Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride
Max sat up and looked around at the chaos surrounding her. She saw Iggy holding the small hand of Gazzy. Iggy never got much credit. He was the same age as her, as Fang, but he was always thought of as one of the kids. One of the younger ones. He put food in their mouths and made sure they were warm and had bellies that weren't completely empty. She saw his hand tighten on Gazzy's. Gazzy, he'd grown up so fast. Without much choice, he'd become a 'big boy' ready to take on the world for her and for his family. Gazzy looked up at Iggy, his face tear stained and dirty. "She's here." He said. Iggy's shoulders sagged and he started to shake. Iggy fell to his knees and covered his face with his hands as he cried. Gazzy hugged him. Angel was helping Dr. Martinez with the injured. She'd grown up faster than she should have too. Much like her brother, she didn't have a choice. Her usually white wings were dirt smudged and had water dripping off them. She'd been part of the rescue mission, her strong little helper. Dr. Martinez, the mom she never knew she never knew. The baker of cookies and the lover of joy, she brought Max help when she needed it most. She was her conscience but more than that, she was her mother. Her eyes went to Total and Akila who were huddled close together with Nudge who was sleeping. Total, the mutt they'd rescued who turned out to be a handful but was worth the trouble. He was one of her flock, had even grown wings to fit in with the rest of them. Nudge, her girl, her never-stop-talking-girly-girl-mutant the one who wanted to get her ears pierced and go to school and be looked at Dylan who was chatting calmly with Ella. Ella had a bandage wrapper around her arm and was dirty but looked fine. She smiled as she saw Max looking at her. Ella the soccer playing sister who was probably what Max would have been, had she been allowed a normal life. Dylan looked at her with pain in his eyes. Rejected. He was made for her, made to be her perfect match, like a puzzle they had made a piece just for her. But she was always the trouble part of the puzzle and had rejected him. He wanted nothing more than her love and she'd turned him away.
"Finally awake sleeping beauty." He quipped. She smiled at him weakly. "And I didn't even get to kiss you." Dylan went back to chatting with Ella. Max's eyes kept roaming until they found Fang. He looked murderous, dripping wet, had his left arm in a sling, and was staring directly at her. He stormed up to her and she felt like she should be scared but she really was just happy her flock was safe and together.
"You..." He trailed off looking too angry to finish his sentence. She smiled at him. He was her rock, her life line, her everything. She looked at him, wearing all black with his shaggy black hair needing a cut. She looked at him. His olive skin, his dark eyes, his looming glare as he stood over her. He looked the very part of death, darkness, and she felt happy and safe and home. He was her home. He gave her a look that said 'what the fuck are you smiling about?'
"Help me up would you?" She asked coughing up water. He grabbed her hand and hauled her to her feet. She went over to Iggy, leaving Fang to brood. She hugged him and Gazzy. "What's wrong?" She asked gently. Gazzy looked scared; he wasn't used to seeing Iggy cry.
"I was trying to be strong because you and Fang weren't here and then Fang got back without you and said he didn't want to talk about you. So I tried to be strong and to keep the flock together like you would have wanted." Iggy took a moment to sob. "But I was scared Max. You're the leader not me. Not Fang. No one but you and I had to be strong because you weren't there but...you're not going to leave us are you?" Iggy looked up at her with his blind eyes. Max brushed the strawberry blond hair out of his eyes.
"No Iggy. I'm right here. You don't have to be strong. But you realize, you are as much a leader as me or Fang? You lead in your own way though. And I'll lead in mine. Deal?" She asked. Iggy nodded weakly. "Good." She smiled and turned to Gazzy. "You two get a fire going? I'm starved." She grinned. Gazzy looked confused for a moment before perking up at being given a task and the two set to work starting a fire and finding something to eat. "And make sure you make a lot. We've got a lot of mouths to feed." She added. She went over to Nudge and shook her gently. "Nudge sweetie." She whispered. No response. "Nudge." She tried again louder, shaking her harder. No response. "Nudge! Cookies!" She said. Nudge jumped to her feet, knocking Max to her butt, and making Akila yelp in surprise.
"Cookies?" She asked looking around excitedly. Max stood, rubbing her bruised butt and frowning at Nudge.
"No cookies. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay." Max said.
