Chapter 10: Mission Find Fang, is in Effect!

"Fang, Fang, FANG!" I shouted as I jerked up from my sleep. "Damn it! Not again!" I said to myself. It's been a week since Fang ran off. I always hoped that it was a dream, and that I'd walk into the room the flock was sleeping in, and he's be there, sleeping peacefully, but he never was.

I let out a sigh, and slowly climbed out of bed. Damn this stupid baby bump! Oh, right I didn't tell you, did I? So apparently, because of all the mutations in my DNA, we reproduce faster then humans. So, in a week, I went from slightly bulging, to prego city! And these cramps are killing me! Not to mention I never get any sleep cause this kid doesn't know how to settle down!

I also found out that my due date is in 2 weeks. The same time as when the flock is supposed to be turned back to normal. Which is also the same time that they're supposed to….uh, kick the bucket. Great. Just freakin great.

I waddled my way down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Morning sweetie." Mom greeted me cheerfully.

"Morning…" I grumbled as I looked at the table.

Jeb, who was looking over some papers, let out a heavy sigh. "Max, I know you're depressed about Fang, but moping around here won't help you. You need to get over it. He'll be fine, but you need to focus on your mission.

I looked up from the table, and gave him the hardest glare I could muster up. "How dare you!?" I shouted at him. "Who do you think you are, telling me what to do!? My best frined, right hand man, and the FATHER of my child is out there, hurt, sick, and on the verge of dying because of whatever you wackos infected them with, and all you give a damn about is some stupid mission that I want NO part of!?" I yelled at him angrily.

"Max, you need to calm down and-"

"NO! You don't tell me what the hell I need to do! I'm sick of all this!" I shouted, holding my head in my hand. "And this is all your fault! If you didn't try to give Fang a shot, this wouldn't have happened!"

Mom walked over to me and started rubbing my back as I cried my eyes out. Jeb hadn't said a word since I finished, and, if he knew what was good for him, he wouldn't.

"I know you're worried about Fang, but right now, you need to focus on the flock and the baby. Fang is smart. He can handle himself. And I promise, as soon as we find a cure, we're gonna find Fang." She said, hugging me.

"But we don't have a lot of time." I said as panic started to rise in my voice. Yes, you read right, I started to panic. It's not me, it's the pregnancy hormones! I swear!

"I know, and we're working as fast as we can. I promise you. We almost have it down, but we're just missing one last component." She said sadly.

"Do you think you'll know what it is before the two weeks are up?"

"I can't promise you anything, but we'll keep trying." She said with a soft smile.

"Thanks." I said, trying to smile back.

Just then, Jeb's face lightened up. "Wait a moment…" he said. "I may be on to something here…" he said, setting his mug down, and looking closely at his papers. "Yes…that's it!" he shouted. "That's the key! I can't believe I didn't notice it before!"

"What is it Jeb?" Mom said, walking over to him.

"Right here, Valencia. That's the keep component! It's so simple!"

Mom's face lit up when she saw what he was pointing at. "Oh my god…." She whispered. "That's it! That's the key!" she yelled excitedly.

"Will someone please tell me what you're talking about? What did you find?" I asked, slightly annoyed by being kept in the dark.

"Max, it's so simple." Jeb said. "If you just think about all the experiments that you've seen over the years, which one's did you see the most?"

"Well the Erasers of course. But what does-" I stopped when I realized what I had just said. The Erasers. "The Erasers…."I whispered. "They aged into adults after they where changed."

"Exactly. So all we have to do is take the same genes that we used to age the Erasers…" he trailed off.

"…to turn the flock back to normal!" I said, standing to my feet. "Jeb, you're a genius!"

"Why, thank you."

"But wait, this isn't going to change them into Erasers or speed up their expiration dates, is it?"

"No. the only reason any of that happened to the Erasers is because when we combined their DNA with so many different components, their DNA became unstable."

"Oh thank god. If I had to raise a flock of Eraser-fied bird kids, I think I would lose what's left of my sanity."

