A/N: So sorry I took so long to update, another chapter will be posted shortly. I hope you enjoy! Oh, and if anyone sent me a PM, I haven't been able to receive mail for like almost two weeks now, so I didn't get ne of them, sorry!
I woke up tense, feeling really cold and unusually exhausted. What was I lying on? Whatever it was, it was hard and uncomfortable. I tried to open my eyes, but my lids were too heavy and refused to cooperate. I relaxed a little bit and prayed to fall back asleep in hopes of ending the cold and numb feeling taking over my body.
But then I remembered.
"Fang!" I shouted jumping up from where I had been lying, and nearly knocking myself out on something hard above my head. As a pain shot through my head, I reached my hand up to feel what had so indecently incapacitated me. When I felt something similar to the feel of cold and unwelcoming steel, I began to panic. I shot my eyes open, ignoring the stubborn protests of my suddenly very prissy eyelids.
My fears were confirmed. I was in a cage. The smell was too familiar…o god that smell! The white walls and floors were so white…too white…sterile white…lab white. I was in the school; that I was sure of.
I looked up, down, left, right, front, and back only to see the never ending pattern of steel bars; I was surrounded, and trapped. My panic increased; my breathing hitched then sped up, my heart rate sky-rocketed, and my pores began to ooze in sweat.
Remembering the reason I sat up in the first place, I forced myself to calm down. Freaking out is not going to help anyone…especially your flock, Max.
"Fang!" I shouted again, looking out my bars. No answer.
"Iggy!" I shouted this time, praying for an answer. Nothing. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…calm down Max!
"Max?" came the call of a small and feeble voice.
"Oh my god, Angel! Is that you?" I called, my hopes rising. I looked through the bars at the cage to my far side.
"Max! It's me, what's going on?" She sobbed. I looked around the room; there was a cage on either side of me, and three across form me. After focusing my eyes, I noticed a sleeping Gazzy in one of the cages across. I looked to the opposite of Angel, on my other side and saw a sleeping Nudge. Next to Gazzy, across form me, were two empty cages. The room was an overwhelming white, containing steel cages and tables. Memories flashed through my mind, burning behind my eyes, and inflicting panic with each remembrance.
"We're in the school baby." I told her, forcing myself to relax.
"What're they gonna do to us, Max?" She asked, a horrified look in her innocent eyes.
"Don't worry sweetie, they don't want you for anything, you'll be fine, I promise." I told, praying it was true, but knowing it wasn't. I blocked my mind so she wouldn't know the difference. She nodded her head, and cried some more.
"Max?" Gazzy called out, form across the way, opening his dreary eyes.
"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" I replied nervously.
"I'm fine…we're in the school aren't we?" he asked, looking around at the metal tables, and white walls.
"Yeah we are, I'm so sorry guys. I'll get us out of this, I promise." I tried reassuring them as Nudge sat up, waking. I glanced at the two empty cages again, and began to panic.
"Where's Iggy and Fang?"
"The white coats took them out before while you three were sleeping." Nudge told us, from my other side. I turned to her, my eyes wide. Oh-no.
"Where'd they take them?"
"I don't know Max. They said something about not needing them…not being special or something." She whispered, silent tears falling.
"What do you mean?" I practically barked at her, not sure if I even wanted to know.
"They were talking about how the 'little ones' were gifted, and how you were needed for obvious reasons. I'm not sure Max, I only heard bits and pieces." She mumbled, not meeting my eyes.
Oh-no. I knew what this meant. Fang and Iggy were nothing special, they had no powers or 'gifts'; the white coats could mess around with them, test them…it was okay if the tests didn't work out…if they died.
"Are they coming back Max?" Angel asked teary eyed.
"They have to." Because if they didn't…don't think like that! Then I heard the shuffling of feet; the white coats were coming.
"Pretend you're asleep!" I barked at the three of them. They looked at me questioningly, but complied all the same. It was a feeble attempt, but maybe if they were asleep, the white coats would leave them alone.
The door opened and I watched as several white coats walked in, restraining Iggy, who stood tall and proud. Behind them followed another group of white coats, dragging Fang. He was completely restrained, and appeared to be fighting consciousness. He was shaking, Fang never shakes. They tossed Iggy into the cage across from Nudge, and Fang into the one across from me, next to Gazzy.
They looked from my 'sleeping flock' to me. When their eyes landed on my upright form, they smiled and approached my cage.
"Awake, I see. Took long enough." A rather young looking white coat smirked at me.
"He'll want to see her," said another. The rest nodded their heads and all walked out. The second the door shut, I dropped all pretenses. I bolted to the front of my cage, nearly breaking down at the sight of Fang. He was curled up on the floor, passed out and shivering. I turned to Iggy who was apparently awake.
"What's they do to him?!"
"Those bastards came in here, and pulled us out for experiments. They tested me on what I was capable of without my eyesight. Seeing as Fang has use of all his senses, I don't what they did. We were separated and put in different rooms," he explained, looking exasperated.
"Are you okay?" I asked him, realizing he was messed with too.
"Yeah I'm okay, the so-called 'tests' they did weren't too painful. They had me perform everyday tasks, and then fight a few erasers, to see if I could, which I can. I don't know about him though…" he glanced towards Fang.
