Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. I own this plot.


Chapter 11

Date: March 11, 2009

Location: Lower East Side Warehouses, NYC

I was one of the last people to leave the dilapidated warehouse—the location of my most recent fight—that night. I was still the new kid in the trade and was, therefore, still a little anxious of repercussions that could be brought on by it. So I had stayed later then most people to avoid being a part of a suspicious crowd. It was March and it was cold. It had rained earlier that evening and left the area looking bleaker than usual. The clouds were still hanging around, ready to deluge me on my way back to the tunnel. They blocked the moonlight, leaving the night inky and foreboding, the only light present was seeping out of the grimy warehouse windows.

But I was in a good mood. I'd won tonight. I'd beaten the odds against me and won my fight against a large man who was accustomed to winning his matches. All bets had been against me, I was the small new girl who had only won two matches and he was one of the toughest guys in the fight business.

But he was big, tall and muscular, and my lethal small frame had been able to dance circles around him. I had tired him out and then I'd taken him out. I smiled to myself at the memory, feeling the weight of the one hundred dollars that I had earned bump around pleasantly in my pocket. I'd be able to eat tonight and for a few nights after that.

I'd just rounded the corner of the warehouse when something solid slammed into my head from behind.

I went down, landing in a cold puddle with something heavy on my back.

"Nobody makes a fool out of me," a man hissed in my ear. I recognized him as my opponent from earlier, if not from his voice then from his words. I felt something cold and edged against my throat. It seemed to be dull but with the amount of pressure he was using to press it against my throat, I couldn't help but wince at the pain.

"It was just a fight," I gasped, spitting the disgusting water from my mouth as he ground my face into the gravel laden puddle, wincing as the small rocks dug into the flesh of my face. "Everyone has as much of a chance of winning as they do losing!"

"Not me," he pressed harder against my throat. "I always win."

"Well not always," I snapped, my snarky nature getting the better of me.

His fist collided with my face. I felt my nose break and blood gush down my face at the same time I felt him shift me so that I was lying on my side.

"Well you won't be winning anything ever again you little bitch," he said.

And that's when he took the dull piece of metal that barely constituted itself as a knife and cut me from my spine over to my navel.

He left me to bleed out behind an old warehouse as he walked away, counting the money he'd stolen from me as he went.

..

Date: Friday, November 23

Location: Holbrook, AZ

"Man Max, you have a mean right hook," Ella said appreciatively as we were escorted out of Target by a security officer. "Where'd you learn to throw a punch like that? I've only ever seen Fang able to lay someone out that quickly."

I wrinkled my nose and stuck my tongue at the retreating security guard as he left us on the curb in front of the store. People were rushing around us, eager to get into the store and start Black Friday shopping. So far, I was not impressed by the whole experience. It was crowded, loud, and full of obnoxious people. I was very eager to go home already but I didn't want to disappoint Ella. She was having so much fun. I already felt bad enough that I'd just gotten us kicked out of the store, but that guy had it coming to him. He'd taken the camera right out of Ella's hand and started fighting over it, insisting that he would have gotten to it first if Ella hadn't cut him off. My only purpose for punching him was getting him to shut up. Apparently security didn't think that was a good enough reason.

"Dunno," I shrugged as I looked around for Fang. He'd managed to convince the security officer to let him buy the camera before he joined us outside. A minute later he came weaving through the crowd and handed Ella the bag with the coveted camera in it. She squealed and hugged him.

"Angel's gonna love it!" she said happily, beaming at her brother.

"She'd better," he said. "Because we're not allowed back in that store to return it. Nice job Max." He said it in a patronizing manner but I saw the twinkle in his eye. He thought the situation was hilarious.

"What can I say?" I responded in a flippant manner. "My temper got the best of me. But it wasn't a soccer mom like you promised, Ella."

"You need anger management." Ella responded as we walked towards Fang's car. "You should try fighting, like Fang. That's how he deals with anger."

"Fang doesn't have anger. He doesn't have any emotion," I said, smirking at him as I ducked into the back seat of the car.

"What is that old saying?" he asked rhetorically as he started the car. "Oh yeah, 'its always the quiet ones you need to worry about'." He caught my eye in the rear view mirror, his obsidian ones dancing with suppressed laughter. I may say that Fang has no emotions, and maybe that's what everyone else thinks too, but I knew for a fact that he had a wider range of emotions than most people, he just kept them well hidden.

"Seriously Max. Maybe fighting would help with your stress too. Hit a few things, calm yourself down. It could be good for you. Therapeutic. What do you say Fang? Will you teach Max to fight?"

I shifted nervously in my seat. Fighting. I missed it. God I missed it. Sometimes the feeling hit me so hard that I felt like I couldn't move. I shouldn't miss it that much, all it resulted in was injuries for me. But for the longest time that was where I belonged in the world; in that small roughly drawn circle I was on top of the world, not the lowest tier of the food chain.

Fang was still staring at me through the mirror. I felt the need to build a brick wall between us, certainly he was able to see more of me in this moment that I wanted him to.

"Yeah," he said at last. "If you want to, Max, I'll teach you."

No, no, no, no, I forbid you to do this. Its complete idiocy. If Jessica finds out she'll move you to some god forsaken place like Alaska to make sure you don't fight. It's stupid. Wrong. You promised. Leave it behind with your old life.

"Sure." I heard myself say, "I'd like that."

