My Sacrifice: I'm Sorry, I Had To

A Maximum Ride One-Shot (Warning: Story contains character death, do not read if you can't handle sad and angst ridden fics).

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, nor do I own anything to do with them except the plot of the story their in.

Please enjoy the story!

We, meaning me and my flock, were in the middle of battling erasers, or rather flyboys, yet again. They continue to come at us in large numbers as we fight them blow for blow. We've only been fighting them for about ten minutes now, but the fight appears to be in our favor and should be ending soon.

Everything is going smoothly, just the same old battle of annoying flyboys with their programmed dialogues and metal bodies. However, it isn't normal. Nothing about this fight stays normal, in just a few moments the fight will turn gruesome. Just keep reading, you'll find out what I mean.

While I was fighting off my flyboy assailant I spotted another group of metal demons flying my way. The flock and I were now vastly outnumbered but we didn't let that get to us. We've fought hundreds of erasers and flyboys in the past and have always managed to survive their attacks.

You see, what did get to us was what the new group of flyboys had with them. Instead of the usual guns, these guys were carrying needles. Their was a crimson red liquid swishing around within the needle that didn't look so good to me.

Now I don't know if you remember this about me and my flock but we hate and I mean HATE needles. So naturally when a group of flyboys come over carrying about six or seven needles with them you can expect me and the flock to cringe in horror. The only blessing was that their weren't more of the flyboys carrying the crap.

When I'd seen the needles I had stopped fighting my flyboy so when I finally did get my head on straight I was cruelly reminded of his presence. While I was still gawking at the sharp pointed liquid containers my attacker punched my jaw, snapping my head back. Before I could properly recover, he was on me once more.

Pain enveloped me as the flyboy kicked me hard in the chest, causing the air in my lungs to flee. I was gasping for air when he punched me in the stomach and then in the face. I tasted blood when he hit my face and immediately put a hand to my lip, realizing he had split it open.

"Max!" Fang screamed at me.

I looked up at him, wondering why he was calling out at me. 'Behind you,' he mouthed while still battling his own attacker. Turning, I realized why Fang had called out, two more flyboys were after me, both carrying the liquid filled needles. Crap.

"What in the world is in there?" I inquired from the flyboy while trying to keep him away from me.

"Poison. We were sent to exterminate you with these syringes. You are wild experiments that need to be destroyed, you have caused enough disorder. There is nothing to worry about, your death will be fairly quick, the poison fast enough but quite painful." Jeez, these guys just droned on with their little robotic voices.

"Oh yeah, that definitely puts me at ease. Thank you so much for making the poison somewhat fast acting."

The flyboy didn't react to my statement, I guess the whitecoats forgot to give them witty comebacks or a reply mechanism.

"There is no way in hell I'm letting you inject me with that stuff." I shouted out to the two flyboys as they continued to advance. They simply ignored my words and continued on their way.

I decided to just give up and stop trying to communicate with them. Instead I started to get in combat mode. As the first flyboy neared me I kicked him in the face and chopped him in the back of the neck, a flaw in his design causing him to drop out of the sky, no longer functioning.

The next guy continued on towards me, unfazed, something that bugged me about the robots. Erasers had emotions at least, they knew when to retreat or when they were doomed, they knew to fear the flock in combat.

Anyway, I quickly took out this flyboy as well with a quick punch in his metal stomach and a kick to his hand, discarding his needle. Once he was disarmed I chopped him in the neck, same as the other guy.

As soon as I was finished my guys I took off towards the others to help them.

Iggy was taking on six with the help of Gazzy. Nudge and Angel were working together with the help of Total to get rid of two flyboys. Fang was doing just fine, taking on a group of seven without any problems.

I decided to let the others handle their flyboys without my help since they were doing just fine. Instead I took off towards the other flyboys that weren't in battle yet.

Their were only four flyboys carrying the poison now, luckily only six of them had the crap with them. Two of the flyboys with the poison were among the group I was about to attack. The other two were battling Fang.

I knew Fang was a big bird boy and could handle himself so I left him continue his fight while taking on my own group of ten flyboys but still called out a warning to him.

"Be careful Fang, the needles they have with them contain poison."

He nodded his head while still fighting, signaling he understands. I turned away from him after that and set to work on my group.

I punched one of the flyboys in the stomach causing him to drop down a couple of feet, before he could regain his height I chopped him in the back of the neck before doing similar things to the rest of the flyboys. I had taken down about six of them, only one of them carrying the poison now.

The three other flyboys were easy to take down but the one with the poison kept backing away. Once I finished off his three bodies he couldn't back away anymore, there was no one else to distract my attention.

He flashed me his needle and I subconsciously backed away but stopped myself. I kicked his hand, causing the poison to drop below, now it was just a matter of finishing him off. Quickly, I got behind him and clapped his wings shut, holding him and then letting him go. He started to flap again but I was too quick for him. As soon as he started to regain his composure I chopped him in the back of the neck and watched as he dropped like a rock.

Phew, finally I could relax. NOT. I did a quick three sixty to see how the others were doing. Angel and Nudge were finishing off with their last flyboy, Total was biting his metal butt from behind, Iggy and Gazzy were pulling out a bomb, intent on setting their two flyboys on fire, and Fang was still battling three, one with the poison, the other two with weapons. Crap.

One of the flyboys was about to take aim at Fang but before he could, Fang knocked the weapon out of his hands and chopped him. The other one with the gun was taking aim while Fang took care of the first, not good. Luckily Fang caught him and was about to finish him off when Mr. Poison flyboy made his move.

"Fang!!!" I screamed out, flying as fast as I could. I wouldn't allow for that flyboy to kill Fang, there was no way that poison was getting to him.

