I had to do a double take to be sure I wasn't dreaming because I'm pretty sure that I was in a nightmare. I looked up and our brown eyes made contact. Hers began to tear up at the sight of me and she put her tan hands up to her mouth. She didn't dare say anything, though. Jeb was probably forcing her to be here, threatening her in some way.

I heard Angel's voice trickle into my head, but she felt miles away. No one is forcing her to do anything, Max. I bit my lip, hoping the physical pain would stop the emotional one. Jeb's face was tight and angry; I wondered what he was thinking. He doesn't like this situation, either. Angel informed me. I really don't think he's all that evil…" I mentally blocked her out. She was probably in on their schemes too. I was becoming paranoid.

Jeb was speaking, though. "Ari, back off she's not going anywhere and she certainly isn't going to hurt anyone." I resisted the urge to snarl at him. "All of you need to stop immediately. And you." He looked at me, "Cut it out. You're practically five months pregnant for Christs' Sake. What do you think you're doing fighting Erasers? You're going to hurt yourself."

My mouth hung open and in my peripheral vision, saw Ari's do the same. Who was this man? My mother still hadn't said anything, but gave me a nervous look. There were so many questions swirling around in my head, I couldn't keep them all straight.

"Seriously?" Anne hissed from her seat. She now stood up. "I thought I told you two to stay in the other room! Don't you forget who is in charge here!"

"Do you think she's actually going to listen to you?" Jeb fought back.

Anne laughed, "Do you think she's going to listen to you? Really? After all you've done to her?"

Jeb opened his mouth to reply, but Anne cut him off. "Enough! I don't have time for this." With a quick, barely noticeable flick of her wrist as a signal, Nudge and I were both toppled by Erasers instantly and separated. Ari lunged at me and put his giant claws to my throat. He was on top of me and had pinned down my arms with his hairy knees. In his glowing eyes, I could see his lust for the kill. I was actually frightened that this was it. This was how I was going to go. Choked to death by my own half-brother. I thrashed back to no avail. Nudge was pinned as well and I could only hear her struggling, not see her. As my windpipe was cut off and I was slipping into painful unconsciousness, I heard Jeb shouting in the background something inaudible but frantic. Then, the look in Ari's eyes had vanished and either he had let go or I was already too far gone to react, the pain subsided and I fell asleep.

I woke up God-knows-when in God-knows-where. Just as I had slowly passed out, I slowly came to. As I slowly opened my eyes, I was assaulted with the smell I knew so well I had nightmares about. It was a powerful smell of antiseptic that masked an underlying odor of death. No. I was back at the School. This wasn't happening. I was once again trapped in a dog crate and the cold hard plastic was uncomfortable underneath me. I peered around and from what I could see, I was alone. There were no other cages around me, but I was in a fairly large room. It was actually pleasantly lit and not eerily florescent like I was used to. In it contained an examining table, impeccably neat and organized counter, and cupboards and a refrigerator that probably contained all sorts of strange medications. Along the walls were all different types of machines I couldn't understand. My body froze in fear. What were they going to do to me? Suddenly, I felt movement inside of me, as if the baby was reminding me that it was there too. It was such a surreal feeling to have a little person growing inside of me. But it wasn't just any little person. This person contained Fang's DNA. A surge of warmth filled my heart when I thought about how I was going to bring another Fang into the world. I missed him so much. I just wanted him to be with me now more than anything. I knew I had to protect this baby for him.

I listened intently as I heard whispering coming from the other side of the room. I peered out of the slits in the side only to see two sets of legs standing close in the corner. The people were speaking in hushed, tense tones. I strained my ears, hoping the bird in me would serve some good purpose.

"Well all I'm saying is that she needs to be cared for." One whispered angrily.

"I know. I want what's best for her too. It's like you forget that I actually care too." The other growled in a hoarse tone.

"Maybe if you showed a little more sympathy-"

"Sympathy? What do you want me to do? Just run around and open all the cages shouting 'be free'? We are both working towards the same goal and if I'm the one she hates, well then so be it. She's not some frail child. She's been through Hell and back. She can handle it." That one was definitely a man's low voice.

"Can I please at least have a look at her? I know this is horrible to say, but maybe it's dead, you know? A miscarriage. I'm sure it hasn't been well taken care of. That could be a good thing. Then all this would just go away and we could do this again when the time is right." I knew they were talking about me and my baby and I subconsciously found myself wrapping my arms around my middle.

There was a pause and the man sighed, "I suppose you're right. God, I thought she was smarter than this. Him too. How could this have happened?"

