Chapter 6

Unexpected allies

A/N: ooh! I like this chappy, it may be my longest ever! please let me know what you think! Thank u.
Disclaimer: still don't own it
Sam opened the rotting door wide.

"Sam? Where are you?" Came Iggy's voice from the corner of the dark room. Sam was not surprised to find him in a cage. As he let him loose he asked him.

"What happened to us?"

"Don't you remember?" Iggy replied."You freaked out, no-one told me why. The last thing I heard was Max shouting 'erasers fly' and I heard Angel scream. Then I think one of them hit me across the back of the head and here I am." Iggy finished by rubbing the back of his head. Sam looked to find a huge gash, hastily sewn up.

Why would they sew him up if they were just gonna leave him here? Sam thought to himself when he heard another muffled cry for help. He fanned out one wing to guide Iggy with and they both sprinted towards the cry.

It came from a small office, about two doors down a narrow, almost forgettable corridor. Sam opened the door to find something worse than anything he had ever seen. A white-coat, tied up and gagged, they had turned against their own. The white-coat looked as dazed as Sam felt and he had a name-tag.

Professor Smith

The white-coat glanced to Iggy and gave him a look of recognition. That's when Sam remembered Iggy couldn't see this. He used his thought projection

Igg? In front of us is a white-coat, he seems to know you

"Oh yeh" Iggy recalled."That's James, he fixed up my head"

Sam was, as usual, slightly confused. A whitecoat had been held here against his will.As confused as he was, Sam could see he was no threat and untied him.

"Who are you?" Sam asked cautiously, none of them could be trusted.

"I'm James" he said, beginning to stand up. One look from Samput himback in his seat. Iggy stayed silent, listening.

"Why are you here?" Sam knew he should be getting on with finding others but his curiosity got the better of him.

"Well, lets just say this is my punishment. For disagreeing with mr Batchelder. He's been blackmailing me for years and I finally stopped taking it. I'm not here to stop you or hurt you. I'magainst them, just like you guys." The whitecoat stopped and looked at Iggy. Sam turned to him, he was frozen, his sightless eyes seemed to see something beyond that room.

"I hear something" He said

"I heard trucks a while ago, now there's people, they are installing something, it beeps, it clicks" Iggy seemed to see through his ears. Sam had never seen this before and he was amazed.

"No" stuttered the whitecoat, his face was ashen, in stark contrast to his dark, greasy hair. "We have to get out of here, NOW!" he leapt to his feet and Sam was on him before he could move any further. He grabbed the frightened James by the wrist and sank his talons into his wrist, his flesh. "you really hate us don't you?" As James looked up at Sam, the pair exchanged glances filled with understanding. This whitecoat, Sam knew, was different.

"Yeh, you wonder why?" Sam replied, loosening his grip slightly. He had another flash and lost his grip entirely, James made no attempt to escape. Sam was on the outside of the Institute, ahead of him were men in fluorescent yellow jackets, scurrying around busily, purposefully. Sam looked down to find himself yet again in another white lab coat and from within his own head he heard a voice. Along with a sharp pain in his heart.

Experiment? What? Jeb?Sam could barely stand the pain, the hurt, Jeb's thoughts were screaming, thinking of only one thing.Ari

Yes, somehow you're in my mind, I never full understood your people's ability to do that, play with the mind. But what I do know is you have no control over my actions. I know you can do nothing but watch as the building you are inside… explodes.

No! Jeb, don't do th…

Sam found himself back inside with Iggy and James.

"What is it Sam?" asked a concerned Iggy. "There's no time to explain, all I know is they're gonna blow this place to pieces, we have to find the others and get out of here" "Others? There were no others, just you two, you were the only ones the erasers could capture" James interrupted.

Sam didn't have time to make sure, James was a good man, Sam knew he'd just been another victim of Jeb Batchelder's determination to "learn". James had simply gotten in the way of Jeb's ambition.

"There's no way out of here Sam, they've probably sealed off all the exits" Iggy announced, even in his sightless eyes, Sam saw fear. "There's always a way Igg" Sam replied, letting a faint smile flicker across his lips.Sam had been inside Jeb's head, felt his pain and he now knew the Institute inside out. It was like having a map inside his head.

"There's one exit not secured, it's a skylight" Sam said knowingly. "Ya think he'd start sealing windows after dealing with us so many times huh?" Iggy remarked. For some unknown reason he was calm, even humourous and Sam shared this feeling.

"Yeh, you would huh?" Sam thought this was too easy, but he didn't stop to think, he knew they had to free as many experiments as could be saved and get them out of there. They set to work, searching every room, looking in every dog cage and crate, behind every rotting old door. Sam opened many doors, but any experiments he found were dead or very close to it, he opened their cages anyway, at least they would die free… almost.

They checked as many doors as possible, finding nothing alive. Some of them were faceless, some had odd growths and many looked as though they had no control over their own bodies. These were experiments grown purely for parts, not designed to ever truly live.

"Okay, we can't do anything else" said James, disgust dripping from every word he uttered. He stumbled, in disbelief at what he was part of, what he had helped in creating.

"Come on!" Sam demanded, "This is no time for emotion, we have to run!" Sam fanned out his wings for each of his companions to hold and sped purposefully down the corridors, he knew exactly when to turn, occasionally veering left, right. He went through doors and into more rooms, passing more dead experiments. In some rooms he passed desks filled with paper work, half used cups of coffee. Paper scattered every where, chairs turned on their sides and filing cabinets left wide open, complete dissaray had taken over the Institute. Sam barely saw any of this has he sped through the school towards the skylight, why was there a skylight? Well, neither Sam nor the author knew the answer to that but Sam didn't care, it was a way out.

Within a few minutes of setting off, Sam had found their destination. Now there were three people standing in a room with a skylight, three people and two sets of wings. Sam looked at James trying to estimate his weight. James caught his eye and realised what he was expected to do.

"No, really? Fly?"

"Do you have any better ideas?" said Iggy, "We can carry him together, we're gonna have to break through the glass… wait, Sam the beeping is getting faster." Together, they got hold of James, who reluctantly co-operated. "Let's go!" yelled Sam. Simultaneously, two pairs of knees tensed, two leapt up and two magnificent sets of wings snapped open.

Jeb Batchelder sat in his car, driving far from the Institute for higher living towards a new base, they would never be found again, they could not hire anyone new. It was too risky and as for those frustrating winged experiments, well they would have to be dealt with, his latest experiment could take care of them.

Jeb sped up as he heard an explosion behind him.

R & R, can't wait for a reaction!