Noah's POV
I paced back and forth, waiting for the sound of footsteps, telling me my next victom was on there way. I had it all planned out, I would fly up to the air vent on the ceiling and keep myself flat against that. I already knew that the grate didn't move. When they enter I will jump down and take them from behind, grab the swipe card and leg it out the door. I would be out and flying in no time! I knew this generation of robots didn't know to look up, it should be easy.
"It's never that easy Noah... They will evolve the design and then you won't be able to use that again. You need more people to escape, you have tried and tried, but one birdkid can't escape on their own. The flock have 8 members.." I snarled mentally at the voice, the annoying know-it-all. He flitted from my mind to the mind of a girl called Maximum Ride, her name for some reason always sent a thrill down my spine. I had never met this girl yet, I felt as if I did. But in this school, she could have been in a dog crate next to me for all I knew.
"Can-it voice, save the comments for someone who cares" I could hear footsteps coming down the white sterile corridoors and I prepared to launch myself upwards. But the footsteps were odd, one pair were heavy and clunky, a robot, while the other pair was feather light and graceful, definately not a robot or new experiment. I rushed to the door and peeked through my pathetic excuse for a window, the slit only allowing me to see a small portion of hallway. They would turn round the corner soon, then I would be able to see the owner of these delicate footsteps, ones that by the sound of it, were always on the verge of a battle stance. I liked this person already, even though they might mean to fight me. They turned the corner then, my normal gaurd and another birdkid, a girl who took my breath away.
"Noah. Meet Maximum Ride. Or Max, as she insists on my callingher that everytime I try talking to her." Oh, now the voice wanted to be helpful. But.. well.. She looked like the stubborn type. Strong, tall and graceful. She was beautiful, the most beautiful creature I had ever seen in my life, and believe me, the lab I was born in they had serums to make people into supermodels, to "fit in". But these girls, they were pure danger. Max.. wow. It was like the first time they let me fly outside, as the sun rose and I saw it for the first and last time. Now I never got to see the sun. From the age of 5, I was trained. I was taught to fight, use my powers, ones I didn't even know I had, but then they taught me maths and english, science and geography, I had an education. All of my training aided in their research, or it was an experiment. I hated them, but I had to remain here. I couldn't live outside the walls until they removed my chip. The moment I went past the boundry fence, the chip would stop my heart and it would be all over rover for Naoh. I was trapped, but now I didn't mind. I was watching an angel. I faintly heard the hum of of the monitors, meaning They wanted me to watch something but I couldn't take my eyes off her. She glared at the gaurd and if it wasn't so cute, it would've been scary. I smiled to myself and turned away as she entered the room opposite me. I blinked in shock. The monitors showed Max in her room, watching a similar tv. Her hands were clenched into fists and now I saw her from the back, her ivory, brown and black splodged wings were visible. One was bandaged and held up, they had hurt her. Now she was alone, she didn't stand as tall. It showed the injuries she was hiding, the ones she didn't let them see even when they must have hit them. Unexplainable fury coursed through me and I clenched my fists, the urge to hit something over whelmed me and the flimsy little table crunched into splinters in one hit. In that instant I knew and the whitecoats knew that I would protect this stranger, even if it meant I gave my life for hers in the process.
I knew that we did have reason to be afraid for our lives though, something I had to protect her from. There was a new idea in the scientists minds. They wanted to take on other science branches, ones that didn't support the 'cause', that endangered the survival of Itex. They made new mutants, the super models to infiltrate, mutants with amazing abilities of manipulating the elements and people. They called those mutants the E.F.E.C. The Elite Force of Elemental Controllers. They could have been more creative with the name, but I suppose it IS Itex... But the E.F.E.C. were lethal. They wanted some of the flock for it too. The mind reader, the one who can control metal and the fire controllers. They would just add to the crushing force they already had. I had trained with them, I knew all of the powers they had so far, battled against them and learnt about them. Some of them wanted nothing to do with the violence Itex had planned, for others, it was all they wanted. The ice twins, Winter and Boreal, were my greatest allies. They were genuine and cared for others, not liking it when they hurt someone in practice. But when it came to defending eachother, or something they loved, they were truly frightening. They both could control water and sculpt it, turn it to ice and manipulate it, but Winter could conjure it out of no where. Storm controlled the weather, she had to always control her temper, as the slightest aggravation could cause a catagory 8 hurricane. But the one I kept well away from was Damien. He could manipulate the earth. Soil, rocks, volcanoes. But he was the most dangerous because he used his powers with hate, wanting to kill and see suffering. I hated him, but going against him would do as much good as it would to walk past the boundry fence.
