Way Back When
Chapter Ten: Speeding It Up
A/N: Hey, guys, I'm back! Finally. Mondays and Tuesdays are really bad for me, but my weekend was fantastic and some cute guys checked me out in Chinatown *blush*!!! Anyways, on to the thank-yous, also, PLEASE READ THE END OF THIS A/N EVEN IF YOU SKIP THE THANKS BIT I HAVE A COMMENT TO MAKE TO CLEAR SOME THINGS UP! Now…thank-yous. R4UL: review: why thank-you. I can just imagine the freak out phase, I do it myself. Schoolruler: Fav Story, Story Alert. Where did you get your penname? Sorry, totally random… BEABT: review: sweet, I can do. Laughter, I can enjoy. I'll keep it coming! Aleria14: Fav Story, review: thanks about the Max and Fang, and please see the end of this A/N in answer to your confusion. I figured it out! :D Well, I'll try it this way. Anyways, yeah the Max screw up on Fang's name kinda wrote itself. Jazi.K: Fav Story, Story Alert, review: thanks, and yeah, I won't forget about Iggy! (See this chapter!) Sammi: review: thanks! Hotchick09: Fav Story, love ya! Mudeenu (is that a Pokemon? JK, don't take offense!): Fav Story, Fav Author, Story Alert-thank-you so much! OK, NOW HERE'S THE IMPORTANT PART. I was going to give Max and Fang a few years alone but I realized that was wrong (thank you Aleria!), so I'm going back and changing the previous chapter by one word. Max will now say, "Um, Voice? I still have a few months before the next guy comes along…" not years.
Disclaimer: I don't even try to claim.
Onward!
My body told me it was morning.
Funny, my brain didn't agree.
And if my brain didn't think it was morning, well, who was I to contradict?
"Um, hello?"
My eyes flew open. I found myself staring at four-year-old Fang's dark, dark eyes.
"You might wanna get up," he said quietly, keeping his face expressionless. But I knew him. He was worried, jaw tense, eyes tight.
"Why?" I asked, keeping my voice pitched low so that the sound wouldn't carry.
"We're about to have visitors."
"Crap." I struggled into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. Oh. Ow. I glared at my right forearm. The stitches were already fading. I still couldn't remember how I'd gotten that cut. I turned to Fang, holding my arm up for inspection. "How did I get this?"
His lips creased, Fang's version of a frown. "I don't know."
"Was it there after you…after Mr. Nice Guy practically made me into a flapjack?"
"No."
Hmm…whatever.
My thoughts were interrupted as the lab door swung open. Fang and I instantly shrank back, simultaneously edging closer to each other. We were only separated by a few titanium bars when we finally stopped moving.
I felt my hands shaking and curled them into fists, ignoring my right arm throbbing in protest. Pain is just a message…
Next to me, Fang jutted his chin out and his eyes became very cold. I did not want to be on the receiving end of that look. Ever.
Mr. Nice Guy strolled in, his white coat hanging over one arm, the other swinging a knife. A ten inch, wickedly sharp in a gut-you-and-serve-your-with-gravy-sort-of-way knife. Two Erasers followed behind him. They were in their amazingly gorgeous human forms. It constantly amazed me that those guys could tear themselves away from a mirror to do anything at all.
The mad scientist crouched down in front of my cage, grinning. All of his crooked, yellow teeth showed.
"Go to the dentist much?" I muttered.
Clang! I jumped as the scientist slammed the knife against the bars of my cage.
"I would not say such things if I were you…" He growled (A/N: Anyone know where that quote is from? From the knife slamming to you…I'll give you a hint…it's a cultish movie. WESTLY!!!)
"What?" I asked, smiling innocently, "All I'm saying is that I hope you have dental insurance cuz man, you need it…"
"I would not say such things if I were you!" He roared. Well, that was getting old fast.
"Good thing you're not me, then, huh? That would be preeeeeeeetty boring…"
The next thing I knew I was hauled out of my cage and the knife blade was pressed to my throat.
Well crap.
There was a moment of silence before I started to struggle against Mr. Freaky Killer's strong grip and Fang started yelling, throwing himself against the bars of his cage.
"Hold her!" Bellowed Mr. Freaky Killer to the nearest Eraser. He grinned, morphed with a kind of pained grimace, and stalked over to us. He grabbed my arms, yanking them behind my back. Mr. Freaky Killer positioned the point of the blade against the hollow of my throat.
I hadn't known metal could be so cold.
I could feel the blood pounding in my ears, my heart beating so hard it hurt. But I didn't speak. Not. One. Word.
