Gah, I am so tired of this story. I have to force myself to write it; it's not as fun anymore. Brace yourself for another short, crappy chapter, because I'm sick. :(
Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.
Max's POV:
All heads turn to me after Angel's frightening proclamation, waiting for my response.
I hesitate, and then ask, "What's she thinking now?"
Angel pauses momentarily before responding. "She's…curious, as to why we're here, when it's-" Angel breaks off, and the suspense is killing me.
"What?" Gazzy bursts out, unable to wait.
Angel exchanges a dark look with me. "She closed her mind."
I swear mentally, but try my best to keep my composed look on the outside. "Keep going." I say, and I keep walking. Angel, Nudge and Gazzy follow immediately, and so does Fang, but Iggy holds back.
"Max." He hisses when I refuse to acknowledge him. I nonchalantly move back until I'm by him, and Fang takes my place leading the gang.
"What?"
Iggy's eyes are blazing with something- anger, maybe? - but I can't make out exactly what.
"We're going to die, in there. If they're expecting us, we have no chance against an army. It's a trap, Max!"
I set my jaw. "I'm going to save my family, Iggy. We've been over this already."
"No, we haven't! You've decided to do it, and they are going to follow you. I'm a big boy, Max, you said so yourself. I can handle it. But I don't want them hurt because you're being selfish!"
Maybe the best thing to do would have been to say something to calm both of down, before this could escalate any further, but I was mad. Mad that all I was trying to do was help other people, and Iggy was calling me selfish.
"I'm selfish? I'm selfish!" I whisper-shouted back. "I'm risking my life to save people, and you're calling me selfish?"
"It's not just your life that you're risking. Six lives for two? How exactly does that work out?" Iggy's words cut me like a sword. He's right, of course, but we've never looked at saving lives with such a calculating mind.
And Iggy's never complained before, so something must be up. Forcing myself to swallow my anger, I say as calmly as I can, "What's wrong, Ig?"
"Everything! But this time, it's the fact that you're leading us head first into a trap, and you're fully aware of it."
"If I have anything to say about it, Iggy, six of us will go in, and eight of us will come out."
"Fine." Iggy spits. "Fine, whatever, Max. Kid yourself that you're actually considering our opinions, and bust in there, and break out your oh-so-dear family, and we'll all come out singing Kumbaya."
"It's not going to be easy, Iggy. But since when have we always taken the easy way out?" With this, I storm away from him, and walk next to Fang. I'm sure that everyone is more than aware of our argument, and probably even heard it, but I'm so mad I can barely think.
'You okay?" Fang mumbles.
I exhale. "Fine."
Fang nods, accepting my blatant lie.
As we get closer, everyone starts fidgeting, even me. I'm waiting for a group of Flyboys to come out and attack us or something to happen so I can retaliate. This planning, strategizing part, I'm not good at.
"There's guards outside, Max. They're humans, and they're thinking that they have to capture, but can't hurt us." Angel informs me.
"Humans?" I say, crinkling my nose. Although that makes my job ten times easier, there's something quite underhanded about fighting regular humans.
"Hmm." Angel nods. "And the thoughts from everyone else is a jumbled mess, but instead of 'let's hurt the bird kids!' it's more like 'hurry and finish preparing, the subjects are here!'"
"I don't like the sound of that," I say, more to myself than anything.
"No, me neither." Iggy adds, glaring at me with barely disguised anger. I roll my eyes, not wanting to get into it again. I don't know why my always happy, grinning, sexist, blind pyromaniac was so disagreeable, but I would get to the bottom of it.
Right after I got my mom and sister out alive.
You have to prioritize, you know?
Suddenly, I hear a whirring and I crack my neck when I whirl around so fast to see what it is.
"You are the one called Max?" The guy asks. He looks like he's in his 40s, with a salt-and-pepper sprinkled hair, a friendly smiling face and the beginning of a beer gut poking through. His clean shaven face is even creepier looking than one with a dodgy mustache, though, and there's no such thing as a friendly adult, so I'm wary.
"Not only am I called Max, I also am Max, which is something you could never even get close to achieving." I snap back, going for the intimidating front. I cross my arms, and I know that behind me, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel and Iggy have done the same. We don't practice it or anything, but it's pretty darn scary when we all do it together. Fang doesn't move, but just glares, which is probably frightening enough on its own. But coupled with my posture and death stare, I know that we look like this man's worst night mare.
He gulps, and takes a step back. "I'm to bring you to the lab." He stutters.
I gesture with my hand. "By all means, lead the way." I say scathingly. The man looks relieved, like he can't believe that we'd give in so easily. Lucky for him, we actually do need to get inside, and this is a perfect way to do it.
