Chapter One: Ships and Dip

The ocean's a pretty rockin' place in the summertime, I've got to give it that.

Ship Island was originally an island fort, (Fort Massachussets, I think), about 11 miles off the coast of Mississippi, and was closed to the public for a little while, thanks to the government declaring our need for a personal holiday, so we had the sands and sun and sea all to ourselves for about two weeks. And boy, was it EVER a long time coming!

Gazzy was chasing after a squealing Angel with a crustacean the size of a beach ball, laughing his head off, and Total yapping right behind them; Iggy and Ella built sandcastles above the surf, chatting animatedly.

But Nudge, Mom, and I were the ones having the best of it. The government seemed to have, for once, done a very generous thing, having invested in some pretty awesome professional service for us, too. We stretched out on our chairs in the partial shade of the umbrellas, getting lotion rubbed onto our backs by a pair of, in Dr. Martinez's words, "extremely hunky bodyguards". I didnt' see the point at first - we'd probably need to guard THEM, if anything. But they had their uses:

"They teach Cordon Bleu and Massage Therapy right alongside kicking people's butts with these guys," she sighed dreamily, sipping from that cliché, but REALLY GOOD, drink in a coconut.

"Yeeeeaaaah," Nudge agreed, adjusting her movie-star shades and stretching. "They really got it, this time. It's good to see some 'well-rounded' qualities in a man or two."

The two of them burst out giggling hysterically at this. I rolled my eyes. "The pair of you act like you've got money, or something," I scoffed. They simultaneously looked at me over their sunglasses like a pair of divas. "And you're one to talk, Max...if the manicure by the extra man on your right hand is doing you any justice," they laughed.

What? So maybe a bodyguard (or more) was helpful for something! I could always use an extra person to do my nails. They needed it, too, they were getting quite bad, and this swimsuit model was being just ever SO professional. I smirked and adjusted my own sunglasses with a free hand and went back to relaxing under the skilled palms of our sexy Assigned. "Mmm, I support our previous mentality completely in that I'm never passing up free, and highly necessary, service."

"I second that!" Mom declared, raising her drink. "Ooh, and a little more oil on that shoulder, Garcon, s'il vous plait."

We broke out giggling helplessly again. I don't know how our boys took it, but I hoped they considered themselves flattered. THIS was something a girl could get used to!

But then a certain looming shadow had to spoil it. I looked up. "Oh, hey, where've you been?" I mumbled. Fang twirled a pair of goggles around on his finger. "Windsurfing with Iggy in a second. Monroe is bringing our boards and stuff now. I'd ask you to join us, but..." He raised an eyebrow. I hoped I had a bit of a tan to cover any sort of blush that might have been trying to pop up. What can I say? I usually don't wear bikinis, never owned one...

...And he didn't normally wear trunks when we went swimming, for the same reason. He looked pretty good.

"...You seem to be enjoying yourself."

"You got THAT right," I murmured, as my bodyguard massaged along my back. "Lucas has fantastic hands."

"...'Lucas'?" I heard him mutter, and I noticed the rather darkish look thrown at the Guard he generally reserved for the promise of a fractured skull and an arse-whoopin'. Aww. I couldn't resist. "Yes, 'Lucas'. And, 'Lucas', when you've got a moment, could you get me another ice-pop? Lime this time."

"Of course, miss," wonderful Lucas replied. Ha-ha!

Fang's eye twitched, in the way that told me he was fighting an eye-roll. I had some sympathy and punched him lightly in the leg from where I lay. He smirked. "Not jealous, are you? You guys could trade places..."

"If I'm jealous, it's only because when I do it, I don't get paid," he retorted, and walked off, amid Mom and Nudge practically stuffing their fists in their mouths to keep from laughing aloud. I watched him go lazily, admiring the sun on his strong shoulders, casting a sheen on his great, dark wings.

God, I love that guy.

