24/11 U/D: Shadows Creed - Rated R - Part Fifty-Three

Holy crap. I never saw that coming! Eski *demoted* Shads? *is stunned* I can totally get why he's so pissed at JB...

So not Shads as General of the Creed then, Shads as head of another organisation...one dedicated to bringing the music back?

HOLY HELL!!!

I did NOT see that coming! I'm pissed at JB, too, for ratting him out. I really hope Shads takes things into his own hands now. He needs to quit the Creed and start a counter organization and bring the Creed down! Eski has no right to interfere in this affair, none at all!

*is beginning to see where the title of this fic might be coming in*

Shadow's Creed...his own organisation. I'd be on board with that...

I'm pissed at JB too...but only kind of...>.> lol.

Hmmm...that is an interesting interpretation of the title .

I'm about half way with the next chapter . Trying to finish an assignment first lol.

the mice endure wrote:I'm about half way with the next chapter . Trying to finish an assignment first lol.

*hides your homework*

Lol. It helped, kind of. But I actually wrote more for my other fic instead...lol

Where has the time gone? And god how I missed your writing but I'm here now and I'm gonna try to keep on top of it like before. My head's a lil bit of a mess atm cuz I just went through a few chapters so I won't comment on every little thing. However, hearing that Matt is sick of The Creed made me and cuz I already knew that and was just waiting on him to admit it but I don't know how things are gonna go down, especially now that he's being demoted, so I'm kinda on the fence there. That whole demotion situation doesn't sound right to me and I believe someone (or a lot of someone's) is gonna be in a for a big surprise when Matt gets his emotions in check. Ok, I'm starting to ramble.. I knew I would but I'm still processing everything and my brain is already trying to get ahead of me. Anyway, I'll shut it for now

So glad to read more and as always, it's amazing.

Now, off to catch up on my other love, The Aviators

I don't think you were rambling welcome back .

Thank you!

23
"Don't shut us out."

“You owe me for that shirt, Rev.”

“What?”

Zacky grabbed his shirt and threw it at the lanky male. “You got beer all over it.”

Brian groaned, shaking his head. Jimmy just stared at his friend. Since they had arrived at the Sanders’ place, and while Valary was attempting to coax her husband, their friend, out of hiding, the three friends, and young Johnny Christ, had been entertaining themselves. The latest activity had seen them drinking some of Matt’s private stash of Jack Daniels that he never actually drank. It was all there for guests, such as themselves.

One thing led to another, and before they knew it, Jimmy had ended up tossing the contents of his bottle at the mechanic.

Zacky snorted and laughed at the lanky male. “You should see your face, Jimmy. I’m not really pissed. It’ll wash out.”

“Oh, thank Christ for that,” Jimmy exclaimed with a grin.

Johnny, who was sitting on the floor, looked up and actually laughed. “You’re thanking me?”

“Well…” Jimmy started but was cut off by the sound of a throat being cleared at the entrance to the living room. He looked over as did the others.

Valary was standing there with a bemused expression on her face. “You guys must be bored…” Her eyes moved over them to settle on Zacky who now stood in only his work pants, a new beer clutched in his left hand. “Why don’t you have your shirt on?”

The mechanic glanced down at his torso, the ink that was etched on either side of his navel gazed almost mockingly out at the room. Then he looked back at Valary. “Got soaked. Blame Jimmy.”

She smiled faintly then looked at the others. “Matt says he’ll be out in a while.”

“Oh, good,” Zacky said, “I want to know what Eskino wanted.” Val frowned at him. He returned the look with one of his own. “What?”

Val just shook her head and entered the room, heading for one of the sofas. She sat down on the one closest to the door and tucked her feet beneath her on the seat. Zacky flopped down on the one opposite to her and crossed his arms an expectant expression on his face.

“Zacky, don’t look at me like that,” Val scolded him. He pulled a face then poked his tongue at her. She raised her eyebrows at him. “Seriously? You’re poking your tongue at me?”

“Yeah, how old are you, V?” Jimmy scoffed.

Brian snorted, “Twenty-seven, going on seven.”

The mechanic flipped him off before he said, “Come on Val, did Shads tell you what the General wanted?”

“He did, but he needs to tell you that himself,” Val answered. “It’s not my place.”

“Fair enough,” Zacky smiled then changed tack, sucking on his piercings. “How’s the campaign going?”

Val was a little surprised by his question but managed to think of a response before he jumped back in with another question. “It’s not. Elliott’s hit a road block, because he wants to find out what the competition is doing.”

The four men glanced at each other. All of them, including Johnny, knew who that was, after all Brian Haner Snr was the only man game enough to challenge Elliott Johnston for the position. They didn’t know the details; the whys or wherefores; however, what they did know was that Brian Snr was fed up with the current government and the way it was running things, especially where The Creed was concerned. Then again, everybody was affected negatively by The Creed, so in that sense the elder Haner was just reflecting the collective emotions of the community.

“Papa Gates won’t give anything away,” Brian finally commented.

Jimmy snorted, “That’s because he hasn’t got a plan.”

A strange expression appeared on Zacky’s face as he eyed Johnny for a second then returned his gaze to Val. Before he could add his thoughts, though, Jimmy spoke up again.