"Oh yeah. We were all worried about you Max." She said as she hugged Max. "We missed you. We thought you were dead. Fang was really worried even if you couldn't tell from his face. Everyone was really worried. Dr. Martinez says you're going to lead us all. Like the queen. Queen Max. Has a nice ring to it. Does that make me a princess? I'd love to be a princess. Oh can I can I can I please be a princess?" Nudge asked.
"Sure Nudge. You can be a princess. But for now I want you to go around and make friends with people. I want to know who I'm leading." Max sighed and turned to Total. "You two okay?" Max asked the dogs. "Yeah." Total said looking at Akila then back at Max. "You two go around and make sure everyone whose hurt gets attention." She said. Total nodded. She went over to Dr. Martinez and Angel. "How's my favorite little girl doing?" Max asked. Angel looked at her and smiled.
"Good." She said sweetly hugging Max.
"And you mom?" Max asked turning to Dr. Martinez. She liked being able to call someone mom. It was nice. Like being normal. Well almost normal. Max looked around, her family of bird kids, a talking winged dog, on a cluster of tree houses in the middle of the ocean surrounded by other freak kids who she was expected to lead. Normal wasn't really the right word...
"I'm good sweetie." Dr. Martinez smiled.
"Keep up the good work I guess." She smiled before getting hugged by Ella. The girls smiled, laughed and then Ella went over to offer her help to Dr. Martinez. Max went over to Dylan who was standing awkwardly alone. Ella had left to help her mom with the wounded. "Hey." She said awkwardly.
"Your boyfriend doesn't seem too happy about us talking." Dylan said looking over her shoulder.
"Are you okay?" She asked. His eyes finally found hers. All his emotions, expressed in his body language and eyes. He shrugged.
"I'll live." He said digging his toe into the dirt.
"I just wanted you to know...if things had been different...I would have chosen you. But Fang...he's just...he was there with me from the beginning. In the school, through every eraser attack, everything." She said.
"Till he left you." Dylan mumbled. Man nodded.
"Yes but he came back. If he hadn't, if we'd had more time together, I probably would have chosen you." She said slipping her hand into his and giving it a light squeeze. "And I love you but just not like that." She added, letting go of his hand. "You're my family. My flock." She looked around at the kids filling their 'land.' They were all her flock now.
"Thanks." He said looking much less pained now. He looked like he was going to hug her so she whirred into action. "Can you help Iggy and Gazzy getting food for everyone? We've got a lot of mouths to feed." She asked stepping back from him. He nodded resolutely and went to help his brothers with their task. He seemed to come alive with a task, like it gave him a reason to go on. She turned to Fang. He was watching her looking furious, murderous, dark, ominous, evil. He seemed to be radiating rage. She went over to him at last. "Hey." She said punching his not sling bound arm playfully. He was silent. "How are you feeling?" She asked.
"Really Max?" He hissed at her. She shrugged grinning.
"It was worth a try." She replied. "So you're mad at me because...?" She asked. He glared at her then seemed to deflate.
"Everything." He said through gritted teeth.
"Can you use that in a sentence?" She asked sarcastically.
"You could have been hurt by that tsunami. You were flirting with Dylan. You don't understand how hard this is." He began to list things. She held up her hands to stop him.
"One at a time." She smiled. "I could have been hurt by the tsunami but I wasn't. You were." She said nodding at his arm. "So big whoop. It's not like we haven't been through worse." She smiled encouragingly. I was not flirting with Dylan I was merely making him feel like part of my family. He did stick with us didn't he?" She said in her leader voice. "He's just as much part of the flock as Total." She said.
"But he's not a dog. And you're not Angel." Fang interrupted but she held up her hands again.
"I know that. It was just an example." She said giving him a hard stare. "And I do know how hard it is." She frowned deeply. She most certainly knew how hard it was. She bore the brunt of her flock's problems. She took on everything.
"No, Max, you don't." He growled.
"He's right." Said the voice of Iggy from behind her. She spun around to find her flock watching her. Not just her flock, but every kid on the island.
"You take on the world for us." Angel said hugging Total to her chest.
"You take on anything for us." Nudge agreed.
"And we take up the slack." Dylan said.
"But when you let go, when you leave us, when you put yourself in harm's way and get hurt or something..." Iggy said shaking his head.
"We're not strong like you Max." Gazzy said.
"So you have to promise to be here for us." Iggy said.
"To be strong for us." Nudge smiled.
"To guide us." Angel said.
"To teach us." Dylan said.
"To take care of us." Gazzy smiled.
