Max glares from behind a knocked over table at the slavering Erasers as they rampage through the convention center, pushing foldout tables, cardboard displays, and panicking cosplayers out of their way. Their heads spin wildly, ears twitching as they hone in on the hidden experiments.
Really, Max should've expected this. Anytime they try to go out and have fun, bad things happen, like bloodthirsty Erasers, psychopaths with guns, and rampaging fangirls.
"Max," Gazzy hisses, "the normal people are already gone, the only people left are the guards- Wait, no, they're down, too." He winces. "Man, that looked like it hurts."
"Plan of attack?" Iggy grins in anticipation, cracking his knuckles.
"We need to do this fast," Angel pipes up, eyes slightly glazed. "The people outside are calling the cops."
Gazing around the enormous room, Max makes a plan. "We'll go around, using the booths for cover, until we can make it to that emergency exit over there. Move quickly and quietly."
They get only a few meters when the booth beside them is torn away by a large Eraser who slobbers horribly; with a leer, he let's out a triumphant, "Peek a boo, I see you!" The other Erasers spread out behind him, effectively blocking off the emergency exit.
"Lame!" Iggy smirks and crosses his arms. "Now here's a good opening line: Hello. My name is Iggy the Awesome. You ruined our day off; prepare to die!"
"Also, you really outta think about getting that drooling problem," Nudge calls out. "It's so unattractive!"
With a snarl, the head Eraser prepares to attack when an excited squeal breaks the tension.
"Holy shit! Are those werewolves?! Holy shit!" A blond guy is staring at the wolf mutants, his jaw slack as his smaller Asian friend gazes at the scene with concern.
"Alfred, we should retreat and let your men handle this," the Asian man murmurs.
"Everyone was gone a few minutes ago," Fang mumbles in disbelief.
Irritated with the interruption, the head Eraser-Max decides she'll call him Drooly-hurls a metal folding chair at the blond and roars. The chair hits the guy with a crunch and he flies back several feet with a yelp. Max notices that his friend doesn't seem too worried that the blond has just been knocked out, but merely sighs and shakes his head, murmuring something about Americans and their over enthusiasm.
"Angel, I need you to make sure those two guys leave so they don't get hurt. Fang, Nudge, you take the guys on the right, Iggy and Gazzy take the ones at two o'clock. I've got Drooly," Max calls out, baring her teeth in a animalistic grin. "Let's go!"
Max dashes towards Drooly, ducking beneath his wild swings and landing a solid punch in his lower abdomen. She quickly circles around, giving a few jabs at his kidneys. Drooly lets out a howl of rage and gets in a lucky punch on Max's shoulder, and she falls back with a low groan. She's pretty sure it's dislocated, which really sucks. The sound of blows being exchanged and mocking laughter-from the Flock, of course-reassures the girl that her family is doing fairly well, unlike herself.
But just as Drooly hones in with a snarl, a blue and brown and gold blur barrels into his side. Both Max and Drooly are more than a little shocked when the blur reveals itself to be that blond guy, who strikes a heroic pose, one hand on his jeans clad hips and the other pointing into the air.
"Captain America to the rescue! Da dada daaa!" The guy beams and spins to face Max, brown jacket swirling dramatically. Oblivious to the dazed yet rising Eraser behind him, he declares, "I shall rescue you, fair maiden!"
"You idiot!" Max screams, yanking him to the side by the front of his shirt, narrowly saving him from another thrown metal chair. "Why didn't you leave?"
The man pouts, actually freaking pouts, and asks, "What kind of hero would I be if I let these werewolves hurt a kid. Especially a girl!"
"Listen, you sexist pig, we've got this under control," she shouts, dodging a foldout table and nearly knocking over Fang, who helps her to her feet before attacking his opponent. "Totally under control!"
To Max's fury, the man ignores her and calls for his Asian friend to help in the melee.
"Great, idiotic people to protect," she moans, sidestepping more of Drooly's furniture ammunition. She punches the guy on his shoulder to get his attention, irritated when he doesn't even so much as flinch, but just turns to her with dazzling baby blues.
"I'm kind of in the middle of a fight here," he huffs, hefting a metal folding chair of his own and throwing it at Drooly's head with a force that sends him on his back and effectively knocks him out. "Listen, kid, why don't you just sit back and let the hero do his job."
Pushing his freakish strength to the back of her mind, Max snarls, "Why don't you guys take my advice and get the heck out of Dodge, you complete- Oh great, now your friend is going to get crushed. Nudge, cover him!"
Max watches in near despair, knowing that the girl won't be able to get there in time. The roaring beast bears down on the impassive man, who takes a defensive stance.
Quick as a flash, the Asian dodges the outstretched arms and delivers a series of brutal blows on the Eraser's neck. With an almost comical look of surprise on his face, the Eraser drops to the ground, unable to move, while the Asian moves on to help Iggy and Gazzy defeat the cluster of Erasers brawling with them.
Max turns to see that the blond is easily holding his own against another Eraser, not at all winded. Looks like these guys have a few tricks up their sleeves.
"All right then," she mutters, popping her arm back into place with a whine. "Let's get this over with."
In less than half an hour-a record!-the Erasers have been defeated and the Flock plus company has retreated to an alley behind the convention center to check each other for injuries.