“What was that?”

Zacky frowned at his friend, “What was what?”

Jimmy jerked his chin toward Johnny. “You looked at Johnny.”

“So?”

“Well, when I said Papa G didn’t have a plan…you looked at Johnny.”

Zacky asked, slowly, “And, your point is?”

“Well, I thought it was a response to what I said,” Jimmy said with a shrug. “Maybe it wasn’t…”

The mechanic sighed and shook his head. But, he did make one concession. “Papa Gates has a plan. Shads said he does.” He held up his left hand to put off any more questions from the other male. Jimmy took the hint and slumped back against the wall where he’d been leaning through the whole conversation so far.

Brian murmured, “Another thing to ask Matt about when he decides to join us.”

“What’s the other thing?” The gruff voice caught them all off guard. They turned toward the doorway; Matthew stood there with his arms crossed over his chest a bemused expression on his face.

Valary blinked as she took in the appearance of her husband. He didn’t look any more at ease than when she had left him in their room. There were dark circles beneath his eyes, his gaze was hard. In fact, he looked even wearier as if the whole world was weighing down on his shoulders.

It was Jimmy who voiced what they were all thinking though, “You look like shit, Shads.”

Matt grimaced and rubbed at his face, mumbling, “Feel like shit.”

He walked into the room, footsteps heavy, and sank down on the sofa next to his wife. Val hesitated before shifting so she could lean into him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed them a little. She reached out to rest her hand on his knee, rubbing softly. He smiled weakly at her then glanced over at Brian.

“So, what other question did you wanna ask me?”

Brian snorted. “What did Eskino want?”

Matthew studied his friend for a moment, expression grave. Then he shook his head and spoke in a harsh voice, “I’m not talking about that. Not yet.” He licked his lips then smirked, “I’ll tell you about your dad’s election run, though.”

“We want to know what Eski said, though,” Zacky insisted. Brian nodded in agreement. They both knew their friend was attempting to deflect the attention from him onto something else, but they weren’t going to let that happen. Jimmy and Johnny watched on, expectantly.

“We’ll keep bugging you until you do, just so you know,” the mechanic added in a light tone.

Matthew rolled his eyes at that and swore softly. “Fine. You want to know? I’ll give you the short version.”

He paused for a breath; his eyes darted around the room finally settling on the coffee table in front of him. The guys waited, observing the unusually nervous tic he seemed to have developed. Val nestled in closer to him, a supportive connection. He closed his eyes then began to talk, voice strained, words tumbling out as if he couldn’t get them out fast enough.

“Eskino came to tell me that I’m out. Done.” He clenched his fist, punctuating his words by gently banging it against his left knee. “Finished. That’s it. Permanent vacation from the top spot.” Matthew spat the last few words, his anger barely veiled. He trembled and shook his head, his eyes fixed on a polished knot on the wooden table.

His words were barely out when Zacky gave a disbelieving snort.

“Are you for fucking real? You’re out completely?”

Matthew grimaced at the hint of hope in his friend’s voice. “No. Not completely. I’m just not…” he sighed heavily. “I’m not fit to lead The Creed.”

“Not fit to lead?” Zacky sounded incredulous. His eyes were wide, astonishment written all over his features. For all he didn’t care for The Creed, he had always thought his friend had the chops to be a great leader.

Matthew grunted, “His words.” He unclenched his fist and rubbed at the back of his neck.

“That’s bullshit,” Brian stated angrily. “The Creed would’ve fallen apart long ago if you hadn’t been there.”

“You think?” Zacky glanced over at him. Brian nodded emphatically. The mechanic looked back at the now-former-TaskerOne. “What do you reckon?”

Matthew met his friend’s sharp gaze then gave a cold smile. “I’m the best there is. And the General knows it. But, he’s become uncomfortable with me at the helm. I don’t know why.” He lifted his shoulders in an almost nonchalant gesture. “But, hey, it’s not my problem anymore.”

Val lifted her head then to look at him. He caught her expression, one of worry and curiosity. “Yeah, Val?”

She shook her head and leaned it against his shoulder again. Matthew shifted so he could wrap his arm back around her waist. He had a feeling he knew what she had wanted to say. He didn’t quite believe his own statement. He knew his attitude had changed even just over the past year. He also realised it was still his problem. Returning to the barracks after his break was over, it would be glaringly obvious.

He sighed and leaned his head back so he wouldn’t have to look at the expressions on his friends’ faces. They were a mixture of shock, disgust, anger but not surprisingly a bit of relief as well. It was no secret what they thought of The Creed. Of course, he was yet to drop the bigger bombshell on them. But, he would wait for a few minutes before he did that. Would allow them process the first piece of information first.

For several moments, nobody spoke. It was a lot to take in. Finding out that Matt was no longer top dog of the biggest enforcement organisation in New Huntington, was hard for each of them to swallow. Though they all resented what The Creed did, his friends’ hadn’t envisioned him being anything other than TaskerOne for the rest of his working life. Except perhaps taking Eskino’s job from him. At least that was what Jimmy and Brian thought. Zacky had other ideas buzzing around his head as he stood there looking at his friend.

“Matt?” Zacky finally broke the silence, his voice rough.

Matthew focused his gaze on the mechanic and nodded. “Yeah?”

