Disclaimer: I do not own any characters mentioned in the following fanfic. They belong to James Patterson.

Name: Leaders May Fall

Chapter Name: Well, Look Who It Is

Sorry, sorry, SORRY! I've had a lot of real life things to deal with and I JUST finished rereading Maximum Ride 1, 2, and 3 to get some more muse. And I think I found it! So be prepared for the fourth installment of Leaders May Fall!

Max's POV.

The figure walked into the cave as if they had no fear in the world. My eyes narrowed and my body tensed, waiting for the shadow to step into the light... One, two... thr- Oh great!

Jeb, my father, smiled sadly at me. "Hello Max."

Iggy stiffened beside me, his hands curled into fists. I could tell he didn't enjoy seeing Jeb either. I rolled my eyes and relaxed slightly, but my guard was not down. "Hello, DAD. What are you here for? Did I miss some 'father/daughter activity day' or something? Because I don't have you on my calendar."

Jeb's eyes lit with amusement, but his smile was still sad. That's all it seemed to be... "No, Max. I just came here to warn you-"

"About the Flyboys? Sorry, pop. Already got ambushed by them." I pointed up to my forehead, the bandage stained with blood.

His eyes narrowed slightly, then he shook his head. "Then you already know they are the newest batch?"

I rolled my eyes nodded in a way that said "NO FREAKING DUH".

"Max," Jeb scolded lightly. "Please be serious. This new batch is way more advanced than the others. They have a new weapon, something very powerful. By that cut on your forehead, I can tell they already used it on you."

Okay, he had my interest now. But I knew better than to show it. I puffed out a breath of air and raised one eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue. Iggy, beside me, seemed entirely still...

"This weapon sends a charge straight to the spinal cord and up into your nerves, shutting them down completely. Then, it moves up to the brain and the shock is powerful enough to pass out even the toughest... er, people."

I whistled, both eyebrows raised now. "And where is this weapon located on them? I'm guessing somewhere on the arm...?"

Jeb nodded and replied, "Yes. There is a small, circular disc on the palm of their left and right hands. To activate the charge, they must have both of the discs touching the object or else it won't work. You're lucky no one else was grabbed."

Relief washed through my body. I was glad to actually know what happened. Leaving it a mystery would have been worse... "Okay, thanks and all, but what's the catch? Am I suppose to repay you for this information or what?" I turned slightly to look at Iggy, who's eyes narrowed. He was thinking the same thing.

Jeb's smile shrank slightly as he cleared his throat. "Actually, no. I just want you to be safe, Max. You still have to save the world."

Ugh. I was seriously getting annoyed with this "save the world" crap. But hey, someone has to do it. I suppose I'm sort of glad it was me. I wouldn't leave my fate in an adult's hands. My train of thought was suddenly broke when Jeb spoke again.

"Max, please listen carefully now." His voice was stressed and slightly panicked and I knew that this was his real reason for coming. "There is a new place called the Warehouse. Just like the School and Hospital, they are creating mutants. I was surprised, though, because I thought they were terminating them all... However, I think their point was to 'start over'..." Jeb shook his head, and continued. "The mutants they are creating aren't like the ones you're used to. Do you remember Omega? He was the start of the new line, the new batch. Anything not close to perfection is immediately terminated. They are creating a new super army, Max. And I want you to stop it."