Chapter: 36

Kara's POV

The explosions that should have lasted a couple seconds, a minute at the most, were now taking much more time than I would have planned. Though it couldn't have been more than a minute more, it seemed to have been taking an eternity.

Something hit my side with, most likely falling debris, and it made me just close my eyes even tighter. By then I was covering my head with my own arms, an impact that had been close to us having knocked my brother away. Or was I the one who'd been moved? At that moment I couldn't tell and neither did I really care. Finally, the world stopped shaking and I took it as a sign to look up.

"Heads," I called out, coughing from all the small debris in the air and smoke. I was complete, nothing was bleeding and besides my head and side hurting, I was fine. Even the vertigo had disappeared. "Heads," I called again, panic rising when I hadn't heard my flock members report in. Then I heard a moan and groan and I turned my head.

"Up," Eion said, struggling up from a pile of wall. He turned and helped up Streak, whose hair had turned slightly gray from everything. "Times two," he says the need to add. Nodding, I turned around, looking to see where Jinx was.

Up! She squealed in my head and I couldn't help but smile as she popped out from under a desk. Who knows why that was there, but thank god, because it had saved her from being squished by a large concrete object.

"Up?" Fang asked, coughing as he appeared. "What's with that?" I just shook my head and waved the comment away. It wasn't the time to explain the story to heads up. Nudge appeared next and for a moment I thought how it had been a miracle we'd all gotten through that with hardly any injury. Then my insides turned when I noticed not everyone had appeared.

"Where's Iggy?" I asked trying not to sound panicked as I turned to Fang and Nudge. Nudge's eyes went wide as she turned her head in every possible direction trying to see if Iggy was hiding somewhere. Fang just started moving things away, looking. I did the same thing, the panic slowly rising as I started moving ceiling and wall parts faster. "Iggy! Iggy where are you!" I called out, noticing the hint of franticness in my voice.

Rubble started to move to my left and I turned to see that strawberry blond head rise up from everything. "Wasn't that awesome or wh-"Iggy started to say but I didn't let him finish. I'd been so relieved to see him alright that I had pulled him closer by his shirt and kissed him. Right then and there, in the middle of rubble and surrounded by everyone we knew (well mostly everyone), I kissed Iggy.

Then of course, hell broke loose.

NO POV

"So this is what you've been doing for who the hell knows how long?" Eion yelled, unable to keep the anger and accusation out of his voice. For some reason, something in him just snapped when his sister kissed that blond guy. "Snogging that guy?"

There was a long, heavy silence as the anger in her brother's voice brought Kara back from her thoughts and relief of finding Iggy. There was a flash of guilt that passed through her face, before she settled on slight anger. "First of all," she started her voice clear and controlled. "I have not been kissing Iggy the entire time. Secondly, do you really think that Eion? Do you really think that not only would I place my flock second, but that I spend days not trying to figure out what happened to you guys, where you were and scared of what was happening to you guys. Do you really think that Eion?" She'd been walking towards him slowly and now stood in front of him, looking up with a small glare in her eyes.

Eion felt guilty for a second, but like his sister he was too angered to stay guilty for long. He was about to yell something when he felt a hand on his shoulder, holding him back. He turned around to see Streak looking at him intently, then a slight shake of his head. Whether the shake was to not say anything, or not to say anything here was the question. But it was going to be one answered later, because a single voice made them all forget what was happening for a moment.

"I blow off the roof and all you guys do is sit around and argue?"

Kara's POV

That single question may have just saved me from beating up Eion. Or vice versa, since I still wasn't feeling that great after this last experiment. The sensation of having to throw up had gone away, but the world was still tilting oddly if I moved too quickly.

"Kara! Eion!" Instantly, I was almost knocked back by person who'd hit me full on. Well hit isn't the right word, more like hugged tightly. Some placed their hand on my back, to keep me from falling over as I looked down at Caleb. After a quick look down and determining there was nothing wrong with him, I hugged him back. "I knew I'd find you."

"Never doubted it," I told him. "But we better start moving if we want to stick together," I said, get back in control of the situation, issues could wait until we were out of this joint. "Jinx, what we got?"

I looked over at our resident mind-reader as she searched to see who was where and what they were doing. She held up five fingers. Five minutes, that's all we had before they fell upon us. It would seem like enough time, but I couldn't shake the feeling that we might just be cutting it close. "Let's role then guys."

Max's POV

I didn't know what was happening before we got there, but I didn't need to be able to read minds to know that there was a fight. Between the others too. I swear if they were keeping my flock from getting out, I don't care how much they may be like us, I was going to hit someone.

Caleb was gone from my side in an instant, probably relieved to be rid of us and back with his flock. No, that's not fair. He was relieved to be back with them, but possible not relieved to be rid of us. Or who knew, maybe all this time he really didn't think much about us but as something temporary till he got back to the real thing. If Jeb was right, and they acted more on their animalistic side then Caleb had been on survival mode since the separation.

It took me a moment to notice that Angel and Gazzy weren't at my side anymore. I looked around to see them both by Fang, Iggy and Nudge. Smiling, I headed over to them. "Took you long enough," was Fang's comment and I rolled my eyes at him, but with a smile. I'd looked at them over and they all seemed in one piece. No extra hands or eyes or scale colored skin. Of course, they weren't unscratched, each caring their respective bruises and scratches.

"We hit some turbulence along the way," Gazzy laughed then launched into a discussion with Iggy about explosives and other things I didn't understand.