Zacky shifted his bottle to his right hand as he tucked his left into the pocket of his pants. He sucked at the piercings on his bottom lip before he spoke again.

“The guys want to know about Papa Gates’ campaign.”

Matthew stiffened a little, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he narrowed his gaze at his friend. Zacky raised his eyebrows at him, giving him a pointed look as if to say, ‘you owe us’. Brian and Jimmy leaned forward, expressions of great interest on their faces. Matt removed his arm from around Val’s waist, leaning forward to prop his elbows against his knees. He smeared his palms over his face, dragging his fingers beneath his eyelids.

Then he lifted weary eyes to his friend. “You really want to do this now, Zack?”

“Well, what else are we going to do? We could keep going on about the whole Creed deal…”

“No,” Matthew said tightly, “we can talk about the campaign.” He looked askance at Val. “If that’s alright by you? I know you probably shouldn’t know about this.”

She laughed softly, shaking her head. “Probably not. But, don’t worry about it. I’m actually going to go freshen up. Leave you with the boys.” She leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek before getting to her feet and heading for the door.

Jimmy, who was positioned just beside the door, stopped her before she walked out. She glanced at him giving a small smile. He tilted his head to the side, not saying a word, a knowing expression in his eyes. He glanced over to Matt, who had his head down again, then back to her waggling his eyebrows. Val just patted his hand and smiled a little before she walked out. Jimmy watched her leave then turned just as Zacky prompted their friend again.

Matthew sighed shifting his weight on the sofa as he folded his arms over his chest. “PG thinks it would be good if I put up a showcase for his campaign.” He snorted. “Don’t know where he got that idea from. But, the short of it is that I’m writing something for him.”

“Writing?” Brian blinked. “Like what? A report?”

Matthew actually laughed at his friend’s question. “Reports suck. I wouldn’t write anyone a report unless I was forced to.” He shook his head. “No. Um…writing…something special.” He frowned to himself as if he wasn’t quite sure that was the right way to put it.

“For fuck’s sake, Shads,” Zacky muttered in exasperation. “We’re your friends, and a quarter of us already know what you’re doing…so…y’know?” He raised his eyebrows.

Matthew growled low, “Don’t rush me, Zachary.” His arms tightened, biceps bulging visibly. The mechanic held his palms up in a placating gesture. Matt acknowledged the gesture with a nod of his head then exhaled slowly, before continuing. “We started about a year back when he was first thinking about running for the Mayoral role. He contacted me and persuaded me to get on board.” He hesitated before he added with a wry smirk, “And I ended up writing a song for him.”

“You did what?” Brian’s voice rose sharply on the last word, shock was evident in his tone. His pupils were dilated and he had to grab a hold of the back of the sofa. “You didn’t just say-?”

“Yeah, I did,” Matt answered softly. He watched his friends’ reactions. Brian was just shaking his head slowly, as he frowned. Zacky wasn’t surprised; he already knew. Johnny was equally at ease. Jimmy stared at him from the doorway, as many different emotions warred across his features.

Finally, Brian found his voice. “But that’s just odd. Why would you write a song? Didn’t know you had it in you?”

Matthew chuckled, a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. He knew his friends’ would be bemused by his revelation. However, he hadn’t counted on being amused by their reactions. Somehow, though it made him want to just bust out into laughter.

“God, Brian,” Matt said, smirking broadly. “I’m full of surprises.” He wriggled his eyebrows at his friend, a pointed look in his eyes. Brian blinked then scowled.

“Yeah, actually speaking of surprises. I’ve got a question about something Dad dropped at my doorstep earlier,” he said in a terse voice.

Matt licked his lips but said nothing, just waited, one eyebrow tilted a little more than the other. Brian leaned forward and pointed at him almost stern in manner.

“What are you doing, giving me a guitar?”

There was a deafening silence after the self-confessed poet’s sharp question, then Jimmy said loudly, “Hold it, hold it,” as if everybody else had been talking and he wanted them to stop, “what the fuck are you saying, Syn? A guitar?”

Brian nodded, “Yeah. A custom made Schechter. Pretty amazing, really…but,” he shot a hard look at Matthew who was on his feet now, pacing in front of the sofa. “I don’t get you, Shads. That instrument was in The Locker. It was all over the news how it was found at The Creed and shit. So, how’d you get a hold of it?”

Matthew was wearing a path in the carpet as he moved back and forth in front of his friends. His brow was furrowed as his mind churned over how best to answer. The others remained silent, not intervening and giving him the time he probably needed to gather his thoughts. Finally he turned wary eyes to Brian as a faint smile graced his lips.

“I used the Mayor’s order number to get it out of the Locker. Matt Berry didn’t ask questions.” He shrugged. “It’s not like it’s illegal for me to release an individual instrument. And at any rate, no one would suspect me of doing anything with it.” He held up his hands and smirked. “Could you imagine me forming a band, Syn?”

Brian snorted, shaking his head as he retorted, “Yeah, as much as we can imagine you writing a song.”

“Touché,” Matthew muttered. He ran a palm over his head and heaved another sigh. “Look, what do you want me to say?”

“Tell us what’s going on in that head of yours, Matt. We’re your best friends…and whatever it is…we are here for you,” Brian said slowly. “Don’t shut us out.”

