Hello lovelies. So sorry I've been gone so long I wasn't sure whether I'd continue this story or not but when I heard that James Patterson was coming out with another Maximum Ride book I was inspired again! I am totally psyched about it! So here is another chapter and if you like and think I should continue, please let me know!

I finally formed a response, "Alright, so if what you are saying is true-and I'm not saying it is- then The Director is the one who started all this. Itex is the top of the world, and she's the head of it. Everyone else is just a player in her games for world destruction and domination."

Jeb rolled his eyes at my last comment, but didn't come back with a response saying how she is a well-respected brilliant woman blah blah blah. Instead he sort of looked at me and bit his lip uncomfortably. That wasn't right. He knew something else. "No." I said out loud, unable to comprehend that there was yet another evil genius out there. One more powerful than the woman who basically owned the majority of the world. How? "There's someone over her?" I asked, truly on the edge of my seat. "Who? Jeb, who is it?" I asked urgently. I needed to know exactly what kind of trouble I was in. He at least owed me this for all he had put me and my flock through.

"Max." He began awkwardly and I knew he wasn't going to give me a full answer. Why was he doing this to me? I took everything I had to not fly out of the seat. "Let's just say you put your trust in the wrong hands. The number one thing I taught you was to trust no one and take care of yourself. You've been making some questionable choices lately."

My fists clenched at my sides. He had to tell me. "Jeb, you tell me right now who it is or so help me God I will-"

"Max, stop." He put up his hand. "I've already told you too much. The more you know, the more danger you're in."

"The more-the more-the more danger I'd be in?" I was practically spitting. I stood up off the table but didn't come any closer to him. "The only way I could possibly be in any more danger is if I had a knife to my throat. And you know what? I'd probably be in less danger then because then I'd know who it was and what they were trying to do to me! I'd be able to fight back! It's like I'm still a kid and back at the school and you're testing me, having me run through all these mazes with constantly changing twists and turns and dead ends. Give me one good reason why I should trust you. Why I shouldn't just kill you right here, right now." We both knew I was completely capable of doing that.

His face contorted into rage. "Because!" He shouted, "Because right now the only thing keeping that child," He pointed to my stomach, "And your boyfriend alive is me and your mother! And without me, her word means nothing. I'm the one defending your pathetic case right now! They're done. They're all done playing childish games and putting up with your crap. You've gone and made a lot of people angry, Max. And if I were you I wouldn't take so much pride in it because I know you do. It's not just my temper on the line anymore. You've put your entire family in danger with your foolishness. You don't trust me. In fact, you hate my guts. But Sweetheart, I'm the only one who gives a damn about you at this point! You're so incredibly outdated that in the snap of their fingers they could create someone new, someone much more advanced than you and pair her up with Dylan. I've got them all convinced there's something special about you, though. Do you really think I don't care about what happens to little Angel, or her brother or Nudge or Iggy or any of them? Or you? Or even my son? I don't know what else to tell, you Max." He finished and I've never seen him so full of emotion before.

The air was heavy and silent now that his screaming was over. I looked at him, conflicting emotions battling around inside my body. I didn't know what to think anymore. I couldn't think. Nothing was what it seemed anymore. Ever since he popped back into my life after disappearing, Jeb had been bad. He had been the wretched scum of the Earth, never to be trusted. He always held a calm, cool posterior and I couldn't tell what was actually going on in his mind. This felt so real, though, so raw. It was like years of pent up emotion just blurted out into the open. Even he looked shocked at his own outburst.

My mouth hung open, but nothing came out. Finally, he just turned and walked out the door, slamming it behind him. I jumped at the sound of the ferocious slam of the door. I took in everything he said and thought about it for a moment. I was sitting back on the table and still figuring it all out to no avail when I was interrupted by a friendly little flutter of movement coming from inside of me. I hadn't had much alone time lately and then I realized that I wasn't ever really alone. I wasn't sure what the little guy (or girl) was doing in there but I couldn't help but smile. This was all so strange and all so new. It felt weird to say this, but I felt like I had a real connection with this baby. As of right now, it was all mine and nobody could take it from me. It was like we held a secret that nobody else could be a part of. And it felt especially nice that I knew I always had a piece of Fang with me. When he wasn't there, I could put my focus on protecting his child inside me. And I liked the thought of that.

I heard somewhere that the baby can hear you talking and recognize your voice, although I wasn't sure if I believed that or not. Since I was sitting alone in a room and had nothing else to do and no one watching I figured I'd give it a try. The kind of talking I'd been doing these past few days wasn't exactly kind. More like shouting and getting angry and frustrated with everyone. Wait, that's how I was about 85% of the time. Oh. So I tried to think of something to say and how to say it. I was overcome with nostalgia as I thought about the kind of tone I would use with Nudge when her hair got tangled and I was helping her comb it out. Or how I would speak to Angel whenever she was afraid or uncertain. Even Gazzy needed comforting when he had nightmares and Iggy when he became frustrated at not being able to see and needed a little extra help. Fang sometimes saw that side of me, too when we were doing something as innocent as staying up and watching the stars, just talking about anything and everything.