"These aren't the little kids you rescued from the School. They're teenagers now. You should see normal teenagers living under the constraints of a normal upbringing." I detected laughter in her voice, "They're crazy about each other. How could this have not happened? You remember what it was like to be young and in love. Come on Jeb, you couldn't have turned old and bitter on me." Jeb? The mood of the conversation had shifted into a lighter, flirtatious one. Who was Jeb's tramp?

"No, Val, how could I have forgotten? All in the name of science, remember?" He asked and she freaking giggled. I had to look away. Val? As in Valencia? Valencia Martinez? As in my mom? Oh God. No. He lied. He said he had no personal relationship with her. And she lied too. So they were working together. But whose side were they on? Mine or the School's? I crawled into the farthest corner of my cage and curled up into the tiniest ball possible. I think I let out a little whimper and they must have heard me because they stopped and then I heard footsteps coming closer to me.

"Max?" I heard my mom gently call. I held my breath as they peered into the cage and saw me shoved up against the back corner, clutching my stomach and staring at them bug-eyed like a deer in the headlights. It was one of my lower moments in life. "Max. Honey. It's okay we're here." She cooed softly as if she was speaking to a deranged animal. As I looked at my two parents together in front of me, I wasn't sure if I was living my biggest dream or my worst nightmare.

"We're not going to hurt you." Jeb assured as he slowly unlatched the door. When would he ever learn? First of all, I never believed a word he said so his reassurances meant nothing. Second of all, it was never a good idea to give me an inch of freedom because I will knock you out then get the heck out of doge without looking back. The man was resilient. He never gave up. I think they both knew, though, I wasn't going anywhere. I was too tired, weak, and shocked by everything I couldn't react fast enough to pull anything.

Once the gate was all the way open, they stepped back. "Come on out." My mom said, "We have food for you." I debated on what to do for a moment, before deciding to give in and I slowly crawled out. This room actually had a window and I could see daylight outside. I wondered how long I had been out. Once I got out of the cage, I stood up tall and stretched my aching back. I was really sore. And hungry. It was as if my mom was reading my mind because she said, "sleeping in that thing in that position must notfeel good on your back. I'll see if I can get you a pillow to lie on. It feels really good when you lay on your side if you can hug it and wrap your legs around it." She offered.

Without saying a word, I gave her a sideways glance and then flicked my gaze over to the breakfast that was on the counter. It didn't look too appetizing. It was basically a large bowl of grayish slop. Next to it on the tray was a glass of milk and a few pills. I eyed it skeptically. My mom tried again, "Go ahead. Don't worry it's safe to eat. Plus those pills are prenatal vitamins. They're fortified with nutrients that you need to stay healthy. I can tell by looking at you that you aren't getting enough nutrients to keep yourself healthy, never mind the baby." She said softly and unsurely. I rolled my eyes as I began to eat. I was starving and it couldn't get any worse than this so I figured why not. And it wasn't some big secret that I was pregnant. No need to act like saying the word "baby" was taboo. They observed me cautiously as I ate the slop. I ate it so fast I could hardly taste it so I had no complaints. If they were splurging on me, I couldn't imagine the kind of treatment the others were getting right now. My mom watched me as I swallowed each pill like a good girl and drank the rest of the milk. It was the most decent part of the meal seeing as it was, well, real milk.

When I was finished, Jeb came over and took the tray. I jumped back as he got too close for comfort. He pretended not to notice, but I know he did. "I'm just going to take this back now. I'll give you some alone time." He said, before picking up the tray and walking out of the room quickly. Once he had left, I looked over at my mom who stood before me, her wavy brown hair tied up in a bun and her tan face and brown eyes filled with concern. She wore a t-shirt and jeans with a white lab coat over it. I always thought she looked young, but looking at her now, I saw she resembled Jeb's age more with lines starting to show on her face.

"Max." She said gently and soothingly. She then opened up her arms for a hug. I'm not sure what got into me then, but I'm just going to blame it on the hormones. I forgot everything I learned about not trusting people and I ran into her open arms, craving her loving touch. I know it was stupid, but it felt like all my problems would go away if she would just hold me. She wrapped her arms tightly around me as I buried my face into her shoulder.

"Mom." I sobbed, there was no way I could stay mad at this woman. I was now crying hysterically and she just held me tighter and kissed the top of my head. Months of bottled up emotion just came pouring out and I couldn't speak, just cry. She didn't try to shush me or tell me everything was going to be alright, she just let me get it all out.

"That's it, Max." She whispered, "Let it out. I know you've been so strong. It's okay to not be so tough all the time." She stroked my hair and rubbed the space in my back between my wings. Finally, after what felt like ages, I cried myself out. I sniffled as I took my face away from her soaking wet shoulder and looked up at her watery eyes.

"Uh, sorry." I mumbled, "Hormones." I felt the need to explain that display of emotions, although there was no explanation needed.