Matthew smiled at his statement of loyalty then glanced toward Johnny, frowning again. The younger male lifted curious eyes to him. Their gazes locked for a moment, then Matt looked away again and groaned.

“Fine. Here’s the thing. Papa Gates wanted me to write a song for his campaign and to organise the recording of it. I’ve been working on that every second chance, while trying not to let anyone catch on at the barracks.” Matthew pegged each of his friends with a pained look. “Not easy, I can tell you.” He waved a hand in the air, “Especially with JB right there, all the time.” He tilted his head back and continued in a low voice. “PG said he could record all the tracks himself, but that it would be much better if it were recorded live…all at once.”

Brian blinked. “How?”

“Well,” he said, “that’s where the instruments come in.”

“Instruments?” Zacky, who had been silent up until then, asked. It wasn’t Matt who answered him though.

Johnny said, dawning understanding coming to him, “My bass, right Shads?” Even while in Matthew’s basement it still hadn’t quite hit him what was going on down there. Even after watching the video. But now it made sense, or it was beginning to.

Matthew’s lips curved as he nodded to indicate in the affirmative then he looked back at the others. “Just have to find a drummer.” He raised his eyebrows at Jimmy and asked casually, “What ever happened to those trashcan lids you picked up off the street?”

There was a pause then Zacky cracked it, laughing so hard he spilled more of his beer on the floor. Jimmy scowled at him then looked at Matt surprise written all over his face.

“How did you know about that?”

Matthew said, eyebrows arched, “I’m TaskerOne, I know everything.”

“You mean, you were T-One,” Zacky gently pointed out. His statement caused them to fall quiet once more and Matt sighed as he flopped back on the sofa, sprawling out across it.

After a while he said, “It’s not official yet. It’s a huge deal demoting a commander. Someone has to replace me, y’know?”

He shifted his body and looked at them. Zacky was gazing down in his bottle; Jimmy had shifted so he was leaning against the wall next to him. Johnny had moved so he was seated next to Brian. He rubbed his face, deciding not to mention that the General had practically told him Jason would be taking the position immediately. He wanted to think that he had a bit of control over what happened. Even though he knew deep down that he had none at all. His friends didn’t need to know that, not yet. It was enough Val had seen him in a moment of complete and utter weakness.

“So,” Zacky said, “When you go back next week?”

“They’ll probably have some ceremony. They have one for everything,” Matt stated sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. “Promoting someone, demoting someone…when someone manages to clean up their shit…” He smoothed his hands over his shorts as he met the mechanic’s eyes.

Zacky grinned, shaking his head, “Hah, too true. Well, guess you’ll just have to wait, yeah?”

Matthew nodded as he ran the tip of his tongue along his top lip. “In the meantime, I’m not going to worry about it.” He slapped his palms lightly on his knees. “Still got the rest of this week.”

“And the weekend,” Jimmy added with a chuckle.

“Yup, plenty of time to get into trouble,” Matt quipped, eyes holding a sparkle none of the others had seen in a while. He nodded to Jimmy. “So, those trashcan lids?”

His friend narrowed his eyes before he said, carefully, “I made a…drum set out of them.”

Zacky groaned and shook his head; Brian rolled his eyes but made no comment. Johnny allowed a small gasp of surprise to escape, but also said nothing. Matthew just looked at his best friend, one eyebrow raised a little. Then he smiled and clapped his hands together.

“Well, now that’s something, isn’t it?” He chuckled. “Who’d have thought that was you’re plan…” He rubbed his hands against his knees, marvelling at Jimmy’s initiative. “Genius.”

Jimmy stared at his friend as if he’d grown another head, unsure of this apparent change in attitude. Sure, he’d just been dumped by the General from his top position, but that didn’t mean much, did it? He was still a soldier of The Creed.

“Matt, you on something?” he asked, sceptically; he was reluctant to trust his friend’s sentiment, to have faith in it. Especially since he seemed to be acting in a way that was a huge departure from the norm.

Matthew laughed, shaking his head. “I think I should show you guys something.” He glanced at Johnny, who frowned in acknowledgement. “Yep.” Matt nodded almost to himself. “You’ll want to see this.” He pushed up off the sofa and padded across the carpeted floor to the door. His friends frowned, curiosity written all over their faces.

“Show us what?” Brian asked, speaking for all of them. Matthew just smirked before leaving the room.

The four men looked at each other then followed him out, each of them wondering what the hell had just happened.

Go Matt!! And Jimmy =), just because.

I am extremely curious to see their reactions to what he's going to show them...I know I'd be in shock if I were them. I think he's doing the right thing, considering it's for PG and all, but I don't want this to blow up in his face, either. That, and Jimmy's going to need a real drum set to make this song sound like anything...how is he going to spirit *that* out of The Locker?

Thanks Kel

We always need to cheer Jimmy on

Hmm...yes that may be an issue, eh?

I'm working slowly on an update lol. My footy obsession has kinda distracted me a bit/ And my study. Which is getting on okay...when I'm not procrastinating lol.

