Hey guys, what's up? Sorry about the long wait! SORRY SORRY! And just to apologize, I have a very long chapter for you guys!

….

Anyway, I have a few announcements. In fact, this will be a loooooooooonnngggg author's beginning note, and I would like everyone to READ THE FOLLOWING! READ THE FOLLOWING! READ THE FOLLOWING! READ THE FOLLOWING! READ THE FOLLOWING! First, I have A POLL UP! As you can probably tell, I'm pretty excited, seeing as this is my first one. It's about something I've been wondering about for a while. I won't tell you what it's about though, 'cause you guys may get curious and want to see….SO PLEASE CHECK IT OUT!

Next. For those of you who have read my other story, No Itex Right?, it's once again up and running. I'll be updating that story soon!

ALSO, THE RESULTS FOR THE EGGY AND NIGGY CONTEST! I'd first like to thank you guys for your reviews, and the votes. Now, …out of 15 voters…here are the results….

Eggy-10

Niggy-5

Eggy wins! I'm extremely sorry Niggy lovers! I'm letting you Niggy lovers decide this: Who Nudge does end up with (besides Iggy)! I'm sorry if this doesn't make up for it….hehe…..

Lastly, thanks once again to everyone who favorited, alerted, or reviewed! It's what keeps me going! Now, your replies (I won't be replying to everyone, but thanks to all!)

OSCAR-THE-GROUCH17-Updated! Oscar…..Sesame Street, right?

-Yeah, there was no name on this one, but I'll hopefully finish this story before you die!

Synchnride-Cool, thanks!

xXB-A-C-O-N Spells LOVExX- Yeah, I know what it's like to be lazy…..Love your screen name by the way! Yeah, I wanted this story to have comedy incorporated into it, and I wanted it to be unique. And, seriously? Avan Jogia's gonna play Fang? Hmm….

Nightflyer19-"…Iggy likes to make eggs….." I loved your reason for eggy!

Keggy and Heggy- Hehe, sorry about the niggy…but I love your profile pic!

Ally-Actually, Maddie is their blood sister, but she was training to be a spy when they were abandoned. Coolio?

Super ellie. 'D-Cookies please, no sporks! PLEASE! I'd just like to let you know that I love reading your reviews. Your insight is very helpful to me, and I love your attitude. Your long reviews are a bonus! Thanks!

The Codebreaker-You're a diehard for niggy?...oh…..sorry…..:)

Overcome-Whipped Fangy is in for more!

Roylpain-Thanks! I love your screen name!

Hiya-Thank you! Creative name….

Flowerchild22-You niggy lovers are making me feel guilty! Sorry about that….but thanks for the review!

Bigtimebooks-Aah, Jacob….ahem, anyway, thanks!

Angel's Detective-Ooh! A detective! Thanks!

Readinglove-Here's your update! And thank you!

WaytoPretty-Man, your guys' screen names are so cool! Update here!

Zink-the-zebra-Max, more sarcastic. Cool, thanks!

Wow, I've already taken up almost 2 pages, sorry about that! Let's rock and roll!

Disclaimer-Ugh, once again, Maximum Ride and her flock aren't….aren't…..mine!

Chapter 4. Meeting the Flock and a Quiet Moment

Fang's POV

Max and I stopped in front of a red colored door. I could hear voices inside, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. At one point, one of the voices actually started shouting, causing another to start screaming. Soon, all the voices were shrieking and I could hear objects being thrown around. I turned to Max questioningly. She just smirked at me and opened the door.

When we walked in, everyone inside froze. There were 5 people inside. At first, I looked around at the room. It was about the size of 2 average family rooms. There was a flat-screen TV hanging on the wall across from the door we had just entered. In front of the TV was a 3 piece furniture set, complete with an automan. A full-duty kitchen was on the right side of the room, complete with a dining table with 7 seats set around it. That was the normal part of the room. On the left, a whole set of computers lay on 3 tables in front of a huge screen on the wall. In front of the screen was a large keyboard filled with dozens of buttons and switches. It looked like it was taken out of those spy movies, you know, considering we are spies. It took me a few minutes to actually look at the crazy scene going on.

