YOU FOUND IT! CONGRATS! THIS IS THE SEQUAL TO RUN AWAY WITH ME!

So, here it is, the first chapter of the first 7 chapters I have written... well more like 6 and a half but look! Back to short chapters! Whooot! Well for those who like short chapters, aka the ones with short attention spans and slow readers (looks at one person in particular) don't worry, it's not any of you, I'm thinking of one of my friends at school that I'm trying to convince to read more online stuff. I really love this AU, the many expressions I give them and everything, it's something I look forward each day and I hope you guys too. :D I suppose if you read my DA journals you would see my writing journal that was utterly amazing, I got lost and it took an hour to find myself.

To My Goth Faerie: You've got a lot of catching up to do, dear... XD

Create A Chain

Chapter 1:

The Price To Remember

Sounds like a catchy new toy, right? Wrong. It's just as serious as important as Jeb calls it, a game of chess. To create a chain you must first know what chain you're making. For example, Itex is creating a chain of events that will happen in the near future that will destroy the world. The stupid voice inside my head is linked by a chain, forcing us to be together. And the flock, the flock is a great chain, the links firmly together, forming a bracelet. But any person with enough knowledge of jewelry or hardware knows that chains can break.

I broke from the chain.

It's only been a week since Fang saved me from the crumbling building. It's only been a week since I've regained all my memories and more. And it's the 'and more' part that I refuse to tell the flock.

I can't tell them; after all, it is about them but mainly about me. They don't need to be troubled with this mess, especially not Fang.

How will you say goodbye? The Voice calmly asked me. You heard what he said.

I heard. I replied, a look of annoyance crossing my features. But I don't want to believe.

I held my throbbing head as the four years of knowledge at a prestigious school kept reviewing itself. Jeb had given me a degree, he made memories for me and made sure I knew this. I am a pawn in his game of chess and I hate it.

"You okay?" Fang gave my free hand a squeeze, he knew about the voice, just, not the memories.

"The lack of sleep is getting to me." I lied and Fang looked at me questionably. He knew I lied but made nothing of it. We were sitting on a bench in central park, watching the flock playing around, Winnie the Pooh in my lap and Celeste on my other side.

"We'd be starting at Harvard in a couple of weeks." I said offhandedly. "What were you going to major in again?"

"Doesn't matter." Fang mumbled. But it did matter, I remember that much. It was something big that you thought if you majored in it you could change the world. You've always wanted to change the world.

"You'll be eighteen in two months, isn't that exciting?" I asked, Fang shrugged, glancing at the flock. Ugh, I'm not getting anywhere with this. I petted Winnie the Pooh with the hand that used to be holding my head, I hung my head, Jeb's words hung heavy with me.

"You know you mean the world to me, right?" I asked, my gaze never lifting from the top of Winnie's head but I felt his attention suddenly shift to me. "If I ever do something horrible to you, I don't really mean it because you do." I felt Fang's hand slip from my own. You don't know, Fang? And suddenly I felt his arm around my shoulder, hugging my close. Okay, so you do know. I felt lips press against the back of my head, I closed my eyes and smiled.

Three cheers to the moments in life you act before you think…

There's always been this tug at the back of my mind that I've always noticed and not noticed at the same time. It doesn't hurt like The Voice but it's almost always comforting, there are moments when it's distressed, moments when it's sad, and moments that I feel nothing at all.
We were sleeping in the subway when The Voice shook me awake. Someone wants to talk to you. Said The Voice softly. I glanced around the darkened subway and saw the outlines of the flock, none of them were awake, not even Fang.

Who? I asked irritably. No one likes to be woken up at the dead of night.

Just leave the tunnel and take a right. The Voice sighed. I stood up slowly; please don't lead me to my certain doom. I crept from the tunnel we slept in and walked to the right for some yards before I stopped completely dead in my tracks.

Jeb was there holding a flashlight and shining it on me. "Hello Max." Jeb's voice greeted me calmly. He gestured me to come closer but I felt too numb to move. "Do you like your doctorates?" I shook my head, my teeth welded shut. "Walk with me, I won't do anything bad, scout's honor." He held up three fingers, his eyes hid behind his glasses. Stop toying with me. I felt myself frown and tears prick my eyes. Scout's honor, that's when I was in girl scouts and I made you promise that way all the time, are you mocking the memories I have, Jeb?

