Max POV

I woke up half buried in sand, in some other part of the desert. Standing up, my right wing hung limply at my side, throbbing, burning pain. In the sandstorm, the wind had unfurled my wings and proceeded to try and rip them off. I couldn't even bring it back in. I tried moving it but that just sent waves of pain through me and almost brought me to my knees. I let myself whimper. There was no-one here to hear me. It was unlike any physical pain I had felt before. I knew it wasn't broken, but the way it hung told me it was dislocated. Long story short, a whole lot of pain and no flying. That was only problem number one. Problem number two? No flock in sight, no water and no food. My throat felt like it had been sand papered. Funny that. There was sand in my eyes, nose, ears, mouth and clothes. There was sand all around me too, looking exactly the same in every direction. Helpfull. I had to find my flock. Even if I had to search on foot. But I didn't know what direction they were in, even my super navigational skills were crapped out and full of sand.
'Think of Fang, Max. Think of how he needs you, how you need him'
And that's going to help me how? 'Just trust me'
How about a day after never and when hell freezes over?? I offered sarcastically, snorting in disbelief. This voice was insane. Like I would trust it. Then I must be insane too, I do hear voices in my head.
'Not voices Max, just the one. Forever stubborn. Atleast look after your wounds, even if you won't think of who loves you'
My wing is fine. Buzz off!

The voice retaliated with an instant headache. Now I was lost, annoyed AND had a headache. Just wonderfull. At least the voice left me alone. I scanned the area again, noticing a suspicous looking dust cloud on my left, growing larger. Something warm and sticky dripped down my face as I tried to make out the cause of the rising dust. Putting my hand to my head, bright blood adorned my fingers as I looked at my hand with curiousity. Now I stopped concentrating on my wing, new pains made themselves known. I decided to listen to the voice and I looked down at my legs. My jeans had various rips and holes, some with blood, some without, all in varying sizes. Feathers littered the ground around my feet, I noticed with dismay that some were primary flight feathers. Blood was on the ground too, staining the sand and colouring some of the feathers red. A myriad of scrapes and cuts covered my arms and bruises were beginning to take over. Wow. I sure got thrown around a bit. My shirt was just at bad as my jeans and I noticed a small stick, poking out of my side. I closed my fist around and it and swiftly pulled it from my side, it was only a very shallow wound. Nothing too major. I dropped the stick at my feet and turned back to the dust cloud. It was so close now. Flyboys, about 40 of them, were all coming straight for me. I just love my life. I dropped into a painfull crouch and ripped the flare of my jeans off each leg and tied them to form a wide length of bandage. I winced as I lifted my wing up and bound it higher up on my back where it couldn't get in the way. My eyes watered and my wing hurt like nobodies business. But I just couldn't fight with it hanging like that. As I turned to the flyboys, shifting into battle mode and taking up a painful fighting stance, they arrived at my crash site. I fought as hard as I could, taking some hits to my ribs, I even heard some of them breaking. I took down about 8 flyboys when one of them pulled out a dart gun and I fell to the ground, my conciousness slipping away. I felt my self being dragged and then stuffed into a bag. Then I couldn't move. I could see and hear, but couldn't control anything else. Looks like they had a new sedative. The rocking of my captives mechanical walk was making me nautious and the claustrophobia was setting in. I wanted to be free, I wanted to see my flock and I wanted Fang...

Fang's POV

I kept flying, never stopping. My fear and love spurring me on. With every beat, my heart seemed to say her name over and over. Max.. Max.. Max.. I had to find her, but maybe I shouldn't have left the flock..I felt bad for turning on Iggy like that, but he didn't understand, None of them did. I needed Max like I needed to breath, like the earth needed the sun to grow and sustain each day. I loved her with every fibre on my being and I simply couldn't live without her. My mask was broken and I needed to fix it. The flock wouldn't recognise my face now. My emotions were as plain as the nose on my face. I was flying in larger and larger circles from the center of the desert, widening my circle with every circuit. On the west side, I saw what I dreaded, flyboy bodies. I swooped down and landed on the edge of the dip. Amoung the 9 flyboy bodies and destroyed parts were bloodstains. My own blood ran cold as I saw feathers, stained red with blood and far too many of them. I kept searched and with every new find, my heart sank further and further. There were boot marks and I could recognise the marks of certain moves Max had done. But It was all wrong. Why didn't she fly away when she had the chance. I studied the foot prints harder. Max had been favouring her right side. She was hurt. I felt tears coming to my eyes. I had cried more in these past few days then I had in my entire life.

I picked up one of the feathers, a large primary. Our main flight feathers. Hers, streaked with black and white, were all over the ground here. I fell to my knees, letting the misery consume me. I opened my eyes and saw the drag marks. They had taken her with them. I leapt to my feet as I heard shouting and looked up to see the flock. I swiftly wiped away the tears. I was Fang, I was the strong one. I was strong for them. For Max.
They took in the scene and their own eyes widened in horror and the blood and feathers, all of which could only be Max's. Blaze's eyes bored into my mind, and she seemed to see right through my facade. Six successive shots sounded quickly and numbness took over as we all fell like feathery rocks, eyes wide with shock but unable to control our bodies anymore. They had found us.