She let out a real laugh, "Oh this is nothing. You should have seen me when I was pregnant with Ella. Her poor father had no idea what was coming at any second. I was a whirlwind of emotions." I was suddenly hit with a sadness. Sure, she was my mom, but she had only carried Ella in her for nine months before giving birth to this precious infant to call her own. I was just an egg she gave up without a thought. Again, I rested my hands over the now obvious Fang Jr. and realized I never had the bond with her that I have to this baby. I wondered how she saw me in comparison to my half-sister. "You know, Max, I have gone through all this with your sister. I wished with all my heart that I could have been there during your development, but they told me my job was done and sent me home. I was young and engaged to a man I thought I loved but barely knew. I didn't even think I wanted to have kids but after giving that egg up, I wondered what had happened to you. And then you appeared on my doorstep fourteen years later and I knew I could never let you go once I had met you." I didn't know how to respond, so I just hugged her again. "But anything you need, or any questions you have don't be afraid to ask, okay?"

I let go to look at her. "Okay."

"So." She started, "Sit down I want to talk. I am a doctor after all. And your mother, don't you forget that young lady when you go running off with these boys." I just laughed. "I'm serious. Listen, I already had this talk with Ella. Boys are bad news."

"Mom. Please." I said, overcome with a giddiness of being around her. "I think it's a little late for the talk don't you think?"

"Mmm. True." She smiled, "So tell me about Fang. Honey, I'm not sure what Dr. Hans was thinking, but we all knew that it wasn't going to happen with you and Dylan. Even Jeb. Especially Jeb. Did you know he laughed in the Doctor's face when he told him he created your perfect match?"

I laughed, "No way. Jeb was on Dr. HG's side."

She shook her head, "Nope. You know what he told him? He said that Max's perfect match had already existed. That she had already found her soul mate." I couldn't believe that Jeb would ever say that. "He's better than you think, Honey. He was just scared of you and Fang. You were his children after all; he watched you grow up and took care of you. He doesn't know how to handle this stuff." I nodded, not sure if I totally believed her or not. "Enough about him, though. I want to give you a check-up. If you don't mind. I want to figure out what's going on here." I nodded. "Okay, let's start by talking. Now, you and Fang both had consent to this, right. You didn't feel pressured or anything?"

Wow, Mom, we really are getting right down to it. "No." I blushed, remembering that night. "No, I love Fang. Don't worry mom, the feeling is totally mutual. We both enjoy it." God, this was really uncomfortable. I think I was starting to sweat. I'd rather be interrogated at gun point about questions I didn't know the answers to than this.

She pursed her lips. "Hm. Enjoy it. Not enjoyed it. Are you currently sexually active?"

I could feel color reaching up again. "Mom." I moaned, "What does this have to do with anything?"

"I'm not your mom anymore, I'm your doctor. Answer the question." She replied. Seriously?

"Ugh. Fine. Yes, Doctor. Whatever. Next question." She laughed at my awkwardness.

"Am I making you uncomfortable yet?" She asked, "This is fun. I'm a vet so I never get patients who actually talk back." I rolled my eyes. She proceeded to ask more questions that I wondered if they had anything to do with my health or the baby's or for her own personal curiosity.

Finally, she stopped hounding me with questions. Instead, she looked at me and smiled, "Would you like to see your baby?" She asked. I cocked my head to the side as she went over to one of the machines. "This is called an ultrasound machine. It shows you a picture of your baby inside you."

"Wow." Was all I could say. "Yeah, I would."

"Okay, just relax and lie down." She ordered as she turned the machine on. "Now, if you just lift up your shirt, I can put this gel on your stomach. This will allow the transducer to move more easily and pick up the signals. I nodded in understanding, my heart fluttering with nerves and excitement. I did as I was told, inwardly cringing at the sight of my ever expanding stomach. I knew it was just going to get worse from here, though. I watched her gently rub the clear goo before picking up the transducer instrument and placing it on my stomach. As she rubbed it around, a fuzzy, gray image appeared on the screen. She looked up at it and smiled. "Look." She pointed up with her free hand. My eyes followed her finger and I saw a little blob in the middle of the screen. "There's your baby, Max."

I just stared as she pointed out the arms, legs, and then the heartbeat. It was beating strong and healthy. My little trooper. "Aw look." She laughed, "It's sucking on its thumb." I looked and quite frankly, didn't know what I was looking for but took her word for it. As I watched the movement of the screen, I was overcome with emotion. I could feel tears prick the corners of my eyes. Irritated with myself, I couldn't wait for this to be over so I could actually have control over my feelings once again.

"It's so perfect." I whispered, then without meaning to, said out loud, "I wish Fang was here."

She looked over at me sadly. "Mom, where are they?" I asked.

