Sadie, or Sadface, as her nickname became in school, wasn't your normal young woman. She studied people's behavior, especially men, although she studied woman as well, and monopolized on her uncanny like intuition. She could read most people like an open book. Sometimes she thought of it as a curse, since it destroyed every relationship she ever had. Knowing too much about a person you are intimate with can sometimes...no most times, be a bad thing.

She lived in a very small basement apartment with a great aunt, since both of her parents had died when she was very young. She would still have fleeting memories once in a while, and would go off in her own little world with an expression of pure sadness, hence the nickname, Sadface. Her great aunt had polio, so it was extremely hard for her to get around without a ton of help. Sadie did her best though, cooking, cleaning, and general care of the small home.

She was at the market, buying some fruit, when she got a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She got these premonitions whenever something bad was happening, or about to happen. She nearly dropped all the fruit she was holding in a mad rush to get home, fearing the worst the whole way. She dropped what was left of the fruit on the road just outside her great aunt's basement apartment, for she could see her favorite afghan half pulled through the screen door that led to the basement.

She let out a shriek as she sped to the doorway, wrenching it open, throwing herself threw it, and pulling her great aunt's lifeless head into her lap. Her head shook side to side as she kept muttering...

No..no...no....No....NOO.......NOOOOOOOOOO! HOW DARE YOU TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME TOO!??

She sat there sobbing for what seemed like hours, although it was only minutes. A few people passing by had stopped to stare. At this point she was furious, at god, at everyone...

Some men came finally to take the body away. Sadie had not left that spot. She had since run out of tears though. All she felt was a black hole in the pit of her stomach. She sat there into the night until finally dosing off.

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About 3 years later...

At the age of 20, Sadie had become quite skilled at a new profession. She was the ultimate con, passing herself off as almost anyone, and taking people for everything they had. She had developed the skills that she knew she had, so that she would be able to take care of herself. So far, it was working out quite well.

Her latest mark happened to be staying at a large Hotel in Bella Vista, Philly. She had been watching a high profile woman enter with two bodyguards while more stayed with her car. Obviously this lady had some powerful friends, or was related to royalty, or something. Sadie was intrigued, since this was one of the only women she was not easily able to read.

This was the third day in a row that Sadie had tailed this woman and her bodyguards into the Hotel, watching from a crack in the stairwell door as they entered one of the presidential suites. This time she decided she would venture closer, to see if she could hear anything through the door. As she approached, she noticed two more gentlemen dressed in black towards the other end of the hall, with their sides facing her, speaking in low tones.

Curious, she made her way back into the stairwell, following it around and up the other side, closer to where the other two men were conversing. She could make out pieces of what they were saying, and it seemed to be about the lady she had been following. She understood now, quite clearly these men were detectives, and were planning a sting operation on the lady. This made her think abut her plan. Maybe she could spin this in her favor.

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About two hours later...

Bianca had positioned her bodyguards at the doorway and had retired to a luxurious bubble bath to relax the stressful day away. She had poured herself some wine, and was preparing to light a cigarette, when a short breeze blew out the match. She looked towards the window to see a slender young woman standing there, slowly shutting the window behind her. Bianca's first instinct was to go for her gun, but it was just out of reach. Kicking herself for being so careless, she decided to find out what this girl wanted, or planned to do.

Before she could open her mouth to speak, the little vixen had retrieved Bianca's gun, since it was closer to the window where she had entered, and had it now leveled at Bianca's head. Bianca knew she had to be very careful, and disarm this situation quickly. She couldn't afford to lose everything she had worked so hard for, to some lowlife catburgler.

Neither one talked for a second, but Bianca being older, and having mastered the art of steadying her nerves in situations just like this, decided to throw caution to the wind, and drink her wine, and smoke her cigarette. She turned her attention away from the young woman, going right back to her pampering, as if she was not even there.

Hey! I have....some information.....you might be interested in.......for a price.

Bianca relaxed. This girl had never done anything like this before. She doubted the girl had ever even held a gun. She took a long draw from the cigarette, then turned toward her as the smoke curled gently from the sides of her mouth. She held the glass of wine towards the girl.

Want a drink? There are more glasses right over there. (pointing behind her)

Sadie was not used to this at all, and at this point just wanted to get the whole thing over with.

N...no. I'm fine. Listen...