"Dude, you were so awesome," Gazzy cheers as the blond man-who they learn is named Alfred-plasters a band aid on the boy's cheek.
"You were pretty righteous yourself, dudes," Alfred responds, high-fiving both Gazzy and Iggy.
"Were you using karate?" Angel asks the Asian man, Kiku.
"No, it was a different type of martial art," he says, flushing as nearly everyone's gaze zeroes in on him and begins barraging him with questions about his "ninja skills."
Fang saunters over to where Max leans against the brick wall of the convention center, nudging her gently with a brief smile. He then gestures to the two men and mutters, "You sure about these guys?"
Max grins. "They seem pretty cool. I mean, the two of them did take out half of the Erasers by themselves. Besides, that Alfred guy seems too naive to be a bad guy."
The blond man glances over at the two of them, and Max detaches herself from the wall and stalks over to him.
"You aren't going to punch me again, are you?" he exclaims, taking a step back.
For a minute, she is sorely tempted, but remembers her objective. Haltingly, Max says, "Thank you for your help."
"No need to thank me! That's what heroes are for!" Alfred beams. "Besides, me and Kiku will be the only ones to be able to brag to our friends that we defeated a pack of werewolves!"
Max raises an eyebrow at the loud man, then gives his small friend a look as if to say, "Is this guy for real?"
"Alfred," Kiku murmurs, "I'm afraid Francis has claim to that, as well as a few of his neighbors."
"Really?" Alfred mutters. "Damn."
Before they can harass the two men for answers-other people had fought Erasers and lived to tell the tale?-the emergency exit door creaks open, and a man in a black suit pokes his head out into the alley. Catching sight of the cluster of bruised people, he shakes his head and sighs, "Really, Mr. Jones? And you had to drag Mr. Honda and a bunch of kids into it, too?"
Sheepishly, Alfred grins and rubs the back of head. "Hey, Dave! How's the family?"
The man ducks back behind the door and yells, "I found him!"
"Sooo," the blond man drawls, "yeah, you guys should probably go now."
The Flock had already begun taking off their windbreakers when the door closed, and Max smirks as looks of shock cross both men's faces.
"What are you guys?" Alfred's eyes sparkle, and his voice is filled with awe.
Max laughs as the others take off one by one. "Just your average Avian Americans." With a grin and a cocky salute and she jumps into the air, she shouts, "Nice meeting ya, Mr. Jones."
"Right back at ya, Miss Ride," Alfred yells from the ground, returning the gesture.
"Hey, Max!" Nudge flies in closer to the older girl, a troubled expression on face.
"What's the matter?"
"Well, he knew your last name," Nudge says slowly, "and I don't remember anyone saying your last name."
Frowning, Fang glances over to Max. "Should we go back and keep an eye on him?"
"Ah, no, he was cool!" Iggy protests along with Gazzy.
"It's okay," Angel shouts down. "I talked with him earlier, in his mind. It's kind of his job to know people like us."
"What do you mean people like us, sweetie?" Max asks, doing her best not to do a 180 and go clobber some answers out of the enthusiastic blond.
"Oh, you know." Angel shrugs. "Americans." With a giggle, she spirals away, leaving the others with questions she refuses to answer.
America bounds into the conference room, looking for a certain blond in his customary sage green blazer. "England," he cheers, latching onto the man. "Guess what me and Kiku did yesterday!"
England shoves the taller man off of him, fussing over his now wrinkled blazer. "How many times to I have to tell you, you daft fool," he fusses, "never 'me and Kiku!' It is 'Kiku and I,' and I know I taught you better. I swear, you've gotten thicker over the years!"
"Blah blah blah," America says cheerily, watching with amusement as the shorter man's face reddens with barely suppressed fury. "I've got news! Yesterday, Kiku and me were at a convention, and we defeated a pack of ferocious werewolves!"
England gives him a confused look. "America, this is Nevada. Lupines live farther up north. Are you feeling quite all right?"
"Yes!" The taller blond exclaims. "I'm telling you, a whole pack of them! They were huge and humanoid and drooled a lot!"
"America, lupines aren't humanoid," England frowns. "Have you been eating things offered by strangers again, because the last time-"
"Oh, what are we talking about? Moi, perhaps?" France creeps up behind the two, narrowly avoiding being clocked by an enraged Englishman.
"I wrestled with werewolves yesterday—"
"Yes, well, who hasn't fought one or two of the beasts?" France cuts him off dismissively. "Now, I can think of many more interesting things to discuss, things that would be better talked over in a secluded room, oui?"
"Shove off, frog," England sneers.
"You were not included in the offer, rosbif," France shoots back.
As the two begin to bicker and head towards their seats, completely forgetting the now sullen American, Germany calls for order. The clamor begins to die down as everyone moves to their places, everyone glancing towards an unmoving, oblivious America.
"I'll show you guys," he shouts suddenly, eyes wild. "I'll make you guys eat your words!"
He dashes out of the conference room, heedless of the other's protests to sit down and shut that gaping hole he calls a mouth.
"Alright," Germany sighs. "With America's absence, we will go straight to Mexico's presentation, followed by the Netherlands and Switzerland. Everyone, please quiet down and show some respect . . ."
My first fandom and my newest fandom. . . Oh, sweet memories!
Thank you for reading and please review!