-Blind Faith-

-ElvenHope-

Chapter 2:

'What would it take for you to trade your comrades for yourself? Would you choose them even when you're staring down the barrel of a gun.' - Anon.

When he woke he felt like someone had dumped a ton of bricks unceremoniously on his head, which wasn't entirely inaccurate, save for the fact that he was the one who had dropped out of the sky onto the rocks, and though there was a large amount of them it could hardly qualify as a ton.

His fingers moved instantaneously to the impressive knot forming on the back of his head and groaned feeling ill. He probably had a concussion, Jeb had taught them about medicine and injuries - just in case - but right now Iggy was too confused to think straight.

He assessed his injuries slowly, carefully testing anything that felt like it was broken. To his luck he found that nothing was broken though he was bruised all over and his head pounded like he had just been run over by a Humvee. The only serious injury he had, as far as he could tell, was that there was something wrong with his wing and shoulder, the slightest movement sent burning pain shooting across his right side.

That was when he remembered, just when he felt the chilling presence around him that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

He was not alone.

Quelling the instinctive urge to jump up and run for his life - with the injury he had sustained to his wing he doubted that he could fly - he lay still keeping his breathing even as he tried to get his muggy, fear stricken mind to focus.

Erasers, it had to be them, he could smell them on the air. Why hadn't they ripped him into shreds already? There was no point in running blindly from fear, he would have to think the situation through first, and ignore the irony of that last statement. It didn't matter that he couldn't see out here, he knew the place that he called home so well, but that didn't stop him from wishing that he could see it.

It was dark, the air was cold and he couldn't feel the sunlight - either that or he was inside somewhere, but it didn't feel like it. No, he was definitely outside, most likely where he fell, and he was surrounded by god only knew how many Erasers. Ten at least, probably more. He swallowed hard, hoping that the movement had gone unnoticed.

What were they doing? Were they waiting for him to wake up? No, they had seen him testing his injuries, they knew he was awake, so why then were they just standing there? Maybe they didn't know he was there. He didn't like this, he didn't know how long he could keep it up for either. Waiting was one of the most intolerable things in the world, why couldn't they just kill him and get it over with?

He didn't know what to do, surely if he tried to run they would kill him, maybe they thought that he was unconscious again, maybe they wanted him to run, maybe they were bored and wanted to have some sport with their prey. Stupid dog-minded half-human gits.

Speak for yourself bird-brained mutant teenager…

Great, now he was loosing it and talking to himself, anything to forget the situation he was in right at that moment.

A sound to his right caught his attention, someone had stepped forwards, the dirt crunching under foot. Iggy nearly shot out of his skin when a smooth voice floated towards him from far closer than he had expected.

"Hello Iggy, long time no see."

Max sighed, it was dark, late and still there was no sign of Iggy, and what was worse the others were getting tired and hungry. She didn't want to think about the fact that dinner would have gone cold hours ago, there would be nothing for them to eat when they got back, unless Fang had been intelligent enough to put the food in the microwave. She was doubtful, when he was in such a mood it was unlikely for him to think straight.

"Max," Nudge whined and Max knew immediately what was coming next. "I'm hun-"

"I know Nudge," Max said cutting the younger girl off. She wasn't normally this intolerant of her smaller charges, but it was late, she had been flying for hours - was probably just as hungry as Nudge - and most importantly she was worried about Iggy. She had absolutely no idea where he had gotten to and worst case scenarios were running ragged through her conscious. What if Erasers had him? What if he was lying somewhere injured? What if…?

She didn't want to think about it, and convinced herself she wouldn't, because that would never happen, it couldn't happen, it just couldn't. Not after everything that had happened to them already, she didn't think she could stand it if Iggy left them too, just like Jeb had. That was nearly worse than finding him dead somewhere, never knowing, never knowing if he was alive or dead, never knowing if he was back at the school enduring further torment.

She shook herself inwardly chastising herself for thinking about such things. Now was not the time to be thinking like that, it wasn't going to help.

A whimper from beside her caught her attention and she looked down slightly to see Angel there tears shining in her eyes. Max knew immediately that the girl had been reading her thoughts. That was the one bad thing about Angel's gift, you never felt completely private.

"Is that really going to happen Max?" Angel asked referring to the images of Iggy lying dead somewhere which had flashed through the elder girl's mind.

"No Angel, it's not, it's alright," Max wished that she could hug the younger child, but she was certain that it would not be a good idea to do so mid-flight. She wanted to send the others back now, but there might be Erasers on the loose, she knew that Nudge was intelligent, but she wasn't entirely sure that she could trust her with looking after Angel and Gazzy as well. God she hoped that Angel wasn't reading her mind still, she needed time to think and she couldn't whilst worrying about putting an age restriction on her own thoughts.

