Chapter 7

Questions and Answers.

Disclaimer: For best summary of my disclaimer see previous chapter.

I don't own the song lyrics in this chapter either, they belong too Dragonforce from the song Soldiers of the Wasteland. I don't own the song or Dragonforce either.

Chapter soundtrack: New Divide

Roughly half an hour later, using methods ranging from negotiation, to offers of pizza,

Vance and Gibbs convinced Maximum too stick around and answer some questions.

So now, Ziva, Vance, DiNnozzo and McGee, were sandwiched inside a small observation booth between two interrogation rooms.

'God, this is reminding me more and more of X-men,' said DiNnozzo, 'like, we find one mutant dead at a crime-scene, another on the run at the docks, who we bring in, then six more eavesdropping on a meeting between the spawn of the CIA and us.'

Ziva slapped DiNnozzo over the back of the head.

'Will you be quiet I'm trying too listen!' She said in a quiet but clearly very annoyed voice.

Meanwhile, I was standing in the right hand corner of the room closest too the two way mirror, out of the cameras line of site.

Gibbs was at a table with his back too the window\mirror, and Max sat opposite glaring at him, not an easy trick, when you're trying too eat a slice of pizza at the same time.

The rest of the Flock were being entertained by Abby in her lab, except for a black clad boy, who was in the second interrogation room.

'Anything else I can get you?' Gibbs asked Max kindly.

'You could just let us be on our merry way,' said Max after she swallowed her slice of pizza.

'Can't do that I'm afraid,' replied Gibbs sitting straighter in his chair.

'Why?' Asked Max, I could tell, that although she never got her own way with adults, she still was used to going ahead with her own plans regardless.

'You broke into a federal facility, that's a serious offence young lady,' said Gibbs in a calm but stern tone.

'So, what were you doing here in the first place?' Asked Gibbs in that same tone.

I could feel the thoughts buzzing through Max's mind, but there was something funny about it, like there was another room in a building, only no door or way of accessing it, and it had a one way, bullet-proof window into the first room.

Suddenly I heard something coming from that portion of her mind.

You can trust him Max, he is one of the ones who can help you save the world.

I got a sigh through my telepathy.

'Voice, long time, no irritation, been bugging someone else lately?' Asked Max mentally of the strange message.

No reply.

'God damn Voice…' thought Max, but I felt she decided too tell Gibbs the truth.

At least part of it, and rather evasively.

'No idea,' she shrugged, 'ask Fang, he knows,' she elaborated when Gibbs opened his mouth too speak.

Gibbs cast a glance at me.

'I'll be back,' he thought loudly and clearly at me, 'play nice, don't kill each other.'

Those were the first clear thoughts I'd got from him.

I guess 'cause he wanted me too here them.

He got up and left, closing the door behind him.

Max sighed and reached for another slice of pizza.

That's when the penny dropped.

They'd given her my pizza!

This was not going to end well.

As if she sensed this she glanced up at me.

'One last piece,' she said apologetically.

I sighed and massaged one of my temples.

This definitely wasn't going to end well.

'Well,' I said in a slightly nervous\casual tone; adults, I could deal with, mutants I knew, I could deal with, someone my own age with a similar personality too me, I.e. fiercely independent: Total train wreck.

'I don't know about you, but I haven't had very much too eat recently, and that is the last slice of one of my pizzas,' I said reasonably.

'Who are you anyway?' Asked Maximum, withdrawing her hand for a moment as I paced, and reached the other mirror-side corner.

I paused for a moment.

'A mutant, like you I guess,' I said with a non-committal shrug.

'How did you wind up here?' Asked Maximum curiously.

'I'm still trying too figure that one out myself,' I said evasively.

'Well, did you kill someone, run into 'em by accident or what?' Asked Max.

Damn her, asking for specifics.

