burgundy-kind of colour would be ideal, otherwise just anything it shows up good on.' Impressed, Katie mused 'You seem to know a bit about measurements.' Astrid turned, and told her 'My mother is a seamstress, nothing as sophisticated as here, but she does what she can.'

Impressed, Katie just smiled at Astrid. 'Could you do me a little favour? If your mother's ever in the country, could you let me know, it sounds like there's a few things I could learn from her, I'd love to be able to just do away with the machines and get back to basics with everything.' Smiling politely, she bowed in return. 'I will let you know if and when she's over here. I'm hoping she will at some point.'

She then walked out, and made the short journey over to the coffee shop, where Jana was waiting, legs crossed and lounging on the comfortable sofa seats. Quietly, the Norwegian walked in, nervously wandering through the shop, before sitting herself down at the table, and leaning in towards her friend. 'Why's everyone staring at me, it's really weird.' 'I think because you're good looking and you looked a little bit confused.' 'I really don't want the attention.' 'Just ignore them, they'll lose interest soon.'

While they were having their drinks, the subject of conversation shifted to the picture Astrid had brought. 'So, what's the story behind that?' Looking at it, Astrid gently moved it around the table with her finger while she talked. 'It was while she was in hospital, she asked me if I could just draw something that would give her something to smile about. And then I remembered how she nicknamed me "Arctic Fox" because… I don't actually know why actually, probably because I'm from the Arctic. So I just drew this, with Maddy as a wolf, and imagining me as an actual Arctic Fox.'

'You look so cute as a fox as well, the little braids in the fur are such a great touch.' 'I sort of wondered what it would be like to be beautiful.' This shocked Jana, who immediately insisted 'You realise everyone thinks you're beautiful?' 'No, everyone thinks I'm blonde, they wouldn't take a second look at me otherwise. I just remember giving her the picture though, she said that it was way better than anything she's ever done, which isn't even slightly true, but I think she was trying to be nice. She told me it was a reminder of how much I meant to her, I've never had anyone like that.'

'Well you do now, we're all your family. And we're getting her the fuck back, whether you believe it or not. Because you can do this, because we all believe in you, because you're Astrid, and because whenever Maddy's needed you, you've always been there. And again, you're right there. So pick yourself up, dust yourself down, and remind yourself of this picture. Because Maddy could have done that picture herself, or she could have got anybody else to do it. But she chose you.'

This seemed to spark some inspiration in her. 'She chose me because she believes in me. And she's still there and still needs me.' 'If she could choose anyone to help her right now' 'It would be me.' 'Because she knows you can do it. So when we get back, you're going to go to Blair, and you're going to tell her exactly how you feel.' 'I'm going to be going back to Phil and Hannah's, so I'll talk to her later on.'

The next morning, at the base

Belle was returning to the base having exiled herself to the safe house overnight, only to be met outside by Lydia. 'I don't want any issues, I just want to go in.' Lydia stepped in front of the door though, refusing to let her past. 'Freja doesn't want to know you anymore, and quite honestly I can't blame her after what you did.' 'I had good intentions' 'But the fact is you betrayed everyone here, you broke my sister's heart, she trusted you and you stamped on that trust. And I'm not letting you hurt her again.'

Lydia then discretely handed Belle a cheque for £40,000. 'Take this, go inside, and tell Rio that you're quitting the Renegades, then walk out this door and never come back into any of our lives. You know it's for the best, Freja's never going to want to be anywhere near you again, so you should just save her the pain, and never, ever return.' Accepting that she was never going to get back in Freja's graces, Belle accepted the money.

'Before I go, can I leave a note with Rio to give to Freja? Just to apologise for everything and thank her.' 'As long as you don't include any contact details' Lydia demanded sternly. 'Ok, I'll go and hand my resignation in immediately.' Devastated, Belle waited for Lydia to let her through, before walking into the base, as Lydia watched her go by. 'Good riddance to bad rubbish, at least now I might be able to have my sister back.'

In the arena

After a difficult training session alone, Blair was sat on one of the benches looking through her phone when Kris arrived to do some training of his own, and seeing her alone, decided to check up on her. 'Yo, Astrid not here?' 'Nope, we arranged 10am, and she never turned up. I can't believe she's actually doing this to me, when I need her most she's just upped and abandoned me.' She then looked at Kris, and he saw a look of fear he had never seen from her before, as her heart rate sped up.

