A/NSo you definitely don't want to hear my excuses. And frankly, other than a huge history research paper and a few mid-terms, I don't have one. So I'm really sorry, it's been three weeks, and I know I destroyed the pattern. But I'm starting it up again.
Thanks to anyone who's sticking with this story, I know it's not easy xD
Hopefully this long chap makes up for it, and its no filler either.
Ellie
MAX
Here we stood. Midnight, though the evil emanating from the building was visible even in the dawn gloom.
Each of us mentally prepared ourselves for the next twenty minutes or so. We could take the Erasers. We could take the Whitecoats. We could get to the document, snag it, and get the hell out of there.
We could.
But we were scared.
Scared to lose one another.
Scared to be alone if something went wrong.
Scared for it all to go wrong.
Scared for it all to go right.
FANG
I didn't even try to hide my disgust of the evil grounds stretching in front of us.
The large building was imposing, of course. But it looked like a hospital, which functioned as its disguise.
Not that anyone would make their way into the middle of god-damn-freakin'-nowhere, and then wonder "Hey, what's this ominous hospital that almost looks like a medieval castle torture chamber?" Unless you worked here, in which case the disguise was pointless.
Or unless you were here to avenge a lifetime of hell, of fear. Of running, never looking back. Of having people you loved stolen, killed.
And that's where we came in.
MAX
The break-in was so easy it scared me. Clearly, since the Germany incident they were short of hands. This gave us no more than one person at a time for Angel to "convince" them our being here was nothing out of the ordinary and they should not remember our even existing.
Almost there, Maximum. The Voice said. Up one more flight of stairs, 3rd door on your left.
I mentally repeated the directions to Angel, who transferred them to the others. They all nodded, and before long we were right outside a non-descript looking door.
So I was surprised.
Okay, fine. I expected something a little out of the ordinary. Not like, "YOU HAVE FOUND OUR WEAKNESS. PLEASE TAKE WHAT YOU NEED, AND COME AGAIN SOON!" plastered on the door or anything, but something.
There's a change. Maximum Ride asking for excitement. As if my life was dull.
Actually, Maximum, you may find your life following the extermination of Itex extremely tedious. Living normally, going to school…
Somehow, I think we'll manage. I replied with a grin. I gestured to the others. We tapped fists.
"I don't know what's behind this door. Maybe a pack of Erasers, or Whitecoats. Maybe a new Director. Who knows? But I'm going in. After all this sh--, I mean, crap they've put us through, I'm done with it. You guys mean too much to me to have me watch any of you hurt again. But if you guys want to stay out here, I'll understand. I'm the one who should get hurt, if anyone." I said confidently. No need to drag them in even further, right?
"Hell no!" cried Iggy.
"Max, are you—" Angel exclaimed.
"But, Max, we are in this together, right? No matter what? Always with each other?" Nudge said, softly for what seemed like the first time in her life.
"We go where you go, Max." Gazzy said bravely. I ruffled his hair. I looked up. Everyone was look at something over my shoulder with a strange expression on their face. I caught Gazzy muttering something to Iggy, who grinned.
I turned around only to have my face collide with---
---Fang's lips. I bounced back, but he caught me, and kissed me firmly, but not too hard. I didn't know what was happening, or what I was doing. Dimly aware of my surroundings, I kissed him back. I practically cried when he pulled away.
There was a silence.
"Guess that's Fang's answer." Iggy said, a smug grin planted on his face. I leaned over to whack him.
"Guess we're ready, huh?" I said. Everyone nodded. But nobody moved.
We all wanted to believe the end was just behind that closed door. That our lives could be—dare we say it--normal? The chasing would be over, the constant fear of death that shouldered us day and night? It could be over, all over. The kids could go to school. Iggy might go to some college for the blind. And Fang and I could---well, we were 17, after all!
Finally, I took a deep breath. With one last, fleeting glance at my Flock, I shoved the door open.
(A/N I considered stopping it there. But then I realized you'd probably kill me. So I didn't. Be grateful.)
For a moment, I thought we had entered the wrong room. It was a nondescript, plain office. It had one wood desk with a computer and folders spread across it, and a rolly chair.
I snuck a glance at the others. Their expressions ranged from relief, astonishment, disbelief, and even disappointment. Just as I was about to abort the whole thing, cursing Jeb colorfully, he spoke up.
Here we are. Second cabinet, there's a safe.
"Jeb says there's a safe in that cabinet." I said, though I made no move to open it. It was silent.
"Hell," I said finally, "He got us this far, didn't he?" Nobody agreed, but nobody protested either. I reached for the cabinet.
"Wait, Max, don't!" Iggy called. I froze. An eerie silence descended on the room. Iggy's face was screwed up in concentration. He was listening.
"A laser." He said at last. "A motion detector. It triggers—a lockdown." He said slowly, making wild figures in the air with his hands. We were all stunned. After a moment, he seemed to be too.
"Woah." He said slowly. "Nice time to find an ability." Fang let out a low whistle.
"No time to dwell." I reminded them firmly. Within a second they had returned to their focused, albeit scared, selves.
I opened the cabinet without much horror descending on me. Before me was a solid, 6-number coded aluminum safe.
Some help, Jeb? I asked.
12-32-45-89-10-06. The Voice said smoothly.
Say it again, slowly please. As he did so, I keyed in the numbers. There was only "06" left.
That's us. The six, winged mutants. Growing up in a lab, thrown into a world we hardly understood. Chased by beings designed to destroy us. Losing a few battles. Winning a few. A few of us almost dying, some being stolen.
But we had made it. This was it. Finally, it was here. The chance to not only avenge our lost childhoods and innocence, but to prevent others from having the same fate.
I keyed in the last numbers. I held my breath.
Nothing happened for what seemed like an eternity, though it was probably only a second or two.
Then Iggy yelled, "Move!" He blindly reached out for me, grabbing my shirt and pulling me about 5 feet back. Seconds later, a large net fell where I had stood.
I shook my head. "Thanks, Ig." He nodded in response.
Well, thanks bunches Jeb! So glad you warned me about the imminent doom hanging overhead.
There was a pause. I'll admit it. I didn't expect the net. So simple, yet for it's simplicity I overlooked it—
Jeb, not the time for wishful thinking.
Right. He said apologetically. As soon as he said this, we heard locks and seals of all kinds click. There was no need to say it. We were locked in.
Time to hurry, Maximum.
You can say that again.
A/N Like it? Love it? Hate it? Make sacrificial slaughtering in hopes I'll stop writing?
Well, tell me in a review
Next chap up later tonight—see ya then!
-elle