'I escaped from a pair of Erasers, with orders to kill me, and make sure no-one ever found my body,' I said wearily, 'they ran into a marine, they had a shoot out, NCIS got called, I spent a couple of hours hiding too lose the surviving Eraser, and got seen when I made my exit.'

Max looked at me even more curiously.

I couldn't help but notice she was making a move on the pizza.

I was at the corner behind her, opposite the mirror and door.

'Then what?' She asked, looking at me as her hand quested for the final piece of pizza.

'I flew too DC, stole some clothes, decided too lay low at the docks, got jumped by a pair of junkies, beat them up, ran into these guys, ran from them, ran back into the junkies, these guys caught up, nailed the junkies, and two hours later, I'm here eating pizza, and you just ate most of one that was supposed to be mine.' I said firmly, hoping she'd take the hint.

'Well, it's my compensation now,' she said smugly and turned back too see why her questing hand hadn't found it yet.

Using my telekinesis, which had been holding the pizza, in the air, I drifted it over her head and caught it neatly.

She whipped around in suspicion just as I took a firm bite.

I grinned around the pizza with satisfaction and winked slyly.

'How did you…?' She trailed off as she tried to figure it out.

In the booth, Vance, DiNnozzo, Ziva and McGee looked at each other.

'Did she just-?' Asked McGee in shock.

'Yeah.' Answered DiNnozzo before McGee finished, equally stunned.

Ziva laughed a little. 'She must have other powers she 'neglected' too mention as well.'

'This won't be pretty.' Predicted Vance quietly.

They were interrupted when another door in another adjacent room opened and closed.

They all turned too see Gibbs enter a room with a dark haired boy seated at the table.

'I'm going to go see how Abby's holding up.' Said McGee and walked out.

'I'll go too,' said Ziva and followed McGee.

DiNnozzo and Vance turned and watched as Gibbs began what could've been equivelated too trying too interrogate a fence post.

'Why did you break into the Navy Yard?' Gibbs asked Fang quietly.

Silence was all the answer he got.

'Who e-mailed you?' Asked Gibbs, taking a chance.

Fang blinked in surprise, 'Some forensic scientist e-mailed me through my blog, saying you might've found someone else like us, and that it might be an idea too come and get her before things went down hill.' He answered.

'Abby.' Said Gibbs, just for confirmation.

Fang nodded imperceptibly.

Gibbs saw it and rose, indicating for Fang to do so as well.

Meanwhile, in the other interrogation room I'd solved the pizza problem by finishing it off.

'You can't complain any more.' I said brightly.

'Who are you?' Max asked again.

'Alexa Angelos.' I answered succinctly.

Max stood.

'I'm Max, Maximum Ride,' she said standing and offering a hand.

I took it, prepared for trouble.

Surprisingly, none was forthcoming.

'Where'd you come from?' She asked again in a curious tone.

I shrugged. 'Some hellhole around the warehouse district I think.' I replied.

'What about you?' I asked equally as curious.

'A hellhole known as 'The School,' in California,' Max made air quotes with her fingers.

I felt a chill crawl down my spine.

The School was a death sentence; It had the highest mortality rate of all the Itex laboratories.

The most horrific experiments, the most psychotic Erasers, the toughest security.

'Holy fuck.' I swore quietly.

'That about sums it up.' Agreed Max.

My respect for her bumped up a notch.

The door opened and Gibbs walked in followed by a boy dressed in black, with black hair and eyes of such a deep blue they were practically black.

'Come on, we're going down too Abby's lab.' Said Gibbs calmly.

'Damn.' I muttered quietly.

We walked out of the interrogation room.

DiNnozzo and Vance exited the observation booth.

'Looks like I was wrong,' muttered Vance quietly, slipping DiNnozzo a ten-dollar bill.

'How did you do that?' Asked DiNnozzo quietly as we followed Gibbs, and surreptitiously pocketing the money.

'Concentrated, wiggled my toes and prayed.' I responded sarcastically.

