A/N: For the record, I am completely against Mylan. Fax FTW! But I wrote this chapter back in March and thought I could twist it into a good story. I may continue it if I get enough reviews, if not I'll probably focus on my other story "Against All Odds" Check that one out if you like this chapter(:

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride! The books themselves and the characters in them belong to James Patterson, one of the most incredible authors of all time.

Chapter One

Max's POV

Head spinning, body aching, I'm pulled from unconsciousness. My heavy eyelids flutter open and I'm greeted by the bright lights that spin and dance overhead. Where was I? Who was I? I heard noises in front of me, voices, but my hearing and vision were both blurry, like I was looking up to the surface from underwater and hearing everything through thick layers of foam. I blinked a few times, causing the light to burn into my sensitive eyes. Eventually though, I started to see and hear more clearly.

A group of men in white coats are gathered in front of me, making conversation in hushed voices so I can't make out their words. Twisting uncomfortably on the frigid ground, I notice I'm not on the ground at all, but a metal examining table. Thick Velcro binds my wrists and ankles down. I don't really mind, I just wish I could go back to sleep and escape this pain.

Lying on my back is uncomfortable, there's something under me, something attached to my back. My head was throbbing and my back feels like its been pricked with a million needles. The men in white coats still mumble to each other, they don't pay me notice, don't face me, and don't see that I was awake. Good, Maybe I can get out of here before they notice I'm conscious. I think. I looked to see if I was attached to machines, an IV, anything. But I was surprised when I wasn't. I was wearing nothing but a white hospital gown and a plastic wristband. My eyes groggily read the words printed in small black text on the bracelet: avian/human experiment #1

experiment...

It all came flooding back to me. Past conversations and long forgotten words just now resurfacing. Buried memories and tangled thoughts that had been hidden in the deepest folds of my mind and had been unreachable for who knows how long. Maximum. Max. My name was Max. Where was I? This could only be the school. Or at least someplace like it. Itex, maybe. But for all I knew was in another twisted science lab across the freaking globe. They all looked the same. Blank walls, spotless white floors, sterile hospital smell that makes me gag. I could be anywhere. More importantly, my flock could be anywhere.

They could be being tortured or killed at this very moment while I lie unmoving on this lab table... No, I couldn't afford to think like that, not while I was trapped here.

Think Max. You can't save them if you're stuck here. Escape first.

I focused on every detail of my prison cell, looking for exits, weak points in the Velcro, the number of creeps still talking in whispers. Anything.

Just as I was about to make my first attempt at loosening the Velcro, who burst though that door calling my name? The guy I love and hate all at once. The guy I've never accepted to be part of my flock, my family. The guy who still comes back to me after all the pain I cause him. The guy who forgives me unconditionally for everything I put him through. Sandy hair, chocolate colored wings wiping out behind him as he rushed into the lab, bright turquoise eyes practically spitting venom at the white-coats. Those same eyes that are usually nothing but kind and soft and trusting… at least towards me.

Dylan.

A/N: I know tons of you will hate me for this…but give it a chance! Stay with me! And please review, even if you didn't enjoy it. Constructive criticism is essential to improvement!