It's been four years since the rescue of my mom and the expedition to the Arctic. Four years, since the run-in with Mr. Chu, and the poor, deformed radioactive beings under the water that Angel said were called Krelp.

My birthday's around the corner - I'll be a legal adult in society!

That doesn't excite me at all. I'm not a big societal person, and as far as I'm concerned, we've ALL been adults since we could fight. Not to mention, there wasn't much I could do with that title, except get into a fancy place on my own - oh, THAT'S right! I could do THAT before, too! So in other words, this is only a really huge thing for normal humans.

However, it was still a marker in our journey; we'd made it to adulthood, something I never thought was probable, what with people trying to freakin' KILL US every time we tried to get something to eat or lay down to catch a nap. That, and the matter concerning our expiration dates...mine still hasn't popped up, though I've been checking, off and on. I'd feel more paranoid about it, but, I got a job to do.

And no, it's not saving the world right now. It's relaxing. FOR ONCE.

But what happened in the past four years? A little bit of this, a little bit of that. Saving people here, stopping armed forces there, knocking people off political thrones over there, the usual.

Nothing to really tell, except that, as you've probably noticed, me and Fang are a lot easier with each other. We've come a long way in our relationship, through the many obstacles and things called "staying alive until tomorrow", but somehow, we managed to make it. Maybe in the time during the vacation, we could work on it some more.

Ella's looking to be accepted into a place where she can go to school to become a vet, like her mom, but for wildlife. They opened up several rehab and nurture clinics for animals all over the country, endorsed by PETA and CSM and Greenpeace and all that, which is great, because animals don't got a lot of doctors, and it means that if ever we get busted up, we can come to her for help.

"Aaaaaaaand..." She said, making me wake up from my little daydream of replacing dear Lucas with Fang anyway, "...Action!"

"Huh?"

She was holding a camcorder in my face. And now, zooming out, and panning around to get a good view of my exposed back. "Here we have the rare and dangerous creature, Maximus Rideus, a unique type of avian-hybrid that can be found ONLY when it wants to be," she narrated, in a light British imitation. "Here we see her on an even rarer moment of her life - relaxing, and being pampered by several of her well-paid, symbiotic, and attractive, hosts. See the deep look of intense enjoyment upon her beautiful face, followed by the increasingly bewildered and curious curve of her eyebrows as she finds that she's been on film for the past ten minutes."

My eyebrows stayed put in their 'increasingly bewildered and curious' curvey position. "Should I even ask?"

"Ella," Mom chuckled, "why are you recording our vacation with only two weeks left? You should have started before then."

"I know, but I've just had a great idea," she replied, focusing it on them now. Nudge was sitting up, having a sandwich, and spoke around her food: "Whut, a documendaree of 'Bird-kids in da Wild'?"

"Actually...yeah." She explained. "I have to do another doc before I go back to school, and I was thinking, why not of us? Not only would I get an easy A, but also, use it to help our cause."

Nudge swallowed. "Not like Hollywood again, is it?" She asked skeptically. Ella shook her head. "No, not at all! With this, everyone can know your history, and what you're doing to help save the world and promote CSM. It could further motivate people -"

"-And not to mention, settle the score with putting a lot of these people behind bars," Mom finished, mulling it over thoughtfully. She had a point. Even though we've been battling the forces of evil and greedy for the past four years, illegal genetic experiments were still just 'rumor and speculation' - which was a load of crap, seeing as we're living proof, among others, and everyone on the planet knows who we are. But, according to Dr. Martinez and Jeb and everyone else, it wasn't the lack of proof that was stopping anyone from putting these people away.

God forbid anyone stop being corrupt for a good cause, but then, even supposed 'heroes' trying to help with the cause needed money, too. Politicians and sponsors, especially. ("They're not bad people, just greedy people," Mom explained to me once.)

"I wouldn't mind doing a movie," Nudge proposed, passing me and her a sandwich, too. "And it wouldn't be too hard to ask for extra camcorders so we can take them with us, and fly with them, and stuff."