He looks around nervously before slowly walking towards the building. We follow him without speaking.
When he gets to the entrance, he pulls out his ID, and I squint to make out what it is. 'Jonny Johnson' It reads, and I barely conceal my snort. I'm pretty sure it comes out instead as a weird, sneezing noise, because Fang and Nudge both look at me, alarmed.
The guards let him in and don't spare us another glance. Actually, nobody in the entire building looks at us, which at first, I think is pretty freaky. We're probably the most important thing to walk in there, not to sound cocky or anything, and they don't even look at us, much less ogle like they normally do? Then I realize that the air of nonchalance is faked. The people walking by us are sweating, their eyes darting around nervously, and some of their fists and jaws and temples twitching unknowingly.
I look around at the facility, plotting out any escapes we might need to use. It's a large building, kind of like the Ministry of Magic, but white. There are plenty of windows to bust out of, but on closer inspection, I realize that they all open out to another room, not to outside. The rooms outside of the windows can't even fit a broom, and then my heart starts to sink.
There are weight bars attached to every door, and the only way I see people moving in and out of them if with ID passes and retina scans. Worst of all is the smell of disinfectant, the pristine white, and the sound of metal on mental. My world literally spins as I flashback to those horrible days in the School before Jeb broke us out. The days before I found my Flock.
It feels like the world is twisting around me, or maybe I'm just falling. I lose sight of my Flock and have to bite down a scream. The walls, the ones that seemed so spacious and big earlier are closing in on me, and my breath hitches in my throat. Panicking, I try to breathe, but I can't, and once again, I'm falling, falling, falling.
"Max." Fang whispers soothingly out of the darkness. He grabs my hand and squeezes hard, and I use the pressure to bring myself back to the present. I bite my lip, hating to look weak. I knew I had just hand another claustrophobia panic attack, and luckily, nobody but Fang had noticed.
"We're here!" Jonny announces cheerfully, as if he's some tour guide pointing out the safari.
I put on my bored face and tap my foot impatiently.
Jonny's face turns dark. "I could have you killed like this." He snaps his fingers for emphasis. "So watch it, mutt."
I grinned, remembering a conversation I had had with Ari so long ago. I had won then, and I would win know. "At least get your animals right, Jon Jon. I'm a bird. So are they. You're a pathetic excuse for a human. Capiche?"
"My name is Dr. Johnson." He says, as if my endearing nickname is all he heard.
"Yeah, Jon Jon. That's what Max said." Fang's lips don't move, so Jonny looks around for a second before realizing who spoke.
"You-you." He stumbles. "I thought you were mute!"
Fang shrugs. "That's what I tell people. It's easier that way. But sometimes, I make an exception for people who are going to die soon anyway."
Ouch, that's my boy!
I watch as Jonny falters, blushing. "You can't kill me. I can have you killed-"
"Like this." Iggy snaps his fingers. "We get it, Jon Jon."
"And you're supposed to be blind! How did you see me snap my fingers earlier." Jonny practically shouts. There is nobody around us anymore, and I realize it is the perfect opportunity for us to split up and search for my mom.
ANGEL! I think. As soon as I grab this guy by his shirt, we need to split up and look for Dr. M. Pairs of two, okay? You and Fang search the first floor, Iggy and Gazzy can take the second, and me and Nudge will go up to the third floor. You're going to be our only communication, so keep a mental ear out for everyone. Can you tell everyone that?
I see Angel nod out of the corner of my eye.
"There's this thing called ears, Jonnyboy." Iggy is saying. The conversation has kept moving, and I smile in spite of myself. Even if Iggy didn't like this plan, he sure knew how to cooperate. The best way to catch someone off guard is to talk while you do it, because they expect you to finish your sentence before you attack.
Everyone's in, Max. Angel says in my head.
I nod, more to myself than anything, and step forward.
"Jon, there's just one thing about all this that confuses me."
"And what's that?" Jonny asks smugly, since I've abstained from using his nickname.
"How can you be a top notch scientist, with a PhD, and still be so stupid?" I can't resist taking one last jibe at this annoying white coat.
"I…I-I…" He splutters.
"But I guess I can answer myself, Jon. You don't have to be-" I cut myself off, and grab him by the shirt. He's a few inches shorter than me, and weighs about double, but I can easily lift him off the ground a few inches to meet his eyes at eye level.
I see everyone except Nudge split up and run off behind me. "What do you want with us? Why do you have no backup? And where are my mom and sister?" I say, shaking him for emphasis.
