Chapter 10
I stared at the small room, memories starting to come back to me. The computer that Nudge had gotten information about them from was still there, cages were still lying around, along with other familiar things. The difference was that there was nothing, except Gazzy, Iggy and I, alive there. Rotting skeletons were in the cages. The computer hard drive was smashed, and wires were hanging down from the ceiling.
"Nice decoration," I said.
"What happened?" asked Gazzy, fear creeping into his voice.
"I don't know," I replied. I spotted the cage that we'd found Total in. It had a small body in it, not very old.
"What's going on?" asked Iggy.
"The Institution's been trashed," I mumbled, knowing he could hear a car a thousand feet away.
"Give me the picture," he said.
"Wires hanging from the ceiling, skeletons in the cages, dead computer…" replied Gazzy. Then some of the wires moved, wrapping themselves around Gazzy's and Iggy's legs, arms, torsos, and necks. Then the wires pulled those two up through the ceiling and out of sight. At the same time, wires shot out from the walls, wrapped around my left arm and quickly pulled me into the wall. My head cracked against the wall. Then the wires unwrapped and let me fall to the ground. Stars flashed across my vision and pain spread all the way up the left side of my body. Most of the pain filled my head. I laid there for a full minute and then stood up.
"Gazzy, Iggy!" I yelled, and then shut up immediately, since it caused more pain to shoot through my brain. Then the dead computer screen flashed to life, which had been the only thing not damaged. A face appeared on it, and I recognized it from somewhere, but I couldn't place it.
"Hello, Max," he said, smiling.
I responded with silence, his voice, sounding over the speakers all around the room, making my headache worse.
"I just want to tell you a few things before you are killed. We are going to destroy this planet and this time it will be destroyed, completely. We need the rest of your flock to make that happen, except for Fang. Both of you are too headstrong."
"So," I spat. "Is it as stupid as the last one, because that one was stopped by a bunch of kids and some freaks from the local area."
"No," he replied, undeterred. "That plan was cracked up by the Director. She's incompetent, and dead."
"Wha?" I asked. I'd hated the Director, but I've hardly ever wanted anyone dead, and she wasn't someone I really wanted dead.
"Angel and Invader will use their mind-control powers on your 'flock' and use them to take out candidates running for the president of the United States. We've determined that both you and Fang, even with mind-control, would not kill. But the others will be a little more susceptible. And that's all I'm going to say. Goodbye, Maximum Ride." Then I recognized him or, at least, I recognized a relative.
"Are you related to Jeb?" I asked.
"Yes, I'm his brother. He is going to be dead very soon too. An assassin has already been sent to kill him. And now, it's time for you to share in their fates." Herman Batchelder's face disappeared and the number ten appeared in its place. Then the countdown commenced. Ten seconds later, an explosion formed. Twenty feet above the institution, a fireball blew a New York street apart. Flaming cars flew into the air, some crashing through windows fifty stories high. Fire shot through sewer pipes and out of toilets, sinks, and other things connected to the sewer system.