'It's going to turn into a handicap duel, and I just can't win that, I can't beat them 2-1, and I'm… I'm just terrified of what's going to happen, they're going to brainwash me to go against everyone, like what happens to Jade and Ally, I can't be there for Rio, or worse, they'll make me try and kill them or something, and Claude's going to be there, and' Kris shushed her at this point, and tried to calm her down.

'None of that is ever going to happen. Astrid's just figuring her shit out at the moment, and come game time, she's not just going to be there, but she's going to be on top form and fighting with you. I get why you're scared, and I get what you think's going to happen to you, because what you're scared of has happened before, hasn't it?' As a cold sweat dripped off her, she silently nodded to him.

'I really thought I was over that with Claude, like I was past it, but' 'You're not going to be over it, because he didn't get punished for it. You've just been dealing with it the way you deal with everything, you've got on with things, buried your emotions 20 foot deep, and knowing you, you've probably been secretly blaming yourself or telling yourself it's not such a big deal, because that's what you do.'

'I just wonder if I was responsible sometimes, if I somehow came onto him, or maybe if I had been nicer to him, more welcoming, whatever, maybe it wouldn't have happened.' Kris shook his head, and tapped her on the back gently a few times. 'Listen to me, that's not at all what would have happened. Claude is a sexist, misogynist pig, and that's maybe the nicest thing I can say about the bloke. And if it wasn't you, it would have been somebody else, because that's who he is and what he does, he uses people for his own entertainment and pleasure, then discards them.' 'But if Astrid doesn't get her act together, I won't be able to resist again.'

Seeing the fear, Kris tried to reassure her of her safety. Now I don't know why she's not here, but I'm sure she's got a reason. What I do know though, is that neither of you are going to be in Junction 7, because you're not going to lose, ok? You've both got this. Because the most preparation you need, is to be the same people as you always are. They're the people you trust, and you're familiar with. You know her, she knows you, you know you always deliver.'

While he was trying to hype her up, Astrid suddenly arrived at the arena, and seemed pleased that Kris and Blair were together. 'You got the message then Kris.' Angry at her incredibly late arrival, Blair stormed up to Astrid with fire. 'What the hell is this Astrid, we arranged to work together, and now you're abandoning me!?' Confused, Astrid backed up, and wondered 'Who said I'm abandoning you?' 'You're over an hour late!'

Astrid responded with an accusing look towards her boyfriend. 'Kris, why didn't you give her the message?' 'What message?' 'The message that Phil sent you.' Kris then looked at his phone, and after a few seconds, looked deeply embarrassed. 'In my defence, I only switched my phone on a few minutes ago.' He then showed Blair a text reading "Astrid not going to be able to make training sess w/ Blair, got delayed by me having to get fresh nappies (I promised to give her lift down). Texting you bc Blair switches phone off in arena.'

Having seen the text, Blair bowed her head. 'I'm so sorry, I'm just' 'I get it' Astrid responded cheerfully. 'If it was the other way around, I would have wrapped my axe around your head. Slightly ironic though, you're the one who was on time, I'm a good influence.' They all laughed at this, before Astrid got to her point. 'Say Blair, could we… have a chat? Just us.' 'Sure, what about?' 'I… think I just need to talk to you about a few things. Explain why I've been so rubbish this week.'

Hearing this, Kris took some matters into his own hands. 'I'm just going to mark the arena as engaged for the time being.' 'Sorry, you wanted to train in here didn't you?' Blair asked wheezily, but he waved this off. 'Look, I'm here all day, and honestly I quite like training in the evenings when it's a little bit quieter. Allows me to work on things by myself. Just let me know when you're both done, ok?' 'Of course.'

As they agreed this, an announcement played on the tannoy, with Rio now sounding incredibly fed-up. 'Can Lydia McKinna please come to the President's Office, that's… you know what, I'm not repeating it, if anyone sees her, feel free to drag her to the office.' Hearing it, Blair shook her head. 'No idea how she's still doing all this, coping with everything up there and having to deal with the constant drama.' 'She's an inspiration' Astrid muttered in admiration.

