1Chapter 4
A/N: Ok first off, I have a good idea for the end of the chapter, and certain bits of dialogue but no idea how to put it together, so sorry if it's a bit choppy. (Goddess, I gotta get better at this idea thing) Oh and I'm in a kind of hyper, goofy mood, so there will be humor and probably a little fluff. And what do y'all think of Iggy/Ella? -Elly? (And I know Ella's house is actually in Arizona, but this is easer.)
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"Well, this is defiantly a surprise. Why don't you all come in, you must be tired. I'll fix some snacks and we can get to know each other. How's that sound to everyone?" Ms. Martinez never ceased to amaze Max. 'Somehow she's never really caught off guard. I mean if I were her and a flock of mutant bird kids landed in my front yard, I'd be freaking out. But she invites us all in for snacks. Go figure.' The flock on the other hand was caught off guard.
'Their human, and their not freaking out? Max trusts them? She obviously knows them from before, but when? and why am I asking myself these questions? I just need to talk to Max. Without causing a scene.' Fang thought, the others were thinking a lot of the same questions, but they all followed Max as she followed the humans into the house.
xXx
"Ok so now I know where you're obsession with chocolate chip cookies comes from Max. But why didn't you snag the recipe for Ig earlier? I mean these are heaven." Nudge mumbled through a mouth full of cookie-e goodness. They were sitting around the kitchen table with Ella and her mother.
"Wait, Iggy cooks?"Ella asked
"Yes I do, and if you think that's weird, our dog talks." Iggy grinned in her direction, and stuffed another cookie in his mouth. Ella looked at him curiously, then down at Total, who was sitting back on his haunches, in a begging position.
"Can I have a cookie?" he asked. Ella jumped, and her mother looked down at him.
"What you don't get talking dogs at you're office?" Max laughed as she saw their startled reactions.
"Well you all live interesting lives, wings, talking dogs, evil scientists." the last two words killed the mood almost instantly.
"How'd you know about the evil scientists? I never mentioned-" Max leaned forward in her seat, ready to make a quick escape. The others were still stunned.
"Max. Calm down," Ms Martinez soothed. "I just assumed. You're wings, that could only be done by genetic scientists, and then there was you're reaction to the lab coat when we were at my office. I put two and two together, and no, I'm not one of them. Please calm down?"
"Sorry, I just, it kinda threw me for a second. I guess that's what I get for not being around normal people often enough, huh? One little thing and I'm all tense." Max amended, feeling embarrassed.
"It's ok Max. But speaking of being around people, we should probably set up beds for you all. Why don't you and Ella help me with the pull out in the living room, then we can bring the air mattress into the study, and then we'll go out and get you all some new clothes, it looks like you've been living in those for weeks." Ms. Martinez got up and headed for the linen closet, then tossed a bundle of sheets Max's way.
'She never misses a beat.'
"You are staying right?" Ms. Martinez arched an eyebrow, as if to say, 'you better be.'
"I think we can give Fang the study, Iggy and Gazzy can have the living room, Nudge, Angel, you two can stay in Ella's room, and Max can have the guest room. Is that good for everyone?"
"Yeah. That'll work. Fang and I can get the pull out, if you and Ella want to get the air mattress? Right Fang?" Fang didn't respond. He was slouched in his chair, staring ahead with his eyes half closed a half smile.
"Fang? Are you ok?" Max tried to keep the worry out of her voice, unsuccessfully.
"Gimme a sec. I'm in heaven." his mouth was still full of cookie and it came out as a muffled grunt, but Max just laughed and dragged him out of his chair and into the living room, as the others followed Ms. Martinez and Ella to help with setting up the other beds.
The next day, Max shuffled out into the kitchen, late in the morning. She had much the same look as the rest of the flock, sleepy but happy. Ella and her mother were already dressed and there was a mountain of pancakes on the table.
"You'd think you guys have never slept in beds before, the way you're acting." Ella feigned seriousness, then turned back to packing her lunch.
"Not in a long time." Fang mumbled. His black hair was hanging down in his eyes, in wet pieces. The water already soaking his new black shirt.
'I see he's already taken a shower. Hope he didn't use all the hot water."
"Ever heard of a towel buddy?" Max pinched a strand of his hair and tugged gently, causing more water to drip onto his lap.
"Hey! What was that for?" he swung a half hearted punch, which Max sidestepped.
"It was bugging me. And you shouldn't waste water." she flashed him a smile as he tried to punch her again, continued to her chair, and began pilling pancakes on her plate.
"Well, Ella has to go to school, and I have to go to work, so will you kids be ok here, for a few hours?" Ms. Martinez asked. Six heads nodded. "Can I trust you?" Six more nods. "Will you still be here when we get home?" this time five heads turned toward Max. She nodded.
"I'd be really stupid if I made us leave, when we're being treated so nicely. But eventually we will have to leave. I don't know how long Ms. Martinez can support our eating habits." Max smiled, at her flock and her friends.
"I think we can manage, so you'll be staying for a good long while if I have anything to say about it." Max nodded again but she was thinking about how her chip would lead Jeb right to them, and to the Martinez's. 'It happened before, it will happen again, and this time they may not be so lucky'
"Cool! I always wanted to have lots of siblings! So you guys are my honorary brothers and sisters. Hey, Mom, maybe we could enrol everyone in school, then they don't have to be home alone all day, wouldn't that be cool?" Ella was bouncing on her heels and it reminded Max of her vision, seeing herself, bouncing in front of Jeb, rambling. Everyone else was reminded of the time they spent with Annie and attended a private school/asylum.
