I do not own Maximum Ride or its characters. They belong to James Patterson.
This was a training room. Pretty much like any other room, except filled with robots. The guns were harmless on these ones, as long as I didn't try to fly. I was supposed to fight at ground level. I enjoyed flying more, but I guess some practice here would be good.
Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to mention I could fly. That's all part of the experiment. I don't remember when my wings started growing, but I do remember the pain of my bones shifting. Now I had two fourteen-and-a-half feet long wings sprouting from my back. They were white at the tips of the feathers, grey in the middle, and black at the top rim. At the moment, I had them slightly fanned out in the most comfortable position. I could fold them tight against my body, as if they weren't there, but it was like pinning yourself up against a wall.
When the robots started at me, and rushed to meet them. This was one of my favorite rooms because I could pretend these robots were the coat-wearers. When the first three met with me, I kicked the middle one, stretching my leg farther than I should have. It was sent back into a couple others, who had mindlessly gotten in the way. I dropped my leg when the other two went after it, and thrust my hands forward, claws extended.
That was also a part of the experiment. I was part bird. Talon like claws on my hands, wings on my back. These claws were strong enough to cut through anything I could think of, and it didn't hurt to use them. I didn't know how it worked, but I was glad I could use these without my hands going numb with pain. They were about one inch long, and pretty sharp. It was hard grasping things without puncturing them.
After a few moments of kicking and slicing, the fight was almost over. One left. The fun one. I could deal with this one however I wanted, and there was nobody to stop me. I spread my wings, and the robot registered it. It raised its gun arm to shoot, but by then I had jumped forward with a flap to help the speed, and removed its head with a quick hand movement. Sometimes, I enjoyed being this deadly. Other times, it was frightening. But this was going to help me get out of here.
As the door was opened, the coat-wearers entered the room cautiously. They thought I only understood basic words. Fight, washroom, hungry, thirsty, basic necessities. What they didn't know, was that I could understand pretty much anything they told me. Carrying their usual clipboards, they watched me with interest. Hurting them would get me nowhere; I would just get gassed and punished. Living was terrible here, so the punishments were pretty bad. So I pretended to like them.
Yes, however odd that seemed, they bought it. They seemed safe around me, but they weren't taking many chances. They still kept me locked up. One waved its hand for me to follow, so I did. Forcing a smile out, I beamed at all the nearest people. Some ignored me, some smiled back. The few that smiled were the ones that I worked with often. When the coat-wearer stopped at a new door I hadn't seen before, I was nervous. Was this something bad? I sure hoped not.
Turns out, it wasn't that bad.