I was cold. Very, very, extremely cold.

"Max! Max!" Something in my brain stirred and wondered who was calling me. They should leave me alone, I just wanted to go back to sleep, floating in the black fog that my thoughts were, floating, floating…

"Max! Come on, wake up! Stay with me!" Was that Iggy? I thought so…my senses started forming again, and I realized I'd never heard Iggy sound so worried. I tried talking to let him know that I was alive, but all that came out was a quiet moan.

"Max?" This time he was questioning. I tried opening my eyes. I could crack them about a millimeter. Yep, that was it.

His fingers touched my eyes so that he could be sure I was awakening. "Max! You're okay!"

"Will be," I managed to grind out. I realized I couldn't feel my hands, and started panicking. "Where are my hands? I can't feel my hands!" My eyes forced themselves open, and I sat up. I was distracted by where we were, and – for once – was speechless.

Everywhere was covered in snow, and more was falling. All I could see was white – the sky, the land – everything. There were mountains on glaciers or something on the horizon, and if I wasn't panicking, I would have thought that it was gorgeous.

I glanced down at my hands. They were completely white and drained of blood. My heart stopped for a fraction of a second. What if I had frostbite? What if I lost my hands? I'd die! Then I distantly remembered Jeb saying that in times of extreme cold, blood drains from your hands and feet and warms the center of your body, to keep your inner organs from freezing, and I felt a little better.

A little.

I looked at Iggy, bewildered. "Where the heck are we? Where is everyone? Why aren't we dead? What happened to the bomb?" I tried standing, but I couldn't feel my feet either, and I lost my balance for a moment and swayed in the snow.

"I don't know where we are," replied Iggy. His face was much paler than normal. "I've no idea how we got here, and no one's hurt. Well, except…" He trailed off, and my heart sped up instead of stopping dead.

I looked around again. The younger three of the flock were huddled together in a tight knot, shivering. It was then I noticed who was missing. Fang. Oh, god. He can't be dead, he can't be dead –

"I don't know what to do," Iggy continued, pleading for help. "He's knocked out, and he's not breathing well, and he was already sick, and…" Wait a minute. Something just finally clicked for me. I didn't hear the rest of Iggy's sentence, because I was running for Fang.

I finally found him sprawled on the ground, wrapped in Iggy's other shirt for the little extra warmth. His eyes were closed, his breathing was shallow, and he was shaking. He looked horrible, and in these conditions there was no way he would last long. My throat closed with unshed tears. God. I was turning into such a crybaby. I had to stay strong. For everyone, and especially for Fang.

Iggy caught up to me. "I didn't want to move him, I was afraid that I'd make it worse."

"Iggy. Wait." I closed my eyes, thinking. I could feel snowflakes falling on my eyelids. I'd been feeling under the weather for awhile too, back at Anne's. I hadn't been pale all the time, but neither had he. I'd gotten hot flashes. He'd gotten a fever. I'd gotten moody, he gotten….more silent? What if – what if he really wasn't sick? I had been feeling bad right…before…

My super speed. Oh, my god.

My eyes snapped open. I blinked away the snow that fell into my eyes rapidly and said quickly in a low tone, "Iggy, do you remember when I first got my super speed?"

He frowned and wrapped his arms tightly around him. We weren't dressed to be out here at all. We could freeze to death before too long. "Yeah, I remember," he replied after awhile. "Why?"

"Doesn't it seem like the thing Fang has?" I pressed on.

His eyes widened. "What are you saying? Do you think that Fang has a new power?"

"That's exactly what I think," I replied, nodding. "And I think he brought us here."

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

"Max," he said, lowering his voice. "I'm really, really scared. We are going to freeze to death out here. We don't have nearly enough clothes to keep us warm; it's way below zero! Plus, Fang is hurt, and apparently he's the only way to get us out of this mess."

I took him by the shoulders. He looked at me, somehow looking me right in the eyes. He was worried and scared, and this shouldn't have happened to him. "Iggy, everything is going to be fine," I reassured him. "We are not going to die here. Fang is going to be fine. Okay?" He nodded, but he looked doubtful.

"I've got to go to the rest of the flock," I muttered. "I'll be right back." I glanced at Fang one last time and then stumbled across the snow to the rest of the flock. They were still huddled in their circle, and Angel was shivering violently. I was glad to see that they had already gotten their coats – light as they were – out of their bags, and were clutching them tightly around them.

Those are my troopers. I bet you won't find anyone else like them anywhere.

"M – M- Max," Nudge stuttered through chattering teeth. "W- Where are w-we?"

"I'm not entirely sure," I admitted, beginning to shake just like Angel from the cold. "But I'm going to get us someplace safe. Promise." I lifted Angel from the snow and pressed her to me, trying to warm her somewhat. Her lips were blue, and her eyes were freaked out.