Did you know there was a compound smack bang in the middle of the desert? Well, you do now. We were all taken into a windowless room, hardly big enough for two of us, let alone six. I had scanned every single cell we were led past, peering through the bars of every single door, none of them had Max in them. Some contained other mutant children. In the end one with a kid, a boy no older than Gazzy. He was covered in gold and red scales, occasionally emitting a small flame from his nose. He sat in the corner, arms around his knees looking fearfully at us. He was right across from us. Then he spotted Blaze. His eyes widened and he leapt to his feet. Small batlike wings flared out his he almost tripped and he ran to his door, grinning at Blaze like a Cheshire Cat. I couldn't concentrate, I was waiting for them to bring Max back. They must have her. They must. But through my misery, I saw something. Blaze and the boy.. looked similar. They had the same colour hair and eyes, same sort of build. The little boy ran back and pulled something off his cell wall, running back to the door he threw it to Blaze who caught it and studied it. We peered over her shoulder and gasped. It was a photo of a kind eyed woman, the spitting image of Blaze, but with blue eyes and a tall man who had Blazes smile. In her arms was a small girl with light brown hair with blonde streaks, red-gold eyes and Blaze. The woman was pregnant, but that wasn't what made Blaze hiss with distaste, the man was a white coat. He had done this to his own Children. Blaze threw the picture back and blew a small fire to the boy. Her brother. He caught it with delight and sat down at the cell door, playing fire ball tennis with Blaze. How could they be so happy. Max was gone. I needed her. But she wasn't here. I found myself asking WWMD? What would Max do? We had to escape and find her. Before it was too late.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor and Blaze's brother leapt up, hiding in his corner again. We stood, our toughest faces on and our fists clenched. Let the come, I was going to rip them to shreds. A white coat stopped at our door and looked at us with sad eyes. He wore a funky head peice but we knew that they stopped Angel reading their minds. They were getting smarter. But not smart enough to out wit Max. My beautiful Max.

"Come, we have much to discuss and something to show you. Something of a dreadful nature" He intoned this all in a sad, discouraged voice. Good actor. But Blaze suprised us the most. She strode right up to the door and pointed to lizard boy. "Not without Flare!" So that was his name.. the white coat shrugged and opened Flares cell door, Flare stood up, looking like he was trying to sink into the floor and vanish. But he walked with dignity, wincing at the death grip the white coat had on his upper arm. He opened our cell door and threw Flare to Blaze, who caught him and held his hand, sheilding him with her body. Before we could jump the white coat, ten flyboys marched in with handcuffs and wing bands. This is getting kind of old. I hated being here, but if it meant I found Max, we could easily escape. Once we were all secured, including little Flare, we were escorted through many winding corridors past doors where bad smells wafted under the doors and horrible crying and wails filled the air. I looked in every one, trying to find Max. I filled with hope at every new door and then sank into hopelessnes when it was empty or contained a mutant gone wrong or some other creature. Then we were led into a room. Five more scientists sat in chairs on one side while a metal table was on the other. I fixed my gaze on the table. It had something on it, but it was covered with a white blanket. Dread filled me and the flock just stared at the table, the blanket, the figure it covered. My ears rang and I couldn't breath right. We did what we were told for once and sat in the chairs, all staring, hardly breathing.

"We found Max in the desert, she put up a huge fight, only as Max can, but our generation of Robots, Generation Q, well, they still need work. They have a slight rage emotion but this can also turn to frustration" The main whitecoat picked up a clipboard and slowly flipped pages, shaking his head slowly. He walked to the table and pulled back the blanket. Nudge, Angel, Gasman and even Iggy broke down into tears. I stared in utter disbelief. Lying on the table, pale and still, was my beautiful Max. I walked disjointedly to the table, my head spinning. One of her wings stuck out at an odd angle, jeans and shirt torn and bloodied. I picked up her arm and found the scar from when her chip was removed by Dr. M. I located every scar she had ever gotten. It was Max, my Max. Cuts and bruises mottled her pale skin, and she was completely still. No.. No.. No.. No.. NO! The tears came thick and fast. Her beautiful body lay broken and bloody, her skin cold. Her eyes open and empty. The light had left them and my reason for living was gone. I collasped forward, hugging her to me, rocking her in my arms, sobbing and repeating "I love you" to her in a fevered whisper. She couldn't be dead.. but she was. The invincible Maximum Ride.. was gone. My world was imploding around me and there was nothing I could do about it. She was gone and she had taken my heart with her. I was falling, falling into blackness..

A/N-
Don't kill me yet! I don't want any pitchforks and torches, you need to wait. Go with the flow and make sure you read my next chapter!