A/N: Warning-character death and depression. This is how I see the bleak future of Maximum Ride. It took me forever to right this and I hope you like it.
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"Hello, Mr. Ride. Off to see her?"
I nodded and asked, "How is she today?"
The nurse smiled and said with enthusiasm, "The best I've seen her."
I nodded and walked on towards the room I sought out and suddenly, I began to think about my past and the mistakes I've made. I find myself doing that a lot lately. I think it's because of old age (I'm almost 50).
I bet your wondering why I was visiting this place and what place this is. Well, this is a mental hospital and it all started when I was seventeen. When my one true love, and best friend died. She died an honorable death and will be remembered, but I still miss her more than anything.
I found myself sinking into the memory as I continued walking…..
"Max!"
She turned around and looked at me, every inch of her was beautiful, even the boiling anger in her eyes.
"What do you want, Fang?" She asked me coldly.
"I want to know why you almost killed yourself trying to get rid of that Itex building?"
"I'm supposed to save the world dumb***! Of course I'm going to risk me life for it!"
"So you can leave me and the Flock alone!"
"Fang, I am one person expected to lead a flock of mutant bird-kids and save the world! I'd love to see you do it!"
I was angry at her and I didn't know what I was doing or saying, "I could do it and twice as better as you!"
Silence hung in the air I realized I just crossed the invisible line that means I've gone too far.
"Max, I didn't mean that-"
"Yes you did, and I understand. You think you can do better and you know, what? Fine."
With that she spread her wings and started to fly away, "Max!" She pretended to ignore me and continued to fly away…
As I pulled out of my memories, I realized I was standing in front of the room I was headed for. I opened the door and entered. I then looked at the room's only inhabitant.
"Hey Angel," I said quietly.
She looked over at me and smiled seeing who it was, "Hey Fang," and turned her direction towards the TV.
I gasped in shock, usually she can't remember who she is, let alone who I am. I continued across the room and sat down in a chair next to the bed she was lying in. we sat there in silence for a few minutes with the TV silently advertising a commercial before she asked me, "Fang, where's Max?"
I looked at her for a few minutes and calmly said, "She's gone Angel."
This was my least favorite part of these days when she is coherent, she always asks these questions.
She nodded like this makes sense and turned off the television, "Where's everyone else?"
I sighed and knew she was going to demand knowing, so I braced myself and began telling our story, the one she can never remember and the one I sought to forget.
As I sank into my memories, I couldn't help, but think this was all, my fault…
After Max left I knew she'd be back, no matter how mad she would get at me, she would never leave the flock.
With this in mind I began my walk back to our camp. When I stumbled in I saw Gazzy and Iggy leaning over something that looked suspiciously like a bomb… I glanced over to the right and saw Angel and Nudge talking to each other about fashion or something.
I walked over and sat down under a tree and closed my eyes trying not to worry too much over mine and Max's argument.
I guess sensing my thoughts Angel asked me, "Where did Max go?"
With that question everybody turned their heads towards me to hear my answer, "She went to clear her head, she'll be back," I said reassuringly. To my response everybody nodded expecting as much.
After about an hour or so I was starting to get fidgety. 'Max has been gone for a while…'
'Maybe you should go look for her.' Angel communicated, through her mind.
"I'll be back guys. I'm going to look for Max," I said and they just nodded except for Nudge who started talking about something related to Max and me… Should I be worried?
After flying around for a while, I spotted a lake up ahead and if I squinted I could see a silhouette against the water. I instantly knew it was my Max.
I landed silently a few feet away and went to sit next to her. She didn't acknowledge my presence, but I knew she knew I was there.
We sat there in that peaceful silence staring at the water before I broke the silence by saying something I have never said, "I'm sorry."
Max whipped her head to stare at me in shock. I could tell she didn't know what to say so I continued, "I forget sometimes how hard your job is, Max. You have to save the freaking world for crying out loud! So, yes I'm sorry about me blaming you and by the way your catching flies with your mouth open like that," I finished with a smirk. For, in fact, her mouth had fallen down from shock.
She shut her mouth and looked back to the water and I barely heard her say, "I'm sorry, too."
I grinned and asked her, "Are you going to stay here for a while?"
"No, let's go,"
As we flew back in silence I spotted it. It was something that sends shivers down my spine when I think about it… It was a bunch of Erasers flying towards our campsite. They were closing in and I knew they would reach there sooner than me or Max, unless….
"Max! Go ahead and fly at light speed and warn the flock. I'll be there as soon as I can," I yelled at her.
She didn't answer she just kicked into hyper drive, with me speeding up as much as I could. I saw her land not a second later with the Erasers descending onto the camp.
It took me an agonizing minute to reach the fight, but when I did I landed on the nearest Eraser, breaking his neck.