A spikey-blond headed boy that looked about 11 years old was sprawled on the floor. But the wackiest part was that an 8 year old girl with blond curls was straddling him, fist raised as if she were about to punch him. In front of the couch, a strawberry blonde guy that looked 14 had his hands in front of his face, as if shielding himself. 2 girls stood before him, one maybe 13 years old, who had brown curls, holding an expensive-looking vase. The other girl was African American. Her hair was crazy curly, and she looked to be 12 years old. She was holding a big wooden spoon, wielding it like a sword. Everybody seemed to be wearing all black clothes-spy clothes.

Everyone looked at Max and me for 5 seconds, and then continued their business of trying to kill the two boys. I raised an eyebrow. Who were these kids?

Max, finally responding, shouted, "GUYS! LISTEN UP!" Everyone looked up at her again, as if she were a leader.

Max looked confident and stern, as she said, "Even though there are many reasons to, why are you trying to kill Gazzy and Iggy?"

Gazzy and Iggy? What kind of names were those? And people thought my name was weird…..

The blonde girl stood up off of the boy. "They said that Justin Bieber was stupid! Can you believe that?" Great, another crazy fan of him. No offense to him or fans of him, but fans could really be crazy. Plus, I wasn't a fan.

Max was pinching the bridge of her nose, as if saying, why me? Her hair fell around her face, emphasizing her look of despair. It seemed like she dealt with things like this a lot. Finally, she looked up at the little girl.

"Look," she started. "I agree with the two knuckleheads-"

The 3 girls opened their mouths to retort, but one glare from Max shut them up. I couldn't blame them. I had known her for 20 minutes, and I already knew Max wasn't the kind of girl you wanted to mess with.

"-but that doesn't mean you can kill them."

The two guys looked like they wanted to thank her, but she put her hand up to stop them.

"The only reason I say this," she continued, "is because they are the best weapons specialists in the agency, and Maddie and Jeb would kill me." I noticed she sort of sneered Jeb's name, and made a note to ask her about it.

The smaller blonde went to stand next to the taller blonde. "That hurts my feelings Max!" the tallest blonde said. But after a minute, the smaller guy said, "But thanks for the almost compliment!"

I was a blank for a moment, trying to remember what she said. When I remembered, I almost let my eyes bug out. These guys were the best weapons specialists in the whole agency? They were kids, although one was the same age as me. I had to admit, it was impressive.

While I was thinking about this, the girl with the brown curls put down her vase and smirked at Max. Uh-oh. What was she thinking?

Max seemed to be wondering the same thing, for right after I thought it, she asked warily, "Ella, whatcha smirking at?"

Ella looked between Max and me and said, "Is this guy your new boyfriend?"

I held back my blush. When I looked at Max, it looked like she was trying to do the same. Everybody else seemed to be smirking as well.

Max straightened up and said, "Very funny Ella. I guess you don't want me to tell everyone that you were mumbling 'Iggy' in your sleep last night."

Both Ella and Iggy blushed. Um, okay…..

After smirking at their reactions, Max started speaking in a louder voice.

"This guy isn't my boyfriend, but a new member of the agency. He was an advanced agent at Dark Hawks, and he's been moved here. He'll be helping us with our newest mission."

Everybody nodded, then looked at me.

Max turned toward me. "Alrighty," she said. "This is the flock."

I raised an eyebrow. "The flock?", I questioned.

The African American girl shrugged. "It's just a joke we had when we were all younger. Plus, the name reminds me of birds, which are awesome! Whenever I think of birds, I always wish that I could fly. I mean, I know it's silly that humans could fly (AN: Ah, the irony!), but wouldn't it be so cool? Like, if I had wings attached to my back! I'd probably want brown wings, like chocolate! Ooh! You think we can get so-" The girl's constant chatter was interrupted by Ella's hand on her mouth. I mentally thanked her. That girl was talking so much, the chatter started to become a constant hum.

