Greetings! I know I haven't updated in a SUPER long time, but I hope this really long chapter makes up for it. Some of the stuff I included is from Maximum Ride 5 but nothing too major, just a few characters but if it somehow spoils it for you if you haven't read that book yet, then don't read it. Otherwise, enjoy! This chapter has some...pretty interesting stuff in it so tell me what you think, please!

Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride, not me.

Now on with the show!!

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FANG POV

Max and I sat expectantly, waiting for Jeb to begin. I was still holding her hand, which was comforting and strange at the same time. She shifted in her seat and looked down at her lap for the briefest moment before returning to her steely gaze, which seemed to shoot through Jeb like daggers.

Jeb wasn't blind to this, and cleared his throat unsteadily before speaking. "It seems we have a bit of a situation."

Max snickered from beside me. "Oh, gee, Jeb, I never would have thunk it!"

Jeb must have gotten better at taking jibes like that from her and he blinked, seemingly unfazed before he continued, "There is something about your DNA, Max. It's special. Extraordinary, even." He was being annoyingly vague; not knowing that Max's mind must be exploding at this point knowing there was an imminent threat but not knowing what it was. This was my cue to break in.

"Oh is it maybe the wings? The super speed, the freakin' voice in her head?! Because I don't know about you but that seems pretty special to me!! Now what is this so-called threat and what can we do about it?!" I practically shouted. Or maybe I did. I don't really know because I'm not used to straining my usually monotonous voice to such high volumes. They all sat there, shocked. That was the most I've spoken in front of this many people at one time aside from the flock on rare occasions.

Max smiled a bit at me, giving my hand a squeeze similar to the one I'd given to her earlier. It faded instantly, though, her lips morphing into a grim line. If you looked up dead-serious in the dictionary you would see her picture. When she spoke her tone was professional. "Like Fang said, please tell us what is happening and what we can do about it."

Jeb looked back and forth between the two of us, his eyes seeming to say, To think I actually raised these people for the better part of their short lives. " Like I was saying, your DNA is very…unique. And no- I do not mean the wings, voice in your head, or any other special power you may possess."

I stole a glance at Max once again to discover that she had let her eyes wander elsewhere. It was her way of saying that she didn't like to be reminded of all of the things that made her so much different than the average teenage girl, whether she knew it or not. But the thing I so desperately wanted her to understand was that without those differences- she just wouldn't be…her. She would be just like any other girl, boring and simple. Not to pick fun at, well, THE WHOLE FEMALE POPULATION, but a girl just isn't a girl without gorgeous wings, a strong spirit, a winning smile and the ability to kick ass. Oh yeah, and her name has to be Max. Maximum Ride to be exact. Just saying.

Max seemed to get bored with looking at the wall so she urged the conversation forward. "Then what makes my DNA so 'special'?"

Jeb smiled. "Don't you realize it?" He stared at her intently as if believing that that alone could make her realize the part of the puzzle she was missing.

Max's cheeks were tinged with the slightest bit of pink. "Um…no."

"Well, there's a reason why you were chosen to save the world, Max."

Max let go of my hand (much to my disappointment. What? I'm not afraid to admit my emotions like she is so I will freely admit that I like the feeling of her hand in mine) and she crossed her arms. "No friggin DUH." Bravo, Max. I knew she couldn't keep her professional act going for much longer.

Jeb raised an eyebrow. "And what do you think that may be?"

"Because you made me that way. No wait- you designed me that way. Not out of love, out of some insane desire for a girl with wings to save the world. I mean, really. If you wanted someone to save the world, you could've come up with something much more clever. Like a giant robot, maybe. Or something like the Incredible Hulk, with those massive muscles. But me? I'm just a girl. With wings. That's all."

No it isn't, I wanted to say but I was dying to hear Jeb's response.

"Max." He said exasperatedly, dropping his head into his hands. He looked up with a hurt expression on his face that almost made me feel sorry for him. Almost. "You know that's not the case. Believe it or not, I did do those things out of love. Your mother and I both. You may not be old enough to understand that, but I do need you to understand what I am saying now. Angel, Gazzy, Iggy, and Fang all have wings, too if you have forgotten. Not to mention special powers, just like you. So why is it that they weren't chosen to save the world but are more like accomplices or sidekicks, hmmm?"

