A/N: If you had thought that the first chapter didn't have any Flock action, don't worry! This one properly introduces the story; so sit back, relax, and enjoy the story! Oh, and remember: READ AND REVIEW! OR I'LL SEND IN THE FLYBOYS TO HUNT YOU DOWN!
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING SAVE ORIGINAL CHARACTERS. THAT IS ALL.
How to survive an attack by Neo-Nazis (AKA Panzer-Jaegers).
"We started our investigation in Germany, a nation on Earth located in the European Continent. We started there because the first report of Sith Activity was reported there, in the city of Hamburg. Disguised as members of The German Intelligence Office, we managed to infiltrate the sight of The Sith sighting; a run down building. Apparently, The German Government has launched a full investigation on a group dubbed 'Itex', which was disbanded a few days ago. While There, we discovered a database full of genetic research on Earth-based animals and running notes on something called "re-evolution" and a "by-half plan" (The details of such projects are listed in a separate report). What was most interesting, however, was of repeated notes of the whereabouts and actions of a group called 'the flock'. Lelouch then promptly found a Sith message sent using the same server. Tracking it down, we found a garbled copy of the message; we picked up the words 'SturmStauffel', 'Project Olympus', and 'Flock'. With these notes, we put together a rough analysis of what The Sith were doing on Earth;
The Sith were using the genetic research made by Itex for something big
The SturmStauffel, under Sturm-Fuehrer Karl Kroner, is present on Earth.
For some reason, the Sith are trying to find the group The Flock.
With these notes, Lelouch and I went to the island nation of Great Britain to meet up with other Earth-based agents to report our findings. What happened next changed the course of our investigation....
Corellia, Corellia System.
"Who told you to die, soldier? Keep fighting!"
Lelouch hauled up a cowering Marine as bolts of laser fire flash around them. "We are holding this line, and I'll be damned if they take it!" Dutifully, the Marine gave a weak salute and returned to fighting. "HOLD THE LINE! WE WILL NEVER SURRENDER, AND WE WILL NOT GO QUIETLY!" Lelouch shouted.
Lelouch aimed down his pistol, a custom-made Britannian Webler Semi, and fired, his dark purple lightsaber raised high. A sith trooper tried to rush him with a Vibroaxe, but he saw him and, running to him, slashed him thrice across the chest, and when the Unlucky Sith knelt down in shock, Lelouch promptly blew his brains out with his pistol.
A group of Panzer-Jaegers saw the act and fired in vengeance, but the shots were somehow deflected and fell to the ground harmlessly. Sensing danger, Lelouch turned around and said, "Fight for us; when its over, lay down your weapons and surrender."
Suddenly, the eyepatch on Lelouch's left eye flipped open, revealing a light purple eye that shot out a bird-like sigil. The Sigil divided and hit the Panzer-Jaegers; they paused for a second, and then turned around and fired at their former comrades. "Using your Geass, Lelouch?" a Voice stated. Lelouch turned around and saw a young woman around his age with long Green hair and golden eyes, wearing a drab grey cloak.
"We lost half the company, C.C; I had to." Lelouch answered. C.C nodded. "We must provide any help we can." With that, C.C tore off her robe, revealing a white bondage suit with flared arms and legs, resembling a hippie gown. Leaping into the air and evading torrents of fire from Sith Legionnaires, she returned to earth with the grace of a ballerina and drew her Lightsaber, an orange blade coming out up with a hiss. With speed, grace, and lethality, C.C sliced into a nearby sith trooper and, flowing like water, stabbed the one near him. Retracting her blade, she twirled around and brought down a Sith trooper from behind with a chop, twirling around again to slash yet another Sith Legionnaire. in just under 3 minutes, she brought down an entire platoon of Sith Legionnaires.
C.C smirked and threw back her hair flirtingly. "How'd you like me?" Lelouch Grinned, and then shot a rising Sith Trooper from the pile of dead C.C left in her wake. "Nice, real nice." He muttered. C.C grinned, and walked towards Lelouch. "You know, that eyepatch looks good on you." Lelouch smirked playfully. "You look hot when you're kicking ass." C.C chuckled. "I might as well kick yours."
"Touche." Lelouch quipped. The two leaned in to a kiss, right in the middle of the battle, when a grenade went off near them.
"LELOUCH!!!"
-I-
Lelouch woke up with a start, his wife Caterina Calypso, better known as C.C, leaning against his shoulder. "What?"
"The plane is just about to land; Heathrow Airport, Great Britain." C.C informed him. Lelouch suddenly looked apprehensive. "Don't worry; there's no Britannian Empire in this planet." C.C Assured him. Lelouch sighed in relief. "how long was I asleep?"