"It's okay they're safe." She replied. "Well, they're alive and they're here." She continued. "That's pretty much all I know."

"Mom?" I asked again, despair sinking in, "Why are we doing this? Aren't they just going to kill it? Me? All of us?"

She sighed heavily, "Max, you have to believe me," She said, putting the instruments down and coming over to take my hands in hers, "You probably think I'm awful because I'm working with Jeb, but as long as I can control it, I'm not going to let anything happen to this baby. And I know Jeb doesn't want this, either. It's our grandchild after all." She gave a small smile. I wasn't sure what to think, so I didn't say anything. I just looked away.

We then heard a knock at the door. "It's Jeb; can I come in and talk to Max?" He asked.

"Yes, one minute." My mom stood up straight. "Here. You can show Fang this." She handed me a picture of the ultrasound and I took it and just stared at it. "You're going to be fine." She kissed me on the top of my head and then set to putting everything away. I sat up and rolled my shirt back down. I watched her move quickly, wondering if she was going to make me go back into that crate. Once she was finished, she opened the door for Jeb. He slipped in, eyeing me cautiously. So clearly there was a low level of trust on both sides. My mom waved to me one last time before going past Jeb and out the door. I couldn't help but notice, though, that their hands brushed as they walked by each other. It happened so quickly I wasn't sure if it was deliberate or an accident.

Once she was gone, Jeb shut the door and then it was just us. Silence filled the room as our entire history engulfed us. No matter how bad I got, there was no way I was about to go running into HIS arms. I looked at the man who I had wanted so badly to love me, even dreaming that he was my father when I was little. In his eyes, I used to see a kindness that I hadn't felt in any of the other whitecoats'. He'd created me, cared for me and my flock, rescued us, raised us, and then left without warning. He showed up again, except evil this time. I vowed never to trust him again. He seemed to be always switching sides. Trying to help, yet trying to kill me at the same time. He always told me I was special. He believed in me and knew that only I could save the world. I'm still not sure why, though. So was a perfect little specimen he'd produced or an actual human he loved and cared about?

"Max, I want to talk to you. Really sit down and talk. I think it's safe to say we are all adults here." He said calmly.

I huffed and rolled my eyes. "Thank you! That's all I've ever wanted. Was for you to actually straight up talk to me and not lie and be all cryptic. So get talkin'."

He looked blatantly surprised at my outburst. I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for a response. "Okay, well first of all. Do you know where you are?" He asked.

"At the School." I replied in a well duh voice.

He shook his head, though. I raised an eyebrow. "You're in Germany." He replied. Well, I did not see that one coming.

"Germany?" I asked, full of shock. Oh dear God, we all know who lives in Germany. "No." I moaned, "Is Hansy-Pansy here? I'm so freaking sick of that guy! Where's your new BFF? Because I swear to God if I see him again, I'm going to knock him back to the States before he can even get the 'Duh' in Dylan out."

"No, Max, calm down. You're at the Itexicon headquarters." Oh, okay. I was at Itex. Gee-wiz now I was sooo relaxed. Cool as a cucumber. It's not like these psychos had ever tried to FREAKING KILL ME before or anything. Jeb was still talking, though, "No, this is much bigger than Dr. Hans Gunther-Hagen." Clearly, he wasn't impressed by my new nickname for him. I was quite fond of it, though. I thought it suited him. "He's just a mere pawn in the game. He is a genius, though. He's the one who created Dylan and came up with the idea of having a perfect line of succession to lead the new world. He pitched it to Itex and they loved it. You see; remember when Marian Janssen tried to sell you to the Chinese?" How could I forget? She was a whacky witch, called the Director, and made me believe she was my mother. I just nodded at Jeb, "Well the head of the Chinese cooperation that wanted to use you was Mr. Chu. Remember how he was part lizard and she was part Galapagos turtle? They were experimented on and raised together and then as adults, they plotted and made many deals together. His company was really the only one in the world she didn't have control of. That all changed, of course, when you destroyed his underwater base and the company came crashing down. And Mr. Chu's boss was Dr. Hans Gunther-Hagen. To make some money off this crashing of the company, he made a deal with Itex to sponsor his creation of Dylan. And that is the only role he plays in this. The Director is still stronger than him." Jeb finished and looked at me for a response.

I honestly didn't have one. In context, Dr. Hans wasn't really that much of a big shot he made himself out to be. He was merely an expendable philanthropist. Sure a rich and talented one, but expendable all the same. I blinked blankly at Jeb. I never really understood how and even the fact that all these people were connected in some way. There were others, too, and I suspected Jeb wasn't telling everything he knew. No, he had to make it at least a little fun and leave me guessing.

Okay well that chapter was a bit of a cliff hanger because the rest of their conversation will appear in the next chapter! I hope you liked review please! :)