"Thank you, Ella," Max said gratefully. She looked at me again. "Ok, so the chatterbox is Nudge, the girl with the brown curls is Ella, tall blonde is Iggy, small blonde Gazzy, and little girl Angel. Get it? Got it? Good. Now, guys, CLEAN UP THIS FREAKING MESS!"

Everyone flinched, but obeyed her orders. I blinked. Her explanation had been pretty quick, and I barely caught the strange names.

After nodding at everyone working, Max turned to me, her hair flying as she did. "Okay, I'll show you where your room is."

I nodded, and she led the way out the door. On our way out, Max ran into a flash of red and black. The flash fell, but Max seemed unharmed. She just looked at the flash like it was a disgusting cockroach. It took me a few seconds to figure out the flash was an actual girl.

She was a short redhead, that wore way too much makeup. She was dressed in a really tight black suit that looked very uncomfortable. She also had the highest heels I had ever seen. It amazed me how she could even stand. Nevertheless, she got up quickly and started screaming at Max.

"You retard! How do you just go around crashing into people like that? You are so-" The screaming girl suddenly stopped her annoying torrent, seeing me. Oh-no, I thought.

Max, who had been listening to the redhead like it was nothing, suddenly smirked. Great, she was probably just gonna watch me suffer while she laughed.

The creepy girl batted her eyelashes at me, but it looked like she had a billion eyelashes in her eyes and she was trying to get them out. Suddenly, who she was clicked in my head.

"Lissa?", I choked out.

She looked shocked, then said, "How do you know…..wait, Fangy?"

I winced, I had always hated that name. "Yeah, it's me."

"Wait," Max interrupted. "You guys know each other?"

"Yes, unlike you Max, I know a guy," Lissa sneered. She turned back to me. "So Fang…did you come here for me?"

I inwardly gagged. Instead, I answered, "No way, Lissa! I'm the new agent here, for the Itex mission. I'm working with Max and her gang."

Lissa looked at Max, disgusted. Then, she turned back to me. "Well, I'll get you back Fang, one way or another."

Not being able to hold it in, Max suddenly started laughing loudly. Lissa paused, and turned to her. "What's so funny, Maxine?" she said, trying to be menacing, but failing miserably.

Max stooped to catch her breath, then straightened up and said, "Oh, sorry Red. It's just fun to watch you fail at trying to get Fang back. But just like all the other guys, he's creeped out after 30 seconds of you talking."

Lissa stomped her foot, causing Max to smirk. It was obvious she liked annoying her, and personally, I thought it funny as well. "Well, at least guys talk to me. Unlike you, Maxy, I actually act like a girl!"

I silently thought about how Max not being a total girly girl was actually very appealing.

Max smirked again. "I don't think screaming in horror and talking are the same thing, Red." I smirked as well, as Lissa screamed and stomped away, her heels clicking annoyingly down the hall.

Max turned to me. "Another important key: Stay away from Lissa and Sam, who you'll probably meet later. Now, to your room."

LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE LINE

I looked out at the night sky. The stars were twinkling brightly, the wind whipping through the trees below me. Yeah, you're probably wondering where I am.

Am I floating in the sky?

Nope.

Standing on top of a tree?

Nada.

Am I standing on a balcony, ready to commit suicide?

…..Umm….

…..

He-he, just kidding. I was actually sitting on a balcony at the top of the building. After Max had left me alone in my room, I had looked out the window and noticed a huge balcony a few levels above me. So, I climbed out my window, shimmied up the wall, and got to the balcony. Yup, I'm that cool.

It was late at night as I gazed at the landscape. The entire building was quiet, and I couldn't sleep. So I came back up to the balcony.

I was still looking at the dark blanket covering the world when I heard sounds above me. Small pebbles started to fall. I looked up, and saw a dark figure climbing down to the balcony. My instincts kicked in, and I quickly melted into the shadows on the farthest side of the balcony. I silently watched as the figure jumped down. I waited for the person's face to appear, and when it did, I came out of the darkness.