I scowled. I am soooo much more than a sidekick! And the rest of the flock weren't just accomplices, they were equals making sure to serve justice. Holy crap, we sound like the Scooby-Doo Gang. Ok, we are little more badass than they are. Dontcha think?

I could tell that Max felt the same way by how she was looking at me apologetically. "First of all, DAD, they are much more than sidekicks! Any one of them is just as capable of saving the world as I am! The only reason they're not doing it is because there is no way that I would ever make them bear that much responsibility. If anyone is going to die trying to save the world, it's me!" I'm usually fond of Max's courage, but it was only annoying me now. Like hell I was letting her die before me.

Jeb looked at me. "No offense, Fang."

I nodded curtly. "Just continue." I said.

At least he had the decency to look a bit ashamed. "But there is something else about you, Max. When you were just an infant, we referred to it as the X-Factor. Some of it even called it the Death Factor."

"Oh my!" Dr. Martinez exclaimed. " The D-death Factor?" She put a hand to her chest. Wow. Max is so lucky to have a mother like this to actually worry about her. Apparently my mom was some druggie teen. Dr. Martinez on the other hand showed more affection than I thought possible by starting to sway in her spot, even though she was seated firmly on the couch.

Jeb put a steadying hand on her shoulder by way of comfort and I saw Max tense out of the corner of my eye. "Don't worry Valencia, it's quite the opposite actually. What it means is that should Max never be severely harmed in anyway by some physical force…she can…well…live forever."

MAX POV

"I can what?!'' I screeched, bolting up into a standing position.

Jeb nodded thoughtfully. "Well, it is possible for you to die if you are fatally injured but if you could somehow avoid being hurt in such a way at all costs, your body will not die on its own by way of old age."

My mind was racing. All I had to do was basically lock myself up in some nuclear-proof room for all of eternity where I was completely safe and I would never die. That is just…AWESOME!! I couldn't help but feel absolutely giddy, just filling myself with the awesomeness that was my destiny. However, this only lasted for a moment or two before the guilt sunk in. How could I possibly outlive my family? How could they go on to some other place while I stayed here in all my feathery glory?

I suddenly didn't like this sudden news and I felt sick to my stomach. We were told from a young age that my flock would be some of the only creatures that would survive if our world somehow went into World War III. But what would happen afterwards? The rest of them die from old age and I don't? Despite wanting to stand there and look tough, like hearing that I had the potential for immortality if I pleased did not put me on a crazy emotional roller coaster, I did something else on impulse.

I turned to Fang, who was eyeing me strangely. He looked at me as if I were an alien but his eyes still showed a great amount of sympathy, and I knew that he knew what I was feeling. Without thinking about our audience (our how freakishly lovey-dovey it would look) I launched at him, my arms clinging tightly around his neck. If I was somehow suffocating him, he didn't show it. He just put his arms around me and stroked my wings soothingly as I hid my red face in his shoulder.

I pulled back not much later and wiped at my face even though it was dry. My eyes were still watery, but not a single tear managed to escape. Years of training helped me control myself when I felt like crying, and I was grateful for it because it meant that I was able to maintain some dignity at this point as I sat back down on the couch.

One thing Jeb managed to remember from his years playing "daddy" to us was that I liked to move on quickly after I had some sort of an emotional outburst and forget it ever happened. So that's what he did, much to my immense relief. "Now, this X-Factor drives people crazy. No one knew how to create it for many years, except for me until I foolishly left behind some important paperwork years ago when I took you kids from The School. I honestly didn't think anyone would tamper with it, knowing the risks it could create if the blueprints were not read properly."

You see, I discovered that in order to make the X-Factor it would solely rely on the birth-mother of the specimen…er-child who was to receive the chemical enhancements necessary to making it work. The birth-mother would have to go through many medical procedures before being impregnated so that her eggs would already be slightly mutated before being fertilized."

I almost gagged. I didn't really know what he meant by all this eggs and fertilization business but it didn't sound pleasant. Give me a break, people! I don't have a single day of Sex Education to go by and I was not about to ask my parents to explain it to me. Besides, I wasn't conceived in the standard fashion exactly so I didn't need the dirty little details about how a baby was made. On the other hand, I did recognize all of this sciencey lingo thanks to my charming upbringing like, "specimen", "medical procedure" and "mutated" so I was able to follow along just fine, thank you.

Jeb went on, " Now, because all of her eggs had been mutated, it meant any of them, when fertilized, could still became a healthy child. However, this child would have what other children did not have."

"The X-Factor." I breathed.