"Can we get out the way you came in?" I heard Kara ask behind me. I turned around to face her, looking her over closely. She looked tired, aged slightly and perhaps a little pale, but besides that she looked fine. A part of me became resentful, thinking how they probably were all cozy with the labcoats so my flock got the worst of it, but the other more rational part didn't really think that. It could just be that the experiments were more internal than external. Or they were battle wounds, my guys were fighters after all.

"Oh never mind we'll figure it out ourselves," Kara huffed after my lack of response. "Streak, check it out? Take Caleb with you." The two nodded and were off in a run immediately.

"You're splitting up?" I asked, confused for a moment. "Isn't that a bad idea? You could get separated again."

"Send two for stakeout, keep a look ahead," Kara said simply.

"But Caleb?" I felt Fang grab my wrist and try to pull me back, obviously knowing something I didn't.

"Look, Max. You don't know how we work; you don't know our strengths or our weakness. You don't know just how much more we can do. So stop trying to tell me how to run my flock," she turned her back to me. I was going to take a step forward and just go at it with her when Fang pulled me back.

"What?" I asked.

"Max, don't."

"But it's wrong! She's wrong."

"She's not wrong Max, at least not logically. Sure, it's not how we would do it but that doesn't mean she's wrong. They're different than us Max, I've seen it." I got the feeling that Fang knew something he wasn't telling me, but this wasn't the place or the time to figure out what it was.

"Well I'm not waiting around to see what they try to figure out," I told Fang and looked around to see how to get out. "Fastest thing would be up and out, just the way we came," I figured and gathered up my flock to fill them in on which way we'd come.

"You've got to be kidding me! There's no way they got that shield up so fast," I heard Kara say behind me. I'd made up my mind to leave them behind, but of course, I don't think the rest of my thoughts were on the same page. They still kept creeping up with having to help those other people and Jeb's message kept replaying in my head.

"What's wrong?" I asked turning around to face them.

"They got their electric shield up," Caleb stated as if it were obvious. I hadn't heard him come back from his stakeout. "We can't fly out." Damn. Well that definitely put a wrench in my plans. Not to mention that I was totally not okay with that tone. The kid was like a third my age, he had no reason to be talking down to me like that.

"Three minutes," Eion spoke up, as he looked up and down the hall. I could see certain muscles tense up and how he shifted his center of gravity. That kid was getting ready for a fight, and if I didn't hurry up and find a way out, who knew if we'd all make it out.

"Well we have less than that before the roof falls in," Streak spoke up from along the wall. He was passing his hand over the wall the way Iggy did when he was feeling something for recognition. "The double blast was too powerful. It took out most of the ceiling reinforcements, not to mention parts of the ceiling."

Shit. Now this really wasn't going great. Why was it so hard to get out of this freaking place? Come on Jeb, give me a hint, I said inside my head, which kind of sucked since I absolutely hated asking for help. But the situation seemed ever more and more hopeless by the second and no one else was coming up with any idea.

"Eion, go find the power supply and cut it," Kara started giving instructions before I was even finished with my thoughts. A part of me hated how she was on her toes like that, and keeping her cool. I wish she was panicking like I was. "Take Streak with you. Watch your backs and make the run if you can. Let Jinx know anything. Got it?" Both boys nodded, and I noticed that her twin did so somewhat reluctant.

"Run if you can?" I whispered to Fang. "So basically get out of here but forget about the rest of us. What kind of a guideline is that? Isn't it all for one and one for all not everyone for themselves?"

"You have a problem with the way I lead?" I heard Kara ask and knew immediately the question was directed at me. "Because I definitely don't see you doing any better. At least I'm doing something Max. At least there's a chance two of us will make it out of here. What are you doing? Standing around and trying to think of a plan for six no doubt."

"At least I'm not condemning anyone to die," I shot back. "Those two won't be able to fight off a pack of Flyboys on their own."

"They can handle themselves," Kara told me, turning her back towards me. "A load better than Fang can if I remember correctly." That got my attention and I turned it towards Fang.

"What does she mean by that?" I asked and by the look on his face I guessed most of it. And got mad. "Did she fight you? Oh that's it. No one messes with my flock except me." I took a step forward, fist clenched at my sides. But a quick hand grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I'd expected it to be Fang, but I was surprised to see Iggy.

"Max stop it. You can't go accusing people when you don't know the whole story," he said, coming to Kara's defense. "There's no time for that," he added quickly "We have to move and so far Kara's the only one with a plan. I know you hate following other people, but unless you come up with something in like a minute and half, you're going to have a long time to think of another plan while we're stuck back in dog crates."

"They're coming!" Angel said behind me and I looked down at her to see that she was facing the other direction.

"Fine! Fine, I'll be nice," I said hurriedly and looked over at Kara. Jinx was the only one left at her side; Caleb was nowhere to be seen. "Tell us what to do," I said through gritted teeth at Kara. She glanced in my direction once before turning her eyes back. She was pulling Jinx behind her and nodded.

"Stay right there, close to each other," she said and looked up. "When I say, the other way down the halls. Caleb will meet up with you there and follow him. Don't stop, don't try to come, just keep going, understand?" she asked and I nodded. "I mean it, don't come back," she said again but it wasn't at me. I could tell by the tone of her voice that she had meant it for someone else, but I didn't have time to figure out who she was talking to.

Because we were enveloped by darkness.

A/N: No excuses. Not really. I mean, I could give you a lot, like school, lack of imagination, laziness, but you guys are better than that. So much better than that. You're all amazing readers and every time I get a comment on the story I feel so bad for not posting. But here it is the next chapter.

No promises on when the next one will be out, but I hope it's soon.

To the anonymous commenter and anyone else who's interested: sure. You can write a story with my characters. Just credit them to me! And send me a link so I can read it too.

Reviews are adored and cherished.