"Now that we know what we need, I have to go and get the necessary materials. Once I do, I'll bring over here, and we can use it to eliminate the remnants of the gas in their systems. I should be back with it tomorrow."

"That's good. How long will it take for the flock to revert back to normal?" Mom asked.

"No more than 3 days. Unfortunately, they will be sleeping the whole time."

"Why would they be sleeping?" I asked.

"The aging process that we used on the Erasers is a painful one. Because their body's have to grow, they will experience growing pains. As a way to make it less painful, we designed it so that before the aging begins, the person will be put into a deep sleep."

"So is that why they were sleeping when I found them in the hotel room?"

"Most likely. It's the exact same as the aging, but in reverse."

"Ok. So by the end of the week, we need to put Operation: Find Fang into effect." I said, slamming my fist down on the table.

"Agreed." Mom said, standing next to me, and giving me a warm smile.

3rd Person POV

Fang awake to the sound of people talking.

"Please mom? We can't just give him away! We have to help him." A girl argued.

"Look, Melody, I know you want to help him, but we can't afford to take care of another child. We're barely making it by with you and your brother. And you know as well as I do that he's different. You saw them."

Fang was confused. He remembered almost nothing that had happened to him. Where is I? Where Maxie ats? Where Iggy? Nudgey? Gazzy? Angel? Where is you? He called out to her in his head, but got no response. He started to worry, when he heard something that put him on edge.

"Ok, so he has wings. Big deal."

Fang's heart jumped up into his throat. They knew about his wings. This was a serious problem. If they called someone, the school could find him, and if they did, he screwed.

"It is a big deal. We have no idea where he came from. Someone could be looking for him."

"Even more of a reason to protect him. He was all alone, lying under a tree, covered in mud, had a broken leg, and was out cold! He needs someone to take care of him."

"Well it won't be us." Her mother said sternly. "If he was out there in that condition, then there has to be a reason why."

"So what are you gonna do mom? Just throw him out? Give him to an orphanage?" Melody asked angrily.

"No. We'll take a picture of him and put up lost child posters around the neighborhood. We'll also ask him if he knows where he lives. That's the best I can do for him Mel."

She let out a heavy sigh. "Ok. I'll go see if he's awake yet."

Fang's sense went on hyperdrive as he heard her making her way up the stairs. He stood to his feet on the bed, but instantly feel back down, and let out an ear piercing cry. He looked down at his right leg to find it in a cast. He grabbed it, and rocked back and forth as the pain rocked through his entire leg.

"You a real little genius, aren't ya?" She said, sitting on the bed next to him, and pushing a few stray strands of hair from his face. "I'm Melody, but you can call me Mel. What's your name?"

Fang was very cautious. "Nick."

"How old are you?"

"I 5. How olds is yous?" he asked.

"I'm 15. What were you doing all by yourself out in the rain, and under the tree?"

"I don't remembers." He lied.

"Do you know where you live?"

Fang was about to answer her question, when he suddenly remembered all the events that got him into this mess. He remembered Jeb trying to give him a shot, running from the house, and Max looking for him. But why would Max let Jeb give him a shot? Did she not want him? "No. I no knows where I lives." He said, sadly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. But don't worry. We'll take care of you until we find out where you live and where your family is." She rubbed his back to try to comfort him. "You must have been pretty tired. You've been sleeping for the last week."

"I was?" he asked.

"Yea. If we hadn't taken you to the hospital when we found you, the doctor said you would have died."

"Wow…" was all he could say. The only thing that was running through his mind now was that he only had 2 weeks until the effects of the gas would wear of, and he would die. He had to find a way back to the flock, and fast, before it was too late.

Ok. So I have a very good reason why I haven't updated. Every week for the last month, I've had to write papers. Lots and lots of papers. Then, by the time I was done, I didn't feel like writing anymore. But, luckily, I'm on break for the next week, so I'm gonna try to update as much as possible. so until next time, review!

Remember: Keep reading, writing, and reviewing!

Later!

-Dt2009 with Dark Blue Wings