*takes a moment to fangirl over the image of mechanic Zacky with no shirt on*

Okay, I'm good...so, Shads has fessed up to writing a song, the band is starting to come together... I cannot WAIT to see what happens. Gosh, the former T-One starts a band, that's like, a coup d'etat....kinda, almost. Ooooh, excited, come on Marly, give us some more!!

Looks like an update may be on its way this week

YAY!!! YAY!!!! YAY!!!

And here it is! Fresh off the frying pan...well, not really...

Hopefully the next update won't take so long. Lol. Thank you in advance

~~~~


24
The right moments are never what they seem

“Right…so, I haven’t ever done this before, but…uh…here goes. You might not know me. So, uh…in case that’s how it is, I’m Matthew Sanders. TaskerOne of The Creed. Most of you will probably know what The Creed is, if you don’t, you can always Google it.

Right.

As you can see in this little video…I have this little studio thing going on down here…got my Pro-Tools…a broken acoustic… Hey! It’s not illegal to have an instrument. Anyway, I’ve been writing to a few people out of town. About the whole…no bands situation. And, one of those people… um… here, this letter… this is from, uh… well we all recognise that name, right? Elijah Masters. That’s right, the man himself.

I’ve been writing him for the last several months. He’s…um…in his sixties now. Still going strong. Anyway, he’s said he supports anyone who is trying to fix things in the music industry. After all, the blame was laid on him and his band. Though they never did anything wrong. Except say fuck you to the government.

I did some research into Rebel Assassin. Eli’s band. And, it really fuckin’ got to me. People are so gullible. They’ll believe everything the government feeds them, because the government is meant to be on the people’s side. All that shit about an attempted assassination. All lies. It never happened.

There was some pissed off senator who got his nose jerked out of line, so he took it out on them. And, it makes me sad that The Creed’s whole mission statement is based on falsified documentation that’s decades old. Of course, I’ve had to keep my nose clean, because hell, if I get caught trying to fix shit up, I’d end out flat on my ass, or worse…well… I don’t think I need to tell you what could happen. We all know what happened to…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa…Shads, what the hell?” Jimmy interrupted loudly, his voice drowning out the tinny sound of the speakers in the bunker. Matthew hit pause and raised his eyebrows at his friend.

“Yeah?”

Jimmy shook his head, his brow furrowed, expression unusually sober. Brian who was leaning over his shoulder grimaced, looking as confused as his friend was. Johnny and Zacky sat further back in silence as they watched the scene before them.

“What, Jimmy?” Matthew repeated his voice tense.

Jimmy leaned back and crossed his arms as he formulated a response. “Okay…one: are you saying that the Government lied?” Matt nodded slowly. His friend scowled. “That’s some accusation to make.”

“Well, it’s the truth.”

“How do you know that?” Jimmy asked, eyebrows raised.

Matthew sighed as he answered softly, “Eli told me.”

“Eli?” Jimmy arched his eyebrows. “You don’t mean?”

“I do.”

“Shit, I thought he was dead.”

“Nope.” The corner of Matt’s mouth twitched upward in a tight smirk; his friend’s astonishment amused him somewhat.

Jimmy shivered as he muttered in disbelief, “Damn…”

“Hah, so you believe a man who has an agenda?” Brian pointed out.

Matthew grunted as he replied, “I’ve done research, Syn.”

“Still, it doesn’t make any sense, why would they lie?” Jimmy asked. Matt looked at him his eyes filled with a pained expression.

“I don’t know, man. Aside from what I said about that senator.”

“Who was that?”

Matthew frowned as he said slowly, “I’m still figuring that out.”

“Oh.” Jimmy blinked then glanced back at the frozen image on the screen. “Right…second thing…”

“Mhm?” Matt leaned back on his chair and raised his eyebrows.

His oldest friend met his gaze, blues eyes intense, probing as he asked, “Were you planning on showing people this video?” Jimmy nodded to the computer monitor. “The way you intro’d that…”

Matthew grimaced but nodded carefully as he said in a low voice, “Yeah. There’re some underground channels where I could release it, if I wanted to.”

“So, you haven’t?” Zacky interjected, tone sharp. Matt shook his head in the negative; he hadn’t found the right time or place to release it without drawing attention to himself. Of course, now that he’d been demoted…

“Are you gonna?” Jimmy asked

Matthew rocked on his chair frowning as silence fell between his friends. After a few minutes that seemed to stretch on forever, he groaned and got to his feet, the seat he was sitting on apparently agreeing with his sentiment as it squeaked in protest as he eased his weight off it.

“No,” he finally admitted. “There’s no point. Once Papa G’s campaign is released there won’t be any need. It’ll be obvious to everyone what his focus is once it hits the streets.” Matt looked hard at his friends; he wanted so much for them to understand what was going on without having to explain it all. He had never been good at exposition, at explaining things. He was much more practical than that.

Zacky snorted and asked, “And what about us, Shads? You going to make it obvious for us? Or do we have to wait until it’s made public?”

Incidentally that was what his other friends were thinking and they all looked at Matthew with equally pained looks. He sighed, shaking his head.

“Truth needs to be told. All of it. Too much bullshit has been going on, for far too long.” Matt dragged a hand over his head then rubbed at the bridge of his nose.

Zacky blinked. Brian spoke up then, “Are you saying, my Dad’s gonna run a smear campaign?”

“Basically,” Matt snorted. “He’s the first person to even dare it. I’d say, with a bit of hesitation, he may just pull it off.”