So, I gave it a shot. "Hey kid, how's it going in there?" I tried, but sounded so lame. Much to my surprise, though, I was responded with a little kick. I told myself it was just a coincidence, but I figured I'd keep going to entertain myself and pass the time. "Don't worry about mean old Jeb," I said, "He's just a cranky grandpa. But your grandmother's a good woman. I think. You see, I'm not so sure anymore. I always thought she was the definition of good and he was the definition of bad. But now it's like they're both floating somewhere in between. And as Jeb so helpfully pointed out, I guess I need to tighten up my trusting side. I didn't even think I had one. But who have I trusted that's betrayed me? The only people I can think of are Jeb and my mom." I was rambling on now, but it felt good to be able to talk to someone out loud. Even if they didn't understand a word I said and didn't respond. Maybe that was a good thing, though. I needed to sort through this without the interjection of the rest of the world. Suddenly I was hit with another pang of sadness and longing. That's how Fang was. He was quiet and listened as I went on and on about everything. I sighed as I rubbed my abdomen, "I wonder how your dad is doing now."

Fang

I sat in the back corner of our cell deep underground. We were currently being held in the underground tunnels beneath the Itex head-quarters building. After Ari practically killed Max and Nudge had been sedated, they threw the two of them in kennels like ours and loaded us all onto the helicopter that had landed in the backyard. They attacked out of nowhere and although we heard the helicopter coming, as soon as we ran outside, we were attacked by Erasers and they were shooting at us before they even landed. We were no match, especially down two members. Stupid Dylan had accidently gotten himself shot, causing Jeb to thrown a damn near hissy fit and freaking out on Anne for firing at us like that. Dylan was the only one they cared about, anyway. Had it been one of us, they would have continued to open fire no problem. As soon as we had landed, they whisked him away to operate on him and remove the bullet from his shoulder. He was going to survive, though. Unfortunately. The rest of us were thrown down here in this big cell so at least we were together. There was one crucial person missing though. And that was Max.

Once we had landed, Dr. Hans met us and he and Anne rushed Dylan off, telling the Erasers to lock the rest of us away. Jeb quickly sedated a groggy, out of it Max and told them that he and Mr. Martinez were taking Max. They put her cage on a cart and wheeled her in the opposite direction as the others had gone. My heart sank as I watched her being wheeled away. I couldn't stand the thought of not having her next to me. I thrashed around in my own crate as I watched her disappear through a doorway and then she was gone. Just like that. I had no idea where they were taking her or what they were doing to her. I could no longer trust either of them now that she was on his side. I couldn't believe Max had been betrayed by her own mom. I always liked Dr. Martinez, too. I wondered if she had been in on this the entire time and was just pretending to be nice.

What were they doing to her? Were they hurting her? I was so frustrated, I could have punched the wall, but that would have only succeeded in breaking my hand. So instead I continued to violently stab at the dirt floor with a stick I had found lying around.

I could only imagine the kind of brutal treatment they were putting her through. I knew first hand all the torture they were capable of and I cringed at the thought of her being in that position. Memories of life back at the School that I'd suppressed for so long came flooding back. I'd heard her scream multiple times before. All of them. I grit my teeth as I thought about the blood-curling screams that would ring through the night. A sweat began to break out on my forehead as I tried to shove those thoughts away, but they were so overpowering. And what about the baby? The baby. My heart ached as I thought about what kind of danger I had put her in. What I had done to this poor innocent child that should never have been created. That should not exist. It was a stupid mistake, but I wouldn't take back that night for anything. Call me selfish. Being with Max was just so perfect, it felt so right. I craved her touch when she wasn't around. If it was hard being without her before, it was outright painful to be separated from her now. I felt so useless that I couldn't protect her or my own child while I was locked away down here. It was such a strange thought to think that I could ever be a dad. It just wasn't real.

I thought about when I first laid eyes on her after she saved me from those Erasers. I could instantly tell she had changed, it wasn't just the slight weight gain, but she had a different type of energy radiating from her. And when she told me she was pregnant, I almost died. I didn't even think there was a possibility it could be mine. We only did it once although the thought of protection never even crossed our minds. Neither did the thought of her being pregnant because of it. And after all, she and Dylan were supposed to produce heirs together-a thought that made my veins run cold with ice. We'd been separated for months so that gave her and Dylan plenty of time to get close. It seemed probable although the thought was like a dagger to my heart.

As I was silently dying in the corner, Angel's voice entered my thoughts. I'm worried about her, too Fang. I'm not picking up anything.

I looked over to where she was she sat a few feet away from me, her little angelic face covered in dirt, her hair tangled, and her clothes ragged. I patted my lap and she crawled over onto it. She hugged me and I hugged her back. I guess she was as close to a daughter that I'd ever had before. But I was going to have a real, biological child. Half of its DNA was mine. It was such a foreign concept. You know, because the only kids I really knew were ones that were raised in labs without real parents. It's going to be the perfect child. Half of you and half of Max. Angel thought to me.