"I want it in writing." I told him bitterly. That's what I learned from him, all his promises must be made in writing, otherwise he'll never keep them.

"That can be arranged." Jeb mused, taking out a pen and paper and writing quickly while pressing the paper to the wall. "See, just fine." I saw he had indeed promised not to hurt me on the paper from my hawk vision. I numbly took the several steps towards him, feeling a small tug of comfort washing over my mind. Why? I'm anything but comfortable. I snatched the note from his hand and stuffed it in my pocket so he couldn't tear it up.

"It's about that PhD you earned." Jeb told me as soon as we were possibly as far as we could be from the flock. "I want you to come back to the school." I stopped dead in my tracks.

"What?" I glared. Why would he want me to come back to be experimented on?

"No, not as an experiment but as my daughter, Samantha." Jeb offered me a kind smile; the tug of comfort began to slowly disappear.

"Why would I ever want to do that?" I asked harshly, folding my arms as we began to walk again.

"I know the greatest thing you desire is freedom." Jeb pointed to the stairs leading up to New York where nightlife could still be heard. "And even more so the flock's than your own."

"Are you blackmailing me?" My own 'father' treating his 'daughter' this way!

"Of course not, merely a proposition. I can guarantee the flock's freedom if you come to the School as a scientist. The tracking chip in your arm will be shut down for as long as you work for Itex so no one can detect you, the records of the flock will be altered and changed to different faces that have already been exterminated. They will be the faceless children of America but they will be free nonetheless. There will be no so called 'Erasers' chasing after you, no more running from Itex, and the flock can live as they please, they just have to live without you. It's a small price, isn't it?"

"They won't ever have to deal with the School ever again? And what do you mean I have a tracking chip in my arm?"

"Itex's first success at an avian hybrid, you think they were just going to let you go?" Jeb chuckled. The tug at the back of my mind became worried. "Leave the flock, you'll have freedom as will they."

"What freedom is that?" I scoffed. "I have to go back there everyday and see experiments go wrong, I have to torture poor experiments, I have to do horrible things, you think I want that?" I snapped.

"No one wants that." Jeb told me sadly. "Why do you think I rescued you from there?" I looked away.

"I want that in writing too. Their freedom, I want them to have the ultimate freedom if I have to give away mine. Everything you said and more." My voice was shaking and the tug was distressed beyond belief, I tried to soothe it to no avail because I felt distressed, angry with myself, happy for the flock, sad I would be leaving, and confused if I'm doing the right thing.

I watched as Jeb pulled out another sheet and wrote on it in a neat flowing handwriting. It took several minutes until he finished and he handed it to me, letting me proof read it. "I'll give you twenty four hours to say goodbye, you don't need that in writing. Of course, make sure not to tell them, it's part of the contract." Jeb smiled pleasantly before disappearing in the shadows. I folded the contract and hid it in my back pocket.

I felt like I was shaking all over, I had made a deal with the devil, how the hell am I supposed to get out of this one? My knees gave way beneath me and I felt tears streaming down my face. I have to say goodbye…

I don't want them to live in sewers anymore, live off of scrap food, not knowing when the next shower will come, and hell, not knowing when the next attack will come! I want them to just fly away and find empty land, make a home for themselves and find a way to get jobs and live happily. It should be so much easier after all, without people chasing after them…

The tug in my mind became more distressed as I heard footsteps approaching. "Max." It was Fang's voice… I suddenly felt myself being cradled. How could I say goodbye to Fang? I love him so much… I can't say goodbye to him… and he wouldn't understand if I told him I had to leave, he would follow me and leave the flock too. I would have to hurt him the most to get him to stay… I cried harder, the tug held worry and discomfort mixed in now.

I don't know how long I cried or when that tug went away… I just remember being held as if I were a child…

When I stopped crying, Fang hugged me tightly a brushed his lips against mine telling me he was right there. He led me back to our tunnel only to have me stop at the entrance. "Lets, lets go for a walk." I swallowed. The tug faintly held curiosity and I faintly wondered if this tug was Fang… nah, he wasn't a mind reader or like The Voice. I laughed to myself at the stupid thought. The sun was barely rising when we left the tunnel and the early risers were already bustling through the streets with home made coffee, talking busily on their cell phones.

