Welcome to Operation Flock!
So this story takes place in an AU where the events of everything from Angel to Maximum Ride Forever never happened. Dylan is gone from the flock. He works for Guenther Hagen and is a past memory to the flock. Maya never died, nor did Ari.
This AU is three years after Fang, but in this story, Fang returned to his original flock and left his second flock under the leadership of Maya.
As a catch up on ages, Fang, Max, Iggy, and Ella are all 18. Nudge is 15, Gazzy's 12, and Angel is 10.
This story is mostly Ella/Iggy centered, but there will be minimal Fax throughout.
As you read in the description, the flock has all been captured and sold to different countries for military use. Ella is the only member left standing who can hope to save them all, with some help from some unexpected people along the way.
Read on, and tell me what you think!
Ella
"If you even think about taking one, I will kill you," Iggy warned as Ella reached for a cookie from the cookie sheet he had just set on the cooling rack.
"How'd you know it was me?"
"Because I'm just that amazing," he grinned, closing the oven door. "Besides, they're boiling lava hot. Have fun eating one."
Ella rolled her eyes. "I'm rolling my eyes, Ig."
"I'm sure you are," he leaned in and kissed her on the forehead, grabbing her wrist as she reached again for one.
"Oh my God, that's so not fair," Ella groaned. "You have to let me have at least one before Max eats them all."
"I resent that," Max said, walking into the kitchen. "But to be honest, Ig, your cookies will never top my mom's."
"This is her recipe."
Max shook her head and snagged one. She bit into it and chewed thoughtfully. "A hint of vanilla… a bit heavy on the brown sugar… good chocolate to cookie ratio…" she shook her head. "Mom's are still better."
"Fine, then you don't get any more of them."
"Hey, hey, let's not be hasty," Max took another bite. "They're not the worst cookies I've tasted. These are half decent."
"Oh my God, get out," Iggy groaned, and Max laughed as she complied.
"Okay, if she got to steal one, then I get one." Ella reached again, but Iggy caught her hand.
"It'll cost you."
"Cost me what?"
Iggy leaned in, blind eyes searching her face. "One kiss."
"A kiss for a boiling lava hot cookie that's not as good as my mom's? You drive a hard bargain." Ella pecked him on the cheek. "Deal."
"Hey-" Iggy protested, but Ella had already grabbed two cookies and backed out of the kitchen.
"That was a total cop-out!" Iggy complained.
Ella only laughed.
"Are these cookies I smell?" Nudge asked, popping her head in.
"No! Get away, you vultures!" Iggy flapped his arms in Nudge's direction.
"Nudge, he wouldn't even give me one." Ella complained.
"I did not save the word just so you two could steal cookies," Iggy called as he began cleaning up. "I didn't almost die a bajillion times for this."
"You saved the world?" Max poked her head back in. "Excuse you. I think you meant I saved the world."
"It was a team effort, and you know it."
Max rolled her eyes. "My apologies," she said dryly.
"If the world is so safe, then why are we still hiding in the middle of nowhere?" Nudge whined. "It's been three years, Max. Three. I should be in high school, living the stereotypical teenage life."
"Yes, because school worked out so well in the past," Max muttered. "We're gonna stay in Nebraska a few more months until it's safe."
They'd been in Nebraska for about six months, at the newest in a long line of safe houses. For three years, they'd hopped around, shutting down the last of the Schools and making sure all the branches of ITEX had been destroyed.
Valencia Martinez and Ella had been forced to move around with the flock, as Jeb had urged them to so they could remain safe and out of harm's way. As a result, the whole flock had been crammed into one house, along with Ella and her mom.
Ella didn't mind; growing up with just her mom meant she'd always longed for a large family, and now she had a half-sister and two extra 'sisters', plus two 'brothers'. (She didn't count Iggy as her brother. That would just be weird.)
That didn't mean she liked Nebraska.
There were no hills in sight. Everything was a plateau, a vague shade of dry brown that stretched on for miles in every direction.
