Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate SG1 characters or Maximum Ride characters but I do own my own.

Chapter 2

Jack P.O.V.

"Welcome back SG1, debriefing in 15 minutes." General Hammond said as we came down the ramp.

"Yes sir." It's good to be home. "Come on kids time to hit the showers." I said heading to the door. Sam came up behind me in the corridor. "Sir?"

"Yes Carter!"

"Would you like to come over tonight?"

"Yes, Sam I'd like that." I said taking her hand in mine. Confessing my feelings to her was one of the best things I've ever done in my life. We've been together for three months now and still going strong. Thank you anyone who's listening!

When we were cleaned up and relatively presentable, well you wouldn't be your best either after a weekend on another planet, we headed back to the debriefing room.

"How was P3X-597, Colonel?"

"It was green and quiet and green, did I mention quiet!" I answered.

"Colonel meant was that it was uninhabited. The planet would be suitable for a research and development centre or a beta site." Sam informed Hammond.

"Okay SG1 dismissed."

"Hey Jack! Janet and I were wondering if you and Sam would like to come over for dinner one night next week. Cassie will be back from camp." Daniel asked coming up behind me as we exited the debriefing room.

"Sure. I can't wait until Cassie's home. I missed her while she was at camp."

"Yeah she says she missed everyone while at camp and can't wait to come home."

"General Hammond and SG1 to the surface! General Hammond and SG1 to the surface!" came over the intercom as I was about to respond.

"Guess we're going topside kids!" Hammond caught up with us at the lift.

"Sir these people here are asking for you." Sgt. Ryan said as we approached the gate.

"Okay Ryan. Take us to them." Ryan brought us over to the main gate where a group of six people stood ranging from twenty one years old to thirteen and a small dog.

The oldest female had dirty blond hair and was tall and skinny. Taking in the appearance of the others they were all tall and skinny and looked a little undernourished to me. The oldest males flanked the woman giving of the appearance of the woman being the leader. The one on the right was dressed all in black with pitch black hair and eyes as black as coal. To tell you the truth his eyes reminded me a little of the Asgard's eyes, except smaller of course. He was just a little closer to the woman telling me they were together. I knew the look and posture well, after using it myself when around Sam on a new planet with civilization or standing in front of a Goa'uld. The action was subconscious.

On the left of the leader was a red haired man with paled, blue eyes. He was just as tall as the dark guy who was a head taller than the leader. In front, but a little to the side of the red head was a blond haired teen. The red head had a finger looped into the younger guy's jeans.

In front of the dark guy was a mocha coloured young lady. Her hair was in tiny plaits and her clothes screamed organised and fashionable. She was around Cassie's age.

Standing in front of the leader was what looked like the youngest. She looked exactly like the blond haired teen. Her blond hair was in waves down her back, and big blue eyes that seemed to tell you that she wasn't as innocent as her body looked. From away you could mistake her for an angel. All she was missing was a halo and white wings. Suddenly she started giggling.

I looked back at the group to see them all smiling like they were all trying not to laugh; well except the dark guy he just looked as blank as ever. Good poker face. They smiled even more; it was like they were reading my mind. Suddenly they burst out laughing.

"I'm General Hammond" Hammond said trying to get the group to sober up a bit. "You asked for me."

The two oldest who were laughing stopped and straightened up. The guy on the right put a relaxing hand on the leader. She calmed down quickly and stepped forward a little.

"I'm sorry. I'm Max" the leader said offering a hand to the General. Hammond shook it. "This is Fang" she said gesturing behind her at the dark guy. Appropriate name the guy could be mistaken for a vamp. Suddenly the younger girl started laughing harder. What was up with these people?

"Angel, stop that this instant" Max said to the youngest who I'm guessing is called Angel.

"Sorry Max, but he's just so funny." She said guiltily.

"Angel, don't do it or so help me I will only give you a half portion of food at dinner."

"Woh! woh! woh! You can't deny a child food. That is considered child abuse. No wonder they are all so thin." I blurted getting really angry at Max.

"Who are you to tell me how to raise my family? I've been raising them since I was four years old and know that Angel or anyone else can go on before it becomes too much. We have gone longer on hardly anything then on half a portion of our sized meals. It may be considered child abuse, but it's how I raise my family. This is how we all grew up with maybe getting fed once every two weeks and at that it was only a sandwich. So if you have nothing good to say don't say it at all." WOW I didn't expect to be chewed out by her.

