[v2] Chapter 30: Chasing Maddie

Monday, April 29

Location: Library

Operation: Apprehend Maddie

16:05

“Come on, let’s get ‘em.”

I never thought I’d be so thrilled to hear those words.

Mari and I jogged toward Maddie and Elf, our wands only half-drawn. They glanced in our direction, more curious than concerned. No alarm. No panic.

Yet.

Then Malachi—fresh from his upgrade—suddenly whipped out his wand and charged.

“What is he doing?” Mari hissed.

From behind us, Nikki and Tisiah came barreling forward like marathoners mid-battle cry, wands outstretched, faces tight with urgency.

“What are they doing?” I hissed back.

Now Maddie and Elf weren’t just watching—they were running.

The chase exploded into action, tearing through the hallways. Malachi knocked over a stack of books. Tisiah tripped over them. I winced but didn’t stop.

Mari surged ahead, taking the lead, while Maddie and Elf veered off—splitting in opposite directions.

The final section of the library was laid out like a trap: one room, two doors, and two paths. Malachi and Tisiah followed Elf. Mari, Nikki, and I charged after Maddie.

In hindsight, Elf fleeing too only confirmed it—they were both involved. A trio, most likely, if Jamal was included. And it would explain so much.

Maddie sprinted through the left door into a long, gray corridor. Two elevators sat waiting at the end. Mari raised her wand and summoned a wall of stone to block her off.

With a twist of her hand, Maddie unleashed a shockwave—an implosion, maybe—tearing the wall apart in a single, stunning blast.

I didn’t know what it was, but... it was cool.

She dashed into the elevator, turned, and hit us with another burst of concussive force. Nikki and Mari were thrown back.

But I activated my Perk.

I stumbled, yes—nearly lost my footing—but the force didn’t knock me far. I fell forward instead, crashing straight into the elevator with her.

The doors slid shut.

It was just me and Maddie now.

I pulled myself to my feet, my back pressing against the smooth metal wall. Maddie stood opposite me, breathing lightly, calm—too calm.

“We both don’t want this elevator to fall,” I said, steadying my breath.

She nodded. “I know. Just waiting.”

“Where are you even going?” I asked.

She smirked—not kindly, not playfully. It was smug. Cold. “You wouldn’t be able to catch me anyway.”

“Oh, I’m sure I could,” I said, though I had to swallow hard to force the words out.

Her smirk slipped into a scowl.

Then the elevator doors opened.

Maddie bolted into what looked like a maintenance floor—dimly lit, with no ceiling tiles or décor. A ladder was bolted to the wall just beside the shaft. She grabbed it and began climbing.

I lunged and grabbed her ankle.

She kicked me off.

Hard.

I scrambled upright and fumbled for my phone, fingers stumbling across the screen.

“Nikki! Nikki!” I shouted, dialing.

“Where are you? Is she still in the building?” Nikki’s voice crackled through.

“She’s on the building!” I shrieked.

Suddenly, my feet slipped. I slammed face-first into the concrete—thankfully, with my Perk still active.

The impact sent a ripple through the surface. The concrete cracked, and the shift launched Maddie off balance.

She flew off the roof’s edge.

I heard it all: the yell, the tumble, the brutal smack of her hitting the ground below.

Mari arrived seconds later. One look at me, and I could hear her disapproval in her exhale.

“You couldn’t catch her?” she asked flatly. “You had your Perk. Everything.”

“I did, technically,” I said, brushing dust from my face. “Might be a little pancaked, but hey—caught.”

Mari gave me a confused, skeptical glare before stepping toward the ledge.

“She’s knocked out,” she said. “Lucky she’s not dead. Probably cushioned herself with that shockwave move again.” She turned back. “Help me get her up here.”

“Let me text Nikki first,” I said, already thumbing out the message.

***

16:40

I still didn’t know where Mari had taken Maddie after we’d hauled her off the pavement, but I was itching to find out.

After Intro to Self-Defense—a class that was more of a review than an introduction—we regrouped outside, near the twin staircases between the upper levels.

But before I even reached the bottom step, two female agents in blazers intercepted me.

One had striking, blood-red hair. The other had a face made of granite.

“You. With us,” the red-haired one ordered.

“Is this about the mole?” I asked, a little too eagerly.

She winced. “Keep your voice down. You’ve already got enough attention.”

They led me to an elevator and into a plain room—neutral, calm, suspiciously normal. Not the bathroom. Not a training room. Not a black-site dungeon. Just a dull, off-white space with chairs in the corner and a water cooler humming softly.

I sat. Waited.

Okay, maybe not “waited.” I wilted for what felt like two hours. No clock. No updates. Just silent judgment and a slow erosion of my sanity.

Eventually, Agent Lloyd White entered.

Gray suit. Black and red striped tie. Polished shoes that looked like they had just left the store.

Maybe that’s why he took so long.

“Hello, Drails Jr.,” he said with a dry smirk.

I chuckled. Then immediately stopped, hoping the joke didn’t count against me.

“Well?” he asked, leaning back casually. “Did you find anything?”

“I thought that’s why you brought me here,” I replied.

“We brought you here to ask if you found anything.”

“But... I thought you knew I had found something.”

“So you did find something.”

There was a beat of silence. Then I nodded. “Yes. I did.”

“Good. Let’s hear it.”

“Well,” I began, trying to sound at least a little more intelligent than I felt, “we figured they weren’t trying to kill Malachi. They mentioned the MP system, remember?”

“Lowman did, yes.”

“They never said they wanted to kill anyone. They wanted intel. Malachi’s at the top—so they’re watching how he uses the MP system. They want to replicate it for the TSA.”

White nodded. “That’s actually pretty smart.”

“Thanks.”

“Not you, you donut. Keep going.”

I cleared my throat. “To get close to Malachi, you have to be his friend. And let’s be honest—Malachi is friends with everyone. That makes infiltration... easy.”

“Understandable,” White murmured.

“And if they don’t understand the system, it makes sense that they’d be at the bottom. They need to learn. From him. From observation.”

“Students don’t know much either,” he added, “but continue.”

“So we checked the list. Near the bottom was Maddie.”

“Maddie Maxwell?”

“White hair.”

“Then Maxwell,” he confirmed, as if filing the thought away. “Go on.”

“We tried approaching them. Some of us... may have come in a little aggressively. They ran.”

“Who is ‘them’?”

“Maddie and Elf.”

“Elf?” he asked, brow raised.

“Guy with Goku hair. Looks like he styled it with lightning bolts.”

“David Elfron,” White corrected.

I tried not to laugh—but trying not to laugh is a lot like trying not to cough. You fail with noise.

“He was at the bottom too?”

“No,” I said. “But he’s part of the trio. Jamal, Maddie, and Elf.”

White rubbed his temple, then stood. “I think you’ve proven... nothing.”

“What?”

“She ran from you without knowing what was going on.”

“Why would she run?”

“Because you all stormed toward her—wands out. You looked like an attack squad.”

“That can’t be the only reason—”

“It’s more plausible than your theory,” he said bluntly. “Anyway, the other interrogators will be here shortly.”

And with that, he walked out.

Leaving me in silence. In disappointment. And in utter confusion.

What else could I have done?

What else... was there?