Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or the ideas of James Patterson.

This is my 2nd Fanfic… Enjoy!

TitanPOV

Darkness… Darkness overwhelmed me, swallowing me, whole. Was I dead? No. That would be much to easy. I was simply lost, eaten by my own shadows. I was a mere spirit among millions, lost, never to be found. It was torture, a hateful torment, created for me by those who hate me most. The scientists… Whitecoats… Those were monsters of men. They wanted information. Their reason and interest? To scientifically enhance the human body. Why, when the scientific limitations of the human body can almost all be reached by technology and machines? They want more. They want power…

"Titan? Yo, Tye!" sounded a voice, though it seemed distant, nowhere near me. "Tye! Get up, you big lug!" said the same voice, although now it was slightly irritated and somehow… closer. I felt a sharp jab at my side and let out a gasp of surprise.

"Titan, get up." said a softer, more pronounced, older voice, strictly male. I sighed and blinked open my, sleep deprived, eyes. Two boys stood over me. One with curly red hair that just sat on his head in a messy heap. His eyes were dark green, flecks of yellow circling the pupils. He was younger than the other. It was Shawn or the first voice.

The other had dark brown hair, short like mine. His eyes were a sparkling blue, darker flecks resided nearer to the pupils than the other boy's. He was taller, his face had less baby fat than the other's, his cheek bones more pronounced. In general, he had a look about him that told me he was older, even if you don't count him being as tall as me. His name was Lucas, though he preferred Luke, the second voice.

"What is it?" I asked, immediately on the alert. I stared into the rocky hole overhead, out at the sky. Pale pink and blue lights danced across like paint, churning together. I could see the sun rising slowly, closing in on the colors like a predator on it's prey. Slowly, slowly it made it's way to it's home, high above. Then it was done. Orange lights overlapped the pink and blue, creating a beautiful, pastel fuchsia.

"Calm down." said Luke, his face amused. He gave me a thumbs up. "It's just Saturday. Sam thought it would be good to get an early start on the trip." he sighed, sounding slightly depressed. I stared at him for a minute, trying to get my brain in gear to comprehend. I blinked twice and then I understood. The trip we took every Saturday, the worst day of the week.

"Where are we going this time?" I asked, my voice thoughtful. It must be hard on Lucas and Shawn to be moving every week. But things like that come with being on the run.

"Well, I told her if we kept up our regular pattern, they'd be able to figure it out and be waiting for us. So, I suggested we do the opposite and revisit one of the previous place that we had been." he smiled, his eyes full of intelligence. He was the smartest of us. The plotter, the mastermind. The whitecoats had made him that way. The signals that went from his brain to his spine were quicker than the average thirteen-year-old, though none of us are really average.

I nodded, getting up and walking across the flat surface of the cave we had set camp. I nearly tripped twice as I strided away from our camp. I broke into a run toward the entrance when I made out her silhouette.

"Sam." I said quietly, stopping to stand by her. I looked down at her, waiting. She looked up at me, her perched position making it difficult to see her entire face. Dirty blonde hair fell down to her back, curly in all directions. Her eyes were blue-green.

"Jeez." she said, not moving out of her awkward position. "You scared me, Tye." she said, looking away. In front of her was a ledge, flattened by erosion, the end of our cave.

She sighed, averting my attention back to her and away from the ledge. "Another place to leave." she muttered, her face blank. I gazed at her and gave her a curt nod. She shook her head, as if to regret talking to me. "Luke told me we should revisit one of the old places. I haven't decided yet. I was waiting on you." she said, her tank top waving a little in the breeze.

"Somewhere close by." I whispered, staring off. "But still far off to them." I thought aloud, processing the ideas.

"Well, it looks like we're in the middle of Nowhere, Kentucky." she muttered sarcastically. "Where should we go?" she mumbled.

"The beach." I said automatically. She looked at me, her face incredulous. "Luke seemed depressed that we had to leave here. Come on, Sam. They need a break once and awhile." I mumbled, oblivious to her unbelieving stare.

"When did you start to care whether or not we had fun, Tye. News Flash! We're on the run." she said, shaking her head. I thought for a moment and perched down beside her.

"How long have you been keeping watch?" I asked, knowing the answer already.

"All night." she sighed. She knew where this was going. Slowly, she leaned back and sat down.

"Sam, we need a break. Some R&R, you know." I whispered, sitting down as well. "You don't have to be in charge all the time. Swim, get a tan." I laughed without humor.

"So, Georgia beach or Florida?" she asked, standing up a little. I thought for a moment.

"Whichever one you decide." I whispered, standing straight and walking nearer to the ledge. I grinned and swayed over. Falling, falling, falling. I snapped open my wings and let out a laugh of pure bliss.