A shrill supposed-to-be-sexy-but-epically-failing voice rang out from the corridoor. I groaned in horror and launched myself up, hanging on for grim life. It was Lissa. My door opened and a red-haired teenager strutted in, pushing her non-existent chest out and then stopping dead when my room was seemingly empty. I had an idea and made it look as though I was hanging by my neck, going limp and closing my eyes. She looked up at that instant and saw me, suspended from the ceiling and limp. She screamed and ran out the door, calling for help. I almost burst out laughing, as I watched my would-be seducer fade into a red cloud of hair. I leapt down and lay on my bed, staring back at the screen. Max was pacing in front of the screen, reminding me of myself earlier today. But I wouldn't do that again. I had found a reason for me to stay.
The New Directors POV
"Well? What was his response. I can not risk putting them on the same field if there was any chance of them turning." I turned and waited for my reply. The man quivered infront of me. He was a tool, a useless pawn in my game to gain complete domination. Others before me had failed, but they were trying to destroy the mutants. Now I was helping them, training them and educating them. They would be my weapons, and with them, Itex can continue the by half plan and more..
"His was response was most pleasing ma'am. There is no way he will turn, we just have to test the girl." He seemed pleased at his incompetence. Fool. He would be one of the first to die for the cause. But for now he could remain and gather my information. I didn't want to pick another and watch their ego swell and their self importance over take their deal to Itex. I nodded at him and he turned and strode out, pompusly puffing out his chest as if he now knew some great secret plan. The facade may work on them but I saw right through it. I turned back to the monitors covering one wall, watching a cluster of tvs that held our prized possesions. Noah was laying on his bed, staring at his monitor, Max was on the ceiling trying to remove the air vent, we had already made sure those were completely indestructible and could not be moved. The rest of the flock was in the shared room, mostly talking. Fang was laid on his bed, worn out from his training. We basically had free reign with him, he was lifeless and had no fight left in him. But that would all change when he met Ivy. Damien was asleep, my son. He shared my dreams and ambitions, he was the most valuable. The only thing he wanted to do was destroy the world that called him 'freak'. Storm, Winter, Boreal and Ivy were contained outside, where they couldn't harm anyone. Their full time gaurds stationed at every opening. In the grounds was the only place to keep them, but it was so easy to escape. They hadn't been fitted with a chip yet either. They were on maximum security, like a prison. I smiled briefly to myself. I had them all and soon the whole world would be cowering at my feet.
Max POV
This stupid room was Max proof. The grate on the ceiling was securely fixed, only Iggy and Gazzy would have any hope getting their way through. The door had a tiny slit for a window and that was was a door opposite mine that had a brass name plate too, but I could only manage one letter, 'o'. I hated them again. Not that I had ever stopped hating them, but now my flock thought I was dead, and there was no way I could get out of this room on my own. I missed my flock. I love them and I can't see them, make sure they're safe. There's no Iggy and Gazzy to be suspicious about, no Nudge to shut up, no Angel to watchover, just incase she wants to influence the leader of the free world again, No Blaze to keep away from Gazzy and Iggy when I am suspicious about them. The absence the wounded me the most. No Fang to watch my back and be my righthand man. I love Fang, not as a brother, but as my partner, my other half. My true other half. I don't care what they programmed me with, I loved Fang and there was no force on earth or heaven that would change that. I choose who I love, they are not chosen for me.
I peered out the door slit again and stared in horror as Lissa, the red-haired-freaking-wonder!, flounced past and into the room opposite, she stopped in the middle, looking around in a confused but still slutty way. Her skirt was far too short and I refuse to call that strip of material a shirt. It barely covered anything. She screamed as she looked up and I snapped my eyes up too, straining against the small gap. I tall guy was hanging from his air vent, looking as though he was hanging, but my bird eyes could see that he was holding on subtly. Looks like he doesn't like Lissa either. As she fled the room, leaving the door wide open, still screaming, I saw the corners of his mouth twitch as if he was fighting off a smile. When she was out of sight, he let go and lightly landed on the floor. Instead of legging it out of there, he calmly went and lay back on his bed. He was tall, string looking with dark brown hair that was sort of swept back, but instead of looking messy, I liked it, it suited his face. His skin was pale and he looked as if he had never seen the sun. Then again, with these rooms, he probably hasn't. His wings were soft ivory and faded into dark brown on the primaries. I looked back at my wings, one of them strapped up to my back and sighed sadly. At least in here I wouldn't be tempted to fly while it was still damaged. I looked back and saw that he was facing me now, he could see me. His eyes looked on mine and I couldn't look away, even if I wanted to. They were bright, piercing green, they rooted me to the spot and he slowly started to smile as I kept staring at him. The smile completed it. It was Noah, I know I was supposed to be madly in love with him but I still thought of Fang. I didn't love this stranger, I had already given my heart to Fang, but this guy, Noah, was something all together different. I thought of all the times Fang and I had kissed, the time I actually kissed him myself and the stupor broke slightly. I loved Fang, this Noah was just physically attractive, he didn't know me inside out like Fang did, like I knew him.