Max laughed quietly, the black clad boy quirked a wry grin.

We descended a set of stairs and entered a maelstrom of notes from an electric guitar.

I'd heard something like this before.

Metal; Not my favourite type of music, but somehow, it related too my life experiences.

'Just out of curiosity, how do you know how too socialise and things, if you only escaped that lab yesterday?' asked Max.

I flashed her a small grin.

'I can read minds, and, I can open and close locks using my telekinesis.' I replied.

DiNnozzo stopped dead.

'You can read minds?' He asked sharply in a tone I'd keyed into that meant he was asking if you knew a dirty little secret of his.

And there were mountains of them.

'Yeah,' I answered casually.

'Are you reading my mind right now?' He asked.

'No.' I said, he looked relieved.

'I quit after my second piece of pizza, you nearly put me off eating.' I explained slyly.

Tony blushed embarrassed, Gibbs slapped him across the back of the head, and took a swig of coffee.

'What was that for?' Asked DiNnozzo in askance.

'Nearly putting Alexa off eating, god knows she needs too.' Said Gibbs in a mildly annoyed tone, but there was a hint of amusement in it.

Whether it was the money changing hands or really was my jest, I couldn't tell, but I had been telling the truth; DiNnozzo's bedroom life was part, sewerage plant, part Toxic waste dump: Revolting but fascinating in some undefinable way.

Max quit trying too contain her laughter and the black clad guy's shoulders were shaking with silent laughter and he had his hand over his mouth.

Max looked at him with a sort of distant misty eyed look.

Looks like the Black Knight was Max's boyfriend.

Ah well.

Max looked at me again.

'How does being able to open locks help?' She asked confused.

'I used too break out of my crate, and use a whitecoat's work account too surf the 'net in the dead of night.' I explained.

Max's face cleared and she nodded.

We entered Abby's lab and I looked around.

It wasn't what I'd expected.

A few pieces of modern art here and there, a few figurines on the computer mainframe, a novelty stuffed hippo, Techno and Metal playing over a stereo system.

It was millennia ahead of Itex labs in friendliness to visitors, and personality.

My respect for Abby increased considerably.

Abby was working on the computer mainframe on something.

Ranged around the room were the rest of the Flock.

Abby was talking in the unbridled and tangent ridden way a person who's had way too much coffee does, too a coffee skinned girl of about eleven, who was listening, Abby paused for a second and the girl replied, with as many tangents, and equal enthusiasm.

Apparently the lab-coat wasn't a put-off for her.

A pale, strawberry blonde guy was surreptitiously stowing something that looked suspiciously like a stick-bomb out of sight.

I felt a presence in my head and looked in it's direction.

A young girl of about six-ish, with blonde hair and blue eyes.

She was pretty dang cute, would've melted my heart if she wasn't trying to read my mind.

'Nice try,' I said mentally, and mentally recited a couple of lines from a song I'd listened too on the 'net during one of my midnight trawls out of curiosity:

Can't you see the history,

the suffocating madness,

in the land of fallen souls,

there's nowhere left, no place to go;

I have travelled far and wide across this wasteland,

Still searching for the answers,

for the right to understand…

The girls probe wavered and I jabbed out with my own probe just so she got the message.

She withdrew and shot me a reproachful look. She wouldn't be trying that again in a hurry.

'Abby,' Said Gibbs quietly and sternly.

Abby turned around slowly, and guiltily.

'Yeah…?' She asked hesitantly.

'Did you send this guy an e-mail pertaining to the case?' Asked Gibbs still in that stern tone indicating the black clad kid.

'Yes.' Said Abby and hung her head.

'Thanks for nothing.' Muttered Black Clad darkly.

'Actually,' said Gibbs, 'we could use the extra help.' Said Gibbs.

There was silence.

'Say what?' I asked in confusion.

Gibbs took a swig of coffee.