I looked back at Fang to see him shift and shiver again, and my heart nearly broke. I would kill whoever did this to him, and I think I know who. Right on time, the door opened, and Jeb walked in, a few erasers trailing. I recomposed myself and glared daggers at him, as he approached my cage. He simply smirked and nodded to the erasers.
They bent down and opened the door. I was prepared and the second it was opened, I swung a kick so powerful, I nearly crushed all the bones in his face. His nose burst with blood, and he fell back on the floor. I jumped out crouching, ready to fight.
"Don't do this Max, you can't win and I just want to talk." Jeb tried warning me. I didn't listen, I pounced on the second eraser, but what was stopped when something slim and sharp jabbed my side. I looked down to see a purple dart sticking out. Damn those darts!
I staggered back, and prepared another attack, but stopped myself when I saw the erasers holding more darts. It wouldn't do any good to get myself stuck with more, so I decided not to fight. I staggered again under the increasing influence of the drug, as two erasers grabbed my arms, hauling me towards the door.
"Leave her alone!" Angel yelled.
"Don't touch her, you dirty-" Nudge began.
"It-its okay g-guys." I told them. "I'll be fine" I didn't want them to worry. They quieted down, and I was practically dragged from the room, finding it difficult to stand on my own two feet.
The erasers followed Jeb down a hall, and through a different door. I was dragged into a room, with a long table with a single chair on either side; one with restraints. I was forced into the one with restraints and strapped down until my circulation was almost cut-off. Jeb sat in the chair across form me on the other side of the table. The erasers walked out of the room. I looked up to a two-way mirror behind Jeb on the far wall. Lovely.
"Now Maximum, as you may have noticed we have resorted to the use of drugs to obtain you and your flock; you have pushed us to our last straw. We are on thin ice Max." He told me, never breaking eye contact. My pupils dilated back and forth as I tried to keep focus. Noticing this, he stood up and pulled a syringe out of his pocket. I hate needles.
He slowly walked over to me, and my eyes widened. I squirmed every which way in my chair, but it wouldn't budge. My breathing became labored, and the room spun. He grabbed my upper arm, and there was nothing I could do; he pierced my skin with the eerie needle. My head began to clear, the fog lifting, as the fluid of the syringe slowly made its way into my body. The feeling returned to my limbs, as the influence of the purple dart rapidly lifted. Jeb placed the needle back in his pocket and sat back in his seat.
"You see Maximum, that was a simple antidote. I'm not here to hurt you; I'm here to help you succeed." He smirked.
"What'd you do to Fang?" I demanded, more than asked.
"Fang is useless Maximum, you should know this. He is a failed experiment, as well as your blind friend there. They are of no more need to us, and we will do with hem as we wish. You need to forget them Max, they don't matter."
"They hold more meaning on this earth, than you could ever hope to hold in a thousand lifetimes here." I spat. His false pretenses dropped at my words. His fake smile turning to a sour grimace as his eyes flashed.
"That is where you are wrong. I have created you, that is meaning enough; you're special Max, but you have a flaw. The love which you believe you hold for your 'flock' members is your flaw. It holds you back from true greatness; you need to learn to let it go."
"They are what keep me alive Jeb. You kill them, you kill me; and from what I understand you don't want to do that."
"And from what I understand, that will all be fixed shortly. If you can't learn to let them go, than will shall have to do it for you Max. When we are done, you will thank us for lifting the burden of human emotion." With these words, his smirk came back, and my breathing hitched. "I tried to avoid this option Max, but you have given me no choice." So they are going to turn me into a drone.
"I am not your robot Jeb," I said with my coldest deadliest voice. I saw him visibly flinch at my tone. "What are you doing with my flock?" I asked, fulfilling my next thought.
"The little ones are quite amazing; they may indeed have a future as well. As for the other two, we will use them to our needs, whatever purpose they fill." Use them to his needs? His words brought anger so fierce, and so desperate, I felt I would implode with the rage.
"You're right Jeb, I do have a flaw. I made a horrible mistake." I told him, staring him straight in the eyes.
"And what would that be?" He inquired, raising his eyebrow.
"Not killing you when I had the chance."
He flinched and broke eye contact at my words, looking actually sad.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Max. In time you will thank me; human emotion can be a horrible burden-"
"It was my human emotion that saved your life that day, Jeb. You should be a little more thankful." I cut him off, throwing his words back at him; using the same eerie, professional tone.
"I'm sorry Max, this will be done. Now, we need to run a few tests to make sure you are equipped for this procedure." He stated finally, standing up from his seat and nodding at the two-way mirror. I ignored my panic which flared at the words 'test' and 'procedure' and continued to glare.
As a group of erasers entered the room, I added a final statement, "I'm sorry for you Jeb, next time I won't hold back." With these words, I was pulled from my chair, and stabbed with…you guessed it! Another purple dart! Only this time it was much more than one. My body instantly went numb as a fog took over my brain, and my body crumpled to the floor.
A/N: Hope that wasn't too rushed, and I hoped that made sense. I also hope that you enjoyed, and PLEASE REVIEW!
Recap: They want to turn Max into a drone, b/c who wants a lethal killing machine with compassion? – doesn't really work. Fang and Iggy don't really have a purpose to them, so they are just going to use them for experiments to test the limits of an avian-hybrid type of thing. (especially Fang, b/c Iggy's blind, and they find him a little bit more interesting than Fang b/c he's able to do everything blind.) Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel they find interesting b/c of their special abilities, and could potentially use them to their advantage.