“With some help from you?” Brian’s eyebrows lifted in an incredulous gesture.

“Yes. With some help from me.” Matthew’s lips twisted in a wry grin. “I could get into so much shit if I get caught. But…I feel like I have to try something.”

“True…” Brian murmured, then he said, “So, back to this whole…song thing you were talking ‘bout earlier. How are you going to finish that off?”

Leaning against the wall his arms folded as he stood beneath the Rebel Assassin poster, Matthew couldn’t help but snigger a little at the shocked looks on his friends’ faces as he replied, “Well. That’s where you guys come in.”


* * * * *

Valary glanced up from the carrots she was preparing, as she heard the guys coming out of the gym. Funny, she hadn’t heard anything like the sounds she would normally hear if they’d been working out. In fact it had been silent in the gym. She knew there was a basement, though, so perhaps they’d gone down there to have a men’s chat. Then again, she didn’t even know Matt used that space of the house. He never mentioned anything about it.

“Hey, Val!” Jimmy bounced up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, wiggling her gently.

She laughed and pushed him away, “Stop that, Jimmy.” He pouted at her; she just rolled her eyes at him.

Matt padded into the kitchen and smirked, slapping the taller man up the back of the head. “Leave the woman alone. She’s busy.” Jimmy grumbled and moved aside so Matthew could lean next to Valary.

“Yeah, smells great in here,” Brian commented as he propped himself against the bench. “Whatcha cooking?”

“Something special,” she answered, with a smile. Brian grinned at her as Zacky and Johnny joined him. Val set the knife down as she looked up at her husband. “What were you all doing?”

Something, an expression, she wasn’t quite sure what, flickered across Matthew’s face before he responded, “Secret men’s business, love. Nothing to worry about.” Val tilted her head at him, as she narrowed her eyes. He just gave her his most innocent smile before he leaned over and grabbed a piece of raw carrot and stuffed it in his mouth. “Mmmm, good stuff.”

She swatted at his hand, “Stop it. That’s not for you.”

Matthew scoffed, “Who’s it for? Bella?”

“Ha-ha, it will be if you keep touching it,” Val said sternly. Matthew just laughed and squeezed her shoulders.

She blinked at him, noting his change in mood from earlier. He seemed a lot more relaxed, calmer, even, if she dared think on it, more jovial. Almost as if it were the ‘old’ Matt back. The one she had first fallen in love with. Val of course, didn’t dare to hope too much in that regard. Perhaps he was just loosened up due to being in the company of his friends. She noticed, the more time he spent with them, the less wound up he was. Yet, it seemed too soon for that to truly be the case. It was more likely to be a front he was putting up so as not to worry her too much. Though it had the opposite effect.

“So, you’re inviting us to stay for dinner?” Zacky said, after a few moments had passed where the six of them just stood looking at each other. Val smiled in response as Matt hugged her from behind. “I’ll take that as a yes,” the mechanic grinned.

“You would,” Brian scoffed. “All you think about is food.”

Zacky just laughed his friend’s comment off as he looked to Matthew. “If you don’t mind us staying for longer?”

Matt grimaced as he said, “What kinda thing is that to say? Of course you have to stay.” What he didn’t say, but they all sensed it, was that he was grateful for their company. And so it was settled. Valary chuckled as she went back to her preparations while the men spread around the kitchen table and waited.


* * * * *


Several hours later, the others had left, except Johnny of course, and Matthew and Valary were in the living room sitting together on the sofa. Val lay with her head in Matt’s lap, her breathing steady as she relaxed. He was absently running his fingers through her hair as he stared unseeingly at the blank television screen. The quiet between them was more comfortable than it had been for a while, but at the same time there was a sense of anticipation in the air around them. Words that needed to be spoken, but neither of them was willing to voice.

Valary shifted a little so she could look up into her husband’s face. “Matt?”

“Mhm?” Matthew glanced down at her, one eyebrow arched a little.

“Who do you think will win?”

“The election?”

“Yes.” Val licked her lips nervously, “I mean, I know the campaigns haven’t officially begun…but…”

Matt shook his head his hand going still in her hair. “It could be very close…knowing Elliott, he’ll throw everything he’s got into it.” He smiled wryly at his wife. “And, he has the best person helping him out.”

Valary laughed softly sitting up as she slapped at him lightly. “Yeah, right. I’m sure Papa G will have found someone to help him out too.” She didn’t catch the flash of tension in her husband’s face at that statement. And even if she had, she’d probably only interpret it as being torn between who to support. “Right, Matt?” she murmured as she glanced up into his eyes, wondering whether he was going to respond to her question.

Matt smiled and leaned down to peck at her lips softly. “Right. I’m sure he has.”

Val smiled back and settled against his chest as he picked up the remote and flicked the television on.

As the buzz of voices filled the room, she snuggled closer into him, getting comfortable. Matthew wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he absently roamed the channels.

“Never anything interesting on,” he muttered. Val laughed softly and placed a hand over the one he was holding the remote in. He looked down at her. “Yeah?”

She met his eyes, but shook her head as she whispered, “Nothing, hun…just wanted to…hold your hand.” Matthew quirked an eyebrow but nodded and returned his gaze to the TV.

