Chapter 4

My head immediately snapped up and took in our visitor – actually, six visitors. Fang was at my side in seconds, his body tensing immediately.

"Who are you?" I asked with a mouthful of snide.

The man in front of me, along with his five counterparts, was decked out in a black suit – black shirt, black pants, black shoes – you get it - head-to-toe darkness. The only contrasts to his obsidian outfit were his blond spiky hair and white face. His burly figure rose above us. He had to be at least six and a half feet tall and huge – broad shoulders that looked like they alone could take out someone just by looking at them.

Of course, we're not your typical someone.

"My apologies, Maximum. I did not mean to startle," the dark monstrosity began. I caught Gazzy out of the corner of my eye. He crept up to one side of Fang, his fists coiled at his sides. "My name is Dirk. Dirk Walborn." He extended his hand, like I might actually shake it.

"Uh-huh." I continued to stare at him. "What do you want?" Nudge and Angel were now on Fang's right. Their glares could pierce Satan's soul.

"FBI." Dirk produced a badge and a card – both looking somewhat legit. Of course, the last legit FBI agent we dealt with turned out to be a traitorous Itex groupie with the domestic abilities of a caveman. I shuddered at the memory of Anne Walker.

Dirk continued when I said nothing. "We've been studying you, watching your work for the past several months…" He pulled a wrought iron green pool chair out from a nearby table. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Yes."

"Good," he voiced calmly, then sat, completely ignoring my response. He brought one foot up and rested it against the other leg's knee. Leaning back, he scanned our luxurious surroundings. "Looks like Hollywood is treating you well, but really Max? Do you mind if I call you Max?"

"Yes," I answered again, immediately wondering why. I tensed up tighter with each passing minute. Iggy's strawberry blond hair poked out from behind Gazzy's smaller frame. He was crouched down at Gazzy's ear. Great. What were they planning?

"Great then, Max. This lifestyle can't be satisfying. A movie? I understand you'll be a spotlight for the CSM, but come on. You all were designed for so much more. We want to help you tap into your potential – help you be all that you can be. The federal government thinks your skills would be very useful."

"Uh-huh." I hadn't moved. My eyes darted between the weenie in front of me and his five wannabes that now had guns pulled at their sides. "Nice commercial. What is it exactly that you want?"

"Well, for you to come with us, of course." That single sentence had us all wound tighter than a rubber ball. "We've cleared it with Jeb Batchelder. In fact, he's bringing a van around right now to take all of us to the airport."

Okay – totally annoyed right now…

1) What makes the Dark Knight think we would cave so easily?

2) And Jeb cleared this? Right. He knows the one who makes decisions for the flock is me – and only me.

3) And airport? Did these guys not know about the wings?

4) And just what were Gazzy and Iggy up to?

Seriously outta here.

I shot a barely perceptible nod in Fang's direction as I lit into the black regime.

"What makes you think we'd want to come with you – you know – if we were stupid enough to do so?" I began to count to three with my fingers behind my back.

"Max, Max, Max," Dirk began, an acerbic grin settling on his face. "I don't think there's much choice here for you." He motioned to his posse, who immediately drew their weapons. Automatics of some sort, aimed straight at us.

Crap. What to do now?

Just then, a brilliant light flashed at the far side of the pool. Just enough of a flash to startle our friendly neighborhood whack jobs and to give us plenty of time to leap into the air and take flight.

"Good one, Gazzy!" Iggy screamed. "I didn't think that one would ever go off!"

That one?!

As we beat our wings furiously to soar ourselves out of firing range, another explosion resounded beneath us. Directly beneath us. One that inflicted a huge crater in the cement where we were just standing. I looked down to see three of the black suits take a nose dive into the pool.

"That was totally awesome!" Gazzy cried out, exchanging a mid-air high five with his partner in crime. "Perfect timing, Iggy!"

Moments later, we were in the clear and we used our raptor vision to peer down on the remnants of our poolside getaway.

"Three months, huh, Angel?" I joked half-heartedly. She shrugged. Sometimes her hunches hit spot on. Sometimes they didn't. Like today.

"Guess we won't be going back to that hotel ever again," Nudge huffed, her tawny wings fanned out at her sides. "I was really looking forward to my manicure…"

"I'm sure we can get our nails done somewhere else," Angel said. She was becoming the regular pacifist nowadays. Eerie.

"I guess," Nudge muttered. "But I never got to use the guitar pool. And Ella's Life game has been blown to smithereens." She glared at Iggy. Pointless venture considering he was – well – blind.

"What? Would you rather we stayed and been the target of the black angel of death?" Iggy countered.

"Yeah, Nudge, thanks to us, we're still free to move about the country. Not in the back of some stupid van," Gazzy added.

"Well, you could have warned us about your dumb bomb. That last one practically singed my wings." Nudge fiddled with her nails as she flew through the air. They were painted a reddish-orange, somewhat matching the color of cheeks right now.

"Sooorrry," Iggy huffed. "Next time, we'll let you hang around to be taken out by the baddies."

"Nudge, we'll buy Ella a new Life game – that one was kinda beat up any- " Angel began.

"Who cares about a stupid Life game?"

I threw my hands over my ears for the hundredth time in the past month. Had seriously had enough of this crap. Guess Fang was done too because the next thing I knew, he zoomed out in front of all of us, turned a graceful yet determined arc, and stopped in front of us – mid-air.

His wings beat fervently at his side, utilizing the strokes to stay aloft. Probably wouldn't have needed to though. The heat emanating from him would have been enough to keep his body rising. And his eyes, his dark eyes made the clear blue skies feel like we were flying through a thundercloud. It only took one word with the force of nature behind it for us to freeze, letting our own wings beat to keep us in the air.

"Yo."

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A/N: Reviews are nice... hint, hint...