When I screamed, Fang had turned around, still gripping his opponent by the throat. He now stood face to face with the poison wielding menace. Crap.

"Please no, please, please. Not Fang, please not Fang." All I could do was keep chanting those words as I flew up to Fang. Thank god, I was on time.

Fang let go of his previous opponent, letting him drop to his doom while the flyboy drew closer, that's where I came in. Before Fang could even register my presence, I flung myself at him, putting me in front of the flyboy and him off to the side.

I glared at the flyboy as he crept closer to me, his needle held firmly in his metal hand. He looked at me and laughed with his cold robotic voice making my blood run cold. I looked to Fang, I wanted to see him before I died, memorize his face.

Fang looked to me at the same time, he paled when he realized what was happening. He shook his had no, like it was all a dream, that I wasn't about to die. Grief flashed across his face as I smiled his way. He knew I had done this on purpose, he knew that I had known I would die if I knocked him away. It hurt him to know.

I looked away from Fang and looked back at the flyboy. "Ready to die little bird?" "Yes." And with that the flyboy took aim with his syringe as he called it, and brought the needle down into my stomach. He emptied the liquid into me as I gasped in shock and pain.

Within seconds the poison was spreading, setting my body on fire. I could hardly breathe, the pain was ripping through me and all I could think about was thank god. Crazy right? Well let my explain.

As I gasped and felt my wings flutter closed and my body start to drop, all I could think about was thank god; thank god for letting me sacrifice myself to save Fang. I continued to fall, and feel myself dieing, but still all I could think about was Fang, and continue to thank the heavens for letting him live and never know this pain.

So, while I was falling, and my body was being poisoned, I was happy. Things like the Voice and saving the world (even though I count destroying Itex as saving the world) no longer mattered. All that did matter at this point was that my flock was safe and alive, that Fang was okay, that my heart, my soul, was okay. Death, in truth, no longer had anything on me, I was free of fear.

I allowed my eyes to flutter shut as I continued to freefall, awaiting the ground to end me. Moments passed but the ground never came to claim me, instead, strong arms wrapped around my pained and dieing form. I knew these arms: long, strong, familiar; they were Fang's, he had caught me.

"Max?" I looked up at Fang, the sound of his voice, a fragile sound, frightened me. My Fang, my rock, was breaking down, I could see it.

"Yeah?" I replied, hating how weak my voice sounded.

"Why? Why did you knock me out of the way? Why?!" Fang was completely and utterly breaking all his rules, his emotions, that never seemed to show, were now spread across his features on display.

"…because, I had… to. I'm sorry." My words became spaced apart and soft, hard to hear, as my body shut down. Thankfully, my end was near, causing the painful fires to finally let up a little.

Fang could tell I was fading, I could see it in his eyes, the fear. "Please Max. Don't go! Why? Oh god, why did you sacrifice yourself? Max please, please don't go. Why?" Confusion and complete sadness reigned supreme on Fang's face. It made me hurt all over even more to see him like this. I couldn't help but feel guilty for causing Fang so much pain, but I couldn't have let him die.

I decided to answer his question 'why?', needing to let him know. "Because… I-I love you… Fang. I… always have."

"I love you too Max, I love you more than anything. I need you. Please don't leave me." Tears began pouring out of Fang's eyes as I smiled up at him. I didn't want to leave him, but I had to, I was dieing and we both knew it.

With my last breath I looked to Fang and said, "I'm sorry… I had to," and with that, I died, hoping with all my heart that Fang would understand why I had to leave.

Fang needs to know I had to do this. There was never a choice to make, he had to live, I had to die. I couldn't survive without him, I refused to live without him.

My sacrifice was meant to be, I was meant to die, he was meant to live and lead the flock.

'Goodbye.' I silently thought as my heart forever stopped. My pulse no longer active. The last things I ever felt were drops of water on my cheek, Fang's tears washing away my pain.

Fang's Point of View

She was gone. My Max, my everything, was gone. I felt my heart break and shatter as my life tuned black and cold with unmentionable sorrow.

How? That's all I could think about. How could this happen? How could Max, the invincible Maximum Ride, be dead?

I loved her, no I love her, I love her and only her and now she's gone, she's never coming back.

Everything hurts now, nothing is okay, no one can say things are fine. How am I supposed to tell the flock? Max was everything to us, we needed her like we needed air. How are we going to survive now? How can we live without her?

God I'm pathetic, and cheesey. Damn it! Tears kept pouring down my face, washing away the dirt and blood. My silent, sturdy barrier was broken. Mr. Silent Fang was dead. Emotions broke through me in a strong current of pain, if only I could've kept the barrier, now I'm nothing but an emotional wreck.

I feel like crying out, like begging and screaming at the heavens. Cursing them for taking Max, for making my life and the flock's miserable. What did we do to deserve this? When could we find peace?

Then it hit me, Max, Max had found peace. That one thought alone enabled me to calm down. Max was finally at peace, she was in heaven or elsewhere. The whitecoats, the Voice, saving the world, it was all gone, she was free.

I looked down at the motionless body in my arms, my tears falling onto her face, her cheeks wet with my sorrow.

"I love you Max. I love you now and I'll love you when we meet again." I kissed her cold forehead then. Thankful that she was at rest, yet still greedily wanting her back.

'Goodbye.' I silently thought.

Fin.

Author's Note:

Well, that's it. I'm sorry for the sad ending and the cheesey, redundant speeches, but you cant say I didn't warn you about the sad part.

I always intended to write a fic like this, a tragic one-shot about a character's self sacrifice.

Stories like this always make me cry but that's what I like about them, they make me feel. I hope you enjoyed this fic and felt some hint of the emotions I felt while writing it.

The Author.

P.S. Please review if you have the chance or the time. Thank you.