Sadie placed the gun on the sideboard where she had picked it up, happy to have the thing out of her hands, although for a brief moment, it had made her feel powerful, in charge. Right now though, she wanted to cut to the chase.

There are some detectives down the hall from you, planning a sting. I'm sorry I startled you, this way. I just got scared at the last minute.

Bianca slowly stood up, suds and bubbles barely covering her tight curves.

Pass me that robe beside you, and lets go into the other room and talk abut this. Its okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I might just have use for someone of your obvious talents.

Sadie was about to find out how to best use her gifts, and be introduced to this thing of ours. (to be continued...maybe)

Sadie had taken to this thing like a fish to water. So far, her reception to Monsters Inc. had been warm and accepting, with only the occasional person curious about who her parents were, and where she had come from. She wanted to work her way up, with no prejudice one way or another because of her lineage.

In most areas she was an extremely fast learner, eager to please, and very competitive. She looked up to Bianca, and wanted to please and impress her. Her sponsor in Monsters Inc., Sofeleye, had been very sweet, noticing her potential almost immediately. He had never once tried to hold her back, and was the first to give praise, of which Sadie was grateful. She would do her best to make them proud.

Sadie had quickly expanded her drug running business, using the money she made to reinvest in more trucks, scouts, and drivers, acquiring a couple store fronts to launder the money, and paying off the local LEO's as needed. At the moment, everything seemed to be running without a hitch, but Sadie was starting to get one of her premonitions, and we all know what that means.

4:30 AM Saturday, August 24th...Sadie received word that one of her trucks that was on a delivery run to Chicago had never reached it's destination. Having just barely settled into bed herself, she quickly ran to the washroom, splashed some water on her face, and proceeded to drink last night's cold coffee straight from the pot. She would have to catch up on sleep another time. This had to be handled now.

She didn't have to wake Bianca, since she was still at her desk, pouring through piles of paperwork. She had such an admiration for this woman, who's tireless commitment to this Crew and family was unprecedented. She knocked lightly on the open door, to which Bianca wearily responded to with a beckoning from her hand, only taking her eyes off the pile of papers strewn across her desk for a moment.

You're up late, Sadie. Everything okay?

First of all....you're a good one to talk. (Sadie flashed Bianca a warm smile) You have been burning the candle at both ends since I met you.

Yeah, I know, but there is so much I need to keep on top of right now. I can sleep when I'm dead. So what's up? You look troubled.

(Sadie looked a bit more serious and explained the situation as quickly as she could) So, you see, I really need to get out there and see what happened to that truck. Do you mind if I borrow a car from the garage?

Actually, there is one all gassed up in the back right now. I was supposed to go out last night but got caught up in all this paperwork and never got around to it. (Bianca threw a set of keys she had stashed in the top drawer of her desk.) You be careful. Want an escort?

(Sadie caught the keys deftly) No thanks, Boss. I'll be fine. Just tired is all. I'll stop for coffee on the way. I should head out now. I'll keep you updated.

Sadie checked her snub nose .38 was tucked discretely in a holster under her short skirt, then hurried to the parked sedan. It started easily, and she pulled out and began her journey to find the missing truck.

About 1 hour later...

Sadie had been driving for about an hour, trying to keep her eyes open. They say that it is darkest before the dawn, and it sure seemed so, as the darkness seemed to cover the sedan like a blanket. She was mesmerised by the lines in the middle of the road, and caught herself more than once almost dosing off and crossing into the middle. She was glad there was not much traffic to speak of.

She realized she would soon have to stop for some coffee and maybe a bite to eat to keep her energy up, but she was trying to make good time, and every time she saw a place to stop, kept the pedal pressed and said to herself, "Okay, maybe the next one." After several minutes had passed, Sadie could feel herself drifting, her eyes were closed, and she realized she had dosed off once more. Her eyes opened to see lights shining directly at her. She had passed the middle line and was now barreling down the wrong side of the road at another vehicle.

Sadie quickly spun the wheel sharply to the right, barely missing the oncoming car, skidding to a halt on the opposite shoulder. Her heart was in her throat, but at least now the adrenaline was keeping her awake. She decided the next stop would be mandatory. She really didn't want to have an accident out here in the middle of nowhere.

