Spy Games

Chapter 2

"The Gasman," I said slowly. "Gasman is your master of recon."

Nudge nodded. "Yeah. Of course. Who else would I go to?"

Ella sighed, following along behind the younger girl as she led us over to a group of little boys. Gasman was playing soccer with them and didn't notice our approach.

"Gazzy," Nudge called, waving at him. "Come here for a second."

He ignored her of course, continuing to play his game. He wouldn't ignore me though.

"Now, Gasman," I yelled at him, effectively halting the whole game. All the people on the beach looked at me then. Though I didn't know the names of all my followers, they all knew me. "I mean it."

Ella frowned, glancing at me. "I thought you thought this was stupid?"

"I just want to get on with it is all," I told her.

"Hmmm."

"What do you guys want? I was playing," Gazzy complained as he came over to us. "I already did my chores and I haven't done nothing wrong recently either."

"We need your help," Nudge said.

"With what?"

"Spying."

"Ask someone else. I'm busy."

"Who else would I ask, Gazzy?" Nudge frowned at him. "Come on, just help us. Recon and all that."

"Recon?"

"Recogan…ness…tince…s."

"What?"

Nudge just groaned. "Teach us how to spy. You're a boy. You should be good at that kinda stuff."

He shrugged slightly. "I'm kinda busy. Couldn't you ask Iggy or Fang?"

"Fang's back is all messed up and it's Iggy that we're spying on."

"Why are you spying on-"

"Don't you have any gadgets or anything?" Nudge asked. "Like inferred goggles or miniature cameras or anything like that?"

"What exactly do you think I am? A spy store?"

"You're a kid. A boy. I thought this is what boys do?"

"I'm not a boy! I'm a freaking man."

I groaned. "Nudge, can't we just follow behind Iggy? Follow him where he's going? See what he does?"

"I guess-"

"He'd be able to hear you," Gasman interjected. "Iggy has very good hearing."

"It's true," my half-sister muttered. "He does."

"It's only natural that all his other senses get better, huh?" Nudge looked around at us. "Right? Isn't that true?"

"I don't know," I said, frowning at her. "Look, Gasman, can you teach us how to spy on Iggy?"

"The great Maximum Ride can't spy on someone all alone?"

"I can," I said, frowning at him. "And don't make fun of me. I'm your leader."

"Do you want my help or not?"

"Yes," Nudge said while I crossed my arms, about done with the boy now. "We do."

"Well come on then," he said before calling out to his friends that he was quitting the game, that I wanted him for something. "Let's go find where he is and stalk him."

"Spy," Ella corrected. "I am not stalking him."

"You kind of are," I said.

"Shut up. You're spying on Fang too."

"I am not."

"'cause he's cheating on her," Nudge explained to the Gasman.

"Fang is not cheating on me!"

"Oh," Gazzy said slowly. "Blake huh?"

Does everyone know about this except for me?

"I'm uncomfortable."

"Shhh."

"But-"

"Be quiet or else he might hear you."

"He's not even here yet!"

My sister and I were conveniently hidden in the underbrush along a path that led deeper into the woods. Above us, Gasman and Nudge were hidden away in the trees above, awaiting Iggy just like we were. He was a creature of habit, my blind friend was. He almost always went into the woods every day right before sundown. I always assumed it was to, you know, take a dump, but Ella thinks it's for a complete other reason. I mean, maybe the boy has intestinal problems. Like, how is that any of our business? More importantly, if he does, I have zero desire to find out about it!

"I just don't like sitting like this," Ella complained.

"Yeah, well, it was you who wanted to spy in the first place," I grumbled right back. "Like I really wanted to spend my day doing this."

"You're the one who wanted to be involved. No one made you be involved."

"I'm only doing it because Mom-"

"Oh, whatever. If you don't want to do something, you don't do it. I know you, Max. You want to follow Iggy around as much as I do."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Alright, alright, fine," I said, giving in. "But only because I want to make sure that you're okay."

"Yeah right."

