"They're such a pathetic lot aren't they?" The girl who once possessed brown hair with blond streaks now dyed to a black-ish hue with red tipped locks. Her voice full of attitude and determination, focused even.

She gazed through thick eyelashes at the group several miles below them. After two years, the three of them have gained a few improvements. "The little blonde female hasn't even noticed us," she snickered. Despite her hair change, she still retains the similar features of Maximum Ride. When she snickered her nose wrinkled slightly, her freckles mimicking the same movement. But Max II was nothing like the original and she hated to be reminded of that. Hated being reminded of the failure she was while Maximum Ride received all the glory, all the happiness.

"We should take them now," her wings were emerging slowly from her shoulder blades, creeping over back and around her body, wings that could not be dyed by the human product called Clairol. Something that infuriated Maximum Ride II than the two beside her; one of greatness and one of power. And where did that leave her?

She was tired of waiting, tired of this recon mission and desired some action, desired to show that she wasn't a liability that she was something. "Don't be rash." It was like a giant hand wrapped itself around her body, pinning her arms and wings tightly to her body. "This is not your fight." Even as a mutant he was the most breath-taking boy Max II laid eyes on. Of course, he would never be her's.

Never.

He was more interested in her. With a glare, she spat to the side. "Oh, I forgot." Feigning stupidity, it was never her fight, never duty, never her anything. It was always her; she glared at the girl beside Omega. A girl who was only favored second to Maximum Ride.

Rayne. She could see why Omega liked her. The beauty, the power, the grace blah blah. It made her sick to her stomach. "Whatever." Max II sat back on her heels and crossed her arms like a stubborn child. "And what she going to do?"

His bleached blonde hair billowed in the wind, covering half of his face. Smiling that beautiful movie star revealing pearly whites he winked at her. Her heart melted but only a drop broke through her dam. "Her job."

"Bye losers." Rayne blew Omega a kiss and threw a middle finger towards Max II. Only infuriating the winged girl further. Her laughed carried throughout the wind as she plummeted towards the ground.

It wasn't long before two of the six mutants heard a familiar sound. Angel was the first to sense a foreign mind in the group. It was filled with scattered thoughts, volatile and violent. Wickedly the wind picked up around her, hair whipping wildly against her face that is felt like sand. She cried out Max's name.

Before Iggy had time to react he heard the strange breeze howl through the trees as the group sat around their campsite. They were wolfing down delicious treats that they raided from a small town market about fifteen miles from where they sat. The fire went out as the howling wind blew it out like it was a candle.

"Well, you must be the pathetic group known as the flock". The girl or was it a woman? She looked older than the flock maybe by a year or two. But her figure was curved, developed in the hip and chest area. And her face was perfectly oval, with wavy golden hair falling just towards her shoulders.

Already the flock was in some fighting stance. The girl that resembled that naïve…what was her name again? Whatever, this one was the leader. Max, with her fists balled arms out in front of her, legs apart she was the leader. The one that took a chip every mutant's side. That everyone looked up to save them, save the world.

She didn't look so great, a mere child playing an adult game. As for the other, her eyes glided to a dark shadow. Hmm, he was attractive. Now he should be the leader. Dark tousled hair flanked over his eyes, over sharp and olive cheek bones. I would love to play with him. She saw the muscles roll from his arms, his veins become prominent and beautiful.

He stood tall and straight, his hands moving to his sides. His hand reaching for something.

As for the others, she sighed. This was boring mere children what could they do? The tall, strawberry-blond boy was the worst, she didn't need to see his charts to know that. His milky eyes, blind of course. He should be the first to die. Save him from a life of misery. Much too scrawny anywhere, he wasn't even preparing fight. Just standing their gawking like an idiot, hands behind his back. Or was that his strategy?

The little girls had big eyes of worry and zest. The dark skin one bit her lip nervously, drawing blood. The pale one, blond short one there was something in that one's eyes. Something like knowledge, like power. She would make a lovely addition to their gang. "Never!"

"Brat." Rayne was getting tired of staring at this bunch, watching them prepare for battle when she already knew the result. She didn't forget the little blond boy that must have been the sibling to the blond girl. The resemblance was that obvious. "Are you ready to die?" A smile curved across her pink lips.

"How many times have we've heard that one?" The blind one rolled his eyes.

"Don't you guys ever have something new to say? Or are all brain-washed!" The leader was charging right towards her enemy? Was she mad? But her speed picked up in instant. One minute she was 10 feet away than 1 inch, a fist connecting with her cheek bone.

Her body went more the distance than Rayne could calculate. With her mind, she conjures winds to catch her before she could fall. Spinning her body in an upright position, don't want to dirty herself. "Impressive, extreme speed?" One eyebrow shot up, "but now it's my turn."

A gust of wind whoosed through the flock separating them but they were took flight. No matter a whirlwind twisted from above, like a drill penetrating into the back of the leader. A eerie-scream was easily overridden as the wind carried over her voice. She could not escape as if a boulder upon her forcing her to the ground. Her and the whirlwind twisted deeper into the ground landing in a pit of debris.

"Max!" several voices yelled union. Rayne only laughed as she laid face down in the dirt.

"My, she is pathetic isn't she." She swung around to find several angry face. "Oh, what now? Gonna gang up on me?"

The dark one charged first, almost faster than the leader. But not fast enough, darkness swirled in his eyes, "my you are more attractive up close than afar." Rayne eyes glided over his body, but the dark one withdrew whatever was in his pocket. It glinted in the sun. "Oh and dangerous."

With a back flip, she kicked the blade out the boy's hands. "You'll have to do better than that." She twirled on her hands, spinning around till she jumped back into standing position. Something, a fireball was coming right for her. She snapped her fingers, "what are aiming at boy?" The flame fell to her feet. So the blind boy wasn't so useless.

Something blond and white stepped in front of her. She was so small that it wasn't even noticeable, "stop." She held her hands out, "drop to your knees." It sounded silly coming from a child; a command?

But nothing happened, "what are doing, little brat." A gust whipped her off her feet sending her flying into the dark one's arms.

The little girl began to sniffle, "it didn't work?" Was she really that surprised or stupid."I'm not stupid." Her little fists were balled up in fury, "I'm not."

Another dark girl with the dark skin was attacking from above, driving towards the earth like a rocket. She missed, tripping over herself or Rayne made her trip by letting a little air pocket escape from underneath the girls wing. She took a nose dive for the earth, like her leader. "You're all pathetic."

She smiled, that devilish grin. "And when I said if you were ready to die. I meant it." Several tornados descended from the sky like ugly black thumbs drilling deeper in the earth. She watched with glee as the flock twirled around and around in her entrapment. Becoming separated from another, she couldn't wait to play with them one by one.

Now which one? She tapped her chin watching each them fly in different directions. Disregarding the leader, she grabbed a handful of her hair, revealing a dirt-caked face. "I shall enjoy this lil birdy." With the wind whipping around them, she let Max lay their sprawled on the dirt as she went for her first toy.