About 3 more minutes passed before she came across a truck stop with a convenience store. She didn't even turn off the engine, just hurried inside to grab a large cup of coffee so she could get back on the road quickly. This was unlike her though, she was usually very careful about things like this. After she had poured the coffee and covered it tightly, she almost ran over to the counter, barely noticing she was limping, favoring her right leg. It wasn't until then that she noticed everyone in the room was looking at her.

Are you okay Ma'am? (the cashier looked concerned)

Sadie then saw her reflection in the store window. Her hair was a mess, and she had blood trickling from a wound above her left eye. She quickly looked down to see that her left leg looked out of place, like the knee had been popped from it's socket. A dreadful feeling swept over her, and that is when she awoke...

Sadie awoke with a start, quickly realizing that she had never left the car. Her subconscious had somehow taken over making her think she had come to a stop safely on the shoulder of the road, when in fact, the car had careened over a steep embankment, and had come to a jarring stop against a very large tree about 500 meters off the road.

She did indeed have blood oozing from a wound over her left eye, and after a quick check, her left leg seemed to be pinned against the crushed in dashboard. As soon as she had tried to move it she screamed out in agony, as millions of nerves all shot signals to her head in unison. She checked her vitals and everything else seemed fine, but what a predicament she now found herself in. She wondered if this was what she had the premonition about.

The light was starting to disperse the darkness, and she strained her neck to look behind her, hopeful that someone had seen her go off the road. Sadly, there was no sign of anyone. She checked for her snub nose .38 and it was still strapped to her right leg. This wasn't a situation she had ever thought about, or prepared for. She was in a strange place, in a strange car, with no way of contacting anyone. She would have to find a way to unpin herself and get out on her own, or survive long enough for help to arrive.

A few hours later that morning...

It had been hours since Sadie had eaten, and all she had consumed in liquid form was the cold coffee before she had left on this trip. Her stomach was starting to grumble, as food from the day before was being digested and used. She had been going in and out of consciousness, and had gotten some fitful sleep, so she decided to look around for any consumable items.

She had only brought a small lady's wallet with her, holding bare essentials, and her skirt lacking pockets of any kind, was not full of candy or food of any kind. Looking around the almost spotless car, she did discover half of a wrapped piece of gum in the cushion of the passenger side seat, and a couple pieces of stale popcorn on her side, most likely from the last time this car had been to a drive-in movie.

Sadie was not feeling very optimistic at this point, but she had to stay calm, and weigh her options. For now, the gum would have to do, to at least keep her mouth from getting dry and chapped from lack of water. She could hear very few vehicles passing on the road above, but screamed s few times hoping to catch someones attention. She stopped after a few minutes to conserve energy. She had to live...this couldn't end this way.

Mid afternoon...

Sadie was still in and out of consciousness, but not restful sleep in the least. Her stomach had gone from grumbling to a dull ache, with nothing left inside to digest. The half piece of chewing gum had disintegrated in her mouth, losing flavor and elasticity, which she forced herself to swallow so as not to lose the precious saliva she would most definitely lose if she attempted to spit it out.

The car was becoming hotter in the midday sun, and she could feel beads of sweat dripping from her aching body. The only good thing about her having no food or water in her system, was the fact there was nothing to come out. That would just be too embarrassing for her to be found in that state. She attempted moving her left leg again, but had the exact same response, tears flowing from her eyes as pain once again shot through her lower body.

Her hair was soaked, and clung to her head. The atmosphere of the car was becoming suffocating even though the window was open. There was barely a breeze outside. She clung to the idea that someone would find her...that was all she could do...

Darkness falls once more...

The sweltering heat of the day finally subsided, for a brief rapturous few minutes as the sun went down, but that relief was soon replaced. Her cloths had been soaked with sweat from roasting in the hot sun all day, and as the temperature dropped from the sun going down, Sadie became chilled to the bone. She shook nearly uncontrollably, which was torture in itself, as her crushed leg was not immune to this involuntary movement.

The ache in her stomach had been replaced by a gnawing hunger, after which a few hours of that and she was ready to attempt the stale popcorn, quickly discarding the idea once she realized she could not even create the saliva needed to make it anything but a rubbery dry lump that would most likely stick in her throat and choke her to death anyway.

Not quite sure if she would make it till morning, she sat shivering, in excruciating pain, while haunted by all the pretty cricket and frog sounds usually associated with a beautiful night. This was not beautiful...not even close...