You're fine, I told her mentally, we're all going to be fine. Don't worry.

Are you sure? She replied.

I blinked back tears again. How was it that she couldn't trust what I said anymore? This was insane. It was too much. I'm positive, baby. Just wait and see. I promise. I promise. It was like a mantra inside my head. I was going to get everyone out of this. And Fang. I couldn't do it without him.

The only problem was I had no idea how I was going to get us out of this place.

I set Angel back down, and she snuggled next to Gazzy, who had ice flecks in his hair. He put his arms around her, and Nudge covered them both. She caught my eye and I smiled the best I could. I was so proud of her. She'd grown up. She was still a chatterbox, and she was still an eleven year old girl in some ways, but she was maturing. Wow.

I went the few yards back over to Fang. A sudden gust of wind blew sharp snow and ice across my face. One piece cut me, and it stung. I squinted to see if Iggy was still there – and he was, of course. "He hasn't changed at all," he informed me. "Max, are you sure he'll be okay?"

He'll be fine. I nodded at Iggy and held up a finger.

Jeb.

Are you sure? He looks so bad and I don't know what's going on. How are we going to get out of here?

He'll most likely wake up in a few hours.

Hours? I mentally yelped. What do you mean, hours? He could freeze in hours!

Turn around, Max.

Grudgingly, I turned. Behind me was a dark heap of heavy coats, gloves, hats, basically everything wintery. "How did those get here?" I whispered. "They weren't there before, were they?"

"What?" asked Iggy. "What's there?"

"Winter clothes," I said, starting to smile. "We'll be okay!" Then the smile slid off of my face faster than Nudge can eat a Snickers bar. "It might be a trap."

It's not a trap, Max, trust me. I know.

How? I asked acidly. I don't see you standing here freezing your butt off. I mean that literally, in case you haven't noticed!

Maximum, will you ever learn to trust me?

No.

Fine. Freeze, then.

Okay, he had me there.

"Angel, Nudge, Gazzy! Come here!" I shouted, standing. "Look! There are coats, gloves, everything! Put them on, now." Nudge's eyes lit up, and she immediately pulled on a coat that was, freakily, just her size. She zipped it hurriedly and sighed.

"That's already better," she said. "I'm not so cold." I smiled as I slid a coat on myself. The goose bumps on my arms slowly went away, and I wasn't shaking as violently. My body was warming. Thank God. I was afraid I was going to die here in this barren wilderness, alone and unloved…alright, so I'm being dramatic.

I grabbed a jacket for Fang and gently eased him into it. I had to lift his chest slightly to get it on, but I managed. I zipped it up all the way and slid mittens onto his hands. Maybe now he would have a better chance of making it through. We all would.

But how the heck did those clothes get there? It's like they were expecting us!

…Which, I reminded myself, they probably were.

So, have you figured out Fang's power?

Yeah, pretty easily. Do not breathe a WORD of it to Itex or I will never speak to you again. Ever. If I meet you in an alley and you're being mugged, I'm going to leave you there. I swear.

You wouldn't do that, Max. It's not in your nature.

I think I know pretty well what I would do. And stop telling me what's 'in my nature' or not! It's so annoying!

Maximum…

Promise you won't. Now.

I promise.

Swear on your life. I didn't trust him with this. Hmm, wonder why?

I swear. On my life.

I blinked. Wow. He actually did it. I expected another annoying silence that left me wondering what the hell was going on.

I knelt next to Fang again and watched his face carefully. He didn't seem to be getting any paler, but there wasn't any color coming back to his cheeks, either. At least the shaking had stopped.

He's used up too much energy bringing you all here, Jeb said, and he actually sounded a little worried. Not too comforting. He lost control, and here you are.

How come I don't use that much energy when I'm flying? Or when Nudge is using her sensing thing? Or anyone else?

They're not using their powers on other people. Fang used his power to bring all of you to one spot, and it used up five times the effort. It wasn't good. He didn't have enough control to try to do that.

I don't think he knew what he was doing, I replied. He said he didn't know what was going on.

All the same…

Angel uses her powers on other people, I realized suddenly. Why isn't she so tired?

Her powers are mental, not physical, he replied. It doesn't take nearly as much effort. If he had tried to take one more person, it could have killed him.

What about Total? Doesn't he count?

There was a long silence, and I thought that he had gone. But then he answered, Total doesn't have as much mass as the rest of you.

Oh. I let that be the end of the conversation for awhile.

I inhaled deeply and blew out a breath through my mouth. "What are we going to do with you, Fang?" I said quietly. "What are we going to do at all?"

"It should be a few hours before he wakes up," I said to Iggy. He looked slightly relieved, and left to sit with the others.

In the meantime, Jeb, where are we?

Where are you? You're in Antarctica, of course.