In the office

Lydia calmly walked in, but was confronted with Rio directly telling her 'Shut the door, sit down, shut up.' After a tense moment, the Interim president slid a familiar cheque over to her. 'I don't even want an explanation, because you just don't get the message. I thought Freja used to be difficult to talk sense to, but you don't listen at all. So listen to this: if you cause any more trouble, you're suspended indefinitely.'

'Now I'll make this clear, trouble includes the following: paying people to quit the Renegades, trying to contact people outside of the club to stir up disloyalty, not that you should as I still have your phone, spreading rumours around the club to cause problems, and telling Freja or anybody else that you did this, she's suffering enough as it is. The next time you do anything like this, you're being suspended, without debate. Do I make myself clear?' The stern tone was enough for Lydia to roll her eyes, and agree. 'Crystal clear.' 'Good, you can go now. I don't want you to have to be in here for this again.'

As she left, Rio wrote down the details of the discussion on Lydia's file. As she did, she wondered out loud about still being Interim president. 'I don't know much longer I can do this, everyone just thinks I'm doing alright, but… they just don't see. This isn't me, this has never been me, I just… wish someone could understand, but nobody does.' Her musing was interrupted though, by a phone call. 'Oh, he's early…'

In the base's kitchen

Hannah was fixing herself a quick sandwich while rocking Skylar to sleep, when Freja quietly snuck up towards her. 'Just when I thought I'd get my first peace since 4 this morning… what can I do for you?' 'Sorry, I'll come back later.' 'No, it's fine' she sighed, clearly tired from early mornings and late nights. 'Whatever I can help with, just let me know, I think Phil's driving back later regardless.'

'It was just… I heard you and Phil talking earlier about Sky' 'I appreciate the offer, but you've got a duel to focus on.' 'I was going to ask if he could come to the event.' This left Hannah incredibly surprised. 'Why would he be coming? Why would I… we be taking Skylar all the way to Cuba where he could be put in danger? We need everyone we can get to help with Maddy, and having Skylar there is only going to cause further issues and headaches.'

'Hear me out, because I know, I get it, you don't understand, but I don't think you saw the way she was with him at the convention, she was literally entranced-like looking at him, I'll show you some pictures if you need, but trust me, she was totally obsessed with him, and if she even knows that he's there, then it might just tip the balance if we need to.' As Hannah was still shaking her head, Freja pleaded her case.

'I'm not asking you to put him at risk, but you've said it yourself, we need to take every single opportunity we can, we need to try everything we got, and that includes reminding her of who her family is. The way she was there is the closest we've ever been to breaking through to her, and if we don't do it now, we probably lose her forever. So please, all I'm asking is that you bring him along, let him be on camera once.'

Reluctant, Hannah gave in. 'Fine, but he's not leaving the dressing room at any point. He's allowed to be on camera exactly once, and that's when we arrive so nobody knows where he is. And this is all on you, you're fully responsible for making sure there is security outside the door at all times. I'm trusting you here.' Freja nodded, a lump in her throat but showing sheer focus, and she responded 'You can trust me, I'm different now.'

In the arena

Astrid and Blair were sat, having a much-needed chat. 'I've just been so scared of letting Maddy down and everyone hating me, and I've never had to be strong here without her, I'm just so used to not having that pressure because it's always just me, win or lose, the only person I disappoint if things go wrong is myself, and that means I don't need to be scared, because I'll always just dust myself down and go again.'

'But now, it's all different, I've got a family, like a proper family that I've never had, and now I've got all that to deal with, because I have people I'm fighting for, this isn't just for some title, this is literally my best friend's life that I'm trying to get a hold of, and if I mess up, it's not just me that I'm letting down, it's both of us, it's Maddy, it's everybody here. I… don't think I can even win, I'm just not good enough right now, I'm going to let you down. I just don't want people to get angry with me because I can't help it.'

Far from being angry, Blair instead got emotional, forcing tears back as she spoke gently. 'I can't think of anyone I'd rather have fighting with me, because this is a war like we've never faced, and I… I'm just going to say it, and this is real embarrassing, but I can't win without you.' 'You're Blair Flannigan, winning is just what you do, whatever the situation, whoever the opponent, you're the one who always finds the path to victory, it's been like that since we were young.'