C.C smiled. "For about the entire trip." Lelouch chuckled, and then he looked out his window, the City of London basked in the setting sun. "So, this is Earth." At the corner of his eye, however, he saw what looked like six winge humans. However, he was too busy noticing how huge The London Eye was to notice them.
The plane landed without problems, and after getting their luggage and their passports signed (the latter supplied by New Republic Intelligence Earthbound Agents stationed in Germany), waited for pick-up. "Ah; don't you just love Earth, Lulu?" C.C stated, her arms laid across a terminal seat, head in the air. "Why? Despite some differences from Geass, this is almost a copy of OUR planet." Lelouch answered, reading the latest copy of The Times. C.C giggled and answered, "Exactly; it's ALMOST a copy of our planet, but its so unique. America is its own country, not the homeland of some Darwinist Empire. Sakuradite doesn't exists, and Japan is an ecomonic powerhouse. Not only that, but it seems so more... vibrant that Geass. No power struggles between superpowers, no Geass contract to worry about." C.C turned to Lelouch. "Think about it Lelouch; we can move here. I can get a job as a dance instructor, you can get a job at some university or whatever. But more importantly, we can raise Cate free of it all; the fighting, the Geass, everything." Lelouch smiled at the thought, but his mood soon darkened as he pressed his fingers to the eyepatch covering his left eye.
"After all these years, I'm still haunted by what I've done." He muttered. C.C looked worried for him, but then she sensed something through the force. Straightening up, she had a worried look on her face. "C.C, what is it?"
He got his answer in the form of a bomb blowing up in front of their eyes. "Holy shit!" Lelouch muttered. He then quickly ran to the sight of the blast. "Lelouch!" C.C shouted, running to him. More Bomb blasts soon followed.
-I-
Max's POV
The Bomb blast made fall on the ground, belly first, hard. "This is the thanks we get when we just saved the world?" I thought. I quickly tried to get up, pain coursing through my back, my wings feeling like shit.
Now, you're probably wondering what I just said, the fact that my wings feel like it was ripped to shreds by a rain of steel. And you're probably thinking; How can an ordinary teenaged girl have wings? But it's true. Yeah, its a long story. The short version of it is that me and 5 other people were held by some evil organization called Itex determined to, you guess it, conquer the world and annihilate half the world's population while doing it, and were experimented on by The School. Me, plus Fang, Iggy, Nudge, The Gasman, and Angel, the other members of my flock (my pseudo-family, if you will), had their DNA spliced with that of birds. The result: 98% human, 2% bird mutants. Fortunately, with help from Jeb, a member of said evil organization who took pity on us, we escaped. After some adventures across the globe, we managed to shut down Itex, The School, and their evil plans.
Sounds like a good plot for some book series or blockbuster movie, right? I know; but then there's the fact that me and my family are in the middle of a bombing.
Back to the present, I managed get up, but just barely. I surveyed the sight around me; dust was everywhere, bodies littered the floor, some of them not moving, and I could faintly here the sound of gunfire. "Great, there's gunmen too." I scanned the area again, trying to find my family. "GUYS!" I shouted. No one answered. I tried again, "GUYS!" Again, no Answer. My heart stopped. Could it be that during the bomb blast, they just....
I stopped myself from thinking that. "No, they can't be dead. They're stronger than that." Then, I heard a familiar voice. "MAX!!!"
My eyes widened as I heard that voice. "Fang?" I asked. Finally, the fog cleared, revealing a boy around my age with raven black hair, limping towards me. "Fang!" I shouted. My heart skipped a bit as I saw he was okay. Well, technically, he wasn't really okay, as he was clutching his left arm and it was sorta bleeding, but I digress. "Fang..." I thought, and my cheeks reddened.
Everything changed, however, when a shot rang out, and fang collapsed to the floor.
Instantly, my joy turned to shock, and then to sadness. "FANG!!!!" I shouted, about to run to him. Just then, I felt someone pushing my down by the shoulders, and moments later I felt the cold steel of a gun barrel against my head. "DO NOT MOVE, SWINE!" A harsh, metallic voice said. Then I saw the rest of my flock being shoved in a rough circle with me by strange men. How strange? Well, they wore all black; black trenchcoats with dark body armor over it. Plus, they wore respirator-like gasmasks, and some Darth Vader-type helmet. Oh, and they had piercing orange eyes. "Do you think this is a joke, idiot swine? DO NOT MOVE!" The man then kicked me on the ground, again really hard. I saw the rest of my flock quivering in fear. Iggy, Gassy, Nudge, Angel, all of them looked as if they were about to die. Then, something obscured my view; a pair of neatly-pressed dress boats. "Herr Fuehrer; We have them." One of the gunmen stated. "Excellent."