"Sorry Max for the Colonel's interruption. He has too much of a soft spot for children. Go on!" Hammond said.

"It's ok, Colonel just make sure you don't correct me on my methods of raising this family. We have been together through thick and thin and are amazed that we are still even alive, now on with introductions. As you might have guessed this is Angel, her brother Gazzy or The Gasman. Don't ask about the name you will find out soon enough" Max said indicating the blond teen that had a mischievous look on his face and a very smug smile. "Behind him, you've got Iggy." Iggy bowed his head much like Teal'c, but his eyes stayed above our faces.

"Beside Fang is Nudge."

"Hello, I'm Nudge. Those clothes are sooo last season. The army really need to update their uniforms. I mean come on they are blue and green and combats. Who wears combats anymmmmmmm" Fang had clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Thanks Fang, my ears are still ringing. I really don't want to be deaf" Iggy said looking over at Fang and Nudge, but just above their eyes.

"Sorry Iggy." Nudge said when Fang took his hand away.

I coughed alerting them to our presence. "I'm Col. Jack O'Neill with two Ls. This is Major Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson and Teal'c." Teal'c looked over at me as if to say why we gave his real name. I just shrugged, telling him that they had strange names so why couldn't he."

"Hello!" The group said together.

"Can I ask what you're doing here?" I said starting to get a little annoyed.

"Sorry. We're here to help you protect the SGC."

My jaw dropped along with Daniel's Sam's and Hammond's, Teal'c's eyebrow just rose.

"Excuse me" I said regaining the ability to speak "How do you know about that?" I said without thinking.

"Easy Jack" Sam whispered placing her hand on my back to calm me a little. It worked!

"We will tell you when you let us inside, as out here anyone could hear us and we try to keep a low profile even though it seems like the world has forgotten us."

"We cannot let us onto the base until you have army training, or a military exception." Hammond told them. I got the feeling they came prepared for this.

"Not again. Fang, hand me the IDs please, I put them in your bag." Fang put his back pack down and took out six military IDs. He handed them over to us without saying anything and went back to stand beside Max.

"Sgt. Ryan, run these through the computer."

"Yes, sir. Right away, Sir."

"So while we check the IDs are legit why don't you tell us why you are staying low?" I asked hoping they would answer the question.

"We will tell you when we get inside, but we can tell you that we are not one hundred percent human."

"General, Sir the IDs are Navy issue and are legit." Ryan said coming back.

"Welcome Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy and Angel. Please step through the check points and sign in at check points." I said in an attendants voice. I got a few giggles and eye roles. "No giggling major."

"Yes Sir."

We went back through the check points and got in the elevator. Talk about cramped space. Fang and Max had started to act like they had a severe case of claustrophobia; Iggy seemed to have it also but it didn't seem as bad. Fang and Max's eyes started to dart all over the place and eventually Max turned into Fang's chest as he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Col.?" Fang said surprising me.

"Call me Jack. Yes!"

"How long is the lift going to take?"

"It's a ten minute ride. We are going down ten floors. You shouldn't worry the elevator has had much more weight then this in it and it still worked fine.

"Oh Freaking hell" Max mumbled into Fang's shoulder who tightened his grip on her.

"We have no fear of heights Col – Jack; we're just extremely claustrophobic due to our upbringing." Iggy said seeming to be the coolest out of the older three.

"It must have been a terrible upbringing if you weren't fed and are this bad. I've never seen somebody this bad." Sam said noticing them also.

"You have no idea."Max said.

Eventually the elevator stopped and every one of the guests darted out of it so fast I was surprised.

"Colonel, bring our friends down to the briefing room I have to deal with something first." Hammond whispered to me.

"Yes sir." I started walking down the halls with Carter right beside me. Behind us were Fang and Max, then Gazzy and Iggy, then Angel and Nudge. Daniel and Teal'c came up on our rear.

When we reached the briefing room the blast door had been lowered. SG1 sat on one side while the others sat opposite. Fang and Max sat in front of Sam and me.

"Can you tell us now?" I asked ever the impatient colonel. Sam put one of her hands on my knee. I covered it with mine and started rubbing the back of her hand with my thumb.

"Nope, I don't want to repeat it again"

"Please!" I begged.

"Hmm, let me think about it, nope." Max said while the group started smirking.

"Why?" I whined like a child, I know, Sam squeezed my knee to tell me to behave.

"I told you why Colonel." Max said faking innocence.

"It's Jack to those outside the military."

"Sorry Jack."