Back at Headquarters...

Bianca had finally caught up on her paperwork, and decided to have a nice little dinner with a few of the other Crew members. After some laughter and fun, the topic at the table became more serious as they discussed family business and got updates on the war for Old City District. At this point it was all but done, which was why everyone was in a semi-celebratory mood.

Bianca suddenly raised her hand and the table grew silent.

Has anyone heard from Sadie? She left like two days ago to search for her missing truck and driver. (Bianca looked worried)

(Sofeleye also had a concerned look) I was going to ask the same thing. Her driver showed up finally in Chicago. Said he had a flat or something. No sign of her though.

That was all Bianca needed to hear. She quickly arranged a search party to head in the direction Sadie had taken, with strict instructions to drive slowly and watch for accidents and the like. She accompanied them as well, feeling invested in Sadie, and worried for her well-being. 

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The first truck in the convoy noticed the skid marks on the shoulder where Sadie had taken her cross-country tour, and within minutes they were running towards the mangled car, with Bianca in the lead by a full body length. Bianca was not prepared for the sight when she reached the vehicle, as Sadie in her disheveled state sat in the drivers seat with her .38 pressed to her left temple.

A shriek left Bianca's lips as she lunged for the gun, tearing it from Sadie's weak hand and falling to her knees beside the car, tears forming in her eyes. She regained her composure before throwing the gun to the side, and opening the car door.

You are safe now...its all over...(she brushed the matted hair from Sadie's beautiful face, noticing at once a look of disbelief, as if she thought she was dreaming)

Lets get you home. you poor thing.

Sadie couldn't make the tears to cry, but the enormous lump in her dry throat, and the pain in her chest was evident in her expression. Bianca looked like the sweetest angel to her right now, and as her deceased family had just raced through her head moments ago, she now realized she had a new one, in Philly.

It took a while to tear the dashboard away from her leg without risk of damage, but once she was free, Bianca had Sofeleye carry Sadie's weak form to her waiting car and quickly sped back to the Headquarters to tend to her wounds, and get some much needed nourishment into her frail body.

Sadie was ordered to stay in bed for the next couple days, although she kept good track of her business dealings through proxy.

Sadie had slipped out for a while with Bianca's bodyguard to a local diner not that far away. She wasn't sure if anyone besides Alan had seen her, but she slipped back into bed and hoped for the best. She hadn't had any visitors yet, so she had gotten awful lonely. It was a nice change to go over there for some real interaction and company, even though it was for a short time.

She instructed Bianca's bodyguard to inform her if she had any visitors, and retired to a bubble bath to relax her recovering leg muscles.

It had just started to sink in. Everything that had happened in the last couple days. The accident. The rescue. How close she came to ending it all. Now looking back, she realized that she still had people that cared for her. Her biological family had died, but now she had a new one, and she would pledge her life to Bianca, and this crew and family that she was becoming so fond of.

She would keep this journal to remember, and to record her adventures, so that her children could read about them, and their children after...

Sadie's injuries were almost healed. She hardly noticed the limp anymore. She was starting to earn well for the family, and had expanded her drug business by two more trucks, with someone riding shotgun for every driver. Other than the minor glitch here and there, the business was running smoothly.

She started running a high stakes poker game twice a week to help acquire a new storefront. It was a tiny bakery not far from where she grew up. Lots of memories from there, some good, some bad. She left the original owners in charge of running the place, and took only a small cut of the earnings. It was always best to never get too greedy, that way the money would be consistent, with much less hassles to deal with.

She wasn't sure whether it was a good idea to expand too fast too soon, but there was a small empty storefront that she had passed several times, and she contemplated finding out the price. It wouldn't hurt to at least do some research. She could already see herself owning a hair salon as one more legit business to keep her record books as clean as possible. She decided she would make a trip down soon to talk to the owner and discuss purchase.

Sadie was extatic! She had bought the building she wanted, and turned it into a beauty salon. It had taken some doing to get everything together, but it had become everything she had dreamed of, and it was all hers. It was all staffed and ready to go and she hurried over for the grand opening of Absolutely Pampered - Unisex Beauty Salon, the newest business in Philly.

Now that she had her business underway, and a couple places to launder money through, Sadie figured it was time to attempt a large heist. Tired of knocking over the same post offices and Liquor Stores, Sadie thought it was time to take down an armored truck. She set some of her best guys on collecting intelligence on every company in town, finding their weaknesses and what protocols they used in case of attack.