'When there's nothing on the line, yeah' Blair responded. 'But you're the one who was always good under pressure, you'd see me before and even walking out into the cauldron, I'd be absolutely shitting my pants, I'd be almost unable to breathe because I'm that nervous, and then I'd look over, and you'd be absolutely ice cool, like there's absolutely nothing interesting happening, it's just another day. And I never got it, like how do you remain so calm? When we're in battle, it's always you who sees the path, takes their opportunities, I was just good at picking up the pieces.'

These words suddenly struck a chord with Astrid. 'Taking my opportunities?' 'Yeah, every chance you got to put me in trouble, you'd take. You'd be shocked the amount of times you took an hour to beat me, and I'd walk out thinking you beat me in the first minute because I left you the smallest opportunity, and you'd just thread the needle, go straight in and hit the bullseye. Don't forget, we know each other better than almost anybody else, we've both been through hell.'

This led Astrid to a realisation. 'And I'd always be thinking how I should have beaten you 40 minutes earlier. Because I've always expected ridiculous things from yourself.' Laughing, Blair chortled 'Try impossible, I remember you beat me one time and then gave me this combo that was like, 14 pages and would have taken nearly every card in your deck to beat me two minutes earlier. You've not missed any opportunities, you're just used to chasing something beyond perfection.'

'But I need you, because I'm absolutely terrified, and I can't do this alone. I need the baddest motherfucker I know, the person who walked straight into Segolia, took the most dangerous route, used herself as a human battering ram, and walked out completely victorious with more than we could ever have expected. You're the badass and I'm always chasing your tail. With Blair and Astrid as we are right now, we might as well give Akiza handcuffs for us. With the Technical savage and the Natural badass though? We might just have a chance.' Astrid smiled, and then got her deck out. 'Let's get training!'

Back in the office

Over 20 minutes after it started, Rio was still on the phone. 'We've really tried everything, I mean I'm not exactly what you'd call comfortable with sending Blair into battle like this, but we've basically run out of other options, outside of actually… you know, this is the nuclear option.' 'Nah, we totally get that, Blair's a tough soldier, she survived being a closeted homosexual who also had mental health issues, so I'm pretty sure that she can get this job done as well. And I haven't met your Astrid, but I know plenty about her and she seems like a real big hitter, I'm sure you'll be just fine.'

'Yeah, about that, I was kind of hoping you might be able to find the time to come?' The gruff voice on the other end chuckled, and responded 'I'm made of time me, I work part-time at the moment, can basically take time off when I need to, it's a real sweet deal if you ask me.' 'So… is that a "yes"?' 'If you want me there, I'll be there, I'll do anything for my girls, and that includes you, you're part of the family. Shoot me the details, and I'll meet you in Havana. Corporal Drake Andrews, over and out.' As the call ended, Rio smiled to herself, and wrote his name down on a piece of paper. 'That's another name in, just a couple more to contact now. I'm going to make this happen one way or another.'

In the arena

Astrid and Blair were lined back up, and having another go at their play. 'I'll activate Crystal Beast Rainbow Dragon, banishing it to summon' Astrid then told her partner 'Summon Cobalt Eagle.' Blair shrugged, and stated 'Ok, I'll summon Cobalt (Atk:1400).' 'Conclave, bounce the backrow.' Intrigued as to where this was headed, Blair followed up. 'I activate Crystal Conclave, to return Cobalt Eagle and the set card to the respective hands.'

'And I chain Painful Escape, to tribute Cobalt Eagle, because the cards return at the same time, so I can do this and add Sapphire Pegasus to my hand.' This made Blair shake her head. 'Did I… do something wrong again?' 'No, that was absolutely genius! Now as soon as you summon Sapphire, you can suicide it into Jasmine, destroying them both and triggering Ultimate Crystal Magic. That's incredible.' The two slapped hands, and then continued finding more combos to secure their win.