Val leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed softly. She’d lied just then. She had wanted to say something. Part of her wanted to quiz her husband on what he was thinking, on what he thought his immediate future would look like. But, another part, a more circumspect part of her knew that the moment for that would come. Or at least she hoped it would.

Oh Matt...part of me is glad he isn't releasing that video and part of me is disappointed. I think it needs to be released but at the same time, he's right: PG will take care of things. I hope PG wins and brings the bands back! Poor Matt, trying to decide who to support...he needs to tell Val that he's in PG's campaign and get that out of the way.

Yeah, I'm kind of disappointed too...but that's the direction FicMatt wanted me to go...so...I wasn't going to argue with him. Lol.

Thank you

I think Val knows though, right? Or at least suspects.

I'm with you guys, glad he didn't release the vid, but I do want PG to hurry up and kick off his campaign so everyone can find out!

It's been a while since I've updated, I've got like a quarter of the next chapter written. Just haven't had much motivation to write, lately. But don't worry, I haven't forgotten about it. Just been writing some shorter things.

FINALLY! I really like this chapter. Of course I know it's probably not perfect but it's the best I can get it without being too anal over it lol. Progress...

Please let me know if I made any mistakes in grammar or wording, I finished writing this when my brain may not have been entirely awake...

Enjoy. And, yes I know I last updated in 2011..so...yes this is my first update for 2012.

25
Put down like a dog

Monday morning; Valary woke to the sounds of metal clinking against metal, leather sliding against leather. Matthew was getting dressed his attempts at keeping quiet not working as well as he’d hoped.

“Hun…what time is it?” Val asked sleepily.

Matt paused as he was about to pull his boots on. “Four…go back to sleep.”

“Why’re you up so early…?” she groaned as she wrapped her arms around her pillow. He just smiled as he reached over to place a hand on her shoulder. Then he stood and made for the door, his solid footsteps clear due to the tread of his boots.

Val frowned and sat up. “Matt?”

He stopped in the doorway and looked back at her. Watched as she ran a hand through her hair; wisps of it stood out from her head, the way it did every morning when she woke. Then she bunched the sheets around her waist as she glared at her husband.

“Why so early?”

Matthew sighed and said, “Have to get back to the barracks. See what’s what.” He leaned his forehead against the doorframe for a moment and shook it slightly. “Have to…keep up appearances.”

“How do you mean?” Val asked slowly, concern evident in her voice. Matt blinked at her as if he just realised what he’d said.

“What? Oh…uh…nothing important.” He flashed a smile at her. “Go back to sleep. I’ll see you...later.”

Val frowned more, brow furrowed, but eventually she nodded her head at him. It was too early for her to even try to think properly let alone question her husband on anything.

Matt sent one final smile her way, before he turned to leave the room the door clicking shut behind him.

* * * * * *

Standing in the main entrance of the barracks, Matthew took a moment to focus and steel his mind. A whole week away and then having the bombshell that was his demotion dropped on him had unsettled him to the extent that his normal ability to switch on had all but gone.

“Shads? Shads!”

He had to blink and drag his mind back to the present. Dan was in front of him, arms crossed and an expression akin to anxiety on his face.

Matt cleared his throat swallowing hard, several times. “Uh...hey.” For once he had nothing to say.

He didn't really want to speak to anyone, just wanted to get in there and do whatever duty called him to do. Not that he knew what that would be. He was completely in the dark, but he guessed he’d find out soon enough, or perhaps the man standing before him would enlighten him.

Dan grimaced, “I got sent to meet you. You need to move your gear from your old locker to the one next to mine.”

Matthew sighed as he ran the palm of his hand over his skull. Then he removed his Aviator's and hooked them at his neck.

“And so, it begins,” he mumbled as he strode passed the smaller male toward the locker area.

Dan made a non-committal grunt and followed Matt down the corridor. A couple of cadets walked by them; they paused in their conversation and averted their eyes as they did so. Matt's brow furrowed but he said nothing until they'd turned the corner.

“Dan?”

“Uhuh?” Dan leaned against the wall as Matt came to a halt in front of his locker.

“What've they been told?” he asked in a low voice while he opened the door and gazed in at the items inside.

Dan shook his head as he answered, “Not much. Just that you…well the General was kinda vague.” He frowned. “And JB wasn’t saying much either.”

Matthew gathered the few items that were in his locker, a razor; several packs of gum; a Mag light; a couple of spare belts; a towel and a second pair of boots. Then he slammed the door shut making sure it was locked before heading back down the corridor.

“So,” he said as Dan followed, “Basically they know nothing?”

“Yeah, guess so.”

Dan watched the bigger man as he got to the other row of lockers and with a calmness that obviously belied his true emotions proceeded to shove his gear inside the locker now assigned to him. Then he turned to face the stocky man.

“What now?”

Dan shook his head. “Gym. I’ll spot for you.”

Matthew grinned, but then the smile faded from his face as the one person he really hadn’t wanted to bump into approached them down the hallway.

“Shadows,” Jason’s voice was low, tight. “You finally decided to show.”

Dan stepped back as the two men faced each other. The tension in the room increased as they stared each other down.

Matthew replied tersely, “My week’s up. I assume I’m still on duty?”

