Sightless

by South of North

Everyone thinks that Iggy was a hero, that he gave up his sight for the good of the flock. No. He made himself blind, and it was all his fault for disloyalty. This is the story of how Iggy became blind.

Everyone thinks that the day Iggy lost his sight was a heroic day.

Everyone thinks that Iggy volunteered to take the place of someone else.

Everyone is wrong.

For Iggy, he will never be that heroic.

He remembers that day, the day that he lost his sight.

They came for her-Maximum. They walked right up to her cage and started rattling the doors. Then, they opened the lock and pulled her out.

Angel, the mindreader, read the minds of the whitecoats. She learned that they were going to experiment on Max's eyes. Even at three, she knew that they were likely going to fail. She sent the message out to the rest of the flock.

All of them volunteered to take Max's place-the whitecoats hadn't left yet.

All of them volunteered, that is, except for Iggy.

He needed his sight. It was the one things that he was better at then any of the other flock members. He didn't want to lose it. Angel, she was young enough to get used to no eyes. Nudge and Gazzy, too. And Fang-well, Fang was in love with Max, even then, and would do anything for her.

He didn't volunteer.

The whitecoats noticed. They noticed that he was the only member of the "winged experiments" to not volunteer. So they put Max up, and took Iggy away instead.

They talked to him. They told him that it didn't matter who they took. They had chosen Max because she was the first one they saw.

They took Iggy because he wasn't willing.

They took him because he was selfish, not willing to sacrifice for the good of the flock, not willing to keep the flock together.

Even in the twisted brains of the whitecoats, they knew that selfishness was wrong.

Even in their twisted brains, loyalty mattered.

They were cocky, wanting to punish him. They didn't spend the time they should on the procedure. Later, they would tell him that Max would have made it, would have had enhanced vision.

But Iggy didn't volunteer.

And so, when Iggy went back to the flock, he was sightless.

No one will bring that day back up. The younger three don't even remember it. But Iggy will always remember. Even if Max and Fang forgive him, and know that he paid a price that no one should have to pay, Iggy will never forgive himself.

He made himself sightless.

R&R, Please?