Nudge and Gazzy were looking at her worriedly wondering what Angel was talking about, Max shook her head when Nudge's mouth opened slightly, she couldn't handle anymore questions right now.

Max scanned the ground below making the executive decision that they should rest for a short while, only about five minutes, they didn't have that much time to waste, but she needed to think without any more distractions.

"Let's land down there for a moment," she said pointing to a clearing amongst a small scattering of trees already banking and spiralling down towards the ground. The other's followed quickly behind her.

"Ari."

Iggy tried to sit up, but stopped suddenly when a booted foot rested across his wind-pipe. Once again he found himself wishing for sight. If he could see then he would know whether this was simply a mere threat, or whether within a split second a crushing blow would be dealt and his life would end. He waited with baited breath, his heart jumping into his throat as a feeling of pure dread settled in the pit of his stomach.

When nothing happened after nearly half a minute Iggy did move. He reached up and tried to push the foot away, however stupid that might have been, he suddenly needed to get away. He struggled like a wild animal caught in a trap even though Ari was obviously far stronger than him - unless the fact that Iggy could get very little air into his lungs and that he was becoming light-headed was affecting his strength.

"Why are you bothering to fight Iggy, you know it's useless, you know that I could kill you at any second," Ari sneered down at the boy below him, Iggy's blind eyes stared back at him, it was slightly disconcerting.

"If you wanted me dead you'd have killed me already, Ari, unless you don't have the guts to do so," he growled. Iggy knew that aggravating someone when they had their booted foot crushing your wind-pipe had to be one of the most stupid things one could do in the world - close to sticking your finger in a plug socket or drinking a bottle of detergent because it looked like some new brand of soda. He was feeling reckless though, and the adrenalin rush was getting the better of him, if Ari was going to kill him he was going out with a bang.

"Don't test my patients bird boy," Ari spat, his foot shifting as he leant closer to Iggy making sure the boy could hear every word. "But you're right, I don't want you dead, not yet anyway. You see, you have some information that's extremely valuable to me and my colleagues. So it's like this, you listen to my proposition then you tell us what we want and we let you be on your way. Or we can do this the hard way and you can come back to the School with us. The decision is yours Iggy, but you know the consequences will be harsh if you don't cooperate."

Iggy took in the largest breath he could whilst in his predicament letting it out slowly. "I'm not going to tell you anything Ari, you know that as well as I do."

The foot on his wind-pipe pressed down a little harder and spots of light swirled across his mind disorientating him and making him feel light headed. "You're going to tell me freak, or you're going to pay big."

"Do your worst," Iggy's voice was nearly as smooth as Ari's, but inside his mind was screaming at him. He didn't want to die, he wasn't quite ready for that just this moment.

Ari snarled an indefinable curse at him and suddenly the crushing force on his wind-pipe was gone and Ari's hand tangled in his hair as he was jerked roughly to his feet.

Pain flashed up Iggy's spine at the sharp movement and he felt faint sagging slightly in Ari's hold before managing to gain control of himself. "Don't you understand you little twerp, I'm going to kill you right here, right now unless you tell me what I want to hear." There was the sound of the safety being pulled back on a handgun somewhere close to Iggy's right temple.

Iggy gulped, ice running through his blood. "And what is it that you want to hear?"

"I want to know where the rest of your little mutant friends are," Ari snarled. "I want you to help me get my hands on them once and for all."

Life or death? Did he really have a choice? He couldn't save himself and condemn the others, he couldn't imagine what Ari would do to them, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if they went back to the School, or worse…

"Tick-tock, tick-tock," Ari teased. "Time's running out bird boy, are you going to help me or am I going to have to put a bullet in your frontal lobe?"

Iggy took a deep breath, his eyes closing involuntarily - not that it made any difference - he forced them open again. If Ari was going to kill him then he wanted the last thing the Eraser saw to be the milky depths of his blind eyes. Oh they might look dead and unseeing now, but there was still life deep down there somewhere, would Ari really have the guts to put it out?

"I'm afraid Ari that you're going to have to kill me," Iggy said evenly trying desperately to sound brave, but failing miserably. He was of course terrified, who wouldn't be when they had the barrel of an automatic handgun aimed at their forehead. "I would never betray my friends like that, there is no question about it, next time bargain with something better than the promise of dark guilt for the rest of one's life."

