A/N: Welcome to Chapter 2! I apologize for how short this chapter is, but for those of you who have read the Maximum Ride books in their entirety, you know that the books occasionally have chapters that only span over two or three pages (if even that).
This chapter focusses mainly on the "new enemy", but rest assured that the next chapter or two will be all Max (the next chapter will be for sure)!
On a side note, this fic hasn't exactly taken off the way I hoped it would, but I'm sure that if I keep it going pretty steadily, I'll pick up some more readers and reviews!
Disclaimer:
I do not own the Maximum Ride series or any of the characters involved (aside from any OC's I decide to insert).
Thank you for reading!
Remember Me
Chapter 2: Puzzle
"Sir, I'm not sure I quite understand what you're getting at."
The young girl tucked a strand of long black hair behind one ear as she eyed the large monitor in front of her, where a video of the subject was playing on repeat.
The subject in question was a girl with long blondish hair, and a pair of massive wings that extended from her back. The screen showed her running, pumping her arms and legs as hard as she could, then throwing herself into the air with one down stroke of her wings to get away from something. To get away from them.
"Sir, we let her escape. It's been a month, and we haven't sent anyone to bring her back or even look for her." There was worry in the girl's voice, worry that was reflected evenly in her deep blue eyes.
"Ricki, relax," said the man standing beside her. He stood several inches taller than her, with shoulder-length firetruck red hair and unnatural piercing red eyes. "Believe me, if I had wanted her here at all, she would have never escaped in the first place. It's all part of the plan."
The girl, Ricki, raised an eyebrow at the man. Her worried demeanor changed almost entirely as she put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side, long black hair spilling over her shoulders. "And what exactly is the plan?" she asked, pointedly. "For crying out loud, Shane. Why do you always have to be so cryptic?"
Laughter tore from Shane's throat, a malicious grin turning up the corners of his mouth. "Because, it's just more fun that way!"
There was something in his eyes that caused Ricki to flinch, something about the look on his face and the way he carried himself that raised a number of red flags in her head. She couldn't help but wonder how she had wound up in her current position, the lowly assistant of a complete psychopath.
The white coats had told her that she was destined for so much more, that her creation was of the utmost importance. They had made her feel like all of the training and the tests were completely worth the constant pain and exhaustion that she had felt. They treated her like their princess, like their prized weapon. Until someone came along and took it all away from her.
"As I was saying," Shane said sharply, causing Ricki's trip down memory lane to end abruptly, "this is all one giant puzzle. I have no interest in bringing her back into my custody at this point in time. Not until I get what I want. Not until she leads me right to the rest of them. Then, the pieces will all fall into place and the real game, the end game, will finally begin."
Ricki's eyes widened, her breath shallowing as things slowly began to click together. "You... You're just using her as your pawn. That's why you had me kidnap her that night, so you could wipe her memory clean and start off this little game of yours with a blank piece. She didn't escape at all. You let her go."
Rather than respond, Shane turned his back to the dark haired girl and made his way towards a tall stack of mixed papers and files sitting on a computer desk. He shuffled through a small section of the stack until he found the file he was looking for.
"Maximum Ride," he said as he opened the dust covered manila folder. He took out a number of loose papers and carelessly let the folder fall to the floor. "Roughly seventeen years old, she's the leader of a group of five other avian-human hybrids who call themselves The Flock, all of whom have a wide array of unique abilities." Shane set the papers down, his back still facing Ricki. "They are the ultimate recombinant successes," he said in a mocking tone. "Hah. I hope they're ready to prove just how successful they are. When I'm done with them, they'll wish they were never created. When I'm done with them…"
'They probably already wish that they were never created,' Ricki thought to herself as Shane trailed off. They were recombinant lifeforms just like she was, and many of the hybrids that she had come across shared one common thought. They all wished that they had never been brought into this world, into this life of constant pain and fear inflicted on them by the people in white.
"Ricki!"
Ricki jumped at the sound of her name, eyes wide as she looked to the man standing just inches away. "Yes sir?" she said on instinct, silently cursing herself for being so obedient.
"Since we're on the topic of Miss Maximum Ride, I have a job for you. It's one that I'm sure you're going to love."