In the war room

Rio was making final plans with Sakura for the event to come, when there was a firm knock on the door, and an uncharacteristic shout from Denny. 'Clear the decks, vital delivery coming through!' After any chairs were cleared away from the door, and the horseshoe-shaped desk was lifted to the far side of the room, before Rio shouted 'Come in' to the young New Zealander.

He then tentatively pushed the heavy door open, and stood against it to hold the door open, as Jana careful walked in, carrying a tray with a single glass beaker on top of it, a makeshift parchment lid atop it, and a familiar mousse-like substance enclosed inside. As everyone else tried their best to keep out of her eye line, she gently walked the tray into the table, and then with barely a sound, placed it on the table.

She then looked up and smiled at them. 'Rescue remedy's finally complete, it took longer because I kept missing the right consistency, turns out it's not as easy as I thought. But that should be enough to give us a few shots at it should we need it, so if you can get Maddy home, this is what should free her. Oh by the way, I got a call from Dad, he said the wild pack will be there to support us.' 'That's great news, thanks Jana.' She just nodded, happy to be able to provide assistance.

At Ashworth

Phil and Hannah arrived home with Skylar just before 2pm, and immediately Hannah's thoughts turned to food. 'Right, we need to get something to eat, because I've not eaten today, I'm pretty sure you've not eaten since yesterday lunchtime, so we need to get ourselves sorted.' As she went to get some shopping out of their bags though, she heard a strange noise. 'Phil, can you hear that?'

Totally oblivious, he responded 'Hear what?' 'That noise' 'Are you sure you're not talking about your own voice again, you've been doing that a lot lately and you are tired.' 'Thanks, but I'm not hallucinating' she replied, as she heard the noise again, and decided to investigate further. Creeping up the stairs, the noise started getting louder, but it was only when she reached the top of the stairs that she heard Astrid singing.

𝅘𝅥𝅮I've become so numb, I can't feel you there, become so tired, so much more aware. I'm becoming this, all I want to do, is be more like me, and be less like you𝅘𝅥𝅮. Hearing this, Hannah silently edged the door open while Astrid continued singing on her bed, completely oblivious to her presence. 𝅘𝅥𝅮Can't you see that you're smothering me, holding too tightly afraid to lose control, because everything that you thought I would be, has fallen apart right in front of you𝅘𝅥𝅮.

She then noticed Hannah out of the corner of her eye, and embarrassed, leapt back onto her bed, and hid her face under a pillow, the mother responding by putting her hand on her hip. 'I know you don't like attention, but you're just being silly. You know you don't need to be embarrassed around me, what do you think I'm going to do - record you and then put it on social media?' 'I'm still not coming out, nobody's supposed to hear me apart from her.'

Shaking her head, Hannah systematically removed all the pillows from the bed, and deliberately left them far enough away that Astrid couldn't reach them, as she put her hands over her face. 'Please just don't let anyone else hear this.' 'Lucky for you Phil's not heard you, I haven't recorded you or anything if that's what you think of me. Look, I know that you don't want… why don't you want other people hearing you anyway? You've got the voice of an angel on that.'

'I just don't want people to hear me, is that so bad? Me and Maddy used to sing that one together, she wanted me to sing it live but I really don't want the attention.' Starting to figure her regular babysitter out, and aware of the potential impact, Hannah had an idea. 'I know this is a huge ask, and we've both heard that more than once or twice recently, but if we find a way of you not having to deal with stage fright, would we be able to use your singing for your entrance at No Mercy?'

After considering this for some time, Astrid consented. 'If I don't have to sing live, and people don't know it's me, then yeah.' 'We'll just write it down as Andre's band then. I just want you to know, you're doing really well.' Astrid nodded, and looked at Hannah with a calm, yet determined look. 'We're going to do this, because we have to. You have my word: Maddy's coming home.'

In the condo

As Maddy continued to worship at his altar, Rhydian sat in a chair in his apartment, with two vials containing the serum sitting idly on the old wooden desk placed before him. He howled, and declared 'The destruction of the Renegades is about to happen!'

Next time: Rio matches wits with Rhydian, Blair and Astrid put everything on the line, and when all hope seems lost, the future of the Renegades comes down to Freja and a desperate plan. R: Ultra Evolution Book 17: Minutes to Midnight