My mom suddenly stood up, her face pale and her eyes wide.

"Valencia….?" Jeb tried to take her hand but she pushed him away forcefully.

"You talk about this 'birth mother' like she's just some random woman instead of someone sitting right here in this room!" She cried.

Jeb frowned. "Is that what you're on about? I'm sorry Valencia; it was just for the purpose of the story-

Mom held up a hand to quiet him. "That's not what I mean. You came here to tell me something, didn't you?" She tapped her foot impatiently, giving Jeb a murderous look.

Jeb was obviously flustered. Ha! Take that daddy-o! Sorry. I'll stop with the ruthless jabber about the devil. Oops, I mean Jeb.

Mom began pacing behind the back of the couch, muttering things under her breath and clutching a hand to her stomach. Maybe all of this talk was reminding her of all of the medical procedures she had to endure just so I could have this "X-Factor" Jeb speaks so proudly of. Maybe it was so painful that it hurts her just to think of it. I wonder if she still has scars….

Fang took that moment to nudge me, gesturing wildly at my mom. "Say something!" He hissed just low enough so I was the only one to hear it.

"Uh…mom?" Nothing. "DR. MARTINEZ!!" I cried. She spun around instantly.

"Jeb," She began as if I hadn't spoken. "You just said that all of my eggs were mutated before Max was born, is that true?"

Jeb removed his glasses and wiped them nervously on his shirt. "Y-yes." Ha, wimp! Oh darn! That was unladylike of me. Aww shucks, who cares? This is my story.

"So that would mean every child conceived out of these eggs would have the X-Factor?"

Jeb nodded once again. "I really didn't think-

"How could you not tell me?!" My mother shouted. There were some surprised murmurs from upstairs, but everyone knew better than to interrupt this little scene. "You've known all along, haven't you?"

Jeb cowered by the wall. "I honestly thought I was protecting you."

My mom wasn't done yet. "Protecting me?! For God's sake, at least now I know why you've always kept me from loving someone else! Did you kill him, Jeb?!"

At this point none of us know what is happening, but it is very fascinating to see my usually oh-so-polite mother defending herself against my oh-so-betraying father.

Jeb's voice dropped to a whisper. "Kill who? What are you talking about?"

Mom bent over him and jabbed a finger at his chest. "My husband. Ella's father. Did you kill him and make it look like an accident?"

Jeb's eyes dropped to the ground. Then, he stood up and took my mom's hands gently. "Of course not. I did know of the risks of having another baby and I'll admit that I did anything to prevent it from happening. But I am not a murderer by any terms."

I stood up, my hands clenched in fists at my sides. "Whoa there, buddy! Can someone fill us in?"

Jeb and my mom returned to their seats hesitantly and Jeb started to explain, " I-we weren't expecting for your mother to have another child. We thought that after you came along she would be infertile due to the massive stress put on her body. Like I said, everyone one of her eggs had been mutated; meaning any of those children could, and would be, born with the X-Factor. I honestly had no clue that she was planning on having another child."

"Wait!" I said. Everything was starting to click into place.

"That would mean…" I couldn't even say it out loud. It was just too…shocking.

Jeb sighed. "Yes, Max. That would mean that Ella, too, has the X-Factor. While she does not have wings or special abilities, she can live forever should she stay safe and protected."

Fang and I turned to each other, both knowing what this could mean. The School must have found out that I had a sister from my spending so much time here in Arizona. They knew about Ella and they wanted to take her. Oh crap! This was all my fault! If only I'd just stayed away.

Fang, as if knowing my thoughts, put a strong arm around me and whispered in my ear, "This isn't your fault, Max."

His words only calmed me a little, but I was still shaking out of fear and anger. Ella didn't know about this strange power she possessed, considering her own mother had just found out a few minutes ago. Jeb was looking guilty and ashamed for having kept this information for so long.

My mom was the one to break the silence. "Is Ella in any immediate danger?" Her voice was shaky.

"I don't know. All I know is that a man named has made it very clear that he has big plans in store for her." Jeb answered.

"?" I asked.

Before he could answer, our ears were met with a great rumbling noise from upstairs. Fang and I took a fighting stance while my mom and Jeb stared anxiously at the door.

"Let's go." I told Fang, and we bolted up the stairs. As soon as we got there we noticed the window in the living room was smashed and bits of glass were strewn across the pale blue carpet.