"It's true, El," I said, glancing over at her. This bush was really rather scratchy… "I know how much you like Iggy. If he's cheating on you, I want to know."

"You know as well as I do you'll just take his side. What else is new?"

"Why would I take his side?"

"You know why."

"No."

"Because, Max, you and Iggy and Fang always take each others sides. Because y'all think that you're all bonded together or whatever. It's disgusting."

"Name one time-"

"When Iggy and I got into that fight that time over how he shoved me into the freaking ocean, you and Fang made excuses for him."

"Well, he was just playing around."

"See?"

"He was."

"We were arguing and he just shoved me in there."

"Well, he must have slipped."

"Are you even serious right now?"

Sighing, I closed my eyes. "You just don't get it, Ella. For a long time, it was just Iggy, Fang, and I. It's not that we think we're bonded, it's that we are bonded. Fang's my rock and Iggy's like my brother."

"But I'm your real sister."

Half, actually, but I don't plan on having that debate any time soon. Mainly because the last time I brought it up, good ol' Mom went into some long spiel about how she didn't want to leave me in the School and how she quit right after I was born and all this other emotional junk. I knew if I pushed it anymore, I'd have to hear about Ella's father, a topic of discussion I've avoided like the bubonic plague. I have enough daddy issues as it is. No need to rehash my sister's.

Half-sister, I mean.

"I know, El," I said, sighing. "You just don't get it."

"I would choose you over anybody. Why can't you do the same for me?"

"Iggy, Fang, and I-"

"I'm not even just talking about that anymore. I'm talking about just anyone in general," she said, now getting slightly louder. So much for being sneaky… And I got in the freaking bush and everything! "You always think that everyone else on the island is better than me, can do more stuff than me, is more reliable that-"

"Well, yeah, Ella," I said, frowning at her. "I don't know if you've noticed, but other than the scientists, you're the only person on the island without wings. The only kid."

"So?"

"So," I began, now slightly annoyed with her line of questioning, "you should consider yourself lucky to even be on my island."

I knew as the words left my mouth that I was going to offend her, but I couldn't help it. It'd been itchy at me for a long time. She was the only one on the island that hadn't gotten experimented on as a kid, never got tortured growing up. Did she not get how lucky she was? Why did she have to always act like she had it so hard? Like ooh, Iggy might be fooling around on her. Cry me a river.

"Are you serious right now?"

"Yeah, Ella, I am," I said, staring straight ahead now. "If your mother hadn't brought you along, you'd probably be dead by now."

"My mother?"

"That's what she is, ain't she?"

"Our mother."

I still just faced forwards. "Whatever you say."

"Is she not? Is that what you're saying?"

"I'm just saying that I find it kinda funny that she sent me to come check on your wellbeing because you haven't been as perky and annoying as usual." I shrugged. "Just seems like if either of us deserved a constant check, it'd be me."

"What's wrong with you? Huh? What problems do you face daily, Max?"

Was she serious?

"Try this whole dang island. I deal with this whole island, am trying to deal with all of the business off the island, and still have a Flock that is in need of constant attention."

"Cry me a river."

"That was my line!"

Ella huffed. "You just don't get it, Max, since you and Fang have such a perfect relationship."

"Perfect? You were the one trying to say he's cheating on me!"

"Yeah, I said it. So? You still walk around like you've just got the most perfect guy-"

"Because I do."

"Yeah, well, I liked you with Dylan a lot more."

"Take it back," I warned.

"Make me."

"You-"

"Wait!" Ella was whispering now, looking back out the front of the bush. "It's him."

"What are you-"

"Shut up, Max," she hissed at me, pointing out of the bush. "It's Iggy."

So begins the spying. Sigh. I'm with Gazzy. This feels more like stalking. Only it's stalking that I really don't want to be involved in and with an end result that I couldn't care less about.

"He's alone," I muttered to her as softly as I could. "So let's just-"

"Shhh. We have to follow him."

"What?"

"What did you think spying was?"