Ari growled in rage smacking Iggy upside the head with the gun - it was a miracle it didn't go off - the smaller boy fell to the ground hard, all of the air knocked out of him.

"I need to know this do you understand me," Ari hissed into the other boy's ear holding Iggy down by his injured shoulder. "I need to know so that I can get away from the School, I need to know so that I can be free."

Iggy was slightly stunned by this revelation, but didn't have the capacity to react at that moment, Ari's vice-grip was aggravating his shoulder wound, making him light-headed. He wondered idly how much blood he'd lost there was a warm patch on his back from the bullet wound, as far as he could tell it wasn't bleeding anymore.

"Damn you answer me!" Ari smacked him again this time he dropped the gun first and then grabbed it again in a strangle-hold the cool metal pressed hard underneath Iggy's chin. "I need to know!"

Once again Iggy was waiting for death to come and once again it didn't, Ari obviously didn't want to kill him, but the Eraser was mad now, insanely mad, his already short temper could go at any moment… and then boom! No more Iggy.

Max was sitting very still, her eyes closed, her head in her upturned palms, if it were not for her long figures massaging her temples Nudge might have thought that she had fallen asleep.

"Is she dead?" Gazzy asked peering at Max from where he sat next to Angel.

Nudge stood making her way towards the elder girl and shaking her slightly. "Uh, Max?"

"Wha'!" was the most eloquent answer Max could come up with her eyes snapping open as she sprang to her feet, startled. "Nudge what is it?"

"You've been sitting still for a long time," Nudge said slowly, there was something wrong with Max, she just couldn't discern what it was, "a very long time. What are you thinking about?"

"She doesn't know where Iggy is," Angel answered for Max. "And she's worried about him because he can't see and she thinks there are Erasers out, and she wants us to go back, but she's worried the Erasers will get us and-"

"Yes thank you Angel," Max said cutting the younger girl off as her tongue began to trip over itself.

"Well I'm not going back," Nudge said a defiant look coming to her eyes. "I'm worried about Iggy too and I can't stand waiting."

"I know," Max said calmly. "But-" god knew she would regret saying this later "-I need Fang right now, I need his help, Nudge I know you can help, but Angel and Gazzy your too small to be away from one of us. To be honest Nudge the same goes for you too at the moment, I just don't know what has happened to Iggy, and I don't want the same thing to happen to one of you."

"Maybe we should go home," the Gasman suggested. "Maybe Iggy's already back home with Fang."

Max rolled her eyes, she could see that going down well - however it was still a possibility.

"You're right, we're not getting anywhere like this, we'll head for home, just keep your eyes peeled." Max was mentally bashing her head against a tree when Angel covered her eyes at the expression and Nudge was finally unable to hold back her comments on hunger any longer. She hoped that Nudge could keep her mouth shut for most of the trip back, she just needed quiet right now.

Fang looked at his watch and sighed, it was closing on midnight, Max had been gone for hours, he was getting worried. What could have happened to them? How far a-field had they gone? What if Erasers had them.

He couldn't help blaming himself for this, if he hadn't been so god-damned stupid then Iggy wouldn't have gone off and Max wouldn't have gone after him. Then again Iggy didn't have to be so dramatic all the time, he used his blindness as an excuse to jus have a strop whenever he felt like it. Oh lord what was he thinking, he couldn't believe he was being so stupid. Max was right, he could hold a grudge.

Finally deciding that he either had two options - bashing his head in with the fridge door, or going out and trying to find the others. Preferring the latter option he got up and walked to the door taking off into the night, hoping that he wasn't too late.

A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Sometimes writing is so hard and other times it really flows (like this chapter did), I think this is my best chapter of this story so far, I hope I keep my standards up.

One reviewer pointed out the fact that Fang was rather out of character in the last chapter, I agree one hundred percent, the thing is that I needed an antagonist character and Fang was the best option for that job, he'll redeem himself for everything later trust me.

Thank you for all the reviews, I do my best to reply to every single one, if I haven't replied to your one then please know that it was a un-intentional I love all you guys!

Venice was fun, one reviewer of this story expressed interest in knowing what it was like, check my xanga for the full story (follow the homepage link on my profile) though xanga was incredibly evil yesterday and deleted it, so there's only around one quarter of the entry there, fear not it will be up soon XD.

Also I have finally finished Maximum Ride (I'm weird with books I spend extra long reading them if I like them and sometimes don't finish them at all). Now I just have to get my hands on the next book.

Well to conclude what must be one of the longest authors notes I have ever written, reviews are kept close to the heart, flames are fed to the balrogs and the next update will be soon!

- ElvenHope