"Maybe. We tried school once, it didn't really work out so well." Ms. Martinez raised an eyebrow at this but didn't question.
"Well how about walking with me to the bus stop Max? It's a start, at least, right?" Ella smiled hopefully.
"Sure, I'll go." Max said, shoveling the last bites of pancake into her mouth.
"Can I come?" Max gave Fang a questioning look which he returned with a "what?" look. Max shrugged and Ella smiled.
"Sure, you guys may want to grab your jackets though." she nodded towards their wings that were folded loosely against their backs, through the slits in their new shirts.
"Hehe, yeah, guess that would be a problem. Be right back. Fang?" Max stood, and headed back towards her room, Fang followed and quickly closed the distance between them.
"What's that all about?" Max whispered once they were in the hallway.
"You and I need to talk, walking her to the bus, will give us the excuse and the time, after she leaves of course. Besides, I need some fresh air."
"Fine. I just thought for a second that you were trying to hit on her or something." Fang tried to suppress a grin.
"Why would that bug you?"
"No! But she's my friend and we do have to leave eventually."
"Then save it for Iggy, I'm pretty sure he has a crush on her, you didn't see them earlier this morning." he made a gagging noise and pointed his finger down his throat. "Anyway, she's not my type. Go get you're jacket Max." Fang shook his head, and Max scowled.
"Don't give me orders." She gave him her best angry face then laughed and continued down the hall.
As Max and Fang headed out with Ella, they heard Iggy and the Gasman, asking Ms. Martinez if they could use her tool shed for a project they were working on.
"So how come you never told me there were more like you, Max?" Ella asked as soon as they were down the driveway.
"At the time I guess it was on a need-to-know basis. And now you know so, what can I say." Max looked sheepish, as they continued down the block.
"You could Make it up to me by staying." They reached the corner and stopped by a sign that read "bus stop".
"We'll see, ok? You're bus is here."
"No it's not, I don't see it, yet."
" I do. And I hear it. They need to put a new engine in that thing." Fang said peering around the corner and further down the street.
The bus pulled in, Ella got on and Max and Fang waved until she was out of sight.
"We should stay for a bit." Fang said, totally deadpan.
"Fang. Remember this?" Max held up her arm and pulled her sleeve back, revealing an ugly scar from her attempt at self surgery. Fang winced, remembering finding Max covered in her own blood and half crazy.
"They track the chip. They always find me, and I don't want to put Ella and her mom in harm's way any longer than I need to."
"Yeah but if we succeed in blowing up the school, they wont be able to track you."
"That's not a sure thing, they could have other equipment somewhere else, and it's just gonna be me, not you and me, not me and the flock, just me." Max turned and headed back down the street to the Martinez house.
"Max, this is suicide, if they don't catch you, by some miracle, the explosion could kill you, or the experments, yes I know you were planning to let them out. Some of those things are trained to kill you, or have you forgotten Max II, and what her original purpose was?"
Max spun and faced him. He was expecting her to yell at him, but her voice came out as a low hiss instead.
"I'm doing this, Fang, whether you like it or not. And I'm doing it for those experiments, or have you forgotten what they did to us in there. And we were successful, these aren't so lucky." Fang sighed 'So much for convincing her not to do this.'
"Lets just forget this whole conversation ok?" Max said quietly as they neared the front door. Fang just nodded. Max caught the worry in his face and added,
"Fang, I'll be fine. Piece of cake, or cookie, your choice." she gave a weak smile to try to reassure him, but she wasn't to sure herself so it didn't work as well as she planned. Fang opened the door and they filed inside.
xXx
That night:
'I can't believe I'm doing this.' Max thought as she climbed out the window of the guest room and made her way across the lawn to the tool shed where Iggy's bombs waited. When Iggy had told her that evening that he and Gazzy finished twelve bombs and the detonator, the voice had told her that she had to do it tonight. So here she was, running away from her friends and flock, on a suicide mission to save a bunch of brain dead experiments, a sister she'd never met, and her murderous clone.
'What a wonderful life I lead.'
'Well I can tell you that after this, it should get easer. Well the living part, definitely not the saving the world bit.' The voice spoke up again.
'Dang, and here I was hoping that I could just skip that part.' the tension was making Max irritable. She gathered the explosives and silently slipped out of the shed again. Once outside, she began to run, then she opened her wings and took off into the cool night air.
' The sooner you get there the sooner you can leave Max, you have the means so stop procrastinating.' now the voice sounded irritated.
'Hey I'm flying aren't I? Excuse me if I'm not too eager to get there.' But Max knew the voice was right, so she poured on the speed. Even under the circumstances, Max had to admit that flying felt good, and using her speed, and having the wind on her face almost let her forget where she was going. Until she was there.
'All too soon.'
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A/N: well, there's that. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. What will happen next? Will Max succeed? And what will the flock do when they find her missing?
Really I can't answer those questions yet, seeing as I'm asking them too. Naw I have a plan.
Thank you all again for your reviews, and for all you Arianna fans, read my friend's(and Ariannas' co-creator) fic, about her life as a genetic experiment(Arianna's POV). It's called Wings of Death and it's pretty good.
Anyway thanks again, I'll see you next week, as I'm going to try to post every Sunday night.
ENox