I woke up in a dark, cold, metal room, and I was chained to a wall.

Beside me, the members of my flock were chained up as well. Well. Almost everyone, I realized with a giant crack in my heart.

Everyone except Fang.

"Where are we?" Iggy asked, stirring from unconsciousness. "What happened?"

"I don't know," I said helplessly. "I just felt a pain in my back, and then I went numb and couldn't see anything anymore."

"I think they were poison darts," Angel offered, wriggling and trying to get out of her chains. "That's what it felt like, anyway."

"I think you're right," I said, wincing at the small pain in my back that still remained.

"Where's Fang?" Nudge muttered, looking around the room sleepily. My heart broke again.

"That's what I'd like to know."

"Did they get him or did he get away?"

"He was the only one of us in the air," I said. "I hope he got away."

But something in my heart knew that he'd been captured.

"What are we gonna do?" Nudge asked. "We have to get out of here. We have to."

"I know, Nudge," I said. "I'm thinking."

I looked around the metal room. It was completely empty except for a small video camera in the top right corner of the wall, with a red light that indicated it was on.

"We're being watched," I said. "There's not much we can do."

"We have to try, at least," Angel said determinedly, setting her jaw with steely resolve. She pulled at her chains, trying to yank them out of the wall, but her strength wasn't enough. I tried pulling at my own chains, but nothing was working. We were trapped.

"How long do you think they're gonna keep us here?" asked Gazzy, leaning his head back against the metal wall. I shook my head.

"I have no clue, Gaz."

"Well-" Iggy started, but he was cut off when the door to the metal room suddenly opened.

And Fang was pushed in by two beefy Bieber-Hulks, his arms held behind his back.

One of the monsters held a knife to his throat.

I growled in fury and struggled against my restraints, an expression of pure rage on my face.

"Let go of him," I demanded.

"They're not authorized to do that," someone said, and a moment later an unfamiliar man in a white coat walked into the room. "Only I can authorize them."

"Then authorize them," I said.

The man smiled at me, and a cold shiver went down my spine.

"My name," he said, "is Dr. Leslie Gorman. And I am your worst nightmare."

I laughed. "First of all, I didn't ask for your name, Leslie." Iggy and Gazzy snickered. "And second of all, egocentric much? I don't know how many people I've met that has claimed to be my worst nightmare. Every villain I've faced is about as scary as an angry kitten. What makes you think you're any better?"

Leslie gestured to the Bieber-Hulks. "I created these beautiful creatures," he said with a proud smile.

"Aww," I drawled. "Proud Papa."

His smile faltered, and he stepped towards me with his hand raised like he was going to slap me. I turned my face to the side and braced myself for the slap.

What I wasn't prepared for was how much it was going to hurt.

"You'll learn not to be so ignorant," Leslie said, stepping away from me. My cheek burned red with the mark of his hand. The slap had definitely cracked a few bones in my neck and jarred my teeth a little bit. I could even taste blood in my mouth. Leslie was strong.

"That's what they always say," I said. "And yet I never learn."

"If you don't learn, you'll be killed," Leslie said with a casual shrug of his shoulders, and Fang growled menacingly. The Bieber-Hulk with the knife pressed the tip into his throat, and I gnashed my teeth when I saw the drop of blood appear.

Leslie smiled. "Or we'll kill your boyfriend."

"Do that, and I swear to you I will tear you limb from limb," I threatened.

"We'll help," Gazzy piped up, and I saw each member of my flock nod in turn. I almost smiled. My little brave babies, stepping up to the plate. I couldn't have taught them better.

"I'd like to see you try," Leslie said.

"You don't want to challenge me, Leslie," I replied, shaking my head. Every single member of my flock, including Fang, shook their heads along with me in agreement.

Leslie smiled. "Max," he said. "You are truly an amazing specimen."

I shrugged. "I try."

"Your strength and your will and your determination are unbeatable," Leslie complimented, stepping closer to me again. He examined me carefully. "They did quite a good job with you. I commend Dr. ter Borcht and Mr. Batchelder for their excellent work."

At the sound of Jeb's name, I grimaced.

"Ter Borcht?" Iggy repeated. "That name sounds familiar."

"It should be," I said. "He was the guy with the accent, remember? He created us."

"Oh yeah!" Gazzy exclaimed. "I vill now eat nine Snickers bahz. Visout bahfing."

I chuckled. "Yeah, that guy."

"He was a meanie," Nudge supplied.

"Aren't they all?" I said.

Leslie stepped back, a frown on his face. "Your sarcasm, however, seems to be a problem. We'll have to change that."

I laughed. "HA! I'd like to see you try!"

"Seriously, good luck with that," Fang said from where the Bieber-Hulks were keeping him contained in their beefy arms.

"You'd have to be a miracle-worker to get rid of Max's sarcasm," Gazzy said. "Or Jesus."

"Please," I said. "Not even Jesus can take it away."

"Enough!" Leslie shouted angrily, and my flock fell silent. Leslie stepped toward me again, beet red in the face with anger. "In just a few moments, you and the rest of your flock will be taken for testing. Your strengths and weaknesses will be determined from these tests. Then, you will each be administered a shot of Mesonox." He smiled, and a cold chill went down my spine.

"I don't want to know what that is, do I?" I asked. He shook his head, the smile never faltering.

"No, you don't. But I'll tell you anyway. Mesonox is a serum we've been working on that, if used correctly, could increase the individual's strength, speed and overall stamina by a hundredfold."

"And if not used correctly?" Iggy dared to ask.

Leslie flinched in annoyance. "The individual could go insane. Mesonox contains a dangerous chemical that alters the framework of the brain. It's a tic we're trying to work out."

"And who is 'we'?" I demanded. "Who do you work for?"

The smile disappeared, and he leaned towards me again. "I work for no one. This is my company. I'm the one running the show."

"Where are we, anyway?" Nudge asked. I mentally slapped myself for not asking that question sooner. I desperately needed to know so I could figure out a way out of this mess. Knowing where we were was my first priority.

Leslie smiled again. "That, my dear, is classified. We wouldn't want our little birdies to fly away, would we?"