Chapter One: Business as Usual

Okay this is a story about Max, Iggy, Nudge, Angel, Fang, Gazzy, Total and Akila after book 4. If you could read it and review it the evil cookies will bless all your stories for the next twenty years. Thanks for clicking even if you don't!

Gem

Disclaimer: James Patterson owns the Maximum Ride characters. (But I own the plot.)

Max's POV

Note to self say no next time Angel wants to keep something. Especially if it's a ten ton dog! Akila wasn't the only problem right now however.

"Max?" Nudge asked.

"Yes?" I asked with the infinite patience all leaders seem to posses.

"I'm hungry." She said. I didn't look back at her. I swear Angel had been giving her bambi-eye lessons.

"Yeah I'm hungry too Max." Gazzy joined in. I sighed.

"Alright hold on you guys were going to stop and refill." I looked down and couldn't see anything promising as you know where flying over a plain in the middle of nowhere.

"Right. Iggy, Fang any ideas?" I asked them looking a little to my left.

"I hear dessert mice are abundant this time of year." Fang suggested innocently, casually glancing Nudge's way. Nudge's mouth dropped open in disgust.

"Ewe!" She squealed. "I am so not eating mice! Because you know mice are like related to rats! And I hate rats…" She spluttered.

I rolled my eyes at Fang who smirked back.

"Nudge we're not going be eating rats." I interrupted her between rants. She blinked at me and nodded confirmation.

"So what are we going to eat?" Total asked from Iggy's shirt.

"Shut up a second and I'll tell you." I ordered harshly. Total stopped and waited. Akila squirmed around in my arms again making me nearly drop her, she didn't like flying for some reason. The flock waited diligently for me to make a decision.

Alright voice any helpful suggestions? I asked it darkly.

Yes, try the wild berries. It said. I frowned and studied the pale thorny bushes below us.

Uh aren't wild berries like poisonous? I pointed out. Wondering why the person who supposedly cared about us so much was trying his best to kill us.

The voice sighed. I'm not trying to kill you Max.

Sure and sending us to the school is like you're idea of a holiday in Hawaii. I replied dryly. The voice didn't reply and I knew that was the end of that conversation.

"Well?" Iggy asked again. I blinked and realized I had been silent for too long.

"Well I know it's not roasted peanuts but those berries are edible." I said promptly. With no other ideas I went with it hopping he really wasn't trying to kill us.

I looked up in time to see Angel give me worried look. Dang it! That kid didn't miss much.

I smiled reassuringly and maneuvered my wings to land next to a bunch of spiky dead looking bushes.

"Alright guys grubs up." I said enthusiastically. God being the leader was so hard some days.

Gazzy studied the berries for a second and turned to Iggy who was half a pace behind him. "I think I would prefer the grubs." He moaned. Then after showing Iggy where the bushes were, swallowed six of them at once.

After a surprisingly non-poisonous lunch we continued heading north.

It was a pretty basic flight, more teasing and tossing dogs from person to person. When the sun stared to sink I decided to look for a place to land.

"Hey Max what about there?" Fang suggested. I looked in the direction he was pointing and nodded.

"Yeah perfect." It was a cave in the side of a hill, It had a bit of a cliff in front of it. As we flew up to it I felt sort of odd.

Alright you I swear if I have another headache I will so kick you're…

That was as far as I got before I landed heavily on the edge of the cliff. I dropped Total over the side. His half grown wings saved him from falling to far down the cliff face before Angel caught him.

"Max are you all right?" Angel asked in concern. I nodded. I got unsteadily to my feet my head still spinning. We backed up a bit to give the others room to land. Total jumped down from Angel's worried grasp as Iggy came next with Akila. He dumped her on the ground making her glossy coat dusty and rumpled. She shook herself off and half ran, half wobbled to the cave entrance. Total joined her giving Iggy death glares the whole way there.

"God that dog weighs a ton." He moaned stretching himself out. I grabbed him to leave enough room for the others. Total growled in a very un-like dog way.

Nudge, Fang and Gazzy landed in a neat row. They all studied me with concern.

"I'm fine." I assured them. Nudge went to open her mouth and I forced smiled.

"Berries Nudge." I pointed next to the entrance where two bushes had produced berries by the mouthful. It was amazing we all had dinner that night.

I was happy when when my head slowly stopped throbbing. 'The Voice' was punishing me for not following his coordinates (aka the flipping school) and this was one of many episodes I had had recently. The others were getting really worried about me and I was starting to wonder about the expiration dates.

We decided to crash early. Angel curled up with Total and Akila who really didn't look like she wanted to go to sleep. Everyone else settled by the banked fire. As I was just getting myself comfortable Akila whined. I opened my eyes and Iggy who was taking the first watch coughed uncomfortably.

"Don't worry Ig I got it." I called quietly across the cave. He sighed in relief and went back to listening to the crickets. Akila bounded out in front of me.

"I'll be back in a minuet." I whispered as I passed. He nodded and sat there doing a very good Fang impersonation.

You might not know this about desserts but there freezing at night. I stood there in the dark shivering, wanting to get back to the cave. Akila took forever as dogs tend to do. My senses were on high alert.

I heard a twig snap and something approached from the cave side. I spun around ready to fight what ever it was.

"Hey Max you out here?" Nudge called uncertainly to the night. I sighed silently in relief.

"Yeah I'm here." I called back. Nudge followed my voice and eventually stumbled her way to a stop beside me. Her wings were wrapped tightly about her. I really wished I had thought of that.

"What you doing out here?" I asked as a way of conversation. Nudge shrugged strangely quiet.

"I couldn't really sleep. You know you get so used to beds and then you have to sleep on cave floors, it always takes me forever to adjust. But you guys are really lucky because you can just go to sleep…" She blinked. I slowly took my hand away from her mouth.

What was I saying about her being strangely quiet?

She took a breath and waited for me to speak.

"Yeah I know Nudge. I'm sorry about it all. It really sucks having to sleep in caves and eating wild berries…" I trailed off. The cold was sinking into my bones and I had just remembered Akila. She wasn't where I had left her.

Nudge frowned when she saw me look this way and that.

"What are you doing Max?" She asked wondering what was wrong.

"Uh Akila's not here anymore." I pointed out glancing about the deserted cliff top.

Nudge shrugged. "She could have gone inside." She suggested looking hopefully back towards the cave.

"Or she could be tied up." A smooth voice whispered from above us.

We looked up. About twelve flying Erasers were silently hovering above us. I froze. Out of the corner of my eye I saw an unmoving white patch under the berry bushes. Akila.

Before I could do more then look, an Eraser hit me over the head with something really heavy and the Eraser that had spoken shoved rough sweet smelling cloth against my face.

Naturally they did the same to Nudge. Not a single sound was made. I doubt Iggy had even heard.