"What's up?" Fang asked me as we crossed the street and entered Central Park. I sighed staring at the sky.

"If, if I have to run away… say you'll stay with the flock. Promise, you'll stay with the flock."

"I've promised to run away with you." Fang gazed at me seriously.

"It's different now." I shook my head. "The flock's here-"

"It's not any different." Fang told me, his voice stone cold. "You're the one I would run away with, you're the reason I've taken care of the flock and actually care for the flock because you've convinced me to stay with them and know them, you're the one who kept me from staying in the School for seventeen years straight, and you're the one I-"

"Don't." My voice cracked. He was going to tell me he loved me and that would only make things harder. "Just promise you'll stay with the flock."

"Not without you."

"Promise me!" I stared him down, the order firm, it wasn't his girlfriend talking it was the leader. His demeanor backed down a bit.

"I promise." Fang looked away. "Is that what you were crying about? You were planning on leaving the flock?"

"You know me better," I held a bitter smile, "I don't do well with planning."

"But you are going to leave, aren't you? Do you know how much it'll hurt them, how much it'll hurt me?" I adverted my gaze. "Max, I-"

"Don't!" I yelled. Holding a trembling hand out to silence him. Tears were burning my eyes and my heart aching so much I wanted to rip it out. "Please don't say it! Don't make me your enemy!" I cried out. I began to remember the dream from the School.

"But Max, - " He attempted again.

"Don't say it!" I screamed, it rubbed my throat raw, tears threatening to spill. I had to hurt him and I didn't want to but with each attempt of trying to tell me he loved me it made it harder to even say a word. I couldn't hurt someone I love this much, could I? I'm not that cold hearted, am I? But I had to do it. "Why are you trying so hard to bring out the evil in me?" I asked, anger rising in my voice despite the fact I was far from it.

Fang reached out to me and I swatted the hand away instantly, tears spilling freely. "Don't do that." I told him, my voice serious and unwavering. "Why are you making this harder?" His gaze on me was so sad I felt torn. "Do you want to know the truth?" I asked, the tears still falling, the anger was evident in my voice. "You just passed the time, that's it, nothing more." The words were like knives in Fang's back, he seemed to stumble back at them. I winced inwardly, knowing they stabbed me too.

I walked away knowing I was lying, knowing that I was doing this for the better of the flock, and knowing that this would break my heart. I knew that this was the most painful lie I've ever said. How could I put off 18 years – my whole life – off as nothing? As just a way to pass the time?

My heart ached; it was so painful that it even made it hard to breathe. I had turned away, walking towards where my sense of direction was leading me, knowing that Fang was just as ready to collapse as I was from this pain. I love him but now I have to say goodbye.

Love is a funny thing, my mind repeated from my dream, it's just a word there's no proof it actually exists. It makes you hurts you and saves you and at the same time, it does nothing at all.

I felt myself trembling on the inside as I walked towards a black van; Fang was so far away now, he was probably heading back towards the flock and telling them how much of a bitch I am. No, Fang wouldn't do that but then again, I've never seen him when he's so pissed he wants revenge. The van's door opened and Jeb was sitting in a seat, a hand extended to help me in. "Good job, Samantha." I flinched at the name.

AHHH! The dream is back! Is it time for another? No freaking clue. But until then... tootles!

Challange time! This is an important challange, well to me anyway since I have no time to do this research myself, What are the Flock's experiment numbers/code names?

Preview:

The Lie Called Home (Originally titled Chain Link Fence)

Something cool touched my left wrist causing me to look away and saw Jeb fastening a silver charm bracelet. Had I enjoyed being Jeb's daughter I would be grateful and even dared to say it was beautiful in the way it gleamed but I nearly winced as each single link winked at me. One said 'why'd you leave us?' another, 'I love you', and another, 'you're killing us.' I bit my lip and looked away, had Jeb really intended to give this to me for my birthday?

"You're lying." My voice cracked as I spoke, the gray clouds lightening a bit. "That was the biggest load of bull I've heard from you yet. I'm waiting for more." For a moment I thought I saw Fang's face running through the trees and I wanted to cry out for him to go back. Would he follow me?

"How do you know I lied?" He replied calm and collected, he had known I would have figured it out.

"Because you're a masochist and you know I'm a masochist too." I replied but saw his eyes crinkle in his smile as the window reflected it.

Adieu
Nightwing