"Let her go!" Fang yelled. He rattled his cage, rocking it back and forth, nearly tipping it over. I had never seen him like this. His mask of impassiveness was slipping fast. He looked desperate, and more than a little deranged. "It's me you want!"
Wait, what?
Mr. Freaky Killer turned to look at my best friend, who'd gone still in his cage. The only movement I could make out was his chest rising and falling under his shirt as he panted for air. I stared at Fang in shock.
"Well," Mr. Freaky Killer admitted, "Yes, I do want to experiment on you. But not until I'm finished with this one. Which includes disposing of the useless garbage."
That got a rise outta me, for sure. "Hey, who you calling garbage, banana brain?" I demanded. Well, so it wasn't the best I'd ever come up with. You gonna sue me, or keep reading? That's what I thought.
He whirled around, and punched me in the jaw. "Shut up, bitch!"
I was stunned. Not only did he just call ME a bitch, but he called four-year-old me a bitch.
How rude.
"Bastard." I hissed back. Fang's eyes widened. I know, I know, no bad language in front of the babies. Shut up.
Mr. Freaky Killer reared back and brought the knife up to bear against my throat.
"I've had enough," he snarled, "Good-bye, freak."
His arms tensed, and his eyes narrowed as he sighted down the blade. My breath caught in my throat, and my eyes flicked to meet Fang's, desperately. Was this what the Voice wanted? I was supposed to die?!
Duck, Maximum.
Unquestioningly, I dove for the ground as the lab door swung open once more with a bang, followed by a second, louder, bang, and then two more similar bangs. The Eraser holding me fell away.
Roll.
I did, gasping.
Thunk. I stared, horrified, at the spot where my head had been. The butcher knife was imbedded in the floor. Slowly, I lifted my head to look at Mr. Freaky Killer. He was standing stiffly, eyes wide, mouth open in a silent scream. Then, with a soft sigh, he fell forward to the floor, his body twisting on the handle of the knife, causing it to spring up and-and-straight thought him. He wasn't Mr. Freaky Killer anymore.
He was Mr. Freaky Shish Kabob.
I staggered to my feet, and saw the two Erasers were dead as well. They'd been shot, along with their insubordinate master. I looked to my savior.
Jeb stood in the doorway of the lab, holding a slightly smoking Glock. He looked at me, then dropped the gun to the floor and, kneeling down, held out his arms.
Letting go of all caution, swallowing my hate, I ran, as four-year-old Max would, into Jeb's arms. I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent of vanilla and aftershave. He always kept his face shaved smooth. I sobbed, letting a few tears run down my cheeks. I was a fantastic actress. "Jeb…"
"It's ok, sweetheart, I'm so sorry, I'm here, and it's ok…" Jeb crooned, stroking my hair. I relaxed into his touch, wishing we could stay like this always.
"Why'd you leave?" I choked out.
"I was tricked by that man," Jeb said, his voice hard, "And I was stupid and left you alone. I'm so sorry. It won't ever happen again, Max."
I knew it was a stupid, stupid thing to do, but I seized my chance. "Promise you won't ever leave me again?" I whispered. I caught his eyes, his brown eyes so like my own. Maybe this was the future I could change. "Promise?"
He hesitated. I saw it.
"I promise," he whispered, and my heart broke. Because I knew eight years from now, he'd leave.
And he wouldn't say good-bye.
At that moment, a blinding white light filled my vision, and all sound faded. I felt like I was floating.
That was a mistake, Maximum.
I know that, I said irritably, I'm just human, ok?
No. You are not just human. You should know better!
The Voice was annoyed? With me? Like it had any right…!
I should have taken you away from there sooner. My fault.
I said nothing. Stupid fortune cookie. It deserved the silent treatment.
We now have an unforeseen complication on our hands…
I snorted at the thought of the Voice having hands. WE don't have anything. I refuse to be pulled into this.
We do not have time to bicker like children, Maximum! Your connection with Fang is in danger of being severed!
I started. W-what?
It is too late now…The Voice was fading away. The white light was dimming, and a rushing noise filled my ears. We have arrived.
What? Where? Wait! Voice! What's going on?! I shrieked, cold fear planting its seed in my heart. You can't just leave me!
Too late, Maximum. We are speeding things up. Get ready to meet your next Flock member…I had to strain to hear the Voice, now.
What about Fang? I screamed, What do I do?!
You are on your own…
And with that, the Voice faded away entirely. The light disappeared and the regular sounds and smells of the school returned with violent force.
