DISCLAIMER! This is a purely fan made, Maximum Ride story.
The street was busy. Common for a night in the city that never sleeps. The foul stench of the dumpsters was so strong that it blazed through the cuts and bruises I had gotten from yet another escape, from another lab.
This was getting old. I mean, do these things on my back really make it worth the effort to track me down every two to six days? Probably. This time, their effort had doubled, which made mine tripple. Those mutts had gotten meaner, too. Especially, that lead dog, Ari. My father wasn't any nicer than the day I left the lab on my own. The day I learned that my father wasn't even a father, just a scientist ready to demolish even the slightest mistake.
In this scenario, I'm the mistake. I wasn't good enough. Actually, no, I was too good. I can calculate problems faster than any computer, I'm stronger than freaking Superman (if he were real), not to mention my incredible looks. I was told that dark blonde and curly hair, as well as deep brown eyes were cute. My fashion sense was a little iffy, or so I've been told. In my opinion, ripped jeans, holes in T-shirts, and no shoes are kind of in right now.
Not like anyone notcied me. I think I looked pretty normal compared to these nose piercings, multi-colored hair, and too-tight clothes. I'm an eighteen year old guy and these girls were showing way too much skin for my taste.
I easily plucked a bag of chips off of one of the food carts, and poured the whole bag of the salty chips into my mouth. It wasn't exactly filling, but it was better than running from those lab mutts on an empty stomach. That's just plain torture right there.
Suddenly, the sound of glass breaking and shattering set my teeth on edge.
They're coming!
I instantly, set myself to run. I couldn't very well fly off in the most populate city in the United States. I looked around for the best escape route and realized, there were no mutts.
Everyone had awed faces staring up at the sky. Was someone committing suicide? I looked up, too. To my horror and oddly relief, I saw six winged figures soar across the night sky. Three were taller than the rest. The smallest trailed behind.
The figures flew off to towards the park. Of course, everyone was interested in snapping pictures and posting them online. I was the only one racing at full speed to the park, and regrettably, dropping my bag of chips.
Was my team here? No. There was only four of us. Plus, Chester, but he's not really a person. More of a team mascot. Nor would the person I left in-charge be stupid enough to sly straight into New York. I had given them specific orders not to follow me. My team were pretty good about keeping orders.
In the midst of my thinking, I turned a corner and ran smack dab into one of the mutts. It didn't look like he was expecting me, and I sure as hell wasn't expecting him. We both gawked at each other for a good couple minutes.
"Bye!" I said, and ran back the other way I came. It didn't take long for it to turn into a city-wide game of catch-the-bird-boy.
I hid in the shadows while they passed, then I would dart off before they sniffed the air and realized they had passed me up. My fuel tank was running low. There would be no flying tonight. That left one solution. Stand and fight.
No matter what though, I had to get to the park. Whether threat or friend, these six wingeds needed to be met and properly dealt with. I had already been to hell and back today, I didn't want to put my team through the same thing.
The faces of the Erasers easily crunched beneath my fists. These were newbies. They had no idea who I was, nor did they even know I was here. They didn't have their usual Matt-Special-Guns on them. At the end of it all, I stood in the alley with passed out bodies at my feet. Killing was a last resort in my rule-book, but guns were always nice.
I found one trying to squirm away and picked him up by the collar of his suit.
"What do you want?" I demanded. I fanned out my dark brown wings behind me, just to make this guy piss his pants. My wings were massive. Not like those little itty bitty wings you see on those cheap cartoons. Those wings are wimps. My wings took me places, some places bad, some good.
The Eraser met my eyes. His body trembling, not with fear, but rage. "You'll die. Your time is coming, Jeb's son."
Without me having to anything, his body spazzed out and his head rolled back, with white foam spreading from his lips. "Ugh, rabies." I gasped and dropped the carcus on the ground.
I walked out of the alley with more bites, scraped, and bruises than I had entered with. Fights, to me, feel like they last a couple minutes. I told you, I can calculate any problem. It doesn't take long for me to see where the weaknesses are, or when the next punch is going to be. These Erasers came unprepared. They weren't after to me.
Were they after those other winged people? Oh no!
I raced to the park. The flashing police lights was kind of a mjor clue that something was happening in there, and yet, no one cared. I'm sorry, but this city could turn against you, and fast.
I spotted the kids in the tree first. All sitting so perfectly calm and balanced. Unaware of the threat circling them. They were all kids. Not one of them had to be over the age of sixteen. There was a girl, curly brownish-blonde hair, fair skin, big brown eyes. She seemed to be in-charge by the way she was coaxing the little, blue eyed, curly-blonde headed girl.
I saw him before I, or the kids heard them. Ari. Leader of the wolf pack. He stepped below the tree, along with several other Erasers. So, the kids were their intending target. The kids didn't look scared and afraid. The girl I had marked as the leader looked really pissed.
She threw some retort about a penny at him, and he returned it with a really lame come-back. Then she said something. Something that should have keyed me in on her.
"I still remember...when you were a kid." she said.
It caught my attention sure, but not as much as all the Erasers just standing there unarmed.
Ari and the girl started arguing, I didn't pay attention. I just knew, that she knew who Ari was, and he knew her. Huh, so I'm not the huge superstar anymore? That's a little upsetting.