"What's up, Max?", I asked, smirking.

Max jumped, and she turned around, the moonlight shining down perfectly on her face. When she jumped, she put herself into a fighting stance. I noticed how her form was flawless, her face set into a determined stare. When she was it was me, she relaxed, but only slightly, keeping her guard up.

"What the heck are you doing out here, Fang?" she asked, her voice straining to keep quiet.

I shrugged. "Couldn't sleep," I stated simply. She rolled her eyes.

"You have such a way with words," she said sarcastically. "Now, how'd you get up here?"

"I saw it out my window, and I figured I'd check it out," I said calmly.

She sighed, and turned toward the sky, with me watching her.

I could see her relax completely, as if the sight of the sky gave her relief. "I love the sky." she murmured. "When I was still in the streets, and there seemed like no hope, I would just lie down and stare at the sky, at night and at day. I always dreamed of flying up there, and being free with the birds. One night, I saw a shooting star. I wished for a family, for some hope. And the next day, Maddie found me."

She said it almost like in a trance. It sounded so meaningful, I felt like I was intruding on something, and I was surprised she was telling me this. She turned, and almost like she just noticed me, she looked down at her feet.

The silence filled the air, the only sound being the wind and the critters crawling through the world. It was a bit awkward, so I coughed a bit and went to stand next to her.

"So…..tell me about the flock." Her head snapped up, and I could see relief in her eyes. She sat down, causing me to sit down with her.

"As you know, Ella is my sister. She also has an insane crush on Iggy, which you probably noticed. She is a pretty good fighter." I nodded, urging her to continue.

"Nudge is an insane fashonista. So are Ella and Angel, but Nudge beats them by a long shot. She's also really good with technology, considering her parents are engineers and technicians. She loves to talk. Her real name is Monique, but we nicknamed her Nudge because it takes a nudge to shut her up." I could tell she was enjoying talking about the flock.

"Iggy is a pyromaniac. His parents were actually criminals, they made illegal weapons and bombs and sold them to terrorists. They were later captured, but the agency took in Iggy. He had learned from his parents, watching what they did, and the agency was impressed. He even called himself Iggy from Ignite. When Angel and Gazzy came here and Gazzy grew up, he taught Gazzy what he knew. Now, they're the destruction duo around here." I allowed a half-smile to escape. I could already understand the bonds between them all.

"Gazzy and Angel are blood siblings. They were so young. Angel is actually sort of like a baby to me, I raised her when she was brought here as a baby. They were also abandoned, and little Gazzy ran carrying Angel and somehow found his way here, and the agency took him in. Gazzy felt so betrayed by his parents, that he never told anyone the name his parents gave him. He called himself Gasman, or Gazzy, because that boy has a funky digestive system." I could see her actually smile a bit. "I named his sister Angel, because, well, she's my little angel. But, she can be kinda creepy. She has this weird way of knowing what everyone's thinking and where criminals plan their next attack. We always joke about how her name is ironic. They all know how to defend themselves, and I know they can take care of themselves if they need to."

She paused, then took a deep breath and whispered, "They mean the world to me. Maddie and Ella are my real sisters, but even if they weren't, I'd still think of them as family. They're all the family I never had." I looked at her, knowing this would probably be one of the few times she would be so sensitive and open.

Her last words seemed to end the conversation, and we sat in silence, gazing at the stars. And when we finally got up and said our slightly lingering good-byes, and I climbed through my bedroom window, I couldn't help but hope that maybe the flock could become my family too.

So, you guys got to see the sensitive side of Max. Don't worry, that won't appear all the time, she'll still be the tough and sarcastic Max we all love. You all also got some background on the flock.

Hope this made up for the long wait! Oh, and ONE MORE THING!

Could you guys help me make up some nicknames for Lissa? I don't want to keep using "Red". Thanks, and please review!