She also started looking into the drivers personnel files, looking for a potential target. The bank itself didn't matter that much, since most of them had the armored trucks pick up at a scheduled time or money limit. The intel finally came back with 3 potential weak links. Sadie browsed over them, comparing everything, knowing one of these men would be her way in, her exploit. She would choose one very soon.

After much contemplation, Sadie had picked her victim. A single dad with 3 small girls. She sent 2 of her men to his residence to stay out of sight and take tons of pictures of his house and his children. There was even one with one of the men holding a silenced pistol with one of the girls in view. Luckily the girls had been oblivious the whole time, as Sadie did not want them to be affected by this. It was not personal, just leverage.

After they brought her the pictures she prepared the best ones for a little show and tell. She couldn't foresee any glitches with her plan, as long as every step was followed to the letter. She got the information that he would be entering the ambush area soon, and got two vans in position on either side street. This area was the least populated, and she doubted anyone would even see them if luck was with them.

She sat in her car with it idling in an alley, from which she would pull out behind him when he past to block his exit. Then she waited.

Sadie was just about to call the whole operation off, when she heard the sound of an engine. This could be it! Adrenaline shot through her body, the excitement making the tiny hairs on her neck stand straight up. It was a low rumble now, and she could feel the vibration as it came within her view. Sure enough, it was the armored truck, none the wiser for the ambush that it was about to be subjected to.

Like clockwork, both vans pulled out into the street from both sides, giving no room for the truck to pass, while Sadie pulled into the rear, literally touching the back bumper with her own. She left the car in gear with the handbrake on, then exited the vehicle, gun drawn, with the pictures of the man's daughters in her other hand.

As she neared the driver's side door, she held the top picture out in full view, so that would be the first thing he saw if he looked in her direction. She was hoping he wasn't the type to shoot first, as these men are trained not to give in to manipulation. He was probably preparing to die as she approached, although little did he know in order to "save" his children, he would have to break policy and give up the money and the truck.

She was close enough now to see into the cab on the driver's side, but there was no sign of him. Was he laying on the seat? Ready to fill her full of buckshot should she get within range? She realized she couldn't risk getting any closer without knowing his position, and made a choice to vocally make him give up his position. Surely the threat to his children would be enough. Sadie began to doubt her own conviction, as she was in no way planning to harm the children in any way.

The longer this took, the more chance of getting sighted, or caught. She had to think fast...

If you give us what we want......your beautiful daughters will not be harmed.

Sadie could now hear whispering from inside the truck.

You really do not want to test me right now. Would you like me to kill the youngest or oldest first?

The whispering got more frantic. Sadie yelled toward her empty car.

Alright boys! Kill the youngest!

WAIT! Wait!......wait....

She could hear sobbing inside the truck now. Finally, its going to work for su....BANG! Then a stunned silence...

Alright! He's dead now, and I have no kids! Check...your move.

Sadie could not believe the lengths these guys were willing to go to keep this money safe. Her whole plan had just fallen apart. She hadn't considered this to be a viable option. She had to think, and think quickly, cause now they were running out of time, and someone could have heard that shot.

One thing Sadie was very very good at was reading people. Even though she couldn't see inside the truck she still had her intuition kicking in. The voice had changed pitch, but it was still the same voice. The father had shot his wing man in an attempt to save his kids. Sadie decided to call this bluff.

Fine! I guess you won't care if we kill the other two now then. BOYS!

There was no whispering this time, but Sadie watched as a shotgun was thrown onto the ground in front of her through the gap in the bars on the windows. Then she could here the door being opened.

I'm coming out! Don't hurt my kids!

She left the drivers of the two vans to tie up the father, then explain that his kids hadn't even been touched. The look of relief that came over him followed by the horror that he had killed his partner brought a tear to Sadie's eyes. She couldn't let the other men see her like this.

Load the cash, then bring it back for counting. Make for damn sure you are not followed. As for him, he won't say anything. We have pictures of his children, and we know where he lives. I'm heading back.

Sadie walked back to the still running car, entered the drivers seat, released the emergency brake, and squealed out in reverse till she could safely spin the car forward and drive away. She had to clear her head before returning. She had to be able to do stuff like this without showing emotion.