Chapter 48

(Max's P.O.V.)

"For a while, I was dead. I do not remember any of my past life. Not much of it anyways. Then, the scientists brought me back to life. I was so happy! You cannot understand that the joy I felt was so painful, something I had not felt for ages. I thanked the scientists over and over again. But they were strict, I could not stay alive unless they wished me to. So as you must imagine, I was willing to do anything the scientists said," she spoke, softly, "I do not know why I am even telling you this."

I gestured for her to go on. This was a milestone in the freakish world we lived in.

She nodded, "A long time went by. All they did was do tests on me. They gave me new bodies, new voices. I am certain they stole the personalities from people and then killed them. It is painful, but it helps me with my missions. I am a trained assassin of the Academy, but I am utterly repulsed by the thought of this place. I have killed many without remorse. But now I am ordered to get a girl named Kari. 'Who is Kari?' I ask. They reply that she is needed for examination, possibly repair, and possibly termination. I do not care, but when I see her picture, something hurts."

"There is also a warrant out for your death and/or capture, Maximum Ride. So I have been tracking you these last few months, watching you triumph and watching you fall. Then Kari meets up with you. What perfect timing. It was hard to catch up with you, and also not to run away from you, but eventually I found you in that mall. I was that girl with the ribbons in her hair. I was ordered to give the pill to Iggy at the most opportune moment, and there it was, staring me in the face," she said, watching the nanobyte tube as I idly rolled it around in my fingers.

"I gave the pill to Iggy. I am so sorry for that. I did not realize what the sicknesses could do to a person. I went back here, to get my next mission. They told me you were coming to find a cure. I went to administer the nanobytes to Kari because that was all the scientists needed anymore. I do not know why she needs the bytes. Something in her is broken, that is all I overheard. So when I ran into you, I knew I could get two jobs done at once. But you beat me. You, a human-avian, could beat me. And you stole my things," she explained, holding up a hand against my protest, "I know it is your way. Once, it was mine too. So I tracked you here to get back the nanobytes, going another way, and here we are now. I need those to stay alive. Give me the bytes, Maximum Ride."

"Wait," I replied, "Are these bytes going to help or hurt Kari?"

"In the scientist's case, it would help them. In Kari's, it would only hurt," she said.

"Do you care about Kari?" Fang asked, "Because it sounded like you did."

"I feel . . . love for her, like the friend type of love; I miss her. But there is a vengeance that is eating me inside. Why do I feel this way? I have never felt this way before. My emotions are coming back, after so long. What happened when you fought me?!" she cried, swiping at the tube, missing every time.

"One last question," I said, the hair on the back of my neck rising. And it wasn't Fang. It was the weeping girl in front of me. She was spilling her guts out, but was as dangerous as a tiger. And why did she love/hate Kari? W-why was there sizzling circuitry on the back of her neck?! "What's your name?"

She gave a hiccup, "I do not remember. I do not have a name."

"So heartfelt," Ari applauded as he opened the door, "Too bad all of you will die now. Any last words?"

Jakob stepped out from behind him, "Hello again. Since when have you become the sniveling type, Robyn?" And then he gave the wickedest smile I had ever seen.