'Only one way we're going too catch the other bastard who killed Gunnery sergeant McGuire, is if we use Alexa as bait, too draw him out. And he's sure too bring back up.' Said Gibbs.

'What have you got cooked up?' Asked Vance.

'An ambush.' Said Gibbs wickedly.

The plan was simple.

As the whole Flock, myself and Itex's activities were highly classified, we'd have too capture the other Eraser and quietly imprison him.

Then I'd have too make a fast exit before the CIA came after me, all guns blazing.

So, I'd pretend to be asleep on the roll out bed in Abby's lab, Ziva and McGee would hide in Abby's office, adjacent too the lab, Max and her Flock would hide on the roof too tie up reinforcements, and Gibbs would provide covering fire from a park with a view of Abby's window, accompanied by DiNnozzo, as security.

Vance, would try and tie up the CIA in a meeting over M-TAC and delay their 'extraction team'.

Abby and Ducky would also go, for safety reasons.

'One question, how are you going to provide cover fire from a park roughly a kilometre away?' I asked Gibbs.

'I used to be a sniper in the marine corp., I've still got a sniper rifle, which I picked up after we got the pizza.' Explained Gibbs calmly

I nodded, satisfied, an ex-sniper, this was going to be a spectacle.

'Why do you want our help?' Asked Max suspiciously.

'Because, you have experience fighting these bastards.' Said Gibbs succinctly.

'Okay, but do we get weapons, like say, a tank?' Asked a blond haired blue eyed boy, who I guessed was the brother of the mind-reading six year old.

'No.' Said Gibbs, Max, Ziva, McGee, Vance and Black Clad simultaneously.

'We don't have any.' Explained Gibbs.

I smirked at the hidden joke.

The boy's shoulders sank slightly.

'I'm all for it, Gibbs,' I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

'I'll do it on two conditions,' I continued.

'And they are?' Asked Gibbs facing me and taking a swig of coffee.

'Firstly, I want a flak jacket,' I said firmly.

'Done. I was going to make you wear one anyway,' Said Gibbs.

'Secondly, I want a gun, just in case.' I said equally as firmly.

'No.' Answered Gibbs.

'I can shoot believe it or not.' I replied calmly.

'How did you learn?' Asked Max suspiciously. I didn't blame her for being suspicious.

'The 'coats wanted too see how good a shot I was, what with having, literally, eagle-eyes; so, they put me in a target range, hooked me up too a heap of machines, including an electric circuit, in case I decided too try something, gave me a pistol, and said 'fire away.'

'How did you do?' Asked Ziva with interest.

'I aced it, I imagined each of the targets was one of the 'coats heads.' I replied slyly.

'You must have hated them.' Stated Ziva not in the least bit fazed by my deep seated hatred of those who'd turned me into what I was.

Gibbs looked me directly in the eyes again, giving me the chills, his gaze wasn't just hypnotic, it was piercing, like he could kill you with a glance.

'You're going to have to prove to me, you can shoot before I even let you near a gun.' Said Gibbs in a half-resigned, but still rock-solid calm voice.

I held his glance.

'Thanks, I'm not going to shoot anyone or thing I'm not supposed to, ya know.' I said reassuringly.

'let's go too the armoury then,' said Gibbs taking another sip of coffee, walking out of the lab, and motioning for us too follow.

The tall strawberry blond guy and the mind reader's brother approached Max and asked:

'Max, seeing as she,' they indicated me, 'gets a gun can we-' They didn't finish because Max, Black Clad, Gibbs, McGee and Vance all said 'No.' In a very firm, loud, and exasperated tone simultaneously.

The pair sank in too a sulky silence and we headed too the armoury.

Sorry this took so long to post, my internet was down.

I don't apologise for the length, I figured this'd be the best place for a little character elaboration regarding Alexa.

Now, review please, I've got a three way punch-up too write, and a kidnap. (Or two! I haven't figured that out yet.)

Hopefully, I can bring the Scarecrow into this soon.