After that all I remember was kicking and punching every Eraser I could land a hand or leg on. Every so often I looked around and saw the flock holding their own. When there were no more Erasers left I looked around at the damage.
"Report!" Max said standing up, favoring her left shoulder.
"Fine, here," Iggy said.
"Could be better," Gazzy said next.
"I'm alright," Angel said, even though she had a nasty bruise on her cheek.
"I'm hungry," Nudge said.
I rolled my eyes at that and when Max looked at me, I shrugged my shoulders like 'I could be worse.'
As Max smiled I heard it. The sound, which would cause me nightmares for years to come. It was a gun being cocked.
As I heard the bullet being shot, I saw Max instantly run towards Angel. For a minute everything went in slow motion. Max pushed Angel out of the way, and then the sound of bullet going through flesh and bone.
I saw Gazzy lunge at the Eraser, but then all I saw was Max lying there helplessly with her eyes open. That's when I realized I was screaming and I fainted…
I don't know when, but at some point I had started crying during my flashback. I then looked over and saw Angel silently crying along with me. She remembered now. She knew what happened next.
The Flock was literally ripped at the seam, from Max's death. Of course I tried leading and keeping us together, but I soon gave up. When we separated Iggy went to work at a 5 star restaurant becoming famous for the simplest dishes. Nudge went into the fashion department and started a clothing line called 'Hope.' Gazzy went and lived with Dr. Martinez for a couple years, but then got into the army by lying about his age. Angel and me stayed together, trying to carry on Max's mission.
Iggy died during a fire in his apartment when a cigarette was left burning. Nudge died when she walked in front of a bus thinking of Max. Gazzy died at a shoot off protecting his subordinates.
When Angel heard of the Flock's death, she had fainted and gone into a coma. When she awoke, she remembered nothing and kept forgetting everything at the start of a new day. Me, I spent my days watching over Angel, helping the world and waiting for my time to end.
"Fang…"
I looked up and saw Angel staring at me with curious eyes that still had some tears left over.
"Why do blame yourself for Max's death?"
I nearly dropped my jaw, it was rare for her to remember, it was even rarer for her to use her mind-reading powers. She was usually too weak for that.
"Because it's my fault," I said it matter-of-factly.
"No, it's not, it's mine," Angel said gazing outside the rainy sky.
"It was me who should've died that day…. I know that if it was me who died, the Flock would still be together. I would not have been forgotten, Max would have made sure of that, but you and the flock would be happy…"
I sat there thinking over her words, knowing they were true, in a sense, and wished they weren't, for Angel's sake.
After a few minutes I looked up from my hands and saw that Angel was asleep. I smiled a little, got up, and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
When I got outside the room and walked down the hall, I decided to do something I hadn't done in a long, long, long time.
"So Mr. Ride how was she?" a new and curious nurse asked.
I smiled sadly, "The best and worst I've seen her," I then walked on leaving a very confused nurse behind.
When I exited Faith Mental Hospital, I walked towards my ride. A motorcycle that I got soon after Max's death. It was black with a green dragon crawling across the side of it. It was very cool and very fast. It also reminded me of flying, but lord knows I haven't done that in years. Whenever I fly I involuntarily think of Max.
I climbed on and put on my helmet (better safe, than sorry, Max would tell me) and drive out onto the highway towards the cemetery.
On my motorcycle, I reached the cemetery in only a few minutes. I hopped off and handed towards a special spot over by a giant oak tree. There, directly under that tree, was Max's grave. Nudge was buried directly beside it on the right. Iggy's directly on the left. Gazzy was on the left of Iggy.
I read each grave separately, they read:
GASEMAN RIDE
OCT. 15 2001 – JULY 20 2021
LOVING BROTHER AND
BOMB MAKER
FLY ON
IGGY RIDE
JUNE 6 1996 – AUG. 25 2017
LOVING FRIEND, YOU WILL ALWAYS
BE REMEMBERED
FLY ON
Instead of looking at Max's grave, I skipped to Nudge's.
NUDGE RIDE
FEB. 11 1998 – SEPT. 9 2019
YOUR TALKATIVENESS WILL
KEEP YOU REMEMBERED
FLY ON
Finally, I looked over at Max's grave.
MAXIMUM RIDE
JAN. 1 1996 – MAY 8 2013
MOTHER, LOVER, SAVIOR,
AND FRIEND
WE WILL MISS YOU
FLY ON TO A BETTER PLACE
My one regret was never being able to say goodbye to any of them, for the last time. I never even told them I love them.
That's when I lost it and started crying and sobbing loud enough for the world to hear, "What did I do to be punished, God?" I yelled to the bleak and gloomy sky, "What did I do?"
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A/N: I honestly could not think of a good ending, but I hope this one's okay. Anyway, I had originally thought of this a couple months ago when I watched the Notebook and I just got around to writing it. The grave writing and the dates of birth and death are entirely made up, by yours truly.
Review?