"All of us. Forever." Fang finished. Max felt like crying. It wasn't fair. Why did she always have to do everything? Save the world Max. Lead the freaks Max. Be strong and wise and guiding and perfect for all these people Max. What happened when she wasn't there? Where would that leave them?
'Without you they are nothing.' The voice whispered in her head. Max gasped. Jeb. That voice. She thought he was dead!
"Max?" Fang asked as he put his hand on her waist to steady her as she wobbled on her feet.
'Everyone is here to help you Max. You can let them take up the slack but you have to lead them. Tell them what to do.' The voice said. She didn't want to lead them. She had enough trouble leading, feeding, protecting, and taking care of the flock she already had.
"Give us orders." Said one kid. He stepped closer to her and she repressed the urge to recoil in revulsion. He looked like he was half fish. He was the basic shape of a human about the size of Angel. He had green scales covering his entire body and webbed feet and hands. Max looked at him and then around at the other freaks surrounding her. The leader of freaks. The queen of the misfits. She smiled at him. She liked that. Queen of the misfits.
"Can you swim fast?" She asked. He nodded eagerly. "Anyone who can breathe under water and swim fast is on food duty. Get in the water. Catch us some fish. Iggy, you and Gazzy pick some kids to start a fire and get cooking. Ella, mom, you make sure the sick and wounded are looked after. I want the big kids to start pooling recourses, that's you Dylan, Nudge." She said.
"I'm a big kid now?" Nudge asked looking overjoyed. Max nodded and was rewarded with a hug from Nudge. Max sputtered for a moment before hugging her back.
"And you're one of the most normal kids here." She whispered in the girl's ear. Nudge grinned and went off with Dylan. "Fang and I are on search and rescue." Max announced. "Anyone who can fly is invited to join." She added.
"Does that mean I can come?" Total asked excitably.
"Yeah sure." Max said, really not in the mood to argue with the dog. "If you find someone that needs saving just holler. Not like you need help making yourself heard." She mumbled as she took off followed by Fang, her shadow, and Total. She hovered there with them for a moment waiting for any others to join. Soon enough three other creatures joined them. One looked like a messed up eraser. It looked like it didn't take to the aging serum they gave so he was just a boy. He had grafted wings that made him fly awkward and made him tilt a bit sideways in the air. Fang was watching the boy skeptically. The second newcomer was a girl with bright pink hair. She looked just like a normal girl except she had no arms, just wings. She looked kind of lanky aside from her matching bright pink wings. The third kid was blue. Not just his leathery wings but his whole body. A teal light blue kind of color. He had patches of scales in odd places, a tail, and claws for hands. His legs looked more animalistic making him look much like a cross between a boy and a blue dragon. Max wondered if he breathed fire.
"Okay...introductions!" Total called for. Everyone looked at him then to Max. She was the leader; she gave the orders, not this yapping dog. She smiled; liking the power these kids were giving her and nodded. "I'll go first. I'm Total and I'm a dog." He announced puffing out his chest proudly. The eraser went next.
"Hi. They named me Ari and I escaped from the school the day before it was destroyed." The boy said. Max and Fang shared a look. "I was named after some man's son." Ari added. "I was going to be given to him but he disappeared." Ari added.
"Well I was never named." Said the pink girl.
"How about Pink?" Total asked. She looked at him then at Max.
"Like the singer?" She asked.
"Oh I liked her music." Said the last boy, the blue dragon kid.
"I guess." The girl nodded smiling. "And I am a flamingo hybrid." She smiled. Max wondered what use a flamingo hybrid would be.
"My name's Draco. I lived in the sewers until the world...ended." He frowned. "I was the only kid from those sewers to survive." Pink hugged him awkwardly with her wings.
"I'm Max." Max said trying to think of something she could tell them. She turned to fang for support.
"And she can't cook worth crap." Total said. She grimaced.
"Or dance." Fang added. "But she can fly up to two hundred miles an hour and breathe underwater."
"Oh hush." Max said rubbing the scars on her arm from where the school had their tracker. She pushed her thumb into the scarred tissue needing something to focus her.
"I'm Fang and..." He seemed to be having just as much trouble thinking of something as Max.
"And he's the devil." Total quipped.
"I prefer angel of death." Fang retorted with a hint of a smile.
"He can camouflage." Max said.
"Yeah." Fang agreed. When it came to powers, Fang and Max seemed to get the short end of the preverbal stick. Max smirked. And off they went. And so the beginning of the post apocalypse began.