Ari suddenly held up a stuffed bear, causing the little girl to flip out and jump down from the trees crying out, "Celeste!"
"Angel!" Leader girl cried out and jumped down after her. Her brown and white wings snapped out behind her, making her look like a seriously, pissed off angel.
Angel, the little girl, outstretched her hand towards Ari. No, not towards Ari. Towards the bear. Her eyes narrowed, and something tickled the back of my head. It made me uncomfortable, like not even my thoughts were mine.
Ari seemed even more affected. He didn't do one thing to the little girl as she whizzed past him with her white wings, snatching the bear from his hands.
Now was my chance! While he was distracted or whatever.
I leapt out from the bushes, taking down the nearest Eraser with a swift kick and sending his flailing body towards Ari. The other Erasers transformed into their grusome, hound state and advanced towards me.
Instinctively, I stepped in front of the kids that all gawked at me, including Angel, and snapped my wings out. I easily took down the first Erasers dumb enough to try and sink their fangs into me.
"Back off!" Ari barked. "I said, back off!"
The crowd of snarling Erasers disbanded, and let Ari and his wolf-self come through. His smirk came to his face when he saw me.
"Matt. This is a rather pleasant surprise. Now, I'll be able to kill two birds, with one stone." Ari sneered.
"Ari," I said rather smuggly, "It's always such a horror and time waster to see your ugly face as well."
The kids snickered behind me, and my lips upturned into a smirk.
Ari growled, "You'll die tonight, Matt. Unlike, Max here, I don't have to wait for orders to kill you. The director already wants your head."
I moved my feet into a battle position, "Actually, getting beheaded tonight doesn't really fit my schedule. Why don't you fill in for me like a good little doggy?"
More snickers from the kids. Thank you, thank you I'll be here until tomorrow. By then, I'll be on my way back to my own team and way outta here.
Ari continued to growl and even prepared himself to pounce, but then another Eraser came up behind him and whispered something in his ear.
"Are you sure?" Ari snapped at him.
The other Eraser nodded.
"Damnit!" Ari roared. His huge, wolf eyes burned into me. "I will kill you, Matt." then he looked at the winged leader girl who stood behind me and to the side. "And then I'll wring your neck, Maximum." he turned back to his little pack of Erasers. "Alright, let's go! Director wants to see us!"
I waited for all of them to disappear. Hey, if I got out of this without anymore injuries, I'm good. I ain't going to hunt down every Eraser out there. I ain't suicidal thank you very much.
I turned to the kids when the Erasers were all gone. "Are y'all alright?" I asked.
There was no time to even process the fist coming towards my face. I breathed it in, along with the taste of my own blood, and the impact of the ground as I skidded on it. When my eye sight focused, it focsed on Max. The leader girl.
She stood in front of me, with the rest of the kids standing behind her looking just as dangerous. There were two boys about the same age as Max. One just seemed dark anc scary with his long hair, dark clothes, and menacing eyes. The other wasn't even looking directly at me. He was blind! Whoa. That's new. There was a dark skinned girl holding the hand on Angel, and the youngest boy looking like he seriously needed to pee.
"Who are you?" Max demanded.
I held my hands up in surrender. "Chill out." I said, "I'm on your side. Got the wings to prove it." I let my wings fan out around me. They still ached a little from flying so dang much, but I had to get away from the School. "And I just saved your butts from Ari."
Max made her hands into small fists and put them on her hips. "I see the wings, and I saw what you pulled back there with Ari, but that's not what I was asking." she said cooly.
I blinked, "Um, okay? And what were you asking?" I asked her.
Her mood lightened and a smile came to her face. "Your name, duh! You're obviously one of us. I'm Maximum Ride," she pointed to dark and scary standing next to her, "This is Fang," she pointed to the blind kid, "This is Iggy," and as she pointed to the other three standing behind her she said, "Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel."
I nodded to all of them, as they nodded to me when Max said their name. "My name's Matt." I said.
"Any why are you here, Matt?" Fang asked.
I looked at him. "Eh, just escaping from death and needles. Y'know, the usual." I said.
Max snickered, and then she held out her hand. "Well, Matt. Thanks for saving us."
I let her pull me up. "No problem, and uh, thanks for not punching the daylights outta me. You got a mean swing there, Max." I said.
She was tall for her age. And she looked kind of familiar too. Brown eyes, dark blonde hair. Where had I seen that before?
She shrugged, "Comes with the life. Anyway, where ya from?"
"The School," I said, and they all flinched.
"Aren't we all." Max muttered.
Angel tugged on the end of Max's sleeve. "Max, Max. I read his mind."
Creepy little girl say what now? "Huh?" I said.
Max knelt down in front of her and smoothed her hair. "Sweetie, I told you not to read peoples minds. It's not right."
Angel shrugged Max's hand away. "But you don't understand!" she shrieked.
Max stood up. "And what's there to understand Angel?" she asked.
Oh, now she was okay with having my mind read?
Angel looked back and forth from me to Max. "Max, Matt is your brother." she said quietly.
My jaw fell. Max's jaw fell. I think everybody's jaw fell.
"What?" Max and I nearly shouted at the same time.