Chapter 2

"We need Fang," Max squealed, seeing the Animal Control guys squinting up at them, "Or Iggy, either way!" Nudge shuddered and I slapped her, "Don't you look so horrified! We need one of them and if I can't find Fang you'll damn well have to put up with Iggy!"

"I don't have to put up with anything!" Nudge retorted, pissed at always being treated like a kid, despite the fact that she was one – and an incessantly annoying one at that – but so was Max. "I am OUT OF HERE!" she added for dramatic effect and took flight.

Max watched her leave angrily, then looked sadly at Gazzy, "I have to stay strong for you… my flock… but everyone keeps leaving me," she sniffed. "First Fang, then Iggy. Then Angel…" she sobbed, "And now Nudge? Why must I be alone? Why???" she cried, while Gazzy patted her awkwardly.

"I dunno? You are pretty annoying, egotistical and have a bit of a God complex what with the whole 'zomg I wanna save the world' thing. I mean seriously? You? Save the world? That shit's funnier than my latest Weird Al CD." Gazzy said sympathetically.

Max nodded, "I suppose that's true… but you… you understand me… more than any of the others," Max trailed off, eying Gaz up and down, "Wanna get together?"

"No,"

"Well, okay then!" Max said, clapping her hands together, "We definitely need Fang then!"

"We'll have to stop by the river, we need water," Gazzy said reasonably.

"Why!? We can't delay our quest to… SAVE THE WORLD!"

"How is this saving the world?" Gaz asked curiously. He was considering becoming a psychologist since Max went nuts… it was really interesting the way they thought.

"Those men back there were Itex guys!" Max exclaimed.

"How do you know? They looked like regular Animal Control people to me,"

"That's what they WANT us to think," Max hissed in his ear, "Trust… nobody…"

"Alrighty then!"

"YAY!!! So no water stop?" Max squealed excitedly.

"No, we still need water,"

"I DON'T HAVE TO-"

"'Put up with this,' yes, yes I know, I've heard it a million times before, now come with me before you hurt yourself," Gazzy said, heading for the river.

They saw a dark object ahead of them and stopped mid-air, hovering rather than flapping their wings. They haz skillz dewd.

"OH MY GOD, GAZZY! THEY SENT FLYBOYS AFTER US!!!!" Max screamed, pushing the boy forward towards the lone figure.

Gazzy rolled his eyes, "Fang! Hey!"

Fang looked over towards them and squealed like a bitch, going into a steep nose-dive toward a bridge. Gaz rolled his eyes and followed at a more sedate rate with Max shrieking behind him as she followed him down.

They landed below the bridge and saw Fang, hooded and being beaten with bottles by a number of hobos.

"Hey! Stop that!" Max screeched, cracking her elbows menacingly, "What the hell do you think you're doing to that poor mechanical Eraser!?" she shouted, pushing Gazzy towards the bottle-wielding hobos in front of her.

Fang took the hood of in exasperation, throwing it down at his feet. The hobos backed off and Max stared.

"Fang!" she screamed, promptly peeing herself in her excitement, "We found you! Rescued you from these spawns of Itex's corruption!"

Gazzy rolled his eyes and sighed.

"They tried to take us back to school, my love!" she added, "Itex! I didn't know they worked part time as truancy officers," she added thoughtfully, before her expression cleared to blind faith, "But they must!"

"Oh for god's fucking sake," Gazzy muttered.

"Max! Do you have a cell phone?" he squealed and she nodded, throwing one at him. He flipped the phone open and hit speed dial.

"JP! We have a problem! We think Itex is after us again and there are these hobos who knew who Max is! What the hell is going on?!?"

"OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE! LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!!!! I don't know what the fuck is happening in your stupid, PATHETIC lives! Now... leave me… alone!" he shouted into the phone, breaking down into sobs towards the end. "I just want it to end," he whispered and hung up.

Fang stared at Max, "He's been compromised, he gave me the signal… we're on our own… again,"

"Dun dun dun," Gazzy muttered, turning to walk away for some much needed alone time away from the fucking idiots of the family.