The only change in scenery was the small, copse of shriveled tree trunks at the edge of the 'yard'. The rest was empty grassland that stretched as far as the eye could see. The flock liked the open space with plenty of sky to fly in, but Ella agreed with Nudge. They were in the middle of nowhere.
"When will it be safe?" Nudge challenged. "You said that about the last house, too."
Fang wandered in, but when he saw both girls glaring, he began backing away.
"Fang, tell her we'll move when it's safe, and only then," Max commanded.
He winced and sighed, walking forwards to drape an arm around her and press a kiss to her forehead.
"Max knows all, Nudge. Didn't you learn that?" He quipped, walking into the kitchen. "Ig, give me a cookie."
"No way!" Ig block Fang on his way to the stove.
They squared off, and Fang dodged to the left, then the right, grabbing a cookie at the last second and backing away, tossing one to Nudge.
"Hey!" Max cried.
"You got yours already," Iggy grumped, swinging an arm out and barely clipping Fang in the head. "Get out, you thieves."
"Why the security?" Ella asked. "You know they're gonna be gone one way or another."
"Maybe I want to actually eat them, instead of being left with none like last time." Iggy directed a glare towards the doorway, and Nudge slunk away. Max and Fang weren't as apologetic.
"You snooze, you lose," Max shrugged. Fang said nothing, which wasn't unusual for Fang at all.
Iggy sighed. "El, where are the Tupperware?"
"Cabinet on the far left, second shelf."
Iggy managed to produce the container and lid, and threw half the batch inside, sealing it shut. "See this? This is mine, guys. Mine. If you even think about eating from it, I will kill you."
Max snorted. "Like you haven't made that threat before." She grabbed another few cookies from the cooling rack and hip checked Fang as she walked by. "Let's go for a flight."
Iggy gave her a huge, snarky grin. "Really? I'd love to! Thanks for inviting me along, guys!"
Max groaned and Fang shook his head, making his way to the back door. "She wasn't talking to you, genius."
"No shit. Like I'd want to come listen to you two suck face for two hours. Have fun." Iggy wiggled his eyebrows. "But not too much fun, if you get what I mean."
"You are such a twelve year old." Max lightly whapped him on the back of the head, and then she and Fang were running into the backyard and taking off.
"Are they gone?" Iggy asked.
"Yeah," Ella watched as their silhouettes got smaller and smaller on the horizon.
I wish I could fly.
"Thank God. I was beginning to wonder if I'd have to break out the wooden spoon," Iggy reached for her, and she leaned into his side.
"How accurate are you with that thing?"
Iggy shrugged. "I'm getting better. I think."
Ella laughed and Iggy gave her a squeeze.
"Now that you've got your stash, can I actually have a cookie now?"
"You took one already!" Iggy dug his fingers into her side and laughed as Ella squirmed. "Without paying, I might add."
"You said a kiss. You didn't say where." She tried to duck from underneath his arm, but Iggy wrapped his other arm around her, holding her tight. "Iggy!"
"Nuh uh. No way. Not until I get my kiss."
She sighed. "Can I have another cookie then?"
"That'll cost you two kisses."
"Forget pyromaniac, maybe you should be a businessman or lawyer," Ella tried to jab her elbow into his ribs, but Iggy just squeezed her tighter. "Damn you! Ugh! Fine!"
"No cop-outs this time," Iggy warned.
"None," Ella promised.
Iggy loosed his hold on her waist, and she turned to wrap her arms around his neck and leaned in.
Iggy kissed her softly, and Ella's eyes drifted shut.
I wonder if this is what flying feels like.
"That's one," Iggy whispered against her lips.
"One and a half," she argued, just to be a pain.
"Ella-"
"Okay, okay, fine! One!" She kissed him again, and felt his fingers tangle in her hair, pulling her closer. One hand cupped her face, his thumb gently sweeping over her cheekbone.
"EW! MY EYES!"
They sprang apart to find Gazzy standing there, hands clapped to his face.