A shot rang out, and from the corner of my eye I saw one of The Gas Mask Nazis (That's what I'm calling them) crumble to the ground. "You Idiot! Are you sure it's them?" The Gas Mask Nazi, the one the other one called The Fuehrer stated. His cold, orange eyes saw me quivering on the floor. "You, Swine, get up!" He pulled out an ornately-carved...ray gun? Well, that's peachy; a scary, Gas Masked Neo-Nazi holding a toy ray gun? Well, this could be easy.
He fired a shot, and a green cone of energy impacted an ad for some series called Doctor Who, totally shattering it. "Get up, or I'll shot one of your friends." He growled, aiming the gun at.... ANGEL! No, not my baby! Please, don't shoot my baby! Finally, I got up, but it took me a while; you know, with the injuries and all. Suddenly, Two of the Nazis grabbed me, one for each shoulder. I tried to yank free, but they were too strong. They turned me around so that my back was facing the Fuehrer. "Let's see what's behind that jacket, Maximum Ride." He Said. I gasped in both shock and fear. "They know about us." I thought. Oh, crap; I am so screwed. One, There was a bombing. Two, One of the members of my family just got shot, and three, I am surrounded by Gas masked, armored, armed Neo-Nazis.
Great, what's a teenaged mutant whose out to save the world supposed to do?
Suddenly, two shots rang out, and the Nazis surrounding me fell down dead. I looked in surprise at the sight of me, and believe me, it is a sight.
It was a man, about 20 or 19, with Raven Black hair and deep purple eyes, though one of them was covered by an eyepatch. He wore a plain black shirt with an orange jacket over it and jeans. Plus, he was holding a gun, and it was still smoking.
"Come on, guys; we're all friends here, so why can't we get along?" He said, a touch of a British accent in his voice.
"Unt Zero! Shoot him" Fuehrer ordered, and the entire gang sprung into action, giving me enough time to plot my next move.
-I-
Lelouch's POV
Spike after Spike came from The Panzer-Jaegers guns, a type of mass accelerator reverse-engineered from The New Republic's. I ran and ran to cover, the spikes slicing through terminal seats and walls with ease. People scattered as I went through the crowds to avoid the Panzer-Jaegers, probably because I had a gun and also because the Panzer-Jaegers were firing at me, with no regard to collateral damage. I finally found cover behind what looked like a small car in the middle of a deserted hallway, crouching down to avoid the spikes. Leaning to the right, I fired my pistol, a Webler-45, but to many people there, it resembled what they called a Desert Eagle.
The Panzer Jaegers took cover from the heavy rounds and the fire slackened. I took a peak on top, counting the number of Panzers pursuing me and was greeted by a hail of 3-inch spikes going at the speed of sound. I split-secondly went down; If I wasted another second, my face would've looked like swiss cheese. So far, I counted no less than twelve Panzer Jaegers, each of them armed with a weapon capable of a cyclic rate (AKA Rate of Fire) of 1000 rounds per minute. "Damn." I muttered, firing potshots at them. If only I had an assault rifle.
Then it dawned on me; I DO HAVE AN ASSAULT RIFLE!
I brought the gun's handle to my lips. "Computer, activate nanocore mainframe; download all schematics of Earthian Firearms from The World Wide Web, priority high!" I said. Five consecutive beeps sounded out from the gun. "Download complete; 100 known Firearms downloaded, categorized alphabetically." The gun's nanocore mainframe announced. Wasting no time, as the car was becoming more and more like a wreck, I shouted, "Activate nanocore transformation; start with the first gun!" Suddenly, the gun turned into a silvery profile as it elongated into a rugged made Assault rifle with a wire stock and faux wood furnish. "Nanocore transformation complete. Type: AK-47 assault rifle. Ammo: 7.62 armor piercing rounds stored in 60-round double magazines." The gun announced.
I grinned wickedly. I quickly got up and sprayed the approaching Panzer-Jaegers on full auto. Three Panzer-Jaegers were killed outright in the initial salvo. I quickly switched my tactics, firing in short controlled bursts as the remaining Panzers took cover while I steadily retreated to a restroom, killing three of them. Finally, the gun stopped firing and announced its empty mag with a click. Instinctly, I grabbed my knife, took off the safety pin, aimed, and fire. The knife flew through the air and hit a Panzer in the neck. He grabbed his throat in shock as he collapsed to the ground, dead. In the confusion, I entered the restroom, which thankfully was a men's restroom. Closing the door shut and locking it, I removed the magazine from the AK and shook it a little. It gave three quick beeps, signaling it was reloaded, and slammed it home. I shouldered it, fully expecting for The Panzers to burst through, when I just remembered that I haven't chambered even a round!
