Chapter 4

Nudge's Pov

"Iggy! Get OFF!" I shouted full of frustration. We were back at CIAI headquarters investigating the explosion further and possibilities as to who the mole was. Very few agents had security clearance high enough to obtain any information on what we were working on. I was TRYING to run a background check on Agent Garret Polenski, better known to us as Gazzy / the Gasman. He was a 23 year old agent who had been assigned to field work rather very quickly and I had my suspicions about him. Other than the fact that he was loud, rude, annoying, and had MAJOR "digestion" issues, there was a 3 year gap in his resume. You might be thinking "of course there is a 3 year gap in his resume...he works for a SECRET AGENCY!" but it's supposed to all be there in CIAI personnel records, and it's not. I mean...OUR agency appears..but there is a gap between his college and work history that should be filled and it's not. So I am conducting my own investigation. It looks as if he is 1. the person who is tipping off Itex or 2. he's being framed.

"But Nudge your warm and very..soft" said the ever so annoying Iggy. He's curled up on my couch right next to me laying on shoulder where I can't type.

"That's not gonna work this time..GET. OFF. NOW!" I shout as I shove him to the floor. He lands with a nice hard thump accompanied by my laughter.

"You Nudge, your not very cute when you do that" he states.

"I'm TRYING find out who almost killed us, how they knew we existed, why they picked us when we are just the field agents who don't HAVE the information they want, and what agent at CIAI is helping them? You have no idea how tedious it is to type with a 200 pound gorilla laying on your shoulder. I also think you should find another position being that that one is bad for your neck. I mean...it's not very nice of you to..." right at that moment Iggy flopped back down on the couch placing his hand over my mouth.

"Nudge? SHUT UP!" he said. "You have a never ending motor mouth you know that?" he continued.

"I know. Can we get back to work now?" I ask.

"Yepp, we can one. One more thing though." He states.

"And what would...?" right at that moment he pulls me in and kisses me.

"Ok NOW we can get back to work" he says. That guy makes it hard to concentrate. I can continue running my background checks on Gazzy, Hadget, the medical officer, and Agents Bridger and Hath.

Max's Pov

I have stayed at Fang's house a total of 2 days now. He's helped me get around place, gotten things off of high shelves (despite my protesting), and just kept me company. About that whole "incident" that first day, he and I have decided to just be friends...that that whole thing was a moment of weakness for us both. That we had just been so stress and up tight and that that was us letting that all go. It was awkward for a while but now that has all just melted away. I hope Nudge and Iggy find something soon. I HATE being stuck here..not ALLOWED to do anything even though I am PERFECTLY fine. Just as I am walking into the kitchen I hear Fang's cell phone ringing. Since mine was blown to bits we are sharing his.

"Hello. This Max" I say.

"Max! You and Fang had better get down here. NOW!" shouted Nudge.

"Ok calm down. What's wrong?" I asked.

"I know who is tipping off Itex, who tried to kill us, how they got the information, and who is framing Gazzy" she shouts.

"Ok that's good enough for me!" I say, "See you soon" I say as I slam the phone shut.

"Fang!" I shout bursting through his bedroom door and into his room.

"Get. Out. NOW" he says throwing his pillow at me and rolling over.

"Nudge has figured it all out and wants down there! NOW!" I shout, grabbing his keys and headed for the door.

"Maxie darling, you aren't driving" he says running out the door pulling his shirt over his head.

"1. My name isn't Maxie. 2. I AM driving. Deal with it" I say slipping into the car and turning it on.

"You can either ride with me FANGY dearest. Or you can hitchhike 10 miles to CIAI...your choice." I shout through the rolled down window. He grunts and gets into the small, gray car. I strap myself in and back out of the driveway heading straight for CIAI.

"You know..your a pain in the mornings. And your a pain about driving. Never knew you were so stubborn" I turn and say to Fang.

"Max, your a pain morning, noon, and night. I don't want to hear about it. You leave your laundry everywhere, you NEVER hang your towel up after a shower..and your shoes constantly reside in kitchen where they don't belong" he says as I pull around another corner.

"ME? Your laundry is never clean, you use dirty towels that are left all over the living room, and you don't ever shave properly. So get off my back." I say. After a few minutes of arguing we pull up to the Lincoln Memorial and go around to our secret entrance. As we delicately write our names and pass codes on to this "stone" pad, the walls break apart to reveal a small enclosed elevator on which we descended to the 5th floor. We walked down black marble halls that seemed to go on forever. We rounded a corner to left and it was the first door on the right.

"Max! Thanks for getting here! Oh hi Fang!" said Nudge waving at Fang.

"Hey guys? Y'all want to go out to eat?" Iggy suggested.

"Um..Iggzy? You just called here to come here?" Fang said.

"I know..but we can't talk here." He said in a whisper.

"Um okay? Is La Madeleine's alright with you guys?" I ask. What? I want French food.

"Why not? Let's go." Says Nudge.

"Hey Fang..your with me" says Iggy. So as it turns out Nudge and I rode together while Fang and Iggy rode together.

"So Max...how has it been? You know...staying with Fang?" Nudge asked with a hint of a smirk concealed in her voice.

"Good. Slightly annoying but good. Why?" I replied taking a left Gallifrey Ave..

"Oh just wondering.." She said.

"Nudge...we don't work. We aren't, and never will be, a 'thing' okay?" I say sneaking a glance at her smiling face.

"Whatever Max, whatever." She said. I pulled on to Watergate Str. And pulled a right into the shopping mall that resided there. In there was a JCPenny, Claire's, Yogurt Story, a huge mall, some shoe store called Timelord Shoes...odd named, and then a few restaurants, La Madeleine's being among them. We all piled out of the cars and walked into the restaurant to get in line.

"Good evening. What may I get you?" asked the waitress as we grabbed our trays and placed them on the wooden slidey thing you place your trays on.

"I would like the Chicken Salad sandwhich with a Chicken Caesar salad please" I say.

"Max...that's all you ever get. Every time we come here you get the same thing.." says Fang.

"Yeah..so? You got a problem with that?" I retort.

"No, he doesn't" says Nudge as she steps up. "I'll have the exact same thing" she says. The boys were lame and decided to order ham and cheese sandwhiches..the only thing that made it French was the croissant. We ordered our food, grabbed our trays, and sat down in a quiet closed off corner.

"So what was so bad you couldn't tell us at the headquarters?" I ask while lifting up my sandwich to eat a generous sized portion.

"Um Max? Director Vance also has a gap in his resume..I did some research..and it turns out he was hired by Jack Hammond, Director of Itex. He was fired for trying to sell the combined blood out to the Chinese government. He then was he was hired by CIAI to "work against Itex" but as it turns CIAI is trying to beat Itex to the punch. They are just trying to do what Itex is doing, faster. It was CIAI who sent those guys to your apartment, not Itex. Max? Fang? They want us dead." Said Nudge. At this point my mouth was hanging open with my sandwich still in my hands with the sandwich half way to my mouth. I looked ovcr at Fang whose eyes where the size of an extra large pizza...a pepperoni pizza.

Hey guys! I hope you like it. This chapter is lame but was hilariously fun to write! Give me your opinions on where you would like to see the story go! Also..what do you guys think on Max and Fang getting together? All feedback is welcomed. Comments,criticism, and advice is much appreciated. :)

Also * Disclaimer I do not own Maximum Ride or any of the characters used FROM Maximum Ride..credit goes to James Patterson.