AN- -is still sniffling- I'm in shock over how much you all like this. I mean, I'm having a blast writing it, but the fact that you all like it too- it's incredible, and otherwise indescribable. Thanks to all of my readers and reviewers, and please R'N'R! Oh, btw- Fang is vaugely OOC in this chapter. -blushes- I have a bad habit with that...
Disclaimer- James Patterson owns Maximum Ride and it's characters. The only thing I own is this plot, the MR books 1&2 in hardcover, and several gazillion notebooks. -sulks- Not fair...
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And Fang- I'd suggest telling her what you've been wanting to for the past year, because this may be the la- The Voice is suddenly cut off, and I glance over at Max to see Ari behind her, a long needle in his hand. Max meets my eyes.
'Fang, what's the- oh god.' Her voice is strangled as Ari puts the point to her neck, her eyes widening with fear. He growls something in her ear, then pushes the needle into her skin. I break away from the Erasers holding me and sprint toward her, a crushing fear rising in my chest, and holler at her in our minds- I love you, Maximum Ride. Don't give up. Sensing her black out, I launch myself at Ari with an unearthly shriek, punching him full in the face. He lets her go to attack me back, and she falls to the ground awkwardly. Fury anew floods my mind, and I pour all of my strength into the fight.
Ten minutes later, I'm left on the ground in a pool of blood- both my own and Ari's- defeated. Now, Max is who-knows-where with the psycho-scientists, or with Ari- maybe he decided to put his "steal Max mission" into plan (yeah, she told me about it). Now I know how Max must felt after Jeb left, and after Angel was taken- and I can't help but love and admire her even more. Love. Jeez, I still can't-
Suddenly, there's a rustling sound from my right, followed by voices, sounding both close and farther away.
"Max? Fang?" …Gazzy?
"Max? Max, where are you?" Nudge?
"Come on, Fnick, answer us if you're still here." Iggy!
Oh, finally. The Flock. "Guys? Someone?" I call out weakly, and the quiet shuffling stops for a moment.
"Fang? Is that you?" Angel's wide blues eyes peer out from the darkening woods, then she bursts out, tears streaming down her face. She falls to her knees beside me, going pale as she notices all of the blood. "Oh Fang. Guys! Guys, I found Fang! He's hurt really, really bad." She turns back to me, fear in her eyes and voice. "Where's Max?" The rest Flock crashes into the clearing, jerking to a stop at the sight- and for Iggy, I guess the smell- of me, laying crumpled, broken, and bloody in the dirt. They all start asking questions at the same time.
"What happened?"
"Max isn't here?"
"Where is she?"
"We saw the Erasers fly off-"
"-Ari wasn't with them-"
"-so we thought he was-"
"-still with you and Max-"
"-but he's not ,and-"
"-Max is gone, but-"
"-you're still here, so-"
Owe… couldn't they just SHUT UP?
"Hey, guys, quiet down. Fang's in a lot of pain, and you're not helping!" Angel cries softly, and the others fall silent. "Iggy, check him for broken bones, okay? And Nudge- help me rip up some shirts for bandages. Gazzy, scope around and see if the Erasers or Ari and Max are near by." She instructs, sounding eerily like Max. Max. My heart tightens, and I clench my jaw, struggling to push myself up into an up-right position.
"Don't try to sit up, Fang- lay back down. The sooner you cooperate, the sooner we'll find Max." Iggy whispers, running his hands over me carefully. He hesitates over my right arm, then presses down lightly. A searing pain screams through my shoulder, and I take a sharp breath. "It's dislocated. Don't move." He hisses as I try to shift away from his hand.
"It hurts." I growl back, gasping slightly as he grips my arm and the slope of my shoulder, popping the joint back into place. That pain fades slowly, only to be replaced by the steady throb of bruises and cuts over my entire body.
"Suck it up, shadow boy. And hold still, I'm not done yet." Iggy mutters, and I glare at him, a sharp reply on the tip of my tongue.
Iggy's right, Fang- you can't let the pain block out Maximum, but you have to be in top condition if you want to save her. Holy shiz. What the heck?
Um... Voice?
Hello again, Fang. It's so nice to be able to talk with you, but where's Maximum? I can't get a hold of her, and I can't track her thoughts.
Ari took her. Drugged her with something. Didn't go with the other Erasers. You can't talk with her?
No. The Voice is silent for a moment. Ari took her?
Yeah.
And you said he drugged her. Do you know what it was?
Uh, no. How could I even tell?
How long did it take for her to black out?
A minute or so. Didn't take long, but I managed to tell her- you know, before she did black out.
Hm… I think I know what it was. And what you told her will definitely help bring her back. Now, about finding her…
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AN- Uh-oh. Ah, by the way, a little note to Northern Star, one of my loverly anonymous reviewers– what, are you a mind reader like Angel? Shh, your not supposed to know that highly classified information yet! Pshaw… PLEASE REVIEW!
Oo, oo, little side note- when I was up in Mackinaw with my family a few weeks ago, I saw shirt that read- "I am a bomb technician. If you see me running- TRY AND KEEP UP!" Remind you of anyone? LOL…