"Yeah, I could see that," I said, still a tad uncertain. "But I mean, is it a good idea, what with us trying to lay low again, and all that?" Technically, we still didn't belong to the government. It frustrated them to the point of funny that they could never get us to sign over our lives to them. We just worked WITH them sometimes. Never FOR them. And in return, they were supposed to be keeping us from being found.

"Not like they'll find out where we live unless we tell them," she pointed out, and Ella nodded. "Yeah, we've got the country's army on our side as our escorts. They alone should be enough to shoo away any 'overzealous fans'."

"It's entirely up to you, sweetie," said Mom, knowing from experience our reserved personal rights to paranoia and secrecy. But Ella was pretty good at filming, I'd seen the stuff she'd done for the ASPCA, and PSA's for CSM and the military. At least it wouldn't feel so...creepy...with her holding the camera.

"Well...I'm all for it, I guess," I said, not unhappy to pick up a less-lethal hobby for a change, even if it did sound a bit kooky. Looked like I'd be a movie star, after all. "And if the rest of the flock says yay, do your thing. But you're probably going to need a LOT of tape for this."

"Should I wear makeup?" Nudge wondered humorously. "Heh, or can we edit my lesser points after?"

Ella jumped up to go to the Shack. "Oh, don't worry, I've got it covered, I'll go get -"

And almost ran into Fang and Iggy, coming up to us from their fun.

"WOOO!" Iggy crowed, leaning on him, and Fang just shook his head. "He's still a bit disoriented."

Mom sighed, exasperated. "I'd be too, after that. Whatever in the world made you think of joining him?"

My Tallest picked a long thread of seaweed out of his strawberry hair, giggling to himself. There was a bright pink mark on his forehead, and it kind of looked painful. "So I could sabotage him, of course."

"Iggy, you're blind," Fang said, ironically. And Iggy, used to this, only snerked. "Didn't stop me from making you do a face-plant anyway. That was the whole point of the game."

(We'd watched from the shore. If anyone could perform war on the sea by windsurfing, it would probably be them. I echoed her sigh. Four years, and they were still my kids, still my siblings, still my royal pains.)

"Tch, c'mon Igs, we'll get you your band-aid," Fang grumbled in good humor, towing him to the Shack. Iggy puffed himself up proudly. "I shall wear it as a medal for my outstanding victory, and my bravery in the face of Fugly."

"Huh. You ain't much of a looker, yourself, what with that bright shiny spot on your head."

"I shall wear it too as a medal, a beauty mark of honor, that makes the onlookers, and you especially, pale in my shadow!"

"Did he hit his head that hard?" I asked, a little worried. Ella examined him carefully. "Looks like just a bump...you guys should really lighten up on each other, you're not enemies!"

Fang shrugged. "It's what he gets for thinking he's such a pretty-boy."

"I AM a pretty boy. Prettier than you. Every day, and you're just jealous."

"And he wonders why he got a board to the head."

"Ain't my fault I got dain bramage. I plead gimpiness."

"Of course you would."

"Boys," Mom warned gently, getting up. "Come on, we'll fix the both of you up inside. Ella, Nudge, could you and Max get the others together so we can start that bonfire? After all..." She winked at me over her shoulder, pushing the other two along, "it's a certain someone's special night."

"Oh, right!" Nudge jumped up and grabbed one arm, Ella grabbed another, and they saluted to Dr. Martinez as she led them away. Iggy scratched at his reddish chin-hairs. "Eh? Someone say 'special'?"

"Come, Iggy, the short-bus is leaving," Fang quipped, earning himself a jab in the side of the head.

Nudge and Ella waited for them to get inside, then hauled me away like a sack of potatoes. "Your birthday surprise's tonight!" The squealed, and I, remembering with a jolt, let myself be taken away to the horrors of the unknown.