His nostrils flared slightly; his former 2IC smelt of sweat and some kind of cologne as if he were trying to cover-up his body odour. As if he was nervous. Not surprising really. Since he’d probably replace Matthew as T-One of course he would be experiencing some degree of anxiety facing the man he’d ousted.

Jason scowled, “Pending a final decision from the General, yes. But, you won’t be joining us for any of the usual exercises.” He glanced in Dan’s direction. “Abell’s been given leave to…escort you to your temporary duties.”

Matthew’s eyes narrowed then he said softly, “Thank you, Captain.” There was a pause; then Jason nodded and turned to continue down the corridor. Matt stared after him with hard eyes.

Dan who was still standing back could sense the animosity that the bigger male felt for the other, and knew that he would have to keep an eye on him. He would never forgive himself if Matthew got himself into trouble by getting in a fight with Jason. Though he had a feeling if it came down to it he wouldn’t be able to prevent it from happening.

“Shads?”

Matthew’s head swivelled toward him. “Yeah?”

“Gym.”

“Right.” Matthew turned all the way, grabbed his towel and shut his locker. “Let’s do this.”

* * * * *

“What are these?” Dan held up a couple of old files. Matthew, who was opposite him rifling through an antique filing cabinet, lifted his gaze and squinted.

“What?”

“These?” Dan repeated. The two men were in the Creed’s Archival Library sorting out old documents, one of the menial tasks that had been chalked onto Matthew’s list.

Walking into the library, Matthew had felt as if he couldn’t go any lower. The sympathetic look the grey-haired custodian had given him when they entered made him want to poke his own eyes out. Everybody knew he’d lost his position and it killed him on the inside. He hadn’t expected it to burn so much, to hurt so much, but obviously his position had meant everything to him. And he wasn’t handling it as well as he wanted. Of course, he hadn’t imploded, yet. But, he felt he was on his final thread.

The whole day had been a bitch; after he and Dan had worked out, Jason had come searching for them again and shoved a memo into Dan’s hands. Then he’d stomped off leaving the two men to decipher the formal documentation. It had basically stated that until the General had come to a decision as to what Matthew’s position would be he would only be permitted to work on ‘minimal duties’ which meant cleaning up after the men he used to command, checking the barracks, dealing with the garbage removal, all the mundane crap that was normally left to the rookies. And so he did it all.

Dan had been a real trooper, though. An empathic figure, not judging just being there, sorting him out and probably the only reason he hadn’t lashed out at anyone.

Part of him felt that he’d been wronged in the worse way possible; sure he’d been demoted but that should have meant he just slotted in as a normal rank and file soldier not demeaned and put down like a dog. Something was off. But, at the same time, he wasn’t quite ready to cause a scene. He would do everything he needed to do if it meant staying at The Creed for that much longer. After all, it was his first day back after his forced vacation. No point in having another one pushed onto him. Especially since he worried if it ever happened again it would probably be permanent.

“Shads?”

He shook his head dragging his focus to the present and returned his eyes to the files Dan was waving in his face.

“Here, let me look.” He took them from Dan before he accidentally hit him and set them on the desk in front of him. The first thing that stood out was the faded red stamp that read Classified clearly on the front of both files.

He grimaced. “Odd. They don’t usually keep classified files here in the Archives.” Dan leaned over to look as he flipped the first file open careful to not rip the cover.

“Oh, Hell no…” Matthew muttered as he stared at the contents.

“What is it?” Dan asked, noting the surprise in the other male’s voice. Matthew just shook his head and folded the files over shoving them in his bag. Dan opened his mouth but shut it tight when he got glared at.

“I’ll return them.”

Dan just nodded. He was good at keeping quiet. Still it bothered him a little. Classified files weren’t to be messed with and he wondered what his friend wanted with them. Or what it was that had affected him so. Still he wasn’t one to pry or make a big thing about things like that. If Matt wanted to take them, he wasn’t going to mention anything; just pretend he hadn’t seen.

Matthew rolled his shoulders and groaned, “I’m done. For today.” Dan nodded in acknowledgment and waited as Matt shut the cabinets and straightened. “Let’s get outta here.”

Curious, Matt...what the hell did he find? I'm betting it's to do with a friend or something; maybe Johnny's brother. Either way, I want to know what he found and what he's going to do with it.

Glad you're back! Can't wait to see what's in store!

Glad to be back! I missed this site, and I missed getting stuck into SC. I adore this fic and The Aviators, I've just been distracted by Pierre Bouvier...lol.

Haha, yes...I wonder what was in those files, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough

What's in the files?!? *bounces eagerly* Well you always did know how to leave us on a cliffhanger! Hope we find out soon. I'm betting on it being something to do with Johnny.

Ah, tis good to be back here, I've missed this place. I really need my bf to get his new computer so I can steal the old one and be back online properly!

I just wonder, if ti's to do with Johnny, what it will mean for him, you know? He's been through hell; I don't want him to go through hell again!

Hmm, okay, other options to save Johnny from more heartache are that it's something to do with the Mayor, or maybe the whole music ban thing. Something that will really give Shads everything he needs.