Location: Max's Apartment

I dropped my keys on to the kitchen counter as I stumbled through my apartment door. It was almost six in the afternoon. I'd been up since three in the morning and I'd only gotten four hours of sleep the night before. I wanted nothing more than to curl up in my bed and sleep for days. Thank god I didn't have work today.

The blinking light of my answering machine caught my attention and I grudgingly went over to it and pressed the replay button.

"Hey Max its Jessica," my Warden's voice came through the speaker. I stifled a yawn as I went to get a glass of water. "I hope you had a good thanksgiving yesterday. I've been trying to call you since last night so I assume you've been out with your friends. That's good, that's what we want after all," I rolled my eyes, "but I guess we really should invest in getting you a cell phone. Listen, I got word from the DA in New York and they need you at a preliminary trial next Wednesday and you'll probably be there until Sunday. I've already gotten you off of work and out of school but I need to meet up with you before Wednesday so we can go over some things for the trial. Call me back when you get the message. Bye!"

I just about dropped my glass of water. Preliminary trial? As in, I'd have to show up in front of people and actually testify? Or was this one of those closed court things where I just talk to a judge? I had no clue but my heart rate increased tenfold as I picked up the phone with fumbling fingers and called Jessica back.

…..

Date: Saturday, November 24

Location: Witsec Headquarters

"It's alright Max, just breathe. This isn't a cross examination or even a trial in front of a jury. It's just you and the judge talking. You'll tell him your side of the story from start to finish and then we'll go from there."

"But if I do something wrong or say something wrong then this whole case can be screwed up," I pointed out, worrying my bottom lip with my teeth.

"But as long as you tell the truth then there is nothing to screw up." Jessica sat down on the desk in front of me and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Just think of all the good you're doing, Max. This is just one step in the process of putting those sick scientists behind bars for good."

"You don't have to convince me I'm doing the right thing," I snapped. "I know I am. If I wasn't sure about that then I wouldn't be here right now putting myself through this whirlwind of emotions. I'm just….nervous I guess." It pained me to admit it. I'm always trying to put on a tough face and act like nothing can faze me, that I'm never really affected by anything. That I'm never hurt. I did it for Nudge, I've been doing it for the Flock, and I've been trying to do it for Jessica. But mostly, I've been trying to do it for myself.

The sad part is that I'm the only person I can't convince.

"Right," I sighed. "Let's go over it again."

...

Date: March 13, 2009

Location: Mercy General, NYC

"Where am I?" I groaned groggily as my vision started to clear, revealing sterile white walls, a bed with rails, and tubs, lots and lots of tubes.

" In the hospital," said a woman in blue scrubs as she hurried around the room. "you were in pretty bad condition when you came in." She pushed a button on the rail of the bed and continued talking. "How are you feeling?"

"Numb," I answered honestly. I couldn't feel much of anything below my neck.

"You'll be thankful for that later," she assured me. I was about to respond when a man in blue scrubs and a white lab coat came into the room.

"Well, young lady, we're all glad to see your eyes open. We were all beginning to worry."

I'll bet, I thought sarcastically.

"How long have I been here? How did I get here?" I demanded.

"City workers found you out on the Lower East Side about two days ago. You were barely hanging on when you came in."

I'll bet, I thought again. I'd thought I was dead when I fell asleep.

He came to my side and started shining a light in my eyes, checking my temperature and blood pressure, and asking me questions about how I felt.

"Well I'm confident you'll be okay, Jane, but some things will never be the same."

"Jane?" I asked, confusion lacing my words. Did they have me confused with another patient?

The doctor blushed a bit. "My apologies," he said, "but we don't know your name. We've been going by Jane Doe."

I shrugged. "That name is as good as any."

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Jane," I answered.

He raised an eyebrow. "Look if your in some trouble, or if you've run away we only want to help you. We'll contact your family. The police already want to talk to you."

"I don't have anyone. Why are the police here?" I demanded, fear making my heart jump into my throat. They would bust me for fighting.

"Why?" the doctor demanded. "Someone carved you up. The police need to find them."

I snorted. "Good luck with that. Look, when can I get out of here?" I demanded.

"Well we've contacted the police and they'll be here to talk to you soon. Besides, you are in no condition to leave. We'll keep you here for a few days and then release you to a rehab facility for several weeks. It's very likely that you will need to relearn to function properly. There was severe nerve damage, it could affect the movement of your left side permanently," he said sympathetically.

What about fighting? I wondered in a panic. How will I survive if I can't make a living? Panic was starting to overwhelm me before I mentally slapped myself and regained control. No, I've survived too much to give up now. And I won't talk to the police!

The doctor and nurse conveyed more sympathies and left the room, promising that the police would be here soon.

As soon as I was alone I pulled the tubes and wires off of me, silencing the screaming of the now flat lining heart monitor, and pulling my numb body from the bed. It was slow, painful work but I started making my way down the hallway. I was out of there before they realized I was gone.


You guys were amazing last chapter! I got 12 reviews before a few hours even passed! It inspired me to get this chapter edited and posted faster!

Lots of stuff happening here. First, we got a small insight into Max's past, the story behind the scar, and man does it say something about her determination. Second, Fang has officially offered to 'teach' Max how to fight. How many of you guys think that Fang might be the one to learn a thing or two? And finally, we learned that Max is going back to New York City for some legal mumbo jumbo. Who cares about that right? The important thing is that she's in NYC where a certain someone is supposed to be...of course, things never go smoothly. Max is in for a bumpy ride in the Big Apple! Read and Review!

Peace!