I looked away just as gaurds came streaming down the hallway, but it was for nothing, they grabbed him and I prepared to fight as they started unlocking my door. They waited with him as a new batch came in, trying to box me in at a corner. I lunged into a roundhouse kick and bit down on my lip as I pulled my wing out. I feinted to one side and then whipped my fist around before they could see me and then instantly kicked out again, jumping and twirling at the same time. I took down four and the last two bore down on me. I hugged my wing in, using them for balance when I needed and winced when ever the joint went beyond where it had healed. My foot slipped on the floor and my knee gave out as I slammed down on the white polished marble, using my wing as a buffer and rolling under the bed. I waited until the boots came close to the bed, preparing to look under to see me and then launched myself at them, until full blown fighting mode, my eyes seeing targets, the neck, behind the knees, any where that I had an advantage. But then one of them sent a shattering blow to my back, catching my wing and my ribs, they hauled me up in the moment that I stopped to breath again. I stopped fighting, they were pressing against my wing and I knew that if I tried anything, they would grab it to wrestle me to the ground. Noah watched me the entire time, his eyes wide in shock and unmistakable awe. I was un-co operative as I could possibly be while protecting my wing, I could feel warmth in it and I knew it was healing fast. I must be near Blaze. I passed a room where mutants were being healed and as I past I heard a click and a sense of numb on my side. My rib clicked back into place. I felt my energy return and all my injuries faded. They healing powers the radiated from the room had given me my energy back and healed my injuries. I mapped out the place, not missing any doors or exits, noting the windows and sky lights. If I could get free, I would be able to get out easily.
We passed a huge gym ssized room, full of odd stuff, a pool, rocks, potted plants and stuff you could practice fighting moves on, it was a training centre. In the room, my flock was fighting through an obstacle course, using their powers and fighting skills. I tried wrench myself free but I realised that they would think it was a trick, that I was a clone to infiltrate. But they had already accepted the clone. I hung my head and kept walking, focusing solely on the image of Fang I just saw. He was almost invisible against a light grey back drop, he looked like he hadn't slept in weeks, his cheeks hollowed out and his eyes hopeless. He couldn't see me, the glass was one way. I sighed and let them keep dragging me along. I looked up and met Noahs eyes, he was watching me with concern and I twitched the side of my mouth up in a pathetic excuse of a smile. He seemed to understand and nodded his head slightly, confirming my suspicions. I darted my eyes up to the sky light above us and then back to him, making sure it was very deliberate to him, the gaurds were barely watching us. He looked up and then back at me, shaking his head as if to get hair out his eyes. His eyes slid sideways and I looked at a sign we were passing. "Warning: Skylights covered with electric netting, refrain from letting birds fly free". I nodded and we kept walking, ending up in a similar gym, except this one was empty. We were thrown in and the doors were locked, a screen flickering to life.
"Welcome to your training facilities. I would very much prefer it if you used this time wisely and tested your body, mind and powers, education and fitness is the top priority for our fighting force" The woman in the screen looked a lot like Lissa and spoke in the same 'you-will-do-what-I-say-when-I-say-it" look as every other whitecoat in this place. I grinned suddenly, I could try destroying a giant tv suspended from the roof... That would be good for my mental well being. I rocketed upwards and yelped in suprise when a fine wire net smashed me back into the ground. Frowning I picked myself back up and found myself nose to back with Noah, he stood protectively in front of... me?? as a couple of drones decided it was time to shake this party up a bit. I sunk into a battle stance and started breathing slowly and evenly, preparing myself for what ever they could throw at me. I was the invincible Maximum Ride. I wished Fang was behind me, and the rest of the flock, but I could handle myself. They weren't going to take my flock away from me, no matter how hard they tried. I faced the two drones with new courage and faced my fate with determantion. Determination that only strengthened when a dozen or so dark shapes rose up out of the murky water of the pool and glided noiselessly towards us...