There were these human-looking robots standing all around the room with their guns pointed directly at us. I had to admit that the School had done well this time with the creepiness level. I couldn't help but feel weirded out by their appearance.

M-Geeks,

Angel's voice drifted into my mind.

What, honey?

I asked while trying to make my face look unafraid as I glanced at our attackers surrounding us from all sides in the small room.

I call them M-Geeks,

She explained.

I almost laughed. It was the perfect name for these things! They didn't speak, but continued to wave their guns at us threateningly, but didn't make any moves to actually shoot us. They want something, I concluded. Something more than just killing us or attacking us; the guns were only there to make a point.

I put my hands on my hips. "Can I help you?"

One of the M-Geeks stepped forward, lowering its gun. "We have come for Special Unit Number Two." It droned in a lifeless tone.

I rolled my eyes. "You mean Ella?"

It blinked. "Yes. The one who shares your blood."

I stepped closer to it, despite the warnings Fang heeded through his eyes. "Oh well, I'm going to have to give that a big fat NO."

They all stepped closer, raising their guns even higher if that were possible. I kept my ground. "Is that a problem?" I asked sweetly, blinking my eyes in exaggerated motions.

At this point, I heard a noise from the kitchen. That must be where my flock was hiding. The M-Geeks noticed it as well and took off in that direction.

Despite the fact that we were indoors, Fang and I spread our wings and rushed to beat them there. As we flapped to pick up speed, the tips of our feathers grazed the ceiling lightly. As I passed the basement door, I pushed a heavy armchair in front of it to make sure my mom didn't risk anything by coming up here to help us.

Most of the M-Geeks were behind us, but the one who had spoken to me and two others were already in the kitchen. I glanced around them, where I saw everyone huddled around Ella protectively. Awww. My little warriors.

Fang was blocking the entrance in an attempt to make sure no one else came through. He was fighting off the growing crowd and I winced as he caught a blow to his shoulder. He was strong through, moving his limbs in an almost blinding speed as he fought off several at once. How many were there? At least twenty. I couldn't let him do it himself.

I moved to help him, hoping the rest of the flock could fend off the three others. We fought together mercilessly, earning a few bruises and scratches but nothing too serious. Why weren't they using their guns? Maybe they were just for show after all, I thought wildly as I attacked one straight in the face with a swift roundhouse kick.

I turned around to check how the rest were doing. I only meant to tear my eyes away from my fight for a second, but in that moment one of the M-Geeks raised his gun and brought it down over my head hard enough that I felt myself drop to the ground as everything slipped away…

I vaguely heard Fang's angered cry as he noticed what had just happened but the pain in my head was too much to take so I let myself drift away as I lay sprawled on the hard tiled floor.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I blinked my eyes, trying to remember where I was. As soon as I remembered the fight and all of the day's events I bolted up, hitting my head on something hard above me.

I groaned. "Ow!" I rubbed the top of my head, looking angrily at the wooden panels of the small bunk bed above me. I was in the guest room that Gazzy and Iggy shared, lying on the lower bunk with a thin blue blanket covering me.

"Max?" A small voice asked me.

I turned to find Angel kneeling by the bed. She had a band-aid on one of her cheeks and her blonde curls were tangled.

"Hey, sweetie. How are you doing?" I asked as I took her hand in mine.

"I'm okay." She answered quietly, her blue eyes tearing up.

"What's wrong? Where is everybody? Where's Fang?" I spit out the questions urgently, my panic rising by the moment.

"Gazzy and Iggy are downstairs and Nudge is with Dr. M and Jeb. Fang's sleeping right above you up there." She pointed to the top bunk where a faint snoring could be heard. I breathed a sigh of relief. But there was still someone missing…

"Angel…where is Ella?" I was embarrassed at how my voice almost broke on her name and I cleared my throat uncomfortably.

"Max, we did everything we could! There were only three of them, but they were strong! I tried to read their minds but nothing happened!" Tears were running down her cheeks now.

"Angel, what happened?" I asked quietly, afraid to hear the answer.

"Well, we all turned around as soon as we heard you hit the floor. We were worried about you and we tried to help Fang fight the rest off but we weren't paying enough attention."

My heart was hammering in my chest. I felt guilty and ashamed that I had even asked about Fang before considering the safety of my own sister. I had left her to help out my boy- my best friend when she needed me.

I didn't need to hear Angel's next words to know what had happened. "Max," Angel began, "They took her."

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