"Oh, grow up," Iggy groaned. "Seriously, man? Right in the middle of the moment? Way to kill the mood."
"I don't even want to know what kind of mood I killed. I came into the kitchen for a sandwich, but instead I got my eyeballs soiled by you two. You're almost worse than Max and Fang. God."
"No way are we that bad," Ella said, pulling away after reaching up and kissing Iggy on the cheek again. "You live in a house with four eighteen year olds, Gaz. Deal with it."
"I refuse. And now I feel doubly bad for Angel because she has to read your minds too." Gazzy backed out. "Forget the sandwich. I'm going back upstairs."
Ella rolled her eyes and leaned on the counter beside Iggy as he began prepping for dinner. "So, when are you guys leaving for Chicago?"
"Tomorrow. Jeb promised us it'd be the last show we'd have to do."
"Then what?"
Iggy shrugged. "Whatever we want, I guess. If it's safe, we might even be able to go to school." He grimaced. "Although, starting high school at age eighteen sounds horrible."
Ella had been keeping up via online classes, as had Max, Fang, and Nudge. Gazzy had had no interest in academics, but Angel was quickly advancing to the older kids' level of classes. To Iggy, it seemed like too much work to learn braille and then apply that to a class on a computer.
"It was horrible as a fourteen year old too," she agreed. "Maybe you should go to culinary school."
Iggy snorted. "Yeah, right."
"I'm serious. You're amazing. You could even wow Gordon Ramsey with your skills."
Iggy stuck his tongue out in her direction. "Now you're just being mean. He'd eat me for breakfast. Literally."
"Rolling my eyes, Ig."
"You're totally smiling."
By the time Iggy had finished making dinner, Max and Fang returned, both windblown, cheeks pink, although Ella suspected it had been more than just the wind that put the color in their cheeks and the tangles in their hair.
"And they're back!" Iggy crowed. "Just in time for my masterpiece."
"You say that about every dinner," Max scoffed, pulling a chair out from the table and sitting down. "But you're always right. I'm starved."
"Have fun on your flight?" Iggy wiggled his eyebrows.
Max glared and looked over to see a self-satisfied look on Fang's face. "I have half a mind to smack that smile right off your face," she hissed.
Fang snorted. "It's not like you were complaining an hour ago."
"Oh God, okay, we are not having this conversation in front of my sister and Iggy."
"Why? If anything, we understa-OW!" Iggy rubbed his arm where Ella had whacked him. "What the hell, El?"
"Moving on," Ella and Max said in unison. Ella walked into the living room and called the rest of the kids into the kitchen for dinner.
"Is mom coming?" Max asked.
"She's working late at the clinic. Apparently some guy came in with raccoon bites all along his face and half of his ear was missing."
"They have hospitals for that," Nudge looked disgusted. "Why does your mom have to deal with that?"
"She is the hospital, remember?" Ella shook her head. "And the pharmacy, and the vet, and the butcher."
"Oh my God!" Nudge cried. "That's disgusting. And sad."
"Remind me to never eat any meat Dr. M brings home," Fang whispered to Gazzy.
"Don't worry, guys, we'll be in actual civilization this time tomorrow." Max declared. "Everyone packed?"
Everyone nodded, except Ella. "Bring me back a souvenir. A picture of an actual cityscape, maybe. I'm seriously sick of staring at fields all day."
"Will do," Iggy said, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. "But I don't think it's that bad. It all looks the same to me." He cackled and high fived Gazzy.
"It's the last CSM show," Max continued. "How bad could it be?"
What do you guys think of chapter 1? Too short? How could I change the tone/voice to fit Ella better? Is it too cheesy or does it actually sound legit? Are any characters OOC? Any other suggestions/additions/changes I need to make?
Thanks for reading, guys! I'm just trying to figure out how to do my best with the story. I have some pretty cool things planned for it, though, so we'll see what happens.
Continuation and updates may be spotty; I'm trying to challenge myself to update like once a week but, we'll see. Writer's block and loss of motivation are killers.