I'm not sure, but they sure make it look a lot more fun in the movies…

"Is it an animal?"

"Nope."

"Is it…yellow?"

"Nope."

"Is it-"

"That was twenty questions."

"Na-ah."

"Yes, Angel, it was."

"You don't play right, Fang."

"Why? 'cause I don't let you win like Max does?" He just reached over, gently poking her in the sides where he knew she was most ticklish. Angel writhed away from him, giggling. "Now guess."

"Was it the ocean?"

"No."

"Then what was it?"

"One of the huts," Fang said, shifting from his spot on the ground as Angel cuddled back into him. "See? Down there?"

She just frowned. "So is it my turn now?"

"I don't wanna play, Angel," Fang sighed, settling back on the ground. "My back is killing me."

"You're a baby now, Fang."

"Ha ha."

"How come you won't just let Iggy heal you?" She was staring up at him now, her blue eyes locked with his dark ones. "He could, huh?"

"He's tried. Nothing works."

"Dr. Martinez thinks-"

"I know what she thinks. I don't care what she says. They're not cutting me open and messing with my back." Fang sighed slightly. "Don't you have anything to do today, Angel?"

"I want to be with you, Fang."

It had only been a few hours or so since Max left in which Fang had laid around bored the whole time. Then Angel showed up, apparently finding it her job to entertain him. Which was fine, really, as Fang and Angel did spend a lot more time together these days. Since they lost her back in Paris that time, Fang had turned somewhat into Max when it came to Angel. He'd always been soft on her, but now he was full-fledged on her side. He played with her, took her and some of her friends camping once in the woods, defended her to Max. It was amazing, really. Angel loved it.

"You wanna be with me?" Fang smiled at her before looking back up at the sky. "That's good. 'cause I was all bored without you."

"Where's Max? Working?"

"Something like that," he sighed, thinking about his girlfriend spending her free time worrying about stupid Ella. It wasn't that Fang disliked Ella or anything, but honestly, Fang was rather enjoying his back injury and what he could get Max to do because of it. She was much more lenient towards him and his whims when he was injured.

"Maybe she'll eat dinner with us."

"Maybe."

"If not, I'll eat with you, Fang."

"Good." Fang smiled at her. "I would like that a lot, Angel."

It's just something about losing someone that makes you realize how much you love them. Not that Fang would ever tell Angel he loved her or anything. He wasn't that kinda of a guy. He'd tell Max, but only when she really needed to hear it. But still, when he lost Angel, he just… He wouldn't let that happen again. Ever.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. Lazy."

Fang sat up slightly as two of the other teens landed on the cliff with them. He smirked slightly when he saw who it was, but Angel just frowned.

"I'm injured," Fang told the two girls in front of him. "Besides, I never see the two of you doing much work."

"He must not look hard enough, Blake," Jenna, the blonde, said.

"Must not," the redhead responded. Then she smiled over at Angel. "Hi. You're Angel, right?"

She just glared at the other women before looking back up at Fang. He was just staring at them though, apparently forgetting the fact that moments before he was completely smitten with the idea of spending the rest of the evening with Angel. The nerve.

"Yes," Angel answered before looking back up at the boy next to her. "Fang, can we-"

"Not now, Angel," he said, shifting away from her. "Go, uh, find the others. Tell them about dinner or whatever. Ask Iggy what he's gonna make us. You know, all that stuff. Go do that. Now."

"But-"

"We'll eat dinner together," he told her, before glancing at the girls as if to say 'Kids. What are ya gonna do?' or something like that. Angel just frowned, standing up.

"Okay," she said slowly as Fang turned his attention back to the teens in front of him. Angel really didn't like how he was looking at them. For a second, she thought about using her mind control to get them to bug off, but figured she'd get in trouble for it later. "I guess I'll go then."

"Yeah, go find Max or whatever," he waved her off as Angel opened her angelic white wings.

Oh, she'd find Max. She just wasn't so sure Fang would like the results of it.