Hammond walked in and Sam and I were just about to stand up. "At ease!" We sat back down and resumed our positions.

"Now Max, please tell us how you know about the SGC?" Hammond said to Max.

"It's a long story and better if we started at the beginning." Max said looking serious and a little sad.

"That's fine as long as you tell us how you came about the name." Hammond said encouraging them on.

"Well it started many years ago, before we were born, Genealogists decided to combine human DNA with animal DNA. This group of scientists was actually part of a huge group called Itexicon or Itex for short. The branch that ran these experiments was called `The School' and was located in Death Valley.

"The School was dealing in the illegal grafting of human and animal DNA. They succeeded in their research sometimes, but some of the crosses actually killed the children and babies. The main crosses are the Canine-human recombinant, or as we call them Erasers as they were The School's police force and executers of failed experiments. They were ugly creatures indeed. The other breed was avian-human. Both these recombinants survived the first few years of life. The Avian-human has been the most successful but only a few were created. The erasers were stopped about six, seven years ago. Another recombinant is our dog Total. His experiment was animal based."

Suddenly a smallish voice that I had not heard before came from somewhere on the floor. The dog Total jumped up on Max's lap. "You know Max you could have introduced me with the others. I'm still a part of this family even if I live with Akila in your Mom's place."

I couldn't help it my jaw dropped along with everyone on SG1 and Hammond. The dog talked. I rubbed my eyes thinking I had to be dreaming this. To see Teal'c awestruck was also something to be awed by.

"Since when do dogs talk O'Neill?" Teal'c asked looking at Sam, Daniel and I. "Sorry Teal'c, but I don't even know" I looked over at the kids to see all of them on the floor laughing their heads off including Fang.

"Sorry for not preparing you for that, but it's so funny to see people's reaction to a talking dog."Max said recovering Fang was now his usual stoic self.

""Don't worry about it we all shouldn't really be surprised I guess we didn't think of it being here." Sam said recovering. By the look in the groups' faces they seemed to be a little surprised.

"Anyway how does this apply to you?" Daniel the ever curious asked.

"Well Daniel, we are actually the avian-human experiments."

"How are you different you don't look like a bird?" I said.

"At a glance like this we can look very human as we are 98% human, but the other 2% is avian DNA. Our bones, blood, lungs, stomach, and muscles are different to you, also our senses are better. We have additions to our bodies also, one of the main ones that we all have is our unexplainable internal compass and the other you can see but probably won't believe until you can see for yourselves. Each one of us including Total has working wings. An also added something is our gifts. We all have many and have never stopped gaining them but some we don't use."

"Can we see them?"Sam asked. The scientist in her must be having a field day.

"How long is this room?"Max asked.

"It's about 13ft long. Why?" Sam answered.

"That's too small. Is there any bigger room about 23ft wide or long?"

"There's the gate room but that is strictly of bounds to you." I said thinking about the room which was actually right behind the blast door covering the window.

"Colonel, the flock and I have come here to help you save the world. We saved the world many times before and are quiet used to it. If there is no way you are going to let us help you then I don't think there is a point to continuing this talk."

"Hang on Max. We can't just let anyone join here. They are all the best in America or in the armed forces."Hammond said trying to get them to continue the meeting.

"Excuse me, General, but we are made to be better than any human on Earth. Angel here could kill you with one punch and there would be no knowledge of her being there.

"Fang here could sneak in and out of everywhere on this base and no camera or technology could sense him.

"I can go so fast you would not be able to see or hear me. I could circumference this whole complex in two seconds flat.

"Iggy here can build a bomb so small that you would never detect it and it could be made of anything.

"Gazzy could knock everyone in the complex unconscious with a little fart.

"Nudge can act as a magnet and hack into any computer known to man in a minute. Now does that sound like anybody on your base? The flock and I are built for survival. We have been fighting for our lives since day one.

"There is only one fear we have and that is of small spaces, because unlike you we grew up in dog crates. We had people after us trying to kill us up until five years ago. We've been the target of a computer enhanced assassin on more than one occasion and been auctioned off close to three times. Fang have I left anything out?"

"Nope"

I say the look in my eyes was of complete and utter shock and a deep sadness as these people were no older than twenty one and have been through a lot of pain, nearly equal to me. This group of people never got a childhood.

"I'll see what we can do. For now SG1 will take you to your quarters."Hammond said standing up "Dismissed."

Sam and I stood up and headed over to Max and Fang.

Hey guys hope you liked it. Please review I want to know how you like it.