"N-n-no idea." He whimpers, and I'm again struck by how pathetically breakable he is. Rolling my eyes, I shake out my wings and float up in the air. The ceiling is impossibly high, so I get a good ten feet of the ground, just to scare him.
"Wrong answer. I'll give you one more chance."
"I really d-don't know."
I let go of his collar and he falls about two feet, screaming, before Nudge catches his arm. I help her, since he's chubby enough that she can't carry him by herself.
Grabbing his collar again, I slam him against a wall.
"Answers. Now." I bark, hardening my eyes. He takes one look at my face and starts blubbering.
"They're in the top floor, under highest security. The reason I don't have backup is because this is another test, which is what everyone wants from you. Another chance to experiment."
"A test?" I muse. "Well, I wonder how I did, Jon Jon."
"Not so greatly, Max." Another voice says. I snap my head down to see the Director walk out of wall.
'Oh, hello, Marian." I say pleasantly. Who says I'm not polite?
"Let's skip the pleasantries, Max. We all know why you're here." She snaps back.
Whoa. She wants to go straight into business? Fine.
"And why is that?" I ask sarcastically. In my head, I'm screaming for Angel.
ANGEL! TELL NUDGE TO GET OUT OF HERE, AND HELP HER FIND YOU AND FANG! Dr. M and Ella are on the fourth floor!
Okay! Angel says, ever the immediate responder.
"To rescue your mom. But there is, of course, a bigger picture. You need to understand that, Max."
"I will not work for you!" I shout. "Not now, not ever!"
The Director simply raised her eyebrows. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Max. For the plan to succeed, you have to lead the world. It's a dream job. I honestly have no idea why you wouldn't take it."
I drop Jonny, let him fall the ten feet to the ground, and swoop down so I'm only a few inches higher than Marian. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Nudge creeping out of the room.
"Dream job for whom, witch? For you? So you take it. You claim you're half tortoise, anyway."
She smiles humorlessly. "No, Max. There's a little bit more to it than that. But I wouldn't expect you to understand. You still are a child, after all. For right now, we just need to you to keep your chips in, so we can monitor you. Prepare you, for the job you will take later on."
My mouth is dry, but I refuse to show any sign of weakness. "Monitor." I scoff. "Try control. Command, take charge of. You said to cut the crap, Marian, so take your own advice. I know exactly what you do with those chips."
"One day, Max, it'll all make sense. Until then, I just need you to trust me."
I snort. "Trust you? Maybe when pigs fly."
"Pigs can fly, Max. That's experiment generation 84." Once again, she smiles, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes.
I roll my eyes. "I want out. I want out of your stupid job, of your dumb ideas of dreams, of your control. I love being me, and I love my family, but you stripping me of my free will is sickening."
"We would never take away your will. Your wings, and your powers, yes. But never your free will."
It's my turn to raise an eyebrow, though not as well as Fang. "Because I totally believe you." I say mockingly.
She ignores my sarcasm. "As you should." She says, reaching up as if to pat me on the back.
"Don't touch me." I spit, flying out of reach. "Just…just leave my mom out of this. Neither of us are obviously going to back down here, so let's just go back to you capturing the Flock and I, us escaping and repeat."
"That's a stalemate, Max. Our purpose is neither to kill you or to tire you out hunting you. We want you to join our cause."
"Never. Now, how about you give me my mom and sister, and I won't blow this place to smithereens?"
"Ever the cocky one, aren't you Max? That too is something I programmed. A touch of arrogance, just enough for you to have the guts to threaten. Would you be as loyal to you mother if I told you she gave you up freely for science. She worked with us, you know. When she had you, she knew a kid would get in her way of making a successful career, and gave you up."
Talk about hitting under the belt, lady. Was that true? Did my mom really give me up so she could a get a higher level, better paying job?
"I don't believe you." I said unconvincingly. My voice broke, and I hated myself for it.
"You don't have to believe anything. It's still true. Besides, whatever your mother thought then, she obviously cares quite a bit about you now." Marian grins a wolfish grin I have only seen on predators before.
As if on cue, a horrible scream lets loose from above me. My heart skips a beat when I hear it, and I'm flying out the door in a second but Erasers are on me within seconds.
"Don't…hurt her!" I growl, trying to escape from the clutches of these wolves. But for every two I maim, two more sprout up.
Marian smiles again. "I'm not. Your mom is perfectly fine. You might have been better off listening Iggy, though. Because your Flock isn't."
…
A/N- Hey, not as short or crappy as I thought at all! That was actually my longest chapter since 27, and I think it turned out pretty well. : D Review for the two hours I spent writing this!