Wincing, I opened my eyes, and gasped.
I'd been moved to a bigger room. My cage was bigger as well. I'd grown! I guessed I was maybe five now. The Voice had taken me forward about three months, more or less.
I glanced around, and saw Fang. He'd gotten bigger too, and older. He also appeared more drawn, and tense.
"Fang!" I cried.
He didn't look at me. Had he been giving me the silent treatment for three months?
"Fang…" I trailed off, swallowing hard.
"Look," he said suddenly. He didn't turn to face me. "Don't think that you can leave with Jeb for ninety-three days and come back and assume everything to be fine."
My head reeled. Where had I gone?
"Wha-"
"So you're all new and improved now, right? Well that's just great for you! You don't need me anymore! You're the new and improved avian/human, while I'm left alone for three whole months! Thanks, thanks a lot." His voice echoed around the room.
I didn't know what to do.
"You didn't even say good-bye." No one else would have heard the catch in his voice. But I did. He was only five, after all. (A/N: Say Max is three months into five, Fang would be one month into five, and Iggy would be about to turn five, ok?)
"Fang," I whispered desperately, "I'm so, so sorry." I had to get him back!
"Are you?" He laughed, a cold, unfeeling laugh. "That's great, just great."
I took a deep breath to fuel the defensive tirade I felt building inside of me-and stopped. There was nothing I could say.
At last I whispered, "I can't tell you why I left. I can't go back in time On my own, that is, and fix things. But I can tell you that I'm sorry, and that I was stupid, and…" I paused again.
"I do still care about you. There's no excuse for what I did. You didn't deserve it. But, if you're willing, maybe we can start over."
Silence. I racked my brains.
"Hi," I said softly, bracing myself for what I was going to do next. "I'm Max, and I'm completely and totally lost."
He kept his back to me, not answering, shoulders hunched.
"Do you want to know why I'm lost?" I continued, "Because I was a complete and total idiot, that's why. I had the best friend in the entire world. Someone I could tell everything to, someone I could trust. Someone who'd always catch me if I fell. He was amazing. And I didn't deserve him.
"I abandoned him. I walked out of his life without even a look back; following a man whom I thought knew everything. But I was wrong. And when I came back, I had lost him. My best friend.
"I don't deserve anything better, really. I left him alone to the mercies of the whitecoats for ninety-three days. I left him with no one to talk to, no one to help him when he hurt. I destroyed him as much as myself. And I'm lost without him, but he doesn't need me like that." I swallowed hard. The silence in the room was so heavy I felt like my wings were weighed down by it, not just my heart.
"Just thought I'd introduce myself," I whispered, and began to turn away, taking a shaky breath. I blinked furiously, fighting tears. I would not cry.
A flash of olive skin caught my eye. I whirled.
Fang's fist was stuck through the bars of his cage.
Trembling, I pushed my fist through as well and closed the gap between us. We stacked. I met his eyes, and then looked away.
"Wasn't I good enough?" He asked quietly, but I could hear the fear behind his words.
I winced.
"You were everything I needed," I said slowly, "I just didn't realize it at the time. But," I looked at him again. "I do now."
A ghost of a smile fluttered across his face and across my heart. I was suddenly aware of how sappy this entire thing was. At the same time, he did too. His eyes got distant again, and he stiffened. I pulled myself upright to become impenetrable Max. No one could get my guard down like Fang, but I sure as hell wasn't letting that happen again any time soon.
We glanced at each other again. I, however, was not going to be the weak one who pulled away from the stack first. He met my gaze, challenging me. I grinned, and left my fist on top of his. He narrowed his black eyes, but they were lighting up from within. He didn't pull away either.
We sat in silence, fighting out our macho battle of wills for a good five minutes before the lab door was slammed open and several Erasers came in, carrying a cage. Fang and I sprang apart.
A boy sat inside it. He had pale skin and strawberry blond hair that he kept shaking impatiently out of his baby blue eyes. He stared around at the room with unabashed curiosity. A slim, pale hand reached though the bars of his cage to skim along the cool white floor. An Eraser growled and kicked at his hand. He yanked it back, and then stared at his fingers in apparent wonder, watching as they turned bright red from the force of the blow.
I gasped at the brutality, even as my heart contracted. Look well…
The blond boy's head shot up, and he noticed us for the first time. I stared back, memorizing his clear, blue eyes. The alertness in them, the knowledge that he was looking at me, could see me. His gaze flicked to Fang, whom he offered a casual grin, which Fang, amazingly, returned.
Iggy had arrived.
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