Anarchists (Renegades Fanfiction)

Chapter 3

Adrian awoke early, all sense of tiredness wiped away from the moment he opened his eyes. He didn't normally consider himself a morning person. He returned to the basement, where he found his sister sleeping on the couch with a book on her shoulder.

"Maddy?" asked Adrian. That's when he realized she was awake.

"Morning," said Madelyn.

"You get any sleep?" asked Adrian.

"A little, couldn't sleep," said Madelyn. As Adrian pulled open the bottom drawer of his desk.

"What are you doing?" asked Adrian

"Research," said Madelyn. He shrugged and began giving himself the tattoo. After a while, he finished the tattoo. He hid his implements back in the drawer. He had just finished wrapping and putting on a long sleeve shirt when they both heard Simon calling. Madelyn shut her book and hid it in the bottom drawer then pulled on a sweatshirt over her shirt.

"Yeah?" He asked, walking into the kitchen.

Simon stood over the skillet that hissed with bacon, while Hugh leaned over the bar sorting through a large stack of mail.

Adrian stared at it. "Really?" and Madelyn elbowed him as she went to grab her plate.

"Really," said Simon, giving him a stern look, though Adrian knew it was just because he felt guilty that the idea of a homemade breakfast was worthy of suspicion. "We're starting a new family tradition. Breakfast together once a week. Now get some bacon and sit down."

Adrian suppressed a smile and sat down next to Madelyn, who was messing with the small flame on her hand.

"Does this new family tradition come with fresh-squeezed orange juice?" asked Adrian.

"Don't press your luck," said Simon, making a plate for himself. Simon cleared his throat and Madelyn extinguished the flame safely.

"So," said Hugh dumping a stack of junk mail into the garbage bin. The Council kept saying they were going to start a citywide recycling program one of these days, but it had yet to become a reality. "Are you looking forward to having a new teammate starting today?"

Adrian blinked. He'd been focused so much on the tattoo that he nearly forgot about Nova McLain. Nearly. Madelyn came to his rescue there.

"I was impressed how she took down Gargoyle," said Madelyn. "She was really quick on her feet" there were still dark circles from under Madelyn's eyes.

"You get any sleep?" asked Simon.

"I've been having trouble sleeping lately," said Madelyn. "It isn't because of the Phoenix, I've just been restless" but Adrian could obviously tell that it was an after effect of the poison.

~~~~~~~~
Madelyn was sitting on the couch in the lounge reading a novel when Nova walked out of the private room changed. Adrian had just arrived.

"How does it feel?" said Adrian asking Nova.

"Long," said Nova. Madelyn chuckled from the position on the couch.

"So you must be Madelyn," said Nova.

"Yup," said Madelyn as her blue eyes left the book, she was reading watching Ruby and Oscar.

"Believe it or not, their actually great superheroes," said Adrian.

~~~~~~
"Did you learn anything of interest today?" said Leroy.

"I met Firebird, Madelyn Everhart, you knew her right?" said Nova looking at Leroy.

"You knew her and you didn't say anything," said Honey.

"I dated her when I was undercover," said Leroy. Honey raised an eyebrow.