AN: Just an idea that I originally had quite a while ago. It used to be a crossover between MR and a bunch of other books, but I tweaked a few things and this is the result. I actually am having a lot of fun with this story. This one's probably going to be my priority for a while.

Summary: The girl raised by Itex to be the perfect weapon against the flock has just been set free. Will she go against Itex and join Max, or will she fulfill the "destiny" she was created for?

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. I only own Phoenix, and I'm perfectly happy owning only her.

NOTE: This part takes place at the end of STWAOES, when all the kids who got Fang's message start attacking the Itex buildings. This particular one catches on fire and is burning to the ground.

Phoenix

The girl was their greatest creation, the one that was best planned, the one that was most likely to succeed. She had all the powers that the Flock had, every single one, and was stronger, faster, and smarter. She could fly as fast, if not faster, than any of them, even the one called Maximum. Yet if Dr. Reginald didn't reach her soon, she would be dead, and so would all their plans.

He coughed as the smoke charred his throat, stumbling through the halls. All around, he could hear the panicked shouting as people tried to put out the fire and escape. Far away, he could just barely hear the chanting of the kids and teenagers who had somehow discovered their location, and managed to set it on fire.

Reginald fumbled with his keys, his eyes smarting with the smoke in the air. He managed to throw the door open and sprinted down the hall. Quickly typing a code into the keypad, he waited for the door to hiss open, breathing heavily.

When the door finally opened, he burst in and shouted, "Come with me, now!"

The girl looked up, startled. She pointed out the window, asking, "Why are they burning the building?" with the air of asking about the weather.

"I don't know, but we have to get you out!" the doctor cried, desperate. He held the door open and waved her through, frantic.

The girl had never been allowed to roam the halls freely in her life, ever. She had never left a room without two Erasers next to her, one gripping each arm. She knew she could take them, but she didn't, because she valued her freedom that would no doubt be taken away should she step out of line.

She had always had a thin collar around her neck, not a heavy or uncomfortable one, but it served its purpose. Should she decide to rebel, it would either send her an electrical shock or a sedative, depending on the situation.

But the doctor was taking it off now. He was tapping in a code, and then the collar hissed open wide enough to take it off. She rubbed her neck thoughtfully, not used to it being collar-less.

Now was apparently not the time. The doctor had grabbed her arm and was dragging her through smoke-filled halls, with flames just visible around some corners. She followed willingly enough. She was not an idiot, and she certainly didn't want to be burned alive.

She could smell the fresh air before they even reached the open door. She ran faster than the doctor, wanting just a peek outside before she was shuffled off to some safe room. But the doctor didn't try to pull her away from the door. In fact that seemed to be the way they were going.

Then, they were outside! She had really, truly been outside twice in her life, and both times she was under heavy guard and brought onto a plane to take her to another branch of Itex. But now…now she could escape. All there was to stop her was this weak human, and he didn't stand a chance.

She turned around to face him, balling her fists to knock him out with a well-placed punch. But he wasn't trying to stop her. He was shouting at her to fly away, to get out of here and never come back.

"Go! Go, get out of here! Itex is finished, you don't have to stay anymore!" He cried, waving his arms and pointing at the sky. "Fly away, and don't ever come back! Fly away!"

She could read his thoughts and tell he was sincere. He had heard in one of the many labs and technology centers that this was happening to Itex buildings all over the world, even the main headquarters was under attack. He was right, Itex was finished. She could fly away right now, and nobody would even try to stop her. She was free, for the first time in her life.

Ignoring the burning building behind her, she spread her wings and leaped high into the air, pushing down in a mighty downstroke. Up, down, up, down, and the building was already just a glowing speck on the ground. She turned away and faced the limitless sky, and pushed on to a new life.

As she left her old life of tests and labs behind, she had a sudden thought. I need a name.

She remembered something that the whitecoat who had set her free had thought as she flew away. He had thought that she looked like a phoenix, a mythical bird that when it died, it burst into flames and was reborn from the ashes.

In a way, she had been reborn from the ashes. As her old home, Itex, burned to the ground, she was given a new freedom, and a chance for a new life, from its ashes.

Phoenix, she thought, trying out her new name. She smiled as the wind whipped her hair across her face.

She loved it.

AN: Yes, Phoenix can read minds. If you pay attention, you will notice that it says that she has all the Flock's powers combined into her, along with enhanced speed and strength. Will she be good or bad? Well, you'll have to find that out for yourself, won't you?

Sorry it was kind of short, but this is pretty much the intro, so the next one is definitely going to be longer.

Anyway, Max and the Flock WILL be in this story. Maybe in the next chapter, most likely in the chapter after that.

Can anyone tell be approximately how much time passes in "The Final Warning"? I would really appreciate it, and you would get some virtual brownies from me :D

I really like reviews, so leave one for me, won't you?