I fumbled with the unfamiliar charging handle. "Damn; I thought this thing automatically cocks itself!" Finally, I cocked it and chambered the round. Unfortunately, that distraction was all The Panzer-Jaegers needed, as the door blew clean off and flashbang rolled. "Oh, shi-"
I was suddenly blinded by a white noise, my hearing knocked off its equilibrium. Suddenly, five Panzer-Jaegers surrounded me. "Hands up, scum!" One of them said.
Great, just great; I dropped my gun in the confusion, and I can't use my Geass due to the flashbang. And I thought facing Mao was difficult. I held up my hands in defeat, and smiled.
Suddenly, a green flash circled across the five Panzers, and in a heartbeat, they dropped dead. My vision cleared, revealing my Grey Witch, you guess it, C.C.
"It took you long enough." I said, lightly kissing and embracing her. "Try finding your Lightsaber in a suitcase piled high by clothing!" She smirked. I shrugged. "Better late than never." She smiled. God, I loved it when she smiled. After all these years, it still brought me warmth and comfort; The Black Rebellion, The Black Sphere Crisis, and all those moments in between, it was the thing that kept me human.
But I digress. After looking at her eyes for what seemed forever, I snapped into leader mode. "Follow me." I quickly walked out the door, C.C trailing me. "Lelouch, where are we going?" C.C asked. I stopped and turned around "Remember that transmission I picked up in Hamburg?" She nodded. "Yeah, but what's that have to do with anything." I flashed her a sly smile. "What do you know about flocks?"
-I-
Max's POV
Fuehrer, if that was his real name, kicked me right in the gut, sending me flying into a wall. I hit the wall with a sickening crutch, my wings, for better or worse, taking the brunt of the blow. I fell down, but Fuehrer gave me no rest. He grabbed me by the neck and he held me high. "I expected more from you, Maximum." He stated, though I was more concerned with my limited air supply than with his crap. Then, he smashed me against cratered wall, three times. Now, by the second time, I was already thinking of giving up; my wings were hurt to hell, the one member of the flock that I loved with all my heart may be dead, and now I'm getting my ass owned by some Gas-masked Neo-Nazi. Well, since I'm about to die, I better die with respect.
Flexing my muscles, I tried to unfurl my wings. Trust me, it hurt liked hell. Finally, after what seemd like an eternity of pain but was in actuality a few seconds, I managed to get my wings out; a thirteen-foot long pair of wings freckled with light brown specks. However, this time it was also splattered with blood. Fuehrer gave a laugh. "So, at the moment of your death, you finally show your true form, Fraulein Valkyrie. He released the grip he had on my throat, and I landed on my feet. He waved his ray gun across my face. "After I kill you, I think I might as well kill your boyfriend, Fang. Oh yeah, and your entire flock as well."
My eyes flashed in anger, but soon enough I started to tear up, as I saw the only family I have (With the exception of Jeb, Ella, Doctor Martinez, but that's another story) being on the verge of death as the Nazis pointed their guns at their heads. I closed my eyes, waiting to die. I failed everyone; Jeb, Nudge, Iggy, the Gasman, Angel, Fang. "Fang..." I thought, "Please forgive me. I love you." Pathetic, isn't it? Saying to your close friend that you love him but only in your head? Yeah, it was, and I was just waiting to die when five shots rang out, and I expected to end on some cloud or in front of some ornately carved gate to hell. But when I opened my eyes, I saw someone else.
It was a girl, 19 or 20 years old. She had long green hair covering some sort of tatoo on her forehead. Her piercing green eyes shone with an ethereal beauty, but it was tinged with the vivacity and playfullness of any Britney Spears wannabe. She looked at me with a ting of worry, the guy who saved me earlier looked at me as he helped the flock. Only this time, his eyepatch was off, showing me that his left eye was lighter in color than his right, and it shone with an otherworldly aura that caused me to shiver inside.
"Who are you?" I asked. The girl smiled, and she merely replied, "We're here to help."
Finally, after several agonizing moments, I closed my eyes and blissfully passed out.
A/N: Whew, this is the largest chapter I wrote in AGES. Anyway, how did you liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Pleaded The Fifth it? Just Read and Review! Oh, and don't worry about Fang; you'll find out his fate soon enough.
Until then, This is King Elessar XII signing off!
