Back to the Real World from Oz
Maximum Danger Magnet Charging Off Batchelder Martinez Ride's POV
I glanced at the other members of my flock/family. They appeared to be holding up well, all things considered. Well, let's see, we're flying in the middle of a category five hurricane—not the best idea I've ever had—and trying to escape the Uber-Director and Gozen. I saw a flying house—I guessed it was Dorothy's house—you know, the one that crushed the Wicked Witch of the East in the Wizard of Oz—since it's the only flying house I've ever heard of—and yelled, "Guys, house! Everyone land on the roof! Iggy, six degrees northwest from where you and Fang are flying with Akila!" We all landed carefully—and Fang calmly said, "Brace yourselves." How he manages to stay calm even in the worst situations is beyond me. I was about ready to start panicking. That's not like me, I assure you. I probably should tell you about us.
So, there's normally seven of us, but right now there's eight of us. There's me—Maximum, Max, Ride—I can fly at supersonic speeds and have a Voice in my head—Fang—dark, silent, and blend into any dark background—Iggy—blind, can cook like a pro, can feel colors, and make amazing bombs—Nudge—never shuts up, can feel past emotions, and can attract metal—the Gasman—Gasser or Gazzy—pitch-perfect, and I mean, pitch-perfect imitations of someone else and can make bombs with Iggy, but he comes with a major, and I mean major, design flaw—and his little sister, Angel—mind-reading, changing appearances, breathing underwater, and talking to fish. Total—one of our two dogs—can talk and is growing wings. Our second dog—Akila—is 100% normal—actually she's not really our dog, but she'll be part of the family soon enough.
The six of us humans—or I should say—part humans also have wings—like birds. We can fly. We were born to fly. Soon, Total, our talking dog, will be flying with us, because he's growing wings.