I sighed and rested my chin on the top of her head. Thanks kid. But I'm far from perfect.

Max doesn't think so. She replied, she thinks you're the best, Fang. Honestly. She really does think you're perfect.

I let out a chuckle. And she turned around to face me and smile at me. "Now, practice your daddy skills and help me untangle my hair. I would ask Nudge to do it, but well…" Her voice trailed off as we both looked over to a sleeping Nudge in the middle of the cell. She had been freaking out all day and finally passed out. We both laughed as we watched the exhausted girl sleep.

"Okay, I can try this, but I'm afraid I won't be any good." I told her as I began to play with her hair, looking for knots and having no idea what to do if I found one. As I started combing my fingers through her hair, she let out a painful gasp. Oh crap I hurt her! "I'm sorry, Ange, I told you I'm really bad at this. I didn't mean to hurt you-" I stumbled over an apology, but then heard her laughing.

"Gosh, I was kidding. I didn't think I'd get you this easily!" She giggled as I rolled my eyes.

"Not funny." I growled as I set back to digging through her blonde curls.

After a little more silence, a bored Iggy exclaimed out of nowhere. "Wow it really is dark in this dungeon! I can't see a thing!" We all looked up at the sudden outburst to see Iggy walking around dumbly with his hands out in front of him. We all burst out into laughter, even Nudge who had been awoken by the commotion joined in. In reality, the place was well lit and it was hardly a dungeon. It was fairly clean and not cold or spooky or anything like that. It was basically a normal prison except they forgot to put flooring in and we were sitting on a dirt floor. Other than that, my only complaint-except for, you know, the fact that we were down here in the first place-was that there were no windows so we couldn't see the outside world or even tell what time of day it was.

Gazzy decided to humor him, though. "Yeah dude, I know. But wait…what is that?" He gasped as if he couldn't believe his eyes. I reality he was looking directly at Iggy and grinning. "Woah. Fang, can you make it out? I mean it's just so hard to see down here in these cells that seem to stretch on forever! I feel like I'm in the catacombs! So creepy. What do you think it is?" He winked at me as a sign that it was my turn.

"Oh, I don't know man. I think it's coming closer, though. It's okay Angel don't be scared I've got you." I looked down at her and she stuck her tongue out at me.

Iggy was excited, though. "What is it? What is it? Tell me! Oh my God what's down here?"

Angel continued the joke for me, "I-I-Iggy. You should be lucky you can't see this. I've never seen anything like it. I can't even read its mind! It's some creature. I think it's been living down here, haunting the tunnels for years." She said very convincingly.

It was then Nudge's turn. She was so giddy, caught up in the joke that I thought she was going to explode if she didn't just start cracking up. "OMGOMGOMG! It's a-it's a-it's-."

"Spit it out already!" Iggy was jumping up and down in excitement and fear.

"IT'S A FIRE BREATHING DRAGON!" She blurted out before rolling around on the floor laughing hysterically. The rest of us couldn't help but join in at the sight of her.

Iggy frowned. "Hey, were you guys just making fun of me?" A small smile played at the corner of his lips, though.

"Sorry, but you should have seen your face dude!" I got out in between breaths of laughter. Suddenly the entire room stunk so bad we were all wheezing and laughing harder.

"Ew Gazzy!" Nudge shrieked.

"Sorry." He said; his tone not apologetic at all.

"Aw, come on!" Iggy joined in on the hysterical laughter and soon we were all rolling around on the ground in the underground prison of Itexicon laughing our butts off, most likely moments away from death. Yeah, that sounded about right for us.

Our session of enjoyment didn't last long, though. We stopped immediately as we heard the cellar door creak open heavily. We heard footsteps coming our way and froze, listening intently for danger. But when the person who had joined us stepped into view, I was almost knocked over by surprise. How many of these crazies from our past were going to come back to haunt us? Because in strolled in one of the forerunners for our death. And a lot of people wanted us dead. "Vhy hello, vhat an honor vit is to veet again." It was none other than Roland ter Borcht.

Crap. Was my only thought. He was smart. He stayed on the other side of the cell. "Now I'm vooking for de experiment 2FAN54. Vich vun of you would zat be?" We all looked around, frozen in shock. We'd been called lots of nasty, demeaning names before, but never "experiment 2FAN54." When none of us responded, he sighed irritably and flipped through his paperwork. "Ah dis vun was vunce described as a 'snappy dresser.' Hm." I had to stifle a laugh. He was talking about me. Max had said that once to him when he said there was nothing special about me. Well, I guess there was now because he was looking for me and my DNA supposedly held the key to immortality. Ter Borcht was still reading from his notes, "tall, dark hair. Oh ves, likes to ve called de Fang, huh?" He looked up and pointed at me. "Ah, ves, vu. They finally let me kill vu now. I tell vehm vu were supposed to be killed long time ago." He was very nonchalant about all this. "Time to die now." He said as he unlatched the gate and zapped me with a Taser gun all at the same time. The last thing I heard was the sound of a scream as I thudded to the ground unconscious.

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